January 21, 2013

Reshingled

If you owned a store a hundred years ago, you probably wouldn’t have had any opportunities to forget that you owned that store. Like if you were walking down to the saloon and someone said, “hey, old timey Sam, how’s your store going? Sellin’ lots of penny candy?” It’s a safe bet that you wouldn’t have slapped your forehead and said, “My store! I forgot all about that place!’

This is more or less what happened to me last month. I forgot I had a store, then I remembered I had a store, and then I felt ashamed that I allowed that store to languish. So I’ve revamped the place. It’s a little thin right now, but I’ll have lots of new items—books, fanzines, new screenprints—up in a few weeks.

Another upside to owning a store a hundred years ago is that you wouldn’t have been made to feel like a cheesebag as a result of posting about that store on your blog.

Also, my liner notes will be part of Criterion’s definitive edition of Alex Cox’s 1984 film Repo Man, which will be released in April. I dressed like the main character for 2 years in high school: Unless I someday win a Newbery Award or the oversized key to an American city, this will be the highest professional recognition I will ever achieve.