[BOOK REVIEW] STRANGER WITH FRICTION, VOL 2, EDITED BY TIM MURR

11/8/2021

With a treasure trove of transgressive fiction and hip criticism and commentary, Murr has cultivated something unique in Stranger with Friction, and I’ll be picking up subsequent volumes in the future.

STRANGER WITH FRICTION, VOL 2, EDITED BY TIM MURR
a book review by rebecca rowland

Editor Tim Murr notes in the Foreword to volume two of his outsider literature book-zine, “Punk rock was the inspiration for me launching my own indie publishing imprint: if Black Flag put out their own albums, why don’t I put out my own books?” For about half the price of a traditional horror anthology, Stranger with Friction is overflowing with top-notch material, achieving a delicate balance between Gen X nostalgia and new, fresh fiction, all colored in a transgressive hue. Its first volume offered poetry, cerebral pieces on Waxwork Records, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and the transformation of novella into film of Clive Barker’s Cabal (Nightbreed), as well as a sprinkling of dark fiction, including a particularly well-done nightmare of parental angst, “Cramps” by Lamont A. Turner. In its second foray, Stranger seems to have tightened the scope on its sniper rifle even further, and the result is a volume guaranteed to make any diehard horror fan satisfied.

Though most of the magazine is comprised of short fiction pieces, the nonfiction articles are well-researched and worth the purchase of the volume alone. Chris Cavoretto analyzes the Repo Man soundtrack, Murr looks back at the greatest releases from Alice Cooper as well as the horror genius of Dan O’Bannon, and a lengthy excerpt from Jean-Pierre Bertin-Maghit’s Filmed Letters from Algeria: Soldiers on Screen 1954-1962 offers a view of war documentary filmmaking previously unseen by most readers. Although as a metal gal, I was fascinated by the Cooper article, I relished the seven fiction offerings even more.

E.C. Hanson introduces the pack with his flash fiction piece, “A Little Juant”; in it, fourteen-year-old Greta is full of teenage lust, but she must outwit her overprotective father and perpetually intoxicated mother in order to escape on a clandestine rendezvous. I know Hanson’s other fiction and held my breath as the story progressed, knowing that the author holds his cards close to the vest until he can punch the reader with a twist ending, and he does not disappoint here. Later in the volume is Carter Johnson’s paean to those office employees whose supervisor makes work a living hell. In “Secret Satan,” Matt’s boss, Kowalski, is the bane of every employee’s existence, so Matt takes it upon himself to disinfect a toxic work environment.

Three of the other stories dance around religious themes. In “Giants” by Thomas R. Clark, a former soldier is tasked with determining the authenticity of a Biblical artifact and discovers there is something more sinister to the archeological find than first glimpsed. In “As We Forgive Those” by Paul Lubaczewski, lovebirds Richard and Summer seek refuge in an abandoned-looking church only to discover its inhabitants are members of a denomination whose devotion to redemption through suffering is one of nightmarish proportions. Finally, in a delightfully creepy piece of folk horror penned by the Chicago punk scene’s own Jeremy Lowe, “Bury Them Deep,” members of a traveling carnival set up shop in a town run by the sadistic Fruits of the Holy Spirit Church, and carnage ensues.

Although I rarely gravitate toward extreme horror, I found myself enthralled by the two most gruesome of the fiction offerings. In John Baltisberger’s “En Amarillo,” a tasty tale of splattergore and just desserts, Josh may be a foot soldier in the local Aryan brotherhood, but he has ambition, proving his devotion to the cause in an intricately described torture scene that will make any reader’s skin crawl—and that’s only the first of Josh’s trials. In Reed Alexander’s “The Night Life,” the bouncer at an exclusive rave greets his guests with the promise, “Welcome, babes, to Toy Land! The music is loud, the lights are colorful, the drugs are free!” but after imbibing the nightcaps handed out by their hosts, the real revelry begins, and this one involves teeth and a dinner party these ingénues never saw coming. This tale is a real edge-of-your-seat thrill ride that holds its own against the many of the heavyweights in the slasher canon.

With a treasure trove of transgressive fiction and hip criticism and commentary, Murr has cultivated something unique in Stranger with Friction, and I’ll be picking up subsequent volumes in the future. Despite its anti-establishment edges, the hybrid book-zine more than holds its own against its mainstream counterparts.

Stranger With Friction: Issue Two Paperback

STRANGER WITH FRICTION Issue Two/Spring Edition
Contents...
EDITOR: STANDING ON THE SHOULDERS OF GIANTS…TO MORE EASILY CHOP OFF THEIR HEADS/TIM MURR
MUSIC IN PUNKSPLOITATION: REPO MAN/CHRIS CAVORETTO
fiction/A LITTLE JAUNT/E.C. HANSON
NOW LET US PRAISE NOISE: THE CROSS YOU FORGOT TO WEAR/TIM MURR
fiction/EN AMARILLO/JOHN BALTISBERGER
fiction/THE NIGHT LIFE/REED ALEXANDER
fiction/BURY THEM DEEP/JEREMY LOWE
MY HEROES HAVE ALWAYS BEEN MONSTERS: DAN O’BANNON/TIM MURR
fiction/GIANTS/THOMAS R CLARK
fiction/SECRET SATAN/CARTER JOHNSON
fiction/AS WE FORGIVE THOSE/PAUL LUBACZEWSKI
euro-cult/FILMED LETTERS FROM ALGERIA: SOLDIERS ON SCREEN, 1954-1962/Jean-Pierre Bertin-Maghit/translated by MARCELLINE BLOCK