To begin a sentence with the phrase “Novelist James Greer” would be…lacking. Of course he is a novelist, hence his presence at Pygmalion and in this article, but there are a lot more flavors in this man’s scoop shop.
From Greer’s own website: “He’s written or co-written movies for Lindsay Lohan, Jackie Chan, and Benicio del Toro, among others. A forthcoming rock musical about Cleopatra directed by [Steven] Soderbergh is set to begin workshopping in early 2014, and Greer recently adapted John Barth’s The Sot-Weed Factor for the samedirector.”
Greer has also directed a number of videos and short films, links to which are available on the aforementioned website. Oh, and he also played bass for Guided By Voices. And he’s a member of the post-punk trio DTCV (pictured above).
And there’s more.
I was very pleased to meet Mr. Greer, if only via email, to talk about his work and opinions.
Smile Politely: You have quite a diverse journey as a writer: musician, journalist, historian, novelist, and screenwriter. Which style of writing is your favorite, and why do you love it?
James Greer: Least true but not entirely false: Whatever pays the best. Least false but not entirely true: novelist.
SP: How does your personal rock n’ roll history inform your fiction writing?
Greer: Only in very tangential ways. For instance when I was putting together my last novel, The Failure, I printed out all the chapters and laid them on the floor in a big square. Then I walked around the square and rearranged the chapters the way you might put together a set list, or the song sequence on an album. In other words, without regard to plot, but with an emphasis on rhythm and feel. Other than that, I find that writing music and writing anything that’s not music make use of completely separate parts of my brain.
SP: When I write or work in the theater, I find that I get a certain song stuck in my head… What songs come to mind when you think of your novels Artificial Light and The Failure?
Greer: I never listen to any kind of music when writing. I know a lot of people do, and I have tried, but I can’t. For me, music demands absolute concentration, and writing requires complete and undisturbed silence. And coffee. So really, neither book evokes any music in particular, except that Artificial Light was named after a fairly obscure Robert Pollard song. And Everything Flows was named at least partly after the Teenage Fanclub song of that name, which is a great song and which is now stuck in my head. Thanks.
SP: If you were given the choice of being a rock god, a celebrated literary novelist, or a prize-winning filmmaker, which role would you choose and why?
Greer: I think I would very much rather be granted my deepest wish of a sinecure position at a good record or book store where I didn’t have to do much except maybe catalog all the stock. And never talk to customers. That would be ideal.
SP: One of my favorite authors, Dennis Cooper, speaks quite highly of The Failure, extolling the virtues of its plot and the depth of your story’s finale. And several critics note your deeply personal connection to your subjects in both your novels and non-fiction works. Which peers or critics’ opinions do you most value?
Greer: Dennis’s support has meant the world to me, and I’m always scared of what Bob Pollard will think of my latest record. In film, I very much value Steven Soderbergh’s input. Other than that, I try to follow Steven’s advice never to read my own press.
Check out Greer at Pygmalion Lit Fest on Friday at Cafeteria & Company.