- - - -

Millard Kaufman's final novel has arrived!
Pick up Misadventure now—or, see what
you've missed out on thus far by picking up
both Bowl of Cherries and Misadventure
for 27% off the retail price.

- - - -

F R A N C I S   H E A N E Y ' S L I P O G R A M M A T I C C O N S U M E R   G U I D E . BY FRANCIS HEANEY - - - - A REVIEW OF BECK'S "MIDNITE VULTURES," USING ONLY THE LETTERS IN "BECK: MIDNITE VULTURES." It's... indiscreet. It's like, "dick, dick, dick; smut, smut, smut; vice, vice, vice; slut, slut, slut." Seductive Beck is Mister Luv. Is Beck music's kinkiest librettist ever? Beck, it seems, desires submissive bimbette mistresses under seventeen, dressed in slit miniskirts, derriere unveiled. But I'd surmise nine men in ten lust like Beck lusts; it isn't eccentric. Is "Midnite Vultures" sick? It'd incite tics in numbskull Bible Belt residents, sure, but it isn't sick, it's slick. Slick like crème brûlée, dude, believe me. "Midnite Vultures'" eclectic music revels in its ebullient leisure-suit-'n'-sideburns seventies vibe. Never mind its tunes' intermittent mindlessness. I like it. - - - - A REVIEW OF THE CURE'S "BLOODFLOWERS," USING ONLY THE LETTERS IN "THE CURE: BLOODFLOWERS." Oh, Lord. "Bloodflowers," where the out-of-touch Cure tell us, "Toodle-oo, fellow brotherhood of scowlers, we're bored." Well, we're bored too. Cheerless, self-obsessed Robert S. broods for the whole dull CD. Heretofore, Cure records were sorrowful, sure, but so short of soul? The wretched "Bloodflowers" follows Robert S.'s Rules of Order to the letter: Be blue, show oodles of woe, use two or three chords, flow too slow, blow out the subwoofers. The Cure's obsolete subculture'll doubtless feel the CD's cool, but the rest of the world should flee. Flee! Flee the terror of "Bloodflowers"! The CD's worth lots of four-letter words, but we'll be less rude; so, to close: Show "Bloodflowers" the cold shoulder. Blecch. - - - - A REVIEW OF XTC'S "WASP STAR," USING ONLY THE LETTERS IN "XTC: WASP STAR." XTC's art: strata apart. "Wasp Star's" wax trax attract rapt cats: A+ - - - - A REVIEW OF BELLE & SEBASTIAN'S "FOLD YOUR HANDS, CHILD, YOU WALK LIKE A PEASANT," USING ONLY THE LETTERS IN "BELLE & SEBASTIAN: FOLD YOUR HANDS, CHILD, YOU WALK LIKE A PEASANT." It's nice.     OTHER McSWEENEY'S STORIES: - - - - Philadelphia: Into the Maw By Neal Pollack New Riddles for Five-Ounce Dixie Cups By Dan Kennedy Take the Pepsi Challenge By Whitney Pastorek Two Things About Yo Mama By Katie Pearce and Andrew Smales Sharon Fleder, Animal Publicist By Tim Carvell

- - - - MAIN PAGE | ARCHIVES - - - - Memories of Amanda Davis - - - - Red dot denotes content that is new today. Black dot denotes newish content. - - - - McSWEENEY'S STORE SUBSCRIBE TO: McSWEENEY'S THE BELIEVER WHOLPHIN FUTURE McSWEENEY'S BOOKS THE AMANDA DAVIS HIGHWIRE FICTION AWARD INVITE A McSWEENEY'S AUTHOR TO SPEAK IN YOUR TOWN OR COLLEGE THE BEST AMERICAN NONREQUIRED READING McSWEENEY'S MONTHLY MAILING LIST BOOKSTORES WITH A McSWEENEY'S DISPLAY McSWEENEY'S-RELATED EVENTS AND VARIOUS TOUR DATES ORDER INQUIRIES AND ADDRESS CHANGES SUBMISSION GUIDELINES: FOR BOOKS FOR THE QUARTERLY FOR THE WEBSITE FOR WHOLPHIN McSWEENEY'S INTERNSHIPS CONTACT US - - - - LETTERS TO McSWEENEY'S LISTS McSWEENEY'S RECOMMENDS REVIEWS OF NEW FOOD TEDDY WAYNE'S UNPOPULAR PROVERBS NON-ESSENTIAL MNEMONICS SHORT IMAGINED MONOLOGUES BITCHSLAP: A COLUMN ABOUT WOMEN AND FIGHTING OPEN LETTERS TO PEOPLE OR ENTITIES WHO ARE UNLIKELY TO RESPOND DISPATCHES FROM A GUY TRYING UNSUCCESSFULLY TO SELL A SONG IN NASHVILLE GET TO KNOW AN INTERNET COMMENTER GLOBAL WAR ON BEDBUGS: LETTERS FROM BEDBUG CITY THE CONFLICTED EXISTENCE OF A FEMALE PORN WRITER OH MY GAWD: A COLUMN ABOUT A TEENAGER NAVIGATING RELIGION DISPATCHES FROM AN INDIAN CASINO THE CONVERGENCES CONTEST CHRIS WHITE ANSWERS PROFOUND QUESTIONS ABOUT THE PRESIDENTS REPORTS FROM THE PINBALL SCENE LETTERS FROM THE HELLBOX NOTES FROM AN AMATEUR SPECTATOR AT AMATEUR MIXED MARTIAL ARTS FIGHTS CONVERSATIONS AT A WARTIME CAFÉ SARAH WALKER SHOWS YOU HOW DISPATCHES FROM THE CAPITAL SEAN MICHAELS LISTENS TO MUSIC IN MONTREAL STAINED TEETH: A COLUMN ABOUT WINE KEVIN DOLGIN TELLS YOU ABOUT PLACES YOU SHOULD GO IN EUROPE LETTERS FROM AN EARTH BALL TO, OR CONCERNING, SEAN HANNITY E-MAILS SENT TO THE UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA ENGLISH DEPARTMENT FLAG-FOOTBALL TEAM JOHN MOE'S POP-SONG CORRESPONDENCES INTERVIEWS WITH PEOPLE WHO HAVE INTERESTING OR UNUSUAL JOBS FLIP: A COLUMN ABOUT SKATEBOARDING DISPATCHES FROM A PUBLIC LIBRARIAN EXCERPTS FROM THE PANORAMA SOLUTIONS TO BENJAMIN TAUSIG'S THREE-DEMENSIONAL CROSSWORD PUZZLE IN THE SAN FRANCISCO PANORAMA ABOUT A VERY BAD WIZARD ABOUT THE WILD THINGS ABOUT THE CONVALESCENT ABOUT FEVER CHART ABOUT GOD SAYS NO ABOUT ZEITOUN - - - - ADDITIONAL MATERIAL