Last Monday when I got to work, fellow manager Justin greeted me with a “There’s a book for you coming out this week.” Which can mean one of two things… either there is actually something that I will be excited about, or it’s something really stupid that can be used to make fun of my interests. My taste is simple but specific. I like sex, violence, horror, exploitation and satire. Find me some media with the right mix of all those things and I’m beyond stoked! Unfortunately for every honestly suggested upcoming release (Dinosaurs Attacks, Rue Morgue Special), the crew likes to mock my interests with a skewed version of what you could call a “Matt D book” with less than exciting suggestions (Zombie Tramp, GFT anything). This time was a bit of both…
Justin continues “SuperTrash Hermaphro Chic, Movie Fetish, 21st Century Anxiety. At first I thought it was a book about Hermaphrodite Porn, but it’s a sequel to a movie poster book. Either way I figured you would buy it.” Hermaphrodite Porn joke aside, he was right! I thought Jacques Boyreau’s Portable Grindhouse The Lost Art of the VHS was fine, was blown away by his Sexytime The Post-Porn Rise of the Pornosseur and I loved his Trash The Graphic Genius of Xploitation Movie Posters, the book that first put Boyreau on my radar. A sequel to Trash? … how could I not give the fine people at Fantagraphics my money. Well I obviously already knew SuperTrash was hitting shelves soon, and yet still thanked Justin for the backhanded suggestion.
Fast-forward to Tuesday afternoon as we open the Diamond shipment and uncover the anticipated tome. SuperTrash delivers! I’m talking a pop culture cornucopia packed from cover to cover with vibrant violent pulp images! Consisting of movie posters, trading cards, magazine covers, comic book art, record sleeves and so much more from the realm under appreciated forms of art, throw in some words of wisdom explaining the Art Trash mindset so even the most mainstream minded can try to wrap their head around the concept of Hermaphro Chic and you have more of an experience than an art book. To me, a flip through SuperTrash is kinda like hanging out at a really cool old school comic shop and just rapping about all the weird items you uncover in those boxes that are under other boxes that are used to prop up the new release shelf.
I’ve been working here at Forbidden Planet for what seems to be almost nine years…. I think, and recently my imprint on the store has been summed up in two words scrawled next to my name on a piece of paper taped to the wall above the desk in the shipping department. To put the words in context, the paper is a list of what type of e-mails should be forwarded to who or what department… it reads as follows.
Buying/Books -Jeff
Toys – Toys (Alec)
Donations – Garbage
Esoteric Stuff – Matt D
I take that as a compliment I guess…
Maybe I should pitch Fantagraphics a book that contains photos of my collection. Well until you can grab a copy of Matt Desiderio’s Esoteric Stuff dig into SuperTrash!
Photos are from the Fantagraphics facebook page.
