Bloggasm

Laurence Simon is a blogger who lives and works in Houston, Texas. Aside from running his sarcastically funny This Blog is Full of Crap, he also has several catcams, and hosts a daily podcast where he reads extremely short flash fiction.

He’s one of the many bloggers who have joined Pajamas Media, which is quickly becoming one of the largest blog networks on the web.

Simon Owens: As a long-time blog reader, I’ve noticed the uprise of the phenomenon known as cat-blogging. Since its popularity, several bloggers have tried to start a dog-blogging fad, but it hasn’t had as much success. As someone who engages in cat-blogging, why are pictures of cats so much more appealing than those of dogs and other animals?

Laurence Simon: I have no fucking clue. I just know that I love our cats, I take lots of photos, run the catcams so I don’t miss them while I’m at work, and enjoy seeing people obsess on their cats.

I’m sure there’s people out there who love their dogs as much. Maybe the fact that they have to waste time dealing with walking their dogs (ie taking them out for a piss and crap) while we can let ours hit the litterbox gives us extra time to blog about them.

My dream is to completely separate my various blogging efforts into well-focused topics. But thanks to Vytorin, I don’t sleep much. So dreams elude me.

Simon Owens: How has your experience been since you’ve joined Pajamas Media? Do you think it’s as powerful as other major networks, like Gawker Media for instance?

Laurence Simon: It’s gone through several phases…

Pajamas Media stumbled from the starting gate. I firmly agree with Steve H. of Hog On Ice’s assessment at the start.

Since then, they’ve been wiring things down a bit… going to a blog format on the site, integrating sites in the network better… they just need to work on the collaboration and communications better.

I built a forum for the bloggers and staff early on to help foster communications. Nearly all of the staff and editors blew it off. That annoyed me, so I deleted it.

Later on, there was some talk about a new forum… all sound and fury signifying nothing. Go figure.

But as long as they spell my name on the checks right, I’ll just keep on keeping on.

As for Denton’s network, Gawker Media just shitcanned a few of their cool blogs. I loved Screenhead, man. And Wonkette sucks rocks.

Simon Owens: The title of your blog gives it an aura of humorous self-depreciation, which is something I like about it. Do most political bloggers take themselves a little too seriously?

Laurence Simon: Everybody’s full of crap. I’m the only one with the balls to admit it AND waste the ten bucks for the domain name. (subdomains rule!)

I think a lot of non-experts are wailing about a lot of things they know nothing about. Okay, so I’m no expert in anything, but at least I’m honest about it. And I try to have a laugh with it while managing “a broken clock is right two times a day” accuracy.

Simon Owens: As someone who engages in both blogging and podcasting, which form of media do you prefer over the other? Do you get a lot of listener feedback on your podcasts?

Laurence Simon: Actually, the catcamming is my favorite. I think it brings the most unencumbered joy to people.

I don’t get much feedback on the podcasting, but I really enjoy reading out the stories, going nuts on the Shire Network News shows, and I REALLY miss collaborating with the IMAO guys for the comedy stuff. It’s too bad I don’t have the voice for it.

I feel like I could be funnier with the blogging. Perhaps if I cut down the volume and increased the thought I put into it… nah.

The joy of managing the dead pool has almost completely drained out after 4 years. I’d like to give up running it and maybe play in one for a change.

Simon Owens: Since you often blog about Houston events, do a lot of your readers live in Houston?

Laurence Simon: I’ve never done an actual survey, but from glances at traffic I’ve found that most of my traffic is outside of Houston.

Folks like Chuck Kuffner of offthekuff.com and BlogHouston and Lone Star Times are more local than I am.

I guess my material has a wider appeal, if you could call it that. I think it’s more of a shotgun effect, blasting in all directions and hitting things at random.

Simon Owens: What are the five blogs you’d recommend to supplement the reading of your own?

Laurence Simon: I do a project called Ten And Only Ten that forces me to pick ten blogs I’d read if I could only read ten. But five? Egad.

I’ll assume that “supplement” means that they’d be blogs that cover subjects similar to what I cover but in more depth, better, from different angles, and with less potty-mouth…

Conservative comedy
Jewstuff
Houston
Anti-idiotarianism:
Cats

I know that there will be some people saddened by not appearing on that list, but the first three are important because I contribute to them. No, it’s not meant to get people to read more of my work elsewhere, but to see the excellent bloggers I find myself collaborating with or writing in parallel with. FrankJ (and the rest), Meryl, and Anne/Kevin have very high standards for themselves, and I’m humbled by their allowing my vastly inferior content to appear alongside their sparks of genius.

As for LGF, well, Charles is the Lizardoid Master. Where else would I send my Zionist Conspiracy Checks to?

Mind Of Mog? It’s gotta be the cats. We’ve watched Ritzi’s kittens from before they were born to their housewrecking selves now.

(Related posts: Interview with Michael Williams, Interview with Ernie the Attourney, Rush Limbaugh caught with bottle of viagra)