The Cool Guy At The Fifth Table: An Interview With Robert V. Aldrich
The Cool Guy At The Fifth Table: An Interview With Robert V. Aldrich
By Gabriel Ricard
1. Tell us about Crossworld, your series of novels, which definitely seems to be the most popular thing you’ve done so far.
Crossworld’s really become something else. I’ve been amazed and delighted at how well anime fans have recieved it. When I first wrote it, I didn’t know that anime literature (now called ‘manga novels’ according to TokyoPop and Del Rey) existed in Japan, so I missed out on the precedent. But fans have all really seemed to enjoy it, the action, the story, the unique spin on a fantasy tale. I think I’m probably happiest that most fans get all the inside jokes. I was worried all the video game and anime references would be too subtle.
2. How did you get started as a writer?
Most people start writing because they love a certain writer or book. I got started for the opposite reason; I didn’t like most books I found. Most traditional fantasy and sci-fi novels that I was exposed to during my formative years fell really short of my standards, standards set by anime and manga. I just couldn’t identify with a lot of the books that I was being handed in school, so at some point, I decided to write my own.
At the same time, I was learning more about anime and manga and I really wanted to contribute to that artform more than anything. I tried illustration and voice acting, but neither panned out at the time, so I turned to writing. And the ambition to write a book and to add to the anime world just matched up and Crossworld was the result.
3. Has the reception and popularity of your work ever surprised you?
In two ways it surprises me. As an anime fan, I’m surprised that people like it as much as they do. It’s overwhelming for me at times to be at a convention, to be on stage with Steve Bennett and Hawk & Ananth from Applegeeks or Greg Ayers and Johnny Bosch. But on the either end, from a fantasy/sci-fi standpoint, it amazes me I’m not more popular. Have you read some of the stuff that’s passing for ‘good’ recently?
4. You make the rounds at virtually every Anime convention on the east coast. Which makes sense, given that much of your work is very obviously inspired by Anime. Besides promoting your writing, you also run a number of very popular panels on subjects ranging from the history of fan fiction to the top ten Transformers episodes of all time. What do you think draws you to these conventions more, the chance to promote and sell your writing, or the opportunity to meet like-minded people and immerse yourself in some of the things you love?
Well, to begin with, you have to understand I’m an amazing attention whore. I’ll cover myself in green jello and light myself on fire if it means people will look at me. But no, it really is the likeminded people and it also goes back to wanting to contribute to anime as a medium. I love anime and manga in all its forms and I love exploring it through research or experimentation with what the medium(s) can do/be. I also love to interact with other fans of the medium, to learn from them and to show them different facets of this world. Being around other anime fans helps remind me how much fun and magic there is. When I go to a convention, it’s almost like I’m going home and the outside world is just somewhere I’m living for the time being. That last line sounded kind of creepy. You’re not going to put it in are you? No? Good.
5. Tell us about some of the other novels you’ve put out, such as Ghee.
Ah, the gay ninja book. You know, it’s gotten to the point where I don’t even tell people the plot. I just say ‘gay ninjas’ and the book flies off the shelves. It’s kind of embarassing. Ghee is a lot of things to me, but mostly it was a bit of a distraction. I needed to take a break from the Crossworld Saga and try something new and different and that was Ghee and it was incredibly worthwhile. It was an absolute blast to write and there are still so many segments of the book that when I crack it open and flip through, I still find myself chuckling.
The next non-Crossworld book I’ve got planned is actually going into production in October. I can’t say a lot about it, but I can say that its a tie-in with two of my on-line serials and it will be an action story. To my understanding, it will be out by this summer.
6. I noticed on your site that you had written an excellent article on the recent tragedy surrounding pro wrestler Chris Benoit. What’s your opinion on some of the recent controversies surrounding pro-wrestling? Things like the so-called "Death List" which supposedly is a complete list of all pro wrestlers who have died young in the last fifteen or so years, or the WWE’s recent round of suspensions, or just the harsh light in general that’s been thrust upon pro-wrestling over the last few months.
To me, much of this controversy comes from misunderstanding. I’m not in the wrestling business, so I can’t comment with any authority, but I do know that by watching the news coverage of the Chris Beniot tragedy that a lot of people don’t have the full facts. Steroids are a great example and seem to have become synonymous with wrestling. The reality is that steriods are not dangerous per say. And I stress the ‘per say’ part. Taking steriods will not make you blow up into a hulking behemoth overnight. They simply allow a person to work harder than they normally would be able to, and that translates into bigger muscles. Additionally, the vast majority of steriod health hazards are found in cases where the steroids are woefully abused. It’s sort of like caffeine. Caffeine can give you a heart attack and hypertension, but only if you drink eight cups of coffee a day for a year. It’s certainly not my contention that steriods are good, not by any stretch, but to think steroids are the sole cause of the Beniot Tragedy is to do an agregious injustice to the family that died. It’s a lot more complicated than one simple culprit. And that may be why people want a simple culprit, because that would make it easier to deal with. As for wrestling in general, I think it’s easy for it to get a bad rap because it, in many ways, is like a magician’s act. If you don’t know what’s going on behind the scenes, it doesn’t take much for wild rumors to begin to circulate. I definitely think there are some nefarious goings-on in wrestling. But I don’t think any more so than most professional venues of entertainment.
7. Do you ever see yourself writing something in a completely different genre? Something not based in Sci-Fi, Fantasy, or Anime?
Oh, absolutely. Anime is only one of a large and diverse family of storytelling mediums. You have to choose the right medium for each story you’re trying to tell. And while anime and sci-fi/fantasy will always be my bread and butter, there are some stories which just need a different outlet. Look at Zippy the Pinhead by Bill Griffith or Bloom County by Berke Breathed, or Boston Legal, or the West Wing. Those ideas would never work in anime and I’d definitely like to try my hand at some stories along those lines. Also, my grandmother was always trying to get me to write some children’s books, so I’d like to do that before my career’s over and I’m run out of town on a rail.
8. Getting back to Anime and fandom for a moment, I was wondering. Despite Anime’s explosion of popularity in the last decade and some change, there still seems to be the misconception in the U.S. that it’s a medium for children, lacking in substance and maturity. Whether this is because it’s animation-based, or because of things like Naruto and Pokemon is unclear to me. Why do you think this misconception by non-fans continues? Do you see it ever improving?
I see it improving now. As more shows become popular, they invite in new fans. And at conventions, kids are bringing their parents to the cons and the parents end up finding one or two titles that they’re interested in. More and more people, while they may not have a good idea about what anime is, they have a better idea about what it is not, which is that it isn’t just Disney. Most people, I think, percieve of anime in terms of extremes; they are aware of the kids shows like Naruto and Pokemon or they’re aware of the hentai. So on either end, they are less aware of everything in between. I think there are always going to be people who are biased against anime, and animation in general, relegating it to the kids section of the video store, just like some people are biased against sit-coms or video games. But I think things like Ani-Monday on the Sci-Fi Channel and the anime cable channels that are popping up and the anime films that are being released nationwide in theaters, they’re all helping people who might not know what anime’s about to discover it. In a lot of ways, this seems like a great time to discover anime.
9. Are there any areas of writing you’ve yet to explore but would like to? Screenwriting, for example.
Not really. It’s funny, with all my talk about wanting to explore different mediums, I’m not terribly into trying out different formats. Things like scripts and poetry have just never done it for me. I would like to write more and regularly in a graphic medium (comics/manga), but something so far out of the normal spectrum of writing I’m just not quite into.
10. Everyone who attends conventions, Anime or otherwise, always seems to have a couple of good stories, whether it’s about something strange, horrifying or hilarious they’ve seen, that they feel like sharing. Feel like sharing one with people who may not have any idea as to what goes on at these things?
I’d love to. Sadly, litigation is still in progress on that topic, so I’m afraid a courtorder forbids me from talking about it. Pity too; it was good.
11. If I’m not mistaken, you’ve written fan fiction yourself. And you’ve also had your own work emulated on a couple of occasions? What’s your opinion of fan fiction as a creative medium? Does it deserve to be treated as seriously as any other facet of writing, such as original fiction?
Fan fiction, in my opinion, is like writing with training wheels. It’s a great way for aspiring writers to develop their writing skills and for more experienced writers to try out some unique techniques that might not work without the reader having a pre-established idea about who the characters are and what their relationship is. It can also be an absolute hoot just for the fun of some of the fan fictions. It doesn’t sound like a good idea, but I read a Ranma 1/2 – Dune crossover fic that was…okay, good isn’t the word I’m looking for…entertaining. Fan fiction has some remarkable qualities that recommend it.
That being said, it is taken to an absurd extreme from time to time. Anyone who has ever inserted an original character into a fandom either needs to have a REALLY good explanation as to why, or needs to get slapped upside the head by a rabid cosplayer. And if you’re inserting yourself into a hentai fic, at least have the decency to not share that with anyone.
I see fan fiction as a training technique. And collections of fan fictions are no different than collections of sketches. And there is very much a place and a beauty all it’s own to either format.
12. What’s up next for you? Any projects on the horizon?
Well, like I said, I’ve got a new novel which is going into production at the start of October and I’m finally turning my attention to moving my books from the indie publishers to one of the big publishing houses. I’m also looking at doing some web comics, or perhaps some print comics, in the next couple of years if the stars align. There’s going to be a lot coming out with my name on it for the next couple of years at least and when it’s all said and done, there’ll be something for everybody.
Copyright C 2007 Gabriel Ricard