As for aesthetics, well, let's say "do not use the templates at Blogger.com if you want to have a good blog". I would tell you to avoid Blogger.com like a bad haircut, except that I have seen one or two who have managed to rise above those mandatory "word from our sponsor" logos. Zulkey, in case you still haven't looked, has a tastefully drawn kangaroo parked on her splash page, friendly and packing an anecdote.
The bread and butter at Zulkey are the interviews and weekly Wendesday stuff. Her interviews are part camp, some quirk, all fun. Sample questions: "What are some videos you own that you'd hide if you had a party?" and "If Kate Spade is going to custom design a bag for you, what will be some of its features?". Subjects are people you've never heard of (unless you share one or more formative years with Claire) rendered fascinating by the interviewer, shades of Studs Terkel. Oh, and the weekly is sometimes a list, along the lines of "Awards Given During the Teen Choice Awards That, Frankly, I Disagree With" and "Books on the Shelf I Have Not Yet Read". These are perfect filler for the globs of unclaimed lethargy in Corporate America (i.e. time between meetings).
Of course, lest you succumb to adjectives such as "heady", "breathless" or "intoxicating" while reading about this site, let me remind you it is entirely possible and highly likely that the entire thing is an experimental, and strongly disapproved of, treatment for schizophrenia.
Claire Zulkey is out of the park on my blog scale, to echo the Babe Ruth theme. She knows why the Chia Pet sings. (An unintelligible and puzzling remark).
Click here to read a live interview with Claire Zulkey of Zulkey.com.
Click here to read one blogger's response.
*Editors' Note
The following line: "Unless you are Kurt Cobain, you cannot simply publish your diary. There are apparently many people who don't know this" was a veiled reference to the blog of Snyder Mahler. Since writing this article, I have taken the time to actually read Snyder Mahler's blog. I am now backpeddling from my earlier stance. Snyder Mahler's blog is blunt, fresh and in-your-face. It's absent of fluff and predictability -- a great read. And, ironically, much more interesting than Cobain's Journals. I stand corrected. See for yourself.
teresa difalco
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