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Alter Egos - I Am Done Watching This

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Monday, July 23, 2007

In The Lake Of The Woods


So Dead Beat has been to Lake of the Woods. Got him thinking all over again about that amazing work by Tim O'Brien In the Lake of the Woods. A mystery novel exploring the disappearance of Kathy Wade on the surface - beneath it, the book explores the 'disappearance' of John Wade caught up in the My Lai massacre. O'Brien intersperses his narrative with the testimony of real life figures and as ever explores the tension between fact and truth. What allows a human being to engage in the horrors of war? John Wade 'disappeared' during the horrific events he was a part of - who 'reappeared' in his place?

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Dead Beat Improves His Skills

I know, I know. You think Dead Beat has upped and left you all - gone onto bigger and better things - deserted his minions. Nothing could be further than the truth (Don't say it, Hudson!). I've been busy - manual labour - painting, wood work, general repairs you name it. No time for words.

But you know Dead Beat - all this labour can only serve to improve his knowledge of writing - the craft of house-painting/the craft of writintg etc. etc. More on this anon.

For now I want to hone my poetic skills, so I am heading out to tend to my garden - all this to ready my home for sale - all this in preparation of a journey East.

Friday, July 06, 2007

Reality TV

Reality TV.

A writer says he will write a novel and share it with a multitude of characters. Then one of the characters has a drug problem and another has a mouth problem. One thinks they are already famous and one dies of exhaustion. The writer meanwhile develops a form of mould on their body and begins to shrink.

He ( and he turns out to be a she) wins an award (not necessarily for writing) and learns how to turn the camera off.

Sunday, July 01, 2007

So Dead Beat goes to Fredericton and meets Ross Leckie and Mark Jarmon. They treat him well. Mark has a book out about Ireland called Ireland's Eye. A memoir of sorts, he says. Mark is married to Sharon a very fine poet. They have gone to Iowa in the past and studied with Barry Hannah, Drool.

Their fellow students included Charlie Smith and Denis Johnson.

Die and drool!

Newspapers to Sell Books

Music retailers have lashed out at musician Prince who is giving away his latest CD in a British newspaper, weeks before its official release on July 24.

"It is an insult to all those record stores who have supported Prince throughout his career," said Paul Quirk of the Entertainment Retailers Association in Britain. "It is yet another example of the damaging … culture which is destroying any perception of value around recorded music."

"They are living in the old days and haven't developed their businesses sufficiently. We can enhance their business. They are being incredibly insular and need to move their business on," Miron told BBC News.

What do you Dead Beater's think? Free books in the neswpapers? That already happened in Ireland over the last few years.

Books to sell newspapers?

CDs to sell newspapers?

Newspapers to sell books?