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# A list of things that inspired the book I’m writing.
- URL: https://www.jamesreeves.co/inspiration/
- Published: 2020-07-27T11:01:00.000Z
- Updated: 2025-11-15T03:50:04.000Z
- Author: James A. Reeves
- Tags: Notebook

North Dakota snow. Aural destabilization. Kōbō Abe’s *[The Woman in the Dunes](http://jamesr323.sg-host.com/the-woman-in-the-dunes/?ref=jamesreeves.co)*. William James and “the educational variety of religious experience.” Bohren and Der Club of Gore. Neoplatonism. [Varvara Stepanova](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Varvara%5FStepanova?ref=jamesreeves.co). Waffle House. The Salton Sea. Bombay Beach. Endless rain. Hubert Robert’s [ruins](http://jamesr323.sg-host.com/ruins/?ref=jamesreeves.co). Static. The main character has my mom’s eyes. The lights of Do Lung Bridge in *Apocalypse Now*. [The Electrifying Mojo](http://jamesr323.sg-host.com/mojo/?ref=jamesreeves.co). Chrome. No sunshine, only night. [Ela Orleans](https://elaorleans.com/?ref=jamesreeves.co). Rumble strips and tollbooths. Broken screens. Endless rain. Season two of *The Leftovers*. Plotinus. Origen. The rose in *The Little Prince*: “Let the tigers come with their claws.” Mahjong. The Roosevelt Hotel in New Orleans. Robert Irwin. Stephen King’s *The Stand*. The Ronettes. [The orange juice kid](https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/citric-acid-trip/?ref=jamesreeves.co). Spinoza and the idea that god is in the trees. Freightliner trucks. Desert religion. The Extraterrestrial Highway in Nevada. The nails and blades in a ritualistic power figure: [Nkisi N’kondi](https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/320053?ref=jamesreeves.co). Dial tones. Kali Malone’s *[The Sacrificial Code](https://kalimalone.bandcamp.com/album/the-sacrificial-code?ref=jamesreeves.co)*. Twentynine Palms. The makeshift towns in the Imperial Dunes. [Coast to Coast AM](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coast%5Fto%5FCoast%5FAM?ref=jamesreeves.co). Being afraid to pray. Reel to reel tapes. Ghosts. Hexagram 18 in the *I Ching*: Decay. Heat lightning. Footsteps on marble. Marina Abramović’s *[Rhythm 0](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhythm%5F0?ref=jamesreeves.co)*. Umberto Boccioni’s *[Unique Forms of Continuity in Space](http://jamesr323.sg-host.com/future-2/?ref=jamesreeves.co)*. The profane old Buddha in New Orleans who told me that “opinions kill motherfuckers and experience saves lives.” Flickering lights. Mysterious wounds. Color breathing. *Robocop* and “I’ll buy that for a dollar.” Slab City. Motel vending machines. Interstate 10 is the dime and Interstate 55 is the double-nickel. Maersk Sealand. The Cold Crush Brothers. Sodium lights. Highway service plazas. Towns called Fairfield. Tristan Tzara’s Dada manifestos. Basic Channel. Caravaggio’s *[Saint Jerome in Meditation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint%5FJerome%5Fin%5FMeditation%5F%28Caravaggio%29?ref=jamesreeves.co)*. Folding chairs. Church basements. Octavia Butler’s *The Parable of the Sower*. Replicas, simulations, and [artificial skies](http://jamesr323.sg-host.com/artificial/?ref=jamesreeves.co). Will Durant. [The Scholastics](http://jamesr323.sg-host.com/soul/?ref=jamesreeves.co). Bertrand Russell. Model 500’s “Night Drive through Babylon” on Woodward Avenue at three o’clock in the morning. Yōko Ogawa’s *[The Memory Police](http://jamesr323.sg-host.com/the-memory-police/?ref=jamesreeves.co)*. Francisco de Zurbarán’s *[The Crucifixion](https://www.artic.edu/artworks/80084/the-crucifixion?ref=jamesreeves.co)*. Don DeLillo’s *Underworld* and *Mao II*. Jeunet and Caro’s *The City of Lost Children*. William Basinski: “The world is in a bad feedback loop right now.” Tarot readers, soothsayers, and faith dealers. Late-night callers. Glitchy power grids. Doubt.