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Early Stuff
Sam Pink has established himself as one of the most original, uncompromising writers of the twenty-first century. "Early Stuff" is a collection of Sam Pink's early poetry in a single I Am Going to Clone Myself Then Kill the Clone and Eat It, Frowns Need Friends Too, No One Can Do Anything Worse to You Than You Can, & Gerald McClellan vs Nigel Benn. Read it now and accept yourself as one of the doomed.
- GenresPoetry
466 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 25, 2020
About the author
Sam Pink
65 books834 followersSam Pink is the author of The No Hellos Diet, Hurt Others, I Am Going to Clone Myself Then Kill the Clone and Eat It, Frowns Need Friends Too, and the cult hit Person. His writing has been published widely in print and on the internet, and also in other languages. He lives in Chicago, where he plays in the band Depressed Woman.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
May 14, 2026
"The main difference between me and a caterpillar is that I will remain a disgusting bug."
"Being worthless is hard work"
"Most of my day consists of attempting not to be noticed by people."
"I found a turtle on the side of the street today. When I bent down to look, its head went into its shell. I said, "I know what you mean.""
Early Stuff is what it says it is: early stuff.
It contains raw short fiction with witty phrases.
Some of it is good and some not. There are a lot of punchlines and funny words but they're diluted in pages and pages...
It's not really worth my time right now. I skimmed through the book. I still have more polished novellas by Sam Pink to read before eventually getting back to this one.
"Being worthless is hard work"
"Most of my day consists of attempting not to be noticed by people."
"I found a turtle on the side of the street today. When I bent down to look, its head went into its shell. I said, "I know what you mean.""
Early Stuff is what it says it is: early stuff.
It contains raw short fiction with witty phrases.
Some of it is good and some not. There are a lot of punchlines and funny words but they're diluted in pages and pages...
It's not really worth my time right now. I skimmed through the book. I still have more polished novellas by Sam Pink to read before eventually getting back to this one.
Read
March 10, 2020So fun to revisit these earlier works and to compare the Sam Pink then to now.
March 13, 2020
This hardcover is beautifully designed. Treat yourself.
I went straight for GERALD MCCLELLAN VERSUS NIGEL BENN a few hours after it arrived today.
(The packaging by 11:11 Press is luxuriant and generous. I paid my own earnings for this delivery. This pleases me to share my admiration.)
I went straight for GERALD MCCLELLAN VERSUS NIGEL BENN a few hours after it arrived today.
(The packaging by 11:11 Press is luxuriant and generous. I paid my own earnings for this delivery. This pleases me to share my admiration.)
April 10, 2022
This is refreshing and makes me feel better!
January 21, 2025
everything Sam Pink I get my hands on pleases every last brain cell.
April 27, 2025
So I have a confession to make -- I've been playing with ChatGPT. And I've been asking it to recommend books to me. This is in part because Google search has become useless. The Google AI offering (Gemini) is offensively stupid. And a regular Google search gives you an AI summary, 5 promoted links, and then a selection of garbage websites that have gamed the search engine into showing them first.
I also like think I like poetry. But the truth it I despise 98% of all poetry. I love Richard Brautigan (and have read everything). I enjoyed Bukowski (until I turned 30 and realized he's kind of dumb).
It was ChatGPT that figured out, "Oh, you'd love James Tate. Try that. You should read Mary Ruefle. You'd love her."
And I really enjoy both. It did point me to some real stinkers too, but ChatGPT has got me reading poetry after years of saying I hate poetry.
And ChatGPT introduced me to Sam Pink. Here's how that happened.
I went to the Ottawa Public Library and looked at the poetry section and hated everything. I turned to ChatGPT and said, "I want stupid, vulgar, blank verse poetry that is childish but meant for adults."
ChatGPT said, no problem. And on the list of books it suggested was "I Am Going To Clone Myself Then Kill The Clone And Eat It" by Sam Pink. The title alone hooked me. So I went looking for the book and could not find it anywhere. What the hell, ChatGPT?
Don't worry, it said. There are selections of it compiled in the book "Early Stuff".
So I found the book online and ordered a copy.
The book is 451 pages. It contains some of 4 books by Pink compiled into one. And I am guessing that Sam Pink called this "Early Stuff" because he knows some of it is not great. I say that because I am 55, and I remember writing in my 20s, and I thought everything I wrote was brilliant and needed to be shared. And I was wrong. Much of our twenties, I would argue, we are mentally ill dingbats.
Much of Pink's works are repetitive, silly, selfcentred, and a chore to read. This may be one of those books where only a fool would open it on page one and start reading all the way to page 451. I am that fool. There is great stuff in here. But if Sam Pink was making a film, my question would be, "Did you leave anything on the editing room floor? Or is every second of footage you shot in this thing?"
There are 100 poems where I'd argue maybe 10 of them would get the point across and do just as well. That said, I'm glad I read all the way to the end, because the last section of "stories" (or prose poems, or whatever you want to call them) were some of the best pieces of the book.
Usually, when I finish a book, I put it in the free lending library in my neighbourhood and it's gone. I'm going to keep Sam Pink's book. It's interesting. Yes, a lot of it is bad, but it's the kind of bad I can appreciate because there's a sense that Pink knows it's bad and that's the point and he doesn't give a shit because it's fun and it's funny and it's vulgar and silly. It's bad in the same way Basquiat is bad. (And I adore Basquiat.) Primitive, silly, vulgar, funny, dumb.
I have yet to come across later works by Same Pink but would definitely be interested in reading more.
Three stars seems cruel, but four stars seems too generous. It's a mixed bag of stuff and some things in the bag are great.
After writing this review, I ordered more from Sam Pink.
I also like think I like poetry. But the truth it I despise 98% of all poetry. I love Richard Brautigan (and have read everything). I enjoyed Bukowski (until I turned 30 and realized he's kind of dumb).
It was ChatGPT that figured out, "Oh, you'd love James Tate. Try that. You should read Mary Ruefle. You'd love her."
And I really enjoy both. It did point me to some real stinkers too, but ChatGPT has got me reading poetry after years of saying I hate poetry.
And ChatGPT introduced me to Sam Pink. Here's how that happened.
I went to the Ottawa Public Library and looked at the poetry section and hated everything. I turned to ChatGPT and said, "I want stupid, vulgar, blank verse poetry that is childish but meant for adults."
ChatGPT said, no problem. And on the list of books it suggested was "I Am Going To Clone Myself Then Kill The Clone And Eat It" by Sam Pink. The title alone hooked me. So I went looking for the book and could not find it anywhere. What the hell, ChatGPT?
Don't worry, it said. There are selections of it compiled in the book "Early Stuff".
So I found the book online and ordered a copy.
The book is 451 pages. It contains some of 4 books by Pink compiled into one. And I am guessing that Sam Pink called this "Early Stuff" because he knows some of it is not great. I say that because I am 55, and I remember writing in my 20s, and I thought everything I wrote was brilliant and needed to be shared. And I was wrong. Much of our twenties, I would argue, we are mentally ill dingbats.
Much of Pink's works are repetitive, silly, selfcentred, and a chore to read. This may be one of those books where only a fool would open it on page one and start reading all the way to page 451. I am that fool. There is great stuff in here. But if Sam Pink was making a film, my question would be, "Did you leave anything on the editing room floor? Or is every second of footage you shot in this thing?"
There are 100 poems where I'd argue maybe 10 of them would get the point across and do just as well. That said, I'm glad I read all the way to the end, because the last section of "stories" (or prose poems, or whatever you want to call them) were some of the best pieces of the book.
Usually, when I finish a book, I put it in the free lending library in my neighbourhood and it's gone. I'm going to keep Sam Pink's book. It's interesting. Yes, a lot of it is bad, but it's the kind of bad I can appreciate because there's a sense that Pink knows it's bad and that's the point and he doesn't give a shit because it's fun and it's funny and it's vulgar and silly. It's bad in the same way Basquiat is bad. (And I adore Basquiat.) Primitive, silly, vulgar, funny, dumb.
I have yet to come across later works by Same Pink but would definitely be interested in reading more.
Three stars seems cruel, but four stars seems too generous. It's a mixed bag of stuff and some things in the bag are great.
After writing this review, I ordered more from Sam Pink.
May 14, 2026
Really great collection of poetry. Quite incisive — violent and romantic.
some of my favorite poems from the collection and some lines from them (titles capitalized):
PUBIC HAIR THAT IS HARD WITH BLOOD
MOST PEOPLE ARE NOT AS GOOD AS ME
MY CAREER
I will claim you as my own, when everyone else disclaims you.
And I will not regret it.
And flies will eat your dead body.
My ideal date would involve painful silence.
My ideal date wouldn’t involve me.
...
Outside of my head there is someone thinking, “Outside of my
head there is someone thinking, ‘Outside of my head there is
someone thinking.’”
And your opinion never bruises me, it tickles.
All my fingers are criminals.
Only as beautiful as the worst thing I’ve done.
Personal eugenic scrutiny.
When the world holds its breath, I take mine.
I am the last breath of everyone you have loved.
I leave their body and blend with wind.
When I move, I flip over a leaf and an ant falls off the tip and
slides down a wet blade of grass.
TOMORROW IS ON FIRE
AND I AM VERY YOUNG
I SMASH MY SMILE AGAINST YOURS
And I like to make out with the lines in your forehead when
you frown at me.
And I want someone to think I am great for three seconds.
...
And I am a headless bird in the park on the cold, wet grass, and
today the minutes pass me in slow, parade-float indifference.
And I only like things that have been beaten to death then
resurrected.
DURING SEXUAL INTERCOURSE I ENVISION
MY OWN BRUTAL DEATH
DON’T BE A DICK, LOVE ME
If you ever buy a pair of pants that have big enough pockets,
please let me live with my head in your pocket.
I would be able to keep your leg warm with my laughing.
COPS FREAK ME OUT BECAUSE
I DON’T LIKE WHEN PEOPLE
TRY TO CONTROL ME
If you don’t hate yourself, everybody else will.
And they will never do as good a job.
There is no one I wouldn’t watch, to learn a new way.
You are my favorite though. You are the very best work.
HOLOGRAPHIC PERSONALITY DISGRACE
Some people are assholes.
And everyone must have a crush on me because I feel like
shit.
I LIKE TO HURT OTHER PEOPLES’ FEELINGS
SOMETIMES (I MEAN SOMETIMES IT
ACTUALLY FEELS LIKE THE ONLY SKILL I
POSSESS ABOVE ALL OTHERS)
IN SIXTH GRADE I WATCHED THE JANITOR
BEAT MY CLASSMATE AND I LAUGHED
(OH HOW I LAUGHED)
I cut down my family tree. I pulled up the trunk and broke
each root in half. Laughter was the soundtrack. And tonight
I will start a bonfire with the timber and stare at it until it
answers my questions. I will put my head in the bonfire and
keep my eyes open until they melt. Then I will put a small
crab in each socket and hunt down all my idols with a saw in
my hand.
Stay alive by not smiling, or, go fuck yourself.
I can be confused for my own ideal sex mate.
And everyone loves me.
Inner beauty is yours when I spit in your mouth.
some of my favorite poems from the collection and some lines from them (titles capitalized):
PUBIC HAIR THAT IS HARD WITH BLOOD
MOST PEOPLE ARE NOT AS GOOD AS ME
MY CAREER
I will claim you as my own, when everyone else disclaims you.
And I will not regret it.
And flies will eat your dead body.
My ideal date would involve painful silence.
My ideal date wouldn’t involve me.
...
Outside of my head there is someone thinking, “Outside of my
head there is someone thinking, ‘Outside of my head there is
someone thinking.’”
And your opinion never bruises me, it tickles.
All my fingers are criminals.
Only as beautiful as the worst thing I’ve done.
Personal eugenic scrutiny.
When the world holds its breath, I take mine.
I am the last breath of everyone you have loved.
I leave their body and blend with wind.
When I move, I flip over a leaf and an ant falls off the tip and
slides down a wet blade of grass.
TOMORROW IS ON FIRE
AND I AM VERY YOUNG
I SMASH MY SMILE AGAINST YOURS
And I like to make out with the lines in your forehead when
you frown at me.
And I want someone to think I am great for three seconds.
...
And I am a headless bird in the park on the cold, wet grass, and
today the minutes pass me in slow, parade-float indifference.
And I only like things that have been beaten to death then
resurrected.
DURING SEXUAL INTERCOURSE I ENVISION
MY OWN BRUTAL DEATH
DON’T BE A DICK, LOVE ME
If you ever buy a pair of pants that have big enough pockets,
please let me live with my head in your pocket.
I would be able to keep your leg warm with my laughing.
COPS FREAK ME OUT BECAUSE
I DON’T LIKE WHEN PEOPLE
TRY TO CONTROL ME
If you don’t hate yourself, everybody else will.
And they will never do as good a job.
There is no one I wouldn’t watch, to learn a new way.
You are my favorite though. You are the very best work.
HOLOGRAPHIC PERSONALITY DISGRACE
Some people are assholes.
And everyone must have a crush on me because I feel like
shit.
I LIKE TO HURT OTHER PEOPLES’ FEELINGS
SOMETIMES (I MEAN SOMETIMES IT
ACTUALLY FEELS LIKE THE ONLY SKILL I
POSSESS ABOVE ALL OTHERS)
IN SIXTH GRADE I WATCHED THE JANITOR
BEAT MY CLASSMATE AND I LAUGHED
(OH HOW I LAUGHED)
I cut down my family tree. I pulled up the trunk and broke
each root in half. Laughter was the soundtrack. And tonight
I will start a bonfire with the timber and stare at it until it
answers my questions. I will put my head in the bonfire and
keep my eyes open until they melt. Then I will put a small
crab in each socket and hunt down all my idols with a saw in
my hand.
Stay alive by not smiling, or, go fuck yourself.
I can be confused for my own ideal sex mate.
And everyone loves me.
Inner beauty is yours when I spit in your mouth.
November 7, 2022
“I believe that no one is guilty of anything.”
“I guide a river into your sleeping ear and it comes out the other end a different color.”
“Sometimes I worry there is no one left to disappoint.”
“I eat jewelry and give nothing in return. And youth is the thing that keeps ending.”
“All things keep ending.”
“And everything kills everything else.”
“If you want, no one can find you.”
“You can put your fingers in my mouth I have a feeling that will make them better.”
“Hate other people.”
“There are no new ways to make an enemy.”
“Being dead will be the easiest thing I do.”
“I cover myself in mirrors and I make no friends. When I make friends I cover them in mirrors.”
“If you tell me you love me, I will keep saying, ‘what?’ And acting like I genuinely didn’t hear you.”
“You are not important.”
“After I figure out how to eliminate people, I figure out how to miss them.”
“Ending yourself while you’re still young enough to be a gift.”
“I try hard not to make a difference.”
“No one deserves anything.”
“Yesterday I acted like the lightbulb in my room was the sun and outside my door there were too many evil people waiting for me, so I didn’t leave.”
“The message is always the same.”
“I promise to be mean.”
“If life is a gift it’s best to reject the gift and not be greedy.”
“Felt like I was in love with something but I didn’t know what. Maybe just all the negative space in front of me at all times.”
“Everyone is describing the same thing.”
“I guide a river into your sleeping ear and it comes out the other end a different color.”
“Sometimes I worry there is no one left to disappoint.”
“I eat jewelry and give nothing in return. And youth is the thing that keeps ending.”
“All things keep ending.”
“And everything kills everything else.”
“If you want, no one can find you.”
“You can put your fingers in my mouth I have a feeling that will make them better.”
“Hate other people.”
“There are no new ways to make an enemy.”
“Being dead will be the easiest thing I do.”
“I cover myself in mirrors and I make no friends. When I make friends I cover them in mirrors.”
“If you tell me you love me, I will keep saying, ‘what?’ And acting like I genuinely didn’t hear you.”
“You are not important.”
“After I figure out how to eliminate people, I figure out how to miss them.”
“Ending yourself while you’re still young enough to be a gift.”
“I try hard not to make a difference.”
“No one deserves anything.”
“Yesterday I acted like the lightbulb in my room was the sun and outside my door there were too many evil people waiting for me, so I didn’t leave.”
“The message is always the same.”
“I promise to be mean.”
“If life is a gift it’s best to reject the gift and not be greedy.”
“Felt like I was in love with something but I didn’t know what. Maybe just all the negative space in front of me at all times.”
“Everyone is describing the same thing.”
May 4, 2025
I read this over a couple months. At first I put it down out of frustration. Then I put it down to savor it. When put next to pink, other books shrivel. I might quit reading. I don't know. There are still a few pink books to read, which is nice.
July 22, 2021
is good
Read
August 1, 2023That was… intense…
August 22, 2025
This was a wild read. I really liked how honest and clear it was to understand at least for me. The dark themes fit well with other of Sam's pieces of literature. Overall interesting read.
December 12, 2025
The problem is not having to find a way back to the start, but thinking you have to find a way back to the start, or thinking that the start is still there.
April 1, 2020
Uncompromising writing is right when it comes to Sam Pink, which is refreshing in a way. Shocking but comical. If you think about it, many of us could have similar thoughts as Sam’s. We just don’t have the talent that he does to just flat out write it down.
February 26, 2025
this instead of illustrated bible stories for children
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews