JULY 1ST, 2014
Alexandra Naughton
interviewed by Beach Sloth
"When I'm not absolutely busy trying to be a poet, rapper, writer, publisher, crazy person, I'm reading the books on my reading list."
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-Alexandra Naughton
Beach Sloth: Your book is entitled "I Will Always Be Your Whore" and consists of love songs for Billy Corgan. A great deal of your work is heavily focused on Billy Corgan? Why the interest in Billy Corgan?
Alexandra Naughton: Billy Corgan is definitely an odd idol to have these days. In the 90s when he was beautiful and recording all those gorgeous albums, it wouldn't have seemed so outlandish to put out a book of love poem dedicated to Billy Corgan. But I've always been late to get on the bandwagon, and now he's totally an eccentric weirdo making furniture commercials with his wrestling crew and doing eight hour reinterpretations of Siddhartha and I kind of love that. I've loved the Smashing Pumpkins since high-school, starting with their 1995 album, Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, then working my way through the rest of their catalog, but recently I really rediscovered them and completely fell super hard.
In "I Will Always Be Your Whore", Billy Corgan is a stand-in. The book isn't really about him, it's not fan-fiction and it's not really a tribute, though his persona and music inspired the poems.
In "I Will Always Be Your Whore", Billy Corgan is a stand-in. The book isn't really about him, it's not fan-fiction and it's not really a tribute, though his persona and music inspired the poems.
BS: As editor of Be About It Press/Zine/Reading Series, what is the most interesting aspect of your work? Do you enjoy helping other writers find their place in the world? How much does working on a Reading Series help you with your own writing?
AN: I think the best part of being an editor of a small press is that I feel like I am helping artists and writers get their work out there. I don't have a huge audience, but it's something, and I want to share it. I started making zines and ebooks for the love of it, and because I wanted to give the underdogs a chance. Just by being online, blogging, following social media, I have met a bunch of great artists who make great work. It's exciting and rewarding to be able to work with them.
BS: Besides releasing books and chapbooks under your name you also run a rather reputable web blog called The Tsaritsa Sez. Do you feel the need to separate the different forms of writing from blog to poetry or do you think they are compatible?
AN: Blogging and poetry are compatible, I think. I incorporate poetry into my blog posts. I think about language a lot, and when I'm writing poetry I take time with my words. I'm usually writing them down in a notebook and concentrating on how things sound and how they feel. When I'm writing a blog post I'm normally writing directly into the computer, so that kind of breaks up my flow, though not necessarily. When I'm writing about a subject that is burning in me I tend to type fast and edit quickly, and I think more about clarity than the phrasing, though I feel like my "voice" or whatever is inherent in what I write. I reread on these posts after publishing and tend to clean up.
BS: How do you think your writing has changed since you moved from the East Coast to the West Coast? Do you notice differences in style or subjects in California in comparison to where you grew up in Pennsylvania?
AN: I don't think my environment has really changed my writing much, though I do believe my personal style has matured just because I've been writing more and working on defining my voice. Moving to the Bay Area from Philly I have noticed a lot of differences in culture, but I feel like the art scenes in both areas are pretty similar. Philly's art, music, and poetry shows were always really fun and unpretentious. Same thing in the Bay. We go to shows to party and get down-- it's the opposite of stuffy.
Alexandra invites you to be a part of the I Will Always Be Your Whore Book Tour as she takes over the East coast.
"I Will Always Be Your Whore" is available from Punk Hostage Press
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"If I were to make a diorama of 'I Will Always Be Your Whore,' I would construct three slightly run-down Victorians: one for past, one for present, one for dream. I would make a spooky ghost figure representing Billy Corgan and suspend that over everything. And then I would have the people inside the dioramas yearn and fuck and spill their tea and fidget with their hair ties."
-Amy Berkowitz, author of "Listen to Her Heart"
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