black-francis-good-inn

Black Francis launching his book 'The Good Inn' at The Powerhouse Arena in Brooklyn (tix on sale)

Good Inn

Created in the explosive space between the surreal and the concrete, The Good Inn follows Solder Boy–the lone survivor of the explosion of the battleship Iéna–as he wanders aimlessly after the accident, falls deeply for an innkeeper’s daughter, and even more deeply into a bizarre, alternate universe he discovers through a hole in his bedroom wall.

The world he finds exists at the intersection of art and violence, and introduces readers to the very real (and surreal) characters who created the first narrative pornographic film. The Good Inn weaves together real characters from the history of French cinema with darkly whimsical illustrations by Steven Appleby and recreates the lost story of La Bonne Auberge, as seen through the eyes of a shell-shocked soldier.

Through Soldier Boy’s journey as the subject and star of the world’s first stag film, we explore the power of memory, the simultaneously destructive and healing power of light and how the early pioneers of these stag films helped shape their industry for generations to come.

Blurring the lines between fact and fiction, film and prose, reality and surreality, The Good Inn bends readers’ minds and holds its own against the best surrealists–from Lynch to Dali to Serling. It is sure to challenge our conceptions of history, highbrow and lowbrow and how we consume art in all its forms.

The above description is of Pixies frontman Black Francis‘ debut novel, The Good Inn (written with co-author Josh Frank), which is being celebrated with a book launch in Brooklyn on April 25 at The Powerhouse Arena (37 Main St). The event runs from 6-8 PM, and will feature Black Francis, Josh Frank and the book’s illustrator Steven Appleby. TIckets are on sale now, can be applied as credit towards the purchase of The Good Inn.

Meanwhile, the Pixies are over in California this weekend for Coachella. If you’re not there, you can stream it live.