Keeping up with the Joneses

Two quick pointers: First, Brandon at Irrelevant Narcissism posted an angry response to Tomemos and I on the question of “Blog for Choice” day (pro-choice activism in the blogosphere). You can find his… Continue reading →

The Poem and the Apocalypse, Part 2: Children of Men and Frank O’Hara’s Personism

(x-posted to The Valve) This is a continuation of my first post, from yesterday, on art and the apocalypse. (Note: K-Punk has also just published a very good analysis of Children of Men,… Continue reading →

The poem and the apocalypse, part one: Destructive fantasies

(x-posted to The Valve) Recently, a number of different bloggers have begun writing on imaginings of the apocalypse, a theme that continues to haunt popular culture and that has changed in focus since… Continue reading →

On Pitilessness

“A masterful young jockey, that;—’ll have his own road, if ever anybody would.” “Yes,” cried Ursula, in her hot, overbearing voice. “Why couldn’t he take the horse away, till the trucks had gone… Continue reading →

The Ivory Webpage

We’re sporting a new layout, based on my re-consideration of what blogs are and do. There have been discussions around the blogosphere — at Acephalous, Rough Theory, and elsewhere — about what blogs… Continue reading →

2006: Not Believing The Hype

We at the Kugelmass Episodes are proud to present our first-ever edition of Don’t Believe The Hype, an annual list of the top five deep disappointments. We estimate your savings at, bare minimum,… Continue reading →

Jubilee Part 2: An Accidental Account of Thomas Pynchon and A Brief History of Tom Robbins

Okay, I lied. In my previous post, I claimed that in high school I read nothing but elevated works of high tragedy. You have to understand that it was four in the morning.… Continue reading →

Night By Night: More On Taste

Dear readers, Since I just posted a huge comment over at the Valve, which contains a lot of my thinking about “taste” and arguments about taste, I figure I’ll reproduce it here and,… Continue reading →

No Desert Island: Towards A Gutsy Aesthetics Via Nabokov

(x-posted to the Valve) Uh-oh. It’s that time again. Soon, every website remotely dealing with culture, plus a wide variety of magazines, will be talking up their “end of the year” lists. Regardless… Continue reading →

Magnets and Babble

Falling in love also conforms frequently to this type, a latent process of unconscious preparation often preceding a sudden awakening to the fact that the mischief is irretrievably done. –William James, on conversion… Continue reading →