Nick Earls is back and ready to take on 40-something.
Author, playwright and all-round funny guy, Nick Earls is joining Phil Brown for a special evening of conversation. Nick Earls made 20-something hilarious in 'Zigzag Street' and 30-something hilarious in 'Perfect Skin'. Now he is back, and ready to take on 40-something with 'Analogue Men'.
Describe this event in five words?
Unbridled fun for smart adults.
Fill in the blanks
Even though this event is about a man who is floundering to stay relevant, connect with his teenage kids and work out how to be smart enough to understand at least a handful of the apps on his smartphone, I promise that it will allow you to laugh at my expense (even though I’ll maintain he’s not me), but don't be surprised if some of these themes feel a little close to home, although I often feel that people who read my books are fabulously competent.
Has your writing style changed much throughout the years?
I think I keep learning as I keep writing, but that doesn’t mean I have to use everything I’ve learned in every book I write. I think Analogue Men takes a lot of the techniques I developed for my early comedies, adds a few things I’ve learned since and applies all that to a new demographic and new issues. It was time to write about 40-something and suddenly, when I got a sense of these characters, I knew how I was going to do it.
Best advice about life you've ever received?
Think about who’s giving any advice before you take it.
Most valuable life lessons you learnt yourself?
It’s not all about me.
Fav line or section in 'Analogue Men' and why?
That’s an interesting way to put it, because it’s really two different questions. This kind of novel relies on its wry asides and smartarse remarks, but it also has to be a story and build to something. So I’ll go for the final section, which is Murphy’s law squared. Everything might go wrong, and does. Someone just sent me an email saying ‘That final section at Obsidian is a delirious delight to read, and the pace! Fizzling with energy.’ Exactly what I wanted to hear.
How would you describe you now as opposed to you in your 30s or 20s?
Creakier. I hope wiser.
What do you want the audience to say as they leave?
I want them to think, ‘I’m so glad I’m a gregarious billionaire, since that will let me immediately buy a copy of that hilarious, insightful book for each of my 200,000 Facebook friends.’ For all the non-billionaire introverts who come along, I hope they leave feeling they’ve had a great night out. And I wouldn’t mind at all if it piqued their interest in reading 'Analogue Men'.
Anything else readers should know?
I did spend a day thinking I had a pathologically-clicking hip when it was just my new smartphone taking photos of the inside of my pocket, but other than that (well, mostly), I’m not the central character in my novel.
'Nick Earls in conversation with Phil Brown' is on Monday July 21 at Brisbane Powerhouse.
