New Single!: Unreported News

wredfright · Unreported News

Some folks who pay too much attention to the news think the world is a much more frightening place than it actually is.  This song looks at the little stories the news seldom ever notes.  Musicwise, it's the usual vocals, guitar, fake bass, and drums.  Lyrics are below.

Bob held the door open for someone today, and Janet smiled.
And people went to work and did their jobs, and someone laughed.

It's the unreported news.
It's not on the radio or tv.
It's the unreported news, and it might make you happy.

And Mark and Wilfreda fell in love, and Dylan read a good book.
And someone checked the mail and was really excited by what they got.
And Jimmy skipped school to hang out at the library, and Teisha made a new friend.
And someone shoveled the snow off the sidewalk, and a cat purred.

And Sarah paid off her mortgage, and Ryan had a nice nap.
And someone saw their last sunset, but they don't know that yet.
And Laronda thought her new recipe was delicious, and Jason got over his cold.
And in 9 months someone will be born, and someone said "Good morning" to a lonely person.

For more Wred Fright music, give his latest album a listen or download at your favorite digital music site such as Soundcloud, Spotify, or Bandcamp!

Autographed Copies Of The Front Yard War

I have some print copies of The Front Yard War available.  You can now buy an autographed copy directly from me.  You can even now buy a non-autographed copy directly from me, just put in the notes section that you don't want it signed.  Conversely, if you want it personalized, then please put in the notes how you want it personalized and I'll do my best to oblige, but no guarantees.  It's $15 USD domestic including shipping and $20 USD internationally including shipping.  This is for the folks who want an autographed copy but don't live near me or for the folks who don't want to buy from Amazon (though Amazon did print the books right here in good old Cleveland, Ohio USA).  I just picked up the new Bookpage at the library, and, believe me (if you don't believe me, then read the rag yourself, but it's true), there isn't a novel like this, even remotely like this, from the mainstream publishing industry.  If you like your fiction well-mannered, written by an MFA, and starring characters who would fit in well hosting an NPR show, then this is not the book for you.  That stuff bores me.  Maybe it bores you also.  That stuff's like a domestic cat, though that's probably being too nice.  That stuff is like a particularly terrible domestic cat you don't really like but you didn't know any other type was available.  Well, there is.  This stuff is more like the friendly stray cat that prowls your backyard in the middle of the night.  If that's your cup of tea as they say, then give it a read.  Lit ain't dead.  It's just in unexpected places such as the front yard.

New Single!: Dance Party At The End Of The World

wredfright · Dance Party At The End Of The World

This song is about having a good time while the world's exploding.  It had a funky version and a punky version, and I ended up doing them both because they were each fun to play.  Musicwise, it's just vocals, guitar, fake bass, and drums.  It's a fun as well as grim song.  The lyrics are below:

She was fat, but her skin was thin.
It has to end, so it had to begin.
It was a good time while it lasted.
But now it's time to get your ass on the dance floor!

See you at the dance party at the end of the world!

Don't worry about getting dressed up.
We only have 15 minutes
before the missiles arrive
and we're blown to bits--yeah!

Boom Boom Boom Boom Boom Boom Boom Boom Boom!

Couldn't stay lucky forever.
Somebody was going to press the button.
They just couldn't figure out how to share,
so now the bombs are in the air.

For more Wred Fright music, give his latest album a listen or download at your favorite digital music site such as Soundcloud, Spotify, or Bandcamp!

New Pop Lit On Frighty!

Uh, oh, looks like someone noticed!  Fortunately, they are cool, so all is good.  Thanks to King Wenclas at New Pop Lit for giving Frighty a plug!  It was a lot of fun doing a zine again after all these years.  It was an experiment to use the Internet as a distribution system for what is a printed zine, but based on the picture King used it looks like it's working out.  Postage and printing are crazy expensive these days when compared with the 1990s when the zine medium was flourishing.  I used to sell copies of the zine version of The Pornographic Flabbergasted Emus for $3 postpaid, and most issues were 48 pages.  Today, it costs $1.01 just to mail a 20 page zine and that's not including printing costs, which would probably run a buck alone, so this experimental format might be a good solution for keeping print zines affordable and alive.  It cuts out the postage (sorry, USPS!) and the reader has to pay printing costs (sorry, reader!), so I can just concentrate on content.  Check it out and see what you think (remember it's designed to be printed--doublesided, flip on short edge--don't try to read it online):  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1crG3N9s09JQ5zDP-dHdhzZHV03YdtoXQ/view?usp=sharing.

If after reading Frighty, you need more to read, then read my new novel, The Front Yard War! 

The Front Yard War Has Its Own Page!

The Front Yard War by Wred Fright Excerpt by Wred Fright

Scribd finally figured out that I can't violate my own copyright, so they've nicely run an excerpt on their site.  I like my DIY excerpt, but I've been posting on Scribd for about two decades now, so it's above on this post.  The other exciting news is that The Front Yard War has its own page on the blog.  It is here.  You can buy a copy there and otherwise read about the book and its reception.  Now that the page is up, I'll engage in the relatively futile promotion campaign for about a month.  Literature, real literature, in the USA, even in the underground, seems pretty much dead, so I don't expect much reaction, but what the hey.  I'm reading the print version now and enjoying it myself, so maybe someone else out there will as well.  I write the kind of novels I'd like to read.  If somebody else wrote this kind of stuff, then I'd be reading them.  As it is now, I can't find too many contemporary writers I find interesting.  I'm still looking though.  Hey, at least you have me . . .  On another note, Amazon apparently won't let you download ebooks anymore, so if you value downloading your ebooks (and you should because otherwise the streaming folks will censor stuff without you knowing it, when they aren't losing the files completely, and no I'm not being hyperbolic), you can always order the novel directly from me, and I'll email it to you.  It's yours.  Just back it up so you don't have to reorder it down the road . . .

The Front Yard War Excerpt!

 

Usually, I use Scribd for the novel excerpts, but they were a bit slow getting back to me (they also sell the whole novel so the excerpt always has to clear their copyright division), so I just cut them out of the loop and did a DIY PDF embed. You can read the first chapter of the novel for free here, and then if you want to carry on buy a copy either directly from me ($5 USD PayPal to wredfright AT AT AT yahoo DOTT com--let me know if you want the PDF or EPUB version). This excerpt is in PDF form of course. You can also get the novel from Amazon (has a print and Kindle version), Google Books, and Smashwords has gotten it everywhere else basically, so you can probably find it at your favorite ebook retailer even whomever Scribd is part of whom can't seem to figure out quickly that I'm the copyright holder they're protecting.  Next time, I'll create an official page for the novel on this site and start the publicity campaign (if you write a novel, then you should at least let people know it exists a bit).  That might be a futile attempt as there don't seem to be many readers these days.  I'm still one though, so maybe some others are out there.  Otherwise, literary culture is pretty sad these days.  Libraries seem to be mainly keeping it afloat.  You have the NPR/MFA set who read well-mannered fiction that's usually boring.  You have the genre stuff that still sells to folks who like it, but if you aren't into Amish romances or detective novels or maybe even Amish detectives falling in love doesn't do much for anyone who's read more widely.  And then there's the underground which is like the literary equivalent of the open mic where everyone wants to play but no one wants to listen to anyone else for the most part.  Ah, well, at least there's still me for anyone who wants to laugh while they read.  Slapstick Camus isn't high in demand, but at least there's a supply for the adventurous sort, like me, and maybe only me.  Maybe you also?  

New Single!: Childhood Friend

wredfright · Childhood Friend

This is a little sweet song about those friends from early childhood.  You may forget them for years, you may never see them again, and you may think of them rarely, but when they do come to mind, if you're like me, you get a warm feeling.  Musically, I had some fun with the synthesizer here, plus the usual vocals, guitar, fake bass (also guitar), and drums.  Lyrics are below.  They're pretty simple just like an early childhood friendship.

Do you ever think of me the way I think of you?
When I remember those days the skies are always blue.

Childhood friend.
Our love was not pretend.

Oh, the fun we had when we would play and play.
That went on and on until I had to move away.
I always hoped we'd see each other again some day,
but as the years have passed, it seems separate we're going to stay.

For more Wred Fright music, listen to the Yeast? 7" or give his latest album a listen or download at your favorite digital music site such as Soundcloud, Spotify, or Bandcamp!

New Zine: Frighty #1!

 

It's been over 20 years since I published a zine, but I felt the itch to do one again.  Here it is:  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1crG3N9s09JQ5zDP-dHdhzZHV03YdtoXQ/view?usp=sharing.  I had a lot of fun putting it together; I hope you have fun reading it.  It's not really designed to be read online though.  You'll need to print it out.  That's why it's a zine and not an ezine.  We're just using the Internet for distribution.  Print it out doublesided, so print it on both sides and flip it (print on short edge).  Otherwise, you'll end up with pages printed upside down.  I mean, hey, if you're into that kind of thing . . . But for anyone, who isn't, let's chant along with me, PRINT DOUBLESIDED ON SHORT EDGE!  Then it will come out as it should, and you'll have a nice little zine you can fold, staple, bind however you want.  Feel free to make copies and distribute them if you want.  I was thinking it might be a one-off, but Mark Sonnenfeld and The Midnight Rider sent more than one contribution, so there will be at least one more issue (no 20 year wait this time!), probably in the summer.  Quarterly might be about as much as I can handle as a publication schedule, but, as always, no deadlines remains the motto of Wredfright.Com, except when, you know, there's a deadline . . . Anyway, if anyone tells you that zines are dead, you can toss them a copy of Frighty #1!

And if Frighty #1 isn't enough writing to tad you over, then read The Front Yard War, my latest novel!