'The Great American Nose-Picking Novel'

The May issue of Dazed & Confused has a bitchin' write-up on Crust and interview with author Lawrence Shainberg.

Here's a highlight:

"A witty-erudite and gleefully gross-out satire of our information-clogged and techno-bananas age. An energetic and thrillingly modern romp through a habit that's as old as the hills."

And here's one Q/A from the interview:

"Dazed: Crust effectively satirises the sheer glut of information that contemporary readers are exposed to. Are you apprehensive about the future of reading in the age of the internet?"

"LS: Yes, no . . . yes. I don't think anyone understands the extent, meaning and effect of the information explosion. Among other things, I think it creates a situation in which our basic relation to information - which most of us grow up believing to be an unquestionable virtue - becomes adversarial. Add to this the fact that information glut is finally the ultimate censorship - since it trivializes all information (if 100 orchestras are playing under your window, does it matter if one is playing Mozart?) - and that nothing thrives on such repression like corporate media, and you have a situation which may well turn out to be catastrophic."

To throw in an appreciation for Dazed & Confused: It's a beautiful magazine. The May issue has an interview with Oliver Stone and pieces on Fernando Pessoa and Al Jarnow. Easier access is another reason it's time to ditch the OH.