Apocalypse Confidential
If there was a beginning of time, there will be an end of time – The Rolling Stones, from their hit song “Time is On My Side”
The fact that the world will end is undisputed. The question is simply when. Apocalypse Confidential asks the difficult questions. Writers ask typically easier questions, such as “Are these mushrooms I found in the forest edible?” and “When will I get a new cardboard box to live in?”
Literature is meant to be boundary-pushing. Art must have this purpose. When art fails to experiment and fails to confront the reader, it may be better suited to be a coffee table book. People love those things: glossy pictures, regal formatting, and compelling content. There is a place for that, but to call such a thing literature when it doesn’t do anything? That’s a bit dishonest, and honesty is supposedly the best policy.
Weirdos and freaks adorn Apocalypse Confidential. Outcasts are welcome, a different slogan than the USA Network’s “Characters Welcome.” Besides, the USA Network enjoyed characters, but to call one of their shows transgressive? Maybe Monk would count, since he needed to boil water for his toothbrush. Beyond that, very little experimentation occurred on the USA Network.
Apocalypse Confidential includes Psy as a descriptor. Although founded in 2021, I couldn’t help but notice the numerous references to Mr. Psy himself, specifically his hit song “Gangnam Style.” One of the most popular songs of all time, it ushered in an era of mass musical virality. I believe that Apocalypse Confidential understands Gangnam Style as the ultimate transgression, a movement away from previous modes of music marketing into something much more insidious. The amount of money to be collected with any Psy reference, whether it is a psyop or, hopefully, not that long-discredited genre of psytrance. Nobody needs more psytrance; we did not even need it the first time.
Strange, odd behaviors are documented within the pages of Apocalypse Confidential. They ensure that the right level of online intricacy is allowed. There are numerous stories, and many people live their lives successfully online. Few ever live anywhere else at this point. Excellent stories, real mind-melters, are what they trade in. Liminal spaces permeate the online space, and too many websites remain abandoned. Perhaps several years’ worth of rent was paid in advance, but they linger. Literary magazines appear to be doing a great job in getting on social media while slowly weaning themselves off it.
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Throne
Throne | Beach Sloth | My Wishlist
BlueSky
Apcon are truly one of the indie greats
Could not agree more.
R.Khosrowshahi
Essays Editor, Apocalypse Confidential.