Fiction
(in no order)
New Juche THE WORM (Infinity Land Press)
Meghan Lamb FAILURE TO THRIVE (Apocalypse Party)
Cecilia Pavón LITTLE JOY (Semiotext(e))
Jack Skelley DENNIS WILSON & CHARLIE MANSON (Fred and Barney Press)
Maggie Siebert BONDING (Expat Press)
Helen Marten THE BOILED IN BETWEEN (Prototype Publishing)
Alex Beaumais DOX (tragickal)
Sesshu Foster & Arturo Ernesto Romo ELADATL: A HISTORY OF THE EAST LOS ANGELES DIRIGIBLE AIR TRANSPORT LINES (City Lights)
Isabelle Nicou PARESIS & GENESIS O (Amphetamine Sulphate)
MM/DD/2020 RESIDUE (Calamari Press)
Elle Nash NUDES (Hobart Pulp Press)
Blair James BERNARD AND PAT (Corsair)
Mike Corrao RITUALS PERFORMED IN THE ABSENCE OF GANYMEDE (11:11 Press)
Camille Roy HONEY MINE: COLLECTED STORIES (Nightboat)
Big Bruiser Dope Boy SOMETHING GROSS (Apocalypse Party)
Shane Jesse Christmass LATEX, TEXAS (Selffuck)
Brontez Purnell 100 BOYFRIENDS (FSG Originals)
Ivan Boris MY WEEK WITHOUT GERARD (Morbid Books)
Alexandrine Ogundimu DESPERATE (Amphetamine Sulphate)
Troy James Weaver VISIONS (Apocalypse Party)
Leonor Fini ROGOMELEC (Wakefield Press)
Evan Isodine PHILOSOPHY OF THE SKY (11:11 Press)
Wayne Koestenbaum THE CHEERFUL SCAPEGOAT (Semiotext(e))
Kevin Lambert YOU WILL LOVE WHAT YOU HAVE KILLED (Biblioasis)
Ann Quin PASSAGES (And Other Stories)
Brooks Sterritt THE HISTORY OF AMERICA IN MY LIFETIME (Spuyten Duyvil)
Audrey Szasz TEARS OF A KOMSOMOL GIRL (Infinity Land Press)
Niven Govinden DIARY OF A FILM (Dialogue Books)
Mike DeCapite JACKET WEATHER (Soft Skull)
Jeffery Kennedy HUNG UP: A QUEER NOVELETTE (Independent)
Zak Ferguson THE SYSTEM COMPENDIUM (Sweat Drenched Press)
Joshua Dalton I HATE YOU, PLEASE READ ME (House of Vlad)
Richard Cabut LOOKING FOR A KISS (Sweat Drenched Press)
Poetry
(in no order)
Amy Gerstler INDEX OF WOMEN (Penguin)
Susana Théno OVA COMPLETA (Ugly Duckling Press)
Kate Durbin HOARDERS (Wave Books)
Nathaniel Mackey DOUBLE TRIO (New Directions)
Noah Ross ACTIVE RECEPTION (Nightboat Books)
Candice Wuehle FIDELITORIA: FIXED OR FLUXED (11:11 Press)
N.H. Pritchard THE MATRIX: POEMS 1960 – 1970 (Ugly Duckling Presse)
D.C. Wojciech DAY & NIGHT (Anvil Tongue Books)
Gabrielle Daniels SOMETHING ELSE AGAIN (Materials)
Lonely Christopher DOUBLE RAINBOW (Be About It Press)
Will Alexander THE COMBUSTION CYCLE (Roof Books)
Sonya Vatomsky AND THE WHALE (Paper Nautilus)
Clark Coolidge TO THE COLD HEART (Fenrick Books)
Ursula Andkjær Olsen OUTGOING VESSEL (Action Books)
Lily Duffy WET WATER HILL (Garden-Door Press)
Cliff Fyman TAXI NIGHT (Long News Books)
Gary J. Shipley BRIGHT STUPID CONFETTI (11:11 Press)
Nonfiction
(in no order)
Adrian Dannatt DOOMED AND FAMOUS: SELECTED OBITUARIES (Sequence Press)
M Kitchell THE ABYSS IS THE FOUNDATION OF THE POSSIBLE (Apocalypse Party)
David Trinidad, Editor NEW YORK DIARY BY TIM DLUGOS (Sibling Rivalry)
Tony Pipolo THE MELANCHOLY LENS: LOSS AND MOURNING IN AMERICAN AVANT-GARDE CINEMA (Oxford University Press)
Megan Milks TORI AMOS BOOTLEG WEBRING (Instar Books)
Bela Koe-Krompecher LOVE, DEATH & PHOTOSYNTHESIS (Don Giovanni Records)
Mercy Fontenot PERMANENT DAMAGE: MEMOIRS OF AN OUTRAGEOUS GIRL (Rare Bird Books)
Chris Kelso INTERROGATING THE ABYSS (Apocalypse Party)
Jennifer Lucy Allan THE FOGHORN’S LAMENT: THE DISAPPEARING MUSIC OF THE COAST (White Rabbit)
Joe Brainard A JOE BRAINARD SHOW IN A BOOK (Loewe)
Sarah Schulman LET THE RECORD SHOW: A POLITICAL HISTORY OF ACT UP NEW YORK, 1987-1993 (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
Helen Reddington SHE’S AT THE CONTROLS: SOUND ENGINEERING, PRODUCTION & GENDER VENTRILOQUISM IN THE 21st CENTURY (Equinox)
Rachel Kushner THE HARD CROWD (Scribner)
Albertine Fox GODARD AND SOUND: ACOUSTIC INNOVATION IN THE LATE FILMS OF JEAN-LUC GODARD (Bloomsbury)
Music
(in no order)
Guided by Voices EARTH MAN BLUES (GbV)
Tyler Holmes NIGHTMARE IN PARADISE (Ratskin Records)
Ai Aso LONE (Ideologic Organ)
Youth Code x King Josef A SKELETON KEY IN THE DOORS OF DEPRESSION (Youth Code)
Sam Dunscombe OUTSIDE LUDLOW/DESERT DISCO (Black Truffle)
Dry Cleaning NEW LONG LEG (4AD)
Innode SYN (Editions Mego)
Chris Corsano & Bill Orcutt MADE OUT OF SOUND (Palilalia Records)
Screamers SCREAMERS DEMO HOLLYWOOD 1977 (Superior Viaduct)
Akio Suzuki & Aki Onda LIVE ATELIER CLAUS (Les Albums Claus)
Maraudeur PUISSANCE 4 (Maraudeur)
Hecker SYNOPSIS SERIATION (Editions Mego)
Leyden Jars GONE (Outer Reaches)
Yvette Janine Jackson FREEDOM (Fridman Gallery)
MXLX NEBULA RASA (kindarad)
Iceage SEEK SHELTER (Mexican Summer)
Stereolab ELECTRICALLY POSSESSED (SWITCHED ON VOL. 4) (Warp/Duphonic)
Marcus Schmickler SKY DICE / MAPPING THE STUDIO (Editions Mego)
Moor Mother & billy woods BRASS (Backwoodz Studioz)
Judith Hamann HINTERHOF (Longform Editions)
Lou Barlow REASON TO LIVE (Joyful Noise)
Film
(in no order)
Lisa Rovner SISTERS WITH TRANSISTORS
Artavazd Pelechian NATURE
Steve Reinke & James Richards WHEN WE WERE MONSTERS
Daniel & Clara ON THE ISLAND
O.B. De Alessi MUDMONSTER
Roy Andersson ABOUT ENDLESSNESS
Tori Kudo ARCHIVE
Dalibor Barić ACCIDENTAL LUXURIANCE OF THE TRANSLUCENT WATERY REBUS
Prano Bailey-Bond CENSOR
Celeste Bell, Paul Sng POLY STYRENE: I AM A CLICHE
Stephen Broomer FAT CHANCE
Art
(in no order)
James Coleman (Centre Pompidou, Paris)
Thomas Ruff Tableaux chinois (David Zwirner, Paris)
Linus Bill + Adrien Horni GIFS (Galerie Allen, Paris)
Sarah Sze Night into Day (Fondation Cartier, Paris)
Hubert Duprat (Art : Concept, Paris)
Elles font l’abstraction (Centre Pompidou, Paris)
Francis Alÿs Don’t Cross the Bridge Before You Get to the River (David Zwirner, Paris)
David Hammons (Pinault Collection, Paris)
Nick Zedd (xxiii) THERE WILL BE BLOOD, SHAME, PAIN AND ECSTASY (Goswell Road, Paris)
Kenji Siratori’s SOCIAL MEDIA FEED (Facebook)
Oscar Tuazon L’École de l’eau (Galerie Chantal Crousel, Paris)
Wang Bing L’œil qui marche (Le Bal, Paris)
Internet
(in no order)
SCAB
Profound Experience
Expat
Original Cinemaniac
Small Press Distribution
X-R-A-Y
{ feuilleton }
SELFFUCK
Invert/Extant
Please Kill Me
Wake Island
Bookworm
PlayTherapy/Tik Tent Radio
Rhizome
Theme Park Review
NO CARTRIDGE AUDIO
TOWARDS CYCLOBE
Musique Machine
Fanzine
Volume 1 Brooklyn
zoran rosko vacuum player
Kill the Darling
Gurochan
The Chiseler
Experimental Cinema
The Los Angeles Review of Books
3:AM Magazine
largehearted boy
pantaloons
Harriet
Open Culture
Locus Solus: The New York School of Poets
giphy
The Wonderful World of Tam Tam Books
Hobart
Entropy
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p.s. Hey. If anyone wants to return my volley and share your favorite things you’ve read, watched, heard, seen, and/or visited this year so far, that would be very cool. ** _Black_Acrylic, It seems so, not that I keep up with the shapeshifter set. But, yes, I thought that post had a cuddly retro vibe. My ears, my booty! Everyone, Hark! Enter your weekend with a bang thanks to Mr. _Black_Acrylic. He’ll explain: ‘The new episode of Play Therapy is online here at Tak Tent Radio! Ben ‘Jack Your Body’ Robinson brings you obscure Belgian Synth-Pop, classic Prog Synth, some very abstract Dub and assorted miscellany too.’ I’ll just add that if you take his cue, happiness surely awaits. Thank you, maestro! ** Dominik, Hi!!! Yes, almost every celebrity, it would seem. Scary! I feel like I should love kittens more than I do. I mean, they’re cool and everything obviously, but … Your choice of Harry Styles would make so many people all over the world so happy. It might just end war entirely and speed up excited scientists’ development of the cure for cancer and win you the Nobel Peace Prize. Wise choice, in other words. Ha ha, good one/love there, pal. Love crowding every book, record, film, artwork, and even website in my favorites post at the top of the International Best Seller list and putting everything currently on the International Best Seller list in thrift shops with a 50 cent price tag, G. ** Misanthrope, Nice try. Only a reptilian shapeshifter would say such a thing. Man, I’m glad I didn’t see Rigby at his sickest. I just got chills at the thought. Have big fun in Annapolis! ** Bill, I remember really liking ‘Sssssss’, albeit perhaps for all the wrong reasons. Is that the Udo Kier movie where he plays a, like, perfume aficionado or something in, like, Montana or something? If so, I’ve heard good things. ** T, Hi, T. So happy you liked it. Mm, I think that post dates from about 10 years ago or so? I just added the gifs because I thought it needed visual weight at the bottom. I think I probably assembled it the way I assemble most of the theme posts, by doing extensive web searches using various target words, but I don’t remember clearly. Ha ha, no, that crocodile one wasn’t what I was thinking of, but how delightful! I think your yesterday had a proper trajectory based on your limited information, so at least a qualified congratulations from me. That would be such a nice and terrifying weekend. The one you wished for me. Hm, I have to figure out how I can trigger that. And, maybe more importantly, how to switch it off. I’ve always been flummoxed by that saying ‘the world is my oyster’ as in ‘what in the world does that mean?’ and ‘why would that be such a positive thing?’, so I wish the world into being your oyster this weekend because I like being confused. xo, D. ** Steve Erickson, Is that a real theory? I’m out of it. I must admit conspiracy theories have lost all of their allure for me at present thanks to all of the you-know-whos. New song! Everyone, Steve Erickson says, ‘I wrote this song over the past two days. The production is supposed to sound a little harsh and in-the-red, especially the piano part.’ I must know of that film you saw but under a French title. Police brutality is a huge, huge issue here. Massive protesting in that regard against the police and against Macron’s government’s indifference to it. With very good reason. ** David Ehrenstein, Well, that would explain a lot, wouldn’t it? ** h (now j), Hi, h (now j)! Great to see you! I’m doing okay, thanks, you? I hope your busyness is the exhilarating kind, at least most of it. Things are lovely here. We’ll see how long that lasts, but, yes, just being out in the city and doing almost nothing continues to feel fresh and great. Take good care! ** Right. You know what you have on your plate this weekend, and please add to it if you feel like it and should you feel so kind. See you on Monday.
Now available in North America 
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So far my favourite reads have been
The House of the Tree of Sores by Paul Cunningham
Paresis by Isabelle Nicou
And Every Day was Over Cast by Paul K
The Well-Dressed Wound/Castle Faggot by Derek McCormack
Alone/When People Die/Skeleton Costumes
by Thomas Moore
Prelude to Transgression by M Kitchell
Vanta Black by Lee Rourke
Thatcher’s Thomb by Stephen Barber
Tears of a Komsomol Girl by Audrey Szasz
The Torture of 100 Pieces by Martin Bladt and Karolina Urbaniak
Cicatrization by S.M.H
Mutations by Gary J. Shipley and Devin Horan
I Remain in Darkness Annie Ernaux
Notes on Suicde by Simon Critchley
God Jr. by Dennis Cooper (I recommend you read him especially)
The Goners/ Come Down to Us by Mark Gluth
The Human/ Warship by Neal Asher
The Faggots and Their Friends Between Revolutions by Larry Mitchell
Time for Lights Out by Raymond Briggs
Three Nails, Four Wounds by Hector Meinhof
Costumes of the Living by Gaurav Monga
Daddy Issues by Katherine Angel
Women vs Hollywood by Helen O’Hara
Cunt-Ups by Dodie Bellamy
Shock Value by John Waters
Frisk by Dennis Cooper (a re-read, but felt like a whole new fresh experience)
As for films, I may need to do a separate comment thread hahaha as there are far too many.
Great list, as always thank you for sharing them, I’ve noted down many on here I’ve had yet to read or discover, same goes for the films.
Much lav, Zak
wow, thanks so much for sharing this list. . . you’ve loved so many of wonderful things.
this year 2021 I have reread old books (or newly read belatedly discovered books) mostly, but I’ll just share what recurs in my memory this morning.
Books:
Footwork: selected poems by Severo Sarduy (tr. David Francis)
The Cheerful Scapegoat: Fables by Wayne Koestenbaum
Romance in Marseille by Claude McKay
Completed Stories & Other Writings by Jean Stafford
Frog Pond Splash (Collages by Ray Johnson with texts by William S. Wilson/ edit. Elizabeth Zuba)
A Treatise on Stars by Mei-Mei Berssenbrugge
American Poetry: Twentieth Century, Vol. Two: E.E. Cummings to May Swenson (The Library of America)
The Albertine Workout by Anne Carson
Disavowals or Cancelled Confessions by Claude Cahun
The Sense of Brown by José Esteban Muñoz
Shakespeare and Queer Representation by Stephen Guy-Bray
Queer Theatre by Stefan Brecht
Exhibitions:
Degree Zero: Drawing at Midcentury (MoMA)
Cézanne Drawing (MoMA)
Ray Johnson: WHAT A DUMP (David Zwirner)
Music:
The Summer House Sessions by Don Cherry
T
hello, my laptop was erroring at that time of posting the comment above, but yes, that was all from me. this past winter & spring i’ve been reading so much of old literature (like ovid, milton, shakespeare, woolf, etc.) along with some commentaries. i didn’t share those here separately since they are too old for readers here, ha ha. i’ve been using new york public library (incl their rare book rooms) for those resources and i’m grateful to have that big collection as my local library. as for films, i didn’t see much. only old ones such as germaine dulac, jean epstein, jean painleve, etc. for my writing. honestly, i’m quite immersed in old literature (early modern and early avant-garde) & criticism lately though i rewatch films i already loved. anyhow, it’s so cool to see these lists by you and other bloggers. thank you so much! have a nice weekend.
What a list! There are some incredible books on here, Dennis – it’s a been a good year for the medium! And thank you for including ‘Interrogating the Abyss’. I’m not worthy 🙌
It’s been something of a mixed month – Scotland dumped out at the group stages of the Euros, but the teaching term has finished for summer which means I can catch up on my reading. And preparing to be a dad. Kinda terrifying.
My fiance also bought me a t-shirt from Etsy with your face on it! It sounds creepy but i thought it was a very thoughtful gift (not many of my ex-girlfriends would think to gift me a Dennis Cooper silkscreen). There’s a picture on Facebook so you can judge for yourself whether it’s mental or thoughtful (or both).
Really excited for ‘I Wished’ – oh, and i actually just read ‘A Lit Fuse’, the Harlan Ellison biography by Nat Sagalof. I know you’re not a big sci-fi guy but his story is unbelievable. He was hanging out with everyone and anyone in the 70s. A great self-mythologiser. The Gay Telease/Sinatra story is worth the price of admission.
Anyway, about to read ‘The Worm’. Steve Finbow sent it to me so I’m excited.
Stay cool!
Disappointed there is no way I can see the James Coleman retrospective. He had a show at Dia in Chelsea that I spent hours and hours with over the course of the year it was up. It got in me and never went away. That was a great place to absorb work.
Thank you so much for including Play Therapy in there! Lots of greatness in your list obvs and I share your love for the Szasz, Cabut and Ogundimu books too. New Juche – The Worm is currently sat on my shelf awaiting my eager eyes.
Spent more of 2021 in hospital than I’d have liked but did manage to stream this Poly Styrene doc which is my film of the year for sure.
Dennis, as usual, what a great resource you are for those who can’t sometimes get the info about these small press books, etc. I’m proud to day that I read some books on this list, and I’m very weak with the music/films this year. I have seen some amazing films via Criterion Channel, which are not technically ‘new’ films, but new to me.
Books – mostly music related due to the podcast I co-host Book Musik, but some other stuff as well. In no special order:
“I’m Open to Anything” William E. Jones
“It Came From Memphis” Robert Gordon
“Relax Baby Be Cool: Serge Gainsbourg” Jeremy Allen
“The Velvet Mafia” by Darryl Bullock
“A Band with Built-in Hate The Who” by Peter Stanfield
“Doomed and Famous” by Adrian Dannatt (from your list, thank you!)
“New York Diary” by Tim Dlugos
“You Lose Yourself, You’ll Reappear: The Many Voices of Bob Dylan” by Paul Morley
“Dennis Wilson and Charlie Manson” by Jack Skelley (he’s a guest on the next Book Musik. I read this book four times!)
“Index of Women” by Amy Gerstler
Music (most of these are old works, but new to me)
“Histoire d’ O” ost by Pierre Bachelet
“Rough and Rowdy Ways” by Bob Dylan
“Gene Clark with the Gosdin Brothers” by Gene Clark
“Novi sing Chopin” Novi
“Demo Hollywood 1977” Screamers
“The Reprise Singles 1963-1965” by Jack Nitzsche
“Un Dandy en Exil” by Mazouni
“Look at the Moon! David Bowie (amazing live album)
“Come Into My Music Box” Paul Jones
“Zeros” by Declan Mckenna
As for films, I discovered the cinematic talents that are in South Korea. Through Criterion Channel. And I also discovered new filmmakers to me through that channel as well. Need to go through the inventory of my mind for that one!
Hey Dennis, great list as always. I forgot to tell you that here in Canada I was able to pre order I Wished through chapters indigo, our biggest box store for books. I also ordered the marbled swarm but will wait until I have a lull in library books to read it.
You shared yours so here is some of mine.
Fiction: castle faggot, perfume, the sellout, dox, a sentimental education, the nose (novella)
Non fiction: palimpsest
Movie: a cat in Paris
My biggest discovery this year has been my local library. It is hard to get small press books there but it has allowed me to have a constant stream of books. Viva la bibliotheca
Ian
I’ve read a few of the fiction books you mention: New Juche’s THE WORM, the two Nicou books, DESPERATE… I’d probably add James Nulick’s THE MOON DOWN TO EARTH (my favorite novel of the year so far), Elizabeth V Aldrich’s RUTHLESS LITTLE THINGS, and the NEO-DECADENCE: 12 MANIFESTOS thing (though that’s probably more non-fiction I guess). Oddly enough I haven’t read all that many new books as I usually do, probably because I’ve been working my way through a lot of my older ones. I’ve also purchased almost no new music at all this year, aside from the new St. Vincent album. That might change in a few months though.
Last night I finished reading JAKOB VON GUNTEN. So now I’ve read 30 of the books from your original Top 50 list (and 31 from the UGLY MAN variation).
Yes, the Udo Kier movie is Swan Song. He plays an aging hairdresser. It really shouldn’t work, but it did for me.
Another mouthwatering mid-year list, Dennis. The Siebert is in my to-read pile. I didn’t even know about the new M. Kitchell and Sarah Schulman. Will slap them and a number of items onto the to-read list.
Favorite books:
Gabriel Blackwell, Correction
Isabel Yap, Never Have I ever
Tim Dlugos, NY Diary
New Juche, The Worm
Leonora Carrington, The Tarot of Leonora Carrington
Favorite movies (with some ’19/20 releases):
Todd Stephens, Swan Song
Enrique Gimeno Pedros/Osama Chamo, Young Diego
https://letterboxd.com/film/young-diego/
[Young Diego is a 7 min short that I think you might like; I can’t find a streamable copy though]
Justin Dyck, Anything for Jackson
Josephine Self, The Fabric of You
James Schneider/Paul Bishow, Punk the Capital
Kaouther Hania, The Man Who Sold His Skin
Christopher Kelly, The Tangle
Gillian Horvat, I Blake Society
Notes on music and art later…
Bill
Hi Dennis,
My favorite books read so far this year are:
Notes on the Cinematograph by Robert Bresson
Racecraft by Karen & Barbara Fields
The Well-Dressed Wound by Derek McCormack
Body to Job by Christopher Zeischegg
Nothing by Blake Butler
and am currently finishing up Wrong: The Critical Biography of Dennis Cooper by Diarmuid Hester
Looking forward to reading Delany’s Through the Valley of the Nest of Spiders next.
Only new film discovery this year was finally getting to see Celine and Julie Go Boating for the first time.
New music has mostly been from friends. These are some very nice drone/ambient albums from the Midwest:
https://telepathyclub.bandcamp.com/album/drone
https://matchess.bandcamp.com/album/huizkol
https://wombwood.bandcamp.com/album/living-light-of-other-worlds
Wanted to share my most recent album if you’d like to take a listen: https://marble-faun.bandcamp.com/album/synthetic-afterlife
Your work has been a huge inspiration on my music and writing. Thank you!
Hi!!
Ah, this post couldn’t have been timelier because now I can start by saying that my copy of “GONE” has finally arrived, and it’s my ultimate favorite thing on earth right now. It’s such an exquisitely gorgeous book, and besides the obvious excitement and inspiration, it gives me a tremendous dose of “not-alone” feeling, too, which I’m so, so grateful for. So, Dennis, thank you for letting us hold it in our hands and many thanks for the past you for creating it!
Otherwise, my favorite books of the year so far (which weren’t actually published this year) are “History of Violence” by Édouard Louis, “Borrowed Time” by Paul Monette, “Close to the Knives” by David Wojnarowicz, and “Lazy” by Peter Sotos. The movie I liked the most this year so far (not a new one, either) is “La Haine” (dir. Mathieu Kassovitz).
You know, you might be right! We should probably try to persuade Harry to create an OnlyFans!
Not surprisingly, I’ve marked 85% of your list as to-be-read/watched/etc., so your love is a blessing! Thank you! Oh, and thank you so much, as always, for including SCAB!! It never fails to make me especially proud and happy. Love simply melting in the heat until his face looks like a half-sucked lollipop, Od.
And thank you for listing my blog in your best of list!
pretty much my only life goal has been to get on a mine for yours list. now i don’t know what to do with myself. thank you so much for the support. it’s a delight to be in such esteemed company. i sent my mom the link to this and her response was: “ His blog though….what’s with all the disturbing pics?? Nothing awful, just not pleasant!!” so, a new fan. as far as faves from this year, would be remiss if i didn’t mention ruthless little things by elizabeth aldrich. music-wise i’ve been obsessed with dean blunt’s black metal 2. spin that several times a day at work. hope you have a lovely week!
So far this year has drawn a blank. I am informed, however, that Polanski’s “J’Accuse” will shortly be available on home video.
My chief cinematic obsession is James Whale. “The Kiss Before the Mirror” is(1933) is just out on Blu-Ray. It’s magnificent.
VIVA RITAMORENO !
Hahah oh well. I need a better host for my pictures clearly 😉 even my inlaws are like why you posting pics from 6 years ago so… packing and enjoying the Garbage album.. not anything to add to this deep end of releases over here. Hell I still need to read the previous Elle Nash. Packing the last bit of baggage.. baggage . Bagaggage.. yeah in S.A at least I can catch up on reading.. cheers :))))
Hey Dennis,
I didn’t consume much stuff other than music that’s from this year so I’ll just list my favorite stuff I saw this year for the first time regardless of release date.
Books:
‘You Bright and Risen Angels’ by William Vollman
‘The Keep’ by Jennifer Egan
‘Amazing Adventures of Cavalier and Klay’ by Michael Chabon
‘Dictee’ by Theresa Hak Kyung Cha
‘Watchmen’ by Alan Moore
‘Closer’ by some dude
‘The Dregs’ by Zach Thompson and others
‘Although Of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself’ by David Lispky
‘The Story of the Eye’ by George Bataille
‘Berserk’ by Kentaro Miura
Films:
‘Ganja and Hess’ by Bill Gunn
‘Hiroshima Mon Amour’ by Alain Resnais
‘Inside'(the Bo Burnham thing)
‘The Death King’ by Jorg Buttgereit
‘Die Hard’ by John Mctiernan
‘Angel Guts: Nami’ by Noboru Tanaka
‘Blue Velvet’ by Lynch
‘Paprika’ by Satoshi Kon
‘Butt Boy’ by Tyler Cornack
‘I Want to Eat Your Pancreas’ by Shinichiro Ushijima
Albums 2021:
Squid- Bright Green Field
Kekth Arakh- Pale Swordsman
Xiu Xiu- OH NO
Godspeed You Black Emperor- G_d’s Pee AT STATE’S END
Panopticon- ….And Again Into the Light
William Parker- Migration of Silence Into and Out of the Tone World
Jute Gyte- Mitrealitat
Not a great year for music in my opinion but I’ve also been in a podcast mood the past couple months so music listening is a lot less than usual. That Youth Code album is awesome, just haven’t listened to it enough. Same thing for the Moor Mother and Billy Woods record.
With books I’ve been pretty spotty with my reading and reading a lot more graphic novels and comics.
Most of the films I watched were actually last month where I just watched 1 or 2 films a day by some indiscernible impulse. I noticed a lot of the films you have listed are somewhat difficult to find, how did you get around to seeing them? Mostly interested in ‘About Endlessness’ and ‘Accidental Luxuriance of the Translucent Watery Rebus’.
Thank you for the list. It’s a lot lol.
Cheers.
BOOKS:
Let’s just say I can’t wait for the library near my apt. to finally reopen.
ALBUMS:
Arab Strap-AS THE DAYS GROW DARK
Backxwash-I LIE HERE BURIED WITH MY RINGS AND DRESSES
Julien Baker-LITTLE OBLIVIONS
Dean Blunt-BLACK METAL 2
Lucy Dacus-HOME VIDEO
Japanese Breakfast-JUBILEE
Meemo Comma-NEON GENESIS 2: SOUL INTO MATTER
Serpentwithfeet-DEACON
Weather Station-IGNORANCE
(This looks very pop next to yours!)
FILMS:
THE EMPTY MAN (David Prior)
LOVE AFFAIR(S) (Emmanuel Mouret)
MIA MISSES HER REVENGE (Boltan Theodor Olteanu)
NIGHT SHOT (Carolina Mososco)
PEBBLES (Vinothraj P.S.)
THIS IS NOT A BURIAL, IT’S A RESURRECTION (Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese)
WE’RE ALL GOING TO THE WORLD’S FAIR (Jane Schoenbrun)
WOJNAROWICZ (Chris McKim)
The celebrity clones theory is very real. I know what you mean about the decreasing attraction of conspiracy culture. When I first came across Vigilant Citizen, I thought it was hilarious. (Didn’t one of the regulars once here say they wrote posts for it subtly mocking their beliefs till the editor caught on?) I took a look at it again when Lil Nas X’s “Montero” video came out, and they accused him of promoting pedophilia, while the site is far more into transphobia and COVID denialism than music video analysis these days. I don’t know how they get through life being triggered every time they see a photo of a celebrity covering one eye.
Two of the subjects who speak in THE MONOPOLY OF VIOLENCE (which is not a literal translation of the French title) were blinded in one eye by the police during the gilets jaunes protests. The police brutality it depicts and discusses was deadly: the closing credits say that the director learned about 2 deaths, 5 amputations and 27 blindings caused by the police while gathering material for it.
One more album, since I realize that list didn’t hit 10:
Don Zilla-EKIZIKA MUBWENGULA
Hi, D!
I’m sorry to hear you spent six days not feeling great after the second shot, that sucks. But I’m glad you’re good now! Yes, it’s such a relief. I checked the Protest Sonique Festival website. I don’t know anyone apart from Stephen O’Malley, but it sounds interesting. Hope you find a way to go! I agree. People (myself included) are desperate to do things and tickets sell so fast.
Mine for Yours! I love these days. Thank you so much! As usual, I’m going to check everything and order some books. I have to read Cecilia Pavón!
These are some of the books I’ve loved so far this year:
‘To Write As If Already Dead’, Kate Zambreno
‘Milk Fed’, Melissa Broder
‘Negative Space’, B. R. Yeager
‘Castle Faggot’, Derek McCormack
I’m reading a book about cemeteries by Mariana Enriquez at the moment. You probably might have heard about her because she’s become quite popular recently, also in the English speaking world. She’s an Argentinian horror writer and I’ve been quite obssessed with her for a very long time. Some of her books have been translated into English. ‘The Dangers of Smoking in Bed’ is a very good story collection.
Last Friday I went to see ‘Destello bravío’, a Spanish film that has just been released and it just blew my mind. The title in English is ‘Mighty Flash’.
Hope you’re having a wonderful weekend!
EVERYTHING FOR SALE AT DAVID EHRENSTEIN’S !
Book, CDs, DVDs. Bargain prices. Contact me via [email protected] and if you live in the L.A. area come on over.
Favorite abstract experimental pop:
Ashley Paul, Ray
Yannatou/Sa, Ways of Not Seeing https://cleanfeedrecords.bandcamp.com/album/ways-of-notseeing
Favorite scrapey squonky improv/jazz:
Benoit Delbecq, The Weight of Light
Goggle Sax Quartet, Eeyahdi
Schubert/Schlippenbach/Blume, Forge
Remote Viewers, Let the City Sleep
Euphotic, Isopleths
Daniel Kordik/N.O. Moore, Here in the Distance
Miller/Mettler/Foisy-Couture, Grind Halts
Matthew Shipp/Rob Brown, Then Now
Jacob Wick/Brad Henkel, Lovely Bag You Have
Favorite electronics/modern classical:
Chris Burns, Manifest
Kaikhosru Sorabji, 100 Transcendental Etudes Vol. 6
Live online gigs:
JACK quartet plays Lachenmann, Miller Theatre, Columbia U
Kyle Bruckmann at UC Davis
John Bischoff/James Fei/Tim Perkis at Mills
Art events:
Jerome Caja at Anglim/Trimble Gallery
https://www.anglimtrimble.com/exhibitions/found-the-lost-art-of-jerome-caja
6/19 Joan Jett Blakk “talk show” on Jerome Caja, Minnesota St Projects, SF
Frida Kahlo at De Young Museum
Christian Marclay collages at Fraenkel Gallery
Just one recommendation, for music, which I cannot recommend highly enough:
“Palais d’Argile,” the new album by Feu! Chatterton. I can’t stop listening to it, I don’t want to stop listening to it. C’est génial!
Hi Dennis!
Oh wow… what a glut… and even more so with everyone commenting… These are a few things that I enjoyed and feel are worthy of recommendation to the good folks here:
Novels:
100 Boyfriends (Brontez Purnell)
Unknown Language (Hildegard of Bingen + Huw Lemmey)
Poetry:
After Denver (Big Bruiser Dope Boy)
Porn Carnival: Paradise Edition (Rachel Rabbit White)
Manga:
Yatamomo 1-2 (Harada)
Music:
i must love imperfect being loulou (nilou)
Motto of the Wheel (Teresa Winter)
&&&&& (Arca)
Alias (Shygirl)
Blogs/Newsletters/Internet:
Huw Lemmey, Tone Glow, Ty Mitchell, Jules Gill-Peterson (all on substack)
Adachi-ku Busu Okama Channel – The Ugly Fag of Adachi City Tokyo (youtube)
Overmorrow’s Library (podcast)
SCAB magazine
Yara Mekawei (soundcloud)
I tried to find a link to the crocodile flume, but drew a blank… It’s strange: I have a very distinct memory of reading about it and seeing a photo in a magazine I read whilst waiting for a haircut, I must have been about 13, yet now I’m asking myself whether it was all a fantasy… If you type into google ‘crocodile water park’ however, you do come across some very nice abandoned South East Asian water parks, but not what I was thinking. God I haven’t been to a waterpark in ages. But anyway. I assumed the provenance of the ‘world is your oyster’ comes from how you eat them? Back when I was younger and eating meat, my grandmother taught me that you eat an oyster by literally gulping it down, so I guess the image is that of you throwing back the whole world like a poor, cold and slimy mollusc to die a death within your gastric juices? But I might look further into that. Anyway, I hope your coming week is transformed into an animal of your choice, that you can ride/make do tricks/eat/cherish as you so desire! xT
as before i’m trying to include only things that have been (re-)released in 2020/21 and things other people haven’t mentioned yet. it’s not been a great half-year for new things, to be honest, i’m playing an eternal game of culture catch up.
BOOKS
David Diop — At Night All Blood Is Black
Olga Ravn — The Employees
Maria Stepanova — In Memory of Memory
Benjamin Labatut — When We Cease to Understand the World
McKenzie Wark — Philosophy for Spiders: On the Low Theory of Kathy Acker
[Anonymous Collective] — Barbican Stories
Mike Drucker — Silent Hill 2
Philip J Reed — Resident Evil
(also big up Sarah Schulman’s Let the Record Show, which i pitched a review of to TLS before awkwardly discovering that Edmund White was doing a big double-page feature for it)
BOOKS I HAVEN’T READ BUT AM EXCITED FOR
Izumi Suzuki — Terminal Boredom
Gary Panter — Jimbo: Adventures in Paradise
Alison Bechdel — The Secret to Superhuman Strength
and yours ofc
MUSIC
Alastair White — Robe
파란노을 [Parannoul] — To See the Next Part of the Dream
Christine and the Queens — People, I’ve Been Sad (which was way last year but i completely forgot to put it on my last list apparently?)
(William Parker’s Migration of Silence Into and Out of the Tone World (Volumes 1–10) is supposed to be fantastic but i don’t have the money right now…)
ART
Jean Dubuffet: Brutal Beauty @ Barbican
Claudia Andujar: The Yanomami Struggle @ Barbican
Matthew Barney: Redoubt @ Hayward Gallery
MOVIES/TV
i’m mostly including this category because i finally watched It’s a Sin. i hated it. i want that recorded for posterity
Dynamo Dream (Episode 1: Salad Mug)
Kill It and Leave This Town
(imagine that Evangelion 3.0+1.0 has been released outside of Japan and i’ve seen it and it’s on this list)
anyway — hello!! i hope you are well. things have been a bit tough my end; my grandma has got a heart arrhythmia and is suddenly a lot weaker (in body, not in spirit, thank God/bloody hell). not to bore but it’s not fun, nor is dealing with the family angst. i can tell because in moments of great stress my brain latches upon a song that it needs to listen to on repeat endlessly, and it has decided that this time it shall be Steve Winwood’s Valerie. but! i do finally have one of the two jabs! and if i can reorganise my second jab for earlier than september i might yet have my hot girl summer.
i forgot to come by and say that my weird history podcasts on Placecloud are finally up! my ones are here: https://placecloud.io/author/oscarnearly/ — i think there’s a listening limit of three or four without signing up, but if you’re desperate i’m sure there’s a way around this with creative use of incognito browsing. i still think i sound too much like a daytime tv historian, but i also think that’s the style this sort of thing invites… there are some good things on there — one person, Lauren Barnett, has done a load about horror films shot in London, inc. Hellraiser and Dream Demon, i enjoyed those.
how are you? how was your weekend, what have you been up to? great (as always) to see the list & bookmark a whole bunch, thanks!
Hey Dennis – I can’t believe it’s midyear already. This list is a monster, as usual. Great to see everyone else’s picks, too. My bank account quivers before its riches.
Just started ‘Failure to Thrive’ and loving it. Glad to see ‘Visions’ has been reissued. Dug the Rachel Kushner essays.
Had no idea there was a new M Kitchell. Is the nonfiction at all like his fiction? That ‘Melancholy Lens’ looks fascinating too. Is it very steeped in academic theory?
Did you do a post on N.H. Pritchard? That book looks so familiar, but my brain can’t quite place it. Intrigued by the Leonara Fini title too. That the place to start with her?
I loved the ‘Sisters with Transistors’ doc. I saw the Sparks doc in the theater last weekend and it was a pleasure, esp on a huge screen with booming sound. Have you caught it yet? So nice to see Tosh and Michael Silverblatt show up in it.
Been sampling that Leyden Jars album — super compelling. Where did you hear about them?
Ok, a few music and film things I’ve dug that aren’t already on your list.
Musically, I’ve been immersed in some remarkable compilations:
– Julius Hemphill ‘THE BOYÉ MULTI-NATIONAL CRUSADE FOR HARMONY ‘ (this thing is a must-hear)
– Seefeel ‘Rupt and Flex’
– Blue ‘Gene’ Tyranny ‘Degrees of Freedom Found’
– Ashtray Navigations ‘Imaginary Hits’
plus Choras(s)an Time Mirage’s “Blues Alif Lam Mim’
Films:
– ‘La Flor’ (14 hour, multipart movie with 5 beginnings, one middle, one end)
– ‘Spoor’
– Adam Curtis’s ‘Can’t Get You Out of My Head’
– ‘Don’t Just Think I’ll Scream’ (experimental French feature film [maybe you’ve seen?] made entirely from clips of other movies – thousands of them)
– Sky Hopinka’s videos
– Victoria De Seta’s short films (10 newly restored ravishing short docs; 10 minutes each)
Dennis, Hahaha. That made me laugh.
You and your lists. Harumph. Actually, I’m just jealous bc I’m terrible at these things. Always have been. I think you’ve figured that out by now. Hmm.
I’ve read a lot of books this year that are new to me, but they’re not new at all. Like I’m reading Kobo Abe’s The Box Man right now. Eek.
Thanks. Annapolis was fun. Got home around 3 a.m. Fell out around 5 a.m. Today’s been a bust, but who cares.
We saw Rigby about a year after his hospital stay where he got down to that weight. At the time, he was still rail thin but was dealing with this fluid problem. Soooo gaunt (almost a death mask, really), like something out of a camp (I’m not exaggerating) but this huge bloated stomach and ankles/feet. He could barely walk, even with the assistance of a cane. He spent well over a year getting regular drainings (liters and liters at a time). Slowly but surely, he’s back to his old self. No more drainings, he barely drinks anymore, and he hikes dozens of miles at a time. The world’s a better place with him in it.
Hey, Dennis,
Quite shamefully, I actually don’t think I’ve read or watched or even listened to (with the exception of Japanese Breakfast, which I liked, and St. Vincent, which I’m ambivalent on) anything that came out this year so far. I’m catching up with so much older stuff that I haven’t made time for new things just yet. This list is a reminder to change that. I hope you had a good weekend. Mine was okay. I started Hardy’s “Tess”, which I think is pretty strong, although the writing (while compelling!) is a little florid and Victorian and allusion-heavy, etc. But very engaging nonetheless. I also attended my first Pride today in the city. I had a mixed experience with it: there was a real party going on in Washington Square, and although it was way way too extroverted for me, I was happy seeing all of the liveliness, and I really wanted to linger, but the group I was with dragged me away after a scant fifteen-ish minutes, so I only actually got to attend the event itself for a very brief span of time. So rather disappointing for my first time, but I’m glad I went anyway, after bailing two years ago and not having had the opportunity last year. Then I finally watched “Equation to an Unknown”, which I totally loved. It affected me deeply, in more than the obvious pornographic manner; as well as just being pretty hot, I found it quite moving and emotional, in ways I’m struggling to articulate at the moment. So that was a strong cap to the weekend. How was your own? Anything serve to brighten up your hours?
Hi, D!
I’m sorry to hear you spent six days not feeling great after the second shot, that sucks. But I’m glad you’re good now! Yes, it’s such a relief. I checked the Protest Sonique Festival website. I don’t know anyone apart from Stephen O’Malley, but it sounds interesting. Hope you find a way to go! I agree. People (myself included) are desperate to do things and tickets sell so fast.
Mine for Yours! I love these days. Thank you! As usual, I’m going to check everything and order some books. I have to read Cecilia Pavón!
These are some of the books I’ve loved so far this year:
‘To Write As If Already Dead’, Kate Zambreno
‘Milk Fed’, Melissa Broder
‘Negative Space’, B. R. Yeager
‘Castle Faggot’, Derek McCormack
I’m reading a book about cemeteries by Mariana Enriquez at the moment. You probably might have heard about her because she’s become quite popular recently, also in the English speaking world. She’s an Argentinian horror writer and I’ve been quite obssessed with her for a very long time. Some of her books have been translated into English. ‘The Dangers of Smoking in Bed’ is a very good story collection.
Last Friday I went to see ‘Destello bravío’, a Spanish film that has just been released and it just blew my mind. The title in English is ‘Mighty Flash’.
Hope you’re having a wonderful weekend!
Thank you so much for putting me on the list, it was the finest of birthday presents! I’m always shocked and humbled that people enjoy the wan little husk I pumped out in a kind of pandemic fever dream.
I haven’t read nearly enough but my favorites (not all released this year) are probably Opioid, Indiana by Brian Allen Carr (seems tailored to my interests), Frisk by Dennis Cooper (unadorned, matter of fact, brutal material), Ugly Time by Sarah Galvin (genuinely funny and surreal poetry from a dear friend) and Bonding by Maggie Siebert (only halfway through but again I feel like I’m being pandered to in the best way.)
Also trying to re-read Glamorama, I’m a huge BEE stan and needing inspiration for the sequel to Desperate. Incidentally your episode on his podcast is probably my favorite.
Going through a heat wave here in Seattle and sleep deprived and feeling very affectionate. Hope all is well with you and everyone commenting.
THANK YOU!
Hi Dennis,
Glad to see you dig Clark Coolidge’s To The Cold Heart! Curious about how you heard about it!
Best,
Fenrick Books