*
p.s. Hey. ** Minet, Hi. Ah, you found my answer of yesterday after all. No problem whatsoever. Yeah, finding Rimbaud at 15 was the perfect age for the obvious reasons. It totally killed the whole ‘wait until you grow up’ bullshit. Great about the good reception. Yeah, having fans, trippy, huh? It’s still a strange, interesting idea to me even now. I wish I had the self-promoting gene sometimes. It would make things easier, I’m sure. It just isn’t in me. I saw your email. I’ll get to it ASAP. Thank you! ** Dominik, Hi!!! Me too. I mean I’m almost literally jumping out of my skin with excitement to start editing the film, but I’m trying to be patient because it looks like we can’t start until next weekend, grr. That would be a fine and probably very effective first date. Love in a slightly morbid mood offering you the opportunity to design your future gravestone at any expense and eschewing the rules of reality and the laws of gravity, etc., and your assignment to love is …?, G. ** Jack Skelley, Fraternal twin of Dana Skulley! Big agreement with you there, buddy, on the NBC junk. I’m hoping Gary was in his non-drunk, highly amusing mode. Gary knows a lot of scary Los Angelenos I know, so I can probably guess who you mean. Taix is still there? I can’t remember the last time I had a hangover. I hope your wasn’t a tequila hangover. Oh my god. Kill me. ** A, Hurry is my middle name. Don’t know ‘Of an Age’. What a clunky title. The last movie I saw in a theater was Aleksandr Sokurov’s ‘Skazka’, It was completely nuts. Zac just went out of town, so I’m not going to see him until Monday. Your book is such a flirt. ** Bill, Hi. Bill Jones has another novel coming out? Wow, so he’s serious about the novel writing thing? Huh. I think I must’ve just read a piece or two of Chesney’s here and there, in Conjunctions maybe. Moved further up the to-buy list. ** Misanthrope, I try everything possible to avoid looking at photos of myself, so I have no idea how I smile actually. Based on how my smiles feel, I would say, yeah, not so toothy. I’ve never even looked at Grindr. I don’t even know what its design look is. I once looked over a friend’s shoulder when he was hunting on Scruff, but that’s about it. If your doc is Ukrainian I wouldn’t tell them you weren’t sure if they were Russian, piece of advice. ** _Black_Acrylic, Yes, John and Bruce’s book. So good. Wonderful thing. Unsurprisingly, Bruce didn’t get anywhere closer to the credit he deserved, but he’s a pal of mine and let’s just say he did the lion’s share of the picking. ** Jamie, Jamie, old buddy, how wonderful to see you!! I’ve managed to get three substantial-ish posts out of the art/porn axis so far, so it’s a big vein. I’m good. I am basically back to Paris normal, but it’s kind of like a limbo period since I’m mostly just waiting to start editing the film i.e. re-entering that space. Yes, Zac and I are very, very happy with what we shot. Very confident. I mean, the proof is in the pudding and all of that, but hopes are high. You well know that my shoot evidence having unearthed and nailed a screenplay by you, well, that’s the prize. And a novella by you, no credit to me, whoa! Close to finished! Getting ready to sent out. Wow, pray tell of what this novella is, please. Happy those posts unlocked things in you. It would be interesting to try to write a novel that was a scale model of a novel. Hm, I might even try that. Love like an open grave that isn’t a grave, Dennis. ** Nightcrawler, Hey there! Very nice to see you! Things are alright over here as best I can tell. The Broad, yeah. I haven’t been there in ages. His collection is/was something. Did they have a special temp show up? Warhol. I think it’s totally possible his stuff was on my mind back when I made the scrapbooks. His films have always been what interested me the most, by far. They were definitely a big influence. In fact, tomorrow I’m restoring an old post that has a bunch of his films in it, coincidentally. So yeah. I’m a little burnt out on his paintings these days, but the ‘Death and Disaster’ paintings are great, yeah, definitely. What else is new with you? ** Right. Yesterday I gave you a three-quel post, and today I’ve giving you kind of a sequel post in the sense that I did a gravestone-centric post here ages ago. Anyway, I fell down a gravestone google search rabbit hole kind of thing the other day, and I decided to drag you all along for better or worse. See you tomorrow.
Now available in North America 
*
Hi!!
Ah, yes, I’m sure waiting is maddening right now! Even a few days, let alone weeks… You’re doing the editing in Paris, right? I mean, you don’t have to go back to the US for that?
Shit, love’s extreme abilities and talents would be so wasted on me! I actually don’t care how or where I’ll be buried, but I know I’d like a small, very simple gravestone with the text “That was weird” and nothing else. Although I saw a photo of a gravestone with the words “Now I know something you don’t,” which is hugely tempting too, and there are a few excellent ones above as well. What would yours look like? Od.
Hey Dennis,
How’s it going?
My main takeaway from today’s post is “aren’t people funny?”, I mean they are, aren’t they? Imagine having ‘fuck you’ on your gravestone. I’d kind of like to have one of those zombie ones as my gravestone. There’s a cemetery near me with tons of stone soldiers in various poses sitting around the tombs. It’s nice.
So cool about RT. And I can understand you being jonesing to get onto the edit. That must be so interesting. Do you have a tentative idea for when we may get to see it? I’m hoping I can catch it in a cinema now I’m in mainland Europe.
My novella, thanks for asking, is about a footballer on a drugs binge and is in real-time, sort of, and is probably more interesting than I’ve just made it sound, haha. The two people who’ve read it said it was really weird and dark and I think it freaked them out, a fact I’m proud of.
A scale model of a novel?? That thought makes my mind boggle in an excellent way…what an idea!
What’s up with you? Was Friday good to you?
Hope you have a dandy weekend.
Bespoke love,
Jamie
Dennis, Hahahha about the doctor. I’ve already decided that I’ll make sure I know what he is before I go in, if I go in. I do know he speaks English and Russian. But a lot of Ukrainians speak Russian. Not having Ukrainian on there tells me he might be Russian. I can’t remember what my nurse friend told me.
Yeah, you don’t have a toothy smile.
I’ve never been on Grindr either. I’ve seen screenshots of profiles on the interwebs, though. I’ve never been on any of the dating sites. Oh, wait, I did do a Manhunt account but that was because some friends had them and I wanted to look at their profiles out of curiosity. Haven’t looked at that thing in years.
Oh, and I’ve barely looked at any porn in months and months. Just tired and boring anymore.
I had a terrible night of sleep with a recurring nightmare. In the dream, I was sleeping and couldn’t wake up and kept having the same nightmare over and over. Ugh. Woke up a few times and thought at one point that someone was sitting in the chair at my desk. Fucking kerazy nightmare night. First nightmare I’ve had in ages.
I hope your weekend is great. Me, I’m going to the tiki bar in Solomons Island, MD Saturday night to see the hair metal band KIX. It’s my one friend’s favorite band (or one of them) and it’ll be the last time they play. They’re calling it quits after this year. Yeah, I’m taking one for the team here, hahaha.
Good to see Patrick Caulfield’s “DEAD” grave here, it’s such a design classic.
Sorry to say that I’m still feeling washed out, what with bizarrely early 5am wakeups and the continued soreness of my poorly toe. My brother drove me to see the GP yesterday and she dressed it with iodine and wrapped the errant digit up in cotton wool. But I’m ok!
Just about to start reading Michael Cragg – Reach for the Stars which is an oral history of UK Pop music in the early 2000s. Apparently conditions for those guys were just like battery-farmed chickens, so I look forward to hearing horror stories.
Hey Dennis, hope you’ve been well! Hope post-production for the film is going well. Love this post, made me consider getting a grave when I die. Always thought of just being cremated. I don’t know still, definitely have a lot of time to get to that whatever I decide. I do love that Hunter S. Thompson asked to have his ashes shot out of a *fucking* canon. Very befitting of the fellow. Whatever happens, will happen. I think you just know when it’s coming, you can sense it. Feel it in the air, maybe you don’t want to admit it, but I think the spirit or the unconscious knows more than we can imagine. My sensation currently is that I have enough time at least for now to get this new Mildred record done. I used to be so worried I’d die before I could finish the last record. Now I tell my bandmates that if I die, the demos are pretty fucking cool lol.
So much to read such little time but hope to stay caught up on your blog posts, they’re always a great read/view. Discovered this cult following Anglo/Dutch goth psychrock band that I think you might like if you haven’t heard ’em, The Legendary Pink Dots with their LP ‘The Crushed Velvet Apocalypse’. The cover is beautiful. Love the sound design on the end of ‘Green Gang’. My boss gave me a jar of magic mushrooms after work the other weekend and I of course dropped some immediately and listened to the record. Was a good experience, even accounting the vomitting so I could get to sleep before my next shift. Little Joy may have been Venice Beach’d, but the staff is definitely still Little Joy.
All the best,
Mildred
Hey DC. Guess what? We got some news that the S+S Australian/New Zealand reps are doing a push of the book out there cause they loved it so much. I know they are way less PC out there. Hurry being your middle name is very Capricorn. Never heard of Skazka. Yeah, my novel is doing quite the tease! Let’s hope you see him Monday, divine timing. Worst comes to worst – maybe you could read a digital ARC on your phone or iPad or sample scenes and blurb me off that if we are short for time but I’d prefer if you just greedily read when Zac gives it next week. Your back cover space is still available due to blind optimism. I’m still waiting to hear back about the print deadline. My will is strong. I got a window AC setup, so looks like I might not melt this Summer. More tmrw.
Is SKAZA the film made with deepfakes of Churchill, Hitler and Mussolini? I saw it on ok.ru. (It probably won’t play New York theaters till Russia’s war with Ukraine ends.) I liked the extremely primitive special effects, where it almost looks like watching 3D without wearing the glasses.
My birthday turned out to be pretty stressful. I’m having electrical issues in my apartment, and I couldn’t book an electrician till today. He should be coming over this afternoon, but I spent most of last night looking at my laptop in the dark, which was rough.
Here’s my review of Paul Schrader’s MASTER GARDENER: https://artsfuse.org/273011/film-review-master-gardener-white-knight-to-the-rescue/
Wow these are hilarious… And beautiful? Kind of inspired by some of them, the girl in the glass cage, the little boy sitting between angel wings, Jesus swinging that kid lolol I live near the most famous cemetery in Rio (almost every big writer/musician/president buried there), love walking aimlessly around it. Last time I went this old guy started following me then ended up introducing himself and basically gave me a tour of the whole thing. He said he’s been going there everyday for the past 10 years and wants to write a book about it before he dies. Craziest thing is I’d never seen him there before? Maybe he was a ghost. It kinda felt like a Dickens story, or a very very morbid Rohmer film lol
Glad you got the email!! Tell me what you think when you can. Are you reading anything these days? I read G. Stein’s Ida and Pinget’s Fable (found it on your best-ever list) recently; both masterpieces. Starting a Jelinek novel now. I really want to get my hands on Tommy Moore’s Your Dreams, but the shipping is crazy right now. I told him to try and convince AS to do a summer sale or something. Did you see that new Sotos anthology that just got announced?? I still haven’t read Missed Better Still (think that’s the title?). Have you?
Have a great weekend <3
xo
Minet
They did have one, very small temp show up—it was one of Yayoi Kusama’s mirror rooms, which I had only seen in pictures before. I must admit that they personally seemed a lot more expansive in photos, as the room in person felt quite small. It could have been a very interesting experience if you weren’t forced out after only a minute, though! The next one coming up, from what I could seen them getting ready, is an exhibition on Keith Haring.
Thanks so much for your response, by the way. Seeing the “Death and Disaster” works in person just reminded me a lot of some of the things that you had done. I have not seen any of his films, though—at least not more than brief excerpts—but I find the idea of slow cinema interesting, almost like a form of meditation or “photography in motion.” I will have to give some of them a watch after you restore the post!
Not much is new for me—but waiting for the academic year to finally end is getting old pretty quick! Just a few more weeks/papers and I will be free for the summer. The plan, thankfully, is to take a break and try to watch some movies—hopefully all Bergman, rewatch all Pasolini, and then various other things here and there (maybe Lynch and Argento?). Have you seen any films recently that you would recommend?
hey dennis – left this comment the other day but on a not-the-most-recent blog by mistake. here it is again:
hey dennis – long time no comment for me. i was busy editing my short for a while and then once that was done i just wanted a break from literally everything and started using every ounce of my free time to lay in bed. trying to get out of that pattern now, so here i am
i caught a few comments and pictures and things about your experience shooting your film and it seems to have gone well! that’s great, and i’m very excited to watch it once it’s out. any projected date for that?
i feel like i missed too much to even attempt to go back and read everything, but i did see you did a new queer cinema post a few days ago, and i was very happy to see the inclusion of (and who couldn’t include it in such a post) araki’s totally fucked up, which is my all time favourite movie (tied with linklater’s before sunset). i often tell people that it’s the epitome of what i want to make, it’s my bible, it’s everything i aspire to. it’s perfect
also very happy to see the inclusion of tom rubnitz and his film pickle surprise, which actually kind of changed my life as a kid. i probably saw it for the first time when i was 9 years old, it’s one of my earliest memories of queer people, although i didn’t even realize they were drag queens until i was about 15. that short has always stuck with me, it was one of my favourite things even then at 9, four years before i realized i was gay. huge influence on me, aesthetically, to this day
also mentioned was almodovar, another fave, naturally – do you have any thoughts on his new one, strange way of life? just premiered today at cannes. i worship ethan hawke, so i’m very excited to see it
hope you are well! like i said, been away for a looong time so completely in the dark to how things are going. we’ll be seeing more of each other going forward now though. off to make dinner, be back tomorrow
IMG, this is a very impressive collection, Dennis. I wonder what the backstory is on that AIDS tombstone. I’m not planning to be buried, but I can certainly rest happily under a Louise Bourgeois spider or a good fudge recipe.
By the way, have you seen
https://www.nyrb.com/products/w-the-whore
The text is pretty goofy, but there’s some dark and gorgeously textured art.
Bill
My friend Key and I recently went to the Circus burial grounds in Oklahoma. Was surprised not to see that on here! Those tombstones would definitely fit. Strange, beautiful, bizarre. Hope you’re doing well.
https://i.pinimg.com/736x/d9/4f/d8/d94fd88792cac77087e6f01f2b8ede89–circus-performers-oklahoma.jpg