Erik Morse
Encyclopedia
Erik Morse (b. November 1979), is an American
underground author, rock writer and journalist.
Morse was born and grew up in the small town of Conroe, Texas
near a farm site where Beat
writers Allen Ginsberg
and William S. Burroughs
once lived in the 1940s. Despite suffering a tumultuous teenage life in a Houston private school where shady juvenile crime ultimately led him to a stint in rehab
, Morse went on to graduate from New York University
with a degree in film and philosophy.
At the same time, Morse also met and worked extensively with New York
downtown writers and journalists - among them, punk laureate and Andy Warhol
associate Victor Bockris
, International Times
' founder and Beatles' biographer Barry Miles
and Please Kill Me bon vivant Legs McNeil
. After a chance meeting with Spacemen 3
founder and avant-garde
musician, Sonic Boom (A.K.A. Peter Kember
) in an East Village
club in 2001, Morse began penning a lengthy and exhausting biography of the band during his final year of college. The completed text, known alternatively as Spacemen 3 and the Birth of Spiritualized or Dreamweapon – which detailed the two decade history of the legendary narcotic outfit – was published by Omnibus Press UK in 2004 and in the US in 2005. The book was featured in US and UK magazines Mojo
, The Wire
, Uncut
, Harp, and Magnet as well as BBC
Radio – a rare feat for a first-time author – and critically praised by Simon Reynolds
, Thurston Moore
, Dennis Cooper
and Christian Fennesz
. Morse has also written for various magazines and journals throughout the US and Europe, with features in Filmmaker Magazine
, Frieze (magazine)
, Interview Magazine, Arthur Magazine, Bomb Magazine
, Bookforum
and Semiotext(e)
's Animal Shelter
. He is currently a contributing writer for the San Francisco Bay Guardian
.
Erik Morse has collaborated with Southern rock
legend, filmmaker and photographer Tav Falco
on a dual, 450-page encyclopedic history and psychogeography
of the city of Memphis, Tennessee
. The two volumes together are entitled MONDO MEMPHIS. Falco's book is a study of Memphis beginning with the Civil War
up to more recent autobiographical accounts in the city. Erik Morse's roman noir follows a West Coast graduate student and his encounters with a Memphis secret society
. The volumes are published by Creation Books
, and the limited edition hardcover is set to be released July 15, 2011. A third, unidentified book is also in the works.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
underground author, rock writer and journalist.
Morse was born and grew up in the small town of Conroe, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
near a farm site where Beat
Beat generation
The Beat Generation refers to a group of American post-WWII writers who came to prominence in the 1950s, as well as the cultural phenomena that they both documented and inspired...
writers Allen Ginsberg
Allen Ginsberg
Irwin Allen Ginsberg was an American poet and one of the leading figures of the Beat Generation in the 1950s. He vigorously opposed militarism, materialism and sexual repression...
and William S. Burroughs
William S. Burroughs
William Seward Burroughs II was an American novelist, poet, essayist and spoken word performer. A primary figure of the Beat Generation and a major postmodernist author, he is considered to be "one of the most politically trenchant, culturally influential, and innovative artists of the 20th...
once lived in the 1940s. Despite suffering a tumultuous teenage life in a Houston private school where shady juvenile crime ultimately led him to a stint in rehab
Drug rehabilitation
Drug rehabilitation is a term for the processes of medical or psychotherapeutic treatment, for dependency on psychoactive substances such as alcohol, prescription drugs, and so-called street drugs such as cocaine, heroin or amphetamines...
, Morse went on to graduate from New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
with a degree in film and philosophy.
At the same time, Morse also met and worked extensively with New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
downtown writers and journalists - among them, punk laureate and Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol
Andrew Warhola , known as Andy Warhol, was an American painter, printmaker, and filmmaker who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art...
associate Victor Bockris
Victor Bockris
Victor Bockris is an English-born, U.S.-based author, primarily of biographies of artists, writers, and musicians.He has written about Lou Reed , Andy Warhol, Keith Richards, William S. Burroughs, Terry Southern, Blondie, Patti Smith, and Muhammad Ali...
, International Times
International Times
International Times was an underground newspaper founded in London in 1966. Editors included Hoppy, David Mairowitz, Pete Stansill, Barry Miles, Jim Haynes and playwright Tom McGrath...
' founder and Beatles' biographer Barry Miles
Barry Miles
Barry Miles is an English author known for his participation in and writing on the subject of the 1960s London underground. He has written numerous books and his work has also regularly appeared in left-wing papers such as The Guardian...
and Please Kill Me bon vivant Legs McNeil
Legs McNeil
Roderick Edward "Legs" McNeil is a writer and rock music historian. He is the co-founder and a writer for Punk Magazine; he is also a former senior editor at Spin Magazine, and the founder and editor of Nerve magazine .- Punk Magazine:At the age of 18, McNeil gathered with two high school...
. After a chance meeting with Spacemen 3
Spacemen 3
Spacemen 3 were an English alternative rock band, formed in 1982 in Rugby, Warwickshire by Peter Kember and Jason Pierce. Their music was "colorfully mind-altering, but not in the sense of the acid rock of the '60s; instead, the band developed its own minimalistic psychedelia"...
founder and avant-garde
Avant-garde
Avant-garde means "advance guard" or "vanguard". The adjective form is used in English to refer to people or works that are experimental or innovative, particularly with respect to art, culture, and politics....
musician, Sonic Boom (A.K.A. Peter Kember
Peter Kember
Peter Kember is a British musician and producer, more usually known as Sonic Boom, and was a founding member of alternative rock band Spacemen 3....
) in an East Village
East Village, Manhattan
The East Village is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, lying east of Greenwich Village, south of Gramercy and Stuyvesant Town, and north of the Lower East Side...
club in 2001, Morse began penning a lengthy and exhausting biography of the band during his final year of college. The completed text, known alternatively as Spacemen 3 and the Birth of Spiritualized or Dreamweapon – which detailed the two decade history of the legendary narcotic outfit – was published by Omnibus Press UK in 2004 and in the US in 2005. The book was featured in US and UK magazines Mojo
Mojo (magazine)
MOJO is a popular music magazine published initially by Emap, and since January 2008 by Bauer, monthly in the United Kingdom. Following the success of the magazine Q, publishers Emap were looking for a title which would cater for the burgeoning interest in classic rock music...
, The Wire
The Wire (magazine)
The Wire is a British avant garde music magazine, founded in 1982 by jazz promoter Anthony Wood and journalist Chrissie Murray. The magazine initially concentrated on contemporary jazz and improvised music, but branched out in the early 1990s to various types of experimental music...
, Uncut
UNCUT (magazine)
Uncut magazine, trademarked as UNCUT, is a monthly publication based in London. It is available across the English-speaking world, and focuses on music, but also includes film and books sections...
, Harp, and Magnet as well as BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
Radio – a rare feat for a first-time author – and critically praised by Simon Reynolds
Simon Reynolds
Simon Reynolds is an English music critic who is well-known for his writings on electronic dance music and for coining the term "post-rock". Besides electronic dance music, Reynolds has written about a wide range of artists and musical genres, and has written books on post-punk and rock...
, Thurston Moore
Thurston Moore
Thurston Joseph Moore is an American musician best known as a singer, songwriter and guitarist of Sonic Youth. He has also participated in many solo and group collaborations outside of Sonic Youth, as well as running the Ecstatic Peace! record label...
, Dennis Cooper
Dennis Cooper
Dennis Cooper is an American novelist, poet, critic, editor and performance artist.-Career:Cooper grew up the son of a wealthy businessman in Arcadia, California. His first forays into literature came early, focusing on imitations of Rimbaud, Verlaine, de Sade, and Baudelaire...
and Christian Fennesz
Christian Fennesz
Christian Fennesz is an Austrian guitarist active in electronic music, often credited on albums simply as Fennesz....
. Morse has also written for various magazines and journals throughout the US and Europe, with features in Filmmaker Magazine
Filmmaker Magazine
Filmmaker is a quarterly publication magazine covering issues relating to independent film. The magazine was founded in 1992 by Karol Martesko-Fenster, Scott Macaulay and Holly Willis...
, Frieze (magazine)
Frieze (magazine)
-Publication:frieze is published eight times a year and is based in London. As well as essays, exhibition reviews and columns by forward-thinking writers, artists, critics and curators, the magazine includes music reviews, artist projects, interviews and sections on design and...
, Interview Magazine, Arthur Magazine, Bomb Magazine
Bomb Magazine
BOMB is a quarterly magazine edited by artists and writers. It is composed, primarily, of interviews between creative people working in a variety of disciplines — visual art, literature, music, film, theater and architecture....
, Bookforum
Bookforum
Bookforum is a New York-based magazine devoted to books and the discussion of literature. It is edited by Albert Mobilio, Chris Lehmann, , and Michael Miller.-History: Bookforum was launched in 1994 as a literary supplement to Artforum...
and Semiotext(e)
Semiotext(e)
Semiotext is an American independent publisher. It is widely credited for having introduced so-called "French Theory" to North America through its magazine issues and Foreign Agents series. In 2000, the MIT Press began distributing Semiotext, taking it over from the anarchist publishing collective...
's Animal Shelter
Animal shelter
An animal shelter is a facility that houses homeless, lost, or abandoned animals; primarily a large variety of dogs and cats.Parrots, for example, are the third most common pet owned by people...
. He is currently a contributing writer for the San Francisco Bay Guardian
San Francisco Bay Guardian
The San Francisco Bay Guardian is a free alternative newspaper published weekly in San Francisco, California. The paper is owned mostly by its publisher, Bruce B...
.
Erik Morse has collaborated with Southern rock
Southern rock
Southern rock is a subgenre of rock music, and genre of Americana. It developed in the Southern United States from rock and roll, country music, and blues, and is focused generally on electric guitar and vocals...
legend, filmmaker and photographer Tav Falco
Tav Falco
Tav Falco is an American-born musical performer, performance artist, actor, filmmaker, and photographer. He has led the psychedelic rock-and-roll group Tav Falco's Panther Burns since 1979...
on a dual, 450-page encyclopedic history and psychogeography
Psychogeography
Psychogeography was defined in 1955 by Guy Debord as "the study of the precise laws and specific effects of the geographical environment, consciously organized or not, on the emotions and behavior of individuals." Another definition is "a whole toy box full of playful, inventive strategies for...
of the city of Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
. The two volumes together are entitled MONDO MEMPHIS. Falco's book is a study of Memphis beginning with the Civil War
Civil war
A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same nation state or republic, or, less commonly, between two countries created from a formerly-united nation state....
up to more recent autobiographical accounts in the city. Erik Morse's roman noir follows a West Coast graduate student and his encounters with a Memphis secret society
Secret society
A secret society is a club or organization whose activities and inner functioning are concealed from non-members. The society may or may not attempt to conceal its existence. The term usually excludes covert groups, such as intelligence agencies or guerrilla insurgencies, which hide their...
. The volumes are published by Creation Books
Creation Books
Creation Books is a British publishing house specializing in experimental literature, surrealism, erotic and decadent literature. Creation also publish non-fiction, with books on magic, subcultures, and taboo topics such as suicide and serial killers. They are best known for publishing a number of...
, and the limited edition hardcover is set to be released July 15, 2011. A third, unidentified book is also in the works.