"I was left craving his next insight." 99 Problems gets Third Face'd. And likes it. A lot.

So jacked to see 99 Problems receive such a kind write-up at Third Face, if not for any other reason, because of the fine authors and books also being reviewed in the same post. Humbling. Awesome. And much appreciated.

"I love how Tanzer was able to weave domestic relations, his sincere feelings about being a writer, and the zany affairs of his office mates, alongside valuable lessons in breathing, foot work, and pacing. Tanzer is careful how much information he gives out and when, sometimes I wanted to know more, to go a little deeper, but that day's run was over, and I was left craving his next insight."

Third Face Barry Graham interview magic.

Big thanks to the Barry Graham and Third Face for their interview with TBWCYL, Inc. spokesperson Ben Tanzer. They got to talk This Zine Will Change Your Life, cosmetics, Punk Planet, The Cars and Jim Carroll, so all in all it was quite magical really, and sure to change your life, at least for a moment or two.

BG: So many quality indie presses and literary journals, what is the THIS ( ) WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE dynasty bringing to the table? what words of wisdom can it offer to the literary conversation?

BT: This is such a good question, because there is a level of overlap and even groupthink in the lit zine/press world, which isn’t even a bad thing, but from a market perspective, you have to ask what’s different about what you do and why should I care. I think with This Zine Will Change Your Life we try to do one thing in particular, which is to try and explore how literature, art, street art in particular, and music can both enhance and build off of one another, that the experience of reading need not be limited to one sense, that it’s possible to mash things together and try to create a different experience, not better than others necessarily, just a version of something you sort of do all the time, but in this case driven by what we think works, or maybe what we like and so hope you will as well. Soon enough we will be expanding our offerings beyond the zine, the book reviews, and podcasts, to food, drink, denim and cosmetic lines and after that we will be able to truly envelope you in all things TBWCYL, Inc., sort of Martha Stewart, the literary version, which was always the goal to begin with.

99 Problems is down with Ryan W. Bradley and the Big Other. We are also much appreciative for some Bradley love at the Third Face.

Big thanks to the Ryan W. Bradley for talking 99 Problems with TBWCYL, Inc. spokesperson Ben Tanzer at the Big Other. Enjoy some excerpt below.
 
RWB: My favorite piece in the collection is, perhaps, “After Dark.” About which I have two questions. Looking back on this essay how do you feel about the larger questions you raised about your writing career? I feel it’s rare for writers, especially of the “indie” variety to talk candidly about the struggle and desire for success as a writer, the thoughts of writing for success versus writing for the art or the catharsis.

BT: I love this piece as well, which doesn’t sound right does it? Anyway, I definitely think differently at night, bigger, more grandiose, and while I’m not sure how anyone achieves success, some of it is lightning in a bottle for sure, I know I want it, even if I’m not sure how I would define. I know it’s not about money necessarily, though I do want more of that, or selling lots of books, which would be great, nor even about fame, which would have mattered more to me in the past. Success for me is about something else, it’s about opportunity, doing more, more cool stuff, and having more people who want me to do things for them or with them. It’s so fucking cliché, but I really would write no matter what, there’s no choice for me anymore, but digging that feeling of catharsis doesn’t have to have anything to do with wanting have more opportunities to do really cool things with cool people when and how I want to do them. What I would add here, is that this is something that scares me because it would potentially involve living a life I have no experience with that maybe I really want even more than I think, and that’s hard to fathom, and that’s unknown and to embrace it is to potentially not only embrace change, but disappointment.

We also want to thank Ryan for his very kind shout-out in the interview he recently did with TBWCYL, Inc. favorite Barry Graham at Third Face.

BG: when the world ends in 2012, as the mayans predicted, and the next species takes over the earth and digs up America 1,000 years from now, what literary journals/indie press publications will they be restoring, reviving, and immortalizing, and why?

 
RB: Most certainly McSweeney's, which even at its most pretentious are always an artifact to behold. Fence, Caketrain and Annalemma will be there. I think the breadth of Ken Sparling's work will have an exhibit in a museum of Earth literature. I think more than a single press it could be about individual canons of small press writers, like Sparling. Ben Tanzer is quickly building an empire of words as well. There are so many, really I could add more to this on a daily basis depending on what I'm reading at the moment.

Third Face.

There is new literary happening at the Third Face and there are many TBWCYL, Inc. favorites contributing, including, but not limited to Barry Graham, Peter Schwartz, Mary Hamilton and the Jacob Knabb, three of whom we are proud to say that we have podcasted with and the other of whom we are proud to have interviewed, here, here, here and here respectively. Enjoy. All of it. And Godspeed.