When I first heard about the book series years ago, I immediately thought of Exile in Guyville as an obvious candidate. Now, it seems, there may be a chance... EIG is among 27 other titles being considered for publication in the future:

http://33third.blogspot.com/2009/03/and-th...re-were-27.html

Looks like the book, written by Gina Arnold, will be published in 2010 or 2011.

http://33third.blogspot.com/2009/05/chosen-eleven.html


After re-reading this article from 2003 in which Arnold defends the self-titled album and calls Whip-Smart and WCSE mediocre records... well, not sure what to think...

WOW! I love the title of that Gina person's article: Where she calls the whining about the s/t album "senseless, sexist, and abominably stupid" - it's actually AMAZING because those are the EXACT words I used to describe the song "Rock Me" and "The Fucking Underwear Song".

It's funny - she spends more time talking about liz being in her late thirties than the music. right or wrong - i don't think the majority of fans who bitched and whined about the s/t album were being sexist. i think they were pissed off that their favourite artist who is perfectly capable of writing genius songs on her own - had to dumb herself down in hopes of appealing to a bigger crowd. THAT - if nothing else - is insulting.
To liz and her fans and to the mainstream.
And it's not sexist about her provacative attire either. age-ist - maybe.
i could see that.
Liz Phair will never be Britney Spears.
Just like George Michael will never be Justin Timberlake.
They're too old. It's not to say they both arent' sexy...well...Liz is anyway - but it wasn't the skin-baring that bothered me - it was the clothes that looked like they belonged on my 13 year old mall-crazy cousin.
I'm a 31 year old guy...but throw a sideways baseball hat on my head, slap my ass in a pair of phat pants and squeeze me into a fuckin' Ed hardy shirt - and i'll look like i'm barely treading water in a VERY early mid-life crisis.
Everyone has the right to dress how they want, but I understand that I would look f-ing absurd in such attire.
I'm just too old. I'm cool with that.
I saw a 55 year old guy at my work the other day wearing a pair of skinny jeans.
they actually fit his ass really nice, but they didn't exactly do wonders for his 55 year old beer belly.
I'm not saying we have to be all conservative and "dress our age - lest we look like harlots!" - but...when one starts wearing fingerless gloves and mini skirts and 6 inch heels that you used to make fun of ("I can't stand myself, I can't stand my life, I can't stand in these 6 inch heels anymore") - well..when it gets to that - dignity has a strange way of politely excusing itself out the backdoor and you're left standing there looking like a dork who raided their 9 year old daughter's hope chest.
And you know what? I wouldn't give a SHIT what she wears. I don't. I really don't.
I think anyone can do whatever they want - and if she wants to wear fingerless gloves and 6-inch heels - more power to her.
If i could pull off 6 inch heels, shit, I might very well give 'em a spin one night. I hear they do wonders for lower legs and they just ooze comfort.
Thing is - it's the music that pissed us off. Not the fact that she's a mom, that she was pushing forty or that she dressed like a Toys R Us ad gone very, very wrong.
The writer BARELY touched down on the actual MUSIC in this article, until the end - and even she admits "well...er um..i guess there ARE some embarassing moments on the album."
Yeah.
THat says something. One of the few defensive reviews of the s/t - and even IT has to admit that it sucks in a few spots.
This writer applied a bunch of well-thought-out language and tried to put the album in a big feminist context.
I give liz credit for going for it - if nothing else.
I'm good with polished/slick/produced/slutty clothes - hell - i'm even okay with bringing in a production team and song-writers, even though liz is perfectly capable of doing it on her own - but - if the music sucks: The music sucks.
Correct me if i am wrong - but anyone who had a problem with it - it was over the music.
This chick is making a mountain out of a mole hill - and perhaps we did too.
artists are allowed to make records that suck.
and fans - well - we're allowed to bitch about it.
Doesn't make us stupid or sexist - but that article was a piece of shite.
Either that - or the chick who wrote it has some seriously shitty taste in music.

I guess now that we got Last Exile up there maybe we should try and put peace maker kogurane high on the list.