Rob Price
Gutbrain Records
rob + gutbrain.com = email

2026 April 03 • Friday

In addition to writing a biography of Gray Barker, which is equally a story of independent writing and publishing and a dizzying collision of metanarratives and frauds, Gabriel McKee put together Behold the Behemouth, a book that contains Barker's poetry and other writings.

Many of the poems are quite short and pretty successful. Longer pieces don't work as well, though they cover a lot of ground.

Some favorites:

At the Photographers

Sit very still now.
Sit very still.
Click!
"There.
Three dollars please."

Anachronism

Hercules with massive club.
Why speed in your new Ford V-8?
Why rush like mad to Washington?

Of course UFOs have to make an appearance:

Grandmaw and the Saucer

When Grandmaw saw the saucer whirling down
She raised a crooked cane into the air.
"We folks don't believe in you!" she cried—
"(This younger generation, I declare.)"

Since some of this material is mentioned and cited in the biography, this book is an excellent resource to have at hand. And of course it gives insight into Barker's character and ways of thinking.