The Tangential

Best/Realest Tweets of the Week, 3/11-3/17/12

March 21, 2012

– Compiled by Jay Gabler 0 likes
Dear Bruce Springsteen: It’s Time to Break Up the Band

March 20, 2012

In the grand scheme of Bruce Springsteen’s career, 1992 would be a leading candidate for the single worst year to become a Springsteen fan. On his Wikipedia page, it’s the year that begins the “artistic and commercial ups and downs” section (1992-2001) that comes between “commercial and popular phenomenon” (1984-1991) and “return to success” (2002-2007)….
Seven Uncool Ways to Be the “Cool” Professor

March 20, 2012

1) Refer casually to controlled substances. Last week I saw a professor in the sciences crack jokes with students about the chemical composition of cocaine. I’ve also seen professors talk about “brand-less cigarettes” when in a pinch. Dude, you got like three degrees. There’s no way you couldn’t have done that much smack. 2) Ask…
A Psychological Look at What Makes the Current Debate About Women’s Rights So Dangerous

March 20, 2012

Lately, it has occurred to me that writing constantly about Rick Santorum and women’s rights, while sparking conversation among many, mostly liberal, readers, is probably almost as counter-productive as it is productive. Let me back up here. Where did this sudden questioning, not just of abortion, but of whether or not women should be forced…
Bad Things Gen-Y and Millennials Will Do Away With, Or Why You Should Stop Writing Columns Worrying Young People are Hopeless

March 19, 2012

Homophobia: Our generation is more open about homosexuality than any before us (except maybe those ancient Greeks touching peens left and right). People even 10-years older are shocked when I tell them that my straight male friends hug one another and openly declare their attraction to Ricky Rubio, baffled that a straight man could even…
Items for a “Wedding Night” Pinterest Board

March 19, 2012

Bell jar of cocaine! Vintage 19th-century bridal sack, with velcro-sealed holes for “cheating” ; – ) Hand-painted “Do Not Disturb (Yes, Mom, This Means You!)” sign for the door handle Leatherbound condom/lube packs for the whole wedding party. Refill and reuse! Condom-shaped slippers lol Padded handcuffs embroidered with the couple’s name and wedding date. Fun…

A short history of The Tangential

The Tangential is a pop culture and creative writing blog launched in 2011 by three writers living in Minneapolis: Becky Lang (now Radecki), Jay Gabler, and Katie Sisneros. That was a golden age of irreverent confessional blogging, and over the first couple years we built a national following. Notably, we gained over 120,000 followers on Tumblr, where we were often associated with the provocative, extremely online writers in the movement known as alt lit. We created spinoff blogs including The Sport Hole, The Party Whip, The Tangential Ruins Minneapolis, and Tan Genitals. We hosted Minneapolis events and published three books.

We were having so much fun, in fact, that we never got around to monetizing. Oops! Well, we did have a little income from the books and events, and we became an Amazon affiliate. (This is your official disclosure that we subsidize our hosting costs via revenue from partner links.) Eventually, though, the editors and contributors who fueled the site’s early years largely moved on to other projects.

Today, The Tangential is run by Jay, who continues to publish criticism and other writing as well as to maintain the site’s catalog of posts — if only for, as we’ve always said, “the good of society.”

Best/Realest Tweets of the Week, 3/11-3/17/12

Dear Bruce Springsteen: It’s Time to Break Up the Band

Seven Uncool Ways to Be the “Cool” Professor

A Psychological Look at What Makes the Current Debate About Women’s Rights So Dangerous

Bad Things Gen-Y and Millennials Will Do Away With, Or Why You Should Stop Writing Columns Worrying Young People are Hopeless

Items for a “Wedding Night” Pinterest Board

A short history of The Tangential