First in what I hope is a new series of posts about the Department of Dilettante Research (though if my past behavior is any guide, "series of posts" don't happen to me, seeing as I'm more of a convo man than a blog man, hence end up saying more and better stuff on other people's comments threads ( Read more... )

This week's column. Trying to construct a line out.

The Rules Of The Game #19: A Friend Of A Friend

( taboos and typos )

In three months through June 2006 my book moved about 1,450 copies, so I said to myself, "It'll probably top out at about 2,000," which I guess wasn't too bad considering I didn't get many reviews, the most high-profile being Tom Breihan's Pitchfork rave ("Don't even attempt to fuck with Real Punks Don't Wear Black") that didn't even go up until ( Read more... )

Latest column, in which fame is shown to create greater fame:

The Rules Of The Game #18: The Social Butterfly EffectThe point I make at the end in regard to the Dolls and the Stooges is clear to me but I'm not sure it's clear on the page - that the Dolls' and Stooges' subsequent canonization is somewhat self-perpetuating in just the way that ( Read more... )

This week's column is something of a repeat of last week's, elaborating on both the functionality and dysfunctionality of sticking with our own (with our own people and their ideas). So, any thoughts about how to overcome the dysfunctionality, given that social clustering is necessary and inevitable?

The Rules Of The Game #17: Punks and CatsI make ( Read more... )

For some reason (there are glitches in the software) my column this week first went up without the final three paragraphs, making the title unintelligible. But it's fixed now.

The Rules Of The Game #16: Vaccine Protects Against New IdeasMy thoughts didn't quite coalesce this week, though as Jack Thompson once pointed out I can't do a "Hero Story" ( Read more... )

Last week Mark made yet another Department Of Dilettante Research post on poptimists. And here are some additional thoughts of my own ( Read more... )

A couple of threads on other journals have sprung up on the subject of the Department Of Dilettante Research:

Paying People To Think (but freakytigger put this under lock and key, so you will have to ask to be his friend in order to see it)(EDIT: Tom's now unlocked the thread)

kogan's DDR paying for itself and blah

Here are some excerpts from my book:

From chapter 18, The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life:

Among other things, I'm arguing that (i) presentation of self - creating, maintaining, or modifying one's hairstyle, as it were - is a way of thinking, but (ii) given a choice between maintaining one's hairstyle and thinking about it, my profession as ( Read more... )

I've vowed to myself to post at least three or four times a week on a dream I have that I humorously but absolutely seriously call "The Department Of Dilettante Research." Basically, these posts will be a cry for help and a call for ideas and allies. I'm at an impasse, in fact have been at an impasse for the twenty-one years since I committed ( Read more... )