interview with tao lin about the intern uprising, Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, animals, and literary movements

Tao Lin is a writer that is probably doing something right now. I think alot of people relate to tao lin's writing because of the amount of alienation. He is a dastardly force. In my most recent exchanges with tao lin everything is deleted. As you see in this interview, tao lin answered the questions and lost the answers through a series of mistakes. But I think it is enjoyable, there is a good amount of good things in between the descriptions of what he had said in the previous answers.

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MB: Recently, there was a small uprising against you. I still believe in it,
but it seems to have faded from most people's focus. I was going back
through the records of your blog, and I found a message from Kendra when you
first got your interns mentioning a possible rebellion. Eventually, Kendra
was the person to begin speaking of revolution when you started mistreating
your interns. So, Tao Lin, is there some kind of covert operation at work
here?

TL: Kendra Grant Malone is Ulysses S. Grant's great-great-great-great-great granddaughter. I don't know if that is the correct number of greats. I don't know anything about Ulysses S. Grant. I typed different answers for this interview but when I sent them to you I forgot to attach it and I was in the library and the computers delete all their files every night or something. The original answer for this question was funnier and more interesting than this answer.

MB: And do you feel a revolt against you is needed?

TL: The original answer to this question was insightful I think. I don't
remember at all what I said. I think the answer was funny but not "just a
joke." I don't think I can recreate the answer, all I am thinking right now
is this sentence, how will I complete this sentence. I am in a different
"mood" than when I answered these questions the first time. I feel "stupid."

MB: More importantly, Tao Lin, how did you come to power and how do you feel your new book, Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy will effect this earned position?

TL: I think in the original answer I talked about how a book of poetry won't make me rich and famous but maybe my next novel. My next novel will come out in 2009 maybe if I finish it. By "rich" I think I mean probably like 1/3 of the amount of money Rick Moody gets in a grant, configured to "sustain" me for one year. I feel rich already. I feel unable to not have any money for some reason. A few times when I didn't have enough money to pay rent I just did pre-orders for my next book on my blog or went on stealing rampages. By "famous" I think I mean that maybe most of the people whose art, music, and writing I like will know I exist.

MB: 'you are a little bit happier than i am' has basically two characters,
other than Chris Ringer, the 'you' and the 'i' dominate the language of the
book. Do you continue this in Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy?

TL: Yes. In the original answer I talked about "metaphorically" and "literally" two characters. I am glad that answer is not here anymore, I think I didn't know what I was talking about. I am glad people don't have to read that and feel confused or ignorant, thinking I know what I'm talking about. Yes, COGNITIVE-BEHAVIORAL THERAPY has two main characters.

MB: I read in another interview that Therapy uses more abstract terms. Do you feel that writing stories and novels has made you feel more free to abstract in your poems? How else do you feel working on all three forms at once effects you?

TL: In the original answer I typed the order I wrote the books I have published. I think I will do that now. Here is the order: 1. BED 2. EEEEE EEE EEEE 3. YOU ARE A LITTLE BIT HAPPIER THAN I AM 4. COGNITIVE-BEHAVIORAL THERAPY. I have gotten less abstract over time I think, if you graphed it. My next novel will be my least abstract book. In my original answer I typed about how everyone I know on the internet who writes writes in three forms. I don't know anyone whose writings I like who is my age who only writes in one form. I talked about how probably famous writers have internalized their literary agents and the important literary critics of our time. Literary agents will probably get frustrated if you are Jonathan Safran Foer and you try to publish poetry or short stories on the internet without getting paid. But then I thought about John Updike and Margaret Atwood. They both publish in all three forms.

MB: In an interview with Michael Earl Craig you list ocean sunfish, hamsters, dolphins, moose, and bears as some animals Michael Earl Craig doesn't use. Are these the animals you still use most today? How do you find new animals make their way into the common associations?

TL: In my original answer I compared different animals to different
"terrible events." If something like 9/11 happens certain writers will start
"using" 9/11. If 9/11 hasn't happened certain writers will use the holocaust or Vietnam or WWII or racism or something. To me it doesn't matter what "terrible event" is in the book. It doesn't matter what animals I use. My concerns are existential. I feel the need to put quotes around that sentence. "My concerns are existential." I choose animals because someone I know was talking about them or I saw an Ocean Sunfish on Youtube that week or something.

MB: How do you feel movements or literary groups effect the way literary writing can be marketed to a greater audience?

TL: In my original answer I typed a lot of things here. I think I said that to create a literary movement you need to be able to make generalizations and pose with certain facial expressions in a group with others in your movement wearing similar clothing in certain magazines and that you need to be able to do all of this without sarcasm or self-awareness. Something like that. I think I said that sometimes a journalist will do all that him or herself so that no one in the "movement" itself has to make generalizations and sound like an ass. I think I said I lay in bed every night praying for that to happen to me and people whose writings I like.

MB: In a wrestling promo it is the goal to convince the crowd that your opponent has no chance against you. You describe to them what will happen and how you will keep your opponent from winning. There are many styles of promos. In the 90s Mick Foley made a series of anti-hardcore promos to the hardcore-style-fans of Extreme Championship Wrestling, this was the only way Mick could think of to anger the fans and change from a good guy to a bad guy. Can you please cut a promo on anything? Me or happiness or The Golden Bear or The Industry or anyone? I would love to hear a Tao Lin Promo. You can make it about how your new book will defeat the Ultimate Warrior. Anything.

TL: I don't remember what I talked about in my original answer. I can't think of anything right now. I think everything I said in my original answers I've already said elsewhere just in different words anyway. I am glad I lost the answers sort of. The new answers are at least "different" in some way than all the other interviews I have on the internet.