Featured Interview With Jim George
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born, raised and still live in Reading, Pretzelvania, a city once known for shopping outlets and pretzels.
(No pets, only pests: the neighbor’s three shrieking tiny dogs. One barks, one squeals, one snorts like a pig.)
I’m a writer-artist-songwriter-singer-musician. For my hometown newspaper and some (inter)national magazines (Starlog, Guitar World, Prevue, Guitar), I have interviewed many names from the arts, including such legends as Gore Vidal, Muddy Waters, Carl Perkins, Bo Diddley, Steve Allen, Tony Bennett, Jean Shepherd and Willie Dixon.
My songs have been used in the background of several television shows, including Burn Notice, Fresh Off the Boat, My Name is Earl, The Secret Life of the American Teenager and Vanished, as well as in the independent feature film Neo Ned, starring Jeremy Renner and Gabrielle Union.
As a performer I have been a support act for such artists as Sonny Landreth, Joe Louis Walker, Savoy Brown, Simon Kirke, Ian McLagan, Eddie Money, Walter Wolfman Washington and Starz, among others.
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
From very early on. My parents always read to me and I loved books as far back as I can remember. I began writing and drawing as a child, making my own little books with silly writings, illustrations and fake ads, a la Mad Magazine.
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
The authors who inspired the writing in my first book, Jim Shorts, are Lewis Carroll, James Joyce, John Lennon and Edward Lear. I was always fascinated by wordplay, surrealism and so-called nonsense verse.
Tell us a little about your latest book?
Jim Shorts is a humorous collection of 50 stories, poems and drawings which I’ve compiled over many years. Owing to the influence of the aforementioned authors, the style is densely wordplayful and rife with puns that reference television, films, art, literature, music, geography, history, etc. The humor is black, absurdist and wacky, with crazy characters doing crazy things.
Jim Shorts is available as a PDF from my website just below.
Connect with the Author on their Websites and Social media profiles
Jim George says
Thank you for featuring me on your page, Vinny. Much appreciated.
Vinny O'Hare says
Thanks for taking time with us.