Eric Shapiro on the chopping block

Tonight we find Eric Shapiro on the chopping block. Eric's feature film RULE OF THREE premiered this month at the Fantasia Festival in Canada, where Ben Siegler, the actor who plays Jon Morrow in RULE OF THREE, won the Best Actor Award.

Eric has also written three acclaimed novellas and a collection of short fictions. Now that the pleasantries are over, it's time to twist that knife...

ERIC SHAPIRO IS INTERVIEWED BY MARTIN ROBERTS

MR: Is there a defining moment in your life that helped you in your decision to put 'pen to paper'?

ERIC: Nah, it’s been going on since I was little. I can’t remember when it started. Probably long before I began to read. (!)

MR: Apparently there is mention of nine muses or Greek goddesses who presided over the arts and sciences. Do you have any particular muses of your own?


ERIC: My wife Rhoda is a constant muse, whether she’s filling me with the blissful, holy light of pure, unfiltered inspiration – or flatly telling me that my latest work sucks and I have to start all over again.

MR: Warning! The following question developed its own basic awareness and decided that it was to be broken into two separate entries each with secret names that have long been forgotten.

To date, you have published several novellas, a collection before branching into films.

Can you tell us anything that stands out for you after the publication of these books and more importantly will they improve the readers' sexual appeal?

ERIC: The mention of sex trampled over the question’s unnameable first half. Will readers’ sexual appeal be improved? You tell me, Martin. You’ve read all the books, and your eyes are looking positively lovely.

MR: I'm standing in the vast and cosmic space of a retail outlet; in one hand I have STRAWBERRY MAN, in the other a packet of 12 economy light bulbs. Why should I choose to purchase your novella?

ERIC: Because the fact that you actually located a copy at a retail outlet constitutes a miracle, and the bulbs, my friend, are simply no miracle.


MR: What are your feelings on the specialist press and/or self publication in general, and how do you imagine a mainstream publisher should present your fiction to the public?

ERIC: Self-publishing is fine if you have authority before you do it – like if you’re an expert on water polo who wants to write about water polo. But if you’re just a nobody with your hand in your shorts, pounding out fiction with your free hand, self-publishing equals self-indulgence. Go out and test your work in a competitive market. I imagine a mainstream publisher should present my work to the public rapidly, immediately, and with unending gusto.

MR: Are there three works of art the world can't live without? These can be books, paintings, film, music etc.

ERIC: I love that question, but I don’t think there are. What did the guy in “Hurlyburly” say? “Nothing is necessary. Not a goddamn thing.” As long as there’s art in general, the world’s a better place, but I perceive no hierarchy at the top of which exist “necessary” works. Shakespeare’s about as close as I might wager.

MR: Last but not least, what's next for Eric Shapiro?

ERIC: After I rescue you from that insane asylum, I’m gonna do everything I can to get another feature film off the ground. Maybe you can work on it!

MR: Ladies, Gentlemen, and all things in-between, please put your hands together and pull them apart, repeat the process until your arms ache and your hands tingle, for our guest Eric Shapiro.

Eric Shapiro is the acclaimed author of Its Only Temporary, Days of Alison, Short of a Picnic and Strawberry Man.

To find out more about Eric's work visit www.myspace.com/ruleofthreethefilm