Description
A defiant splatterpunk body horror on the Inneracy of theological doctrine, in the context of recovery, addiction, death & grieving. A kind of reverent aching. A glorious descent into havok & profanity.
Exploring what god is to an addict, The Bible II is a gory, surreal How-Not-To-Guide for alcoholics coming to terms with their own saviour complex in absence of traditional methods of recovery.
Saints, Apostles, Whales & all things Holy are warped, re-examined, chewed & appropriated into something more fitting for the modern climate. Pianos erupt through bodies & through half remembered or halfway forgotten conversations; people become buildings & their dereliction;everyone is scarred & replete with teeth but everyone is worthy of Redemption it just depends how. Mixing violent, aching prose with experimental forms, the grotesque & sublime play off each other in tangible ways that makes the apocalypse both personal & revelatory. Owing as much to Giallo films as it does to Hardcore Punk Bands like Orchid & Circle Takes The Square as well as the wildness of poets like Fran Lock, Daniel Borzutzky & Joelle Taylor this unsettling mediation grows to a crescendo of hope, if you’ve the temerity to reach out & grab it.
Exploring how culpability is dealt with in regards to making amends to the ghosts of past lives, whilst living through a mass extinction event of our own making. despite the gallows humour & frank brutality moments of tenderness shine in amongst the maelstrom of words that translates Sam’s frenetic explosive performance style to the page. The poems bleed into each other reframing narratives held up as gospel with the context of perspective as each page turns creating new understanding.
The world is ending but if you need something a little more holy to guide your soul wherever you think you are heading this might be it.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sam J Grudgings is a poet perpetually on the edge of collapse. Shortlisted for the Outspoken Poetry Prize in the performance category in 2020 he is renowned for his frenetic delivery & whirlwind stage presence. His work combines visceral metaphors with frank gutter honesty & dark gallows humour. He yells stories about loss, 50 ft monsters, fighting god & haunted people because it’s cheaper than therapy & less physically taxing than porno. If he invites you to join a cult, it’s because he sees more than just a sacrifice in you. He has toured the country delivering his weird explorations into addiction & the complicity of privilege in explosions of flailing arms, off brand hypnotism & cheap magic tricks. A frequent collaborator with artists of all mediums, he has appeared on pop punk albums, alongside dancers, in art galleries, haunted churches & on most wanted lists. Pushing the boundaries of performance & inviting people along for the wild ride Sam has fought for & earned, the respect of poets & the ire of Gods. Currently experimenting with new forms of performance thanks to Arts Council Funding, watch him shimmer…look at him dance. You. Must. Not. Look. Away.
Find out more on Sam’s Website
