Kinky and Stuff

In case you were wondering, Kinky Friedman is not the new governor of Texas.  In fact he came in third fourth but he pulled enough votes away from the Democratic candidate that some in the state are now comparing him to Ralph Nader.  And they don't mean it as a compliment.  For his part, Kinky is threatening to form a "shadow government."  Kind of hard to work in the shadows when there's a cloud of cigar smoke over your head. More here.

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After wiping away the tears of bitter defeat yesterday, George Bush announced the 2006 national medals of the arts and humanities.  This year's recipients include legendary bluegrass musician Ralph Stanley and legendary translator Gregory Rabassa.

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Speaking of Bush, Kiran Desai gives the man credit for helping her win the Booker.

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Looks like the publishing world is very happy about the shake up in Congress:

The reversal of power in Washington, with Democrats taking over the House and possibly the Senate, should mean a shift in political books. Look for a decline in the “angry liberal” niche, defined by Al Franken, Michael Moore and others. Look for a new kind of conservative attack book, with targets including Rep. Nancy Pelosi, the California Democrat in line to become Speaker of the House, and an old standby who already has enriched many a conservative author, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton.

“Now that the conservatives are not as firmly ensconced, they’ll have plenty to complain about. The more controversy, the more the cash registers will ring,” said literary agent Laurence J. Kirshbaum, the former head of Warner Books.

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The AP runs a story about the cult of Thomas Pynchon.

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Publishers Weekly lists the 100 best books of the year.  (I've read 2 of them.)

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The New York Inquirer interviews Keith Gessen, one of the founding editors of n+1.

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Norwegians are gearing up to honor Henrik Ibsen on the 100th anniversary of his death.

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The now famous Jesus Camp is shutting down.  So much for my summer plans

Comments

[Lisa]

Kinky Friedman came in 4th -- "Grandma" Carole Keeton Strayhorn came in 3rd. I guess she was a Nader too?