December 2006:
Words of the month: Oy vey, the Sagas, Slayer, silicon, quim, Vicodin, yeast, literary summit, RSI.
A word from your sponsor. Greetings from a cold room in London. This month has largely been defined by thrash metal, poetry and bread-making. Yes, I'm finally a fucking bread-baking hippy. Poverty lingers like a bad smell, but I've grown accustomed to it. Every day I chant my mantra: "Never. Get. A. Job..." and feel something approaching free. As I type Blink 182's 'Greatest Hits' is on the stereo, but don't tell anyone. The coffee is strong.
So this website appears to be largely existing to document the proliferation of my stories, reviews, poems and books out there, on the internet in magazines and on shop shelves. A fiction of fiction and biography. Thanks to anyone who has got in touch recently to shoot the shit about a variety of subjects - its great to discuss punk rock with people in the Dominican Republic, art with Mexicans, murdered spies with Siberians and how great the weather is (anyone form anywhere else but England).
I'm continually adding short pieces to my MySpace blog: www.myspace.com/bigbenmyers
The shitty news is, after publishing six books in three years (and completing two others) I have RSI - repetitive strain injury - so typing is slightly problematic. Narcotics and massages help though. And all those wanking jokes are, of course, utterly hilarious.
Here's Bill with the news...
Flash Bastard - The Flash is the name of a collection of flash fiction published in February 2007 through the fine new publisher Social Disease Watch out for my story 'Fish-Pie Wednesday'. Christopher Brookmyre, Niall Griffiths, Sam Lipsyte, Michael Faber, Stewart Lee, Danny King, Arthur Nersesian, Steve Almond and Percival Everett just some of the dozens of names contributing, and whose novels come highly recommended. All proceeds from The Flash go to Amnesty International. Reserve a copy now. There's also a tit on the cover, by Steven Sherill.
Rock's Back Pages. Rock's Back Pages is a site that archives the best of music journalism, and is edited by esteemed writer Barney Hoskyns. As of now a number of my interviews and reviews from 1996 to present are available to read. The roll-call of writers includes the likes of Charles Shaar Murray, Caroline Coon, Kris Needs, Wayne Coyne, Lester Bangs, Nina Antonia etc. Go here for more details roll call: www.rocksbackpages.com
Brutalism #1. Brutalism #1 is the name of the first collection of poetry by the Brutalist movement, of which I am involved. Stay tuned for more news of publication dates etc in the New Year.
Weighty. I have recently been interviewed for the Irish Times in a rather weighty discussion concerning matters of literature. Sample question: "How applicable do you feel this maxim ["The great trumpeter Clark Terry said that mastering jazz improvisation comes from "imitation, assimilation, and innovation"'] is as regards the process of writing& Is it unwise or unrealistic to apply such a maxim, originally intended for musical creation, to the writing process&" Some of the correspondence may be on 3AM Magazine (www.3ammagazine) at some point in the near-future.
Dogmatika. At some point in the coming weeks you should be able to read a selection of my ultra-short poems on Dogmatika: www.dogmatika.com
Black Coffee Blues. Watch out for a number of my stories and poems in the excellent US based website, Zygote In My Coffee. Various pieces are set to run in print and online between now and March 2007. Some is up there now, yo: www.zygoteinmycoffee.com
Back in the (former) USSR. I've been working closely with a fine translator and my biography on Muse (Muse: Inside The Muscle Museum) is, I believe, coming out in Russia in January 2007 through Gorodets publishing
Gratuitous Youtube clip. I've seen the film 'American Hardcore' and it's amazing. It's coming soon to the UK: www.youtube.com/watch?v=cshGdduppBQ
Over and out All the best for the Christmas season, dear reader. Don't get in too much debt. Don't over indulge. Actually do. That's what life is for.