The oral history form, a la “Please Kill Me” and “Meet Me in the Bathroom” really suits this tale.

Surrounded by Richard Buckner

You just won’t lie down. Even closing your eyes, you can’t let it go, Surrounded inside. Leave it alone. You don’t get it back Undoing the scenes you can’t explain, Whatever you dream That you’ve buried away. It seems like you’re there as someone removed And left in their place with nothing to do. Bound to the switch. Railing again at the thought of the fight For well-earned dissent Undeserved at the time. As you’ve been shown, the motion has gone A shade of the night, only leading you on.

Yes. Swans have several beautiful crushingly dark songs. God Damn the Sun is one I go to.

The benefit of living in NYC (I recently moved after living there for nearly 25 years)! I remember one show where they didn’t have a full band and Oren played drums and guitar at the same time. The space in their music allows for that sort of thing, but it still was pretty cool to see.

I saw them several times live in the early-mid aughts. They’re great!

Terrible summary, bot. This is a pretty interesting list though, and though the title doesn’t mention it, all authors are women. I’ve added a few to my reading list. The list:

1. The Cost of Living by Deborah Levy

2. Bluets by Maggie Nelson

3. Ti Amo by Hanne Ørstavik

4. The Lonely City by Olivia Laing

5. A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

6. Look at Me by Anita Brookner

7. Accident: A Day’s News by Christa Wolf

8. Assembly by Natasha Brown

9. The Years by Annie Ernaux

10. The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff

Sunn O))) or some really repetitive and droney black metal like Burzum’s Filosem