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Austinist Author Interview: Sarah Bird
Austinist: If the offer were out there, how would you go about writing a book on Phil Hartman’s life, but not his real life? Like, Phil as an astronaut, masseuse, or some sort of professional ballet dancer or something?
Sarah Bird: Like all sad little people who are compelled to amuse, to “be funny,” Phil was a hollow shell wrapped around a thin layer of repressed aggression, shot through with insecurity and competitiveness, all covered in a candy coating laced with strychnine. So, essentially, for me, this would be an autobiography.
Austinist: There’ve been so many classics which blur the lines between defined and defined-by for their era. The Old Man and The Sea. King Lear. Watership Down. What kind of book do you think the world needs today?
Sarah Bird: It needs the one I am working on right now about the important lessons I learned from adopting a discarded mutt who changed my life and turned out to be a sparkly vampire guy who wouldn’t have sex with me but just wanted to nuzzle gently until I fell asleep and had excellent tips on developing rock hard abs.
Sarah Bird: We love to think of Austin as the tiny blue island in a sea of angry red, but once you get much past Barton Creek Mall you are heading into the Purple Zone. In my neighborhood for example, very close to the intersection of MoPac and 2222, the streets were awash with Bush signs during the past two elections. My Gore and Kerry signs were regularly stolen. Our fleet of knee-jerk Volvos were paint-balled. In this election, my neighbor across the street just erected a giant effing sign pointed directly at us so that it is all I see when I wash dishes.
The Color Purple? You're looking at it. [referring to photo, most obviously]
Austinist: How Perfect Is That is set in Austin, you live in Austin, Austin-Austin-Austin. How would you say that a city such as ours treats writers in general? Perhaps a comparison to say, dudes in bands, or politicians?
Sarah Bird: Austin is, has always been for me, a dream world for a writer. When I first moved to Texas from New Mexico, I was stunned by what a bizarre state this is and how insanely boosterish all the residents are. Being an outsider here was such a gift. Since I wasn’t raised in Texas, I never had to deal with The Texas Myth which so many great Texas writers have spent so many pages either or venerating or reacting against. Fortunately, that was never an issue and I’ve been free to simply pillage the treasure trove of material that Texas in general and Austin in specific offers.
Austin treats writers phenomenally well. It was my incredible good fortune to end up in a city that is madly in love with itself and loves reading about itself enough to buy books.
How does this compare to bands & politicos? Austin is far better than most cities about supporting rather than eating her young. This is the healthy side of the general Texas boosterism and I have benefited enormously from this impulse.
Austinist: Its already been proven that Austinist likes you. A-lot. Want to talk about Austinist for a minute? Totally up to you. We love you either way.
Sarah Bird: Just so you know that I am not cooking up an answer specifically to pander to Austin/ist, here is what was printed in the San Antonio Express…
Bird's back for more laughs Web Posted: 06/14/2008 06:28 PM CDT By Steve Bennett Express-News Book EditorThe book comments on the old Austin when it was intimate and hippiefied and free-spirited with the new tech-millionaire, buttoned-up Austin. Can Austin's soul be saved? Actually, I would have to say that Austin’s soul has never been healthier. I am currently madly in love with Austin because every time I turn around I am discovering ever more fun playmates. I am crazy about the kind of people who are gravitating to this city. I’m finding it more hippiefied and free-spirited than ever and some of that does have to do with the tech money. First of all, this new dough is very far from buttoned-up. Certainly less so than the money that used to predominate here. Tech money was fast and it was vast and it ended up in the hands of relatively young, extremely risk-appreciative types who are pumping it back into the city in ways that reflect this temperament. The big bonus is that tech money added enormously to the pool of people in Austin who are professionally creative. [They took out the following] One upshot for me is that I’ve been involved for the past year with the Dick Monologues. [Shout out to Austinist Columnist Spike G!]
In fact, no paper has yet to let me mention The Dick Monologues, so I now call it The Richard Monologues.
As for The Austinist, I think you all are adding to the pool of creativity.
Austinist: Is there anything about this years’ Texas Book Festival that you want to highlight, other than the gift of your participation?
Sarah Bird: Yes, now that he has seen the light, I am very excited that I can now come out of the closet with my love for Christopher Buckley, a great satirist. Alexandra Fuller, who wrote “Don’t Lets Go To the Dogs Tonight,” and has a new book out about the personal tragedies inflicted by Big Oil, will be on a panel with the freakishly smart Robert Bryce called, “Bubblin’ Crude.” That will be good. Richard Price was an early influence. Also looking forward to hearing Andre Dubus III, Philip Gourevitch, and Francine Prose.
