p.s. Hey. Today, assuming you join me, we celebrate the latest work by and success of one of the incredible people who've spent quality time in the trenches, ha ha, of this blog's great community. Justin's book is just as totally terrific as its excellent reviews and strong buzz indicate, and I urge you to snag a copy and read it if you can. In any case, please take some time to fish around in the post and party on Justin's behalf today. Thanks much. ** Bernard Welt, It would be completely accurate to say good morning to you as well, and I will or, rather, have. What are you showing and providing as context for the Buster Keaton class, if you don't mind saying? ** Ben Brooks, Hey, Ben! Thanks a lot for the kind words. I don't have 'Fences' in my actual hands yet, but I got an alert two days ago that it has been shipped, and, let's see, based on the usual US-to-Paris mail time, I should have it by Monday, I reckon. Really looking forward to it. I'll go look for your email. I'm seriously impaired when it comes to noticing/writing emails. ** David Ehrenstein, Those were some fine and moving and admirable words spoken by Johnny Weir there. ** Joseph, Yeah, it just seems like a cool and promising thing to do, i.e. the MFA program, and exactly about the 'side' benefit of being in the rising lit scene around there. Oh, you're reading the Higgs novel too? Yeah, it's killer, right? I have about a quarter of it left to go. I'm totally slapping myself silly about just missing the Ashbery conference. I'd been planning to be at almost all of it, and I haven't seen John in years, and I so wanted to have a personal minute or two with him. Just sucks. ** Paul Curran, Thanks, Paul. I'm sure you know how this goes: Writing is going very well right now, and I'm trying to milk that as thoroughly as I can before the inevitable disconnect and struggle restarts. So mysterious, these things. ** Sypha, See, that's my thinking, i.e. theological writing could really use a guy like you. You could be its Gaga and its ... I don't know, David Foster Wallace too. The best way to get the most out of HTMLG is to keep a regular eye on it and on the info in the posts themselves in particular because there's a regular flow of announcements of new presses, presses looking for mss., contests for writers, magazines to try and that are seeking submissions, etc. The advertising presses are great, but it's the site's news and the level of discussion and stuff in and around the posts that I was particularly recommending to you. ** Killer Luka, I knew you would see what I see/saw (seesaw? wow!) but that you could phrase it like I could never phrase it. I will remain on one knee before you until you set me on my way again. ** JW Veldhoen, Since the guy in the striped shorts was talking to ... mm, maybe rather hoping against hope behind ... a Russian porn model whose vaguely Bobby Gillespie doppleganger looks has made him a model I try to keep my eye on, I will try to feel like the guy you feel like I am. (God, what a horrible sentence). You have mentioned that you have no idea what you're doing before, and I always think that's your blessing and your curse, as they say, with the former upgrading and cushioning the latter, but you know me. ** Alan, Oh, uh, no, I won't get the rue de Normandie mail, tragically. They stopped forwarding my mail from there almost a year ago. Well, you'll most likely get it returned to you at least. Anyway, it truly is the thought that counts, you know. Thanks, Alan. ** Little foal, Hey, and a very warm welcome to you. I'll go check my email to make sure yours isn't there, and that I didn't miss it because that happens with me. In any case, I'm really glad you commented, and I really hope you'll join the gang here if you feel like it. It would be great if you feel like being a part of the blog's community, and the warm welcome others have given you show that I'm hardly the only one who feels that way. Yeah, 'Violet Fluid', of course. It's both trippy and fantastic and maybe fate that my inclusion of your entry in that post brought you here. Thank you so much for what you say about my work. Really, that just means an incredible amount to me. Of course I looked at your blog, and I urge others here to check it out as well if they haven't. In that regard, I'm glad it went so well with the doctor, and I hope talking to your parents isn't as torturous as you feared it might be. Have you done that, and, if so, how did it go? Obviously, any talking about that or about anything with me or with others here is very welcome, and know that you'll get support and understanding and friendship in this place. And I would really love to read your book. You know my work, and now I want to know your writing. Please do send it to me. You can send it here: dcooperweb@ gmail.com. Yeah, so thank you a lot, and I hope that we can look forward to you being here and to forging an important new friend. Welcome and xxoo, Little foal. ** Wolf, I'd add complicatedly emotionally rich and sexy to your list and remove boring, but that's me. I saw that news story about the killer whale, and, well, yeah, 100% with you, obviously. I was also boggled and, I suppose, unsurprised to read this morning that the solution of the theme park higher ups is not to free the whale but to continue 'working with it' as though they're just so god damned noble in 'forgiving' the creature. Wait, a Vegi-Day? Seriously? Wow, that's so incredibly more than cool with me. That's a godsend, Wolfster. Gosh, thank you from the bottom of my everything. And, dude, your 1st anniversary! That makes your old pal DC mightily happy, needless to say, and if the confines of this room or mansion or whatever helped ignite it, well, yeah, awesome as we insistently say where I come from. Love, love, love. ** Blendin, Oh, Sunday the 14th makes total sense. Yeah, let's shoot for that. I guess tomorrow I'll launch an initial query to see if the LA the gang in general are free and game for that date. But, yeah, that's the obvious solution, it seems like. Great! ** _Black_Acrylic, Anytime, man. Just trust your instincts, obviously. You'll know if and when and how, I'm pretty sure. Do alert us to the way we can hook up with your audio artwork when it's time, needless to say. Very, very intrigued and anticipatory. ** Kier, Yeah, I didn't even hear from the 'slave' wearing the Zac German t-shirt, and I was kind sure I would. Totally about the film's pull. Wes Anderson's films always do that to me. They're so incredibly rich with things and things within things that I end up wanting to be reminded of what I saw and missed. It's like they unfold more with every viewing. I love that so much. In that way, they're like the kind of fiction I love most. Yeah, like you said, having to leave the black box building incomplete for now is the experience for, well, now, and I guess interesting in and of itself? I was watching a bird myself yesterday. It was flitting around in the tree outside my window doing all sorts of things that made sense but were utterly illogical too. I'm going to see 'Shutter Island', I'm pretty sure. Lowish expectations intact. I might see 'A Single Man' with Yury and a pal of his tonight. They want to see it because of the Tom Ford directorial thing, and I'm going with hopes the Tom Ford thing doesn't ruin it. ** Put The Lotion In The Basket, Hey, Nick! Thanks for giving Little Foal such a good welcome, man. What's new with you? ** Tomáš, Hey, man! I haven't checked my email yet this morning, but I will shortly. You good? How's your schedule? Love from me. ** Morgan, Hey. No, it's my fault, totally. Anyway, I hope I've corrected the problem now and that all is well. ** Creative Massacre, Yeah, those planes they use for short flights can be pretty nasty, ha ha. It's weird. But I'm glad you're safe and sound and digging it there. How was the show? Great, I would imagine? Little 5 Spot is really nice, right? That was sort of my favorite part of the city. I guess you're heading home today, so I hope the flight back was as okay as the flight over at the very least, and of course I look forward to seeing any photos you took. Awesome, pal! ** Chilly Jay Chill, Hey, man! Great to see you, and I'm real glad the anthology is working out well. You probably saw by Alec's comment yesterday that he's really pleased to be in it, and awesome that Blake and Scott came through. Have you discovered any amazing new writers? Haven't heard the New Pornographers track yet, but I'm excited to hear it and, of course, for the album. Nils at Matador sent me a little mail acknowledging that the last NP album wasn't as genius as the others and reassuring me that the new one is, so I'm way up for it. Excited for the new Liars too. Music-wise, I've been listening to some Locrian after being inspired to dig in after putting together the Terence Hannum post. Liking that a lot. Panda?'s new Pacific Blush album is stellar. Just got the new Xiu Xiu, which I think is a knock out and my favorite of his/theirs in a while. I'm on a bit of an Undertones kick. Love the new Broken Social Scene track. That's all I can call up at the moment. ** Jesse Hudson, Aw, thanks, J. Somehow I knew you would get what I get from those pix and their combo yesterday. I hope the novel can provide even a fraction of their power, ha ha. Or no ha ha, I guess. Thanks a lot for welcoming Little Foal too, and, uh, talk to you later. ** Misanthrope, Oh, God, it's fucking American Idol season in the world and on the blog again. But never mind, carry on. I'll just be humming to myself over here. Yeah, ha ha, it was like staring into the headlights of joy yesterday, wasn't it? What is this possible full time job? That's tentatively very cool. Keep on keeping on with the novel and with the ... shhhhhhhhh. ** Christopher/ Mark, If they haven't been seen in the same place yet, I'd bet you very good money that they will be very soon. ** Jose, Oh, shit, Jose, that video you made is fucking awesome! Wow, it's just aced to its very bones and fantastic! I have to imbed that fucker. Everyone, see the imbedded video at the bottom of the p.s.? It's a new video by the artist, writer, and all round d.l. Jose, and you really, really should click Play and watch it before you leave here today. I really mean that. Dude, excellent work! Kudos! Uh, the old murder mystery posts from the dead blog ... you know, I went back to them at one point thinking of giving them a second life here, and they really just aren't very good, I think. I think time and memory have gilded them, and that might be their optimal fate. ** Chris, The Lee Scratch Perry and Xenakis combination made my imagination do somersaults. Actually, the combo sounds kind of amazing. Like these chocolate bars they sell here that I haven't tried yet but am dying to that are imbedded with shredded black olives. ** Slatted Light, Interesting. You're the second person to single out that image. In fact, it was the only image that got singled out. I guess it's kind of the funniest one? I like the more Bergman-esque ones best for some reason. Some reason ... well, a big duh that I would like those, I guess. I'm pretty sure Monday is A-okay for our Skype talking. Let's count on it, barring, I don't know, WWIII. That link thing did make me laugh while, at the same time, making me think that camera wielding schmuck of a director got off easy, ha ha. All the best to you too, maestro. ** Amccartney, Hey, A! Excellence. I'm really glad you liked the Hannum post. If I ever get health insurance again, and if my plan covers dental matters, and if I can find a dentist willing to clean my teeth without telling me about all the cavities and other horrors that my teeth have accumulated over the years, I'm going to get my teeth cleaned too because it sounds, well, delicious. 'Deja Vu' huh? Oh, why not, especially since you're coming into it clean. Having lived through it, I'd probably just skip the needle around and play the Neil Young songs. I'm in LA from the 11th to the 27th, and I definitely want to see you guys big time, and I think I should really come down to Venice and visit you there finally. So let's do that, maybe like in the first several days before I get all scheduled up if that's cool with you. The best and love to you and Tim too. ** NB, Ha ha, well, not about Russian rooms exactly, but I'm trying to get that particular Russian interior design into the rooms of a French chateau as best I can. You good, man? What's up? Any writing sneaking in? ** Inthemostpeculiarway, If you can find something in those images that isn't obvious, let me know. No, actually, they're jam-packed with mysteries, but I bet I'm the only one crazy enough to try to solve them. I like rain too, but there's been one too many days of it for my taste. The Bendy moment was, well, kind of like those images yesterday but without the age difference and the decor, so I'm guessing on the decor front. So many people I know both here and not here have had daylong headaches lately, including me. I hope it doesn't mean anything. Perfect hands for smoking, hm. What does that mean, I wonder? I would guess it means good hands because when people smoke you see their hands all the time. My Thursday: Writing, went well again. Wrote and did that recommendation letter thing for Morgan. Read some more of those same three books. Oscar and I went off to look at art in the afternoon. First, we finally saw the 'House of Horrors' part of the Elaine Sturtevant retrospective that I mentioned a while back that I didn't get to see at the opening due to a huge long waiting line, and it was fucking great! I found a video of it online that I'll be posting here soon as part of a Varioso post. We also saw the new show at Palais de Tokyo, and it was a big snooze like PdT shows so often are. Well, snoozy apart from a video compilation of amazing skateboarder feats that one artist had put together. Then we took the metro back here and had a coffee with Scott Treleaven who's leaving the Recollets for a two week or so stay in Toronto today, and that was most pleasant. Kiddiepunk was supposed to join us, but he didn't show, maybe because he had to do homework for his Italian classes, I don't know. After that I ate my dinner stuff, and I talked to my buddy Joel on the phone, and I watched some Olympics, and not much else, I guess. Or that'll do. What's the story on your Friday? ** L@rstonovich, Yep, absolutely, truly, completely on 'Fox' ruling. Oh, that's where the Skull Hum is: FB I was looking for it. Fine, I'll listen to it in a shroud of non-details. I love dark rides. I keep trying to yell 'France, France, France!' when I watch the Olympics, but they never win anything. It's gotten to where the French commentators go apeshit when one of their athletes places 8th. ** Justin, It was rhetorical question, but the answer lies in the gigantic boxes of old porn magazines and videos in my LA bedroom. I pretty much stopped making collages and physical scrapbooks when I finished the George Miles Cycle. These days it's desktop files of pictures and things, and occasionally I need to combine images or sometimes images and text, and that's when you get posts like yesterday since the blog is the only place I have available to make scrapbook pages since I have no graphic design software or skills whatsoever. Would I be offended if you suggested a project? Well, of course not, Suggest away please. Yury has trouble like that with his Russian accent on the phone sometimes too. ** Tender Prey, Hey, Marc! Happy 1st anniversary, man! I'm proud as punch that you guys met in my two dimensional corner of the world. The Five Years event really did seem to have gone fantastically! Luckily, thanks to the generous documenting of Thomas, Wolf, Esther, Joseph S. Nockles, and others, I've gotten to have a decent look, at least. Any further evidence you might provide would be manna. Glad your busyness is so productivity-based and positive. Wow, about that talk. I'm, like, really honored, man. Thank you! And if you don't let me read or see what you say in that talk, I will kill you. No, I won't, but, seriously, will there be any way for me to look over the students' shoulders? If not, no sweat, cool, but, yeah. ** Bill, Absolutely: a blog and maybe other friends too dinner after the reading for sure, and if we can swing more than that, that would be great, and I'll just try to figure out what I'm in for, traveling-wise. End of April and beginning of May ... yeah, I'm pretty sure I'll be here. I know there are rehearsals in May, but I don't they're right at the beginning of the month. Plus, you'll likely catch Scott then as well. So, you think you might really get to be here then? That would be great! ** Bollo, Try not to stress too much about tonight. I'm sure it'll go really well. Call it a combo of my instinct and your unmistakeable talent. But let us know. The seashells are in the same part of your mind in which the Phantom of the Opera resides. ** Fin. Please give it up, out, and every which way for Mr. Justin Taylor and his Mr. Everything Here Is The Best Thing Ever, okay? B0th Saturday and I will see you tomorrow.


Jose Alvarado 'The Gospel of Judas' (1:50)
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