Klosterman speaks to packed audience

Chuck Klosterman said he was going to keep students at his lecture by blowing up the podium at the end of his speech.

Luckily for the audience that packed the University of Nebraska-Lincoln City Union's auditorium Tuesday night, he didn't have to.

Klosterman, a writer for Spin magazine, Esquire and author of four books including "Sex, Drugs & Cocoa Puffs: A Low Culture Manifesto," entertained UNL students, faculty members and members of the Lincoln community for an hour and a half by discussing such broad topics as pop culture and his upbringing in the Midwest.

Klosterman kicked off the lecture by discussing collegiate issues such as the shootings that took place Monday at Virginia Tech.

When discussing these topics, Klosterman became critical of how the media had covered the events.

"Because I am a journalist, I always defend the media," he said. "After watching how these events were covered, I understand why people hate broadcasters and journalists."

Even while talking about such serious issues, Klosterman still managed to spring a few giggles from the audience. Those giggles became louder and more frequent as the night progressed.

Klosterman spent the majority of the lecture discussing how he had gotten to his current point. He emphasized that journalism students should not use him as an example because a lot of his career was chance.

"When you're trying to figure out what you want to do in life, you can't follow other people's careers," he said.

Students should always be hyper-ready for an opportunity to pop up, he said.

During the question and answer portion of the lecture, Klosterman answered questions ranging from differences between types of journalists to if mix tapes still made good gifts.

The University Program Council sponsored the discussion, entitled "Life Through the Prism of Pop Culture."

Klosterman was hilarious during his lecture, said Emma Wolfe, a freshman marketing major. Wolfe said she enjoyed hearing his opinions in real life as opposed to just reading them.

"I had no preconceived notions of what to expect (from Klosterman), but now I'm interested in reading some of his stuff," said Emily Ross, a 2006 UNL alumna. "I'm impressed UNL was able to get him to come and speak."