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p.s. Hey. That new little book of mine that I’ve been mentioning here is now available for preorder. Look slightly to your right. ** Dominik, Hi!!! Mr, Indiana, nice. Or love could make me be into being spit on, which I am not. Paris itself is being heavily closed in on by the Olympics. The whole place is becoming an Olympics billboard. But I’m in one of the ‘danger’ zones, so the pressure on my hood is special. I’d like to be able to draw a seahorse in any capacity. Coincidentally I just watched a video of a seahorse giving birth, and they have, like, a hundred babies, I assume because I think most of them get eaten by fish lickety split. Love going ‘grrrrr’, G. ** _Black_Acrylic, Hi. PTv2 is still in my queue, but not for long. The Grandsen sounds like a must. Noted. Thanks, pal. ** Jamie F, Hi. I’m very fond of LA and its populace for the most part. I grew up putting as much emotional distance from my parents and me as possible, so, by the time they called me a perv trash writer, I wasn’t phased. But I’ve always been super independent. I’ve basically cultivated a life where I’m largely surrounded by artists or people who are really into art of whatever kind, so I feel pretty protected. I guess I do recommend doing that. Thanks for watching our films! We deliberately make weird films, so that description is fine. I think we made LCTG for purely intellectual reasons, so, yes, that filter is totally okay. Right now I’m trying to finish the film, and I’m starting to write the script for our next film. Nothing else really, at the moment. I’m always looking for a new idea for a novel, but I haven’t had a good enough idea yet. Great about you starting the novella! Obviously I understand how magnetic dark material is. Anything you can say about the novella yet? ** Tosh Berman, Okay, cool, great to know about that book, I’ll seek it. ** Jack Skelley, Ditto. Honored to have been on Lily Lady’s and whoever else’s lips. Yep, fellow big up on Estelle Hoy. Thanks for the wish, it’s seriously needed. Bounce. ** Steve, Hi. Oh, sorry about the harassing. Jeez. What didn’t you like about that doc? Maybe I can guess, but … ? I watched the first half of Eurovision, and, no, it all seemed pretty interchangeable this year. Ouch, hopefully quelled by today’s dentist. ** Joseph, Hey. I totally agree that basically everything Song Cave publishes is extremely worthy. The space thing … I don’t know. My place is a book mess, and my desktop is a pdf mess. 11:11 is top notch. I haven’t read ‘Toad’. Is that the posthumous one? Me, I’m walking around in my apartment with a snub-nosed vacuum cleaner in my hand hunting the fucking mosquitoes who have started their evil little lives for the year, it seems. ** Sypha, Hi, James! I love Kawabata. I haven’t read that one. Favorite Wonder? I think I’d have to go with Colossus of Rhodes. Have you seen that ‘7 New Wonders of the World’ list? It’s pathetic. The Colosseum? The Taj Mahal? Give me a break. ** Lucas, Hi, Lucas! Welcome! It’s really nice to meet you. Yes, Xiu Xiu. My filmmaking partner Zac and I actually made a music video for Xiu Xiu (for ‘Wondering’), but the record company didn’t like it, so it never got released. So, yeah, definitely a fan. I think my favorite album of his/theirs is ‘A Promise’. Wow, I’m really honored that my work inspired you. I was always writing since I was a kid — poems, stories, random things — but I never took it seriously, I just liked to write. Then I discovered Rimbaud and other French writers when I was 15, and I got really excited and just decided that I wanted to make writing my life or my focus in life. And then I started trying to take I wrote seriously, but I also tried to be really patient with myself because what I wanted to write was so beyond my skills and talent for a long time. So I just saw writing as a kind of exciting experiment, and I just kept writing and trying writing experiments and trying to find a way to write as well as I wanted to. It took quite a while, but I did get better and better. I think self-confidence is probably the big thing to find in yourself. Like I was saying, you have to be patient, but if you get real pleasure from writing and somehow have this feeling somewhere inside that you will somehow find a way to be the kind of writer you want to be, you will. The cool thing about writing is it’s so private, so secret. So there’s nothing to be daunted by. No one’s going to see what you write until you’re ready for them to see it. I would definitely say don’t be afraid to take your writing seriously. Like I said, I start taking mine seriously at 15, and that only helped. I’m happy to weigh in about whatever you’re experiencing re: your writing if the would help. But mainly, big encouragement from me to go for it. I hope that helps at all? Do come back any time, it’d be great to talk more with you. ** Darbz(＞﹏＜), Hey. ‘Medusa of Rosas’ comes out in, like, a month or so. I was sent it early to see if I wanted to write a blurb for it, which I did. It’s wonderful. You should read it when it pops out. Well, you know me: I say experiment in your writing like crazy. That’s what I do. That’s the key to my ‘success’. I hope Frankie woke up in a forgiving mood. ** PL, Hi. I’ll go back and look at the drawings again individually ASAP, I’m in a bit of a rush this morning to get to a meeting. Our film is about a family that builds a haunted house attraction in their home. It’s about more than that, but that’s the film’s world. Reading helps the old loneliness problem at least to some degree. Well, I had some fiction books in the post yesterday, and I recommend them for instance. ** Harper, Hey. It is really good. I get you on the kids thing. I don’t even want a pet cat or dog because even that’s too much responsibility for me. I like being really mobile. But cats obviously can work as excellent companions. I have lots of cat possessing friends. I’m terrible at romantic relationships. It took me a long time to realise that, for sure, but now I’ve sworn them off. And I like it. I think my favorite ABBA song is ‘Knowing Me, Knowing You’. I think that’s a really perfect song. But they did a fair amount of perfect songs, I guess. ** Justin D, Hi. Yeah, I suppose so: Eddie’s normalcy. Maybe that’s what weird. I still haven’t seen ‘PotA’. I’m still trying to find a friend who’ll see it with me. I’ve never heard of ‘Demon Copperhead’. Hm, I’ll see if I can peek at it. I’m not sure it’s really my thing. But I’m curious. ** Joe, Hi, Joe! Thanks. Gulp. It’s like an EP of a book. Don’t expect miracles. ** Uday, You’re gonna wanna keep your eyes in tact, yeah. Obviously I’m not an adherent of short form content, as you can clearly see by my overstuffed blog posts. A job that didn’t involve words … Uh, hm, I’ve babysat a few times, but otherwise … maybe not. How strange to realise that. Carpentry is an excellent gig, so says I who’ve never done that. But it seems so. Wait until you’ve written your ‘A Season in Hell’ before you quit writing. ** B-Siddhartha, Hello there, curiously named one. Pleasure to make your acquaintance. Thanks about my books. I like your writing from what I’ve now seen of it. Hang out if you like.. xo, me. ** Nicholas, Yes, I knew you were the muse menace from the very first word. Happy late birthday! I have to boringly wish for money so we can finish our film. Not a huge amount, but a bit. Boring reality. ** Okay. If you think you have a clear idea of what Frankenstein looks like, the blog today informs you that you are wrong. See you tomorrow.
Now available in North America 
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Hi!!
Or that, yeah. I can’t say I’m into spit either.
I really, really don’t envy you right now. The Olympics craze tends to be way too much even on TV; I can’t imagine what it’s like when you live right in the center of it. … Hang in there and all that…?
That’s a strange coincidence again, about the seahorses. It always amazed me how they just seem to… spurt out their babies – and hundreds of them, yes! I think you’re right about the reason behind those huge numbers. So sad.
Scary love! Or sexy. Maybe both. Love turning your original producer’s head into the mask of your choosing from above (permanently, obviously), Od.
P.S. I’ve just preordered “FLUNKER”! I’m crazy excited!! Congratulations!
I just wanted to say Congrats on Flunker, I am going to do my pre-order tomorrow! Can’t wait. Love from Crete
Oh I did not figure out it is shipped from US. I have to figure out a way to order because I want to read as soon as possible *heart beats* And when you said booklet I expected something very short, this pages long and six full stories is quite the length! But I will know more when I have in my hands. We did full renovation of my room today with my uncle and mom helping and me yawning and taking breaks in the couch longer than cig breaks but as always when all was done I was so thankful we did all that! I have finally full space to read and draw and write and that is the deep green carpet, finally a nice place for my desk and all the books in one place. My obsessive fantasies of being tiny little and doing jumps and walks on the vast carpet have room to breathe and they are rearranged in new spots around the tidy room. My uncle said when he saw so many many books outside of bookshelf and on top of each other he felt disgusted and wanted to go to his house and throw all his books away. Ewww haha. I started laughing and then started praising him the writers in the stack in the most Greek way you can imagine Ha ha. Love from Crete
Haha, well you’re shortest (?) book Violence, faits divers, littérature was phenomenal despite or because of its length, so it will be hard for me to check my excitement. 🙂 Despite my latest being my longest, the ‘short book’ is absolutely my preferred form to work in. I’m galloping ahead with HD#2, which has now a life and energy of its own which I need merely steer one way or t’other. I like very much this part of the process. Stay well, x
hi dennis, love the masks! despite my general love for horror I’ve never been too much of a frankenstein fan but these are really cool. I’ve always had kind of a weird fascination for masks and puppets and everything related to that kind of fantasy-like dressing up, if that makes sense?
thank you a lot for your words of advice, I think it really would relieve my anxiety to see writing as a kind of experiment, to make it fun again — I just wrote my german final and I had to write a short story with a few of rules I had to follow and that was fun too, actually. and again thank you for offering to weigh in, but I think I’ll need to become a little bit more of sure myself first lol
wondering is one of the xiu xiu songs I’ve listened to the most, but I’d say women as lovers is my fav album right now, though a promise is a classic obviously
and like everyone else, congrats on flunker, I can’t wait to read it. have a good day
Hey hey hey!!
Gaaaah — I missed the ps. again. Whoops. Now nudging ‘catching up on DC’s’ from my morning coffee slot to my afternoon coffee slot so I can be early instead of late. I feel like it’s a coffee while reading blog.
I actually went to see the original Frankenstein movie last Halloween, having never seen it before and only really knowing Frankenstein from pop culture references and stuff. And, man, I don’t know what I was expecting, but it wasn’t that. I still can’t figure out if I liked it or not?
Congrats on Flunker!! I saw it’s going to be available through Cargo Records in the UK, any chance you have an insider scoop as to when that’ll be? Looked at pre-ordering and getting it shipped from the US (?) and, yeah, ouchie.
How was your weekend (and Monday and Tuesday (woah))? Did you end up going to the cinema or anything? :3 Sending you some very chill midweek vibes — hope you encounter a dog or other friendly creature that is very excited to see you.
Hey Dennis 😀
Congrats on Flunker, the cover looks cool, I’m preparing myself.
I’d be intrigued to read something by someone described as a ‘perv trash writer’ personally, but definitely a mean thing to say to someone growing up.
Yeah I think it’s so important to be ourselves, to be authentic, as cliched as that sounds, and being with people who allow us to be ourselves. I think I’ve managed to cultivate a life now where I’m free to be me and to be creative, that wasn’t always the case so I’m grateful.
With the novella I really want to explore a certain concept and at the moment plot serves the concept. I’m writing out scenes to satisfy the concept so I have a vague idea of what happens but I’m ‘holding it loose’ so to speak. Sorry I can’t say more, everything I’ve written so far is likely to change! (The feedback I received from my latest short story is promising so far btw.)
How do you know when an idea for a novel is good enough? Is it just a feeling? I tend to dive in and write whatever excites me, which works sometimes if I can sustain it, haha.
Hope you have a great day, I can only imagine how busy it is with a book launch and a trying to finish a film and run a blog!
Jamie F
Interesting Frankenstein day! Would be good to know what Mary Shelley would’ve made of how the monster went on to appear in the popular imagination. Boris Karloff’s makeup artist sure had a lot to answer for.
I remember when we were kids my brothers and I would often “hand out” characters to “own,” and because there were 4 of us, and also because 4 seems to be a popular number in pop culture (4 Ninja Turtles, 4 Ghostbusters, and so on), this system usually worked out pretty well. In regards to the classic 4 Universal monsters, I picked Dracula, my brother Tom picked the Wolfman, Bill chose the Mummy, and Andrew (the youngest) got Frankenstein’s Monster. Even to this day, of the 4 monsters listed above, vampires are still my go-to (though the Egyptologist in me is understandably fascinated with mummies as well). But what’s weird is that for the longest time, in regards to the books, I preferred the novel FRANKENSTEIN to that of DRACULA. However, not too long ago, I changed my mind: now I prefer DRACULA. While I will admit that FRANKENSTEIN is probably the better written book, I find DRACULA’s structure and form more interesting, if that makes sense. This has all been on my mind recently because it’s that time of the year where my brothers and I watch film picks at night and one of my brothers picked Burton’s ED WOOD as a film (I’d never seen it) and naturally that movie goes into the vibe of classic Hollywood horror movie monsters.
Dennis, yeah, I’ve seen that New Wonders list and I can’t quite say that I’m super-enthused about it. Sadly the Colossus was the shortest-lived of the 7 Wonders: if memory serves an earthquake felled it in the very century it was built, though the ruins remained for many, many years afterwards. Really, generally speaking, earthquakes were the banes of the Wonders in general.
Congratulations on the new book, I pre-ordered it yesterday
DC, holy fuck. Let’s fucking go! Your new book on Amphetamine Sulphate. What did you think of Challengers? I fucking HATED ‘Love Lies Bleeding’. HATED IT. How is everything going with the film? I am so excited. Sorry for not writing for a while, the whole post-publishing, post-press campaign, post-rereading the book a billion times to find errors process of last year kind of just made me feel exhausted and resentful. Just coming back into “reality” now, in our dreaded — least favorite season Summer, with the heat and no AC. I’m not looking forward to it but I’ll be going to LA soon. Are you heading out there at all? I’ve been writing all the time, total blase over turning 30 next month but also I’ve weirdly wanted to be 30 since I was ten? Do you have PTSD from my blurb-psychosis last Summer? I promise, I’ll never be that wild again…. Sending love.
Congrats on FLUNKER! I’m about to order it.
I learned today that I have a dead tooth and need a root canal. My dentist’s office is supposed to call back by the end of the workday to schedule it.
I thought UNTIL THE LIGHT TAKES US was a symptom of an uncritical fascination with the violence and right-wing politics of Norwegian black metal.
Oooooh, big day for me here. I taught a Frankenstein course for years–it’s really one of the best topics ever for undergraduates, so I used it to introduce how to research (beyond the 1st 3 things that come up on Google), how to find the implications in a text, how to frame and pursue a thesis, and above all how to keep an open mind. And you can do so much with it cause it reaches into so many areas. I looked at one of the syllabi just now (which is at https://www.academia.edu/37557765/Hum_I_Children_of_Frankenstein_Syllabus_2015_Mon_doc if anyone wants to look. I collected a LOT of cultural images including masks. (I think I may have done a Frankenstein Day on the old blog?) I see that the class started with La Jetée (which, seriously, was a really good idea) and besides the novel, went into Rousseau (who I think was very much on Mary Shelley’s mind that summer of 1816), history of ideas about science and technology, and movies from The Golem and Metropolis (both 1926) , which influenced James Whale’s 1931 Frankenstein a lot, to Dr Strangelove, RoboCop, Ex Machina . . .
(segue)
. . . and Terminator 2. I’ve never been very interested in the off-screen life of actors except when it’s part of the persona they bring to the screen, like Marilyn Monroe or Chaplin, but Edward Furlong was in some very good movies (and then some very bad ones). I think Terminator 2 is one of the most successful variations on Frankenstein ever (helped out a lot by the performances of Joe Morton and S. Epatha Merkerson, 2 fantastic underused resources of American film/TV. And Pecker is also one of those deeply serious movies John Waters makes about art while staying very silly and funny and sweet. Stoic looks interesting because it looks so terrible, like they let Rod Serling make a no-holds-barred movie about jailhouse rape in 1957. (Btw I also don’t get spitting at ALL, but despite the fact that I don’t really respond to BDSM porn, I find slapping in gay porn pretty fascinating/exciting, and it seems to be happening a lot lately.)
News here is my list of acceptances is growing, so i don’t need to ask you to be my publisher any time soon. I arrive May 20 and hope you’ll have time to meet soon; I want to hear about the film(s). Aside from poetry I’ll be working on a book proposal about dreams/dreaming. The culture of the Récollets seems to be changing–for one thing, I think Chrystel is getting her wish of a lot more arts involvement and fewer scholars in academic fields. (Folks on this blog who don’t know the history: When I visited in 2004, Dennis was living in this residence for visiting scholars, and his letter of recommendation helped me get in. It’s a very nice old place to live in a small space–but that’s Paris.)
I’m not thrilled to hear the Olympics is already in evidence. I was hoping to get out before the madness. I’m leaving June 20. Anyways — see you real soon.
Hey Bernard,
That’s cool about the residency, I’ve always been intrigued by artists residencies, but I never know where to start! How do you find them? I’m guessing most of them are word of mouth?
Preordering Flunker right after I type this, obviously. Hell yes, in general for anything new from you, but also for Amphetamine Sulphate which is another no questions asked kinda press. I’ll also toss in one or two more from them to carry me through to July. This might be the only time I’ve ever been excited about July 4th. Between total contempt for patriotism and having a dog and two cats who all get terrified of the fireworks, the 4th is usually cause for dread.
Toad is the posthumous Dunn book and by a distant far my fav of hers now. Nobody seems to have sanitized it posthumously (I’m sure they did, but it didn’t come through, so good job everybody). I’m not sure if it’s that great or if it just *saw me* as some books will do, and this one did very much. I know there’s generations of folks who say that about Geek Love but that didn’t happen for me, it did here.
I’ve read a few from 11:11 but need to do more delving. I sent them a poetry book awhile back that was once taken elsewhere but the press went out of business and scrapped the project so now the thing is in need of shelter. They had some kind words, but it was ultimately a no thanks, and I don’t blame’em, it needs some more tinkering (deleting, probably), but that work has now taken backseat to the Schism book.
You have in house mosquitos? I’m so sorry. I have always been a magnet for those fuckers. Hope you’re not and that your snub nose does the job!
Hey Dennis. Congrats on the book, the cover is great! Your titles always manage to be snappy but enticing. Every time a new friend comes into my room they scan my bookshelves and always manage to find ‘The Sluts’ and start laughing, not knowing what it is. When I was studying filmmaking I shot part of a film in my room and ‘The Sluts’ was somehow in shot and a lecturer pointed it out to me and said she liked it being there because it said a lot about my personality.
I like to think of Frankenstein’s monster as a freakishly tall French man with parts sewn on from other people. I like the original frontispiece from the book a lot. I don’t even like referring to Boris Karloff Frankenstein as ‘Frankenstein’s monster’. Boris Karloff is Frankenstein, the character in Mary Shelley’s book is the monster. When I studied the book in high school we had to call him ‘the creature’ because calling him ‘the monster’ was offensive to his humanity, which I found petty funny at the time.
I remember once I got in trouble for saying that Frankenstein’s creation of the creature was kind of homoerotic since he was basing it all on his idea of beauty but was repulsed when his creation was ugly and I got in a lot of trouble.
The Frankenstein book is really good have u read it? I tried making a mmask one time with latek for halloween
Oh how super cool about about that book you. Who did the art cover? (your book obv. Sorry im not good at writing atm)
Thats very neat. I have still yet to order “COYOTE” which looks really good.
Last night as I was putting my new lights up I side stepped into a damn razorblade and it went into my foot and not only THAT I broke half the fucking lights as I staggered from the blade. What bad luck haha.
I might be gone for a bit, I guess, a break? Got things to do/ figure out.
Sorry I dont have any intriguing animal videos to send.
*foot is ok it’s only superficial but damn.
Hey, Dennis. Interesting to see so many variations on Frankenstein. I like the ones that look slightly melted, like they were put in the microwave for a bit. I looked up Michael Salerno’s work after noticing he did the cover art for ‘Flunker’. Wow. I see why you like to work with him.
Wow Dennis this place is hoppin’. I already knew I was desensitized to Frankenstein monster images that look like the movie character, but now I know that other depictions can still creep me out. I’m in a book club that’s reading Frankenstein this month. Should probably get started soon if I want to read in both English and Hebrew.
My comment from yesterday got lost in the shuffle, I think because it was too late:
The Jake Reber drew me in the most. Found that he makes his books available as free eBook downloads, for which he solicits donations:
https://1111press.com/gloom
This week I read Bresson’s cinematograph book. Has it had a direct influence on your filmmaking? If I ever work with actors i.e. “models” I will definitely pick it up again. Paris charmed me so much that now the Walter Benjamin Arcades project is a page-turner.
Here is another super-short experimental film of mine, “Tuileries”:
https://vimeo.com/943363243
How’s your week going? I wish I could just use a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser to erase the things that need erasing from your film. It’s a holiday today so I get a mid-week break. No firm plans. Probably a long bike ride and some time at the beach.
I’ll wait until my Season in Hell, yeah. Was listening to The Piper earlier and was thinking of you. Obviously because of the ABBA connection (it’s their most underrated song in my opinion) but also because the theme sounds like something you’d work with, albeit with more magic. A fantasy saga by Dennis Cooper would be a whimsical world indeed. I’m on campus for part of the summer and it’s always an odd feeling because everybody leaves and you feel very peaceable in a tortured way.