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Saturday, April 9, 2011

The Incomplete Works of Mike Watt Vol. 1


This is a collection of Mike Watt's columns that deal with various things like Horror Conventions, Filmmaking, Religion, Politics. Everything except for sex. Sure, there's a chapter marked sex, but it has nothing in it.
Being a horror convention nerd, well, I'm not sure nerd covers it. I go to Cinema Wasteland, one of Mr. Watt's favorite shows and I attend Motor City Comic Con. That's really it for me. Through Mike's writings I get to discover that Cinema Wasteland might be one of the best out there so, it's nice to get a confirmation that I picked well in my convention going.
The convention stuff actually makes for a huge section of the book.
But there's that other stuff. His affinity for firearms. Fighting with his horses and the triffids that attempt to take over his lawn every year. The fact that he lives on the side of a mountain so removed from reality that his lovely wife and fellow film maker, Amy Lynn Best, can check the mail in her birthday suit if she desires and no one would ever know.
Hunter S. Thompson would be proud.
Especially when he gets on a rant that can cover anything at any time. His journeys into Vegas and Disney World show us that we should never take what we see at face value.
I picked this up last weekend at the Cinema Wasteland show and read it through until yesterday.
Now, here is how I judge a book. It always falls into three groups.
1. Book is too long and boring and I either struggle to finish it or abandon it on the roadside somewhere so a hobo can pick it up and be equally bored.
2. The book is perfect length, perfect story and finishes at the perfect time. These books are pretty good and I might even suggest them to people I know.
3. The book is over and I continue to page through until I hit the back cover. I look at it for a moment, stunned and check to make sure there isn't more book somewhere I might have missed. Sometimes I just start reading it again in the hopes that I might have skipped something.
These are my favorite books.
I am happy to say that The Incomplete Works of Mike Watt Vol. 1 falls into the number three category.
Now, where in the Hell is Vol. 2 and do I make an appearance in it anywhere?
Well done, sir.

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