Evan Mandery is dreaming no more. The CUNY professor and poker aficionado’s debut novel Dreaming of Gwen Stefani is receiving rave reviews for its depiction of celebrity culture and obsessive behavior. Now the author is raising the stakes with a new novel due out later this year. Racket Magazine caught up with the 41 year-old whiz kid and chatted about life, celebrities, and the prospects of going pro (in poker, that is).
John Winn: When did you become a writer?
Evan Mandery: Writing has always been a part of my life. One of my earliest memories is writing in a notebook around age five. I liked to fantasize about being a baseball player, President of the United States…whatever suited my fancy. I didn’t begin to write professionally until 1997. I was traveling abroad and keeping tabs on the places I was visiting, writing about the locals and the food and all that. Ironically, the notebook disappeared on one of my trips.
JW: What motivated you to pick up a pen for the first time?
EM: I don’t know exactly. Creativity has always motivated me. I also love communicating about ideas and the meaning of life.
JW: Did you have any aspirations other then becoming a writer?
EM: Yeah. I’m a lawyer- I’ve always been active in local politics. I even wrote a book about Ruth Messinger’s 1997 mayoral campaign to unseat Rudy Giuliani, entitled not surprisingly The Campaign. I also wanted to be a baseball player. But what else is new?
JW: What inspired you to write a book about Gwen Stefani?
EM: The novel’s not about Gwen Stefani. The idea came from a book I was reading a few years ago, called The Third Chimpanzee. It’s about free will versus determinism, and what makes humans human. Jared Diamond wrote it, I think. I caught a glimpse of “No Doubt: Behind the Music” on VH1, so that had a role in it, too.
JW: Were you aware of Gwen’s body of work before you started on the book?
EM: I became aware of her during the writing of my book.
JW: In the novel, Mortimer Coleridge and Gwen Stefani appear to be exact opposites. Coleridge is poor, Stefani is rich; Coleridge is nihilistic, Stefani is more of an existentialist. How much of this is a contrast in background and how much of it is a contrast in philosophies?
EM: To me, the most significant thing is how completely unrealistic it is. How would she find him appealing in any way? The real sadness though, is the relationship he [Mortimer] passes up for Gwen. I mean here is this girl, who puts up with Mortimer’s crankiness and his eccentricities, and he dumps her for a rock star. How many women do you know who would put up with a guy like that?
JW: Through Coleridge’s worship of Stefani, there is also an implication that celebrities have replaced religion and science as idols of adoration. Are we entering an age of “secular” religion?
EM: That’s a very smart question. I mean, what is the difference between a pop star and a deity?
JW: The internet also plays a small but crucial role in Coleridge’s “conversion”- he proselytizes for Stefani in chat rooms and forums. Has the availability of global communications turned us into a nation of shills?
EM: My take on the internet is more positive. When I look at the changes that have occurred in my lifetime, the internet is transformational in our culture. The internet provides a chance to socialize that doesn’t depend on looks, money, or political connections. How revolutionary is that?
JW: Some have suggested that by humanizing Mortimer, you are effectively excusing stalking behavior. How do you respond?
EM: He doesn’t stalk her. He’s passive. He thinks she will come to him. He pines for her. He never stalks her.
JW: How do you feel about creating a dislikable character such as Mortimer?
EM: I acknowledge he is dislikable. I mean, audiences will dislike him for passing up his girlfriend. But I thought it essential that his behavior is self-destructive.
JW: Is there a character in the novel you relate to?
EM: No.
JW: Besides being a published author, you are also an accomplished poker player. How did that come about?
EM: I think like everybody else, I played poker in college and watched it on TV. Poker gives me an outlet for the part of me that wants to play games.
JW: Is there a particular poker tournament you are interested in? World Poker Tour? World Series of Poker?
EM: I like them all. The best shows are High Stakes Poker and Poker After Dark. They let you listen in to the conversations between the various players, almost like dialogue in a story. To me, poker is a story.
JW: If you could go head to head with any player alive or dead, who would it be and why?
EM: Dan Negreanu. He’s a golfer, I’m a golfer. He’s interested in politics. I’m interested in politics. But the most interesting thing is, out of all the players, he is the most moral. He won’t answer every question you throw at him, but he will never, ever, lie. It’s almost as though he has an internal code of ethics. That’s always interested me, as a person interested in morality.
JW: Would you consider going pro in the future?
EM: In poker? Nah. The only thing I want to do is write books. Professional poker is a lonely business. You’re always on the road all the time. You never make any friends. It’s just…tough. Now, if I was paid to write a book about playing poker professionally, I may reconsider. But otherwise I’m fine being a spectator.
JW: Final question. Is there anything you want to say that you haven’t mentioned here?
EM: Mortimer is not a stalker. I did not mean to glamorize him. If anyone thinks I’m glamorizing stalking, I apologize for any hurt feelings I may have engendered.
-John Winn