Strap yourselves in for a rollicking ride through the imagination of Manchester-based writer and artist Garth Simmons in Episode 8 of First Impressions as he introduces us to his highly original short story collection, Hole Punch.
As well as being a master of the dark arts when it comes to fiction – his tales first began to hypnotise readers as social media posts dreamt up while he was temping – Garth is also a prolific podcaster. Like his genre-corrupting writing, his collaborative podcasts slanderhour and Semi (find them on Spotify, iTunes and elsewhere) do their best to defy description. What’s clear is that they share the same humorous elements and risk-taking mindset that illuminate Garth’s literary output and recall Chris Morris’ Blue Jam, which we discuss during our conversation. Links below to other subjects we take a pop at. The stories you will hear from Garth during our conversation are Wheelchair (0:00), The Man About Town (13:33), Drowned Oil Sick (20:44), Food (30:28), Atheism (35:03), Smear (37:07), Retirement (40:07) and The Man They All Respected (51:08).
As ever, Episode 8 is best listened to through decent headphones so you don’t miss a word/beat. Accompanying images are by Garth.
Hole Punch (Kindle edition) https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hole-Punch-Garth-Simmons-ebook/dp/B08JLYC65H
Hole Punch on Good Reads https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55442661-hole-punch
Hole Punch review in dytopic.co.uk https://www.dystopic.co.uk/hole-punch-by-garth-simmons-novel-review/
Garth reading ‘Pigs’ for Reform Radio https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlGYMsMdfCw
slanderhour and Semi (with Garth, Mark Simpson, and Jim-John Harkness) on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/7rePqYwiNCdTbayxJAiwwq
True Blood by Flannery O’Connor https://uk.bookshop.org/books/wise-blood/9780571241309
Chris Morris’ Blue Jam https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUePblNU860&list=PLF9818396FA36E90E
