Welcome to the home of Gloomy for Pleasure publications and the writing of Karlostheunhappy.
In the mid-1990’s I was creator and curator of ‘Beat Surreal’.
Beat Surreal was an underground literary zine which sought to present exciting new work from a new wave of Beat Generation-inspired outlaw poets alongside writers of modern surrealism or Dadaism.
There are many links between the Beat Generation and the surrealist circle of the early 20’s. Not only were they both anarchistic in political outlook, but techniques like the cut-up method used to great effect by William S. Burroughs and then, later Bowie in the 70’s, probably derived from surrealist games like the ‘Exquisite Corpse’ or their interest in mad collage.
I had started to write my own poetry and was tutored by Poetry Society-recommended author, Paul Groves. My greatest success in this period was being published in an anthology alongside the likes of Peter Levi, with my Whitman-inspired ode, ‘Benchsleepers of the World’.
Away from writing I play in Dean Ultimate – our local Ultimate Frisbee team, as a beginner, and until my squad reached 16 in 2022 was also coaching football as a FA Wales-accredited coach at Chepstow Garden City Green & Blacks JFC. That fulfilled a lifelong desire to teach. Although our results would probably tell a different story.
In between raising children and coaching a boys football team, I found myself returning to the poetry of my 1990’s, just as I turned 50.
And, returning to the Beats, outlaw poetics and secular Buddhism has been wonderful.
Now I’ve been published in Beatdom magazine and it (international times), have release my first collection (Oblivion: 200 Seasons of Pain & Magic).
Simon Warner (author of ‘Text and Drugs and Rock ‘n’ Roll: The Beats and Rock Culture‘ and ‘Kerouac on Record: A Literary Soundtrack‘) also interviewed me for his Beat Soundtrack series.
In 2002 I was honoured by the National Beat Poetry Foundation, inc., becoming the National Beat Poet Laureate (England) 2022-23.
Karlostheunhappy 