"The Room" by Hubert Selby

sorabji.com: Last book you read: "The Room" by Hubert Selby
By Jeffrey Scott Holland on Wednesday, March 4, 1998 - 05:38 pm:
    Extremely harsh, graphic, sexual and brutal stream-of-consciousness prison novel by the author of "Last Exit To Brooklyn". I'd really like to make a movie of this and I hear the film rights still reside with Selby.....I have his home phone number but I've been too chickenshit to call him up and propose the project.
By Christopher on Wednesday, March 4, 1998 - 06:15 pm:
    Jeffrey, If you feel like offsetting the depressive effects of Selby, follow up with just about anything by Will Self. His space is directly next to Selby on the bookstore shelves. I'd love to see a movie done of "The Room", but with todays rating system it would have to be either an independant or foreign film to do it right. Did you see the film version of LETB? Sordid, grungy, downtrodden, hopeless...All the things that the book were, yet strangely sanitized in a way. Unfortunately the gay characters came across as comical instead of nightmarishly desperate. Selby is a very hard writer to "enjoy". Quite frankly, I'm surprised that he's still alive...I had him pegged for cirrhosis or suicide by now (I know nothing of this guy's life. I'm just basing this remark on his writing.)
By Jeffrey Scott Holland on Wednesday, March 4, 1998 - 08:06 pm:
    Oh, I'm about as independent a filmmaker as they come, believe me. Yes, done properly, "The Room" would probably have a snowball's chance in hell of making all but the most courageous festivals and theaters....(In my ideal dream version, Dennis Hopper would play the lead, but of course, slim chance of that happenin'....)

    Yep, saw the film version of LETB, was actually surprised that they kept as close to the book as they did.....hadn't really expected the final TraLaLa scene to make it to the screen in any form.....the gay characters came off a bit cheesy, I agree, but part of that is because of the time period in which this takes place.

    Selby is very much alive.....my friend Todd just interviewed him and we're printing it in a series of little interview chapbooks, including Ivan Brunetti and Okie Jones. Selby nearly drank himself to death in the early 1970's and hasn't touched a drop since. He was closely involved with the LETB movie and was on the set for most of the shooting. I would love to see him get more of the sort of William S.Burroughs-like cult following he deserves.

    Will Self, eh? Never heard of him.....I'll check him out this week. What do you recommend?
By Christopher on Thursday, March 5, 1998 - 07:39 pm:
    JSH, I'm happy to meet another WSB fan. As for Will Self, He's a hoot. British and mean. Really cruel funny stuff. To start off, I would recommend some of his short stories. There are two volumes; "The quantity theory of insanity" and "Grey Matter". I suggest the former. After that, if you are still interested, I would say "My Idea Of Fun".
    I'll bet that Selby is a great interview subject, like Bukowski. Please let me know where I can get a copy of the chapbook you mentioned. I'd be really pleased to check that out.
By Jeffrey Scott Holland on Saturday, March 7, 1998 - 10:14 am:
    Christopher :
    It's not officially out yet but Todd has advance copies ready and he'll send ya one. It's $4 postpaid to:

    Hanging Dog Productions
    c/o The Pennington Farm
    P.O.Box 98
    Annville, KY 40402

    I'm sure you'll get all kinds of other assorted weirdness in the package too.
By R couteau on Thursday, September 3, 1998 - 09:23 pm: