Okay, since interviews take so much time on both sides, and I firmly believe you can learn much about a person with a few key pieces of info, I’m going to a new format: two questions, answers can be as long or short as the subject wants.
1.) What’s your favorite pair of shoes?
2.) Name three to five songs that you know all the words to.
Bonus for writers: you can practice doing character sketches from these two things! I use it all the time.
What do you think? Want to play? Leave me a comment.
MY OWN RESPONSE: shoes: red Adidas Gazelles; songs: “Girl Least Likely To”-Morrissey; “Jane Says”-Jane’s Addiction, “Lullaby”-the Cure,”Space Oddity”-David Bowie, “The Kindness of Strangers”-Nick Cave
NEXT WEEK WE’LL TALK ABOUT WHAT KIND OF CHARACTERS ARE SUGGESTED BY THE RESPONSES.
(I’ll do regular interviews once in a while, but let’s see how this new idea works for the next couple of weeks.)
SELECT RESPONSES:
HUE RHODES (writer and director of the awesome ST. JOHN OF LAS VEGAS): shoes: chocolate brown Paul Smith sneakers. songs: Scenario, Tribe Called Quest. On The Street Where You Live, My Fair Lady. Percolator, Cajmere (in St. John of LasVegas!)
PETER STRAUB (grand master of horror, writer of the brand new book, A DARK MATTER [in bookstores now!]): My favorite pair of shoes: Black Lobb lace-ups, sleek and handsome as all get-out. Music: “The Way You Look Tonight,” “Twisted” by Annie Ross, “Papa Was a Rodeo,” by the Magnetic Fields, “I’m the Luckiest Boy on the Lower East Side” by the Magnetic Fields, “Rainy Night in Georgia” by Hem.
JOE HILL (master of horror, writer of Heart-Shaped Box and the brand new Horns): shoes: My shitkickin motorcycle boots. songs: “It’s A Long Way To The Top”-AC/DC. “Dirty Deeds”-AC/DC. “Back in Black”-AC/DC Catch a theme?
JEREMY C. SHIPP (a new Bram Stoker nominee master of horror, writer of Cursed, which is in my must read soon stack!): shoes: I prefer not to wear shoes, but when I do I’m usually wearing my slinkster cool yard gnome flip-flips or my brown and beautiful havaianas. songs, I know: “A Whole New World,” the Charles in Charge opening theme song, The Gummi Bears theme, and almost every song on Pink Floyd’s The Wall album.
S. G. BROWNE (a new Bram Stoker nominee master of horror, writer of my new favorite zombie book Breathers: A Zombie’s Lament): shoes: My Chuck Taylor Converse All-Star black high tops. All black, even the soles. songs: “Happiness is a Warm Gun”- The Beatles, “Basket Case”-Green Day, “Where Is My Mind?”-The Pixies, “Soul Kitchen”-The Doors
MICHAEL MARANO (also a master of horror, editor of Chizine, and instructor): shoes: A pair of Gortex-lined Army Surplus combat boots. songs: Tom Lehrer, “National Brotherhood Week” Ramones, “Blitzkrieg Bop” Rocky Horror Soundtrack, “The Time Warp” The Residents, “Death in Barstow” Woody Guthrie, “This Land Is Your Land
SAM POCKER (author of Retail Anarchy, music lover, funny guy): shoes: red Converse all-star high tops which I can no longer wear because of my back. songs: I can name every word to a lot of songs. I can’t pick three. Sorry.
CARI FOULK (fun agent from TribeLit): shoes: Chuck Taylor’s – no laces, but I can rock the heels on a fun night out. songs: “Enter Sandman”-Metallica, “Let It Be”-the Beatles, “Broken Glass”-Annie Lennox
CLAUDE BOUCHARD (up-and-coming writer): shoes: My black leather Nikes or Reeboks. songs: “Comfortably Numb”-Pink Floyd; “Wish You Were Here”-Pink Floyd; “I Should Have Known Better”-the Beatles; “Wonderwall”-Oasis; “Streets of Fire”-Bruce Springsteen
JESSICA SOUDERS (YA writer): shoes: Roxy sandals or Nikes; #1 Shake Tramp #2 Beside You and #3 Cross your Heart from Marianas Trench. Then #4 Cut and #5 In my arms by Plum.
EISLEY JACOBS (another writer making her mind up between fiction and non): shoes: Brooks Adrenaline 9s; songs: Superchic[k]’s Anthem, Pieces by Red, Say This Sooner by The Almost
NANCY (“The Voice”; author): shoes: Skechers (white with maybe a bit of dark blue); songs: “I Wanna Hold Your Hand”-the Beatles, “It’s Cryin’ Time Again”-Ray Charles, “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head”
KING IS A FINK (screenwriting duo Julie Keck & Jessica King) guessing for DAVID LYNCH: DL shoes = whatever’s creepy; DL tunes = Cryin’ (in espaniol, of course), Blue Velvet & anything by Angelo Badalamenti (Ha!)
KING IS A FINK (screenwriting duo Julie Keck & Jessica King) for themselves: Jessica: shoes: cool, low-heeled boots I bought in Italy a million years ago; songs: “Unlovable”-the Smiths, “Ain’t Got No/I’ve Got Life”-Nina Simone, “Turn Into”- Yeah Yeah Yeahs; Julie: shoes: loud brown Frye cowboy boots; songs: “Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want”-the Smiths, “Maybe I’m Amazed”-Sir Paul McCartney, “You Wouldn’t Like Me”-Tegan & Sara
JEANNE V. BOWERMAN (writer, screenwriter, black belt, belly dancing, recovering insecureaholic & moderator of #scriptchat): shoes: none (or flip-flops, or Frye low cowboy boots); songs: “Aint’ No Sunshine”-Al Jarreau, “Love Me Like a Man”-Bonnie Raitt, “The Nearness of You”-Nora Jones, “Mustang Sally”-Wilson Pickett, “September”-Earth, Wind & Fire
CLAIR DEVERS (writer,blogger, photographer, rambler, reader, mother): shoes: plain brown boots (cowgirl type); songs: “Excuse Me While I Break My Own Heart Tonight” – Whiskeytown,”Chicago Promenade” – Jason Isbell, “I Turn My Camera On” – Spoon, “Apache Rose Peacock” – Red Hot Chili Peppers, “Children Of Jack” – Guy Forsyth
APPARENTLY THESE MICRO-INTERVIEWS WERE NOT QUITE ENOUGH FOR SOME, SO, BAD IDEA?
