Playing Chicken With Dire McCain

My interview with Dire McCain on her new book, Playing Chicken With Thanatos

Dire McCain is a writer, editor, publisher, and creative force. I've known Dire for several years, and I'm always impressed with her energy. We could have easily gone down the rabbit hole of a myriad of other topics, but we focused and got down to what's new and groovy- her new book, Playing Chicken With Thanatos.


The book is based on your experiences growing up. Can you talk a bit about that?

Dire McCain: The book chronicles my life between the ages of 12 and 19, although I touch upon the years that preceded and followed as well. The back cover blurb describes it best:

“Playing Chicken With Thanatos tells a hard-hitting yet sympathetic tale of a precocious forgotten child who sought refuge in self-annihilation, and ultimately had to choose between doom and survival.

Set primarily in Southern California in the 1980s and 90s, the narrator takes you headlong on an intensely revealing and turbulent odyssey through the abysses of madness and junkiedom to the peaks of liberation and personal evolution.

Born from the author’s harrowing formative experiences, Playing Chicken With Thanatos transcends autobiography, evades the niche of vicarious voyeurism, and reaches out an empathetic, nonjudgmental hand to anyone who’s ever teetered over that ineffable precipice.”

Why did you decide to write the book?

DM: It began as a form of therapy, a release of the ghosts that had been locked away and eroding my spirit for ages. Before long, it took on a life of its own, and I soon realized that I could provide a resonant voice and empathetic hand for others who have “teetered over that ineffable precipice,” whatever their demons.


For the rest of the interview, please go to the Opsonic Index website -

My Interview with Dire McCain

You will be glad you did!