HILOBROW’s 2016

By: HILOBROW
January 3, 2017

Here are some highlights from HILOBROW’s 2016. We’re very grateful to our contributors!

BEST OF HILOBROW: 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 1Q2022 | 2Q2022 | 3Q2022 | 4Q2022 SNEAK PEEK.

*

GROK MY ENTHUSIASM

Illustration by Joe Alterio

Each week during 2016, we published a new installment — written by HILOBROW friends and regular contributors — in the GROK MY ENTHUSIASM series. Here’s the complete 2016 GROK lineup.

Rob Wringham on THE THEORY AND PRACTICE OF LUNCH | Gordon Dahlquist on WEEKEND | Joe Alterio on MILLION YEAR PICNIC | Adrienne Crew on LA BARONNE EMILE D’ERLANGER | Josh Glenn on THE SURVIVAL SAMPLER | Alix Lambert on THE SKIES BELONG TO US | Adam McGovern on PENELOPE and CHAVEZ RAVINE | Rob Wringham on THE LYKE WAKE WALK | Mark Kingwell on NORTH STAR SNEAKERS & GWG JEANS | Gordon Dahlquist on FELLINI SATYRICON | Erik Davis on AH! | Devin McKinney on WHISPERING AFRAID

Mimi Lipson on 1973 SEARS ROEBUCK CATALOG | Jessamyn West on MOSS | Josh Glenn on THE SCOUT HOW BOOK | Brian Berger on SLACKER | Alix Lambert on ABSOLUTE BEGINNERS | Chelsey Johnson on MONOTREMES | Devin McKinney on THE BUTCHER COVER | Flourish Klink on ONE DIRECTION | Gordon Dahlquist on FULL METAL JACKET | Allegra Huston on CLOTHESLINE | Jenny Davidson on POWERLIFTING | Evan Narcisse on REZ | Deborah Wassertzug on VEGETARIAN MEATBALLS

Chris Spurgeon on WALLACE AND GROMIT | Mandy Keifetz on BENEFICIAL MICROBES | Annie Nocenti on MARKS ON WALLS | Molly Sauter on THE GREAT BRITISH BAKE OFF | William Nericcio on LAND OF THE LOST | Dan Fox on “VOICE OF GOD” RADIO DJS | Brandi Brown on WIKIPEDIA TALK | Claire Lehmann on THE APPARATUS REVEAL | Alice Boone on COSTUME JEWELRY | Colin Dickey on WIDESPREAD PANIC | Anshuman Iddamsetty on THE FULL BODY PROJECT | John Hilgart on MAKING GRATEFUL DEAD ALBUMS | Rob Wringham on STEVEN UNIVERSE

John Overholt on DECKLE EDGES | James Hannaham on HABIT PATTERNS | Jessamyn West on THE PUBLIC LIBRARY SYSTEM | Adam McGovern on THE SPACE GIANTS | Brian Berger on MEDIUM COOL | Chris Spurgeon on THE DUNNING-KRUGER EFFECT | Joe Alterio on TABLETOP WARGAMING | Mimi Lipson on TRASH PICKING | Jason Grote on CZECH CINEMA | Roxane Gay on AUTOMATED CAR WASH | Dan Fox on JULIA DAVIS | Amy Thielen on BINGO | Steph Burt on FEIJOA.

Josh Glenn edited GROK MY ENTHUSIASM. He is very grateful to the series’ contributors.

*

QUIRK YOUR ENTHUSIASM

tainted love

In August, we published our latest summer ENTHUSIASM series. QUIRK YOUR ENTHUSIASM featured 25 posts, by 25 contributors, on the topic of our favorite New Wave songs from c. 1977–1982. Here’s the QUIRK lineup.

Mark Kingwell on Soft Cell’s TAINTED LOVE | Joanne McNeil on Gary Numan’s METAL | Devin McKinney on Suicide’s FRANKIE TEARDROP | Douglas Wolk on Family Fodder’s SAVOIR FAIRE | Elina Shatkin on Marianne Faithfull’s BROKEN ENGLISH | Steph Burt on Altered Images’ HAPPY BIRTHDAY | Greg Rowland on Jilted John’s JILTED JOHN | Gordon Dahlquist on XTC’s RESPECTABLE STREET | Adrienne Crew on D-Day’s TOO YOUNG TO DATE | Jonathan Lethem on The Blue Nile’s I LOVE THIS LIFE | Josh Glenn on Tim Curry’s I DO THE ROCK | Molly Wright Steenson on Missing Persons’ WORDS

Anthony Miller on The Nails’ 88 LINES ABOUT 44 WOMEN | Luc Sante on The Normal’s WARM LEATHERETTE | Mimi Lipson on Dolly Mixture’s HOW COME YOU’RE SUCH A HIT WITH THE BOYS, JANE? | Tim Carmody on Talking Heads’ LIFE DURING WARTIME | Ingrid Schorr on Ian Dury’s CLEVOR TREVER | Adam McGovern on Lene Lovich’s LUCKY NUMBER | Deb Chachra on Rough Trade’s HIGH SCHOOL CONFIDENTIAL | Tor Aarestad on Oingo Boingo’s LITTLE GIRLS | David Smay on The B-52’s’ DANCE THIS MESS AROUND | Jessamyn West on Blondie’s HANGING ON THE TELEPHONE | Drew Daniel on The Human League’s MARIANNE | Erik Davis on Tuxedomoon’s TIME TO LOSE | Dan Fox on Thomas Dolby’s EUROPA & THE PIRATE TWINS

Josh Glenn edited QUIRK YOUR ENTHUSIAM. He is very grateful to the series’ contributors.

*

THIS:

THIS logo

Each week, during 2016, Adam McGovern contributed a new installment in his THIS: series. Here’s the THIS: lineup.

1Q2016: WHAT IS THIS:? — a (re-) introduction to the THIS: series | DARK MATTERS | INSIDE OUT | BOWIEOLOGY 8 | SPOILING EVERYTHING | DROP A TORCH | LOOKING THROUGH YOU | NOT SAFE FOR WORLD | THE BAR AT THE CENTER OF THE WORLD | BIG BLUE | WHAT’S THE POINT?.

2Q2016: BLACK HOLE SUN | ON AND OFF THE TRAIL | THE MOVEMENT | SPACE GODDESS-Y | LOST & FOUND WORLDS | CATFOOD AT TIFFANY’S | THE NEW, WEIRD AMERICA | ONCE UPON AGAIN | MANDALA DAY | EX-DEUS | MATCH | BREAK THE NEW | NO ANGEL.

brobottoussaint

3Q2016: DEPENDENCE DAY | WORLD REBUILDING | ACTION BUILDING | DADDY GETS HOME | CRASH COURSE | THE FADE-UP | STRANGERS WITH EAR-CANDY | HISTORY IN PIECES | DOWNTIME | NIGHTMARE PROJECTS | MOTHER’S NIGHT | CODE TALKER.

zuricouch

4Q2016: THE WEST WINGNUT | THE FATHERGOD, PART II | SUPERHUMANISM | TRAILER TRASHTALK! | BOWIEOLOGY 9 OF 7 | ARTSPLOITATION | MASTER OF NONE | OWN YOUR OREOS | THE JONI THAT MATTERS | JETPACK SCIENCE | CITY & WESTERN | PLAYING OURSELVES | ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE BRIEF.

More THIS: to come in 2017!

*

PLANET OF PERIL

HILOBROW friend and contributor Lynn Peril published eleven installments in a new series, PLANET OF PERIL, which is devoted to Lynn’s favorite obscure historical fads and figures. Here’s the 2016 PLANET OF PERIL lineup.

THE SHIFTERS | THE CONTROL OF CANDY JONES | VINCE TAYLOR | THE SECRET VICE | LADY HOOCH HUNTER | LINCOLN ASSASSINATION BUFFS | I’M YOUR VENUS | THE DARK MARE | SPALINGRAD | UNESCORTED WOMEN | and OFFICE PARTY.

More PLANET OF PERIL to come in 2017!

*

THE KALEVALA

kalevala_bastardized

During 2016, we published THE KALEVALA — a year-long cycle of poems, by HILOBROW friend and contributor James Parker — which respectfully bastardize portions of a Finnish sequence of folkloric songs, runes, and charms.

Here’s the complete KALEVALA lineup!

RUNE 3 (1–278): “Wizard Battle” | RUNE 4 (1–56): “A Failed Seduction” | RUNE 4 (300–416): “Aino Ends It All” | RUNE 5 (45–139): “An Afternoon Upon the Water” | RUNE 5 (150–241): “The Blue Elk” | RUNE 6 (1–114): “Therapy Session” | RUNE 6 (115–130): “Joukahainen’s Mother Counsels Him Against Shooting the Wizard Vainamoinen” | RUNE 11 (1–138): “Introducing Kyllikki” | RUNE 23 (485–580): “The Bride’s Lament” | RUNE 30 (1–276): “Icebound” | RUNE 30 (120–188): “The Voyage of the Sea-Hare” (Part One) | RUNE 30 (185–188): “Losing It” | RUNE 31 (215–225): “The Babysitter” | RUNE 31 (223–300): “The Screaming Axe” | RUNE 33 (1–136): “The Cowherd” | RUNE 33 (73): “Song of the Blade: Kullervo” | RUNE 33 (118–284): “The Cows Come Home” | RUNE 34 (1–82): “The Pipes of Kullervo”.

*

STUFFED

STUFFED is a series of posts by Tom Nealon, author of Food Fights and Culture Wars: A Secret History of Taste (British Library Publishing, October 2016), which is forthcoming in the US, in March — from Overlook. Here’s 2016’s STUFFED lineup.

WHEY AND WHEY NOT | PINK LEMONADE | EUREKA! MICROWAVES | CULINARY ILLUSIONS | AD SALSA PER ASPERA | THE WAR ON MOLE | ALMONDS: NO JOY | GARNISHED | REVUE DES MENUS | REVUE DES MENUS (DEUX) | WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE | and THE THICKENING.

More STUFFED to come in 2017!

*

THE BOURNE VARIATIONS

bournevariations

We published a year-long cycle of poems, by HILOBROW friend and contributor James Parker, inspired by scenes from the Jason Bourne movie franchise. Thrilling, witty, mythomaniacal, THE BOURNE VARIATIONS are a triumph of film criticism and fanfic.

Here’s the complete BOURNE VARIATIONS lineup!

“The Goddess of Memory Speaks to Jason Bourne” | THE BOURNE IDENTITY: “The Duellists”. THE BOURNE SUPREMACY: “Congratulations, You Have Just Met Jason Bourne” | “The Graduates” | “The Murder of Agent Daniel Zorn, in Berlin, by CIA Section Chief Ward Abbott”. THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM: “Big Daddy” | “The Assassination of the Journalist Simon Ross” | “Full Priority Situation”. THE BOURNE LEGACY: “Alaska, Alone” | “Aaron Cross to the Wolf” | “Fairy Story”. JASON BOURNE: “Watching the Jason Bourne Trailer” | “The Bourne Travesty”.

*

HERMENAUTIC TAROT

NO-NO-NO-NO-BOT
THE NO-NO-NO-BOT

During 1Q2016, we concluded our HERMENAUTIC TAROT series, a comic-book rorschach creative writing experiment in symbol-making and oracular speechifying that kicked off in 2015. Here’s the 1Q2016 HERMENAUTIC TAROT lineup.

Luc Sante on THE OLD DARK HOUSE | Erik Davis on FORBIDDEN FRUIT | Devin McKinney on THE ATOMS | Dan Fox on THE OBFUSCATOR | Patrick Cates on THE MASKED ASSESSOR | Chris Spurgeon on OVERWHELMING TEMPTATION | Jenny Davidson on THE ALL-SEEING EYE | Lauren Oliver on THE HERO COMPLEX | Brian Berger on THE WHITE VISITATION | Tim Spencer on DISILLUSIONMENT | Chelsey Johnson on THE BEARD OF SHADOWS | Alix Lambert on THE EYE FLOATER | Ed Park on THE TWINS | James Parker on THE NO-NO-NOBOT | Amy Thielen on VELOCITY.

John Hilgart and Josh Glenn edited the HERMENAUTIC TAROT series. They are very grateful to all of the series’ contributors.

*

ON BEYOND ZARATHUSTRA

CLICK ON IMAGE FOR LARGER VERSION

We published a 15-part serialization of a section of Nietzsche’s lost graphic novel, On Beyond Zarathustra. According to John Holbo, Nietzche’s text prompts us to ask, about the later prose-poem Thus Spake Zarathustra: Do the townspeople ignore Zarathustra because his proposed transvaluation of values is too radical? Or is it because, like Dr. Seuss’s Gerald McGrew or Morris McGurk, he tends to rattle on and spiral off?

HILOBROW was the first to publish these never-before-seen extracts. We also published Holbo’s exclusive-to-HILOBROW essay, “On Beyond Zarathustra: A Double-Parody For All And None.”

*

SÉRIE NOIRE

During 2016, we published an eight-part series by HILOBROW friend and contributor Alix Lambert. SÉRIE NOIRE revisits the crime movies that most influenced Alix when she was a child and young adult. Here’s the complete SÉRIE NOIRE lineup.

The Chalk Garden (1964) | I Confess (1952) | In the Heat of the Night (1967) | The Return of Martin Guerre (1982) | Wanda (1970) | Sorry, Wrong Number (1948) | The Bad Seed (1956) | Joe (1970).

*

JOSH’S SERIES

During 2016, we published a few hundred installments in the following original series by HILOBROW editor Josh Glenn.

More BEST ADVENTURES installments to come in 2017!

JOSH GLENN’S *BEST ADVENTURES* LISTS: BEST 250 ADVENTURES OF THE 20TH CENTURY | 100 BEST OUGHTS ADVENTURES | 100 BEST RADIUM AGE (PROTO-)SCI-FI ADVENTURES | 100 BEST TEENS ADVENTURES | 100 BEST TWENTIES ADVENTURES | 100 BEST THIRTIES ADVENTURES | 75 BEST GOLDEN AGE SCI-FI ADVENTURES | 100 BEST FORTIES ADVENTURES | 100 BEST FIFTIES ADVENTURES | 100 BEST SIXTIES ADVENTURES | 75 BEST NEW WAVE SCI FI ADVENTURES | 100 BEST SEVENTIES ADVENTURES | 100 BEST EIGHTIES ADVENTURES | 75 BEST DIAMOND AGE SCI-FI ADVENTURES | 100 BEST NINETIES ADVENTURES (in progress) | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | NOTES ON 21st-CENTURY ADVENTURES.

*

MORE ORIGINAL WRITING

  • LIMERICKANIA. We published four installments in Douglas Wolk’s amazing, though very sporadic, series in which he writes limericks inspired by comic-book details from the 4CP archive.
  • alison steele

  • We published a few final-ish items in our long-running (1,400 installments!) HILO HEROES series: Anthony Miller on STANLEY BOOTH and EDWARD ABBEY, and Devin McKinney on ALISON STEELE. Plus: Josh Glenn’s seventh and final RONDEL FOR HILO HEROES, an acrostic poem celebrating HILO HEROES.

*

CURATED SERIES

HILOBROW is on a mission to gather in far-flung writing and artwork by our friends — we want to collect it all in one place. During 2016, we published the following curated series. We’re very grateful to all our friends who contributed.

    black-mirror

  • ALL MY STARS. Each week, we reprinted Joanne McNeil’s ALL MY STARS newsletter — which tracks and reacts to her latest media and exhibition input. It was an extraordinary run — and she’ll keep publishing the newsletter in 2017. Subscribe here.
  • nixon_bowling

  • AMERICA OBSCURA. The legendary Andrew Hultkrans allowed us unparalleled access to his archives. We republished several pieces of his brilliant journalism — extracted from the archives of print and online publications.
  • avril guitar

  • KEEPERS. HiLobrow friend and contributor Steph Burt is a literary critic, poet and a professor, who teaches at Harvard University. In July, we published 10 of Steph’s poem’s about everyday objects and pop-cultural phenomena.
  • raccoon+vintage+image--graphicsfairy005bsm

  • ANIMAL MAGNETISM. HiLobrow friend and contributor Colin Dickey is author of Ghostland: An American History in Haunted Places, among other terrific books. In August, we reprinted six essays he has published, here and there, over the years, about… animals!
  • 1982-zombie-jacko

  • MONSTOBER. HiLobrow friend and contributor Rick Pinchera’s InkTober series — a drawing a day, during the month of October — was dedicated to those monsters that scared and amused him most when he was growing up in the ’80s.
  • omega-3-helmet

  • HEATHCLIFF, FOR WHY? The Andy Kaufman-like anti-comedy antics of Heathcliff have nonplussed newspaper funny pages readers since 1973. Brandi Brown investigated.
  • MISSOURI SHOTGLASS
    MISSOURI SHOTGLASS

  • 12 MORE DAYS OF SIGNIFICANCE: A holiday-season series of posts reprinting stories written — by 12 HiLobrow contributors — for the 2009–2010 Significant Objects project, which was co-edited by HiLobrow’s Josh Glenn. Contributors: Annalee Newitz, Cintra Wilson, Jen Collins, Joanne McNeil, Jonathan Lethem, Sarah Weinman, Shelley Jackson, Barbara Bogaev, Dan Reines, Jenny Offill, Katie Hennessey, James Hannaham.
  • drumpf4

  • DAILY DRUMPF — a series of political cartoons by HiLobrow friend and contributor Rick Pinchera.
  • bigfootshow2

  • BIGFOOT ISLAND — a sampling of images and movies from artist Michael Lewy’s multimedia project, BIGFOOT ISLAND, which conjures up a Land of the Lost-esque cryptid habitat and adventurescape via a combination of Cinema 4D software and analog special effects.
  • aquinas1

  • BEDROOM AIRPORT — scenes from an aerodrome, constructed of cardboard and masking tape, in a Brookline bedroom. By an adolescent collective known as “Parson Edwards.”

*

Thanks, HILOBROW readers! On to 2017…

Categories

Kudos, Most Visited

Tags