Robby Auld on space travel, why rust is the new black and how he became a scary reviewer.

I’m so glad to have blackmailed Robby Auld (henceforth known as RTG – Robby The Great) into giving me this interview! For those of you who don’t know of him yet a) you will and b) he’s a fierce reviewer for The Nervous Breakdown & Modern Romance (his own blog). Oh yeah, and he’s 16!!!!

 

JGH: In your lifetime, do you think people will be able to travel into outer space as tourists? If it’s possible, will you go?

RTG: How great that would be! I would go. I’m a very reclusive person, yet I also have this incredible yearning to travel and see the world. I was just recently in Philadelphia, which I loved, and I’ve been to a few other states, but what I’d really like is to get out of this country and spend time elsewhere. I’ll likely continue the cliche of the young American studying abroad in Europe. There is so much culture to see in other parts of the world, and to think of the culture that is beyond this world, even in the solar landscape, fascinates me. If we’re ever able to travel into outer space, though, I’m sure it will cost more money than I will ever have to spend. For now, my eyes are set on France.

 

JGH: How did you start reviewing books?

RTG: I don’t remember what led me to begin reviewing, but it was about 3 years ago. At the time, not many of my friends read outside of English class and, if they did, they were ashamed of the fact, and didn’t want to talk about it. On the other hand, I did want to talk about it. I realized I had a lot to say. Writing book reviews helps me process my thoughts and gives me an outlet the same way writing poetry or fiction also does. I learned that quickly, and have found that I often feel a need to write a review after finishing a book, to give myself and my reading experience a semblance of closure. Truthfully, I didn’t want to do my homework. That is the simplest answer.

 

JGH: Why do you think dystopias are so popular right now? What does this say about your generation?

RTG: In English class, the first unit we went through at the beginning of this year was “Disillusionment of the American Dream”. We’ve focused on American Literature, and it’s been great. We read Steinbeck and Miller and Fitzgerald and discussed success and fulfillment and the inevitability of disappointment. All of those topics have carried over from nearly a century ago, from multiple centuries ago, to now. With technology rising in importance and the international recession being unpredictable as it is, more and more people are looking to escape, and escaping into a story about this imbalanced present isn’t always enough. Dystopian writers create futures that are either ideal or far worse, utopias that appear ideal but are just as dysfunctional as any society. My generation wants perfection, both internally and externally, both personally and universally. All generations want this. And to again bring up the disillusionment, all generations will, inevitably, be disappointed.

 

JGH: If you could rewrite the ending to any novel or movie, what would it be and why?

RTG: Even if I could, I wouldn’t. I prefer unresolved endings. There is a certain amount of closure that is needed for any story or work of writing to be successful, but I want loose ends, because there are always loose ends, realistically, even if the loose ends themselves are unrealistic. Happy endings are improbable and impossible. The first example I thought of was GATSBY, which I mentioned earlier we read in English this year, and which has become one of my favorite books. The ending is unsatisfying and perfect, or as near to perfection as possible, because there are questions. I want to be left wondering.

 

JGH: If you were stuck on a desert island for six months and could only take your iPod or pen and paper, which would you choose and why?

RTG: I would take pen and paper, preferably an unlimited amount. I love music, playing it and listening to it and seeing it be performed, seeing the reactions of people experiencing it, but I feel most connected to myself and to my surroundings and to what doesn’t surround me when I am writing. I have an older iPod, so it only holds music, but I would give that up. The world is music. A car just drove by my house, and that is music. The wind is blowing, and that is music. My fingers on these keys are music. And plus, six months later, I’d return to it. Without a pen and stray piece of paper, I would not be myself.

 

JGH: Which do you think sounds more fun, the 70’s or the 80’s? Would you have wanted to live in either time period?

RTG: Both, and yes. Any other time period would be a privilege to live in. I’m glad I’m living here and now, though. Life is messy and chaotic and profound and unfair and it would be that way regardless of the specific day and decade. Social networking has gotten me where I’ve gotten with my reviewing, and connected me with writers such as yourself, and without it, the process would have been much longer and more difficult. I’d go anywhere, really, but I’m content with the life I have the pleasure of living.

 

JGH: Who is your favorite author (and even though you want to say it’s me, sorry, but you can’t because it will look like a set up)?

RTG (Rule-breaker): Asking me to pick just one is so, so cruel, Jennifer. You are high on the list, and I mean that. I was not prompted to say that GIRL UNMOORED is a work of art, but I believe it. Lorrie Moore is up there, along with Emma Straub, Joan Didion, Jorie Graham, Virginia Woolf, and more. These are all women. That is an insignificant statement.

 

JGH: Do you think you will ever get your driver’s license?

RTG: No. If my mother has her way, yes. Ask her.

 

JGH: If you do, and you bought a car, what color would it be?

RTG: I would like my first car to be hideous and crumpling. If all goes well, it will be multicolored, but mostly rust.

 

JGH: If you were to create a series around a Super Hero, what attributes would you give him (her?), and would he/she wear a cape?

RTG: They would be a human! I actually bought a cape at Six Flags a few days ago, for a boy. In my mind, even waking up is a superhuman ability. They would have crooked teeth and smile regardless. Though my teeth aren’t terribly crooked, a smile is hard to maintain. And we’re all our own villains, so the resolution of the story would be conquering ourselves, which doesn’t strike me as too heroic. Now that I think of it, that is pretty heroic. Did I answer your question?

JGH: Yes, you were all I had hoped for and more. Thank you for coming on my blog today. Go Rust!