The amazing Laurance Kitts interviews me for his Slit Your Wrists Magazine website, a site that frequent visitors may recognize; my story "Sebaceous" appeared there back in April. Laurance knows how to ask questions without bowing to a person's ego, so you can read this Q&A without anticipating a pretentious me basking in the warmth of praise. I mean, sure, Laurance does feed me some softballs, but...those are easier to chew.
...Phil Jourdan is a damn good runner-up. Here he reads a page or so from my story "Click-Clack" which a lot of people seem to really like (both the story and Phil's voice).
[media url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12qBoy2rhVw"]
I've been working on a novel for the past couple years inspired by the Tom Waits song, "Hoist That Rag." This song is as close to religion as I get. Strangely, or perhaps fittingly, I don't know the literal meaning of the song. There's a guy named Piggy, something about rat addresses, and of course, as with most religions, there are crying babies involved. What this means for my novel-in-progress is that everything is simply an interpretation. Again, very fitting with religion in general. This past week I had the opportunity to experience this song live (Tulsa OK, USA, at the Brady Theater, 6.25.08). I had been looking forward to this show for months, but it wasn't until I was standing in line at the venue that I began to have reservations about hearing "Hoist That Rag" live. Until the performance my experience of the song had been entirely self-contained.…
Until today I've thought to keep this page about my writing - the physical, textual, words and paper aspect of my writing. Today, however, I feel compelled to stray, if only slightly, into the meta aspects of my writing - the ambient noise and inspiration surrounding my work. Today’s theme, Tom Waits, the core inspiration for my current novel-in-progress, “Hoist That Rag” (I’ll look into the legal issues with such blatant inspiration once I secure a publisher). Scarlett Johansson, of film and my dreams fame, yesterday released Anywhere I Lay My Head, an album of Tom Waits covers, give the lone original "Song For Jo." Before I rant, let me put my love of Tom Waits into context: I have more Tom Waits CDs, posters, and inspired literature than I have love notes to my wife (most of the love letters I write go to Tom Waits; sorry Jenn). Waits…