The Show That Smells (Paperback)

Derek McCormack

ISBN 10: 1933354712 / ISBN 13: 9781933354712

Published by Akashic Books,U.S., New York, 2009

About this Item

Paperback. Derek McCormack has written a mini-masterpiece that keeps swelling with invention long after youve put it down.Guy Maddin, filmmakerclass="MsoNormal">A hilarious, strange and altogether ghoulish little freak show of a book . . . A book like The Show that Smellsdemonstrates that innovative literature, if such a thing still exists, can be accessible and even fun, especially for those of us with a dark sense of humor.-Miami HeraldThe most shocking story ever shown on the silver screen!It's also the tale of Jimmiea country music singer dying of tuberculosisand Carrie, his wife, who tries to save him by selling her soul to a devil who designs haute couture clothing! Elsa is a powerful Parisian dress designer, and a vampire. She wants to make Carrie look beautiful, smell beautifuland then she wants to eat her! Will Carrie survive as her slave? Will Jimmie be cured? Starring a host of Hollywood's brightest stars, including Coco Chanel, Lon Chaney, and The Carter Family. The Show that Smells is a thrilling tale of hillbillies, high fashion, and horror!Derek McCormack is the author of Grab Bag (Akashic Books) and The Haunted Hillbilly (Soft Skull Press), which was named a Best Book of the Year by both the Village Voice and the Globe and Mail, and was a Lambda Literary Award finalist. He writes fashion and arts articles for the National Post. He lives in Toronto. Derek McCormack's most compelling work yet is his second selection in Dennis Cooper's groundbreaking Little House on the Bowery fiction series. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.

Seller Inventory # 9781933354712

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Show That Smells (Paperback)
• Publisher: Akashic Books,U.S., New York
• Publication Date: 2009
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1933354712
• ISBN 13: 9781933354712
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: new

About this title

Synopsis

Derek McCormack's most compelling work yet is his second selection in Dennis Cooper's groundbreaking Little House on the Bowery fiction series.

“[Derek McCormack is] a whiz at fashion and other often-freaky stuff that the popular imagination latches onto . . .” ―Toronto Star

McCormack begins his quirky Tod Browning–inspired tale with a disclaimer: “This book is a work of fiction. It is a parody. It is a phantasmagoria . . . Elsa Schiaparelli was never a vampire. Shocking! by Schiaparelli never contained blood.” The work of Schiaparelli, a 1930s Italian fashion designer, was influenced by Surrealist Salvador Dalí, and the same spirit permeates The Show that Smells, which is set in a maze of mirrors. Schiaparelli dresses introduced playfulness and a sense of “anything goes” to the fashion industry. She branched into perfume and became designer to a number of film stars. In addition to Schiaparelli, this tale is about Jimmie Rodgers, a country music–singer dying of tuberculosis, and his wife, Carrie, who tries to save him by selling her soul to a devil who designs haute couture clothing.

Starring a host of Hollywood’s brightest stars, including Schiaparelli’s real-life rival Coco Chanel, character actor Lon Chaney, Joan Crawford, and the Carter Family (as red state vampire hunters, no less), The Show that Smells is a thrilling tale of hillbillies, high fashion, and horror. An invitation to adults to make-believe, it is sure to please fashion connoisseurs, fans of classic and cult cinema, and freaks everywhere. In McCormack’s world, the power of death can be bottled and sold, and it certainly smells.

About the Author

DEREK McCORMACK is the author of Grab Bag (Akashic), The Show that Smells (Akashic), and The Haunted Hillbilly (Soft Skull), which was named a “Best Book of the Year” by both the Village Voice and the Globe and Mail, and was a Lambda Literary Award finalist. He writes fashion and arts articles for the National Post, and lives in Toronto.