The Merriweather Editions Interview:
What was your inspiration behind “I, Judas?"
I was always fascinated by the relationship between Judas and Jesus. It couldn’t have been as simple as we’ve been led to believe.
Why focus on Judas?
He’s the most intriguing figure, to me. So much is unknown about him, so much left to conjecture, yet nobody seems interested in him.
Were you concerned how people would react to the personification of Jesus?
No, because I realize that everyone, for the most part, already has a preconceived notion of Jesus…
…But you showed him in a fresh light. I’m mean, when he first shows up, it’s like, “Wow, he’s cool!”
Modern interpretations always show the devil as the “cool” one, whatever that means. The devil is always suave and almost always European (laughs.) Think Viggo Mortensen in The Prophecy, or even Peter Stormare in Constantine. I always thought that if anyone, Jesus would be “cool.”
Is there a sense of true believer in hero worship?
No, not at all. I just have always had the sense that the “coolest” people are the ones that are the most self-assured, the ones who don’t have any pretensions, the ones least likely to attract a following. And that to me is who Jesus is. He’s so comfortable with everything that he can be nothing but “cool.”
Yet you’ve portrayed him in such a beautiful light. Surely there is an admiration...
I’m not devout, that’s for certain. When my time comes to meet him and atone, I’ll be at the end of a very long line, to be sure.
So, it’s a book about faith?
Yes and no. I see it as a book about the faith in a relationship. I’m not very religious, but I’m not lost either. I did have a very long education in religion; eight years at a Catholic elementary school and four years at a Jesuit high school, so I’ve been steeped in it. But it works both ways. Sometimes you can get too much of a good thing.
Ok, then, let’s talk about the relationship…
I can sum it up like this without giving too much away; every relationship is an agreement…
…Or a covenant?
Yes, good word. The one thing that I find difficult to accept about religion is the one way relationship that it is predicated on. Take prayer for example. It’s a one way street, but not because God would want it that way. We ask way too much of God. What is prayer if not asking for something? How many of us just sit down and ask God how his or her day was? I’m not being flippant about that. I think one of the coolest ways to put God first in the conversation is how Homer depicted the Greeks in The Odyssey; they poured their drops. Essentially, before they drank their wine, they poured some onto the ground for the Gods to enjoy before they took for themselves. That sums up how the relationship should be.
One trait that your characters have is humanity. Many novels today have characters who are one dimensional or whose motivation is suspect or only shows to fill in plot holes. I feel like I know your characters. How did you pull that off?
I’m not afraid to show flaws. In fact, I think it’s the flaws that create the beauty in people. A smile line here, a wrinkle there; that’s beauty. There will always be a story in that. I find nothing more boring or uninteresting than people who put up this front that everything is perfect. Those are the ones to watch, though, because something is always raging under the surface. Give me someone struggling with something and I can create a great character from that. Perfection doesn’t interest me in the least.
Who is Father Donovan?
I think he’s all of us. He’s got this perfect path and when a curveball comes, he can’t handle it.
Do you see him as the hero?
No. Is that how you saw him?
For a while, then you twisted everything. One element of your writing that I love is that nothing is as it seems.
When I first started “I, Judas,” there was only Jesus and Judas. Then as it progressed, more characters evolved and Jesus receded because I think the book became less about what is known and more about this mystery. Donovan is certainly an important character, as he drives the story, even if he isn’t aware of it. To me, Judas is the hero and quite possibly, the anti-hero as well.
Are you ready for some Proustian questions?
Hit me.
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
I don’t believe in happiness. I’m content.
Ok, I can’t let that one go (laughs.) You don’t believe in happiness?
One of the biggest fallacies we feed ourselves is this obsession with happiness. We want too much and when we get it, we look for the next thing that will make us happy. As an artist, there can never be this sense of happiness, since there will always be this hole. Bono, if I may have the audacity to quote him, once spoke of “this God shaped hole” as a reason why he needs the adulation of the fans. I don’t believe that an artist can create if there isn’t something missing. Yet, in Buddhism, it’s all about the “missing” about the letting go. For me, I’m happy with little things; playing with my kids, having coffee with my wife. They may not amount to much, but they make me content.
Which living person do you most admire?
I try not to admire anyone, because in my experience, once you meet them and if they’re an asshole, it really is devastating. But, I will say that Vladislav Tretiak is the person I most admire. I met him. I attended his Elite School of Goaltending in Toronto. I figured it was a great way to meet the greatest goalie of all time and pick up some tips. It was no vacation, however; he worked me like a dog! It was the hardest week of my life athletically, but he taught me so much more than hockey. I’m a better man for it, but I’ll never be as complete a man as he is. I cannot say enough good things about him. He is a true gentleman.
What historical figure do you most identify with?
You know, I read once that Shirley MacLaine believed she was this or that famous person in a previous life and that maybe (U.S. General) Patton was a great soldier who fought for Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar, but for me, I think maybe I was a peasant; just some nobody, toiling the land, looking for meaning and not finding it.
So that brings us to, “What virtue do you find most overrated?”
Humility. (Laughs.)
What do you most value in your friends?
That they put up with me! Honestly, I get along with good, humble people. We all have our faults and our secrets, but as long as you don’t judge, you’ll always be welcome to share a pint.
What is your greatest extravagance?
A nice pint with loved ones and friends. It really doesn’t get any better than that.
Who is your favorite hero of fiction?
Sisyphus. He was a horrible person, but to endure an eternity of frustration and to not give in, to deny the Greek gods any satisfaction, is an inspiration to us all.