[Shinrei]

Could a modz type person please locate the bwoody interview and move that to the HoF please? Thanks!


Interview as follows:



1) How were you introduced to the Malazan series?

Ah, the summer of 2006.

I worked in an independent bookstore the summer after my first year in college. Fantastic store, which I still go to sometimes, but it was a strange job for a few reasons. I was primarily responsible for the return of books that didn't sell, and since a good chunk of the staff were involved in the buying of books, I was kind of kicking their babies to the curb sometimes. I was also possibly the youngest person there (at 19, most were in their 40s) and the only non-hippie/hipster, sports-playing, non-Xena loving person there. The atmosphere was great and tolerant of me boogieing to funk on the radio in the back room while I did my work, but there wasn't a whole lot in common with the staff there other than the love of good books.

So I did my job pretty well and quit when it was time to go back to college in September. Anyways, bookstores get advance reading galleys (copies) of whatever books the publisher wants to test out or push. As usual, there's often too many ARGs for the staff to get through and a pile accumulates. Towards the end of my time there, I decided to go through the intimidatingly large pile for anything worth reading and this book with the title "Memories of Ice" stuck out. For one thing, it was completely white, with zero art other than a stylized font for the title, while all the others were colored and spiffed up. It had a decent blurb on the back and it was pretty hefty. I took a look at it and went "Hmm... either the publisher is incompetent or they believe the actual words will sell this. Might as well take a look." I'd seen brief one line recommendations of this series elsewhere online, but nothing really sold me until I had the actual galley in my hand.

So I ended up reading MoI first, with GotM second and DG third in late July and August of 2006.

2) What brought you to Malazan Empire forums?

I once posted for a short time on Dragonmount, and went through some of the Urth discussion threads for Gene Wolfe's New Sun books so I was familiar with good SF series having an online discussion group. After finishing DG, I went "This series is ridiculously awesome. There has to be something on the web for this." Went to Ze Google, punched in Malazan and forum, this site popped up and I went through the book forums to see what people were saying.

Right off the bat, I noticed that the discussion on this site was immediately far and above the WoT people in terms of analytical ability and depth of insight (partly due to the source material and partly due to the kind of people it attracts) and it was much more accessible and less fixated on religious-based exegesis as the Urth mailing list was. I lurked for maybe a month before registering.

3) What's with the Amphibian love? Is it coupled with Reptile hate?

Growing up, I was extremely comfortable with being in the water. As a toddler, I'd chill out in the bath for hours at a time and swimming pools, rivers, lakes and oceans were equally fun places to spend entire days romping in. My mother used to joke sometimes that I had a little frog in me (she's some kind of British/Scot/French mutt). Somewhere in my late teens, I picked "amphibian" as a moniker for G-mail and it seemed like a forum handle that essentially nobody had. I was of the opinion that picking a character from the series was a bit louche.

Nah, I don't hate reptiles. Used to catch frogs and snakes here in America and geckos or small lizards in Nepal. Stayed away from snakes in Nepal, because they're vastly more likely to be the kind that can kill you with a bite or two. Only thing I don't like is spiders. If they come near me, they die swiftly and silently.

4) Do you remember your first post? What was it and who responded?

At 1,600+ I've long forgotten what exactly my first post was. I do recall that it was in the book forums, as I viewed the Phoenix Inn largely as a spam-ridden waste of time and basically never went there. It was probably in one of the threads for HoC or MoI.

5) Which members do you feel a special connection with?

I don't think there's anyone on here I'd like to 'play hide the salami with', if that's what you mean.

6) If you had 2 hours where time stopped and everyone froze and only you could move, what would you do?

Let's just say that certain entities would disappear. And perhaps certain stores would note a shortage in their inventory of scotch.

7) Any forum regrets, or arguments you wish you avoided?
Jumping all over D'rek for speculating about a book she hadn't read. Fortunately, she accepted my apology and that's about it for forum drama for me.

I definitely do not regret making fun of Drenai and his Dunkin' Donuts vigilantilism.

8) Are you kind to old people, and do you like kids?

Old people are people. Except when they drive. You people who only drive at rush hour do not understand the true menace of the Grey Terror on our streets. I've a few friends in their 70s and they're incredibly fun people to know. Wouldn't consider my experience the norm though.

Kids? I love kids. I've half-raised and coached a bunch of cousins, family friends and friends of my younger brother. Used to be a counselor at a ghetto summer camp in charge of 10 to 15 five year olds all day. Doing military presses with three kids on each arm is hilarious. Treat 'em with respect, be clear about your sticking points and you'll be fine.

9) What members would you particularly like to meet in real life?

I met quite a few of the US members at the Chicago meet-up, even if it was all too brief, and with Vengeance again recently, so I'm going to go further afield with this one:

No-God, because he's apparently been rolling jiu-jitsu for a while now with some high level guys, so I want to roll with him; RLY for a UFC card and some dwinking; teholbeddict to verify that she can actually put down that much booze and still function; and of course another Malazan meet-up, preferably in Chicago again.

And perversely enough, I want to see Marduk and his supposedly hot wife - just to see if he actually was who he said he was. I doubt it though.

10) In the pantheon of active members, where do you place the level of your power and influence?

I'm just a grump with a few specific interests. I came along later than some and earlier than others. If people listen to me, hopefully they do so based on the quality of my posts.

11) If you were stranded on a desert island with only one MBotF, which one is it?

Toll the Hounds. Timeline paradoxes aside, it's the furthest Erikson has pushed his writing abilities thus far. I applaud that courage and the success of that daring.

12) If you met Steven Erikson and you could only ask one question, what would it be?

"If hockey is so important to you, why have there been no depictions of actual sport in the Malazan world? Soldiers are famous for playing football/basketball/baseball/boxing/MMA/grappling/weightlifting as well as the usual sedentary stuff. All the Malazans seem to do is march, talk, gamble and drink."

13) Who is you favorite character from the series?

I'm tempted to say Gumble, but it's Karsa Orlong. Yes, he's rattlesnake smart, blessed with ridiculous physical attributes and has a resistance to magic/his own warren. However, he's been viciously stomped on pretty often by the world and keeps coming back bigger, stronger and smarter each time to the point where he's about ready to kill a god and possibly rid the world of short people. I like the brusque, yet subtle sense of humor Erikson has explored with him and the habit he has of constantly jumping the rails people or his destiny put him on.

14) What are your opinions about "rep"?

I think it's a good idea - a way to quickly express positive/negative opinions on posts and promote good stuff within the forums - but the rep wars ticked me off. It was an abuse of the intended purpose. Current system is nice, but the weird character limit is a bit off.

15) Who wins?

Abyss has been consistently funnier over the years. It's not a contest anymore. Except between momos and bacon - truly a tough decision.

16) What are your own little guilty indulgences?

Pecan shortbread cookies. I CAN'T STOP EATING THEM.

Due to being around women so often (family, friends and romantic interests), I ended up watching a ton of fashion/design shows like Clean House, Top Model, briefly looking at fashion magazines and listening to them talk. Initially, I made fun of everything and the women discussing/watching it, but somehow the useful stuff osmosed into me and I ended up forming actual opinions about fashion and stylistic tastes. I won't seek it out, but I will pay attention if there's something new I don't know about. I recall having surprisingly intelligent things to say in a discussion on here with Jusentanka about shoes and countless examples in real life.

However, I dress like a Hawaiian (board shorts and t-shirts) as much as I can.

17) Do you do any creative writing yourself?

I sporadically do, both short stories and blog entries. Life has a way of preventing most people from sitting down and hammering the stories out, but I honestly feel that I need a little more life experience and practice honing my voice before I can do justice to my ideas and ambitions. I've had people come to tears over short stories I've written and tons of positive feedback from people who I really respect, so I'm doing something right. However, I'm not where I want to be before I really open the floodgates on that side of me. The books and posting here has helped a bit, as it's pushed me to develop my understanding of narrative voice and how to put together truly complex stuff on the page.

18) When not reading MBotF, what are you typically curling up with?

Pain? My girl? Law textbooks?

There's no particular style of book I read. I chase Quality through everything, books, music, art, movies, food, trips, friends etc. My reading speed's a little on the high end, so it's usually something thick and complicated.

Best new book I've read recently was The Story of Edgar Sawtelle. I recently read the Gap cycle by Donaldson and it quite frankly sucked - in comparison to the Covenant books. How many times do we have to hear that a character is in emotional or physical anguish?

19) Do you keep a personal library, or do the books just cycle through your possession?

I think right now, I've over 400 books stored in a few different rooms. Some books stay in my possession, others have been passed around to my friends, they've given me good stuff to read, other books have been re-bought and passed around again because my friends pass it on to theirs (four copies of Blood Meridian and counting...) and so on. I've also collected National Geographic magazines since I was five, so there's a few tall stacks of those in an attic cabinet.

Think of it as a ball of kelp floating in the ocean. There's a core that mostly stays there, with bits and pieces being taken away or added slowly as little fish nibble at the edge and more clumps float in and periodically, a chunk goes missing as something benthic takes a swipe out of it.

20) Please bare one random little known fact about yourself for the peanut gallery please.

Hmm... could go with the 90 to 95% deaf thing, born in Kathmandu, various life experiences, but I'll explain the reasoning behind my current profile picture.

After an afternoon of drinking, my girl put on my shirt, pants, shoes, hat and gloves in a fit of whimsy. All looked very oversized on her (only 5'2'') and I found it hilarious. She challenged me to put on something of hers. I have a tendency to not say no to stuff, even strange stuff - particularly when I'm hammered - and I said "Like what? Nothing you have will fit."

"I bet I can get a bra on you." And she did.

I could barely breathe in it, but she got it on me and put a few pins in my hair too. Took pictures of it and I ended up showing the pictures to Vengeance and his wife during a dinner out on the night. They were greatly amused. A while later, Vengy insisted I put it as my profile picture and I did so.

[HoosierDaddy]

Your brain is rotting as you post.

[Shinrei]

Back me up HD. I swear the first 2 threads failed. I made the third and that one worked, and suddenly they ALL contained the interview (despite being a blank topic at the start).

I also got some fancy blank white screen with an error message on the top the second time I tried it.

Sorry for the triple post, but amphibian is just that awesome!

[HoosierDaddy]

I'll back it up. Triple post that didn't load the actual post until this one. I still had fun screwing with you in the others though.

Edit: Nice interview Amph, good information there. Enjoyed it quite a bit!

This post has been edited by H.D.: 03 February 2010 - 08:15 AM

[caladanbrood]

Woo, 60 questions with Amphibian. Special fellow




Not to seem insensitive, but I want to put Illy and Amp in a room together and see how well they manage to have a conversation...

[HoosierDaddy]

Amp:

Who'd win in a fight: Abyss or Apt?

[Shinrei]

Quote

I definitely do not regret making fun of Drenai and his Dunkin' Donuts vigilantilism.

I want further explanation on this one.

[HoosierDaddy]

Shinrei, on 03 February 2010 - 08:39 AM, said:

Quote

I definitely do not regret making fun of Drenai and his Dunkin' Donuts vigilantilism.

I want further explanation on this one.

Surely you've read the legendary, "I once beat a guy up in Dunken Donuts and Tairy said it was okay," post before?

[MTS]

It is deservedly in the Hall of Fame if not.

[caladanbrood]

http://forum.malazan...showtopic=15320

[Shinrei]

Ok, that was pretty funny.

[Tapper]

Great interview

[Cougar]

I've moved Broody and Grimhilde's 20Qs into the sub-forum as requested.

Excellent interview guys, nice to see a little verbosity from the frog.

[Shinrei]

Hey Amph, Cougar just called you French. You gonna take that lying down?

[Cougar]

Actually, didn't he say he had some French in him earlier?

[Obdigore]

Cougar, on 03 February 2010 - 10:47 AM, said:

Actually, didn't he say he had some French in him earlier?

No, but his GF did after he took that bra off.

[teholbeddict]

This was an awesome interview, really interesting and quite funny. Possibly my favourite so far.

Next time you guys are having a get together in Americaland, give me a some advanced noticed, and I'll definitely be there to prove my drinking prowess!

Fantastic job Amph

This post has been edited by teholbeddict: 03 February 2010 - 02:44 PM

[amphibian]

Obdigore, on 03 February 2010 - 02:43 PM, said:

No, but his GF did after he took that bra off.

Avez-vous un probleme, monsieur?

I recently saw an article somewhere saying that over the last ten years, there's been an actual reevaluation within the American military of the French military capabilities. They're now "surrender monkeys who take slightly longer to surrender".

[Vengeance]

Well done Amp. Great interview Shin

[Obdigore]

amphibian, on 03 February 2010 - 03:27 PM, said:

Obdigore, on 03 February 2010 - 02:43 PM, said:

No, but his GF did after he took that bra off.

Avez-vous un probleme, monsieur?

I recently saw an article somewhere saying that over the last ten years, there's been an actual reevaluation within the American military of the French military capabilities. They're now "surrender monkeys who take slightly longer to surrender".

I don't speak french, so I assume you are saying 'She sure did, what is the problem, mister?' To which I reply, 'Nothing good sir, tis but a joke.' And then your next reply is probably along the lines of 'You aren't funny' (only in fench) with my rebuttal being a muttered 'It sounded better in my head.'