It boasts the vaguely British bylines of James Wolcott and A.M. Homes. A VF spokeswoman refused to identify Calendar Boy, which tells me he must be hiding something. Like he'd even eat at the same restaurant as you. Josh was obviously an editorial creation, a caricature of a jerk who passed his days pestering Norman Pearlstine and Steve Brill with stupid ideas. Now, the pseudocolumnists are everywhere.
Pseudonyms flourish in the ironic domain and, increasingly, on the Web.
It's no surprise to see so many noms de screen, because the Web is all about games of persona. Above all, to get attention. Whether or not Joe Klein deliberately tried to hype Primary Colors by signing it Anonymous, it helped sell the book. That kind of stunt doubles the publicity, encouraging postpublication stories that speculate about the byline, reveal the truth, and weigh in on the outrage of it all. Ideally, a pseudonym lets you frankly recount an experience that's unique.