Johnny Murdoc

I keep meaning to work on a huge, epic blog post. It seems like there are so many things to talk about, things that I’ve been meaning to say. In my head, this blog post keeps growing more and more epic. Then it becomes a chore to write. So let’s try something different.

Did you know that Christopher Schulz (of Pinups) has an art project, Mopping is Stealing, growing on Tumblr? It is WONDERFUL:

There’s an interview with Schulz over on Future Shipwreck where he discusses Pinups, Mopping is Stealing, and his upcoming book Seth:

Do the Mopping collages start with a mental image of what you want the piece to look like, or are each models’ limbs and appendages like puzzle pieces waiting to be arranged into an undiscovered masterpiece?

I don’t ever start with mental images of what I want a collage to look like—they just come together one at a time. I have a folder of images that I’ve pulled from other blogs. As long as I’ve had my own computer I have saved Web images to my desktop if they struck me in one way or another. Once blogs became as common as email addresses, I wondered about the differences and similarities in stockpiling favorite images privately vs publicly.

To me most bloggers have nothing to do with the content they put on their blogs—their role is really “viewer with an audience”. As posts get reblogged across many other blogs, the notion of defining oneself through one’s curated list of images becomes less relevant. What’s really happening is the development of an unorganized collective. With Mopping is Stealing I am experimenting with the reblogging process, and the creator-viewer relationship.

Christopher Schulz continues to be one of the most intelligent, thoughtful and impressive creators of queer culture and this interview is no different. (If you haven’t seen it, I interviewed Schulz about Pinups and print last year.)

Much has been said about the fact that Borders has filed bankruptcy. You all know that I love bookstores in general, and while indie stores hold a special place in my heart, I see the need for huge stores like Borders as well. As readers—and for those of you who are, as writers—a bigger, more robust marketplace for books benefits us all. Losing a part of that—even a large, poorly managed corporate part—is a bad thing.

In other book news, local book retailers have come together to form the St. Louis Independent Booksellers Alliance, and that’s a good thing.

Thank you, San Francisco Dreaming, for your kind review of my story The Horror in Dunwich Hall on Amazon. I owe you a massive hug (you can have it on Friday), and some e-books (as promised here. This deal is still open, kids.)

I have to drive two hours to get to work today. I’m working up in Mark Twain country, in Hannibal, MO. It’s going to be a long drive. Wish me luck.

I love you all.