[356] AUTHOR/POP-CULTURE JOURNALIST CHUCK KLOSTERMAN TO SPEAK AT MTSU MARCH 17

AUTHOR/POP-CULTURE JOURNALIST CHUCK KLOSTERMAN TO SPEAK AT MTSU MARCH 17
Lecture with ‘Sharp Wit, Irresistible Humor’ Open to Public
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 11, 2008
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Beverly Keel, 615-898-5150 or bkeel@mtsu.edu (MURFREESBORO)—Best-selling author Chuck Klosterman, who is widely regarded as the nation’s premier pop-culture journalist, will lecture on “Life Through the Prism of Pop Culture” at MTSU on Tuesday, March 17, at 1 p.m. in Room 221 of the McWherter Learning Resources Center on campus.
The event, which is sponsored by the John Seigenthaler Chair of Excellence in First Amendment Studies and MTSU’s College of Mass Communication, is free and open to the public.
“I am delighted that Chuck Klosterman will speak to the MTSU community,” said Beverly Keel, director of the Seigenthaler Chair. “His sharp wit, irresistible humor and unique perspective have earned him quite a following. In fact, it was one of my students who suggested that we bring Chuck to campus after reading one of Chuck’s books.
“Chuck has become a rock star in the world of journalism by chronicling rock stars and other pop-culture icons with an intellectual curiosity, vivid writing style and contagious enthusiasm,” Keel said. “The New York Times said he’s ‘ridiculously engaging,’ so I know our students will be in for an unforgettable hour.”
During his MTSU talk, Klosterman will discuss why so many people define themselves by the music, movies and TV shows they consume, as well as how pop culture becomes inextricably linked with our memories and what this says about us as individuals and a society. He’ll explain how pop culture informs our lives and helps people understand the world.
The San Francisco Chronicle has described the author of four best-selling nonfiction books as “the reigning Kasparov of pop culture wits-matching.” Entertainment Weekly called him "one of America's top cultural critics."
“Writing about pop culture doesn’t get any better than this, or any funnier, or any more readable,” author Stephen King said about Klosterman’s work.
Klosterman’s first book, “Fargo Rock City,” was about heavy metal, but it encompassed so much more. Indeed, former Talking Heads member David Byrne said it was actually about “how music feels, how media-saturated culture feels.” The New York Times called the book “an act of cultural bravery” that is “easily the most implausible (and comically agile) piece of wildcat criticism in years.”
His second book, “Sex, Drugs and Cocoa Puffs: A Low Culture Manifesto,” which addresses topics ranging from reality television to Billy Joel and “The Empire Strikes Back,” was described by The Onion A.V. Club as “one of the brightest pieces of pop analysis to appear this century.”
Klosterman took a road trip across America to visit the gravesites of dead rock stars for his third book, “Killing Yourself to Live: 85 Percent of a True Story.” His fourth book, “Chuck Klosterman IV: A Decade of Curious People and Dangerous Ideas,” is a collection of his best interviews and essays. He has also penned a novel, “Downtown Owl.”
The former SPIN senior writer is responsible for a monthly column, “Chuck Klosterman’s America,” in “Esquire,” for which he wrote the much-discussed Britney Spears cover story for the magazine’s 70th anniversary issue. He has also written for The New York Times, The Washington Post and GQ.
For more information, call 615-898-5150.

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IN BRIEF: Best-selling author Chuck Klosterman, who is widely regarded as the nation’s premier pop-culture journalist, will lecture on “Life Through the Prism of Pop Culture” at MTSU on Tuesday, March 17, at 1 p.m. in Room 221 of the McWherter Learning Resources Center on campus. The event, which is sponsored by the John Seigenthaler Chair of Excellence in First Amendment Studies and MTSU’s College of Mass Communication, is free and open to the public. For more information, call 615-898-5150.

For MTSU news and information, visit www.mtsunews.com.
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ATTENTION, MEDIA: For a color JPEG of Klosterman, please contact Gina E. Fann in the Office of News and Public Affairs via e-mail at gfann@mtsu.edu or by calling 615-898-5385.