1. What’s your favorite song to dance to?
One time I was at a party and “This Must Be the Place (Naïve Melody)” by the Talking Heads came on and I leaned over to the person next to me and said, “This is my favorite song.” And she said, “Everyone likes this song.” That made me feel really bad. So now I don’t share this kind of information with anyone. I can’t tell you.
2. Describe your personal hell.
My personal hell would be living in a society that doesn’t value writing/art so that I’d have to get a job doing something that I have no interest in doing for eight hours everyday because I need a special kind of paper that will allow me to buy food and water and shelter so that I don’t die.
3. What’s something that always makes you laugh?
When I’m at work (I work at a pharmacy) and I can’t understand what a patient is saying to me. So I keep saying “What?” “What?” “What?” And then I give up and laugh and then they laugh too. And no one gets what they want.
4. You’re sucked into a bad movie and you have to choose a point in history to live out the rest of your years. What time do you choose and why?
I’d choose about 5 or 6 hours ago. I was in my bed, half awake, barely knew who or where I was. It felt amazing.
5. What’s a gif that you can relate to?
I can’t. I don’t know what those are. I’m out of touch.
6. You’re hit by lightning. What happens?
I’ll be okay. I’m not going anywhere. I’ll be here forever.
7. It’s snowing outside, how do you feel?
If it’s snowing outside, I feel like a million bucks or I feel like Joseph Grantham.
8. What’s a cat picture you can get behind?
I like this picture of my friend Bud Smith holding my cat, Tammy Wynette.
9. Where did you write most of your book? Why?
I wrote most of my book at a bookstore in Manhattan called McNally Jackson. I wrote it because I didn’t know what else to do. I had to write it. I was pissed off and sad and the book was my friend. And it gave me something to do at work besides “work.” “Work” is boring and dangerous and not very rewarding.
10. What are your struggles and strengths as a writer?
My strength is that I believe in what I do, and when I’ve written something good, I know it’s good. I don’t get bogged down by much. I don’t do this because I want an end-product, I do this because what else am I going to do? I take the work seriously. It isn’t a joke, it isn’t carefree, it’s work and I like it. Don’t fuck around. Only a little bit. My struggle is the internet. God, I can’t wait to be off the internet one day. It’s a distraction. And it’s cliquey. It’s mostly a waste of time.
11. Tell us a little about your writing process. What works, what doesn’t, what doesn’t but you still try anyway?
If I’m home, I go upstairs and sit at a desk and drink a lot of coffee and bang things out. And then come back to those pages later, the next time I have a chance. And I edit them until they’re good. This usually works. If I’m at work, I use a pen and write on whatever is available. I get interrupted by phone calls a lot and that is frustrating. All of this usually works, if it ever isn’t working then I just read a book and remember that there’s no rush. Keep the fans a little hungry.
JOSEPH GRANTHAM was born in Kansas City, Missouri. He grew up in California. He read books for awhile and wrote bad stories and poems and went to school. Not much happened. He lost his virginity when he was 18. He got his BA from Bennington College. He still reads books and writes. He runs Disorder Press with his sister.
