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p.s. Hey. ** Ferdinand, Hi. Okay, I will do my best. Obviously I can’t give you feedback right now as my brain is p.s.-locked. Everyone, Here are two things from Ferdinand, a written piece called ‘Drive me home’ and a short video of him reading. He asks if you would read/watch and please give him any feedback ‘about the place where these two pieces are coming from’. It would be awesome if you can. Thanks. ** Misanthrope, Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. The blog has actually been functioning notably better on my end the last few days at least. I was hoping that carried over. I feel that same way about my lower back when it fucks up on me semi-regularly, but then I weigh the death that would result against feeling shitty for a few days and choose life. ** David Ehrenstein, He is indeed! Well, having my stuff and O’Hara’s written about in the same breath is a great honor to me in any case. Yes, I think you know by now that the ‘RbHP’ thing arrived safe and sound. ** _Black_Acrylic, I’m very you’re taken by his work. It’s great stuff, for sure. Ah, new you! Or rather new yours! Everyone, _Black_Acrylic, better known to the world as Ben Robinson has a new short story called ‘Piotr’s Paphiopedilum’ that is online for all of guys to luxuriate in here. Please join me in experiencing that delight. ** G, Hi, G! Well, I’ve certainly never been the subject of a critical biography before, and I’m not even sure I’ve ever read one, but my assumption is that, in ‘Wrong’s’ case, Diarmuid is doing a particularly filtered read of my work, i.e. ‘queer’, and I would guess that things related to my work or to me that fit into that particular filter get concentrated on to the exclusion of things that don’t fit the argument. There are a ton of things that were very influential on my work that don’t get mentioned at all in the book. I think that must be just part and parcel of that kind of project/book and that a strong O’Hara association worked for what he is arguing. I did organise an O’Hara b’day reading event at Beyond Baroque when I was running the events there, but I did a whole bunch of crazy themed events around different writers or topics, so the O’Hara night wasn’t so unusual re: the programming I did. Anyway, it’s not like being associated with O’Hara is not an honor to me because of course it is. I was just nitpicking about the ‘importance’ thing really. I did receive your book! Not so many days ago. I’m sorry I forgot to acknowledge that. I’m very excited to read it! Have a swell day. It’s nice and cloudy and gloomy here, so our Thursday is off to a promising start. ** Bill, Hi. Ah, cool. That you’ve seen an O’Neil. Sink! I don’t know, or didn’t, and I’m on it! Thank you, Bill. ** JM, How awesome that you not only know Pat O’Neil’s films but they impacted you. I’m a huge fan, and it’s hard to see his films, I think mostly because they tend to screen in art gallery/museum contexts, as is the case for so many experimental filmmakers past and present. If you want to do a SELFSUCK Day I would be totally thrilled and way into it. Thanks for wanting to. Oh, right, gotcha on the targeted lockdown. I don’t think we’ll get locked down again, but, if it happens, it’ll be precisely located in effected areas too. The pandemic is bringing the long existing structural racism to the fore here too big time. Now what? ** brendan, Big B! Yeah, everyone I know in LA is in a super shitty, fed up state. It’s ultra-palpable. It’s no picnic here, but you can go for long stretches, albeit self-protected, barely even thinking about it. So far. You doing it up right, man. And I’m excited that you’re still excited by that great photo project. Love back! ** Okay. Please note that my posting of this particular, silly GIF ditty that I seemed to have wanted to get off my chest is not a sign that I’m changing my ongoing wish/policy that American politics not be brought into this blog, so if it triggers you to to want to talk about Trump-related stuff I humbly ask you to please do it on social media or elsewhere. Thank you. See you tomorrow.
Now available in North America 
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Thanks Dennis. My instinct is telling me to flesh out the carchrash story, drop the vignetty intro and work on the real story. These pixel giffs are great and I think your on to something here in terms of a profitable / sellable format for the giff work the dealers are pressing for. Ive seen these new platforms taking shape on for instance Apple tv where moving digital art is being sold and I think this could work in that format. Its pretty cool stuff you made here.
KA-BOOM!
Getting handle on any artists work is difficult and in many respects you’re especially subtle. Yes you deal with teenage angst, but more as an object than a subject. Yes your work belongs on the “Queer” bookshelf but there are many things about it that don’t really touch on sexuality at all. My favorite of your novels to date is “The Marbled Swam,” but at the same time “Permanent Green Light” clarifies certain aspects of you consciousness in the way literature can’t. I’m especially take by the moment when one of Roman’s friends offers to have sex with him. This isn’t about love or lust — just friendship. I recognize this from life but can’t recall anything ike it in art.
@ JM Was reading back to the comments re: playgrounds and parks and yikes about the Heavenly creatures murder having happened in your fav park. Victoria park in Christ Church.. noted. Yeah busy places like schoolyards or buildings do have weird energy when they are abandoned, thats probably the extent that I believe in ghosts. One day I have to eventually visit the parents in NZ. Yeah that movie/ real life murder is so haunting. The lovers kill the mother with the brick in a hose cauce she wants to move the family to South Africa. Yiiiiikes
@JM oh when I say the parents I mean my parents. In the film before the killing when they are like “ have the last bite of your cake mom, you deserve it.” Eek
Dennis, I think your work is very complexed and layered with lots of references and meanings. “Wrong” is an excellent lit-crit book, but there can be more books, essays on your work from various stances and outlooks. I find your work very open, and for me, I don’t look at your writings in a strict notion of landscape or even time. Overall I love ‘queer’ literature, but I don’t think of these works as pure queer lit. It’s a big world out there, and I feel you tap yourself into the bigger landscape. Keep in mind I’m reading and writing this before 7:00 AM in the morning and I just had a sip of coffee. It’s gonna be that type of day. I enjoy today’s blog in an emotional manner. Boom is a great release and it’s safe here! Things here in Los Angeles is very depressing and intense. I’m OK, but we are not clearly not going through good times. On the other hand, it’s a great time to be a writer or artist. I feel like I have a huge canvas to work on, and I need to get myself to work. Stay safe in Paris Dennis.
This GIF ditty is silly but still, I found it rather bracing. Kind of related, the other week my mum broke off a lifelong friendship with someone, mainly because of this person’s insistent Boris fandom. I dislike the UK PM as much as anyone but it does seem rather a shame to me.
Yes, regarding Pat O’Neill, I’m very lucky to be friends with a few pretty dedicated curatorial film people and as a result I’ve been lucky enough to see – even from NZ – a lot of Snow, Benning, O’Neill, etc.. one of the best filmic art gallery things I’ve been to is a Len Lye one. Best of luck with the NOW WHAT? of it all. I’ll have a look around, see if there’s enough material for a SELFFUCK day. Keep eyes out over the next week, I’ll likely disappear to a ghostly visitor of the blog but will email if I get something done.
The last GIF is perhaps the most satisfying thing I’ve ever seen on the internet. The whole post? A big #mood.
Update: have sent you a SF day today 🙂
I just watched CLASS ACTION PARK, a documentary about a badly designed and run amusement park in Vernon, New Jersey. Its peak of popularity came in the 80s, and teenagers who didn’t care that they might wind up exposed to absetos and were willing to jump off 20-foot cliffs loved it. The first hour’s really entertaining, but then it gets pretty sobering, as the injuries get more and more serious and eventually become actual deaths. Comedian Chris Gethard is the one (semi-) famous interview subject, and he seems to speak for the directors in feeling nostalgic while recognizing that he should’ve been better protected. It’s on HBO Max now, and given your interest in these parks, I’m sure you’d find it interesting.
The new Killers album has a surprising Jim Steinman feel. It’s much better than I expected at this late date.