Poetry News

The Death of Pringle

Originally Published: February 27, 2012

There are times when jacket copy becomes pure poetry. To illustrate our assertion we present Exhibit A, from Justin Katko's The Death of Pringle:

Written from 2007 to 2008, Justin Katko's libretto "The Death of Pringle" tells the story of a group of evil scientists (The Mother Fuckers), whose plan to digitally convert Southern California's Salton Sea into Washington DC's Sonny Bono Memorial Park is foiled by a triad of song-hero Poets, led by an epistemonical Pringle. With an original musical composition that is programmed, played, and sung by the author, "The Death of Pringle" is supplemented by visual and textual marginalia, as well as extended "Notes and Fragments" which sketch out the greater narrative universe of which the libretto is just one part ("The Death of Pringle" being the first book of a prematurely cancelled six-book epic entitled "The Dope on the Arch of the Dust"). The cast includes such players as the oblivious People (featuring Larry and Popular Lou-Ellen), Sony Bono, Bonito Sonic, The Big Mermaid, Exviiideao, The Imperial Lab Daughter, Petrol Pedra, Viola Ted and of course, Newt Gingrich. "FUCKING HELL! WE'RE GONNA LOSE!"

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