Blog

  • ellie june navidson Reads From Spider Teeth With AJ Durand and KOKOMO

    spiderteeth

    In ellie june navidson’s new zine Spider Teeth, she attempts to encompass the complicated emotionality surrounding her recent surgery, “the surgery.” It’s a messy and gorgeous work that she couldn’t be more excited to share. The opening will feature performances by several trans women/goddesses. Face it, she says, we’re absolutely everything, come celebrate with us.

    ellie june navidson is your everyday subversive tranny faggot. She is a blogger, poet, workshop facilitator, dressmaker, and all around crafty radical. Much of her work explores gender, normativity, radical visibility, and self-awareness. She works to incorporate vulnerability and non-violence into her life while striving for social justice. She’s all about empowerment, brave honesty, and growth. She is perparing to release her fabulous new zine, Spider Teeth, that encapsulates all the complicated emotionality surrounding “The Surgery.” Some essays and contact information can be found at her personal blog can be found at invisiblyqueer.tumblr.com.

    She will be accompanied by AJ Durand and KOKOMO.

    For more info: ellie(dot)june(dot)navidson(at)gmail(dot)com

    Thursday, October 10th, 7pm – Free Event

    Click here to find the Facebook event posting for this event.

  • New Stuff This Week

    littlefishLittle Fish: A Memoir From a Different Kind of Year by Ramsey Beyer $15.99 – If you’ve been shopping at Quimby’s regularly checking out our zines and comics, you might be famililiar with the zine List (one of our best-selling zines) by former Chicago zinester and screen-printer Ramsey “Everydaypants” Beyer (one of the original founders of Chicago Zine Fest). Ramsey took some of her zines from when she was 18, just starting college (years and years ago!), and put parts of them in her book, along with commentary about those pieces, that are really the by-products of the introspection that comes with age. The zine-y and mini-comics-y stuff in the book (which by the way, were better then any zine I could do at the age), appeals to the scrappy aesthetic readers have come to enjoy in Ramsey’s work, but then also it’s a thoughtful and compelling narrative about growing into a person. Recommended. -LM

    Zines
    Rumpy Pumpy #2 by Milo $2.00 – Remember that manic-y girl with the bob from Real Genius? I’m pretty sure I saw her in this zine. Sold! -LM
    On Struggling #3 Bodies by Monica Trinidad $8.00
    Panic Zine: A Guide to Recovering From Panic Attacks With Resources for Managing Long Term Anxiety by Corina $2.00
    Philly Dudes Collective Year 1 and a Half $2.00
    Abstract Door #2 by Vicky Lim $2.75
    Black Metal of the Americas vol 5 $5.00
    Cell Phone Drawings vol 1 $8.00
    Ella Funt #1 May 13 by Ciara Xyerra $5.00
    From a Short Pleasure Comes a Long Repentance by Gina Pierce $5.00
    Ghost Lungs #1 sum 12 by Em Rose $2.00
    Kayfabe Strategies Against Slideshows Reviews 2011-2013 by Michael T. Fournier $3.00
    Miso Soup for the Armchair Activist’s Soul by Ashlee Green $2.00
    See No Speak No Hear No: Articles and Questions about Sexual Assault $2.50
    Stay Cool in the Evil Zone #3 Wait It Gets Better $4.00
    Think About the Bubbles, various issues, various prices. By Joyce Hatton.

    Comics & Comix
    Once Twice by Chloe Wilson $18.00
    Stranger Two Stranger #5 by R. Hendricks $2.00
    Milk Teeth #1 by Kate Lacour $5.00
    Sam O Ed in Siren Song vol 4 by Benjamin Wacks $5.00

    Graphic Novels & Trade Paperbacks

    loveandrocketsthecoversLove and Rockets: The Covers by the Hernandez Bros (Fantagraphics) $35.00 – For the first time, these iconic comic book covers from the original Love and Rockets comic book series (and the earliest trade paperbacks) have been restored and collected in a gorgeous, oversized art book.
    The Walking Dead Book Nine by Robert Kirkman et al. $34.99
    In Pieces by Marion Fayolle (Nobrow) $23.00
    Ambedkar: The Fight For Justice by by Srividya Natarajan et al. $27.50 – A beautiful graphic novel about the activist Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar, born into India’s “untouchable” caste, went on to draft the Constitution of India, becoming one of the country’s foremost revolutionaries.
    ambedkarBlue is the Warmest Color by Julie Maroh (Arsenal Pulp Press) $19.95 – The original graphic novel adapted into the award-winning French film about a young woman who discovers herself and the elusive magic of love when she meets a confident blue-haired girl named Emma: a lesbian love story for the ages that bristles with the energy of youth and rebellion and the eternal light of desire.
    Heroic Tales: The Bill Everett Archives Vol. 2, ed. by Blake Bell (Fantagraphics) $39.99

    Art & Design
    queensofheartsQueens of Hearts: The Art of Marya García (Schiffer) $34.99 – Classic pin-up concepts converge with contemporary aesthetics in this enticing collection of images from Spanish photographer Marya García. In more than 100 arresting images, her love of 1950s pin-up and cinema combine with her alternative aesthetic to offer elegant and sensual images of gorgeous, tattooed women.
    Outside The Lines: An Artists Coloring Book For Giant Imaginations by Souris Hong-Porretta $18.00 – For anyone who loves creativity and contemporary art, or who simply loves the joy of coloring, comes Outside the Lines, a striking collection of illustrations from more than 100 creative masterminds, including animators, cartoonists, fine artists, graphic artists, illustrators, musicians, outsider artists, photographers, street artists, and video game artists. With contributions from Keith Haring, AIKO, Shepard Fairey, Exene Cervenka, Keita Takahashi, Jen Corace, Ryan McGinness, and more, Outside the Lines features edgy and imaginative pieces ready for you to add your own special touch.
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    Mayhem, Miscreants, Memoirs, Music & Misc
    The Upright Citizens Brigade Comedy Improvisation Manual by Matt Besser, Ian Roberts and Matt Walsh $25.00 – Yes, for real, by the founders of the UCB. With fun illustrations! Read more about it here.
    Initiatic Eroticism and Other Occult Writings from La Fleche by Maria de Naglowska $19.95
    Guys Can Be Cat Ladies Too: A Guidebook for Men and Their Cats by Michael Showalter $14.95
    Tasteful Nudes and Other Misguided Attempts at Personal Growth and Validation by Dave Hill $14.95
    Lost In the Darkness: Life Inside the Worlds Most Haunted Prisons, Hospitals, and Asylums by Benjamin S. Jeffries (Schiffer) $19.99
    Glam: The Performance of Style by Darren Pih $40.00

    Politics & Revolution
    The Feminine Mystique: 50 Years by Betty Friedan $17.95

    Sexy Stuff
    Fat Girl by Carlos Batts (Cleis) $29.95
    Big Man on Campus: Fresh Gay Erotica by Shane Allison (Cleis) $15.95
    Dark Secret Love: A Story of Submission by Alison Tyler (Cleis) $16.95

    Magazines
    Tiki Magazine vol 9 #2 Sum Fall 13 $6.99
    Bitch #60 $5.95
    Juxtapoz #153 Oct 13 $5.99
    Kinfolk vol 9 Discovering New Things to Cook Make and Do $18.00
    Offscreen #6 $22.00 – The People behind bits and pixels. In print! Wait, what? You read that right.
    Dwell Oct 13 $5.99
    Skeptical Inquirer Sep Oct 13 vol 37 #5 $4.95
    Backwoodsman vol 34 #5 Sep Oct 13 $4.95
    Gothic Beauty #41 $6.95
    High Times Nov 13 $5.95
    Treating Yourself #42 $7.99
    Mass Appeal #53 $9.99
    In These Times Sep 13 $3.50
    Tabu Tattoo #54 $6.99

    Poetry, Lit Mags, Lit Journals, Chap Books
    Sorry Tree by Eileen Myles (Wave Books) $14.00
    Lemonworld and Other People by Carina Finn $15.00
    Within Mutiny by Holms Troelstrup $15.00
    Mosaic Sum 13 $6.00
    The Oxford American #82 Fall 13 $5.95
    Vademecum vol 1 #2 $5.00
    Filter #53 $5.95
    Under the Radar #47 $5.99

    Fiction
    This Is How You Lose Her by Junot Diaz $16.00 – Now in soft cover.
    Sad Robot Stories: A Novella by Mason Johnson (The Chicago Center For Literature and Photography) $24.99
    Women Float: A Novella by Maureen Foley (The Chicago Center For Literature and Photography) $24.99
    Long Live Us: Stories by Mark R. Brand (The Chicago Center For Literature and Photography) $24.99
    The Portable Edgar Allen Poe $20.00
    Revitalized: The High Arc by Jessica Cage $14.99
    Haunted Dolls House and Other Ghost Stories by MR James (Penguin) $16.00
    In The Land of Time and Other Fantasy Tales by Lord Dunsany $16.00

    Kids Stuff
    Hilda and the Troll by Luke Pearson (Nowbrow/Flying Eye) $18.95
    Jedi Academy by Jeffrey Brown $12.99
    Ottos Orange Day by Jay Lynch and Frank Cammuso (Toon Books) $4.99

    Other Stuff
    Incredible Sonic Wallet Drum Machine $15.00 – Open it and it makes drum noises. Forget that sonic screwdriver. You want a sonic wallet!
    Shot Into Space Animal Pioneers Shot Glasses $16.00 – Eight of ’em.
    Hell Passport Blank Pocket Notebook and Utopia Passport Blank Pocket Notebook $3.00 each.
    Monty Pythons Wafer Thin Mints $3.00 – They’re waaaafur thin.
    Old School Iron Ons $14.95

    Notable Restocks
    Boss: Richard J. Daley of Chicago by Mike Royco (Penguin) $16.00 – As heard on WBEZ’s Afternoon Shift book club.
    Field Notes notebooks, different sizes and prices.
    Cock Cessaries #1 by Brian Hochberger $2.00

    Want to see what’s new to order in our web store? See quimbys.com/store.

  • Tea Krulos Reads From Heroes in the Night: Inside the Real Life Superhero Movement 10/5

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    In Tea Krulos’s new book, a creative non-fiction titled Heroes in the Night: Inside the Real Life Superhero Movement (Chicago Review Press), he explores the “Real Life Superhero” movement, a sub-culture of people who adopt their own costumed personas and hit the street to battle injustice. Like in the comic books…but not really.

     

    Through historical research, extensive interviews, and many long hours walking on patrol in Brooklyn, Seattle, San Diego, Minneapolis, and Vancouver, Krulos discovered what being a RLSH is all about. He shares not only their shining, triumphant moments but some of their ill-advised, terrifying disasters as well.

     

    “Krulos combines solid journalism with colorful storytelling to shed light on this bizarre and utterly human subculture… Heroes in the Night is a great example of the promise of creative non-fiction.” –Matt Hlinak, Pop Mythology.com

     

    The work of Tea Krulos has been featured in such places as: The Guardian, Boston Phoenix, New York Press, Shepherd Express, Milwaukee Magazine and Third Coast Digest. He’s been a featured guest several times on WUWM’s Lake Effect.

     

    For his appearance at Quimby’s, Krulos will read an excerpt from the book, run through a slideshow of some of the colorful characters he’s met, and feature an appearance from a surprise guest.

     

    For more info: http://heroesinthenight.blogspot.com

    Click here for the Facebook event post.

    Or contact Mary Kravenas, mkravenas(at)chicagoreviewpress(dot)com, 312-676-4226

     

    Saturday, October 5th, 7pm – Free Event

  • 12 Weeks of Quimbas: Caseen Gaines Presents A Christmas Story at Quimby’s – with Special Guest Ralphie’s Little Brother, Ian Petrella! 10/12

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    Calling all A Christmas Story fans! Award-winning author Caseen Gaines (Inside Pee Wees Playhouse) is returning to Quimby’s Bookstore to discuss and sign copies of his brand-new book, A Christmas Story: Behind the Scenes of a Holiday Classic with special guest Ian Petrella, who played Ralphie’s little brother Randy Parker in the film!

    This definitive guide to everything fans want to know about A Christmas Story shares the inside story behind the film’s production, release, and unlikely ascent to the top of popular culture. In conjunction with the 30th anniversary of its theatrical release, this is the untold story of the making of the film, and what happened afterwards. Complete with rare and previously unreleased photographs, now fans of the movie and film buffs alike can learn all they didn’t know about the timeless classic.

    “Fans of the film — and film fans in general — will love this book. Extremely detailed and immensely fun to read, Caseen Gaines’ book only adds to the magic that is A Christmas Story. Expertly told in a style and tone that would make Jean Shepherd and Bob Clark proud.” — Michael Ambers, producer of the TV Guide’s The Cast of A Christmas Story: Where Are They Now
    For more information about A Christmas Story, visit www.facebook.com/AChristmasStoryBook

    For press inquiries, contact Jenna Illies, jenna(at)ecwpress(dot)com

    *Celebrate National Doughnut Month with Quimby’s that day too with coffee (from Big Shoulders Coffee!) and doughnutty treats! This event kicks off The 12 Weeks of Quimbas, and this is our first gift to you!

    Saturday, October 12, 7:00pm

  • New Stuff This Week

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    Cocktail Nation: The Definative Guide to the Lounge Universe by Koop Kooper (Bear MANOR) $19.95 – Koop Kooper, the Cocktail universe’s high priest of all things hep, swinging, and swank, and cyber disc-jockey of his radio show, “The Cocktail Nation,” has unleashed the definitive guide to the Lounge universe. Replete with gassin interviews and cool pixeramas, he reveals the incredible diorama of Cocktail culture, lifestyle, and music. Koop mixes it up with cool luminaries and pioneers of the Cocktail soundtrack, such as hepster Jack Constanzo, the bongo player of the 1950s, shakes a martini with the leaders of the revival Combustible Edison, trades smart lip with comedian satirist Shelley Berman and 21st century hit-makers Martini Kings, heads down the dark streets of Cocktail noir, muscling it up with croonoir Jimmy Vargas, then it’s off to the Vegas pool, where he conducts an underwater interview with gorgeous fire-eating mermaid Marina. Koop Kooper’s Cocktail Nation book is a glorious panorama of all things Lounge, created by the swank meister of uber cool himself. As featured in Tiki Magazine.

    Zines
    Roctober #51 Special Comedy and Novelty Records Issue $5.00
    She Is Restless vol 4 Drought and She Is Restless vol 5 Underwater Cities by Rebecca Mir $3.00 each
    Shit Nonentity Illustrated #1 and Probably Only by Doug Fahrman $5.00
    Serial Killers Unite #14 $3.00
    Dylan Zine #3 $1.00
    Sentimental Value #1 by Emily Spivack $10.00
    Cometbus #55.5 Love You Like Suicide $3.00 – Limited pressing! We only have 2 left!
    Snot Rocket City #3 $2.00
    Sometimes You Gotta Be Your Own Cheerleader $1.00
    Doom Spiral #8 $5.00
    The Difference Between by Billy McCall $1.00 – LOL hilarious. Tells the difference between easily confusable things, like Puddle of Mudd and Pile of Shit. Recommended for guffaws.

    Comics & Comix
    Its Happening by Theora Kvitka $4.00
    Vortex #4 by William Cardini $6.00
    Little Tommy Lost vol 1 by Cole Closser (Koyama) $15.00
    Kodoja Terror Mountain Showdown #1 and #2 by Keith Foster et al. $4.50 each
    Occupy Comics #3 by Alan Moore, Molly Crabaple, Shannon Wheeler et al. $3.50

    Graphic Novels & Trade Paperbacks
    Squirrel Machine by Hans Rickheit (Fantagraphics) $22.99
    The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen – Omnibus Edition by Alan Moore and Kevin O’Neill $29.99
    Drama by Raina Telgemeier $10.99
    Blobby Boys Book by Alex Schubert (koyama Presss) $10.00
    Festival Frenzy by Kyle Platts (Nobrow) $24.75
    Hole  by Oyvind Torseter (Enchanted Lion) $22.95

    Art & Design
    Printing at Home by Xavier Antin $23.36
    Visual Funk: Jim Mahfood Art by Jim Mahfood $49.99
    The Astonishing World of Art: Stickers, Postcards, Full Color Art Coloring Pages by Brandon Bird $14.95 – paint by numbers action.
    Samplings and Babblings: A Cartoon Art Museum Exhibition by Sam Kieth $19.99
    High Fidelity: The Art of Jim Flora – Album Covers and Music Illustrations (Fantagraphics) $34.99
    Cruelty and Carnage: Superviolent Art Ukiyo-e Master Series vol 6 $34.95

    Fiction
    The Suicide Shop by Jean Teule (Gallic Books) $13.95 – One stop shopping.
    NW by Zadie Smith $16.00 – Now in soft cover.
    Zero Fade a Novel by Chris L. Terry (Curbside Splendor) $12.00
    As Flies To Whatless Boys by Robert Antoni (Akashic) $15.95

    Kids Stuff
    Wild by Emily Hughes $16.95

    Mayhem, Miscreants, Memoirs, Music & Misc
    Larceny Games: Sports Gambling Game Fixing and the FBI by Brian Tuohy (Feral House) $18.95 – Don’t miss Brian Tuohy here to talk about this book on 9/28!
    Every Love Story Is a Ghost Story: A Life of David Foster Wallace  by DT Max $17.00 – Now in soft cover.
    Spy Rock Memories by Larry Livermore (Don Giovanni Records) $12.99 – In 1982 Larry Livermore, ex-greaser, post-hippie, burnt out and disillusioned by the Bay Area punk scene, journeyed north into an off the map, off the grid mountain wilderness that lay at the heart of California’s Emerald Triangle in search of something “real.” Things got way more real than he’d bargained for, as he ended up confronting blizzards, droughts, floods, fires, marauding bears, skunks, rattlesnakes, and a posse of ornery pot growers, all while launching a magazine, a solar-powered punk rock band, and the DIY record label that introduced the world to the likes of Green Day, Operation Ivy, and Screeching Weasel. With a cover by Gabrielle Bell.

    spyrockmemories

    Politics & Revolution
    Radical Unionism: The Rise and Fall of Revolutionary Syndicalism by Ralph Darlington (Akashic) $22.00
    Underminers: A Guide to Subverting the Machine by Keith Farnish (New Society) $19.95

    Magazines
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    Lucky Peach #8 The Gender Issue (McSweeneys) $12.00 – With split covers for men and women.
    Grantland Quarterly vol 7 (McSweeneys) $25.00
    Creative Nonfiction #49 Sum 13 $10.00
    The Believer #101 Sep 13 $8.00
    Bizarre #205 Oct 13 $10.50
    Mojo #238 Sep 13 $9.99
    Brownbook #40 $14.99
    Monocle vol 7 #66 Sep 13 $12.00

    Poetry, Lit Mags, Lit Journals, Chap Books
    Lookbaby Poems by David Welper $14.00

    Sexy
    Pinups #17 Jake by Christopher Schultz $17.00

    To see what is for sale in our webstore, see quimbys.com/store.

  • September Newsletter

    Screen shot 2013-08-29 at 7.29.36 PMNot on our monthly e-mail newsletter list? Click here or the image above to read news about September. You can sign up to receive it at quimbys.com.

  • Laydeez Do Comics September Edition: Rachel Foss and MK Czerwiec aka Comic Nurse 9/26

    Laydeez smaller logo May

    Laydeez do Comics is a unique salon with a focus on graphic works based on life narrative, the drama of the domestic, and the everyday. Invited guest speakers have 10-20 minute slots to present works/ideas followed by a Q&A. Launched in London in July 2009, the group has now expanded to other cities, including Chicago. Quimby’s hosts the Chicago chapter and it is usually the last Thursday of every month.

    September’s guests:

    foss

    Rachel Foss is a happy cartoonist drawing sad stories for real people everywhere.  Originally from Grand Rapids, MI, she moved to Chicago after spending a year with the Center for Cartoon Studies in Vermont.  Her new comic, the Wandering Fox, a historical drama based on her family history, will debut October 1, 2013. She writes: ”

    I was raised in the general area of (infamous) Flint, MI, where I watched a lot of Nickelodeon and read every Goosebumps book released prior to 1996.However, Flint sucked, so I left as soon as possible.  I went to school and studied film and design.  I graduated realizing that I didn’t really want to do either of those things. I moved to Grand Rapids and did nothing for a really long time.  THEN in 2009, thanks to some amazing people, i discovered Comics/Graphic Novels/Cartooning.  For many reasons, including this, I consider Grand Rapids, MI my true home.

    In 2011 I moved to White River Junction, VT (or more fondly TOON TOWN, VT) after I was accepted into the Center for Cartoon Studies Master’s Program.I now live in Chicago where everything is awesome, especially me.

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    For more info:
    thingsiveseenandheard.wordpress.com
    rachelftfoss.wix.com/wanderingfox

    MK Czerwiec aka Comic Nurse presents on “Comics, Laydeez, and the Movies,” with a surprise announcement at the end!

     

     

    comicnurse

    Click here for the Facebook event post for this event.

  • Danny Bland Reads from In Case We Die 10/2

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    This debut novel by veteran Seattle musician Danny Bland follows a pair of outsiders who find themselves locked in the palpable, dizzy grunge-rock scene of early ’90s Seattle. Drenched in cloud of second hand smoke, Bland’s prose is funny and heart-breaking as he explores falling in and out of love, redemption and what you will and won’t do for one more cheap thrill all backed by the swelling sound of electric guitars, booze and petulant misbehavior.

    “Our anti-hero is floating in a tiny lifeboat made of heroin, graveyard shifts & rock music. His companions are two fabulous women: a bombshell who robs banks & a beautifully pale rock violinist who can barely dodge suicide. ICWD is much funnier & more satisfying than any other junkie rock’n’roll tragedy.” – John Doe (X)

    Danny Bland has been a musician (The Dwarves, Cat Butt, Best Kissers in the World) and road manager (Dave Alvin, The Knitters, The Gutter Twins, The Supersuckers) for over 25 years. Born in South Carolina, the longtime Seattle resident is most likely in a Ford Econoline van on a long stretch of highway, driving a rock band to its next engagement.

    Also available: A star-studded AudioBook featuring Duff McKagan, Marc Maron, Donal Logue, John Doe, Mark Lanegan, Mark Arm (Mudhoney), Norman Reedus and Lew Temple (The Walking Dead), Aimee Mann, and more! Visit InCaseWeDie.com to hear a sample.

    “A great piece of work — full of filth and heart.”  –Steve Earle

    For more info: www.fantagraphics.com/incasewedie

    Contact: Jen Vaughn, Marketing and Outreach Manager vaughn(at)fantagraphics(dot)com

    Wednesday, October 2nd, 7pm – Free Event

  • Brian Tuohy Reads From Larceny Games: Sports Gambling, Game Fixing and the FBI 9/28

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    Major League Baseball claims it hasn’t had a game fixed by gamblers since 1919. Point shaving hasn’t admittedly occurred in the NBA since 1954. And the NFL publicly states not one of its games has come under outside influence—ever. This league-sponsored history, however, is wrong.
    Larceny Games provides the details and names the names of Hall of Fame athletes who have either bet upon their own sport or outright thrown games for the benefit of gamblers—and why the sports leagues have covered-up these incidents.

    Larceny Games also digs into this vast underworld through interviews with sports gambling insiders and former FBI agents as well as detailing information from more than 400 previously unreleased FBI case files relating to sports bribery to reveal how professional athletes and referees have been corrupted into fixing games in the NFL, NBA, MLB, boxing, soccer, and tennis.

    Brian is also the author of The Fix Is In: The Showbiz Manipulations of the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL and NASCAR and is the leading expert on the subject of game fixing.

    “Once again, Brian shows there’s much more to professional sports than meets the eyes (or ears), He digs so deep that he’ll need a bodyguard!” — Sam Bourquin, Host, WHBC Ohio

     

    Saturday, September 28th, 7pm – Free Event

  • Quimby's Bookstore Podcast Episode #8 With Adam Parfrey & Peter Sotos Now Available

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    This episode is entitled “We’re Having a Good Time With That Goat, Wish You Were Here: Decadence With Adam Parfrey and Peter Sotos.” Feral House publisher Adam Parfrey, talks about his book Ritual America: Secret Brotherhoods and Their Influence on American Society: A Visual Guide, and controversial local writer Peter Sotos talks about his book Pure Filth.

    Stream or download this episode and past episodes (it’s free!) on our Podbean site at quimbys.podbean.com.

    Or find us on I-Tunes!