Ulrik profile picture

Ulrik

ujg

About Me

Hi. This is me. I’m Danish. Which seems to explain if not everything, then probably about half of what I’m about. The other half I have no coherent explanation for. Politically, I’m a social-liberal Dane. That is, to the American audience: a raging, unapologetic progressive and/or a bleeding-heart liberal. I am a huge pessimist, and a greater optimist. Or the reverse - depending on, among other things: the weather, what I had for breakfast, and if a stranger just smiled at me in the street. I’ve played the drums, boxed, smoked cigarettes, been a bike messenger, worked with kids with ADD in an inner city public school, and driven across the South in a ’79 Dodge Van, which I now have to sell. Which sucks. But that’s all in the past. I love America, and fear and loathe it. I think I love it more, though. That’s the optimist talking right there, and this hasn’t even been a particularly great day. The thing is, I do love American cinema and literature, cowboys, hip-hop, large cities, basketball, and cinnamon-flavored candy. And Dr. Pepper and Detroit cars from the 1980s. Also, I like tomorrow better than yesterday. And that’s almost as good as an American passport, only without the benefits. I’m often willfully and demonstratively socially inept. Sometimes just socially inept. And so fucking hilarious that people don’t even get my jokes.
I am 15% Idiot.
.. I am not annoying at all. In fact most people come to me for advice. Of course they annoy the hell out of me. But what can I do? I am smarter than most people. Take the
Idiot Test
@ FualiDotCom

My Interests

American political culture and rhetoric. Americana. Derrida and Deleuze. Wine, women, and song.

I'd like to meet:

Snoop Dogg, Frank Luntz, and your momma.

Music:

Ryan Adams, The Cure, Flaming Lips, TV on the Radio, Pixies, Dylan, Cash, Tim Buckley, The Streets, Marvin Gaye, Blackstar, Mobb Deep, Company Flow, Wu Tang, Sizzla, Prince. And a whole lot of other stuff. I'm eclectic, and yet remarkably fascist. The rule seems to be, I like good music and I dislike bad music. Yeah, that pretty much nails it down. Except, come to think of it, I also like some really bad music. Especially things that involve a lot of synthesizers.

Movies:

Godfather, Donnie Brasco, At Close Range, U-turn, Mulholland Drive, The Good the Bad and the Ugly, Seven Samurai, Lola Rennt, Reservoir Dogs, Blade Runner, Game of Death... you know. And Top Gun and the Beverly Hills Cop trilogy.

Television:

Politics. Chapelle's Show. The Bachelor in Paris. OK, I only saw the bachelor once, but it was great. Not O'Reilly Factor funny, but up there. Letterman is way superior to Leno. Sopranos for ever. Or until last season. I love The Office, and no longer dislike the American remake.

Books:

Dr. Seuss: Green Eggs and Ham

Heroes:

Alex Foley, Johnny Cash, and Franklin D. Roosevelt

My Blog

How Scandanavia's neoliberal parties came to love the welfare state

Here's my second piece for The American Prospect (save for one very short thing on student aid in June's printed mag). It's titled Centered Right, and it's about how the bad guys might be winning. But...
Posted by Ulrik on Fri, 29 Sep 2006 04:29:00 PST

George Lakoff on freedom and progressive values

Read my interview with progressive activist and Professor of Cognitive Linguistics George Lakoff. If not for any other reason, then because my editor gave it a dirty name. I interviewed Professor Lak...
Posted by Ulrik on Fri, 29 Sep 2006 04:21:00 PST

Der Ewige Muhammad: the cartoon crisis and political discourse in Denmark

The Eternal Muhammad Denmark's Director of Public Prosecutions eventually decided not to prosecute newspaper Jyllands-Posten for printing the 12 drawings of the Prophet Muhammad last September. The d...
Posted by Ulrik on Fri, 29 Sep 2006 02:31:00 PST

Into America

Into America Last summer, I drove across the American South and Southwest in a '79 Dodge Van without air-condition. I had the windows down, my fake Ray-Bans on, and the volume up, listening to Johnny...
Posted by Ulrik on Fri, 29 Sep 2006 04:05:00 PST