(Interview conducted after the promotional tour for The Way Home)
"...LOTTA THINGS GOIN' ON..."
BEGINNINGS
AND GROWING PAINS
## I think it’s fair to say that movies, books, music, and life in general
influenced and helped sculpt the writer that you are now; can you name one
movie, one book, one album and one specific event that are your main
influences, the ones that will always be with you?
GP--Boy, that’s tough. There were
so many. Superfly, by Curtis
Mayfield. Peckinpah’s The Wild Bunch.
The Long Goodbye, by Raymond
Chandler. As for life, that’s easy: the summer of ’68, post-riots, when,
as a boy of eleven, I went work for my father at his diner in downtown D.C.
It was the most formative experience of my life.
## Growing up in D.C. during turbulent times in the ‘60s and ‘70s, did you
realize that you were witnessing events that were shaping the future or did you
reflect on it all only later as an adult?
GP--I didn’t realize the importance on
an intellectual level. On a visceral level, I knew that something was
going on both important and exciting. I left the 60s as a boy and entered
the 70s as a teenager. Rock and roll, soul and funk became a big part of
my life, and naturally, my hormones kicked in, as did the attendant adrenaline
rush of the male teen years. Muscle cars, pick-up basketball, field
parties...the birth of punk rock. Post-hippie, pre-AIDS. I got the best
part of the counter culture movement. It was a very fun time to be a
young man and free.
## What are the main differences between the DC of your childhood and the one
your kids grow up in today?
GP--When I was a kid this was a southern
city with all the positive and negative implications that went with the
geography. Today, race is not much of an issue for young people around
here. Go down to the 14th and U Street corridor, which was the epicenter
of heroin and prostitution when I was a boy, and you see people of all races
and classes hanging out in a relatively prosperous and low-crime environment.
There is a lot of optimism in this town right now.
## How does your film studies and background help you as a novelist?
GP--I think cinematically, “cut” when
I’m writing, and hear the soundtrack in my head. But a novel should not
be a screenplay. One is, or can be, art. The other is mostly mechanics
and can, on rare occasion, rise to the level of admirable craft. Film has
helped me understand narrative drive and given me my story sense.
## Is the Nick Stefanos trilogy the closer you’ll get to writing western
novels?
GP--The Strange novels were my westerns.
The Nick Stefanos books were punk rock detective novels that approached
the gothic.
## That series is the only one you wrote as a first person
narrative. Any particular reasons for that?
GP--I was writing in a tradition and at
the same time trying to push against tradition. Out of respect, because of
Marlowe, Travis McGee, Lew Archer, et al, I felt I “had to” write in the first
person. The reader discovers the story as the narrator does. In a
way, even then, I knew it was crutch. I was learning how to write as I
penned those books.
## You’ve said that Stefanos was the most autobiographic
character you’ve written; looking back on it, were you using him as a conduit
for any frustration and anger, and was he –consciously or not—cathartic in any
way for you at the time?
GP--I was an angry and dissatisfied
young man. Certainly Stefanos, in the first book, is very close to who I
was in 1989, the year in which I wrote the draft, in longhand, of my first
novel. I was against conformity. I was floundering. I quit a
job I hated in order to write a book with the vague hope of somehow changing my
life. Similarly, Stefanos burns down his career and becomes a private
detective. In the act of writing A
Firing Offense, I found some kind of purpose. The subsequent
Stefanos novels are less about me and more about his descent.
## Stefanos shows up in many of your books, so obviously he’s still a part of
yourself and you’re still interested in seeing what he’s doing and how he
matured. At the beginning, did you think he’d last that long?
GP--Not really. When he showed up
as a baby at the end of The Big Blowdown I began to see the scope of the
picture. All my characters are established in the world, whether or not
it is their book. They might reappear at any time.
## What about his kid with Jackie Kahn? Is this a story
thread you think about and want to pursue?
GP--It’s possible.
CHARACTERS, STORIES AND ISSUES
## Although Derek Strange seems to have upstaged him later on, Marcus Clay was
your first major black character, as complex and as interesting as Derek
Strange. They both deal with the same issues of racism and violence; they do
the best they can in their respective family life; and they’re both
self-employed, running their own businesses. How different are they for you and
how interested are you in writing about them again in the future?
GP--Clay was a blueprint, in a way, for
Strange. Obviously I am a Greek American and they are black, but we are
all lifelong Washingtonians. I understand those guys because I’ve known
men like them my entire life. I feel that Strange is my most completely
realized character. Clay will not be back as a leading player.
There is a chance that Strange will.
## Did Dimitri Karras become who he is because he grew up without a Dad? Or was
it because of the environment, the neighborhood in which he grew up? Is the
father figure over-rated in real life and is a poor neighborhood a bigger
problem for the future of a kid?
GP--Poverty is a form of violence perpetrated
on youth, so it can’t be discounted in these kinds of discussions. But
the importance of a father figure is not over-rated. Boys need a strong male
role model to make them whole as men. Period.
## The Sweet Forever is one of my favorite novels of yours
and I particularly liked the parallel between Len Bias and Dimitri Karras, who
seem to be at opposite ends of the American Dream. The former is a phenomenal
young basketball player with a great future, a god-like figure who has stayed
away from drugs. The latter is this guy who survives while working in a music
store, gets involved (albeit mostly involuntarily) in drug business and street
violence, while he’s (voluntarily) as high as possible most of the time. As a
reader who doesn’t know much about basketball, I thought the ending was very
effective because I only learned about Len Bias while reading the book, so I
didn’t expect that very emotional ending. It was a powerful ending and message
to a story that dealt with drug traffic and addiction. Was Bias the reason you
wrote the book, the inspiration behind it?
GP--The summer of ‘86 was when crack
came to D.C. and changed the social and criminal landscape for the next decade.
Len Bias’s death was a wake-up call to many Washingtonians regarding the
recreational use of coke and its ties to crime and violent death. His
story is a tragedy. He was not a drug addict. He was just having
fun like everyone else. If King
Suckerman was a party, The Sweet
Forever was its bloody hangover. A very dark book. Hopefully I will
never have to write another one like it.
## Quinn is probably one of the most troubled of your major characters; was he
one of the most difficult to write?
GP--I’ve known many police officers who
share his traits (and many who are completely well-adjusted.) I liked
Quinn, but he was stubborn and had some deep masculinity issues. He never
learned and he paid the price.
## Strange, while also somewhat troubled, is much more
grounded; he doesn’t stray very far from the right path (his personal, ideal
path). He’s not perfect, which makes him believable and very human; now that
he’s settled down and found the answers to his own questions and torments, does
he become less interesting for you to write about?
GP--I don’t think he’s settled. I
left him at the end of Soul Circus a
bit of a wild man. He has committed an act of civil disobedience—hell, he has
committed a major felony—with a drunken Nick Stefanos. So I’d hardly say
he’s grounded. He’s the prototypical Western hero: a guy charged or
self-charged with protecting the community who can never truly be a part of
that community himself. But by the end of Hard Revolution, which described him from the ages of 12 to 22, I
felt like I had completed his life. He might, however, knock on my door again.
## Are you in a different frame of mind, mentally less comfortable maybe, when
you write a stand-alone than when you’re involved in a series? Or is the
setting (usually DC) enough to keep you comfortable at all times?
GP--You are always a bit outside the
comfort zone when you are starting a standalone. That discomfort is what’s
attractive to me.
## Do you take more or less chances, either with style or simply with themes,
ideas, etc, when you’re writing stand-alone books?
GP--Yes, you can do whatever you’d like
to do and try different things. Mostly, I don’t ever want to fall into a rut
and deliver something that is rote or ill-conceived. I could have written
a dozen Strange novels. They wouldn’t have been as fresh as the first
three. There are writers like Mike Connelly and James Lee Burke who can
pull off a long series and keep it exciting and original. I don’t think I
can.
## Is it right to say that your stand-alones (except for “Shoedog”) are, not
necessarily lighter in moods, but certainly more optimistic, especially with
the endings, and that your series take a darker look at society in general and
at inner-city life in particular?
GP--It might seem that way, but the
tonal shift speaks to the fact that I wrote those standalones at a time when
D.C. was in the process of experiencing a kind of reawakening. I want the
books to reflect reality; happily, this town is in much better shape than it
was when I was writing the Clay and Stefanos books. Plus, my worldview
has evolved as I have gotten older. I’m less of an observer and more of a
participant these days in terms of trying to affect some positive change.
I can’t get out of bed in the morning without hope.
## As for Shoedog, it would have been a great fit in
Charles Ardai’s Hard Case Crime series if HCC had existed in 1994. Would you be
interested in writing something for HCC, if asked?
GP--I’m a big fan of Hard Case Crime.
Charles has asked, and I would like to, time permitting. I’m trying
to do an awful lot.
## Nick Stefanos, Marcus Clay, Dimitri Karras, Derek Strange and Terry Quinn
are all modern-day cowboys; although their methods and morals can slightly
differ, they are pretty much able to take the law into their own hands, if they
choose, something they wouldn’t be able to do as cops or detectives –without
being crooked, of course. Do you have any interest in trying the detective
point-of-view (as lead character) or do you just prefer the PI angle and its
liberties?
GP--The Night Gardener is my police novel.
Its protagonist is a homicide detective named Gus Ramone. I was
given the opportunity to have access to the Violent Crimes Division, and I took
it. My last couple of books have been absent of cops and private detectives.
As you can see, I don’t really have a plan.
## As an author of very character-driven books, how do you
manage so many different and distinct personalities book after book? Do you
ever find it difficult to create new and interesting characters, are you afraid
of repeating yourself?
GP--I try to keep things fresh.
But truthfully, you can’t help but repeat yourself in terms of emotional
and thematic concerns. The books come out of my psyche.
## How much thought do you put into naming your characters?
Are names important?
GP--The major characters, sure, I put
some thought into it. For the minor characters? I pin up a random
obituary page from The Washington Post and mix first and last names from that.
That way I am getting real Washington names, and I don’t have to waste
time thinking on it.
## Pete Karras never really felt the father vibe in
himself; Marcus Clay did, but he had to deal with problems in his role as a
husband; Derek Strange had troubles getting fully involved in one exclusive
relationship but he wants to be a father. Do the father-son relationships in
your work help you understand your role at home or is it more your real life
feeding your fiction? Bit of both maybe?
GP--Both.
## How different is your approach today, at the start of a
new novel, compared to your approach for your first books?
GP--I know how to write a novel now.
In the beginning I was writing in the dark, learning my craft as I went
along. Also, I have developed sources on both sides of the law, so the
research phase of my work is not as daunting. It sounds as if writing novels
has gotten easier for me, but it has not. I put a lot pressure on myself.
## Obviously you’ve dealt with many social problems in
your books, but what is your ultimate intention towards the readers when you
write a book? Is it mainly to entertain or do you absolutely want to send a
message, shed a light on certain issues, etc?
GP--Hopefully people will look at their
world differently after they have read one of my books. Maybe I can
inspire someone better than me to do something proactive, like become a teacher
or a mentor. And as far as the crime fiction aspect of it goes, I want
readers to get their money’s worth. I want them to be entertained and to
feel as if they’ve gone somewhere they could not or would not go themselves.
That is what reading is all about.
## Any themes or specific subjects you’d like to write about that you haven’t
touched on yet?
GP--Before I kick I want to write a
Western.
## Can you sometimes see the world only as a man/husband/father or is the
writer always there taking notes?
GP--Put it this way: I am always
working.
WRITING AND RE-WRITING
## What is the most satisfying moment: writing the first sentence, the Eureka
moment when you find a way to tie up all the loose ends, finishing the book,
etc? And what’s the most difficult one?
GP--The Eureka moment is when you
realize that you actually “have” a book and it is working. The moment can
come fifty pages in or two hundred pages in. I try not to worry about it
too much, because history has shown that it does come at some point. But you do
sweat until that moment arrives. The hardest part: the first few
chapters. That is where all the doubt creeps in.
## Are you a rewriter of full manuscripts or a fusser as you go on, sweating
over each sentence and word?
GP--I work two sessions daily. In
the morning I work until 1 or 2, then do something physical in the afternoon to
clear my head. At night I rewrite the work I have done in the morning and
am ready to move forward the next day. It’s an intense, seven-days-a-week
process.
## Were there stories that you found more difficult to put down on the page,
either because of the theme(s), the difficulty in getting the right details or
maybe because of a case of writer’s block, etc?
GP--The books that would have seemed
hardest to write—I’m thinking of the historical novels like Hard Revolution, King Suckerman and The Big Blowdown—were the ones that
flowed. I don’t know why that is. I really struggled with The Night Gardener, but it was worth it.
I think it’s one of my better books. I’ve never had writer’s
block. I don’t really believe in it as a concept. This is a job.
You go to work everyday like anyone else and you gut it out.
## Do you research only before you start writing, or is it
a continuous process?
GP--I try to get all my research done
before I start writing the book. That phase can be weeks or it can be
months. Then I lock myself in the house and get it done.
## What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received
from another writer (or someone in the book industry)?
GP--My agent told me early on to keep my
head down and work. Don’t worry too much about the business or advances,
and don’t try to get too much too soon. The road is littered with the
corpses of writers who were over-published early in their careers. I’m
still here, and he is still my agent.
## We haven’t seen a lot of short stories from you; do you
keep them hidden in a drawer or you just don’t like writing them?
GP--I don’t keep anything hidden in a
drawer. Everything I’ve written has been published. It’s a time
issue. For me there is nearly as much work put into a short story as
there is in a novel. So I go for the novels.
## You juggle different projects at the same time so I’m
guessing you’re a disciplined writer with a tight schedule. Are you running all
the time, never sleeping much, and what’s your usual day like?
GP--I’ve mentioned that when I’m writing
I keep a very intense schedule. But I’m not always writing. This summer I
have been promoting my latest book in the States and in Europe, while trying to
get a movie off the ground. But also, for the first time since I was a kid, I
have been relaxing, or, as my dad would have said, screwing off. I ride
my bike every day, take my kayak out on the water, swim…okay, it has been nice.
But I’m ready to go back to work.
WIRES AND SCREENS
## How many movie projects based on your books are out there with a good chance
of making it to theaters?
GP--After several years of legwork, we
are close with Shoedog. I have
legendary director Walter Hill on the team, several cast members, and most of
the money. Right as Rain has
been in development for a long time. We have a good script by David
Benioff but the studios are timid about making an adult film with a black lead
unless it is someone they consider to be an international movie star. The
executives will never admit to that but there it is. I am also trying to
resurrect King Suckerman with Sean
Combs and director Chris Robinson. I am being more aggressive these days
and attempting get movies made independently. I am not a fan of studio
films right now. In the past, the studios made pictures like The Godfather, The French Connection,
Bullitt, Straw Dogs, Dirty Harry, and Taxi
Driver. The studios would never make those films today. But
those are the kinds of films I want to make.
## Which one of your books would you most like to see made
into a movie?
GP--Hard
Revolution. I’m very protective of it, however, and won’t just cut it
loose for anyone. I wrote a script for The Big Blowdown. I think it’s my best story and will make a
ripping good picture.
## How about Strange Investigations as a
series/mini-series?
GP--That would work. I would love
to cast Keith David as Strange. He is an incredible actor, the right age
and look, and perfect for the part. Delroy Lindo is another guy I like
for the role.
 |
| Keith David |
 |
| Delroy Lindo |
## Aside from having written an episode or two per season,
can you explain your involvement in The Wire?
GP--I worked on the show for the full
five year run. I was a story editor and producer and I wrote seven
episodes and parts of many others. It was hard work and also the best
experience I’ve had on the movie or television side of the business. David
Simon gave me a tremendous opportunity. We caught lightning in a bottle,
man.
## What is your best memory or cherished moment from your
participation in the series?
GP--The casting couch. That canvas
chair with my name printed on the back of it. The night the crew placed a
jeweled crown upon my head. Gosh, there are so many memories…
## Was there ever talks about going for a sixth season or
was it always five right from the start, no matter what?
GP--David wanted five from the start.
We told the stories we wanted to tell.
## What’s your favorite line from the series or favorite
scene?
GP--I’m proud of the scene from Episode
311 (“Middle Ground”), atop the roof, when Stringer Bell and Avon Barksdale say
goodbye to each other. Everyone brought their A-game that night. Idris
Elba is a hell of an actor and Joe Chappelle a great director.
## Which character from The Wire would you be more interested in writing about
in a novel?
GP--The character of Cutty grew out of
the writing of my novel Drama City and
the story of Lorenzo Brown. In a backwards way, I did what you
describe.
IT’S NOT JUST ABOUT WRITING
## What’s your view on Obama’s first year as President? Do you think he (and
the Democrats) will be able to live up to the high expectations?
GP--I’m very impressed with him.
He is facing liars and philistines, but he’ll prevail. He’s smarter and
more poised than his enemies.
## A very important aspect of community life is neighborhood businesses
(usually family-owned). With the ever-growing presence of multi-million
companies, mixed with the bad economy right now, many of the small businesses
are closing; do you think the neighborhoods are doomed to see a raise in the
crime rate? And will (can) the sense of community survive in larger cities?
GP--We haven’t seen a violent spike in
crime here in D.C. To the contrary. I think the worst has passed.
This is an east-coast city; there is poverty, inequality, and the
adrenaline and outright stupidity of youth. So there is going to be
criminal activity and violence. But the community is thriving here and it
will continue to thrive.
## What are the best youth programs out there?
GP--Peaceoholics, here in town, is very
effective one, run by ex-offenders. They reach out to at-risk youth and try to
mediate crew disputes. Good people.
## Does a series like The Wire or books like yours help raise awareness and get
help and funding for these programs?
GP--I don’t know for sure. We
definitely got people thinking.
## Have you been tempted to get involved in politics?
GP--Never. The reason I can be so
vocal about certain issues is that I am not running for anything.
Politics is all about compromise, party affiliation, and the pursuit of
re-election. It’s definitely not for me.
## Let’s say your publisher sends you on a cross-country
promo tour but you have to drive everywhere yourself. The interesting part is
that you can pick any car you want, one pair of shoes and five CDs, all paid by
the publisher. What are your picks?
GP--I’d drive my own car, a limited
edition, five-speed Mustang GT. It’s a smoker. I’d wear my To Boot New
York brown suede boots and keep my Adidas Forums and Reef sandals in the trunk,
along with a basketball. The CDs: A
Fistful of Film Music, by Ennio Morricone; 3+3, by the Isley Brothers; Decoration
Day, by Drive-By Truckers; Coney
Island Baby, by Lou Reed; Superfly,
by Curtis Mayfield; Get Happy, by
Elvis Costello and the Attractions (I know, that’s six). I have Sirius
satellite radio in my Mustang, so there would be no lack of music.
## When your first book was published, how did you
envision your future as a writer, and has it been close to that?
GP--I just wanted to write one book.
My intention was to leave one thing behind to prove that I was here.
Everything that has happened to me since has been gravy.
## How do you want to evolve as a writer, do you have
specific goals, and do you see yourself still writing until you pass out
forever?
GP--My goal is to be a better writer
tomorrow than I am today. Retirement is not in my plans.
## You’ve never won an Edgar, or Shamus or Dagger Award,
but you’re having a pretty decent career nonetheless. Even the nominations are
scarce and many would say that this is a shame. Do you even care about
recognition in the form of awards?
GP--Yes and no. That is the most
honest answer I can give you.
## Many writers are also teachers of creative writing or
literature classes; have you ever done it or would it interest you at all?
GP--I do teach in the DC public high
schools and have started a reading program at the local juvenile prison, both
under the auspices of the Pen Faulkner Foundation. I wouldn’t know how to
teach writing, but I like turning young people on to books.
## If you hadn’t been published, what do you think you’d
be doing today?
GP--I was a very good woman’s shoe
salesman. I can run a kitchen and tend bar. My father was real happy
operating his diner, and I would have been, too. Writers often say, “If I
couldn’t write, I’d die.” That’s bullshit, to me. I wouldn’t die.
If I fell down the stairs and hit my head, and lost that part of my brain
that makes me a writer, I’d still find something to do. I like to work.
My family will never starve.
## Can you name two books you wish you’d written? And why?
GP--True
Grit, by Charles Portis. Ask
the Dust, by John Fante. American classics.
## What’s the most inspiring music for you?
GP--Movie soundtracks get me jacked up
to write.
## What is the best way for you to unwind after finishing
a novel, or at the end of a productive day?
GP--I punch a wall. Sometimes I’ll
go out and steal an old lady’s purse. That kind of thing.
## Nothing much seems to have changed since the (Montreal) Expos
moved to Washington; does the future look bleak for the Nats?
GP--No, sir, the future is not bleak.
We have a new, energetic manager, a couple of key mid-summer trades, and
strong bats. Two good starting pitchers and a closer and we are in the
hunt. Next year.
## Has Ovechkin brought hope to the city for a championship?
GP--Ovechkin’s got fire, and Ted Leonsis
is a great owner. I was not a hockey fan in the past, but I am now.
## During the World Cup of Soccer do you cheer for Greece, the USA or Brazil in your house?
GP--USA and Greece first, then Brazil.
## If I could ask them, what would your main characters,
especially Stefanos and Karras, have to say about the life you gave them?
GP--Thanks, G.
## As a last question, here’s what I ask every writer that
I interview. There is a novel written and you are the main character: what
would be the first sentence of the book, and how would your character die?
GP--“He was a dreamer.” He would
die at work.
JF
October 2011
--My review of The Cut is here. My French translation of George Pelecanos's essay on his visit in France can be found in the Ze Room Noire section of this site.
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You can learn more about George Pelecanos on his official website. You can find him also on Facebook and Twitter.
I want to thank George Pelecanos for his time. One of my favourite moments in this line of work has got to be my half-hour spent in a conference room at Borders, in Boston, alone with George Pelecanos and Michael Connelly. Nerve-wracking, exhilarating and quite impressive. I've told friends that it was similar to sitting down with Pacino and De Niro, or Sergio Leone and Martin Scorsese. So nervous that the only picture I took with my camera was blurry! But clear images in my head.
