“Yes, reader—the best hot dog in Chicago is prepared by a father-daughter team with less than a year in the business. I think that’s a beautiful thing.” – Jamie Loftus, ‘Raw Dog’
Friendly reminder that I am guest-editing an issue of Cotton Xenomorph, with a theme of “Cryptids and Climate Change.” The call, seen here, ends on September 2, or until we get 100 submissions, so send me your stuff! My title at CX might be “fiction reader,” but the description of the podcast I co-host is “about poetry and basketball,” so…stories and poems, dudes!
What I’ve Been Reading This Week:
Ooooh baby, I’ve been waiting for this one. Had to, shall we say, get it in before the summer was over. That’s about all the innuendo I have in me, this book’s horny enough for the both of us. Plus, as a God-fearing Christian, I have never had sex, despite being the biological father of a five-year-old. Anyway, I’ve been stoked about this since it was announced. The author happens to have done the best close reading of both Lolita (wherein my second-cousin-in-law(?), the person who made sure my wedding functioned, is quoted, a moment that in my memory made me drop whatever dish I was washing and do Leo-pointing-at-the-TV dot gif) and Cathy (shoutout to my mom, a Kathy who loves Cathy) I’ve ever heard. Needless to say, the idea of her tackling hot dogs is thrilling, especially with an improbably-titled book that I’m confident the execs at the publishing house still don’t understand. I’m talking, of course, about Raw Dog: The Naked Truth About Hot Dogs.
Jamie Loftus is incredibly good at pitching a topic that makes you go “fuckin, sure, if you can pull it off” and then taking that topic absolutely stone-cold-journalist seriously, while also being hilarious and vulnerable. Her prose is as winding and euphoria-inducing as the Superman ride at Six Flags “where some guy died one time,” her imagery is as gnarly and casually shocking as a Johannes Göransson poem—except she’s just describing the U.S. as it is, dude. Douse the whole thing with leftist politics—specifically focused on workers’ rights and unfair labor practices during the worst days of COVID—and you’ve got a book I’m absolutely devouring, but maybe telling my parents to skip. On the one hand, it’s a remarkably researched travelogue and leftist history of the United States. One the other hand—and I cannot stress this enough for the Presbyterians on my subscriber list—just so much sex stuff. Are you prepared to know about and understand the Gender Pickles?
Quick, unusual third paragraph: I love the Chicago-style hot dog. But Jamie is right. It’s too much. My ideal order is everything, no tomatoes, pickle on the side. I will never stop defending the Chicago-style dog, but let’s be real, the same way we are real about preferring tavern-cut pizza to deep dish. Hell, mustard onions and relish is really all you need. If you’re gonna call me a fake Chicagoan, just remember: I wrote the definitive take on Chicago pizza on the internet. Bill Savage (sort of) said so.
LINKS!
Start with a video because I went long on hot dogs? Sure! I’d never heard of this band before the day I am writing this, and look at these dudes casually shred their instruments as easily as, say, going for a second hot dog at the cookout. God, I love watching people who love playing their instruments. Here’s Mamalarky at Audiotree:
Here’s a Smithsonian article from 2021 (but it’s still new to me, dammit) about how the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs probably gave rise to the rainforest. It is a horrendous cliché to mention connectedness and butterfly effects, but goddamn, you ever think about how interconnected the Earth is? It once rained for two million years, mostly because the continents hadn’t broken apart yet. The cause and effect of life, man.
That call about Cryptids and Climate Change? Someone in my mentions called out Jack Bedell, presumably in relation to this poem in hex: “Swamp Thing Sits On The Bank Examining His Life Through The Lens Of Bernoulli’s Principle.” I dig it, and maybe be on the lookout for more references to Jack’s work in future Friday Links.
Let’s keep the whole ‘strange creatures’ vibe going with this wonderfully grotesque piece from Hari Kim in Bending Genres, “Holes and Worms.” So many brain-warping word choices in such little space, I love it.
Haven’t had the chance to listen yet, but am super interested in the We Are Everywhere podcast, hosted by Frencia Stephenson. Spotify link here, I got there via Block Club and Lindsay Eanet. The podcast focuses on the stories LGBTQ+ elders, shining a light on the experiences of BIPOC and trans folks who—you’re not gonna believe this—were also around during what normies (like me) called the “gay rights” movement of the pre-Obergefell world. We do ourselves a disservice when people in marginalized groups are further marginalized for the sake of a more palatable mainstream narrative—see the New Deal and GI Bill excluding Black people and preventing a racially unified labor movement in the 20th century United States—and I am glad these stories are getting told.
Bonus sixth link: new The Line Break podcast this week! Bob’s reading Wendy Xu, I’m reading Mary Oliver, go check it out! It’s somehow our 50th episode, and we’re now on Spotify! Imagine that.
If you’re in the service industry, may you clean up in tips this weekend. Also survive the Air & Water Show, still the worst summer event in Chicago. And we added NASCAR this year. God, I can’t stand those planes.
Sorry you got an email,
Chris