Books - L
LINT - Steve Aylett (223 pages)When is a biography not a biography? When it's titled Lint and written by Steve Aylett. Confused? Try reading the book!!
Essentially, this is presented as a bonafide biography of a fella named Jeff Lint - a pulp SF writer dating back to the mid-60s. There is a brief opening chapter that acts as a synopsis on Lint's life followed by the core of the book that is an in-depth study of the man and his work. There are also graphics of his books, comics and zines devoted to the guy as well as an in-depth bibliography, a list of quotes and a comprehensive index.
In fact, this is a fictional biography. Whether Lint actually existed in real-time, or whether he is some kinda alter-ego of Aylett, I know not. What I do know is that I found this book pretty damn boring.
Y'see, Aylett's method of writing is witty and educated, but also rather alienating. All too often I found Aylett's text getting soooo self-absorbed in the myth of Lint AND the ego of Aylett himself that I just couldn't grasp what he was banging on about. It's a text that is anal in the extreme. In many ways, there are parallels with the free-flowing texts of Burroughs and Kerouac - but Aylett cannot match their vision and is way out of their class.
I shall concur, many lines had me laughing at the genuine originality of what was on the page, but many more pages (chapters!) just left me itching to read something interesting, less self-indulgent and more rewarding.
I admire Aylett for what he has attempted to do and the scam he is trying to pull off - it feels as genuine as 'Spinal Tap' can seem to the uneducated. The main fault though is in Aylett's obsession with making Lint just TOO odd for reality. It seems every time Lint handed in a piece of work to an Editor he dressed up as a woman - yet hated it. There is also a piece about him donning a huge eyeball as a head. Maybe Aylett thought that an original idea; more likely he stole if from THE RESIDENTS.
As a piece of fiction, it's original and occasionally rewarding; as a work of irony… it doesn't hit the mark at all; real 'pulp' fiction.