So we're going to start big tonight with Gabriel Dozal,
a warlock, a wielder of magic derived from an extraplanar
entity, in this case, the US-Mexico border or Jeff Yanc,
curator and introducer of bad movies and Mondays at the Loft
or possibly the spirit of language itself.
Through pacts made with these powerful beings,
warlocks unlock magical effects both subtle and spectacular
seen, for instance, in The Border Simulator, a first book
that refuses the given modes of writing
about the US-Mexico border, opting instead for straight up
weirdo, bilingual rifftastic magic.
He's a bit of a trickster figure.
A warlock like Dozal is typically a bit shady,
so you keep your eye on the wine-- your wine skin
and your NBA TV password and your Yngwie Malmsteen vinyl
and don't tell him on broken down sad ass Twitter he's not
allowed to repurpose language with AI
or any other tool in the spellbook.
Dozal uses all tools, even the forbidden ones,
which are the best kind.
His spells involve mash ups, cut ups, massive riffing,
the shapeshifting power of technology,
and the even greater power of language to summon and command
all these things.
The only question one might ask is to what end, Dozal?
Do you serve evil, or do you serve good?
To what end beyond sheer delight,
I mean, beyond simulated thrills,
asking questions impossible enough
to attack in any other way?
To what end beyond being dazzling and being sad and being
smart and being funny?
To what other masters do we even want our poems to serve?
His primary ability is charisma.
His alignment is unclear, but it probably doesn't matter.
Can anything or anyone stop Gabriel Dozal?
['LAUGHTER]