so, mike and i are passionately active on goodreads (in our different ways — mike is a superstar). goodreads, if you losers don’t know what it is, is this website where people talk about books. the wonderful thing about it is that discussions end up being pretty damn good and people bring to your attention books you would never have considered picking up. so i thought, how about we open this here blog a little, send an invite to those bonzer people over at goodreads we have come to know and like, and ask them to contribute to our threads and start threads of their own? this would involve:
1. removing the absurd block on commenting to people arnab hasn’t registered as legit commenters (arnab, wordpress is really, really good with spam).
2. giving people an easy way to register as contributors (arnab, wordpress has a contact box you can script in)
3. opening the website to search engines (hi arnab).
i realize that this also requires more administrative work, but since it’s not my problem i don’t care. please discuss.
I’m for it. 1, I like many goodreaders. 2, I think Arnab should do more work.
3. women!
since it’s my problem, i care. and no.
well i guess this kills what i hoped would be a lively and productive discussion. now back to talking about the world cup final. will spain replicate its impeccable playing and beat the netherlands? do we care?
on principle I’m opposed to hearing from people who read. I try not to read myself, even when I think I might enjoy it, as with Christopher Isherwood’s novel upon which “A Single Man” is based. If the book is any good, I’ll wait for the film.
That said, is there a compromise position in which Gio and Mike invite a handful of people from Goodreads, rather than open up the blog entirely to the search engines? That was what happened with me: Mike told me about the blog, I commented a couple of times, and then after a short probation, got full posting rights. If anyone is recommended by a current blogger, that would be enough for me.
Alternatively we could ask anyone who wanted to post a few short questions and admit them based on the answers. Do they like or dislike: 1) Magnolia; 2) Devil Wears Prada; 3) Life Aquatic; 4) Italian soccer; 5) women’s films.
you lost me at probation, chris.
that was tongue in cheek, but probation is sort of what it felt like.
1) i hate people.
2) i hate people i don’t know. almost as much as the ones i know.
3) i am not really interested in discussing movies with random strangers. my gorge still rises at the thought of jeff and chris having posting rights.
4) i have no interest in this blog being more visible. i’m not interested in an audience; i’m interested in chatting with friends. i want the blog to be small, insular and packed with in jokes and insults.
5) i don’t want new friends; the ones i have already suck.
6) no matter what the dull italian says, we got a lot of spam in the comments when they were open and it was a bit of a pain to keep them out.
7) i thought i’d given simon access–did i forget? if so, fuck him.
There’s no doubt that this blog needs some new blood–there must be a way to do that, without opening it to obnoxious spammers and weird strangers. No women, though, please.
That said, I would like to open things up to my collection of personalities: Candi, the young girl who makes inappropriate sexual remarks; Bobby, the gentle young man whose ability to make human relationships has been stunted by years of working at the local slaughterhouse; Jackson, the elderly squirrel; and, of course, Dr. Maxwell, the serial killer/psychopath with a collection of human bone fragments woven into his massive collection of macrame. Why shouldn’t they have a voice, Arnab, you bastard!
michael, i can make room for jackson and candi. i’m afraid bobby and dr. maxwell are going to have to go to goodreads.
i like u–candi.
Why does this blog need new blood? Can’t we just stick with who we got and just be more inventive? Or is michael making some reference to Twilight? And Gio, I know what goodreaders is. But why would I be a loser if didn’t (not that I’m not a loser)? For the same reason that one is an idiot for not knowing how to search this blog?
I like to read, but not as much as anyone on this blog. When I do read, I usually stick with non-fiction and biographies. Just started Stefan Kanfer’s bio of Groucho Marx, which so far is terrific. Michael Palin’s Python-era diaries were a delight, and Schultz and Peanuts was one of the best bios I’ve read in a long while. I am looking forward to C. Hitchens’s memoir next.
But as far as fiction goes, I recommend David Morrell’s The Shimmer. He’s probably the best action-thriller writer there is and this is one of his better novels.
Jesus, what else can I say? I couldn’t possibly crank out more than 20 words about what I’ve read. I have no interest in goodreaders and they probably would have no interest in me.
Better than Stieg Larsson? Time to discuss the movie version of “The girl with the dragon tattoo”…
I enjoyed those books, but I only made it about 15 minutes into the film. It just seemed so dreadfully faithful.
Meanwhile, Louie–Louis CK’s new FX show–is very good. I’m tempted to see him doing standup … he’s coming through the Twin Cities in a couple of months…
yes, that show is indeed pretty good, though not as good as lucky louie–let us revive the lucky louie discussion.
mike, i might be interested in seeing him live, depending on price.
I’d like to see Louis CK live; Netflix has his comedy tours available for instant streaming so I watched “Chewed Up” last week. Very good indeed.
A steep $35, Arnab–but I’m still tempted. His live stuff kind of blows me away, and he changes it constantly; this is apparently a tour of all new material. Chris, is Chewed the one with the riff about hating deer?
The show’s October 1, tickets go on sale this Friday. I might buy 2 and then seduce someone into going with me.
Seduuuuuuuuuuce.
three reasons the blog may need “new blood:”
1. Arnab and Gio’s hostile encounters
2. inside talk about what goes on in the Twin Cities
3. my sad attempts at comedy
and $35 steep? I paid $180 to see damn Leonard Cohen (though it was one of the best live shows I’ve seen)….
yeah, Chewed Up riffs on deer, children and going to the doctor with a knee injury when you over 40 (or particular personal relevance). Here is the deer bit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXYrThC3N3I&feature=PlayList&p=DE1D98CBCC0A98A8&playnext_from=PL&playnext=1&index=35
on michael’s three reasons why we need flesh blood:
1. arnab is very immature. more blood wouldn’t change that.
2. inside talk about drunken parties that took place in l.a. during grad school and to which i wasn’t invited.
3. so that your (michael’s) hilarious comedy could shine even more because of larger sample of dull people.
$35 is steep for arnab. he grows his own tomatoes.
i heard louis ck on fresh air and laughed heartily. then i saw a clip of a recent episode of louie (the one about faggots) and i thought, “more boy hilarity: crickets.”
can we move the louie comments to another thread? this thread is kinda mine.
In light of all the new people that will be joining the blog once Arnab comes around, isn’t it time for WLTW iPhone and Android apps? We could live blog from the movie theater, and post mobile updates in response to comments.
I always appreciate it when I can raise Arnab’s gorge.
there will be no new people joining the blog. but hopefully gio will leave and then it will feel like a new place.
At the SCMS Conference, Arnab was more than eager to encourage one member of our audience to check out the blog and write him if she wished to participate. I’m pretty sure he even wrote out his e-mail and handed it to her. He’s really a sweet family man, our Arnab . . . his bluster and bark strike me as performative at best. In other words . . . if there is someone you thing would make a genuine contribution to this blog, then I say that someone should be given a chance. We’ve been a bit stuck in the mud over the last few months. Maybe two or three new voices would liven things up. Reynolds continues to make great efforts, but I suspect his heart has been stolen by the fawning band of acolytes who hang on his every word over at Goodreads (to be honest they are always words worth savoring but sometimes that lovefest could use a hearty dose of WLTW acidity).
Does anyone have a person in mind who might actually make a useful contribution. We certainly could do with another strong female or three. I still miss Li’l Pony.
please, i’m plagued enough by mike’s goodreads circle-jerk via the endless facebook updates it spews. let’s not bring any of that over here.
simon is english and therefore effeminate–i can make him a full-time member (especially as he’s been useful to me on two occasions now). li’l pony, also, if he’s still interested in the blog.