Reply To: How long have you been listening to JoCo?
Several years ago, I read Dave Eggers’ A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, and thought it was fantastic. Looking additional material/latest project by him led me to McSweeney’s, whose website is actually more interesting than the magazine–although the magazine breaks a lot of ground.
During the time I was reading McSweeney’s (website) on a semi-regular basis (this may have been seven-eight years ago), one of its regular features was John Hodgman’s “Ask a Former Professional Literary Agent.” I submitted a question to Mr. Hodgman to this effect:
“I’m writing a novel about a man in prison who gets routinely beat up because he smokes Virginia Slims. When he gets out, he sues the tobacco companies. Is the legal thriller dead?”
Hodgman never responded, but I did get put on a mailing list, where (over the next several years) I was informed of Hodgman’s ongoing Little Gray Books lectures in Brooklyn, and his book Areas of My Expertise.
A year or so ago, Little Gray Books started a podcast of its greatest hits. I think it had an eye towards making the series into a radio show. The podcast was introduced with Hodgman and and the series musical director, one Jonathan Coulton, who’d occasionally sing an into to the show, or a song within it.
Then, last October, Boing Boing linked to Coulton’s cover of “Baby Got Back.” The voice sounded familiar–and when I added up the pieces I remembered the Little Gray Book singer. I listened to some other stuff, and was hooked–catchy pop tunes, and lyrics about cyborgs and evil geniuses.
There you have it.