The blog of author Dennis Cooper

Please welcome to the world … Grant Maierhofer GAG (Inside the Castle)

 

Gag is a sequence of rotting doors/mild suburban hell/rooms lorded over by men of obscenity/a blighted novella/sister book to PX138 3100-2686 User’s Manual/a little limb, little dog/bodies trapped in basements/leather, plastic, film/pile of burnt manuscripts/Artaud’s body writhing on an asylum floor/the outside world of light and terrors/an offensive dictionary/a song of TV’s great criminals/mere book/the acorns on the forgotten grave of Donatien Alphonse François de Sade/a collection of evidence from taped cabinets.’ — Inside the Castle

 

 

‘Strange and severe, reworking language into a series of ritual gestures, Gag takes the words and phrases you thought you knew and with them performs a new way of speaking, one that is sensation-based rather than knowledge-based. Gag is the kind of book that recomposes itself in the compost of your brain so that only days later do you realize what it’s done to you.’ — Brian Evenson

Gag takes place in a haunting and unpredictable world where silence is pure, violence is a career, and everyone is meat. Reading this book is like entering a dream, or a nightmare, depending on the page.’ — Chelsea Hodson

 

Buy your copy of GAG here

 

 

Elsewhere

Another excerpt from GAG @ Fanzine
GM’s ‘Flamingoes’ @ ITNA Press
RESEARCH NOTES · 01/06/2017: ‘Flamingos’ by Grant Maierhofer
Audio: GM interviewed about ‘Flamingoes’
GM’s ‘Postures’ @ Publication Studio
GM’s ‘Grobbing Thistle’ @ Dostoyevsky Wannabe
An Excerpt From Grant Maierhofer’s Novel “The Persistence of Crows”
GM @ goodreads
SOME UNSCIENTIFIC THOUGHTS ON SOBRIETY
OEDIP
Difficult Postures
GM’s take on Gaspar Noe’s ‘Love’
the novelist as failure, the language as failing: a recursive reading of melville’s pierre
GM on pain

 

Video


bronchitis reading of 3 poems from ‘ode to a vincent gallo nightingale’


Trailer: Grobbing Thistle by Grant Maierhofer


Trailer: Marcel by Grant Maierhofer


Interview response

 

 

 

Excerpt

 

*

p.s. Hey. This lucky blog gets its second chance in several days to transfigure into a red carpet for a fantastic, newly born book, in this case Grant Maierhofer’s stunning newbie ‘GAG’. Please give it your full attention today and consider adding it to your library. Thanks a lot! Otherwise, I got whomped by illness yesterday at absolutely the most impossible time seeing as how I need to be working from morning to night every day for the next three weeks, and I literally have no choice in the matter, so I am very fucked and trying desperately to will myself back to health. I only mention that because this p.s. is going to be a somewhat listless, unfocused thing. Sorry. ** New Juche, Hi, Joe. Oh, that’s funny, the link, given today’s subject. Thanks! Everyone, Add to your Grant Maierhofer Day by clicking this and reading his thoughts on ‘Finnegan’s Wake’ over at the venerable 3:AM Magazine. ** David Ehrenstein, Hi, D. Oops, you’re right. Thank you ever so much for pasting that Facebook thing here. I’m only capable of skimming it at the moment, but it looks very rich. Thank you, David! ** Jamie, Hi Jamie! Very happy to see you! Oh, man, I’m sick and screwed, but otherwise I’m okay, ha ha. Even with my excessive busyness right now, I still think busy is a way to go. The film prep is non-stop and getting smoother and smoother, thanks. Seeings things solidified is weird, right? Our rehearsals feel like that, even though what’s happening there isn’t solid. Sorry you went through the sickness. I got totally zonked by it last night, and, oh man, does it suck. Happy Tuesday, hopefully with lots of spring in your step, back to you. Congested and semi-incoherent love, Dennis ** Ferdinand, Hi, F. I do remember that cover of The Face actually, yeah. When my brain starts working again, I’ll greedily read your poem. Thank you! Everyone, writer and d.l. Ferdinand (Andrew) has a poem brand newly online you and should read it. Here. Thanks about the film. It’s called PERMANENT GREEN LIGHT. ** Steevee, Hi. Well, if you like Robbie Williams it helps me understand why you like the Harry Styles single so much. I do like Mount Eerie, and, yeah, the new album is very beautiful. The bank got on the replacement card quickly. It’s just that they have to send it overseas to me because my bank doesn’t exist in France. Congrats on weight loss. Diet, cutting down on the med, both, other reasons? ** Dóra Grőber, Hi! I thought so too. Thanks about the card. It seems to be even more of a mess now. Asking authors whose work you accept for SCAB not publish that work anywhere else before SCAB comes out is absolutely the usual, reasonable, and perfectly okay and right way. That’s not asking anything unusual of the writers all. Two months is not a long time. Don’t worry about that. Yeah, my sickness swooped in and took over my body last night. It’s a shockingly bad development. We did get permission yesterday to use the music track finally, and hooray about that. The rehearsals went really well. Today we have our last Paris day of rehearsals and then a giant meeting about our shooting schedule, although I don’t know how I’m going to do and survive those things. Have an infinitely better Tuesday than I’m going to have. How was yours? ** Misanthrope, Yeah, I don’t like Robbie Williams’ stuff, so there you go. Fall, winter? Hm, I’ll take a guess. Someone’s pregnant? Yeah I don’t find sex dolls titillating at all, but I do find people’s ability to get titillated by them kind of interesting. ** _Black_Acrylic, Thanks, Ben. I wish you were handling my card, obviously. Cool, I’ll score the Dopplereffekt next time I get a minute. Thanks, buddy. ** H, Hi. Ha ha, my powers of denial did not work. I’m way sick. And now I’m asking those powers to work even harder. Talk about unbelievably bad luck. I’m really looking forward to reading the new Guibert. On Thursday, in fact. Take care, my friend. ** Right. Be all celebratory and welcoming regarding ‘GAG’ today, folks. Thank you very much! See you tomorrow.

12 Comments

  1. steevee

    Getting sick on the verge of film production sounds like an utter nightmare. Have you seen a doctor? (Can you bill a doctor’s visit to the production, because it sounds like a necessity for the film to continue?) Do you think it’s something that will pass quickly? Can you take anything for it?

    The closest branch of my bank is 5 blocks from my apartment, so I can see how that makes a big difference.

    As for my weight loss, I credit both my heavy cutting down on Zyprexa (which stimulated my appetite as though I were smoking tons of pot constantly) and my switch to a mostly vegan diet, both of which began last fall. Since then, I’ve gone down 2 pants sizes in 9 months.

    The hard drive of my friend containing the Albini-produced version of IN COLOR is now broken, so I may not be able to hear it after all.

    I’m interviewing graphic novelist/filmmaker Dash Shaw this afternoon. After several nights of good sleep, I wish I were running on more than 6 hours now.

  2. Jamie

    Hey DC, sorry to hear that you’ve got the lurgy. Do you take zinc tablets? I’ve been taking them since I started feeling sick and I seem to have chased off the cold quick smart. I hope you feel as good as possible as soon as possible. Great that the rehearsals are working out well.
    I’m adding today’s book to the ‘to-buy’ list. Thanks!
    I hope your day is smoother than smooth.
    Unimpeachable love,
    Jamie

  3. David Ehrenstein

    Great stuff, Grant!

    Sorry you’re so sick Dennis. But don’t forget, Cocteau was seriously ill all the way through the shooting of “La Belle et la Bete.”

  4. Grant Maierhofer

    Dennis!! Thank you so fucking much for sharing this!

    All the love in the world to you my friend!

    Grant

  5. Dóra Grőber

    Hi!

    God, this excerpt is one of the most thrilling and ‘close to me’ things I’ve read in a long while! I love it. I must have this book. Thank you for the post and most obviously, thank you for writing this, Grant Maierhofer!

    Oh no! Sickness always sucks but this is an extremely bad timing! I hope you get better very quickly!! I guess it would be pretty impossible to skip today’s rehearsals and especially the meeting about your shooting schedule, right?
    I’m really happy to hear you get to use the song, though!! That’s very good news!

    Thank you for the reassurance about SCAB! I guess I’ll ask them not to publish the accepted pieces before publication and to credit SCAB if they post their work somewhere else (on a personal blog, etc.) after that.
    I have a rather lovely Tuesday, I spent most of it with a close friend of mine. And I also got a belated birthday gift, the book “Eat When You Feel Sad” by Zachary German. It’s been on my list since forever so I’m really happy now!

    How did everything go on your end? How are you feeling? I hope this is the kind of sickness which comes and goes in a day or two!!

  6. _Black_Acrylic

    @ Grant, congratulations on the birth of your book! I’ll add it to my list of must-reads.

    @ DC, so sorry to hear that the cold has you in its evil clutches. If it’s any consolation, I came down with it last week and was taking a driving lesson 2 days later. So it’s potentially not the end of the world, is what I’m saying.

  7. steevee

    The Shaw interview went pretty well. I’ve transcribed the first few minutes and need to finish this tonight, although my back hurts. I got past the one dicey spot, where I asked “Are you influenced by psychedelic art and culture?” What I really wanted to ask was “Have you taken psychedelic drugs, and if so, did they influence your sensibility?” (If you’ve seen his film, it’s pretty obvious the answer to both questions is yes.) But obviously, I wanted to test the waters. He did get my subtext, was cool with it and admitted to being inspired by watching cartoons on magic mushrooms.

  8. New Juche

    Wow – coincidence! Gag looks very interesting.

  9. Misanthrope

    Dennis, Jamie’s right. Get on the zinc pronto! Though if you wait more than 24 hours to start on it, it’s not as effective.

    Man, being human and not liking Robbie Williams’ stuff is like being vegetarian and not liking asparagus. Oh, wait…nvm…

    Pregnant?! Good God, man, you almost gave me a heart attack. I hope to high hell no one here gets pregnant. Or gets anyone pregnant. I think if that happened, I’d quietly get my own place, move out, change my phone number, and not leave a forwarding address…

    No, it’s about writing…and actually getting some things done. But that’s all I’m saying until something is done. I’m aiming for the fall or winter.

    Okay, you’re probably not up to answering this, but I’m asking anyway. Have you ever been silly? Or…do you ever get silly? I’ve seen you be funny and comical and even goofy, but I can’t really imagine you being silly. 😛

  10. Misanthrope

    And GRANT! What the fuck? You know -and I’m being totally honest and frank here and not self-deprecating or humble or any of that bullshit- I just don’t know how you guys do it. I’m jealous. Things like what you’ve done here are just so beyond my ability and grasp…soooo way too smart for a guy like me, it just makes my head spin. I mean, yeah, the bits I’ve read here, I get it…barely. But just the thought of someone being able to sit down and do something like this boggles my mind. Congrats, fella. I like that GAG is in the world.

  11. Jeff Coleman

    Very intriguing. I’ll get a copy of this.

    I have another book from this publisher, Mike Kitchell’s ‘Hour of the Wolf,’ which looks really good (I wonder if MK was involved with the design of GAG, I get that impression from the look of the excerpt pages). They’re doing good work.

    Congrats on the book, Grant!

  12. Bill

    Grant, this looks great. Hope my copy will show up soon…

    Am enjoying the new Martin Duberman so far, despite the chattiness.

    Hope you feel better Dennis. Argh.

    Bill

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