-->
There was a time, before the advent of
“Reality TV”, when people could be shocked. A time when serial
killers were the subject of true crime novels and punk rock songs,
not a series on MSNBC. A time when GG Allin got arrested for things
that now barely qualify as a wild Saturday night on “The Jersey
Shore”. A time when sideshow acts offered real magic, more amazing
than the magic of CGI.
Shane and Amy Bugbee came of artistic
age in those years, in the twilight of pre-digital media. Shane's
exploits earned him a place in the pantheon of shock artists of the
era that includes Allin, Jim Rose, Jim Goad, Lydia Lunch and Boyd
Rice, and he was profiled in the book
Art That Kills: A PanoramicPortrait of Aesthetic Terrorism.
An
early essay from the book, How To Use $180 And Social Media To Travel The Country For A Year, appeared in
OBSOLETE! #2. The book
itself is a sprawling 532 page collection of stories, interviews and
correspondences, laid out in a graphics packed style that harkens
back to a zine aesthetic. The book's narrative is strung together
with diary entries, depicting the struggles of life on the road, odd
jobs, sleeping in the van and working out of Kinko's office centers.
But the real meat of the book is the interviews. It could be called
“Life on the Z List”, and the subjects are given their Warholian
fifteen minutes of fame, sometimes kindly, sometimes not. From
struggling artists and writers to the founders of the Baltimore Scifi Convention, the son of the founder of the Universal Life
Church, members of an Austin Black Metal band, ranchers, strippers
and a rum maker- it's a cross section of outsiders and blue-collar
visionaries that remind us that it's time to turn off the mobile
device and check back in with our own local oddballs and characters.
Despite an occasional spiteful tone and some personal axe-grinding, there is a sweet, pure heart to the book- the Bugbees love the little guy.
They may not always like them personally, but they know that the lone kooks and
outsiders with big dreams are what make life interesting and “keep
it real” in the era of “Reality TV”.
The Bugbees are making the book
available for free (donations gratefully accepted, of course), one section each week, at their website
http://www.usaodd.com/, along with a good bit of video from the trip.
The online samples give a good taste, but it is the
kind of book that is fun to leave lying around, to flip through and
discover new bits. It's a good reminder of how truly interactive a
paper book can be.
MORE
Our biggest issue yet! With a full color cover featuring artwork by Steve Taylor, the SCIFI/DIY issue is crammed full of original essays, fiction and artwork.
