Tuesday, June 4, 2013

STALKING JOE CLIFFORD



                         JOE CLIFFORD (http://www.joeclifford.com/) IS THE AUTHOR OF THE BOOKS JUNKIE LOVE AND WAKE THE UNDERTAKER. JOE IS ALSO EDITOR IN CHIEF OF THE E-ZINE FLASH FICTION OFFENSIVE.  http://www.outofthegutteronline.com/





B.O.C.

JOE, READING A LITTLE ABOUT YOU, IT’S SAFE TO SAY YOU'VE HAD FIRST HAND EXPERIENCE WITH REALISTIC CRIME STORIES. NOT TOO MANY CRIME WRITERS CAN LAY CLAIM TO THAT CAN THEY?


JOE

I’m not sure. One of my good writing buddies out in SF, Joe Loya, wrote a terrific memoir about his past life as a bank robber. The Man Who Outgrew His Prison Cell: Confessions of a Bank Robber. My pal (and co-editor of FFO), Tom Pitts, was a thieving junkie like me. Of course, this could say more about me and whom I choose to hang around with than anything else. Which is really the issue. I’ve always preferred the company of the marginalized to the conventional. There are superfluous layers that get stripped away the lower you go. I deplore comedies of manners. Fuck Jane Austen.

B.OC.

 SO WHO ARE YOUR INFLUENCES AS FAR AS WRITERS?

JOE

Salinger and Kerouac immediately spring to mind. Can’t be a crime writer and not appreciate Chandler. Hammet. Day Keene. Westlake. Goodis. Willeford. Patricia Highsmith. My new favorite is Hilary Davidson. There are countless peers in the crime genre writing today, way too many to mention. But you can open any issue of Thuglit, Shotgun Honey, All Due Respect, etc., and you’ll find them. Close your eyes and point. I mean, this could prove to be a phase, and maybe a lot of these guys, myself included, won’t make it. But I get the feeling that in 10, 20 years the guys populating the pages of these journals will not only still be around but staking claims and forging new ground, proving luminaries in the field.


B.O.C.

TELL EVERYONE ABOUT YOUR LATEST PROJECTS.


JOE

My latest novel, LAMENTATION, is a mystery/thriller set in the Northeast, which uses the recent Sandusky case to explore fractured relations between brothers. Think Russell Banks’s Affliction meets Hilary Davidson’s The Damage Done, with a heavy dose of pop culture and drugs. And I also am part of the new Gutter Books, signing and editing other authors. My first project, Will Viharo’s Love Stories Are Too Violent for Me, comes out soon. It’s an amazing book (that’s already been optioned by Christian Slater). I really love writing and editing, pretty much equally. Two sides of one delightful coin… (That’s from a meme I saw once.)



B.O.C.

 BEING EDITOR IN CHIEF OF FLASH FICTION OFFENSIVE, DO YOU EVER RUN ACROSS STORIES ALMOST HIT THE MARK AND HOW DO YOU HANDLE REJECTION PERSONALLY?

JOE

Fuck, man, this is the worst part about editing, the having to say no. The thing is, when I took over editing from David Barber, he left me with some words of wisdom that I took to heart. He said not to be too exclusive, that e zines like FFO are where a lot of writers get their start. Hell, it was one of the places where I got my start. You want to put out a quality product, of course, and I think our bar is pretty high. But I also do my damnedest to get in folks who really want in. If they can take criticism and are willing to work with me, we usually succeed. I pledged early on when I got the gig that I would personally respond to every submission. Which gets time consuming, honestly. But writers—even of the ones who don’t do it for me—pour their hearts into writing the best piece they can and they deserve at least that. I don’t believe anyone sets out to write a “bad” story. So I strive to work with them in helping make their piece the best it can be. Part of this desire, to use psychological parlance, is obviously transference. I hated when I’d bust my ass writing a story and get back a “Dear Writer” rejection with grammatically errors. It was like Fuck you. I spent 60 hours writing this, and you can’t even bother to spell check your rejection to me?

B.O.C.

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE SOMEONE STARTING OUT WRITING?

JOE

Stop. Seriously. It’s not a great career path. If you write “for yourself,” terrific. Have at it. Keep your journals. Have a good giggle when you look back someday. But if you mean write as in “for a job,” it’s not easy. And it’s not fun. There’s very little money. People really don’t give a shit. I mean, it’s not their fault. Most people have to be told what to like (see E.L. James). You can write a terrific short story. And so what? Same thing with a novel. And writing a novel isn’t something you do on the weekend. It takes years and years and years. And it’s heartbreaking. You take years. An editor will say no after reading a paragraph. It’s the nature of the game. So much goes into making a book a success—things that go far beyond talent and good story—luck, tapping into housewives deepest desires (because they are the ones who buy books), etc. And the whole while you will watch shit—and I mean shit—that is inferior, written by some dumpy Reality TV star pass you by while you sit at Starbucks opting for the Tall because you can’t splurge on two Ventis (I think that’s what the fucking things are called) in a day. Now, having said all that, if you are still here, and you haven’t been discouraged, and you write because that is just what you have to do, and you refuse to be dissuaded…then you do all that you can do: you keep writing and you don’t let anyone or anything dissuade you—not a lack of funds, or a boy/girlfriend who wants you to “get a real job,” or parents who are ashamed. You keep at it, and you sit your ass in the chair, and you listen to feedback, and know when to discard it (rarely) and when to take it (usually the case). And here’s the good news: if you keep at it, and you are good enough, you will get published. Someday. You’ll be broke and bitter, pissed off more than likely, but you’ll have a fucking book out. Yay.

B.O.C.

 WHAT DEAD CELEBRITY WOULD YOU RESURRECT AND WHAT USE WOULD YOU HAVE FOR THEM?

JOE

Marilyn Monroe. And I think we know what I’d use her for. Holy fuck that sounded creepy. I mean, she’d be alive and vibrant Marilyn, not all decomposed and shit, right? I don’t know. I’m kinda freaking myself out. Maybe Salinger or Jack, I guess. Although I think both would fail to live up to my mythology. Sorry. I’m sticking with Marilyn and we've recreating Seven Year Itch, like every day.

B.O.C.

I HAVE TO SAY, SOME OF THE STORIES I’VE READ BY YOU REALLY REMIND OF ROSS MACDONALD IN STYLE, I THINK THEY COULD BE PUBLISHED IN THE NEW YORKER. DO YOU FEEL THERE’S A DIFFERENCE IN GENRE FICTION AND LITERATURE?

JOE

Fuck the New Yorker. Bloated, boring crap. And I can safely say that because there ain’t a chance in monkey ball hell they’d ever publish me. Which is fine. I mean, I like Alice Munro enough. I guess. But I've read the fiction in that over hyped rag. I couldn't recall the plot in a single goddamn one of them. A bunch of jackasses sitting around a dinner table. I don’t get it. Then again, I doubt the NY gives a shit what I think. I look at the difference between genre and literary fiction that same way David Lee Roth described the two incarnations of Van Halen (genre being the DLR of the equation): “Classic Van Halen…makes you wanna drink, dance and screw… [T]he new [Sammy Hagar] Van Halen encourages you to drink milk, drive a Nissan and have a relationship.” (Ever hear the DLR story about the boogie van, groupies, and BK onion rings?)






B.O.C.

GIVE US AN INSIGHT OF WHAT GOES ON WHEN YOU DO READINGS AT NOIR AT THE BAR AND OTHER PLACES. IT SOUNDS LIKE IT COULD BE FUN.

JOE

The best part about the reading Tom Pitts and I just gave at Noir at the Bar in L.A. is we finally got to meet all these people with we've been talking to for years—Eric Beetner, Seth Harwood, Holly West, Josh Stallings, et. al—face to face. Up until now they've been binary code. These are my peers and the writers I respect, so getting to meet them in person and being able to share the bill with them was pretty awesome.


B.O.C.

 WHAT IS YOUR TOP TEN CRIME/NOIR MOVIES OF ALL TIME?

JOE

Well, this could change depending on the day or if I thought more deeply about it. But here in no particular order and certainly leaving something out…

Memento, Casablanca, Usual Suspects, Detour, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang for the films, and for the books The Killer Inside Me, The Long Goodbye, Home is the Sailor, The Damage Done, and hell let’s go with Crime and Punishment.

B.O.C.

OKAY JOE. I GOT THIS WEIRD PHONE CALL OUT OF THE BLUE, NO NAME OR NUMBER ATTACHED TO IT, BUT A DARK MUFFLED VOICE WANTED ME TO ASK YOU WHAT YOUR FAVORITE JERRY LEWIS MOVIE IS?

JOE



Don’t be ashamed. I love Taylor Swift.

Saturday, June 1, 2013

STALKING BILL MODDY


Bill Moody was born in Webb City, Missouri and grew up in Santa Monica, California. A professional jazz drummer, Bill has played and/or recorded with Jr. Mance, Maynard Ferguson, Jon Hendricks, Annie Ross, and Lou Rawls. He lived in Las Vegas for many years as a musician on the Las Vegas Strip, hosted a weekly radio show at KUNV-FM, and taught in the UNLV English Department. He now lives in northern California, where he teaches creative writing at Sonoma State University, and continues to be active in the Bay Area jazz scene with the Terry Henry Trio and Dick Conte's trio and quartet. He is the author of five Evan Horne novels: Looking for Chet Baker, Bird Lives!, Sound of the Trumpet, Death of a Tenor Man, and Solo Hand.
"The connection between playing jazz and writing crime fiction is a strong one for me. A jazz musician begins with the framework or the song — the chords, the structure, the form — but during a solo, he doesn't know what he's going to play or how until he reaches that part of the song. Writing crime fiction for me is a similar process. Working from the basic structure of the crime novel, I then improvise on a premise or motif, if you will, and I'm a fervent advocate of the 'what if' game during the writing process."
-Bill Moody (http://billmoodyjazz.com/)

B.O.C.
WHAT INFLUENCED YOU TO START WRITING, AND WHAT WRITERS, ESPECIALLY IN THE MYSTERY/CRIME GENRE WERE A MAJOR INFLUENCE?
BILL
I started writing in high school--a column for the school paper, but never did anything serious until I wrote some articles for magazines like Downbeat and Jazz Times. In the mystery genre, I always like Elmore Leonard, John Sanford, and Laura Lippman.
B.O.C.
YOU’RE ALSO A TALENTED JAZZ DRUMMER.  WHO AMONG THE GREATS CAN YOU LIST THAT ARE YOUR FAVORITES?
BILL
Drummers: Shelly Manne, Max Roach, Art Blakey, Philly Joe Jones, and Roy Haynes.




B.O.C.
IF YOU HAD THE POWER, WHAT DEAD CELEBRITY WOULD YOU BRING BACK TO LIFE AND WHAT USE WOULD YOU HAVE FOR THEM?
BILL
Dead Celebrity: Maybe Chet Baker or Miles Davis. I’d love to talk to both of them, get their take on jazz.

B. O.C.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE NEW WRITERS?
BILL
For new writers I would say persistence is a very important quality. Never give up and write for yourself, not what you think other people want.
B.O.C.
YOU KNOW, READING A LITTLE ABOUT YOU, IT SEEMS LIKE A GREAT IDEA TO COMBINE THE LOVE OF JAZZ AND THE LOVE OF CRIME STORIES.  AS A TEENAGER, WERE YOU IN YOUR ROOM READING THE LATEST ED MCBAIN NOVEL AND BLASTING COLETRANE AND MILES DAVIS? ALSO, DO YOU THINK WHERE YOU GREW UP HAD A BIG INFLUENCE ON YOUR WRITING?
BILL
My mother was a very good pianist, so there was always music in our house. I was exposed to jazz at a very early age. I grew up in Santa Monica, CA but I don’t think that had anything especially to do with influencing my writing.
B.O.C.
WHAT I REALLY LOVED ABOUT YOUR STORY, FILE UNDER JAZZ, THE MAIN CHARACTER IS NOT JUST A DIME A DOZEN DETECTIVE. HE JUST DOESN’T LOOK FOR MYSTERIES BECAUSE IT’S A JOB OR HE’S NOSY. IT’S ACTUALLY A COMPULSION. WHAT WAS THE INSPIRATION BEHIND THAT STORY AND YOUR CHARACTER EVAN HORNE?

BILL
Compulsion is a good word. I share that quality with Evan Horne. He’s compelled and obsessed with not only playing but also finding the answers, the truth to things, particularly when they have to do with jazz musicians.





B.O.C.
TELL EVERYONE ABOUT YOUR NEW PROJECT OR BOOK.
BILL
My newest book is a spy thriller, The Man in Red Square, I wrote long before the Evan Horne series. It just took a long time to find a publisher. At present I’m working on a new Evan Horne book with the working title San Quentin Blue. Evan plays a concert at the prison and comes across a famous jazz drummer and of course, becomes interested in why.
B.O.C.
HOW HAS THE INTERNET AFFECTED YOU PERSONALLY ON HOW YOU GET YOUR WORK OUT TO THE PUBLIC?
BILL
I don’t think the internet has affected me a great deal other than it makes some research easier. Of course publishers routinely use it for publicity for new books.



B.O.C.
HAVE YOU EVER HAD AN EDITOR SEND BACK A STORY AND SAY I DON’T GET IT, OR COULD YOU CHANGE THIS—OR ADD THIS—AND IT NOT HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH WHAT YOU WERE TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH STORY-WISE?
BILL
Every writer knows about rejection, and I’ve had my share. You just have to hope you have an editor/agent who understands your work and purpose. Sometimes they don’t. In my case, I was very fortunate to have a big jazz fan as editor for my first five books.
B.O.C.
OKAY BILL, I GOT THIS CRAZY MESSAGE THROUGH THE TOASTER YESTERDAY AND THE MESSAGE READ: ASKY BILL MOODY WHAT HIS FAVORITE JERRY LEWIS FILM IS.
BILL
Jerry Lewis? I was never a big fan but I did like the film he did with Robert DeNiro, KING OF COMEDY. DeNiro wanted to be a standup comic, so he kidnapped Jerry Lewis who played a talk show host.

Author of CZECHMATE: THE SPY WHO PLAYED JAZZ