Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs

Chuck Klosterman is an interesting fellow. If you don't know who this guy is I guess I will tell you. He's a essayist and columnist who, I think, currently writes for SPIN magazine with some publication in Esquire as well. He has written a total of four books that were compilations of his essays of which he is most known for "Sex, Drugs, and Coco Puffs." I was able read a few of his books for my Language & Compistion class in school. Along with reading Coco Puffs I also read Fargo Rock City. Just to get one thing straight I do not reccomend this author to people who are emotionally unstable or easily offended.

Anways, my time with Klosterman was definately deserving of a chapter in my life. When I first started reading Klosterman I got a strange sense of "this wasn't really written for me was it." And I was right! The majority of Klosterman's work is devoted for adults who enjoy reading about the old heavy metal bands that they used to rock out to all nite, as KISS would say. He would probably use the term, Generation Xers somewhere in here, considering he almost seems proud of the fact he is one.

A big problem with Klosterman though is that he has the huge extensive knowledge of pop culure to a point I have never seen before. The names he comes up with sometimes boggles me about how he could know anything about so many people he hasn't even met. It makes it very dificult to read his essays when he makes a million and one analogies to people I have never known about and hopefully never will. It can almost make you feel kind of stupid that you can't get his analogies (and half of his jokes for that matter.)

He is a pretty funny guy though, even if I don't get them. I understand he does make some people laugh a lot more than me, and definately recognize that he jokes a lot and isn't serious most of the time. (I say this because of the unresolved argument with a friend on his seriousness.)

I think how he makes some things funny is by over analyzing a lot of things that young adults these days know or loved or are just now getting into. I know he makes a big rant on the Sims, John Cusack, Breakfast cereal, tribute bands, metal bands, heavy metal bands, the diffrence between the two, every other type of bands, the essence of bands, the essence of the difference between word usage for bands, and many other things like that. But you have to realize that most of what he says is irrelevant, doesn't matter, comletely over analytical, and sometimes not even relating to the topice he is writing about. You can tell when he does that because he the startst the next paragraph "ANYWAYS."

So, if he recognizes his tangentialness in this writing why doesn't he fix it in the revision process? Why is being overanalytical? Where does he get most of the people he talks about too? Where does he get off dissing John Cusack? Who is John Cusack? Why am I being overanalytical of Chuck Klosterman? To demonstrate?

OK. Now I have discussed Klosterman you may be a little confused on the point of this post, but there is none. I merely wanted to introduce to you an author I experienced just a little while ago and then adivse to not read him: that is except for the 23 questions that I do encourage you to read, but not read. That is I don't want you to read some of his questions as they have objectionable content. SO, in this I will not post a link to his 23 questions because that would be too tempting. No, I warned you so now it is your own fault if you go looking and you become offended. Have good time.