Nayland Blake

Jerk is an early short story that I originally read not too long ago in Dennis Cooper's most recent collection, Ugly Man. The benefit of reading this original copy is getting the "puppet show" images that go with it. In this version, artist Nayland Blake created a puppet show which inspired Cooper to create his re-telling of the true story of David Brooks, accomplice to serial killer Dean Corll. It is an interesting combination-study of fiction and non-fiction. Overall, I found the story (again) to be well written and, in Cooper fashion, engrossingly disturbing. The Blake images made the story much creepier, particularly when you remind yourself that these puppets are from the mind of David Brooks, the man responsible for video taping these brutal murders. Intense, fascinating, and somehow sexually charged - Jerk is a wild read. Highly recommended to those Cooper readers who may be familiar with the George Myles cycle or Coopers later works, but who overlooked this original version of the short story.… (meer)