Wednesday, May 23, 2007
"Paw Paw for Jesus!"
If you didn't hear This American Life this past weekend, then I urge you to listen to it (Episode 102: Road Trip!) online via mp3 or with their player doohickey that I can't link to here because it is javascript-crippled. The first three acts are ok, but act four--"Paw Paw for Jesus!"-- is classic. The fun commences around 50 minutes. "Paw Paw for Jesus!" is a short story by Chicago writer Cheryl Trykv who I or the Internet's tubes know precious-little about. I do know she's done other This American Life stuff, but that's about all. Anyone heard or read other stuff by her?
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A bit on the disturbing side, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteIt was fun to listen to.."PawPaw for Jesus!"
Oh I don't know--she seems very familiar to me.
ReplyDeleteOh and it is just simple fun saying "Paw Paw for Jesus!" over and over.
ReplyDeletefamiliar, how so?
ReplyDeleteI can't get the image of her kissing his sweaty neck out of my mind, (tasting like Mountain Dew)
ewwww
"Mountain dew" is a particularly savory moment in the story.
ReplyDeleteFamiliar in that I've known women like the narrator.
The term "Paw paw for jesus" is even in the urban dictionary: http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=PawPaw+for+Jesus!
ReplyDeleteI love the last lines where she announces she's going to hell!
ReplyDeleteCheryl is/was a performance artist in Chicago. She did the Paw Paw for Jesus story at a club called Lower Links where David Sedaris also got his start reading his material (I believe they were in the same show actually). It was all the alternative crowd - lots of black and 'cool'. Early or mid 90s she did a lot of material. She also was in some play with Jenny Magnus (also Chicago). I was briefly friends with her while living in Wicker Park when I was a photographer.
ReplyDeleteI listened to that episode myself and Paw Paw for Jesus got played twice. What a hoot!!
ReplyDeleteI am her half sister...She does not like me to give out information, she is very secretive...too a fault...YES, she and I have had a very disturbing childhood, we grew up in a closet filled with skeletons!
ReplyDeleteI am her sister...we shared a closet full of skeletons in our childhood!
ReplyDelete