In eight illustrated books, elegantly held together in a single beribboned case, McSweeney's Issue 28 explores the state of the fable. For the next two days, it's $5 off. - - - -

M c S W E E N E Y ' S B R A I N   E X P L O D E R : A N S W E R S . - - - - CELEBRITY SEX August 6 Last week's Brain Exploder sent readers on an anagram hunt, and our inbox overflowed with entries. Respondents batted for a high average with most getting all four answers correct. This week's winner of a McSweeney's book, chosen at random, is Ahmad Dialdin. Just for the record: 1. How you might suck up to a Japanese CEO dressed as William Wallace for Halloween: CHIC KILT, MR. SONY (Kristy McNichol) 2. Where you can find a good deal on bulk seaweed: KELP DEPOT (Ted Koppel) 3. Prediction your Irish buddy won't like French Impressionist: FLYNN WILL HATE DEGAS (The Flying Wallendas) 4. Terse command for your tailor. GO HEM MY SUIT (Mighty Mouse) - - - - As always, there were several entries that might not have been technically correct, but we enjoyed them anyway. Note, before I get mail, that many of the following people also had the right answers: THE NAME SOUNDS CHINESE, NOT JAPANESE, BUT WE SURE LIKE THE WAY YOU KISS ASS "Scotch, Mr. Kyin Li?" —Tami Strang (similarly, Meredith Payne) NO RAISE FOR YOU! "Cry on his McKilt." —Bill DeRouchey (Similarly Will Milford) ALL THAT CLEVER WORK AND HE STILL COULDN'T COME UP WITH THE ONE WE WERE LOOKING FOR 1. A terse command to your tailor involving a heretofore unknown asian slur: "Hem it, Soy Gum!" 2. A terse command to your tailor who is a Kundalini master/eccentric quotable former Yankee: "Yogi must hem!" (also David Provost) 3. A terse command to your tailor, with subsequent semi-apologetic explanation, before departing for a work-out: "Hem! I outs—Gym." —Ben Skoch WAN LIGHT THROUGH YONDER WINDOW BREAKS "Sean fled wanly light." —Bob Lucier DUDE, WHY DID YOU EVEN BRING YOUR SUIT IN? "Omit hems, guy" —Meghan Leon (also Neil Haefs) THERE'S A FINE LINE BETWEEN SUCKING UP AND HARRASSMENT "Cinch Mr. Yo's kilt." —Chris Wright I KNOW THIS GREAT SEASIDE HASH BAR IN SPAIN "De Kelp Pot." —Anonymous WE CAN'T ARGUE WITH EITHER ONE, REALLY (Using Mighty Mouse for #1) Predicated on the assumption that said CEO is Yozaburo Mogi, president and chief executive officer of Kikkoman Corporations, which controls over 55% of the American soy sauce market: "Gosh, Y.! I'm mute!" (Using Kristy McNichol for #4): "Cyril! Thin smock." —Alex Eichler THAT'S TERSER THAN WE WANTED "Cinch my silk tro(users)!" —Michael Northrop I'M NOT SURE IT'S A TAILOR YOU'RE LOOKING FOR "Hum my stogie." —Tom McNulty IT'S AN ANAGRAM AND CHARLIE CHAN MYSTERY IN ONE "Tug me. I'm shy," "I'm Ho. Tug me, Sy," or "Tug my shoe!… I'm…" [at which point he collapses, the tailor removes his shoe to discover the poison-tipped blade inside]. —TG Gibbon MISDIRECTED ANGER (Using Mighty Mouse for #3): "Guy shot mime." —Steve GIVING YOURSELF A LOT OF CREDIT (Using The Flying Wallendas for #4): "Law said lengthen fly." —Steve     MORE BRAIN EXPLODERS

- - - - 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 McSWEENEY'S MONTHLY MAILING LIST 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 PREDICTS McSWEENEY'S RECOMMENDS NEW WHOLPHIN FILM DAN LIEBERT, VERBAL CARTOONIST JOKES BY BRIAN BEATTY REVIEWS OF NEW FOOD DISPATCHES FROM MOSCOW SO YOU WANT TO BE PRESIDENT? DISPATCHES FROM THE ANACOSTIA THE WINNER'S CIRCLE WITH ERIC FEEZELL BEN GREENMAN'S FAKE CELEBRITY MUSICALS DISPATCHES FROM A HUMANITARIAN JOURNALIST DEB OLIN UNFERTH'S SICK OF THE REVOLUTION DISPATCHES FROM IRAQ SHORT IMAGINED MONOLOGUES PHILIP GRAHAM SPENDS A YEAR IN LISBON STAINED TEETH: A COLUMN ABOUT WINE DISPATCHES FROM THE NAPOLEONIC WARS AT THE MET KEVIN DOLGIN TELLS YOU ABOUT PLACES YOU SHOULD GO IN EUROPE SONGS OF ENEMIES AND DESERTS: LIVING WITH THE SUDAN LIBERATION ARMY LAWRENCE WESCHLER'S EVERYTHING THAT RISES: A BOOK OF CONVERGENCES THE CONVERGENCES CONTEST ABOUT WHAT IS THE WHAT ABOUT BOWL OF CHERRIES ABOUT COMEDY BY THE NUMBERS ABOUT JOHN BRANDON'S ARKANSAS ABOUT MICHAEL CHABON'S MAPS AND LEGENDS ABOUT UNDERGROUND AMERICA LETTERS FROM AN EARTH BALL TO, OR CONCERNING, SEAN HANNITY DISPATCHES FROM ADJUNCT FACULTY AT A LARGE STATE UNIVERSITY ADVICE FROM A PERSON WITH A BACHELOR'S DEGREE IN PSYCHOLOGY DISPATCHES FROM THE NBA ENTERTAINMENT LEAGUE JOHN MOE'S POP-SONG CORRESPONDENCES B.R. COHEN'S ANNALS OF SCIENCE INTERVIEWS WITH PEOPLE WHO HAVE INTERESTING OR UNUSUAL JOBS OPEN LETTERS TO PEOPLE OR ENTITIES WHO ARE UNLIKELY TO RESPOND DISPATCHES FROM A PUBLIC LIBRARIAN MICHAEL IAN BLACK IS A VERY FAMOUS CELEBRITY DISPATCHES FROM ROY KESEY, AN AMERICAN GUY MARRIED TO A PERUVIAN DIPLOMAT LIVING IN CHINA STEPHEN ELLIOTT'S POKER REPORT - - - - ADDITIONAL MATERIAL