TODD RIEMER

Check out the listing here.

The Sheena Metal Experience – 10.14.2010

Psi Fi Radio Interview – Inferno by Todd Riemer – Oct 07,2010

A Book and a Chat – 10.5.10

Going West

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In addition to commissioning Kinsey to paint the cover image for my book, Inferno, a large painting that hangs right beside my bed and I probably spend at least thirty minutes a day looking at, I have been collecting Kinsey signed prints for a while now. I have a nice collection of about 10 prints, and I am addicted to his raw, Street-meets-Futurism style. I hope to have a large writing studio to display all his works in someday. Personally he embodies everything I love about art: darkness, dynamism, social commentary, emotional rapture… he has it all!

His press release explains it best: “Kinsey’s works of raw emotion draw their energy, style, and often substance from abstract expressionism mixed with urban hieroglyphics. His dynamic figures are situated within multi-layered, multi-textured atmospheres of pure abstraction. These beings- displaying a mixture of defiance, triumph, and tragedy—transmit their forceful spirit through Kinsey’s range of mediums, signature style, and a high-contrast color palette.”

Here is a link to a few images of the work he is exhibiting this month, enjoy!

Joshua Liner Gallery, Kinsey, New Works

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A Carnival of Bones

Ten years ago my father and I discovered what we thought was the most avant-garde piece of “art” we had ever seen at Bergamot Station in Santa Monica. Marked for sale for $3,500 an artist had taken the skull of a ram, horns and all, and had lined it with strips of leather, wire, and metal plates. I can’t recall the piece’s name, but the image of Dr. Frankenstein’s monster will never be shaken from my head.

At once disturbing and entrancing we developed elaborate fantasies of displaying this piece in a fictional medieval study. Every few minutes or so we jested that the skull would rotate, just slightly, almost imperceptibly, so that the viewer would be driven into a state of illogical madness. Okay, perhaps that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but it was good for a few laughs on our way home. If it hadn’t been marked on hold for sale I would have made my argument for purchase… and you know what, I was right in noticing its value.

Flash forward ten years to the Museum of Arts and Design in NYC May 2010. I had the pleasure of visiting New York City for the Book Expo of America, to promote Inferno, and while there attended the museum to find that not only was there a skull on display, but an entire carnival of bones. The entire exhibit Dead or Alive, on view till October 24, 2010, was an amalgamation of works created from organic matter, a waterfall made of bird feathers, a full size horse constructed from hair, a cube of flies strategically manufactured to represent some sort of otherworldly matrix. As a matter of fact, that is the best way to describe the entire exhibit… otherworldly.

I turned the corner, half expecting to see a life size statue crafted from toe nail clippings or a collection of hats fabricated from human skin, and low and behold there was a full sized centaur skeleton crafted from real bone. Needless to say it reminded me of the ram’s skull, and when my father found me, mouth wide open starring at the archeological fabrication of a Dungeons and Dragons dream world brought into reality, there was nothing left to say but “We definitely should have bought the skull.” Creepy, yes. Fantastical, certainly. Visionary, I like to think so; and my dad does too.

Shen Shaomin, Sagittarius, 2005 (Photo: Courtesy of Museum of Arts and Design). Museum of Arts and Design, NYC; Dead or Alive, a must see experience! For more photos and exhibit info go to: www.madmuseum.org

(Have something VISIONARY you would like to share? Hit me up at info@toddriemer.com and I’ll gladly post your story about the absurd, boundary-pushing, surreal, mind-altering, or prophetic things you have discovered… Cheers!)

Inferno – Todd Riemer

What would Philip K Dick and Stephen King’s love child look like if it grew up reading 1984 and watching Saw movies?  Probably a lot like Inferno by Todd Riemer. There is the decaying dystopian society with requisite brutality and opression, a demon spirit and the ghost of a dead lover caught between two worlds, and well-crafted though rather graphic scenes of torture and abuse.  This book is not for the faint of heart but it does have nice, tight prose and good imagery.

The hero of our story, Blum, tells us of his experiences through flashbacks and real time narration.  We first meet him in a dream (which honestly put me off a bit, because I didn’t realize it was a dream at first and it seemed incomprehensible, but eventually I read past the first page and it started to make sense).  We discover he has been imprisoned for years for rebellion against the oppressive regime that murdered his lover, who was at the time pregnant with his child.  We follow him through escape, return, capture, resistance, and another insurrection.  Along the way we discover he is being manipulated by a demon spirit called the Midnight Man who hopes to corrupt Blum completely so that he can take the Midnight Man’s place as a tortured and miserable ruler of hell.  The Midnight Man holds the ghost of Blum’s lover hostage in the fires, where she will remain until Blum kills her murderers, thereby freeing her to be reborn into a new life.

Inferno is Riemer’s first novel, and is self published.  Most of the time I am leery of self published books, because they tend to have grammar and punctuation errors that drive me nuts – more so than books from major publishers with copy editors.  I was pleasantly surprised that that was not an issue with Inferno, although it has a unique, almost stream-of-consciousness, style that took some getting used to.  Once I adjusted to the style, I quickly got caught up in the imagery of the book.  If you enjoy dark stories and don’t mind graphic violence, this is a good read with redemption and a little nugget of hope at the end.

(From http://truescifi.wordpress.com 8.6.2010)

Thank you!

Todd

My incredible Creative Consultant and wonderful friend, Ms. Devin Ford, has arranged a sultry and sensual art event for your enjoyment, focused on her fine art photography of New Orleans.

As many of you know, Devin has played a critical role in shaping my writing career and I owe so much to her talents.  She directed the book trailer for Inferno, designed my website, all associated print collateral, and took the legendary Salton Sea photos.  She is so talented and most importantly such a pleasure to be around.

The Spirit of New Orleans is the kick off event for a series of events organized by Causes for Artists, a Devin Ford enterprise. Causes for Artists taps into the Los Angeles area creative community in order to promote local artists (of all media) and at the same give back to the community that nurtures us.  Twenty percent of Devin’s sales go to the West Hollywood Library Fund.

I hope you all take advantage of this great opportunity and enjoy the southern hospitality of one of Alabama’s finest!

Yours,

Todd

She was in control. I looked admiringly at her breasts that sat perfectly on her chest, two luxurious mounds of soft flesh. She dressed me in the tuxedo that Jex had lent me for the occasion. I was a black and white clown. I would sing and dance and perform for her.

She continued: It takes a different kind of man to realize when a revolution is called for. I fumbled with my bow tie while she put on her black dress. She worked at putting an onyx, diamond, and silver clip in her short black wig. The clip sparkled in the yellow light of the den. I am no revolutionary, I said. I looked into the mirror as we dressed. Beads of sweat formed on
my brow. She fastened dangling silver earrings to her ears and set an old silver necklace on her throat. The necklace erotically caressed her throat like I had wanted to, like I had done to her a hundred times in my dreaming fantasies. I noticed a birthmark on the side of her neck
that I had not seen before. Though some would have called it a blemish, it radiated a pure sense of imperfect perfection that only the truly beautiful exude.

I continued: I have taken a man’s life before. I’m not afraid. I thought I might be afraid, but I’m not. Next to you I am strong. I looked at her through the mirror’s reflection. Her lips were red, smoothed over with slick gloss. They shimmered in the low lights and orange smoke.

In this moment, I finally understand my purpose. I wrapped myself in the black cloak and placed the golden mask over my face.

Only the elite were allowed to indulge in the High Magistrate’s
Offering. Government officials, military officers, bureaucrats, adminis-
trators, civil and public servants, the Higher and Lower Magistrates; all
were present. They were porcelain dolls, perfectly made up. Their hair
curled about their faces. Their eyes sparkled in the cascading light of
the chandeliers. Th e porcelain dolls chatted on, bobbed their heads, and
drank endless goblets of wine. I debated the perfect moment to strike.

The gun felt foreign to my hand. It was heavy inside my coat
pocket. I was sweating. It was hot under my cloak and mask. Isabelle
flirtatiously toyed with Dr. Remington. She touched his leg. I will do
anything for her, I thought. I perspired and trembled. Th e agitating
moments passed by more like years rather than seconds. I heard the
clock ticking. I stared at her red fingernails, manicured, delicate, tapping
his knee as she waited in anticipation. Th e time of judgment would
soon be upon us.

I heard the clock strike twelve as the High Magistrate took the
podium to address the crowd of dignitaries. My hands shook as I groped
for the gun in my jacket. I knew that she was waiting for me to pull the
metal trigger. Outwardly she smiled, though I knew inside she under-
stood the severity of the moment, the anarchy our actions would bring.
He was an average-sized man, with a deep booming voice. He was
at least sixty years of age. He was hidden by his red judicial robes, which
were marked by three black dots forming a triangle. He wore a monocle
rimmed in gold that sparkled in the light of the crystal chandeliers. The
clock was ticking.

He told me of your world. She looked around and motioned to all the
fineries around us. I have heard of your power, Jex. I knew it would
only be a matter of time before we met, joined our strengths into one.
The word one sent an electric feeling through my gut.

He looked at her and doted on each word that she uttered, as did I.
Her language massaged his ego, delicately touched his masculinity from
top to bottom. She leaned into his face. Her act was quite convincing,
however I hoped that her words were only that, an act. Jex had fallen
under her spell, the web of desire she wound tightly around his heart
had been set in place. Jealousy burned inside of me.

I look forward to reaping the rewards of this friendship, Isabelle.
Th ere is no doubt that your talents will bring much fortune to my house.
Yet for now, he turned to look at me, my appetite demands someone of
a different nature. Give me your arm, Blum. He commanded.

…some ash from my cigarette landed on the
document. The words were tiny, almost illegible, a small stack of old,
brown papers marked with black ink. Some were singed, others flaking
in places. I thought of Isabelle, her smiling face, her green eyes, the
small of her back graced with a gentle sweat. I had signed before I was
conscious of what I had done. The ink bled into the paper, my judge
took the document back into the shadows.

It is done, he said as he leaned back into the leather chair.
Almost immediately smoke began to fill the room. I saw his sharp
white teeth shining through the tendrils of gray mist. What have I
done? I thought.

I must know your name, I said frantically as his image began to fade.
Like the sound of far off  ocean waves, his voice rolled gently towards
me: I am the Midnight Man. The smoke clouded my eyes.

…the drunken man, fired his handgun through a prisoner’s skull. The man’s body fell like a stone to the ground, toppling the rest of the men bound by the chain. The metal ring around my neck tightened. A slight trickle of blood rolled down it. I watched the guard manically cut the man from the chain gang with his knife. He was no better than a butcher. He dismembered the prisoner as though he were an animal.

Jus’ remember who’s in charge here.  He ran alongside the chain and hopped into one of the trucks ahead of us laughing to himself.  The other Black Boots greeted him with victorious cries.  Jus’ remember we’re watchin’ you bastar’s, he shouted back at us.

We struggled back onto our feet and continued the hellish march.

The Festival of Books gave us an invaluable opportunity to talk with avid readers and hear their thoughts and impressions about the novel and the Todd Riemer VISION. One of the most common questions was: Is it a graphic novel? Work continues on the graphic novel edition of Inferno, which should be out early 2011. The beautiful cover by Kinsey is indeed a piece of art that evokes the feeling of a graphic novel. There are still a few limited edition prints of the cover art, signed by both author and artist, available at the Emporium.

ToddRiemer.com at the LA Times Festival of Books

Our booth was graced by the presence of an LA Times reporter who interviewed Todd and captured some great coverage on what ToddRiemer.com is all about. For something a bit more, ahem, “homemade” you can check out some Inferno shenanigans on this video postcard made by Todd, Camille and Ian at the Brand X video booth up in the Comic and Graphic novel section of the festival.

Another highlight from the Festival was getting to talk to Star Trek: Next Generation actor and super geek extraordinaire Wil Weaton. Wil talked to us about all sorts of things from his recent guest appearance (as himself) on CBS’s Big Bang Theory to his frustrations with the iPod Touch. He currently has the first chapter of Inferno, and we hope that he will want to find out more about us.

Again, thank you all for your support. Please keep in contact and let us know what you think of Inferno.

Along the voyage, my novel grew and changed, as did my vision.  What I set out to create was a work that might shed some light on the darker parts of the human mind, the social consequence of morality skewed, a society built and ruled by fear.  I wished to offer an example of what might happen to us in the end, should we not fight for what is just. Through the madness induced by the long desert trek, time and time again I felt myself drawn towards those who refuse to accept the oppression that others would impose upon them.  For these characters, though they inhabit a dystopian world, beauty, love, and humanity persist.

I leave you to explore my vision, my dystopia, the beauty that blooms from my Inferno…

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