6.26.26 PUCK

HAPPY FRIDAY

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How has everyone’s Pride month been so far?

I was thinking back to last June, when I wrote a series called BE GAY DO CRIME, diving into a different queer crime (or criminal) each week. It was soooo much fun to research and write, but this year I’m up to my eyeballs in HEADLOCK editing, so I couldn’t get it together to deliver a part two.

Instead, I thought maybe I’d send you this.

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A ROUNDUP OF QUEER STUFF I’M INTO THIS JUNE

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1. WRETCH by Eric Larocca. The typeface and cover alone are enough to earn this book a spot at the top of my TBR pile. Eric’s dark and twisted prose never disappoints, and I’m sure WRETCH will be no different. If you don’t know his work, check out the (mind-numbingly-jaw-droppingly-incredible) novella THINGS HAVE GOTTEN WORSE SINCE WE LAST SPOKE, which hasn’t left my brain since I first read it years ago. Fun fact - I wrote about it in the very first DIRTY LITTLE FRIDAYS I ever sent (to about 15 people).

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2. BRING ME THE BEAUTIES on HBO. This docuseries has everything. Charismatic queer cult leaders convinced they are inhabited by aliens. 80s male supermodels converting new hot devotees. End of the world prophecies and talk show takedowns. Even though I was secretly hoping for something gayer (slightly more salacious), at only three episodes, it’s worth a watch.

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3. THE CYCLE is a ten-day dive into numerology - and more specifically the numbers 1 through 10 by my numerologist friend Bee Scolnick. It’s happening “live” at the moment - meaning a new email arrives each morning focusing on one of the numbers - but THE CYCLE will live on Bee’s newsletter COMMON DENOMINATORS once it’s complete. Bee also co-hosts CALL YOUR COVEN, which is a podcast I rarely miss that’s a (queer) dive into the Astrology, Numerology, and Tarot of the month ahead.

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4. LEVITICUS because duh. If you haven’t seen it yet, WHY NOT? Enough said.

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5. TAKE ME WITH YOU by Steven Rowley. I heard Steven on Aidan Wharton’s podcast GETTING CLOSE (which I love) and immediately bought this book. It’s a whole lot lighter than my usual reads, but I’m loving this story about a middle-aged queer couple living in Joshua Tree and what happens in the aftermath of one of them walking into an otherworldly beam of light coming from the sky.

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6. DOUBLE SERPENT by Sam Max. I knew nothing about Sam Max until I fell down an IG rabbit hole (I guess the platform is still good for something) and discovered not only did he just wrap his first film (starring Felix Maritaud from SAUVAGE, who I love), but he’s created theater pieces that look sooooo right up my alley. Anyone know his work or seen one of his shows? Here’s a quote from the Ugly Duckling Press page for DOUBLE SERPENT …”In a penthouse in Manhattan, Connor plays dead for his wealthy older boyfriend Felix. Elsewhere, in a dark, wet basement in 1999, he plays Double Serpent with his invisible friend while he waits for Fake Dad to be done with his business upstairs.” I’m in.

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7. While I was organizing some bookshelves recently, I found my copy of HORROR HOSPITAL UNPLUGGED, the graphic novel by illustrator Keith Mayerson and Dennis Cooper. It’s a few decades old, but a total classic in the self-destructive, sad gay boy genre that no one does quite as masterfully as Dennis Cooper. Plus, the black and white illustrations by Mayerson make the experience of reading the book entirely hallucinatory and tactile.

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8. FOR THE LOVE OF by Mattazine Society. I just got this boxed set, which includes the first 12 issues of the cult zine FOR THE LOVE OF, with each issue featuring an ode to a different queer icon. Gregg Araki. Dennis Cooper. Derek Jarman. Peter Hujar. Joe Dallesandro. The guys behind Mattazine Society put their deep love for their subjects on every single handcrafted page, and the zines are a welcome relief from too many hours staring at screens.

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And I just wanna say WOW.

I got soooooooo many great replies last week from you sharing your favorite cinematic experiences. Every once in a while, something I write really inspires you guys to dive deep and share, and I appreciate it oh so fucking much.

Plus, it’s sooooo great to hear that so many of you love the theater-going experience as much as I do.

And that so many of you saw and loved LEVITICUS!

SIDE NOTE: Movies I saw in the theater this week…

THE PASSION ACCORDING TO GHB

ROSE OF NEVADA

THE DEATH OF ROBIN HOOD

(If you wanna find me on Letterboxd, I’m HERE)

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Thanks for being here. I really do appreciate it.

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Carter

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P.S.

Here’s some of my gay stuff to make your Pride a little extra.

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And if you’re still reading, and you wanna see more Puck, send me a 🍌.

If you’re new around here, just hit reply and send me a 🍌 and I’ll respond with a little something extra for you.