Your Weekend Just Got More Interesting

Gary Indiana sheds his mortal coil. And Jessica Murray delivers an astrological close read on the election's aftermath that puts your brain in order. AND a 20% off discount to WOODRUFF paid subs!

Nov 23, 2024

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“It’s when things fail to return to normal, that finally you get it: this is normal.”
—Gary Indiana

MOST WRITERS HAVE OTHER WRITERS living in a recessed corner of their skulls. These other writers took up occupancy a long time ago when those writers made—by chance—an initial impression. And then the impression became a pleasant haunting that couldn’t be shaken.

The haunting then morphed into a love affair, and like all love affairs, a conception took place. That conception involved how the adored writer used the language of spellcasting to influence the other writer. That’s how any good writer is forged or created—through magic and love.

Writing is the only art without precocious prodigies or baby geniuses in its annals, like the pre-teen Mozart who wrote entire symphonies. Writers have to get old and read other writers, become infected by their words, and use those other writers to hone their skills by comparison.

When asked, “How can I improve my songwriting skills?” Joni Mitchell answered, and I’m paraphrasing: “Find someone you admire and then set a high standard for yourself. Dissect what that artist is doing and see if you can match it or top it.”

This is a very Scorpio thing to say, as Scorpio is the most competitive of the water signs. But it’s the most revealing and honest thing to say because, as Picasso, another Scorpio, decreed: “Good artists copy; great artists steal.”

So the writer Gary Indiana, who I found out (within a parade of bad news since the election) died late last month, was one of those writers who lived in the back of my skull. He was a rough-and-raw queer writer before aristocratic queer authors like Paul Monette and Alan Hollinghurst dominated the AIDS-tainted 80s. What I loved about him most was his stringent diatribes (usually aimed at capitalistic American culture), which had me nodding ‘yes’ while laughing—and taking notes.

His acerbic style was interwoven with blasts of amphetamine and meaty syntax that seemed nimble and effortless. Although his heart seemed hidden—in the way that hearts are hidden on people you assume are too sarcastic to have much of a heart—but his was the tenderest (he was a Cancer)—and you sensed this when he described the loves of his life.

Indiana wrote about sordid and lurid things in the most fabulous way. My favorite example is his book Three-Month Fever, about the serial killer Andrew Cunanan. Indiana once declared, “America loves a successful sociopath,”1 and then he proceeded to show us why.

Unlike other books about Cunnan, Indiana puts himself on Cunanan’s shoulder and sometimes straight into his head—displayed as Andrew’s manic inner dialogue and reveries. Similar to what I attempted in my Jeffrey Dahmer romance novel.

Anyway. Goodbye, Gary, and thank you, lover.

Good Writing of the Astrological Sort

As I shared earlier, I haven’t been able to absorb one single particle of information about the post-US election world. I don’t want to know about shit like: Dr. Oz (Jesus, what’s in a name?), a longtime grifter, is to be in charge of my Medicare. My moratorium especially involves pundits, poll hustlers, op-eders, and all podcasters within the ‘Manosphere’—anyone, anywhere, who is attempting to explain ‘what happened.’

But then, suddenly, a new essay by astrologer Jessica Murray appeared on her website titled What Just Happened? And so I acquiesced. I highly recommend this close read of the post-election moment if you can’t find a way to make sense of the event—or you can’t quite get your brain ordered in the right way to progress.

Murray writes with the gravitas of successful academics and high-octane journalists. Her command of American history, forged through her years as an activist, is invaluable for parsing the trajectory of the United States. Astrologers don’t usually bring this kind of intelligence to the art—a sort of grounded but transcendent wisdom.

Next week, on the WOODRUFF podcast, I’ll feature a discussion with Jessica about the election and what might be next for each of us. You won’t want to miss it.

Flash Sale, Baby!

For the weekend, I’m offering a 20% discount on my paid subscription rate for all yearly subs to WOODRUFF. This is a perfect time, pre-holiday madness, to join my inner circle of readers. Grab it now!

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Your Weekend Just Got More Interesting

Gary Indiana sheds his mortal coil. And Jessica Murray delivers an astrological close read on the election's aftermath that puts your brain in order. AND a 20% off discount to WOODRUFF paid subs!

“It’s when things fail to return to normal, that finally you get it: this is normal.”—Gary Indiana

Good Writing of the Astrological Sort

Flash Sale, Baby!

Opening image via Andy Thomson, used with permission. Gary Indiana photo via Art News.

Discussion about this post

“It’s when things fail to return to normal, that finally you get it: this is normal.”
—Gary Indiana