Peter Sotos


Peter Sotos is an American writer and musician. In his books, Sotos examines sadistic sexual criminals and sexually violent pornography, particularly involving children. His writings are interpreted by some as commenting on media hypocrisy around these issues. His books are often first person narratives, taking on the point of view of the sexual predator in order to explore sadistic and pedophilic sexual impulses.

Early life

Sotos is a graduate of Holy Cross High School. He attended Northern Illinois University for one year and studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago for four years.

''Pure'' magazine and after

In 1984, while the day care sex abuse hysteria phenomenon was sweeping the nation and while attending the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Sotos began producing the controversial magazine Pure, notable as the first zine dedicated to serial killer lore. The original publications are now collectors' items.
In addition to offering many details about the crimes of serial killers and Nazis, the text in the magazine praises them, describing them using such terms as "genius", "glorious", "exemplary", and "illustrious". The text is juxtaposed with pictures and newspaper clippings relevant to the crimes discussed, showing that the media also abuse the victims. A short manifesto introducing the first issue says the magazine "satiates and encourages true lusts."
A photocopy from a magazine of child pornography was used as the cover of issue #2 of Pure which led to Sotos pleading guilty to possession of child pornography, receiving a suspended sentence. A copy of the magazine was found by Scotland Yard in Edinburgh, in the home of a suspect in a series of child abductions, murders and grave robbings, which led to Sotos' arrest.
Despite his early legal troubles, Sotos continues to garner support for his ideas and literary output: in the foreword to the French edition of Index the publisher Jean-Jacques Pauvert compared him to Marquis de Sade; the American author Bruce Benderson has been analyzing his writings for La Nouvelle Revue Française; in 2012 Sotos joined Dennis Cooper for a lecture at the Centre Georges Pompidou; in 2015 the German contemporary art magazine Texte zur Kunst published “Proxy: Peter Sotos in Conversation”.

Books

Half an autofiction half a survey based on newspaper clippings, Index sinks in perversion, violence and sex abuses, testifying of a declining culture.
Compendium of newspaper extracts reporting on subjects such as the painting Myra by Marcus Harvey, Lazy is giving thought to public fascination with sex crimes.
Selfish, Little dips into tabloids and memoirs the murder of Lesley Ann Downey by British Moors Murderers Ian Brady and Myra Hindley in 1964 has sparked.
Predicate explores the Dunblane Massacre in Scotland in 1996 and the motives and life of the perpetrator Thomas Watt Hamilton. Other topics covered include Operation Ore, the Wonderland murders, Russian orphanages, Megan's Law, and non-nude teen websites.
Comfort and Critique explores the hidden motives of reporters and citizens as shown by their reactions to sexual crimes.
Show Adult, uses pornography as a Skinner box experiment and co-opts the behaviorist methodology of psychologist Harry Harlow in a new work which goes beyond pornography to investigate the very experience of pornography itself. The book also analyzes the TV shows Supernanny and To Catch a Predator as publicly acceptable forms of child pornography.
Dealing with sex offenders and the art of photography, Lordotics is revisiting previous Sotos' writings as snapshots, creating pornography from reviewing pornography.
Pure Filth dives into transcripts the gonzo movies porn star Jamie Gillis produced during the '90s. Gillis adds an introduction to each transcript. Sotos, who was a friend of Gillis, brings his own perspective to these records. The book was completed a few days before Gillis died in February 2010.
Desistance is focused on the works of French photographer Antoine D'Agata.
Ingratitude is a labyrinthic monologue. While he is digging up a file of newspaper clippings, Sotos ruminates his personal history. Analyzing the reports, Sotos is trying to revisit the primal input of his obsession with sex crimes as well as give up to self-hatred.

Musical career

From 1983 to Bird Seed released in 2003, Sotos was a member of the British power electronics group Whitehouse.
In 1992, Sotos released the solo album Buyer's Market, which consisted of sound collages of spoken word samples from parents, law-enforcement officers and victims of sex crimes. The album was produced by Steve Albini. Sotos then released Proxy and Waitress in 2005.
Jamie Stewart from Xiu Xiu often mentions Sotos as an influence.

Discography

YearAlbum nameAlbum details
1992Buyer's Market
  • Label: AWB Recording
  • Format: CD
2005Proxy
  • Label: Creation Books
  • Format: CD
    • 2005Waitress
  • Label: Creation Books
  • Format: CD

    • Art

    Peter Sotos makes video collages. He notably presented Waitress I, II and III at the Palais de Tokyo in April 2005.
    A selection of Sotos' paper archives has been shown for the first time in 2017 at the New Galerie in Paris.

    In popular culture

    In his movie Love, the Argentine film director Gaspar Noé shows Lazy, one of Sotos' books, in the hero's bookshelves. The American writer is also thanked in the closing credits.

    Works