10.22.2009

8 Things You Might Like (And 2 You Probably Won’t)

1 GG Allin bobblehead
Covered in feces and urine and wearing his trademarked EAT ME jockstrap, this effigy — effi-GG if you will — boasts a lifelike resemblance to the Scumfuc. But get yours now — the run is limited to 2000 pieces. | Link

2 Chuck Klosterman’s “Eating the Dinosaur”
Klosterman’s second collection of essays is a lot like his first — stream of consciousness rants on a wide berth of pop culture subjects, from Rivers Cuomo to “Mad Men” to ABBA. And in other Klosterman news, his first book, a memoir titled “Fargo Rock City,” is being adapted as a big screen comedy by one of Dave Letterman’s longtime writers and the singer for The Hold Steady — which actually sounds like a promising combination. |

3 Joe Berlinger’s “Crude”
Berlinger is one of this generation’s finest filmmakers, having helmed a number of riveting documentaries, like “Paradise Lost,” “Brothers Keeper” and “Some Kind of Monster” (we’ll forgive him for “Blair Witch 2″). And his latest, “Crude,” focuses on the $27 billion class action lawsuit filed by the people of Ecuador against the Chevron corporation, whom they claim have polluted their rainforest. | Link

4 Barry Steifel’s week-long 50 states vacation
In 1998, Steifel visited all 50 states over the course of his one week vacation, an impressive feat. He even hit Alaska and Hawaii. In Montana, he blew past state troopers going 92 MPH thanks to the state’s policy of no daytime speed limits. | Link

5 Highlights from the 1985 World Face-Pulling Championships

6 Mike Litoris, Homeowner
Nothing boosts local evening news cred like a first-hand account from someone with one of those names Bart Simpson would crank call Moe’s with.

7 “Map of My Heart” by John Porcellino
The purveyor of King Cat Comics pens a melancholic graphic novel in a minimal style that makes up for what it lacks in technique with emotion. | Link

8 Alex Queral’s phone book portraits
Finally somebody figured out what to do with all those goddamn phone books that show up on your doorstep. | Link

9 Pilot School
A really nice collection of pilot episode scripts, ranging from classics like “The Sopranos,” “Lost” and “Freaks and Geeks,” to unaired scripts based on movies, like 1997’s “Fargo” adaptation and a 1999 version of “Buckaroo Bonzai.” | Link

10 The Turk
The Turk was a fake chess-playing machine constructed in the late 18th century by Wolfgang von Kempelen, that was billed as an automaton, but eventually revealed to be a hoax. In reality, the machine was operated by a skilled chess player hiding within it. Over the course of its 84-year lifespan, it beat the majority of players that challenged it, including some famous opponents like Napoleon Bonaparte and Benjamin Franklin. It was destroyed by a fire in 1854. | Link

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