James Frey's hipster Jesus

A drinking, pot-smoking bisexual Messiah who lives in the Bronx? That's the setup for the upcoming James Frey book, "The Final Testament of the Holy Bible," his version of the second coming.

Reuters reports, "'The Final Testament of the Holy Bible' tells the story of a second coming of Jesus Christ, the Messiah to millions of Christians but just plain Ben Jones to family and friends. Ben, whose real name is Zion Avrohom, is a hard-drinking man who lives in a dirty apartment in the Bronx, New York. He smokes dope and has sex with women and men."

Frey is best known for his not-entirely-true memoir of addiction and recovery, "A Million Little Pieces," which was selected by Oprah Winfrey for her book club. When she learned of the book's fabrications -- exposed by the website The Smoking Gun -- she called Frey back on her show to demand contrition.

In 2008, Frey wrote "Bright Shiny Morning," a sprawling book about Los Angeles. The New York Times loved it. The Los Angeles Times did not.

"The Final Testament of the Holy Bible" will be published by Gagosian Gallery, an art gallery making an unusual move into publishing. Although an unusual move, this fits Frey's trajectory. He has been moving away from traditional publishing -- he's started what New York magazine calls a "fiction factory," recruiting ambitious creative-writing students out of graduate school to co-author books with his company, Full Fathom Five. His company was behind the book and movie "I Am Number Four."

And Frey, a former Angeleno who now lives in New York, has been keeping company with artists and gallerists. He has published texts for catalogs with Richard Prince, Damien Hirst and others. Cover art for "The Final Testament of the Holy Bible" is by Gregory Crewdson -- see it after the jump.

Artists Dan Colen, Richard Phillips, Richard Prince, Terry Richardson and Ed Ruscha are creating works in response to the book, which will be exhibited at the Gagosian Gallery on April 20 -- along with Frey's original manuscript printed on canvas. "The Final Testament of the Holy Bible" will officially be released April 22, Good Friday. For those who don't get the signed collector's edition (there will be 1,000), or the Crewdson cover in its leatherette slipcase (there will be 10,000), it will be available as an e-book too.

RELATED:

The first fruit of James Frey's fiction factory

James Frey's best work?

James Frey's "Bright Shiny Morning": the reaction

-- Carolyn Kellogg

Upper photo: James Frey at the Chateau Marmont in 2008. Credit: Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times

Lower photo: James Frey's "The Final Testament of the Holy Bible." Credit: Gagosian Gallery

Comments

[Alan Davidson]

Typical cowardly liberal.

He got creamed by his exposed plagiarism, so now, to get back into the Oprah and elite cocktail party set, he focuses on the liberals favorite target: Christians.

Would this slug write a book portraying Mohamed as a "drinking, pot-smoking bisexual Prophet who lives in the Bronx'? Of course not.

No elitist, "edgy", "modern", "renowned" writer has the stones to write THAT book, but dumping on Jesus and his followers is their favorite past time, so he will be welcomed back into the fold and attend his publishing parties on the Hill and on the Upper West Side while his fans celebrate his "courage" for being so "brave".

[Max the Communist]

A bisexual Jesus is not much of stretch. But I'll gladly read the book to see how Frey handles it.

[steve]

Is it the drinking? Pot smoking? Sex with men? Or the sex with women that so offends you? Or maybe just that 'cleanliness is next to godliness' and Ben kept a dingy apartment...

And how are Christians "targeted" by any of this ruminating? Their religion's founder WAS a liberal who was killed by imperialists colluding with religious authorities, remember?

[Mark]

Why does James Frey look more and more like Ben Affleck every day? It's uncanny. They could play twin brothers... but I'm guessing Frey would outshine Ben, so... nevermind.

[Eileen to the left]

This guy really makes us liberals look like a bunch of self-absorbed, irresponsible dolts. Even I have to admit that this attempt at (albeit) fiction is just a waste of time. Only those of weak morals or too much time on their hands would read such drivel and stuff Frey's pockets with their hard-earned money at the same time. Purchasing this trash only makes this proven liar a rich man.

[bman]

Alan,

It's not bad enough we have to endure another James Frey book hitting the marketplace, we have to endure opportunistic conspiracy theorists like yourself twisting it into "political" diatribe.

Thanks for taking what is already a cultural low and dialing it down a notch.

[Alex]

"You will know them by their fruits."

-Jesus

[Mahmoud A.]

Smart. He must have learned from South Park which religions to mock and which ones to stay away from.

[the eyeroller]

sounds a little "The Messiah of Morris Avenue" by Tony Hendra to me. You know, the book about the mysterious stranger from the Bronx who might just be the second coming of Jesus.

I'm, uh, not all that impressed with James Frey.

[yeshua]

There's something simultaneously attention-seeking, vapid, venal and boring about this fraudulent, corporate, ghost-writing-using publishing industry parasite.

[JustaBeggar SharingBread]

It is better to read about the character and person of Jesus from a reliable source. Why not begin in Matthew, Mark, Luke or John?

The word "Satan" means the Accuser.

[Timbo]

After this one falls off the radar, why not do the same for Muhammad?

[Jack Sprinkauer]

Maybe he's not mocking christianity, but talking about it rather because it has been the most significant religion in the development of the west, and he is not talking about Islam because it was not.

[Rev. Jason Anigbo]

WELCOME TO THE END-TIMES

THE TRUTH;
NOT FAR-FETCHED....

THE SIGNS;
VISIBLE AND OBVIOUS...

THE CONSEQUENCES;
BIZARRE AND HEINOUS....

DARE NOT THE POWER OF HIM, WHO HAS THE SOLE ABILITY TO DO AND UNDO.

HELP SAVE HUMANITY FROM THE PRECINCTS OF RETRIBUTIVE CATASTROPHE

[Adam]

When culture sinks it tries to drag down the noble along with it...muzzle the prophet...remove the external expressions of faith (i.e. out of sight out of mind)...claim 'God' is just one of the boys.

[Anna]

Well said, Yeshua! Here here!

[Jasper]

Maybe his next book should be titled "James' Mental Filth and His Filthy Followers In This Thread"!

[Warrene williams]

James Frey thinks Oprah was tough? Wait until he experiences Christians scorned. Salman Rushdie's new best friend may want to dye his hair and grow a beard.

[matt]

None of you have even read the book.

[Jeff]

Visualize a post-religious era of rationality. Enough of these psychotic fairy tales about a sky god and his magical son. Imagine a nation of grown mature adults who face reality instead of retreating into the madness of religion.

[growup]

human nature is so odd- you will spend every ounce of your being denouncing such an atrocious attempt to incite a frenzy yet you are in turn inciting that very frenzy you "intended" to denounce.

just shut up and don't read the book

[judith]

TODAYS SCRIPTURE - MT 7:7-12
May the Holy Spirit of the Lord enkindle in you the fire of his love and renew a right spirit within you. Thou shalt no longer blaspheme but Proclaim his Holy Word.