Eeeee Eee Eeee, by Tao Lin –Photo from NYMag
It’s always impressive when someone figures out a way to bilk rich idiots out of their money, and so Bushwick resident Tao Lin has me so impressed several times over. From selling “shares” of his unfinished book on eBay for $2000 each (yes.) to publishing instant message sessions to repeating the same sentence over and over for seven minutes straight, this kooky kid is a self-promotion genius. Why he is able to promote anything at all with the material he’s got is another, longer story.
chillinoncentral January 12th, 2009 at 3:06 pm
Hey, I didn’t realize I was being bilked” – what’s my stock worth today? Seriously, I gather that Tao “Madoff” Lin’s books are unique in their own way and therefore a worthwhile read. And, he’s from the ‘Wick, so applause and kudos!
Dresden January 12th, 2009 at 4:01 pm
A generation of wankers. A generation of self-absorbed pansies. A generation of used car salesmen, without any used cars. A generation of germs, populating the land with their giant stinking flowers. A generation of polluted minds creating polluted “art”. A generation of slugs. A generation of ignorance.
No cohesion. No connections. Only selfish, self-absorbed turds who think it better to look good and feel shitty than the other way around. Not that they look good anyway.
Wow.
Dresden January 12th, 2009 at 7:58 pm
Or:
Dear Tao Lin,
Please kill yourself soon after publication so my stock in your next book will rise. It’s the only way it ever will.
Yours truly, Head-Up-Your-Ass-Investor
k January 13th, 2009 at 12:33 am
damn bro
Richard January 13th, 2009 at 7:23 pm
>A generation of wankers. A generation of self-absorbed pansies. A generation of used car salesmen, without any used cars. A generation of germs, populating the land with their giant stinking flowers. A generation of polluted minds creating polluted “art”. A generation of slugs. A generation of ignorance.
>No cohesion. No connections. Only selfish, self-absorbed turds who think it better to look good and feel shitty than the other way around. Not that they look good anyway.
I think the same thing was said about Hemingway, Fitzgerald, et al. – the Lost Generation – in the 1920s, about the Beats, Mailer, Lowell et al. in the 1950s, about others in the 1960s and 1970s and 1980s.
Only perhaps more eloquently. But with just as little accuracy.
Dresden January 13th, 2009 at 10:47 pm
Wow Richard, the same thing? Really?
Can you maybe show me a little ACCURACY? Maybe PRECISION? Do you know the difference? You know that generation actually paid attention to WORD USE, definition. Perhaps you want to show me the Hemingway in our midst?
As far as other generations – really. I’m considering this the meta-baby boomer. Beyond selfish uselessness. Meta useless. Meta discomfort. Meta ridiculous.
Only perhaps more eloquently. but with just as little accuracy.
Dresden January 13th, 2009 at 10:53 pm
And Richard, baby, let me clue you in on something, the fact that Gen X is so different than Gen Y is simple – the internet has turned them all into a bunch of divas. It’s obvious – Tao Lin thinks popularity is an internet pinball game. HYPE is a plague. it buried rock and roll with Limp Biskut. It’s buried literature with this one. It’s ruined our country even – or do you want to tell me britney spears is talented and our Bush did a great job?
Time to check out of hotel california, man.
Rorf January 22nd, 2009 at 2:15 am
People here are reacting overly dramatic. He’s just a shy kid with a blog. Ruining the country? They’re just words. Get over it. No one is forcing you to read his stuff. Most people don’t read anything. Half the country is functionally illiterate. How can you rag on people for reading, or writing. Good for them. Where’s your novel/poetry book/short story collection?