Mine for yours: My favorite fiction, poetry, non-fiction, film, art, and internet of 2022

41 Comments

1. 

   _Black_Acrylic

   December 17, 2022 at 10:42 am

   Ooh it’s my favourite time of year!

   Books, fiction:
   Jenni Fagan – Hex (Polygon)
   Alexandrine Ogundimu – Agitation (Amphetamine Sulphate)
   Audrey Szasz – Zealous Immaculate (Amphetamine Sulphate)
   Ryan O’Connor – The Voids (Scribe)
   Meg McCarville – Jonbenet Dreams of Being Shirley Temple: 25th ANNIVERSARY EDITION (Self published)

   Books, non fiction:
   Jennifer Otter Bickerdike – You Are Beautiful and You Are Alone: The Biography of Nico (Faber)

   Film:
   The Scary of Sixty-First (Dasha Nekrasova) Lamb (Valdimar Jóhannsson)

   Music:
   Dopplereffekt – Neurotelepathy (Leisure System) DJ NAXXRAMAS – Autumn Vibe (Mystical Place)

   Art:
   Rachel Maclean – Don’t Buy Mi (Perth High Street)

   Internet:
   Limmy – Twitch http://www.twitch.tv/limmy

   Reply
   • 

     Jack Skelley

     December 19, 2022 at 4:55 pm

     BEN — I too belong to the Meg McCarville club. Besides the insane Jon Benet play, did you see her latest “DONT PISS ME OFF!!!!!!!!!!” ? iT’S a knew-slapper. And another new on coming soon!!!!

     Reply
     • 

       Meg McCarville

       February 24, 2023 at 5:58 am

       I AM THE MEG MCCARVILLE CLUB AND I APPRECIATE AND LUVVVV U!!!!!

       Reply
2. 

   Chris Kelso

   December 17, 2022 at 10:43 am

   Hi Dennis,

   Hope you’re safe and well! Another wonderful list of books and music – thank you for including Children of the New Flesh on here. It’s a huge honour to feature on your end of year favourites.

   There’s an expanded edition of CoTNF coming out in January, so I’ll send you a copy of that once it’s out. I’ll include the hardback of The Black Dog Eats the City in the package too. Hope you dig them.

   My wee girl is doing well. Not quite ready for her first Dennis Cooper book but she’s already very bookish. I did recommend some of your poetry to one of my senior students so I’ll let you know their verdict!

   Be well! Hope you come to Scotland again soon.

   Chris

   Reply
3. 

   Dominik

   December 17, 2022 at 10:51 am

   Hi!!

   Ahh, the favorites list! I can’t wait to dig in! And, as always, thank you ever so much for including SCAB! For some reason, this year wasn’t so huge for me book- and film-wise. Here’s my tiny book list (they weren’t necessarily published in 2022, I just read them this year):

   History of a Drowning Boy – Dennis Nilsen & Mark Austin
   The Texas Chainsaw Massacre – Josiah Morgan
   Walking through Clear Water in a Pool Painted Black – Cookie Mueller
   Young Mungo – Douglas Stuart
   Rohypnol – Andrew Hutchinson
   The Andy Warhol Diaries – Pat Hackett (ed.)
   City of Night – John Rechy
   The Shrine of Jeffrey Dahmer – Brian Masters

   Haha, the hornet comment was my other idea for a love! But then I have to go back for this one: love trying some support group for the small minded twatts who feels the world owes them a oh pour baby, Od.

   Reply
4. 

   politekid

   December 17, 2022 at 1:49 pm

   (attempting to avoid repeats, and 2022 or rerelease-specific:)

   BOOKS
   June Alison Gibbons — THE PEPSI-COLA ADDICT (Cashen’s Gap)
   Imogen Binnie — NEVADA (Picador)
   Tracey Williams — ADRIFT: THE CURIOUS TALE OF THE LEGO LOST AT SEA (Unicorn)
   Valerie Solanas — UP YOUR ASS (Sternberg)
   Felix Hartlaub (trans. Simon Beattie) — CLOUDS OVER PARIS: THE WARTIME NOTEBOOKS OF FELIX HARTLAUB (Pushkin)
   Joanna Walsh — GIRL ONLINE: A USER MANUAL (Verso)
   Joanna Walsh — MY LIFE AS A GODARD MOVIE (Transit)
   Sandor Marai (trans. Len Rix) — LIBERATION (Mountain Leopard)
   Erri De Luca (trans. N. S. Thompson) — IMPOSSIBLE (Mountain Leopard)
   Ben Tarnoff — INTERNET FOR THE PEOPLE (Verso)
   Karl Thomas Smith — NOW GO: ON STUDIO GHIBLI AND GRIEF (404Ink)
   Joshua Cohen — THE NETANYAHUS (Fitzcarraldo)
   Olivier Guez (trans. Georgia de Chamberet) — THE DISAPPEARANCE OF JOSEF MENGELE (Verso)
   M. E. O’Brien and Eman Abdelhadi — EVERYTHING FOR EVERYONE: AN ORAL HISTORY OF THE NEW YORK COMMUNE, 2052-2072 (Common Notions)
   Porpentine Charity Heartscape — SERIOUS WEAKNESS (self published)
   Jean-Luc Champerret (trans. Philip Terry) — THE LASCAUX NOTEBOOKS (Carcanet)

   [i’ve heard good things about Elif Batuman — EITHER/OR and Jennette McCurdy — I’M GLAD MY MOM DIED but yet to touch either of them]

   MUSIC
   Big Thief — DRAGON NEW WARM MOUNTAIN I BELIEVE IN YOU
   Chat Pile — GOD’S COUNTRY
   Richard Dawson — THE RUBY CORD
   Bjork — FOSSORA
   Burial — STREETLANDS EP
   Daniel Rossen — YOU BELONG THERE
   Artificial Brain — ARTIFICIAL BRAIN
   Black Country, New Road — ANTS FROM UP THERE
   Jockstrap — I LOVE YOU JENNIFER B
   Anna von Hausswolff — LIVE AT MONTREUX JAZZ FESTIVAL
   Billy Woods — AETHIOPES
   caroline — CAROLINE
   Cities Aviv — “WORKING TITLE FOR THE ALBUM SECRET WATERS”
   Mydreamfever — ROUGH AND BEAUTIFUL PLACE
   Viper — ONE DAY YOU’LL SEE ME AGAIN (1997-2009)

   FILMS
   Kyle Edward Ball — SKINAMARINK
   Guillermo del Toro — PINOCCHIO
   hbomberguy — ROBLOX_OOF.mp3
   Dan Olson — Line Goes Up: The Problem With NFTs

   [god i’ve watched no films this year. THE SILENT TWINS, CRIMES OF THE FUTURE, TAR, DECISION TO LEAVE, maybe TRIANGLE OF SADNESS could be here if i get to them. also there was a movie of Annie Ernaux’s HAPPENING?? was it any good??]

   THEATRE/GIGS
   Ivo van Hove, dir. — AGE OF RAGE (Barbican)
   Tom Morton-Smith, adapt. — MY NEIGHBOUR TOTORO (Barbican)
   LINGUA IGNOTA (EartH)

   [ditto, tho given the state of British theatre I’m not devastated. but: sad that i missed Pina Bausch — KONTAKTHOF, Jeremy O Harris — DADDY, Alistair McDowell — THE GLOW, Franz Xaver Kroetz — TOM FOOL… and i had tickets to Martin Crimp — NOT ONE OF THESE PEOPLE but train strikes meant i had to give it up! bogus!!]

   ART
   POSTWAR MODERN: NEW ART IN BRITAIN 1945-1965 (Barbican)
   OUT AND ABOUT!: ARCHIVING LGBTQ+ HISTORY AT BISHOPSGATE INSTITUTE (Barbican)
   Carolee Schneemann — BODY POLITICS (Barbican)
   EXQUISITE WORLD (Schemata/Corsica Studios)
   Disinformation — ANTITHESIS (Schemata/Corsica Studios)
   MEMEPLEX TM (Seventeen Gallery)
   Cornelia Parker (Tate Britain)
   William Kentridge (Royal Academy of Arts)
   Magdalena Abakanowicz — EVERY TANGLE OF THREAD AND ROPE (Tate Modern)
   THE HORROR SHOW! (Somerset House)

   [annoyed that i missed Louise Bourgeois — THE WOVEN CHILD (Hayward Gallery), IN THE BLACK FANTASTIC (Hayward Gallery), and Disinformation — THE RAPTURE (Cable Depot)]

   i think i’ve missed lots of stuff here… god this all makes me look far more productive this year than i was.
   i hope you are doing well! i’m diving into the unknowns on your list asap. unfortunately, after two and a half years of dumb luck, i have been covidified. nothing tortuous, just a bad & slightly spacy cold… but not fantastic timing.

   Reply
5. 

   scunnard

   December 17, 2022 at 2:05 pm

   Hi Dennis, these days are always great and also remind me how much great stuff has been happening lately. So yes, as I mentioned the other day I’d been on a high note… and now… I’m in the hospital… so plenty of time to peruse a post like today. Um I was walking and then slipped on ice and snapped part of my femur and now need to have pins put in it tomorrow… hurts but not as much as it could I guess, but maybe that’s the morphine talking? Anyway, hope you are well and thanks for the eye amusement with today’s post.

   Reply
6. 

   Zak Ferguson

   December 17, 2022 at 2:20 pm

   Sublime list, as per. I keep jotting things down then THERE IS MORE!!!!

   I hope all is well your end D!

   Also, how’s the new feature-film coming along? I’ve been extremely lagging in visiting this glorious space, so many apologies. Just been a hectic few months – I’m almost trying to exorcise the experimentalist out of me, which feeds back again into fighting against such a notion and producing too much work.

   So glad that Kenji’s PARACELSUS made your list. We are so proud of getting that book – also Kenji has allowed all royalties to be kept to ensure SDPs longevity – which really is quite astonishing and signs of what legit artist and person he is. Love him. Also the book is sensational.

   Tickle me surprised that you included JURASSIC PARK: DOMINION on your list.

   I hope you have a good Chrimbo, that is if you celebrate (any excuse for someone else to fork out for my book habit, the better) and have a fab-tab New Year!

   Reply
7. 

   CAUTIVOS

   December 17, 2022 at 3:23 pm

   Hi Dennis. Great list. I barely read poetry but the fiction list seems stratospheric to me. A pity that none of those novels or story books is yet translated into Spanish. Maybe I should look at the lists of other years in case any reference is already translated and I still haven’t found out. I don’t see any reference in Spanish and it’s a shame because I could advise you. I have contacted Dodie Bellamy and she has in turn contacted an Argentine publisher that seems to be interested in Shy. If we don’t see each other before Merry Christmas.

   Reply
8. 

   CAUTIVOS

   December 17, 2022 at 3:29 pm

   Hi Dennis. Great list. I barely read poetry but the fiction list seems stratospheric to me. A pity that none of those novels or story books is yet translated into Spanish. Maybe I should look at the lists of other years in case any reference is already translated and I still haven’t found out. I don’t see any reference in Spanish and it’s a shame because I could advise you. I have contacted Dodie Bellamy and she has in turn contacted an Argentine publisher that seems to be interested in Shy. I don’t know if you are still in Paris or have returned to your beloved California. I don’t know if you read directly in French and Spanish. All the books you present seem to be heavily influenced by subversive literature. I don’t think you’ve ever read a best seller. Have you read Stephen King’s It, sorry for my boldness. How dare you make this kind of proposition.

   Reply
9. 

   Tosh Berman

   December 17, 2022 at 4:35 pm

   Here’s my list:
   Best albums I have heard in 2022:
   https://open.substack.com/pub/tosh/p/toshs-best-albums-of-2022?r=352m9&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

   Best Fiction and Poetry in 2022:
   https://open.substack.com/pub/tosh/p/best-fiction-and-poetry-books-i-read?r=352m9&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

   Best Non-Fiction Books in 2022:
   https://open.substack.com/pub/tosh/p/best-non-fiction-books-i-have-read?r=352m9&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

   Reply
   • 

     letterboxd

     December 19, 2022 at 4:02 am

     https://letterboxd.com/

     Reply
10. 

    Steve Erickson

    December 17, 2022 at 5:09 pm

    FILM LISTS:

    New Releases:

    “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed”
    “The Cathedral”
    “The Eternal Daughter”
    “Feast”
    “Jackass Forever”
    “Neptune Frost”
    “Resurrection”
    “Saint Omer”
    “Something in the Dirt”
    “We’re Going to the World’s Fair”
    Best First Viewings:

    “The Bedroom” (Hisayasu Sato)
    “Blue” (Derek Jarman)
    “Bound for the Fields, the Mountains and the Seacoast” (Nobuhiko Obayashi)
    “Brain Damage” (Frank Henenlotter)
    “A Camel” (Ibrahim Shaddad)
    “The Carpathian Mushroom” (Jean-Claude Biette)
    “Communion” (Philippe Mora)
    “Deep Cover” (Bill Duke)
    “The End” (Christopher Maclaine)
    “Freak Orlando” (Ulrike Ottinger)
    “Libera Me” (Alain Cavalier)
    “The Long Gray Line” (John Ford)
    “Melody for a Street Organ” (Kira Muratova)
    “Morning Patrol” (Nikos Nikolaidis)
    “Neige” (Juliet Berto & Jean-Henri Roger)
    “Order” (Sohrab Shahid Saless)
    “Rape” (Yoko Ono & John Lennon)
    “Sada” (Nobuhiko Obayashi)
    “Traps” (Vera Chytilova)
    “West Indies” (Med Hondo)

    TOP 10 ALBUMS:
    Anteloper-PINK DOLPHINS
    Benny the Butcher-TANA TALK 4
    black midi-HELLFIRE
    Fievel Is Glauque-FLAMING SWORDS
    Ezra Furman-ALL OF US FLAMES
    the 1975-BEING FUNNY IN A FOREIGN LANGUAGE
    Sault-11
    Taylor Swift-MIDNIGHTS
    Hikaru Utada-BAD MODE
    yeat-lyfe

    SKINAMARINK is up on ok.ru, but I’ve read that it’s so dark (visually) that I plan to wait and see it in the theater.

    Reply
11. 

    Misanthrope

    December 17, 2022 at 5:40 pm

    Dennis, Thanks.

    Oh, man, and you and your lists. 😉 Seriously, though, I’ve been keeping a list of books to buy/films to see, etc. I’ll be using this list of yours to fill mine up. So…thank you, kind sir.

    As for me, hmm, I don’t know that I’ve read anything new or seen any new film that would make a best of list for me. As usual, right? Pretty much everything I’ve read has been something older and out for a long time. I really liked Justin Isis’ books and Colby Smith’s book The Ironic Skeleton. Well, Colby’s is new, so let’s put that out there. As for films…bleh. Even Bones and All, which curiously didn’t make your list, hahaha.

    Anyway, let’s get this weekend started and have some fun.

    Reply
12. 

    Sypha

    December 17, 2022 at 6:33 pm

    H’mm, well, there’s still like 2 weeks left until the year’s done, so I haven’t finalized my own yet. But I’ll let you know on January 1st ha ha.

    I’ve read a few of the fiction ones you cite, like Paul Curran, Josiah Morgan, James Nulick, Audrey Szasz, and so on. Still waiting for my copy of IMPURE THOUGHTS to arrive.

    For now I will say I’ve seen almost no new films this year though, aside from the new BATMAN film (which I mostly enjoyed) and, uh, the 3rd FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM movie. Oh, I did finally see MUDMONSTER as well, but technically that’s a 2021 film. Misa tells me I should watch BONES AND ALL. Well, he would! I haven’t been to the theaters once this year though, the 2022 films I have seen were on DVD.

    I literally only got 5 new CDs this year, which is crazy low for me, and most of them were pretty forgettable. Usually at the end of the year on Facebook I’ll post a kind of “music picks and pans” but I might skip this year because I’ve heard so little new music. Of the 5, the only one that really stood out for me was HARRY’S HOUSE by Harry Styles.

    Reply
13. 

    Bill

    December 17, 2022 at 7:04 pm

    An embarrassment of riches as usual, Dennis. Maybe even more embarrassing than usual.

    I’ve read a few of the fiction items on your list. Didn’t even know about the new Blake Butler, duh. The Mike Kleine also looks like my thing. I downloaded the Pierre Clémenti film last night, will see it soon.

    Here goes:

    Books:
    J.A.W. McCarthy, Sometimes We’re Cruel and other stories
    Richard Butner, The Adventurists: and other stories
    David Nutt, Summertime in the Emergency Room
    Kathryn Harlan, Fruiting Bodies: stories
    Paul Curran, Generation Bloodbath
    R.E. Katz, And Then the Gray Heaven
    John Elizabeth Stintzi, My Volcano
    Percival Everett, The Trees
    Neel Patel, Tell Me How to Be
    Sterrit Brooks, The History of America in My Lifetime
    Glenn Frankel, Shooting Midnight Cowboy
    Peter Staley, Never Silent: ACT UP and My Life in Activism
    Jack Lowery, It was Vulgar and It Was Beautiful: How AIDS Activists Used Art to Fight a Pandemic

    Movies:
    Goran Stolevski, You Won’t Be Alone
    Hugo Covarrubias, Bestia
    Toby Poser/John Adams, Hellbender
    Jonas Poher Rasmussen, Flee
    Jane Schoenbrun, We’re All Going to the World’s Fair
    Charles Busch/Carl Andress, The Sixth Reel
    Peter Strickland, Flux Gourmet
    Peter Strickland, Bland Narcissus
    Johannes Grenzfurthner, Masking Threshold
    Kaltrina Krasniqi, Vera Dreams of the Sea
    Andrew Semans, Resurrection
    Joanna Hogg, The Eternal Daughter
    Weston Terray, Precarious (now on Vimeo; highly recommended https://vimeo.com/ondemand/precariousfilm)

    Music:
    Neural Goldberg, Still Life with Juggling Brick
    Euphotic, Conjugate Regions
    Theresa Wong, Practicing Sands
    Jim Baker et al, Dura
    Michael Foster, The Industrious Tongue
    Francois Houle, Make That Flight

    Live music:
    Ettrick at Knockout, SF
    SF Symphony plays Magnus Lindberg 3rd Piano Concerto, Bartok Concerto for Orchestra
    Thomas Schultz plays Ustvolskaya, Rzewski, Na, Center for New Music, SF
    Del Sol String Quartet at Mosswood Sound, Oakland
    Shellac at Great American Music Hall, SF
    Ken Vandermark Large Ensemble at Elastic Arts, Chicago
    Theresa Wong/Kanoko Nishi-Smith ất Asian Art Museum
    James Fei/John Bischoff at Center for New Music, SF
    SF Symphony plays Berg violin concerto, Shostakovich 10th symphony
    James Fei/Ken Ueno/Viola Ip at Center for New Music, SF
    David Ross/Clive Bell, Garuda vs Naga

    Dance:
    Jess Curtis/Gravity, Dark, at Counterpulse SF
    Cloud Gate, 13 Tongues, Berkeley

    Art:
    Carlos Villa, Asian Art Museum, SF
    Neri Oxman, SFMOMA, SF

    Bill

    Reply
14. 

    "e."/jade

    December 17, 2022 at 8:09 pm

    hi dennis! sorry for putting something random and self-involved on one of your posts, i thought this may be the best way to try to contact you but i’m not exactly canny about the etiquette? i’d choose something more relevant to attach myself to but i’m paranoid it would get lost in the shuffle if i don’t reply to something recent. deep apologies if it comes off very annoying!

    anyway you don’t know me and don’t have a reason to, but i adore your work and have recently been trying to do a little parsing/reading of try! like just on my tumblr, nothing fancy. you’re certainly too busy for this kind of dweeby groupie shit, but if on a one-in-million off chance you decide to take a look it would mean the entire world to me. all the best!

    https://anticlaires.tumblr.com/tagged/i%20apologize

    Reply
15. 

    jade or e

    December 17, 2022 at 8:15 pm

    hi dennis! sorry for posting something random and self-involved on one of your posts, i thought this may be the best way to try to contact you but i’m not exactly canny about the etiquette? i’d choose something more relevant to attach myself too but i’m paranoid it would get lost in the shuffle if i don’t reply to something recent. (this is also the second time i’m posting this comment, i think the first time the website ate it?) apologies if it comes off very annoying!

    anyway you don’t know me and don’t have a reason to, but i adore your work and have recently been trying to do a little parsing/reading of try! like just on my tumblr, nothing fancy. you’re certainly too busy for this kind of dweeby groupie shit, but if on a one-in-million off chance you decide to take a look it would mean the entire world to me. all the best! —e.

    https://anticlaires.tumblr.com/tagged/i%20apologize

    Reply
    • 

      jade or e

      December 17, 2022 at 8:16 pm

      oh yikes lol, double posted by accident. sorry!!!!!!!!!!

      Reply
    • 

      arby

      December 18, 2022 at 2:21 am

      hello i am not dennis but i think your writing is very cool

      Reply
      • 

        jade or e

        December 19, 2022 at 8:26 pm

        thanks so much!!! that’s incredibly sweet and it means a whole ton to me 🤍 i think you’re very cool too! ☺️

        Reply
16. 

    fervorxo

    December 17, 2022 at 10:11 pm

    Yay bless this holiday. Thanks as always for the bountiful recommendations

    Music (just limited to 2022 releases) :
    Bastard Noise/Merzbow – RETRIBUTION BY ALL OTHER CREATURES
    Bill Orcutt – MUSIC FOR FOUR GUITARS
    Bjork – FOSSORA
    Candy – HEAVEN IS HERE
    Disheveled Cuss – INTO THE COUCH
    Drain Gang – CREST
    Duster – TOGETHER
    Fire-Toolz – I WILL NOT USE THE BODY’S EYES TODAY
    Gilla Band – MOST NORMAL
    Kali Malone – LIVING TORCH
    Mary Halvorson – BELLADONNA/AMARYLLIS
    Palm – NICKS AND GRAZES (probably my very favorite)
    Rosalia – MOTOMAMI
    Vermin Womb – RETALIATION

    Shows:
    Eyehategod + ACxDC – SLC
    Drain Gang – Oakland
    John Wiese – SLC
    Kali Malone + Stephen O’Malley – Grace Cathedral SF (very very awesome)
    Palm on a scarily snowy night – SLC
    Show Me The Body + Soul Glo – SLC
    Sumac – SLC
    VS Self + Knumears – Upland, CA (on tour w my screamo band, SoCal zoomer chicanos go off!)

    Books:
    Lautreamont – MALDOROR
    Nietzsche – THE GAY SCIENCE
    Joyce – ULYSSES
    Anna Kavan – ICE
    Agota Kristof – THE NOTEBOOK books
    Tiqqun – THEORY OF THE YOUNG GIRL
    Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore – SO MANY WAYS TO SLEEP BADLY
    Jarett Kobek – THE FUTURE WON’T BE LONG
    Atticus Lish – THE WAR FOR GLORIA
    James Nullick – LAZY EYES

    Movies:
    Charles Laughton – THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER
    Toshio Matsumoto – FUNERAL PARADE OF ROSES
    Quentin Tarantino – JACKIE BROWN
    Tsai Ming-Liang – THE HOLE
    Todd Solondz – PALINDROMES
    Lucile Hadzihalilovic – EVOLUTION
    Lucile Hadzihalilovic – EARWIG
    Apichatpong Weerasethakul – MEMORIA
    Jane Schoenbrun – WE’RE ALL GOING TO THE WORLD’S FAIR

    Reply
17. 

    ANGUSRAZE

    December 17, 2022 at 11:40 pm

    Dennis!!

    Omg hello my friend! How are you! I am so so sorry I havent messaged you in a while I have been so busy, but I have so much to tell u!

    My gig at Cafe Oto is on Jan 11th and I announced it! So excited, the day I announced it to, this guy liked the post on Instagram so I looked him up coz he followed me for a while and he had like 30k followers and he’s called Mark Leckey, he won the Turner Prize in 08 I think, and he made this rly iconic short art montage film called Fiorucci Made Me Hardcore, so I messaged him and he invited me to an art festival he had done with Tate Modern in the next town other from me on the same night (it started an hour after he messaged me so I had to run there haha) and I talked to him and he said he would love to collab on a music video!! It’s fucking incredible, after slogging away on my stuff for so long im really happy the moments are starting to happen for me, I truly do believe that next year will b really transformative for my art. Im so excited to get on stage more next year and like, burst myself into that primal state, speaking of which theres a quote by one of my musical inspirations (Katie Jane Garside) who is an incredibly performer and she said something rly cool about performance which I rly resonate with

    “I know what turns me on, and it’s that fine line, that point where you’re falling off the edge of a cliff, where your stomach turns, I’m always trying to find that point in music. You rarely hit it, and again, that’s the joy of playing live, because there you can be just at that point where you’ve lost balance. I’m always walking between polarities, trying to find the opposing sides.”

    I am working on my music video still, i Have found the perfect place to record it, and I’ve emailed them, its a rly small DIY venue called Margate Art’s Club that used to be a private members clubs, the decor there is legit so insane it’s like super John Waters style, theres a Kenneth Anger room with a shrine to elvis and vintage porn on the walls it’s perfect, so Im asking them their rates and gonna try and rally some people to be in the video before I shoot it and see if I can get a bit of funding, then I’ll work on a vid with Mark Leckey which is more choregraphy based.

    Hows your film going? How are you!!

    Lots of love

    Ryan

    ANGUSRAZE

    Reply
18. 

    arby

    December 18, 2022 at 2:18 am

    Books:
    love all of audrey szasz’s work this year. also been into jelinek, delany (just read the mad man and thought it was great) and peter greenaway screenplays (been trying hard to find more screenwriting geared towards visual composition and he’s great at it)

    Film:
    endless content forever – jacob gregor is my Movie of the Year
    we’re all going to the world’s fair – jane schoenbrun
    kimi – soderbergh
    all of peter greenaway’s work
    ritual and love and pop – hideaki anno
    the war zone – tim roth
    the story of temple drake – stephen roberts
    hands of orlac – robert wiene
    in a glass cage – agusti villaronga
    THE FALSE SCENT on cable two (but i am biased because it is my movie haha)
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXd93emfdRY

    Music:
    think i have been listening to the smiths on repeat all day everyday this year but also love the new dry cleaning album and the weatherscan broadcast loop.

    these are also not new to me but on repeat:
    telecommunication breakdown – emergency broadcast network
    let’s change the world with music – prefab sprout
    natural states – paul speer and david lanz
    positive solutions – keith mansfield
    between the sheets – fourplay
    the flat earth – thomas dolby
    sandie – sandie shaw

    Art:
    forest passage – darja bajagic and lionel maunz
    niki de saint phalle’s shooting paintings
    everything dina kelberman
    everything charlotte greene

    Internet:
    watching old recordings of tv guide and the landscape channel
    xtranormal and plotagon animation videos before 2015
    amateur hospitality / tourism industry skits
    webcode based resort channel loops
    cabletwo and curiolab on twitch

    Reply
    • 

      arby

      December 18, 2022 at 2:20 am

      also i forgot to preface with this but your list is so good and i love james benning so much

      Reply
19. 

    Meg Gluth

    December 18, 2022 at 2:55 am

    Dennis, it’s the person formerly known as Mark but now I go by Meg. Such a great list, and I’m touched to see so many friends and folks I know with books etc here. Also, so much to explore. I too loved We Are All Going To The World’s Fair, Oscar turned me onto it. Otherwise I only have informed opinions on music, thus:

    Claire Rousay – everything perfect is already here
    More Eaze – oneiric
    Destroyer – LABYRINTHITIS
    Sarah Davachi and Sean McCann – Mother Of Pearl
    Burial – Antidawn EP
    Loscil – The Sails,Pt. 1
    Celer – The Everything and the Nothing
    Jlin – Embryo
    Source Direct – Snake Style 2
    William Basinski – “…on reflection”
    Gavilan Rayna Russom – Trans Feminist Symphonic Music
    John Luther Adams – Houses of the Wind
    Claire Rousay and More Eaze – Never Stop Texting Me

    Honorable Mention- The song Casual by Chappell Roan

    How are you? I’ve been lurking on the blog and honestly in life a bit too. I’m well on my end, hopefully finishing my next novel, working on a screenplay with aforementioned Oscar, Steven Purtill and I released a sound collaboration where he set me reading to his amazing audio work. We have plans to do more I think. But his and I’s pace is glacial when we are both involved. Other than that just hanging with Erin and friends and stuff. So I’m transitioning to living as a woman, thus the name change. It’s been going on for the last 3ish years, and was really a series of baby steps for the longest time. It’s kind of a portion of me addressing mental health stuff I’ve had most of my life. But yeah stuff is good and hope it is for you as well.

    Love,
    Meg

    Reply
20. 

    John Newton

    December 18, 2022 at 4:26 am

    Hi Dennis, I hope you and Yuri are well and have a wonderful Christmas.

    I am alright. I am getting ready for Christmas and 2023. A close platonic friend is moving back from Palm Springs to Pennsylvania, so I am excited for his return as he will now only be living very close to Philadelphia.

    I am late to the party as usual but I enjoyed your memoir/novel I wished, and I ordered the French Canadian Querelle novel and the melancholy of resistance novel by Laslo from Hungary, and the new Kathy Acker biography.

    It has been bugging me but I distinctly remember reading one of your novels or short stories where some twinks find the 120 days of Sodom or another novel by De Sade and then imitate it. Only I forget which novel or short story this is that you wrote?

    I am reading the diaries of David Wojnarowicz, and the Carr biography where you are mentioned in it, who was your former boyfriend who was a writer that you lived with in San Francisco that is mentioned in the Carr biography on David? I enjoy the David W diaries, but I wish the editor had included last names.

    I am horrible at spelling and pronouncing Eastern European and Polish/Slavic last names that do not end in ‘ski’, so I call him David W. What was he really like as a person? I read his MEMORIES SMELL LIKE GASOLINE memoir this morning and it made my super melancholic and I caught up on much needed sleep. I was fine when I woke up, and drank coffee and ate breakfast.

    Reply
    • 

      John Newton

      December 19, 2022 at 4:47 am

      Also I emailed you about a Larry Stanton showing that Winthrop author of the takedown portraits poetry anthology e-mailed me. I am not sure if Winthrop reads this blog daily?

      Stay full of love,
      John Newton

      Reply
21. 

    Mildred

    December 18, 2022 at 8:35 am

    Oh man these lists make me feel awful about not getting my life together haha.

    I must say, all of you have phenomenal taste in music.

    Favorites books I read this year(I wish I had more time to read so I’ll include books not necessarily published this year also barely remember what I even did last month):
    Generation Bloodbath
    300,000,000
    Amygdalatropolis
    The Master and Margarita

    Nonfiction:
    Being and Nothingness

    Albums:
    The Weight Of Everything – Blind Girls(absolute favorite)
    Untitled Unreleased LP – Terraplana
    Pt. 2 – Mildred 😉
    Together – Duster
    The World Is Going To Ruin You – Vein.fm
    Heart Under – Just Mustard
    The Great Regression – Ditz
    What Kind Of Blue Are You? – Winter
    Big Time – Angel Olsen
    Nicks and Grazes – Palm
    Animal Drowning – Knifeplay

    Shows:
    I got really drunk and tried to see Just Mustard open for Fontaines DC who are utterly forgettable to me save for one or two songs. Showed up too late, proceeded to order two guinesses, got drunk even more, shouted “DUBLIN!” in an irish accent and various patriotic things about Ireland. A stunned person in the crowd turned to me and asked, “are you actually from Dublin?” I replied no, I’m just an asshole. It was fun but I don’t remember a single song from the set list.

    Saw Sprain who were absolutely incredible. If absurd rage was a sound, it was the weaponized stab of their preposterous guitars while Alex Kent did his best impression of an anal salaryman having a nervous breakdown screaming about animals fucking animals. Very good.

    Films:
    I watched no new films. I saw Fallen Angels by Wong Kar-Wai. Fantastic.

    That is all. I can’t wait to pilfer this/these list(s) for good art.

    I love you all beyond reason.

    Reply
22. 

    Charles Bernstein

    December 18, 2022 at 2:17 pm

    Amazing list.

    Reply
23. 

    James

    December 18, 2022 at 6:11 pm

    Hello Dennis!

    Thank you so much for including LAZY EYES on your wonderful list! I really appreciate it, my friend! I’m sorry I have been mostly absent, this has been a horrific year for me… I got into a really bad car accident in June, and then shortly thereafter there was yet another death in my family. I hope only the best for 2023, haha.. In brighter news, I have a YA / Young Adult book dropping on Valentine’s Day 2023 from Anxiety Press, it’s called BOYCRUSH. I also illustrated it. It’s my first children’s book!

    Have you and your crew made it out to Los Angeles for the shooting of your new film? How is that going? If you haven’t been to Los Angeles for the shooting, when do you think you will go?

    I hope all is well with you, my friend!

    Love,
    James

    Reply
24. 

    Andrew Wilt

    December 18, 2022 at 6:24 pm

    Great list this year, as always! I’ve read several of these and will be picking up a few more this coming week.

    I’ve been meaning to reach out and send you our spring releases (Vi Khi Nao’s Suicide: The Autoimmune Disorder of the Psyche & Carter St. Hogan’s One or Several Deserts) but I’m still in sleep deprived new-baby-mode 😬 I’m planning on getting back in the swing of things come January.

    Thanks for reading our books! It means a lot to all of us.

    🙏🙏🙏
    Andrew

    Reply
25. 

    Montse

    December 18, 2022 at 8:45 pm

    Hi, Dennis!! I can only imagine what a stressful experience it must be doing all that work by yourselves. Zac and you are both hard workers and geniuses, but still, it sucks that this person that should be in charge of doing these things doesn’t help at all. Sending my best vibes for this period. I think I’ll wait until April-May so that I can catch you in Paris. I wasn’t that excited about going there during winter to be honest. We’ll be deighted to give you the Sant Andreu tour whenever you can make it to Barcelona. Thank you for this post!! What an amazing list! Always looking forward to read about your faves so that I can order books and learn about cool things. Some of mine:

    Books

    Dysphoria Mundi, Paul B. Preciado
    My Three Dads, Jessa Crispin
    Judy Blame’s Obituary, Dereck McCormack
    Normal DIstance, Elisa Gabbert
    Journal of a Solitude, May Sarton
    My Dead Book, Nate Lippens
    Miles de ojos, Maximiliano Barrientos

    Film:
    Crimes of the Future, Cronenberg
    Bergman’s Island, Mia Hansen-Love
    Les cinq diables, Léa Mysius
    Black Phone, Scott Derrickson

    Music:

    Ugly Season, Perfume Genius
    The Runner, Boy Harsher

    Argentina just won the World Cup, so we’re pretty elated.

    Love you, Dennis!

    Reply
26. 

    Derek McCormack

    December 18, 2022 at 11:07 pm

    I am HONOURED to be on this list and in this company! Thank you!

    Reply
    • 

      John Newton

      December 19, 2022 at 4:44 am

      <3

      Reply
27. 

    Jeff J

    December 18, 2022 at 11:34 pm

    Hey Dennis – Great list as always and nice to see everyone else’s favorites here, too. So much fantastic stuff, making a tally of things to purchase with holiday money.

    Books – Somehow I missed that Constance Debré book. Is it in a similar vein to anything else?

    I’d second Thomas Kendall’s THE AUTODIDACTS and add THE DEER by Dashiell Carerra, as well as PLAZA the latest from Yuichi Yokoyama, the Raymond Roussel of manga. But there’s so much I need to read, including the new Blake Butler.

    I was interested to see that you dug EO. It opens here soon. I was skeptical about a remake of Au Hazard Balthazar — is it that or is it more it’s own movie?

    Music: Seconding Destroyer, Carl Stone, Soft Pink Truth, Oren Ambarchi, and Eliane Radigue. I’d add: Broadcast – MOTHER IS THE MILKY WAY; Tall Dwarfs – UNRAVELED comp; SATURN 2000 comp; Horace Tapscott – THE QUINTET (newly discovered recording); Archers of Loaf – REASON IN DECLINE; Burial – ANTIDAWN.

    I don’t know Snake Chain or 700 Bliss, but both look intriguing.

    Spent past few days digging through my father’s closet and donating of most of his clothes. Lots of feelings there. Been slowly getting back to revising the novel project and hope to accelerate that soon.

    Did two conversations with Meghan Lamb around the release of her band Kill Scene’s new album ‘Masque’ and Julian Calendar’s new ep ‘Severed Tongues Speak.’ It was fun to talk lyrics and literature and performance and how words can shift bodies. Those should appear in Vol 1 Brooklyn and Largehearted Boy soon.

    I’ll email about Zooming this week, if that still works for you. If not, following week is cool too.

    Reply
28. 

    © 2022

    December 19, 2022 at 2:27 am

    https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3O0QCdJC3aROd0OgH4lHjc?si=06aedaf09a324ef0

    Reply
29. 

    Paul Curran

    December 19, 2022 at 3:33 am

    Dennis, a multitude thanks! So excellent to see the Bloodbath up there with so much great stuff coming out, really makes the end of the year. Was great working on it with everyone involved, coming together quickly, and getting it out there, some lovely reactions… And now on, or back, to the next one, which I’m determined to get done in 23. Mega love from JPN.

    Mildred, yes! I second Pt.2!

    Reply
30. 

    C.M.

    December 19, 2022 at 12:59 pm

    hey dennis, i’m a current student at the iowa writer’s workshop and i’m super enamoured with your work – i was talking with scott mcclanahan and he mentioned knowing you and suggested i get in touch. i’d really love to talk about your writing/writing in general with you some time if you’d be down for that. many thanks, cm

    Reply
31. 

    Rebecca Gearhart

    December 20, 2022 at 12:20 am

    Hi Dennis,

    Thanks so much for including Elkhart on this list alongside so much great work. It means a lot. And can’t wait to read the work here I haven’t yet.

    Yours,

    Rebecca

    Reply
32. 

    Rebecca Gearhart

    December 20, 2022 at 12:25 am

    Hi Dennis,

    Having some issues posting so apologies if you get this twice. Wanting to thank you for including Elkhart on this list. There is some great writing here, looking forward to picking some of these up.

    Yours,

    Rebecca

    Reply