Interview with Zachary German

Zachary German's book 'Eat When You Feel Sad' has already been published as an e-book by Bear Parade and now it is going to be published in longer form as a book by a prestigious 'alternative' publisher. 'Eat When You Feel Sad' is about Robert who rides a bike, listens to the radio, listens to 'Eve of Destruction by Barry McGuire, and drinks Elephant malt liquor. It is written in simple non-abstract sentences. There is a review of 'Eat When You Feel Sad' here. Zachary German was shit-talked here. There is a promotional video for 'Eat When You Feel Sad' here.

ZACHARY GERMAN: hello

CONNOR TOMAS O'BRIEN: hi what time is it in america?

Z: 8:25

Z: is it 10pm there

Z: 8:25 am here

C: yes it's 9.56pm

C: is it saturday today, i get confused

C: for you i mean

Z: friday here

Z: how about you

C: friday

Z: nice

C: hmm i feel stupid saying 'do you want to start the interview'

Z: sure lets start

C: okay well first maybe could you type a bit about what is going on with zachary german as a serious author (like your publishing deal for 'eat when you feel sad')

Z: i submitted 'eat when you feel sad' to two publishers.  one accepted, the other said they were interested but it needs work.  i am meeting with the second publisher this afternoon.

C: what are you talking about with them?

Z: ways to make it better probably.

Z: i hope they say 'we'll publish it if you make it better.'

C: is the second publisher 'better' than the first one?

Z: no.  they are the same amount good.  i would just feel better if more people wanted to publish me.  i would tell both publishers that i was going with them and not the other one, and then they would both publish my novel, or start to, and then at some point they would realize what was happening, and stop publishing my book, and i would 'get in trouble.'  that's what i want.

C: that sounds good. i think that would be exciting.

C: can you give 'eat when you feel sad' a blurb so that the people who read this interview will go out and buy two copies of your book as soon as it is published?

Z: 'voice of a generation.'

C: how many people do you think will buy your book or would you like to buy your book?

Z: i want 100,000 people to buy my book.  i think 80,000 people will buy my book.

C: do you feel like a 'part of something' in new york, there seems to be a lot of poetry readings and funny serious literature things happening in ny

Z: the only writer here i feel like i'm in the same thing with is 'tao lin' sometimes.  there are other writers that i'm friends with but i don't really feel like i'm part of the same thing as them.

C: do you think are you more 'influenced' by 'contemporary' writers like tao lin and noah cicero and ellen kennedy, or older writers like ernest hemingway?

Z: contemporary.

Z: i think you could make a graph

Z: um

Z: nevermind.

Z: contemporary.

C: the graph sounded complicated

C: you have been 'shit-talked' a few times on the internet, what do you think about being 'shit-talked'?

Z: i feel happy when people talk about me.  it's funny.

C: have you seen the new batman movie? i feel as though i need to include something about the new batman movie in this interview

Z: oh yeah.  i like it a lot.  i've seen it twice.  i was going to see it last night but it was sold out.  i like it a lot.  heath ledger's 'the joker' is really good.  so is 'batman.'  so is 'harvey dent.'  i think they are all really good characters.  i like them all.  i like the new batman.  i want to marry it.

Z: i think i am like 'the joker.'

C: i wanted to hate it because everybody else liked it but then i watched it and now i feel sad that heath ledger died

C: the joker was good, his character 'made sense' to me.

C: do you read any comics or anything?

Z: i read two 'adrian tomine' books.  i don't read comics.

C: i like adrian tomine, i have a poster by him on my wall. 

C: i feel like i should concentrate on your writing somehow for the interview. do you think that you have a 'writing style'? how has your 'writing style' changed over time?

Z: in fiction, my writing style is simple declarative sentences.  in poetry i don't think i have a writing style, or it's harder to define.  a year ago i was writing a lot differently.  it was 'stream of conscious' i think.  after reading tao and other people,  i started writing with mostly declarative sentences.  while editing my novel i started using only simple declarative sentences.

C: is there a reason why you use only simple declarative sentences, how do you think it changes the 'feel' of what you write?

Z: i just want it to be really easy to read.  the children's publishing market is booming i think.

C: i've been reading a lot of old children's books recently, like the old babar books from the 1940s and winnie the pooh, i think they are more 'complex' than people give them 'credit' for

C: um

C: what do you think of being called a 'hipster writer'

Z: i want there to be t-shirts that say 'hipster' or 'not a hipster' and i want to see teenagers wearing them.  i want to be a 'hipster writer.'  have i been called that?  are you calling me that?

C: maybe. yes i am.

C: i think a hipster is just a person who was not 'cool' at high school and then after high school learned how to have an intense degree of control over their 'image', i don't know, does that define you.

Z: no i was always really cool.  i loved high school.

C: maybe you were always a hipster then

Z: i think i was the first hipster

Z: norman mailer was referring to me in 'the white negro'

Z: i think

Z: or my older brother

C: you and your older brother invented 'hipster'

Z: i think so

Z: what's it like in australia

C: it is raining right now

C: i live in adelaide, it is a bit boring, everybody wants to live in melbourne or new york

C: what is it like in new york

Z: really cool

Z: i used to live in 'philadelphia'

Z: everyone wanted to live in new york

Z: i wanted to live in new york

Z: now i live in new york

Z: it's really cool

C: did you move to new york by yourself

Z: yes

C: i was expecting you to say, "new york isn't as good as people think it is"

Z: 'new york isn't as good as people think it is'

Z: but i think it's better than other places

Z: i don't know

Z: it's

Z: really cool

Z: syke

Z: it's okay

C: okay is 'good'

C does tony o'neill live in new york?

C: i am interviewing him as well

Z: yes he does

Z: he lives in 'queens'

C: 'flushing, queens', i know about that from start of 'the nanny'

Z: i think the woman from 'the nanny' is attractive

Z: or was, in some 'old navy' commercials with a monkey

C: fran drescher?

Z: yes

C: how big was the poetry reading you had last week, the 'largest' you have 'ever had?

Z: fifty people

C: do you have poetry reading groupies, i'm not sure how poetry readings work in new york

Z: no poetry readings groupies.  'i wish.'

Z: i have to get dressed to leave for work in ten minutes.

C: that's okay, where do you work

Z: i walk dogs

C: really

Z: yes

C: oh well that sounds fun

Z: it's okay

C: thanks for being interviewed

Z: thank you

Z: good night

C: good morning