The Counterforce No. 73

Kirsti MacKenzie, Xymox, liar, flower, Deliver Me From Nowhere, Daniel Kitson & Gavin Osborn, Tex Gresham & KKUURRTT's Pop!, a fun night at Best Video

I loved doing the ETC podcast. Talked to some cool people doing some cool stuff, as was the mandate. But back in the summer I got too busy focusing on my own stuff and I don’t have time to make it a regular thing so I decided to stop paying to keep the podcast going. But I do really like talking to people making interesting things and I thought maybe I could continue that on here when the opportunity arises. Jim Ruland occasionally posts interviews on his Substack (recommended for the rest of his content as well) and even if I don’t know the artist, they’re good reads

On my list to talk to had the podcast kept going was Kirsti MacKenzie . And now that her debut novel, Better To Beg, is out, I asked if she’d like to be the inaugural guest. We had an excellent conversation talking about the book, the music surrounding it, how much fun she has in her writing, and especially about how you can’t wait for permission to create art. The title coming from ‘it’s better to beg forgiveness than ask permission’

What I love about Kirsti’s writing is the huge amount of joy it conveys, she’s having a lot of fun and wants the reader to too. My favourite piece of hers is Haymaker, about boxing a kangaroo (go on, give it a read, it’s one short paragraph). So I was looking forward to Better To Beg. I wasn’t expecting it to be so triggering, lol. It’s 2003 and rock duo The Deserters give electrified performances fraught with sexual tension as they make their way around the country hoping to land a record deal. Chapters alternate being told by Viv or Hux, and while I loved and identified with Viv’s ambition, there were points where I really couldn’t stand Hux. Having been in bands my whole life, and in arguably my biggest one around that time, dealing with talented people who are nonetheless hellbent on self-sabotage are So. Fucking. Draining. And infuriating. Kirsti’s always good for a mot juste and while I admired the writing, it did really kick stuff off in me. On the other hand, the point of the book - that you just gotta get out there and do it, if that’s what you want - is a message than cannot be repeated enough times. Speaking from personal experience, I promise you that if you do, amazing things will happen. You may not hit superstardom, but you will imbue your life with meaning, and impact others in meaningful ways too. Heck, I can think of at least three children that were born (not mine) simply because I pursued making music. Those are stories for another time. For now I hope you enjoy my interview with Kirsti and are inspired to pick up her book

Early on in our conversation Kirsti mentioned Much Music and like I am whenever someone recalls that channel (admittedly only once or twice in the past 20 years) I was instantly brought back to this one afternoon in 2003 when for some reason I was home in the middle of the day and I turned on the TV - a rare occurrence during daylight hours - and the video for Clan Of Xymox’s Muscoviet Mosquito was on

This would be my introduction to the Dutch goth outfit and I was intrigued. I set out the next day to buy that debut album and then quickly found Twist Of Shadows used at In Your Ear. Twist Of Shadows is a brilliant pop record, featuring one of my favourite songs of all-time, Imagination. This song has provided untold amounts of joy over the years, capturing a certain strand of the ethereal that always gives me shivers in music. And all because of a moment of chance on an anomalous day twenty something years ago

More currently with music, I mentioned KatieJane Garside last time, and now the new liar, flower album, ornamental gardens, is out. Lovely stuff, one of the best records of the year. A lot less ROCK than the last one, with only one rock song, though that song - monolithic ego - is pretty great

The rest of the record reminds me of dusty music boxes springing to life when dappled afternoon sunshine finds its way past heavy curtains into more obscure corners. Often gossamer-like fragility. Although I wouldn’t say the sound is the same, I definitely get Creatures vibes from this record. Perhaps understandably as it is a couple making music together. sewing machine (tongue for a dress) reminds me of my favourite Creatures song, Don’t Go To Sleep Without Me

In other exciting new Bandcamp releases, my favourite storyteller Daniel Kitson has released a new one in collaboration with songwriter Gavin Osborn. And my oh my, Stories For The Starlit Sky is a lovely, lovely thing. As this past week has been leading up to a New Moon as well as approaching the Winter Solstice, it’s been the darkest days of the year. And having this come out brought some much needed heartwarming, mirth, and magic. Three intersecting stories, about many things though a main one being the wonder inherent in staying up all night, interspersed with Gavin’s lovely indie-pop songs. Just Two Kids is almost too romantic, and there’s a lot more to love across the 2.5+ hour show

Kitson is just a master of the form, his comedy evoking really fucking full belly laughs, and when he’s doing stories rather than stand-up, this is often combined with wonderful whimsy and the heartfelt stuff that life is made of. As it’s the right time of year, I’d recommend getting stuck in with this one:

My mother had been wanting to see Deliver Me From Nowhere so we went a few weeks ago. While Dancing In The Dark is my other karaoke go-to after Burning Love, I wouldn’t say I’m the biggest fan of The Boss. I don’t dislike him of course but I think growing up in the 80s and being introduced to him via Born In The U.S.A. put me off. That megastardom in the pop charts had me suspect. I mean, he wasn’t Van Halen. Everybody seemed to like him. Over time I’ve come to appreciate more though only Born To Run do I hold in as high esteem as Dancing In The Dark. But the story of Nebraska is INSANE and I hella respect his integrity. Having been brought up viewing the major labels as evil, and perhaps not even necessarily so, I’m just amazed Nebraska got released. I can’t think of any other instance in history of a label being so supportive of an artist, giving in to all their demands instead of trying to crush any life out of their artistic purity. Though it was a different time back then. The movie left a big impression and I immediately bought Warren Zanes’ book on which the film is based. It’s a bit samey at times, hammering home the same points, and not as wide a scope of Bruce’s life at the time as the movie, but still very cool that he wrote it and brought to light all that went into this singular record. And lovely to hear his personal reflections of The Boss supporting the project

I haven’t had a whole lotta time to read this year, which is both annoying because it’s something I love doing but also fine because I’ve been working so much on my own stuff. I’m still making my way through all the books I got at AWP back in March. I finally got to Tex Gresham & KKUURRT’s Pop! though and freakin’ loved it. It was a very cool thing back at the event at Silverlake Lounge in March, these two read and then were just giving away 50 copies they had printed up. I snatched one immediately. It is now published by Rejection Letters and I highly recommend also snatching one immediately. There’s one tiny change from the edition I have in that Funko - as in yes, Funko Pops - is now ‘Fucko’. In the book, Kurt decides to give up the creative life and inadvertently gets a job at Funko Pops. During his stint there, he and Tex decide to engage in a little art terrorism, which doesn’t exactly go according to plan. Or does it? It gets meta as they begin to write the book of their experience, the results being rather far-reaching. I don’t want to give too much away but there’s a good amount of time spent in a Romanian prison. Pop! is a VERY funny book, but also deals quite seriously with what it means to make art. Well worth your time

I finished Pop! just in time for KKUURRTT to be doing a reading here in CT, along with other Rejection Letters writers, at the wonderful Best Video, a CT institution that has, ever since I was growing up, been the place to get rad movies you’d have trouble finding elsewhere. The night was a blast. Emily Costa’s stories are great and she reads them so well. I hadn’t heard any of Terri Linn Davis’ poems before and I was impressed. She’s very funny, as evidenced in Ode To My Mother Pissing into a Mountain Dew Baja Blast Cup. And she had a drop-in duet with Aubri Kaufman, whose Space Casino is one of my favourite short stories of this year. Felicia Rosemary Urso read a moving piece about the complications of a partner’s mother’s suicide. Kurt (saving myself some time here letter-wise) read from Pop!, the disastrous signing at Barnes & Noble scene, and I picked up a copy of his earlier book, Good At Drugs. The night was part of Kevin Kearney’s tour for his new novel, Freelance. I didn’t know anything about Kevin’s writing going in and I’m always a little sceptical whenever I see other people’s work getting hyped on the internet. I don’t like that I’m like that but I’m pleased to report that my reservations fell away when I heard him read. Well-written, funny, dealing with stuff that interests me, I not only bought the book but also had some great conversations with him throughout the evening. Kevin and Kurt, real gents. It was awesome to hang out with everybody afterwards, cool people doing cool stuff. More of this please

As it’s time to bust out the Billy Idol Xmas album, I wish you all the happiest of holidays! I had posted this mix last year if you’d like to hear some of my favourite off-the-beaten-path Xmas tunes, or if you’d like to pick and choose the YouTube clips, here’s the post. See you next time for my Faves of 2025 list