Mark Z. Danielewski - Interview w. Borders Vision

[eliasmurray]

blue hair and shitty goatee make me not want to read this

[mcchargueable]

@eliasmurray Totally worthwhile read, dude. Guy may look strange here, but he's a hell of a writer.

[MrCaptain221]

@eliasmurray Your loss.



[chumpion]

Can someone please give me more information about this clip? What year was the interview? Who was the interviewer? Context, please? Thank you

[McDonggle]

I KNOW HIS COUSin!!!! MG OMG OMG IM SO COOOOL

[rotundus2]

I had heard a few friends mention the house of leaves and say that it was amazing, made them feel anxious or have claustrophobia... Ok, this book is different and engaging, but it really needs to be broken down for what it is; multiple stories running together and staggered in presentation. Although the word placement is different, it doesn't add anything to the story, especially the endless lists of places. So, the book is good on it's own, but it isn't the mind F*** i was hoping for.

[juliew625]

comment not directed at anyone in particular. i loved house of leaves while reading it and afterwards i felt weird and idk different. i initially became interested because i am a poe fan but when i found out the basic theme i had to read it. i too an a writer and i had had a very similiar idea about the size difference anyway of a room in a house but mine wouldnt have touched this his creative process is amazing to me but maybe im glad i dont have that in my head. talented man,

[Fexes420]

@juliew625 i noticed when i read the book alot of parts, especially the stuff johnny wrote, would make me feel really anxious and once i started reading it i couldnt stop

[starfishprimechannel]

this song is for you

[JustnKyle]

@sleepcity Wow!... I think your comments and "opinions" speak for themselves...id love to have an adult conversation/debate with you because I think it would be interesting aside from the petty remarks Iv seen you make...but then again..."that's just my opinion." It'd be interesting but pointless

[JustnKyle]

@sleepcity "at least by pretentious teenagers and undergrads"...yeah I'd say your pretty pretentious yourself. I also find it amusing that even though everyone disagrees with you, you are still unable to see past your hypocritical views...we're all wrong and your right...end of story.

[sleepcity]

@JustnKyle Oh dear lord. Like drama much? I think Danielewski is a very pretentious, untalented writer. I'm entitled to my opinion because it's just that: an opinion. I don't give a flying fuck what you or anyone else think. I made my comment and have only bothered to respond to your shrieking hysterical comments because they are so over the top. Everyone disagrees with me? Right...if "everyone" is a handful of Danielewski devotees who haven't been fortunate enough to discover good literature.

[sleepcity]

Also, thanks for explaining your bizarre "glance and sound? Weird..." comment. Very helpful.

[schnamtaro]

Why would he answer these intensely personal questions from this woman he doesn't know? Her faux concern makes me want to throw up. On her.

I would laugh and totally respect him if he were making it all up.

[JustnKyle]

@sleepcity At first glance you sound a little pretentious yourself...glance and sound? Weird...

[sleepcity]

@JustnKyle Right...explaining the difference between "amount" and "number" is pretentious. Glance and sound? Would be wonderful if I knew what the hell you were talking about.

[JustnKyle]

@sleep

[chinothepony]

I absolutely love you Mark. You are speaking with the high voice. I too am a novelist and I hope to meet you someday! :D

[sleepcity]

"She's gone through an enormous amount of changes."

Hard to believe a writer this critically lauded (at least by pretentious teenagers and undergrads) doesn't understand the usage of amount vs. number.

[beatnickblanket]

@sleepcity Oh no! If, in casual conversation, you use a word incorrectly, it destroys any credibility you have! Also, there is a verb and a noun usage of "amount," and his noun usage here is 100% grammatically correct. "quantity; measure: ex: a great amount of resistance."

[sleepcity]

@beatnickblanket Oh no! The usage is incorrect, chief. Amount is used for quantities THAT CAN BE MEASURED. Number is used for quantities WHICH ARE NUMBERED. Your example was "a great amount of resistance," which is something that would not be numbered but measured. Pray tell what unit would be used to measure "changes."

I didn't say he wasn't "credible." I said he doesn't understand the proper usage of amount vs. number (and you don't either, apparently). Do you know what credible means?

[MizzAnthropy]

@sleepcity While I get what you mean (I did in your first comment) I don't agree that he may not understand proper usage. He is in the middle of an interview. It's not as if he has a script to read from, or that he's not human. I know that even the biggest Grammar Nazi's out there will slip up when speaking aloud, especially for an interview that will be televised. Slip-up doesn't not equal ignorant.

[aidentheodd]

@sleepcity go and be all high and mighty somewhere else. You're impressing no-one.

[sleepcity]

@aidentheodd Oh damn...I was really trying to impress you, stranger on the internet. I'm going to go read some House of Leaves and Chuck Palahniuk and see if anybody notices me.

[aidentheodd]

@sleepcity It's pretty clear that either you were trying to big yourself up or just make us all feel less superior to you. Otherwise why would you come here, imply that we're all pretentious teenagers, and then correct Mara hardly noticable, quite unimportant grammar mistake? How can you honestly tell us we're pretentious when you spend your time watching YouTube videos only to comment on how many insignificant mistakes in said video you managed to find. Don't be a hypocrite.

[sleepcity]

@aidentheodd "It's pretty clear that either you were trying to big yourself up or just make us all feel less superior to you." What the hell does "big yourself up" mean? Also the opposite of superior is the word "inferior" not "less superior." I didn't say ALL of you are pretentious teenagers -- I'm sure many of you are just adults with bad taste. Plenty of them around. Again...just my opinion, which, by definition, I'm entitled to. Thanks for your comment.

[aidentheodd]

@sleepcity Big yourself up means to make yourself feel bigger. Even if you'd never heard that phrase before I would've thought it would be quite easy to understand. Also, I am well aware of what inferior means. Less superior works just as well. Anyway, in response to you're comment: do you realise how pretentious and arrogant you yourself sound? Have you actually read "The House of Leaves"? Why do we have bad taste if we enjoyed it? Because anyone who doesn't share you're opinion has bad taste?

[NealWorman]

Ew his hair.

[x2muchhorrorbizx]

...Which is not to say that his hair is God's hair or even the hair of God. What I mean to say is that his hair IS God.

[awiseguy86]

@x2muchhorrorbizx haha well said, I've reread that letter to karen many times

[Fendertastic]

WHAT DID YOU DO TO TOM!?!?!?

[B4seline18]

OMG THANK YOU FOR POSTING THIS!! HoL must take after Danielewski himself. I bet he's a [kitty] magnet! Lol!

[DannyandtheBigBlue]

At points in the interview where he was describing his life, I felt as though he was describing Johnny Truant's or even Navidson's life. You can definitely tell that House of Leaves was a deeply personal work.

[Chinchillas96]

I like his hair :)

[imsohappy]

Amazing man.

[kyleromano87]

this guy is a freaking genius!!!!!!

[Mustahukkak]

Why the hell would ANYONE care about the colour of the hair of a writer? Seriously? As if the book weren't infinitely stranger and more interesting than, basically, what he's wearing.

[felixvelariusbos]

@Mustahukkak It's amusing because the word house was always colored blue. =)

[kausertellslies]

@felixvelariusbos it's a visual clue as to the meaning of his book. just like the visual clues contained within the structure of the book.

danielewski's mind is the "house of leaves." it is falling apart, fragmented, splintered. this book was his ten-year attempt at reconstructing his mind.

i'd say he was aptly successful.

[RandomMonotony]

Question for the poster of the video: I'm having trouble finding the origins of this interview and the information I would need to cite this as a source for a speech that I'm doing on MZD for a college course. Would you happen to know any of that?

As for the interview itself, when he spoke about writing being innate and a way to reach into yourself as well as using it to reach out into the world around us, I absolutely loved that. Being a writer myself, I completely agreed. The man is a genius.

[theblackparade1039]

BEAUTIFUL EYES. BRILLIANT MAN.

[kukuluku1]

well don't make fun of his hair unless you've read the book. it's quite simple.

[porgy29]

No, I think you can still make fun of his hair.

[Boogyster]

Maybe his hair...

IS THE HOUSE

[kausertellslies]

@Boogyster you're very close. it's his mind. his mind is "the house." and it's very fragile, thus the "leaves."

[Fexes420]

@Boogyster lmfao

[SaraGroban]

@Boogyster omg thats amazing. I'm still laughing.

[PsycReaper]

@Boogyster house of leaves ... leaves is a synonym for pages,,, the book is the house O.O!

[idioticgerbil]

Anyone who ventures forth to read this, you must realize that everything has a literal and figurative meaning.. MZD's hair is blue to make a statement.. just as the word "house" appears in the text of the novel. while the majority of people will look at him and say "look at the douche with blue hair". But look beyond the appearance.. Just as his book is known for being unconventional and nonlinear. MZD is trying to get people to think out of the box if they ever want to understand anything

[beatnickblanket]

Uh...are you joking? You know, sometimes things just are what they are. Pastoral, if you will. Perhaps his hair is blue because he thinks it looks good, it makes him feel attractive. Why does it have to be more? Sometimes a house...is just a house.

[AnimeJunkie351]

if a "perhaps" or a "maybe" was added to the start of any of those statements i could find that plausible but dont come across like you know the guy personally and had in depth conversations about the color of his hair and why he chose it. Dye his hair blue to remind you of the word House, defiantly just look at the conversations it brought up. To make a statement? perhaps. but like Beatnick said, sometimes things are what they are. dont read too deep into things.

[Dyingtology]

Genius. Blue hair or no.

[andrewtheman19]

Book was great but goddamn he looks like a douche with that hair...

[beatnickblanket]

If by "douche" you mean "incredibly sexy and oh my GOD I wish he would just do porn because I want to hit it," then I agree..

[andrewtheman19]

Sure--when his hair isn't fucking blue haha

[beatnickblanket]

Remember it was like, what, 8 years ago? Blue hair was the hawt. ;)

[andrewtheman19]

haha...whatever floats your boat man. I think he looks goofy XD

[myboomstick]

I love this book.

[maskedpillager]

that book enlightened me but seriously i thought that blond chick was about to start sucking his dick at one part hahahahahahahahaha

[morozsgovanyi]

this book changed my life too

[Bakachi]

Best book ever. I really hope it becomes a classic.

[hopkins4545]

That was a scary fucking book

[JimboWoodo]

This book is fucking incredible!!!

[gertrudebetrude]

This man is absolutely inspiring

[AsYouTurnToStone]

read it three times. just started my fourth.

this guy is a total genius.

he's changed the face of history with this book.

[robzilla73]

ist book iv read in years.just finished it..will have 2 read it again..can relate 2 some of it..

[sebytheman]

Genius.

[juppukun]

This book changed my life

[jimbooo19]

just got the book yesterday, it really gets into one's head! :)