So The Frolicking has been out for a hot minute and I thought it would be cool to dive into the creative origins of my 8th book. First off, this horror novella wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for Yayoi Kusama. I’ve always been fascinated with fashion and I’ve kept my eye on Louis Vuitton since Virgil Abloh took the helm as artistic director back in 2018. (RIP). Kusama collaborated with the fashion house for the second time in 2023 and this is when I stumbled across her work.
Something about the overabundance of polka dots and the weird pumpkins spoke to me on deep levels. I had to learn more... she’s a millionaire, but she has voluntarily stayed in a mental health facility for the majority of her life despite being one of the biggest pop artists coming out of Japan.
"I fight pain, anxiety, and fear every day, and the only method I have found that relieved my illness is to keep creating art," she told an interviewer in 2012. "I followed the thread of art and somehow discovered a path that would allow me to live."
Something about this quote resonates with me deeply. If it wasn’t for art, I honestly don’t know if I’d still be around today. I probably would have offed myself back in my youth and none of these books would exist let alone these words you’re reading.
I learned how she suffered a lot of abuse in her childhood and started hallucinating polka dots. This became a part of her reality and bled into her art and her installations. Her inner world is fascinating and this sparked my creative wheels.
I thought to myself, what if Yayoi had a lost granddaughter who lived in the Midwest on a farm, who was obsessed with Easter and suffered from her own mental illness? What if she conducted a ritual once a year to help girls cross over into womanhood?
I hate the fact that we have a lack of rituals these days that help our youth become adults. I mean there is Saturn Return, which ushers you into true adulthood astrologically, but still…
Combine all this with my yearning to craft a horror book focusing on a holiday with Pagan roots. I saw Eli Roth’s Thanksgiving last year and thought I could pull off an Easter equivalent.
You can smell the ingredients stewing in the gumbo. I added some hallucinogenic and surreal elements and The Frolicking was born.
If you’ve read the book, this art from Kusuma should hit different since these pieces play a prominent role at different points in the book.
New Interview
I have a new interview at Punk Noir Magazine. Stephen J. Golds interviewed me and I had a good time. If you want to gain some insight into me and my writing, check it out here.
Writing Updates
No writing. I’ve been taking a breather before I dive into my next book. I might whip up a couple short stories though. We’ll see…
Currently Watching: Love, Death & Robots Season 3 & Blue Eye Samurai & Breaking Bad & The Boys Season 4 & Them Season 2
Currently Reading: Cosmic Horror Monthly #3 & Less Than Zero by Brett Easton Ellis & Rabbit Hunt by Wrath James White & The Holy Bible
Listening: The Danny Brown Podcast, Back from the Borderline, The Higherside Chats, Agitator, Mutual Aberration Society, Victory Light, and Lost Xplorers
Don Trip might be the hardest working man in rap right now. He’s dropped an album every month this year and doesn’t seem to be letting up with productivity. The black and white visuals are the perfect complement to the gritty lyrics. Que Sera Sera…
BabyTron goes stupid on this beat and that’s really all you need to know…
Tisakorean is keeping snap music alive and well. Sometimes rap takes itself too seriously and it’s nice seeing people like tisakorean injected the genre with some much needed fun.
Until next time…
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