Fuck. Me. (redux)
December 18th, 2006 | Uncategorized
I already used that title several months ago, but I should have saved it for a better occasion. Like this one. Fun Home is Time Magazine’s #1 Best Book of the Year.
I already used that title several months ago, but I should have saved it for a better occasion. Like this one. Fun Home is Time Magazine’s #1 Best Book of the Year.
204 Responses to “Fuck. Me. (redux)”
Well! Done!
WOW!
Funnily enough, the reviewers can’t seem to believe it themselves. Any thoughts on that?
Congratulations! It’s an awesome book and it deserves that title. Great job!
Congratulations! And you made it ahead of 9 men!
W00T! Congratulations!
speechless. i’m so happy! congratulations!!
Glad Time Magazine came ’round. I knew when I was erasing all those little pencil marks on the final pages that it was a goddamn masterpiece.
Mazel Tov! and… wow. You just never know what life is going to offer up. You take some time off and you end up Time’s #1 Book of the Year. Instant Karma? Your agent and publisher must be thrilled too.
Maybe it’s time for a real sabbatical–two, three, six? months to ponder the second half of your life. To take in this whole crazy, painful, amazing year.
Hell, maybe we should all do some pondering.
Congratulations!
I realize it’s a much smaller thing, but also one of Italy’s most influential young journalist wrote a blog entry about you yesterday:
http://www.wittgenstein.it/post/20061217_48067.html
(translation: “Since Blankets, I haven’t read a autobiograpic graphic novel as beautiful as Alison Bechdel”.)
Oh. My. Goddess.
I am so happy for you *snif* anybody got a tissue?
this is the way it should be.
dude your rocking everybody’s socks right now. I’m thinking oprah’s book club next. 😉 *shrugs* it could happen.
Yeeeeehaw!!!!! You knew it was big, but this is BIG! Mazel Tov!!
Regarding the title of this blog entry: Alison, you might want to be careful about issuing invitations like that. I’m sure that there are many readers of this blog, of all genders and orientations, who would be happy to take you up on the offer. ;^)
As for Time: it’s nice to see that every so often, our culture gets something right.
We’ve known you are great for ever (well, for me since I was a lonely lesbian just starting to come out at a Christian college in 1994). About time the rest of the world acknowledged it!
Congratulations!!!
Random thoughts: how is the success of Fun Home affecting sales of the DTWOF collections? And do you think that the book being placed at #1 by Time will have any influence on the good people of Marshall, Missouri?
Yay! Congrats! *does a happy snoopy dance*
Big congratulations to you 😀
Congratufuckinglations!! Brilliant news.
Josiah,
As long as you raised the issue (or I guess Alison’s blog entry title did), on a slightly different tack, here’s a question I’ll throw out to the group:
Which DTWOF character would you like to take to bed? Or, for the more delicate among us… who would you like to take on a date? Where? Why?
Yeah, I know half the characters are in relationships and all of them are paper and ink, but go ahead and use some poetic license.
Congratulations! Wo men yong yuan hui zhi chi ni!!!
What an appropriate and well-deserved honor. Maybe the world really is changing for the better, at least in some ways. I never thought I’d see a mainstream magazine so honor a) an out lesbian who is b) butch and c) writes about gender and sexuality with astonishing d) thoughtfulness, erudition, and transcendent beauty. Go, go Alison. You deserve all this and more.
Scamp: for me, it’s always been Ginger. So cute, so intelligent, so passionate in a shy, introvert way… my, it’s getting hot in here.
Congratulations! Also, it’s about time a comic book won book of the year.
Holy wow! That’s amazing. Congratulations — I’m so happy for you.
*Raises glass* Well done!
Every year my straight white republican Dad chooses one book that was explemplary from that particular year and gives a copy to everyone he knows as a New Years present. I sent him the Times link and said… so, Pop, how about this one? :^)
exemplary… explumplary… exmimplary… I’m just so pleased I got tongue-tied! ;^)
FELICITATIONS !!!!!!!!!!!
*huge smile*
Yay! That’s awesome :).
that is fucking fantastic. Champagne all around!!!
🙂
Whoa! I am speechless! GO ALISON…Go on the six-month sabbatical somebody mentioned earlier…or just ENJOY!
I have an ever-growing file folder of lists of “best books…” Everytime Alison gets on someone’s “100 Best” or “ALL TIME BEST” or “MOST…” or “TIME MAGAZINE!!!”…I print out the list and say to myself, “Silvio, It is time to stop reading your 20 favorite books over and over for the last 40 years and start catching up with what good writers are writing IN THE 21st CENTURY!!!”
It’s funny how we make lists of important or famous books and tell ourselves we SHOULD read them…but when somebody “in the family” whose DTWOF we’ve been reading forever comes out with a new book in a new genre, speaking for me, I knew right away I HAD to read it. There was no choice involved; it was just such a pleasure. I have never in my life ordered a book so fast–pretty much 5 minutes after I found out it existed!
Everybody, don’t roll your eyes at me, but I have to make this comparison. When Bill Clinton was inaugurated the first time, it was the first time in my life a president was from my generation. It felt like someone real was in Washington; there was a feeling of commonality. (Now I know it was not about his being my age; it was about his being of my politics AND my age.)
When Alison published Fun Home, it was like that. It was personal; not an uplifting experience that I knew would be good for me, it WAS good for me.
And the DTWOF books are NOT chopped liver (and I have previously objected to that comparison because chopped liver is a perfectly good food —unless you are not a carnivore, of course) but FUN HOME differed from DTWOF books in that there was no theatrical mask. Greater risk = greater gift.
Okay, I have babbled long enough. It’s just terrific news.
A bottle of Bardolino all around!!
p.s. judging from the inordinate length of my last post, I guess not very speechless!
A toast! To a brave new world of graphic novels and the people who draw them! And the people who read them and “get it”!
Mabrouk!
Congratulations! That is fuckin’ amazing good news! Completely deserved, too.
We’re all so proud of you and not at all surprised! I’ve been reading DTWO4 since the first compilation and you just keep getting better and better. You make us all braver and stronger with this caliber of writing, and now the whole world has a chance to be this brave too. Thank you.
Felicitations ! You deserve it. “Fun Home” is also my favorite book for 2006.
fuckin wow…
I can’t help but have a flashback to the 70s and think how far we dykes have traveled in oh so short a time…thanks for bein one of the leaders of the pack, Alison.
Omigod,omigod,omigod!!! I haven’t gotten my Time in the mail yet–I can’t wait, I’m gonna go buy one! On personal note, IN YOUR FACE Kathy!!!
We all new it was the best book of the year-glad Time figured it out!!
Oh and to the other question–Lois. Definately Lois.
Congratulations! I’ve loved your work since 1991, and I thinks it’s high time that the rest of the world acknowleged the genius that we DTWOF fans have appreciated for years!! (Although I have to point out that Mo would probably be appalled by such mainstream acceptance!)
Oh, and Sparrow. Absolutely.
Congratulations, it’s very very well deserved. It’s an incredible book.
Holy shit! Maybe some Republicans will read it too then! (Besides the Cheneys).
How many DTWOF characters are going to have to read it now?
Congratulations!
But I must say that I would be *very* disappointed if you went on a DTWOF sabbatical. As I don’t have a life of my own, I need DTWOF for sustenance… I’m an addict!
Audrey. Hot like Jezanna but not as bossy.
Or maybe Stewart.
Nah, Stewart’s too much of a fussbudget. Audrey for sure.
Jana C.H.
Seattle
Saith Floss Forbes: If you don’t know the tune, sing tenor.
I’m not surprised at the quality of the book — Alison is that rarity, an artist who is at the top of her form in two different mediums (writing and drawing) — but I am amazed at how much it is being recognized by the mainstream world for what it is. And Silvio put her finger on it: Alison has for decades been producing world-class work, which was relegated to genre or cultural exile. In Fun Home, she held onto her lesbian identity (with a vengeance) but made it direct autobiography. Seven years in the making, and even longer than that if you consider all the lessons she picked up along the way. From one dyke revolutionary to another — who operates from the principle of radical love — we knew you had this in you. I can hear the spirits of Tee Corinne, Audre Lorde, Jean Swallow, Gloria Anzaldua, Linda Finney, Pat Parker, June Jordan, Mabel Hampton, and all our other comadres who undoubtedly read Dykes to Watch Out For at least once, who drew hope and humor and validation from your portrayal of us, and who join the rest of us still here in saying Thank you, sister. Blessed be. ‘Bout time.
Oh, and Mo. Which is creepy because she’s the one I most identify with as well. After her, Clarice. (I like driven.) I can assure you I’d know how to get Clarice’s attention away from current events.
OMG….About bloody time!!, more importantly what was your mother’s reaction and did you get it on tape!!!!!
We always knew. It’s silly to be so excited that Time Magazine knows, too (which doesn’t mean I’m not crying now.) But it is exciting to think of the thousands of new readers who will know, now, too, and what finding this book is going to mean to so many of them.
Damn! Great job!!! It is a fabulous book WELL worth the title! I’ve read it three times already. And my partner has read it twice…
Major mazel tov, Alison. I’m so thrilled for you. It pains me, though, that we still live in a world where a reviewer can say “forget genre and sexual orientation.” As if being queer and being an comic artist doesn’t ADD to your brilliance. Sheesh.
Wow.
Just wow.
I’ve been reading Alison’s work since 1986 and am so happy to see this news.
I like to imagine that Alison’s sketch diary entry for today is of her doing a happy dance. Maybe with a few leaps, vocal whoops, and general physical vibrations. Something that the that straightens out that poor bent back from yesterday’s entry. And that the cat enjoys watching.
Brava!
This is so awesome. So what’s next? Pulitzer? Any movie studios call you to adapt it yet? Have you ever thought of having your work done as animation?
OMG OMG OMG!!
What everyone else said. Yeah.
I have been reading your work since the late 1980s, and this just brought the f*cking tears to my eyes.
We all knew the genius that is AB, and now a few more do as well.
Brava….
Congratulations! 2006 has been quite an amazing year for you!
Maladetz! Snorhavor! Very! Cool!
and now that fame is here, can fortune be far behind?
(can I still say I knew you *when*?)
I’m grinning for you, Alison!
that’s truly fantastic.We don’t want to hear anything more about lack of drawing skills, ok??? He said “Eloquent line drawings.” And that’s the twooth…..
alison,
your work richly deserves recognition, and i am so thrilled that it is happening!!!
many congratulations.
I’ve been a lurker here since the site went up…and I’m finally compelled to post!
Congrats, Alison!
Lois, Jasmine, Stuart. In that order.
GAAAASSSPPP!! Fuckity fuck fuck!! ALISON!! I hate the overuse of exclamation points! And yet look at me, I’m so excited for you!! God, somebody help me! There is so much to this that is so cool – this stodgy establishment magazine choosing a dyke author’s memoir, a graphic novel no less, and…ah, screw it, you all know how great this is. As Josiah brought up, though, I do have to smirk a bit wondering what the Missouri townsfolk will think now. Heh.
Thank you, Alison, for teaching me so much with DTWOF.
Mmmm, and Mo. Yup, Mo. ‘Cause I think she’d be patient with me.
Many congratulations !
You have changed the world, Alison!
Carlos. and Lois. Yes, definitely Lois.
Definitely NOT Stuart, as much as I love him, he IS a fussbudget.
And Maggie–thanks for mentioning Tee Corinne, Audrey Lorde, and Pat Parker. How nice to hear their names, for all three have left us way too soon. More reason than ever to be grateful for our live, alive, living Alison.
One more thing…LONDON BOY, I bought a zester, and tonight I made the Moist Orange Cake. HOO HAH! My kitchen smells divine!! (I used a little star anise.) I have not tasted it yet. Actually, I made 3 little cakes. Two I will send to my daughter as Christmas presents, but the 3rd I will share with my two fellow teachers at lunch on Wednesday.
Just watching the almonds, the bread crumbs, and the sugar whirl around in the blender was a fantastic experience. The power to change texture–what a rush!! This must be how Martha Stewart feels.
I think I will make this cake again soon. Just the process was delicious even without tasting anything. So thanks. One more perk of reading this blog! haircuts, cakes, 100 Best Books Lists, Dykes of Your Dreams…how much better can it get?
amazing, alison!
right the hell on.
kate mckinnon
Rock on! 🙂
Ok so I’m more of a lurker on this blog, but after reading this I just have to pipe up and express my heartfelt congrats to you on this Alison. Personally, there is nary a book that I find that I am compelled to read several times, and this one has constantly pulled me back to it’s pages because of it’s beautiful artwork, compelling story and, geek factor in your use of literary works. Furthermore, I have to agree with an earlier poster of the significance of an out butch dyke writing and drawing frankly about sexuality in such a widely acclaimed book that has now reached #1 in a such a widely read magazine.
Kudos and looking forward to more of your wonderful work, whether it be DTWOF, your sketch diary or a future book.
I reckon that for of the reviewers and critics out there, FUN HOME is their first introduction to your work, Alison. I thought it was outstanding — just as outstanding as your Dykes to Watch Out For strips.
Time Magazine’s comments regarding your “breathtakingly smart commentary” is something that DTWOF readers are already well aware of. It’s just that everyone else is finally catching up and taking note of your genius with the release of FUN HOME.
You are an outstanding writer and artist and your recent accolades are well-deserved.
CONGRATULATIONS!!!
I think one success should be followed by another – I can’t wait for the sequel!
May 2007 win you even more good tidings.
WE all knew you were good! Now……………..the whole world knows! And to think you are surprised! Congratulations Alison.
Well done, Ms. Bechdel. Well Done!
(if there are any Navy/Marines here, you can explain why this is high praise, indeed!)
Sorry to say, I have yet to buy a copy of Fun Home. Indeed, I still have yet to get the last two collections.
Poverty does indeed suck.
As for the Date Question:
Well, Sparrow. I’m really attracted to cute Asian women. And as she’s bi, I just might score! (oh, come on! Who here wouldn’t like to get it on with just about any of the adult DTWOF regulars. They’re all hot women.)
But, for hanging out, it’s gotta be Lois! If for no other reason then she’s the one with a sense of humor, compassion, and has her head on straight (as it were) I like all that in a person.
Wowza AB! That’s so friggin awesome!! Much like Liza, however, I am troubled that Time asks us to put genre and sexual orientation aside to be able to see what an amazing book this is. Still, great press is great press, and we all know you deserve to be in the winner’s circle.
Oh, and 100% Sydney.
What’s that chestnut, about even a stopped clock telling the right time twice daily?
Every once in a while, Time magazine gets it right. This is one of those times.
Woo hoo!!
Congratulations Alison I am truly happy for you! You have worked so hard it is nicevthat you finally get the regocnition you deserve.
(But there`s a little voice in my head asking why do the North americans think they have a right to decide which book was the best in the year 2006.
All that I know the best book might have been written in chinese, spanish, finnish, lithuanian what ever. Time Magazine never hears from that book because of the cultural barrier)
Mazel tov! Now I have even more reason for throwing a fit when I meet someone who is “totally into all sorts of comics and graphic novels” yet hasn’t heard of this book or DTWOF. I’m reading Scott McCloud’s wonderful Making Comics, and it really makes me see Fun Home in a new light, how it makes use of all the techniques he describes. I’m sure if it had been published a few years earlier he’d have used it in his examples of finding the right balance between dialog and picture, facial expressions, panel transitions… hell, just about all the principles he talks about I can find excellent examples of in AB’s work! Reading DTWOF I always though that those strips would be wonderful as a teaching tool in a class on comics, and with the mainstream recognition of Fun Home, I hope to hell that we’ll see DTWOF mentioned in the history pages of comics… and not just sequestered in a tiny section on “oh yeah, and gays and lesbians and women and minorities have had their own little comics too. Now, as to what the REAL important comic artists were doing…” (dear god that drives me batshit insane when comics histories do that)
And as for the who-we-would-date question, are we allowed to say characters in the future? Cause Raffi right now is absolutely out of the question, but I can tell that in 6 years or so he’d grow into the type of guy I go for. Otherwise, I’d pick Jerry, Lois’ mechanic. Yeah he’s gay but the only heterosexual adult male (other than various character’s family members) is Stuart and like other have said he’s just a tad too neurotic for me. But perhaps I could go back in time to his days of writing Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue on his draft registration? Something tells me I woulda dug him back then.
That is so fucking great.
“Oh wonderful, wonderful, most wonderful, wonderful, and yet again wonderful! And after that out of all hooping!”
Sometimes only the Bard will do. Mine heart is full for you, Sweet Genius Alison.
HURRAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This REALLY, REALLY makes me happy! Fun Home is one of my dearest books and I am thrilled that more people are reading it and feeling the same way.
I’m enjoying your sketch diaries too. It’s quite humourous and personal.
Do take a break and enjoy your self, Alison. This success has been so overdue and I hope that you shall now find time to relax and reserve down-time for yourself.
Sometimes I feel as though I know you so well and that you’re so close to me. I suppose most visitors to this site feel that way too. I just want to say aloud that I really wish I could visit you and be in your life in a way that’s more than a virtual presense.
VERY NICE! and to think. . . I read you when . . .
congratulations!
VERY NICE!
and to think I read you when . . .
CONGRATULATIONS, YOU!
Holy Freaking Shit! 🙂
I am so thrilled for you – and pleased to see your work getting the the kind of recognition it deserves…in the mainstream press, no less.
This is remarkable, not just for you personally, but for the entire category of the graphic novel.
I’ve never even been into graphic novels myself, but I’m aware that there are some brilliant artists working in the field. A few have gotten plenty of attention and praise, but I think that this is the fist time a graphic novel has been gotten this kind of recognition as _literature_. (Well, okay, Art Speigelman received well-deserved 1992 Pulitzer for “Maus,” but I think that Maus is really in a different category for reasons I won’t bore everyone with in this much too long post).
In all, non-gushing seriousness, this is a real life-changing moment for you. If nothing else, you’re not going to be a struggling artist anymore — hell, if this leads to an Oprah appearance, you’ll be set for life 😉 The audience for DTWOF will surely grow by several orders of magnitude – as will your rates for same and your royalties from sales of the books.
As a long-struggling artist myself, I’m frankly envious. Not (just) of the implications for your personal finances (which are really no one’s else’s damn business)…but of the elation and vertigo of having your breakthrough moment (has it sunk in yet?); the widening of your audience; and the sense of achievement, the knowledge that you’ve created a masterpiece, and everyone – not just your “cult” followers – knows it. Every artist dreams of that moment, but so few (even among the most talented) ever experience it.
Just don’t go all Hollywood on us, okay 😉
Oh, and as if I haven’t taken up enough space on this page (insomnia is a terrible thing)…
Re: the Date question — as a straight male with a pronounced and frustrating tendency to fall for lesbians, this is just a continuation of that problem 😉
Putting that issue aside, I really dug Jezanna’s girlfriend (whose name I forget; it’ been a long time since they appeared in the strip). Soooo my type, and wise and centered. Sparrow is pretty damned hot (and I might even have a chance with her; she’s attracted to men, and I’m similar type to Stuart). I share Mo’s politics and her rage — we’d have have great, loud conversations (more like parallel rants) over dinner and frighten the other restaurant patrons (as has happened with me and my wife).
Lois is awesome. Cynthia is really cute, but I’m afraid that part of the dynamic of the relationship would be being convinced that I could cure her of conservative/fundamentalist beliefs and loosen her up about sex, kind of the way some straight guys are sure that a lesbian just hasn’t met the right guy yet, and they can “cure” her. Creepy.
Brava!! Corks are popping here for you in central PA!
t,j&a
May we touch the hem of your robe?
I’d like to think that what TIME meant by “putting genre and sexual orientation aside” was the compliment of NOT saying “best gay/lesbian writer in her genre…”
Instead I am reading it to mean “Best damn book. Period.”
And EM, I could be mistaken, but isn’t Lois’ mechanic, “Jerry” a female-to-male transperson? And yes, I like Jerry too! (But I’d be fine hanging out with Carlos and Lois.)
Oh, this just makes me feel happy and triumphant–I can’t imagine how you feel after having, you know, been the actual person who created it. Go maire tu! ==> adding the gaelic version of mazel tov
Congratulations! Ever-so well deserved.
This is just so AWESOME! Congratulations.
Just the other day, I was complaining about how little visibility lesbians get in mainstream media. (If there’s writing about gay people, it’s usually about the boys in the club…) So, I am just enormously happy for Alison and lesbians everywhere! Thank you, Alison, for all your contributions to our culture! (So much more enjoyable and satisfying press than the other lesbian who’s been in the news lately 😉 )
This is incredible. I had tears in my eyes when I heard this – really. I thought of when I first started reading AB’s works back in 1991, and even then felt I was a little late to the party. I was at UMASS and remember going to the local gay and lesbian bookstore in Northampton and buying all the DTWOF books published at that time; three of ’em. I stilll have those books and am so happy to see how AB’s career has developed.
Congratulations.
Must be an incredible feeling.
congratulations.
Holy Hell Alison!
I AM SO THRILLED!! (I just let out a loud shriek, and the guys who are tiling my kids’ bathroom gave me a strange look, but is it ever worth it!) COULDN’T HAPPEN TO A BETTER BOOK. Now I’ll stop shouting at you!
My perception of this is bound to be a bit different.
I discovered Fun home last summer and of course I went “Oh! Ah! Wow!” and I thought: “but who’s this Alison Bechdel? She’s obviously not a beginner; with such talent and maturity, she must be really big in the US, she must be some sort of comics popess, how come I’ve never heard of her before? So I launched an internet search and I landed on this blog, and I must say I was really surprised, not to say shocked, to find out she was still a “struggling artist” (oh, I remember that lost camera in a Paris taxi: there was something so utterly sad about that episode). I suppose in a way it contributed to make this blog so nice and cosy, but at the same time it didn’t feel right. So I see all that’s happening now as mere adjustment, as something that was inevitable. Not as a surprise anyway, not in the least. It also reminds me of those movies which show the accelerated growth of trees or flowers: a process wich usually takes months or years rolled up into a few seconds. It must be quite stressing; the good sort of stress, but stressing. But at least it’s something to fully agree with in this world, even though it seems long overdue.
Congrats!!!!!
I’m still so happy-went out to buy a Time, but they’re not for sale here yet. This is SO HUGE. Everybody reads Time. My DAD reads Time Would you do Oprah? (the show, I mean). I can’t believe I said “new” instead of “knew” in my last post, but I was so excited…
I do need to make another ammendment to my last post. For a fling, Lois. For the long run, Mo. Of course, Toni is so beautiful, Sparrow and I share the common bond of burnt-out shelter workers, even Sydney’s growing on me…oh hell, I’d do em’ all. Even the guys (except Stuart-he’s sweet, but I just can’t get past that hairy butt…)
I couldn’t be more proud of you Alison. That sounds like a silly statement since in reality, outside of your DTWOF, Fun Home, and this blog, I don’t know you. Still I am filled with pride for you, that you are getting the recognition and respect that you deserve. You are brilliant in your art and writing. Your wit and humor doesn’t miss a beat. I hope that maybe, just maybe, you will start to be recognized for DTWOF as well. That no more fund drives will be necessary, because periodicals will be clamoring at your door to get your strip in their pages. May you have continued success in 2007 and beyond!!
Happy Holidays Everyone!
Colino,
Your comments were so beautiful and true. (“si vrais et beaux”–is that right?)
All I can offer after that is “Time keeps everything from happening at once.”
xx
guess i wasn’t the only 1 who liked it.
Shadocat–
I can see Alison on Oprah, no problem. It makes me remember when when K.D. Lang was a guest on Johnny Carson (I think…around 1990?) and he looked pointedly at her hair (pointing straight toward heaven) and asked her, “Do you have a lot of MOOSE in Canada?”
By the way, wasn’t that right around the same time Connie Chung asked K.D., “So do you see yourself getting married?” (back when “married” only meant a man and a woman…”). AS IF!!
But the really wild image I get is me sitting in the Jiffy Lube waiting for my car, happily reading Time Magazine…maybe starting a friendly conversation with somebody reading Car & Driver… or Fisher & Hunter … or Shooter and Spitter, and saying to them, “How ’bout that Alison Bechdel?”
I agree that Colino’s post was so articulate. I am always just amazed that DTWOF is not just everywhere, and beloved by all. I’ve blabbed about it to all my straight friends for years–how wonderfully realized the stories, characters, and commentary are. BTW, Alison, the Franklin Library got an overhaul this past year. My partner and I went to it a few weeks ago and just stood inside, in awe. I had never been to it before–the Hosmer branch is in my neighborhood. Such a contrast to our new glass and metal Central Library, which I also enjoy! (‘Course, due to budget constraints the $62 million (or something like that)newly opened library will now be open just 5 days a week. Closed Mondays. Grrrrr!)
BTW, is this going to be in the print issue of TIME with the big mirror on the cover? Seems the Person of the year is You, the Little Guy.
Hi sami another bangladeshi person on the site…cool
Oh, Alison, I am so happy for you. I am busting with pride — I’ve been reading DTWOF since, ahem, forever, and I feel a peculiar sense of ownership. These are my people, she is one of my most-admired artists,a dn FINALLY she gets a drop of her due.
And as for the second question: Lois, for a fling; Ginger, issues and all, for an LTR. And Stuart, for fun, since he reminds me somewhat of my husband.
How fantastic and you earned it with every word and illustration.
Yee-haw! Congratulations!
j00 r0>
Wow! And I was seriously impressed with you being on the Times (London) top 10 books of 2006 list! A dyke making it in the bastion of straight rich white male privilege in Britain. Wonderful!!!!
I’m ashamed to say I’ve not read Fun Home yet (cringes). In my defence we got it a little later in Blighty, and I’m expecting it to be wrapped up under the Xmas tree next Monday. If not there’ll be merry hell to pay I can tell you!
As for the MSM recognising your talent: it’s about bloody time!
Hey Silvio; I remember the night k.d. first appeared on J.C. too, looking dykey as hell in that cowgirl outfit and the spiked hair–THEN she opened her mouth and started to sing, and Johnny’s jaw dropped, and all he could say was “WOW!”
Can you imagine Oprah doing the same after reading “Fun Home”?
why are people writing “Lois?” did i miss a fave character poll?
Mame, up near the top of this thread Scamp asked us which D2WO4 character we’d most like to date/bed. Mostly we’re just reveling in Alison’s glory, but periodically we answer the question as well.
Which is another reason (I keep thinking about this) to not segregate the threads — I feel like I “know” some of you now, and when I see your name on a new post, my pulse picks up. Shadocat, Silvio, Pam Isherwood, Ian, Ng Yi-Sheng, Ann S. from Madison (whom I still adore from your comments on the Michigan post months ago), Aunt Souxsie, LondonBoy, –MC, cybercita, jmc, of course Liza, and others my memory isn’t pulling to the fore at the moment — I always, always look forward to hearing what you think. Whether I agree or not. It’s a blessing, our own cyber version of Madwimmin.
Woot! as the kids say now. You deserve it.
Alison, You have been our own little treasure for so long…and now we are sharing you with the wide world!
I feel a strange pride and joy.
Congratulations! And you did it on your own terms…in your own (inimitable) way.
Holy fucking shit!! Who’d a thunk it that the queen of DTWoF could be so…. so….OMG – I don’t dare speak it’s name…. mainstream!!!???
Big Big Congrats Alison!!!
I guess the main stream had to cut a new channel. While most of us live in fear of getting what we deserve, in your case, AB, it can’t help but be the best.
I just realized that I hadn’t answered the “who would you date” question. Like Darren, I’m a straight guy with a history of falling for lesbians, so it’s not surprising that I find lots of the DTWOF dykes attractive, while none of them would go for me (except maybe Sparrow, or Lois if I were in drag). But putting reciprocity aside, I’d go for Toni — something about those smoky eyes. Lots of passion unfulfilled there. (My wife says she’d go for Toni too — and she’d have a better chance.)
Alison, I keep checking back here to read more comments just so that I can “be” with others who share my excitement about this. I am so very happy for you! The cover of Rolling Stone can’t be far behind. 😉
Maggie Jochild put it so well, with her invoking the names of “comrades”, and how you have helped validate peoples’ lives and realities. What she said! (And thanks Maggie for being eloquent for those of us who are not.)
And somewhere, off in the ether, I wonder what your dad is thinking….Alison, I hope this doesn’t come across as presumptuous, but I bet he’d be really proud.
Vrais et beaux? Awe Silvio, don’t!
Aloha Alison, Aint life fucking amazing? What an incredible vindication for you. Congratulations!
hey, silvio,
would you be a doll and post your measurement conversions for the cake?
Bravo!!!!!
Congrats Congrats Congrats Congrats Congrats!!!!!!!!!! Totally Thrilled!!!!!!!!
Was definitely worthwhile carrying copies of Fun Home (esp ones that were autographed and therefore touched by the hands that created Time Magazine’s #1 Best Book of the Year) from Washington to Singapore–now going to watch out for latest Time Magazine–assume it will be on sale here even if you’re on the cover!
Someone described this blog as a cyber version of Madwimming, suddenly I remember that creating one has crossed my mind sometimes. I mean the kind you could create a picture of yourself and walk between the shelves having awsome discussions with other visiters.
It was suppose to be a school project of mine.
Brava! 🙂
And?…Mrs. Luce’s magazine has done something right for once! 😉
just had to put my vote in for lois.
wow – holy shit. That must be a hell of a thing to wake up to!! It seems a little strange though, following your work for all of these years and now Time Magazine’s #1 book?!?! That really is something. Well, now everyone is going to know what we have known all along. Keep on keepin on grrl – don’t forget about us!!
Maggie-I second that emotion! I delight in seeing the names I now recognize, whether we agree or not, the dicussion is always invigorating! and I always learn something new…
I think the reason Lois’ name is popping up so often in answer to the “other question”, is because she seems so open to EVERYTHING.I, for one,think that she would be a very giving and accomidating lover. She’s a gal that’ll get the job done! Not quite sure if she’s interested in any long-term relationships, -so if you’re a one person person, she may not be the woman for you. But I still think she is smokin’ hot!!
Alison, thank you for creating this “world” we all love so much,in your strip. I can only imagine the pain and sacrifice that went into the creation of “Fun Hom”,and how wonderful that your hard work has paid off in this way. You ae a great writer, a wonderful artist, and I’ve been so proud to be your fan all these years. And now your book has been named by TIME MAGAZINE as the best book of the year!
Isn’t that just the BEST CHRISTMAS PRESENT EVER?!
“And EM, I could be mistaken, but isn’t Lois’ mechanic, “Jerry” a female-to-male transperson? And yes, I like Jerry too! (But I’d be fine hanging out with Carlos and Lois.) ”
Oh I’m well aware of him being female-to-male, if anything I have a thing for people who have a mix of feminine and mascuiline in their identities. There’s just something sexy about the way he’s drawn.
Someone provided the Gaelic version of “mazel tov,” so I’ll provide the Yiddish version: Mazel tov! Congratulations on being honored so prominently for your lovely, wise, magnificent book.
I’m still thinking about the dating/bedding question. Not Stuart. I’m leaning towards Ginger for hanging out.
I’m returning to say, this news is turning out to be quite amazing to share with other lesbian-feminists of our older generation. One friend (in Eugene) I told tonight over the phone began crying, saying “I never thought I’d see something like this.” Another friend, a 61-year-old nationally famous sculptor, began screaming and called her partner of 25 years to the phone. She shared stories of how when she was 17, in Houston, and first trying to find other lesbians in a bar or anywhere she could, she was pulled over by the police and nearly arrested because she wasn’t wearing the requisite three items of women’s clothing as the local law demanded. After that, she was terrified to go out at night, but the alternative isolation was unbearable, so she persisted. She said “From then, to this kind of recognition — I’m glad to live this long.” Ditto.
Just a note to say that Fun Home is seeing a bit of tropical Australia at the moment. Two months ago Fun Home was read and overwhelmingly enjoyed by the predominantly straight, discerning, Australian members of the Darwin, NT bookclub I recently joined. The book was also the first graphic novel read in the bookclub’s 13-year history. Fun Home is now making its way around my conservative workplace with similar enthusiasm. My DWTOF books are out with bookclub members and there is a waiting list… last I knew one of the members’ was sharing the books with her daughter…
It’s very nice to be sharing a bit of “culture” in such a low-key fashion. Thank you for these books and making it happen.
SO MANY comments to reply to! Where to begin?
Em, your earlier post said:
“Otherwise, I’d pick Jerry, Lois’ mechanic. Yeah he’s gay but the only heterosexual adult male (other than various character’s family members) is Stuart…”
and I got a bit tangled up the gender identity reference. Now I see that I misread you (at the mention of Jerry I got to excited to concentrate), but I thought you were referring to Lois’s pal Jerry as a “heterosexual adult male” but now I see that you were talking about Stuart. Also, I wasn’t sure of your own gender/sexual preference, so you can see how one can totally take a wrong turn in a long sentence like that.
But what I love about this blog (and as shadocat was saying about our affinity for Lois) is that pretty much, it’s all good. Whichever way one leans, there’s a good view.
I think you and I can agree that Jerry is cute! (And I do love a mechanic.)
Colino, does that mean I spelled cettes mots en Français correctement? Incroyable!!
cybercita, now comes my culinary confession. The recipe (Moiste Orange Cake) lists the quantities in ounces. I don’t own a scale, but I did recently buy a nice measuring cup marked in grams and ounces. So I used the dry quantities in ounces for the flour, bread crumbs, almonds, and sugar. However, I did a little bit of math (oh, this process was so byzantine…convoluted…and downright inelegant!) I saw the total weight on the bread package. I counted the slices and divided, and determined that the 1.5 oz of bread equalled about 2 1/2 slices of whole wheat bread.
In general, I just measured “by ear,” or whatever metaphor you want to use.
ALSO, I did not bake the whole recipe in one cake pan; I divided it into 3 little loaf pans. It worked GREAT! I am about to try one at lunch today. (I’ll get back to you.) The other two little loafs are on their way to North Georgia to my daughter.
Anyway, like this blog, I encourage you to be diverse and open to circumstance as you experiment with London Boy’s delicious recipe.
And finally, (who am I kidding? there is NEVER a “finally”…)
Maggie, I love to read your posts too. I wish we could have a cup of coffee together, but I think we live near opposite oceans. I think you remember more than most of us have forgotten, and for the rest, you seem to know a lot of interesting people who were there too…
Rock on, everybody. Talk to you later.
ok, silvio, thanks! it looks like a great cake. let us know how it turns out.
All right Alison!
Before this blog, I would try to read others, but the blogger and other participants just seem to natter on or make off-beat comments. I, too, love to check in to see what everyone has to say! Maggie, thank you so much for sharing older dykes’ stories and reactions. I think we really need to remember where we’ve been so we don’t take things for granted. On the flip side, it also helps me be hopeful that society CAN change, if we all stay engaged.
Back to the cake recipe: Silvio, what’s the easiest way to find it? (I have decided I am in the “don’t thread the comments” camp. I think our brains are getting a great workout by having to track all this stuff, And, if we get lost, there is always help, as we’ve seen!)
(I must share funny aside: a co-worker walked by my cube just now and said, “She’s bloggin!” Yep, pretty much everyone in my office knows about this blog now, but I haven’t yet seen anyone get as hooked as I am!)
We get Time magazine in selected stores in Britain too. I might actually buy the December edition this time! I always got the impression that there were two big magazines that ‘everyone’ reads: Time and Newsweek. And that the NYT and Washington Post generally set the news agenda. The Times (London) doesn’t do that here anymore but it is *the* newspaper to read for influential people in Britain, though it’s influence has diminished since it was bought by Rupert Murdoch (owner of Fox news!).
As cookery has come up, I just thought I’d share this webpage with everyone – it converts US measurements in ‘cups’ to British ‘Imperial’ (pounds and ounces) and European metric measures. I’m sure it works great in reverse!
http://www.recipes4us.co.uk/us_cups_to_weight.htm
I thought it might help …
Oh, and being in the gayers, my top DTWOF shag would be Daniel, Carlos’ bf. A seriously hot studmuffin! Jerry’s quite cute too!
Congratulations, Allison! Hey maybe this will even get straight America reading the DTWOF series… how amazing would that be?
Totally deserved. Congratulations!
Congratulations! Well deserved!
I have just been told by Judybusy that I am the last lesbian in North America to know about your new book. Okay, I admit I actually agree with Ms. Busy, how the hell did I miss this big news. After all, a la Kathy Bates in Misery, I am your number one fan! Well, I promise never to hobble you, yet be careful of those back wintery roads…
This is what I think is happening in my little lesbo world… my partner who knows all about GLBT culture, gossip and stuff must be keeping this big news from me in order to surprise me for Christmas. At least this is what I am telling myself… Hey Alison, back 17 years ago or so, I worked at the Minnesota AIDS Project and that is when I first met you. I don’t remember the details but you agreed to do some artwork for MAP. Some paperwork needed to be dropped by your home and guess who volunteered to deliver the goods? I doubt you remember the goobery grrl standing at your door but that is how long I have been a fan of DTWOF and your work. You then did some artwork for Rainbow Families, some t-shirts. Our family still wears those fun shirts. Thanks for all the great community work you do. You deserve all the kudos and praise.
Thanks to Judybusy, I know know about this website and your book. Forget about Christmas, I am going to Amazon tonight to buy your book. Judybusy thought I didn’t know about Amazon. She actually starting speaking slowly and deliberately, explaining where Amazon bookstore is located. Okay, I am clueless but not that bad…
London Boy’s Moist Orange Cake Returns:
Judybusy,
Just for you, I have hunted it down back in our backpages. Londonboy actually posted it in the Dec 8th comments entitled “A Hat and A [I forget what!]
(You know, they publish books to help people keep their memories spry and ward off Alzheimers, but I highly recommend this activity of going back and forth between blog entries to find stuff; it is better than yoga!)
IAN–Thanks much for the conversion site for British/American cooking measurements. Excellent and most useful!!!
In about three hours I shall post my tasting review of this cake. ALISON, if it tastes good, I shall bake a full-sized one and mail it to you for your New Year’s delectation!
28. LondonBoy Says:
December 14th, 2006 at 12:14 am
Sorry for the delay. Here’s the recipe…
Moist Orange Cake
—————–
This works by starting with a simple cake, already moist because of the almonds instead of flour, and then makes it moister by adding moisture (in the form of a fruit syrup) after cooking. The one drawback is that you have to make it the day before you want it.
Cake Ingredients
1.5 oz breadcrumbs (a bit stale is good, or dry the bread slightly)
3.5 oz ground almonds
7 oz caster sugar
1.5 tsp baking powder
4 eggs
7 fl oz sunflower oil (or, if you’re rich, 1 fl oz almond oil and 6 fl oz sunflower oil)
Zest of 1 large orange
Zest of 0.5 standard/large lemon
Syrup Ingredients
juice of 1 large orange
juice of 0.5 standard/large lemon
3 oz caster sugar
2 cloves
1 cinnamon stick
(optionally, 1-2 stars of star anise, if you like the taste, and a dash of orangeflower water)
First, invoke the goddess Rotunda, because she’ll surely be visiting you soon.
Mix the dry ingredients, beat in the oil and eggs, and then add the zest. Put the batter in a pre-oiled 8 inch cake tin. Put into a cold oven (not preheated) and turn the heat to 375 degrees, baking for about 45 minutes. Use a cake skewer to test that it’s done – if it’s not , it soon will be. Leave it in the tin to cool for a few minutes, then turn it onto a high-rimmed plate (you’ll see why when you do this!).
About 10 minutes before you take the cake out of the oven, mix the fruit syrup ingredients in a large saucepan (except the orangeflower water), and melt them together over a medium heat. Once the sugar has dissolved, bring to the boil and simmer gently for 5 minutes, then allow to cool a little, while you test the cake and put it on the plate.
If you’re adding orangeflower water to the syrup, do it now.
Use a skewer to make holes in the cake, and, while cake and syrup are still warm, pour the syrup over and into the cake, aiming for the holes so the syrup permeates the cake. (Leave the cinnamon stick etc in the pan, of course.) As the cake cools it will start to leak a bit: baste it, so as much of the syrup is soaked up as possible. This can take ages, and you might be left with some syrup that just doesn’t get soaked up. Eat that, or add it to fruit salad.
Finally, put foil over the top of the cake, and leave it in the fridge overnight, to let the flavours settle. It keeps well, too (provided you put it at the very back of the fridge behind an uninteresting salad and don’t let your boy/girlfriend see it). Serve still slightly cold, sprinkled with a little icing sugar.
Hey everybody,
Does anyone know which languages besides French “Fun Home” has been translated into? And also, how would one get a copy in another language in the States? I’ve only seen the French edition on amazon.fr, so I was wondering if there’s another option. (I wonder if there’s a Russian edition I could get for my mom?)
many thanks!
Unbelievably fabulous!!! Talk about someone who’s earned it! Good on ya, Alison!!
Judybusy,
One more thing–you said “if we get lost, there is always help.”
This reminds me of the t-shirt sales tent at the good ole Michigan Festival. I have not been since around 1996, (ohmygod–10 years?? Is it possible?), but I remember that in the absence of a mirror, customers were instructed to try on a shirt, turn to the long, long line, and yell, “How do I look?” and of course, everyone in the line would start whistling and “affirming” the woman [‘scuse me, “womyn.”] I think it was great for sales!
We kind of do that here in a non-visual and much more decorous way, I think.
when is the Larry King interview for chris’sake!?!
PLEASE ALREADY.
Silvio,
What a great story! Thanks for the cake recipe, too. I think I have time to make it on Saturday, cuz ya know, I just haven’t had enough sweets this holiday season! It shoudl go quite well with my spiced molasses cookies I make every year.
sturdy grrl, welcome to the blog! If you need directions to Amazon, I will draw you a map! Remember to stop by the dyke-owned Pumphouse right across the street for the best ice cream in the Cities–but in winter, she’s only open Thursday-Sunday….and one last thing, they are carrying free trade wine at Ken and Norm’s. The company is Etica, and I recommend the Pinotage. Oh, and if the GF gets you FH for Christmas, can I have the copy you’re buying today?(Remember how we were all talking about the kids IMing at the library? Well, I *could* just get off my butt and tell sturdy grrl all this in person, but much more fun to do this and spread the word about some cool Minneapolis stuff!)
And deservedly so. My best friend got me this for xmas (I’m very unpatient and opened the package today). It’s funny, touching, remarkably real. I love it. More. Please.
Thank you for the recipe London Boy and special thank to Ian for the measurement-thing.
Am I violating someone`s immaterial rights if I use the recipe at my coffeeplace?
(have to make litte changes since we only serve things suitable for vegans but that`s not a problem)
Okay, drum roll please. The results of my totally un-biased taste test of the MOIST ORANGE CAKE are as follows:
1. TOTAL FABULOSITY!
2. It has the consistency of a rum cake. Very moist indeed, and kind of grainy in a springy-spongy kind of (very good) way.
3. Flavor: It is now 40 minutes since I ate my thin slice (because it’s rich, not because I fear the Goddess Rotunda–too late for that!). I can still feel the zinginess of the orange and lemon and star anise flavors on my tongue. Not in a sabre-sharp way; just in a sprightly, energized delicious way.
4. It is RICH. Cut your slices about 1/2 inch or less wide.
I am glad I made little loaf pans. This way it will stay fresh longer. A little bit goes a long way.
I give this little cake an unreserved TEN!! It is unusual, flavorful, and satisfying.
I think I am going to experiment making it with honey. This will change its texture and flavor, but I think I can keep the moist thing going. AnnaP, this would be a great addition to your coffeeplace. I think if you substitute either tofu or granulated flaxseed for the eggs you could make a decent vegan substitute. I have two weeks off after Christmas and I am going to do some reading and some cooking (perhaps simulataneously).
Judybusy, are you Raffi or Stella?
Congratulations! It is wonderful to see you finally get the recognition you deserve! One very strange thing – I just went to “Bounders” to buy a copy for a friend, and the store had it categorized as “Lesbian Fiction” ??????
Alison,
You are unbelievably generous and humble about your artistic and literary skills and all I can say is that you truly deserve all of the positive recognition you have earned on Fun Home. It is a powerful book on so many levels and I am a little shocked (sorry, that was an editorial comment), but extremely pleased that the mainstream has finally come to recognize you talents.
Mazel tov, congratulations and kudos.
Silvo,
I am so a Stella. The highlight of my day yesterday was getting a free make-up consult at my salon and buying a new lip tint. I’m in a skirt and heels today. I have been lobbying that my picture should be entered into the dictionary next to “lipstick lesbian” but they refuse to remove Susie Bright’s pic….I could go on but my wife says I need to work on curbing my inflated ego. Something about not being able to get through doors.
A little off subject, but look what I found (hope this works):
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20061220/ts_afp/afpentertainmentfrancebelgiumexhibitioncartoontintin_061220053148
I’m makin’ the cake on “Boxing Day”!
wow, : ) I’m so happy for you. Totally deserve it…when I finished Fun Home I just wanted there to be more, but then there’s always dykes to watch out for…and I own the entire collection so far : D
Congrats. You’ve done it for all of us. Loved your book.
I’m not so into Larry King – I vote for Alison as guest of Terri Gross on Fresh Air. Shouldn’t Alison’s publisher’s publicist be jumping on this?
Mazel Tov to you!
Back to the dating question: definitely Audrey (Jezanna’s girlfriend). She’s seriously hot.
Hey, ED: Loved your post about buying Alison’s books at the lesbian bookstore in Northampton circa 1991. I WORKED at the lesbian bookstore in Northampton circa 1991. Maybe I sold you the books!
shadocat,
Thanks for posting that link. I never knew where Herge’s name came from–that was very interesting!
Also, in light of an item I heard today on NPR about how the Italian government is standing up to the Getty Museum in California in insisting that they return all the antiquities they acquired from art traffickers, it was nice to hear some good art news.
Glad to hear you are keeping the tradition of Boxing Day alive by making our newest cake. Shall we become a cult? LondonBoy, take note! Your disciples are clammouring (well, they are baking…)
Sometime around 1988 I visited Calgary, Alberta (Western Canada for those of you on other continents…) with an old girlfriend (well at the time she was a new girlfriend.) She took me home to her family at Christmas.
On Boxing Day, we launched out into the neighborhood to offer the neighbors little packets of walnuts (I think.) the neighbors would invite us in for tea, complete with their best china tea service and…butter tarts!! (Little tarts with a sort of pecan pie filling, but no pecans…just the buttery saucy stuff. Delicious!)
Growing up in New Jersey this was all new to me. Are butter tarts a British thing? Any butter tart fans out there?
And Larry-Bob, regarding Terri Gross, wasn’t Alison interviewed on NPR already? (way at the beginning of this wild ride.) But I forget by whom. But a follow-up interview would be excellent. Her publisher should indeed be jumping on this. And if they ever send her to Europe again they need to provide an assistant for those hectic taxi rides. And a roadie to carry the tripod. And a nanny to carry healthful snacks and give back rubs.)
Alison, sorry to talk about you as if you are not here. We know you are right here, reading. I raise my wineglass to you and say “Salute!”
Silvio, actually the Terri Gross suggestion was made here before. It’s a sort of in-joke, since Alison had satirized Gross and “Fresh Air” in DTWOF, back in strip 307. (Reprinted in Post-Dykes.) I just looked it up.) We’re a mean lot here. 😎
Dear Robin B.
Great minds…
And for a man I think I would prefer Carlos to Stuart. I like women plump and men slim. Of course, I also like men who are short and blond, which Carlos is not, but you can’t have everything.
I think I’ll get Fun Home for my niece for Christmas. She’s only fourteen, but we’re talking a Great Work of Literature here, so that makes the mature theme okay. Her mother might not think so, but that’s what Indulgent Aunties are for. I already have a biography of Woody Guthrie for her, but one can never have enough books. It’s like the speed of light: you can only approach it, never achieve it.
Jana C.H.
Seattle
Saith E.G. Forbes: Never spoil a good story with too much truth.
My goodness, that “Jerry Groscz” joke went right by me back when I originally read that episode. (Thanks, Duncan for keeping me in the loop!) It was pretty wicked, now that I went back to read it. But it was in a program that was hard to make bigger…not as friendly as the method Alison is using now. I had to resort to copying the image to a MS WORD file and then dragging those little corners to make it bigger. And the “control + ” (enlarge feature) of Firefox did not apply to either the site or the WORD doc, so a lot of squinting occurred.
Congratulations and how wonderful!!! I have been a DTWOF fan since around 1992, and I am so happy for you!!
Aside- I was just rereading the one where Clarice forgets to get the turkey for Thanksgiving day- seemed very appropriate for this time of year.
And I second the idea that one of the characters in DTWOF should be seen reading Fun Home!! Too clever.
Again, congratulations and well done!
Small gripe from the East: Just braved the rains & floods on crutches (ok–only one totally wade-able 6-inch deep flood but I’m trying to set a dramatic scenario here) to get a Time Mag, planning family Christmas pre-dinner scenario along the lines of: “Have you seen this? The Time #1 Best Book of the Year is–” Only to find we’ve been treated to ’10 Best Asian Books of 2006’and I’m reading about a book on Chinese oracle bones…
Thank you again, Alison B. for Fun Home & DTWOF… thanks too, to the community here for all this great energy–and if you ever consider turning out Chinese language editions…
Wow, did anyone else notice the post today from Sandra Scoppetone?!!! Hey, Sandra, I LOVE your books, have always loved them. How great (and not at all surprising) that you are an Alison fan.
I got my issue of The Advocate today and they list Fun Home as number one book of the year. Which they damned well should. Here I have to issue a lesbian-feminist disclaimer: I did NOT subscribe to The Advocate, it was a gift from someone who clearly didn’t know me well. Takes me ten minutes to skim it for anything relevant. I sure miss the days of Chrysalis, Common Lives, and best of all, DYKE.
My godson’s parents have an annual Boxing Day Tea each year, here in sunny Austin, Texas (where I now live, Silvio, migrating back to Tejas from a dozen years in San Fran). This draws folks from the Burner, goddess worship, community radio, geek, lesbian-feminist, poetry, Rainbow, and drag communities, all together drinking tea and eating things like the Moist Orange Cake. Quite an event, and the best part of the holidays.
omg sandra scopettone!!! i absolutely love my copy of little suzuki bean!!!
oops, sandra, i am sorry that i mispelled your name. there’s no edit feature here, so i couldn’t correct it.
Shadocat,
Yes, I’ve heard about that, it’s a free exhibition too. Here’s a couple of pictures, one of them is a self-portrait not at all Tintin style (click on the Hergé link, in the menu on the left) : http://traumfabrik.free.fr/
Silvio,
Oui, oui, oui, tout à fait correctement!
Props back atcha, Maggie Jochild . Tee-hee…
I am TOTALLY with you on the idea of a big ole flirtfest consisting of Alison’s posters. I swoon from the possibilities…
Perhaps the next thing to do is to convene a committee to devise “Dykes to Watch out For: The TIVIA GAME!”
Let’s start a round robin and see how far we can take it…
QUESTION #1: What is Terry Gross’s sidekick?
ANSWER #1: “David Beyondcoolguy.”
QUESTION #2: Who outed Toni to her mother, and how?
Hi again ! Gosh this is a long thread !
Silvio Soprani, Cybercita (and others?), I’m glad you liked the cake. I got on the phone to the friend I copied the recipe from, and sure enough she had the metric ingredients (I just didn’t copy them down because I usually use ounces). Here they are:
Cake Ingredients
45g breadcrumbs (a bit stale is good, or dry the bread slightly)
100g ground almonds
200g caster sugar
1.5 tsp baking powder
4 eggs
200ml sunflower oil (or, if you’re rich, 25ml almond oil and 175ml sunflower oil)
Zest of 1 large orange
Zest of 0.5 standard/large lemon
Syrup Ingredients
juice of 1 large orange
juice of 0.5 standard/large lemon
75g caster sugar
2 cloves
1 cinnamon stick
(optionally, 1-2 stars of star anise, if you like the taste, and a dash of orangeflower water)
Rest of the recipe as normal. Apparently you use a 20cm cake tin, which I guess is 8 inches.
By the way, I should say that most of the eggs we get here are larger than “standard” size, but not as large as “large”. It doesn’t seem to affect the recipe, anyway.
Alison, sorry for interrupting your wonderful website with this. Once again, congratulations on the great success of “Fun Home”. I saw an ostensibly straight guy looking at it in Foyle’s (London’s biggest and most prestigious bookshop) this afternoon: you’re definitely reaching beyond your normal demographic.
Finally, since everyone else has expressed an opinion, I’ll add mine: Jerry, definitely Jerry – he’s surprisingly hot for a toon. (Carlos is too much of a dizzy gym-bunny, and Stuart, sadly, just doesn’t have it.) If I were a dyketowatchoutfor myself, it’d be Sydney.
..er, ahem…TRIVIA Game… {a pox on you, editless posting!}
colino-cool pictures! Herge AND Andy Warhol!
I always try to do my fun baking between Xmas and Epiphany- and I reslly love the idea of Boxing Day (although my kids like to call it “Wrestling Day” for some damn reason,,,)
Hey, Cybercita–save that copy of Suzuki Beane. It could be worth as much as a couple hundred bucks. Check it out:
http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?sts=t&y=0&tn=suzuki+beane&x=0&sortby=2
Colino–Great web site for Hergé (see how I did that? cut and paste that symbol from WORD). His self-portrait is so elegant!
And by the way, NOW I really understand how to pronounce his name, and why. (He referred to himself by the two initials of his name: R and G. In French that comes out as two syllables, rhyming with “par-fait.” Thus, “Hergé .”)
I also LOVED that photo of the “cross-eyed” feet. Great visual pun when taken with the caption.
But shadocat, I did not see any Warhol at that website. I do think I am going blind. I never see things the first time that others point out here.
Maggie, the Eclectic Tea in Austin sounds wonderful. I have some good musical friends in Austin, but won’t get to visit them until next summer. Stay tuned…
LondonBoy, Sydney you may be, but I just can’t see her baking a Moist Orange Cake!
Answer to Question #2: Toni did. Her mother found a Christmas card at her cousin Carmen’s, with a photo of Clarice and Toni kissing, and immediate phoned to froth about it; strips 221 and 224. She wasn’t really “outed.”
Going back to the Language Cops thread for a moment, few usages drive up my blood pressure higher than “outing oneself.” Sometimes I think it’s a generational thing, mostly among people who are too young to remember the outing controversies of the early 90s, and they think it just means “coming out.” But since I also see older people using it, it reminds me that for a lot of people both gay and straight, being openly gay still seems wrong somehow — not a choice that anyone would make freely, willingly, and joyously, but a horrible violation that is forced on one, even if one does it oneself.
And going back to Alison’s sabbatical and the joke from the Mary Tyler Moore show about Ted’s never missing a day of work for fear the station would realize they didn’t need him. Last night I was watching Kurowawa’s 1952 film “Ikiru”, about a city bureaucrat who, after 30 faithful years at his job, discovers that he has terminal stomach cancer. Early in the film, a sassy young woman in his office tells the same joke, about a man who never misses a day because he’s afraid they’ll learn how little they need him. It must be quite an old joke!
On the question of which DTWOF character we’d want to “date” (in various senses), I’d vote for Clarice’s brother Clarence. If I were a woman, Lois, or Sparrow’s ex June, or Ginger’s ex Malika.
Maggie Jochild, I also miss Boston’s Gay Community News (for which I used to review books) and Toronto’s The Body Politic.
Finally, congratulations to Alison once more for all the praise Fun Home is getting. But, you know, perhaps you should have saved the title of this blog entry for something even bigger, like when you win the National Book Award. 😎
It’s not only a coup for an out lesbian to have this kind of success, great though that is; and it’s satisfying that for once she’s someone who’s been out all along, instead of slinking out of the closet *after* becoming famous (I’ll name no names here, you all know the kind of people I mean). It’s also very satisfying to me that it’s happening to someone with left politics, though they’re not all that much in evidence in Fun Home. I do want to add that since September 11, 2001 it’s been a great relief to me to be able to read DTWOF and find that Alison remains the “lentil lapping leftist” she always was, to find the same politics underpinning strip as before. That, I think, must have taken quite a bit of courage under the current regime, when so many leftists (let alone liberals) began waving flags and jumping on the war bandwagon, falling into lockstep behind Bush, and attacking those who failed to conform. What makes it wonderful is the way the strip acknowledges other opinions, debates them, and even engages in dialogue with them, while still standing firm for justice. I suspect that many of the straight corporate types who’ve praised Fun Home were unaware of this aspect of Alison’s work, which has helped to sustain me over the years.
Hi Alison,
I checked out your blog a couple of days ago and thought “I should leave a comment before the thread gets too long”… is this a record or something? Anyways, congratulations — all recognition for FunHome is well deserved. It’s truely excellent. I love the street scenes, especially France as I can visualise them myself (I’ll compare NY when I finally get there!) All the best with your well earned success, Jen
Hi Silvio,
Intrigued by the orange cake recipe and thanks LondonBoy for the metric! Butter tarts are apparently a Canadian thing (they could just go by a different name in Britain). I always found the filling much gooey-er (gooier?) in BT’s than in pecan pie. Anyways, I just checked my cookbook for my mum’s recipe to no avail. However, I head home tomorrow so I’ll get it over the holidays. The recipe is pretty standard though, pretty much anything on Google would work.
(BTW: home is Calgary which is also why I was compelled to write–that walnut thing happened in Calgary!? My parents are finding their neighbourhood has become decidedly unneighbourly–they blame the new oil boom and the folks in their neck of the woods (‘burbs) wouldn’t be benefiting (i.e. raking it in hand over fist) like other ritzier parts of town… whatever. Proves you can never go home again).
Sorry, major tangent.
Jen
Oh! and I’d probably have lots of “Is this coffee or is this COFFEE?” dates with Mo before finally sleeping with her (or not as my track record shows!).
Congratulations. Seriously, Time Magazine’s #1 book of the year is mindblowingly great.
With Love,
Zoe Strauss
silvio,
There’s an arrow on the upper left hand corner of the page-follow that, and then you can see Herge and Andy.
Merry Chrismakwanikah!
Silvio,
There’s the blue arrow and there are also two thumbnails below the big picture. You can click on that too.
I’ve only just noticed that: Hergé and Warhol seem to be wearing the same shirt!
I’m not sure if this is a bigger victory for you, personally, for a book essentially about gay people being more than a “book for gays”, or for art. (You know, graphic novels finally being considered a “high” art, or at least highly esteemed.)
In any case, it’s rather tremendous. My only surprise is that they had the wisdom to give your book the acknowledgment it deserves. But I do think you deserve it.
And it’s funny, I don’t think I’ve ever seen the term “Fuck.Me.” used for a positive reason. Ha ha.
Oh, and someone else said something about you taking a long break.
I say go for it. I mean, I’d be sad to be without for a while, but hell, you really deserve it. All your hard work paid off. I say, take a nap and don’t wake up until 2007.
jencarroll,
The recipe came from LondonBoy; I was just reprinting it to help out a fellow weary slogger up and down these long threads! (I am not complaining; like everybody else I like the mishmosh and the stimulation of interesting conversational paths…) but just to give credit where credit it due. LondonBoy started it!
Regarding the Boxing Day incident, it happened at Christmas of 1987; long time ago! And I can’t swear that they were walnuts…just some kind of nuts packed in little packets by the giver (my girlfriend’s mother.) It seemed like a pretty old fashioned neighborhood at the time. Yes, they were building the Luge for the Olympics that year, but other than that, there was no big economic boom going on, from what I could see. I am sure everything has changed several times since then. What I remember the most was being taken ice skating on Christmas Eve on some river and everyone in the whole world was there. Old people, babies being pulled on sleds, lovers…it was like one of those schmaltzy post cards but it was delightful. Oh! and my other memory is being taken to a dance club, and in the ladies room, all these women kept asking me if I had heard of K.D. Lang. (I had not, at that time.)
Colino and shadocat, thank you for telling me about the arrows. Now I must hike back there and find it again!
Duncan,
Ikiru is an awesome (if sad) movie!
http://blogs.raincoast.com/
holy moly! I found the link above of Warhal and Hergé, but it is NOT the original picture I saw when shadocat posted the link. THAT one was a sketch by Hergé of himself (beautiful!!), and there were no arrows that I could see. Now I can’t find that sketch anymore when I go to the original link. (but not to worry; I am going to let it go. One must march forward to the next string of posts…)
But the above post is a photo of W and H together. Very interesting. And they ARE wearing the same pinstripe shirt!
Hergé seems like a fascintating fellow, putting little puns and jokes into his cartoons. I think I must read a biography of him soon, (and re-read all the TINTIN books!)
Duncan, what a fabulous post. I especially loved your eloquence in the final paragraph, and want to join you in thanking Alison for her steadfast political compass over the last several years, continuing to say in a clear voice that the Emperor isn’t wearing any clothes. A few weeks ago, I was having a conversation with my 8-year-old godson about the way the rest of the country seems to be waking up to the long Bush nightmare, and he commented “Mo knew what was going to happen back in 2000” and quoted her from a couple of strips. He asked how come, if Alison was smart enough to make those predictions in her strip, everybody else was taken in? One of those questions I wish I didn’t have to answer, because it involves letting him in on how stupid and damaged adults can be. Followed by a lesson in how we are setting it right (which, some days, is hard to declare with complete conviction — but on days when Alison’s book gets named #1 by Time, it’s easy to see the upward trend.)
Duncan, yes, also to the GCN, they were a beacon. Did you ever read the Speckled Bird out of Atlanta? And I’ll confess, I was poetry editor for Common Lives/Lesbian Lives for a year (along with Jean Swallow, Dodici Azpadu, Carolyn Pincus and Canyon Sam).
I LOVE the URLs folks post here, always go and have a look (and like what I find). And the recipes — I don’t know another blog where you can get this mix of politics, art and butter tarts. Not to mention show tune lyrics.
And, to harken back to the language thread a while ago, I just watched “Pajama Game” (a Doris Day movie I’d somehow missed, Shadocat!) and the very first line is “All right, girls, mind your P’s and Q’s”. I howled.
Silvio — I tried to Google you and discovered your name is a kind of accordion! Too funny. Anyhow, if you do visit Austin, Google me and you’ll find a way to get in touch.
From One Oberlin Alum to another, great job!!! You completely deserve it.
Shadocat, I work in a huge department store in Chicago and tomorrow at work, I cannot WAIT to say, in a perky and oh-so-chipper voice, “MERRY CHRISMAKWANIKAH!!” to the next jackass who complains about how I say “Have a great holiday!” instead of “Merry Christmas!” (You know, the whole war on Christmas bullshit.) Luckily, we get very few of those. Oooo, bring ’em on….thanks, Shadocat!
Maggie,
I am SO BUSTED!! I confess (since we are confessing today…) I took my screen name from the brand name of the accordion I have owned and played since I was 8 years old (but I wish I’d had you for a godmother at that age!…Growing up Italian-American was pretty good, but growing up with DTWOF and you would have been totally primo!!) (you can reach me at silvio.soprani@yahoo.com for more info; I am so flattered to have been googled!)
But enough about me. Well, one more thing…all this talk of butter tarts (mostly by me) has incited me to invite some friends over tomorrow night to go Christmas carolling (with the accordion, of course.) I don’t know any of my neighbors in the neighborhood, because I only moved in about 6 months ago, so what better way to meet than to make a total racket in front of their doors, looking harmless and sounding Christmas-y. If any of you Baltimore-area DTWOF-heads would like to join us, e-mail me at silvio.soprani@yahoo.com and I’ll tell you more!
And hey, Sandra Scoppettone? I owe her thanks for making me realize, when I was a teenager, how the book Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Sex (But Were Afraid To Ask)- which I read when I was about 13 – was filled with sexist and homophobic misinformation. She writes of that book in her novel Trying Hard To Hear You, which is about a gay teenager. Until then, I thought Everything You Always… was pretty official, ’cause it was written by a doctor….*smirk* Thank you, Sandra!
What a well-deserved honor; for once, I am in total agreement with the publication in question. Congratulations; it’s a wonderful book. I have been a fan of yours since discovering DTWO4 in a lesbian anthology, by pure chance – I’m incredibly happy that your work is finally getting the recognition it deserves.
hi londonboy,
the problem is not metric {we in the states use ounces as well} but weight. we don’t weigh the ingredients in our baked goods, we measure them. we’re quite backward that way, since weighing is the only thing that standardizes the results. but i can probably figure it out. the cake sounds truly divine.
and robin p.: WOW! thanks for that info about suzuki! i bought her at the ashby flea market in berkeley for a buck, probably about 20 years ago.
i do love this blog!
Cybercita — the Ashby Flea Market! What memories that brings up. Where I bought my futons from the religious cult in the corner, socks (6 pairs for $5) from the Vietnamese guy in the middle, and avoided the Uhuru House folks near the BART stairs because I had an ex there. Plus books, albums (vinyl then) and assorted tools and dishes. Are you old enough to remember when the Brick Hut was across the street, on the corner? Two booths and five stools at the counter, just like on the Mary Watkins album cover. Alas, the Brick Hut is no more. But the flea market endures.
Maggie-Thaks for that image of Doris dancing around in a pajama top–My Chistmas quest for you is to find a link to that picture of her in a bikini at Cannes…
And Ginjoint- I must confess, “Merry Chrismakwanzikah” is just about my favorite greeting of the season–although I am a bit partial to “Happy Pagan Holiday” as well (tho’ that one seems to get me into more trouble, for some reason).
Mz Alison, YOU ROCK – THE END!
Yesterday, after work, I made a dash to Amazon Bookstore to take a look @ FH and buy it for a gift for gift someone, other than myself, really. It was so exciting standing in Amazon and flipping through FH. I was the only customer in the store so I shared Judybusy’s comment about me being the last lesbian in North America to learn about FH with the book store gals. The book sellers thought you were quite funny, Judy. (Tell your gf not to worry, Extreme Home Makeover will soon be enlarging the doorways of your home to accommodate your increasing head size.)
Here is my saving grace… after I share my little tale with the book mavens, another customer comes in and asks for suggestions for a new book to buy for her gf, she wants it to be something special. I over hear the worker suggest some books and I decide to throw my two cents in. I suggest FH to this inquiring lesbian gift buyer and imagine my surprise, she has not heard about FH. Furthermore, she has not heard of DTWOF! The mavens and I are stunned, like deer in headlights, I then ask her if she is from Minnesota. Minneapolis is her reply! Here we are standing in Amazon, the bookstore where it all started, and this 50 something lesbian has no idea of, has not heard of DTWOF? Didn’t she ever read Equal Time? I press her a little more trying to jog her memory about DTWOF but there is no recall because she really hasn’t heard of your work. At this point, I tell her she must buy FH and DTWOF as well. The mavens and I assure her that her partner will love every minute of it. {Okay, Judy, we now know I am not the last lesbian in North American to know about FH…. just don’t tell anyone you had to tell me about Mary Cheney as well…}
Sturdy girl, I’m sure Mary Cheney hasn’t heard of D2WO4 either…maybe that doesn’t help.
Liz in Dublin, any chance you frequented the women’s coffee night at the community centre on Capel street during the summer of 2003? My gf and I were there from Canada.
Cheers, Jen
Woo hoo! Go on with your bad self Ms. Bechdel. You’re a great artist and wonderful story teller. Lovely memoir. I gave it as a b-day present to my brother.
As a heterosexual woman my pickings are kinda slim in the DTWO4 cast. I’d go with Carlos, he’s the hottest and possibly the most well adjusted, but he’d never have me. Banging Stewart would be like banging one of my grandmother’s friends.
If I were to forget my sexual orientation I’d go with Lois. Her enthusiasm and skill far outweighs her lack of monogamy. Everyone else is either hooked up or has an axe to grind.
As far as other comic strip characters go, I just haven’t considered the possibilities. I will take this opportunity distance myself from Cathy. She just gives us all a bad name.
I second Duncan’s observations about the political commentary of DTWOF–it’s often my favorite part of any strip. The tiniest writing always has the most acute observations!
And, since he revived the bad language usage topic,here’s mine: I was attending an all staff meeting at a hospital and the Executive officer got up and started talking about some project “The *learnings* we have taken from this experience include…” I have absolutely no recall what was said after that because I was so appalled by the use of “learnings” as a noun. I have heard it occasionally since then, usually out of the mouth of someone who works in corporate/business.
BTW, if Quaint Irene’s still lurking about, I am still waiting for the Lobster a la Rhisolm recipe….see my post on 12/16…..
Thanks for the kind words about my previous posting, people. But it was, of course, sincerely meant. “What Alison Bechdel’s Work Means to Me,” and it does mean a lot.
judybusy, I have no problem in principle with “learnings” as a noun; English often uses gerunds that way. Consider “my earnings.” Or “his leavings.” “Learnings” just annoys you (and me) because you’re not used to it; it’s actually quite an old word in English, used just as that person used it. As are many of the words that annoy us language “conservatives.” I really should get myself a compact OED…
Congrats! And you beat out all the boys. You’re the only woman on the list, and you got the top slot. You know that means your book had to be extra good for them to get over their biases, hence the surprised tone of their write-up.
All I know is, I couldn’t stop reading it when I was supposed to be writing final papers for University. Fun Home definitely won out over sleeping.
Congratulations! I’m not sure of the 100-year value of an endorsement from Time, but you deserve all the recognition you get, and much that you don’t. Perhaps this will motivate a few “mainstream” readers to check out your DTWOF oeuvre as well.
I actually have mixed feelings. As a longtime mainstream reader (wife, two daughters, house in the burbs), I’m happy to see you get recognition, but I’m also afraid of losing you and DTWOF to other pursuits. Please don’t move to Hollywood and pitch options to producers!
Golly. And holy fuck! A humongous Yay! – on behalf of the deprived people who will finally get to hear of you, Alison!
Does anyone else get the “Rotunda” allusion from the recipe? I’m excited to see someone else appears to recall the book _Found Goddesses_, illustrated by Alison, way back when. I still pray, nearly daily, to dieties such as Transportia, friend of those who are running frantically for the bus. It features big dollops of humor and considerable wisdom, I very much reccomend it, although it seems to be largely based on a type of Mary-Daly feminism that is not at all my thing… well, a marginal mind must take the bits that work where’er they’re found, eh?
Oh and Jerry, if he’d like to. And Lois, I would definately enjoy hanging out with, and perhaps fool around with in a play-party situation – and heck, I’m not adverse to love, either. Though we both seem to be pretty toppy. What happens when tops collide?!!! I’d be willing to find out, heh…
It’s always been about calories in versus calories out (burned), but everyone wants a faddish fix it seems. I’ve been having success lately following this simple rule: nothing with sugar, nothing with white flour. WBR LeoP
Hallo, i am very glad to be here!