Josh Dies Live and The Insect Review

As some of you may know, one of my personal heroes is Joshua Stephen Porter, otherwise known by his stage name of Josh DIES.  He is the frontman for the bands Showbread and DIES, as well as a member of the punk band Knife To Meet You and the band Thieves Guild.  He is also an author, with two self published books under his belt: 2006's The Spinal Cord Perception and the newly released children's book, The Insect.  I consider Porter to be the avant garde of Christian art and culture.  His work is disturbing and thought provoking, and overall heartfelt.  It's nothing like anything else I've encountered from a Christian artist.  This week I had the opportunity not only to see him live, but also meet and talk with him for a bit in Grand Rapids.

His live set consisted of jocular conversations with the audience, acoustic covers of the more calm Showbread songs from the past years, and selected readings from his work.  It was an enlightening night.  He is a funny guy, quite adept at charming the audience.   The highlight of the night was his reading from his upcoming work, Nevada.  After months of speculation, he finally revealed a bit of the plot.  Apparently, a hole opens in the Nevada desert, and creatures pour out into the world, which changes drastically overnight as a result.  When I spoke with him after the show, he told me that he hopes to see the book released after recording of Showbread's new cd, The Fear of God, is completed.  This is especially exciting for me, as his first novel changed my perceptions of what a Christian author could accomplish.  

At the show, I was able to purchase his newly released Children's book, entitled The Insect.  You can tell that the book was hastily self printed, which I have little problem with.  To me, it in fact adds to the charm (and if he ever gets huge in the literature world, perhaps it's value).  The story is short, and slightly weird and dark and fraught with meaning as is Porter's MO.  Basically, it is an allegory of Christ's love for humanity, and His death and resurrection.  I loved the story, and I think it would be excellent as a fully illustrated hardcover.  Even as it is, it's a touching story, cute in a disturbing way.  If you're someone with kids and want a very straightforward way to talk to them about the Christian faith through story, this is definitely the book for you.  To me, it was a nice little addition to my obsession with all things Joshua Stephen Porter.  Now I must wait with baited breath to pre-order my copy of Nevada.