sotos

Started by FreakAnimalFinland, March 04, 2010, 08:29:07 PM

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HongKongGoolagong

Quote from: Peterson on July 12, 2012, 10:36:04 PM
Wow, insane. I would probably buy the paperback edition to see this weirdo's perspective better than Google seems to allow, but it's insanely expensive, being so insane and all. What an obsessive nutcase. I wonder if Peter Sotos is aware of the existence of this book, or even remembers who this person is.

This book is billed as a novel and there is no reason to assume that the narrator's voice is the author's - the passages we get to see struck me as being very mischievous and humorous. Then again I may be completely wrong, he may just be a crazy person.

A very real possibility is that this book was written by Sotos under a pseudonym using a completely different style: quite a few writers do that kind of thing and get busted by their fans' sleuth work a few years later.

RyanWreck

#166
After reading what little was given in that preview, with the idea that Sotos himself was writing this, I realized it does have a ring of Sotos' style of writing (namely the "insulting" names he calls Peter). But then again, since I was reading that and assuming it was Sotos there is some selective thinking and confirmation bias going on.

HongKongGoolagong

Here is an interview with the mysterious David G Foys (who is not Sotos) - http://www.voiceamerica.com/episode/40139/if-it-bleeds-it-leads - from 23.00 is really intense for a few minutes - I must say he sounds like a very troubled individual

HongKongGoolagong

Read Pure Filth over the last twelve hours and loved it enormously. Great careful sequencing in the pieces, clever and cruel 'confusion' over the screenshots and what chapters they are juxtaposed with. Mr Sotos' introduction is honest, revealing and shows that he can put together a thoroughly coherent sentence when he wants. Mr Gillis's introductions are endearing, funny and accessible. Excellent quality of printing and presentation as previously noted here.

The On The Prowl segments which begin the book are mischievously innocuous and dull, with ignorant empty porn stars coupled with tedious sex addicts in the male roles - with the exception of the intriguingly perverse masochistic 'Sam' maybe. A sudden and terrifying shift into Walking Toilet Bowl - I've been around mental illness my whole life, it's a hobby and a career for me, and quite honestly Carol and Jamie (in the transcript at least, which comes over worse than the actual film) sound each a week away from a locked nut ward at this low point in their lives. In Brown on Ebony he sounds like a real creep, but she seems utterly pathetic too: the bickering over a few dollars is a particularly bleak point in a grim book. After some pretty vanilla sounding 'bad girls' (Tiki, Taj and Jojo) there are some sinister suggestions about what might have become of Heidi after her humiliation. The interview with Africa was for me the highpoint of the book. She seemed head-and-shoulders above the other actresses in terms of intelligence and insight and she gets an amazing conversation with Mr Gillis about childhood abuse, D/S, racial issues and their potential sexualization and whatever the fuck sex is all about anyway. Psychologically revealing and intense and took me back to my own confusion and dissatisfaction with teenage romantic and mainstream sexual experiences. Book ends with a 'private film' (which Sotos suspects wasn't really commissioned but done for fun by Gillis) in which Eve pretty much matches Jamie in cynicism and cold-eyed approach.

Absolutely phenomenal collection, a perfect meeting of minds, cannot recommend it highly enough. And kudos to all the amazing women in there, some of whom will be surely checking out these reviews with interest.

RyanWreck

Thanks for that review. I received my copy awhile back but I have only read Sotos' introduction which I loved, and a piece of Toilet Bowl and Africa. Since I already have seen most of the videos I figured it may be a pointless read but the reading is somewhat better than actually watching the films, especially if you read it without thinking of the actual scenes, your mind goes on creating its own. The emotionless way that the text reads, as opposed to seeing it on film, works great too. I plan on reading it in its entirety soon.

Have you got around to finding a copy of MINE yet? I want to read your opinion on that one. I'm still waiting on the trade me and someone else did, I sent them Index to read and in turn I was suppose to get Mine and we would send each back after reading but I have yet to get it.


HongKongGoolagong

Someone outbid me for a copy of Mine on ebay during the literal last few minutes a couple weeks ago, most annoying.

I have nothing but admiration for James at Creation Books and only hope it continues but all the authors who signed contracts shouldn't take them too literally or seriously or worry about any breaches, y'know. And cheap basic editions of the whole Sotos back catalogue via Nine Banded Books would be a wonderful and possible thing.

P-K

Quote from: HongKongGoolagong on August 09, 2012, 09:23:49 AM

I have nothing but admiration for James at Creation Books and only hope it continues

he does i thing, i got this news via the Creation mailinglist:
http://georgepetros.com/books/tnt.htm#.UBdY6b96KHk

HongKongGoolagong

#172
http://www.ninebandedbooks.com/mine/ - great news. All hail Chip Smith, friend of all manner of objectionable discourse.

Andrew McIntosh

Quote...Mine advances an exegetical investigation into the ulterior etiologies of underground pornography...

Huh?
Shikata ga nai.

RyanWreck

#174
Here is a fairly new video of one of his readings. This is likely one of the better videos I have ever seen of him. It's just about 24 minutes long and he is pretty candid through-out. He is obviously nervous. Someone handed this to me on all places, reddit. Enjoy...

http://www.centrepompidou.fr/cpv/ressource.action?param.id=FR_R-2f3a8ff517ddfa54442a2553a62459b5&param.idSource=FR_E-328c448338f9bfb46ac321ee0bb85e4

RyanWreck


RyanWreck

Then it's probably dancing. Sotos seems like the type who just hits the dance floors to dance off his frustrations.

Jordan

These recent videos pf readings have left me with the feeling that if I had children, I'd probably feel comfortable letting him babysit.

HongKongGoolagong

Quote from: Jordan on January 13, 2013, 05:02:36 AM
These recent videos pf readings have left me with the feeling that if I had children, I'd probably feel comfortable letting him babysit.

Your son has hit his mid-teens and is going through a confused and rebellious phase. He's in trouble with the law, is wearing eyeliner, listening to black metal and hanging round the local bus station. Despite this he has a talent for writing and two authors have invited him to weekend residential literary workshops: Andrew Vachss and Peter Sotos. With which writer will your son be more safe?

Thank you Ryan for finding and linking the reading.

HongKongGoolagong

The thing is, despite his infamy, Sotos's books are as potentially life-saving and life-affirming to some fucked in the head and isolated teenager as Burroughs, Genet and Acker were before him - just the relief of knowing that other people have these thoughts and you're not a monster. Someone like Vachss, much as I've enjoyed reading some of his novels, doesn't ring entirely right as a person to me - seems like there's something genuinely creepy about him. Same with the UK child protection crusader Shy Keenan, who got a very interesting blog exposing her hidden past removed recently. Peter Sotos's shameful secrets are all out in the open - it's the people out in the mainstream whose skeletons remain very closeted you wonder about.

I'm due to be a father in four months time myself but will try not to use the phrase "as a parent"...