New fiction by Jeffrey Kulik, Arcturus magazine April 2018.
I’m here to kill the band,” a young man says, confident, assured, and standing tall despite the enormous pressure about to be thrust upon him in his self-selected journey. The young man is Ryan Oxley, a New England born and bred, Harvard-educated young professional with an expensive German car, a fine Swiss watch, a hand-tailored Italian suit and a smart, recently-rehabbed apartment in New York’s gauche East Village. He is one of a legion of young men and women from all walks of life who are now taking the life-altering journey of killing their favorite bands.
He turns to face me. The light streams in from the large picture windows that look out onto the urban hustle-bustle outside. There is no band here today. He is only practicing. Standing in front of a full-length mirror in his luxurious apartment, he has spent the last few minutes showing me exactly how he winds down each day in preparation for his big moment…
…continue reading “I’m Here to Kill the Band” at our sister publication, Arcturus.
Adam Morgan is the founding editor of the Chicago Review of Books and the Southern Review of Books. His essays and criticism have appeared in The Paris Review, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Chicago magazine, and elsewhere.