Passenger Scat
So I just happened to be glancing at the Paper Towns page on Amazon, because, you know, it's a day, and that's one of the things I do on days.
And I happened to notice that listed among Paper Towns' "key phrases" is the phrase "passenger scat."*
I'm not entirely sure what passenger scat is. (I mean, I thought I made it clear in the book that Ben PEES into the beer bottle during the road trip.) But I know for a fact that I did not include that phrase is the novel I wrote. I assume amazon's computer scanned "passenger seat" incorrectly, but if anyone comes across the phrase "passenger scat" in PT, please let me know, so I can have it fixed for future editions.
If you come across any actual passenger scat, I'm sorry.
*The list of other works with "passenger scat" as a key phrase is perhaps the most unlikely list of books ever compiled: Me, Bolano's 2666, a Star Wars book, and a Jimmy Buffet novel. I'll take that company.
posted by John Green @ Tuesday, February 17, 2009
20 Comments
20 Comments:
John,
Just go to Amazon, hover over the cover and a search box will appear.
Type in, uh, "passenger scat". A search page shows up each match for what Amazon thinks says, uh, that phrase.
You can then even click the results and see the scan with the term highlighted, to make sure it says "seat".
I did the Amazon search, like eviljim said, and all the "passenger scats" I saw were in fact, "passenger seats." I think the Amazon search just couldn't pick up the letter 'e' for some reason.
But I hope this inspires you to write your next book about an improv jazz group on tour--"Passenger Scat."
Come on, John. The phrase "passenger scat" obviously refers to that whole chapter where Q discovers that Margo has been pursuing her dreams of becoming a vocal jazz performer. You know, when he learns that Margo took a job with United Airlines as a Passenger Scat Artist, in which she wanders up and down plane aisles during flights, scat singing to airline passengers.
"\V'c lost a minute," Bcn says from the passenger scat.
Oh Bcn. Oh Amazon.
"If you come across any actual passenger scat, I'm sorry."
And this is why I adore your writing.
I did the search and my favourite was the section that reads "I le pat rnm' uninjured cheek". I love random French words!
Dear Mr. Green:
I posted your interview to my blog today. Thanks, again, for the opportunity!
It's not just the word "seat" that has been messed up. The scanning contain such gems as "I le pats rnn'".
While I do love all the suggestions of what John's Passenger Scat opus might actually be about, there is problem you're all forgetting... He would be forced to add "in your pants" to the title.
This, for some reason, reminds me of my text message auto-guess function (you know, where you type only the numbers and it imputes them into likely words), whose decision to eschew curse words yet allow a wide variety of Oz-inspired slang has me daily text messaging the word "shiv."
i hate jimmy buffet
I think Amazon is trying to tell you to contact Robert Bolano, Curtis Saxton, and Jimmy Buffet to start the Passenger Scat collection of books.
Hi John!
This has nothing to do with "Passenger Scat" (however I do like Annie's idea of an improv jazz band with that moniker), but knowing your love of all things conjoined...thought you might be interested in this article.
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09048/949669-114.stm
Hope you make your way Pittsburgh again soon. We'll save a segment for you on our show.
Best wishes!
Marie
It is indeed passenger seat. I took the book out to double check. Perhaps the legal warping of having quotes from books on Amazon results in designated typos. That or a scanner error. Either way, highly strange.
HAHA. words are so funny. I should be an etymologists.
is there such a person who studies words that don't exist? someone who studies such things as neglected positives? because I would like to do that.
Have you seen the Australian cover for Paper Towns yet? http://persnicketysnark.blogspot.com/2009/02/paper-towns-aussie-style.html
Only something that ridiculously fun and humorous could happen to you (and the authors of that random assortment of books).
It def adds character to the PT page. :)
I would consider my life complete if my name were to appear on the same list as Jimmy Buffet's.
Heh. Ewwwwwwwww.
I was using the search inside function on amazon today to see how it worked, and, as a test using Paper Towns, entered 'mountain'. One of the 14 results was "a song by the Mountain Coats."
So I don't think you have to worry about the typo thing. Amazon is just extremely error-riddled.
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