Esquire rarely misses the spot for me, you know that. There's a neat article this month on Advancement Theory (a somewhat religious topic) and its application to music (here, rock n roll)

The gist goes that in a creative form, when a genius produces a work that is not expected of him (and in general disliked), it is not because of poor quality, but because it is too "advanced" for us, the audience. This is not to mistake any crap out there for being "advanced". There's also a distinction with producing a work that is opposite of what would be expected, making the move "overt" and actually not all that "advanced"

So who's "advanced"? Lou Reed. Okay how is he a genius? I guess I don't know anythin about him so the guy lost me there. Critics of Advancement claim it is a way "to appreciate shitty music by people (...) [considered] to be nonshitty"

The article has promise but its lack of foundation (hardly googable) makes me think Klosterman was jus goin off on a small idea he may have overheard on his lunch break. Maybe deadlines will do that to ya. Put - the pot - down. That this post started as another testament that Esquire was good is ironic, but as the article points out, irony is hardly "advanced"

Actually the whole theory works pretty well for Klosterman's pick for Most Advanced Actor in the Universe.. no other than weirdo Val Kilmer. Check out his filmography for proof. Kid follows no logic pattern whatsoever


This month's cover is Lance Armstrong but I don't exacly feel him even though 5 Tour de France is pretty damn good. Even the French angle ain't helping, but this kid is fit for sure (he also beat up cancer, I guess he's tough)

Onto the good stuff
Cool style guide on wearing a navy jacket; rising Democrat Emmanuel; 5min guide to survive everything is pretty cool (like the graphic design on it); features on 10 bad ass explorers, nice Amazon spoof page. Check it out