Was it a blanket ban on all your books? Or a select few? I often think of your explanation that with all the content competing for a consumer’s attention that books (because consumed privately, able to be shut) should go to the places that tv / films / video games cannot… like there’s a moral imperative for the author to take the reader places that can only be accessed through text
When my brother was stationed in Kuwait, he signed up to get mail from a variety of charities/ministries. (He was lonely and getting a letter, even from a stranger was something he looked forward to). One church that was writing him asked if he had a book request. He asked for your most recent release. The church mailed him your entire catalogue up to that point! (Sometime 2003/2004). He said there were a bunch of guys there that wouldn’t read at all - except for your books! Your books they passed around and recommended.
So, it saddens me that there’s a Palahniuk ban in Texas prisons. I suspect there’d be a similar appreciation.
Thank you, Wil! As the librarian told it she said the books were too stimulating, sexual and violent. What I didn't say was, "That's the whole point." I hope your brother is home and well these days.
These are indeed my sins this week. I may not have written Guts or Moby Dick but "Satanic Haiku's and Letter's to Mr. Greaves" (SATIRE) cause serious problems. I lost one favorite professor and a TWO serious job offers. I did get a huge lesson in privacy and security this week. Or was it the Krispy Kreme lube pictures? Running urns across country? Something I may or may not have shoplifted? Is she a dog person? My flagrant disregard for The Man? Devil worshiping? Satirical Satanic wieners?...She's probably more of a dog person. It's very upsetting but did have a realization on why writing teachers love to get their hands on virgin writers...
Horrible Reveal: On Wednesday I got the dreaded booster (spousal pressure) and as the tech stuck me, I asked, "Do they use the alcohol wipe if it's a lethal injection?" She laughed so hard she almost broken the needle in my arm. But it was worth it.
We haven't invited Skynet into our home yet, but upon searching I found this.
"The arm of the condemned person is swabbed with alcohol before the cannula is inserted. The needles and equipment used are sterilized. Questions have been raised about why these precautions against infection are performed despite the purpose of the injection being death."
Plot twist: she was laughing manically because the answer to the question was yes but during her time as an executioner she purposefully didn't use the alcohol wipe. To her it was the equivalent of not using a wet sponge for someone strapped into an electric chair.
Just to be done with them. I sat through all of those on the same sphere as the Mr. Hands one to the one nun one priest, to Salo, Cannibal holocaust and A Serbian Film, to Cartel murder vids on the deep web. Then, topping it all off in the same day with the disgustingly great El Topo and The holy Mountain. I got myself desensitized, plus my Poker ability to freeze my emotions.. but, Guts given how funny it started, it caught me off guard and made my spine tingle. White-Jacket next, thank you.
Tom used to say, "Make them laugh, then quickly break their hearts." I amend that to, "Make them laugh -- then make them sick or horny or shocked -- then break their hearts."
Imagining the carpenter gang and someone sharpening the blade for my last spinal surgery...and the dentures! : O Glad we get knocked out before we see all the "tools" or hear the surgical lesson these days.
And the mention of dinner afterward. Guessing this is why Kevin Dutton had surgeons on his list. Low amygdala functioning.
The real challenge would be creating a world where they stop banning books and literature. "Too sexual, stimulating, and violent" as if pornography with much more controversial content isn't a billion dollar industry, ha.
Right!? When WAP came out everyone instantly began acting like babies came from storks. Acting like they've never heard of a porno before." God! I'm still upset and it's been months lolol
Or freaking out about Montero 😂 God forbid anyone express themselves sexually or with lewd or satanic imagery. I feel like we're slowly slipping moving backwards in time as far as self expression, the censorship these days is wild.
Being subscribed to your Substack is like...the best thing for me. Because I get to pick your brain and ask questions and be very annoying.
I watched a YouTube video of one of your book events. You talked about how Tom would take you to public places to have you read your work aloud. And you said that only the best stories got heard over the pinball noises and the music and the loud talking.
And you said that when you stood up there on the pool table and read a story that had farting or shitting or something like that, people stopped what they were doing and listened. But the woman who talked about her dead dog, she was told to shut the fuck up, nobody wants to hear about your dead dog... lol
Does that mean stories about masturbation and things like that are just more popular to the general public? Or am I not going deep enough with my thinking?
Bless Anne Rice, but she broke out when she morphed the pain of her daughter's death -- leukemia and blood tests and white cell counts -- into the vampire series. She could express her huge grief, but widen the story to include others.
It was worse. My fellow writer was shouted down for reading about her dead nephew, a child. And I'm not saying it's the "best" stories that grab attention, but to compete against video poker and pinball and televisions and drunks... you've got to use some on-the-body material that seizes people in a physical way. Sex or drugs or violence or illness. Make them laugh, then break their hearts.
A while ago I searched for commentary and reactions to Guts online and I came across a forum post where someone referenced ‘blowfish girl’ and her ‘maggot story’. This is what I found. And, yeah, it’s pretty bad. Gotta love some good old internet folklore.
Well we wouldn’t want to corrupt those prisoners..! 🤷♂️
It going to snow today so, I’m down for a good corrupting.
Was it a blanket ban on all your books? Or a select few? I often think of your explanation that with all the content competing for a consumer’s attention that books (because consumed privately, able to be shut) should go to the places that tv / films / video games cannot… like there’s a moral imperative for the author to take the reader places that can only be accessed through text
When my brother was stationed in Kuwait, he signed up to get mail from a variety of charities/ministries. (He was lonely and getting a letter, even from a stranger was something he looked forward to). One church that was writing him asked if he had a book request. He asked for your most recent release. The church mailed him your entire catalogue up to that point! (Sometime 2003/2004). He said there were a bunch of guys there that wouldn’t read at all - except for your books! Your books they passed around and recommended.
So, it saddens me that there’s a Palahniuk ban in Texas prisons. I suspect there’d be a similar appreciation.
What an awesome story. A church I can get behind!
Thank you, Wil! As the librarian told it she said the books were too stimulating, sexual and violent. What I didn't say was, "That's the whole point." I hope your brother is home and well these days.
Brother is good!
These are indeed my sins this week. I may not have written Guts or Moby Dick but "Satanic Haiku's and Letter's to Mr. Greaves" (SATIRE) cause serious problems. I lost one favorite professor and a TWO serious job offers. I did get a huge lesson in privacy and security this week. Or was it the Krispy Kreme lube pictures? Running urns across country? Something I may or may not have shoplifted? Is she a dog person? My flagrant disregard for The Man? Devil worshiping? Satirical Satanic wieners?...She's probably more of a dog person. It's very upsetting but did have a realization on why writing teachers love to get their hands on virgin writers...
Horrible Reveal: On Wednesday I got the dreaded booster (spousal pressure) and as the tech stuck me, I asked, "Do they use the alcohol wipe if it's a lethal injection?" She laughed so hard she almost broken the needle in my arm. But it was worth it.
Partial paralysis here I come!
:/ Hmmm... I always enjoy a dark sense of humor just as long as it's not on my watch. LOL. I'm glad you didn't die Mr. Palahniuk!
Well? Do they? Now I need to know.
Ask Alexa. Or Jeeves. Or whoever that voice is lately. Whom?
We haven't invited Skynet into our home yet, but upon searching I found this.
"The arm of the condemned person is swabbed with alcohol before the cannula is inserted. The needles and equipment used are sterilized. Questions have been raised about why these precautions against infection are performed despite the purpose of the injection being death."
Plot twist: she was laughing manically because the answer to the question was yes but during her time as an executioner she purposefully didn't use the alcohol wipe. To her it was the equivalent of not using a wet sponge for someone strapped into an electric chair.
I saw that movie!
Just to be done with them. I sat through all of those on the same sphere as the Mr. Hands one to the one nun one priest, to Salo, Cannibal holocaust and A Serbian Film, to Cartel murder vids on the deep web. Then, topping it all off in the same day with the disgustingly great El Topo and The holy Mountain. I got myself desensitized, plus my Poker ability to freeze my emotions.. but, Guts given how funny it started, it caught me off guard and made my spine tingle. White-Jacket next, thank you.
YES! This is why I love the quote "If you want to tell people the truth, make them laugh, otherwise they’ll kill you."
Tom used to say, "Make them laugh, then quickly break their hearts." I amend that to, "Make them laugh -- then make them sick or horny or shocked -- then break their hearts."
Ah what's the other quote "Put me down as scared and horny." *smirk*
Imagining the carpenter gang and someone sharpening the blade for my last spinal surgery...and the dentures! : O Glad we get knocked out before we see all the "tools" or hear the surgical lesson these days.
And the mention of dinner afterward. Guessing this is why Kevin Dutton had surgeons on his list. Low amygdala functioning.
The real challenge would be creating a world where they stop banning books and literature. "Too sexual, stimulating, and violent" as if pornography with much more controversial content isn't a billion dollar industry, ha.
Right!? When WAP came out everyone instantly began acting like babies came from storks. Acting like they've never heard of a porno before." God! I'm still upset and it's been months lolol
Or freaking out about Montero 😂 God forbid anyone express themselves sexually or with lewd or satanic imagery. I feel like we're slowly slipping moving backwards in time as far as self expression, the censorship these days is wild.
You are a delight Dana. Just a delight. Thank you.
“These books make you feel things. BURN THEM!”
Right?
Being subscribed to your Substack is like...the best thing for me. Because I get to pick your brain and ask questions and be very annoying.
I watched a YouTube video of one of your book events. You talked about how Tom would take you to public places to have you read your work aloud. And you said that only the best stories got heard over the pinball noises and the music and the loud talking.
And you said that when you stood up there on the pool table and read a story that had farting or shitting or something like that, people stopped what they were doing and listened. But the woman who talked about her dead dog, she was told to shut the fuck up, nobody wants to hear about your dead dog... lol
Does that mean stories about masturbation and things like that are just more popular to the general public? Or am I not going deep enough with my thinking?
Oh yeah! "Nobody cares about your dead daughter!" That tip kinda changed how I talk and what I talk about actually. It really hit me.
Ahhhh, you're right, I misremembered. It was a dead daughter.
Always here to help! lol
Bless Anne Rice, but she broke out when she morphed the pain of her daughter's death -- leukemia and blood tests and white cell counts -- into the vampire series. She could express her huge grief, but widen the story to include others.
It was worse. My fellow writer was shouted down for reading about her dead nephew, a child. And I'm not saying it's the "best" stories that grab attention, but to compete against video poker and pinball and televisions and drunks... you've got to use some on-the-body material that seizes people in a physical way. Sex or drugs or violence or illness. Make them laugh, then break their hearts.
My favorite lyrics
"And I don't understand why I sleep all day
And I start to complain that there's no rain
And all I can do is read a book to stay awake
And it rips my life away, but it's a great escape"
Oooooh. This is gonna be good.
Looks like I found my stocking stuffer book.
I'm sick alright..lol
A while ago I searched for commentary and reactions to Guts online and I came across a forum post where someone referenced ‘blowfish girl’ and her ‘maggot story’. This is what I found. And, yeah, it’s pretty bad. Gotta love some good old internet folklore.
http://blowflygirl.blogspot.com/2009/08/here-is-my-maggot-story.html
Correction: *blowfly girl