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Charlie Huston became, with SLEEPLESS, one of my favourite novelists. His new WOLVERINE series for Marvel launched last week, he has a new series of books forthcoming from the beloved Mulholland Books, and his novel THE MYSTIC ARTS OF ERASING ALL SIGNS OF DEATH is being adapted for HBO by Alan Ball. I asked him to write to you about whatever was in his head today. This is it:
A counter proposal: let’s talk about reading and writing. Rather, let’s write about reading and writing.
Questions and answers that we can, if we’re feeling ambitious and dickish, hurl at our writer friends.
I’ll go first.
To wit: You have to take an enormous dump. You can tell at once that it will take a great while, but will also be a glorious experience. You will feel weightless after this magnificent shit.
Still, you will occupy the head for some time, and just recently all reading material was removed from said water closet.
With only a brief amount of time to consider the options, select three texts to take with you.
One book (not necessarily a novel).
One comic book/graphic novel.
One magazine.
Paper only, no online matter.
Because, in the end, you must use one of the above to wipe.
Which will it be?
In the interests of fairness, I will go first.
The most recent William Gibson, whatever it may be. Gibson can be read in small chunks while always bearing fruit.
Grant Morrison’s run on NEW X-MEN. Madness. Makes little or no sense. Always entertaining no matter where the pages flop open.
NEW YORK MAGAZINE. Pop culture consumerist trash about a city I love and lived in for many years. The mind drifts, the rectum relaxes. Shit in, shit out. I once opened the pages to see a picture of a friend of mine wearing a monkey fur jacket. My household subscription will never lapse.
In need, I will wipe with NEW YORK MAGAZINE. Starting with the real estate listings. The pages are too smooth for the purpose, but reasonably soft when crumpled.
PS
A more serious query: have you read Toby Barlow’s SHARP TEETH? This is important. If you have not read it, you will need to do something about that. Werewolf noir set in Los Angeles, inspired by Barlow’s readings of graphic novels, written in free verse.
