Thomas Ligotti Mentioned in Rolling Stone

Has Thomas Ligotti fallen headfirst into the pool of mainstream culture? Not quite. But as weird writer and longtime Ligotti scholar Matt Cardin informs us (via this thread on Thomas Ligotti Online), the bleak author has been plugged as a muse in a recent article by "Rolling Stone" magazine. The full article focuses on a new album from the band Clutch. Two references to Ligotti came up as the band's leader Neil Fallon discussed his stylistic influences as well as his inspiration for a particular song:

And in fleshing out the mood of Strange Cousins from the West, Fallon found inspiration in modern horror author Thomas Ligotti, 15th Century Dutch painter Hieronymus Bosch, true crime stories, historical landmarks and at least one dare.

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“Strange cousins from the west overstay their welcome” from “Minotaur”
“This line, like most of them, came about while in my basement either late at night or early in the morning,” Fallon says. “I think I was a bit creeped out by a Thomas Ligotti story, not any particular family members of my own.”

This blogger is hardly equipped to be an analyst of lyrics. However, it would be interesting if someone with a keen ear and familiarity with Clutch were to do a scan that explicitly seeks Ligottian overtones in the group's work.

What should one make of the Thomas Ligotti references in "Rolling Stone"? For one, it's a weak demonstration, at best, for claiming that Ligotti is on the verge of entering mainstream culture or becoming much more accessible to the herd--the performance of his re-released paperbacks Teatro Grottesco and My Work Is Not Yet Done would be much better indicators. On the other hand, it definitely shows the enduring hand of Ligotti in a role he has played since his early print appearances: the muse of the underground. Newer artists in the visual, musical, and literary mediums have pointed to his stark impression in their work. This is no surprise, as sympathizers with his worldview and lovers of his adept phrase crafting often hold an inclination or even a talent in some field of art.

In time, this may well translate into Ligotti expanding his "cult following" more than anyone ever expected. Not unlike his fictional character Grossvogel of "The Shadow, The Darkness," who proselytized others to the blackness through the highly successful organisms he awakened in the void.

-Grim Blogger