Luke Geddes is originally from Appleton, Wisconsin, and now lives Cincinnati, Ohio. He holds a Ph.D. in comparative literature and creative writing from the University of Cincinnati. He is the author of the short story collection I Am a Magical Teenage Princess, and his writing has appeared in Conjunctions, Mid-American Review, Washington Square Review, and elsewhere. His debut novel is Heart of Junk and he recently spoke about it with Daryl Maxwell for the LAPL Blog.
What was your inspiration for Heart of Junk?
Shopping at various multi-vendor antique markets and feeling like I could get a sense of the personalities of the various proprietors just by the stock they sold, how messy or organized the booth was, the style and decoration, etc.
Are Margaret, Keith, Seymour, Lee, Ellie, or any of the other characters in the novel inspired by or based on specific individuals?
Not specifically, but there are things based on my experiences within the vintage resale milieu. The inspiration behind the character Ronald being a postcard collector comes from the time I attended a postcard collectors convention in Wichita with my friend Ian. We were the youngest people there by a few decades, and the hardcore collectors were oddly enthusiastic to have us. I got the sense they were trying to vampirize us into their hobby since it would die with them if they didn’t recruit young blood.
How did the novel evolve and change as you wrote and revised it? Are there any characters or scenes that were lost in the process that you wish had made it to the published version?
The novel changed a lot over the years of writing and rewriting and editing, but there’s nothing I feel is missing to the detriment of the final version. That said, it may intrigue Luke Geddes scholars that earlier drafts of the novel had even more characters and points of view, including chapters written from the perspective of both the kidnapped toddler Lindy Bobo and her brother Billy.
How familiar were you with the world of collectors prior to writing Heart of Junk? Did you have to do a lot of research to prepare for/write the novel? What was the most interesting (or possibly disturbing) thing you learned from your research?
It varied from character to character. My personal interests as a collector most align with Seymour, who is into midcentury kitsch, vinyl records, and weird curios, so my research there mostly consisted of walking around my house and deciding what to fill his booth with. Other characters, whose interests are quite different from my own, like Margaret or Ronald, required more academic research, and I’m just waiting for some postcard—or glass-collecting maniac to write me an angry email outlining all the things I got wrong. I can’t think of a particularly disturbing fact, but the Alan Zweig documentary Vinyl is a fascinating, hilarious, and disturbing exploration of the neurotic world of record collectors.
Are you a collector? If so, what do you collect? Is there something that is your “holy grail” and for which you have been searching for a while?
I go through phases collecting various things. I’m not a completist like most of the characters in the book. I collect or have collected: pulp paperbacks, Halloween decorations, pinback buttons, Marx figures, etc. Lately, I’ve mostly been focused on records. I have pretty much everything Jonathan Richman has ever released in various formats, except for the vinyl edition of Having a Party with Jonathan Richman, which only ever came out in Greece.
What’s currently on your nightstand?
Little Lulu: Working Girl, the first volume of Drawn & Quarterly’s new reprint series of the John Stanley classics.
What was your favorite book when you were a child?
TV Guide was probably what most stoked my imagination, honestly, but I recall also going through a big Bunnicula phase.
Was there a book you felt you needed to hide from your parents?
My parents were happy with anything I wanted or bothered to read, but I guess I was lucky that they never inquired too deeply about the various alternative and underground comix reprints I brought home from the library.
Can you name your top five favorite or most influential authors?
No, but I can give you five authors I endorse selected semi-randomly from a glance at my shelves: Helen DeWitt, Wright Morris, Julie Hecht, Ge Fei, and Woody Skinner.
What is a book you've faked reading?
I can’t think of a specific example at the moment, but there are plenty. Often, it’s just easier to get through certain conversations by saying something along the lines of “I’ve read it, but it was a while ago, and I don’t remember anything about it,” which is truthfully how I feel about most books I have actually read.
Can you name a book you've bought for the cover?
I own a lot of vintage smutty pulp paperbacks whose titles and covers are without fail immeasurably more interesting than their content, such as Sex in the 21st Century and Sin Vacation.
Is there a book that changed your life?
I would never put it in such dramatic terms, but I remember encountering the short story collection My Date With Satan by Stacey Richter as a 20-year old wannabe writer and feeling such an excitement and relief and envy that there were people writing about the kinds of weird, funny things in the sort of weird, funny modes that I aspired to. Richter was for me what I think writers like Denis Johnson or George Saunders or Raymond Carver or Aimee Bender are for other young wannabes.
Can you name a book for which you are an evangelist (and you think everyone should read)?
The Mezzanine by Nicholson Baker seems to me a perfect book that everyone should love, but I’ve found from experience that its appeal is not as broad as I imagine.
Is there a book you would most want to read again for the first time?
There are songs and albums I wish I could hear again for the first time, but I think I’m happy and excited still to reexperience favorite books as rereads.
What is your idea of THE perfect day (where you could go anywhere/meet with anyone)?
I think a detailed answer would be both too personal and too boring to go into. It wouldn’t involve going anywhere extraordinary or meeting anyone I don’t already know.
What is the question that you’re always hoping you’ll be asked, but never have been? What is your answer?
“Would you like a lot of money for doing little or no work?” The answer is yes.
What are you working on now?
Another novel, this one about some siblings forced to be in a rock and roll band by their Svengali father.
