Author: Zach Boddicker
Published: Last Chance Press
Date of publication: July 2017
What can an
award-winning Nashville singer-songwriter learn about himself by agreeing to a
best-of tour in a beat up old van? If it means getting out from under the thumb
of a label that considers him washed up, he’s willing to find out. At least until an ex-lover wants to come
along for the ride.
Carl Mahogany’s not your average protagonist. In the practiced drawl of the
aging country singer, and echoing Edward Abbey’s Henry Lightcap, Boddicker
takes us across the country in an Americana-steeped journey through Mahogany’s
roots. Encounters with old friends and lovers, including the Eisenhower
Interstate System, a firecracker tenured professor, former bandmates, and a
down-to-earth small town mechanic, shake the dust out of Mahogany’s creases to
revision his life.
If a lifetime of
travel, songwriting and performing equates to learning to work with the
monsters inside us, The Essential Carl
Mahogany is that journey. Grab a six pack, settle into the cushions, and
come along for the ride.
Q&A with
Zach Boddicker
What inspired The Essential Carl
Mahogany?
The answer to this may be lost to
history. I do remember having gotten to the point where I refused to watch any
more musician/artist biopics and documentaries. So many of them follow the
rise-fall-redemption paradigm, focused on industry pressure and substance
abuse. There are so many other ways to
depict the complex trials of a successful, working artist. Having written
several short stories in college, and unaware of any novel written about a
professional songwriter, I decided it was time to go for it.
Where did the moniker and personality of Carl Mahogany come from?
The name “Carl Mahogany” came from
a quip made at a backyard 4th of July horseshoe tournament I attended in 2005,
and it just stuck. When I started the book, I wanted an artist-protagonist who
could feasibly reach the top of their game with no college degree, trust fund
or traces of nepotism; someone who could still move about the general
population without being noticed. If I were to run into a real version of a
songwriter like Carl, I’m not sure I would recognize them - even with being
familiar with their work.
The Essential Carl Mahogany is the first novel published by M12 / Last
Chance Press. How did you two connect - and what made them decide to publish
your book?
Richard Saxton (Creative Director
of M12) happened to be at a 4H Royalty show at the Lion's Lair several
years ago. I didn't meet or speak with him that particular night, but we
eventually connected, and with their company focus on rural art and
artists, I insisted that we collaborate.
I contributed a short story to their first publication A Decade of Country Hits: Art on the Rural
Frontier. After Carl won
an unpublished novel contest a few years ago and made the finals in another,
Saxton said “why don't we put out your book?”
Do you see yourself in any of your characters in the book?
Definitely - there’s some aspect of
all of the main characters, except Lloyd. Bill, Carl and Rhonda are all pretty
good improvisors when it comes to handling the disruptions and chaos of life.
Their sense of humor enables this more than anything. Carl takes several more
beatings than anyone else in this story, but he keeps grinding forward with his
new project. Bill and Rhonda have gone through their own messes previously and
have earned their ability to see the humor and absurdity of all of the
knuckleballs that have come their way. I suppose this is why I identify with
these characters the most. It’s an ongoing aspiration, at least.
Are any of those six a favorite of yours?
It depends on my mood. I’d probably
choose Rhonda as my go-to character. She’s naturally non-judgemental, an
improvisor, focused, highly-skilled and unapologetically passionate about what
she does.
You’re a musician, as well as a writer. How long have you been a
musician and what type of music do you play?
I've been playing guitar since I
was 10, and then picked up pedal steel at 19. I started playing bars at 18 with
a “modern country” cover band, which led to me starting a “classic country”
band with Ben O'Connor (Halden Wofford & the Hi-Beams, Matt Skinner
Band). No one was doing that up in Fort Collins at the time, so
people started coming to check it out.
One of these individuals was Karl
Alvarez of Descendents
/ ALL
fame. He brought me on board with Drag the River, which to that point was just
an acoustic duo. We got the full-band version of DTR going, and I spent about
five years recording and touring with them.
My main project since 2008 or so is
a four-piece band called 4H Royalty. It’s been more of a long-term art project
than a working band. People have described our sound as a combination of the
Replacements, Billie Joe Shaver, Thin Lizzy, Meat Puppets and late-seventies
Springsteen.
So, given your history in music, were any parts of your story inspired
by real-life events?
From the start, I anticipated receiving accusations that this
story is just a thinly-veiled autobiography, so I over-compensated by making
sure nearly everything that happens in this book is made from scratch (to the
best of my ability). None of the major plot points have happened to me, or to
anyone I know personally, but several minor plot points, characters, details,
and locations are based on, or influenced by, real-life experiences, hearsay,
and unreliable memories. Several!
What do you think will surprise readers most about your book?
The depiction of small-town/rural
humans as creative, dynamic individuals with complex lives and diverse
opinions.
What fascinates you about writing?
I like the act of smashing
conflicting or disparate ideas/philosophies/conventions together and seeing
what happens.
What about music?
Same as above, though a three or
four-minute song isn't the ideal vehicle for a complex story. It's more of a
flash-fiction exercise, with some elements of poetry involved.
What authors do you like to read? Any that have been a particularly
strong influence on your own writing?
Kent Haruf, Kurt Vonnegut and Larry
McMurtry have been consistent favorites over the years. I’m currently working
my way through the Goodreads Literary Westerns list, and researching the
lesser-known pulp western writers of old.
Do you have any plans for more books in 2017 and beyond?
I have a handful of
somewhat-developed ideas for future novels and short stories. One seems to be
wanting more attention than the others, so I’m in the outline stage with that.
It will involve a younger protagonist and his escape from a quasi-religious
commune, and his adventures thereafter. I’m anticipating there’ll be truck
drivers, journalists, motorcycle club folks and all sorts of local color
scattered about.
Praise for The Essential Carl Mahogany
“With internal dialogue to match Nick Hornby at his
best (see High Fidelity), and
external dialogue that’s reminiscent of early Don DeLillo (See Great Jones Street, possibly the only
musician-novel that I dare to compare to this one), author Zach Boddicker has
crafted an elegant, oddball, and unapologetically funny tale of ex-Nashville, ex-famous,
and ex-boyfriend Carl Mahogany and his existential mission to recover his soul
in a tumbleweed junction on the Great Plains of Eastern Colorado. Rarely have I
seen so much wit mingle so comfortably with such an honest portrayal of rural
America's anarchic spirit."
— Gregory Hill - author East of Denver, The Lonesome Trials of Johnny Riles, Colorado Book Award recipient
"The
story of a successful country songwriter trying his best to live a hassle-free
existence, of which he is only marginally successful. Full of great dialogue,
humorous observations and dry wit, The
Essential Carl Mahogany is a strong debut."
About the author:
Zach Boddicker grew up living the country life north of Laporte,
Colorado. Ever more interested in rock
bands and art than hunting, sports and other traditional red-blooded American activities,
it was when he finally got his hands on a guitar that his journey into a life
of music was catapulted into action.
In his formative years, Boddicker
listened to and learned from everything he could get his hands on, but found
direction one Monday night at a poignant performance at The Continental Club in
Austin, Tex. by country guitar legend Junior Brown. This steered the author and
musician toward honky-tonk, country and western swing.
Boddicker holds a B.A. in English
and a MFA in Fiction from Colorado State University, which have proven useful
for his endeavors into publishing. In 2014, his short story “Equipment” was
published in “
A Decade of Country Hits: Art on the Rural Frontier” (Jap Sam Books / M12 Studio). His
first book “
The
Essential Carl Mahogany” (2017), which has been deemed evocative of
Nick Hornby, Hunter S. Thompson and Don DeLillo, is the first novel to be
published by M12 Studio / Last Chance Press.
In addition to his work as an author, Boddicker has been a staple of the Roots
Music scene along the Front Range for 20 years as a member of
4H Royalty,
Cowboy Dave
Band,
Drag the River, and many others. He currently resides in
Denver with his wife and two daughters.
