|
-
News
- Features
- Blogs
- Events
Calendar
- Editorials
- Monthly
Zine
- Offworld
Report
- Our Daily
RSS Feed
- Google Toolbar scifi
- Movie/TV
Reviews
> Recent movies
> Movies by year
> Movies by title
- Book
Reviews
> Recent books
> Books by year
> Books by title
- Home
- Worlds
- Biography
- Bibliography
- Appearances
- Reviews
- Blog
- Community
- Press
- Links
Become
an Advertiser
- Web
Site Directory
- Search
the Net
-
Hivemind
- StephenHunt.net
- WoodenRocket.com
- Check
your E-mail
- Non Sci-Fi
News
|
Geek Confidential with Rick Klaw
02/08/2008 . Source: Matt Staggs 
Author Rick Klaw talks to Matt Staggs about why geek isn't a dirty word and there is nothing wrong with it, his novel Geek Confidential: Echoes from the 21st Century, and why, for years, Rick refused to discuss his grandfather with anyone. Buy Geek Confidential: Echoes from the 21st Century in the USA - or Buy Geek Confidential: Echoes from the 21st Century in the UK  I just completed an interview with writer Rick Klaw, author of Geek Confidential: Echoes from the 21st Century, and one half of the team behind the SFsite bi-weekly column Nexus Graphica. Klaw spoke with me about his life as a proud geek and the legacy of his grandfather, famed Bettie Page photographer Irving Klaw.
Matt: Hey Rick, would you mind introducing yourself to my readers?
Rick: Howdy. I'm your typical 40 year old comic book-reading, baseball-lovin' dopey white guy. For some reason that I can't quite decipher, people are interested in what I have to say about a wide array of geek subjects. Along those lines, I wrote three+ years of my column "Geeks with Books", which started as a behind-the-scenes view of the life of a bookseller and by the third year became about whatever geek-type subject tickled my fancy that month. A good chunk of those columns along with some other writings were collected in 2003 as "Geek Confidential: Echoes from the 21st Century," published by MonkeyBrain. I was also the managing editor and co-founder of Mojo Press. Since the end of "Geeks with Books" in 2005, I've written reviews and features for The Austin Chronicle, Moving Pictures, SF Site, RevolutionSF (where I also serve as an editor-at-large), and variety of other venues, most recently an essay for the Vandermeers' anthology Steampunk. I current co-write with Mark London Williams the bi-weekly Nexus Graphica for SF Site.
Matt: Let's talk about the term "geek." It comes up a lot. What does the word mean to you? Do you embrace it?
Rick: A geek to me is someone who embraces an area of interest- one that is usually outside of the so-called mainstream - with a fervor and deep understanding. Geeks differ from nerds in that geeks usually have a wider ranger of interests and can often masquerade as "normals." And I gleefully embrace the geek identity. It's not like I have a choice in the matter. It's the way I'm hardwired.
Matt: Is there a history of "geeks" of different sorts in your family?
Rick: Sort of… my uncle is a huge film geek. Matter of fact, about once a month or so, we'll have a conversation about various monster movies. He goes to serial conventions.
My sister treats "geek" like it's a dirty word or there is something wrong with it. I've taken great pride in making my nephew (her oldest son) into a geek. By the time he was five, he knew all the Godzilla monsters and the related mythos. He called me the other day and was discussing the philosopher's stone and homunculi with me. He's 11.
Matt: Wow! Pre-teen alchemist! Do you think that your own attitude is reflective of an overall sense of ownership of the word "geek" in popular culture? Are geeks "taking it back" and embracing being a geek?
Rick: Definitely. For my generation, it is not a bad thing. Look at the richest men in the world. Bill Gates maybe a gadzillionare but he's still a world-class geek. Thanks to the computer-driven world we live in, the geek has achieved supremacy. Rather than being laughed at or looked down upon, geek culture has become the popular culture. Iron Man is the biggest movie of the year. There are entire TV networks devoted to geek culture. Shows like Lost and Heroes are among some of the most popular in the world.
When else in history could the same man win both a Pulitzer and a Nebula award?
Matt: What do you think the effect of this will be on sci-fi fandom? Will some people feel repelled by the fact that the mainstream is adopting their culture as their own?
Rick: They need to get over it. For decades, sci-fi fandom has been screaming about being the literary ghetto. They finally claw themselves out and now there going to complain that the genre has been co-opted or some other nonsense. You can't have it both ways.
Matt: But do you suspect there will be some complaints? Have there been some already?
Rick: Once a misanthrope, always a misanthrope. Some people like to complain no matter how things are. In the mid-90s, I used to hang out with Shannon Wheeler, creator of "Too Much Coffee Man." I edited his first book "Children with Glue." We use to list things that people couldn't complain about. Like the guy I know whose job sent his to Paris every six months. Or the guy who complains that his girlfriend wants sex all the time. Or I get too many review copies. (Shannon actually made a one-page gag strip out of it.) Along those lines is that you can't complain that your vilified genre is not accepted and beloved.
Matt: Hah! Well, speaking of vilified genres, would you tell us about your grandfather, Irving Klaw?
Rick: He is best known as the man who popularized Bettie Page. My grandfather created the pin-up industry in the 1940s. He was the first to realize that there was money to be made by selling movie stills, etc. According to some estimates he supplied upwards of 90% of the pin-ups sold to US troops during WWII. After war he even received a special commendation from the US Congress for "keeping up the moral of the troops".
In 1950 or so, his business took a turn when he started producing fetish pictures- bondage, women in peril, and the like. Irving always had customers who were looking for special items and the women in peril were among the favorites, but by 1950 one particular customer had acquired everything in Klaw catalog and asked Klaw to produce some original images. "Little John" paid for the first studio sessions and allowed Klaw to keep the rights. (The first model was Lili Dawn). My grandfather soon realized he had other customers with similar interests and so he began to specialize in these images. While he wasn't the first fetish photographer, he may have been the first impresario. He revolutionized the industry and his works lead to the nudie-cuties of the 1960s and influenced generations of photographers and filmmakers. In 1954, he testified before the Kefauver hearings on pornography and was hunted by feds throughout the remainder of his life.
Matt: I know that the first time some of our readers may have heard of Irving Klaw is via the film "The Notorious Betty Page." What do you think of the movie's depiction of your grandfather?
Rick: From everything I have heard and researched, it was pretty much right on. He died 16 months before I was born so I never met him.
Matt: But his legacy remains a big part of your own life. How did you learn about him?
Rick: I didn't learn about his career until I was 21. I was at the San Diego Comic Con when I met Ray Zone. He asked me if I was related to Irving Klaw. It took me by surprise since no one had ever asked me that. I knew his name, of course. My middle name, Ira, is a derivative of his name. My mother hates the name Irving. And we share the same Hebrew name. So Zone gave me a crash course on my grandfather. My mom always told me that he was a softcore pornographer. (My parents divorced when I was very young and I rarely saw my father) As she liked to put it, there were worse things on Cinemax. But I had no idea of the far-reaching influence of his work. After the con, I went home and started doing some research.
Matt: Were you initially delighted? Embarrassed? Confused?
Rick: Indifferent at first. I never got along with my father so for years I refused to discuss my grandfather with anyone. I was embarrassed about my father but not really my grandfather. As I became my own man with my own identity and career, I became increasingly interested in learning about my father's family. I was never a big fan of my grandfather's work (nor was he. To him it was a way to make a buck. He gave the people what they wanted.) but I as learned more about him, I came to respect him. He had an amazing business sense. He successfully created two businesses that really didn't exist before him. He inherently knew what people wanted. Perhaps the best thing to come out of the research was reestablishing a relationship with my uncle. If nothing else comes of the project, the connection has made it all worthwhile.
Matt: I understand that you're trying to bring a book to market about Irving Klaw and his legacy.
Rick: Definitely. There is some real interest in his story. It's the story of a man who achieves the American Dream only to be crushed by the American government for achieving the dream. The ramifications of his work and the government actions can still be felt today.
Matt: What about those who might say that the business and its ramifications were ultimately tainted by the exploitation of women? Would that be true?
Rick: It might be but that wasn't why the government was going after him. It was... stop me if you've heard this refrain before… "for the protection of the children." Whatever the hell that means…
My grandfather has become an iconic figure to many feminists. He treated his models with respect and dignity as well as paid them very well for their work. All of his models speak highly of their time working with him
Matt: One of his most famous models was - of course - Bettie Page. Have you had an opportunity to speak with her during your research?
Rick: Briefly. We exchanged a few emails through her business manager. Sadly, Bettie has been in poor health for some time.
Matt: Have you been able to contact any of the other folks who were involved with your grandfather?
Rick: A handful. Sadly most have died. Perhaps the most helpful was exploitation filmmaker David Friedman. He actually owns my grandfather's first two feature length films, "Teaserama" and "Varietease."
Matt: Is "exploitation" a term like "geek" in this context? Has the meaning changed?
Rick: I don't think so. Friedman made films that exploited nudity and violence. He created what is generally considered the first splatter film, "Bucket of Blood."
Matt: So where does one draw the line between acceptable and exploitation, in your opinion?
Rick: It's a personal decision. What you might consider exploitative is going to be different from me. Every person has to make up their own mind. It's like the difference between trash and quality works. I've met many people who think Dr. Who is the pinnacle of artistic achievement. I don't happen to agree, but I respect their viewpoint.
Matt: Uh oh! The "Dr. Who" people are a pretty tough crowd, Rick!
Rick: I once wrote a "Geeks with Books" about my dislike of "Dr. Who." I survived. I imagine I'll survive this as well.
Matt: Hah! So, what's new? Do you have any other projects you'd like to talk about?
Rick: Back in April, I started up a new column for SF Site. I've wanted to write a column about graphic novels for some time. Nexus Graphica is a bit different than "Geeks". For starters, I'm alternating writing duties with Mark London Williams. The bi-weekly column centers on the intersection of the traditional and comic book worlds. It was a concept that was the foundation of Mojo Press: the idea that book readers would buy graphic novels. We were about ten years ahead of the curve. I'm glad it's finally happening: yet another example of geeks inheriting the Earth!
Matt: What are some of your recent column topics? Any recurring themes or interests?
Rick: The current column is about the use of metafiction in comics. I've also written about the acceptance of comics in the book world and with mainstream publishers, and the recent controversy about allowing comic book writers into SFWA. It's a little early in the column's life to find recurring themes but Mark and I both approach the graphic novels as seriously as any other form of literature. These books are not inherently inferior because of the medium.
Matt: Do you think that the future will hold even greater mainstream acceptance for graphic novels? Will there come a point where we see publications like the New York Times reviewing both comics and novels with equanimity?
Rick: I don't know if we'll see them reviewed equally, but the Times does have a regular graphic novel review column. I can see a time when there will be no difference to readers if it's a comic or not. We've finally gotten to a point where the concepts in comics have matured enough for non-geeks over the age of 12 to enjoy.
Matt: Well, Rick, I guess we'd better wrap things up. Anything else you'd like to say?
Rick: Thanks for taking the time to interview me. It was fun. Hopefully, I'll have some news about my grandfather's biography and several other projects that I cannot currently discuss.
Matt: Thanks, Rick!
Learn more about Rick Klaw at the Dark Forces Book Group blog and his column at SF Site.
Matt Staggs
(c) Matt Staggs 2008
A publicist specializing in book and author publicity, Matt Staggs has worked with established authors like Jeff VanderMeer, Thomas M. Disch and Nancy A. Kress, as well as talented up-and-comers like fantasists Paul Jessup and Ekaterina Sedia, podcasting authors Mur Lafferty, Matthew Wayne Selznick and Van Allen Plexico, and horror author Z.A. Recht. In 2008 he launched Deep Eight LLC, a boutique publicity agency utilizing the best publicity practices from the worlds of traditional media and evolving social technologies. You can read his blog over at http://entertheoctopus.wordpress.com
Add SFcrowsnest.com daily news updates to your
own web site or blog - just cut and paste the code
below...
|
|
