(in no order)
Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride (Disneyland)
Anaheim, CA
Fabeldyrene (RIP, Kongeparken)
Ålgård, Norway
Ninja Mystery House (Toei Studio Park)
Kyoto, Japan
Le Defi de Cesar (RIP, Parc Asterix)
Plailly, France
Radiator Springs Racers (Disney California Adventure)
Anaheim, CA
Droomvlucht (Efteling)
Kaatsheuvel, Holland
Dodonpa (RIP, Fuji-Q Highland)
Fujiyoshida, Japan
Badewannen Fahrt (Erlebnispark Tripsdrill)
Cleebronn, Germany
Taron (Phantasialand)
Brühl, Germany
Flight to Mars (RIP, Pacific Ocean Park)
Venice, CA
Den Flyvende Kuffert (Tivoli Gardens)
Copenhagen
Juvelen (Djurs Sommerland)
Randersvej, Denmark
Rise of the Resistance (Disneyland)
Anaheim, CA
Harry Potter and The Forbidden Journey (Universal’s Islands Of Adventure)
Orlando
X2 (Six Flags Magic Mountain)
Valencia, CA
Indiana Jones Adventure (Disneyland)
Anaheim, CA
Super Scary Labyrinth of Fear (Fuji-Q Highland)
Fujiyoshida, Japan
Speed Monster (TusenFryd)
Vinterbro, Norway
De Vliegende Hollander (Efteling)
Kaatsheuvel, Holland
Arthur (Europa Park)
Rust, Germany
Gasten Ghost Hotel (Liseberg)
Gothenburg, Sweden
Adventure Thru Inner Space (RIP, Disneyland)
Anaheim, CA
Vandrotten (Bonbon Land)
Holme-Olstrup, Denmark
The Haunted House (Tokyo Dome City)
Tokyo
Journey to the Center of the Earth (Tokyo Disney Sea)
Tokyo
Haunted Mansion (Disneyland)
Anaheim, CA
Mystery Island Banana Train Ride (RIP, Pacific Ocean Park)
Venice, CA
Ghostrider (Knotts Berry Farm)
Buena Park, CA
Blå Tåget (Grona Lund)
Stockholm
River Ride (RIP, The Pike)
Long Beach
Nightmare (TusenFyrd)
Vinterbro, Norway
Black Mamba (Phantasialand)
Brühl, Germany
Eejanaika (Fuji-Q Highland)
Fujiyoshida, Japan
Ghost Hole (RIP, Coney Island)
Brooklyn
Star Trek: The Experience (RIP, Las Vegas Hilton)
Las Vegas
The Great Movie Ride (RIP, Disney’s Hollywood Studios)
Orlando
Euro Mir (Europa Park)
Rust, Germany
Symbolica (Efteling)
Kaatsheuvel, Holland
Davy Jones Locker (RIP, Pacific Ocean Park)
Venice, CA
Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man (Universal’s Islands of Adventure)
Orlando
Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railroad (Disneyland)
Anaheim, CA
Full Throttle (Magic Mountain)
Valencia, CA
River Quest (Phantasialand)
Brühl, Germany
Velocicoaster (Islands of Adventure)
Orlando
Dudley Do-Right’s Ripsaw Falls (Islands of Adventure)
Orlando
Toutatis (Parc Astérix)
Plailly, France
Tower of Terror (Walt Disney World)
Orlando
Ragnarok (TusenFryd)
Vinterbro, Norway
Calico Mine Ride (Knott’s Berry Farm)
Buena Park, CA
Great Ghost Train (Prater)
Vienna
*
p.s. Hey. ** scunnard, Hey. I guess send it to my email. You have it, right? I’m not sure what you mean by ‘spec changed’? I’m reasonably flexible here, so if you have an ideal launch date or tight area for the launch, I can most likely accommodate it. Yes, my Gif panels are yours, and you can put them in whichever launch vehicle you like. Cool. ** Carsten, Hi, C. Uh, well, yes, the waiting for the yesses or nos is no fun. The only good thing with film festivals is they do ultimately give you an answer because they have people assigned to the ‘response’ act, unlike submitting to publishers where you might never hear back at all. No, no problems at the US airports for us, that time at least. Wow, the move is so soon. Make sure your car has enough coolant, haha. That’s exciting, man. You doing any last Germany bucket list things before you make the escape? ** Sypha, I really liked the new Anderson. But I had really liked a couple of those recent short films he made and ‘Asteroid City’ too, so it wasn’t big leap for me. Top notch, though. My very faves are still ‘Moonrise Kingdom’, ‘Life Aquatic’, and ‘Rushmore’, I think? Obviously very excellent news about the impending new book by you. Great! Excited to hear about it and then swallow it. Hooray! ** SP, I liked things on ‘IAM’ too, for sure. A friend made an edit of the album, and that’s what I tend to listen to. I’m just disappointed that he went the route of the usual rap artist with all the big name collabs and the obvious airplay chasing tracks, etc. rather than getting tighter and more daring. But hey. Ears peeled for that new one. Curious. ** Hugo, Hi. I think being entertained is enough with his stuff. ‘Dino Crisis’, no, never played them. Zac probably has. I’ll ask. How Guyotat managed to get into that mind-space and sustain it at such a high pitch in his early work is one life’s or at least lit’s great mysteries. It’s rain rain rain here. Semi-loving it since we could easily have been at 40 degrees right now. Okay, I won’t go back and try to find that email. I’ll be good. ** _Black_Acrylic, Hey! First, because I spaced on emailing you, I’m launching your post on this coming Saturday. Thanks again! Rain here too. Heavy when it’s happening. If the traditional weather patterns are destined to fuck with us from here on out, I’ll take this weirdness. I still haven’t actually heard Kneecap. I’m going to rectify that. Obviously I’m on board with their politics too. ** jay, Thanks, I’m glad you got delight from Arnold’s stuff. The Tokyo horror fest rejection was kind of a fait accompli or whatever. It was just a shot in the dark because showing the film in Tokyo would be so dreamy. Excellent about the short-listing. I’m willing myself to be the Zeus of good luck if you need it. When will you know? Yeah, I would need to go back and look at the ending of the Dazai to have a thought on the last line. It’s been too long. And … I don’t seem to have a copy on hand. Very hearty reading you’re doing there. ** tom, Hi, tom! Excellence itself to meet you. Thanks much for coming inside here. Very much agree with you about Arnold’s work’s prescience. I’m lucky to have never had a really bad trip in a crowded social setting. Weird trips, for sure, but my bad ones were so bad that the merely bad ones just seem interesting by contrast. I’m pleased if Derek and I help steward you back. I’m working on a new film where one of the characters takes some old LSD from the ’60s and thinks it erases who he is but the people around him just think he’s still the same afterwards but more boring. Enjoy the hike. Where? And the role. What is it? News on a NYC screening as soon as we’ve got it locked down. Thanks again for the lustrous visit. ** julian, The artist doing the graphic novel is Sylvain Bordesoules. He has published a couple of very good graphic novels here in France. I think the plan/hope is to do the ‘God Jr’ gn in French and in English. What’s your favorite thing about San Diego? Even though I grew up just north, I haven’t spent a ton of time there, not enough to unravel its distinctive qualities. ** Uday, You made it. The blog’s weird demons lost. Yay. I don’t think RT is going to get a theater release in the US. It’s just too strange to get something like that, especially in this unadventurous time, I think. So we’ll just show it there as much as we can, and then it’ll go to streaming, I guess. It’ll get released here in France, at least. We’re looking to do Halloween screenings in the US, but nothing’s cemented yet. Fascinating reading and thinking you’re doing there. I need to up my mental game. Thanks for the bakery scented wish. You too. ** lotuseatermachine, For me it makes it more impressive, but I’m not sure I can explain why. I do prefer art that has lots of fingerprints on it. ‘Mountainhead’ is a good New Juche starting place, yes, especially amongst the books that are readily available, I think so. ** Steeqhen, Beanbag … like a chair? I most associate that word with these little bags full of dried beans that people used to (still do?) hurl at targets. They feel really good in your hand. Kind of sexy. I hope your prof + coffee suitably invigorated you. ** Diesel Clementine, Me too! Howdy! Film premiere went really great, thanks. What’s up with you? ** HaRpEr //, Really? There are people who like Pavement who don’t like Malkmus’s lyrics? That seems completely insane. I interviewed him once for a magazine and, yeah, big Ashbery fan. One of my life’s highlights was a big event at NYU held to celebrate my finishing the George Miles Cycle in 2000, and one of the events was a bunch of great musicians and artists and writers reading from my work, and Malkmus read some of my poems. Mindblowing. I have so many favorite Malkmus lyrics that I wouldn’t know where to start. You might hear back from Michael, you never know. Bu, yeah, prepare yourself that presses can take forever to respond and sometimes never do. It sucks. But it’s very worth trying, and, well, it’s the only way. I’ve looked at the door of 33, but, no, I’ve never been elite enough to be ushered in. ** Tosh Berman, Cool, I’m happy to have made the introduction. I want to see ‘Louder Than You Think.’ I’ll try to figure out a way to do that. ** Alice, Uneventful here too other than work and seeing the few friends that haven’t fled Paris on vacation. ‘Out of the Blue’ is terrific, yeah. And one of the few occasions to see the great Linda Manz in action. I don’t drink alcohol, other than barely sipping at a beer or wine in stressful social settings. It doesn’t agree with me either. I never play games with friends, in person or online. I’m a solitary player. Playing games is kind of like reading a book for me. I like to play games and get lost. I guess I have played ‘Mario Party’ a few times. Okay, that was fun. I’m happy you’re feeling creatively invigorated. I’m angling to get into that state too. It’s quiet here, so it shouldn’t be too hard. Wishes for whatever day ahead that you most, most desire. ** Darbz 🐸, Hey, D. I’ve been fine, just working my way through the summer. I did go to some galleries and museums while I was in LA, yeah, but I was mostly in SF, so I didn’t get too heavily indulge. That oOoOO video and music is really good! Thank you. Wow, that was really nice. White Ring: no, but I’ll find out what they are. Thanks for that. Boris! Cool. Anytime you have the Wain thing ready, I’m ready, Thank you yet again. I don’t put nutritional yeast on anything because I don’t have any and I never thought to do so. I’m guessing you think I won’t be sorry if I do? ** Nicholas., Fire Island … what obsesses you about it? I went there twice. It was too ultra-gay for me, but that was back in the day. The new server seems to be working so far, so I’m cool. I did not know the original guy who did STH, but I do know Billy, the guy who took it over when the original guy died and, well, who kind of let it die. I’ve never done poppers. Weird, but true. VHS cleaner … I don’t think I ever cleaned my VHS tapes either. Uh, I think there have been times when what I was writing ended up surprising me to some degree I think, yes. ** horatio, Super secret show? Pray tell once it’s no longer secret. Its funny: if you get to know Peter S — he’s a friend of mine — he’s kind of really not especially mysterious. But I think people who don’t know me think I’m mysterious too, but I’m not. Obviously. See: the post today. Barista is a totally doable job based on my many, many friends who use that method to get by. Much luckiness be yours. ** adrian, Hey there. I remember you, of course. It hasn’t been that long. And, anyway, my memory is a pretty good slave. You’re still Amsterdam, cool. I’m due a trip there, I don’t know when. It’s been ages. Maybe we can show our film there or something. Mm, I don’t know where else you can order ‘Flunker’. Hm, I’ll check and see if I can come up with anything. Sorry for the ordering issues. Lovely day to you too! Awesome to see you again! ** Okay. While the blog was down I got antsy or just self-indulgent one day and made the list up there to entertain and learn about myself. But then the other day I decided to foist it on you all. I don’t know what I expect you to do with it, but if you have favorite rides you want to share or if you have opinions or whatever on my fave rides, please come at me with them. See you tomorrow.
Now available in North America 
hi dennis!
i haven’t been on too many rides (i’m not really a ride/theme park person) but i like seeing them/hearing people talk about them (it’s also easier and cheaper).
not sure if this strictly counts as a ‘ride’ but i’ve recently become obsessed with ‘hell gardens’. they’re basically attractions that depict the buddhist hell (naraka) to warn people against going there.
some examples include https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wang_Saen_Suk and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naraka_(Buddhism)#Exhibition_of_the_Eighteen_Hells_in_Madou_Daitian_Temple_(%E9%BA%BB%E8%B1%86%E4%BB%A3%E5%A4%A9%E5%BA%9C_%E5%8D%81%E5%85%AB%E5%B1%A4%E5%9C%B0%E7%8D%84)
i’ve never been to one before but i’d love to someday! there’s something about them that is so charming. for me it’s similar to the charm of neighborhood halloween decorations and haunted houses. i don’t know what it is but i love it! i should mention i’ve never actually celebrated halloween or done any of the typical american halloween stuff cuz i’m from australia so maybe part of the reason i like it is cuz i’m not as familiar to it?
there was also an art exhibition based around hell gardens in marseille from november 2021 – february 2022. they published an exhibition catalogue of it which i really want to get sometime: https://www.timelessedition.com/narokdc
i agree with you about art that has more fingerprints on it being more impressive. i don’t know why either.
hopefully i’ll read mountainhead sometime (once i read through all the other books in my infinitely huge backlog).
Dennis — No, we (or at least I) always appreciate yr unfiltered content criticism. Big value of the group’s activity are the reactions — whether yeas or nays. Thanks for kind words re: my daughter’s FFS. She’ having a rocky recovery but will emerge swanlike. I was almost too young a lad to remember POP but the persisting images are strange and colorful. Lately my fave theme park YouTuber is this jaded stoner dude who performs hate-rides takes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ik-snkln2eY&t=676s Your theme park knowledge is vaster than mine but ATF remains Haunted Mansion. Still spectacular. I recently even wrote about how Little Leota at the exit imprinted my pre-teen psyche. “Hurry baaaaack, Hurry baaaack….” -Jack
Flamingo Land would be my 1st ever theme park experience so that will always have a special place in my heart. Not sure I can remember the name of the ride but it was wooden and rickety. Certainly made it all the more scary.
That’s cool about the post! A Saturday slot would make it Little Sparta Weekend, which would defo be fine by me.
Now there’s a topic I have nothing to contribute to. I avoid amusement parks like the plague.
Good to know, about publishers potentially never responding. That takes an asshole-sized chunk out of the compassion I have for them.
Nope, no bucket list for Germany. I get the sentiment, but even though I was born & raised here it has never felt like home. Didn’t flinch when leaving it the first time around in my early 20s, & throughout my six years in the U.S. I never felt anything remotely close to homesickness. I’m told all the time that I’m unduly harsh on Germany, but I can’t help it. I just find it to be the most spiritually bankrupt place I know. Doesn’t mean there aren’t wonderful people & things to do here, but my particular soul is incompatible with it. Whereas I’ve instantly felt at home in many other parts of the world: the U.S. (especially the Southwest & Louisiana), France, Spain, Morocco, Egypt & most of all Mexico. And though I’m not from L.A., I miss it like one would one’s home.
How is it with you? You strike me as pretty settled there in Paris, but then you do go back to L.A. rather regularly, no? Are you set in Paris for good or do you avoid planning such things & just go with the flow?
Hi Dennis! Thrill rides are awesome, although my off-side appreciation is nothing compared to your devotion. I love the Super Scary Labyrinth of Fear. The whole “falling ball about to crush you” from the Indiana Jones thing is cool too, I like the whole “illusion of danger” stuff rollercoasters go in for – which is complicated by having seen a really nasty rollercoaster accident when I was 13 or something, which makes the danger seem a little more real – so, fake danger (that seems real) -> real danger with an imperceptible shift between the two is super charged to me. Your story-within-a-story in Frisk about the S&M -> murder definitely scratches a similar itch, to me at least.
I should know about my job in a few weeks, once I have a coffee with the guy I’ll be working for it should become a bit clearer – and I will graciously accept your good luck! Yeah, the Dazai was amazing, and Bataille’s Blue of Noon is so interesting. The duology of Story of the Eye/Blue of Noon definitely reminds me a little of your Closer/Period or Frisk/Guide pairings, in terms of inhabiting the same sexual fantasies but with a much more dessicated/mature set of emotions. I don’t know how much of that is delibarate quotation on your part, but the parallels have really struck me. Yeah, not having many responsibilities has given me tons of time to read. I’ve got Preciado’s “Dysphoria Mundi” queued up too, so I’m eating well (as they say). Anyway, lots of love, fingers crossed about your festival prospects. See you!
How many of these did you get to ride? Symbolica looks like great fun.
The haunt rabbit holes on YouTube are endless.
Here’s a link to my last “Radio Not Radio” show: https://www.mixcloud.com/callinamagician/7132025-radio-not-radio/. (The next one will go up Sunday – I’m editing it today.)
There is something magical, even spiritual, about Pacific Ocean Park (POP). I have faint memories of it, but I think I visited it many times. My memory isn’t about the rides or the layout, but more about the feeling that it was close to the ocean and reflected the sea life. But this was filtered through TV shows like Sea Hunt, Flipper, 000 Leagues Under the Sea, and others. Dennis, did you ever go to the Cheetah music club? I believe it was in the same area and around the same time. I saw The Byrds in a matinee there, without Gene Clark. I just looked it up, and it was on the same pier as POP. You could have lived on the pier and not missed anything culturally.
I’m impressed you can name 50, because I’d be hard pressed to even hit 5 . . . I think I’ve really only been to two amusement parks in my entire life, one of them being Rocky Point in my own home state (which sadly closed down in 1995 . . . they had an impressive haunted house ride), and Santa’s Village in New Hampshire (which, amazingly, is still open: my parents actually visited it with my niece/brother/sister-in-law last week). Oh, and in Massachusetts there was King’s Castle Land, which closed in 1994, and which had a strong medieval/fairy tale vibe, including two big dragons you can climb that breathed out actual flames. Now that I think about it, I wonder if my interest in anything related to the Middle Ages can be traced back to going to that place when I was a child? Who knows. I remember there was also this big giant that was lying down face first in the ground, and I have a picture my mother took of me sitting atop the giant’s head when I was a wee lad.
Hmm, re: ranking Anderson, I’m not sure, it’s really hard: I’d probably say the new one, ROYAL TENENBAUMS, GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL, and LIFE AQUATIC would probably all jostle for the Top 3-4 spot. But I do adore RUSHMORE a great deal (as it was the first Anderson film I ever saw), along with THE DARJEELING LIMITED, which I feel is one of his more underrated films . . . I think what I liked about that one is (well, aside from its India location work) how it captures that vibe of “how siblings can get on each other’s nerves during long trips,” something my brothers and I can attest to ha ha. Speaking of which, next year my brothers and I will be doing an Anderson viewing marathon, one film a month, in chronological order (the only one we’re skipping is the HENRY SUGAR one, which even I haven’t seen yet). My brothers have actually seen none of the post-GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL films, so the last 4 or so will be a new experience for them.
Hey Dennis.
Lovely theme parks here, I wish I could go out to them more. Last one I went to was Carowinds in North Carolina; it was decent, but the weather made it a bit bothersome to get around. I also briefly went to one in the middle of Copenhagen two months ago (Tivoli Gardens), but I didn’t manage to stick around for that long. Some guy tried to steal my wallet there as well. There’s one near me called Walibi, I remember it a lot because in 6th and 9th grade my school took us there as a graduation celebration. You should check it out on Halloween, they have a whole thing where the staff dress up and go around scaring people, it’s great.
(Then again, you have all those great haunted houses in Cali. I would like to see those one day.)
Oh, btw- I was in Ghent and a bookstore clerk there told me that you were planning on showing your movie there sometime? I dunno if anything is confirmed, but if you do end up there, I might come see.
Have a good one.
Years ago I stayed with my sister near the Tivoli Gardens. Walking on the street nearby, we would hear people screaming on the roller coaster. I never tried it though.
Those Martin Arnold Disney remixes are mental. I guess Disney made sure it’s hard to see them online. Funny, this morning I got email from Light Industry an Arnold screening event. No way I can get to NY for it though.
Yeah do let me know if you think of festivals I might send Feints to. I was pitching it as a “performance”, but I can certainly cut a static version. Wish MIX still has their open submission festival.
Bill
Hi Dennis, Yeah he really could have done without a lot of it. I’m curious to see the edit of the album, which tracks your friend omitted. Also I watched Baby Invasion after seeing the MOY post. it was super fun to watch. I loved the chat section… there was one I remember from near the beginning where one ‘user’ said “Baby gang riding on sheer nihilism.” Harmony Korine is great.
Hey Dennis. I don’t think I’ve ever been on a really good ride. We didn’t have them around where I grew up and the one big plan I’d made with friends fell through, so now I’m thinking of maybe doing one with C— because she’s very into rides and is fairly reliable. I think my embarrassing lack of good ride experience (although I have been to small theme parks here and there, mostly abandoned) is what’s stopping me from fully coming into your world (Kylie Minogue reference!) and get some of the emotion associated with them. Speaking of the ever-joyful KM, thank you for introducing me to Action Kylie by Kevin Killian. I’d read his prose, and was aware through there of his Kylie Minogue obsession, but was completely floored by his poetic use of her. As I’ve probably discussed on here before, I’m a pretty big fan and went to her recent tour with a friend who’s an even bigger fan than I am., and to whom I promptly sent a copy. There’s a bit where the late, great, Mr. Killian turns the chorus of Shocked into the ending of a poem that’s seared into my brain, almost moving me to tears (and I probably will think of it when I cry next). I was shocked by the power of love!