I'm really much better at asking questions than answering them, since asking questions is like a constant deflection of oneself. Christopher Bollen More Quotes by Christopher Bollen More Quotes From Christopher Bollen I would stay at my grandma's house on my birthday every year and I remember she had a bookshelf of murder mystery books along with really frightening books, like one on Jack the Ripper. She also had a poster of a shark in the closet which also terrified me at the time. Christopher Bollen sharks grandma book Every time I try to write on vacation, I fail miserably. Christopher Bollen vacation writing trying For me, cultivation of my own style really started by looking at people. There are just some really beautiful people in the world. When you're walking down the street, or you're at a restaurant, someone catches your eye because they have their own look. It goes way beyond what they're wearing-into their mannerisms, the way they smile, or just the way they hold themselves. Christopher Bollen eye beautiful people One day I want to write a full-on horror book. Christopher Bollen one-day writing book I'm ultimately not so much of a professor as a progresser. And I'm ready to move away from what I consider to be this weird mid-century dream that I feel pulls us as a country, and us as a culture, backward. Christopher Bollen dream country moving Talking to all those great writers and artists for the magazine was a form of graduate school for me. Christopher Bollen artist talking school In a lot of ways, work was my graduate school. Christopher Bollen graduates way school We lost so many talented artists and writers from the generations before ours that we're really lacking older figureheads. Christopher Bollen generations artist lost I've never had a mentor. I've always wanted one. I'm actually really disappointed that nobody took my under their wing. Christopher Bollen mentor wanted wings I have to say I do read partly for escapism. Why can't I escape and learn something? Christopher Bollen escapism I just think, as writers, especially with a book that takes years to write, you sort of wake up every morning hoping and praying that you can make it work for the day. Christopher Bollen writing morning book I smoke cigarettes when I write, which is disgusting, but it really helps me. Christopher Bollen cigarette writing helping The death drive is parasitic. It runs off of other drives, leeching off of them. Christopher Bollen running There's something about fear and aesthetic that go hand in hand. Christopher Bollen hand-in-hand aesthetic hands I also wonder why is it that so many of the movies and books that are detective stories are also the most aesthetically interesting? From Hollywood noirs to horror movies like The Shining [1980]. Christopher Bollen shining book interesting There is something very romantic about the orphan figure in American literature. Christopher Bollen orphan figures literature Both my parents were big readers. My dad liked more macho adventure books like Shogun or spy novels. My mother reads murder mysteries. In fact, so does her mother, my grandma. Christopher Bollen bigs reader parent I wanted to reexamine the idea of the album for generations of people who are not my age, who love music or learning about music or are finding this band called R.E.M. or have just previously heard "Losing My Religion" and "Everybody Hurts" as their elevator music. I wanted to present an idea of what an album could be in the age of YouTube and the Internet. Christopher Bollen hurt people ideas Now we're in an age of singles. It's actually always been more about singles for most of music history. Christopher Bollen singles age An album for me as a teenager in the '70s was a fully formed concept. It was a body of work from an artist I liked or trusted or who excited me. Maybe one of the songs is really poppy and you listen to it on the radio as a hit single and then more of the world is about to find out about this artist by buying the record. Christopher Bollen teenager artist song
