Landry is currently working on an album with Mark Rubenstein, a singer/songwriter from Gray. You can find “Fool Star” at www.amazon.com, www.borders.com and www.bn.com. To find out more, Switch caught up with Landry and asked him about his latest creative endeavor.
How have your experiences as a musician influenced your writing?
Dare I say that although my latest novel, “Fool Star,” is fiction, many of the ideas for the story lines are based on faction — embellished story-telling that began as a matter of fact.
How would you describe “Fool Star”?
“Fool Star” is a tale of a traveling musician and performer named Tony, whose undiagnosed tendencies toward a sad psychosis and schizophrenia eventually spawn action fitting for the sociopath few know exists. It is a survivor’s tale from an insider about sex, drugs and rock and roll on the road. While Tony reflects on his life, the reader examines the connection between Tony’s stolen childhood and the man he is becoming. Tony’s thoughts corkscrew through relationships and dissect experience. Conflict, constituted by his diligent, street-smart intelligence and high emotional quotient, unwinds in the end to offer a bold finish and delicate beginning.
Is the process of making music similar to writing a story or poem?
It is, in that there is always a beginning or intro, a body, an ending and dynamics throughout. Making music implies instrumental performance, but if we are talking about writing music, there are other similarities (at least for me). Virtually everything I write starts with very bare-bone ideas, be they words, phrases or sentences. I then form an outline to define some sort of logical sequence. Once that is done, I go back and embellish on each of the parts I’ve noted. Inevitably, more ideas blossom as I work on the song or story. I firmly believe that songs tell their own stories, much like a book does. There is a theme, conflict and resolution in either case, one way or another.
Are there certain writers or genres that you identify with?
Oh, there are truly too many to mention! My bookshelves hold more than 600 books ranging in genres from light fiction to hard, forensic science, non-fiction mysteries, reference books and beyond. I identify with, and I am influenced by many authors — from Vincent Bugliosi to Stephen King to Deepak Chopra. I also find John Irving’s work irresistible.
What do you have planned for the future?
I have a new novel I am working on (“Above Beyond,” due out at the end of the year), I will continue to promote “Fool Star” and I have a music project to produce an album which will eventually be shopped on both coasts.