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LBC CenterStage
"She's Got Star Power"
A Conversation With Brenda Martinez
by Sander Roscoe Wolff
 
Brenda Martinez holds down a steady day job as a teacher but, when she's not in school, she keeps her keen eyes open for the interesting characters that inhabit her stories and songs. An author, poet, musician, and style-maven, she has self-published her first novel, Toe Dancing In Frenzied Circles, and fronts Squeak Toy, an eclectic performance group that defies easy categorization.
She is currently working on a new novel.
LBC: Lots of people talk about writing a novel, but few actually do it. What motivated you?
Brenda: Well, I've always loved to write. It started at around the age of 14 when I started keeping a journal, of course! That progressed to writing short stories about my experiences and then one day I thought, I'll write a novel! So I started to string these short stories together in a very Burroughs-esque sort of way, with a common theme running through them! That first venture was called, 'The Narcissus.'
LBC: What was the common theme that tied the parts together?
Brenda: My experiences as a human being, whether imagined or real.
LBC: Would you say that you are a narcissist?
Brenda: That's a difficult question to answer because I am and I'm not. I love myself and hate myself all at once and what happens is that they equal each other out. I vacillate between the 2, depending on the situation and my mindset. It's not as desperate as it sounds.
LBC: Is it your intention to maintain this stasis, or do you hope that, at some point in your life, your self-love will overcome your self-hate?
Brenda: For the most part, my self-love does overcome but the self-hate sneaks in there from time to time.
LBC: How does this conflict influence your writing?
Brenda: Oh, it doesn't necessarily. Because when I'm writing I'm usually full of love because I think that what I write is brill[ient]!
LBC: So, after 'Narcissus,' how did you come to 'Toe Dancing'?
Brenda: Well, I thought I'd give writing a novel with an actual plot a chance.
I felt that the Narcissus was deeply personal in a very open way and with Toe-Dancing I could be personal in a more covert manner.
LBC: Did you have the idea for your story before your Grand European Tour, or did it come from that?
Brenda: That's great that you asked me about that Euro tour I took. That definitely came before I got the idea for Toe-Dancing. Writers should write about what they know and I figured that I know music and, after spending a long stint in Europe, I thought I'd link the 2.
LBC: So, in a few words, give me an overview of the story.
Brenda: The heroine of the novel, Cordelia Blues, has some musician friends on tour in Europe. All of a sudden, their keyboard player, Mark, quits the band so they call on Cordelia to help them out. Cordelia is an accomplished musician and she's up for adventure so, during her summer break, she hops on over to the continent and starts her journey toward the band. While she's searching, she realizes that there are other freaky music kids who are after her so she spends her journey slipping through their fingers and putting clues together. The novel is full of hi-jinks and laughs.
LBC: There is also this vague frustration, for me, that it shouldn't be that hard to hook up at point A at time X but there's always something that gets in the way.
Brenda: Yes, and what gets in the way of Cordelia is this band of Eurotrash called 'Ovarian Trolley.' They're armed with explosives and rhymes. Cordelia should be very afraid but she ain't 'cause she's got star power.
LBC: Also, doesn't she miss a few trains due to heavy partying?
Brenda: Metaphorically, yes, but in reality she just gets on one wrong train in Madrid. Oh, and the heavy party is always on Cordy's menu!
LBC: Did you intentionally bring any literary influences to the writing of 'Toe Dancing'?
Brenda: The entire book, really, is full of influences. I throw everything in there. More than anything, I think, are references to art: paintings, sculptures and artists. I refer to Dali, Munch, conceptual art, and post-modern art. There are many references in my book that would cause a savvy reader to smile in recognition of the image I am hoping to spark. So mainly I've placed art references into the book intentionally. The literary references aren't so blatant. They come more from just everything I've read--like my music. My music is inspired by everything I've ever listened to, not just one specific type of music.
LBC: It sounds like you've given a nod to Henry Miller, and I remember you saying that you're a fan of Pynchon, but you're not trying to have them inform your narrative, are you?.
Brenda: Well, now that you mention it, Pynchon was a great influence in Toe-Dancing in Frenzied Circles insofar as Pynchon taught me that anything and everything can happen to your characters, even your main characters! That gave me real inspiration to give no limits to Cordelia. Cordelia can become anything she wants, she can do anything she wants. It was very freeing for me to read 'Gravity's Rainbow' for that reason.
LBC: So, Cordelia might go places or do things you'd never try yourself in real life?
Brenda: Perhaps! It's just that when I was writing the novel, I really let my subconscious rule. There are things that Cordelia does in the novel that are superhuman. She falls into a deep manhole, gashes her head and still is able to get up (eventually) and sleuth around! She gets trapped in the Eiffel Tower elevator with an aggressive Frenchman and is able to give him a bloody good beating! After the fight, she flies off the tower in supreme exaltation! Cordelia does things that I might not do, but she also does things that no one would be able to do.
LBC: Well, if you can't beat the French literally, you were able to beat them literarily!
Brenda: Yes:-) But I rather like the French!
LBC: Was this a fantasy of yours... Being superhuman?
Brenda: It's not necessarily a fantasy of mine but it's fun to imagine what Cordy can do next! When I think for a second, 'no that can't be done!' I try to make it happen and quite believably, too! I try to fool the audience into thinking that it actually happened. Like when Cordelia saw the giant crab in the manhole!
LBC: Kurt Vonnegut played around with the idea of being God to his literary creations, and feeling somewhat remorseful for the difficulties he put them through. Do you ever feel bad that Cordelia has to struggle so?
Brenda: I felt bad at the end of the novel because, in a way, Cordy was a bit beat down. I tried not to make her so, I wanted her to overcome and succeed, and she did, but I think the audience can still feel that she's a bit exhausted and needs a vacation from her vacation. She triumphs but at a slight cost, and not necessarily a negative cost, to her being.
LBC: If you don't mind, I'd like to ask about the decision to self-publish... As I said before, lots of people talk about writing a novel, but few actually do it. Of those that do, many give up after failing to land that big book deal. Why did you forego all that and just bite the bullet?
Brenda: I felt it was easier to just publish it myself than to go through the process of getting it published by another press. Even if I had success at getting it published by someone else, I would've had to do most of the marketing on it. So, I thought, why not just do it myself. Yes, it cost me some duckets but I thought it was worth it. Also, after working on it for so long, I wanted to see it in print and be done with it so I could start my next project. I wanted closure. The process one goes through in trying to getting it published is quite lengthy and disheartening, I experienced, so I thought it would be easier this way.
LBC: How did it feel to hold a finished copy in your hands?
Brenda: It felt terrific! I was so excited. We had a huge party for it at the Que Sera with 4 of my favorite bands playing! I was so proud of myself and everyone joined in congratulating me. I was beaming! The party was way cool, too, and I read in between the bands!
LBC: That was in 2000. Since then, what has happened with the book?
Brenda: Well, I have been able to sell, give away and put in consignment about 250 copies. I have about 750 copies left. I plan to take a book tour this summer up the Pacific Northwest to put more copies in consignment. I have been able to also get it into distribution through Last Gast in San Francisco. Jon Longhi helped me secure that deal and I have sold a few copies through their catalog! It's also available through Amazon.com! Yeah!
LBC: Have we heard the last from Cordelia, or will she be returning for more adventures?
Brenda: She's definitely returning for more adventures. I have another book planned for her but this one will take place in Cuba. The tentative title for that one is: Aaaah, Cuba! or How Cordelia Saved the Cuban People from Castro's Communist Regime
LBC: Is it mere coincidence that, shortly after you published Toe Dancing, you took a trip to Cuba?
Brenda: No, the timing was very calculated and precise!
LBC: Is she going to seduce Castro?
Brenda: I'm not exactly sure, but that's a good idea. And maybe, just as he's laying her down to slip her his Spanish sausage, she'll stab him in the gut! Just like that! Bam! Bam! Bam! And that'll be the end of Castro's Communist Regime!
LBC: I take it that you frown upon the People's Government?
Brenda: Well, yes and no. Have you noticed how it's always a dichotomy with me! Hey that rhymes! I have decided that the book will not be entirely anti-Castro's government. I know that Castro has done some good for his people, and the world at large, and those incidents will be included. However, Castro's gotta go! And Cordelia's just the one to do it. She will succeed where other have failed. (The others, like the rest of Western Civ!)
LBC: Lets switch gears again, Brenda, and talk a bit about your other creative outlet....
Brenda: Sure what would you like to know about cock fighting? I mean, Squeak Toy. (I knew you were talking about the band!) Squeak Toy is an amalgamation of everything sonic in this world. It also has other arts folded into it, like the dramatic arts, dance, and performance. Squeak Toy is not your average white band. Squeak Toy is a rock-en-espanol band that sings in English. Squeak Toy is something to be experienced, not just heard. It should be made into a virtual reality video game. Never mind that, we are that virtual reality video game! All you got to do is show up when we play and we'll provide the headphones and specs! When I say that Squeak Toy is not your average white band I mean that Squeak Toy is not your average white boy rock band! That's better and more like it!
LBC: One of the things I've noticed about Squeak Toy is that the pieces are quite often character-driven.
Brenda: Yes, I love to tell stories. I don't write about relationships. I leave that up to all the other bands.
LBC: You create little musical tapestries where you explore the lives of different folks.
Brenda: Yes, musical tapestries, I like that. I do single out people I've met or have imagined and write about them. One song devoted to each person. People fascinate me.
LBC: One of my favorite characters, and one you've not celebrated recently, is the orthodox Jew you met in NYC. Tell me about him!
Brenda: Yes, that boy was a very interesting cat. He was not only Orthodox, he was verging on Hassidic. I met him in NY and we started talking. Told me he was homeless and living at the local synagogue. Wanted to marry me because I had a job and could support him while he would stay at home and literally be my houseboy. He said he would feed and walk my dog, do the chores, pay bills, be my agent.
LBC: That's SO romantic...
Brenda: It was romantic. . . .NOT! If anyone's gonna stay home and be an ARTIST that person's gonna be me! Not that he wanted to be an ARTIST. He just really wanted to stay home and pray and read the Torah on his time off from the chores, etc. I was tempted but I decided against it eventually.
LBC: In the piece you wrote about him, even though you depicted him as an out-of-touch nutcase, you did so in a rather sweet way. I think your portraits are painted rather lovingly, even if they are of questionable characters....
Brenda: I think you've picked on something very crucial, Sander. What an astute ear/eye. I do paint my crazy characters in a loving way. They interest me enormously and, no matter how sick in the head they are, deep down inside they're still folks, like you and me;-)
View Brenda's LBC page and events
Learn more about Sander Roscoe Wolff
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