Otis, man, you freakin’ rock. These characters—so charged! Tell me about these guys.
The two men are based on me and my friend. We have been friends for over twenty-five years.
The Rolling Stones. Still going strong. Talk to us about your favorite Stones song(s) and how they ended up in this story.
I was quite busy during the seventies, running away from imaginary monsters and didn’t listen to the glorious sounds of the Stones until the mid-eighties, doing what they were not supposed to, and singing songs they are not supposed to sing.
Ever since I read Grover from Sesame Street, I’ve been fascinated by the monster at the end of the story. What fascination do “monsters” hold for you?
I have been in places where a hundred grown men wanted to marry me. I know monsters personally. At one time or another, we have all been monsters, haven’t we?
How did Otis Brown become a writer—and a really brilliant one at that?
Brilliant? I think you must have me confused with someone else.
Paratrooper. Vietnam Marine. College. Writer. Which holds the “hardest” memories?
Even though I wasn’t in Vietnam, during the war I served as a seagoing Marine and a paratrooper, protecting every American’s right and freedom to do exactly what he is supposed to do, whether he wants to or not.
