THE AUTHOR
Josie Gallows is nothing if not outspoken. Over the years, I have seen Josie adopt project after project, all with a level of finesse and skill that is often unseen. I changed the subject matter of A Macabre Cabal slightly so that Josie would fit the bill simply because I really wanted to share her work. It certainly has its place; her new book, A Greasy Wind, is as “dark” as it comes without planting itself too firmly in the abyss, being one of the more colourful and humorous works I currently have in my possession to review, and it has been an interesting ride through and through.
More than anything else, Josie seems to be a keen observationalist, a sort of critical analyst of the human condition. Much of her work directly deals with the current social climate, and I see her as much as a modern philosopher as she is a burgeoning journalist, though she often blends the two quite seamlessly.
This social commentary comes across in spades in A Greasy Wind. My first impressions of the book were that of a typical rant, albeit in the form of poetry, but after spending awhile with the work, I realized that description was insufficient. It is more a distillation of the rest of Josie Gallows writing, reworked and broken down, and it is as vivid and colourful as it is sardonic and critical.
I particularly like her work so far on Projectile Magazine, which more directly represents her life as a transwoman living in St. Petersburg. The content there is infrequent but incredibly well written, and definitely worth a look.
I'm always interested to see what projects Josie is going to pursue next. Her ideas are not for everyone, and being as clearly well read and sharp as she is, they will go over the heads of most. But she stands alone as someone who has a clearly defined writing style and sense of her talents and abilities, and is a very welcome new member of the Cabal.
More than anything else, Josie seems to be a keen observationalist, a sort of critical analyst of the human condition. Much of her work directly deals with the current social climate, and I see her as much as a modern philosopher as she is a burgeoning journalist, though she often blends the two quite seamlessly.
This social commentary comes across in spades in A Greasy Wind. My first impressions of the book were that of a typical rant, albeit in the form of poetry, but after spending awhile with the work, I realized that description was insufficient. It is more a distillation of the rest of Josie Gallows writing, reworked and broken down, and it is as vivid and colourful as it is sardonic and critical.
I particularly like her work so far on Projectile Magazine, which more directly represents her life as a transwoman living in St. Petersburg. The content there is infrequent but incredibly well written, and definitely worth a look.
I'm always interested to see what projects Josie is going to pursue next. Her ideas are not for everyone, and being as clearly well read and sharp as she is, they will go over the heads of most. But she stands alone as someone who has a clearly defined writing style and sense of her talents and abilities, and is a very welcome new member of the Cabal.
THE REVIEW
The worst thing I can say about Josie Gallows' writing is that it borders sometimes on nonsensical ranting through its unrelenting delivery and abstract prose.
That's also the best thing in its favor.
A Greasy Wind by Josie Gallows is a collection of incendiary poems which are crude, rude, and sometimes insightful; chock full of mild frustration at the state of everything but never feeling synthetically subversive in the way they are delivered. There's a strong measure of honesty in the philosophy and viewpoints expounded here when you cut through all the expletives and nauseating descriptions, or it least it comes across that way because I never felt like I was reading an imitation of a more refined work, and that in itself is impressive. Josie's voice, whether you find it aggravating or not is a unique one, and one that is heavily drenched in apparent real world experience.
The greasy wind that Josie goes in great detail to explain is not a completely saturated urban existentialist nightmare the book often describes. There is a great deal of humor to be found here and I would never call this a somber read; indeed it is the opposite. Snappy, witty, full of Josie's apparent biting sensibilities and on-the-ball perspective on life, as brutal and unforgiving as it gets.
It may be a strange complaint to make, but sometimes it feels as though there is too much here, for the small tome that it is, and burning through the book in a day or two as I have initially exhausted me. It was only when I picked it up throughout the week over a lunch break, in bed (incidentally, I have a printed and digital copy, so I've had the book with me everywhere I go) that it really started to sink in and I began to really enjoy the read. Blame that on me, someone who is not accustomed to reading poetry, and not the author herself who did a find job of providing a great deal of content above and beyond what is typically seen in the genre, where the good ones are spread out too thin from the rest, and there is no consistency to speak of.
A Greasy Wind is as consistent as wood pecker chewing bark from a tree, yet as chaotic and gut wrenching as the exit wound of a shotgun suicide. If you like what is here, you'll likely enjoy all of it, and some of my favorite pieces such as Snuggle Good, Nazi Fetish, and Gimme What You Got For a Porkchop are among the shorter in the book, while other, longer ones such as the flagship piece A Greasy Wind often conveyed the darker tone of the work more aptly, though I didn't find them personally quite as entertaining to read. This is hardly a criticism; all are well structured and have a good, consistent flow so there is little to complain about on a technical level, but the pieces that resonated most with me were blunt and shorter to the point.
What ultimately saves A Greasy Wind is its unwillingness to linger on any given topic. It doesn't feel repetitive, or like it is hammering the same ideas out over and over. Being a reader of dark fiction, I often expect a cynical or gloomy tone to be present in whatever it is I am sitting down to review for this site, but A Greasy Wind liberates itself by pointing out in no uncertain terms the madness inherent in every day life without being depressing. And this is a hard balance to find, a skill I applaud Josie for. She doesn't shy away from the taboo; from sex to Satanism, Josie isn't afraid to color the pages of the rainbow covered book with her own personality, to hell with whomever might have a problem with it. And this honesty is one of the books greatest strengths, and one of Josies as a writer in general.
Ultimately, I was more enchanted by the voice of Josie Gallows than the work itself as a whole. But this does not exempt it from being worth the time of anyone who enjoys the outlandish and incendiary. This is the modern Naked Lunch of poetry, a one sided dialogue of triumph and defeat over the manic state of a modern existence, one so rich in seething, acid soaked sarcasm and cynicism that it's almost overpowering to pore over in a single sitting. A Greasy Wind does not demand to be read; it demands to be glanced at, picked up during a long restroom break, while waiting for food at a drive through, on a lunch break at work. It's whiskey, not wine, and should be enjoyed over multiple sittings, repeatedly, like a good album. And like some of my favorite albums, I didn't appreciate it immediately. It had to take its time to grow on me, but unlike many other books, it's one I will pick up again and again, finding something new to enjoy about it each time.
CONCLUSION
It has become something of a cliche to say “this writers work isn't for everyone” and it is often a cop out when a critic doesn't want to come off as too abrasive. In Josies case, that expression is as literal as it comes. There is going to be very little here for the mass majority to enjoy or relate to, but ultimately Josie's work as a whole deals in bits and pieces of life that most are familiar with. The style of her writing will likely alienate a lot of people, and it is demanding in many ways, but like so many other writers I am fascinated by, Josie remains a favorite of mine and I strongly suggest giving her work a read.
You can find a lot of her writing at www.josiegallows.com, and her book can be bought HERE. Her next publication coming soon will be a novel called Gimps of Fifth Avenue.