There was a time when author Jonathan Ames unspooled his personal stories in the pages of the New York Press. Now the novelist and man-about-town is lending his personal story—with a healthy dose of fiction—to a new graphic novel, "The Alcoholic." The book follows the life of Jonathan A. from his high school days with his best friend through to adulthood, with hilarious and tragic stories about the struggle of loss, growing up and addiction. Dean Haspiel, who previously had drawn Harvey Pekar's childhood tale, "The Quitter," joins Ames as illustrator on the book.
We spoke with Ames about the graphic novel.
What made you decide to tell this story as a graphic novel?
My friend, Dean Haspiel, kept suggesting that we collaborate. I had always loved it when some [Charles] Bukowski stories would have R. Crumb illustrations, and so as a Bukowski fan, the idea of collaborating with an illustrator who also happened to be a good friend was very appealing.
How did working with an outstanding veteran comic artist like Haspiel help you tell the story?
Dean brought my script to life. What's a good analogy? I gave him the hops and he made the beer.
How much of the book was autobiographical?
When asked this question, I always like to quasi-quote Tenessee Williams who said that all his work was emotionally autobiographical and that's true for me as well, though, of course, my emotional truths aren't as fascinating as Tenesse Williams'.
How was the process of putting the story together for a graphic novel different from doing a novel?
There's not a lot of room for words in the captions or dialogue, so you have to be as precise as possible, but I like this kind of writing: it made me think of cops writing stripped down, hard-boiled reports. And, as I imagined and described the various panels in the script, I tried to think of fun things for the artist to draw, which is certainly not a consideration when writing a prose novel.
For the parts that are based on your life, was it difficult to look back at some of the more serious situations and present them in a way that keeps the serious tone while interjecting some humor?
For me, since I think of myself as a clown, I always like to mix up comedy and tragedy. Clowns always seem to have a dark side, which is why there's actually a word for a fear of clowns - coulrophobiacolourophobia.
Was it therapeutic to be able to write about some of the ups and downs in your life?
It was good to write about some issues and events which I had not covered in my essays or novels. These were things that artistically I had wanted to address. One of my goals as a writer is to record what I've seen and felt - like a caveman scratching things onto a wall - and so in this sense certain parts of the book gave me an artistic catharsis. My other equally important goal is to give people something, to provide them with some entertainment and distraction.
Were you a comic fan before signing on for this project? If so, what kind of stuff did you read?
As a kid, I liked comics, primarily "The Avengers." As an adult, I've loved the graphic novels "Maus" by Art Spiegelman and "Fun Home" by Allison Bechdel, and the series "Y: The Last Man" by Brian K. Vaughn.
You have a pilot at HBO. What is it about?
It's called "Bored to Death" and is based on a short story I wrote. I also wrote the script for the pilot. It's about a writer who puts an ad on Craiglist, posing as a private detective, and he actually gets a case. The writer in question, "Jonathan Ames," is a big fan of Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett, and, using his knowledge of their work and that of other mystery writers, goes about trying to solve his case. "Jonathan Ames" will be played by Jason Schwartzman. Ted Danson and Zach Galifianakis are also in the cast, and the pilot will be directed by Alan Taylor.
What other projects do you have coming up?
I have a new collection of essays and fiction coming out in 2009, "The Double Life is Twice As Good," and two of my screenplays, based on my novels of the same titles, "The Extra Man" and "Wake Up, Sir!" are in various stages of the movie-making development process.
