Sometimes I think the difference between what we want and what we're afraid of is about the width of an eyelash.

You know, Im always surprised when I read profiles, and they make me sound so jaded. I am so not jaded.

Most of the people I write about have been ambitious outlanders who have been attracted to New York from other parts of the world.

Your heartbreak is just another version of the same old story.

If being a spokesman for a generation is a fleeting occupation, being a symbol of an era is downright dangerous for anyone who has the bad luck to outlive it.

Sometimes I think the difference between what we want and what we're afraid of is about the width of an eyelash.

Tim Thornton's portrait of a pop culture obsession is so convincing that one can't help wishing that his fictional alt rock band actually existed, or suspecting that they did. The Alternative Hero is a weirdly compelling portrait of fanatic fandom which reads like High Fidelity at high volume.