By Tammy Ruhle, On-line Forty-Niner May 8, 1997
Cal State Long Beach student Chris Bunyan is the best selling author of Bite Your Tongue Publications. Out of a print of 5,000, the small independent company has sold over 3,000 nationwide.
"When I set out to do this, I wasn't into selling books," Bunyan said. "And now people are buying my books, that's cool to me."
"The first time I saw him, he walked on stage wearing a life jacket, and I thought to myself, this guy is out of his head," said Albert Ramirez, head of Bite Your Tongue Publications.
"I expected him to be shallow and the next thing you know, he's a deep intense guy," Ramirez said.
Bunyan had a following before being signed to Bite Your Tongue Publications according to Ramirez.
"I asked him if he could put something together and within two weeks he had a rough sketch," Ramirez said. "I was delighted."
The new author's book, "Planet Earth is a Cult", is sold in book and record stores nationwide, except for some commercial bookstores like Barnes and Nobel and B. Dalton. This is because of a controversy between the publisher and the bookstores.
According to Bunyan, the center of the controversy stems not from the angry prose, but, from the book cover art. Specifically, commercial bookstores do not seem to have the stomach for the book's back cover, a photo of the author leaning against a 12 foot wooden cross while shooting up with a hypodermic needle and wearing a priest's collar.
But, book banning aside, the poet's prose are still working on the dark side of the moon.
The mostly autobiographical volume has been called everything from "an authentic depiction of reality" to "a depressing bunch of crap." One thing is clear, it certainly is not light-hearted, or lacking strife.
Undaunted by the controversy, Bunyan accepts that his work is not for everyone.
"I try to be subjective," Bunyan said. "I let people get their own meanings out of it."
Still, Bunyan does seem to have a fascination with death and anger. For instance, it seems Bunyan has lost no sentiment for the Jerry Garcia followers of the world by his tribute to the deadhead.
"You hypocritical, no self-esteem, pot smoking, never seen a toothbrush, D.U.I., little f-k. I hope you die."
The Bakersfield native left two years ago for Huntington Beach. Meanwhile, his success is evident by what the 23-year-old has accomplished in the short time.
His ascent began four years ago with spoken-word acts in local coffee houses. Next, Bunyan moved on to headlining major acts.
Bunyan said his spoken word performances are where his book really comes to life. He leaves for a mini tour next week to the East Coast. "It's kind of like suicide," he said. My professors tell me I have to make a choice between academics and promoting my book he said. "I'll choose touring, especially if it is with cool promoters."
In 1994, the poet and spoken-word artist toured with Lollapalooza in the third stage Revival Tent. Later he became an opener for punk bands and toured with contemporary KROQ bands such as 311 and Sublime.
Strangely somber and pessimistic, as his prose have been characterized, Bunyan does not consider himself a depressing person. Instead, he offers a realistic view of the world and a message of hope in his spoken-word finales - offering his audience a hand in changing the dismal existence that is life on earth.