anderswolleck

It has been a very heady time this past week. Absorbing the newest work of an author like Mark Z. Danielewski can make your head spin. Danielewskis first novel, House of Leaves, became a major cult hit (emphasis on the cult) when it was released in 2000. Since then Danielewski has spent most of his time doing readings and working on his latest opus, Only Revolutions. It may appear to be a normal work of science fiction following two teenagers who never grow old and spend their time careening through time and space exploring the universe. But Danielewski adds his unique touches by writing the two versions of the book each from the point of view of the main characters, Sam and Hailey. First Sams story is told but then you can flip the book over and read Haileys take. This book will be pored over by fans for years dissecting it to the nth degree.

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Daniel Robert Epstein: What are you up to today?

Mark Z. Danielewski: Im actually working on the audio version of the Only Revolutions.

DRE: Are you reading it or did you get somebody?

Mark: I actually read it as well as this actress named Alexis Madden. Were in the process of editing the vocal tracks. A lot of tedious work.

DRE: How does one do an audio book of this?

Mark: Well all find out together. It is one of those things where we just decided to take the plunge. The main thrust is that theres Sams story and theres Haileys story. How its arranged and ordered is ultimately decided later.

DRE: How soon after House of Leaves did you start Only Revolutions?

Mark: They overlap a little. Just as I was finishing up House of Leaves I began to consider some of the geometries of this project. In the finishing process of a book it becomes more about the specificities of the paper and perhaps some proofing and type corrections etc. Its pretty far at that point from the actual creative act of being something completely new. I think my brain normally just starts spinning in that direction naturally and when I was on the book tour I began to sketch out ideas but its tricky because you want to be open to whats happening to you and the world at the same time. I think going on tour as extensively as I did and talking to the various people I encountered really helped me develop the story.

DRE: I find it interesting you used the word geometry. Was that just a phrase you were using or was that the thinking you had to have when you were writing Only Revolutions?

Mark: Well it appeared to be in my head as three-dimensional objects so I knew that it was about this love story between these two kids. I knew it was going to be a road piece and use elements of horror but then it became a question of how to tell that story. There was this idea of telling the story in many different ways so that there was actually a journey in there and through the book they actually get closer and closer together until they actually touch and the book itself actually crosses and touches. It gives you a physical sense of how that relationship works.

DRE: How did you meeting your fans on your book tour influence Only Revolutions?

Mark: I just try to be open to what the world offers you and not try to dictate what the world is not going to offer. You have a moment where youre really able to look backwards with some clarity at your origins and at the same time look forward with some clarity as to where youre going. I always wanted a story of a boy and a girl in a way on a road trip like Bonnie and Clyde or whatever. The books I loved as a kid like Catcher in the Rye were always solitary so there really wasnt that story of just a guy and a girl and I wanted to tell that story.

DRE: My favorite film director David Cronenberg says that he does a film because he wants to find out why he wanted to do the film. I get that feeling from your work.

Mark: There is certainly an exploration. You dont just come up with this idea and then its always fixed and you know what it is. Writing Only Revolutions helped figure out a bit more about House of Leaves so perhaps writing the next book will help me figure out more about Only Revolutions.

DRE: What did this book make you see about House of Leaves?

Mark: I think one of the things was just how House of Leaves was driven. It was this experience of everything whirling toward the center, its all about interior work and Only Revolutions is very much moving outside. Only Revolutions takes a harder look at what there is to be afraid of.

DRE: When does the idea of putting in all those secret codes come into play?

Mark: It all happens at the same time. Its a lot like writing a vast musical composition. You dont just write the violins all the way through. You write the cellist, the bass, the percussion, everything comes in at once. But still you concentrate on what you actually need to but it all plays off of each other. For instance Sam and Hailey start at the beginning in this wild egocentric, impudent, arrogant colossal state and consequently their page is actually bigger and the text is larger. Then as their state changes so does the way the book looks.

DRE: Is the book autobiographical?

Mark: Thats the funny thing. Obviously theres got to be some personal elements in there but certainly the choices that I make are influenced by my personality and tastes. But as I was saying earlier theres so much of other people in that story, theres so many people that Ive met on the road and talked about their experiences growing up, who are involved in sustained sexual, physical and emotional betterment that Sam and Hailey experience in the first 32 pages of the book.

DRE: I found it interesting that on the Only Revolutions website there are some reviews of House of Leaves reviews that arent entirely favorable.

Mark: Yeah, were in favor of dialogue so whatever you want to write, write it and then stand by it. I dont really care but it starts a dialogue. Besides if you go to the forums youll find plenty of people there objecting to things but my deal isnt really about whether you like it or dont like it. Thats a puerile way of looking at the world. Its really a question of, does it have meaning to you. Does it constitute something that generates a dialogue because its through the course of that dialogue that tastes, ideas and even actions are refined. Theres nothing worse than something thats just a rave and everyone says oh its great and then it just disappears and no one talks about it. I just dont know what purpose that serves.

DRE: The New York Times called House of Leaves self indulgent. I dont know if I believe in self indulgence in art.

Mark: Yeah, I dont know what that means. Its like if you tell a shrink that a kids spoiled. A shrink doesnt know what that meaning is. What does that mean, spoiled? Did you give the kid too much? You gave the kid too much and now the kid is acting badly? Thats not the way the world works. You may be giving the kid a lot of candy and toys but it probably means that theres deficiency elsewhere.

DRE: It is funny because the word self means that only one person would like it. So if someone else likes it, it is negated.

Mark: Yeah, youre absolutely right. [laughs] Maybe it is selves indulgence.

DRE: [laughs] Whats your writing process?

Mark: This is probably going to be a big disappointment for people at SuicideGirls because theres that period where I lived in Los Angeles where I enjoyed all of the recklessness that the city had to offer in terms of its bars and clubs and tattoo shops and sexy strippers and drug binges and what not. But the more I focused on writing the more thrilling it is for me and I love it. There was a certain point where I realized, I do this professionally. I want to achieve the best possible work. Then my model increasingly became more like that of a top grade athlete. It has to be training that engages everything from yoga to diet. Im pretty disciplined because I was getting up at 5:30 every morning. Id work out, meditate, Id eat incredibly healthy breakfast and then I would write for eight to ten hours. Only Revolutions is an incredibly expensive book. Everything that I owned is really poured into that book in terms of hours, the research, hiring assistants and two relationships burned to the ground in the course of it. So it is very intense. I dont know if I could write such a book again because it required a certain level of sacrifice I dont know if Im able to conjure.

DRE: Was there similar sacrifice with House of Leaves?

Mark: I think so. The difference is that when I was writing House of Leaves I was doing all sorts of jobs like I was a plumber for a while. So youre caught up in the hubbub of, Well Ive got to make rent. Ive got to somehow fix my car thats broken down on the side of the freeway. Therefore youre not sure whats causing the tension so you can say its the writing and think, Wow, if I was just able to support myself with writing then Id be able to keep the rest of my life balanced. I certainly strove for that but the reality was that this book ended up consuming me. In fact it was far more intensive and consuming than House of Leaves.

DRE: Why did those relationships end?

Mark: They were girlfriends and I thought I was actually going to end up marrying one of them. I understand that the focus I have can get chilly at a certain point and how alienating it is to be around someone who becomes that focused and sees only Sam and Hailey. I dont necessarily think that she was wrong. I think probably she was right.

DRE: Do you see a shrink or anything like that?

Mark: I saw a psychologist for six years and it was absolutely superb. I recommend it for everyone.

DRE: The idea of being so focused on the work which makes two relationships go down in flames doesnt seem healthy.

Mark: [laughs] Well no one ever said I was healthy. Maybe the whole process of writing books is unhealthy. Its a very weird experience. I was talking to a guy in the literary world and he said, Lets go to dinner. So we ended up going out for sushi and then he was like, ok lets go do something crazy. He wanted to go to some after hours club or some bondage ball. But if you live in LA, youve done all that. Its become not interesting. I told him that Id like to go swimming and then get back to writing. He looked at me and said Its weird, all the other writers that I meet want to do something crazy and then they go back to their lives. You want to do something thats completely normal because your life is really weird. You really are weird. [laughs] Maybe he was right.

DRE: Whats it like meeting the people that are obsessed with House of Leaves?

Mark: It all depends. Sometimes I meet people who are pretty dazzled or are excited about writing something. Thats great because theres nothings more thrilling to me than when theyre clearly turned on by what I do and it makes them want to do something else like make a movie or write a book. You dont necessarily want to repeat it, you want to grab that wonderful energy thats buzzing around and respond to it with your own work. One of the interesting things about House of Leaves is that when people start telling me about their experience with the book theyre telling me a lot about themselves.

by Daniel Robert Epstein

SG Username: AndersWolleck