The Tickling of the Bulls

A Rodeo at Madison Square Garden (Published in The Paris Review)

Hi all,

I have a new piece in The Paris Review—The Tickling of the Bulls: A Rodeo at Madison Square Garden—chronicling three days at MSG’s Monster Energy Buck Off, where I learned how to: ride a bull, be a man, connect with other men, and—most importantly—love your wife.

Longreads named it an Editor’s Pick, writing:

The Professional Bull Riders tour is no stranger to New York City; it’s been through Gotham at least 18 times, including last week’s gloriously titled Monster Energy Buck Off. Just because its most recent visit to Madison Square Garden isn’t a maiden voyage doesn’t make it any less of an opportunity for a keen-eyed writer. Case in point: Jasper Nathaniel’s wry and rollicking account of the three-day competition. Pieces like this can easily shade into arm’s-length anthropology, but Nathaniel weathers the bucks and jolts like a pro.

Below is a brief preview, which you can also see on my Instagram—but this story is a real romp, so you should read the whole thing.

More soon.

Jasper

PS — Many of you know me from my writing and reporting from the West Bank, and I want to assure you that more of that is coming. Having said that, while this piece represents a departure, I see it as part of my ongoing project of ethnographic, humanistic writing. Hopefully, this one serves as a brief respite from the horrors unfolding in Palestine.

All photos, except the last one, by Austin Augie.