Not coming soon to a Wii near you… V-TECH RAMPAGE, the latest in a long line of bizarre, mayhem-inspired games. Commenting on the game, MagmaDragoonX2000 writes, “Well the game was kinda short but consideing what its based on I guess thats expected. The gameplay was okay although it did seem shoddy but over all not that bad.”
If you’re jonesing for a some less topical 2-D videogame mayhem, you can’t do much better than the awesome zombie-themed Boxhead: The Rooms.
Sitting at home alone on a Saturday night. Watching SNL and feeling sorry for myself. And then a lightening bolt of laffs crashed through the TV screen. No, it wasn’t the Musical Guests Linkin Park. Something else entirely…
The Return of Kebab, by Dan Gleason – $8.95
Professional news clipper and writer Dan Gleason has been bringing his short story zines to Quimby’s since the Hannah regime. He’s back again with The Return of Kebab, his second collection of short stories, and he’s got a disgusting/delicious gyro sandwich in tow. And that’s just the cover! Inside, you’ll find deliciously disgusting tales of wonder, woe, drunkenness and sexual depravity so grossly compelling as to make all that shredded meat seem a distant, savory memory.
Here’s your sweet taste:
In the whisper game she revealed to me that the
darkly-packed black man’s testicles, smashed together
as they were in the pornographic video, looked just
like a large avocado. And I responded to her that
this was obvious- not unlike the difference between
the meditative sort versus the over-emotional open
book, or the ever-present look of death in the eyes of
the once Quixotic gent who got a job trivializing the
marginalized with perfunctory kindness.
Support Chicago zinesters and pick up a copy already.
Oh, the new stuff can cause so much confusion.
Overheard from a group of shoppers around our new table:
Girl 1: (points to a copy of Young Peoples History of the United States by Howard Zinn) Wow! this is interesting. Have you ever read Zinn?
Girl 2: Ehh, Zinn! Worst ever! I hated him. Some teacher made us read Zinn [sic] and the art of Motorcycle Maintenance. It was horrible!
Girl 1: What are you talking about?
Girl 2: What are you talking about?
(group of girls exchange confused and dismayed looks)
More new stuff on the flip… (more…)
Mark Todd and Esther Pearl WatsonFriday May 11th 7PM
SAY WHAT? YOU HEARD IT RIGHT. ROLL OVER TO QUIMBY’S TO MEET MARK TODD AND ESTHER PEARL WATSON (OF UNLOVABLE FAME). ARTISTS, ZINESTERS AND AUTHORS, READY TO TALK ABOUT THEIR LATEST BOOK, WHATCHA MEAN, WHAT’S A ZINE?, A VISUAL HOW-TO OF COOL TIPS AND TRICKS OF SELF-PUBLISHING. IT WILL SURELY BE A FUN FILLED EVENING OF INTERESTING STORIES, ENTICING TIDBITS AND VISUAL OVERLOAD.
Mark Todd graduated with honors from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California in 1993. He then moved to New York City, working with clients such as Mtv, Coca-Cola, Sony Music, The New Yorker and The MTA. In 2003, he moved back to southern California with his wife and fellow artist, Esther Pearl Watson and their 5 year old daughter Lili, an avid artist herself. Mark also co-teaches with Esther at Art Center College of Design. Their latest book for teens, “Whatcha mean, What’s A Zine?” about creating zines and mini-comics, published by Houghton Mifflin, was recently released.
Esther Pearl Watson grew up in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Her family moved often, since her father’s hobby of building huge flying saucers out of scrap metal and car engines didn’t always sit well with the neighbors. Esther’s pieces are often overtly narrative, clear but mysterious scenes of houses or figures ornamented with snippets of prose telling just enough to get the viewer’s own imagination engaged, wanting to know more. Some are about family, some about places, all have a rich interior life. Her works without words are just as suggestive of story, also exerting a deep emotional pull. Her works have been comissioned for magazines including Time, New York Times, and Entertainment Weekly.
Kay Rosen, Amira Hanafi & Sally AlataloThursday, May 10, 7pm
KaySays: Essays and Interviews by Kay Rosen
the book is a collection of essays and interviews that kay has written about her language-based work (mostly paintings and drawings), and includes three page-formatted art/text pieces.
kay will read from the book.
amira hanafi is a writer based in chicago who will read from her textual translations of kay’s work.
sally alatalo is a publisher, writer and artist. she will read “vowels” by arthur rimbaud and probably some other poems that come to mind when thinking about kay’s work.
Michael Avella, Andrew Blackley, Amira Hanafi, Jaclyn Jemc, Jessica Moore, Tiffany Slade, Jeremy Tinder, and Polina Zoints have produced an accompanying boxed collection of responses to Rosen’s work and will distribute free copies to the first 30 people to buy Rosen’s book.
kay’s website is: kayrosen.com
Yesterday Paul Hornschmeier (of Forlorn Funnies, Mother Come Home, etc.) stopped in to say hello (see below) and tempted us with the news that his book The Three Paradoxes, after tantalizing delay, is almost out! 
Also visiting us was Andrew (see below) from Needles and Pens in San Francisco, a Quimby’s-ish type of place that looks way cool!
Wednesday May 9th 8PM
The2ndHand is hosting NY author Tao Lin in support of his new story collection “Bed” and novel “Eeeee Eee Eeee” (both from Melville House).
Tao Lin is the author of a small poetry book: THIS EMOTION WAS A LITTLE E-BOOK (Bear Parade) a small fiction book: TODAY THE SKY IS BLUE AND WHITE WITH BRIGHT BLUE SPOTS AND A SMALL PALE MOON AND I WILL DESTROY OUR RELATIONSHIP TODAY (Bear Parade) a poetry-collection: YOU ARE A LITTLE BIT HAPPIER THAN I AM (Action Books) a story-collection: BED (May 2007 Melville House) and a novel: EEEEE EEE EEEE (May 2007 Melville House)
Check out Tao?s blog
http://reader-of-depressing-books.blogspot.com/
Jeb Gleason-Allured, the Chicago editor of The2ndHand.com, will also be reading and hosting this event.
