Oh, the Glory of it All

Last week, I read Sean Wilsey’s memoir, “Oh, The Glory of it All.” He—the great managing editor of the wonderful Mcsweeney’s Quarterly-was once a troubled goof off, who spent his life absorbed in all things related to Thrasher. For those of you who don’t know Thrasher is central to Skateboarding Culture.

It was a good read, but I wasn’t ready to give it the praise some had or put it on the top of my favorites.

Today ,I was in a coffee shop and I saw a kid maybe ten, wearing a shirt that said, “Addicted to Skateboarding.” I immediately thought, another Sean Wilsey. I mean it was almost intuitive: There goes another Sean Wilsey. Before I registered this kid’s wild hair (far worse than mine of a few years ago), I thought, maybe I should befriend him before he becomes an important force in literature.

Befriending a ten year old, because I saw his enormous potential? I suppose Wilsey’s book changed how I See more than I would have imagined on closing the book.

And than the kid’s mother came over, called me a Perv and told me to stop staring at her ten year old boy.