Tao Lin on Sex, Drugs, and Spiritual Awakenings

My initial interview with Tao Lin began as a questionnaire, much like the kind I publish on my personal Substack. I found the writer’s responses slim and inscrutable (he answered “I don’t know” to many of the questions, yet requested I leave those responses in the published interview). In my relationship to Lin, as a reader, there was always something not quite right. I would walk away from his work appreciating what I learned but not drawn to him. Between us I felt a chasm that didn’t exist with other writers I’ve enjoyed.