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The Golden Age of Bloodsports
A Book of Jhonn Balance’s words by Phil Barrington.
367 pages, Unknown Binding
Published November 13, 2014
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Currently reading
February 20, 2026Some notes so far...
Spoilt Children: This resonates deeply with me, as I can vividly recall the feeling I grappled with in my childhood when I realized the inevitability of death. Balance, an irrefutable genius, depicts the feeling so perfectly here it manifested in a deep, physical sensation for me upon reading.
Truth: Makes a lot of sense that a man who would go on to be a foundational pillar in industrial music had an interest in Charles Manson. It seems they all did, to some degree.
Ostia (The Death of Pasolini): This is my favorite Coil song, yet the inclusion of Pasolini's "Una disperata vitalità" was previously unknown to me. It adds such rich dimension to the song.
I really enjoyed 'Burn Time Dry', the trudging imagery juxtaposed over quick rhyme and repetition gives great insight into the dual nature of time. 'Next time is always the last time/Next time is always going to be/What had been going on'.
I'm aware of his favor for Burroughs and liked his essay on him, particularly where he describes him as 'Operating at the interface of the "impossible" and the "inevitable".'
The Colossus of Rhodes: One of the more accessible narratives of Balance's. I liked the concept a lot, of sustaining off of the literal body of a place of worship. Reminds me of Prurient's Bermuda Drain, if I'm being honest.
Gilded Age: Oh yeah. This one is about, at least in part, the Black Plague for sure.
Love's Secret Domain: This song reminds my partner of me :)
Who'll Fall?: This shook me for obvious reasons, considering the circumstances of Balance's death.
It's In My Blood: I always interpreted this as a cumulation of fear around the AIDS/HIV epidemic, and the additional lyrics supplied here back that interpretation up.
Spoilt Children: This resonates deeply with me, as I can vividly recall the feeling I grappled with in my childhood when I realized the inevitability of death. Balance, an irrefutable genius, depicts the feeling so perfectly here it manifested in a deep, physical sensation for me upon reading.
Truth: Makes a lot of sense that a man who would go on to be a foundational pillar in industrial music had an interest in Charles Manson. It seems they all did, to some degree.
Ostia (The Death of Pasolini): This is my favorite Coil song, yet the inclusion of Pasolini's "Una disperata vitalità" was previously unknown to me. It adds such rich dimension to the song.
I really enjoyed 'Burn Time Dry', the trudging imagery juxtaposed over quick rhyme and repetition gives great insight into the dual nature of time. 'Next time is always the last time/Next time is always going to be/What had been going on'.
I'm aware of his favor for Burroughs and liked his essay on him, particularly where he describes him as 'Operating at the interface of the "impossible" and the "inevitable".'
The Colossus of Rhodes: One of the more accessible narratives of Balance's. I liked the concept a lot, of sustaining off of the literal body of a place of worship. Reminds me of Prurient's Bermuda Drain, if I'm being honest.
Gilded Age: Oh yeah. This one is about, at least in part, the Black Plague for sure.
Love's Secret Domain: This song reminds my partner of me :)
Who'll Fall?: This shook me for obvious reasons, considering the circumstances of Balance's death.
It's In My Blood: I always interpreted this as a cumulation of fear around the AIDS/HIV epidemic, and the additional lyrics supplied here back that interpretation up.
Displaying 1 of 1 review