TEXTUAL PREFERENCE
(1)
THOUGHTS DOWN IN MAGAZINE FORM
AS MY JAW DROPPED TO THE GROUND by
Ango (3 Euros from Ango c/o Visone Via dell’aprica 24
20158 Milano Italy, meekdead@hotmail.com
, 2003 – ask about MEEK FACES AND MEEK DREAMSCAPES FROM MEEK DIARIES,
1995/2005)
Much as with Speed Demon,
the nifty Italian queerzine, I am hampered by my lack of knowledge of the
language. However, most of this ‘zine
is pictures, with what can be described as a mixture of Gothic, S/M and Bear
imagery (yet cute for all that, sometimes even twee). A lot of the work is pen-shaded sketches from diaries and
notebooks, and ranges from the sweetly romantic to the disturbing (though,
again, I find ‘Dead Bear’ the most endearing, and you would think that would
trouble me…). However, it shows a
developing aesthetic which is both fascinating and bizarre, and, as such, is
wonderful material worth perusing.
CRAFT OF THE ARTIFICER
edited by GB Jones (P.O. Box 55, Stn. E, Toronto, ON, M6H 4E1, CANADA –
I’d send a buck or two to cover postage)
After years of being
called Bitch Nation, the catalogue/resource list that Ms. Jones
puts out has a new name and more content, in the form of a discussion between
herself and artist Paul P. about aesthetics which has some interesting
points to make about politics.
Not to worry, though – as usual,
it provides information about publications, videos and music you can either
obtain directly from her or from addresses/websites out in the world, and proves
that we are not alone out there.
JUICY MOTHER
edited by Jennifer Camper (Soft Skull Press, 71 Bond Street, Brooklyn,
NY, 11217, 2005, www.softskull.com,
$14.95 CAN/$10.95 US)
As a cartoon series reflecting
outsider queer perspectives, this volume has a broad range of styles and
subjects, ranging from the non-Hothead “Must Be Love” by Diane
DiMassa to the visually cute but philosophically probing and cutting
“Dollface” by Robert Kirby and Stephen Winter, with stops at the
too-close-to-home “Teddy Bears’ Wedding” by Robert Triptrow and what can
best be described as a sort of Vick-and-Jane tale by the editrix, with
tough-girl art by GB Jones.
Fortunately, the intro states that this is the first issue, so I’m hoping
for more of this wicked, funny, pointed, troubling and touching material in the
future.
TRUCKER FAGS IN DENIAL
by Jim Blanchard/Jim Goad (Fantagraphics Books, June, 2004, 7563 Lake
City Way NE, Seattle, WA, 98115, $3.95 US/$6
CAN, www.fantagraphics.com, www.jimgoad.net)
The irony of this magazine is
going to be lost by certain humorless gay folk (and, god help us, an awful lot
of humorless straight folk). Yes, it is
vile, repulsive and violent in its depiction of the lives of two truckers who
carry on an affair while denying being gay and going around being physically
homophobic. Well, that’s what the
closet does to one (and, frankly, it’s what an awful lot of the bigger ‘gay’
closet does to some folks too…if the only examples they see are outrageous drag
queens (now, personally, that’s what I saw a lot of, but I just figured that
was another subspecies of a larger culture – maybe I’m weird that way – I
wasn’t offended…), then they aren’t EVER going to come out or feel included if
they are the sort of individuals who need to see themselves directly reflected
in a group before they feel a kinship to it).
In any case, I thought it was outrageously funny, myself, and I hope you
will give its deep sarcasm and irony a chance without dismissing it as
dangerous or ‘giving people ideas’.
(2)
WITH YOUR MOTHER’S PRIDE AND POETRY…
SEED
by Bruce Kauffman (Plowman Printing House, Box 414, Whitby, Ontario, L1N
5S4, CANADA, 2005, $5 CAN)
As
it happens, this person works at the same building as I do. However, he is not my supervisor, nor do I
work directly with him. Anyway, I’ve
never made any pretense at objectivity, and, in any case, I don’t know him all
THAT well.
However, I saw this chapbook in
a local store and, guilty as I am that I don’t read that much local work, I
picked it up.
What it reminded me of was William
Carlos Williams and some e.e. cummings (though, from conversations
I’ve had with the author, the former is not someone he has read), because it is
poetry full of natural images, but not ‘oh, look at the pretty tree’ doggerel
(which has never struck me as being poetry – if you are going to fill a page
with drippy odes to a growing plant that you chopped down to sing its praises,
you have no grip on irony). Instead,
the likes of ‘Cage’ and ‘Colour’ speak to how we have changed the world and how
the world has changed in relation to us, and do so with short evocative lines
whose arrangement on the page encourages the reader to think and reflect on the
nature of that change, in its choppiness and its flow alike. To me, THAT is poetry – the Nietzschean
concept that when you gaze at the abyss long enough, it gazes back at you
too. May each side see something in the
other when it does so…
AUGURIES OF INNOCENCE
by Patti Smith (Ecco, New York, 2005, $22.95 US/$29.95 CAN, www.pattismith.net)
Our
punk rock goddess returns with another slim volume of poetry and stream of
consciousness rants, though some of the contemplative and religious elements
that are in evidence in her recent songs and such hybrid books as Woolgathering
and The Coral Sea are in evidence, so the blazing bluntness of her
earlier work is not as noticeable, replaced by a more controlled muse.
On the other hand, ‘Birds of
Iraq’ and ‘Our Jargon Muffles The Drum’ do not pull any punches, and prove that
the delicacy of ‘The Long Road’ and ‘The Blue Doll’ is hard won (but important)
in this world.
In a related point, having
recently lost a good friend, ‘Wilderness’ (an evocative depiction of the
irrational but natural process of grief) and ‘The Leaves Are Late Falling’
(which would appear to be about her late husband) show that the tough androgyne
of the 70s had a heart just as prone to wounds and love as all of ours are (not
that there was no evidence of that in her work, if one chose to look beyond the
surface appearances).
While her work still occasionally
leans towards wordiness and slightly overwrought imagery, it is mainly sharp
but tender observations and meditations, and will reward a close and thoughtful
reading in the long run.
(3)
LAY DOWN YOUR LIVELY TUNE
HOMOCORE
by David Ciminelli/Ken Knox (Alyson Books, Los Angeles, 2005, $15.95 US,
www.alyson.com)
For
quite a long time, there was to be a book from Juno Books, a second volume of Angry
Women In Rock, that was going to feature the likes of Team Dresch
and Fifth Column. It is, upon
reading this book, a shame that volume
did not appear, as it would have covered a gap in this new tome’s attempt to
document a scene.
The pieces about Matt
Wobensmith and Extra Fancy herein are interesting, and it was nice
to see Vancouver’s Skinjobs profiled (R.I.P.), as well as several
intriguing bands, but the jarring presence of Bob Mould (who is queer,
and is a punk/hardcore icon, but not a queer punk) and a writing style too
often breezy or press-kit-driven tend to downgrade the product. Not useless, but often surface-skimming.
FURY’S HOUR
by Warren Kinsella (Random House Canada, 2005, $27.00 CAN)
Initial
caveat – the author is a former
assistant to Jean Chretien (who, interestingly, provides a back cover
blurb about spinning vinyl in Lisbon I find almost as hard to believe as that
gentleman’s claims to have been involved in student protests in the 50s – but
stranger things have happened…like, oh, being deeply involved in dubious
political favour bandying…but I snarl…).
That may seem irrelevant, and, for the
most part, it is ; however, it does provide an interesting backdrop to how the
gentleman spends page after page attacking Alice Cooper’s stupid
political statements (which are admittedly pretty hard to defend – how can it
possibly be treason to criticize the President? He is the people’s
representative, and input and lively debate are CRUCIAL to democracy, not an
undermining of it…), but gives Johnny Ramone, who was also a dedicated
Republican, a brush past (of course, it should be added that Johnny
rarely spoke about politics in public, which may be why).
In any case, this is a highly opinionated
love letter/critique/analysis of punk rock from the author’s point of view (getting
right to the heart of the lip service most punks paid to politics, even those
who seemed to have an overt agenda in their lyrics – with a few noteable
exceptions, best covered in sections on DOA (organizing, agitating,
speaking out – good) and Gerry Hannah (blowing up buildings and maiming
security guards for life – bad)). You
are almost certainly going to disagree with much of what he has to say
(goodness knows I do), but you will be both entertained and possibly challenged
along the way, and that is always the mark of a book that is more than a fanboy
droolfest.
CBGB
& OMFUG by Hilly Krystal/David Byrne
(Abrams, New York, 2005, $24.95 US/$34.95 CAN, www.cbgb.com,
www.davidbyrne.com)
Now that this legendary punk rock venue
has decided it will not appeal its eviction and will close its present location
in October, 2006 (hopefully to open a new branch at that time), it was perfect
timing for a retrospective with a foreword by its owner and an afterword by the
leader of a band which often played there.
In between, lots of pictures and
reminiscences about the place, some of which don’t mince words (references to
the ‘thankfully sort-of-renovated bathrooms’ and its not being ‘a palace of
grandeur’ are a reasonably good description of the place I saw (admittedly
mostly from the outside, though I visited its gallery) when I visited NYC in
the summer of 2005). There are some
startling pictures of performers (Roseanne Barr!? Alan Jackson!?) I would never
have associated with the place, and, since they are chronologically organized,
they show its evolution and adventurous spirit carried on over the years. May it find a new location – may it continue
on for eternity – and may the irony-proof homeless association that evicted the
club find itself afflicted with a sudden attack of conscience and guilt at its
total disrespect of city heritage and history…
SAINT
MORRISSEY by Mark Simpson (Touchstone, New
York, 2005, www.marksimpson.com,
$19.95 US/$27.50 CAN)
This is not a hagiography, despite the
title, though it is somewhat ironic that books which have been written by
straight authors have been much more catty and prurient about the decidedly
bent (in many ways) rock singer subject’s sex life than this (anti)gay man is
(though there is no pass given to Neil Tennant from the Pet Shop
Boys, whose name is meowed out as Nil Talent. Ooooooh, grrrl…).
What it ultimately is, much like Warren’s
book above, is a personal reminiscence of both highs and lows in the author’s
sense of Morrissey, which, given the secretive nature of the subject (he
will give lots of press, but sift it for any personal information above camp
aphorisms or distortions and you may be disappointed…), is actually a bit more
interesting than either the trotting out of known facts and figures or rampant
speculation (though the man himself is rumoured to be working on an
autobiography, do not hold out for dish there). It manages to be both analytical and loving (though not
slobbering), and, as such, though I happen to find Johnny Rogan’s Morrissey
And Marr: A Severed Alliance book reasonably informative about the gent’s Smiths days,
is a very entertaining read (and quite breezy, yet deep, at a mere 250 pages).
(4) BOOKS THAT ARE, YOU KNOW, THAT WAY
LOOSE END by Ivan E. Coyote
(Arsenal Pulp Press, Vancouver, B.C., 2005, www.arsenalpulp.com, $14.95 US/$17.95
CAN)
The esteemed Ivan is the author of
three short story collections, of which I have read one other (One Man’s
Trash, which I also strongly recommend…), and is an old hand at pieces
which, brief as they usually are, occupy a middle ground between personal essay
and character studies, and are quite effective at stirring both the heart and
the mind.
Tales about nieces who conform
to gender stereotypes and nephews who don’t, as well as anecdotes from Coyote’s
own family functions and dysfunctions, never fail to be both pointed and
moving.
Yes, the pieces are often
‘queer’ – but they could speak to almost anyone’s life experiences (at least,
anyone who does not live in the mysterious alien landscape of Family Values
North America, where everything is perfect because nothing is ever ALLOWED to
be ‘imperfect’).
By now, you have most likely noticed I have taken occasionally painful steps not to declare the sex of the writer. How observant you are…
CONFESSIONS OF A MALE NURSE by Richard S. Ferri
(Southern Tier Editions/Harrington Park Press/Haworth Press, Inc., 10 Alice
Street, Binghamton, NY, 13904-1580, 2005, $16.95 US, www.haworthpress.com)
One of my co-workers arched an eyebrow at
this title. No, it is not THAT kind of
a book (mostly). It is, instead, a sort
of cross of Kingdom Hospital (for the psychodrama, not the supernatural
goings-on) with Will and Grace and Nurses (on a good day, for
each of the latter).
One has a feeling it may be
mildly autobiographical, as the main character’s name is Richard Steele,
and HIV/AIDS touches upon the book rather intimately, not surprising in a book
set in the early 80s (the author is a nurse practitioner for people with that
syndrome). If so, the author (or his
fictional double) led and leads an interesting life.
Minor quibble – typos and
homonyms have slipped into the text.
Yes, I winced, but still enjoyed the book immensely. For all the white the characters wear, it’s
immensely colourful and fun.
AN EMERGENCE OF GREEN by Katherine V. Forrest
(Alice Street Editions/Harrington Park Press/Haworth Press, Inc., 10 Alice
Street, Binghamton, NY, 13904-1580, 2005, $16.95 US, www.haworthpress.com)
Ms. Forrest is most
renowned for her mystery novels, but this book is more about the mystery of the
heart, in which a married woman gradually awakens to her desire for the love of
an artist who moves in next door, and the complications that introduces into
both her marriage and the lives of nearly all people involved (oddly, the child
of the artist seems unaffected by the whole situation, which is a mildly false
note, in my estimation…).
It is to the book’s credit that it does not paint the husband as an utterly unrelieved monster, since that is so boring – if it is true that the ‘patriarchy’ creates a hierarchy of dominance, the fact remains that a little boy had to be bullied and coerced into that role as a child and grew into it – if one believes that such behaviours are actually ‘natural’ and inborn, then, as I used to say in high school: ‘There’s no hope – hit the nuclear trigger button NOW!’
It’s actually quite a tender and moving tale,
if I am to ‘come out’ and confess to a certain weakness for love stories
(though NOT Harlequins). Of
course, since I am often told I am a dyke in a Bear’s body, no surprise there… J
WOMEN OF MYSTERY edited by Katherine V.
Forrest (Alice Street Editions/Harrington Park Press/Haworth Press, Inc.,
10 Alice Street, Binghamton, NY, 13904-1580, 2005, $19.95 US, www.haworthpress.com)
This volume contains a little bit of
everything in the mystery/supernatural genre, ranging from the dyke Ghostisms
of Lisa Liel’s “Last Minute” to the sleuth-with-a-difference
twist of Joan M. Drury’s “The ‘Sound’ of Music”, with a variety
of lengths and approaches to the canon.
I was personally most fond of
the vengeful “Phantoms” by Ursula Steck – further proof, if more
were needed, that I am a man-hating lesbian separatist struggling to escape
from an ursine prison. However, most
everything was worth a perusal (though, I should add, if your personal
favourite leans towards Sherlock Holmes, you are probably only
going to like “The ‘Sound’ of Music” and possibly Martha Miller’s
“Elsie Riley”).
SOME DANCE TO REMEMBER by Jack Fritscher
(Southern Tier Editions/Harrington Park Press/Haworth Press, Inc., 10 Alice
Street, Binghamton, NY, 13904-1580, 2005, $27.95 US, www.haworthpress.com)
An epic sweep of a tale,
with a touch of roman a clef to it (some of the characters may remind you of a
few historical figures), set in San Francisco’s Castro from 1970 to 1982, and
with just about everything you want in a big dramatic novel, such as murder,
sex, pornography, literature, politics and, of course, steroid abuse.
The book meanders a bit, but so
did the times, and it is a wild and oddly nostalgic trip (though more
historical for me, as, I mean, I was 3 in 1970 and 15 in 1982, so what do I
know from gay life of the period?). I
can even forgive the fact that its title alludes to The Eagles (though I
had to struggle to find that degree of generosity within me).
MORE BEAR COOKIN’: BIGGER
AND BETTER by
PJ Gray (Harrington Park Press/Haworth Press, Inc., 10 Alice Street,
Binghamton, NY, 13904-1580, 2005, $14.95 US, www.haworthpress.com, www.pjgray.com)
The sequel to the lethally tasty
first volume. As the earlier
eyebrow-arching colleague said of this one: ‘Is it SUPPOSED to make you
fat?’ Yes, dear, it is…and the
drawings will make the reader drool as much as the recipes could, which takes
some doing. Definitely not for
diabetics – a nod or two to vegetables this time – but, prepared in moderation,
as in all things, Nirvana (Furvana?) may be found.
LIFE, SEX AND THE PURSUIT OF
HAPPINESS by
Fritz Klein (Harrington Park Press/Haworth Press, Inc., 10 Alice Street,
Binghamton, NY, 13904-1580, 2005, $19.95 US, www.haworthpress.com, www.bisexual.org)
The good doctor is a leader in
the bisexual rights movement, and his work online and in print is admirable and
well done (along with the lamentably gone Anything That Moves magazine,
which, though I’m fairly monosexual, I always enjoyed).
This is by way of me saying that I wanted to like this novel. Maybe it’s my bias against psychiatry – I forget who said it, and I thought it insensitive, but some part of me kind of thinks you DO have to be crazy to see a psychiatrist. However, I just wasn’t engaged in this story of a widowed psychiatrist and his bisexual patient (maybe it’s because I wanted to see more boy stuff involved), try as I might. It is well constructed and meticulously edited and proofread, but I just couldn’t get in (now just you STOP it). Of course, if I put it aside and come back to it some day, I might just eat it up. Not today, though…
ALEX IN WONDERLAND by Michel Lacroix
(Southern Tier Editions/Harrington Park Press/Haworth Press, Inc., 10 Alice
Street, Binghamton, NY, 13904-1580, 2005, $19.95 US, www.haworthpress.com)
A trashy romp through New
Orleans and Florida, featuring right-wing patriarchs, bad drag, Prada bags,
lipstick lesbians, Daddies and mothers with a flash of backbone (not to mention
spoiled eternal debutantes).
Though the ending seemed rushed
and gimmicky, I forgave it for the rest of the book, which is delightful, campy
and wicked. Supposedly, a sequel is in
the works, which may account for some of the conclusion’s haste – I look
forward breathlessly…
TALES FROM THE LEVEE by Martha Miller
(Southern Tier Editions/Harrington Park Press/Haworth Press, Inc., 10 Alice
Street, Binghamton, NY, 13904-1580, 2005, $16.95 US, www.haworthpress.com)
Loosely based on real events
from 1965 through 1976 in Springfield, Illinois’ gay ghetto, these alternately
tender and horrifying tales range from dyke strippers to murder to proof that
femmes rule (and can destroy), all narrated in a well-crafted style without
flash but with substance. To the
extent this is factual, it serves a historical purpose in reminding us of our
roots – but they are also good reading.
MAHU by Neil S. Plakcy
(Haworth Positronic Press/Harrington Park Press/Haworth Press, Inc., 10 Alice
Street, Binghamton, NY, 13904-1580, 2005, $22.95 US, www.haworthpress.com)
A fast-paced murder
mystery/self-discovery novel, set in Hawaii, and featuring as its lead a police
detective in the middle of discovering his own sexuality, during the course of
one such excursion accidentally stumbling upon and leaving fingerprints at the
scene of a crime, and then fleeing, thus making him derelict in duty and ending
up outing him to his police colleagues (with fairly predictable initial results
– the typical homosexual panic of straight men, though at least there is no
physical gay-bashing involved…small mercies…).
A very well-written and
intricate story ensues, and is one of the very few suspense novels whose ending
actually surprised me, though, in retrospect, the clues were there (a mark of a
good detective yarn, to be sure). It
manages to be both sexy and menacing at the same time (of course, for some of
us, that line is fine to begin with… J).
THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS edited by Sage Vivant/M.
Christian (Southern Tier Editions/Harrington Park Press/Haworth Press,
Inc., 10 Alice Street, Binghamton, NY, 13904-1580, 2005, $19.95 US, www.haworthpress.com)
Though, as I stated elsewhere, I
am fairly monosexual, I try to be open-minded, and the big head on my body is
able to intellectually (and even sometimes erotically) appreciate works that
are well-written within their own world.
It may be a reflection of how
sexual diversity is viewed and constructed that many of these stories are
girl-girl-boy, or a marketing decision, or just what was submitted. It is probably true that there is both less
taboo and more of an audience for fluidity in female sexuality (because, after
all, if certain legends are to believed (which is dubious), Queen Victoria
would not outlaw lesbianism, on the grounds that female sexuality of that sort
simply did not exist (in fact, by the way, there WERE laws on the books
regarding that offense)). My favourite
exceptions would be “MMF” by Kit (whose elements of both S/M and crime
were a turn-on to me, I must confess),
“Losers” by Mark Wildyr (oh, to have been out in high school and
to have known any jocks willing to experiment), “Married But Not Dead” by Colt
Spencer (absolutely my favourite story herein – I have referred to it
often…er, for research…) and the very in-the-head “Love” by M. Christian.
If you are looking for some vile
porn that could destroy any number of family structures, this is the book for
you (note: I generally FAVOUR the destruction of the Family).
