MEXICAN WEDDING
With great regret, I note that we missed the wedding over the weekend of the absurdly talented Ken Layne and the extremely lovely and sometimes trouble-enciting Laura Crane. We planned to attend, but it would have involved getting on a plane and crossing the border in a tight timeframe that was just no longer practical. But if you don't know Ken - who I first met when we worked at Prognosis in what was still Czechoslovakia - let me point you to a few of my favorite writings. The dark joke that launched Tabloid.net is worth a visit. Shortly after the mass suicide in Ken's old San Diego stomping grounds, he had reason to create a page devoted to fictional (which was a shame considering all the people who tried to order) Heaven's Gate Action Figures. There is the brilliant novella-in-installment type thing Vodka City. As you read Vodka City, you might think one of the recurring characters seems familiar. And you'd be right. That sarcastic talking-ham-sandwich sounds a lot like the one in the orange juice commercials. Funny thing was, those commercials weren't around until after the folks at an ad firm paid a bunch of visits to the Vodka City pages, then out of the blue came up with the same idea for an ad campaign. There was a lawsuit, which was written about by Salon, among others. Also in the Tabloid archives, you can find the mysterious tale of the Baphomet Matrix. (Though credit for that one, I think, may go entirely to a Hermosa Beach detective with clown shoes.) More recently, he has written a hilarious and smart novel called Dot.con which for some odd reason is so far available only in Australia. However, you can buy it for $20 US here. And in case your love for Ken is overflowing you can send him a couple bucks as a thank you, wedding gift, or merely to improve your own karma, by donating via Amazon.com.
- posted by Amy @ 10/22/2001 07:07:00 PM