Novelist, essayist and now song lyricist Nick Hornby was in Atlanta promoting the paperback release of his latest novel Juliet, Naked and his current work with singer/musician Ben Folds on the release of Lonely Avenue, a collaborative album of short stories. Hornby’s reading on Monday, October 18 was the kickoff event for the A Cappella Books’ Ballroom Bash.
Hornby read three excerpts from Juliet, Naked for about 40 minutes, before taking questions from the packed house for another half hour. The crowd wasn’t shy about asking questions, and Hornby used his storytelling ability to answer them.
Here are my notes—not everything is verbatim, but it was a dark room (I don’t how Hornby read so flawlessly from his book) and so my notes --like my photography aren’t crystal clear. Here’s the gist of what Hornby talked about:
On Juliet, Naked
“This book (which centers on the legacy of an aging reclusive singer-songwriter – not necessarily Bob Dylan, but a composite figure of songwriters of that era) represents the split within me as a music fan, an author and an artist."
On Collaborating with Ben Folds
Hornby told the story of how he met Ben Folds after he wrote an essay about the Ben Folds Five song, “Smoke” in his 2002 book of essays Songbook, which is a great book about the many ways we relate to music. (Both Rube Ambler from ATLalist and I brought our original copies, which Hornby graciously signed.) Apparently this was the beginning of his current working friendship with Folds, which has included along the way, trying to write songs for—get this—the actor William Shatner. (For more on Ben Folds and the William Shatner Gonzo Ballet, I must refer you to other sources.)
On When to Quit Writing
“One of the most profound questions about the arts is when to decide to quit. You’re convinced you’re a genius, but that doesn’t really help either. I’ve come to the conclusion that artists are childish. Once you grow up, you realize that you are not that special. But all the famous ones didn’t grow up.”
“I didn’t like the ending to my book. It was pathetic. I liked the film.” (which changed the ending)… “ Still books are books. They remain the same even after they are made into movies.”
On his Writing Habits
Hornby says that he has a small apartment near his house. He drops his child off to school and then works. Hornby says with the internet at your finger tips “It is harder to write than it used to be” and has even begin to use a software program, that temporarily suspends the internet on his computer to reduce the number of distractions.
Hornby commented on how the internet and the choices for entertainment have changed the nature of reading. “I read while growing up because there was nothing else to do…Nowadays, having to persuade your children to read makes a difference in profound ways.”
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