Walking Man

by Tim W. Brown

Fiction. From the same metafictional universe as the films Best in Show and This is Spinal Tap, WALKING MAN documents the life and times of Brian Walker, publisher of the zine "Walking Man." Through a fateful encounter between his foot and a yuppie's BMW, Brian becomes the most famous zine publisher in America and an ardent defender of pedestrian rights. Meanwhile, he must juggle the ambitions of his sexy actress girlfriend with his own soaring celebrity. Written in the tradition of the scandalous tell-all biography, WALKING MAN satirizes so-called "alternative" culture while it fondly recollects the 80s and 90s zine scene. "I loved this book from its first page. WALKING MAN tells an extremely funny story and is spot-on in its critique of pop culture trendiness"--Joseph Weisberg.

192 pages, Paperback

First published April 7, 2008

About the author

Tim W. Brown was born and raised in Rockford, Illinois. In 1983 he graduated summa cum laude from Northern Illinois University with a degree in American studies. He is the author of four published novels, Deconstruction Acres (1997), Left of the Loop (2001), Walking Man (2008), and Second Acts (2010). His fiction, poetry and nonfiction have appeared in over two hundred publications, including Another Chicago Magazine, The Bloomsbury Review, The Brooklyn Rail, Chelsea, Chiron Review, Colorado Review, The Fiction Review, The Ledge, Main Street Rag, New Observations, Oyez Review, Pleiades, Poetry Project Newsletter, Rain Taxi, Rockford Review, Slipstream, Small Press Review, and Storyhead. A long-time resident of Chicago, where he was a fixture in that citys literary scene as a writer, performer, and publisher of Tomorrow Magazine (1982-1999), Brown moved to New York in 2003. He currently earns his living as a writer at Bloomberg."

Reviews

[John Dishwasher John Dishwasher · Rating 3 out of 5]

A funny phoney biography of a Gen-Ex zine-maker, documenting the life of a man walking through his young adulthood and accidentally getting famous in the process. At the beginning it seemed like a parody of the biography form, but I think it’s actually parodying the period it is set in -- late 1980s early 1990s. Lots of lawyering, daytime TV, gratuitous tits and ass, politics, and attempts to come to terms with this strange new invention: political correctness. It also lampoons celebrity culture by making a celebrity out of a nobody, which seems a just comment on how arbitrary ‘celebrity’ can be. The mood of the book blends ‘Dishwasher’ by Pete Jordan with Woody Allen’s film ‘Take the Money and Run.’ I could actually feel it depending on ‘Dishwasher Pete’ quite heavily in some places. But that means lots of humor and cleverness. In the end, to my taste, the parodying voice got a little tiresome. I’m not sure long form fiction is the right place for that tone -- at least laid on as thick as it is here. But that might just be me. A worthy experiment in that vein, in any event. If you’re feeling jaded by normal mainstream shit, this is a nice break. It was worth the money I spent on it.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written as one of those celebrity tell-all biographies, this novel is about Brian Walker, publisher of the zine Walking Man.

Set in Chicago of the late 1980s and early 1990s, Brian seems to have a genetic need to walk everywhere, which he writes about in his zine. He works in the copy room of a downtown law firm, which is a godsend for any zine publisher. He is friends with Tracy Minister, a gorgeous woman who is temping at the firm while she pursues her dream of becoming an actress.

One day, while crossing a downtown street, Brian is already in the crosswalk, when a BMW tries to drive between him and another man also in the crosswalk. In an instinctive reaction, Brian kicks the BMW and dents it. Both men are arrested, then released, and the BMW driver sues Brian for damages. As the case waits for its turn in court, Brian becomes an ardent defender of pedestrian’s rights, and a national celebrity.

He goes on a national lecture tour, causing the law firm to terminate his employment. Speaking at college campuses, he gets a positive reception, and sells lots of copies of his zine. Later, Brian travels to a national zine conference in San Francisco, where he also gets a generally positive reception. The exception is when another zine publisher publicly accuses Brian of selling out zinedom’s guerrilla, do-it-yourself philosophy. Because of Brian’s fame, he can no longer keep up with the demand for Walking Man. It is now printed by a printing company, the cover is 4-color glossy paper, and there is a (gasp) bar code on the back (the mark of the Antichrist in the zine world).

Meantime, Tracy has gotten an acting job. It’s in a local production, and it requires her to be naked on stage. That lasts for a few months, then she gets a job as a Production Assistant on a local TV talk show. Brian freaks out, accusing Tracy of being a sellout; they don’t see each other for a while. Does Brian stand up for pedestrian’s rights by winning his court case (which finally sees the light of day)? Do he and Tracy get back together, and ride off into the proverbial sunset?

Here is a really interesting look inside zine culture; anyone who has ever published a zine will enjoy it. It’s also a good story of an average person suddenly thrust into the spotlight.

[Moira · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny, irreverent take on Gen X rebel against the backdrop of zine publishing.