“It’s safe to say that Jasper Bark occupies a unique position amongst British horror writers; his work is by turns scary, funny and gleefully taboo-breaking. Stuck On You And Other Prime Cuts is a collection of Bark’s short fiction, giving the reader ten peeks into his uniquely twisted view of the world. The collection begins with the title story (an erotic-horror novella which you won’t forget in a hurry) and before it ends it encompasses an economist in Hell, sentient blood creatures, Shakespearian lust and love, and a frankly disgusting story about a urinal. There’s sex and violence aplenty here, but Bark has the writing chops to ensure that whilst it’s never pointless it’s never the_whole_ point, either. Behind the gleeful mayhem there’s the work of an old school horror writer here; Bark can do chilling as well as bloody (a story like the fantastic How The Dark Bleeds, included here, being proof of that). In the end, we’re not excited about this book due to the X-rated stuff, but because it’s by a talented horror writer at the top of his game …”
About a decade and a half ago Keith Tyson, a conceptual artist and childhood friend of mine (who would later go on to win the Turner Prize), invited me to one of his shows. It was in a boutique gallery in a trendy part of West London and the place was filled with just the sort of preening, pseudish individuals you’d imagine attending these sort of events.
Read MoreThis is a story that’s never been told. It's about the tragedy that followed one transcendent moment of triumph. It concerns a true entertainment icon - the Muppet known to millions as Mahna Mahna.This is a story that’s never been told. It's about the tragedy that followed one transcendent moment of triumph. It concerns a true entertainment icon - the Muppet known to millions as Mahna Mahna.
Read MoreI was a little disappointed recently to read of several elementary schools in Chicago that were banning Halloween because it wasn’t an ‘inclusive’ holiday...
Read More