Monster Fresh

Scratches a Pencil – An Interview with Writer/Musician TIM KINSELLA

You may be familiar with Tim Kinsella through one of his many music projects. It could be from his emo-pioneering band Cap’n Jazz, his ongoing avant-rock project Joan of Arc, or any of a number of other solo efforts, collaborations, or offshoots/incarnations of those groups that he’s been involved in over the years. But, these days, Kinsella has been involving himself in more than just music and focusing his attention heavily on writing.

Aside from releasing 2 separate albums under the JOA moniker in 2011, his first novel, The Karaoke Singer’s Guide to Self Defense, was published last September by Featherproof Books. The 376-page work zips back and forth between a handful of people’s lives, many of which are family members in the fictional town of Stone Claw Grove, Michigan. The characters deal with addiction and aging, struggle with responsibility, and give up on brighter dreams in an attempt to settle for whatever they already have currently. Throughout it all, strippers strip, fights break out in bars, and singers cover all of the karaoke classics.

I recently had the opportunity to conduct an interview with Mr. Kinsella and to discover more about his venture into literature and his overall approach to the creation process. (more…)

ENTER! : MIKE BIRBIGLIA (“last minute”) Ticket & Book Giveaway [SEATTLE]

Do you know the name Mike Birbiglia? Sound familiar? How about the guy in the pictures above? Look like you may have seen him before? That familiar name goes with that familiar face. Same dude. Yeah, he’s that one comedian that you accidentally stumbled across on TV. It was probably on Comedy Central. Maybe it was during one of their random standup marathons. But, wait… there was something else about this guy… something that you’re trying to remember. Oh yeah! He was the one that was actually funny. He was the one who made you turn to your roommate and/or significant other and say, “Woah! Shit! This guy is actually funny! What was his name? We have to remember this guy’s name this time.”

Comedy is like music for me. The overwhelming majority of the time that I hear new mainstream music, I find myself wondering how anybody could think that shit is worth listening to. The same thing goes for comedians and 80% of the time they aren’t even remotely funny. Not unlike Nick Swardson, Mike Birbiglia is one of those standups that creates material so solid that it’s been incredibly easy to watch his notoriety make a smooth rise over the years. From the first time you see him, you know that he’ll be able to stand on his talent alone. No smashing watermelons! No, “super cool, ladies man” douchiness targeted to the young college crowd! He’s more Neil Young than Alice Cooper. More Jerry West than Allen Iverson. No flash, just substance and he has that ability to come across like he’s actually talking directly to his audience. That personal approach is something that I’m sure translates in his brand new book Sleepwalk with Me: and Other Painfully True Stories.

Do you want to see Mike Birbiglia perform live in Seattle this Friday, October 22nd? How about a copy of his new book? Do you want one? How about a pair of tickets to the show and a copy of the book for free? How about a brand new car, we pay off your school loans, and give you an all expense paid trip to Australia for you and 12 of your closest friends?

Slow down, pal! You can talk to Oprah about the last few but, thanks to our friends at the Seattle Theatre Group, we can definitely handle the tickets and the book.

(you know how she lost all of that weight, right? Baby unicorn blood. She drinks it.) (more…)