I first read Stephen Graham Jones way back in 2011, and all of my bookish friends convinced me that I was late to the game. I interviewed Jones in 2012 for his then-new book ZOMBIE BAKE-OFF. It was in that interview where Stephen, off the top of his head, spend about six minutes explaining the entire history of zombies in fiction (movies, books, etc.), which was awesome.
Another stand-out moment of that interview was when Stephen said that, in a zombie apocalypse, it’s not about surviving, it’s about having the best death. Fuck yeah.
That was when I knew I’d be an enthusiastic reader and supporter of Jones for a long, long time.
That was 12 years ago. In the mean time, he’s published a ton of books, and gained a ton of readers, and I got to read a bunch of great stuff and chat him up about slashers, mannequins, spectral fathers, serial killers, vengeful elk, and so much more.
Trouble is, Jones is now so popular, it’s tough to get on his calendar! Getting him on for Don’t Fear the Reaper proved to be too tough, so I thought I could (and I did!) sneak in a chat about an obscure book from the beginning of Stephen’s career.
My ride or die besty Jesse Lawrence joined us for two reasons. First, he’s my ride or die. Second, Jesse and Stephen have known each other for far longer than I’ve known either of them, and beyond that Jesse is probably the biggest and most knowledgeable fan of Stephen’s writing that exists in the world. If someone was going to add value to the talk, it’s Jesse.
I hope you enjoy a bit of history, blowing some dust off of a pivotal moment in the career of Stephen Graham Jones - the release of a book whose DNA can be found in all of his subsequent writing - DEMON THEORY.
If you’re a YouTube watching type, here’s the video:
Stephen Graham Jones - DEMON THEORY