Artistic Democracy

An artistic democrat is much different from a political democrat. An artistic democrat is someone who cares so much about what his audience thinks of his work that he’s willing to sacrifice his own personal tastes just to please them. In high school, I would commonly refer to such people as “conformist bastards”. While I do realize that the audience will determine an author’s success due to sales, they shouldn’t control him completely. People get into the artistic business for the same reasons as everyone else: to satisfy their own creative urges. I can’t speak for everybody, but I’m pretty sure that Bentley Little doesn’t write horror stories because his audience forms a line outside his door and begs him to do so. In order for that to work, you have to find Bentley Little (he’s a little bit difficult to locate these days, even with a GPS signal). The same could be said about WWE superstars. Sure, they love to say that they do it for the people in their cute little promos (because that’s what heroic characters do: they pander to the crowd), but come on. Really? You don’t get more of a rush out of flying against the ropes and winning championship after championship? Truth is, if the public decided your fate, you wouldn’t be a fucking artist of any kind. You’d most likely be a lawyer, an accountant, a doctor, a data clerk, or any other lame ass job that although drains you dry does satisfy society’s needs. The people who do this kind of work like to brag about “contributing to society” and I just say, “Fuuuuuuuuuck you!” Do you really want to give gifts to the people who don’t give a shit about you? I’m pretty sure that if you’re a police officer who gets injured in the line of duty, going on social security indefinitely is not what society likes. It may be what keeps you from starving everyday, but it’s not what they want. And now I’m going to incorporate my own creative life into this blog like I normally do. I’m happy to write entertaining books about bloody action sequences and raunchy sex for you. If you enjoy my stories, good for you. If not, then that’s okay too, because nobody’s putting a gun to your head and forcing you to be a member of my audience. Unless you’re an editor with a genuine interest in furthering my career, don’t expect me to change my style for you. Either you love me or you leave me. Unlike our current governmental system, my creative life is not a democracy. On the contrary, I’m an autocrat and I rule with an iron fist. It’s the same iron fist my characters use to punch each other’s lights out with. The only way this will ever be a G-rated affair is if I’m playing the guitar and I break a G string while fingering A minor.

　

***COMEDIC QUOTE OF THE DAY***

“Conservatives need to find a channel for their anger and that channel is not Fox News.”

-Bill Maher-

"The Collection" by Bentley Little

If Stephen King considers you to be a great horror writer, take that honor with pride. Bentley Little was skillful enough as an author to receive such an honor. And why wouldn’t he? His anthology of short stories known as “The Collection” is just one example of how dark and screwed up of a place his mind is. No matter which one of the stories you’re reading, you’re always guaranteed extra time trying to clean yourself off in the shower. Absolutely nothing is off limits to Mr. Little when it comes to plot devices, be it child molestation, chainsaw slashings, degenerate crazies, religious sacrifices, or, one of my all time favorites, a bunch of zombies dressing up in Revolutionary War outfits and scaring the crap out of a guy named Mike Franks. That last item comes from a story called “The Washingtonians”, where George Washington is revealed to be a cannibalistic psychopath whose cherry tree story turns out to be him raping small children and hence, taking their cherries. If it sounds over-the-top and somewhat giggly, it’s because it is. If you really want to know what the hell goes on in Bentley Little’s mind, by all means, go to his home in Arizona and ask him…that is, if you can find him. Mr. Little made himself a tad bit difficult to locate. You know who else was hard to locate? Ted Kaczynski also known as the Unibomer. The Unibomber loved to live in the woods and build his destructive devices. And Bentley Little? Well, he loves to live in seclusion and build destructive stories that’ll have you swallowing Xanax like candy. And Bentley has the shaggy beard to prove it. If you’re not already creeped out by this somewhat hyperbolic comparison, then don’t let me stop you from buying a copy of “The Collection”. But I must advise you: if the thought of Mr. Little being compared to Ted Kaczynski in terms of physical image gives you a nervous and cold stomach, you probably won’t make it passed the first page of the book, where religious whackos nailing people and animals to crosses will be the first thing that haunts your mind like a schizophrenic voice. Who knows? Maybe once you get passed the first chapter, you’ll need someone to turn the pages for you since your arms will be trapped in a straightjacket! Just saying!

　

***DOMESTIC QUOTE OF THE DAY***

“Garrison, quit laughing like a crazy person!”

-My niece Reina-