Intro – We talk about how Alan Moore writes a lot, and how that is overwhelming.
Chapter 5: Flatland (skip to 13:07) – Reggie Bowler had a horrible life, but his death is turning out to be a hoot.
Chapter 6: Mental F(l)ights (skip to 31:35) – Two big guys get into a fight over a game of pool. One of them called the other a naughty word.
Chapter 7: Silent Swords (skip to 50:40) – War! Huh! What is it good for? Controlling the masses and entrenching oppressive power structures. Say it again!
Chapter 8: Malignant Refractory Spirits (skip to 1:18:50) – Some naked ladies start a fire and probably all free will is a lie.
Welcome to The Hashish and Superiority Book Club, a podcast where we hope to tackle the large and weighty tomes of great (or not so great) fiction we find pertinent to the modern world – heretofore to be referred to as Hell World. Each season of the podcast will tackle either one large work or one author, dissecting what makes them lasting and important to the modern hellscape.
We are Kickers of Elves (kickersofelves.com, @kickerspodcasts), a group of podcasting thirtysomething sad bastards consisting of Wade Bowen (@bogmad), James Nolen (@jamesnolen), and Hugh Crawford (@hughbotcrawford).
For Season 1, we have decided to read the entire 600,000 word, 1300pg doorstop by Alan Moore named Jerusalem (2016).
Music Used:
“Theme Song” by James (he forgot to add the jokey overdub at the beginning)
“Spoilt Victorian Child” by The Fall
“North Nights” by slowthai
“Let England Shake” by Polly Jean Harvey
“Forever Loving Jah” by Bob Marley
“Running Up That Hill” by Kate Bush
Publisher Blurb:
Begging comparisons to Tolstoy and Joyce, this “magnificent, sprawling cosmic epic” (Guardian) by Alan Moore—the genre-defying, “groundbreaking, hairy genius of our generation” (NPR)—takes its place among the most notable works of contemporary English literature. In decaying Northampton, eternity loiters between housing projects. Among saints, kings, prostitutes, and derelicts, a timeline unravels: second-century fiends wait in urine-scented stairwells, delinquent specters undermine a century with tunnels, and in upstairs parlors, laborers with golden blood reduce fate to a snooker tournament. Through the labyrinthine streets and pages of Jerusalem tread ghosts singing hymns of wealth and poverty. They celebrate the English language, challenge mortality post-Einstein, and insist upon their slum as Blake’s eternal holy city in “Moore’s apotheosis, a fourth-dimensional symphony” (Entertainment Weekly). This “brilliant . . . monumentally ambitious” tale from the gutter is “a massive literary achievement for our time—and maybe for all times simultaneously” (Washington Post).
Some links to purchase the book:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01BX7S1M2/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1 (We hate these robber barons, especially Jeff Bezos. Don’t use Amazon if you can help it, but we are huge hypocrites for James and Hugh both recommend reading the book on Kindle.)
Powell’s https://www.powells.com/book/-9781631494727
If you like this podcast, we hope you check out our other ongoing podcasts covering every single episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (The Rules of Acquisition) and our highly critical struggle session with Star Trek: Discovery (A Discovery Home Companion).
Also visit us on all the social media platforms of your life:
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Phone Number: 917 408 3898