waldropian

A Texas publication I've never heard of, but which obviously has impeccable taste, profiles the divine Howard Waldrop. The piece begins thus:

Howard Waldrop has destroyed New York City twice, saved the dodo from extinction, engineered post-apocalyptic tractors pulls, and reinvented human history to an extent that makes most parallel universes look as common as a corner convenience store.

He's also, by his own admission, killed almost a dozen magazines and small publishers. He loves to pull apart pop culture like taffy, twist it into Gordian knots, and then tie it all together in some insanely improbable way that makes his readers laugh, shake their heads, or sob-sometimes all at once.

And only maybe a hundred or so people in Austin know about him.

Who is Howard Waldrop? He's Austin's-and the world's-most under-appreciated science fiction (SF) writer. If you're one of those people who likes your humor layered like a casserole, you just might fall in love with Waldrop's unique stories because they're always about something, quirky and bizarre though they may be. Think The Simpsons, as opposed to Seinfeld, and you've got the idea.

The piece is excellent, long and revealing -- probably because it's written by Tam Thompson, a member of Turkey City. It also includes links to some Waldrop stories that are online. And seriously, if your life is Waldropless, this is a great way to spend your Friday the 13th.

I can't remember where I spotted this, but there's a good possibility it was at Instant Fanzine.