This is Whitey, a questioning kind of guy. It’s also Bitey, his incredibly teeny wise-ass alter-ego, who pops in to attempt to shame, harry, pester or intice Whitey towards a more conventional form of writing. Thankfully, most of the time, Whitey ignores him and continues to give us a real stream-of-consciounceness free form look into his head and heart. They’re worth a good look.
Sordid Detail is just that: details of life, love, work, observations, hopes dreams and blogging. A non-complicated format, easily read, not a lot of external links or mishmash. A sharp spare wrapper for some tasty real contents, his words. I barely noticed formatting here, so busy reading what he has to say. (Did I mention no distractions from the writing?)
Whitey’s a complex guy who doesn’t seem overly interested in censoring his language or topics, which I found quite refreshing. There’s very little of the agony of self-editing apparent, although I’m left with the sneaky suspicion that he is astutely aware of exactly how he’s presenting himself. He writes with a nearly painful candor about topics ranging from music to mini-golf, barflies and bimbos, Moms and Moose(s) (Meece?). He’s got quite a varied history behind him, and I’m guessing a fascinating future in front of him. At 29, he shows a huge amount of insight into the human condition, and is obviously a thoughtful and articulate observer (and participant) of Life, It’s Ownself. He’s only been blogging for a few months, and I’m hoping that he continues indefinately…. since all of this self-challenging search for the meanings of things makes for an exellent read. A most intelligent and interesting writer with the ability to hold my interest despite a lack of foo-foo add on stuff.
Check out his August stories called True Stories Part 2, (this is the best moose story ever!) Using and Losing Digits, (Ode to a Handy-Mom) and the September stories titled Anatomy of a Fistfight, and Pills For Breakfast. These are just a few examples of a ‘Naked Gunner’ of a writer, less concerned with what you think of him than he is with getting his tales told. He’s articulate. He’s hip. He knows big words, and can spell. He’s someone I’d have a beer with.
I can’t quite give him an overall 5 score without somebody screaming at me “he’s not ‘fancy’ enough”… but as a reviewer who’s much more impressed by words then deeds, I think this is a totally absorbing read. I’d like to hear his music, and I hope he continues to write, for I’ve bookmarked and linked him already. Now for the disclaimer: He does use (correctly and appropriately) some ‘objectional’ language, and occasionally his topics may go beyond a PG rating. That said, he’s a savvy and sardonic writer, and I gave him a 4.25 only for the lack of flash and dazzle. His writings earned a solid 5 from this reviewer.The Sordid Details