u/Jim__Bell

Today is an important day for me.

Twenty one years ago, I saw Killing Joke in Liverpool at the Carling Academy.

It was the first time I'd seen them live, and it's no exaggeration to say that it changed my life. Really, it's easier to describe it as the first day of the rest of my life.

It was like I'd been living in darkness all my life, then Killing Joke opened a door and invited me to step inside, allowing me to view the world with different eyes. Everything that I have done and continue to do today (be it the radio show, reviewing, promoting gigs, writing books) can be traced back to that gig.

At the time of Geordie's death, I had seen them 29 times. They certainly bettered that gig in terms of performance. But it will always be special to me. It was a game changer.

I am delighted to announce that I'll be in attendance at this year's PMF Prague Microfestival.

In their own words "PRAGUE MICROFESTIVAL (PMF) is an annual festival fusing contemporary writing, art, film, theory, dance, music & performance in a rich polylogue of forms. PMF is not only an arts space but remains integrated within local Prague culture, as a multilingual environment fostering critical cultural dialogue. The PMF originated as the successor of the Prague International Poetry Festival (2004) — which welcomed readings from more than 40 writers, over 20 countries — & was founded by Louis Armand with Pam Brown, Phil Hammial, & David Vichnar."

The focus of this year's PMF is the ideologies & aesthetics of ERASURE / ERASURISM. I'll be reading at it as well as selling copies of my works.

My name is Christopher Owens and I'm a Belfast based writer who has had four books published: A Vortex of Securocrats, "dethrone god" (listed by cult author Dennis Cooper as one of the best books of 2024), Soineanta Maskirovka and my most recent work Soviet Hotel Dressing Gown.

A Vortex of Securocrats: In 1998, the Good Friday Agreement brought a new regime into Northern Ireland. One that would not tolerate dissent. As a result, the trauma and wounds of those who survived thirty years of conflict were brushed aside for the 'New Start'. The only way legacy could be discussed was through prose and poetry. Hence why they were banned. Declassified for the first time, this collection of voices trying to make sense of, and escape, their histories is an insightful, powerful and distinctive take on the power of the written word to confront trauma.

"dethrone god": Walking home from the pub can be hazardous at the best of times but, when you're middle aged and carrying a dirty secret, what journey do you take in order to get home safely? Recently profiled by David Vichnar at Charles University Prague

Soineanta Maskirovka: Freshly retired, Gilbert Hood fills his days by reminiscing about the past. But what happens whenever deeply held beliefs turn out to be contested. And why is there a desecrated skull in the nearby abandoned hospital? Recently profiled on the Social Yet Distanced podcast.

Soviet Hotel Dressing Gown: Set against the liminal no-man’s-land of two diverted flights into Dublin Airport, the book follows two strangers who never speak and never realise how closely their internal storms mirror one another. Each man confronts the shadows of his past: the wounds that shaped him, the choices that scarred him, and the future that awaits once they finally reach Belfast.

Soviet Hotel Dressing Gown explores how trauma lingers in the body, how cities carve themselves into their inhabitants, and how two lives can run parallel without ever intersecting, bound by the same unspoken ache.

Amazon Author Page

Found on LukeFromDublin's Flickr page.

Thanks to u/ar27ta's post (here) for giving me the idea of what to post today!

Revel in the joy of 80s glam rockers doing their very best to not slag off the massive tidal shift in guitar music that was heading their way.... 😆

I am delighted to announce that I will be having a book launch for 'Soviet Hotel Dressing Gown'.

Taking place at the Book Bar in the Accidental Theatre (bottom of Shaftsbury Square) on Friday 27th November, it will involve a Q&A session with me (hosted by author/journalist Jonathan Traynor) as well as a short reading from the book and some musings on the writing process as well as the current literary scene.

Tickets are free but limited to 30 (with the event being BYOB). Get your ticket here..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ok_w2ZnLP8A

A one off collaboration from 2010.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4OFP2-Da0Q

Legendary Canadian hardcore/art punk band cover KJ.

https://www.thepensivequill.com/2020/08/runnin-riot.html

Geordie Walker & his Gibson ES-295 performing with Killing Joke at The Left Bank in Mount Vernon, New York on August 20, 1982.