Summoning Demons

I am mining a dark vein just in time for Halloween.

Stumbled a cross a book titled "Narcisa: Our Lady of Ashes", by Jonathan Shaw.

Jonathan Shaw, son of jazz legend Artie Shaw and Hollywood starlet Doris Dowling, is described as: "a world-traveling outlaw artist, gonzo journalist, novelist, blogger, spoken-word performer, witch doctor, anti-folk hero, and underground philosopher."

The description is from the back cover of his book so take it for what it is but it definitely pushed the right buttons if you are bored to death as I am. In addition, I did some reading-up on the guy and the description appears to be accurate.

Adding more flavor to the stew the guy was a legendary tattoo artist.

So there you have it.

"Narcisa" is a novel about one man's hopeless love/lust for a young crack addict nutcase named Narcisa. It is set in Rio de Janeiro, which provides a dark backdrop of squalor, back alleys, addiction, crime, betrayals, death and twisted sex.

A lovely story really.

Almost simultaneously I came across an author named Nick Tosche.It was a random discovery, although these types of revelations seem to come to me. The dark, the unusual, the twisted.

"Me And The Devil" is winging its way to me even as we speak. A story about a New York writer who is disgusted with the world and his life. He meets a woman one night and their relationship and explorations of life lead him "to a madness and a darkness far greater and dreadful than have ever ridden the demon mares of night."

That's good enough for me.

Tosche is compared to William S. Burroughs, Charles Bukowski, Hubert Selby Jr. and Hunter S. Thompson. High praise.

I have another one of his books sleeping on my Amazon wish list. "Under Tiberius." The story is set in the days of Christ and is about Jesus Christ. Writings are discovered revealing Christ as a "shabby and licentious thief." The guy who wrote the stuff comes across Jesus in the street. Together they scheme to "accrue untold riches by convincing the masses that Jesus is the Son of God."

I'm in. I'm all in.

In addition, as I previously informed you, I have re-discovered American Horror Story.

I am fairly well armed to summon the demons I need to comfort me through the dark, increasingly cold month of October.

And beyond.