This has all the great elements of a Greek tragedy.
McNast.

Really how is this different than our own mothers and fathers pimping us to the next best "boy" & "girl" at a party or wedding? I don't really see any "ewww" factor there.

Barmaid called it.

(And why does Salman look like "Mr Bean as Blackadder" in that picture? The look of sheer concentration. Is he thinking up a cunning stunt?)

red-hot ladies man who can’t be resisted

groupies should be earned, not inherited.

But don't you think the scenario is similar in million other Desi families, where the parents do play a important role in procuring their sons & daughters with the better or worse halves ?
It is another thing that those Desi dads are not the ones girls would want to impress so they aren't much help in providing their son with a share (of girls) from their own ;-)

JoAT--

I think it has more to do with the "hey son, here's a chick who wants to bone me, you take her..." factor

Greek Tragedy

If my step-mom was Padma Lakshmi and only 7 years older...the oedipus complex would take over...prolly go insane.
As for usin your dad to get ass, hell yea, use everything you got. He's sure as hell not goin to get ass based on his looks.

Inherit Groupies: eh, don't really know this works, but i do know that if you have either money or power you can have plenty of groupies...Zafar isn't inheriting anything but the name, the name inherits the power and the groupies. Just call them hoes, not groupies, they're just there for one thing, spending money and ass...

Um, for whatever it's worth, Ennis, you misquoted the article, attributing a remark actually made by Dad to Stepmom by replacing the first half of the sentence with ellipses. The real sentence reads:

"Salman [SUBJECT OF THIS SENTENCE], who lives in Manhattan with his fourth wife, topless model and actress Padma Lakshmi, 36 [VERY LONG PARENTHETICAL], is equally complimentary of Zafar, talking him up as a red-hot ladies man who can't be resisted [PREDICATE]."

Excuse my obnoxious and possibly unnecessary grammar lesson, but yes, it's *Salman* who talks up Zafar as a red-hot ladies man who can't be resisted. I know I'm splitting hairs here and the mistake in this case was probably inadvertent (although this sentence-taken-out-of-context thing is a common crime elsewhere) but there are lots of other accusations of which Padma is probably more deserving :-) .

Really how is this different than our own mothers and fathers pimping us to the next best "boy" & "girl" at a party or wedding? I don't really see any "ewww" factor there.

I think it is the choice of words.

talking him up as a red-hot ladies man who can’t be resisted

Even if my mom (and yes she does try) is pimping me, she would not be quoted with those words. If it were one of his friends or even his sister or brother I would not have a problem with it, but his parents ?

Like ennis says

We just believe that groupies should be earned, not inherited.

" but there are lots of other accusations of which Padma is probably more deserving :-) "

such as?.....(running around trying to find cover as pianos fall)

That's QUITE weird, using your dad and his reputation as your main source of game. It's twisted and strange and wrong on many, many levels.

Excuse my obnoxious and possibly unnecessary grammar lesson, but yes, it's *Salman* who talks up Zafar as a red-hot ladies man who can't be resisted. I know I'm splitting hairs here and the mistake in this case was probably inadvertent (although this sentence-taken-out-of-context thing is a common crime elsewhere) but there are lots of other accusations of which Padma is probably more deserving

Brownelf - thank you. The misquotation was based on a misunderstanding on my part. This is what comes of blogging in the middle of the workday, while I was multi-tasking with my day job :( I've corrected it now.

That makes it a lot less icky, and also removes some of the Greek tragedy angle.

brown people don't do incest. for the record. itz a white thang....

I think it has more to do with the "hey son, here's a chick who wants to bone me, you take her..." factor

I really don't see it that way. My mother when she used to teach surgery would have a gaggle of interns around her all the time and she would try her damdest best to pimp me and dare I say lie thru her teeth about me on so many levels. It was humorous and embarrasing all at once but I think this is similar.

Even if my mom (and yes she does try) is pimping me, she would not be quoted with those words. If it were one of his friends or even his sister or brother I would not have a problem with it, but his parents ?

Fathers and sons have different relationships than mothers and daughters. Not the same thing.

brown people don't do incest. for the record. itz a white thang....

Really? Because I've been running into/discovering a large number of people in Karachi who're married to their first cousins, and that's pretty damn' incestuous in my world.

That's QUITE weird, using your dad and his reputation as your main source of game. It's twisted and strange and wrong on many, many levels.

Tell me about it. Especially since on SM my dad is more responsible for squashing my game.

Paging Dr. Phil's douchebag son to the white courtesy phone...

(please don't ban me)

I think you should fear the wrath of Salman more than the intern.

And how did those sauteed sprouts come out, Pritha? @=)

My mother when she used to teach surgery would have a gaggle of interns around her all the time and she would try her damdest best to pimp me and dare I say lie thru her teeth about me on so many levels.

When desi families try to "help" their children find partners, it's in part b/c they're concerned and in part because of the whole "marry the family not just the person" thing. However, when your father is helping you get casual girls ... that's a different situation.

Desi families like to provide well for their children. Parents give their kids money, cars, businesses … and now it seems that some even help procure girls for their darling little boys.

what's with the cliches? this isn't against ennis personally, but i feel like i've read ten different desi-related stories/posts in the past couple of days and they have all started with, "Desi parents do this...desis do this...blah blah blah." can we stop with the cliches? i mean, really, even if they are meant to be ironic, can we stop with the same ol shit? sorry if i sound frustrated but this kind of writing is lazy...

salman's son's chin is enormous and not cute.

my point being...no, not all desi parents provide for their kids. shocking, i know.

I think most of us guys would do the same thing, whether we the son or the dad...especially if we were the son. Do you expect the junior Rushdie to turn down opportunities with hot women just because of the ewwwww factor? Now of course, it is a dad's responsibility to teach good values and good behavior, respect for women and all that (ideally taught when the kid is much younger than 27), but if your dad himself is a party boy, and that's what you've learned from him (which is basically teaching by example), then why wouldn't you indulge yourself and take what you could get?

I really don't see it that way. My mother when she used to teach surgery would have a gaggle of interns around her all the time and she would try her damdest best to pimp me and dare I say lie thru her teeth about me on so many levels. It was humorous and embarrasing all at once but I think this is similar.

There is (usually) a difference between medical interns who have to be there and groupies, isn't there?

I mean the article definitely makes it sound like these women are just hanging around the Rushdies because they're into the "famous author" thing. Not because they have to be there for training.

"All the beautiful women want to talk to Dad..."

The 'beautiful women' need to get contacts or glasses, just look at Salman! I will never understand how women can overlook something like that just because he's considered to be intelligent and/or rich and/or famous. We all know it would never work if the genders were reversed.

More to the point I suppose, I think the way the son and dad are talking is disgusting - they seem to believe feeling up random women is just a big game. If that's how they want to live their lives it's up to them but to me it does not matter what this guy writes I cannot respect or admire him because of his behaviour.

On the other hand, if you are into famous authors, the oh so reliable HT hints that Salman Rushdie might be available soon:

"Rushdie, who no longer lives with his fourth wife Padma Lakshmi ..."

My understanding is that Salman and Padma are on the rocks.

Yeah that's definitely ewwww factor. I wouldn't want my mom or dad's leftovers.

they seem to believe feeling up random women is just a big game. If that's how they want to live their lives it's up to them but to me it does not matter what this guy writes I cannot respect or admire him because of his behaviour.

But look at it in context - these girls are falling over them because they're famous - I'm pretty sure the girls are just playing games as well, so I don't see anything wrong with the Rushdie men doing the same.

Fathers and sons have different relationships than mothers and daughters. Not the same thing.

I think Ennis making the correction makes my point invalid. But seriously, if the mom had said something like that, it would have been weirder.

Lakshmi's dress is fugly. It looks like a sack of aloos - vaddey vaddey Solanum tuberosum.

I will never understand how women can overlook [looks]...

One cannot hope to comprehend, one can only hope to benefit.

I'm pretty sure the girls are just playing games as well

I'm sure the bragging is done in both directions. Nookie pro quo.

it does not matter what this guy writes I cannot respect or admire him because of his behaviour.

I don't think you want to have lived four marriages and a fatwa, but that's quite independent of the quality of his work.

At least his son acknowledges that his 4-time married Dad may not be the best person to get relationship advice from.

The 'beautiful women' need to get contacts or glasses, just look at Salman! I will never understand how women can overlook something like that just because he's considered to be intelligent and/or rich and/or famous. We all know it would never work if the genders were reversed.

I agree - so long as they're not coloured contacts! For the record, I don't think I would be attracted to him. But you know what I notice? That there's a lot of finger pointing at these women for being gold-diggers, etc. I see very little criticism of the man for desiring something on a superficial level, whether he believes it or not. Start rant:

You know, I was initially very surprised when the illustrious Mr. Rushdie expressed interest in a model. Don't get me wrong: I think she's incredibly attractive; amazing face, body, hair, skin. I just expected a good writer to be more in tune with himself, and to be able to differentiate between infatuation and love, need and want, etc, etc. I don't know anything about this couple, so I can't say if it's real or not. However, I do doubt that it was her mind that he was initially attracted to, whether he later fell in love with HER later, or not, I dunno. I'm not going to pass judgement, though I admit, I do have my suspicions. I also get suspicous when he associates her being intelligent with having travelled the world and speaking x number of languages, and wrting a cook-book. I don't know if she's the intellectual he claims she is, but you've gotta admit that's such a pretentious assessment of intelligence: that's more a function of having the money to travel the world (I'm not going to touch the cook-book). It really gets on my nerves when backpackers assume they are more worldly than everyone else because they smoked pot in Holland: NEWSFLASH: you don't learn anything from mindlessly wandering the globe, people! I once dated a guy who had to announce to everyone that I played classical guitar and violin, as some kind of reflection on himself, that he only dates talented, cultured types. It was really annoying. Bah!

I have some impossibly attractive female friends, and from watching their interactions with people, they do garner quite a bit of obsessive, infatuated types, many of which are normally intelligent, rational dudes. Sometimes, they get comments like, "I think I am falling in love with you" (and not in the temporary, I want to get in your pants kind of way) after only a couple of weeks of dating, and sometimes not even dating at all. Some even get premature wedding proposals, etc. Once, we tested a theory out; Girl X was talking to Guy Y about politics, most of which was purposely false, innacurate and even a humorous depiction of current events. Guy Y was enthralled and automatically persumed she knew what she was talking about. He even said something to the effect of "You're so beautiful AND so insightful!" HA! It was quite hilarious. It's like some guys want to believe the person they are interested in is also this wonderfulsupernicegenius - which isn't an anomaly, but they definitely fill in the blanks - it ain't love, dudes, it ain't love. People do generally perceive attractive people to be more intelligent/trustworthy as is... I'm not saying you won't genuinely fall in love with an inside-out beautiful girl, but you betta recognize the difference between infatuation and loving someone for who they are. And I'm not talking about playboy type guys either; like I said, these are guys that fancy themselves notverysuperficial, etc. There, got that off my mind.

Paging Dr. Phil's douchebag son to the white courtesy phone...

BWA HA HA!!!

That's QUITE weird, using your dad and his reputation as your main source of game. It's twisted and strange and wrong on many, many levels. Tell me about it. Especially since on SM my dad is more responsible for squashing my game.

Abhi, I know you're kidding, but honestly, I think your Dad actually helps your game. He seems pretty cool, level-headed and open-minded, which is a reflection of how he probably raised you (right). Not that some people don't overcome their crazy-ass upbringings, but I find that's a rarity.

Ennis: no problem. Sorry if that was totally obnoxious and schoolmarmish and kudos to you and the other bloggers for keeping this up along with your day jobs.

Sin: isn't it fairly common among numerous South Asian communities to marry first cousins, with certain restrictions? For example, I'm Tamil Brahmin and traditionally you were allowed to marry your *mother's brother's* kid or your *father's sister's* kid -- but not your mother's sister's kid or your father's brother's kid. In other words, you were allowed to marry a first cousin as long as your parents were siblings *of different sexes.* This is less common now because people actually, er, leave home and meet other people, but it's still permitted. If it's common in Tamil Nadu and common (?) in Karachi I suspect it goes on elsewhere on the subcontinent as well?

Watchtell: honestly, this website is about Desi stuff and -- whether or not you agree with the *particular* generalizations being made in a given post -- surely you have to concede that you can't write about Desi stuff without making *some* generalizations about Desis, just as you can't write about dogs without making some generalizations about dogs, or about French pastries without making some generalizations about French pastries?

Ajeet: 1) of course it doesn't work if you reverse the genders. Of course men (watch out, Watchtell, I'm going to make a HUGE generalization here, so avert your eyes if you have to :-) ) are more attracted to looks than personality and women and more attracted to personality than looks. I'm sure some of the evolutionary biologists here will be able to do a better job of explaining why that is (yes? Come on, someone, tell us how and why "women can overlook something like that"?), but the assertion itself is not a revelation, and, like all generalizations, contains some truth. 2) No one's asking you to respect Rushdie the way you'd respect a friend, man. Talent has nothing to do with morality, and should not be confused with it. Good art doesn't always come from good people, but it still deserves respect *as art* -- there have been so many great writers/composers/artists/all-round geniuses who were assholes or worse that if you condemned yourself not to enjoying their work just because they didn't conform to your moral standards, yours would be a joyless existence indeed.

I think Ennis making the correction makes my point invalid. But seriously, if the mom had said something like that, it would have been weirder.

I was wondering when Manish would make an appearance on this thread!

The 'beautiful women' need to get contacts or glasses, just look at Salman! I will never understand how women can overlook something like that just because he's considered to be intelligent and/or rich and/or famous. We all know it would never work if the genders were reversed.

i'm always surprised how high up "humor" registers whenever there's a poll of women asking what they find attractive in men. rushdie understands this:

He's absurdly charming - lethally, disgustingly charming. He has it like a weapon."

Hitch explains.

feminists are annoyed.

metric interesting viewpoint.

I think for me it isn't about men wanting to believe that the woman they are with is smart when really they are with someone stupid but beautiful. The romantic in me believes and has seen and experienced enough to know that most men (attractive, unattractive, smart, dumb, short, tall, fat, skinny...) want a woman that makes them feel like they are a million bucks worth. He wants someone that makes him feel good and makes him look at himself in the mirror and see the man he wants to be because that is what the woman he's with makes him feel like.

Even if it's superficial it makes you feel good about yourself and it plays in to the theory of egostroking that men require more than women. And if the woman happens to be attractive and hot, hotter than he'd normal get then that's icing on the cake. It corroborates the notion that he's hot and attractive, how else would this hot and attractive woman want him?

No matter how smart we all have basic requirements from the opposite sex that have nothing to do with them admiring our mind. :-)

brown people don't do incest. for the record. itz a white thang....

Say what?!

Razib, tell me this is you being a provocateur.

I have been working with abused kids for four years now and they come in every color in the rainbow. It is most certainly not just a white thing. Every year I volunteer several hundred hours with foster children/group home children who have been physically and sexually abused. Only three out of forty this year were white.

This story is such bullsh#$. There are no hot women in the world, who know who the hell Rushdie is. He is not that famous. Hot women know who Brad Pitt is not the guy who wrote a book about a sad clown or something like that.

And I know there are some hot women who know who he is, but there are no groupies for authors. You go to a club with a guy that looks like Ruchdie and then brag about this blob being your father, your just asking to be left alone.

metric: amen

i think ur wrong shallowthinker. rushdie's married to a model and sartre was famous for having groupies. mailer landed monroe and i could go on. but don't worry, there's plenty of talent left over for shallowthinking brad pitt lookalikes like you.

Manju:

Hitch explains.

Not saying this just to argue against your generalization, but I can go on oath and say that the funniest person I ever met was female (sorry guys, she's engaged).

And I know there are some hot women who know who he is, but there are no groupies for authors.

I beg to differ. I have seen Rushdie in action. In fact after watching Shashi Tharoor in action at an event recently it was obvious women were literally throwing themselves at him trying to talk to him. And Shashi is fairly dashing and quite flirty too but I assure you male authors get a lot of attention.

male authors are hot -- i was attracted to hubby b/c of his writing

but I can go on oath and say that the funniest person I ever met was female (sorry guys, she's engaged).

intersting. u can buy her a gift here. ;-)

let me change my comment: authors are insanely hot

Authors are not hot. Honestly, anyone ever get a funny feeling in the naught area looking at Rushdie?

I was wondering when Manish would make an appearance on this thread!

Way ahead of you!

there are no groupies for authors.

Go to a Hanif Kureishi reading and you'll reconsider.

He is getting some so let him enjoy...sometimes wingman ends up on top

As long as he gettin some, 'I aint no playa hata'.
...sometimes wingman ends up on top

Is Mr. Rushdie rich well to do? I mean, the Mr. Rushdie(s)?

Hanif Kureishi is different because he is Hollywood. Half the people who go to his readings are most likely trying to flirt there way into a movie.

Jeet: I am of the opinion that you should totally hate the playa.

male authors are hot

Authors are not hot.

Maybe not "hot", but the whole writer thing, as evidenced by Padma and all the other women who were attracted to ugly men with great voices, is more than a sufficiently redeeming quality. I know that there is a gender imbalance to this, but in my opinion, a good writer, male or female, is hella sexy - if even just for the text voice.

Honestly, anyone ever get a funny feeling in the naught area looking at Rushdie?

I get a funny feeling in my stomach because it wants to empty its contents. He's got to be one of the ugliest people I've ever seen in my life. But I have to admit, when I read Rushdie, I wish I had never seen him because the voice is very attractive.

btw...
I heart Metric in #32. So right on (including the bit about Abhi, who doesn't give his pops enough credit for making the two of them such an adorably odd pair).

On the topic of groupies. I am surprised that more Indian guys havent become yoga teachers. There are to many that arent Indian. I mean if you are going to learn martial arts, you want to learn from Chuck Noris or Bruce Lee? You would think that people would be excited to learn from real life in the flesh Indian.

If you were a popular yoga teacher, I could only imagine the amount of quality booty you would get. Every other model/actress seems hooked to it. It's to bad that I can barely put my arms over my head without feeling like my arms muscles are about to rip.

I second the I heart metric sentiment. Watching men and women deal with the beautiful is interesting...

But MD: writers -- hot or not?

Depends on the writer. And how much money they have. And how they look. And what chances I may have*.

*I am a practical person.

Is the money more important than the talent?

Honestly ANI we get it: your husband is smart and successful and you love him long time. Now can you say anything else??!?!?!?

This has all the great elements of a Greek tragedy.

Agreed!

That, or the elements a great Geek Tragedy...

Oh, who am I kidding, Ennis. The only time I have ever dated the artiste type I have been ever so gently burned disappointed. Think kind, but flaky. So, no writers! No painters! No sculptors! No dancers! I realise I am being overly judgemental; but, then, I am overly judgemental.

*I may have to reconsider for a reality program producer, though.

So, no writers! No painters! No sculptors! No dancers! I realise I am being overly judgemental; but, then, I am overly judgemental.

You like military men don't you MD ;)

I've never dated any.

PS: The Hub is a rough town for me in the soul-mate arena. If he is cute, I pretend to be a Democrat. Thanks for all your help with how to sound like one, abhi!

If you were a popular yoga teacher, I could only imagine the amount of quality booty you would get. Every other model/actress seems hooked to it.

but interestingly i'm sitting next to this couple in a cafe. the woman is actually desi. the guy's loud, boring, scruffy, hippie dude and wearing some green quasi-communist gear. he's talking about disruptive protests, his music collection, his yoga teacher (apparently they met there), and he's droning on and on and on... i am about to stick a fork in his head ... no not really,... but the woman's just lapping it up. it's quite fascinating actually which is why i'm not getting up. i tell you there's going to be some serious downward dog after hours but what are you doing tonite, mate? go pick up those lalloolemon pj's and hit the yoga parlor to hit it. it worked for this loser - and you're cut from a finer fabric i can tell that.

I wish an angel would fart loudly on a person's head any time he/she says, "i'm the kind of person who... "

>>Oh and Zafar, a piece of advice from a humble blogger. While this is a great story (below), I think you want to avoid talking about the “loss of >> your childhood innocence” at the hands of Islamic fundamentalists - somebody might get the wrong idea.

No need for Rushdie Jr to worry any more on this account - apparently a mere $70 can buy one a counter-fatwa in India. http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1537516,00.html

He's got to be one of the ugliest people I've ever seen in my life

i think he looks like jack nicholson. the ladies love jack too. plus he's got that fatwa thing. the babes love the fatwa...nothings says sexy like "people want to kill me."

Tirupathi Gardens:

Honestly ANI we get it: your husband is smart and successful and you love him long time. Now can you say anything else??!?!?!?

bitter are we? yes i lead a charmed life. and i believe the issue i was getting it at was specifically whether writers are hot or not. i have always been attracted to writers -- hot in my book (successful or not). and it does so happen that the reason i was attracted to hubby were origianlly purely his writing (before I even laid eyes on him).

typo: were origianlly purely his writing

should be: *was originally purely for*

I wish an angel would fart loudly on a person's head any time he/she says, "i'm the kind of person who... "

You routinely make my day when you come up with that stuff. I just snorted coffee out my nose.

He's got to be one of the ugliest people I've ever seen in my life.

Oh c'mon, he's rocking the professor look.

If you were a popular yoga teacher, I could only imagine the amount of quality booty you would get.

He does, and he brags about it.

I know the family that pimps together stays together, but can’t the Rushdies save the meddling in their Zafar’s sex life until he’s ready to get married, like decent people?

Siddhartha - what's your source?

MD is so right:

Think kind, but flaky. So, no writers! No painters! No sculptors! No dancers! I realise I am being overly judgemental; but, then, I am overly judgemental.

Think kind, but flaky. So, no writers! No painters! No sculptors! No dancers! I realise I am being overly judgemental; but, then, I am overly judgemental.

Really? No musicians either?
I have a soft spot for artsy types. Kindness goes a long way ...

Re Ennis' comment in #58: 'writers - hot or not?'

I think we should have a sliding scale for this one. Like pop science hot (malcolm gladwell?) or indie fiction hot (would Paul Auster count?). Debut fiction hot would be a really tough one since Zadie Smith would be on it fer sure. At 10.

Rushdie would have to be judged on the Grand Poobah Hot scale. Somewhere near Harold Pinter, but definitely above Jean-Paul Sartre.

Of course, one more Shalimar the Clown and he might not qualify for the GPH scale...

i wouild like to add, for no reason other than to be annoying, that dinesh d'souza is well known for dating hot women. i can personally attest to the fact that his wife dixie is really hot. he was engaged to Laura Ingraham and dated ann coutler. and he did it all without a fatwa.

Male writers are so exquisite because they are expressing feelings, sentiments, observations. It's something males aren't typically known to do. And women like me swoon wildly over them because, if they are able to write and do it (and doing it and doing it) well, I will feel things that are way beyond libido tremors. It's almost out-of-body, how I can be touched by the mere intelligent words of a prolific male...which is why the blogging epidemic is ridiculously up my alley. Hmmm, blogging men. Yum-o.

he was engaged to Laura Ingraham and dated ann coutler.

Yikes -- I wouldn't wish that on anyone, not even Dinesh D'Souza.

Yikes -- I wouldn't wish that on anyone, not even Dinesh D'Souza.

yeah, coutler not my cup of tea either, but she's gotta be a demon in bed.

Male writers are so exquisite because they are expressing feelings, sentiments, observations. It's something males aren't typically known to do. And women like me swoon wildly over them because, if they are able to write and do it (and doing it and doing it) well, I will feel things that are way beyond libido tremors. It's almost out-of-body, how I can be touched by the mere intelligent words of a prolific male...which is why the blogging epidemic is ridiculously up my alley. Hmmm, blogging men. Yum-o.

SM bloggers minus Anna: that's your cue :)

yeah, coutler not my cup of tea either, but she's gotta be a demon in bed.

In that case you'll love this. (Warning: not for those of delicate sensibilities)

"Will I see you again?’ I asked tentatively. ‘Sure,’ she said, pointing to the TV. ‘On that.’

Some moments passed. I tried to dispel the awkward silence.
‘Well, nice meeting you,’ I offered.
‘You’ve really got a gift for tedious small talk,’ she shot back.

I was a little hurt and, recognizing this, she softened just a shade as she reached for her purse
to leave.
‘Hey.’
‘Yes?’ I asked.
‘Thanks for not staring at my adam’s apple.’
‘No problem.’

Ladies, alot of the greatest writers (like lots of the greatest artists) were/are insolent and self absorbed womanising bastards too. Some women seem to dig that as well, you know the sensitive misunderstood suffering creator, and they want to tame that bad boy. Seems quite common.

It's almost out-of-body, how I can be touched by the mere intelligent words of a prolific male...which is why the blogging epidemic is ridiculously up my alley.

errr.. trying to control a Beavis & Butthead comment here...

Seriously though Roonie, don't you feel like the silent-man thing is a bit of a stereotype? Most men I know gossip and overshare quite a bit, and use the "can't express my emotions" bit as a handy cop-out when they don't want to explain themselves or are busted for something. Wish I could! A thoughtful, articulate person is always interesting, but why be gender specific?

A thoughtful, articulate person is always interesting, but why be gender specific?

Cicatrix, don't be a buzz kill. :)

(Mr K hurries off to write a novel...)

Kobayashi is a girly man!

Kobayashi is a girly man!

Ah, the lengths one goes to further the species.

SM bloggers minus Anna: that's your cue :)

Puuleeez. You want us to actually express our feelings? Thoughts and observations? This isn't Oprah it's a mutiny! No, I prefer blogging about Bobby Jindal, Illegal Wiretapping, and other subjects that paint me as well meaning but emotionally unavailable. Writing from the heart is for sissies ;)

Writing from the heart is for sissies ;)

I couldn't agree more, astronaut-boy ;)

By the way, Mr. K... let me proffer some advice and save you much time: You need to talk about the novel you're writing, not actually write it.

Try something like, "well, it's quite embarrasing to talk about, you know... But if I HAD to describe it, I guess it's like Red Earth and Pouring Rain..the angst of a young man in America, intertwined with the ancient tales, the wisdom of our ancestors..but less GenX, of course, and the broader themes of war and suffering...the universality of it all.."

How will you meet chicks when you're holed up in a room getting ink-stained or carpel-tunneled? No, my friend. No. You go out. you dine, you wine, you mix, you mingle, you move, you shake...and they'll swoon ;)

You need to talk about the novel you're writing, not actually write it.

And with that, Cic pawns my day to day life.

aww Vij. You don't have to talk about it.

One look at you, and a girl will know all she needs to know about your brawny, muscular epic ;)

"Oh yeah? Would I have have heard of any of your stuff?"

"I don't know. Are you into books?"

"Sort of, you know. Mention the headings or titles or whatever their called."

"The Interpreter of Small Things."

"Oh my God: you wrote that? That's like my favoritest book for evah and evah! It was, I don't know, touching and exotic. I could have sworn a woman wrote it. It was so, I don't know, real."

"A Suitable Balance?"

"Get out! Really? That's the large one that won all those prizes, right? Wow, I'm so impressed right now."

"Oh, it's nothing, really. Just years and years of industry, genius and isolation. By the way, are you aware of a website called Sepia...GOOD GOD, PUT THOSE AWAY, PEOPLE ARE WATCHING...where was I? Oh yes Sepia Mutiny. Oh, I see you're familiar with it. Well I'm...WOMAN, PUT YOUR CLOTHES BACK ON...for decency's sake...as I was saying, I'm friends with a friend of one of the bloggers."

brownelf,
Excuse my obnoxious and possibly unnecessary grammar lesson,

Corrections are very well appreciated and are not at all obnoxious. I hope you don't fear others' misguided resent. Those others who easily take umbrage are often the ones most annoying.

hairy_D,
Lakshmi's dress is fugly. It looks like a sack of aloos - vaddey vaddey Solanum tuberosum.

If you think that dress is ugly, you should see what's in her uterus -- it looks like a chicken! No, seriously, fetuses are ugly.

All,
I'm surprised that through all this talk of incest none of you has brought out the bogey of Woody Allen and his ex-gf's/ex-wife's adopted Chinese beauty.
Adoption license: $15,000
Attorney fees: $175,000
Shunning the media: $2,500,000
Incest with a sex-kitten: Priceless

I couldn't agree more, astronaut-boy ;)

brown people don't do incest. for the record. itz a white thang....

Rushdie's son doesn't look desi at all. His mother is white and he looks it. Rushdie himself is practically white by indian standards. He is of muslim kashmiri origin after all.

I'm surprised that through all this talk of incest none of you has brought out the bogey of Woody Allen and his ex-gf's/ex-wife's adopted Chinese beauty.

Actually she is Korean.

My understanding is that Salman and Padma are on the rocks.

After watching Padma Lakshmi's embarassing performance as a judge on Top Chef the thought crossed my mind that Rushdie would be dumping her soon.

yeah, coutler not my cup of tea either, but she's gotta be a demon in bed.

...because starfish are now classified as demons?

I'm surprised that through all this talk of incest none of you has brought out the bogey of Woody Allen

aHEM sic semper! see no. 62, if you will ;)

I wish an angel would fart loudly on a person's head any time he/she says, "i'm the kind of person who... "

well said, hairy d. i'm going to have to pillage that thought and make it my own. because, i'm the kind of person who does such things...

(kobayashi and cicatrix, together again on one thread?! that made my day.)

yeah, coutler not my cup of tea either, but she's gotta be a demon in bed.

Because she thinks that evolution is just a liberal conspiracy?

brown people don't do incest. for the record. itz a white thang....

Damn right! For the record, there aren't any gay people in India either... thats a white thang too.

Because she thinks that evolution is just a liberal conspiracy?

look ennis, every chick's a possesed preacher during orgasm. you want 'em screaming "OH GOD, HOLY JESUS!!" not "oh darwin, nice fossil record."

No one followed the link I posted in comment#82 I see. So sad :(

Can I entice you by revealing the URL?

http://ifuckedanncoulterintheasshard.blogspot.com/

No one followed the link I posted in comment#82 I see. So sad :(

No cica, we're just stunned into silence. And we thought you were a good Indian South Asian girl.

I certainly followed it, like a lamb to the slaughter. Now I need therapy.

(Kavita, bigups.)

oh damn, that's funny

err..it was a little unnecessary. my apologies. I just couldn't resist.

thanks Kavita

“He’s absurdly charming - lethally, disgustingly charming. He has it like a weapon…”

I hope the kid remembers that daddy specializes in fiction.

There are no hot women in the world, who know who the hell Rushdie is. He is not that famous.

but there are no groupies for authors

I know who Rushdie is ;)

Seriously, though, are you implying that hot women are dumb and uneducated?

And there are too groupies for authors. It's very easy to fall in love with someone's writing. But they have to be a very, very good author.
Conversely, publishing houses do seem to feel compelled to place attractive (and if they are desi, exotic and native-dress-wearing) photographs of female authors on their book back covers. Are men more likely to read a book if the female author is hot?

Are men more likely to read a book if the female author is hot?

The short answer? Yes.

Not just men, either. Everyone. I heard some pseudo science-y thing recently that calls it the "halo effect." Beautiful people are perceived as just being better.

Now excuse me while I go stick my head in the oven.

Sorry!

Are men more likely to read a book if the female author is hot?

The short answer? Yes.

Not just men, either. Everyone. I heard some pseudo science-y thing recently that calls it the "halo effect." Beautiful people are perceived as just being better.

Now excuse me while I go stick my head in the oven.

The short answer? Yes.

Not just men, either. Everyone. I heard some pseudo science-y thing recently that calls it the "halo effect." Beautiful people are perceived as just being better.

Cicatrix, I trust you are correct since you know this stuff but to me it is a turn-off to know what an author looks like period (guy/girl, hot/not) . Just like their characters I prefer they remain malleable to my imagination. It's kind of like when I read DaVinci Code and I didn't enjoy it as much because I kept picturing Tom Hanks (who I don't like as an actor) as the main character. Similarly, I am much less inclined to read a book if I know what the author looks like because I will probably identify with them less. Weird.

hey Abhi, I don't think it's weird. It's why I dont like seeing movie version of books I like. It limits the experience (and/or the memory) of reading the book. I think it's just easier to market the book for some reason if the author is hot. More memorable, perhaps?

coach diesel

I just snorted coffee out my nose.

kavita

because, i'm the kind of person who does such things...

sic temper

If you think that dress is ugly, you should see what's in her uterus -- it looks like a chicken! No, seriously, fetuses are ugly.

metric

I just expected a good writer to be more in tune with himself, and to be able to differentiate between infatuation and love, need and want, etc, etc.

Seriously though Roonie, don't you feel like the silent-man thing is a bit of a stereotype? Most men I know gossip and overshare quite a bit, and use the "can't express my emotions" bit as a handy cop-out when they don't want to explain themselves or are busted for something. Wish I could! A thoughtful, articulate person is always interesting, but why be gender specific?

There's nothing quite as expressive as writing, no matter how social or gossipy someone is. It's not a cop-out; sometimes, spoken words just don't do the written word justice.

I was being gender-specific because we were talking about writer males in particular, weren't we?

Are men more likely to read a book if the female author is hot?

Up to a point. Too hot and you go in with prejudice on quality. Studies say the same is true at work.

This is Cic's conundrum.

You may want to take a look at the following two NYT essays on the subject of "looks" and "sex" in the business of literary logrolling:

She'd Be Great on TV
You Can't Get a Man With a Pen

At a high level these say that a female writer better be more photogeneic than a male writer to sell her stuff, and that (sucessful/ famous) male writers do get groupies with the caveat that writing and peddling books is an arduous strategy for a man to adopt to touch "base".

By the way, Mr. K... let me proffer some advice and save you much time: You need to talk about the novel you're writing, not actually write it.

How will you meet chicks when you're holed up in a room getting ink-stained or carpel-tunneled? No, my friend. No. You go out. you dine, you wine, you mix, you mingle, you move, you shake...and they'll swoon ;)

This is precisely the vomit-inducing scenario that prevents me from using my art degree. And...that's why I coach kid sports instead.Blabbing about the irrelevance of the object or Shirin Neshat's use of Morrocan scenery started making me tremble with uselessness. The conversations sounded like the one hairy_D was describing earlier at the cafe. Blechh!

Are men more likely to read a book if the female author is hot?

OK. I'm going to throw a bomb into this discussion. Apart from Zadie Smith, which female author is hot? I can't think of a single one. And don't say Jhumpa Lahiri -- I like her writing but she's a little too prim and precisely fragrant to be hot.

No, I don't think there are any hot female authors out there.

I mean, that I know of. Feel free to point to the hotness.

If I want to meet girls, I just stand near him...

Then there is Rushdie, pere, engaging in mutual admiration...

Kobayashi:

Is he thinking up a cunning stunt?

ok snapper. i'll bite.

i dont know if you've ever been on an internet dating forum. i have. and the number of 'hits' one gets when one puts up a picture is way more than when you go without a face. this isnt exactly parallel to reading but the intent is the same. a person - at least i - is looking for a good time when reading a book. it is far more likely that if the author is physically attractive, that (s)he will have experiences with more excitement - thus enhancing our respective lives.

as a sidebar - i know of at one english guy who is extremely derisive of indians and is borderline racist - i associate with him because i have to do so professionally - even he seemed somewhat smitten by lahiri's pic and plonked down a few for the namesake.

and at a stretch, one can argue that anna's extreme photogenecity has something to do with her readership. to stretch my point further, if you go back into the archives, you'll see the level of attachment the reader has to her life in the numerous 'marriage' offers pinged her way off and on, in response to particularly poignant outpourings. this is not to detract from her writing. i think she writes very well - but the point i want to make is that a good writer makes the reader lose him/herself in a fantasy world - the more that one can place into the writerscape, the greater the pleasure one derives from the reading - ergo, an attractive writer is more likely to sell more - btu we all know quality does not need endorsement to stand the test of time. indeed, we should stand equally indifferent to barbs and plaudits and plod on at our own beat.

Yeah hairy_d I see what you're saying. But I can't think that I enjoyed 'Inheritance of Loss' any less because I don't fancy Kiran Desai. Some of the women here are saying that a male author is somehow inherently sexy.

Have writers always attracted this kind of attention and erotic curiousity? Or is it a recent thing? Since the Booker Prize glamour took over? I think some women are just attracted to creative men who are successful. I was watching an interview with Courtney Love and she said that she only ever wants to fall in love with 'geniuses' because their talent is what attracts her.

Whenever all this kind of thing is discussed I can't help thinking of poor Franz Kafka, lonely, tortured and alone, romantically frozen, erotic failure, but literary genius in his Prague room. Poor guy hardly ever got laid.

----

Now, can anyone point me to some female writers who they think are hot in that superficial, shallow and non literary way?

I don't fancy Kiran Desai.

I have never seen a picture of Kiran Desai but I don't think I would favor her either. I heard her on NPR a couple weeks back and she was annoying the hell out of me... Kept breaking out into fits of pretentious giggles.