Thanks, freaks.
I was talking with some other copywriters the other day (along with some kids who want to be copywriters), and we got to rapping about who or what taught us to write ads (aside from other ads). Mostly, for me, it was a handful of really talented people who were kind enough, and patient enough, to show me how to do some stuff. And I will forever be in debt to 'em.
But there were a couple books, real favorites of mine, that taught me a lot about writing. Or maybe what I mean is that they were the kind of writing I wanted to do -- even though I was cranking out ads instead of Real Writing -- and I stole from them mercilessly.
First up, FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS: A SAVAGE JOURNEY TO THE HEART OF THE AMERICAN DREAM by Hunter S. Thompson. My best friend James and I discovered HST in high school. I've since read this thing at least 20 times. It was the first "non-fiction" book I'd ever read that felt like a novel, or that didn't feel like the reports I was writing for class.
Later, I really dug how Thompson used the rhythm of his words. Just read the first page out loud and you'll see what I mean. The library in downtown Doylestown, PA, had a first-edition hardback of FEAR AND LOATHING that I covetted as a 17-year-old. Wonder if it's still there?
Next is Ed Sander's mighty THE FAMILY: THE STORY OF CHARLES MANSON'S DUNE BUGGY ATTACK BATTALION. When I was a kid -- fifth grade, Cary, NC -- my Dad had a copy and I used to just stare at the crazy pattern of Baja Bugs on the front. It really grabbed me. Good thing I didn't try to read it back then. I wasn't quite ready for Sanders' investigation into "group-grope" and "creepy-crawl."
What this one taught me was that you can inject wit and humor into some pretty nasty stuff if you know what you're doing. Ed will construct a pretty heavy, straight, informative paragraph, then cap it off with some sort of sarcastic remark. And I loved the fact that he'd make up words and phrases to suit his purposes -- the above-mentioned "group-grope" is a good example -- and you'd know exactly what he was talking about. Frank Zappa was a master of this, too.
(It's also cool that while Ed was writing THE FAMILY, Iggy Pop and The Stooges were staying in the same Hollywood hotel while they recorded their best album, FUN HOUSE. Musta made for some fun times around the pool.)
Anyway, where artists find their inspiration has always been fascinating to me. And I'm awful proud that a couple of my chief influences fly the tattered flag of Freakdom.
And no, I don't tell clients their brochure or website was inspired by books on dope depravity and Charles Manson.
But there were a couple books, real favorites of mine, that taught me a lot about writing. Or maybe what I mean is that they were the kind of writing I wanted to do -- even though I was cranking out ads instead of Real Writing -- and I stole from them mercilessly.
First up, FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS: A SAVAGE JOURNEY TO THE HEART OF THE AMERICAN DREAM by Hunter S. Thompson. My best friend James and I discovered HST in high school. I've since read this thing at least 20 times. It was the first "non-fiction" book I'd ever read that felt like a novel, or that didn't feel like the reports I was writing for class.
Later, I really dug how Thompson used the rhythm of his words. Just read the first page out loud and you'll see what I mean. The library in downtown Doylestown, PA, had a first-edition hardback of FEAR AND LOATHING that I covetted as a 17-year-old. Wonder if it's still there?
Next is Ed Sander's mighty THE FAMILY: THE STORY OF CHARLES MANSON'S DUNE BUGGY ATTACK BATTALION. When I was a kid -- fifth grade, Cary, NC -- my Dad had a copy and I used to just stare at the crazy pattern of Baja Bugs on the front. It really grabbed me. Good thing I didn't try to read it back then. I wasn't quite ready for Sanders' investigation into "group-grope" and "creepy-crawl."
What this one taught me was that you can inject wit and humor into some pretty nasty stuff if you know what you're doing. Ed will construct a pretty heavy, straight, informative paragraph, then cap it off with some sort of sarcastic remark. And I loved the fact that he'd make up words and phrases to suit his purposes -- the above-mentioned "group-grope" is a good example -- and you'd know exactly what he was talking about. Frank Zappa was a master of this, too.
(It's also cool that while Ed was writing THE FAMILY, Iggy Pop and The Stooges were staying in the same Hollywood hotel while they recorded their best album, FUN HOUSE. Musta made for some fun times around the pool.)
Anyway, where artists find their inspiration has always been fascinating to me. And I'm awful proud that a couple of my chief influences fly the tattered flag of Freakdom.
And no, I don't tell clients their brochure or website was inspired by books on dope depravity and Charles Manson.
posted by Toby Roan at 9:01 PM
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