By Beauty Damned

Dude...I so want to go shopping w/you, you find the best stuff on the freakin' street. I put an old chair out by the road last summer, hoping someone would take it. A lady rang my bell and asked how much I wanted for it, I said, "do you see a for sale sign?" She was like "no.....' I said, honey take it, it's yours. That gal acted like Xmas had come early. You crazy New Yorkers would have sat in that chair and rolled it home.hha..
So glad you enjoyed the book, I thought you might :)

Hahaaaa! Sandy you made me laaaugh with that one.

Thank you for recommending Bastard Out of Carolina. I am forever indebted to you for telling me about that book. I really loved it. My boss saw it sitting on my desk one day and he says "I read that book" I said "yah? Did you like it?" He said "no. Not really. It was a little...hard." Well it was hard alright but I really related, not to the circumstances so much (though some things really hit home) as the way Bone's mind worked. I could also understand how a cityboy like him would have a really hard time digesting all that and thought some things probably made him deeply uncomfortable, but that's why there are people like you and I, who are quite the opposite.

Hey, do you remember the authors name who made the big stink about Oprahs' Book Club...he refused to have her stamp of approval on his book. I have so many mixed feelings about that guy. Wouldn't you if you were ever lucky enough to have a book published be indebted to anyone for recommending your work? But on the other hand I can see where he was coming from, a persons work is so personal, he didn't want it diminished by Oprah Winfreys seal on it...anyway wondering if you remembering hearing about that..

Yes. His name was Jonathan Franzen. I have only slightly mixed feelings. On one end I find the whole "sensitive artist" thing really irritating (King Missile did a song called "sensitive artist" and it's hilarious) but at the same time I can totally relate to not wanting Oprah's "seal of approval" on a book that HE worked hard to write. It almost gives you the feeling like, now this is Oprah's book, it doesn't belong to him anymore. I understand that for him it means more money to have her stamp of approval, but how shallow is that? It's an advertisement that Oprah owns his ass. It's just like a punk rock group "selling out." They're in it for the music. Money is cool too. But not if you have to kiss some corporate ass to get it. There are different levels of "selling out" and I totally understand that Franzen wasn't ready to sell out on that level. I think people made a way bigger stink about that than was necessary and the media just loves to fly off the handle every time they feel that someone is being outrageous and they need to be brought back down to "our level." I even read an article that said this:

"Do you know how many books we pitch her?" asks an incredulous publicist for a rival house. "It's very rare that she'll pick a hardcover that early. You have no idea how lucky this man was. That's why everyone is so furious!" Says a highbrow editor, "I'd like to punch the motherfucker."

Highbrow editor, my ass. Who cares "how lucky this man was"? Who gives a shit about Oprah's prima donna ass and how insulted she might be? He viewed the "honor" as more of a curse, so what? Why should it be forced upon him? It's his book. So all in all, my feeling on the subject is that it's not the artist who is unduly sensitive, but the media that attacks him for not acquiescing to Oprah's corporate mogul status. I feel that I am primarily on Franzen's side on that issue. And I don't think he meant it as a direct insult to her or her fans. bygod NUFF SAID!

I couldn't remember the guys name, thanx. I agree he probably didn't mean to insult Oprah, don't why I thought of that yesterday....hey look at me, have already lost interest in the guy..haha....thanks for the tidbit article though, I didn't know the publisher was so ticked..odd