I am a noir and humor enthusiast, so my writing tends to blend the two. But, as the adage says, “Write what you know.” My recent novel, Blood Will Have Blood, is no exception. Both a crime thriller and a satire of 1980’s NYC theater scene, it draws deeply on experiences that hold personal meaning for me—that are, in fact, integral parts of my background. I felt compelled to write about them (in a fictionalized form that takes many liberties, of course!). Below are five influences that shaped the setting, story, and characters found in my novel:
- Hell’s Kitchen
When I arrived in NYC in 1984, this fabled part of the city was to become my home for several years. It was colorful, seedy, populated mostly with a blend of Irish American and Puerto Rican residents, and teeming with a wild, stimulating energy that was addictive. Sure, it was rough—and my studio apartment was in a dilapidated tenement with an absentee landlord—but the streets sang out great stories, as did the Irish pubs and corner bodegas. I’m glad I was able to immerse myself in it before gentrification masked over the vibrant, rough diamond of my memories.
- 1980s NYC
Reagan, shoulder pads, gelled hair, and finance bros—but also CBGB, experimental performance art, break dancing, and graffitied subway cars. And the city was a lot cheaper then! Soho was an abandoned industrial spot increasingly populated by edgy artist pioneers in incredibly large and rundown lofts. Independent movie houses and bookstores abounded, and nightly choices ranged from the punk scene around Tompkins to the materialistic bacchanals at Studio 54.
- Off Off Broadway
In the 80s, you could throw a rock and hit a small, shoestring theater company doing performances in converted spaces. I saw a lot of really awful theater—and performed in my share of it (like the punk rock-influenced Euripides play I suffered through). But there was great creative energy fueled by wonderful companies: Circle Rep, Wooster Group, PS 122, and many more. If an actor wanted to work, it was there (yeah, okay—maybe in a small black box theater on a street that only the brave would venture to, but that was part of the experience!).
- Macbeth
As a young actor, I was obsessed with this play. Macbeth speaks more lines than any character in Shakespeare, even though it’s one of the Bard’s shorter tragedies. In some ways, the play is a long monologue interrupted by action and dialogue, one man’s sleepless descent into total nihilism. I chased this play like I was questing for the Holy Grail, never to find myself in a decent version. (The awful production of Macbeth featured in Blood Will Have Blood is not far off from my actual experience.)
- James Cagney
The Irish American gangster is a powerful trope in American culture, one that factors strongly in my novel. While no character is truly like Cagney, his ghost haunts the pages. Cagney’s gangster creations set the template for the fictionalized version of this dynamic, charismatic, gritty, funny and homicidal archetype. From Public Enemy to Angels with Dirty Faces, Cagney’s characters are the figures all Irish American gangsters are measured by. Ever since age five, when first riveted to White Heat on my old black and white, I’ve revered him. Who wouldn’t, after seeing him yell “Top of the world, Ma!” while standing on a gas tank and shooting bullets into it.
