That’s a beautiful question.

Skullcrack City can’t be recommended enough, one of my all time favorites. Noir, Practical Demonkeeping, A Dirty Job, or anything else by Christopher Moore. Jason Pargin also has another book series that starts with Futuristic Violence and Fancy Suits, and a stand alone novel called I’m Starting To Worry About This Black Box of Doom. The Yellow Wallpaper is a fun short read. Who Goes There? is the oroginal story that inspired The Thing and The Thing That Fell From Space and is just a cool story for how early on it was written. House Of Leaves is weird as fuck, but that one is definitely not for everybody. Most anything from Lovecraft, but I especially enjoyed reading Shadow Over Innsmouth.

If you’ve read and enjoyed JDATE, read Skullcrack City right fucking now, I’m serious.

Edit: Not as much on the same level of weird, but The Dark Tower series by Stephen King is a masterwork, except for the middle bits of book four.

Edit: Also Apathy and Other Small Victories is a ton of fun. And Ulrich Haarburst’s Novel of Roy Orbison In Cling Film is an absurdist marvel of short stories where the author and his turtle are put in situations in which the solution requires Roy Orbison to be wrapped in cling film. I can’t stress this enough, it is not in any way sexual and is oddly wholesome and entirely earnest.

Aye, that storyline gets pretty dark like

I also love that book so you're not special. Take that.

Or maybe we’re both special.

Fuck yeah, thanks! I will be checking them out.

Amazing response! Thank you so much!
I mentioned AD/BC: A Rock Opera in another comment, that's all I can offer, if you don't know it already!

I will die on the hill the Velvet Underground was profoundly more influential on rock music than the Beatles. I'll give the Beatles they were a cultural phenomenon but only like 10 of their songs are still listanable in 2026. Where I can listen to all 4 VU albums back to back and like most of what I hear.

LOVED M.Y.T.H. series. One of my favorite reads of all time. Check out Phule's Company series by him as well if you have not read it yet, just as page turning and entertaining.

I love Alice in Wonderland and there is this rather obscure claymation version that was done by Czech director and artist Jan Švankmajer called Alice. Its very creepy and off putting, but also a surreal masterpiece, with things like animated animal skulls and other animated taxidermy. Its one of my all time favorite movies, but I've talked to other people who have watched it and for the most part people seem to dislike it.

You can watch it in full here and come to your own conclusion https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tK_l74cSPGY

so far everyone likes them. Any recommendations?

Keep wearing them?

I like yellow mustard with my fries

Oh I love some polarizing foods.

Anchovies, sardines, black licorice, really spicy stuff, mustard greens. Not together. But love all of those.

Obscure? The Ramsey Midwood song Feed my Monkey is so good.

I like anchovies on pizza.

Always glad to share my weird interests! I’ll check that out, thank you!

I havent thought about Jan Švankmajer in ages, thanks for reminding me of him! All of his stuff is so off putting and surreal, I really like his works.

Solid advice. Thanks!

Probably a few genres that fit that description, but one i enjoy a lot is Afro-surrealism.

Media like "Atlanta" and "Sorry to Bother You" are a couple of personal favorites, but there's lots more

Adultswim's 'too many cooks in the kitchen' is also very good at this experience, but I wouldnt call it afro-surrealist.

Oh yeah Too Many Cooks is great, that's one of the Infomercials. Casper Kelly did that, Buddy, and YPFIGTH. He's one of my favorite creators in that sphere. The Adult Swim Yule Log specials he did are also really good.

I'll have to check out Atlanta, I guess I assumed it was some basic standard dramady. But I liked Sorry to Bother You. I thought the second half was some fever dream I had for a while.

Atlanta is definitely more subtle and less horror-comedy, but the surreal elements can catch you when you're not expecting it and it has the same effect IMO

Oh god, I'm a little slow. Nice one :)

Your Pretty Face is Going to Hell is one of my favorite shows. Henry Zebrowski is a gem.

I love to knit. Not that polarizing, but I hate the softness supremacy, everybody is in a race to have the fluffiest, softest wool that looks and feels good but doesn't really keep you warm.

I want that working class wool, I want that rustic fall-into-ocean-get-rescued-and-keep-working wool. I love local yarn made with scratchy-ass local wool and I want to feel it on my skin, I want it to stink of sheep when it gets wet.

He is great right? I think under appreciated really. Loved this one too: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1THMc9g5SaU