Pounding Nails in the Floor With My Forehead

by Eric Bogosian

In his fifth, brashest solo show, Eric Bogosian again aims scorching social commentary at the contemporary urban and suburban scene. From subway panhandlers to barbecue-crazed millionaires. Bogosian reveals the hidden humor, fear, hypocrisy and rage of Americans - including, for the first time, "Eric Bogosian," a hyperaggressive standup comic. With this seductive element of self-revelation, he heightens the disturbing connections between his characters and, by extension, between us and the people we try not to see - and not to be - every day.

Genres: Plays, Drama, Theatre, Fiction, Humor

80 pages, Hardcover

First published September 15, 2012

About the author

Eric Bogosian is an American actor, playwright, monologuist, novelist, and historian. Descended from Armenian-American immigrants, he grew up in Watertown and Woburn, Massachusetts, and attended the University of Chicago and Oberlin College. His numerous plays include Talk Radio (1987) and subUrbia (1994), which were adapted to film by Oliver Stone and Richard Linklater, respectively, with Bogosian starring in the former.
Bogosian has appeared in plays, films, and television series throughout his career. His television roles include Captain Danny Ross in Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2006–2010), Lawrence Boyd on Billions (2017–2018), and Gil Eavis on Succession (since 2018). He also starred as Arno in the Safdie brothers' film Uncut Gems (2019). He has also been involved in New York City ballet production, and has written several novels as well as the historical nonfiction Operation Nemesis (2015).

Reviews

[Stekko]

Ho visto circa 15 anni fa uno spettacolo con una serie di monologhi in una sorta di centro sociale a Milano. Gli attori erano studenti del Piccolo, e ricordo che rimasi molto colpito. Chiesi di chi fosse il testo, e mi dissero Bogosian. All'epoca il libro era già introvabile, non c'erano copie neanche in biblioteca (l'editore è piccolino e non quotato, ci sono vari refusi), non conoscevo abbastanza bene l'inglese e quindi divenne un po' un libro misterioso per me. Anni dopo, mentre guardavo Succession, nei titoli di coda vedo Eric Bogosian (che però era solo attore). Ricordo lo spettacolo e alcune precise battute. Mi rimetto alla ricerca del libro, e finalmente trovo una copia a un prezzo decente. Introduzione di Barbareschi egoriferita come sempre, ma bisogna dargli atto di aver avuto il polso della drammaturgia americana di quegli anni e di averla portata in Italia.
Il testo... Se non lo avessi visto in scena, probabilmente non mi avrebbe detto molto, anche perché alcune delle battute che ricordavo in realtà erano un po' diverse. È un po' adolescenziale, arrabbiato. Ogni monologo ruota però intorno a una buona idea, bruciata in poche pagine, senza essere tirata troppo per le lunghe. C'è forza, ma credo che possa emergere solo con un attore.

[TK421]

Uneven in places, to be sure. But some of the pieces are very memorable: The Glass; Red; The Fan; Rash; and Medicine are pure thoughts laced with acerbic humor and observation.

[Trin]

This is simultaneously the most 1994 thing I have ever read, and weirdly -- depressingly? -- timeless. It made me oddly nostalgic? It's very biting and darkly funny, often inappropriate, and the subjects of Bogosian's scorn are mostly still worthy of it -- in particular, yuppie culture which I guess has become...reactionary centrists? Do we even have a term for this now?

I wish I could see these performed; I'd love to know how he handled the transitions from piece to piece, character to character. And I want to know if he really smacked his head against the stage every night. (Ow.)

[Madelein]

not my favorite.
i like reading one man plays and I do think he is a good writer but I can't help but feel like the pieces were edgy cause i'm cool, i'm an edgy theatre maker and I'm a man who notices stuff that's wrong with SOCIETY but I won't get too deep with it.

[Emily]

For all that Bogosian structures his plays like he’s seeing through the eyes of thousands of characters, he only portrays three or four, all defined and identified by their self indulgent self-concern and their seeming hatred for the other characters. There’s no build. There’s no plot. There’s no larger societal point. Just a bunch of surprisingly similar angry men either snorting coke off of someone’s body or scorning those who would dare to snort coke off of someone’s body. Why is he so revered?

[Robin Burton]

3.5 stars but then dwindled to 3 stars towards the end. I laughed and I liked the plays until the very end.

“Blow Me” was racist for no reason, and the rest after were unnecessarily hypersexual. “Blow Me” was really the start to what could only be described as stupid plays that followed. The last fifteen pages missed the mark, completely.

[J Nick]

Not a bad read. I was looking for potentially good monologues, but didn't really find something that grabbed me as playable for me as I age. I don't know how I went from auditioning for Hamet and Seymour to auditioning for Claudius and Mr. Mushnik.

[Kaylee DeFre]

3.5

[artemis]

Ebogo simplesmente segue sendo um gênio. Tudo normal por aqui.

[Andrea Janov]

These voices are somehow part of old New York. The New York of the 90s. The New York that fed creativity and angst and hope.

[Kevin Braswell]

Fuck yeah, in the late 80s early 90s we were all into watching weird guys sweating around the stage monologing. I was obsessed with this guy.

[behsforensics]

Cutting is for The Glass
By Eric Bogosian

Another cutting is for Rash
By Eric Bogosian

Yet another cutting is for Inner Baby
By Eric Bogosian

Still another cutting is for Molecules
By Eric Bogosian

[Hannibal Winter]

“And I was in my bed in this cold sweat and I thought, "Oh no, I'm a homo." And I went into a panic! I said, "I'm not preiudiced or anything but I don't want to be a homosexual! . uh my lifestyle wouldn't support it. I'm ...I'm too busy. I don't have time for all the parades!”

- I fear this might be one of my favorite thing ever written 😭😭

4 out of 5 stars may have been a little generous, it’s defiantly uneven in parts and talks about bodily excrements to much for my personal liking. However there are so many little quotes, like the one stated above, that made me laugh to myself.

[Sarah]

Probably better in performance than read. I find myself repelled by the anger expressed here, not challenged by it. Perhaps another read is in order, but when I think about this play's goal--to inflame the audience the way the speakers of the monologues are inflamed--I find it misses the mark in me because Bogosian's voice is so grating, and doesn't really want to incite you to anger as much as berate the average person. Not the greatest way to get into my psyche, though an admirable try.

[Ben Laussade]

This book probably seemed edgier when it was written.

This book probably sounds better if Eric Bogosian is reading it to you.

I still like him, though reading this transcript of his show didn't do much for me.

[Ben]

This book probably seemed edgier when it was written.

This book probably sounds better if Eric Bogosian is reading it to you.

I still like him, though reading this transcript of his show didn't do much for me.

[Stephanie Cottom]

not for the faint of heart.... awesome one man plays!
did my sr adv theatre peice out of this one :D

[amber]

Some of this is funny some is just plain stupid but it won't take long to read so why not give it a shot.

[Jamison Edwards]

You gotta be in the mood for it, I think. And he's right in the introduction--watch a performance of at least one monologue before you read it.