Kerplunk

War, Beer and Rock & Roll

noreply@blogger.com (Matt G) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 23:45:00 +0000

In The Daily Beast, my review of Michael Hastings's new book The Operators.

A Christmas Hymn

noreply@blogger.com (Matt G) — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 19:10:00 +0000

A piece in The New York Times At War section, about the homefront. It's written by the strongest person I've ever known - my mother.

http://nyti.ms/u0RFoR

CNN Newsroom Interview

noreply@blogger.com (Matt G) — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 05:21:00 +0000

Video clip of my interview with CNN's Don Lemon, from 12/17/11, discussing the end of the Iraq War and Kaboom. It was a lot of fun! And he complimented my tie and suit.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=p0y50-CYQkY

War Games

noreply@blogger.com (Matt G) — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 17:54:00 +0000

My latest, at The Rumpus - an essay about the intersection of modern sports and war entitled "War Games."

http://therumpus.net/2011/12/war-games/

This Creed of the Desert

noreply@blogger.com (Matt G) — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 21:58:00 +0000

Wrote a piece for the Daily News about the Iraq War coming to an end. Should run in print in Sunday's (10/22) paper. (Original title: "This Creed of the Desert.")

http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2011/10/22/2011-10-22_troops_to_withdrawal_from_iraq_but_it_doesnt_quell_the_sting_from_battle_that_on.html

Kaboom in Small Wars Journal

noreply@blogger.com (Matt G) — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 19:16:00 +0000

Caleb Cage, of the fantastic literary journal The Nevada Review, just published an essay at Small Wars Journal entitled "Journalist-Soldiers: Blogs, Books, and Freedom on the Battlefield." It's a thorough, intriguing analysis of the new type of combat memoir that has emerged from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, and has a lot of very kind things to say about Kaboom. Check it out when you can.

Down and Out With the American Dream

noreply@blogger.com (Matt G) — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 12:51:00 +0000

A review of Colby Buzzell's Lost in America, posted at The Daily Beast.

9/11 Reflections

noreply@blogger.com (Matt G) — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 14:52:00 +0000

Tough day for a lot of people, and not just because of what occurred ten years ago. The decade that followed has been pretty brutal and straining, as well. But we endure.

I wrote a piece entitled "Three Wise Men" for Scholars & Rogues here.

And spoke with MTV News here.

Also, read this piece by my boss Paul Rieckhoff, here, at The Huffington Post. It's entitled "Moving Forward." My favorite lines from it are these:

"And whatever one thinks of those wars, no one has better represented the resolve of “Never Forget” than the service members that have fought in our name. They remember their fallen brothers and sisters in arms, and honor them by moving forward – something we as a nation are in the process of doing ourselves."

In Defense of "Once an Eagle"

noreply@blogger.com (Matt G) — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 14:52:00 +0000

My latest, up at TIME's Battleland.

Link

Boston Review - "Straight Shooter"

noreply@blogger.com (Matt G) — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 16:28:00 +0000

My latest, in Boston Review. An excerpt entitled "Straight Shooter."

Link

Battleland

noreply@blogger.com (Matt G) — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 16:08:00 +0000

Excited to share that I've joined the Battleland team at TIME as a contributor. My first piece, "Vets Aren't Victims," posted on Wednesday.

http://battleland.blogs.time.com/2011/08/10/vets-arent-victims/

Renaming the Campaigns

noreply@blogger.com (Matt G) — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 22:33:00 +0000

My latest, in the New York Times series At War.

(Original title: "To Hell with Newspeak.")

The War Yet to Come: A review of "Broken Bodies, Shattered Minds"

noreply@blogger.com (Matt G) — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 21:12:00 +0000

At Small Wars Journal.

Where's the Great Novel About the War on Terror?

noreply@blogger.com (Matt G) — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 14:45:00 +0000

My latest, in The Atlantic.

Link

Cheers!

"Black Watch" - a review

noreply@blogger.com (Matt G) — Sat, 07 May 2011 01:31:00 +0000

The question of authenticity is one that all war dramas must confront. Err too much in the name of entertainment, and war veterans of the military conflict in question will savage it to no end. (See: The Hurt Locker). Err too much on the side of the realistic though, and it may quickly lose any and all mass appeal. It's a delicate balance, one the Scottish play "Black Watch," written by Gregory Burke, tries very earnestly to find. It doesn't quite do so, as it's narrative arc is too clean and predictable, but that doesn't detract from the play's still very powerful presentation. Further, it's central message - that soldiers fight for the men next to them, rather than for glory or for country or for the politics - is something that will resonate with veterans of any generation.

The imagery and dialogue of "Black Watch" are peppered with modernity. From a visually stunning five minute scene where the narrator elucidates on the history of the infantry regiment - while switching in and out of the uniforms of every era - to a conversation that consists of the word "cunt" about 30 times in one minute, it's clear that Burke was paying close attention while interviewing actual Black Watch veterans in his research. The pride of military service is successfully conveyed, as is the ambiguity of the Iraq mission circa 2004. And the music, the bagpipes, especially, made the Scottish part of my soul glow while Saint Andrew's Cross danced on the walls. It was a wonderful experience, presented in a forum I'm not too familiar with, and it communicates a lot in a limited time. Judging by some of the students and civilians around me, it also served as an edifying tool for individuals not familiar with the military culture and/or not engaged with the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

City Girl had tears in her eyes by the end of the play, so I feel like an overanalytical clown for saying "but" ... BUT. There's differences amongst the characters, but not much depth to them. No Iraqi appears on stage. The play purports to be apolitical, but some not so subtle digs at American foreign policy are still there. (Something that I'm sure plays well to audiences in the UK, and not arguments I necessarily disagree with, but if a work says it's apolitical, it needs to be apolitical. But I digress.) And then there's the issue of the story arc. It's just too ... clean. (*Warning: Spoiler alert!*) Soldiers go to war, soldiers bond, soldiers get bored, soldiers bond some more, soldiers watch others fight, soldiers fight, affable soldier and stoic sergeant die. That's a familiar refrain for war dramas, because it fits the traditional narrative arc, complete with tension buildup, climax, and resolution. But the real thing tends to be a lot messier than that, and fitting it into such a standard story line does a disservice to the nuance and complexities faced by the real Black Watch and other units. To be fair, this is a concern that's long been stuck in my craw, and "Black Watch" is certainly not the only play/film/novel to do this.

By and large, the reception to "Black Watch" in both military and civilian circles has been almost universally positive. I really enjoyed it, but I found it to be a flawed piece of art that falls a bit short of its own aspirations. That said, its importance and relevance to bridging the ever-vaunted mil-civ divide cannot be overstated. Highly recommended.

(Note: Complimentary tickets to the play "Black Watch" were provided to military veterans and guests on April 27 by St. Ann's Warehouse, a venue in Brooklyn.)

"The Hut Next Door" - a piece for The New York Times

noreply@blogger.com (Matt G) — Tue, 03 May 2011 21:21:00 +0000

I wrote a ObL-reaction piece for The New York Times, entitled "The Hut Next Door." It was published this afternoon on their blog Home Fires. Check it out, if you can.

The Hut Next Door

America. Fuck. Yeah.

noreply@blogger.com (Matt G) — Mon, 02 May 2011 03:35:00 +0000

Was going to write a play review tonight, but yeah, that's going to wait. Bin Laden. Is. Dead.

No words can ever capture the poignancy of a moment like this, but a sense of closure exists, certainly. And not just for military personnel, or veterans, or even America. It's not over, of course, but still. It's there. Some closure.

Even though I start a new job tomorrow with IAVA, City Girl and I just cracked open a couple brews, and are staying up for President Obama's speech. My sincere gratitude to all involved in getting the bastard.

Cheers.

End of April Roundup

noreply@blogger.com (Matt G) — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 20:45:00 +0000

Some random thoughts, written randomly. Apologies ahead of time for my overuse of the pronoun "I," it's just been a busy spring. (How'd that stab at faux e-humility go?):

- The book tour for the paperback went very well. Saw New England in all its rugged beauty. Liked: teenage red fox on the side of the road eating a rabbit lunch, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's childhood home, local NE brews, mountain lakes, awesome people, clam chowder. Disliked: Maine weather. These desert bones still chill easily, apparently. Thank Allah for layers.

- City Girl liked the outlet malls, as well. I may or may not have given her the MasterCard and the green light to pick me up some new work clothes and something for her while I escaped to a coffee shop for the morning. Can't confirm or deny.

- Thank you to the management and staff of White Birch Books, RiverRun Bookstore, Longfellow Books, and the Toadstool Bookshop - they couldn't have been nicer or more welcoming. (Double props go to Longfellow Books in Portland, Maine, for providing free wine and delicious macaroons.) Public service reminder: support your local indy bookstore. There's so much they offer a local community, even in a post-Amazon era.

- (The photo to the left is from RiverRun Bookstore, in Portsmouth, NH. How about that frat shag! Kevlar helmet survivor here, and my hairline lived to tell the tale. Some of my brothers in arms weren't so lucky.)

- My sincere thanks to the following people at Da Capo Press and Perseus Books for their hard work and dedication to Kaboom: the publisher John Radziewicz, my editor Bob Pigeon, Jonathan Crowe, Lissa Warren and her publicity team, and Kevin Hanover, Sean Maher and the marketing gurus. I can't tell you how many pestering emails I sent them all over the past 20ish months, but they answered each and every one, as professionally and friendly as possible.

- Reading at Strand Bookstore this past Tuesday was a dream come true. Mad props to all involved in making it happen, and yes, props are best when angry. Also, mucho gratitude to all my friends who made it out, including my literary agent, William Clark.

- Go Oklahoma City Thunder! This is how basketball is supposed to be played - fluid, athletic, and team ball not dependent on getting a foul call on a drive to the hoop. Reminds me of the best basketball team of the decade - the 2002 Sacramento Kings.

- Check out the latest issue of The Nevada Review here. It includes my short story "Brothers in Arms." The editors of NVR, Caleb Cage and Joe McCoy, are working tirelessly to establish this biannual journal in my home state, and are doing an amazing job. One of the earlier issues contained a selection from Willy Vlautin's novel Lean on Pete, which just won the Ken Kesey Fiction Award at the 2011 Oregon Book Awards. Further, this latest issue contains an intriguing essay on Mark Twain and an excellent book review of Gregory Martin's memoir Mountain City. I'm going to stop now, all this Nevada talk is making me miss home - where there are pinecones one way, miles upon miles of desert the other way, and good ole' fashioned pioneer spirit every which way.

- If you haven't read the essay "My Lost City," by F. Scott Fitzgerald before, do so now. I just stumbled across it myself. What a brilliant writer. His ability to capture the simultaneous sadness and joy of the human experience is simply unparalleled.

- I'll post a review of the play "Black Watch" sometime this weekend.

- Sales of Kaboom across the pond seem to be going along swimmingly, no doubt due to the crack squad at Transworld. I recorded an interview last night with the BBC program "Up All Night," which will air this Sunday.

- Speaking of the UK, I'm no Royalist, and didn't watch any part of the wedding, but good for William. I think he outkicked his coverage, if you get what I'm saying. Nothing wrong with that, either, I did the same w/ City Girl.

- The Wake Forest basketball coach, Jeff Bzdelik, is such a clown. I'm not going to bore anyone, but no way he lasts another two seasons. He's as prickly as a porcupine, and half as media savvy. That matters nowadays, especially when you're coming off a 8-24 season. We miss you, Skip!

- I've decided on a title for that novel I'm working on: In the Meantime. I'm about a third of the way done with the first version. It could be really good, if I remember to stay out of the story's way.

- In case you missed it, here's some video from my appearance on the Maine news show "207." Linkasaurus

- Wish I could be with my milblogging peeps this weekend at the Milblogging Conference in DC, as I'm sure it'll be an excellent and informative time. Wonder who wins the Milbloggies this year?

- I start my job as senior writing manager with IAVA on Monday. I'm excited/nervous/anxious; all normal things, I think. As I understand it, I'll be writing op-eds and blog pieces, and helping craft speeches for our movers and shakers - a really awesome opportunity, all for an organization I believe in wholeheartedly. What does that mean for this blog? To be honest, I don't really know. I'll try and post over here as much as I can, though, at best, it'll be as infrequent as it's been in the past year. But I always love hearing from my e-pals, be it on here, Twitter, or email, so don't be a stranger. Hope everyone is well, catch you on the flip side.

Hugs, not drugs,

Matt

Farewell, Self-Employment

noreply@blogger.com (Matt G) — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 06:37:00 +0000

I wanted to let you all know I'll be starting a big person job in May, at IAVA (Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America), as their senior writing manager. If you're not familiar with IAVA, it's a non-profit, non-partisan veterans advocacy organization that is very rapidly becoming a sort of postmodern VFW. I'm incredibly excited for the opportunity, and can't wait to get started - the work for our generation of vets is only beginning, and I'm eager to do my part.

The flexibility of the position will also allow me to pursue my MFA in creative writing uptown, which is pure awesomesauce. The combination of these duties definitely means I'll be spending a lot of hours and brain output on the computer, which is a good thing. I think. I hope some of you will remind me to go outside once in a while. Birds and sunshine and fresh air are also good things.

Also, the paperback tour for Kaboom kicks off on Monday, and maybe I'll see some of you along the way - New England, here we come! In the meantime, I'm going to spend the rest of the weekend searching for the ties I threw in the back of my closet last year, so certain I'd never need them again ... oops.

Veterans Outreach Center discussion series

noreply@blogger.com (Matt G) — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 19:38:00 +0000

I'll be in Rochester this Wednesday, March 30, representing IAVA at the Veterans Outreach Center Coming Home From War discussion series. The event is hosted by Nazareth College, and the link below has more details. Hope to see some of my e-friends there!

Link

"Brothers in Arms" in The Nevada Review

noreply@blogger.com (Matt G) — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 03:56:00 +0000

Happy to announce my short story "Brothers in Arms" will be published in the upcoming issue of The Nevada Review!

Link

I'll be sure to let you all know when issues are available to order.

West Point visit

noreply@blogger.com (Matt G) — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 20:19:00 +0000

I'll be speaking at West Point this Monday, March 7, as part of their creative writing forum. West Point Library, 7 p.m., Alexander Haig Room, 6th floor.

I'll leave my anecdotes of drinking beer and partying with sorority girls in college out of my speech, for the sake of the cadets in attendance.

Update, March 8: I really enjoyed the West Point reading - good turnout, beautiful library overlooking the Hudson River, and nuanced, thoughtful questions. I advised the cadets that as long as they're not social retards as platoon leaders, they'll find success. An English professor afterwards said he thought the cadets appreciated and understood my "respectful irreverence." I'm still bursting with pride about that one.

Paperback Tour

noreply@blogger.com (Matt G) — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 16:35:00 +0000

Finalized, for the most part. Definitely psyched about a driving tour of New England with City Girl. Hope to see some of you out there!

April 18 (Monday) - White Birch Books, North Conway, NH, 7 p.m.

April 19 (Tuesday) - RiverRun Bookstore, Portsmouth, NH, 7 p.m.

April 21 (Thursday) - Longfellow Books, Portland, ME, 7 p.m.

April 23 (Saturday) - The Toadstool Bookshop, Keene, NH, 2 p.m.

April 26 (Tuesday) - The Strand Underground, New York, NY, 6:30 p.m.

Observations from the third and final Columbia ROTC Forum

noreply@blogger.com (Matt G) — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 16:58:00 +0000

Those of you that follow me on the Twitter Machine already know I attended last night's town hall on the possible return of ROTC to Columbia's campus. I got lured there by the possibility of fireworks and the promise of post-event Guinness. Though this event lacked the heckling of the last town hall meeting, there were plenty of passions on display - muted hissings and snide laughter were almost as prevalent as Princess Leia anti-imperialist speeches.

My take: ROTC should be allowed to return to Columbia, though it's no guarantee the military will find it worth their while to sustain a program there. I also found that most of the anti-ROTC speakers didn't have any idea of what ROTC actually is, or what it's relationship is with a college that hosts it, but that's not really their fault - to quote Staff Sergeant Bulldog about fobbits, "they just don't know any betta.'"

Some random observations and opinions, in the order found in my notepad. Be warned: red herrings, strawmen, and crazy people were abound!

- The event was hosted in the Altschul Auditorium, in Columbia's International Affairs Building. (Better known as SIPA, School of International and Public Affairs.) University police and some dude in a suit were checking IDs at the door; one had to have a school ID (or presumably, media credentials) to get in the door. (Did I use a now-expired school ID? Why yes, yes I did.)

- My guesstimation - over 300 people in attendance.

- Provost Claude Steele gave the opening remarks, acknowledging the "robust crowd." He walked us through the process - these town halls are for members of the Columbia community to express their recommendations to the Task Force on Military Engagement, made up of five students and four faculty members. From there, the Task Force writes a report and makes a recommendation of whether or not to reinstitute ROTC on campus to the Columbia Senate, sometime in early March. After that, the Senate will vote, which will "inform" the President of Columbia and the Board of Trustees. So yeah, a lot of red tape, just like anywhere else.

- There were lots and lots of calls for civility before the microphones were opened up to the public.

- My informal number-crunching showed that 22 speakers expressed pro-ROTC sentiments, 27 expressed anti-ROTC at Columbia sentiments, and 2 expressed some other thing entirely.

- One early anti-ROTC speaker cited Cadet Command's ban on using Wikileaks as a research source as evidence that cadets wouldn't be able to fully commit themselves to academia.

- Every single History professor that spoke called for a return of ROTC to campus. Every single Anthropology professor that spoke called for the continuation of the ROTC ban on campus. Thoughts, pop philosophers?

- A Poly Sci professor implored Columbia to influence the military through ROTC, i.e. change from within, and said the military shouldn't just be led by West Pointers and graduates of "East Jesus State." This earned some laughs, but raised elitist bells with a lot of people, and deservedly so, methought. (Whoa! Methought actually passed the spell checker! Weird.)

- Columbia MilVets cited the latest vet statistics: 340 GWOT veterans are currently at Columbia, with approximately 200 of those being in the undergrad world. This is the most in the Ivy League.

- A pro-ROTC speaker, a girl from San Antonio, talked about her Naval Academy friend walking around Columbia in his dress whites, and being yelled at and told to go home. Maybe it was after Labor Day?

- Everyone in the audience was trying really, really hard to be civil, but it proved impossible, so a series of Clap Wars ensued, including one buffoon in front of me banging on his desk.

- It seemed like the most trotted-out argument for the anti-ROTC speakers was that the military's current ban on transgenders violates Columbia's anti-discrimination policy, and that ethically, Columbia can't invite an organization onto campus that so openly violates this policy. No offense to my transgender brothers and sisters out there, but are we really having this conversation? Only in New York City. (Also, taken from a Tweep - stop moving the goalposts. First it was DADT, now it's this. What's next - the military discriminates against midgets and fat people?)

- A veteran student restated the "there are people out there plotting to kill you" line that got the injured vet heckled last week. Snickering follows, and an Anthro professor waiting to speak said "No, I don't think that's the case," to those around him.

- Great quote from a Marine Iraq vet, talking about how the military is not perfect, but improving, and that Columbia needs to recognize such: "The nature of progress is there's no end to it."

- One undergrad girl claimed the military is responsible for creating our enemies, through our foreign policy pursuits. Was this accusation vague and nebulous - of course. She's not entirely wrong, but lost in her passion was nuance. She'll grow out of it. Probably.

- There was a call for an executive branch within the military, to counter-balance the military's chain-of-command structure. This would've come in handy during the downfall of the Kaboom blog, don't you think?

- "What freedoms do the military uphold, and for whom?" A rhetorical question asked by a speaker. She went on to say that the military doesn't protect freedom, but open debate and dialogue do. At this point my ears started to bleed.

- A breakthrough! Speakers on both sides agree that the faux-controversy last week generated by the article in The New York Post was unfair, as it was four seconds in an otherwise civil 2.5-hour debate.

- The Task Force got absolutely reamed by speaker after speaker. Claims of lack of transparency and that it was set up to push ROTC through, regardless of public sentiment. The funny part was watching the four members of the TF present just have to sit there and take it. Brutal. (But also funny.)

- A graduate student asked for more transparency regarding what ROTC provides students. At this point, despite my promises to myself to not speak, I try to get in line to share my ROTC experiences at Wake. (I.E. yes - we were students first and cadets second! We went to class and wore civilian clothes and drank beer and everything. We also didn't hold the Board of Trustees hostage to meet our demands of a 24-hour bodega.) Unfortunately, they already capped the lines, so I couldn't speak. I avoided the temptation to ironically yell out "my voice will be heard!" and instead returned to my seat and ate Doritos.

- By and large, international students spoke out against ROTC, and the U.S. military, in general.

- Apparently, ROTC will "militarize" the campus of Columbia. I LOLed.

- Another grad student argued that Columbia already allowed vets into their classrooms, so clearly, they've done enough. "The school of General Studies ... is where they can go to unlearn what they learned in the military."

- A note, addressed to "future Matt:" You turned down Knicks tickets for this. On Carmelo Anthony's debut. Idiot.

- A SIPA econ professor told the Task Force "it looks like this is going to go through, no matter what we say."

- An honest to God "no blood for oil" chant. 2003 called and demanded it or something.

- A Columbia law student and Iraq vet talked about his ROTC experience at Cornell. Thank Allah.

That's it. I stayed for the whole thing, despite myself. I begrudgingly admit that the Forum was worth my time, and I thank the Task Force on Military Engagement for hosting it. If nothing else, I was reminded that another side of the debate exists, and they are vocal, passionate, and engaged. I'll leave it at that.

(Okay, one more thing - think the anti-ROTC protestors would support a return to the draft? Let's channel that derivative outrage into something worthwhile!)

Paperback Cover for Kaboom

noreply@blogger.com (Matt G) — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 18:08:00 +0000

I've already shared the UK cover for Kaboom here, and now I get to post Da Capo's paperback cover. (Slated for an April 12 release.) It's absolutely stunning, and looks even better when matched with the spine and back cover. My sincere gratitude to everyone at Da Capo involved with designing it and putting it together.

What do you all think? Pretty awesome, right? I love the dog tag O's. And the cursor at the end of the subtitle, as a nod to the old Kaboom blog? Brilliant.

There will be a paperback book tour, though it'll be smaller and shorter than the hardcover tour. (There's only so much rock 'n roll this skinny Irishman can handle, you dig?) Details to follow, but it's going to strictly be a New York and New England affair.