I first interviewed Christian Lander when few knew his name: the L.A. Times was breaking the "who's behind the blog-sensation 'Stuff White People Like'" story the same day as me. But it was an interesting vantage point at the cusp of a media explosion; a few weeks and a million blogs later Christian would have a huge book deal, and be subsequently cut-off from further media exposure. The book would be rushed to print, and despite throngs of critics predicting a quick crash-and-burn, would go on to list as one of the smartest publishing "gambles" of the year. All of that, from blog-to-bestseller, happened in less than a year ('08).

Now in 2009, I thought I'd check in and see if Christian's postpartum depressed or riding high or just trucking along or what. So here we go:

The Assimilated Negro (TAN): So you've posted, like, a handful of times in the new year. Quite a contrast to your torrid pace to start the blog. What are we thinking: burn out? too busy? end of the SWPL road? f the small internet people? something else?

Christian Lander (CL): Part of it is definitely a burn out. I try to make sure that the posts and the topics are still accurate and funny, I have no interest in updating just for the sake of updating. I also just finished the Page-a-Day Calendar which is actually a lot more work than it sounds like and leads to an enormous burnout on talking about white people.

TAN: So I see the tour ended a month or two ago: Much success? How many stops did you make? Good consistent turnout?

CL: There were actually three tours- Summer 2008, Fall 2008, Winter 2009. I've lost track of how many cities were there, but I feel like I hit almost every big city in America except for New York (who knows why). Every stop had an amazing turnout and it stayed consistent the whole way through.

TAN: There was some backlash at the time of the deal, but I do feel SWPL has sustained as a go-to reference for white liberal types. Thoughts on your bid for permanent relevance?

CL: It would be great if it sticks, but I never in a million years expected it to become as popular as it has. So if it completely fades away, that's just fine with me.

TAN: any networking with your offshoots (stuff blacks/asians like ... etc.) any word on if any of those blogs turned to books?

CL: I have nothing to do with the off-shoots, Stuff Midwesterners Like was published and Stuff Christian's Like is also going into publication soon.

TAN: What's been a bigger deal for you: getting the money or developing the platform?

CL: It's been absolutely amazing to have developed the platform. I still can't get over the popularity and it's been so much fun. Not to sound too pretentious but it's been a lifelong dream to have a book on the New York Times Best Seller list, to have achieved that is just incredible and it still blows my mind.

TAN: Are you earning out your deal? Is that a concern? You hear stories about books being successes but the size of the deal becoming an albatross.

CL: The book is doing very well.

TAN: What's one thing you have learned from the experience, that you could not have anticipated?

CL: Hard to say, I don't think I had any expectations going into this so I'm not sure what has been a surprise. I think I just never anticipated how big it eventually became and it's still strange how often I meet someone and when they find out that I wrote the blog/book, they are impressed. That's still pretty weird.

TAN: Other projects, future plans etc?

CL: The book has been optioned by Imagine Entertainment to become a TV show and I'm working on that along with a few other TV projects that I'm really hoping will pan out. But immediately next is a talk show this summer with Microsoft and Crispin, Porter Bogusky. It's going to be on-line, so it won't be the biggest thing in the world, but it's going to be a lot of fun.

Thanks, Christian.

Stuff White People Like still available at an Amazon near you.

• Housewives proclaimed their same-sex lust for a lesbian fitness trainer.
• Like white people and young Jewish people, Indian people like stuff too.
• Jimmy Fallon kind of sucks. But Barry Gibb kind of rules!
• We watched the greatest catfight ever.
• There was more news, and pictures, regarding that Yale fraud kid and his ex-boyfriend.
• Julia Allison!

[A] well-worn filmy formula: Wealthy, urban boy serendipitously meets poor, rural girl while passing through the countryside against his parents' will. Though the wealthy boy is soon to be engaged to the daughter of his father's wealthy business partner, he cannot help but fall in love with the dough-eyed, provincial beauty who cares for her ageing parents and sings borgeets while folding laundry amongst the hibiscus plants in the garden. Despite the forbidding of his parents, the wealthy boy pursues the village beauty until they marry, he beats up her jealous, overbearing, uncivilized suitors and she becomes a welcome addition to the wealthy family. For the most part, all Flims have the same story line as Coming to America.

Only one product is completely indigenous to India. The fighter of flatulence and director of digestion, Hajmola is a tasty and functional treat. Hajmola tastes good to almost all Indians. And why wouldn't it? Scientifically, its ingredients include: Kalimirch, Zeera, Saunth, Nimbu saar (Pippali, Samudra Lavan, Sarkara, Krishnalavana, Navsadar - make the up rest). Indian children take one tablet a day, while adults and the elderly are advised to take two.

Most Indian males come across Acqua Di Gio as a 17th birthday present from a girlfriend named Priyanka, Loni, Teena or Snekdha Ghandivadhi. Once they catch a whiff of Acqua Di Gio's citrus infused odor, images of couture Italian style cloud the portions of their brain normally dedicated to good taste and the inhibition of unbuttoning your shirt if you sprout unruly body hair. Most formative in the mind of the young Indian male, however, is the implicit association with Acqua Di Gio and Indian girls.

StuffIndiansLike

Gaze in open-mawed horror as Run-DMC's "It's Tricky" gets utterly butchered. Feel your skin crawl as Jason Castro shows off his mad dribbling skillz. Mourn for your departed soul as Kristy Lee Cook swats the ball away from a charging black man.

It ain't pretty, to be sure. But if Ford is actually committed to taking the Idol contestants down this road, may we suggest that next week they cover Akinyele's classic "Put It In Your Mouth"? That might be enough to make us buy a Focus.

• American Idol [FOX]

• Voting: "Young American Jews, aged 18-34, have a 73% voter turn out. Average American non-Jews of the same demographic have a 42% voter turn out."
• National Public Radio: "Not only does NPR feed in to their progressive liberal elitism, it also creates a stronger sense of their progressive liberal elitism."
• Psuedo Indie Media Outlets: " Slate, McSweeney’s, and the New Republic, while independent in spirit, all have massive corporate parent companies."

OK, maybe also? Professional blogging.

[Stuff Jewish Young Adults Like]

We will say this for "Stuff White People Like"—if it was a list, it might be quite funny. "Expensive sandwiches" is a funny phrase. But, christ, the execution? The writing? We make no bones about the literary or even humorous merit of our daily output, but please compare "Stuff White People Like" entry #14, Having Black Friends, to that once-controversial piece of ancient internet satire Black People Love Us, a site that identifies its targets with more care and pierces them with more skill.

"Stuff White People Like" is a retrofitted Sinbad routine. It's the internet equivalent of Michael Scott re-telling a Chris Rock joke. In The New Republic, the man who attemped to popularize the terrible let-us-never-speak-of-it-again term "grups" not only leveled these criticisms but also pointed out why "white people" love "Stuff White People Like." Three reasons: "it's funny 'cause it's true", "it's funny because I'm superior to those white people", and "white people dance like this."

In The Root (an online magazine this white person likes), Gary Dauphin puts it succinctly: "Usually, even jokey talk about whiteness has a whiff of danger to it, but SWPL is likely the safest, most affable racial satire ever, a loving high-five between friends passing as critique." (He also points out that white people like stealing and repurposing elements of black identity.)

And, yes, those are the intellectual criticisms. But didn't we mention that we're also sick of the hand-wringing? The side-choosing? It's just a stupid occasionally entertaining blog! But then the author—who is apparently Canadian, and thus an authority on what white people like, even though he has friends of varying ethnicites—received $300k to turn it into a book and so now we're probably going to have to hear even more debates about What It All Means whenever this book is actually published, unless of course by then President Barack Obama has led us all into the glorious post-racial fruitopia of tomorrow.

Long story short, too-clever-by-half liberal arts school graduates like blogging, regardless of race. And the rest of the nation, white, black, or otherwise, doesn't give a shit.