Slog - Comments on Tao Lin and the Internet Freakouts http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/tao_lin_and_the_internet_freakouts Jesus Christ, people! Seventy-somthin' somethin' comments on a post about Tao Lin's feature this week! Lin does seem to be a bit of an inter-web lightning rod. In June of last year, Gawker had it out with Tao Lin: Tao Lin, I know you're reading this. I just want you to know that because of your ill-conceived self-marketing strategy, you have 100% guaranteed that I will never read your damned book with its oh-so-wacky title...Your publicity games aren't a play on fame-seeking or celebrity culture. Actually, you're maybe perhaps the single most irritating person we've ever had to deal... Copyright 2008 Fri, 02 May 2008 16:21:56 -0800 Mon, 05 May 2008 11:17:24 -0800 http://www.movabletype.org/?v=3.34 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Comment by Chris Benjamin Kunkel is my brother's name! Not the same one though...

]]> Chris http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/tao_lin_and_the_internet_freakouts#c1012764 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/tao_lin_and_the_internet_freakouts#c1012764 Books Fri, 02 May 2008 16:45:24 -0800 Comment by Jason Josephes No.

]]> Jason Josephes http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/tao_lin_and_the_internet_freakouts#c1012766 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/tao_lin_and_the_internet_freakouts#c1012766 Books Fri, 02 May 2008 16:46:00 -0800 Comment by Dawgson Between Tao Lin's work and Aliza Shvarts' abortion-themed senior thesis at Yale, I think it's safe to say that shameless self-promotion is the only true art form of the modern age.

]]> Dawgson http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/tao_lin_and_the_internet_freakouts#c1012831 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/tao_lin_and_the_internet_freakouts#c1012831 Books Fri, 02 May 2008 17:15:22 -0800 Comment by kid icarus Tao Lin just defeated Slog.

]]> kid icarus http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/tao_lin_and_the_internet_freakouts#c1012851 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/tao_lin_and_the_internet_freakouts#c1012851 Books Fri, 02 May 2008 17:32:02 -0800 Comment by Hey wait! Who the fuck is Tao Lin?

]]> Hey wait! http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/tao_lin_and_the_internet_freakouts#c1012891 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/tao_lin_and_the_internet_freakouts#c1012891 Books Fri, 02 May 2008 17:56:28 -0800 Comment by brett it was a crappy piece. this sort of affected whimsy is sooooo over.

]]> brett http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/tao_lin_and_the_internet_freakouts#c1012895 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/tao_lin_and_the_internet_freakouts#c1012895 Books Fri, 02 May 2008 17:59:59 -0800 Comment by tsm I'll take him over ecce whatshisname.

]]> tsm http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/tao_lin_and_the_internet_freakouts#c1012914 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/tao_lin_and_the_internet_freakouts#c1012914 Books Fri, 02 May 2008 18:22:40 -0800 Comment by Fifty-Two-Eighty Yeah. Never mind that 90% of those comments were about how full of shit he is. By those standards, ECB is hands-down the master . . . of nothing. Go jerk yerself off and report back to us later. As if that's fucking newsworthy.

]]> Fifty-Two-Eighty http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/tao_lin_and_the_internet_freakouts#c1012923 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/tao_lin_and_the_internet_freakouts#c1012923 Books Fri, 02 May 2008 18:35:02 -0800 Comment by average man Tao Lin read at KGB bar tonight. Someone threw a scallion at him or a bundle of scallions.

]]> average man http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/tao_lin_and_the_internet_freakouts#c1013084 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/tao_lin_and_the_internet_freakouts#c1013084 Books Fri, 02 May 2008 22:19:17 -0800 Comment by Greg Tao Lin will never be as incoherent and generally asinine as unPC or that Daniel choad.

]]> Greg http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/tao_lin_and_the_internet_freakouts#c1013095 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/tao_lin_and_the_internet_freakouts#c1013095 Books Fri, 02 May 2008 22:45:57 -0800 Comment by brandon choad

]]> brandon http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/tao_lin_and_the_internet_freakouts#c1013107 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/tao_lin_and_the_internet_freakouts#c1013107 Books Fri, 02 May 2008 23:33:24 -0800 Comment by Michael I knew Tao well a few years ago after he graduated and before he left New York for a couple months. At first he seemed nice but eccentric but it became clear over time that he was a truly nasty, conniving, and self-absorbed person.

]]> Michael http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/tao_lin_and_the_internet_freakouts#c1013124 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/tao_lin_and_the_internet_freakouts#c1013124 Books Sat, 03 May 2008 00:44:07 -0800 Comment by Justin Dobbs I like Tao Lin. He gave me free books and money for the "intern" work I did for him. He is also extremely handsome and he has a smooth, calm, and silvery kind of voice. His books inspire me to have better relationships and not try to be god over people. And I made some friends through him. I don't know about these so-called "eccentricities" of his that supposedly annoy people. I think people who talk unsarcastic shit about Tao are just unhappy or something. He's a really nice guy.

]]> Justin Dobbs http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/tao_lin_and_the_internet_freakouts#c1013210 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/tao_lin_and_the_internet_freakouts#c1013210 Books Sat, 03 May 2008 10:08:09 -0800 Comment by poppy Wow. I defended Tao in the original thread, but he really needs to distance himself from this Zachary douche. If you use the Internet for most of your marketing, you've got to realize the Internet can give you bad PR, too. Having a friend/ally who is an unapologetic Kramer of the Internet isn't helping you sell books.

Original thread:

eat a dick fagtron

Haha. Hilarious. I've got some ideas for some funny jokes you can post on blackplanet.com or feministing.com too, but I'm sure you already think them.

]]> poppy http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/tao_lin_and_the_internet_freakouts#c1013226 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/tao_lin_and_the_internet_freakouts#c1013226 Books Sat, 03 May 2008 10:31:01 -0800 Comment by Will in Seattle If by the "Internet" you mean "spam" ... then, yes, Tao Lin is the Master.

]]> Will in Seattle http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/tao_lin_and_the_internet_freakouts#c1013365 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/tao_lin_and_the_internet_freakouts#c1013365 Books Sat, 03 May 2008 18:20:27 -0800 Comment by Colin C. Original epithets from Lin & Friends here:
http://myheartsporch.blogspot.com/2008/04/future-of-literature.html

]]> Colin C. http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/tao_lin_and_the_internet_freakouts#c1013409 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/tao_lin_and_the_internet_freakouts#c1013409 Books Sat, 03 May 2008 20:58:58 -0800 Comment by What the This is really weird. I know Zachary. I did not expect to see him on this blog.

He's a little sarcastic but he's not homophobic. He's nice to gay me and my gay friends. I think he's actually a little bit gay or bi or something. I wish. Whatever. He's cute. He's a nice guy.

The internet is really weird.

]]> What the http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/tao_lin_and_the_internet_freakouts#c1013456 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/tao_lin_and_the_internet_freakouts#c1013456 Books Sat, 03 May 2008 23:51:36 -0800 Comment by Dawgson The comments on Tao's blog get better and better:

[in response to poppy's comment about gay jokes]

Tao Lin said...
my facebook profile says 'gay-friendly, clean, allergic to cats'

i gave gary some stickers damien

9:40 PM
damienlol said...
i bet you did, he probably stuck them on the wall next to the shrine he has ERECTED (GET IT LOLO) in your name.

OMG, the future of literature is LOL.

]]> Dawgson http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/tao_lin_and_the_internet_freakouts#c1013492 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/tao_lin_and_the_internet_freakouts#c1013492 Books Sun, 04 May 2008 09:18:48 -0800 Comment by Bellevue Ave so all it takes to be the master of the internet is to be

a. a troll
b. friends with the stranger staff or freelance writer for the stranger.

arent reporters supposed to rise about incestuous self promotion?

]]> Bellevue Ave http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/tao_lin_and_the_internet_freakouts#c1013520 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/tao_lin_and_the_internet_freakouts#c1013520 Books Sun, 04 May 2008 12:37:55 -0800 Comment by Collie I know Zachary German too, he isn't homophobic, he is just a creepy person. He is sycophantic and weaselly and desperate to be liked. He imitates Tao Lin and "acts out" to get Tao Lin's approval and attention. Tao Lin loves attention and "followers" so he encourages German. German is four or five years younger.

]]> Collie http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/tao_lin_and_the_internet_freakouts#c1013608 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/tao_lin_and_the_internet_freakouts#c1013608 Books Sun, 04 May 2008 23:43:50 -0800 Comment by michael strangeways Stop feeding the King of the Trolls...

]]> michael strangeways http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/tao_lin_and_the_internet_freakouts#c1013649 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/tao_lin_and_the_internet_freakouts#c1013649 Books Mon, 05 May 2008 09:24:50 -0800 Comment by defrauded Tao Lin never talks about his father's imprisonment for fraud and money laundering and both his parents' problems with the SEC that led them to flee the country with a civil lawsuit hanging over them for the $1.5 million they stole.

See this news articles and SEC filing:

http://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/stories/2002/12/16/daily53.html

http://www.secinfo.com/d1zw6u.z6.htm (note mention of "Tao Enterprises")

That is where Tao Lin learned his ethics.

]]> defrauded http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/tao_lin_and_the_internet_freakouts#c1013775 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/tao_lin_and_the_internet_freakouts#c1013775 Books Mon, 05 May 2008 11:17:24 -0800