p.s. Hey. So, today's post is one of those occasional ones where I make something visual and ground it in the public space of the blog to help me think something through about the novel I'm working on, and it's likely rather oblique in addition to containing guro, which I know is somewhat unpopular around here, so don't feel obliged to respond to it. Also, if you're in LA at the moment, Derek McCormack's North American LHotB book tour-ette begins at Book Soup tonight, and, naturally, I highly recommend being there if you can. And I'll throw in another reminder-slash-request to please give some time over to building and sending me your SPD contributions. Thanks. And thanks for answering Pascal's question. I didn't do a head count on the answers to be sure, but didn't 'penis' win? It sort of feels like that to me. Anything else that's of interest on my end today will probably come out in the wash of the rest of the p.s., so I'll proceed. ** Tomkendall, Great, true words and much kindness from you re: your thoughts to Postitbreakup, man. Hug. ** Stan_cz, My headache yesterday gradually seeped out of my skull and disappeared into wherever it is that headaches go to die too. Yeah, automatic transmission helps on the driving as relaxation front, no doubt. Plus, drivers in LA are as polite and respectful as writers get, so the undangerous vibe helps too. You'll see. Excellent news about the returned money, obviously. Seen any films you liked lately? I'm jonesing to see a film in a theater, but Paris seems to be between interesting candidates at the moment. ** _Black_Acrylic, Yeah, I think 'God Jr.' is the only option for one's mum when it comes to my stuff. One of these days I'll have to do something about that. What's Leeds like? Never been there. In fact, I have no mental image of it at all. If someone played word association with me and said 'Leeds', I'd say 'The Who Live at ...'. Yeah, send or post a link to the new issue when you can. I'm excited, and I definitely want to help spread the word here in whatever way I can. ** Oscar B, Well, the word snuff has become pretty loose, I guess, or was always loose maybe, but when I see the word 'snuff', I think of a murder committed for the thrill of doing it, usually with an erotic impetus attached, and usually due to a very strong interest of some kind in the victim by the snuffer, but the sight of people blowing their brains out or jumping off of tall buildings or whatever doesn't really count. That's just filmed death. Oh, can you tell me the name of the foundation or whatever that's granting the residency? I looked for it yesterday and couldn't find it, and I think I need to know that when I bring up the residency thing with the Recollets higher ups. Oh, that new photo and the new drawings of yours are wonderful. Let me ... Everyone, the very fine Oscar B. has some new work (photograph and drawings) newly up on her blog, and it's characteristically gorgeous, and you should have a look. ** NB, Glad you got back home all safely and everything. Man, get that laptop fixed. The blog ain't much without your 100% active eyeballs. Yeah, you should write more. Did you, or did you dance? Tough choice, I agree. How was the job's first day? What is Christopher's favorite color, food, band, astrological sign, etc. ... ? I will never leave my child with you. Or my boyfriend. Same thing, right, ha ha? So, for the SPD, are you going to do some romantic number about Christopher, or are you going to be fantasy-unfaithful to him and pick a handful of famous studs? Either would be acceptable. The back is as fine as it's going to be. The novel is progressing okay. Thanks mucho for the virtual hug, and here's one for you: mmrhmmmh. ** Alan, Or maybe have one's cake and eat it too and use 'pennis'? Nah, that's too e.e. cummings or some shit, I guess. ** David Ehrenstein, Yeah, Mike Myers is on a ... roll of some sort. He should move to Europe and only make avant-garde films for a while like Joe Dallesandro did. Oh, not that I've had many or any meaty in-persons with Keanu in the last years, but he still seemed plenty charming when I saw him across rooms. I mostly just meant I miss the loose-limbed, extroverted Keanu on film a la 'Bill & Ted', 'River's Edge', 'Prince of Pennsylvania', 'Parenthood', etc. Re: your FaBlog: that motherfucking racist Fox News guy, Jesus fucking Christ! ** Katsim, The time you were there definitely flew by at high speed to me. Which is odd because my own life hasn't seemed to have passed any more quickly than usual. Hm. I suppose there's probably an LA me and a Paris me, but I don't feel a difference. I thought that living over here for four years would have changed me in some way, but I asked a bunch of my LA friends if I seemed different in any way the last time I was there, and they no, not at all. And I don't feel any different, which is strange. Shouldn't I be slightly someone else by now? Maybe not. Anyway, fully soak in and enjoy your last day(s) there, pal. ** Tonyoneill, William Castle Day, no, I haven't. Good idea. Let me what's out there to use. If I can figure out a way to make the post as fun as his work, it'll happen. Great about the reading's goodness, and no surprise on that front. Wow, you're doing the final edits on your novel? Awesome, and excuse my envy, ha ha. 'Sick City' is very catchy and a good imagination tugger, I think. ** Empty Frame, I like Actionism. It's fun. I can't say it effected me or what I do, probably because of the ritualistic/ Catholic thing you mentioned. I was raised without religion, and that stuff in art and music seems kind of too heavy and laborious to me a lot of the time, and I can't enter it. I'm more drawn to the, I don't know, more personal and maybe aesthetically chillier 'action' guys like Chris Burden or whoever. With guys like Nitsch and Muehl, I keep wishing that religioso stuff could be drained off the work a little, although I suppose that would wreck their art. Borderline missing link type guys, interesting. Well, you should really do an SPD entry so I can have a look and so people around can have a break from all the sad-eyed ghost guys I tend to lionize. ** Kier, Hey, pal! ** Bernard Welt, Well, you know a ton more about culinary stuff than I do, for sure, and you'd be fun to bat ideas around with in any case. Yeah, I'll figure it out on the talking front, and we'll do it. There's no huge rush, and I'll catch you either before or after you get back. On the Corcoran thing, when you say little money, how little? Can they pay airfare, lodging costs, etc.? There are some LA people I'd totally recommend, but I'm not sure whether their distance away makes the gig unfeasible. Me, I'd totally love to do the gig if we can figure it out. The money isn't a big deal to me as long as I can get there or whatever. Anyway, I'll have a think about people. How about Wayne Koestenbaum for instance? He's in NYC, and he can be such a blast. He has a really good piece on the great Ryan Trecartin in the current Artforum, btw. ** Kiddiepunk, Hey, neighbor. Did your stuff arrive yesterday in one piece? Let's talk in a bit and meet up later or something, yeah? ** SYpHA_69, I hugely prefer intimate social things too. One on one, if I have a choice. I think it's hard to put a finger on one's own limitations. I don't know that I would know what mine are if people writing about my work hadn't pointed them out with a certain consistency. I still don't really understand them exactly. I always try to write as though I can do anything I want, and when I hit walls I just go, Okay, I guess I can't do that. Anyway, maybe what you describe as a lacking of your own style is in fact your strength and your gift. Having a distinct style can be as much of a burden as not having one, I think. I wish I could move my voice around and far away like you're able to do, but I can't. Do you think that, like Postitbreakup, external or artificial deadlines would help you finish things? ** Frank Jaffee, Hey. Well, you know, doesn't it seem like really interesting films often get really divided reactions at first? I feel like most of the films I love did, and then a few years pass, and the naysayers either come around or are drowned out by a growing positive consensus. But I like challenging films as I think you do too, and a challenge is a challenge, you know? Oh, have you seen 'Pornography: A Thriller'? It seems to be playing a lot of queer festivals right now, and the director David Kittredge is a longstanding member of the community around this blog, and I so want to see it. Wow, it's that hard to see 'The Salivation Army'? Hm. Scott's away in Italy right now on an artist's residency, but I'll ask him if he has any viewing tips when he gets back. So is independent film distribution and publicizing kind of your ideal future job? That's an awesome and noble goal. No, I've hardly seen any films lately. One of the few problems with living in France is how it cuts down the film possibilities if one is mostly into indie and/or foreign films like me. A lot of the American indie films don't get released here, and, with foreign films, since my French is piss poor and there aren't English subtitling here, I mostly have to wait for the DVD to be able to see things. Plus, it's summer, and while I usually like seeing the summer blockbusters for cheap fun, this year's crop isn't exciting me very much, although I have a weakness for the Harry Potter films, so I guess that'll be my next theater trip, and then there'll be the movie I want to see most of all, Gaspar Noe's 'Enter the Void', about which I'm jumping out of my skin in anticipation. Have you seen any films recently that you recommend? ** Postitbreakup, My pleasure, man. And, as I hope you saw, you've got a bunch of fans and supporters around here. Anosmic: I'd never heard of that, but I looked it up. That, well, sucks. Too bad you aren't one of the 'X Men' 'cos it could be your superpower or something. Interesting and vivid report on 'Bruno' Wow, it sounds complicated. I still think I'm going to skip it unless I'm completely at a loss about what to do some night. ** Pisycaca (Xet, M), Well, I'll be honored to be your birthday accompanist. 24th to the 26th, got it. Perfect. Very nice that you're staying in the Marais. Yes, that's the best place to be in Paris, no question. That hotel name rings no bells, but I'll google it. I'll go to the Pompidou with you, if you like. I haven't trawled that place in a couple of months. I'll also keep an eye out for other things to recommend. ** Misanthrope, So Justin's probably reading these very words? Hi, Justin. I think the getting fat post-smoking thing is biological and fated or whatever, but fight fight fight anyway. A pumpkin head ... wait, VK kind of has a pumpkin head sort of vaguely. I'd be down for VK ass scent depending on how recently he'd showered. And Jesse Starr's well fucked hole scent would be okay considering that it would probably smell like douche. ** Jose, Coolness, I'll keep a close eye on the old email box. So, if you're not going to write, what are you going to do? Oh wait, I remember: watch a lot of TV and play video games, right? Did you play the new Resident Evil yet? I haven't, and it's killing me softly with its song. ** Steevee, I'm really sorry you're feeling bad, man. Anything it would help to talk about? I'm all ears, my friend. ** JW Veldhoen, Bringing up blood? Like 'Bringing up Baby', I hope? Shit, man, take your medicine and eat a lot of ice cream or something. Bear hug. ** Uli, Yeah, I was kind of thinking you'd have a ton of vinyl to move. I used to have thousands of records stored at my childhood home, and when my mom moved into a condo, the idea of having to move all those records into my apartment was so daunting that I just abandoned them, and I've been hating myself ever since, so don't do what I did. Sure, if you don't mind looking for more on that Absurd thing, please do. I'll do what I can from here as well. Take care, man. ** Flit, I don't have cable either, not because I wouldn't pay for it but because this ancient building I'm living can't get cable TV, or rather the powers that be don't want to pay to change that situation. I get four channels, period. It's hard, but I watch anyway. Last night it was MJ night on Arte, the kind of artsy French channel, and I watched that. The best thing was this so-so documentary comparing the careers of MJ and Prince. Shit, Prince used to be so good. I forget that sometimes. Anyway, apparently MJ and Prince were hugely jealous of each other and mutually paranoid and stuff, no surprise. But then MJ made a friendly gesture to Prince and asked to appear in the 'Bad' video wherein he wanted them to have a dance off to prove who was the baddest. And I guess MJ played the song' Bad' for Prince, and Prince told MJ it was a stupid, crappy song, and that was the end of that. You were high? I couldn't actually tell until you said so. Anyway, you were charming and great, so have no morning guilt, okay? ** Craig, Hey, Craig, my old pal! Lovely to see you, man. I've been tracing you as best I can via Facebook while you were away, and I noted that it's almost your birthday. What the heck: here's an early and very happy Happy Birthday to you! Lots of love from me to you too. ** Math t, Hey. Oh, yeah, okay, I'll send you some links. They'll probably be to these free sites full of pix and vids of mostly but not always sad boys, so you can pick and choose, okay? You have an awesome memory, do you know that? I don't remember much of any of those favored object picks. Or I didn't until you reminded me. ** Blendin, Yeah, totally weird about the NL West being the god division. Who'd have thunk? Wasn't it the shithole division as recently as last season? I miss Dusty Baker, although I guess he didn't work magic with your boys. I just like him. I don't miss Jim what's-his-butt, that crappy Dodgers manager for forever, who I think is or was until recently trying to turn the Pirates into somebodies to no avail. ** Inthemostpeculiarway, Oh, yeah, I was wondering where you'd gotten to yesterday. No big, of course. What's a day in a life? Yeah, I hear those Harris books are kind of godawful. I feel so left out of the 'True Blood' phenomenon, It's sad. All my friends with whom I used to get together every week to watch 'Buffy' now get together without me every week to watch 'True Blood'. Wow, you mentioned a show I've seen: 'LA Ink'. I watched a couple of episodes when I was in LA. Yeah, kind of fun. Partly 'cos I know the shop where it's filmed, I guess. Tattooed friends often get inked there. Me, I intend to die without a single tattoo. Do you have any? King ... you mean Stephen King? If so, no, I'm not so into his books, no. I prefer the based-on movies. Anyway, I liked the more detailed than usual report on your day. As for mine, uh ... I finished putting together my non-fiction book and sent it off to my agent. I worked on my novel a little. I talked to a couple of friends on the phone. I received via mail and then started reading this novel 'Light Boxes' by Shane Jones, which I really, really like a lot so far. Man, there are so many really good new fiction writers around right now. It's craziness! I had a double espresso at the Recollets' charming cafe while (trying to) read yesterday's edition of Liberation, the kind of most left-leaning of the daily French newspapers. I put together two future blog days. Ate, smoked, watched the aforementioned all-MJ night on Arte. I think that's the long and short of it. So, well, now it's your turn again. ** Paul Curran, I think I'm kind of where you are with your novel. Maybe it's slightly better for me because I am going in and targeting parts and fiddling for a few minutes at a time, but, yeah, building up momentum and concentration is the story over here too, but with green tea nearby instead of coffee. ** Pascal, Hey. Yeah, I assumed penis was winning. Knowing this lot, I kind of figured it might. I can't compete with a schlong. My choice ... well, I jestingly suggested 'pennis' up above, but that's really an annoying choice. I guess -- and I hate to be in the majority -- but I guess I'd say 'penis'. Semen scented laundry is ... hm, maybe more of a gag reflex thing than yum thing for me. I'd go for a semen scented egg salad sandwich. I just ate an egg salad sandwich a moment ago, and it was doable, but it lacked a certain referentiality or something. ** You-x, Oh, I've been to Morro Bay. I even camped there for a couple of days once years ago. With the esteemed poet Amy Gerstler even. She wasn't as esteemed back then. Those rocks are swell. It was a fun time, I think. I think I went to Hearst Castle one day too. It's nearby-ish, right? Anyway, that sounds like a very nice trip. My non-fiction book is basically my idea of the best of all the essays, reviews, interviews, blah blah, I've done over the years. There's nothing really, really recent because ever since I started this blog, I hardly ever write non-fiction stuff 'cos I have no time to. It's a pretty fat book right now by my usual standards, but it'll probably get cut down some by my editor, or that's a guess. I have to think of a title for it. I can't come up with anything I like so far. Blah blah. Rock on, man! ** Must split now. Need to buy cigarettes. Uh, yeah, re: the post today, whatever, self-explanatory. SPD contributions, please? Yeah, that's it. See you tomorrow.