A few years ago, award-nominated writer, Andrew Hook, wrote “O For Obscurity, Or, The Story Of N”, the definitive biography of The Mysterious N Senada, the Bavarian musician who influenced the early music of The Residents, drawn from material discovered in the band’s archives long after Senada’s death. Now – with the full approval of the band – Hook’s eleventh published short story collection, “Commercial Book”, will shortly be available from Psychofon
Records.
As most people reading this will be fully aware, in 1980 The Residents released “Commercial Album”, a collection of 40 songs each of exactly one minute in duration. Using these songs as the springboard for fiction, Andrew Hook’s “Commercial Book” presents 40 stories each of exactly 1000 words in length, therefore emulating the restriction which The Residents placed on their songwriting. With each story taking its title from each song and inspired by the music and lyrics, “Commercial Book” is a weird, alter-trip into the depths of the original record, a collaboration wholly in the spirit of The Residents and fully endorsed by them.
The first hundred hand-numbered books come again in special Psychofon packaging with the complete Commercial Album Radio Ads CD that was intended for Ralph Records promotion in 1980 as a bonus. You can then read Andrew's stories while listening to the corresponding tracks. Cool.!?
This is an Eyeball Museum / Psychofon Records Production.
With little to no exception, The Residents found the stories to be absolutely delightful.
- Homer Flynn, President, The Cryptic Corporation
They may be miniatures, but Andrew Hook’s globe-spanning, genre-hopping tales conjure entire worlds within 1000 words. His lonely, haunted characters are immersed in dreams and steeped in film and music. ‘Commercial Book’ is another essential collection from one of our most gifted storytellers.
- Tim Major, author of Jekyll & Hyde: Consulting DetectivesA dissonance of the near sinister thrums inside each beautiful tale- Eugen Bacon, twice World Fantasy Award finalist and British Fantasy Award winner