Klosterman discusses pop culture
Chuck Klosterman is not a advocate of the Unabomber
“Once again, I am not a fan of The Unabomber," Klosterman said.
That was one of many bizarre statements by made by author and pop culture guru Chuck Klosterman during his lecture Monday night in the Plachta Auditorium. The lecture was free and about 125 students came to the event.
The Unabomber, society’s reliance on technology and comparing the New England Patriots-Indianapolis Colts rivalry to "Twilight" were many of topics touched on by the author who took questions from the audience and read an excerpt from his new book, “Eating the Dinosaur,” which was released on Oct. 20th by Scribner books.
Klosterman compared Tom Brady and the Patriots to "Twilight" character Edward Cullen, saying they are both good looking and a little arrogant and Peyton Manning and the Colts to the saga’s werewolf Jacob Black.
“Peyton Manning kinda looks like a werewolf,” Klosterman said.
The excerpt from his book he read focused on how people are becoming so reliant on technology, that even people’s memories are shaped by television and movies, rather than real life experiences.
“We really can’t differentiate between the real and unreal images, we can describe the difference, but we can’t manage it,” he said.
Klosterman said until the advent of film, that all images people thought of were actual experiences and now that is not the case.
“We do not have the freedom to think whatever we want, we don’t,” he said. “And ‘til we accept that, it’s useless to think about anything else.”
Despite society’s over reliance on technology, Klosterman said he would not have it any other way.
“If I had to pick, I wouldn’t go back,” he said. “There’s no way I’d give up technology for this other kind of theoretical freedom, and that is troubling to me.”
Klosterman graduated from the University of North Dakota in 1994 with a degree in journalism and worked as a pop culture critic for the Akron Beacon Journal in Akron, Ohio and has written about music and pop culture for many magazines including SPIN, Esquire, The New York Times Magazine and also has contributed pieces for ESPN.com and The Washington Post.
Klosterman has authored six books, the most popular of which is “Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs: A Low Culture Manifesto,” which like “Eating the Dinosaur,” are a collection of essays with the topics ranging from music to pop culture to sports and politics.
Klosterman, in response to a question about how he tries to find originality in his writing said it’s a must for writers to develop their own style rather than emulate the style of others.
“It is natural to adopt other people’s styles,” he said. “But you will never succeed if you keep up with that. I think my writing style is basically no style.”
Farmington Hills junior Program Board Lecture Nikki Burnstein was pleased with how the event turned out.
“I thought it went really well, everyone seemed to enjoy it,” Burnstein said. “(The attendance) was what I expected for a lecture.”
St. John’s sophomore Landon Winowiecki came to the event becase he said he is a Klosterman fan.
“I enjoy his books, I agree with a lot of his views and I just think its interesting to see somebody who sings the same song as me.”
