Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Ye Olde Partners Page

*A Collection of Antiquarian Curios & Relics*

"I guess all this history is just a mystery to me,
One more worried whisper right in my ear . . ."
--Wilco, Hotel Arizona
THE SECOND MOST INTERESTING MAN IN THE WORLD
by Cub Reporter Ranay Saltz

I'm currently on the set with B. Traven Jr., who I find is shooting his latest commercial for a popular line of beer before our interview. Here he is in action:

"Hello, I'm B. Traven Jr. and when I'm not searching for alien artifacts at Pumapunku or expounding on the veracity of alien-human hybrids planted in the government by the Blue Helmets on The Alex Jones Show, I enjoy a nice cold Colt .45. It's smooooooothalicious . . ."

The director yells, "Cut! Print! Aaaaaaand that's a wrap!"

B. Traven Jr. notices me and ambles over with a grin. He's balding but looks very fit for a man who appears to be at the north end of his fifties.

Ranay: B. Traven. (I shake his hand.) I'm Ranay Saltz from the internet site Conspiracy Nutz. I'm so glad you could join me for an interview.

B. Traven Jr: Any time, Ranay. (He motions to a couple of chairs.) Here, take a seat. I could use a break from saving the world from alien domination. Ha, ha!

Ranay: I'm sure our readers are curious about what you're reading.

B. Traven Jr: Well, you know what they say about curosity and cats. Ha, ha! I'm just finishing Lawrence Wright's Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief (9780307700667) 28.95. It doesn't go on sale until tomorrow, but boy, what an eye opener. Mr. Wright, who wrote the 'bible' on 9/11, had won the Pulitizer Prize for The Looming Tower (9781400030842) 17.00. His research is meticulous, and as soon as I heard that the 'Church of Scientology' had quashed this title in the UK, I just knew I had to get my hands on it. I also have David Walsh's Seven Deadly Sins (9781476737119) 27.00, which is about the Lance Armstrong doping scandal. I really admire Mr. Walsh. Thirteen years ago, he was the first reporter to pursue the unpopular allegations against the cyclist and he was basically ostrasized by the media. It appears he was vindicated. Ha, ha!

Ranay: My next question wasn't vetted by your PR people, but this video has been making the rounds on the internet and I wanted to ask you about it. It shows a velociraptor crunching on an indeterminate electronic device and then you appear to be firing -- for lack of a better term -- a raygun at it. Care to comment?

Odds & Sods

It has been six long years since George Saunders' last collection of short stories, and from our sales on Tenth of December (9780812993806) 26.00, it looks like NPR has done a great job of getting the word out. There are not many virtuosos who specialize in the short story form; he is one of the few . . .

Chris Ware's Building Stories (9780375424335) 50.00 is finally back in stock. It is a bit pricey, but just about everyone ran out of it before the holidays, and I'm sure that there are customers who are still looking for it . . .

The National Book Critics Circle book award nominees were announced yesterday. Here's the link:
http://bookcritics.org .

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