Ben Spivey, author of the recently released BLACK GOD (Blue Square Press, Nov 2012), tagged me in the ongoing “The Next Big Thing” interview series where authors answer a series of ten questions about their upcoming books and then tag other authors to do the same. Thanks, Ben…
1) What is the title of your latest book?
The novel BABY, YOU’RE A RICH MAN, due Spring 2013.
2) Where did the idea come from for the book?
The idea for the book came from a short story I wrote called “Big in Japan” (Thuglit), which serves as the backstory for the novel. The idea for my protagonist Kent Richman, John Lennon look-a-like and B-level variety star on Japanese TV, came from watching Japanese TV when I lived there in the ‘90s. At that time, there were several foreigners who were popular on a number of variety shows. Because guys like this spoke fluent Japanese and understood the culture inside/out, they were well-integrated into popular culture. I liked the idea of setting a story in Japan without resorting to the familiar “stranger in a strange land” scenario.
3) What genre does your book fall under?
Maybe contemporary satire via a noir-ish/Tarantino lens?
4) What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?
The protagonist has to look somewhat like a young John Lennon and be pretty skinny. Maybe Joseph Gordon-Levitt could pull it off. Or Christian Bale, if he could pass for twenty-something. Sean Lennon?
5) What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
Man has it all; man loses it all; man wants it back.
6) Who published your book?
C&R Press.
7) How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?
The first draft, and a much longer version with an entire sub-plot since excised from the novel, took about a year. Revisions took another year.
8) What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
When I first started writing the book, I had read a lot of Haruki Murakami and loved that first-person narrative. It turned out to be neither in the first-person nor anything like his books, which is good. Books that might fall under the same category/style: Kingsley Amis’ Lucky Jim; Sam Lipsyte’s The Ask; Michael Chabon’s Wonder Boys, with a dash of William Gibson and Chuck Palahniuk.
9) Who or what inspired you to write this book?
In part, I felt a need to write a book about Japan because my time there meant so much to me. But I also wanted to do so in a way that wasn’t about Japan, i.e., I didn’t want to write about how weird or different Japanese culture might be perceived through a Western eye (stranger in a strange land), which has been done to death and feels more like travel essay. I felt the setting suited my protagonist’s story and went from there.
Also, many of my favorite stories revolve around man vs. himself, and I wanted to work from that premise.
10) What else about the book might pique the reader’s interest?
The book is also illustrated with black and white ink drawings from Max Currie, a friend and fantastic illustrator.
Many were colored (see below) but are too expensive to print for a small press. I always thought the book should be illustrated because of the exaggerated nature of some parts of the story and the characters, like a good comic book. Kent’s life and Max’s illustrations mirror some of the gekiga (dramatic pictures) style of Japanese comics from masters like Yoshihiro Tatsumi whose underground comics reflected a darker reality and introduced the graphic novel format. And I like the way the illustrations reflect the combination of grim realism and the absurdly comic in Kent’s story. Midway through the book, Kent even stumbles across a DIY comic book that someone has done, illustrating his post-celebrity life, which, of course, freaks him out. And there are also direct connections made in the book to the manga industry and the practice of cosplay (dressing up like comic book or anime characters), which is popular in Japan.
Finally, I think the book is funny, not ha-ha but subtly so. Kent Richman is one of those characters who straddles the line between sympathetic fuck-up and douchebag. My favorite kind, the ones who are learning how to live in the world. Kent means well, most of the time, but fails a lot. I’m hopeful the reader can see through the douchebaggery to the human.
You can pre-order BABY, YOU’RE A RICH MAN from the C&R Press site.
In the spirit of the series, I’m going to pass the mantle to Gabe Durham, author of the forthcoming FUN CAMP, from Mudluscious Press. He should be posting his own answers to the questions above soon. On to you, Gabe…
christopher bundy 
