JJS
John Jeremiah Sullivan is the working writer most frequently compared to David Foster Wallace (he’s also sometimes compared to a young Tom Wolfe). He has a new essay collection out, Pulphead and many of its pieces are available online:
The Paris Review
“Mister Lytle” award winning essay
“Unnamed Caves”,on American cave art
GQ
“Too Much Information”,on David Foster Wallace
“The Last Wailer”, on Bunny Wailer
“Back in the Day”, on Michael Jackson
“The Final Comeback of Axl Rose”, on Axl Rose
“Upon This Rock”, on a visit to a Christian rock festival
“Good-Bye to All That”, on a visit to the Gulf Coast, post-Hurricane Katrina
“He Shall Be Levi”, on a visit to Alaska, to meet Levi Johnston
“American Grotesque”. on the Tea Party movement
“Violence of the Lambs”. on the coming war between animals and humans
New York Magazine
“Art-Shaped Box”, on Nirvana
“Dear Heather’, on Leonard Cohen
“My Front Pages”, on Bob Dylan
Harper’s Magazine
“Horseman, Pass By: Glory, grief, and the race for the Triple Crown”
“A Rawness of Seeing: Denis Johnson writes the big novel”
“Unknown Bards: The blues becomes transparent about itself
Misc.
“Feet in Smoke”, about the death of his brother, who was electrocuted on stage performing at a concert.
“Peyton’s Place”, about renting out his house to a popular television show.
Getting Down to What is Really Real (on the Real World and its micro-economy)
La•Hwi•Ne•Ski: Career of an Eccentric Naturalist (on Constantine Samuel Rafinesque)
You Blow My Mind. Hey, Mickey! (on a stoned trip to Disney World)
Take the time to bookmark these essays. You will not be disappointed. He’s a wonderful writer and touches on a number of subjects. Well worth your time. I’m half-way through his essay collection Pulphead and it’s hard to put down. I find myself rationing out the remaining essays because I know that they’ll be gone all too soon.
Now that I look at it. I’ve pretty much linked to the entire essay collection. It’s worth buying but it’s also all on-line. Enjoy it however you like, but enjoy it.
