Danny Rosenberg
Cassondra Cunningham
Boston, MA
www.joeisdead.xyz
www.dannyrosenberg.me
www.cassondracunningham.com
Joe is Dead. (And We HaveKilled Him)
2024
Book
6 1/32 x 1.562 x 9 7/32 in
Artist Statement
Hello, dear reader, I’m Cassondra Cunningham, the mind behind works such as ‘Likki Licked’, ‘The Holy Bible: Bedroom Edition’, and now, ‘Joe is Dead.’ Here’s the sitch: you’re about to dive into a book that skewers the sacred cow of consumerism with a wink, a nudge, and yes, a side of shoestring fries.
This isn’t just a book; it’s a riotous journey through a supermarket of existential angst, wedged between the display of baked kale chips and artisanal cheeses. ‘Joe is Dead.’ is a playground of dark humor and philosophical musings, its complex structure demanding that you flip, rotate, and perhaps nibble on the pages to keep pace. Indeed, the structure of this book itself is a cheeky rebellion against convention and a great way to drive up printing costs.
Imagine a supermarket where existential dread is on clearance, nestled between seasonal produce and frozen cauliflower gnocchi. ‘Why would I shop at a store so overwhelmed with existential dread that they have to slash prices just to clear it from the store?’ you ask. ‘Because what Cassondra says goes,’ I reply, pushing you in a shopping cart down the liminal aisles of despair. ‘Neat,’ you say, as I wax poetic on the origins of Traitor Joe’s, your (not so) Friendly Neighborhood Grocery Store, and explain how even the greatest of institutions must one day crumble.
‘Joe is Dead.’ plays with its format as gleefully as it messes with your mind. As you twist and turn the book (with your hands or any other appendage), engaging with tiny footnotes that lead to complete madness and strings of text that spiral into oblivion, you’re not just reading a story; you’re caught in it. Are you laughing from amusement or discomfort? You decide!
Why pick up this book? Because I said so. Also, I read in a review online that it promises not just a series of hearty laughs but a poignant reflection of our corporate-driven existence. I also heard there were color pictures inside. Double neat.
Ready to shake up your reading routine? From one Great American Authorette to another: buckle up, baby, it’s gonna be a wild ride. Let’s make reading dangerously fun again. Besides, depending on where you live, this book might already be banned. Better hurry – get your ‘Joe is Dead.’ today!