S. Redman White's new novel uses a headless, homicidal dancing giant to hilariously skewer the entertainment industry and America's obsession with celebrity
DALLAS, March 5, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — Forget the Mayan calendar, global warming, and Russian meteors. The surest sign that the end is near may be the release of the scathingly adult satire, "CLUMP – An American Splatire" by S. Redman White, the author best known for Barney the Dinosaur™, hugs, and "I love you." The novel is now available at Amazon.com.
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"It's quite a change," says White, whose 16-year body of work for the lovable purple dinosaur dates back to the first PBS episode of "Barney & Friends™." "CLUMP is a very dark satire, so I feel like I've gone from Barney™ purple to the blackest comedy. With a few splashes of blood red."
The comic novel, which White describes as a "splatire," tells the story of a huge, headless man of mystery named Clump. When his surprising talent explodes on the Internet and goes viral, Clump becomes a hugely popular and immensely profitable celebrity. But what his fans aren't told is that, when touched, the muscular giant is homicidally dangerous.
"I've always been fascinated with the bizarre, and I'm inspired by great satirists like Kurt Vonnegut, Chuck Palahniuk, and Joseph Heller," says White. "Satire is a great platform for making people laugh, while you're also asking them to think."
Which may help explain the author's seemingly radical shift from bestselling children's books and videos to the comic ultraviolence of "CLUMP." "For years, people complained that Barney was teaching kids to be good instead of preparing them to survive in a corrupt world. Rather than give up hope for kids, I decided it was time for me to write about that corruption. And because "CLUMP" is targeted to adult audiences, I was free to get crazy with sex, violence, and politically incorrect comedy."
White mercilessly skewers medical malfeasance, corporate group-think, mass media, popular culture, current politics, and especially the entertainment industry. "I wouldn't call CLUMP a roman à clef by any means," White laughs. "But my experience with the Barney™ phenomenon definitely allows me to write credibly within an arena I know very well. Painfully well, in fact."
White will continue writing wholesome materials for children as well as riotously extreme novels for adults. "I like telling morality tales," White reflects. "For children, those stories are about how the world can be as good as you make it. For adults, the stories warn that the world can be as bad as you make it. It's basically the same message. Only now I'm having it delivered by a violent, headless maniac."
For more information and media materials, visit http://www.ClumpTheNovel.com
or contact S. Redman White at Email or 972-265-9455.
Barney credits available at http://imdb.to/XGcKIq.
Amazon page for CLUMP at http://amzn.to/13k0moy.