“This is bullshit. There is no fucking way you can write a passable master’s thesis and blog the experience in twelve days. What kind of nut-job do you have for a supervisor who would ok a project like this?”
This was the response I received from a fellow Master’s student while sharing a lunch of beer and chips at the Red Room bar on campus.
This was the response I received from a fellow Master’s student while sharing a lunch of beer and chips at the Red Room bar on campus.
“Jesus. If this is the fallout and impact from post-modernity, then academia in this country has really gone to shit.” I sat poised, just looking at him blankly, as I quietly smoked my cigarette. After the air around us had settled for a second, I offered him my take on the affair.
“You’re just bitter Matty because you didn’t think of it first.”
“Bitter. Fuck you!” He exploded, spilling his beer on the bar. “I had to write my ass in order to finish mine. And do you even know how much referencing you have to write for a piece like this?” I shook my head, laughing.
“No, you don’t. But you think you can just pull this thing straight outta your ass and lay it on the line.” I nodded, still laughing.
“Fuck!” Matty screamed, quite noticeably perturbed. He did, after all, have a point.
While the subject of HST and the impact of New Journalism was stock fodder material for anyone looking to write about the evolution of journalism and media language (and even the comparison between New Journalism and Blogging now seems over done), the idea to manically blog the entire writing process in an attempt to capture and re-create the impending sense of desperation as the deadline approaches was truly novel idea. It came about, like so many other elements of NJ, because of pure desperation.
As stated before, the idea of writing a conventional thesis entirely in an 11 hour rush would require nerves of steel (to deal with the stress of immanent failure), impeccable grammatical accuracy (to avoid the need for re-writing) and enough methamphetamine to kill a small heard of elephants. So while the Nerves and the Speed were easily obtainable, my grammar and typing skills were sadly not up to the challenge.
In looking back to the beginning of this strange and terrible saga, there is evidence of my plan to blog the entire process even from the overture. But just so you can understand these weird and wonderful beginnings (and also for comparison when the final product fails so miserably to live up to it’s expectations) here is an actual record of all communication I had with my thesis supervisor from day one. They show, if nothing else, the strange and brutal relationship that formed between student and teacher and prove – that even in the digital age – with the right sort of language, and a good sense of humour, anything is possible.
My text is in plain. Supervisor in >italics.
Subject: Individual Reading Plea for Guidance
Dr Chris Lawe Davies.
I’m Hugh Whitehouse, the poor MJ suckerfish Rod Kirkpatric has slapped
in you direction, hoping you would supervise me in Individual
Reading.
I’m taking it out on a limb here, but I’m hoping that you would’ve
already caught wind of this arrangement? He mentioned in passing
he’d forwarded my original email to you… but if not it basically
outlined my intention to study the works of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson and maybe
throw in a little Tom Wolfe and 1970’s New Journalism for good
measure.
In terms of a hypothesis, I was thinking something along the lines
of Gonzo journalism and 1st Person Narrative Reporting vs. Info-media
Blogging, comparing the journalistic validity of the two in the
context of technology, thematics and their time… or something like that.
Basically at this point I’m looking for a confirmation that you’ll
adopt my case and oversee my mania. I promise I’ll be good and
respectful and not give into the atavistic desire to study Dr Thompson
the way he studied the world; rocking up to meetings, lunches and
conversations between us drunk of my nuts with a head full of
amphetamines. Unless, Chris, this is the sort of thing you want, in which case i know a great little place in the Valley in which we
could conduct all our meetings and consultations. Your call.
In any case, I’d like to get together later in the week if possible so
I can get this subject (and all the assignment type material it
encompasses) underway.
Cheers man, I hope to hear form you ASAP.
We are after all professionals.
Hugh Whitehouse
>Subject: RE: Individual Reading Plea for Guidance
> Hugh,
> That all sounds fine.
>
> Must confess I’m interested in bloggs, citizen reporting on new and
> portable media and was always a fan of Wolfe/Thompson et al when they
> were hot. Valley meeting would be great but as I’m a cyclist, too far
> from this bucolic clime of a campus, ok, rural retreat. Damn it,
> pensioners’ paradise.
>
> Project sounds fun. My main role would be to be a sounding board and
> adviser on approaches etc rather than as an expert on content. I’m
> interested but
> not an expert. So if that sounds doable take it further.
> Chris.
Subject: Re: RE: Individual Reading Plea for Guidance
Dr. Chris,
There is a saying I picked up in my travels through Far North
Queensland. It goes a little something like this… “No Dramas, Cane
Farmers” and I believe it fits our situation perfectly.
To get this bugger underway I’ll get into heavy reading/research/ plagiarism
etc. But would still like to meet up, say Friday sometime,
if you’re free. Somewhere around campus?? We could take the easy way
out and get coffee at Wordsmiths if the cliché doesn’t fill you with
repulsion. You give the OK and I’ll be there. I’ll even don my old
black and white striped shirt, black beret and smoke long, feminine
cigarettes through an outlandishly camp cigarette holder to complete
the image…
Either or, it’s your call.
Hugh.
>Subject: So when do we meet?
>Sounds like a new Tom Wolfe. I’ve got the white suit, have you? but I’ll
>leave mine at home.
>Chris.
Subject: The Thompson Piece
Chris,
Jesus, I completely forgot about today, I have bigger battles on my
mind.
At the moment I’m caught between a rock and Centerlink (which, to the
uninitiated, is a very, very hard place).
Like a loanshark who smells blood in the water, they claim I owe them a
whole fuck load of money because I’ve been receiving Newstart (the
dole) while classified as a “full time” student, despite the fact I
have less than 10 hours of contact per week. 10 hours a week I still
can’t manage to attend - hence this letter.
Anyway, since my “Wild Party” slush fund and “Watch Dr. Phill and sit
on my ass eating Doritos” money has suddenly been cut off, I find
myself with a whole lot of time free to devote to the university work
that caught me in this vice.
Consequently I’ll type out my new, revised V2.0 hypothesis and the
dregs of work that I have done on The Thompson Piece and send then
along to you shortly, just after my meeting with Legal Counsel at 2:30.
In any case it seems like I have a bit of work to do, but that fits my
schedule fine because my weekends just opened up.
Keep in contact. Once I get the outline to you lets throw digital
packets of information and ideas back and forth like an old version of
PONG. Email is the key.
We are after all Professionals.
Hugh
>Subject: RE: The Thompson Piece
>Okay let’s throw digital.
>Chris
Subject: The Playbook
Here’s the deal -
Attached is the 2nd draft of my proposed thesis which is coming along
nicely. It’s a backbone that’s only just starting to flesh itself out,
but at least it now exists in some form that can be edited/added to/re-
created outside of my own mind.
It’s shallow at the moment, but I’m building on that. And I figure if I chip away at it now then I should be able to avoid the worst of the 11th hour blues and come out a winner. So no dramas, cane farmers.
The only problem i have at the moment is with Blogging. Please send all
Blogging material you may have that you think is applicable (if any) to
me ASAP. I’m now well versed in HST’s writings, but to finish this
beast I’ll need to digest any info you have on Blogging quickly.
Feel free to add to the mess. All I ask is that you do so WITH
CAP LETTERS SO IT’S EASY TO TELL YOUR RAMBLINGS FROM MY OWN.
Cheers and I’ll see you Thursday. 1pm sharp.
Hugh
>Subject: RE: The Playbook
>Hugh,
>Good to hear from you. I’m on somebody else’s computer at the moment, so >don’t have access to my favourite blogg sites etc. Hopefully tomorrow. Worst >case - Thursday. See you at 1pm sharp, or something.
>Chris.
>Subject: Anybody out there??
>Hugh,
>It’s been a while… We’d better meet old son. I’ve got a copy of that book if you >want it. How’s tomorrow at 1pm?
>Chris.
Subject: RE: Anybody out there??
Ok Chris. Long time no see, but now I’m back and right into the game. Sorry
I fell off the face of the earth for about 2 months or so there but things got chaotic and I needed space from - well just about everything. So don’t fret, you didn’t get off easy, you still have to deal with me yet.
Heres the plan: Looking a the course prospectus it says my “mini- thesis” (I
picture a small, bald thesis that raises a pert little finger to it’s lips and smiles quizzically) was due about three days ago and to that I say, “Ha!”
In my mind I’ve been working off a battle plan that saw me submit my work to you near the end of exams, or at least in the second week of exams anyway.
If this were to be the case I can promise you a nicely written, well articulated theoretical doctrine scribed by yours truly that implements all of your suggestions about topic/content/argument in one big ol’ easy to read manuscript. Kinda like the sort of text you could sit down and read on the toilet. No dramas, no sweat, too easy. Nice.
Or… and there’s always the alternative… I could submit to you about 100 pages of foolscap ramblings and chicken scratching that summate the essential argument and overall theme of the well rounded toilet book. A large, chaotic assortment of loose-leaf pages, clippings and printouts bound together with strands of my own hair and completely indecipherable to anyone but Chinese Intelligence…
It’s your call.
But before you make your ultimate choice as tempting as it may be - here this.
To sweeten the deal (should you choose the first option) I will even show up at your office on Friday with between 2000 - 3000 words of magnificently constructed and heartily researched speech on the topic of HST.
Speech so go it can be lifted verbatim and included as part of my mini-thesis. Now if that doesn’t sound promising, I don’t know what does.
All that’s missing is a set of steak knives!
Since falling off the face of the earth I’ve found this nice little quiet spot from where I’ve been charging through the backlog of all the work I missed. It’s a quaint little place with lots of bright lights and no distractions that keeps me going like a busy little beaver. Once there I’m zoned in, working hard and have been producing about 2000 words (1500 good words) of type every day. This magical place is the SS&H Library and I wish I found it earlier in my academic career.
Anyway, I’m committed to this thing for good or bad but it’s up to you if you want to play along with me. So whaddya say Chris will you help me out, grant me leeway until Friday and I’ll show up with 1/3 of the finished type to prove my good intentions? Will you let me submit this beast during the second exam week so I can make it nice, clean and readable? Dammit man I may even buy you a bottle of wine! But first I gotta hear and Amen.
Do I hear an Amen?????
>Subject: RE: RE: Anybody out there??
>Hugh,
>Good to hear from you man. I’ll take the first option, but leave out the
>steak knives. Now we’re comfortably in the NJ 11th hour, my comments on your >piece may prove useful or out of date
>Chris.
Subject: Still The Thompson Piece
Attn: Colonel Sunshine, (a.k.a Chris Lawe Davies)
It’s all going to work out. I promise.
My analysis of Thompson is kicking along nicely and you may even get to see some copy this week. On the subject of primary vs. secondary sources, well I’ve been doing some thinking…
Since it’s going to be an 11th hour blitz to get this thing finished (as if I ever thought it wouldn’t), I though I would supplement my insanity by Blogging the entire process. Though it may not be used, the
idea of Blogging the writing of a thesis written about Blogging and HST’s New Journalism is a hilariously Gonzo idea. Trust me on this, I can make it work.
The reason for this insanity is drawn information I’ve received when interviewing Bloggers (oh yeah, something else I’ve been doing since I couldn’t find enough good info on Bloggers that fit my arguments). Basically Blogging the entire process allows me the freedom to toy with structure and language, meaning that I will never hit that black hole of writer’s bloc and should get the bastard finished before noon on November 18.
So far I’ve been interviewing some local Brisbane Bloggers about life, the universe and everything… but I’m hoping to hear a response from the fools down at crickey.com who have promised to respond to my badgering sometime this week.
So on the Blogging front, we’re almost sorted.
Concerning NJ and HST, well I’ve been ready to write that thesis since I first read Fear and Loathing on a public toilet in Townsville, the summer of ‘96. Besides, there’s more than a bucket load of information concerning every aspect of the NJ movement and its impact on nearly everything in the SS&H library that I have now made my home. I eat nothing but candy from the library snack machines and use my accumulated parking tickets as toilet paper. You can find me in the level 1 computer labs most days, near the wall. I’ve grown a long beard and look like desperate and deranged cross between Jim Morrison and the uni-bomber. Mahalo.
See, I told you it’s gonna be ok…… (Rolls eyes feverishly)
Anyway, attached is a little background info I’ve written about HST… it’s horrible and badly worded but I blame a lack of voice, something I’ve addressed since.
Besides, there’s some interesting info I will expand upon and contemplate with more depth in my thesis (i.e. - the 5 failed pregnancies).
Read it, comment and I’ll see you at 1pm Thursday.
(Respond to confirm or else I won’t leave the library)
Your partner in crime,
Deputy “Deep Shit” Duke
(a.k.a Hugh Whitehouse)
>Subject: Again.
>Be gonzo and incorporate all your emails as well.
>Chris.
