Note

The previous post here, about someone obsessing over another blog of mine, has been taken down. The info there is being kept "in house."

The Hysteria of Franzen and Eggers

The established literary scene is so insular and weak, a handful of protests by a broke band of underground writers caused panic among some of American literature’s biggest and most powerful names. See this piece at one of my other blogs:

http://kingwenclas.blogspot.com/2013/01/what-are-facts.html

Like an elephant panicked by a mouse, they hysterically tried to stomp us out of existence. Strangely enough, they’re still trying.

A New Kind of Dave Eggers Contest

This blog is pleased to announce a new kind of Dave Eggers contest:

!THE FIRST OFFICIAL SUCK UP TO DAVE EGGERS CONTEST!

In honor of the McSweeney's Smiley Face.

THE RULES

Most gushy ass-eating tweet referring to Dave Eggers in the most glowing terms possible wins the contest. Contest ends when the judges can take no more insipid McSweeneyite lobotomized awestruck apple-polishing brown-nosing.

FIRST PRIZE

The ability to purchase the new satirical ebook novel The McSweeneys Gang by King Wenclas for 99 cents at Nook or Kindle.

SECOND PRIZE

One Attaboy! or Attagirl!

Culture of Lies

There will be a LOT, LOT LOT LOT LOT more to say about the decrepit state of literary journalism now that we’re finding out about the decrepit-but-relatively-healthy-compared-to-lit state of sports journalism.

Think about the two big sports stories right now.

1.) The fake Manti Te’o girlfriend story.

2.) The Lance Armstrong-as-good-guy fake story.

The same kind of thing goes on in the established literary scene, albeit on a smaller level. But take a look at it.

We have Believer Books last year republishing an essay by Tom Bissell which is essentially a fake. His research was nonexistent or shoddy. His use of sources was questionable. No—not questionable. He abused his sources, as I’ve been showing at www.kingwenclas.blogspot.com in black and white.

Meanwhile, literary “journalists” like Garth Risk Hallberg and Maria Bustillos have raved about the fakery. Hallberg hailed Tom Bissell as a new kind of journalist. Well, he is that, I guess.

It’s not as if lit writers shouldn’t know that Tom Bissell is a dishonest writer. He was involved in questionable literary activity some years ago—yet the literary scene covered up for him and backed him.

When do we ever encounter honesty? A commitment to honesty? (Then there are other gullible writers like Johannes Lichtman of Oxford American who apparently believe in the Easter Bunny. He’s refused to read a word about the Bissell essay contrary to his prefabricated belief.)

AT THE SAME TIME as dishonest essayist Tom Bissell is on the scene (his dishonesty able to be shown in black and white), another dishonest character is on the scene. Namely, untouchable good guy Dave Eggers, whose public persona as good guy is fake. People must know this, but, um, no one wants or dares to say.

We now know that Lance Armstrong is a mean guy who tried to put out of business and destroy those who criticized him. This is the same kind of behavior engaged in by Dave Eggers and friends (see Daniel Handler) viz-a-viz the whistle blowers of the Underground Literary Alliance.

Hey, guys, isn’t this a good time to come clean? Look in the mirror and acknowledge the truth in what I’m saying.

This also should be a wake-up call to literary writers and “journalists” like Garth Risk Hallberg, Maria Bustillos, and Johannes Lichtman to stop believing in the Tom Bissell Easter Bunny and do some real investigating.

Is Dave Eggers Lit's Lance Armstrong?

There are a few parallels. Both have done many great charitable things. Both also, by all reports, behind the scenes can be quite mean.

Eggers has effectively bullied the entire literary scene. Is there a single journalist anywhere who’ll look into his personality or his operations? Most busy themselves writing abject puff pieces, dealing with the surface face only. But that’s not what real journalism is about—which should be, getting the real story.

The real story is what you never get from literature today. It’s all fake.

(Read the great e-novels Crime City USA and The McSweeneys Gang, fast-paced new fiction done in a non-“literary” pop style.)

Your Choice

STATUS QUO OR NEW POP WAVE
********************************

CHOICE A:

The Flame Alphabet by Ben Marcus. $25.95.
Pseudo-intellectual, slow, literary. Why did you waste the time? Not entertaining. Reading as duty. Unexciting. Domesticated domestic byplay. Ultimately, boring.





CHOICE B:

The McSweeneys Gang by King Wenclas. 99 cents.
Fun, fast-moving, satirical. Occasionally over-the-top. An intelligent critique of the lit-world today.

S

Propagandists

Dave Eggers is many things. Above all, he’s a master propagandist—so subtle and astute that a Goebbels would be envious. The bad side of the man—there is a bad side—is well hidden. Instead: constant photos of “Der Fuehrer”  with dogs and children. Blindly obedient McSweeneyites wait to scream whatever is the McSweeney’s version of “Seig Heil!”

I’m exaggerating, but not much.

(Tom Bissell likewise is a master propagandist—examine some of his Yahoo News pieces—which is why he was an apt choice as anti-ULA hatchet man.)

Examine the 826 projects across the country, which are nothing so much as part of a massive p.r. campaign designed to portray Eggers and his gang in the best possible light. Oh yeah, good is done. At the same time, every step of the programs are accompanied by blaring announcements. No one is allowed to miss the fact that the Dave is doing widespread good. (His novels about Third World types were similarly designed to present Eggers in a positive and liberal light.)

Nonstop positive publicity, across the country. Endless good will developed with journalists and reporters who love these kind of stories. Best of all, with others paying for it! The fundraising aspect is the true genius, because it allows Eggers to credibly network with the most powerful Big Money people in the country, establishing relationships with high-ups at places like Google, Amazon, and Microsoft—the controllers of contemporary dissemination of media. This can only have, down the road, for the McSweeney’s empire, positive effects.