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In an attempt to gain publicity for his new book The Fighter, Canadian author Craig Davidson fought American man-o-letters Jonathan Ames in a boxing match at Gleason's Gym in Brooklyn's DUMBO neighborhood last Wednesday. Though Davidson was the younger and seemingly the fitter of the two writers, Ames had literary weight on his side, having written seven books to Davidson's measly one. Also, he is dating Fiona Apple (?!)

Sitting in the front row was none other than 90's chanteuse Fiona Apple, looking anxious. Why was she here, we wondered to her face. "Because Jonathan is my boyfriend."


(from Gawker)

I'm going to skip over the obvious joke about how he's her shadowboxer to comment briefly on how this picture is kind of gross. Him all sweaty, veiny and semi-old. Her all pouty and not looking terribly different from the sexy nineteen year old version of her that lounged about in shiny underwear on MTV for the better part of 1997. Maybe they have some sort of "spiritual" connection that "transcends the physical" and comes from both being deep and creative or something. Whatever, he's fugly. Go date a Stroke or something.

The fight was remarkably evenly matched, but in the end, most reports give it to Ames. It certainly didn't hurt that he had the advantage of several potent sexual signifiers. Besides the aforementioned hot-talented one-two sucker punch of a girlfriend, he had his curious friend the Mangina, whose apparent joy at prancing about wearing a lady-suit complete with fake cooch contributed to his morale and testosterone levels. After all, what modern author's harem is complete without an old, grinning girly-boy thrown into the mix? I'm guessing Mangina is also a writer or maybe a lesser known female musician of the nineties...I'm too lazy to look it up.
Another aspect of his manhood that likely helped Ames win is the fact that he's a red blooded American (fuck yeah!) while Davidson is a mincing little guy from Canadaland. Everyone knows that Americans write better and more books, date hotter and famouser chicks, and generally kick more ass (literally and figuratively) than our gentle neighbors to the north.
I'm a little perplexed why Davidson keeps doing this. It's not the first time he's had his ass kicked by a guy who spends most of the day thinking deeply about metaphors for the human condition between trips to holistic retreats or Nobu or wherever famous writers who date Fiona Apple like to go.

I guess some people will go to Jackass-style lengths to get noticed in the literary world. But if nothing else, this series of fights (something tells me he's a glutton for punishment and there will be more) resurrects the good old tradition of writers as big, scary, womanizing, drunken chunks of pure masculinity. You heard me: mascufuckinglinity. Not those namby-pamby masculinities you study in your fancy liberal arts gender theory classes, neither. I pray each and every day that I will miraculously grow a pair so that I, too, can be among the rough and tumble literary elite of the nation and beat up Bret Easton Ellis or some other evil literary wunderkind, Also, I'd make Josh Hartnett be my girlfriend. Concentrate with me now! Let's harness the power of the universe and make this happen. Ladyballs. On me. So I can be a writer.

And in case anyone is wondering where all the "regular" celebrity news went...Lindsay Lohan has taken more hostages, Jessica Simpson is a classy broad whose creepy dad is living vicariously through her, and Paul Rudd is a big fucking dork who I kind of want to bang.

 

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SirPsychoSexy

SirPsychoSexy

Ridgewood, NJ
January 2004

JUL 29, 2007 05:12 PM

Eww that picture looks like his skin is melting.

I didn't bother to read the rest of the article, sorry.

dholokov

dholokov

Toronto, ON
April 2003

JUL 29, 2007 05:23 PM

I also did not finish the article (sorry) but would like to point out that Canada is now aware of what SG is saying about its authors and is sending Margaret Atwood to kick the crap out of all three hundred million of you. At once.

WADO

WADO

Brooklyn, NY
March 2006

JUL 29, 2007 05:52 PM

Yeah, fights between literary figures, even exhibitions, are one of the single greatest events in all of history. I am still holding out hope for a Groth/Ellison throw-down.

Hopefully I'll manage to get one of me own tomes published before I die which I can then parlay into a rousing feud. I also hope my feudmate's nickname is "Corker".

Tiger_Fodder

Tiger_Fodder

Marshfield, MA
June 2007

JUL 29, 2007 06:17 PM

I remember the old days when Bill Shakespeare got his ass kicked by Sir Walter Raleigh. Raleigh had the Queen by his side. I guess Apple would do!

shapeshifter23

shapeshifter23

San Francisco, CA
September 2005

JUL 29, 2007 06:49 PM

Arthur Cravan could've taken on any one of our Pomo pantywaists and knocked their dick in the dirt (if you'll pardon my grammar)...

WADO

WADO

Brooklyn, NY
March 2006

JUL 29, 2007 07:14 PM

shapeshifter23 said:
Arthur Cravan could've taken on any one of our Pomo pantywaists and knocked their dick in the dirt (if you'll pardon my grammar)...



I remember hearing about this guy long time ago, when we were assigned all of these bad-ass Mexican novels once and someone mentioned the Cravan while we were talking about Traven. The really weird part is just yesterday I finished reading Paul Auster's The Book of Illusions, which has some echoes of this, though not really on topic.

TheFuckOffKid

TheFuckOffKid

NEWSWIRE

Australia

JUL 29, 2007 07:24 PM

For those who didn't read the full article, you missed this.

Hunter said:
You heard me: mascufuckinglinity. Not those namby-pamby masculinities you study in your fancy liberal arts gender theory classes, neither. I pray each and every day that I will miraculously grow a pair so that I, too, can be among the rough and tumble literary elite of the nation and beat up Bret Easton Ellis or some other evil literary wunderkind, Also, I'd make Josh Hartnett be my girlfriend. Concentrate with me now! Let's harness the power of the universe and make this happen. Ladyballs. On me. So I can be a writer.



Needless to say, I Loved It! love

Calamity

Calamity

SUICIDEGIRL

New York, USA

JUL 29, 2007 08:24 PM

Hahahhahahahahaha.

Seriously, I'm glad it took you 3 hours of deliberation to write this before coming over to help me battle the bugs of doom.... well worth the wait.

Your writing is brilliant. biggrin kiss

Virtute

Virtute

Brooklyn, NY
July 2007

JUL 29, 2007 08:31 PM

I saw that on Gawker. My favorite part was the gym staying open during the event, and Mangina and the rest of the spectacle happening while the local fighters were just kind of standing around.

LostLucy

LostLucy

USA
December 2006

JUL 29, 2007 08:35 PM

I'm meditating on the writer thing for you and yeah.. Paul Rudd? The cutest geek love

Dr_U

Dr_U

Cincinnati, OH
November 2004

JUL 29, 2007 08:55 PM

What's so weird about an attractive girl rocking an ugly guy as her man candy? That happens in real life all the time. Great article.

kung_fu_tattoo

kung_fu_tattoo

Pasadena, TX
November 2005

JUL 29, 2007 10:32 PM

Back in the day, Ernest Hemmingway challenged Jack Dempsey(heavyweight champion of the 20's) to a scrap; something Dempsey generally took on for fun and publicity. he turned down Hemmingway(something Hemmingway took personally) because he could tell ol' Ernnie was crazy and he would've had to really hurt him to keep him down. Not the publicity he was going for.

Greybeard

Greybeard

Los Angeles, CA
December 2006

JUL 29, 2007 11:09 PM

And again, let us not forget the time Gore Vidal beat the shit out of Norman Mailer.

RandomNerd

RandomNerd

Albany, NY
January 2005

JUL 30, 2007 12:08 AM

Poor Bukowski, he had such small hands, he could never throw a good punch, but lord, how he took them.

Rafi

Rafi

Santa Monica, CA
January 2003

JUL 30, 2007 12:27 AM

I'd love to see Zadie Smith kickbox Ian McEwan.

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