Travis Jensen Fecal Face Dot Com Interview (Aug. 2004)
When do these stories date? When did you write the majority of them?
I pretty much just picked out a handful of my personal favorite stories that I had written over the last two-and a-half years and put them in order how I thought they flowed best.
You published the book yourself. What was the hardest part of putting it together?
Honestly, the entire process from A-Z was a huge pain in the ass, but the results were well worth it. I’m pleased with the finished product. I’d have to say that the layout was the hardest part though. I swear, no matter how many freaking times I went through the damn thing I’d still find a typo here or there. It’s difficult keeping track of that many words, you know? I think the conversion from Word to Quarx had something to do with the typos though. It moved my paragraphs around, inserted unwanted symbols, and all types of other bizarre shit. I must have read that damn book over thirty times throughout the production. In fact, I can probably recite the entire book word for word if I tried…no joke.
You told me that Borders Books is going to buy some. How's that working out so far?
Yeah, it was weird, man. I got a call from one of the main buyers in San Diego saying that they had been getting a lot of people coming in to their stores inquiring about it and placing special orders, which surprised the hell out of me. Anyway, long story short, I filled all the special orders for them and also included a couple copies for them to review. They are currently considering it for nationwide distribution. I really hope that works out. I have my fingers crossed. I sure can use the help. Its hard doing all this shit on my own, man. I seriously need an assistant, sort of like how you have the Fecal Face intern. Any takers? It doesn’t pay all that much, but feel free to hit me up if interested: thesfmasher@yahoo.com
What's an average daily routine for you?
I wake up at 5:30 AM on the dot every morning (even on the weekends) and am sitting in my prison cell sized office at work by 7:00. I work a day job as the Records Manager at one of the top law firms in the country. I hate the work, but it pays really well and allows me to even sneak a little writing in from time to time while I’m on the clock. Then, when I get home from work I usually spend a good two hours boxing up books, going thru invoices, and checking in with all the different stores to see how the book is selling. Once that’s all done and I know I’m on top of my game I usually sit down for a couple hours and write. I can’t write worth a damn if I don’t have a clear head and know that everything I needed to get done is done. I’m a freak like that. I like order.
For someone who's never read anything by you, how would you describe your own work?
It’s honest and to the point. I don’t beat around the bush. I like to tell it how it is. If there is one thing I can’t stand is verbose, camouflaged writing. It seriously bugs the shit out of me.
You're working on your next book now. Is it a collection of short stories like this one, or is it a novel?
It’s a novel entitled, “Welcome to San Franpsycho.” I can’t really get into too much detail about it at the moment, because I don’t want to spoil it, but I can honestly say it’s a heavy, heavy hitter. I think people will be really tripping off this one. It’s a good story that I’ve had brewing up inside of me for a while now. I’m hoping to have it out and available by early next summer.
Who are some of your favorite authors?
John Fante is hands down my all-time favorite writer. I’m also a big fan of Ernest Hemingway, Mark Twain, Tim O’Brien, Dan Fante (John Fante’s son), John Dos Pasos, Louis-Ferdinand Celine, and even a little Bukowski.
Who was the asshole, Hemingway or Fitzgerald?
Definitely Hemingway…I’ve heard some gnarl stories about him when he was living in Paris during the ex-patriot days. That guy was a fucking savage!
Your first favorite book as a child?
Probably “Jonathon Livingston Seagull” by Richard Bach or some of the Hardy Boys mystery series books. Those were all good. I also liked some of the Judy Blume stuff as well, “Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing” and “Super Fudge.” Then, when I was in high-school I started reading Hemingway and Twain, which was a real eye-opener for me.
Are you a laptop guy, pen and paper guy, typewriter guy, or what? What's your favorite mode of writing?
I always write on the computer. Since I’m left-handed it’s a bit difficult writing everything out with a pen and paper, because it always fucking smears all over the place. That’s the one thing that really sucks about being left-handed. Not only that, but I can type much faster than I can write. I feel that with a computer I can get my thoughts and ideas out a bit quicker than I can with a pen and pad.
Inspirations?
The lovely Ms. Eva Dancel and Isaac Mckay-Randozzi.
Describe yourself in a sentence.
I’m like Clark Kent: doing book readings in North Beach in front of a 100 literary snobs one day and sliding-n-dipping through the streets with a prison shank and brass knuckles the next
Where were you for a game of F.E.C.A.L.?
Trying to meet a deadline, working on an article I needed to hand in.
How are your teeth?
Huh? Wait a minute…you’re not mistaking fiction as fact from out of my book are you?
Elaborate on something about putting a book together. Any advice for anyone who wants to put a book out?
Don’t be afraid to roll your sleeves up. Publishing books is a lot of hard work. There will be many times where you’ll feel like blowing your head off or blowing someone else’s head off, but stick with it. There’s nothing better than holding the finished product in your hands. Ray from Hamburger Eyes coined it best: “DUDE, PUBLISHING BOOKS IN GNARLY!”
Ever almost die?
Yes. Some fuckhead tried to shoot fellow Fecal Facer LilRock and I at pointblank range a couple of years back. We put up a good struggle and luckily the bullet went in between the two of us and missed us both by less than an inch. I nearly pissed my fucking pants! And since the gun was fired at such a close range, my ears were ringing for like two-weeks afterwards. Needless to say, I made some serious lifestyle adjustments after that. I still have nightmares about that shit to this very day. I thought for sure we were gonna die.
Favorite film?
Apocalypse Now the redo. That movie is fucking crazed!
You're a big baseball fan. Which team has a shot this year? Giants have any shot of making it to the World Series?
Well, as of right now, the Giants are seven-and-a-half games behind the first place Dodgers and two-and-a-half behind the wildcard. It’s not looking too good for the Giants, but we’re still in it. I have faith. We were the wildcard when we went to the series in 2002 and last year the Marlins were the wildcard, so you never know what’s gonna happen. Every game from here on out is very, very crucial. We’ll see what happens.
Favorite things to do to relax?
When I’m not writing I like to go to the baseball game, hunt for vintage sports memorabilia gems at the flea market, read, and kick back with a good bottle of wine. It’s the simple things in life that make me happy.
