Kevin Maloney is the Portland author of “Cult of Loretta” and his new novel “The Red-Headed Pilgrim” is out now on Two Dollar Radio. He spoke with Michael Schaub about the book, which he says is “half-true, half-fiction.”
Q. Is there a book or books that you always recommend to other readers?
The book I recommend most, the one that has a cult following of which I am definitely a member, is Denis Johnson’s Son of Jesus. This year I can’t stop recommending “Teenager” by Bud Smith, “Tell Me I’m an Artist” by Chelsea Martin and “Duplex” by Mike Nagel.
Q. What are you reading now?
I always find myself reading two or three books at the same time, usually two fiction and one non-fiction. Currently, they are “The Year of the Buffalo” by Aaron Burch, “Now Is Not the Time to Panic” by Kevin Wilson, and “The Art of Happiness” by the Dalai Lama and Howard C. Cutler.
Q. Is there a book you’re nervous about reading?
Every time Scott McClanahan releases a new book into the world, I’m both nervous and excited to read it. He’s so talented and I respect his writing so much that I worry he’s going to completely turn my opinion of books upside down and I’ll have to go back to whatever project I’m working on and completely change it. For similar reasons, I get nervous when I read books on mindfulness and Buddhism, because I know it’s going to crack me up and I’ll end up giving up bad reality TV for a while and trying to live a more thoughtful, thoughtful life.
Q. Do you have favorite book covers?
I’m obsessed with late 60s/early 70s Richard Brautigan covers, the ones that feature a black and white photo of Brautigan with one of his female friends or girlfriends. My absolute favorite is the paperback version of “In Watermelon Sugar,” which features a sinister-looking Brautigan next to a woman in a floral dress. There is no title on the cover or the author’s name, just a quote from the book: “In Watermelon Sugar, deeds are done and re-done as my life is done in Watermelon Sugar.”
Q. What books are you planning or hoping to read next?
The books I am most excited to read in the next few months are Aesthetica by Allie Rowbottom, Bad Thoughts by Nada Alić, Earth Angel by Madeline Cash, and Dispatches From Puerto Nowhere by Roberto Lopez.
Q. What’s a memorable book experience—good or bad—that you’re willing to share?
There’s a scene in my novel that’s taken straight from real life, where the protagonist is reading Kurt Vonnegut’s “Slaughterhouse Five” while living in a tent located in a cow pasture in the hills behind a Wild West-themed attraction in Helena, Montana. There were cows around the tent, chewing grass and mooing as I read, which I think Vonnegut would have appreciated. It’s still probably my favorite book of all time.
Q. What is something about your book that no one knows?
There are a few Easter eggs in my novel that old Portlanders will probably catch. The high school in the book is named after Tom Peterson, a Portland furniture salesman from the 80s known for his amazing TV commercials. The rival high school is named after Ramblin’ Rod, the host of a local 80s TV show that featured Looney Tunes cartoons and a live studio audience made up of children, on which I once appeared as a seven-year-old.
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What’s Next on ‘Bookish’
Bookish’s next free event will be our second annual Noteworthy Celebration, SCNG’s salute to 10 Southern California authors whose books have left their mark. Expect to hear from our honorees along with host Sandra Tsing Loh, my colleague Samantha Dunn, and myself on February 3 at 5 p.m.