mark samuels

Quote Originally Posted by paul b.

And I will never understand how is it that some cannot understand that one can love art while at the same time not sharing one iota of artist's philosophy that marks said art.

*groan*

That isn't what I said. There's a difference between somebody on a Ligotti fan forum not agreeing with Ligotti's philosophy and somebody on a Ligotti fan forum asking what the hell somebody is talking about when they say reality is a nightmare and humans are nothing. The latter is unquestionably odd as it reads like the user isn't familiar with Ligotti's writing. I'd feel the same if on a Pope John Francis forum somebody asked what a poster meant in saying Jesus was the son of God.

People not agreeing with Ligotti's philosophy on a Ligotti forum doesn't bother me at all. It's that people act like a poster is being ridiculous by saying they share Ligotti's views, and they are then fought with empty cliches Ligotti's arguments counter and destroy throughout his career. If people think they're smarter than Ligotti because of their bland world view, I have no issue with that whatsoever. It's that people prominent in Ligotti fandom (Mark Samuels has written many highly entertaining Ligotti imitations) accuse him of making up his views and treat fans who share his views with disdain that bothers me. I don't like that a Thomas Ligotti forum has a ton of people who point and laugh at people for being unhappy pessimists, as I assumed by definition this place would be more sympathetic than most to these ideas. I was surprised to find that the depressive outlook is more accepted on the Korean pop music forum I go to than on the Ligotti forum.

[Mr. Veech]

Is there anything on the internet such as an excerpt or an actual short story written by Mark Samuels? I'm already intrigued, but I can't find anything at all aside from an interview or two.

[Robert Adam Gilmour]

All this is fine and well but who's this Thomas Ligotti guy? I don't know how I wound up here, can someone show me where the bathroom is?

[Hidden X]

Quote Originally Posted by Prince James Zaleski

If people think they're smarter than Ligotti because of their bland world view, I have no issue with that whatsoever. It's that people prominent in Ligotti fandom (Mark Samuels has written many highly entertaining Ligotti imitations) accuse him of making up his views and treat fans who share his views with disdain that bothers me.

And this is a core of dislike some people feel for Samuels, and yet many here either dance around it or try to pretend that he never wrote any of anti-Ligotti crap that he keep repeating again and again and again... Not to mention his local white knight-puppets.

This is man whose weird fiction wouldn't exist if it wasn't for Ligotti.
Ligotti fans are (were) his fans too.

I don't like much of what Barron puts in his blog either, not the least his own remarks on TL, but his Liggoti-lite remark is sadly spot on in more ways than one. And Mark will remain Liggoti-lite for as long as he keeps behaving in this manner.