The Thousands

Rare is the occasion that I discover a writer that I simply cannot fault. That’s not to say I don’t have my own foibles as a scribe, I do. In fact, I have more than my fair share. In fact… I kinda suck. I know that right now you’re thinking, "He sorta talks like a gay Rumpole of the Bailey. He can’t be that bad!" But I am. Anyway, we’re not here to pick over my special brand of penmanship. We’re here to talk about your new favorite writer – Evan Wright – and his fantastic new book Hella Nation.

Hella Nation is a collection of previously published essays culled from the pages of magazines and newspapers that I will more than likely never have the pleasure of writing for – Rolling Stone, LA Weekly, Vanity Fair et al… Not that I give a honk. I don’t! I’m quite happy here, languishing on the fringes like a bum who found an old typewriter and set up office beneath an overpass… Like a tramp who unfailingly loads his britches with shit every time a cheque for thirty cents arrives in the mail… Like a… Like a… Like a bum.**But – as my hackneyed parlance dictates – I digress. Hella Nation. A veritable quiver of America’s most far-flung outsiders, expertly profiled by the most flawless, and least florid immersion journalists of our time – Evan Wright. 187 out of 187.