I like to tease fiction writer/memoirist/sexual savant Steve Elliott that he's the Mayor of the Mission District, and I'm only sorta kidding. He's got our neighborhood wired. One of the nice things about living around the corner from him is that I can show up at his apartment and harrass him from time to time.
For example, maybe he happens to be recording a broadcast of the Rumpus Radio...maybe he's all dialed in for the show...checking levels, prepping the guest...mic tests, getting in the zone...and I happen to stagger in and say, "Hey man, can I borrow some mayonnaise?" Or: "Do you have any clean socks? Mine are all, like, wet for some reason."
Just such a glorious anomaly happened last week, as Steve was preparing to chat with Nick Flynn on Rumpus Radio. Steve was nice enough to let me co-host. Check it out here. Nick has some wise words and seems like a wise person all the way around. I highly recommend both his memoirs, "Another Bullshit Night in Suck City" and his latest, "The Ticking is the Bomb."
Today is my 34th birthday, and I'm excited to spend the evening reading at the Why There Are Words series in Sausalito. I also think my hair is thinning. In unrelated news, the bags I used to only have sometimes under my eyes are now always there. Getting old is cool...
This is also the last day to subscribe to the Rumpus Book Club and receive a free book. You can choose from one of Steve's ouevre, or the likes of Dave Eggers, Michael Chabon, Steve Almond, Tao Lin, and they even have some copies of "Termite Parade" if you're into that sort of thing.
Hope to see you tonight!
