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The Alternative Library

The Bryan Reilly Interview

Author of "Suicide Jim vs. the Karaoke Killer"

Time allowing and authors willing, JJ and I will continue to publish a new author interview in each issue of the Midnight Times.

For the Spring 2005 interview we met online with Bryan Reilly, author of "Suicide Jim vs. the Karaoke Killer". We discussed a very broad range of fascinating topics from the connection between movies and writing to useful karaoke tips for would-be singers. A lot of good advice and good laughs were shared by all. Enjoy! -- Jay Manning, MT Editor

THE INTERVIEW

Jay Manning: Good morning! Glad you could join us for the interview, Bryan.

Bryan Reilly: Good morning guys. Right now I'm just looking for another cup of coffee I guess. Thanks for having me guys. This is a rare thrill.

Joseph "JJ" Collins: I'm still wiping the crut from my eyes. Let me dust off my list of questions as everyone gets settled. Uno momento por favor...

Jay: JJ had to finish his cereal.

Bryan: Cap'n Crunch is essential.

JJ: Totally.

Jay: I guess we'll get started, then?

JJ: I'll start with the basics.

Bryan: OK.

JJ: First we'd like to get some general info for your growing fan base. What do you do, Bryan?

Bryan: That's actually an interesting question--for the last 9 years I've been working in credit/collections, hating every moment of it.

Jay: Sounds dreadful. JJ hates his job, too.

Bryan: But just last week I was laid off due to a company merger, and I can't get the smile off my face. I think I'll need plastic surgery to get it off.

JJ: Geez.

Bryan: It's a good thing.

JJ: What have you been doing since the layoff?

Bryan: Well, aside from trying not to look like a pansy while doing cartwheels, I've been contemplating a new venture and writing.

JJ: Would you care to elaborate on the new venture? Or is that under wraps for now?

Bryan: Sure...didn't mean to sound mysterious. Sorry! I'm thinking of taking my bounty from the dreadful corporate America and using it to open an art gallery for aspiring artists and use the space for readings during the evening for any writer who wants to bounce his/her idea off fellow scribes.

JJ: Wow. That's impressive. So you're an artist? Corporate America is not a good place for an artist.

Bryan: No--just a writer, but I've been surrounded by painters (roommates and friends) and here in NYC there are many galleries that have peaked my interest.

JJ: I'm really glad you're in a position to follow your dreams. I think that's completely underrated.

Bryan: Yeah, it's tough to follow your dreams when you also cherish financial stability, but life is too short, right? I'd rather be happy at this point.

JJ: I think that is such an important sentiment. One I can truly appreciate. Jay too, I'm sure.

Bryan: What good is money if you're a complete a--hole?

JJ: Exactly. Or if you're so miserable that you can't focus enough to do anything productive with it.

Bryan: I agree--totally

JJ: So tell me about how you got started writing.

Bryan: Well, my father used to (and still does) take me to the movies a lot, and that's where I was enchanted by storytelling and the discussion that a good story would elicit upon its conclusion. So I'm a movie freak--definitely.

Jay: So are we. Just ask JJ.

JJ: Ahh, who are some of your favorite actors? Actually, I'll ask this question in three parts: Who are some of your favorite actors? Some of your favorite movies and some of your favorite writers (for movies and television)?

Bryan: I tell ya, I've always liked Ed Harris, but after seeing Hotel Rwanda a few nights ago I gotta say Don Cheadle. That guy is unreal.

JJ: Really? I've heard the buzz about Hotel Rwanda but I haven't seen it yet. I like Ed Harris as well.

Bryan: Well, Star Wars totally consumed me as a kid, and still has residual effects on me today (I told myself I wouldn't admit that! -- damn) but since 1995, Braveheart has been my #1, and has yet to be dethroned. Man, I wanted to be Quentin Tarantino so bad after seeing Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction and True Romance I could taste it! It got to the point where any witty dialogue I came up with in my writing was a complete tribute to scenes in those movies. And Aaron Sorkin makes me wish I was more intelligent--that guy could make English parliament sound interesting.

JJ: Hahaha! How did you feel about the Kill Bill movie? I have to admit, I've never seen Pulp Fiction, and I saw Reservoir Dogs and left scratching my head. But after watching the Kill Bill movies, something clicked and I got it.

Bryan: I liked it, although I think the dialogue was pressed after a while (especially between Carradine and Uma at the end of Part II).

JJ: I'm a Tarantino fan now...at least of those/that movie. I must say I really enjoyed Braveheart.

Bryan: Yeah, I love the fact that (in Reservoir Dogs) you got two guys staking out a bank to rob, and after describing how to put the guard on his back, one of them says "I'm hungry, let's go get a taco."

JJ: I think I *understand* why people enjoy Quentin's dialogue so much. Because they feel it captures real life.

Bryan: You're exactly right about Tarantino.

JJ: So about your writing, have you done a lot of short stories?

Bryan: I've completed 4 shorts, one novelette (18K words) and one novel. I have to say, short stories have given me the most gratification.

JJ: How was writing the novel for you in comparison to writing short stories?

Bryan: The novel was a three year process, and it took so long because it was the first project I undertook, and I didn't know what I was doing. I would write late at night sporadically, then come back to it and have to re-read what I'd written--think it was crap, then start again.

JJ: It's funny that you've written so little. You are very adept at written expression. I would have thought you had written a lot more. However, starting and completing a novel is a major accomplishment.

Bryan: Thanks, yeah, the best compliment I've received on the novel is that I finished it.

Jay: I'm a proponent of quality over quantity.

JJ: Novels are HARD, especially when you have a day job… that you hate. Hehe.

Bryan: Hang in there, man... I think our lives were carbon copied!

JJ: Hehehe... I agree. So, can you give us a synopsis of your novel? And have you started sending it out yet?

Bryan: Sure, it's about a guy who quits his job on a whim and decides to repair his failing marriage and reconnect with his kids. While he and his kids are fine, his estranged wife has moved on, and the rest of the story is about how his best friend and family try to make him see the light. Much of the novel is devoted to the wife's point of view as well. It's a very real depiction of a relationship at its last legs and the hardships that people go through that shape or dismantle who they are. I found a publisher online that signed me to a contract two years ago, but since then I've been volleying back and forth with their editors...so maybe it'll get published before the next ice age, but we'll see.

JJ: Hahaha. I think you should get started on your next novel while that's all going on. Do you like Alan Ball or any of his work? I ask because your story reminds of the type of characterization issues he tackles in his movies and TV shows.

Bryan: Sorry to say, but I've never heard of him. I will seek him out though.

JJ: He's the author of American Beauty and Six Feet Under. Well, creator of Six Feet Under--and he's written a few of the episodes. He wrote all of American Beauty.

Bryan: Ah! OK!

Bryan: I'm a big fan of American Beauty.

JJ: Cool...then you probably do like his writing.

Bryan: I definitely liked his characterizations in that, yes. Writing about people who call others (and themselves) out on standard, everyday bullsh*t is good stuff.

JJ: Amen. So let's talk about "Suicide Jim vs. The Karaoke Killer." What was your inspiration for that?

Bryan: Well, living in NY was the primary inspiration for it because I'd never been exposed to such an array of different behaviors, like pretension (which I detest) and courageous open-mindedness (which I admire), like someone willing to make an ass out of himself signing karaoke. But I have to say, I think one day I held the hundredth door open for someone and they didn't say thank you, and I thought to myself, "What if I was a complete nut job and snapped because of this?!" That kind of thing inspired the story as well. And I love a good murder mystery, and I'm always looking for a cool angle, like bad karaoke singing. In one of my stories a guy picks his victims from bathroom stall graffiti--an idea inspired while--well, you know. LOL!

JJ: There were a couple things that drew me into this story. First I am a ridiculously huge American Idol fan.

Bryan: Yeah, I enjoy that show, too.

JJ: So when I saw that reference any part of me that wasn't already absorbed was definitely by then.

Bryan: Cool!

Jay: The characterization in your story was very entertaining, particularly how the two serial killers interacted. Linking it to the musical tastes was brilliant.

Bryan: Thanks Jay. I'm thrilled you liked it.

Jay: You're welcome.

JJ: That was the second thing... your characterization. Specifically the creativity you ascribed to them, I really dug that to the point that I began to wonder if the author didn't have a little creative killer inside of him. What type of reaction did you get to the story when you allowed your friends to read it?

Bryan: Hahaha. Man, my girlfriend thought the same thing. I think she sleeps with one eye open.

JJ: I bet.

Bryan: My friends have been great. First, just taking the time to read my stories is such a great thing. But with "Suicide Jim vs. the Karaoke Killer," they all liked it because it was short and the main character was flawed, and they liked his back-story.

JJ: So what are at least two things you'd like readers to take away from the story (aside from its entertainment value)? There were obviously a few messages that could be gleaned. I'm curious as to which ones were intentional and which were simply side effects of an engaging story.

Bryan: Two things I'd want readers to take away. Well, definitely reconsider talking during a movie or not saying excuse me when you bump into someone on the sidewalk because you never know WHO you're pissing off. And please don't be discouraged from singing karaoke because, as American Idol fans know, we NEED the bad with the good.

JJ: Totally. Actually there was another thing that drew me into the story. I went on a cruise with a friend one year. She was one of the most brazen, outgoing people I've ever met.

Bryan: I like her already.

JJ: And they had karaoke on the ship...and she sang "Me and Bobby McGee."

Bryan: Sweet. Janis is tough to handle. Did she pull it off?

JJ: My friend is not a singer--but I'd heard her proudly singing off key in public before with no problem. She sung the whole song in a "stuttering whisper."

Bryan: LOL. Love it.

JJ: It was one of those moments where she was so embarrassed that I was embarrassed for her. And it was such a striking memory because she WAS so outgoing and brash. I was weirded out. But she survived.

Bryan: Did you guys head right to the bar?

JJ: Hell yes. LOL!

Bryan: Yeah, I recently was out with a few friends and had this cocky guy say he could sing Axel Rose like no other. So he got up and sang Sweet Child--a classic that shouldn't be touched unless you're a professional--and TRASHED IT...people were wincing. It was painful to hear---but he was so cocky, I thought his failure was just.

Jay: I butchered a Frank song one drunken night at a private birthday party. Fortunately, some people joined in and bailed me out.

Bryan: OH NO! Too funny.

Jay: It was my fiancée's stepfather's birthday, and he's a big Frank Sinatra fan, and no one would go up and do a Frank song.

Bryan: A great occasion to belt out some Frank...please tell me...

Jay: So I got up there just to get things going. I thought I would do better. I have some singing experience...

Bryan: You had a scotch in one hand and a cig hangin' out of your mouth...and you were pointing at people.

Jay:...but it wasn't my night. Hehe.

Bryan: Man, the first person up there should always get huge props.

Jay: Years ago I did a Led Zeppelin song.

Bryan: Which Zeppelin song?

Jay: Whole Lotta Love. And people were hailing me with the "we're not worthy" signal.

Bryan: Awesome...

Jay: So I've had my ups and downs.

Bryan: I suggest doing "Don't you Forget About Me" by Simple Minds next time--always a crowd pleaser and not hard to sing.

Jay: Good idea.

Bryan: Girls will swoon my friends. The 80's bring folks out of their chairs, especially if its from a classic flick.

Jay: Whenever I hear that Simple Minds song I'm always reminded of the Breakfast Club.

Bryan: Me too. A good memory: "If I have to come back in here, I'm crackin' skulls!"

Jay: LOL! Yes!

Bryan: Ha! Where would the American male be without useless movie quotes...

JJ: OK, as we head toward the end of this stroll down 80s lane, I wanted to ask, Bryan, if there's anything else you'd like to share with aspiring writers and your fans.

Bryan: Yes. I would tell an aspiring writer the following: Don't be married to your work. Submit, share and take suggestions/criticisms in stride because your story can always be better.

JJ: I think that's pretty good advice.

Bryan: Yeah, I learned the hard way, believe me.

JJ: OK, one last thing and then we'll let you go. Give us a brief synopsis about New York and what you think about it now that you live there versus what you thought about it before you did. (Talk about a loaded ender...sorry!)

Bryan: No problem. That's an easy one because I love this damn place so much. Before I got here I was intimidated by the city; thought it wasn't completely safe and the people were too self-absorbed. But after living here a SHORT time, I realized that the people here are extremely kind and helpful, and more often than not you share a common goal, have more in common than you think. I can't imagine living anywhere else.

JJ: That's pretty cool. All right then, I think that about does it. Any last words?

Bryan: Thank you guys very much--I really enjoyed talking with you.

JJ: We really appreciate you meeting with us and submitting your story.

Jay: Yeah! Thanks a bunch for joining us, Bryan!

Bryan: It's been my pleasure.

JJ: And with that, we're done.

Bryan: Big shout out to Midnight Times!!

JJ: Big shout out to the Big Apple and serial killers everywhere!

Bryan: LOL! Have a good weekend guys!