Dissent.15—Mythos, God, and Give Up The Ghost w/ p.c.m. christ

SPECTACLE OF DISSENT

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Dissent.15—Mythos, God, and Give Up The Ghost w/ p.c.m. christ

ringleader

and

p.c.m. christ

May 12, 2025

Transcript

Welcome, welcome to another episode of dog and pony show’s SPECTACLE OF DISSENT featuring a very special guest, the great

p.c.m. christ

, author of Give Up The Ghost, [U BUY BOOK] a stellar depiction of the haunted South. It’s only fitting that I spoke with christ right after fellow Southerner John Slaughter, as the two authors have been heralded as the progenitors of the emerging Dixie Noir genre. Though their novels are quite different, both stories are firmly rooted in Southern soil and immerse readers in the mystery of Dixie in their own peculiar ways.

christ and I had an excellent conversation on writing, literature, and—I would be remiss to not mention—one of the richest and rawest discussions on Christianity and faith yet featured on SPECTACLE OF DISSENT.

Without further ado, Dissent.15 featuring p.c.m. christ:

Introductions
christ read a lot growing up, but really starting writing in college
Natural talent versus honing the craft of writing “A writer writes”
On finding a voice and style and the natural tendency to ape a favorite writer
Alan Moore is a major inspiration for christ’s work
He started out writing graphic novel scripts, but finding an illustrator is difficult
We talk Dixie Noir and the shadow of the Southern greats Faulkner and O’Conner
christ got back into writing with Lomez’s [
Jonathan Keeperman
] Passage Prize
I mention that it spurred the same for me—I wrote American Empire in V Cantos to submit to Passage Prize Three.
I relate how Thomas Cole, my inspiration for the poem, and his founding of the Hudson River School of painting to the emerging Dixie Noir genre
We talk about Give Up The Ghost’s modern day setting
What is the South? What makes writing Southern?
The political and cultural resurgence of Southern influence
The oral storytelling traditions of the South
christ’s writing is inspiration from any and every source that speaks to him, more akin to filmmaking—and encourages writers to do the same
I compare the way that great film is evocative to the way that great writing is evocative. Film is all seen yet writing can be evocative in a special way with what’s left off of the page. I mention how I think that Give Up The Ghost has some good moments of that kind of ambiguity
christ says he was relieved to hear that because wasn’t sure if he recalled that it even did
I read a short passage that I think would be extremely difficult for a filmmaker to convey the same kind of feeling.
GO BUY AND READ GIVE UP THE GHOST
christ’s initial process on the book—wanted to make a Southern version of what Lomez had written about with Nordic Noir
John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress was an inspiration
I tell a story of ringleader’s days as a cub scout and quitting while you’re ahead
I commend how crisp Give Up The Ghost is—a perfect length
I nerd out with christ on the dimensions and design of the book itself
The novella as a compelling medium
I bring up Dostoevsky’s Notes from Underground as an example
We talk Thomas Pynchon
I bring up Kurt Vonnegut—christ says his short story Vide Cor Meum has gotten a lot of Harrison Bergeron comparisons
Heretical Realism
Vide Cor Meum
Leila watched the little white scars, charming, imperfect and curious, dance in the flickering shadows of her cell. Outside, a crowd had begun to gather, their screeching voices worming through the walls. She lay back and sighed comfortably. Hers was not a life contemplated but observed. Immune to any lingering traumas of the past, she remembered only t…
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2 years ago · 17 likes · 4 comments · p.c.m. christ
I mention that a recent graphic novel adaptation of Slaughterhouse-Five by Ryan North and illustrated by Albert Monteys is stellar
christ asks if my wife read the book—is curious how female readers would like how he wrote the book’s girl characters
I agree with him that I think ladies would appreciate the depth he gives to the women in the book