Author and pop culture journalist Chuck Klosterman revealed his writing rituals Tuesday night to a nearly full Dale Hall classroom.
In his lecture, “Life Through the Prism of Pop Culture,” Klosterman explained what he tries to do when he writes his books.
Klosterman is the author of five books – a sixth is slated for an October release - including “Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs,” a collection of pop culture essays on subjects like “The Real World” and “Saved By the Bell.” Klosterman said his goal is to find the person behind the celebrities he interviews.
Despite having interviewed celebrities like Britney Spears, Val Kilmer and the White Stripes, Klosterman said he has never really met them. An interview is a completely “inorganic” experience, he said, one in which the person behind the celebrity is hidden behind an attempt to market a particular product, like an album or film.
“I’m trying to look for glimmers, for little bits of the person’s personality that seem real,” he said. “I never feel like I’ve met any of these people.”
But finding those bits can be difficult, he said.
Klosterman said Jack White of the band The White Stripes gives opposite answers on purpose.
“[And] Meg White smokes cigarettes,” he said. “That’s all she does.”
Klosterman said he also tries to write as literally as possible – something he hasn’t always done.
“It’s almost as if we concede authenticity doesn’t exist,” he said. “The idea of things having a literal meaning is almost totally gone.”
He also revealed what could be called his writing ritual, but said he doesn’t really have much of a system.
“When I have an idea, I sit down and write it,” he said. “End of ritual.”
Klosterman said his book, “Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs,” was the one that put him on the map.
But even though it’s the book that allows him to speak at campuses like OU, he said he thinks it is the worst book he’s written.
“I accidentally tapped into what my aesthetic for criticism is [in ‘Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs’],” he said. “I’m more interested in the audience for art, than I am art. I believe that people want to consume art that ... defines the way they think about the world.”
Klosterman also had a less traditional career searching message for the audience.
He told the audience not to look for what they love in searching for a career but to focus on something they’re good at doing.
“Being good at something will make you love it,” he said.
Klosterman also has written for publications like The Washington Post, and his media knowledge is one of the reasons he was asked to speak at OU.
The Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communications Ambassadors were instrumental in bringing Klosterman to campus.
“He was a near unanimous choice among our group, and we are delighted he accepted our offer,” Baxter Holmes, journalism senior and former Daily editor, said in a press release . “He is extremely bright, perhaps the most analytical and thought-provoking critic of American media practice, as well as one of the most well-versed media professionals with experience in all fields.”
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geppedo 3 years, 1 month ago
I'm interested to know if Mr. Kohut was at Tuesday nights event. Bottom line, this is a poorly written article. The event is worthy of the front page, but the Adam Kohut's writing ability, not so much.
"Author and pop culture journalist Chuck Klosterman revealed his writing rituals Tuesday night...“When I have an idea, I sit down and write it,” he said. “End of ritual.”" Wow! What an event filled night, right?
twuepoet 3 years, 1 month ago
Thanks, Oklahoma Daily, for mentioning everything anecdotal about Chuck Klosterman's lecture. This was certainly a well written article worthy of Gaylord School of Journalism and Mass Communication. When did it make the transition from crayons to digital format?