Isolation: Day 146

I kept seeing the thumbnail for this, but didn't realize it had ties to Ken Kesey's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, which I haven't seen since I was in High School. The trailer had me immediately.

 **

I find it interesting that, after just watching a film about a viral idea that makes people think/know they are going to die tomorrow, I crack out the Concrete Blonde and fixate on the song Tomorrow, Wendy, which contains the following lyric:

"Tomorrow Wendy is going to die."

   

Weird, huh?

A fantastic song, Tomorrow Wendy also features this unrelated by no-less poignant line:

"I told the priest, don't count on any second coming, God got his ass kicked the first time he came down here slumming, He had the balls to come, the gall to die and then forgive us."

**

Playlist:

Pixies - Surfer Rosa

Calexico - The Black Light

X- Los Angeles

X - Wild Gift

The Plimsouls - Everywhere at Once

Concrete Blonde - Eponymous

Concrete Blonde - Bloodletting

Don Shirley - Don Shirley's Best

Pat Benatar - Essentials

Frank Sinatra - Best of 

 **

Card:

Five of Disks, also known as Worry. This one fits right into my current state of anxiety over sending query letters. I'm not certain why I'm so terrified of this process, but worry definitely sums up the low-level, background radiation of my brain at the moment.

 

2019: April 12th: American Horror Story - 1984

You know there's more to this than there seems. But even if season 9 is only a simple 80s slasher story, I'd be 100% happy with that. Now, I just have to watch Cult and Apocalypse...

**

I'm posting this late/early. Haven't been to bed yet. K's plane was delayed and it's almost 1:00 AM. I'm groggy, just opened another beer, and am watching the credits to Robert Rodriguez's The Faculty scroll across my screen. Ray has been telling for years to watch this, and it's currently in Shudder's Last Chance bin (see a pattern?), so I figured I'd go for it. Not blown away - didn't expect to be - but I dug it. I especially dug realizing how goddamn hot Frazier's ex-wife is. WOW BOB WOW.

**

This past Tuesday, Nathan Ballingrud's Wounds: Six Stories From the Border of Hell dropped. If you don't remember, I've posted about Mr. Ballingrud's The Visible Filth a few times since I first discovered it a couple years ago. The original version of that novella, published by the marvelous This is Horror imprint, went out of print recently, to make way for this collection, which contains Visible Filth, as well as five other stories. Wounds is also the name of the movie adaptation of Visible Filth that I can NOT wait to see, directed by Babak Anvari, and starring Armie Hammer and Dakota Johnson. I can't say how happy I am for Mr. Ballingrud. There are super positive reviews rolling in for both the book and the movie, and I really think this is the launch of a massive presence in horror fiction. You can order the book HERE from Amazon, or, if you are lucky enough to have a brick-and-mortar bookstore in your area, I'm sure they will have it. I guarantee you won't be disappointed.

**

Playlist from 4/11:

Zombi- Shape Shift
Windhand - Grief's Infernal Flower
Helms Alee - Sleepwalking Sailors
Melvins - Houdini
Young Widows - Old Wounds

Card of the day:

Two days in a row. What are you trying to tell me, sir?

2018: August 8th - American Horror Story 8 Teaser

You put a chick in a gas mask and lingerie and I'm THERE! Seriously, I'm sure none of this imagery will actually tie into the story of American Horror Story season 8: Apocalypse, but it's cool as all hell. I've always been pretty hot and cold with the show: still haven't seen Freakshow or Coven, had pretty much given up until Hotel and Roanoke, both of which I loved, so I'll definitely be watching the new one.

NCBD. Cautiously excited for this:

Playlists from the last two days:

8/06:
Shockwaves Podcast #
Windhand - Grey Garden (Pre-release single)
Tubular Bells (part 1)
Windhand - Grief's Infernal Flower
Wrekmeister Harmonies - Light Falls

8/07:
Cypress Hill - Eponymous
Cold Cave - Cherish the Light Years
Mastodon - Emperor of Sand
True Widow - AVVOLGERE
Steven Moore - The Mind's Eye OST

Cards from the last three days:

Knight of Swords was today's pull, and interestingly enough, I'd been anticipating each of the previous two days. Hence, I thought I'd read them all together as a spread.

Endeavors large and exploratory end in abrupt disappointment, only to have a contrary result arrive swiftly on that disappointment's heels. So one step back, two steps forward, so to speak.

2018: March 20th 8:56 AM

Let's start with some Zeppelin, shall we?





Attacked the house yesterday. Those who know it wouldn't recognize it. So much to do before Friday, but considerably less thanks to the hangover from hell keeping me out of work yesterday.


Playlist from yesterday:

Introduction to Stereophonic Sound
Urge Overkill - Saturation
King Woman - Created in the Image of Suffering
Charles Bradley - Changes
Led Zeppelin - Presence

Finished American Horror Story Roanoke last night. You know why it's the best season of AHS yet? Because it's only ten episodes! The one thing that always drags the show down a bit for me is the last few episodes where I always find myself asking, "Why is this still on?". Roanoke's narrative device of adopting reality TV formatting is, of course, an aesthetic problem for me, as I hate and have seen very little reality tv, yet the way they use it I can excuse the form and not hold it against the show. I really thought it was brilliant, especially because they didn't get too many plates spinning. Best and most concise season. And Kathy Bates was phenomenally terrifying, but Susan Berger ... just her statuary appearance in episode 8 left me with nightmare chills. Kudos.

No card today either, because I'm at work and there's just no time.

2018: February 25th 9:11 AM

No music in my head this morning and I'm enjoying the quiet by sprinting through a couple chapters from this very enjoyable romp through 70s and 80s paperback horror:

I've mentioned Paperbacks from Hell here before, I think, but as I've moved into the last third of Thomas Ligotti's first two volumes of short fiction I wanted to take a break and chew through something fun. This is it. Highly recommended.

Yesterday was insanely productive. My own first Horror Anthology will most likely be hitting print and digital in April. Titled A Collection of Desires after one of the stories in the book, it's seven tales of modern terror. I hope you'll give it a try.

Playlist from yesterday:

Grimes - Visions
Black Sabbath - Eponymous
Disasterpeace - It Follows OST
Anthrax - Worship Music
Prince & 3RDEYEGIRL - PLECTRUMELECTRUM

Watched the first episode of AHS My Roanoke Nightmare. While I loved Hotel and Murderhouse, I've largely avoided or been disappointed by a lot of AHS. This one already has me.

Card of the day:

One of my favorite cards in the deck, both visually and philosophically. From the Grimoire:

"Will synchronized with the imagination. Dreams become reality. Areas of life coming together, falling into place."

All good signs for the endeavors I am currently undertaking, all of which pertain to my writing, or Art.

Can't leave you without a song. This is as relevant as it is awesome: