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The Last Gig on Planet Earth and Other Strange Stories

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"Sex, drugs, rock and roll, and tentacles.” -- Jeffrey Thomas, author of Monstrocity

Kevin Strange's fiction has been described as bleak, hopeless, bizarre, and always unpredictable. This is Strange at his most nihilistic. The Last Gig on Planet Earth collects eight tales full of suspense, of dread, of that side of human nature that most pretend does not exist. Strange sets his spotlight directly in its gnarled face and demands it reveal its most twisted secrets.

The Last Gig on Planet Earth is the story of a band willing to write songs directly from the dreaded Necronomicon if that's what it takes to get famous. But when their fantasy becomes cold, hard reality, are they
prepared for the consequences?

The Hairy Chicken is just a piece of roadkill smashed to death by two careless teenagers out for a late night joy ride. Or is it?

The Two Hands are all that's needed to complete a decidedly blasphemous ritual set deep in the woods. What happens, then, when a child passing by disturbs this most delicate of diabolical transactions?

Plus five more tales sure to leave you repeating, “this is only fiction, this is only fiction, please let this only be fiction...”

168 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2013

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75 people want to read

About the author

Kevin Strange

41 books188 followers
Kevin Strange is a two time nominee of the Wonderland Book Award for excellence in bizarro fiction, recipient of the 2014 editor's choice award in the Lewis and Clark college literary magazine The Peppermint Rooster Review and his short story THE TWINS was listed on TangentOnline.com's 2015 year end recommended reading list.

He is the author of 18 books, and the writer/director of 7 films. He loves schlocky B-movies, cult fiction and Iron Maiden records.

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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
Profile Image for Melki.
7,296 reviews2,617 followers
February 3, 2015
Many of these stories are ripe with Ancient Evil. The Old Ones loom large and demand some respect. An altar would be nice. A sacrifice? Even better.

Here be tales of terror, tinged with humor.

I especially enjoyed the fable of a boy and his dog who share an unusual bond, and the title story about a rock band that needs to save the world, if only to keep all of its members from sharing the fate of Spinal Tap's drummer...er, um...drummers.

Strange proves himself to be a master at conjuring up disturbing imagery.
Profile Image for Kris Lugosi.
138 reviews27 followers
December 29, 2015
The Last Gig on Planet Earth...is beautiful, insightful, dark, poignant, a one tear, heart breaking, thought provoking, journey into a much darker slower pace Kevin Strange. Every story in this book has a very dark, lonely yet hopeful tone to it. Some are short and beautiful others longer and much more disturbing. I've described Kevin's writing as disturbing before but this is different. Reading this book is more like reading not necessarily a psychological thriller, but the stories really play on in your head, and you are not soon to forget the characters and sadness Kevin Strange projects.
What is more than amazing about these stories is that they are not all told from the perspective of Strange's whacked out adult characters and the craziness that he puts them in. There is a story told from the perspective of a child (Mikey), an old man (The Old Man and The Black Water), pot smoking teens (The Hairy Chicken), and the list goes on to more familiar perspectives like those in The Last Gig on Planet Earth. Every voice and narrative sounds and feels just like said child or said old man; like they are truly saying the words and conveying the emotions that Kevin has given them.
This is another book Strangehouse has put out where the collection could easily be mistaken for an anthology given the fact that each story is written so differently and in such a different tone than the rest you would never guess one author wrote them all. I love this book, and as much as I love Mr. Strange's bizarro fiction, I look forward to more of his serious writings. They are truly something amazing.

WELCOME TO HOPPS HOLLOWS: A DEPRESSING PLACE TO LIVE BUT YOU WON'T WANT TO STAY AWAY

I had read The Last Gig on Planet Earth as a chapbook when it was put out under The Last Gig on Planet Backwards. I loved that story then, loved it when I reread it, and love it even more the third time around in this book. Another well written lovecraftian feel of a story, Mr. Strange delves into the drug induced, sex driven, occult following band of Planet Backwards. Introducing Francis the lead singer, Charles the bassist, and Michol the guitarist; one bad ass trio of cocaine,pill poppin, alcoholic fucks that soon realize that one among them is the key to bringing fourth the Old One's and destruction of the human race.
What surprised me about this story is the tone and pace. Unlike Mr. Strange's McHumans, this story is told over the span of months leading to the last performance planet Earth or the band members of Planet Backwards will ever experience.

GOD'S ACT: The ending to this is beautiful. There is a sadness to this incredibly short story that weighs heavy once it is over. Had a very A Stranger in a Strange Land demise that the main character in that story comes to.

A GLORIOUS DEATH: THIS....THIS STORY! I have never been more blown away from a short story. Reminded me of an episode of Tales from the Crypt and the amazing way Mr. Strange writes these characters is just perfection. The main character is a 12 year old boy named Rance and no 12 year old boy character of Kevin Strange is complete without an alcoholic abusive father and an absent mother. Rance is a boy who loses himself in his imagination to escape his abusive home life. His one best friend; his dog Crixus. Together they are a team and together their love is unconditional and exactly what Rance needs to keep his sanity but when the rival neighbor's take that from him along with a cruel joke to further rub salt into the wounds, Rance snaps. The end result was hard to choke back tears from...pretty share I let them flow on this one.

THE OLD MAN AND THE BLACK WATER: My first experience with this story was via an audio reading done by Danny Hicks (Jake of Evil Dead II). It didn't even honestly register to me that what I was hearing was a Kevin Strange tale. Unlike anything ever written by Mr. Strange, this story is again another much slower paced lovecraftianesque tale about an Old Man's desire to keep what's his even if it costs him his life. Call it stubborn, heroic, or just simple old age...read and judge for yourself.

A KILLER'S ROAD: A rather dark odd tale. The ending has one of those cliff hangers where you can pretty much see where the story is gonna go if continued but you still want to KNOW. Part of this stories charm is being able to make your own assumption of what will happen. It's like watching the season finale of Angel. More violence and anger in this particular story. Dark and Violent...that's this one.

THE HAIRY CHICKEN: I had read this short story in a Peppermint Rooster compilation. I like it much better the second time around actually. What would you do if you found a a creature so beyond anything you have ever seen before? Report it, maybe take it home? Piece of advice...some animals need to be finished off...

MIKEY: A single tear ran down my cheek on the last line of this story. Fire Starter meets Carrie meets....sadness.

TWO HANDS: Very much like a Goosebumps book if H.P. Lovecraft and R.L. Stein collaborated together, wonderful little twist at the end!
Profile Image for Michael.
Author 54 books67 followers
July 18, 2013
Before we stumbled onto Bizarro I'm sure quite a few of us were huge horror fans. We cut our teeth on Poe, King, Barker, and even Lovecraft. Kevin Strange has given us a glimpse of his life before Bizarro and the results are quite impressive.

These are dark and angry stories that remind me exactly why I got into horror in the first place. It wasn't for then gore or violence it was for that feeling of dread you felt as a story evolved. Kevin has a knack for writing true horror and this is the old school shit that creeps up on you. It has the classic occult overtones and just all out simplicity. Sometimes that is what makes a story so good.

Once again Strangehouse has given us Strangeheads a reason to rejoice. The Last Gig is a horror novel that old school fans will no doubt drool over and may even win over those who enjoy the splatterpunk.
Profile Image for Dylan Worthey.
Author 1 book2 followers
August 13, 2013
It has been a long time since I read a short story collection by one author and been so amazed at how much I was drawn into the stories, into the characters themselves and brought to a place that I always loved to be in, literary euphoria. Kevin Strange can tap that Lovecraftian horror so well that I felt H.P. himself was guiding his hand, but he also adds something more to it that is all his own. Strangecraftian is all I can say to put it mildly, but these are not all tales with gooey oozing tentacled monstrosities lurking in the dark recesses, there are also cerebral and macabre stories that delve into the psyche of life and tragedy itself. I actually wanted to mosh to the sounds of The Planet Backwards while being devoured by the nameless ones, wanted to revel in A Glorious Death with Crixus and punch The Hairy Chicken myself, but most of all The Old Man and The Black Water actually touched on something legitimate that I had seen and heard of before just making it even creepier. Mr. Strange, if there is room in Hopp's Hollow for this guy then I'm moving there with a quickness. Thank you for such a great ride and I cannot wait for the next trip!
Profile Image for Donald Armfield.
Author 67 books176 followers
September 17, 2013
The Last Gig on Earth is a collection of Kevin's work before Strangehouse books. Sometimes we all have a normal side.

The Last gig on earth is like a Nightmare on Elm St. meets Airheads when a band is haunted by some mythos creature. 5 stars.

A Killer's Road is great plague story. A man catches his wife cheating, death follows on a clean get away, no life.

The Hairy Chicken is The legend of Traeloteph a giant man eating bird, great read.

Horror and Lovecraft readers recommend! Check this out you won't be let down or eaten by some strange Kevin imaginary monster.
2 reviews
August 6, 2013
Until recently, I knew of Kevin Strange mainly through Hack Movies - fun little horror-comedies that put me in mind of modern-day Cheech and Chong flicks with a macabre edge. I was originally saddened that Mr. Strange abandoned said project for a career in writing. I mean, who actually READS anymore? (Besides me, of course...)
Strangehouse Books' sales figures answer that question. This fledgling publishing house was out of the gate and around the first bend before many noticed, including me. So, I had to see what the big deal was.
"The Last Gig on Planet Earth" was my first Strangehouse adventure; I'm pleased to say that it won't be my last.
Strange offers several short stories, all early efforts prior to the success of his other publications. Every author - in my experience - puts a little piece of himself/herself in everything they write. Such is definitely the case here. I found a level of passion that I had not felt in a book in some time. It is also my opinion that Mr. Strange lets us see a deeper side of him than an avid reader would normally expect (of an author).
My two favourites were the title story and "The Two Hands." These spoke to me louder than the others. Don't get me wrong: there isn't a misfire in the bunch. And Lovecraft followers will definitely enjoy the ride, especially "The Last Gig."
"A Glorious Death" was a close second. While every piece was dark, this hit a level I was not prepared for. In a good way, but unsettling nonetheless. For a brief moment, I felt the author was completely naked AND showing me X-rays and CT scans to boot. You might wonder why this is not my top pick in the collection; perhaps I am deluding myself with the ranking. I think it is solely because I was actually depressed after reading it, whereas my previous picks each had an uplifting ending. Sort of.
I want to spotlight "The Hairy Chicken" also. This will especially appeal to those of us that "live" in "Hopp's Hollow." It is based on a familiar legend, yet Mr. Strange eats it up, digests it, and defecates a fun, original story. It's hard not to chuckle in the dark while taking this particular tour.
All in all, this is a fantastic effort by Mr. Strange. He tries to demur about it in the "Notes" section at the end, but these "freshman" efforts do not feel as attributed. They are the work of someone who knows how to tell a good story - the kind you stay up way too late reading.
This book will end up on your top shelf!
Profile Image for Jeremy Maddux.
Author 5 books153 followers
March 19, 2014
So Kevin Strange prefaces this collection with a warning that this is the 'young, angry Kevin Strange.' From what I can see, I like the young, angry Kevin Strange and hope to see more of him in the future! The only real criticism I could level at Strangehouse as a whole, and it's not even a negative one really, is that I'd like to see them branch out and away from Lovecraft and start really exploring other rooms in the Strangehouse.

The title story is about a band called The Planet Backwards, whose front man is obsessed with turning back what he sees as the impending arrival of Cthulhu. Drummers are expendable and the drugs and alcohol ingested are legendary as you'd expect from a rock and roll story. It ends on a bit of a downer, but at least there's an encore.

The second best story is The Two Hands, about a boy who wanders so deep into the woods that he discovers a pagan altar covered with cicadas, two severed hands and the inscription of a lion faced, bug eyed supernatural entity known as Azrazelica.

In this collection, you will also see a boy whose love for his dog surpasses everything in his life, what a god does upon attaining godhood and an alien invasion happening via baptism.
Profile Image for David.
Author 12 books149 followers
October 1, 2013
Though this definitely isn't Strange's strangest work, there is plenty to enjoy in these stories. Even when Strange isn't being totally weird, he's still got quite a wild streak. Either way, these are some well done, interesting stories. It may not be Obama in a robot zombie death match, but I'd read these stories any day.
Profile Image for Holly.
4 reviews
August 21, 2013
It has been a long time since I read an anthology I really liked, the last being Clive Barker’s “Books of Blood.” Once I started “The Last Gig on Planet Earth,” I ate through it within a couple of days. I really liked how not all of the stories had a clear resolution—you are left to wonder what happened to the characters.

For me, the stand-out stories are “Gods Act,” “A Glorious Death,” and “A Killer’s Road.” There is a lot of diversity in the storytelling—a boy and his dog, teenage stoners—I would really like to see Kevin Strange write one from a woman’s point of view. Although I enjoyed the title story, “The Last Gig on Planet Earth,” it was not one of my favorites. It may be the funniest, though.

My only complaint about this anthology is that it wasn’t long enough.
Profile Image for John Bruni.
Author 73 books85 followers
September 23, 2013
It's a bit odd to read a Kevin Strange book that isn't out of control insane, but even his restrained work is great fun. The best is the title story, but "The Hairy Chicken" rivals it pretty well. The end of that story is rather chilling, even though the tone of most of it is funny as all hell. This is a great short collection, and it showcases the mild side of Strange (which, by the way, is still pretty messed up).
Profile Image for Matt.
164 reviews
June 3, 2020
You won't find comedy here, nor bizarro. This is early Kevin Strange. Angry Kevin Strange. A Kevin Strange out to prove a point. These stories have been described as “hopeless” by early readers

This is my first time reading anything by Kevin Strange, so I'm not familiar with his more "out there" work. But as the forward to the book states, you really can describe these stories as hopeless. That's not to say they aren't almost perfect, because they are. The writing in places is visceral, in others, point-blank ridiculous (in a good way). The main draw is the titular story, the Last Gig on Planet Earth. Spinal Tap meets Lovecraft cosmic horror. Lovecraft had some amazing ideas, but his writing style and prose are akin to having your face rubbed with sandpaper. It's when newer authors (like Strange) take these ideas and run with them, that you get something special.

There are other stories in this collection however, nearly all are exceptional, with only a few that are weaker than the others. Some have cosmic horror themes, others tread more into "Twilight Zone" territory

Stand outs include:
A Glorious Death - unsettling tale of a boy and his dog
The Old Man and the Black Water - bleak as bleak can get
A Killer's Road - a tale of a man who snaps

Give this a go
Author 3 books11 followers
June 10, 2018
Proto-Strange is still quite strange.
A collection of some of Kevin Strange’s earliest pieces of fiction, contains a novella and some shorts that rang from good to really good.
Not as balls to the wall out there as his later bizarro-horror stories. But still quite over the top at times, albeit generally more dour in mood.
Author 3 books11 followers
April 12, 2018
Early Kevin Strange is much like modern Kevin Strange in that the stories were always filled with gore, explicit oddball sex and Lovecraft references.
This book however felt more decidedly lovecraftian than the other works that I’ve read by the author. McHumans, while also a Lovecraft mythos story felt more like a parody for much of its length while this was a lot closer to the real deal... but with weird oddball sex scenes that is.
Profile Image for Jason .
351 reviews1 follower
May 12, 2016
Strange stories but awesome stories

Have you ever read an author and felt like where did that story come from? That's how I felt as I was reading it. He explains at the end which I was sad to get to if you like weird fiction this is it. I recommend for all fans of modern horror
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews

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