 "Photo: Eugene Robinson")
About 20 people sheltered themselves from the rain on Monday at Monkeywrench Books, a cooperative bookstore where one can cop the latest in socialist, feminist and other Austin-friendly titles, or hear Eugene Robinson talk about kicking ass.
Robinson, a journalist and singer for Oxbow, stopped by the bookstore as part of the promotional tour for his new book, "Fight." He was very pleased by the turnout - the previous night, at a Borders in Dallas, he only had two fans show up. He was cool and collected as he took center stage, flanked by chairs and onlookers. Given the subject, it almost seemed as if the bookstore was a coliseum.
As expected from the title, his book deals with the wide spectrum of beatings, from bar fights to mixed martial arts to soccer riots. Robinson interviews James Painter, an American Indian who can throw down in the big house, boxer Evander Holyfield and a host of other combatants who clearly know their discipline, whether they do it for fun or survival. Their responses are real and visceral. Robinson, in the real spirit of fighting as adventure, said the search for subjects was like a scavenger hunt.
Robinson also provides his own advice and commentary. He gives detailed scenarios of fights, shows how to throw a good punch and, most importantly, urges readers to more fully realize the primal instincts that fighting fulfills.
"You have a desire to enforce your will and dominate," Robinson said. "There's something clean and direct about it that we lost with civilization."
Civilization, he takes it, has not and cannot replace fighting.
"The notion that [fighting] is a cultural apparition is ridiculous," he said.
Art is a reflection of society, bloody brawls included. Robinson tackles this too, praising "Raging Bull" as one of the greatest fighting movies ever.
"You talk about Picasso's blue period - that was the end of Scorsese's rage period," Robinson said. "In the making of the movie, guys are really getting their noses broken."
Robinson has a unique voice on full display in "Fight." He combines a true love for fighting, while maintaining the no-nonsense attitude that is the trademark of the sport/lifestyle. His conversations with the fighters have an improvisational feeling that convey what fighting is all about - the moment. Above all, his writing shows that he is informed and experienced. He is able to name-drop Mike Tyson and Joyce Carol Oates smoothly and relevantly.
"I didn't realize my writing style was idiosyncratic until I started reading press releases that called it idiosyncratic," Robinson joked.
Although his style is dramatic, engaging and humorous, Robinson still honors a principle that journalism schools and Raymond Carver-obsessed creative writing teachers harp on: Get to the meat of the story, and quickly!
"I don't want to read half of an article and know what you had for breakfast before I get to what I really picked it up for to read in the first place," he said.
As cliche as the term is, Robinson may be a renaissance man - in other words, he's an intellectual who's not afraid to kick your ass.
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