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The Best Intelligencer

Santa Fidelis

by John Rodat December 24, 2013

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  A darkened room is dominated by a large projection screen. A map of the world’s continents glows in blue digital light. Individual red lights densely dot those outlines and with trails of red connecting them ...

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A Sci-Fi Holiday

by John Rodat November 27, 2013

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  A dining room at Thanksgiving. The table is laden with traditional fare: a dirigible-sized turkey glistens golden brown, a snowy Himalayan mound of mashed potatoes steams, gravy rich and black in a ceramic boat so ...

The Celebrity Report: Haiku

by John Rodat November 13, 2013

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  His kimono flows. David Bowie loves ping pong. Iman won’t play him.   The chips and snacks aisle: A roadie buys Funyons. Lady Gaga smiles.   No, Donald Glover is not the child of Danny. Nor Corey’s either.   Tom Hanks hates the mail. So many flyers for ...

Your Own Private Idaho

by John Rodat October 31, 2013

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  Lou Reed conjured a NYC of which he became the embodiment. His cultishly loyal fans are—must be—attracted to those quasi-mythical neighborhoods the way that fantasy and science-fiction fans are attracted to Middle Earth or galaxies ...

The Apocalypse? I’m Cool With That

by John Rodat December 20, 2012

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  On Friday, Dec. 21, 2012, they say the world will come to an end. “Oh, that Mayan nonsense?” you scoff.  For all the popular buzz there’s little real scholarship and less hard science behind this particular ...

The Adventures of Dick & VJ: “All Ye Faithful”

by John Rodat December 21, 2011

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Narrator: Limber of limb, stout of heart, pure of intention and mind, our heroes roam the globe with their wise and sober mentor. In an era of vacuous pass-times, salacious entertainments and morally dubious diversions, ...

Fragments From Two Guys With Prostheses

by John Rodat December 7, 2011

  Peg Leg Aye, two score years adrift ’round the watery world, and not three amidst spent complete on dry land. Transhumeral Myoelectric U3+ It was late summer of ‘05. Bummer, too: Ending up missing Trey’s first solo tour. Peg ...

The Resume

by John Rodat September 29, 2011

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Reed T. Fleeker, Jr. 770 Champion Lane, Apt. 1/2 (basement) Cap City, Empire State (518) 463-XXXX, rpj@gmail.com   Objective: To find employment in a challenging, stateside, legal, full-time, paid, above-ground, position. Experience: Blogger (August, 2007- present) Proprietor, graphic designer, photographer, videographer and sole ...

The Write Stuff

by John Rodat August 3, 2011

  INT. NIGHT - A messy home office THE WRITER sits in the glow of an inexpensive plastic desk lamp. We can just make out in the darkness that the room is a crowded one; in addition ...

Gun Play

by John Rodat July 20, 2011

  INT. Office -Day. JACK and EMIL sit at facing desks in an office space with an open floor plan. There are other work stations in the background, but there are no other employees visible. Jack and ...

The Sequel

by John Rodat July 6, 2011

Int. - day. The interview set of morning news program Good Morning, This Morning! The spotlit host, Matt Yip, is a generically handsome man, wearing slacks and a sport coat. He is sitting in a ...

Brand Identity Crisis

by John Rodat June 22, 2011

Good morning, gentlemen and ladies. Or esteemed colleagues. Or bros and hoes. Or just . . . dudes. Look, I don’t even know what to call you, anymore. That’s how bad it’s gotten. We’ve called this ...

Fragments From Two Guys With Bags

by John Rodat May 11, 2011

Guy With Pool-Cue Case No, man, it’s not a quiver.   Guy With Guitar Gig Bag Thanks. Awesome, right? It’s called puka. My man sent it from Hawaii!   Guy With Pool-Cue Case Eight-ball. What? No, I don’t even like ...

Please Won’t You Be Our Neighbor?

by John Rodat April 27, 2011

Welcome to our city! Whether you’re a visitor, a recent transplant or a current resident eager to learn more about what “The Little City With the Big Heart Logo Painted on the Trestle” (love those ...

Annotated Jest

by John Rodat April 13, 2011

A writer I greatly admire, the late David Foster Wallace, has been receiving a spate of coverage recently for the publication of his final, unfinished novel, The Pale King. Sadly, Wallace committed suicide ...

What You Should Be Doing Right Now

by John Rodat March 30, 2011

According to an Internet Taste Maker, and Your Mom.   Music Internet Taste Maker: The He Blue Brains’ new single-song concept record Zydecorpse challenges, seems even to dismantle, the reputation that the Easter Island duo gained with their debut, ...

The Guest Who Wouldn’t Leave

by John Rodat March 16, 2011

Honey, I know you’re about out of patience, and I know you’re having a hard time being polite to our house guest. It’s true that he’s been here longer than I ...

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The Job Market

by John Rodat March 3, 2011

Outside Sales Are you a motivated self-starter? How cute. Now, go “start” yourself! Or are you someone who eats motivated self starters for breakfast, guzzles a carafe of scalding black coffee and then shits ...

Dick & VJ in “Brazil”

by John Rodat February 16, 2011

Narrator: Limber of limb, stout of heart, pure of intention and mind, our heros roam the globe with their wise and sober mentor. In an era of vacuous pass-times, salacious entertainments and morally dubious diversions, ...

(DR)INC.

by John Rodat February 18, 2010

With the recent Supreme Court reversal of Citizens United v. the Federal Election Commission, which previously restricted the direct financial contributions corporations and unions could make to political campaigns, limiting them to gifting holiday-themed sweaters, ...