More Curious

by Sean Wilsey

In More Curious , Sean Wilsey travels across the U.S., from the launchpad at Cape Canaveral, to the isolated artists' enclave of Marfa, Texas, to the boardrooms and ballrooms of post–9/11 New York City. Wherever he is, Wilsey captures his surroundings with the precision of a photographer and the raw grace of a skateboarder (he's an amateur practitioner of both arts). And his eye always finds an unrivaled intensity of here, and only here, will a reader be privy to the Dostoyevskian whiff of Marfa's fugitive underbelly, the unsung delights of a skater rag's cooking column, the exact amount of time elapsed since the soundwaves of a long-lost, legendary World Cup broadcast passed out of our solar system.

These essays—originally published in Vanity Fair, GQ, McSweeney's , and elsewhere—comprise nearly fifteen years of Wilsey's most vital work on the glory and the misery, the beauty and absurdity of contemporary America.

Genres: Nonfiction, Essays, Travel, History, Memoir, American

300 pages, Hardcover

First published July 12, 2014

About the author

Sean Wilsey, the author of a memoir, Oh the Glory of It All, and an essay collection, More Curious, is at work on a translation of Luigi Pirandello’s Uno, Nessuno e Centomila for Archipelago Books and a documentary film about 9/11, IX XI, featuring Roz Chast, Griffin Dunne, and many others.

Reviews

[Chad Felix · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zadie Smith, quoted by Sean Wilsey in the introduction to More Curious:

"Underneath the professional smiles there is a sadness in this country that is sunk so deep in the culture you can taste it in your morning Cheerios."

Wilsey concludes his introduction, “Escaping from sadness is what made this country. We are all escapees.” His heroes, Thomas Pynchon and Joseph Mitchell, he writes, are escape artists.

Melville, in the opening of Moby-Dick:

"Whenever I find myself growing grim about the mouth; whenever it is a damp drizzly November in my soul; whenever I find myself involuntarily pausing before coffin warehouses, and bring up the rear of every funeral I meet; and especially whenever my hypos get such an upper hand of me, that it requires a strong moral principle to prevent me from deliberately stepping into the street, and methodically knocking people’s hats off — then, I account it high time to get to sea as soon as I can. This is my substitute for pistol and ball."

The United States of America is made up of 3.79 million square miles of sadness. Its total sadness is over three thousands miles wide. At Mount McKinley, the sadness reaches an altitude of 20,377 feet above sea level. To each his own terrain. Ishmael hit the sea. Wilsey merges carefully onto the interstate."

In “Travels With Death,” a half-conscious reworking of Steinbeck’s Travels With Charley, Wilsey drives an uncomfortable, kitschy 1960 Chevy Apache 10, which he bought from a man around Marfa, from Far West Texas to New York City, nearly 2,500 miles, with his wolf-dog “Charlie” (named after Charlie Chaplin) and an architect. We are told that the truck cannot be driven over 45 miles per hour, or else its engine will explode. Wilsey, on the bad idea:

"To better understand the comedy and poverty of the United States, I decided to cross them very slowly."

Wilsey quickly learns that forty-five is too slow, too much.

More Curious collects thirteen essays on America by Sean Wilsey (The New Yorker, McSweeney’s), written between 1998 and 2014. Other essay subjects include: NASA, skateboarding, fine German and Italian appliances, the restauranteur Danny Meyer, volunteering after 9/11, and Marfa, Texas (twice).

[Quinn Cummings · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Thank you, @Vromans bookstore for the recommendation.)

Boy, but @SeanWilsey can WRITE and in this collection of some of his published articles, you get some of his best. Whether he's taking you to the art installation paradise/moonscape of Marfa, NASA, a road trip in the nation's slowest truck or jaywalking with the business restauranteur in Manhattan, the writing is punchy, fun and crafty, in the best way. My highest praise? I loved his articles about soccer and skateboarding, and I both subjects usually bore me senseless. At one point, speaking of a raconteur/con artist Wilsey has been unwittingly trapped with, he muses "I started suspecting I would have to write about all this. And there's no surer impediment to a good time than knowing you'll have to write about it."

Perhaps. But knowing Wilsey was going to write about it promises the rest of us a very good time.

[Oriana]

I hate when there's a new McSweeney's out (or almost) that I didn't know about. : (

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

More Curious by opens with an essay on Marfa and ends with an essay on Marfa, which includes the quote: “Are you getting the idea? A circus. But a *studied* one”. This sums up this collected mix of cultural commentary, reports, and essays.
While there were some standouts for me (specifically the one of Danny Meyer and the one about finding high-end appliances on Craigslist), fundamentally, I was always really aware of the privilege behind every take.

Maybe it’s the era being covered. The book contains essays from the late 1990s to min 2010s-a whole other epoch in the timeline of cultural relevance) maybe it’s the tone (kind of hard to write about being an edgy teen in love with the freedom, danger, and irreverence of skateboarding when what you are escaping involves boarding schools, though, shitty childhoods come in all socioeconomic shapes and sizes) but more likely it’s the humor- it’s all very ‘studied’.

Still, I did enjoy what I read; some of the moments were extremely insightful, others embraced the pathos of life (what NYC parent HASN’T obsessed with the city’s rat population!). Glad I found it. Glad I am done with it.

Light recommendations for fans of @mcswys (obviously) and explorations into Americana.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This collection of essays is a bit all over the place - 9/11, skateboarding, Marfa, how to haggle on Craigslist, NASA, etc. The "Outro" would claim that the underlying theme is "escape", but that's not really how it felt. Not meant as an insult exactly, but the primary feeling was "McSweeney-ful".

[Stephen Journeay · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a mixed bag of stories, some most entertaining, some not.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very entertaining book -great for when you only have time for bite size chunks. Mr. Wilsey allows us, through his essays, to see America with new eyes.

[Tina · Rating 3 out of 5]

(3.5 stars) In the intro of the book I felt like "oh god, what am I getting into?" but in the second essay I began to see the fun and interest of WIlsey's essays. It definitely feels like going through some of the "best of" articles of Longform or the NYTimes magazine. WIlsey includes some great quotes from writers like Steinbeck, as well as some thought-provoking facts, statistics, and correspondences with various governmental or corporate administrators. Some of my favorite essays included "Some of Them Can Read", an essay on rats in NYC that makes me never ever want to live there, "Using So Little", a skateboarding essay that made me interested in something I have never cared about at all before, and "NASA Redux", a great peak into the current state of the American space program. I didn't care that much for the Marfa pieces. They may have been Wilsey's breakthroughs as a writer, but for me they expose a sort of hipster nostalgia/wiser-than-thou mentality that I find irritating. Wilsey writes about the art scene in a quirky way, but highlights his own place among that exclusive crowd while doing so. He attempts to explain the thematic string of "More Curious", but at the end the collection feels very random minus the Marfa references throughout. Like many of the McSweeney crew, I run hot and cold with this material. For a more extensive review, got to www.iwantmichikosjob.com.

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book through the Goodreads Giveaway program.

I loved it! As you begin to read each essay, you're never sure which of your emotions will be engaged; humor, sorrow, pain, shock, or envy.

The lives touched by 9-11, the skateboard culture, versus that of Marfa, Texas (then and now). I've lived in Texas since 1997 and have never visited that western outpost, though a family member was a baseball coach there. I may want to undertake that drive at some time in the future.

And at this point, I'm not sure I've ever wanted to know as much about rats as I do now, but it certainly has given me a new appreciation of people who live amongst them on a daily basis!

Comparisons to 'Travels with Charley' by John Steinbeck abound. I'm so glad that someone else likes traveling the quieter paths. Unfortunately, I can also relate to some of the less savory aspects, of being on those seldom traveled roads. I've seen 'Deliverance' too!

This was such a refreshing reflection on so many ideas and aspects of our country.

[Leigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was largely agape and riveted with Wilsey's first autobiography OH THE GLORY OF IT ALL[delighted to hear he is working on another one] and I had high hopes for this, which is an exploration into post 9.11 America. It is well-crafted writingand Wilsey has a long attention span and plenty of time to run with topics with minute detail and humor such as NASA, watches, the World Cup, and Marfa, Texas (which I now understand after reading this, that artist Donald Judd went there, etc. and where Wilsey lives). Many of these ran in McSweeney's, book review magazines etc. if you like that kind of magazine writing.

[Scott Woody · Rating 3 out of 5]

More Curious is a book of essays about the author’s journeys across America. The big theme in the book is travel. The centerpiece is the author's 45 MPH journey from Marfa Texas to New York City, we’re presented with a modern version of Steinbeck's Travels with Charlie. This essay kicks us off into studies of American kitsch (fast food, red roof inn), commerce (roadways, big rigs), and trauma (9/11). While a little unfocused, this sprawling essay depicts a non-pastoral, but certainly inviting, version of America and after reading it I'm more inclined to explore America (minus the disgusting food).

[Katy Ancelet · Rating 4 out of 5]

The introduction almost made me put this down. It was very much like the stuff I've read in McSweeney's: difficult to follow, disjointed. Although there were was more of that in the essays themselves, there wasn't nearly as much and the essays picked up speed. I especially loved the one on buying high-end appliances off Craigslist. I learned a lot of cool things about skateboarding and Danny Meyer. I ended up with that pull to read it when I was otherwise occupied.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book from a First Reads giveaway, and I must admit that after glancing at the subjects the essays were about (skateboarding, NASA, soccer) and reading the sorta boring introduction, I was worried. How would I get through this? But he's such a good writer that he makes subjects that I don't have much interest in really interesting. I liked the road trip story the best. And now I eagerly plan to read his memoir.

[Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Collection of essays arranged by date, covering subjects as varied as the Texas town of Marfa, the World Cup, Buzz Aldrin, and Danny Meyer. My favourite is "Travels with Death" about a trip from Marfa to New York City with a friend and a Catahoula Leopard dog. The essays are interesting, sometimes funny and sometimes surprisingly touching.

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some very good, humorous observational (some research) essays that I really liked. Marfa, soccer, skateboarding, the space agency, and other topics. Scattershot, really, but still informative and entertaining. He has an edgy type of humor and personal insights that come from his own background in skating and such, kind of a voice for his generation. I wasn't overwhelmed, but I did enjoy.

[Nathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a humorous and extremely accessible collection of essays that remind me of what a joy his first memoir was to read. The genuineness of his perspective allows connection with each topic. He puts you there with him, wanting to meet these odd folks, and be in on the often bizarre and funny events. I look forward to Wilsey's next memoir, and recommend this to anyone unfamiliar with his work.

[Jennie Leigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this and almost cried when I learned that I've already read everything he's written. Damn, man, get writing!!! please publish something new. Though the subject matter was of almost uniformly zero interest to me, the writing was just utterly stellar.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

Almost all the essays were 25-50% too long for their content, which made boredom a constant companion while I read this book. The only exception was the essay on skateboarding, which was interesting from first word to last.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting compilation of essays by Wilsey, most of which were previously published in various magazines or journals. I enjoyed this and particularly enjoyed reading about the strange, quirky bits of America that Wilsey has spent time discovering and writing about.

[Deke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Essay collections tend to be uneven, but this one is remarkably consistent start to finish. Having grown up just 2 years ahead of Wilsey in SF, his voice and perspective are familiar, his insights resonate.

[Trish · Rating 4 out of 5]

Totally enjoyed. Essentially this is a collection of essays in a variety of unrelated topics. Many from pubs like The New Yorker, Vanity Fair etc. In general a bit longer than a good essay and shorter than many short stories. Fun to pick up and put down while reading other things.

[Kate Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eh? I liked "NASA Redux," "No Work For Me," and, especially, "The Objects Of My Obsession." On the whole, though, not sure I get the point. Wilsey is so pretentious and so, so privileged, and it's hard to relate to most of what he writes.

[Ericka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting Information But Long

I learned some new information from this book, but there was so much tidbits of information that it was a very slow read. I would have liked to have seen the traditional "curious" information edited out.

[Janet · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, I'm glad that's over. I really got bogged down in this book. So much so, that I didn't finish it before I went on vacation and didn't take it with me because reading it was too much like work. Too painful. Thank you Goodreads First Reads for my free copy.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I especially liked the Marfa essays. I also loved Wilsey's memoir, Oh the Glory of It All.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it quite a bit. (I do hope the final version -- I read a reader's copy -- will correct the spelling of the past tense of "to lead," which is used incorrectly every time.)

[Erik Eckel · Rating 2 out of 5]

More Curious is an enjoyable and insightful collection of essays.

[Lloyd Fassett]

7/20/14 found it through the Bend Bulletin reprint of a New York Times review. It has a couple essays about Marfa Texas in it.

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Long essays. My favorite piece was the short one about cooking and cleaning up.

[Bharat · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best thing I've read for fun all year.