"O For Obscurity, Or, The Story Of N" is a biography of The Mysterious N Senada, a Bavarian musician who influenced the early music of the San Francisco band known as The Residents, drawn from material discovered in the band's archives after Senada's death. Working from encrypted diaries, I've managed to piece together Senada's life in a format more accessible to the modern reader.
The back cover blurb is as follows:
Interpreted from the newly-discovered diaries of The Mysterious N Senada, O for Obscurity, Or, The Story of N begins in the forests of Bavaria and ends in a nondescript hotel room. Focusing on the creative development of Pollex Christi whilst also illuminating the inspiration behind Eskimo, this book is a unique insight into the mind of the man and his theories of Obscurity and Phonetic Organisation which so heavily influenced and defined The Residents.
Hook’s prose is, of course, sublime, and his portrayal of the mercurial German is both entertaining and surreal. And like Senada, Hook seeks to produce pure art, free from interpolation or distraction, while still being accessible. He (somehow) achieves it. “O for Obscurity” should gain him a few more readers in the literati. It’s long overdue. Pure art and a real statement of intent - Chris Kelso, author of the Dissolving Zinc Theater.
Impeccable, especially in the dissection of the spiralling thought processes of the protagonist. A fine piece of work - Andrew Humphrey, author of Alison.
The book is now available here with a very limited edition available here.
