Writer James Ellroy

by chris cunningham

Went out hunting for food and walked by a bookstore that was having a discussion and signing by the writer [James Ellroy]. Oooo that could be interesting. It was starting in just a few minutes so I picked up a copy of his book, ‘The Black Dahlia” and grabbed a seat. He came out and started spewing forth a great fragmented flow of words and thoughts that for some reason all made sense. I wished I caught the first three minutes of what he said on tape but he settled in and came around to how he wrote “The Black Dahlia”. A snippet of audio starts with a list of his books and ends with him referring to his parents living near the murder scene… [JAMES ELLROY AUDIO CLIP]

Funny thing is that on my commute home from work I pass by a little theater called “The Black Dahlia”. For a split second I think about the murder. This happens almost every night and has for the past 5 years. So, it’s been on my mind in the oh so smallest way. But it’s there. The Black Dahlia, the Black Dahlia, the Black Dahlia…. Unfortunatley the crime scene photos pop into my head too. So we’re now on the verge of a little Black Dahlia hype as Brian De Palma has directed the film version of the book and it comes out Friday. It will probably revive a bit of interest in what was probably the first sensational tabloid covered murder. I actually don’t think the movie will do well because of the subject matter. But, it’s De Palma and it’s 1940’s Los Angeles. Could be a reeeeal purdy film.

Ellroy will probably forever be remembered as the writer of the sparkling “L.A. Confidential”. He said he will never write a contemporary novel and all his future masterpieces (books) will always be about Los Angeles. He constantly referred to his next book as a masterpiece and the one after that even more of a masterpiece. Ha ha, cocky bastard. He also doesn’t own a computer, a TV, a microwave, a cell phone, and a whole range of modern conveniences. He even writes his novels out long hand. All that and his mother was murdered, which he also wrote a book about. He’s a bit of and odd bird actually, but perfectly so. So Ellroy read about fifteen minutes of the prologue and it was pretty fascinating to hear how he would read his own words. I had read the same passages while I was waiting for the event to begin and will probably now read it in my mind more like he read it. It actually made more sense in his fragmented writing and speaking style as I was trying to read it more linearly.

I doubt I’ll make it through the book before I see the film, but now I’m kinda looking forward to it. James Ellroy yes, but I’ll probably skip next week’s Tracey Ullman event that’s going on at the book store.