It seems the novelist Jonathan Lethem is writing a book-length essay about THEY LIVE (a fact I learned from this post on the blog of Seattle alternative weekly The Stranger). This is good news for the world. Bad news for me, though, since I’ve long been planning on doing exactly fucking that for my next Lulu book.
Okay, it’s my fault for letting this one sit for too long. I got sidetracked putting together Yippee Ki Yay Moviegoer. So it’s not like I wasted a bunch of time writing it, it was still in my head. But I had the structure all figured out and had even done some research such as reading Roddy Piper’s autobiography and purchasing the obscure comic book that Carpenter bought the rights to as part of the basis of the movie (bet you thought it was just the short story “8 O’Clock In the Morning” by Ray Nelson, didn’t you, Lethem? WRONG!)
Did you know the guy who wrote the short story also claimed to have invented the propeller beanie? Yes, you do now, because I’m sharing my research with you.
Well, I’m sure the Lethem book will be good and I look forward to reading it. And then throwing it out the window in a fit of jealousy. I’ll have to wait to read it to see if there’s a need for two book-length essays about THEY LIVE. And jesus, I better get on some of these other ideas. If I don’t hurry up and write a (REDACTED) book I fucking know somebody else will beat me to it, it’s so obvious. Man, I didn’t have to look over my shoulder like this when I was writing Seagalogy. (until that guy made that websight called seagalology.)
Anyway, it’s gonna be a series of books kind of like those 33 1/3 books they have for essays about albums. The second one’s on DEATH WISH.
June 3rd, 2010 at 2:23 am
Hey man, don’t worry about it. Just write it anyway. You know? All you have to do is assume yours will be better, regardless. Don’t waste your time waiting to read his. His might be shit, he might take a really long time to finish it, he may NEVER finish it – whatever. The important thing is, no matter what, it won’t be your book. Not to sound all motivational-speakery, but, this is a fact I know: unless he is you, he will not write your book.
Just write it anyway. That’s my two cents.
Good luck bud.