Chuck Klosterman is the man
Mish and I just got back from a totally incredible 2 week vacation in Peru. Of course we did the infamous Inca trail — that was the reason for the trip pretty much — but we also got to spend some time in Lima and a few days in the jungle at this really picturesque lodge on the Heath River. It would be impossible to try to sum it up in a blog post… or a series of blog posts… but hopefully Mish will be posting a selection of the hundreds of photos she took. That’ll be the next best thing. Peru is a wild place… totally fascinating history.
What does this have to do with Chuck Klosterman? Absolutely nothing. But it happened since I posted last so it ought to be mentioned.
Which brings me to the raison d’etre of this entry… Chuck Klosterman. Chuck is my current favourite author. I suppose that considering how much I read that’s not really a noteworthy distinction. My previous current favourite author (since 1985) was Robert Munsch. Regardless, I just ripped through Killing Yourself to Live (again, I rarely even finish books I start so “ripping” through one is something special) and it totally kicked ass. Chuck’s a brilliant writer — razor wit paired with an encyclopedic knowledge of pop culture, rock music and KISS. And he’s funny as hell. I like to think I have a lot in common with him and if I met him we’d get along and be friends. We could totally grab a beer and talk about KISS and make fun of hipsters together.
Since Christmas, at least 4 separate people had told me I simply “have to read Chuck Klosterman”. I’m glad I finally pinched one of his books from Mish’s nightstand and checked him out (thanks Maureen… I’ll give it back to Mish now). Oh, I just picked up 2006′s IV a couple days ago so I’ll be knee deep in that shortly.
In case my personal endorsement wasn’t reason enough for you to buy one of his books right now, you can get a taste of the genius that is Chuck Klosterman by reading this article on Esquire.
This post is the first (and possibly last) in a new category called “books”. That is all.
Thee Oh Sees, The Sheepdogs, Frankie Miller, The Rolling Stones, Al Casey, Hayden, Kiss, Thin Lizzy, Takeshi Terauchi, Sloan, Black Lips, The Ventures, The Black Keys, The Kinks, Belle and Sebastian 
You should try reading Toby Young. If anything, to REALLY appreciate Klosterman. I struggled through Young, thinking “I’d rather be reading Chuck, I’d rather be reading Chuck.” Painful, but worth it.