Columns

During my last semester at Columba, the Chronicle sponsored a column-writing contest. A right-leaning dude and I both won. I guess we were supposed to provide a counterbalance to each other. Our columns ran every other week. He got a lot of angry letters. I didn't get letters of any kind. That either means that the student body leaned left (likely) or nobody read my column (possible).

It should be mentioned that in 1993 I was somewhat of a grumpy 23-year-old Gen Xer who read a lot of Hunter S. Thompson.

Dissing on the Groove, Columbia Chronicle, 1993.

February 15, 1993 — Don't Stop Thinking About Tomorrow

March 1, 1993 — Politics Just Ain't Hip Enough, Yah Dig?

March 15, 1993 — Discover the World of Financial Insecurity

April 1st, 1993 — April Fools!

April 26, 1993 — Things Get Wacko in Waco

May 10, 1993 — An Open Letter to Generation X

May 24, 1993 — Spotted Owl Indicted in Liberal Plot to Stop Human Progress

Thank You For Your Relentless Pursuit of Excellence, 2019-2021.

September 2019 —A shamelessly self-promoting column by Chris Auman, Froghat fan

October 2019 — A shamelessly self-promoting column by Chris Auman, Skeleton Crew Member

January 2020 — A shamelessly self-promoting column by Chris Auman, Dog Poop Catcher

April 2020 — A shamelessly self-promoting column by Chris Auman, Wannabe Herpetologist

September 2020 — A shamelessly self-promoting column by Chris Auman, Radish Farmer

January 2021 — A shamelessly self-promoting column by Chris Auman, Poop Scooper

Music Writing

After graduating from the creative writing department at Columbia College in 1993, I figured that I was now officially a writer. I also loved music. I thought, therefore, that I should write about music. So I did for the publications listed below.

During this time, I also launched my own music publication, Reglar Wiglar Magazine, and contributed to a few other zines here and there.

Loud Lucy, INsider Chicago, 1993

Hog Lady, Columbia Chronicle, 1993

Mama Tick, Pure Magazine, 1993

Baby M, Pure Magazine, 1994

Vambo Marble Eye, Pure Magazine, 1994/95

Ass Ponys, Illinois Entertainer, 1994

Fix Your Wagon, Illinois Entertainer, 1994

Monster Magnet, Illinois Entertainer, 1995

God and Texas, Illinois Entertainer, 1995

Billy Childish, Chicago Tribune, 1998

Tribe 8, Chicago Tribune, 1998

Assorted Record Reviews, Mecury Rev, Trenchmouth, Grifters, Eric's Trip, GBV, and more.

Fiction

God Rick's Planet, Mind's Eye #3, 1993 — This short story was written for a Theory of Evolution class at Columbia College in 1991. The final project was supposed to tie into your major, which in my case was Fiction Writing. A couple of years later I sent the story to this science-fiction/literary zine and they actually published it.