Tuesday, September 28, 2010

William Faulkner

Pressed into service by an unrepentant television, he arrives at the pen. He brandishes it clumsily, makes some marks on a page, turns up the volume on the knob inside his head.

“Fuck aesthetic! Aesthetic is accidental!” He screams this out the window into the night. He is a beast, scanning for chaos. Down below, he knows the men and women are silently shrieking.

Ugliness and language is the beauty of the dead.

Feverish! Feverish! Like Faulkner’s dogs, always in pursuit of feelings with flesh! Life’s on the line here, gotta get it right. Rip it out! Every revelation is vicious.

Stampede of belief and a quiet little bed.
Looks like what we’re looking for has already been read.

Managing his shoe salesman job has become a daily interference. After all, America is hard to conquer on a slope. He crushes his feet into size 8s as a matter of principle. He needs the pain. He goes to work every day and walks home. It does not matter if he goes home. By then, a portion of him has traveled on. Most remains. It’s not until much later, in the deepest part of the secret night, after he has had a glass several more, that his teeth come out. And the excavation begins. Blessed are the wounded. Blessed are the stubborn. Blessed are the wealthy. Blessed are the underwhelmed. Blessed are the damages inflicted under the night sky by every drop of anguish of the brothers and sisters of the brothers and sisters. 

We are all bottomless.


Books are not riddles. Don't fancy them. Press them against your skin. Smell the meat on those pages. Concentrate on the blemishes. Unless you're only looking to run away.


Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Stories and Songs Residency Update

Just want to send a quick thank you to everyone who has been involved and attended the Stories and Songs residency all month at Googies. We've had some terrific readings and performances and I'm grateful to everyone who has come out to support this little endeavor. This week, we're going out with a bang. New York Times book reviewer Joseph Salvatore, whose new collection of short stories, To Assume a Pleasing Shape, will be published by BOA Editions in 2011, will be reading. Word is he's bringing a pretty good crowd. In addition, Emily Easterly, J. Seger and Chris Cubeta, three of the best songwriters I've had the pleasure to know, have a few tricks up their sleeves to put an exclamation point on our month-long jamboree. I don't know what those "tricks" are, but I'm sure none involve a lady being sawed in half. Pretty sure, anyway. Just come out and take a chance.

Thanks again to everyone who has been involved. I'll be posting regularly in October and November as we get ready for the release of Gadfly and the as-of-now untitled EP (any suggestions?). As soon as we know that date, we'll get you all the pertinent info.

That's all for now. Oh, check out this blog entry from my friend Matt Singer who performed at the Stories and Songs residency. He's an amazing writer and I am humbled by his far too effusive praise.

See ya' reeeeeeaaaaal soon!

http://www.mattsingermusic.com/blog