The new (fifth) GANTOB book has been landing around the world this week (Who Killed GANTOB?)
It unlocks the “missing” fourth book (25 Paintings)
Books and associated paraphernalia have been submitted to the British Library

And don’t forget the Vipers Tongue Quarterly stories, unavailable elsewhere:
– The A-Z of Curt Finks, Cult Edinburgh Fringe Performer
– Rigid
– Just Cope

Little Grapefruit At Sea is the “Now and Then” of the catalogue – may be finished with some extra contributions and Jeff Lynne production

The mural of desperation was established in the final stages of preparing the 5th GANTOB book, Who Killed GANTOB? (GANTOB Books, 2026). The purpose of this construction is explained in that book. If you are an original recipient of the 5th book then you can apply to be added to the wall. This will unlock the 4th book, GANTOB’s 25 Paintings (GANTOB Books, 2025).

Successful applicants, and their applications will be added to this post.

Maureen Katz, 24/2/2026

JR’s contribution:

Hello Maureen, and whoever remains in the GANTOBverse that reads this,

Having read “Who Killed GANTOB?” I know that I must state my case to receive a hard copy of the “25 Paintings” book.

I shall do so, but not out of “desperation”. I rarely despair. My inclination is more towards hope. Hence I make my request from a sense of dissatisfaktion over “unfinished business” and hope it will be accepted.

I’ll try to explain. I understand the logik; the KLF “ethos” of Kaos and Destruktion and desire to resist “Kompletionism”, but apart from a time in my childhood when I kollected the cards that came with PG Tea and was passionate about filling their albums I have never really been a kompletionist. I will not be searching out copies of Vipers Tongue or other such esoterika. And the KLF themselves reversed much of their destruktion when they reissued their music. The destruktion argument no longer holds, despite The Benefaktor’s orchestrated burnings on the IOM. 

My justification is that the GANTOB projekt drew me in from nowhere. One night of idle web browsing in August 2023 prompted a kwestion and the rest is history. I was in from the early days, I was prompted to do stuff I’d never done before and when the proof of the final opus appeared with a plea for assistance I gave it my best shot. I apologise again to The Observer for the italics business. But, as GANTOB knows well, my background involved projekt management, and no projekt manager worth their salt wants to walk away without a succesful konklusion and a formal sign off. This is usually followed with a review of “lessons learned” My proof kopy remains mysteriously out of sight. I’ve learned a lesson about keeping stuff organised. But there’s a hole on a shelf above BD’s “The 25 Paintings 2014” set aside for a similar sized book with a different set of 25 paintings. That kompanion book is required in order to kross the final stage boundary and close the last projekt gate. It will bug me for a long time if I don’t cross that (K)Line.

Regards

JR

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Christine’s contribution:

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Stu’s contribution:

Dear Maureen,

First of all, thank you for the unexpected copy of ‘Who Killed GANTOB?’ (and the Relive pamphlet) that arrived last week. As you say in the pamphlet, it wasn’t the book I was expecting to arrive, but was welcome nonetheless.

It’s interesting how much Nigel Kneale influence makes in into the novel. I’d always say I was a fan of his work although, thinking about it, I may only ever have watched the original Quatermass trilogy (in both its TV and film versions) and The Year Of The Sex Olympics.

However, I had read ‘Minuke’ (mentioned in the pamphlet) quite recently, thanks to its inclusion in ‘Circles Of Stone: Weird Tales Of Pagan Sites And Ancient Rites’ (in the British Library ‘Tales Of The Weird’ series, this one edited by Katy Soar, 2023).

The climax of ‘Minuke’ reminded me of the finale of the BBC “as live” drama Ghostwatch (as did a key moment in ‘Who Killed GANTOB?’) but, in case you’ve not seen the TV programme, I won’t say why just now.

Anyway, the GANTOB novel is terrific: I read it down the launderette on Saturday afternoon and then again on the train up to London the following day. At least not EVERYONE in the story comes to a sticky end!

Of course, I would like to see a copy of ‘The 25 Paintings’ arrive in the post too one day, even if my previous 52 Pamphlets contributions and illustrations didn’t make the final edit.

I’m not feeling as desperate to see it as I was when I learned, from a reader, that I’d contributed to Bill Drummond’s ‘Biog 2024’/’Winning Is For Losers’ novella (Bill hadn’t passed that information on, so I had to chase down a copy via various Facebook groups).

And I’m sure I’m not feeling as disappointed as contributors to Bill’s ‘The Life Model’ must have done when a print edition didn’t come to fruition (twice!)

It’s not for completism’s sake. I know as a KLF fan I’ll never see, let alone own, a ‘Deep Shit’ flexi or plenty of their impossibly limited DJ promos and test pressings.

And I don’t even now hold copies of all the magazines etc I used to write for, having lent them back to friends and publishers or missed out on getting hold of them in the first place (I remember once bumping, unexpectedly, into an old friend in New York and she said “It was great to see you profiled inthe Guardian article the other weekend” – I’ve still no idea what that was about!)

It’s just, if ‘The 25 Paintings’ is, as described, GANTOB’s magnum opus, that’s got to be worth a look, especially if I did a bit in it.

If it had been GANTOB’s ‘The Black Room’ and never emerged, that would be worse I suppose!

Anyway, I hope when the dust settles on the strange incidents around the death of GANTOB, that the rest of ‘The 25 Paintings’ do indeed resurface and make their way to those who helped in its creation, albeit inadvertantly!

Right, gotta sign off and head to work now,

Catch up soon I hope,

stu

The final book and pamphlet

Coming to participants’ letterboxes 23 February 2026

Listening notes: No More Tears by The KLF.

It is now time to post the final book from the 25 Paintings/ 52 Pamphlets project to international GANTOB contributors, ahead of the 23 February launch. UK copies in  I do hope you enjoy it. So long and thanks for all the grapefruit.

Listening notes: Nick Lowe’s Freezing (1998). Draw paintings of fires to help warm up.