Wednesday, April 15, 2020

INTERVIEW: Contemporary Writer Paul Matts




Paul Matts
Leicester, England
UK


Good morning, Paul, and welcome to Vision and Verse, the site for art and authors. What have you written?
I have one novella published entitled ‘Donny Jackal’. It is ‘a kitchen sink drama chock full of believable characters with a strong sense of time and place,’ according to the Noir writer Paul D. Brazil. It’s a family drama based in the English punk rock suburbia of 1978.
I have written several short stories for Punk Noir magazine, including ‘Family Guy?’, ‘Revenge Can Be Sweet’, ‘Spade, Rose and Blood’, ‘Can of Worms’, ‘Dym Waghorn’ and ‘Wedding Shot Through The Wire’.
I also write non-fiction. I’m a regular contributor to We Are Cult, Punk Globe and Something Else Reviews magazines. These are popular culture magazines, and I provide music columns and reviews.

What is your favorite genre to write? 
Contemporary fiction. A broad genre, which suits me really. Opportunity to write about family and home-based stuff, together with communities and opportunities.

Favorite food.
I eat virtually anything. Nice, wholesome, home-made pies are high on the list. Italian food always hits the mark too.

Tea or coffee?
Coffee. Just. Nothing fancy, just straight-forward coffee.

Pizza or ice cream?
Pizza. Again – just.                   

Wine or beer?
Beer. Smooth Real ales, not carbonated lagers.

Where would you like to visit?
South America. Especially Brazil and Argentina. I’m a huge football fan and the passion for the game in those places seems so intense. I imagine Rio and Buenos Aires as vibrant cities.

Favorite musical artist.
Johnny Cash. Music is very mood dependent, though. On a different day 
it could be The Sex Pistols, The Clash or D.O.A. (Canadian Hardcore 
punk band). Yet then I love Sandy Denny, and folk music from centuries back. Music is virtually in the air I breathe.

Do you listen to music when you write? 
Yes 
What?
Depends what I’m working on. Usually something with textures like Clannad or Kraftwerk. It helps focus my mind.

What makes you laugh?
Plenty in real life, witty people and ‘you couldn’t write this’ type situations. In the ‘deliberate’ comedy arena - Monty Python, Black Adder, Leslie Nielson films. Loads more, too.

This is an. art AND author blog, so I am obligated to ask:Favorite work of art or sculpture.
Raft of Medusa by Gericault. A terrifying piece of work, in its own way. The ship survived being out at war, only to crash into sandbanks on the way home. A different type of ‘you couldn’t write this’.



 How old were you when you started writing?
49. Late starter.

Do you plan out your book with outlines and notecards? Or just write?
Bit of both. I have a loose framework of a plot and some character background, but I like to let it flow when I’m writing and allow plenty of room for creativity.

Describe your perfect evening.
Laughing with a few drinks with the family and/or friends. Or a cracking live music show.




Where do you get your inspiration?
Music is a biggie for me. Song lyrics, concepts etc. Also, life experiences.


What do you do when you get a writer's block?
Just stop and give it a day or two. Usually works.

Who is your favorite author?
Depends on my mood, like with music. Jack Kerouac and John Steinbeck are up there.

Best book you ever read.
‘On The Road’, Jack Kerouac. Read it as a young man and it has stayed with me since. Exuberant, to say the least. 

Last book you read.
‘To Throw Away Unopened’, Viv Albertine. Viv is a brutally honest writer, and I have been a fan of her since her days in The Slits. Her two books are entirely different, but both equally fantastic.

What would you do for a living if you weren’t a writer?
I only write part time. I am a freelance Gardener and wouldn’t swap it for anything. I love it and wouldn’t do anything else for a living.

Who is the one person who has influenced your personal life the most and why?
My wife Georgina. We’ve shared so much together, really.
                                                        
If you could sit down and have a conversation with ONE person, living or dead, real or fictional, who would it be and why?
I would ask Neville Chamberlain, the British Prime Minister 1937-1940, why he thought appeasing Adolf Hitler was such a good idea. To give way to him for so long was one of history’s gravest errors of judgement.

What advice would you give someone who aspired to be a writer?
Just do it. It took me nearly fifty years to get stuck in and I now regret it took me so long to start. But better late than never, and I’m making up for lost time. My first full novel, ‘Toy Guitars’, will be published very soon. It’s another kitchen sink drama, based in England in 1980, about a family faced with an unwanted teenage pregnancy.


Do you have some links for us to follow you?




https://www.amazon.co.uk/Paul-Matts/e/B07MJQZZJ4






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