Jonathan Ames’ new collection, The Double Life Is Twice as Good: Essays and Fiction, catalogues the author’s hilarious experiences and twisted imaginings.

As both a journalist and a novelist, Ames combines the irreverence of a latter-day Charles Bukowski with the milk-snorting humor of David Sedaris. His persona is dark and salaciously witty, offering a self-effacing recklessness that can simultaneously hook and horrify readers.

The Double Life is a collection of cultural portraits seen through Ames’ slightly skewed lens. The essays include sketches of Marilyn Manson and Lenny Kravitz and coverage of a Goth music festival, while the fiction features characteristically raunchy tales of heartbreak and folly.

Look out for Ames’ work in a variety of mediums. His novel The Extra Man has been adapted for a forthcoming movie; last year’s semi-autobiographical The Alcoholic was published as a graphic novel; and Bored to Death, featured in this volume, is the basis for a new HBO series.

Check out Ames’ website, read the Daily Beast’s interview with him, and buy the book.