"His blood seemed to seize in his veins and his testicles tied themselves into a tiny, throbbing, white-knuckled monkey's fist."
-Tiger Moody
The above quote aptly describes the raw, guttural, in your face, and grab you by the cojones literary ambiance present in Tiger Moody's new Induction of the Sycophant novel on the marvelous Kicks Books imprint. Weaving a multi-dimensional tale set in the backdrop of post-World War II '50s America and incorporating the comic/horror book business, Cold War paranoia, gritty pulp fiction dialogue, and a NYC long gone like the way of nickel rides on the Coney Island Cyclone. Along the way there are spirited discussions on the underlying homoerotic context of Batman and Robin's relationship, Wonder Woman's stridently anti-masculine views, and the inherent bondage/murder/violence message found in the pages of so-called children's comics.
One doesn't have to be well-versed, or care, about these topics in order to enjoy the brilliant prose on display, that describes with surgical detail the paradoxically pitiful and glorious human condition, as all great literature ultimately does. The book references classic Americana pulp authors like Raymond Chandler and Jim Thompson, with the added bonus of Tiger Moody's own period-accurate drawings sprinkled throughout the story, providing an important visual aid to a cartoonish and all too real dirge-like existence.
I first became acquainted with Tiger through the NYHC scene of the late '80s. He drew some classic flyers and artwork for our mutual friends in the band Life's Blood.
As I kept in touch with him throughout the years, his highly descriptive writing, at first relegated to social media posts, kept appearing with greater rates of frequency and quality. I'm glad someone followed up on what we were all thinking: "Man, write a book already, your stories rule!" Tiger is a triple threat. He's a gifted writer, visual artist, and as his recent book release appearance showed, a gifted performer. I am looking forward to whatever he does next, whether it's the written/spoken word or drawing/painting. Did I mention he also draws these incredible, one-of-a-kind, custom made t-shirts? The foreword by Lenny Kaye (Patti Smith Group) is a fitting tribute from the dirty old '70s. Here's to the Cult of Moody growing in leaps and bounds from this rat-infested NYC of ours to the world at large.
Learn more about Induction of the Sycophant and Moody on the Kicks Books website.
