NEW YORK Back in the early ’90s, author Douglas Coupland’s electric novel Generation X gave a name, if not a complete definition, to a certain slacker subculture—those who hated their McJobs and the smug boomers who came before them and only left them scraps of the economy and recycled pop culture. Now that Gen Y and Z are feeling nostalgic about Gen X, Coupland, a genius coiner of words, is back with a new book from Random House, Canada, The Gum Thief, a story of love and looming apocalypse set in the aisles of an office supply superstore. The obsessions with the apocalypse and stores like Staples will seem familiar to any Coupland fan. And in another signature move for a guy who is also so taken with old advertising iconography, Coupland and Random House have teamed up with the Crush, Toronto, to produce short video clips promoting the book. They can be found on YouTube and at Coupland’s Web site, www.douglascoupland.ca. They are trademark Coupland: a variety of patchwork and animated styles that are somewhat vicious and deadpan hilarious and well worth checking out. Among the other lines of narration, uttered by Coupland: “More Scotch. I don’t feel drunk enough.”
'X' Factor Tallies for Coupland's Online Promo
