Grab that Scrap!
John Seabrook’s January 14th article in the New Yorker about the scrap metal business was one of the best I’ve read in a long time. And not just because I’m fascinated by garbage and re-use and because one of my favorite books is "Garbage Land", a biography of a bag of trash. I loved it because it was as "I was there" as Gay Talese, as historically insightful as John McPhee and as free spirited as Susan Orlean. Since these are all heroes of ine, this is a good thing.
Seabrook isn’t my favorite New Yorker contributor and I found his book "Nobrow" a missed opportunity. This piece gives me reason to think twice before passing over his work again.