Cocaine, Murder and Ghosts

What more can you ask for?

Wanna know where you can find all three? I got a guy.

Three words: Bret Easton Ellis.

Say it with me. Really enunciate it. Brettt Eee-stunnn Elll-liss. Just flows off the tongue, doesn't it? Anyway, this is the guy. And you can get his stuff 24/7.

Some of you might be thinking, “Who the hell is he?” Or maybe you’re already Googling him.

I wondered the same a few months ago, and now he's one of my favorite writers. His prose is brilliant and beautiful and mysterious, really. Even his minimalist style. Just… brilliant.

Perhaps you’re familiar with the classic cult film, "American Psycho." I'm sure we've all heard of the yuppie '80's investment banker/serial killer who'll murder your cat, Patrick Bateman. Oops. SPOILER ALERT. That’s another name with good flow. Paaa-triiick Baaate-mannn.

Anyway... you know who you can thank for that? For creating such a fascinating, iconic character? Bret. Easton. Ellis.

He wrote "American Psycho" when he was around... I want to say... twenty-five. Yeah, he was around twenty-five (give or take a year or two), and it was released when he was twenty-seven. It's a weighty tome. That's for sure. Almost four hundred pages, paperback. Not exactly light bathtub reading.

You know, that's another thing. I don't know how people read in the bathtub. Doesn't the water bother you? I don't know. I would be too afraid that I'd drop the book. But elsewhere in the bathroom area… well, it’s not called “the library” for nothing. I digress.

But yes, we can all thank Mr. Ellis for writing such a powerful, controversial character and book, for that matter, which brings me to my other point:

Sometimes I get the feeling that people are afraid to write what they want to write. I mean, if you want to write about killing little boys (SPOILER) or cats, by all means, go for it! But make it compelling, at least. Mr. Ellis did just that with “American Psycho.” It was initially considered such a controversial novel that his original publisher dropped it. Fortunately for us all, it was ultimately picked up by another. Some say it was his magnum opus, but I say otherwise. The dude’s only fifty-five. I'm sure he has many more words within him to share with; we'll see. He says he’s always working on a new novel, but doesn’t know which will get published.

His career started when he was only twenty-one. A junior at Bennington College in Vermont, and he published his first novel, "Less Than Zero." That novel was actually his first attempt at a real novel. He'd written three prior, and they were very much roman à clef, which is basically a novel about real life covered by the thin veil of fiction. But yeah, twenty-one. TWENTY-ONE! I turned twenty-one this year. What have I done, other than complain to you all? Thanks, Mr. Ellis, for making me feel inadequate. I'll be in the tub reading one of your books if you need me. Or the library.

On a related note, this other dude recently built his own nuclear fusion reactor. At home. He was thirteen. THIRTEEN! I was still poking sticks in ant beds when I was thirteen. Where’s my trophy?

Anyway, Bret Easton Ellis. He's only published eight books. One is non-fiction, which comes out in April. But yes, only eight in the span of thirty-four years, which isn't terribly impressive at first glance. Right? Wrong-O.

Sure, some prolific writers such as Stephen King, or Nora Roberts and the likes have written more than fifty, sixty, seventy books in their lifetime. And we as voracious consumers of their work damn sure commend them for that. They're excellent writers. Their stories are forever a part of literary culture. There's no doubting that.

But there's just something special about Ellis that grabs me by the throat. I dig his writing. I really dig it. I guess that happens with any of us with a certain author and reader. Maybe we connect better. With me, it’s Ellis.

He has jumped genres, as well, making a lasting impression in movies, even dipping his feet into directing. Dude seems comfortable with his talents in any medium. Four of his novels have been adapted into films, including "American Psycho" and "Less Than Zero," of course. For a guy who’s written eight books and had half them adapted... well, that IS terribly impressive!

Yeah, I dig his writing. I particularly did “American Psycho.” Go check it out if you want. It's not for the faint-hearted. Really. It can be gruesome. But if you look past the things that may scare or abhor you, you'll end up appreciating his brilliance. Just. Like. Me.

Cocaine. Murder. Ghosts.

Bret. Easton. Ellis.

The End.

Oh, and one last thing... please rewind and return your videotapes.