Lucky 13 Interview With Russ Litten

1 – Can you start by telling us a little about your current book?

The last book I had out was “I Can See The Lights”, published by Wild Press Books. It’s a collection of prose poetry, most of which first appeared on a series of spoken word albums I did with musician and producer Steve Cobby.

2 – Are you a plotter or a panster?

My past books have largely been written using the pantser method, but the one I’m on with now has all been plotted out, largely as a result of my own procrastination allowing it the space to take mental shape. The result of this is an unwillingness to actually sit down and write, because in my own mind I have already told the story. It’s an interesting change of methodology, and I’m intrigued to see what sort of fruit it will bear.

3 – Savoury or sweet?

Savoury for all time, anything with a strong vinegar kick, but I’ve lately developed a sweet tooth as a result of giving up drink. There must be lots of sugar in red wine.

4 – Three books to a desert Island. Go!

Infinite Jest, purely because it is nice and thick and could fuel many a starlit beach fire.

The Galloping Gourmet’s Desert Island Cook Book

A book of blank paper to write in.

I once read a book called “The Coconut Book” by Anonymous. The premise was that this fella had been cast away on a desert island and had written a book in-between the lines of another book that had been washed up with him, one of a few meagre possessions saved from the wreck. He chiseled out a life for himself and wrote a book within a book, then sealed it inside a coconut shell and tossed it into the ocean. The Coconut Book was found by a fishing boat off some Polynesian landmass nearby. It’s the tale of a man going slowly mad in paradise. I’ve been looking for that book for years and I can’t find it anywhere.

5 – Star Wars or Star Trek?

Never been keen on Sci-Fi. I’ve only ever seen the first Star Wars film once, and none of the others. I used to like The Tomorrow People, but that was about it. I tried to cure myself of this aversion a few years back and read a load of contemporary Sci-Fi, which I loved, stuff like Michel Faber.

6 – If you could have any superpower, what would it be?

I’m always tempted to say invisibility, but I’m not sure it would actually do you much good. You’d probably get encumbered with a load of useless knowledge and insight that would torment you to the grave. Flying would be great, but you can get pretty close to that via other means. I reckon I’d go for quantum physics teleporting. To be able to think, right, Harlem, 1947, take me there. Then when you get bored of Harlem you could take off to 1920’s Paris or San Diego in the year 2525. Skip through time and space. I’ll have that, please.

7 – Music or Silence when writing?

First drafts usually written to music, low volume. Tends to be ambient or repetitive, skeletal. I got used to writing for radio to beats and musical phrases, and the habit has sort of stayed with me. I like mantras of most description, so I sometimes leave a loop going. It can get to be a habit though, a crutch, at which point you have to switch it round. At one time, I couldn’t begin a day of writing until I had played The Lark Ascending in its entirety. Later drafts, I do turn the tunes off, but it’s virtually impossible to have silence and a bit pointless to strive for it. I work in a shed in my back yard. My neighbour has a chainsaw he is fond of using. It can be difficult.

8 – If you could live anywhere in the world, and take everything that you love with you, where would you choose?

If I took everything that I love then it would look pretty much the same wherever I was. As I get older, the idea of living somewhere warm appeals more. I definitely want to get out of England though. The place has become a decrepit museum run by incompetent criminals. And people voted for them in their thousands. It’s like being trapped on a floating lunatic asylum. Out of all the places I’ve been to, I really like Spain. Or the Bay of Biscay. Somewhere like that would do me. Fall asleep under an orange tree.

9 - Your favourite karaoke song?

I can only do “Sally MacLennan” by The Pogues and “We’re Caught In A Trap” by Elvis.

10 – One piece of advice to an aspiring writer?

Enjoy it.

11 – You win £1 million, but you must give half to charity. Which charity do you chose, and what do you do with the rest of the money?

I’d give it to the Beats Bus, a travelling education resource that delivers hip-hop workshops to kids in Hull. I’ve seen the positive effect they have. Half a million would help set up a proper legacy within the communities. Watch the film A Northern Soul by Sean McAllister. The other half, I would just live off it as frugally as I could, and if I had any left when the end was in sight I’d buy a load of top notch opium and a whirlpool and a big sound system.

12 – Horror films, yes or no? If so, any favourites?

I used to love horror films when I was little. We used to stay up late at my Auntie Betty’s a big gang of us. There is one that put the fear of God in me, some fella called Dominic who used to stand halfway down a staircase in the shadows. I remember watching the end credits roll and felling the sickness swell up in me the closer it got to bedtime. Dominic. Bloody hell.

13 - What are you currently working on?

I’m writing a novel based on my writing residencies in various prisons. It’s a work of fiction, the closely plotted one I mentioned earlier. As a result I’m writing it almost as a series of scenes, then stitching stuff together as it all unfolds. There are some short stories on the go and I’ve just started a solo thing called Deckie Learner, which is just me playing over beats and using spoken word or found audio. A case of lock-down cabin fever. I’m also putting together an album with Dave Formula under the name Oddfellows Union. There’s a long narrative I’m putting together with a friend from Liverpool, a sort of post-punk picaresque tale. That will either be a book or an audio thing or both. And hopefully, once this pandemic has burnt out, I’ll be able to get back to playing music with Oceaneers. I like to keep busy.