Author Interview
1.How long have you been writing?
I have been writing seriously since 1995 or almost 30 years. I know that might seem like a long time but I struggled with my first book. The final copy didn’t come out until 2012. I’m working on my 7th book so they’ve come a lot faster since then.
- Can you tell us a little about your book?
My sixth book Jay Got Married, is a book of 9 humorous essays consisting of various subjects. The book revolves around one essay which carries the title of the book and centers around modern marriage and, in particular, what would happen if my wife of 43 years would suddenly pass away. Although the content sounds serious, it is handled in a very humorous manner with clipart to bring out the points. Other topics discussed are celebrity and George Orwell’s book, 1984. The book is very different and I think a lot of people will really enjoy it.
- What did you find most challenging about the book?
I find putting together the subject matter to fit the topic to be the toughest part. And getting the essay to flow properly.
Which aspect of writing do you enjoy the most?
First drafts or beginning drafts are the pits. Sometimes I want to abandon the project because the initial drafts are so awful. But once I get going, the humor gets flowing, and I can add the art, I begin to really enjoy the project. When I begin to chuckle at my own jokes, I’m really having fun.
- Are you working on another book at the moment?
I’m just starting a sequel to my first book, Fighting the Effects of Gravity: One Man’s Journey Into Middle Life. The sequel is tentatively titled, Old Age Sucks. I was just starting to feel the effects of Middle age while writing the first book but now at age 67, old age is now taking over.
Book Excerpt
Yes, apparently, violence is okay. But strangely enough, foul language in films is still a bit of a problem. Many movies are weighted down with an R for that reason—primarily the ever-popular F-word. Those 100 that I counted in the first half of a mob movie are extremely rude.
Westerns use the F-bomb. You even hear it in romantic comedies. It has a guttural, nasty ring to it. It just sounds ugly, as it comes off the tongue. That’s why many of us use it in our everyday speech. That’s why scriptwriters use it so much in gritty films. It doesn’t make for a better movie, but they think it promotes realism. I use it occasionally, but only to make a point.
Recently, I watched Airport, made in 1970, on cable. There were no F-bombs used for emphasis, and I enjoyed the movie just fine. Yes, I know, I’m getting old, but watch a “clean” classic movie like The Way We Were, and you’ll see what I mean. F-word free is to movies as gluten free is to food. Airport did move at a snail’s pace until the end, when a bomb smuggled on the plane in an attaché case by one of the passengers (Yeah, I know, that’s laughable.) was detonated. And the technology was so ancient that it was funny to watch.
Martin Scorsese apparently figures that any group of men who kill and cut each other up must use the F-word plentifully. But he has never really lived for any particularly extended period of time with a mob. He might discover that their verbal skills are quite different than he portrays.
“Hey, Scorsese,” they might say. “Why do you use all of those F-bombs in your movies? It’s an ugly word. We don’t use it.”
Sex is a whole other matter. I’ve seen some sex scenes on Cinemax After Dark that I would describe as porn. Beyond NC-17. They should’ve been rated X, if we were still using it. Too intense for regular movies. (Of course, I only watched them for research purposes.)
The trickle-down censors who control the TNT crowd are adamant about this.
“We don’t care about you adults,” they say. “We know you’re pigs. But we owe it to the innocent children to save them from this puke. If you allow them in the room while you’re watching HBO or that Cinema After Dark crap, well, shame on you! But we run a pretty tight ship. Sure, we may allow a goddammit or two. But the F-word is simply forbidden.”
Indeed, goddammit has been given the green light by just about every TV channel. The extreme moral right has a cause with this issue but doesn’t seem to care. The once taboo four-letter word shit is slipping into the mix in some circles. I heard a lot of shits in a movie on FX recently. DiCaprio’s Wolf of Wall Street had very few goddamns, and all the naughty F-words were removed, but every other invective was left in. I can’t list them here. All naked breasts were shadowed out.
I watched a Kevin Hart concert on Comedy Central in which all of Kevin’s F-bombs (and there were many) were nixed, but the shits were flowing profusely, and goddammits were running like water. Kevin uses the word goddammit like you or I would say golly or gee whiz.
Kevin might be setting himself up for a rude awakening. I can see him standing before St. Peter (if that’s indeed who waits at Heaven’s gate).
He says, “Kevin, you’ve used the Lord’s name in vain an awful lot in the process of performing His work—making people laugh. He’s very disappointed. He can forgive the rest of your colorful language, but your blasphemy is troubling.”
About the Book
Title: Jay Got Married
Author: James Robinson Jr.
Genre: Non-Fiction Humor
Jay Got Married consists of 9 humorous and, at times, poignant essays chronicling the ironies of everyday life in word and picture. Take for example the lead essay, aptly titled, “Jay got Married,” where I find myself mired in a horrendous dream.
In the fantasy, my aging father–dressed in his favorite Champion t-shirt with stains covering the front–marries my wife and I like he did 42 years ago but, this time around, the my 92-year-old ex-clergy dad forgets his lines causing me to coach him through the event with hints like: “ask for the rings, ask for the rings.” All the while, my best man sings Sonny and Cher’s, “I Got You Babe.”
Finally married, my wife and I end the ceremony with a kiss. But as I turn to exit, my eyes catch a glimpse of the bridesmaid who is no longer my wife’s best friend but now Gal Gadot from Dell Comics and Wonder Woman Fame. She is dressed in full Wonder Women regalia and looks totally shocked by the whole affair.
My mother turns to my father (now in the audience) with a quizzical look and says, “Dad, look at that bridesmaid. Isn’t that Superman?” She doesn’t get out much.
As we exit the church, and the bubbles fill the air–no one uses rice anymore—my wife ignores the limo and takes off on a sleek motorcycle, leaving me in the lurch—hence the cover.
Sure, it’s sounds crazy. But, in truth, isn’t the world of marriage crazy these days? In my case, what would one do when faced with the prospect of losing their beloved wife after 42 years? At age 67, would they remarry? Would they even want to remarry? These and other marital tidbits are discussed with humor and as much reverence as I could muster.
P.S. The author pairs up with Wonder Woman again in a final bit of photo wizardry Why? How? How are tricky copyright infringement laws avoided? Read Jay Got Married and find out.
Links
Get “Jay Got Married” from Amazon
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