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Something That Needs Nothing
«Llevar la ropa puesta es, en realidad, la regla número uno de nuestra civilización. Incluso un pato o un oso parece civilizado cuando está vestido. Me bajé los shorts vaqueros y me quité la camiseta. Allí estaba yo, desnuda, como un pato o un oso.» Miranda July nos ofrece este relato sobre el anhelo de independencia que lleva a dos jóvenes amigas a huir de sus hogares para adentrarse en un mundo idealizado, hasta que se golpean con la realidad y todos sus planes se derrumban. Una reflexión intimista sobre el enfrentamiento entre el deseo y la frustración frente al mundo real. Algo que no necesita nada forma parte de la colección de relatos Nadie es más de aquí que tú, publicado por Literatura Random House (2018).
- GenresShort Stories
Unknown Binding
First published January 1, 2006
380 people want to read
About the author
Miranda July
35 books7,028 followersMiranda July (born February 15, 1974) is a performance artist, musician, writer, actress and film director. She currently resides in Los Angeles, California, after having lived for many years in Portland, Oregon. Born Miranda Jennifer Grossinger, she works under the surname of "July," which can be traced to a character from a "girlzine" Miranda created with a high school friend called "Snarla."
Miranda July was born in Barre, Vermont, the daughter of Lindy Hough and Richard Grossinger. Her parents, who taught at Goddard College at the time, are both writers. In 1974 they founded North Atlantic Books, a publisher of alternative health, martial arts, and spiritual titles. Miranda was encouraged to work on her short fiction by author and friend of a friend, Rick Moody.
Miranda grew up in Berkeley, California, where she first began writing plays and staging them at the all-ages club 924 Gilman. She later attended UC Santa Cruz, dropping out in her sophomore year. After leaving college, she moved to Portland, Oregon and took up performance art. Her performances were successful; she has been quoted as saying she has not worked a day job since she was 23 years old.
Filmmaking
Filmmaker Magazine rated her number one in their "25 New Faces of Indie Film" in 2004. After winning a slot in a Sundance workshop, she developed her first feature-length film, Me and You and Everyone We Know, which opened in 2005. The film won The Caméra d'Or prize in The Cannes Festival 2005.
Beginning in 1996, while residing in Portland, July began a project called Joanie4Jackie (originally called "Big Miss Moviola") which solicited short films by women, which she compiled onto video cassettes, using the theme of a chain letter. She then sent the cassette to the participants, and to subscribers to the series, and offered them for sale to others interested. In addition to the chain letter series, July began a second series called the Co-Star Series, in which she invited friends from larger cities to select a group of films outside of the chain letter submissions. The curators included Miranda July, Rita Gonzalez, and Astria Suparak. The Joanie4Jackie series also screened at film festivals and DIY movie events. So far, thirteen editions have been released, the latest in 2002.
At her speaking engagement at the Modern Times Bookstore in San Francisco's Mission District on May 16, 2007, July mentioned that she is currently working on a new film.
Music
She recorded her first EP for Kill Rock Stars in 1996, entitled Margie Ruskie Stops Time, with music by The Need. After that, she released two more full-length LPs, 10 Million Hours A Mile in 1997 and Binet-Simon Test in 1998, both released on Kill Rock Stars. In 1999 she made a split EP with IQU, released on K Records.
Screen Writer
Miranda co-wrote the Wayne Wang feaure length film "The Center of the World."
Multimedia
In 1998, July made her first full-length multimedia performance piece, Love Diamond, in collaboration with composer Zac Love and with help from artist Jamie Isenstein; she called it a "live movie." She performed it at venues around the country, including the New York Video Festival, The Kitchen, and Yo-yo a Go-go in Olympia. She created her next major full-length performance piece, The Swan Tool, in 2000, also in collaboration with Love, with digital production work by Mitsu Hadeishi. She performed this piece in venues around the world, including the Portland Institute for Contemporary Art, the International Film Festival Rotterdam, the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London, and the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis.
In 2006, after completing her first feature film, she went on to create another multimedia piece, Things We Don’t Understand and Definitely are Not Going To Talk About, which she performed in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York.
Her short story The Boy from Lam Kien was published in 2005 by Cloverfield Press, as a special-edition book.
Miranda July was born in Barre, Vermont, the daughter of Lindy Hough and Richard Grossinger. Her parents, who taught at Goddard College at the time, are both writers. In 1974 they founded North Atlantic Books, a publisher of alternative health, martial arts, and spiritual titles. Miranda was encouraged to work on her short fiction by author and friend of a friend, Rick Moody.
Miranda grew up in Berkeley, California, where she first began writing plays and staging them at the all-ages club 924 Gilman. She later attended UC Santa Cruz, dropping out in her sophomore year. After leaving college, she moved to Portland, Oregon and took up performance art. Her performances were successful; she has been quoted as saying she has not worked a day job since she was 23 years old.
Filmmaking
Filmmaker Magazine rated her number one in their "25 New Faces of Indie Film" in 2004. After winning a slot in a Sundance workshop, she developed her first feature-length film, Me and You and Everyone We Know, which opened in 2005. The film won The Caméra d'Or prize in The Cannes Festival 2005.
Beginning in 1996, while residing in Portland, July began a project called Joanie4Jackie (originally called "Big Miss Moviola") which solicited short films by women, which she compiled onto video cassettes, using the theme of a chain letter. She then sent the cassette to the participants, and to subscribers to the series, and offered them for sale to others interested. In addition to the chain letter series, July began a second series called the Co-Star Series, in which she invited friends from larger cities to select a group of films outside of the chain letter submissions. The curators included Miranda July, Rita Gonzalez, and Astria Suparak. The Joanie4Jackie series also screened at film festivals and DIY movie events. So far, thirteen editions have been released, the latest in 2002.
At her speaking engagement at the Modern Times Bookstore in San Francisco's Mission District on May 16, 2007, July mentioned that she is currently working on a new film.
Music
She recorded her first EP for Kill Rock Stars in 1996, entitled Margie Ruskie Stops Time, with music by The Need. After that, she released two more full-length LPs, 10 Million Hours A Mile in 1997 and Binet-Simon Test in 1998, both released on Kill Rock Stars. In 1999 she made a split EP with IQU, released on K Records.
Screen Writer
Miranda co-wrote the Wayne Wang feaure length film "The Center of the World."
Multimedia
In 1998, July made her first full-length multimedia performance piece, Love Diamond, in collaboration with composer Zac Love and with help from artist Jamie Isenstein; she called it a "live movie." She performed it at venues around the country, including the New York Video Festival, The Kitchen, and Yo-yo a Go-go in Olympia. She created her next major full-length performance piece, The Swan Tool, in 2000, also in collaboration with Love, with digital production work by Mitsu Hadeishi. She performed this piece in venues around the world, including the Portland Institute for Contemporary Art, the International Film Festival Rotterdam, the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London, and the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis.
In 2006, after completing her first feature film, she went on to create another multimedia piece, Things We Don’t Understand and Definitely are Not Going To Talk About, which she performed in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York.
Her short story The Boy from Lam Kien was published in 2005 by Cloverfield Press, as a special-edition book.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
March 14, 2025
3.75 stars!
Randomly came across this short story published in 2006 in The New Yorker. And I must say... wow. An interesting and honestly quite painful short story about queer love, attachment wounds, desire, and the realities of the world. What do you do when the person you love is the cage that stops you from being yourself? And what do you do when that cage disappears abruptly one day? Was not expecting this story when I started reading it. About to go scour through this author's other works now.
Randomly came across this short story published in 2006 in The New Yorker. And I must say... wow. An interesting and honestly quite painful short story about queer love, attachment wounds, desire, and the realities of the world. What do you do when the person you love is the cage that stops you from being yourself? And what do you do when that cage disappears abruptly one day? Was not expecting this story when I started reading it. About to go scour through this author's other works now.
June 20, 2025
my favorite short story of all time
December 21, 2025
Me and You and Everyone We Know written, directed by and starring Miranda July is ranked 76th on Variety’s Top 100 Best Comedies, and it has a Metascore of 76, which means critics have appreciated it, though with 7.2 from the popular vote, we get that the public was less enthused…nevertheless, for the purposes of this corner, I would give it a higher score – this is the moment when I invite you to visit my blog and YouTube channel – as if anybody looks beyond the first line, if even there – where I have more than five thousand notes on films from The New York Times’ Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made and other sites, plus just as many, or more, reviews of magnum opera from The Greatest Books of All Time and other lists https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/20... maybe you decide to subscribe
8 out of 10
I have seen and enjoyed Kajillionaire https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/20... but the reason why I decided to watch Me and You and Everyone Else is because this was included on Variety’s Top 100 Best Comedies at 76, and I will try to see what I have missed
I would not place The Naked Gun at number one on my Top 100, but Some Like It Hot https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/20... which is at number two on this Variety page is clearly in my Top 10 as well, indeed, I was talking about it the other day, at the jacuzzi
It was a rare occasion, for The Governor, Balurul and I met, the former is mostly gone at 8.15 in the morning, so his exceptional performances are cherished but mostly unavailable: I told him I should record his jokes, cynicism and post it on YouTube, so that others can benefit, but he is adamant, he will not do it
Even this short mention would not get his approval…he is also the Joshua (though I think this is the boxer who lost, a few days ago) of the gym, he says they will bury me there, because I come every day, except for weekends and official holidays, they will put me down at the reception, for the last farewell, and before the last rites
They will say that my widow will get 100k or so, and everyone will applaud, this being a sort of irony on account of my stinginess, I am a miser, and others will enjoy, another joke has me as the greeter at the club, hired by them because I talk to so many people, and then prevent them from exercising, which is the reason why they are there
So on Friday we were there, the three of us, and then this French woman comes to the jacuzzi, and I talk to her, and say that she is so ‘charmante, special, I wish I was not older than her’, words to that effect, which made my buddies laugh and protest, if I highlight my age, there will be no chance to get anywhere with anybody
Well, yes, but Tony Curtis takes this line with Marilyn Monroe in Some Like It Hot and it works…now back to Me and You and Everyone We Know, John Hawkes has the other leading role of Richard Swersey, a separated father of two, the thespian has been fabulous in Winter’s Bone, which launched the career of Jennifer Lawrence, just as it made me see Hawkes for the first time https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/20...
There are crazy scenes in this comedy, which has tragic moments, Richard sets his hand on fire, then his elder son, Peter, who may be just twelve or so, has this sex scene with two other teenagers, girls who want him to rate their oral sex abilities- they come to his place, tell him what to do, from towels to pillows…
We do not see any intimate parts, but I thought this was strange, maybe daring, but to have those young people – well actors – pretend they have this coitus was a surprise – I am thinking of Bill Clinton, who said that his act with Monica Lewinsky was not sex – now he is in the newly released Epstein files, as a scapegoat, they want to hide the role played by their Orange Pervert, and thus they just throw out incomplete dossiers, making it look as if the opponents are to blame, and their would be king is so innocent, when the opposite is true, even his weird chief of staff has spoken on the matter recently, but the zone is floods with shit…
Now for my standard closing of the note with a question, and invitation – I am on Goodreads as Realini Ionescu, at least for the moment, if I keep on expressing my views on Orange Woland aka TACO, it may be a short-lived presence
Also, maybe you have a good idea on how we could make more than a million dollars with this https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/20... – as it is, this is a unique technique, which we could promote, sell, open the Oscars show with or something and then make lots of money together, if you have the how, I have the product, I just do not know how to get the benefits from it, other than the exercise per se
There is also the small matter of working for AT&T – this huge company asked me to be its Representative for Romania and Bulgaria, on the Calling Card side, which meant sailing into the Black Sea wo meet the US Navy ships, travelling to Sofia, a lot of activity, using my mother’s two bedrooms flat as office and warehouse, all for the grand total of $250, raised after a lot of persuasion to the staggering $400…with retirement ahead, there are no benefits, nothing…it is a longer story, but if you can help get the mastodont to pay some dues, or have an idea how it can happen, let me know
As for my role in the Revolution that killed Ceausescu, a smaller Mao, there it is http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/03/r...
Some favorite quotes from To The Hermitage and other works
‘Fiction is infinitely preferable to real life...As long as you avoid the books of Kafka or Beckett, the everlasting plot of fiction has fewer futile experiences than the careless plot of reality...Fiction's people are fuller, deeper, cleverer, more moving than those in real life…Its actions are more intricate, illuminating, noble, profound…There are many more dramas, climaxes, romantic fulfillment, twists, turns, gratified resolutions…Unlike reality, all of this you can experience without leaving the house or even getting out of bed…What's more, books are a form of intelligent human greatness, as stories are a higher order of sense…As random life is to destiny, so stories are to great authors, who provided us with some of the highest pleasures and the most wonderful mystifications we can find…Few stories are greater than Anna Karenina, that wise epic by an often foolish author…’
8 out of 10
I have seen and enjoyed Kajillionaire https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/20... but the reason why I decided to watch Me and You and Everyone Else is because this was included on Variety’s Top 100 Best Comedies at 76, and I will try to see what I have missed
I would not place The Naked Gun at number one on my Top 100, but Some Like It Hot https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/20... which is at number two on this Variety page is clearly in my Top 10 as well, indeed, I was talking about it the other day, at the jacuzzi
It was a rare occasion, for The Governor, Balurul and I met, the former is mostly gone at 8.15 in the morning, so his exceptional performances are cherished but mostly unavailable: I told him I should record his jokes, cynicism and post it on YouTube, so that others can benefit, but he is adamant, he will not do it
Even this short mention would not get his approval…he is also the Joshua (though I think this is the boxer who lost, a few days ago) of the gym, he says they will bury me there, because I come every day, except for weekends and official holidays, they will put me down at the reception, for the last farewell, and before the last rites
They will say that my widow will get 100k or so, and everyone will applaud, this being a sort of irony on account of my stinginess, I am a miser, and others will enjoy, another joke has me as the greeter at the club, hired by them because I talk to so many people, and then prevent them from exercising, which is the reason why they are there
So on Friday we were there, the three of us, and then this French woman comes to the jacuzzi, and I talk to her, and say that she is so ‘charmante, special, I wish I was not older than her’, words to that effect, which made my buddies laugh and protest, if I highlight my age, there will be no chance to get anywhere with anybody
Well, yes, but Tony Curtis takes this line with Marilyn Monroe in Some Like It Hot and it works…now back to Me and You and Everyone We Know, John Hawkes has the other leading role of Richard Swersey, a separated father of two, the thespian has been fabulous in Winter’s Bone, which launched the career of Jennifer Lawrence, just as it made me see Hawkes for the first time https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/20...
There are crazy scenes in this comedy, which has tragic moments, Richard sets his hand on fire, then his elder son, Peter, who may be just twelve or so, has this sex scene with two other teenagers, girls who want him to rate their oral sex abilities- they come to his place, tell him what to do, from towels to pillows…
We do not see any intimate parts, but I thought this was strange, maybe daring, but to have those young people – well actors – pretend they have this coitus was a surprise – I am thinking of Bill Clinton, who said that his act with Monica Lewinsky was not sex – now he is in the newly released Epstein files, as a scapegoat, they want to hide the role played by their Orange Pervert, and thus they just throw out incomplete dossiers, making it look as if the opponents are to blame, and their would be king is so innocent, when the opposite is true, even his weird chief of staff has spoken on the matter recently, but the zone is floods with shit…
Now for my standard closing of the note with a question, and invitation – I am on Goodreads as Realini Ionescu, at least for the moment, if I keep on expressing my views on Orange Woland aka TACO, it may be a short-lived presence
Also, maybe you have a good idea on how we could make more than a million dollars with this https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/20... – as it is, this is a unique technique, which we could promote, sell, open the Oscars show with or something and then make lots of money together, if you have the how, I have the product, I just do not know how to get the benefits from it, other than the exercise per se
There is also the small matter of working for AT&T – this huge company asked me to be its Representative for Romania and Bulgaria, on the Calling Card side, which meant sailing into the Black Sea wo meet the US Navy ships, travelling to Sofia, a lot of activity, using my mother’s two bedrooms flat as office and warehouse, all for the grand total of $250, raised after a lot of persuasion to the staggering $400…with retirement ahead, there are no benefits, nothing…it is a longer story, but if you can help get the mastodont to pay some dues, or have an idea how it can happen, let me know
As for my role in the Revolution that killed Ceausescu, a smaller Mao, there it is http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/03/r...
Some favorite quotes from To The Hermitage and other works
‘Fiction is infinitely preferable to real life...As long as you avoid the books of Kafka or Beckett, the everlasting plot of fiction has fewer futile experiences than the careless plot of reality...Fiction's people are fuller, deeper, cleverer, more moving than those in real life…Its actions are more intricate, illuminating, noble, profound…There are many more dramas, climaxes, romantic fulfillment, twists, turns, gratified resolutions…Unlike reality, all of this you can experience without leaving the house or even getting out of bed…What's more, books are a form of intelligent human greatness, as stories are a higher order of sense…As random life is to destiny, so stories are to great authors, who provided us with some of the highest pleasures and the most wonderful mystifications we can find…Few stories are greater than Anna Karenina, that wise epic by an often foolish author…’
Read
December 2, 2025Real, real great – Miranda July in peak form.
It illuminated that I find July to be at her best when her main character, like the one in this piece, has an element of "liberty" that is sourced from being vaguely numb and wholly deferential.
The closest descriptor I can conjure is "gamification" - a specific way in which July's narrator either invents or readily identifies (I'm still unsure which) a critical distance (really a screen) between her and her thoughts/reflections, between her and her experiences/reactions. A screen that dissolves, or perhaps liberates, her sense of self. That permits submission. That allows her to do the most bizarre and interesting thing a person can do - go along with it all.
I read this story as being about a certain loss of innocence that elicits, in equal measure, aggression and melancholy. I read this story as one that is just as chilling as it is funny, just as vivid as it is surreal.
Two prime quotes (that I suppose may provide empirical heft to the past 2 sentences):
1. "Everything that we had always thought of as “The World” was actually the result of someone’s job….There had to be a more dignified way to live."
2. "I had once believed in a precious inner self, but now I didn’t."
It illuminated that I find July to be at her best when her main character, like the one in this piece, has an element of "liberty" that is sourced from being vaguely numb and wholly deferential.
The closest descriptor I can conjure is "gamification" - a specific way in which July's narrator either invents or readily identifies (I'm still unsure which) a critical distance (really a screen) between her and her thoughts/reflections, between her and her experiences/reactions. A screen that dissolves, or perhaps liberates, her sense of self. That permits submission. That allows her to do the most bizarre and interesting thing a person can do - go along with it all.
I read this story as being about a certain loss of innocence that elicits, in equal measure, aggression and melancholy. I read this story as one that is just as chilling as it is funny, just as vivid as it is surreal.
Two prime quotes (that I suppose may provide empirical heft to the past 2 sentences):
1. "Everything that we had always thought of as “The World” was actually the result of someone’s job….There had to be a more dignified way to live."
2. "I had once believed in a precious inner self, but now I didn’t."
August 6, 2023
La amo. La amo. La amo.
Miranda July es la persona (viva) más parecida a mí.
Miranda July es la persona (viva) más parecida a mí.
November 16, 2025
’It is terrible to have to ask for anything ever. We wish we were something that needed nothing, like paint.’
This was genuinely really good.
This was genuinely really good.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews