March 28, 2008 10:02

Unhelpful photo of Jeff Gordinier's book party

Here it is, the fourth in my world-changing series of unhelpful photos of book parties (it was previously lo-res photos of book parties, but this time the fault lies not with the device but the photographer). The party was for Jeff Gordinier's blockbuster X Saves the World: How Generation X Got the Shaft but Can Still Keep Everything From Sucking:

I used to live a few blocks from the famed writer hangout that is Elaine's, but had never actually dared enter before. I guess I was afraid Gay Talese might beat me up. This time I did go in (although I failed to get any photographic evidence of that fact) and didn't get beat up, but I also didn't stay long because I had to go home and cook dinner for (of course) some visiting Danes.

Anyway, no, I haven't read Jeff's book yet. But the Details article upon which it was based was brilliantly funny (I can't find the actual article online, but here's Peter Carlson's review). Plus Jeff is almost single-handedly responsible for me being employed in the magazine business. And while that perhaps seems a less unmitigated boon than it did 12 years ago (why couldn't he have steered me into the Internets? Or maybe collateralized debt obligations?), it still means that everybody in the world should buy his book.

And finally, since everybody always seems confused about how to pronounce his name, it's gore-din-ear. Or maybe gore-di-near.