I
know a lot of people in the book opted not to read it until it came
out, but how much did you feel compelled to alert about what you would
publishing about them?
Not as many as you'd think. Most of
my family members and the guys in the Navy said "Write what you see."
That was incredibly freeing. The only person who got a pre-read was my
Mom and we worked out her problems with it, that wasn't easy, but we got
through it.
Why now?
My dad's plane, the EA-6B Prowler
was finally being retired. It was my Dad's plane. If I was going to
follow his old plane with his final squadron it had to be now. So that
was a great motivator.
In an interview with the Awl
you discuss your initial efforts to sell the story, which were
unsuccessful. As a magazine writer I imagine you have a lot of
experience pitching stories: what's the difference when it's your own
life, both in terms of the pitch and how you feel if it gets passed on?
Actually,
I wasn't unsuccessful. I sent in my proposal, my agent slapped a cover
page on it and we had an auction a few days later. The editor I
mentioned passed on it, but there were other offers on the table thank
goodness. We sent it out to probably seven or eight places, some passed,
some didn't. The different in pitching this versus a magazine piece is I
knew what I wanted to do and was prepared to take less money from a
place that would let me tell the story as I wanted it to be written.
That isn't always possible in magazines.
What are some of the biggest real-life cliches about living on an aircraft carrier?
The
noise. You can not imagine how loud the flight deck is. You can not
imagine how a catapult launch will nearly shake you out of your bunk.
There is noise everywhere and all the time.
I wished I'd packed ear plugs and more clothes. Trying to do laundry on a boat with 5,000 men and women was a real "Lord of the Flies" experience.
In that Awl interview you talk about the parallels between being a military kid and the transience of a magazine writer's life. For someone considering doing what you do, what tips do you have for making it easier to pick up and move quickly to a new story and location?
An understanding spouse. If you don't have a partner who is independent enough to survive when you're gone 10 weeks of the year, it's going to be tough. And try to park yourself in a place where stories are happening all around. If you're in Chicago, stay in Chicago. Plenty of great stories here.
I'm curious how you pitched the Lindsay Lohan story to your editor at the Times, because while it was a story about Lindsay Lohan and what a mess she is, obviously it was much more than that.
It
was really simple: Lindsay Lohan. Bret Easton Ellis. Paul Schrader. The
porn star next door. Complete access. That story was green-lighted in
about ten minutes. That is the exact opposite of most pitches and it was
because I knew Schrader a little and I emailed him directly and didn't
have to go through a squadron of publicists. Lohan's people balked, but
Schrader insisted to his everlasting credit.
How much do
you hold on to grudges when it comes to stories you've pitched and
believed in, that got killed? Are there any that you still lament didn't
see the light of day?
I try not to bear grudges, but there
is a certain pain when you see your idea at another magazine simply
because you couldn't convince your editor of the idea. It doesn't get
easier as you get old. I did a story on Wilmette native Julia Allison who was basically internet famous for no real reason. It got killed by New York and I place it elsewhere. I think it's one of my best profiles and it's a bummer it didn't reach a larger audience
What are some of your favorite pieces of creative nonfiction?
How does it feel to be the 350th person interviewed for Zulkey.com/WBEZ?
Grateful and unworthy.