Peter Sotos (born April 17, 1960) is an American author and

musician A musician is someone who Composer, composes, Conducting, conducts, or Performing arts#Performers, performs music. According to the United States Employment Service, "musician" is a general Terminology, term used to designate a person who fol ...

. As an author, Sotos has 31 published books with several translated into foreign languages. In his books, Sotos writes about sadistic sexual criminals and sexually violent

pornography Pornography (colloquially called porn or porno) is Sexual suggestiveness, sexually suggestive material, such as a picture, video, text, or audio, intended for sexual arousal. Made for consumption by adults, pornographic depictions have evolv ...

in great detail, particularly involving children. His books tend to be first-person narratives, taking on the

point of view Point of View or Points of View may refer to: Concept and technique * Point of view (literature) or narrative mode, the perspective of the narrative voice; the pronoun used in narration * Point of view (philosophy), an attitude how one sees or ...

of the

sexual predator A sexual predator is a person seen as obtaining or trying to obtain sexual contact with another person in a metaphorically "predatory" or abusive manner. Analogous to how a predator hunts down its prey, so the sexual predator is thought to "hunt" ...

in order to portray sadistic and pedophilic sexual impulses. His writings are seen by some as potent social criticism, highlighting the often hypocritical ways in which media deals with these issues. As a musician, Sotos is well known as a former member of the British noise music band

Whitehouse Whitehouse may refer to: People * Charles S. Whitehouse (1921–2001), American diplomat * Cornelius Whitehouse (1796–1883), English engineer and inventor * E. Sheldon Whitehouse (1883–1965), American diplomat * Elliott Whitehouse (born ...

. Sotos was arrested in 1985 on child pornography charges due to content that was published within an issue of his

zine A zine ( ; short for ''magazine'' or ''fanzine'') is, as noted on Merriam-Webster’s official website, a magazine that is a “noncommercial often homemade or online publication usually devoted to specialized and often unconventional subject ...

''Pure''.

Biography

Education

Sotos is a graduate of Holy Cross High School. He attended

Northern Illinois University Northern Illinois University (NIU) is a public research university in DeKalb, Illinois, United States. It was founded as "Northern Illinois State Normal School" in 1895 by Illinois Governor John P. Altgeld, initially to provide the state with c ...

for one year and studied at the

School of the Art Institute of Chicago The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) is a Private university, private art school associated with the Art Institute of Chicago (AIC) in Chicago, Illinois. Tracing its history to an art students' cooperative founded in 1866, which gr ...

for four years.

Career

In 1984, Sotos self-published a newsletter or "fanzine" named ''Pure'', notable as the first zine dedicated to serial killer lore. After not writing for almost a decade, Sotos self-published 20 issues of ''Parasite'' from 1993 to 1995. Sotos had his first books published in 1998 – ''Index'' and ''Special''. The following year he wrote ''Lazy'', which examines the public fascination with sex crimes and their influence on art works such as the painting ''

Myra Myra (; , ''Mýra'') was a city in Lycia. The city was probably founded by Lycians on the river Myros (; Turkish: ''Demre Çay''), in the fertile alluvial plain between, the Massikytos range (Turkish: ''Alaca Dağ'') and the Aegean Sea. By the ...

'' by Marcus Harvey. He followed that with ''Selfish, Little'' in 2004, which recounts the murder of Lesley Ann Downey by British Moors murderers

Ian Brady The Moors murders were a series of child killings committed by Ian Brady and Myra Hindley in and around Manchester, England, between July 1963 and October 1965. The victims were five children—Pauline Reade, John Kilbride, Keith Bennett, Lesl ...

and

Myra Hindley The Moors murders were a series of child killings committed by Ian Brady and Myra Hindley in and around Manchester, England, between July 1963 and October 1965. The victims were five children—Pauline Reade, John Kilbride, Keith Bennett, Lesl ...

in 1964. In 2005, Sotos published two books; ''Predicate'' and ''Comfort and Critique''. ''Predicate'' explores the

Dunblane massacre The Dunblane massacre took place at Dunblane Primary School in Dunblane, near Stirling, Scotland, on 13 March 1996, when 43-year-old Thomas Hamilton killed 16 pupils and one teacher and injured 15 others before killing himself. It remains the d ...

in Scotland in 1996 and the motives and life of its perpetrator, Thomas Watt Hamilton. Other topics covered within ''Predicate'' include

Operation Ore Operation Ore was a British police operation that commenced in 1999 following information received from US law enforcement, which was intended to prosecute thousands of users of a website reportedly featuring child pornography. It was the Unite ...

, Operation Cathedral, Russian orphanages,

Megan's Law Megan's Law is the name for a federal law (and informal name for similar state laws) in the United States requiring law enforcement authorities to make information available to the public regarding registered sex offenders. Laws were created ...

, and non-nude teen websites. In ''Comfort and Critique'', Sotos explores the hidden motives of reporters and citizens as shown by their reactions to sexual crimes. He followed that with ''Show Adult'' in 2007, which investigates the experience of pornography. The book also analyzes the TV shows '' Supernanny'' and ''

To Catch a Predator ''To Catch a Predator'' is an American reality television series in the television news magazine program ''Dateline NBC'' featuring confrontations of host Chris Hansen, partly filmed with a hidden camera, with adult men arriving at a Sting oper ...

'' as publicly acceptable forms of child pornography. In 2008, Sotos dealt with sex offenders and the art of photography in the book ''Lordotics''. Sotos wrote ''Pure Filth'' in 2012, which details transcripts of the

gonzo Gonzo may refer to: People * Gonzo (nickname), a list of people with the nickname * Radislav Jovanov Gonzo (born 1964), Croatian music video director Radislav Jovanov, also known as Gonzo * Matthias Röhr (born 1962), German musician whose stage ...

movies porn star

Jamie Gillis Jamie Gillis (born Jamey Ira Gurman; April 20, 1943 – February 19, 2010) was an American pornographic actor, director and member of the AVN Hall of Fame. He was married to the porn actress Serena. Early life Gillis was born Jamey Ira Gurm ...

produced during the 1990s. Gillis added an introduction to each transcript. The book was completed a few days before Gillis died in February 2010. 2014 saw Sotos focus on the works of French photographer Antoine D'Agata in the book ''Desistance''. In 2018, Sotos wrote ''Ingratitude'', which through the revisitation of a kept file of newspaper clippings, blended formative personal history with an exacting analysis of criminal and victim case reports to render a pornographically freighted study of sexual compulsion and desistance, restitution, and the perpetual churn of memory. 2021 saw Sotos join with Lionel Maunz in a collaboration with the titular contemporary artist. From 1983 to 2003, Sotos was a member of the British

power electronics Power electronics is the application of electronics to the control and conversion of electric power. The first high-power electronic devices were made using mercury-arc valves. In modern systems, the conversion is performed with semiconduct ...

trio

. During performances in America, Europe, and Japan, he performed using an EDP WASP synthesizer. In 1985 he wrote some lyrics for his first album with Whitehouse, '' Great White Death''. That was followed by writing and performing on the albums '' Thank Your Lucky Stars'', '' Twice Is Not Enough'', ''

Halogen The halogens () are a group in the periodic table consisting of six chemically related elements: fluorine (F), chlorine (Cl), bromine (Br), iodine (I), and the radioactive elements astatine (At) and tennessine (Ts), though some authors would ...

'', ''

Quality Time Quality time is a sociology expression referring to a proactive interaction between individuals, set aside for paying undivided attention, usually to express love or accomplish a shared goal. Sometimes abbreviated QT, it is an informal referenc ...

'', '' Mummy and Daddy'', '' Cruise'', and '' Bird Seed''. In 1992, Sotos released the solo album ''Buyer's Market'', which consisted of

sound collage In music, montage (literally "putting together") or sound collage ("gluing together") is a technique where newly branded sound objects or Musical composition, compositions, including songs, are created from collage, also known as musique concrè ...

s of spoken word samples from parents, law enforcement officers, and victims of sex crimes, including

child sexual abuse Child sexual abuse (CSA), also called child molestation, is a form of child abuse in which an adult or older adolescent uses a child for sexual stimulation. Forms of child sexual abuse include engaging in Human sexual activity, sexual activit ...

. The album was produced by

Steve Albini Steven Frank Albini (; July 22, 1962 – May 7, 2024) was an American musician and audio engineer. He founded and fronted the influential post-hardcore and noise rock bands Big Black (1981–1987), Rapeman (1987–1989) and Shellac (band), ...

. Sotos also released ''Proxy'' and ''Waitress'' in 2005. Peter Sotos also makes video collages. He notably presented ''Waitress I'', ''II'', and ''III'' at the

Palais de Tokyo The Palais de Tokyo (''Tokyo Palace'') is a building dedicated to modern and contemporary art, located at 13 avenue du Président-Wilson, facing the Trocadéro, in the 16th arrondissement of Paris. The eastern wing of the building belongs to ...

in April 2005. A selection of Sotos' paper archives was shown for the first time in 2017 at the New Galerie in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

Personal life

Sotos cites

radical feminist Radical feminism is a perspective within feminism that calls for a radical re-ordering of society in which male supremacy is eliminated in all social and economic contexts, while recognizing that women's experiences are also affected by other ...

Andrea Dworkin Andrea Rita Dworkin (September 26, 1946 – April 9, 2005) was an American radical feminist writer and activist best known for her analysis of pornography. Her feminist writings, beginning in 1974, span 30 years. They are found in a dozen sol ...

and French writer

Marquis de Sade Donatien Alphonse François, Marquis de Sade ( ; ; 2 June 1740 – 2 December 1814) was a French writer, libertine, political activist and nobleman best known for his libertine novels and imprisonment for sex crimes, blasphemy and pornography ...

as his main literary influences.

Legal issues

In 1984, while the day-care sex-abuse hysteria phenomenon was sweeping the nation and while attending the

, Sotos began producing the controversial magazine ''Pure'', notable as the first zine dedicated to

serial killer A serial killer (also called a serial murderer) is a person who murders three or more people,An offender can be anyone: * * * * * (This source only requires two people) with the killings taking place over a significant period of time in separat ...

lore. The original publications are now collectors' items. In addition to offering many details about the crimes of serial killers and

pedophile Pedophilia ( alternatively spelled paedophilia) is a psychiatric disorder in which an adult or older adolescent experiences a primary or exclusive sexual attraction to prepubescent children. Although girls typically begin the process of puber ...

s, the text in the magazine praises them, describing them using such terms as "genius," "glorious," "exemplary," and "illustrious" and stating that child abuse is a "sublime pleasure." The text is juxtaposed with pictures and newspaper clippings relevant to the crimes discussed. A short

manifesto A manifesto is a written declaration of the intentions, motives, or views of the issuer, be it an individual, group, political party, or government. A manifesto can accept a previously published opinion or public consensus, but many prominent ...

introducing the first issue says the magazine "satiates and encourages true lusts." A photocopy from a magazine of

child pornography Child pornography (also abbreviated as CP, also called child porn or kiddie porn, and child sexual abuse material, known by the acronym CSAM (underscoring that children can not be deemed willing participants under law)), is Eroticism, erotic ma ...

was used as the cover of issue #2 of ''Pure'', which led to Sotos pleading guilty to possession of child pornography in 1985 and receiving a suspended sentence. A copy of the magazine was found by

Scotland Yard Scotland Yard (officially New Scotland Yard) is the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police, the territorial police force responsible for policing Greater London's London boroughs, 32 boroughs. Its name derives from the location of the original ...

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

, in the home of a suspect in a series of child abductions, murders, and grave robberies, which led to Sotos' arrest.

Influence

In the 2015 film ''Love'' (2015), director

Gaspar Noé Gaspar Noé (; ; born 27 December 1963) is an Argentine filmmaker, who lives and worked primarily in France. He is one of the primary exponents of New French Extremity, with his most notable works including the feature films '' I Stand Alone'' ...

shows ''Lazy'', one of Sotos' books, on the hero's bookshelves. The American writer is also thanked in the closing credits.

, who produced the album ''Buyer's Market'' for Sotos, described Sotos as a friend and a former influence while speaking to ''

MEL Magazine ''MEL'' was a men's magazine headquartered in Marina del Rey, California. Originally funded by Dollar Shave Club, ''Mel'' has been described by ''New York Times'' journalist Amanda Hess as "the rare men's magazine that has taken upon itself to i ...

'' in 2021. He said, "A lot of his writing is extremely difficult to read. It's repellent. You're brought into the mind of a sadist, pretty convincingly. And I feel like that experience, reading that stuff, is shocking to your core in the way that the horrors of the reality of those things should be." Jamie Stewart from Xiu Xiu has mentioned Sotos as an influence.''Under the Radar'': "2014 Artist Survey: Xiu Xiu" (January 28, 2015)
/ref>

Works

* ''Pure'', 1984–1985, Self-published and released two issues, with a third having been completed before controversy of publication led to a now-infamous trial. * ''Parasite'', 1993–1995, Self-published twenty issues. * ''Total Abuse: Collected Writings, 1984–1995: Pure, Tool, Parasite'', 1995 (Goad to Hell Enterprises, ) * ''Index'', 1996, Printed in 1998 (Creation Books, ) * ''Special'', 1998 (Rude Shape, ) * ''Lazy'', 1999 (Creation Books, ) examines the public fascination with sex crimes and their influence on art works such as the painting ''Myra'' by Marcus Harvey. * ''Tick'', 2000 (Creation Books, ) * ''Selfish, Little: The Annotated Lesley Ann Downey'', 2004 (Void Books, ) recounts the murder of Lesley Ann Downey by British Moors Murderers

and

in 1964. * ''Proxy: Peter Sotos Pornography 1991–2000'', 2005 (Creation Books, ). A compendium of five of Sotos' works (''Tool'', ''Special'', ''Tick'', ''Index'' and ''Lazy''). First edition, with CD by Sotos and

. * ''Comfort and Critique'', 2005 (Void Books, ) explores the hidden motives of reporters and citizens as shown by their reactions to sexual crimes. * ''Predicate'', 2005 (Creation Books, ) explores the

in Scotland in 1996 and the motives and life of its perpetrator, Thomas Watt Hamilton. Other topics covered include

, Operation Cathedral, Russian orphanages,

, and non-nude teen websites. * ''Waitress'', 2005 (Creation Books). Came as an extra for those who preordered a copy of ''Predicate'' from Creation Books. * ''Show Adult'', 2007 (Creation Books, ) investigates the experience of pornography. The book also analyzes the TV shows '' Supernanny'' and ''

'' as publicly acceptable forms of child pornography. * ''Waitress'', 2007 (Creation Books). Separate volume from the one included with ''Predicate''. Came with orders of ''Show Adult'' in hardcover. * ''Lordotics'', 2008 (Creation Books, ) deals with sex offenders and the art of photography * ''Perfect: The Collected Peter Sotos Volume One'', 2009 (Creation Books, ) * ''Waitress'', 2009 (Creation Books). Third in a series of additional material offered in limited editions from Creation. Came with pre orders of ''Perfect''. * ''Public: The Collected Peter Sotos Volume Two'', 2009 (Creation Books, ) * ''Waitress'', 2009 (Creation Books) Fourth in a series of additional material offered in limited editions from Creation. Came with pre orders of ''Public''. * ''Private: The Collected Peter Sotos Volume Three'', 2009 (Creation Books, ) * ''Waitress'', 2009 (Creation Books). Fifth in a series of additional material offered in limited editions from Creation. Came with pre orders of ''Private''. * ''Kept: The Collected Peter Sotos Volume Four'', 2010 (Creation Books, ) * ''Waitress'', 2010 (Creation Books). Sixth in a series of additional material offered in limited editions from Creation. Came with pre orders of ''Kept''. * ''Mine'', 2011 (Creation Books, reprinted in paperback by Nine-Banded Books in 2013, ) * ''Pure Filth'', 2012 (

Feral House Feral House is an American book publisher founded in 1989 by Adam Parfrey and based in Port Townsend, Washington. Feral House is known for its taboo and provocative publications, but has had significant influence in both underground circles an ...

, ) with

. Details transcripts of the

movies Gillis produced during the 1990s. Gillis adds an introduction to each transcript. Completed a few days before Gillis died in February 2010. * ''Tool'', 2013 (Nine-Banded Books, ). First printing as a stand-alone volume. * ''Home'', 2013 (

Kiddiepunk Kiddiepunk is a Paris-based, independent publisher founded in 2002 by artist and filmmaker Michael Salerno. They specialize in releasing limited edition books and zines, as well as film and video projects. Overview Originally based in Melbourne, ...

) with images by Michael Salerno. * ''Desistance'', 2014 (Nine-Banded Books, ) is focused on the works of French photographer Antoine D'Agata. * ''Ingratitude'', 2018 (Nine-Banded Books, ) *''Lionel Maunz Peter Sotos'', 2021 (Nine-Banded Books & Amphetamine Sulphate, ) is a collaboration with the titular contemporary artist. *''Missed. Better Still.'', 2022 (Amphetamine Sulphate, ) *''1. Obviates: Predicate, Show Adult (2004–2006)'', 2023 (Amphetamine Sulphate, ) *''Kee MacFarlane'', 2024 (Nine-Banded Books)

Discography

References

External links

Nine-Banded Books

Feral House

Laurence Viallet

Peter Sotos: A Case Study in Lust and the Unconditioned
by Michael Lujan
Fucked in the Head
by

Travis Jeppesen Travis Jeppesen is an American novelist, playwright, poet, artist, and art critic. He is known, among other works, for his novels ''Settlers Landing'' and '' The Suiciders''; a non-fiction novel about North Korea, ''See You Again in Pyongyang''; a ...

Peter Sotos : Aucun autre crime que l'amour du crime
by

Christophe Bourseiller Christophe Gintzburger (born 27 September 1957), known professionally as Christophe Bourseiller (), is a French actor, writer, freemason and journalist. He began his career as a child actor and made his debut in Yves Robert's 1962 film '' War of ...

Instinct, Drive, and Reality: An Interview with Peter Sotos
(''The Hoover Hog'')

by Dennis Cooper
Interview with Peter Sotos
by Brandon Stosuy (''Fanzine'')
Tesco Fest 2011, Brooklyn NY

''Natt&Dag'' (May 2011)

The Putrid Voyeurisms of Peter Sotos
by Blake Butler (''Vice'')
Basilica Soundscape 2013, Hudson NY
(''Pitchfork'') {{DEFAULTSORT:Sotos, Peter 1960 births American crime writers American industrial musicians American noise musicians American people convicted of child pornography offenses American sound artists American writers of Greek descent Obscenity controversies in literature Living people Music controversies Musicians from Chicago Northern Illinois University alumni Pedophile advocacy School of the Art Institute of Chicago alumni Whitehouse (band) members Writers from Chicago