Great article in this month's Esquire

IJAG, if you met Tom Junod, I wouldn't be worth the streak of shit on your undies.

 

GODDAMMIT!

I told you, I fell in a mud puddle. That was NOT shit.

 

I meant after you met Tom -- from the excitement, like.

But hey, keep on sharing.

Michael -- just dropped Tom a line. Not sure where he is in the world, but we'll see.

 

Thanks, Jones. After reading Tom's piece and hearing that there was some backstage drama, I'm interested in hearing what else he has to say.

 

I was more concerned about the situation after I finished reading the story than I was shortly after I started. Pretty certain I wasn't the only one.

Hell of a ride.

 

After Zeke/Bill left the voicemail message in the story, I wondered how Tom convinced him to go on the record. Obviously when the whole thing's a lie, such concerns go out the window. Great story. Extremely well executed.

 

All right, guys, I've broken it off into a separate thread, but Tom has agreed to answer questions about this story and about writing in general. Please post them on the "Tom Junod Q&A" thread or PM them to me, and I'll pass them along.

Thanks.

 

Junod's piece was the best and perhaps scariest piece of journalism I have read in quite some time. A few days after I read the piece, Olbermann listed "Zeke" as one of his Worst People in the World. IIRC, he was fired.

It amazing to think that someone so warped could literally bullshit his way to one of the most important security positions in the country. Even more amazing is that he could deliver a plausible presentation with Homeland Security officials.

 

Great story, great writer. tom junod has written more good stories than i can even remember, but i do recall a phrase from a story he did years ago for GQ on john bobbitt. he was describing a scene from a sex-trade show in las vegas, folks displaying all manner of "wares," and wryly mentioned "the baroque and bewildering specificity of human longing." brilliant.