Toronto writer Jeet Heer (@Heerjeet on Twitter) has perfected something called the Twitter Essay. Essentially, within the discipline of 140 characters posts, he writes a real time essay utilizing the call and response nature of Twitter. It\u2019s a kind of improvisation or thought experiment, but they\u2019re very intellectual, even erudite and they have a direct, forceful, nature. He\u2019s developed a wide audience, and his idiosyncratic style of numbering each post has been widely copied. (If you\u2019re interested in seeing his Twitter Essay on Twitter Essays, you can go here:<\/p>\n

(https:\/\/twitter.com\/HeerJeet\/status\/529749811906764804<\/a> )<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Impressed by his work and his form, I have also been experimenting with the Twitter Essay:<\/p>\n

\n
1. Okay, let\u2019s talk about Art Garfunkel.<\/li>\n
2. He was part of the influential 60\u2019s duo Simon and Garfunkel who were responsible for so many classic hits.<\/li>\n
3. He had crazy hair that reminded me of big bird.<\/li>\n
4. Nobody thought he had any talent.<\/li>\n
5. I don\u2019t think he wrote any songs, he just sang in that high voice.<\/li>\n
6. Does anybody out there know if he wrote any songs?<\/li>\n
7. No?<\/li>\n
8. Nobody knows?<\/li>\n
9. Okay.<\/li>\n
10. So, he probably didn\u2019t write any songs, he just looked weird and sang like a woman.<\/li>\n
11. That was enough. It was the 60\u2019s.<\/li>\n
12. I wonder if he got a lot of groupies?<\/li>\n
13. Does anybody know? Did anybody out there sleep with Art Garfunkel?<\/li>\n
14. No one willing to admit?<\/li>\n
15. Fair enough<\/li>\n
16. Does anybody else think Art Garfunkel looks like Rex Murphy?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    17. Look at this picture:<\/p>\n

    <\/a><\/p>\n

    18. Now look at this picture:<\/p>\n

    <\/a><\/p>\n

    19.\u00a0DEAD. FUCKING. RINGERS.<\/p>\n

    20.\u00a0I hate Rex Murphy.<\/p>\n

    21. He talks like Russell Brand writes, and he\u2019s always crabby.<\/p>\n

    22. CBC should fire him.<\/p>\n

    23. Truth be told, CBC should just clear the decks and fire everybody.<\/p>\n

    24. Art Garfunkel turns 73 today.<\/p>\n

    25. He\u2019s a Scorpio, the sign characterized by being stubborn and insensitive.<\/p>\n

    26. I had a girlfriend who was a Scorpio.<\/p>\n

    27. We met on Lavalife.<\/p>\n

    28. Here\u2019s a picture, she\u2019s the one with the nice smile and headband:<\/p>\n

    <\/a><\/p>\n

    29. She broke up with me that day because I wouldn\u2019t do the nude bicycle run.<\/p>\n

    30. Didn\u2019t care about my physical insecurities, she just insisted it was a way for me to get over them.<\/p>\n

    31. I\u2019ve had surgeries and am embarrassed by my scars, okay??<\/p>\n

    32. I don\u2019t want to ride around naked on a fucking bike!<\/p>\n

    33. She\u2019s the VP of bank now.<\/p>\n

    34. Art Garfunkel was an actor for a while.<\/p>\n

    35. Whenever you saw that he was going to be a guest star, like on the Rockford Files or something\u2026<\/p>\n

    36. You knew it was going to be a good one to miss.<\/p>\n

    37. James Garner was a real actor.<\/p>\n

    38. He was a class act.<\/p>\n

    39. Just look at him!<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    <\/a><\/p>\n

    40.What a man!<\/p>\n

    41. Art Garfunkel was the son of a traveling salesman.<\/p>\n

    42. Well, now is probably a good time to wrap up.<\/p>\n

    43. In sum, Art Garfunkel\u2019s impact on popular culture has been negligible and certainly subordinate to Paul Simon and James Garner.<\/p>\n

    *I will post this on Storify for those who wish to save a copy for future reference.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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