Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Palahniuk's Rant Bio


Here it is, my little bio for Chuck.

This is from The Cult - Chuck's official fan site:

The grand prize winner was Rayo Casablanca, (writing as John "Breaker" Liffin) who has walked away with a limited edition copy of 'Rant', which includes a never before seen afterword by Chuck and a special slip case. Our runner-ups, who received first edition hardcovers of 'Rant' are Peter Derk, Mike Dudeck, and Eric Stoveken. Congratulations to all of you for writing the most creative and compelling tales. Read all of their stories below.

(Note: The object of this contest was to submit your testimony or story (truth or fiction) about Chuck Palahniuk's life. Using reviews, newspaper articles, hearsay, blog posts, personal experience, and/or most importantly, your imagination, you were to write your entry in under 200 words.)

John "Breaker" Liffin (Mechanic/Technical Writer): My earliest repair manuals, it was Palahniuk daring me to play with words like "constant throttle valve" and "external kickdown switch." Him over my shoulder saying things like, "what if you pushed the lubrication angle?" or "can't you add a bit more about the bushings?" These little tricks and substitutions, he was finding smut in technical descriptions of transmission repair. And he was playing it up. He said forget the repair, it'll get done. Always he said that the key to making it work was highlighting the sex in it and not making it obvious. This is toying with the unconscious, he said, secretly stroking the animal part of the brain. With his engine repair manuals, you'd get truckers popping wood reading about throttle components. Gearjammers beating off to Chuck's description of the gap between the master cylinder and the remote brake fluid reservoir adaptor. Once I remember having to rush to the bathroom after just two paragraphs of ring gear size specifications in a Palahniuk manual. Provoked women too, one secretary was writhing in her chair reading a recall on a school bus fan clutch. Mine, they never had that same effect.

Monday, July 23, 2007

Kemble Scott's Blurb

Yup, another one in. Love it.

"6 Sick Hipsters is a wild ride into the underworld of hip that takes more daring, shocking, bloody turns than Pulp Fiction. Rayo Casablanca pulls no punches. Oh, but you'll take 'em... and love every jolt."

-Kemble Scott, author of the bestselling novel SoMa

Saturday, July 14, 2007

Jeff Parker's blurb

Speaking of blurbs - Jeff Parker, author of Back of the Line and Ovenman (see link above), gave me a really nice blurb for 6 Sick Hipsters.

"Rayo Casablanca's 6 Sick Hipsters is a wild ride of a novel. Something of a magical-realist noir that brings a whole new meaning to the fashionable idea of the death of the hipster. It's enough to make one nervous about leaving the house in a Pavement t-shirt."

Chuck Palahniuk Oral Biography Contest


I won!

Super cool. Got the Limited Edition Rant with the entertaining (but short) "Automotive Afterword" and my quasi-fictional (but short) bio of Chuck will be on the Rant website in the coming weeks. Who could ask for more?

Now, if I could just get a blurb for 6 Sick Hipsters...

BomberGirl and the Mechanic


Combining Nina Hagen-esque theatricality with New Wave synth noodlings, BomberGirl and the Mechanic sound surprisingly like the devilish offspring of Gina X Performance and OMD. Their first CD release, Flamingo, runs from electro pop ("Roller Round") to spaghetti western styled techno ("Cowgirl"). Fans of Hagen's more commercial output (Fearless) are advised to check this out. It's mutant diva disco for the masses.

"We Know" opens with a wash of strings and thunderous percussion that sips like Ladytron but with an LSD aftertaste. The album's best track, "Saltwater Eyes," is an elegiac industrial piece -- something a cargo cult obsessed with early 4AD might make. "Paper Crane" combines static drenched waves with bike-chain grinds. Soaring over it all is Abbey's operatic styling. There are a few missteps, "Champagne" sounds flat and "Synchronize" plays up the worst Erasure pap, but overall the album is quite intriguing and exceedingly strange. Lene Lovich fans will be drooling.

Thanks to Warren Ellis for the tip.