I like to listen to Chuck Palahniuk's audio blog because I like his books and I like the way the blogs sound. The way he begins them all with "Hey this is Chuck" and closes with "Talk to you later" it provides the illusion that he's leaving you an answering machine message. I guess from his end of the transaction that's exactly what he does.

On the most recent one at this writing is an unusually long entry, apparently precipitated by a reporter printing something he asked to be off the record, namely that he has been involved with and living with the same man for eleven years. This entry is touching, and is kind of awkward in that way I imagine all "coming out of the closet" speeches are. He mentions in it being blackmailed by journalists not to print this aspect of his life. I'm not really sure what negative impact it could have, unless he is worried that the macho poseurs in his audience will find this macho fiction untenable if written by a gay man. He sounds like a really good guy, one that cares about his audience and feels bad when he doesn't get to talk to and shake hands with everyone at a signing, one who personally answers every piece of mail and generally tries to reward the people who care enough to read his work. I'm sure that wasn't easy and wasn't the way he wanted it to be, I'm sure he doesn't want to have to have all his work framed as "gay fiction", but I hope his life is easier now that this is out in the open, god bless him.