A Brief Conversation with Dennis Mahagin

Dennis Mahagin is a frequent writer at thieves jargon.  He has also written a fine piece for the dead in '83 series.

Dennis,
congratulations on the chapbook online. How did that come about?
For some reason I feel like I see your name pop up quite a bit. I you in
on some kind of mass spamming crusade or have you always been out there I just
didn't know it?
Thank you for noticing!
Nah, I would never resort to a Spam Campaign, to pump up my career.
Spam is pure anathema to me. I start thinking of Spam, and it's like…
Ah, sheesh, Mark, can we get kinda graphic, right off the bat, here?
Anyway, Spam makes me flash on "The Agents" from The Matrix,
straining to make "Number 2" (perfectly cylindrical rust-colored
blocks of Computer Poo). Although I am aware the image doesn't really cut
mustard, since Agents, being Agents, don't need to make Number 2, or 1, for that
matter -- etcetera. Yes, I hate Spam that much!
Now, to get back to your question:
I really haven't been published in that many places.
I mean, in terms of print publications, you could count on one hand the number
of venues I've placed work in. On the other hand, I really do enjoy publishing
my work on the Web. As with the chapbook -- i. e., I was surfing, stumbled
across the Origami website, liked what I saw, especially in terms of the
Chapbook Series, and took my shot. Timing, Luck, Attention To Detail, &
Synchronicity. Pretty much sums it up.
So, you have two blogs, 4 hour Hard On and The Sylphides Hotel, but only one has been updated in the last year.
Are there plans to start a third blog ever. Do you ever plan on doing
anything with the sylphides hotel again? Has blogging helped your career?
The "Sylphides Hotel" (originally called "Pods") is a
half-finished novella, which grew out of National Novel Writing Month a couple
of years ago. I merely did a blog version of my own Nano Wri Mo project.
Unfortunately, I lost focus on that project. Sylphides / Pods may well yet get
resurrected, as a screenplay. One never knows.
As far as the "Hard On Blog" goes—I have retired it, as well.
It was never a very successful blog. Practically the only comments I ever got
were from "Spam Bots" – because I switched the filters off, leaving
me wide open to the Auto Responders. I would sometimes get a kick out of
responding to the Bots, in the Comments section, as if they were real human
beings!
Example:
"Oh, that is so cool about Magic Cuticle Buffer! How long did it take to
suss the prototype for Magic Cuticle Buffer? Have you pitched it to Billy Mays
yet?"
Anyway, early on, in my Blogging Stint, I tried very hard to develop a
successful site. I tried injecting controversy in my posts. Tried to be
Carlin-esque. "Deep Thoughts with Jack Handey"--only with an
"edge." Andy Rooney on Crack. Juvenilia. I ended up posting some
terribly irresponsible things that I'm sure hurt a few people's feelings.
I was totally out of line, and I'm really sorry about all of that.
Ironically, in the last year or so, as I learned some circumspection, my web
log got a little tighter. A little classier. Like, when I would stick to
posting nothing but You Tube music videos I admir ed. Etcetera.
But now I'm so done, with blogging. I prefer reading the blogs of others--who
are talented at it!
I recently set up a page at Red Room Dot Com:
http://www.redroom.com/member/yulop
At this venue, I can post new writing I'm working on, plus audio versions of
some of my poems. And a short film I've conceptualized, based on one of my
poems. The Red Room has a killer platform for all this media. Very exciting. It
is tailor-made for a burnt out blogger.
Plus, I have a presence on My Space:
http://www.myspace.com/quenapril
I love My Space—especially when I find new music there. I recently ran across
the work of Peter Mulvey. Had not heard of the man, before. Now, I am an
instant fan of his awesome brand of music.
But getting back to your question:
No, I do not believe blogging has helped my writing career.
Not at all.
Are you ever worried about who will see
your myspace page? How often do you have shield yourself from 17 year old
lurking dateline preying predator robots?
Oh, you mean those Cyber Dolls who spam you, with auto-links to sites like
Adult Friend Finder? That is frightening, yes. Frightening, as a cultural
phenomenon. Cultural artifact. Frightening in terms of what it says about our
society.
However, there is a Personal Safety aspect to the equation also. Yes. There are
definitely some very bad people who cruise My Space, and would mess you over in
a heartbeat, should they find any sort of vulnerability, through discourse with
you, or phishing, or hacking, or whatever. Street Smarts, I suppose,
ultimately, hold you in good stead. Unfortunately—like, with the teens? They
end up getting hurt, because they're still too innocent. They do not know just
how dark the human heart can be—especially when given the "cover" of
a My Space platform. If I had kids, I would definitely try to dissuade them
from using My Space.
As an adult with a rabid interest in new music, plus a desire to promote20my
art, I don't see much problem with My Space, though. The benefits outweigh the
risks. Of course, I'd likely be changing that tune—should I ever get creepily,
relentlessly stalked by some whacked out web denizen.
By the way: On my To Read list is a book by Dennis Cooper, called The
Sluts, wherein he supposedly deals with precisely these issues in particularly
entertaining and thought-provoking ways. I've only so far read Cooper's
poetry. But I've heard his prose is pretty bad ass. Trippy, like in a
Thom Jones kind of way, which is the type of fiction
I like to experience.
What else is on your To Read list.
What books have disappointed you lately. I feel like Dennis Cooper's blog can get a lot of people at work in trouble. What's your job? Who's
your favorite Dennis? What else do you have to say?
Oh, man.
My To Read List is as long as a Faulkner Sentence. Maybe longer,
if that's even possible. One of the tragedies of getting to be my age,
is knowing that, in terms of reading anyway, the old Reach is going
to perennially outstrip the Grasp.
Kinda depressing, Mark. Thanks a lot!
Anyway, I'd like to read the new respective 900-page novels of Denis Johnson
and John Irving. I need to read Kim Addonizio's novel. And Lorrie Moore's
Collected Stories. Also, I'd like to read that Best Of The Web '07 Book, put out by Dzanc Press. There's a few
others. August Kleinzhaler's memoir. That book by Donald Pollack. Pollock?
"Knockemstiff", is the name of the book. Very cool name for a
book.
I have a policy of not talking about books that disappoint me.
Breeds bad Karma, I think. Once you put your Critic Hat on,
could be a very Slippery Slope, from that point on. Etcetera.
Favorite Dennis? That's an easy one.
The Menacing Cartoon Figure, of course. He's the one.
That Dennis, he could, like, really show Charlie Brown how to handle
Nasty Lucy, the next time she tries that Football Trick. Yeah, my boy Dennis,
he'd be puttin' it to Lucy, by God. Sheesh…
Maybe we're onto something, Mark.
Anime-Porn... Peanuts Style!
Get Peppermint Patty and delicate Schroeder in there.
Perhaps also Linus and Snoop Dog. Make it a sextet.
Work?
Eh.
As a clear preference to talking about Work, I'd opt for further discussion vis
a vis Peanuts Anime Porn. Like, how does one professionally license
this idea, whose Time has come?