13 Ominous Questions with Alex S. Johnson
Alex, thanks for appearing on my dark fiction
author interview series, Ominous 13! Congratulations are in order for the news
of your upcoming novel, Bad Sunset, being published by Chupa Cabra House. What
are the details?
Thank you for having me, Paul. Bad Sunset started
out as my own take on Western movies, which I've been a lifelong fan of. I love
watching Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef and other genre veterans doing their
thing. There's this kind of monolithic quality to the classic Western--it's so
simple, you have good and evil facing each other down in a shootoff, corrupt or
nonexistent law enforcement, grotesque villains and stylish heroes, or
antiheroes. Sergio Leone's spaghetti Westerns take those elements to a cartoon
place, stylized and fluid, like pop art. The gunfights are slower, the hats are
bigger, the action is ritualized to the point of absurdity. With Bad Sunset I
took those elements and exaggerated them even further, with a little help from
watching Alejandro Jodorowsky's movies like El Topo, which is a completely
nonlinear, psychedelic mindfuck of a film--a Western only in a very limited
sense, more of a journey through symbolic/ritual space along alchemical lines.
I had a lot of fun developing characters like El Brujo, who is a bit of a Jodorowskian
trickster figure, this ancient shaman who rides a salamander; the Christo Kid,
who is basically a pop culture Jesus turned revenger/gunfighter; his
girlfriend, the Contessa Von Pussystein, who is really Satan, as well as
various sidekicks and weird minor characters like Jabber Jaws. Bad Sunset is an
exploration of all the Western tropes we know and love, with tongue firmly
placed in cheek. By total coincidence, it will be released on my birthday,
which is Halloween. Couldn't have asked for a better B-Day present!
I met you by chance when an E-zine (The Shwibly
Press) you were Editor in Chief for published one of my dark fiction short
stories. By the way, thank you for that! What magazines/e-zines have you worked
for?
Wow, good question. That would take me all the way
back to the depraved 90's. I was a book and movie reviewer for zines like
Midnight Zoo, Deathrealm, Carbon 14 and others, then got sidetracked for about
a decade into writing music journalism, which eventually led to gigs with Metal
Hammer and Metal Maniacs. Originally, I just wanted to write fiction, but my
stories kept bouncing back to me, whereas reviews and interviews tended to
stick. I did a number of interviews with horror writers I admire such as Ed
Lee, Craig Spector, Poppy Z. Brite, Lucy Taylor, Nancy Kilpatrick, then
switched gears and began to talk to heavy metal and gothic rock musicians,
extreme filmmakers like Joe Christ, anybody who was out there stretching the
boundaries. For a period of time I was associated with these publishers in
Orlando who put out some very slick-looking publications, and at one point I
was given the editorship of an extreme music magazine called Juggernaut. Which
devolved in a fairly nasty fight for control that I won't amplify, other than to
say, if you're going to put someone in charge of the ship, let them pilot. They
had me rewriting stories to cater to people who didn't necessarily understand
or appreciate death metal, for example. It was completely the wrong tack to
take if you were competing with authoritative zines like Maniacs. The whole
point of putting out a niche publication is that you respect the reader's
knowledge and background. I was sending the Orlando folks these
fresh-from-the-grille interviews with Slayer, for example, which they literally
lost! Ooops. What Slayer story, right? The publishers had no clue what they
were doing but they wouldn't let me steer the ship. So the whole enterprise
sank. Pity.
To be honest, when I first met you I had no idea
what ‘Bizarro’ fiction was. Can you give us an idea of what Bizarro is and
isn’t?
That's both a good and dangerous question. Good in
the sense that the whole distinction between Bizarro and
not-Bizarro-but-just-weird is very vexed and political, dangerous for the same
reasons. And then again, I am probably the last person you should be looking to
for definitive answers on this question. Rules and orthodoxies make my brain
bleed, and I get a sense from some quarters of the Bizarro publishing world of
this elitist, exclusivist, almost cult-like mentality, where if you aren't 100%
completely committed to serving the cause and given the secret handshake and
the password then you're out there in the cold. The safe and chickenshit answer
is that it depends on who you talk to. There are Bizarro primers available and
these will give you a taste for the particular requirements of the premiere
Bizarro press, which is located in the Pacific Northwest. Fortunately, with
more and more publishers out there expanding the parameters of Bizarro, fewer
writers who are intrigued by the subgenre will be excluded from the party, and
that can only be positive. I would prefer to define Bizarro proactively and for
my own purposes and say it's a radically transgressive blend of genres and
styles, from science fiction, horror and fantasy to magical realism, noir,
post-writing, postmodernism and everything in between. The kitchen sink of
speculative fiction. It will be what writers do in practice that ultimately
defines Bizarro, not what one clique or party line says it must be. What does
the word suggest to you? What would you like it to be? Which end of the pencil
do you do prefer doing business with? I'm all for a writing mode, practice or
realm that allows each writer to revise the guidebook themselves; otherwise,
you might as well join the Krishna Consciousness folks and chant the chant, or
tongue the donut as the case may be.
What drew you into the Bizarro genre?
I've always been intrigued by the cutting edge. I
haven't changed that much from the kid who was totally into Andy Warhol and
Dali and writers like Jack Kerouac, William S. Burroughs, Alain Robbe-Grillet,
Jorge Luis Borges, Julio Cortazar, and later Philip K. Dick, William Gibson,
Pat Cadigan. Not to mention musicians, whether they be classical composers like
Bartok and Stravinsky or the Japanese master of Death Jazz, John Zorn, or Keith
Richards or Miles Davis. Underground comic books. Midnight movies. Art,
writing, music that develops a cult because it responds to the basic impulse we
have to explore what is new and exciting--smashing the rules, mixing it up,
pushing the conventions all the way and having a good time doing it. I love
that high-octane, adrenaline-pumping place where the wages might be madness or
death, but at the very least you aren't stuck recycling the same old shit.
(Pauses to drink more coffee.) Extremes. When Splatterpunk came along, it felt
like exactly where I wanted to be--in the storm center, crashing the party, or
whatever hyperbolic metaphor you like. It's the quality of revolt I find in
writers from Celine to Dennis Cooper. When I saw a description of Bizarro
fiction as being or corresponding to a kind of cartoon-like hyperreality such
as found in the movies of David Lynch, for example, I thought 'Beautiful.' With
everything I've written up to now, I've been trying to develop my own style and
voice, which is a merger of everything I love, from stupid stoner comedies to
John Milton to black metal to acid exploitation films to Kit Marlowe. Brent
Millis was actually the guy who pushed me in the direction of thinking of my
work as Bizarro, but I'm not sure that it fits any genre, or anti-genre. If
Surrealism is forbidden in strict Bizarro terms, for example, that leaves me
right out. And happily so, I might add. But I tend to doubt that we would have
such a thing as hammer-headed wives and guys with eyes growing all over their
bodies if it wasn't for, I don't know, Salvador Dali? Again, it depends on who
you talk to.
On your Facebook page, you’ve listed Erotica as
one of the genres you’ve written in. What have you done in that genre and have
you been published in any magazines like Hustler?
My erotica work has been published in anthologies
like Master/slave and Noirotica III, Cthulhu Sex and some other places. I would
love to be published in magazines like Hustler but haven't managed to crack
those markets--yet. Most of my writing has a strong erotic, sexual component
because sex is a driving engine for me. I believe the renegade psychiatrist
Wilhelm Reich was correct when he said that a civilization that represses the
erotic is in big trouble. I don't mean just sexual acts, I mean the attitude of
freedom and pride about the body that we can find in Walt Whitman's poetry, for
example. Or in classical literature. Deny sex and you deny human reality. That
is extremely dangerous. And I'll get off my high horse now, he he!
You sent me an autographed copy of a heavy metal
magazine, Hails and Horns, that you contribute to.
What was the coolest band
you personally met in the process of doing that gig?
Motorhead, without a doubt. I have met so many great
bands and have wonderful memories, but Lemmy and Company are just the coolest,
nicest, funniest, snarkiest people in rock and roll. They're not just a band,
they're a phenomenon. A religious experience. All hail!
You have a Master’s Degree in English and have
quite a bit of experience editing other people’s work. What advice could you
give to an author on what I call the ‘submission game’?
My major piece of advice on this front would be:
submit clean copy. Follow manuscript conventions. If an editor asks for a
specific document format, font, type size, etc., do it. Know grammar and
punctuation. Use a spell check. Get someone who knows what they're doing to go
over the manuscript with an exceedingly fine toothed comb. The more
professional your presentation, the more likely you'll stay out of the slush
pile. Then, don't submit a story in a white heat--let it sit, look at it in the
cold light of day, polish it till it gleams. Read everything you can find in
the genre you want to write in. Analyze how other writers do it. Take notes. Of
course at the end of the process you may still get a rejection slip, but my
advice is to make it really, really hard for the editor to dismiss you. And
don't be discouraged if you get a lot of rejections. The best writers have
gotten them. Sylvia Plath. Hemingway. Stephen King collected hundreds. Now, do
I necessarily follow this very sage advice I've just laid down? No, not always.
But let's just say that you can't go wrong if you show respect for your craft
and your reader and love everything about writing, including the disasters.
Maybe especially the disasters.
Growing up in California and witnessing the
thrash metal scene from the very beginning must have been an eye opening
experience. How does the underground rock/metal scene differ today compared to
the glory days of the ‘80’s?
I find a lot of exciting trends in underground rock
and metal today, especially when you see young musicians who have grown up
internalizing the furthest reaches of the recent past and cut their teeth on
Eddie Van Halen, for example, There is a lot going on with hybridity and fusion
between and among noise, jazz, metal, ambient sound, trance, techno, etc. I
wouldn't say that I witnessed the thrash metal scene in California, other than
suddenly becoming aware of bands like Testament and Metallica. I still remember
the first time I heard Metallica. They were the fastest, heaviest, crunchiest
band ever. But now heavy, fast and crunchy is just the appetizer. There's so
much to choose from. On the down side, I hear more bands that play it safe by
following trends and just mixing and matching the most successful sounds, and I
frankly can't stand the jumper bands, the stop and starters, that kind of
thing. And Slipknot sounds like crap to this fortysomething dude. But phases
and fads come and go, and there is always Iron Maiden to fall back on, thank
the Antichrist!
You have penned quite a bit of poetry in your
career. When you write, how much of your work is about personal experiences and
how much is just your imagination?
With my poetry, particularly the Death Jazz
collection, I would say both, equally. All of my writing is grounded in
personal experience, but certain themes tend to rise and get filtered through
my imagination, so something that began as an actual incident that happened to
me becomes emblematic of a wider experience or understanding...it's hard to
talk about without sounding pretentious. I like something that Steve Martin
said once in an interview, where he starts with the particular, individual and
personal and translates it into a universal context--Martin called it 'the art
part.' I think that's true whatever type of writing you do. Also, I love to
play around with voices. Some of my poems are written in the voice of another,
real person I know well enough to appropriate, or from the point of view of a
character I made up. In the end, the work should speak for itself. If it's
artful, it will stand alone.
Could you see some of your poems turned into
heavy metal lyrics?
I would love to write heavy metal lyrics. Heavy
metal is a constant inspiration for me and leaks into everything I write. If
anybody is reading this who needs some metal lyrics, let me know! I've been
thinking about turning my flash/Lucid Fiction story 'Matador of Mirrors' into
an epic prog-metal song. By the same token, some of my poems would make great
rap tunes. Music of one kind or another is always implicit in the poetry for
sure.
I’ve notice a lot of similarities between the
music industry and the publishing industry, from bad contracts to
oversaturation of the market. Which do you consider harder to break into, music
or writing?
My experiences in the music industry are all
second-hand. As for breaking in, it all depends on why you're doing it in the
first place. I saw an interview with Iggy Pop where he says it was only in the
past 15 or so years that he's had anything like real material success. It's
almost impossible to make money in rock and roll, except for a handful of
bands. If you don't do it for love, don't do it, that would be my bottom line,
bedrock response. Would you rather write something crass and idiotic like 50
Shades of Crap and be wildly successful, or write a story that is true and
meaningful and speaks to the actual human condition that a few people buy, but
sustains their souls? The German poet Rainer Maria Rilke told a young
correspondent to ask himself, from the depths, if he had to write, no matter
what. My answer to that question is an unqualified 'Yes.' On the other hand, it
would be nice to be able to pay some bills with writing. What other cliches can
I commit in this interview? Follow your heart? But I do believe that if you are
true to yourself you will be heard, and published, and be recognized for the
right reasons. Writing or making music are two of the least likely avenues to
riches.
I’ve noticed that you are true blue professional
with a huge variety of professional experiences, yet you have been hit hard by
the recession. What is your dream job and if someone who reads this blog has an
opening that suits your area of expertise, how could they contact you and view
your resume?
My dream job would be to teach English Literature at
a college or university. I can be contacted through my email,
Trolleydogs@aol.com.
Finally, what is on the horizon for Alex S.
Johnson, author?
Several things. I'll be co-editing a magazine with
Timm Tayshun, the publisher at Chupa Cabra House, finishing up the anthology of
heavy metal horror fiction I'm also doing for Chupa--Axes of Evil--and expect
to have a new novel out around April of 2014 title Pudding Spooks Apocalypse. I
suppose you could call it Bizarro, although I prefer plain old speculative
fiction with a big dose of satire. I'm also working on a couple of other books
for Jordan Krall and Dynatox Ministries, including a cannibal story. Those are
the only semi-definite projects I can talk about right now; who knows, maybe by
this time next year I'll be writing paranormal romance--between Jello puppets,
of course!
Alex, it was a pleasure interviewing you. I
appreciate your time. If there is anything you’d like to add, like links to
purchase your work or excerpts, feel free to add them here:
Thank you so much for the interview and your great questions, Paul!
To order The Death Jazz: http://www.amazon.com/The-Death-Jazz-Alex-Johnson/dp/1477619003
To order The Matador of Mirrors: http://lucidplaypublishing.weebly.com/
To order Akashic Shotgun: http://www.amazon.com/Akashic-Shotgun-Alex-S-Johnson/dp/1492331260
To pre-order Bad Sunset: http://www.chupacabrahouse.com/p/badsunset.html
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