A
Punk Noir
Interview
with
Steve Stark
Do you know those annoying TSA guys at the airport, the ones that rifle through your luggage when you spent an hour that morning packing the case, the ones that make you take your shoes off? Yeah, those guys.
I used to be one.
At 4am when normal people were sleeping I was at the airport telling people they couldn’t take their nail scissors onto the plane.
I disliked that job immensely. Hated it.
But it was also one of the best jobs I ever had.
Do you know why?
The people.
The people I worked with made it great. Some of the funniest, most interesting and kind folks I’d ever met.
I still have a lot of funny stories and a lot fond memories of that London airport.
To be frank, Twitter is the same for me.
I hate social media and joined 4 years ago out of necessity. I live in Japan and desperately wanted to connect with other writers. Let’s be honest, with the constant bombardment of adverts, meaningless Twitter beefs, posturing and other assorted social faux pas most wouldn’t do in the ‘real world’, Twitter can be draining. Much like a job at one of the busiest airports in the UK.
But, 70% of the people here are awesome. Genuine. Supportive. Kind. You all make it worth the trip.
When I first joined Twitter and only had a handful of followers, one of the very first people who supported me was Splatter Punk author Steve Stark. Not only does he have a very cool name, he’s a talented author and an all-round mensch. He’s one of the good folks I’m talking about.
I’m happy he agreed to an interview here at PN.
So without further ado.
Steve, thanks very much for agreeing to the interview, mate. We’re going to do a few serious questions and then a few not so serious ones.
To kick things off then, can you tell our readers a little bit about how you got your start in writing and the whole lit scene? Your origin story if you will.
English lit was the only school subject I enjoyed, aside from phys ed. My lovely teacher would give us story assignments with rough guidelines, and I would always turn in this outlandishly violent stuff which would somehow earn decent grades. Although at the time I figured she was grading my work objectively based on technique, how I followed the brief, I think she might’ve been secretly amused by a lot of the mad shit this little kid was coming up with.
After leaving school I didn’t have much reason or inspiration to write until I started working security in nightclubs. Back then it was a more volatile scene in all sorts of ways, and I must’ve recognised I was living through rare times because I began to privately document my exploits, omitting incriminating details to protect all parties of course.
My first attempt at fiction didn’t occur until a decade later, during a period of unemployment. It was a tough experience as anyone who’s been there knows and I remember feeling incredibly frustrated and depressed. Back then, I was living in a basement apartment on a street full of pubs and takeaways and had trouble sleeping most nights with all the noise and lights. I wasn’t the only one struggling. The town itself seemed to be in a state of decay. Jobs were scarce, businesses were closing and many of my friends were taking dark turns in life. Worst of these was the disturbing news an old mate had been imprisoned for attempted murder. It all fed into this angry state of despair which culminated not in a breakdown thankfully, but with a terrible fever dream. I still remember that dream vividly. In it, my girlfriend was being stalked by a knife-wielding killer down a maze of back alleys and I was pursuing him to intervene but could never seem to get close enough. They were always just out of reach, until I woke up lashing out like in the movies.
After I calmed down, I felt this compulsion to write, to just let it out on the page and this dark, demented narrative came bursting out of me over the course of a single day. That story would eventually become “Spring-Heeled Jim” and is now collected in my anthology Violent Ends.
Back then I submitted SHJ to a publisher and made it through to the final round of their selection process, but ultimately wasn’t accepted. To this day I don’t know if they were just being kind to a first-time author and giving me a confidence boost by taking the story that far. But it definitely encouraged me. I was eventually published in an anthology for Hellbound Books and from then on, for better or worse, I was all-in on writing.
Why do you write?
There’s undeniably a therapeutic element to it for me, based on how it first came about. But in general, I just love it. I get an incredible satisfaction and sense of achievement from what we do. I mean it’s bloody sorcery. We’re putting words down in a certain order and from that we’re conjuring images and feelings in the minds of complete strangers. To begin with I did it purely for my own satisfaction. I enjoyed the process. Then once I started to get feedback it took my drive and mindset to a whole other level. I’m utterly staggered whenever I see a review or get a comment on social media and it’s from someone on the other side of the world and they’re telling me they love something I’ve written, that it gave them a positive experience. Few things in life can beat that feeling.
You’re perhaps best known for your splatter punk books Violent Ends and a Hot Dose of Hell.
Firstly, how do you define splatter punk?
And how did those books come into fruition? What were your aims when you first started out writing them?
Splatterpunk is extreme in all aspects, characters, concepts, action, gore. It’ll take you to the brink of your tolerance and often beyond, which is where we all sometimes need to go. Most would classify Splatterpunk simply as graphically gory horror, a diversion from the suggestive, slightly cosy kind. But there’s a subversive, anarchic element to it as well, a vein of social commentary running through. I point to James Herbert’s “The Rats” as a prime example of the genre and a perfect entry point.
A Hot Dose of Hell is my reaction to the epidemic of virtue-signalling behaviour we’re seeing today. I thought it’d be funny to take characters like that and put them in an extremely dangerous, violent situation where their performative beliefs would be peeled away, leaving their true natures exposed. I contrast this with the bravery and heroism of some very rough characters because in my experience the most decent people, the ones who will step forward when there’s a crisis, certainly aren’t the ones concerned with saying the right things on social media, or even in real life. It’s our actions that truly define us.
I also wanted to shine a light on the homeless crisis and drug addiction. My challenge there was to present the ugliest elements of that lifestyle yet still elicit sympathy from the reader, or at least some understanding. But don’t get me wrong. First and foremost, Hot Dose is a gruesome, fast-paced, darkly funny thriller and my ultimate goal was to take the reader on a HELL of a ride.
Violent Ends is an anthology. I’ve always loved an anthology. Clive Barker’s Books of Blood were a huge influence on me, as was Tales from the Crypt (both on screen and in comic form). The aspects I loved most about those influences were the unconventional lead characters and the grim morality at their core. In Barker’s world the monsters weren’t always the villains and in TFTC the most villainous characters were usually the protagonists on their way to receive some just desserts. My intention with Violent Ends was to put my spin on that style and in the process stretch myself as a writer. You’ll find there’s a broad cast of characters between the three featured stories, a varying tone, and far more fantastical horror creatures than I’d conjured before. It’s been said that I upped the gore as well. I personally thought Hot Dose was nastier, more wince-inducing, but the scale might be grander here.
What advice would you give to up and coming indie authors?
Go for it. Write what you’d like to read. Write what’s in your heart. Don’t be scared to push buttons if the story calls for it and don’t fear rejection or criticism. Writers must develop a tough skin so we can look at both objectively and take what’s useful. For example, someone might point out a flaw that you’ve overlooked, others might just be acting in bad faith. And make sure you’re writing for the only proper reason – because you love it!
What are your plans for the future and what are you working on now?
I’m currently working on a nasty little revenge thriller. A sort of gangland slasher set around Scarmouth town, the same fictional locale as Hot Dose and Violent Ends. It’s a whole new cast of characters, but there may be some easter eggs or cameos as long as it’s organic and logical. I’ll just have to see who shows up.
After that I have another batch of short stories which I’ll eventually release as an anthology and the rough concept for a sequel to Hot Dose. This time it’d follow citizen journalists going into Scarmouth to investigate the events of Hot Dose, only to find themselves in an even more grim situation. I’d be exploring the nature of journalism with various members of the group representing differing attitudes. In the middle of the carnage there’d be arguments between sensationalist liars and principled truth-seekers. I also intend to bring back a survivor from Hot Dose. Not saying who yet though.
What novel are you reading at the moment?
I’m currently flitting between a collection of Robert E Howard stories and another collection by Richard Matheson. Two of the greats. When I’m deep into writing a project I prefer reading stories in one sitting and keeping it varied. I find if you read a lot of any one author you can often pick up their habits, a bit like spending a lot of time with a friend who has a strong accent, and I want to keep my style as unique as possible.
The last novel I read was J.L Engel’s A Dangerous Man. That’s a belter of a thriller. Like an X-rated version of Liam Neeson’s Taken.
What music are you listening to recently?
I’m usually cycling between the same bands and acts I’ve been listening to for most of my life, Morrissey and the Smiths, Queens of the Stone Age, Alice Cooper, The Misfits, Link Wray. The Prodigy have kept me going through recent workouts. John Carpenter’s albums and scores set the perfect mood when I’m writing.
What’s your favorite punk song?
It has to be the Pistols’ “God Save the Queen” a furious expression of working-class frustration at a system which at best ignores us and at worst abuses us. It took some balls to make that statement back then.
Favorite noir novel?
James Ellroy’s “The Black Dahlia”. It’s both a gripping mystery and a raw exploration of Ellroy’s feelings about his own mother’s unsolved murder. One of my favourite books of all time.
Favorite piece of art?
Frank Frazetta’s Conan covers rank among my favourite pieces. I actually reference the cover to Conan the Destroyer in a scene from Hot Dose. They’re all so beautifully bold, detailed and kinetic. I love Hokusai’s Great Wave off Kanagawa for the same reasons.
What is an issue you care about deeply?
I want more support provided for those suffering from addiction, including earlier access to rehab. I’ve seen far too many lives ruined by drugs and alcohol.
Describe your writing style in three words.
Gritty.
Graphic.
Gruesome.
Three favorite indie novels?
That’s tough to choose as I’ve discovered so many fantastic authors in the last few years. But the top three have to be John Davies’ gritty, psychological crime thriller “Muscle”. The first outing of Nick Horvath’s already iconic pulp hero “Sledge Vs the Labyrinth”. And the action-packed yet thought-provoking spy thriller “Lost Causes” by the legendary host of the Red-Pilled Fiction Factory, Richard Nichols.
If you could go on a drinking binge with 5 writers alive or dead who would you choose?
Aside from the three legends mentioned above, I’d pick James Ellroy, Irvine Welsh, Clive Barker, Phillip K Dick and Eddie Bunker. A nice balance of characters for what would probably be a very wild lad’s night out.
If you could choose a movie death to go out to what would it be?
A few come to mind. Leonidas in 300 is a bloody good one. The way he goes out with a pure defiant “fuck you” that inspires his countrymen to take a stand against a tyrant. What a legacy to leave with your final act.
I also like Bodhi’s end in Point Break. The bank-robbing surfer says: “It’s not tragic to die doing what you love” before riding the ultimate wave all the way to the other side.
But to be honest I hope it’d be something like Brando’s Don in The Godfather. It’s funny, at the time I first saw it I thought the scene was an underwhelming, anticlimactic end for the character. Now I can’t think of a more wonderful way to spend my last moments than playing in the garden with my grandchildren, should I be fortunate enough to have any.
What song do you sing in the shower?
If I sang in the shower I’d soon have the police at the door. The neighbours would think someone was being tortured.
Would you rather have a New York Times mega one hit wonder or a small cult following that lasts forever?
Small cult following that lasts forever.
What would you like written on your gravestone?
A good bloke.
Bio:
Steve Stark is the author of the novel “A Hot Dose of Hell” and the anthology “Violent Ends”. An avid fan of crime and horror fiction, he tends to write a mixture of both. Steve draws inspiration from a misspent youth in an impoverished corner of Britain and an imagination fuelled by 80’s video nasties and pulp paperbacks.
His short stories have been published by Hellbound Books while his horror-related articles can be found at NoSellOutProductions and Whatculture. Steve has appeared on several YouTube book channels such as Beardofdarkness and the Red-Pilled Fiction Factory, discussing his work.
You can also find him on Twitter @starkterror88 and goodreads.
A Hot Dose of Hell –
Violent Ends –
(Interview by Stephen J. Golds)
Stephen J. Golds was born in North London, U.K, but has lived in Japan for most of his life. He speaks the language pretty well and makes great takoyaki.
He writes primarily in the noir and dirty realism genres and is the editor-in-chief of Punk Noir Press.
Punk Noir Press 