WHO IS MR. WAXMAN? is
a novel by Barbara Browning about intimacy, loneliness, household cleaning
products, e-mail, cunnilingualism and the commodity fetish.
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Download a ZIP file (392MB) of the entire novel HERE
or download it chapter by chapter below.
“I was remembering Paul and wishing he could
see my butt.”
In this chapter, you’re introduced to the mysterious Mr. Waxman,
and you get to hear the narrator ponder the question of what constitutes
intimacy.
“He loves to sit in front of his laptop
all day making things wiggle.”
This chapter is about Mary Douglas and household cleaning products.
It also includes Garcia’s uncanny dream.
“Who knows what they were thinking.”
Commodity fetishism, national health care, the presidential debates,
and a strangely intimate encounter with a telemarketer.
“You are what you eat.”
This chapter is about national identity, sexual metaphors, and the
day we started bombing Afghanistan.
“I was nervous to send him a picture of
my whole head, but I sent him some very tight close-ups of my eye, my
ear and my shoulder.”
A lunar eclipse, Thelonious Monk, a crisis of sentiment, and the
catastrophic results of the presidential election.
“Maybe you notice I haven’t said almost anything about my
father.”
This chapter is about ways to deal with depression. It includes
a strange visualization exercise from a yoga class, and advice from
The Joy of Sex.
“He’s been working on a prototype with the legs detached
from a Barbie.”
Here we consider the significance of thumb-sucking, and you get
to hear about Garcia’s adventures working on a horror movie in
Los Angeles.
“I consider ways in which I could replicate
the Zen silence and the shocking aggression of 4’33”.”
This chapter is about the philosophy of non-violence. A strange
character encountered at a party gives the narrator good e-mail.
“He came over last night pretty late, and
made his signature egg, tortilla and bean sauce dish for me and Harry.”
Not to spoil things, but something actually happens in the last
chapter. Also, you get to find out who Mr. Waxman is.
narration: Barbara Browning
artistic direction: Raul
Vincent Enriquez
studio direction: Greta
Byrum
the voice of Garcia: Bobby Wingood
the voice of Claude V. James: Clement V. Joseph
the voice of The Joy of Sex: Richard Schechner
musical interludes: Leo Oliveira
audio consultant: Vedran Peternel