"Illumined Black" Back in Print (updated: 9/27)

 

Wormhole - photograph of a local KC, MO sculpture - 2000, Mac Tonnies.

"What does the mind experience when severed from the body?

What are the ultimate limits of artistic expression in a post-human age?

These intriguing questions and more are answered in Mac Tonnies' macabre, mind-expanding collection of science-fiction short stories... 

Originally published in 1995, Illumined Black was a sensation among the science-fiction community. Mac Tonnies was a radical new voice in the genre, and his storytelling — combining JG Ballard, Philip K Dick, and internet-age verve — was a breath of fresh air"

This new Solar Press edition of Illumined Black greatly expands on the long out-of-print first-edition, containing both the original 9 story 'Illumined Black' collection, and 9 new stories collected from magazines, ezines, and the Mac Tonnies archive — including 'One-Hundred Years,' Mac's apocalyptic magnum opus, originally published in Flurb #3 (edited by cyberpunk godfather Rudy Rucker)."

- Several quotes from the Solar Press "Illuminated Black" page announcing its new edition of what was the first publication of Mac's fiction. (The original edition is inset left, above, and is discussed in this post.) Mac was all of 20 years old at the time, but, already his aesthetic sentience was boiling over with new forms.

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Black is back!

Think of it as a belated gift for Mac's 50th birthday, projected forward in time: the republication of Illumined Black in a new package (inset right).

Aesthetically, I feel that Mac would've preferred one of his own illuminations gracing it's cover... like his photograph "Wormhole" circa 2000, (cropped and rotated). But, well, I was not in the loop on this one.

Regardless, this is good news, and long overdue! The addition of new material is a special treat. My thanks go out to all involved, and, as ever, to Dana Tonnies, who enabled the news to appear here.

(More good news below the jump)

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The First Amendment, Censorship, and Private Companies: What Does “Free Speech” Really Mean?

"This amendment gives Americans the right to express themselves verbally and through publication without government interference. It also prevents the government from establishing a “state” religion, and from favoring one religion over others. And finally, it protects Americans’ rights to gather in groups for social, economic, political, or religious purposes; sign petitions; and even file a lawsuit against the government."

My head may have been (literally) in the clouds the past few weeks, but I haven't been blind to the official world... the place in which I stand right now... and the televised world presented to me, mostly by the media.

But, if anything is going to yank me out of my reverie, this is it: censorship. I know Mac Tonnies would feel the same way... about censorship, and about the presently toxic atmosphere here in the States. It would most likely effect him in a morbidly cynical way... and we'd all get a good laugh out of it  But, I also know it would add to his angst. Here in the United States of Angst, citizens grovel for a laugh. We know that we can remain sane, provided we can share humor.

But, now our official overlords believe they have the right to dictate the content of our entertainment... specifically, comedians. Apparently, it appalls them that sane men and women (and one politician), armed only with humor, can publicly rob them of their false tans, exposing the warty, white-supremacist skin below. What a pity. More pitiful is how quickly some corporate giants bend to the wannabe tyrant's will.

I wish George Carlin were still alive. He'd twist a few eloquent knives.

Speaking of which... remember this? Alan Moore saw the future.

"In the near future, Britain is ruled by the far-right, ultranationalist Norsefire political party, a brutal fascist and totalitarian regime led by High Chancellor Adam Sutler, which controls the populace through propaganda and imprisons or executes those deemed undesirable, including immigrants, homosexuals, and people of alternative religions."

- From the Wiki entry for V for Vendetta (the film).

Sound familiar? The good news is that Anonymous is back (!), and he pulls no punches.

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Update, 9/22

Jimmy Kimmel's show returning on Tuesday, ABC announces

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Kimmel is Back!!!

Terrific monologue!

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More Weaponized Art:

South Park' takes on Jimmy Kimmel suspension, skewers Trump and FCC chair Brendan Carr

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Statue of Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein Holding Hands Mysteriously Appears in D.C.