For years, Neal Pollack has been the Greatest Living American Writer, and now he's gonna rock Baltimore like it's never been rocked before. Or at least that's what he says. This type of braggadocio is pretty typical of Neal, an Austin-based writer and one of the world's last great satirists. His entire career is basically one big self-promotion. In an interview with The Onion, he said "I'll send people my used condoms. I'll French-kiss a moose. Anything to sell my book."
Pollack graduated from Northwestern University's undergrad journalism program and started his career as a reporter for a small Chicago newspaper, but he soon found, by writing parodies and reading them at poetry readings, that his real talents lay in humor.
He moved to Austin, and with the help of buddy Dave Eggers (bestselling author of A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius) published The Neal Pollack Anthology of American Literature, a collection of brilliant and hilarious essays with titles like "Portrait of an Andalusian Horse Trainer," "The Albania of My Existence," and "A Country House in the Country," and Beneath the Axis of Evil, a send-up of war journalism.
At the same time, Neal was operating his political satire blog, http://www.nealpollack.com and touring the country giving readings. He soon developed a small cult following because of his crowd-pleasing rock-"n-roll style book tours, which include live music, juggling acts, mild public nudity and theatrical skits. "I try to put on a show with whatever resources I have," Pollack told the News-Letter in a recent interview. "It's kind of a punk-rock idea ... you know, that whole do-it-yourself aesthetic. I really believe in that."
At the same time, Pollack has a deep reverence for his trade. He believes that he is lucky to be doing what he loves to do for a living, and he has considerable scorn for writers who don't appreciate their readership. "If you want people to take an interest in your work, you really have to build a community around your writing. I never want to be one of those faceless writers."
And no one knows how to build community ties like Neal. "I asked a guy to buy me a beer [at a performance] in Pittsburgh, and then I dumped it on his head. I was really proud of that one. But the guy loved it. He and I still email to this day."
"And then," he adds, "[the band I was performing with and] I played a cover of "Hot for Teacher'."
Neal Pollack's latest book, Never Mind the Pollacks, is the story of a rock "n roll journalist and his adventures through the history of rock. True to form, Neal is on tour in support of the book with his "stupid, silly garage band," the Neal Pollack Invasion. Despite his relative newness to the scene, Neal promises that his show at the Talking Head next Thursday will be "the best rock show in Baltimore this year." His last performance in Mobtown, which was attended by about 50 people, was actually hailed by Baltimore magazine as the best rock concert of the year. The low turnout, he tells me, was due to a conflicting show that night by the White Stripes.
In another twist of originality, Pollack's book comes with a soundtrack by the band. The songs, most of which appear in the novel, are hilarious send-ups of Lou Reed, the Stooges, and plenty of other proto-punk and garage bands. Neal honks and hoots like a chicken on "The Ostrich," the best dance number since "The Locomotion," and delivers a biting challenge to both the literary and music worlds on "I Wipe My Ass with Your Novel." But Never Mind the Pollacks (the album, that is) is no joke. The Invasion actually rocks, which gives me hope for the show.
The tour, which covers the eastern seaboard this fall and the west coast in the spring, was financed by online donations in a campaign of Howard Dean-esque proportions. Neal urges all potential fans to come out in support of the Invasion and the tour. I mean, he really does need the money.
"I'll never forget what it's like to be hungry," he says. "To want. In fact, I'm hungry right now. That's why I can't forget."
