Writer Nic Pizzolatto on Thomas Ligotti and the Weird Secrets of ‘True Detective’

[dr. locrian]

WARNING: THREAD CONTAINS STORY SPOILERS FOR TRUE DETECTIVE!

Michael Calia of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL does it again with an exclusive interview of TRUE DETECTIVE'S author, Nic Pizzolatto!

Writer Nic Pizzolatto on Thomas Ligotti and the Weird Secrets of ‘True Detective’


Great Barron and Strantzas call outs too! And a mention of A SEASON IN CARCOSA!

Please be sure to leave your comments on the WSJ site as well as here.

Also, if you haven't already read Justin Steele's superb Ligotti-related interview of Pizzolatto on ARKHAM DIGEST, do so here:

True Detective's Nic Pizzolatto on Ligotti

[Nemonymous]

Yes, it’s great to have these public salutes to Weird FICTION. Very good news.

I understand that TRUE DETECTIVE is still on-going and its hero still needs to fulfil his pure pessimism or anti-natalist credentials. As do most Weird Fiction writers other than Ligotti, I guess!

[matt cardin]

So tell me, Jon, when we were first conversing passionately about Tom's work at alt.books.thomas-ligotti in the late 1990s; and when you first created TLO, which was joined by Leon D. Wild's and Monika Angerhuber's Ligotti sites as the main and/or only places on the 'net where Tom was being discussed regularly and in depth; and when the only mainstream mention that the Ligotti oeuvre and worldview ever received was in the occasional book review by the likes of Publishers Weekly or whatever -- when all this was the case, did you ever expect that you would be posting links to a discussion of Tom's works and worldview in The Wall Street Journal, as occasioned by an HBO series?

No, I thought not.

And agreed: it's wonderful to see Laird and Simon being called out as well, along with John Langan, and also Joe Pulver's recent Chambers-inspired anthology. I can only hope that some of the WSJ's readers who are fascinated by the (now explicitly identified) Ligottian/Lovecraftian/Chambersian vibe of True Detective will take Pizzolatto's advice and look into all of these.

	TLO THOMAS LIGOTTI ONLINE

[Derek]

For those in the UK/Ireland with satellite or cable TV: True Detective will premiere on Sky Atlantic starting on Feb 22nd.

[yellowish haze]

I've been following the news on the possible connection of Tom's works to 'True Detective' right from the first post from Dr. Locrian and I had absolutely no doubt that Cohle's antinatalist speech in the first episode must have been influenced by TCATHR. This short quote had it all: Metzinger's illusion of the self, Zapffer's human beings viewed a paradox/mistake and even the particular wording. Where else could we find a synthesis of these ideas?

Glad to see that this case is now closed. You, sirs, are real true detectives!

	TCATHR The Conspiracy Against the Human Race

[Druidic]

I think Pizzolatto did a good job of clearing up everything that needed to be addressed. I believe him. I think his only mistake was waiting to speak on Ligotti’s influence; it just created the wrong impression. He did a nice service for those of us who treasure weird fiction and created a powerful drama in the process. But one question remains:

How the hell can forthcoming seasons even begin to compare to this one for excitement?

[dr. locrian]

Quote Originally Posted by matt cardin

So tell me, Jon, when we were first conversing passionately about Tom's work at alt.books.thomas-ligotti in the late 1990s; and when you first created TLO, which was joined by Leon D. Wild's and Monika Angerhuber's Ligotti sites as the main and/or only places on the 'net where Tom was being discussed regularly and in depth; and when the only mainstream mention that the Ligotti oeuvre and worldview ever received was in the occasional book review by the likes of Publishers Weekly or whatever -- when all this was the case, did you ever expect that you would be posting links to a discussion of Tom's works and worldview in The Wall Street Journal, as occasioned by an HBO series? No, I thought not.

No, I didn't! This blows my mind. Mainstream media being exposed to the thoughts and works of Thomas Ligotti? Never crossed my mind.

Ironically, tomorrow is the 16th anniversary of TLO. Hard to believe. And gratifying. I'm proud of this community.

Quote

And agreed: it's wonderful to see Laird and Simon being called out as well, along with John Langan, and also Joe Pulver's recent Chambers-inspired anthology. I can only hope that some of the WSJ's readers who are fascinated by the (now explicitly identified) Ligottian/Lovecraftian/Chambersian vibe of True Detective will take Pizzolatto's advice and look into all of these.

Did you know that Calia's first article on the TRUE DETECTIVE/Ligotti connection is the third most popular WSJ entertainment article? Currently! This story has legs.

	TLO THOMAS LIGOTTI ONLINE

[beakripped]

I just noticed that The Conspiracy Against the Human Race is the #1 bestseller @ amazon.ca under Philosophy Criticism. I wonder why...

[symbolique]

nil

[ramonoski]

I wish certain Ligotti items sold for only double their retail price

Anyway. The weird/pessimist connection notwithstanding, I'm enjoying the show immensely. The last sequence on episode four was, I think, a lot more intense than most action movies I've seen in recent years. They're really knocking it out of the park with this series.