F2K Ep. 20 Novelist Mike DeCapite

Fun 2 Know Podcast

Writer and novelist, Mike DeCapite is on today's show.. In the late eighties DeCapite began building a cult audience for his free-floating fiction when punk legend Richard Hell's literary magazine CUZ excerpted DeCapite's unpublished novel “Through the Windshield” in its first three issues. The novel is a gorgeously-written reverie to Mike's hometown of Cleveland as seen through the eyes of a young working class dreamer being given a tour of racetracks and betting parlors by his tale-spinning older friend, Ed. DeCapite's love of music imbues his work, which contains many musical references and his work has attracted an audience especially among musicians. Mike has done numerous liner notes for releases from the jazz band Curlew and as we post this episode, Mike has just completed a reading with the acclaimed singer/songwriter Amy Rigby in their hometown of New York City. Coincidentally, our last guest, documentarian Robert Gordon mentioned after our interview that he was still hoping to direct a film based on DeCapite's THROUGH THE WINDSHIELD as his first fictional film. Mike's work, as well as the work of his novelist father Raymond DeCapite can be found in Harper's ITALIAN AMERICAN READER, Red Giant Books has reissued a paperback edition of THROUGH THE WINDSHIELD and you can get a kindle edition of the fascinating book through Amazon, as well his short work CREAMSICLE BLUE and chapbooks RADIANT FOG and SITTING PRETTY. You can find Mike and buy his work direct at Sparklestreet.com I've known Mike since the mid-90s when we struck up a fast friendship over the counter from the record store where I was working, Streetlight Records in the Noe Valley neighborhood in San Francisco. We met weekly for a few years Monday nights at his place for dinner while Mike was working on his wonderful but as of yet unpublished novel, RUINED FOR LIFE. Meeting in the Chelsea neighborhood of NYC, we discuss Cleveland, Alice Cooper, Dylan, writing strategies, the changing landscapes of New York and San Francisco, drinking, not drinking, autumnal love and much more. Mike is one of my most lively and humorous conversationalists I've even had the pleasure to know and its a special pleasure to capture some of his wit and wisdom for the show.