Prophet of the blog-as-art aesthetic

          One of my 'official questions', posed to Scoots at Yes but still... was:  In any style, write a succinct review of the blog: snapperhead.  His answer sat me back in my chair as if, mid-dinner, Hedwig just cat-walked over me.  I felt a surge of pride-to-the-point-of-embarrassment.  I, like anyone, appreciate kind words and recognition, as when MontiLee at The Diner [at] Penda's Relm complimented my blog with her post I'm Honored.  What follows is Scoot's answer, for which I feel exceptionally unworthy, because of my most recent feeble attempt at encapsulation-reviews.   Nonetheless, thank you, Scoots.

          On seeing Snapperhead, I immediately thought of Raging Bull.  Jake LaMotta would not be remarkable were he merely a boxer, merely an abusive husband, merely a man played by Robert DeNiro; what makes Jake LaMotta one of film's greatest characters, with an emotional heft distinct from anything his real-life counterpart might compel us to feel, is the combination of those three traits into a seamless whole.

           Snapperhead is no different. To find 'digital renderings' like this one:

          Seemingly surreal but with recognizable details threatening to peak out, a woman behind the yellow wallpaper of Veach Glines's depressed woman who happens to paint is not in itself a stunning revelation.

          To find insightful film criticism, or humorous digs at the French, would again hardly be remarkable.  Indeed, Glines fills his sidebar with links to sites that could provide similar content.  I will return to this point later.

          What makes Snapperhead remarkable is its fusion of these diverse elements into a cogent whole, bound together by the consistent personality and ever-high standards of Glines.

          Yet, also, Glines is remarkable for his attitude about the blogosphere.  His sidebar, with its 'applaudable' and 'standing ovationable' blogs, represents the relatively rare stance the author-artist takes: that blogging can be an art form.  Blogs are not, for him, merely an engine by which politically-minded citizens can effect social change, nor merely a way to let one's friends know what is happening in one's life.  Blogging is neither so lofty nor so trivial that Glines will excuse poor quality; instead, he demands engaging, high-quality content. He is a prophet of the blog-as-art aesthetic.

          Picture me, prostrate, head pointed in a east-north-easterly direction, towards Ohio.