1. INTRODUCTION
The phrase neutral facial expression appears multiple times in the oeuvre of Tao Lin. In an essay published on his blog, he identifies this phrase as one that causes him to “feel more calm when [he] think[s], type[s], say[s], hear[s], or read[s]” it and as one that, along with other phrases, “make[s] up the ‘core’ of ‘[T]ao [L]in.’” Hamsters are another reoccurring motif in his works. In this essay, I will discuss the relationship between the phrase neutral facial expression and the hamster motif. Sometimes Tao Lin writes other kinds of facial expressions, including calm and blank facial expressions. I will not discuss these.
2. HAMSTERS
Tao Lin sometimes uses anthropomorphic animals in his written works. Some animals commonly used are bears, moose, hamsters, dolphins, and aliens. This technique is used extensively in his novel Eeeee Eee Eeee. It can also be seen in his poem “the MFA in hamsters.” As is often the case with anthropomorphic animals, these animals function as an allegory for people. The first poem titled “untitled poem” in Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy and the poem “hamsters are heads with little characteristics on the head” from the same collection use hamsters exclusively in this capacity. Hamsters, both anthropomorphic and otherwise, appear frequently in Tao Lin’s writing and artwork.
In one segment of Tao Lin’s lecture at the Kansas City Art Institute given on April 2, 2010, he instructed his students in how to draw in his drawing style. He focused on how to draw hamsters in particular. During the workshop period, he demonstrated how to draw hamsters in the way he draws hamsters and critiqued students’ hamster drawings. During this period, he was asked “Why hamsters?” In response, he said “Because they are the most minimal animal.”
In an interview, Tao Lin observed that “[Hamsters’] heads are their bodies.” This can be seen in his depictions of hamsters in his forthcoming iPhone application “North American Hamsters.” These hamsters fit easily within Tao Lin’s standard practice, perhaps even representing what in the future will be considered the apotheosis of this style. In this series,a hamster is reduced to a head-body with legs, a tail, and a face. It is an animal stripped of all characteristics except those necessary for it to be recognized as an animal, a hamster stripped of all characteristics except those necessary for it to be recognized as a hamster. Consider the title of the poem “hamsters are heads with little characteristics on the head.” The face contains these characteristics. A hamster with a neutral facial expression is one that posses no characteristics. It is a blank template for properties to be attributed to.
3. NEUTRAL FACIAL EXPRESSION
The term neutral facial expression originates as a way for Tao Lin to describe the facial expression of hamsters. In Eeeee Eee Eeee, he writes:
Sometimes reading or watching TV Andrew recognizes that something is meant to be funny and hears this laughter, in his head, then feels that his face is very calm and neutral, like a hamster’s.
A hamster always has a neutral facial expression. In the first poem titled “untitled poem” in Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, Tao Lin writes:
The homeless hamster very quickly turned away from the hamster then turned back suddenly with a face that displayed no discernible emotion or no discernible lack of emotion.
In the same interview mentioned above, Tao Lin says zombies “only have one facial expression” (presumably a neutral facial expression) and “don’t have emotions.” Hamsters also only have one facial expression (a neutral facial expression), but the difference between a zombie and a hamster is that hamsters do have emotions, only the emotions are hidden. In “untitled poem,” Tao Lin writes: “An angry hamster looks exactly like an unangry hamster because the anger is within.”
A person, like a hamster, has emotions, but a person can display them with a facial expression. In Eeeee Eee Eeee, Tao Lin writes:
‘Shit-eating grin.’ He needs to stop. He needs to use his face to convey emotions to other humans in order to move sincerely through life—laughing in groups of three or four; expressing gratitude, concern, or disapproval about people, the weather, or food; and manipulating members of either sex to get them to love him, like him, or respect him. That is what a face is for.
A facial expression can express inner emotions, but it can also express emotions that are not felt. In Eeeee Eee Eeee, we read: “My face was neutral but inside I felt productive and good.” In “eleven page poem” in Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, we read: “i have channeled most of my anger into creating and sustaining an ‘angry face[.]’” A face can do those things.
4. APPENDIX: NEARLY COMPREHENSIVE CATALOGUE OF INSTANCES OF NEUTRAL FACIAL EXPRESSION IN THE OEUVRE OF TAO LIN
[NOTE: Uncollected stories and poems are not included in this appendix.]
A. BOOKS IN PRINT
you are a little bit happier than i am (Action Books, 2006): None.
Bed (Melville House, 2007): None.
Eeeee Eee Eeee (Melville House, 2007):
- “He seemed very nice and a little shy, but also like if he wanted he wanted he could walk quietly through a crowd with a neutral facial expression breaking people’s bones.” (Page 8.)
- “The hamster was on the bench. It had a neutral facial expression.” (Page 176.)
- “The hamster had a very neutral facial expression.” (Page 176.)
- “Lelu was sitting with a neutral facial expression.” (Page 206.)
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (Melville House, 2008):
- “alone at night i turned away from the computer / hit my face on the bed, made a noise / and turned back toward the computer / with a neutral facial expression, thinking / i knew how it felt not to be in control of one’s life” (Page 45.)
- “my rudy giuliani enjoys smiling widely at homeless people / with an otherwise neutral facial expression” (Page 93.)
Shoplifting From American Apparel (Melville House, 2009):
- “Sam laughed then had a neutral facial expression.” (Page 28.)
- “Sam stared at what he typed with a neutral facial expression.” (Page 36.)
- “She walked to the back of the kitchen, leaned against the counter, and looked at Sam with a neutral facial expression.” (Page 41.)
- “Sam stared at people’s faces with a neutral facial expression.” (Page 61.)
- “They kissed some more then stared at each other with neutral facial expressions. Sam thought that her facial expression was as neutral as Sheila’s when Sheila was in similar situations. Sam felt his own neutral facial expression.” (Pages 99-100.)
Richard Yates (Melville House, 2010):
- “When Haley Joel Osment thought about Dakota Fanning’s father he saw a normal-looking man sitting on the edge of a bed in the morning, standing in an office with a neutral facial expression, walking to his apartment at night, walking into his bedroom, quietly closing the door, screaming in agony, brushing his teeth, sleeping.” (Pages 18-19.)
- “He looked at Dakota Fanning with a neutral facial expression.” (Page 91.)
- “The mother looked at him with a neutral facial expression. Haley Joel Osment looked at the mother with a neutral facial expression.” (Pages 114-115.)
- “They looked at each other from across the kitchen with neutral facial expressions for about five seconds.” (Page 201.)
B. E-BOOKS
Hamster (blogspot.com, 2005-2007) [co-authored by Noah Cicero]: None.
ezra kire (blogspot.com, 2006): None.
this emotion was a little e-book (bear parade, 2006): None.
Today The Sky is Blue and White with Bright Blue Spots and a Small Pale Moon and I Will Destroy Our Relationship Today (bear parade, 2006):
- “He masturbated repeatedly to the Starbursts girl. He masturbated quietly, with a neutral facial expression.” (“Taipei, Taiwan.”)
Hikikomori (bear parade, 2007) [co-authored by Ellen Kennedy]:
- “tao is dead. you must move on. tao is dead. but i just evolved the ability to scream in agony while maintaining a neutral facial expression and calm body posture.” (“Page” 44.)
Conor Oberst Sex (Happy Cobra Books, 2009) [co-authored by Kendra Grant Malone]: None.
C. MIXED MEDIA
Bitch-crotch (ass hi books, 2006) [co-authored by Ellen Kennedy]:
- “Bitch-crotch privately thinks with a neutral facial expression, ‘Al Gore is my little bitch.’”
