Van Meter packed for Klosterman lecture

Joanna Williams

Pop culture critic Chuck Klosterman spoke to more than 700 people in a packed Van Meter Hall on Tuesday night as part of the final program in this year’s Cultural Enhancement Series.

Klosterman presented an unpublished work that dealt with people’s attraction to live sports games, which will be on a new ESPN website in June. He explained why so many people feel it necessary to watch games in real time and how commercials lead to an imaginary build up.

After his lecture, he answered questions on topics such as how social networking impacts the news people receive and how music has changed since the time of CD-ROMS.

Jason Martin, a junior form Martinsville, Va., said he’s been a Klosterman fan for years and has been impacted by his work.

“He spurred me to start my own blog that covers television,” Martin said. “I love reading his stuff and it excites me very much.”

Dean of Potter College David Lee said he was pleased with number of people who attended and how interactive Klosterman was with students.

“It was a great turnout and a great exchange between Chuck and our students,” he said. “I think it was one of our best events.”

Check Friday’s Herald for more on this story.