It was probably something by Stephen King. Maybe The Tommyknockers. I don’t think I finished it though.
What magazines do you subscribe to?
I don’t subscribe to any, but every month I pick up Empire, Total Film, Q, Mojo and Uncut. And the Fortean Times. And NME every week. That’s a hella lotta adverts for ringtones, right there.
Who is your favorite writer?
Oh, I have loads. Chuck Palahniuk, Hunter S. Thompson, William Burroughs, the Marquis De Sade, Nick Hornby, those folks I’ll read anything by, pretty much. Although I haven’t read nearly as much Burroughs as I’d like.
Who is your least favorite writer?
I don’t have a least favourite really, although I could do without ever reading anything by Martin Amis or Ann Coulter ever again.
Do you have a favorite Blogcritic?
There are a handful of people I’ll read regardless of what the topic might be, on account of I find them especially wonderful. I was dreading this question, actually, because I’m wrestling with the urge for to name names and the terror of leaving folks out. But I have a favourite group of Blogcritics, that’s for sure. Oh okay, people like Mark Saleski, Aaron Fleming, DJRadiohead, Greg Smyth, Eric Berlin, Mary K Williams, Mat Brewster, Bennett Dawson, Richard Marcus, these kindsa people. And loads more, but you have to draw the line here someplace.
What do you think is the best part of Blogcritics?
Definitely the opportunities it gives for folks to get their work read by an astonishing number of peepers, and the manner in which it helps writers develop styles and this sort of thing. It has fairly near monopolised my web-browsing, that’s for damn sure.
What song is stuck in your head right now?
Well, I’m listening to an acoustic version of “Black Boy Lane” by Pete Doherty, so that’s the very chappie in my skull-pipes.
What do you have set as the home page in your browser?
I don’t have anything set, I just get the AOL news page thing. Did you know “The Internet has brought the high street to our homes”? Neither did I. But it did, according to AOL.
Who was your idol as you were growing up?
I think it might’ve been Prince. There were a few jostling for attention. Prince, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Billy Connolly. Probably Kiefer Sutherland in The Lost Boys, too. A healthy mix.
What are three items you would need to have on a desert island?
Well, I’d love my iPod, but unless they release some sort of solar-powered version, some sort of iSun upgrade, then it’d be a bit useless, really. I’d want a book, definitely, something that could be read and re-read ‘til such times as I got eaten by sand-worms or whatever horrible fate is awaiting, so it’d have to be something I’ve already read, in case it turns out to be crap. Something that could withstand potentially hundreds o’ goings-over. Maybe The Great Shark Hunt by Hunter S. Thompson, which might scare off a hammerhead or two hell-bent on chewing the guts out my head. Or possibly the Bible, since it’s got the book of Job and the Gospel According To Matthew and those beautiful letters all padding out the last third of The New Testament. I’d want a good supply o’ notebooks and plenty pens, so as I could keep writing and maybe find a bottle I could shove it all in, fling it off cross the ocean in the direction of some publisher or other. I’m torn on the third item. A guitar or a dinghy? Probably a guitar.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - DJRadiohead
Cheers, Duke. I have known this honor was heading your way for some time now and have been looking forward to this. Well done and well deserved.
2 - El Bicho
Duke, congrats on the recognition, although I'm sure you are the BCoM every month to your devoted fanbase.
Lisa, great job as usual.
3 - Mark Saleski
it's about freakin' time! hail duke. well-deserved.
4 - Mat Brewster
Does this mean we get to upgrade your title to something like Prince de Mondo?
Congrats, Sir Duke.
5 - Greg Smyth
Thoroughly deserved, fine Sir.
And cheers for the namecheck, kind of you to include someone with such a patchy and low-frequency writing record.
6 - Mary K. Williams
I hope this comes thru - as I'm posting from a sleeply little laptop on vacation.
Yay for Duke! Congrats Babycakes! (Yeah, I dunno where that came from - but it fit)
You deeply entertain and inspire the rest of us.
Very well deserved.
7 - Aaron Fleming
Much congrats Duke! Who deserves it more than yourself? No one, that's who.
8 - Gordon Hauptfleisch
Duke--DJRadiohead said it best: your inspiring writing "gives me the kind of fits of jealousy that make me want to hang it all up."
So Congratulations, I guess.
9 - Mark Sahm
It's 3AM in a room lit by the blue glow of a dead channel, and a half-drunken Jeff Fahey rolls out of bed.
Restless, he nudges the trackpad to wake up his laptop. By random forces of short story plotism, he surfs his way to this page, and lets out a cry of frustration.
A woman rolls over and turns on a light. "What's all the matter?" Harry-Potter-Woman asks.
"It's that fella," Jeff growls, "the one who mocks my last name... he just got awarded Blogcritic of the Month."
"Oh, him," HPW replies, "Just forget you saw it, baby." She rolls back over, and pulls the covers taut between her legs. She takes a breath, biting the corner of her lip as the air billows in her lungs.
"Why don't you come back to bed," she exhales, "and show me why you were the sexiest cowboy in Silverado." HPW turns off the light, a sly grin on her face.
Congrats Duke.
10 - Mayank 'Austen' Singh
Congratulations Duke. Of course you knew you deserved it.
11 - lono
All hail the Duke. Nay, let me put that in Duke terms.
All hail the motherfuckin' Duke. I strongly encourage all y'all to read his assesment of GG Allin DVD. I could link it here, but you will have more fun searching for it... I promise you that.
12 - Eric Berlin
congrats Duke !
13 - Dawn
Oh Duke, you just get sexier and more charming -like the last single guy at 3:00 am on a drunken Saturday night.
And that my friend, is meant in the most sincerest and lovingest way (as a former drunk from back in the day).
14 - Eric Olsen
When the Duker is on -- and he frequently is -- he is the finest pure, white lightning, stream-of-word-slinging emotion-wrangler these pages have ever seen. Congrats and thanks Aaron!
15 - duane
Well said, Eric. I second that.
16 - Matthew T. Sussman
The podcasts bring out the Duke I like the best, both Mondo Podcast and BCRadio. Not just the energy, but the fact that he doesn't always need music to liven up his tone.
Allow me to be the troll who says the bad things but I'll lay up a bit and just say I'm too uncultured to understand Duke's written prose. M'bye it's al' th' ap'st'ph's th't g't 'n m' w'y.
But truth be told this interview and his answers had a brilliant wit to it and it doesn't matter how you write, you'll see it.
17 - Scott Butki
Congratulations on getting recognized, Dukester
18 - Connie Phillips
Congratulations Duke!
19 - Duke De Mondo
Folks - i was away for the week there, and return to find that not only has this been posted, but also, a wealth of beautiful words flung my way both in and out of the article itself. I dunno what a fella might say to thank anyone for the kindsa things said, or to thank the BC powers that be for selecting me for this, or to thank Lisa for the ammount of work she put in, so what i'll do is say i'm out my mind wi' happiness an such, and that even though i obviously knew this was comin, what with the questions and the "we've picked you for next months BC Of The Month", even so, it still seems all the surreal in the world. So thank you. Heh, and Mark Sahm, friend, that was altogether beautiful. I only hope Harry Potter Woman ended up with such an outstanding example of humanity.
20 - Fearghus
Introduced me to Bright Eyes, Ryan Adams and The Pogues. What a legend.
21 - gillian
good on ye! wow. thats some size of an interview!
22 - Terry Hughes
Oh how I remember him when he was but a boy; when he would use the humble pen and paper. No more. Nay! The paradigm has indeed shifted.
23 - Scott Butki
Note to self: Write a companion guide translating and/or attempting to explain Duke's amazing prose.
Sort of like a James Joyce companion book but with more bits about rock and music and suck
keep up the great work, man.
I'm going to go print out your picks to read on a dull day since your pieces inevitably brighten my days.
24 - Scott Butki
For some reason both the 72 hour link and the anus link both go to, er, the anus, um, piece.
I'll read one piece about your butt but two - let alone 72 hours about your anus - seems a bit much.
25 - Duke De Mondo
Scott, thank you for the kind words! and thank you also for pointing out that error. i've sent a wee email to the BC yahoo group for to see about havin it sorted out.
Terry Hughes - sweet joseph's fuck! what a kick upside the teeth from back in the day that was! a pleasure to see your name up yonder. the email's still the same, incidentally, if'n you wanna fling one on o'er.
Beautiful Ms Gillian; much appreciated, that support right there. and ms McKay surely went to the very furthest boundaries of her duties in compiling this number.
Fearghus - glad to be of service, mate! thanks also!