hal tweets ·11:28 AM
Ghostbuster zines from the Canzine Hollywood Piracy Zine Challenge are now online! http://t.co/RoAMEQTU
2008,
1:11 GMT
More on the 'Mean' and Some Current Events in Hal's Life
Posted by: Hal
Okay, so it's true - my first mean comment wasn't that mean. I wasn't, like, staying up all night shattered or anything, don't get the wrong idea. My able readers have put me in my place pointing out that I need to get a thicker skin (okay, okay, I was exaggerating my pain) and otherwise contributing to the discussion. There are two comments I want to address here of the 6 I received (a record!) plus a few more on my facebook page.
First from Mark, the original 'mean' comment creator. He writes: "So, what did I mean by personal risk? It seems to me that if we are going to explore this “new realm” of socializing, we cannot just sit back and watch, but actually participate as well. If that means allowing the unseen, unwashed masses, a long stare into what makes Hal Niedzviecki tick, isn't that worth it? And ultimately, wouldn't that produce a better book (not one to collect dust like so many coffee table tomes)?"
Yeah, that's exactly what I'm trying to do. I want to experience this "new realm" and I'm doing my best to get into it even though much of it goes against my nature. Unlike Mark, a writer and a publisher I remember from the days when I used to write zine reviews for Broken Pencil, I rarely write in the first person and in my stories and novels no one ever confuses my characters with me. To be completely honest, I think that's one of the reasons those books haven't exactly broken any records at the box office if you know what I mean (or maybe they just weren't that good). At any rate, in the peep age we want to connect directly to the person behind the persona and don't seem to have any patience for stories that don't have the ring of truth, the aura of authentic autobiography. So Mark, I say go with it: if people want to confuse you with your character, it's to your advantage to play along. And as for me, I'm going to keep trying to give the readers of this blog "the long stare" and hopefully come out the other end both a better writer and someone better able to write about what makes not just Hal tick but our entire peep culture.
The other comment I wanted to quote verbatim here is from Nancymarie, whose blog is a really excellent example of someone who is really sharing the intimate details of her life to all who care to read. She writes: "It’s always hard to open up in a blog because you open yourself up to criticism, and who wants to be taken to task by complete strangers?" This is true. Maybe it's something that's holding me back more than I realize. Maybe I actually am worried about what people will think of me as opposed to my work and ideas. I don't know. I'm going to think about that one. In the meantime, Nancymarie is writing about her dad going into a coma and being put into a rest home, which makes my petty problems seem..well..petty. Nancymarie, who lives in Iowa I think, also writes about her weight, her periods, and a former friend stalking her gaming blog. That's the level of revelation I want to get to. I'm nowhere there yet. Not even close.
So I'll end with a few other snippets. As I type this W. is fighting with my mom on the phone. It's Passover this weekend and my parents are coming into town and the combination of holidays and parental units always leads to stress and conflict, as I'm sure most of you know. No big deal and it will all blow over. But it still sucks. Luckily the stress of this fight is somewhat alleviated by the fact that my friend from across the street came over for dinner with his daughter (who goes to the same daycare as E.) and I barbecued steaks and we all ate meat washed down with beer and juice (I'll let you figure out who drank what beverage). There's nothing like steak and beer to cheer up Hal. So that's all for now. Talk to ya soon.
2008,
20:19 GMT
Bum-bot
Posted by: Hal
The news is all over a bar owner who turned a meat smoker into a remote controlled robot – the Bum-bot – in order to roust the unwanted from his downtown Atlanta neighbourhood. You can watch the bot in action here.
So here’s the peep part of this: the robot, which is equipped with a bright spot light and a hose that sprays water, also comes with a infrared camera that broadcasts its exploits on big screen tvs over at Terrill’s bar. Patrons can sip their beers and watch Terrill soak the poor, addicted, helpless and homeless.
What fun.
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2008,
20:08 GMT
First Mean Comment. Stats Update. A Few Notes on my Life.
Posted by: Hal
“What exactly are you attempting to achieve here, Hal?” writes Mark McCawley. “Where’s the personal risk? Or is this going to become another very large coffee table book?”
Okay so that’s not exactly scathing but it’s mean, at least. It’s my first mean comment! It’s a dig at my writing career (though a strange one, since the only book I’ve published that could be remotely construed as a coffee book was the Original Canadian City Dweller’s Almanac – available on Amazon.ca starting used at .25 cents) and a dig at my blog. All neatly done in three concise sentences.
Well, look, he’s got a point. So far, not much risk happening on this blog. I’m not exactly opening myself up to you, my readership. I want to get more personal, but every time I try I cringe inside and pull back. But this blog is just beginning. There’s plenty of time for me to work up to it and spill my guts. I will reveal! Just give me time.
Anyway, according to Andreas who presides over all things peephal.com my stats are slowly growing. His last report said that I’ve got about 30 more daily visitors than I did last time he checked. But in total only 12 people have visited the site 15-25 times. He figures that I’ve got roughly 9 regular readers. Welcome back once more my loyal 9! If I’ve disappointed you, I apologize. But I’m doing my best here.
So I was going to write about my weekend but, honestly, not much happened. My hockey team was in the finals for our division but we lost. It was a fun game. That’s about it. Next week my parents are coming in for Passover. That should provide more fodder, I’m sure.
In the meantime, I did a CBC interview today that will air Wed. morning between 10 and 11am on CBC Radio 1’s Sounds Like Canada. I’m discussing the extremely important topic of “my favourite pop culture saying from when I was a kid” or something like that. My choice was Mr. T’s: “I Pity the Fool”. If you want to hear me waxing nostalgic over the A Team, be sure and tune in. I actually thought I sounded like a bit of a doofus, despite my genuine love for ‘T’. Still I managed to work in my 2nd favourite Mr. T tagline – “I ain’t gettin’ on no plane, Hannibal” while I was at it. Truth is I always leave radio interviews feeling like I was terrible. Especially when I’m trying to be funny. Well, listen in and let me know what you think. Be mean if necessary.
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2008,
19:04 GMT
Hal Goes Out, Book and Movie Update, General Notes on Life…
Posted by: Hal
Okay so rare forays into the big world this past week. I haven't been going out that much but with spring here and not much in the way of travel or night time work commitments, I'm getting social. Okay. Not really. But by my standards, yes.
First off went to the Coach House Books Spring launch. Saw lots of small press types and long time pals and associates. Usually I hate launches and readings but I was actually pleased to be among my compatriots. Boy I'm really not getting out enough. There was a peep connection to this event - Richard Vaughan's Troubled, a memoir in poems about an affair he had with his therapist that ended with the good doctor suspended from practice. Comes with actual court documents!
The next night, W. and I went to the theater, of all things. Again not something I normally partake in, and again I enjoyed it. We saw the SoulPepper adaptation of Neil Simon's The Odd Couple. They played it for slapstick laughs - what they lost in gravitas they gained in energetic buffonery. The theater was in the distillery district, which I hadn't been to in a year or so. I took the opportunity to drag W. into the Mill Street Brewery Pub so I could pretend to be ignorant of the craft brewer's wares, requiring several samples before settling on their Stout. To make up for my lip smacking beer quaffing I then dragged a protesting W. (who insisted we'd be late) into the adjoining chocolate shop where I dropped $10 on very fancy very tasty little chocolate bars. So everyone ended up happy and we weren't late, and we giggled when Oscar smashed up potato chips and dumped on the floor Felix had just vacuumed, and then we headed home to hear about E.'s night time exploits from our family friend/baby sitter. (I'm trying to make this sound exciting but in fact it was pretty mundane, about as mundane, I suppose, as trying on kids shoes in Florida but you wanted to hear about that so maybe you'll want to hear about this...)
In other news, doc producer Sally is sending over pieces of the Peep film treatment one by one, and they're reading really well. I'm getting more and more excited for this thing to come together. I've also pretty much completed my pre-writing research phase for the Peep book. With 130 pages of interviews and upwards of 500 notes and citations, I think I better stop researching and start writing.
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2008,
21:47 GMT
Grand Prix Racing Boss Caught in Peep Scandal
Posted by: Hal
Okay, this is one of the weirder ones: Max Mosley, head of Grand Prix and son of Sir Oswald Mosley, leader of the British Fascist party in the 1930s, gets caught having a sadomasochistic orgy involving NAZI regalia. Apparently, he was set up. Writes the New York Times: “The Sunday Times of London reported in last weekend’s editions that Mosley was the target of a setup involving a van with a hidden video camera parked outside the Chelsea basement flat where the sex session took place, and that a miniature camera was concealed in one of the women’s bras.”
I mean it’s hard to have sympathy for this guy. Here’s a description of the video that the Sunday Times of London posted then later removed: “two of the women wore black-and-white striped robes in the style of prisoners’ uniforms. The video showed Mosley counting in German – ‘Eins! Zwei! Drei! Vier! Funf!’ – as he used a leather strap to lash one of the women. ‘She needs more of ze punishment!’ he cried in German-accented English.”
But who really needs more of the punishment here? The video proves Mosley has weird fantasies and the money to act them out. But as he quite rightly says to the press: “As it is, the scandal paper obtained by illegal means pictures of something I did in private, which, although unacceptable to some people, was harmless and completely legal.”
He’s got a point. Does the public have a right or need to know what this guy does with his spare time? Irrelevant question. Peep culture trumps privacy every time.
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The Bloggist
Hey, I’m Hal Niedzviecki. I’m a writer/thinker who lives in Toronto, Ontario, Canada with my wife and daughter. Up till now I’ve always considered myself a private person. But at the same time I’m fascinated by people who effortlessly open themselves up to the whole world. So I’ve… more...
Ghostbuster zines from the Canzine Hollywood Piracy Zine Challenge are now online! http://t.co/RoAMEQTU
EXPOZINE 2011, Montreal’s 10th Annual Small Press, Comic and Zine Fair—http://t.co/3ISW3Ovx http://t.co/FlLfB6hk
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