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for E
2007-10-26 02:13:00
in name only Imarried you lostcocooned aloneinside the false chicof a heroin laced dream& like a thin wispof smoke that dissipatesfrom a tinfoil squarethru a slicedsoda strawlove drifted backto reflect the emptinessfrom which it cameI only in wantof my barefoot waifrain drenched & treading puddlesof charcoalNew York alleywaysbegging forthat final fixbut you refused to bemy black & whiteWarhol splashedlike graffition a 2nd storywarehouse wallyou always morethan a plaid skirtin patent leather knee high boots& I alwaysless thanashes you flickedfrom candy applelipstick smearedBenson & HedgescigarettesRC Edrington
More About: Poetry

Eden
2007-10-25 17:45:00
click image for actual sizeColored chalk on blackboard.Just an image that came to me in a smoky room.Many ways to fill the empty spaces...RC Edrington
More About: Eden

Cold Turkey
2007-10-17 11:21:00
a red candle slowbleedsinto a syrupy puddleon a woodentelephone cable spoolas headlightspierce a torn curtain seam& pirouette acrossa wall absentof giraffes birthedby fingers & whisperswhere are yourwhispersyour lipsto tickle ears& tummies bloatedby orange juiceBoone's Farm Sangria & toxic ginthat begs to convulsefrom a thin babybird-like throatonto a frigid cementwarehouse office floorabandoned tohomeless piss& I needto touch you noweven more than I needheroin to touch& caressthis body throbback into submissionalmost...Drug Literature | Poetry | HeroinRC Edrington
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11,000 Year Old Wall Painting Found
2007-10-14 06:42:00
French archaeologists have discovered in Syria what they believe to be the worlds oldest wall painting. Discovered underground, and carbon dated to around 9,000 B.C., the painting measures two square meters. The painting was apart of a circular adobe wall that formed some type of communal living space. Composed primarily of rectangular shapes in red, black and whites, archaeologists have yet to decipher what the painting indicates. However they did determine that the red tint was made from burnt hematite, the white was limestone, and the black charcoal. The humans of the period were not believed to be domesticated and were believed to be hunter/gatherers. A number of human skeletons along with various weapons and flints were found buried under the dwelling.This painting is but another example of humans producing some form of art work or intellectual communication long before excepted scientific and biblical theory gives them the ability to do. Perhaps our entire concept of human his...
More About: Weird , Painting , Wall , Year

Alien Dope God (revisited)
2007-10-14 00:05:00
to fend off the bilethat stings my throatI pierce close my swollentear raped eyesin pretenseI'm some twistedalien dope godthat smearshis slippery fingersthru this warmswamp-like surfacethat belches & burpsprimordial slimefrom its wounded poresto birth some planetinto existenceyour 'I love you, RC'jolts me backto this worn mattress& to the realizationI am only a failed Adamto your junkie Eve& I pray thru heroinwe'll discover some lostforbidden, still& virgin garden...not Hepatitis Cor HIVas I rub cheapWalgreen's antibiotic cremeinto the dampcellulitus soresyou skin-popped to lifeon your once smooth& taut pole-dancer bellyto escapedope sicknesseach time you misseda caved or hidden veinRC Edrington
More About: Poetry , Alien , Dope

Polluto To Launch Jan/Feb 2008
2007-10-12 07:38:00
Polluto, a new underground literary zine, is set to be published on a quarterly schedule by indie press Dog Horn Publishing. For more information on this offbeat UK press, visit their online website.Polluto "...will publish fiction, with a dark or surreal twist; poetry, with a modern, razor-sharp edge; reviews, opinion and interviews; and finally contemporary theory, such as postmodernism, postcolonialism, queer theory, or alternative criticism". Polluto's mission statement goes on to say: "Polluto will be home to strange tales of junkies, parasites, dragons, aliens, prostitutes, mermaids and battered housewives who change into wolves at night-time".Along with some of my newer poetry, I have been invited to write a quarterly column for the journal. This column will be a first person narrative about the day to day life of a functioning heroin addict. No punches will be pulled. I intend to peel back the skin from my veins to dispel the myths, the romance, the chic, and all the other ...
More About: Launch , 2008

for Bridgett
2007-09-29 13:25:00
late nite nicotinejet black coffeefueled byshots of Jim Beamthe worn radio playsthe way worn radiosalways seem to playstatic & soft cool jazztinged by solo sobsof a pawned saxophonein this stale & mustyhotel room& there is nothingon my mindas cigarette smokecurls & driftslike some wayward ghostout this open window& down intothe unlit alleywhere somewhere lostamidst the dumpstersamidst the piss & pukesoaked cardboard boxesamidst the spentwine bottlescracked & bleedingon the trash scarred asphalt likethe homeless fleshthat once nursed theminto emptinessthere is a rosestraining its way upthru the torn membraneof a patch of soilin ache of dawn& I only needto close my drybloodshot eyes& listen in faithto know it's therea faithI once wastedon youRC Edrington

Eddie Cochran: Punk Rock's Granddaddy
2007-09-29 12:23:00
Eddie Cochran was born October 3, 1938 and died tragically in an automobile accident on April 16, 1960. During his 21 year life, and much too short musical career, Eddie managed to lay down a grinding guitar and vocal sound that would become a crucial influence on early punk rock bands. While performers like Iggy Pop can properly lay claim to punks general outrageousness and chaos, it was Eddie's teenage angst that would influence such bands as the Clash, RAMONES, and Sex Pistols. And while Eddie only released one album, "Singin' To My Baby" in 1958, during his short career bands as diverse as the Rolling Stones and the Sex Pistols covered his songs. In fact, in July of 1957 a 17 year old John Lennon was so blown away by a 15 year old Paul McCartney playing Cochran's song "Twenty Flight Rock" that he asked McCartney to join his band the Quarrymen. The rest is musical history. Cochran released "Twenty Flight Rock" as a single in 1957. The B-side of that single, and the song most...
More About: Music , Punk , Eddie , Eddie Cochran

Still In Hollywood - Concrete Blonde
2007-09-27 00:35:00
Concrete Blonde released their self titled debut album in 1987. I was a burned out mess coming out of the hardcore punk scene in desperate need of a change in sound. After all the aggression and testosterone that poured out of the Los Angeles hardcore scene, it was refreshing to hear Johnette's voice smooth the edges a bit. The album still remains among my all time favorites. It captures a moment and the emotions of a distinct period of time. Very reminiscent of the X album "Los Angeles" released in 1980. Perhaps not in sound, but in its ability to capture the jaded soul of Los Angeles. Some of my best memories of live music came from seeing X and Concrete Blonde play together. While X has garnered critical respect, Concrete Blonde was fairly ignored. This is a must own album. RC Edrington
More About: Hollywood , Music , Concrete , Olly

Coma
2007-09-25 10:49:00
Perhaps sheswallowed themto escape the hallowed boneof moonlight,the skeleton of treesrattling keysagainst herbedroom window,but mostly Rickshe took themto erase you.Two lovers layingin a sleeping rowboatdream of anchors,& tonightI knowshe dreamsof me not you.Your desire to hurt herwas only your fingertrying to push thruthe thin skinof a red balloon,& now she driftsfrom your graspinto gray sky.Rick, her pill bottlemay now be empty,but she is still herelimp & asleepin the white shadowsof this coldhospital roomclutching a sliver of your filthydrunken tongue,ready to carvea thick frownalong the curveof your skinnytattooed throatas the heroin failsonce again to take youto that warmheartbeat embracethat only existsin her arms.RC Edrington
More About: Poetry

7 a.m.
2007-09-25 10:30:00
she cuddles nudein a puddle of pillowson the studio floor as tho she's alwaysbelonged therewhile I sitat this wornkitchen table& choke downstale bits of bagelbetween shotsof Jack Danielslast nightshe wanted loveI just wantedto lose myselfinside the acheof her softtattooed skinthis morningI sit & stareat her pale legs& breasts waitingfor her to awake& decide if she still will needwhat I hopeshe doesn't thinkeither of usmay have foundRC Edrington
More About: Poetry

Henry Denander: Portraits
2007-09-25 09:26:00
I had intended to post this entry a while back. Anyone vaguely aware of the general chaos which defines my life knows I tend to splash things on this blog in a somewhat random manner. Anyway, sometime last year (or earlier), artist/author Henry Denander began a series of watercolor portraits of some of todays small press writers. I was truly honored and suprised to be considered among this list as I tend try and keep myself outside of any circles or cliques. Because my work tends to demand a certain level of extreme honesty and self exploration, I am either loved or hated. There is rarely a middle ground opinion of me or my work. This is something I prefer and encourage. But to point, Denander has assembled quite a gallery of small press writers. I encourage you to go take a look at some of his paintings of small press poetry "scenesters". His gallery can be found here: Henry Denander Gallery.RC Edrington
More About: News , Portraits , TRAI , Nand

Punk Rock Tidbits: Janie Jones
2007-09-24 17:03:00
Arriving in the US in 1979, two years after the original UK release and with a slightly different track list, the Clash self titled debut album quickly became my favorite album. While I appreciated the raw energy and angst of the Sex Pistols, even back then I viewed them as a novelty sideshow. The Clash were the real band with real songs and an intelligence unsurpassed by any punk band from the era.My favorite song off the album has always been "Janie Jones". At the time I assumed it was a made up name for the song or a representation of a conglomeration of a group of females in the UK. Sometime in 1982 I found out Janie Jones was a real person. A photo of her taken sometime in the 1980s is posted above. Till this day I am not certain how many Clash fans are familiar with her existence. While her biographical background remains somewhat sketchy, confirmed facts reveal she was a 1960s pop singer who became a famous madam in the 1970s. In fact she was arrested and imprisoned in 1973 f...
More About: News , Music , Punk , Punk Rock , Rock

The Death Of History
2007-09-24 14:09:00
Ancient Sumeria, now modern day Iraq, is considered by most scholars to be "the cradle of civilization". The Sumerians were the first to use and develop the wheel, gather in city/states, and use written language (cuneiform). For a detailed look at all aspects of the ancient Sumerian culture, I recommend the following simple to comprehend website: Sumeria. Sumerian "myths" or as some scholars argue "historical facts", pre-date biblical accounts of things such as a worldwide flood. Many experts believe, most notable among them Zecharia Sitchen, that the Old Testament Book of Genesis is nothing more than a compilation of ancient Sumerian text. Sitchen has spent a lifetime in the translation of Sumerian cuneiform writings and cylinder seals. For further information on Sitchen and his work, please visit his official site and prepare yourself to unlearn everything you thought you knew about the beginnings of mankind: Zecharia Sitchen.Much can be learned by the study of ancient Sumeria an...
More About: News , Weird , History , Death , The D

Review: Johnette Napolitano - Scarred
2007-09-20 10:53:00
Johnette has one of the most painfully honest and haunting voices I have ever heard. Perhaps this is why I became such a fan of her music sometime in 1982 when she was heading a project called Dream Six. Her voice offered the only true emotion I could find outside of the underground hardcore music scene of the era. As Dream Six became Concrete Blonde Johnette's vocals, lyrics, and bass made up not only 2 of the best albums of that era (the self titled debut and the 2nd album "Free") but provided an emotional context for the next decade of my life.Sure the later Concrete Blonde albums were great in their own way, but it is these first 2 albums I still listen to on almost a weekly basis. In fact I often toss these albums on in the middle of one of my "poetry" writing jags to not only bring back memories of the time, but as reminders to keep things simple and honest. Till this day I am grateful that one of the first positive reviews of my first poetry chapbook came in the form of a l...
More About: Review , Carre

Crazy Routines
2007-09-13 04:09:00
"This may prick just a bit". Her voice like steel wool attacking a rusted tailpipe. Her breath stale coffee and peppermint in my face like some sickly aunt I only pretend to like so my birthday check still arrives.She is scared of me, a bit. I can sense it. Not because I am 6'3" and 230 lbs. But because I am 6'3", 230 lbs., and she is checking my blood level to make sure the various psychotropic drugs coursing thru my veins are at a therapeutic level. If they aren't, I imagine she has visions of me ripping her throat out and licking the blood as it drips in slow motion down her saggy 50 year old tits.I have long ago faced the fact that this nurse, and people in general, consider me crazy. But in this world, I am not too sure crazy is all that bad a place to be.Her wrinkled hands shakes just a bit as she rubs alcohol along a vein on my forehand (due to years of heroin usage it is impossible to fish up a sunken vein anywhere else). "Relax", I tell her, "I get my blood drawn every t...
More About: Crazy , Prose

Angels & Cadillacs
2007-09-10 07:52:00
We decided to drive up to Kansas City for a baseball game. Or more like we decided to drive and Kansas City seemed like the right direction. An afternoon washed in sun and the relaxing sounds of bat on ball and ball in glove. The smell of grass, peanuts, popcorn...sounds and smells that once occupied the gauze wrapped memory of my youth. Sounds & smells that perhaps could somehow help me escape the mundane life I had now found myself in. TVs. Computers. A few hours to break free of the digital squeals and squeaks captured on disc and pimped as music that had replaced the gentle warmth of a needle hissing across an LP. But it always comes back to needles. Doesn't it? How can one continue any type of meaningful or pleasurable life knowing a syringe can never again prick their vein. Knowing they will never again feel the warm blood rush spreading tongue kisses along the crest of the nerves. No longer able to be fucked senseless in that warm embrace where nothing matters but nothing a...
More About: Angels , Prose , Dill

YouTube Downloader
2007-09-08 06:50:00
As more and more video clips begin to get pulled from YouTube due to copyright issues, wouldn't it be cool to have a program that could download your favorite clips to your own computer so you could enjoy them whenever you wanted without even having to be online?Several software companies have come up with the software, in fact Firefox even includes an addon option for its browser. Having used them all, my favorite tool is YouTube Downloader. It downloads the videos fast, and most importantly it allows you to download them in an .avi format as opposed to the .flv file format which requires a download of a seperate program to play .flv files. AVI files can be played on most standard video players already on your computer.So if you're a big YouTube fan, download the free program and give it a try: YouTube Downloader YouTube || Downloader || RC Edrington
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Out Of Body
2007-09-06 11:09:00
How does one distinguish a dream from reality, if in fact that is possible. And if it is possible, why would one waste their time walking along a razors edge with a broomstick to ensure the two do not mingle into one bizarre experience greater than either alone could produce?Any shock or experience my nervous system goes thru whether sleeping or awake has the same impact upon my brain. The subconscious mind retains information regardless of whether the stimulus were "real" or "dreamed". Certainly we all can recall scary images from horror movies that till this day make us squirm a little in our seat or make our pulse quicken a bit. We know these things not to be "real", yet our bodies react as if they are so.This leads me to an episode from my past. I am not certain it was real or a dream. I also am just as certain it doesn't matter if I place a label upon it and choose one over the other. All I know is...it happened. Make of it what you will. But take note dearest reader, this epi...
More About: Weird , Body

Revolution...
2007-08-29 15:05:00
Thomas Jefferson often stated that every generation needs a a good revolution. I am fairly certain he wasn't speaking about music, fashion, or culture. He was speaking to the basic tendencies that exist even in the best of men. That being, the longer one is in power the more they become corrupted by it and are willing to sacrifice their ideals for more power. All leaders reach a plateau where they no longer serve the needs of the populace, but in turn create an atmosphere where the populace are viewed as servants of them.I am not disgusted at our current leaders because they are weak men who fell victim to the nectar of power and continue to drink from it like blood thirsty vampires in some orgasmic frenzy. I am disgusted by our leaders because they have chosen to ignore their basic nature, which would allow them to place restraints upon themselves as our forefathers did.Our government has completely lost touch with its populace. But then what does one expect when we have only had ...
More About: Revolution , Essays

Halloween 2007: Directed by Rob Zombie
2007-08-28 23:39:00
As a huge fan of the original Halloween movie directed by John Carpenter, and a fan of Rob Zombie 's two previous movies, I was really looking forward to seeing how Rob Zombie would treat the remaking of this classic horror movie.In an interview with Howard Stern earlier this month, Zombie discussed how his version provided a back story and almost a prequel to the psycho killer Myers. Sounded great to me. Let's go inside the mind of the madman and see what made him the monster he turned into. Great concept, but poorly executed. Instead of bringing something new to the table, Zombie bogs down the Myers character in a typical serial killer childhood that begins with him killing small animals in response to the horrible world he finds himself in. Nothing new here.No suspense. No twists. No turns. Zombie follows the typical horror movie formula to a "T", and offers up a rather boring movie. We are less scared of Myers now that we understand him than we were in the original movie when w...
More About: News , Ween

Journal Scribble: 8.21.07
2007-08-21 09:57:00
I realized at an early age that life was fairly meaningless. This wasn't in and of itself a negative or positive thing...it was just a simple fact. However like most of you, I attempted to lie and convince myself otherwise and buy into whatever bullshit was being peddled at the time. Some of you are still caught in that illusion of purpose. You slave over jobs that hold no meaning to purchase products that have no meaning to assimilate into a society that holds no meaning.Some of you are even arrogant enough to be caught up in the religion fantasy. Yes, arrogant. Why? What else would you call a person that actually believes there is someone out there on a second to second basis that actually cares about your mundane existence. Religious people are just a bunch of Paris Hilton's parading the intricacies of their pettiness upon a stage to garner applause and attention under the arrogant assumption that someone actually gives a fuck.Truth and meaning are only things which we discover...
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2 Habits
2007-08-14 06:15:00
we duct tapedfaded newspapersto the bedroom windowsto erase the sunsilencebetween uspalpable, thick & black likefresh taron a once familiardirt roadwe'd never wandertogether againa long ignoredcigaretteburnt itself outon a crushedDiet Pepsi can,ash bent& ready to falllike a timid suicideperched onthe Golden Gate Bridgetime itself a false restraintwe somehow escapedas we sat liketwin Buddhas rottingon a flesh smearedmattresswhen you held metight in your numbheroin powdered sleepI knew you dreamedof someone else,as did Iboth too weakto break old habits& embrace the dawnthat crept slowbeneath the thin sliceof the fist batteredbedroom doorRC Edrington
More About: Poetry , Habits , Abit , Habit

Small Truths
2007-08-07 22:08:00
as years beginto droplike dead fliesoff an outhouse wall& a stray sliverof gray hairworms its wayinto a black patchof pubic hairI've begun to noticethe womenI'm now interestedin decorating my bedare quite differentthan the calendar modelsof my shallow youththere is lesspainted on beauty& sometimes evenugliness or scarsbut there is alwayshonesty& small truthsafter a slowmorning fuck& a hot mugof coffeeneatly tingedwith the cheapeststore brandvodkaRC Edrington
More About: Poetry , Small , Ruth

Dope Project: Released
2007-07-27 11:46:00
The Dope Project began a few years back with Debbie Kirk putting together an anthology around this particular topic among small press authors. After a few twist, turns, and general chaos that makes the small press the cool land of oblivion that it is...the collection ended up in the hands of Brian over at Zygote In My Coffee. Released under by publishing house under Debbie's imprint PinkAnarckitty Press, the anthology is finally available. Edited by Debbie Kirk, this anthology includes an introduction by myself and poetry by some of the best small press poets out there. This is a must read and must own perfect bound soft cover book available for $5. Orders your copy here: Dope Project.RC Edrington
More About: Ease

Chris Cornell - Billie Jean
2007-07-20 11:00:00
Most bands don't realize that if you are going to cover another bands song then you need to transform the thing into your own song and make it better than the original. Why else bother covering a song, unless you're just a cover band? Here is a perfect example of a cover song. Chris Cornell (Soundgarden, etc) takes a lame Michael Jackson song, and turns it into an acoustic bluesy masterpiece. It is available on his new album, which you should get.RC Edrington
More About: Music , Jean , Bill

Zygote In My Coffee Update
2007-07-10 09:32:00
Zygote In My Coffee is currently running a special. You can grab print Issue #3 (available now) and print Issue #4 (due out this Summer) for a mere $10...and that includes shipping. A great deal on a great literature quarterly. An online version of Zygote is still being published, so give it a look HERE, then go ahead and order the print journals. This is a small press that deserves all your support. I currently have a piece in Issue #3, and one in the forthcoming Summer issue. As for the online journal, look for new stuff of mine in Issue #92 (7/23/07) and Issue 94 (8/20/07). Keep alternative poetry and literature alive.RC Edrington
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Underground Voices: July 2007
2007-07-02 05:46:00
The July 2007 edition of Under ground Voices is available online. You can read it HERE. This is one of the few online journals I take the time to read. I have 3 pieces in the latest issue, so give it a look. For those of you slow on the draw, Underground Voices Print Issue 1 is still available. In my opinion it was probably the best short story and poetry anthology published last year. But don't take my word for it. It was voted one of the top books of 2006 by reviewers. Check it out HERE. Then buy a copy!RC Edrington
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Smells Like Bastards Of Young
2007-06-24 14:35:00
Formed in 1981, ten years before Nirvana released their alleged "alternative" rock masterpiece Nevermind, the Replacements were the original teen angst band that blended punk energy with pop sensibilities. Of course in 1981 no one was much interested in a punk band with the capabilities to cross over into mainstream America. Hardcore punk and bands like Husker Du, the Minutemen and Black Flag now had full attention of disenfranchised teenagers.Music ally and lyrically the Replacements were a good decade ahead of their time. I remember first hearing Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" on the radio sometime in 1991 and thinking it was the latest Replacement single. However by 1991 the Replacements had broken up. Hardcore punk rock had run its course, and the radio waves and barrooms were once again filled with meaningless music from meaningless bands.Then Nirvana, the greatest cover band of all time broke. There was absolutely nothing original about their sound or their angst. In my o...
More About: Young

Mirage
2007-06-19 11:37:00
Waking to the emptinessof a Jack Daniels bottle & her brastaring up from the bedroom floor,I can't help but feel likea spent rubber.If I weren't trappedin this whiskey paralysisI'd go to her picture of mecollecting dust like gray hairon her bedroom nightstand.How many layers of photographsare tucked in the frame behind mine?I've never peeked but they are there,men who hitch hiked across this desertfollowing her promises of love like water allowed to drink their fillthen sent off addictedto the taste of her lips.In the morning,I'll gather my & toothbrushand scuffed leather jacketthen walk out into the sunset again,searching for an open barbut willing to settle for2 eggs, a cup of coffee& a waitress whotongues her lipsas she pushes up her bra straps& offers me nothingmore or lessthan fresh squeezed orange juicefrom a can.RC Edrington
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