Full Metal Book Jacket - Documentary Footage

“Writing is about discovering things hitherto unseen. Otherwise there’s no point to the process.” —W.G. SebaldWeird is an older, stranger word than most realize. It derives from the ancient root wert, “to twist or to wind.” When we ask, “How did you wind up here?” or when we say, “I lost my keys, but then they turned up,” we get a hint of what WEIRD used to mean. Originally weird meant something like fate. Weird was “that which comes…” Whatever arrives unbidden, carrying some kind of import or meaning, as if somehow sent, directed, dispatched from somewhere beyond is… weird.Or so I claim at the start of the above mini-doc produced by Nick Lacy that captures the magic and misery of my book release party at Angel City Brewery last month. Between this brewery presentation, and a few other speaking engagements and podcasts, I seem to have irrevocably committed my art and soul to word weird. But if you’ve been following me or read any of my series “The Heights of Weird,” you might not be surprised. Many thanks to Nick Lacy for producing the above short film, Brandon Lien & Brandon Tran for shooting and editing, and Anton Lieberman for loaning the Joshua Tree video art which you can see on loop at Autry Museum of the West in Los Angeles. Thank you as well to Jessica Jelley and Angel City Brewery, and Christina Catania at Burro Social Co. After this release party, YUCK has had a pretty fun run:* YUCK has been featured on local radio in Joshua Tree at Z107.7 FM. * For the past month YUCK has hovered at or just below #1 Best Seller slot in Amazon’s “Desert Ecosystems” (Amazon’s most competitive category).* I was honored to be featured on Chris Clarke’s phenomenal desert conservation podcast 90 Miles From Needles. * I read and did an interview with Space Cowboy Books in Joshua Tree, CA. * I read and did a Q&A Hi Desert Times Magazines in Twentynine Palms. * More interviews/content on my Instagram, too much to list. * Find YUCK at all the cool stops: The Station in Joshua Tree, Mojave Flea in Yucca Valley, Hi Desert Times in Twentynine Palms, and in Los Angeles at Skylight Books, The Last Bookstore and Book Soup. * Two more podcast appearances booked in the next week and several requests in the works. * Readings being planned in San Diego and West Hollywood. A presentation of YUCK is also scheduled in Los Angeles at the Philosophical Research Society in Los Feliz on June 26th. Thank you to everyone who has bought and read the book and/or listened to the Audiobook. If you’ve enjoyed YUCK, please leave a review on Amazon right now!!!Dumpster Fires is a beacon of light in a world of trash and sorrow. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Dumpster Fires at dumpsterfires.substack.com/subscribe