September 2006:
Words of the month: Impetigo / brutalist / Wensleydale / crawfish / virus / gash / autumn / offbeat / kidney / amputechture / industrial / Gulag.
Brutalism Brutalism is here
Brutalism #2 And definitely here: myspace.com/brutalists
342 A new story, '50% Salt Water, 50% Hand Fan' is in the first edition of a new collection published by The 342 Club. It's an excerpt from my forthcoming second novel 'The Missing Kidney', which has been monumentally pimped out in extract from, like some sort of toothless Dickensian tart. Only if she were made of words instead of sores and lesions. You can find out more information about 342 → here
Whore Of Words I've written the back cover blurb for a new collection of stories by Islington-based writer, entitled 'Down The Angel', published by the people of the rather good website www.pulp.net. I don't like Islington and haven't read the book so just told them to write what they liked. I hope it turned out good for them. It was nice to be asked. Can I call myself a writer now?
Endless Offal Go to Dogmatika.com to see two new pieces - one concerning why I'm compelled to write this endless offal ('Suck The Poison From The Wound') and to read a short piece on Durham Cathedral (called, funnily enough, '(Young Lovers In) Durham Cathedral'). Who knows, maybe somebody actually reads this stuff...?
Ben in Dazed & Confused Dazed & Confused magazine is very kindly doing a piece on my first novel 'The Book Of Fuck'. I'm not sure when it's out. Soon I hope.
'The Straighteners' and 'Soap And Water' A new story 'The Straighteners' and the Brutalist poem 'Soap And Water' can be read → here
I Love Cat Stevens Anyone who knows me will probably be aware of my inexplicable love for Cat Stevens. Such feelings are expressed in a new mini-essay that has been commissioned for a project by the author Laura Hird. Keep your eyes trained towards laurahird.com if you're interested in an in-depth analysis of the lyrics of 'Father & Son'.
Virus poems updates Some of my Virus-based poems are appearing in the next print edition of fine Manchester based collection, 'Dreams That Money Can Buy'. It'll more than likely be out in 2007. A complete collection is near to completion. I also recently recorded spoken word versions of a number of these poems with the aid of Doc Throberts (my collaborator in noise/poetry project The Gulag), and which should be coming out on a CD-Rom magazine through Czech-based BLATT books. Hot shit.
TV I've recently appeared in a couple of music documentaries. I looked like a cunt. That's all I need to say about that.
New Ben Myers publication in the US The rumours are my latest music biography 'Right Here In Hollywood: The Story Of System Of A Down' has found a home with a rather fine US publisher. Again, more details as and when I have them.
The Off-Beat Generation Social Disease The Off-Beat Generation is the name being attributed to the new wave of young, challenging non-mainstream writers - writers such as myself, HP Tinker, Adelle Stripe, Matthew Coleman. Tony O'Neill, Travis Jeppesen etc. Watch out for more work or pay a visit to offbeatgeneration for more information. These writers may very well be the ones to overthrow the dull literary mainstream establishment. Social Disease is an exciting new publishing ventured launched by London writer Heidi James, and aims to document some of the emerging authors of The Off-Beat Generation. Watch out for them.
Dan Fante To many of the above writers, Dan Fante is God. Read one of his many recent glowing reviews or buy one of his books: danfante.net