Hillary Carlip
Author
of Queen of the Oddballs interviewed by Matt Borondy
Hillary Carlip makes me feel lazy. Sure, we're
both editors of popular literary websites. (Her site, Fresh
Yarn, receives like a million hits a month and describes
itself as “Part literary publication, part virtual spoken-word,
all personal essays.”) But I've certainly never eaten fire
on the Gong Show, appeared in an '80s movie with Tom Hanks, started
a all-girl band, done commentary for NPR, designed websites for
Jennifer Aniston, baked bread for Carly Simon, or done film-script
rewrites for Disney. All of which (and much more) are accomplishments
of the one and only Hillary Carlip, who details those events and
more in her offbeat memoir, Queen
of the Oddballs: And Other True Stories from a Life Unaccording
to Plan (HarperCollins, May 2006).
You've dedicated quite a bit of your life to publishing
other people's personal essays, between your Girl Power
book and your Fresh Yarn website and other places. What
motivates you to help so many people tell their stories? What have
you found to be most rewarding about your stint as a publisher?
I know how important writing has been for me. Especially growing
up -- it was like a tool for survival. Since I experienced first-hand
how powerful (and fulfilling) creative self-expression can be, I
want to do everything I can to encourage and support others in expressing
themselves. It's been incredibly rewarding to hear stories
of how writing has helped someone, AS WELL as hearing from the readers
who have been inspired.
How did your experience in working with other people's
personal stories help you to learn about yourself and develop this
memoir?
The more you immerse yourself in the genre you're writing in, the
more it can inform your own writing. I've learned so much about
memoir writing just from reading and editing hundreds of personal
essays for FRESH
YARN, and paying attention to what works and doesn't.
What makes a good memoir?
A really unique story, that’s interesting and moving --
but as different and unusual the circumstances are, there are still
universal themes running through that make the story relatable.
Why do you think the genre has been increasing in popularity
lately?
Maybe since we can’t really trust what’s going on out
in the world right now, people are looking more inward for answers.
Into themselves AND others.
You've definitely had a full life, between your activism
and writing and music and film and web design--not to mention baking
bread for your "friend" Carly Simon. With so much going
on in your life and seemingly so much still to come, how did you
decide that now was the time to write your memoir?
I've always let myself be guided and do what occurs to me -- that's
a lot of what Queen
of the Oddballs is about -- letting myself do things unaccording
to plan. So just like when I decided to start an all-girl, all ex-con
band, or learn how to eat fire, it just felt like it was time to
write my memoir.
What sort of space does music take up in your life these
days? Can we expect your novelty band (Angel and the Reruns) to
make a massively belated comeback (maybe in Bachelor Party 7)?
Well, we did just finally release our first
full-length CD (available at
CDBaby.com!) so a reunion tour can’t be too far behind!
As a 15-year-old you used to memorize Zen quotes and call
them to mind during stressful times (when, for instance, your brother
freaks because the FBI is "after him"). Does the Zen worldview
still resonate with you? Are there any philosophies that you strongly
identify with or that inform your oddballness?
I say something in the King Case chapter in Queen
of the Oddballs about thanking all the forces at my spiritual
buffet. Zen still resonates with me, as do many other UN-organized
religions and philosophies. What informs my oddballness is a combo
platter of philosophies, having to do with fully embracing who we
are, and going for life fully within that. I always felt like an
outsider but instead of feeling ashamed of it, or feeling separate
or alone, I decided early on to go for it fully. To not only embrace
it, but celebrate my oddballness.
Being an oddball seems dependent upon one's surroundings—a
hippie, for instance, would seem like an oddball at the RNC but
not so much at a Phish concert. Do you ever find yourself in crowds
where you feel like the straight-edge, normal one? Or is your definition
of oddballness based entirely on the idea that everyone is odd in
her own way and that you are more able to run with your oddballness
instead of conforming to your surroundings?
There are some lyrics to a Bangles song, written by Jules Shear,
that really says it all for me.
“Some have a style they work hard to refine so they walk
a crooked line
But she won’t understand why anyone would have to try
To walk a line when they could fly.”
You've been an activist since a very young age and volunteered
for John Kerry's Ohio campaign in 2004. What do you think about
the recent assertions (by RFK, Jr., and others) that the Ohio election
was stolen? Who would you like to see run on the Democratic ticket
in '08?
I'd put nothing past the current administration. And why not
pick a candidate right out of Queen
of the Oddballs? Ex-Gong Show host, Chuck Barris!
With his autobiographical tell-all book, and subsequent movie, Confessions
of a Dangerous Mind, where he details going from bumbling
game show host to CIA assassin, he's certainly a more convincing
liar than our current president.
Chuck Barris would be a great choice for president. Maybe
you can be his running mate...
Sign me up on the Gong Show ticket! =)
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