The Forum Days
Art by OK Nice
I miss forums and messageboards. I know they still technically exist on the interwebs, but the vibe is completely different. The cultural zeitgeist is different.
The first forums I perused were random ones about Kanye and hiphop in high school. I would stay up late arguing about real hip-hop, lyricists, and a bunch of stuff I don’t really care about these days. In time I migrated over to the Thomas Ligotti forums aka The Nightmare Network. I was known as the Forgotten Flame, posting short prose poems and getting my feet wet in the fiction world. I thought my name was deep, provocative and Ligottian in nature. I might mess around and write a novella called The Forgotten Flame one day.
Anyway, it was an exciting time to be alive. I would post my fiction and receive cool responses from random people including the Lovecraftian OG W. H. Pugmire. I posted “The Mime” when I was 17 and you can read the screenshot below. That was 16 years ago which is pretty wild to think about. Feel like a veteran in the game.
This was a niche community of weird fiction lovers; somewhere I could express myself unhindered by the fear of cancel culture and other bullshit. A year later, I stumbled into the bizarro community via the Mondo Bizarro forums. I was posting fiction and just having fun especially since I only knew a couple of writers in Illinois. They encouraged me to write Notes from the Guts of Hippo even though I felt like it was an impossible feat at the time. Pulled it off though.
It felt like anything was possible and I had found my tribe. Fiction had no rules, no constraints, no limits. We were on the precipice of something new and exciting like the Beat Generation…it was cool until all the fuckery started happening in the community…
Sometimes I glance at reddit forums but there are so many trolls, politics, unnecessary arguments, clout-chasing, etc., these spaces feel stifling as if there’s no room to breathe and express yourself. Sadly, forums just feel like dead husks rotting in a field of beautiful flowers.
In other news, JDO assembled a group of Broken River Books writers to discuss a new project called Suicide House. Isn’t that a badass title though?These are some heavy-hitting writes and I’m proud to be recruited for this project. I’ll get started on my section pretty soon. We have some exciting shit planned so be on the lookout.
Project Hum & Project Colour are chugging along. I feel like I’m juggling three solo projects. You can add Project Sleep into the mix. If you’ve been a longtime subscriber, you can figure out what book I’m talking about.
Currently Watching: Moon Knight & Ozark Season 1 & The Boys Season 3
Currently Reading: Inspection by Josh Malerman & Ill Behavior by M. Steven S. & Berserk by Kentaro Miura & We Are Here to Hurt Each Other by Paula D. Ashe & God Damn Chainsaw Murderer by Sean M. Thompson
I’m almost caught up with Berserk. This is one of the best mangas I’ve read in my life. Easily top 5 comic books. Do yourself a favor and read it.
Currently Smoking: Girl Scout Cookies
The Crunk ambassador links up with Glorilla on this fire ass single “Just Say That.” Their musical synergy is electrifying, fun, and infectious.
Hurricane Chris samples himself, creating a certified summer banger with “My Bay.”
French Montana sounds reinvigorated on his latest single “Blue Chills,” bringing back his old NY flow.
“The version of me in your mind is not my responsibility
Shorty whole body fake, tryna see the real in me (ah)”
Chicago’s own Lucki is one of the most consistent rappers out the city and delivers on the leaned out track “Y Not.” Check it out.
Get outside this weekend and have some fun. UFC 276 is playing tonight if you want to see some entertaining bloodshed and violence. And remember to keep it funky out there…
Another great read. I find myself looking out for these in my email and saving the read for my morning coffee and cigarette!