Lord of Trivia!
Lord of Trivia!
Lord of Trivia
Local author breaks into the national literary scene with some help from the strange and unusual in “Random Obsessions” - BOOK RELEASE BASH ON 8/29!
Above: Author Nick Belardes
By Matt Munoz, Bakotopia.com Editor
Cover photo by Joseph Gomez/added cover art by Nick Belardes
Leave it to the chaotic imagination of Nick Belardes to find a way...
Colorful, funny and always controversial, the writings of this local advocate of the literary arts are about to invade a bookstore near you.
It was bound to happen. Belardes is not the type of writer who will take “no way” for an answer, just try him. Over the past four years he’s angered as many people as he has made them laugh as one of a handful of Bakersfield residents who’ve harnessed the power of the personal Web blog.
Following his original “Paperback Writer” blog in 2005, his novel “Lords Part One,” attempts at Web news reporting (including his current venture, Face News,) and his brand new trivia book, titled “Random Obsessions,” out on Viva Editions, Belardes is back to books.
“I wrote this book (“Random Obsessions”) in about a month and a half,” Belardes smiled. “I kicked ass.”
For fans of trivia and bathroom reading, “Random Obsessions” is 258 pages of facts, and funky frolic. It may not be what you’d expect from the author of “Lords,” a creepfest that claims to be the most “controversial work of fiction to come out of the Southern San Joaquin Valley,” but it does pack its share of the peculiar.
Let’s start with some of the book’s chapters - “Unnatural Sciences,” “Odd Occupations,” and “Saturday Night Fever?” Each section is filled with brief blasts of information everyone with an appreciation for the odd can enjoy.
Similar to the ever-popular, “Uncle John's Bathroom Reader” series found at many a friend's latrine, “Obsessions,” also features interviews with various characters associated with the book.
“This book has interviews that other trivia books don’t,” explained Belardes, 40, on gathering info when creating his latest monster. “And I interviewed some really strange people.”
Take for example, photographer/author Andrew Colvin, who claims to have a photo with the legendary “Mothman” of Virginia - a ghostly winged monster/prophet of doom. You may remember the 2002 movie dud, “The Mothman Prophecies,” starring Richard Gere. Belardes managed to dig up some strange coincidences connected to the Mothman phenomenon, including some deaths. Coincidence or not - forget Big Foot, that hairy lug is old news compared to ol’ Mothy.
And that’s just the beginning. What about people who suffer from “Alice In Wonderland” syndrome, a depth-perception ailment where sufferers often see themselves stretching, or the “UK teddy bear space program?”
Oh, it gets better - try the lady who travelled to the farthest reaches of Fiji. Not only did she bask in nature, but also had a quaint ‘woman-to-woman’ conversation about cannibal culture with a native in the area! Wouldn’t you like to have sat in on that exchange?
“Ooooh girl, when she found him flirting, guess what she cut off and cooked first?”
It’s enough to make you want to throw on your Indiana Jones’ fedora and leap into action - a state of mind Belardes feels at home with being a quiet kid from Northern California.
“My childhood was filled with adventure stories. I had a lot of maps, and exploratory interests,” he said. “My dad used to bring home comic books and novels from swap meets, and I was attracted to them right away. I remember reading, “Back To The Stone Age,” by Edgar Rice Burroughs. I saw the cover with the saber-toothed tiger. After I read it, I wanted more novels like that. I loved dinosaurs …”
Above: Belardes alone with his inspiration.
Growing up, Belardes admired his late father Abraham’s adventurous life as a truck driver and laborer, but growing up wasn’t easy. After awhile, our conversation shifts to his childhood.
Sharing stories about his father’s puppeteer days in San Jose, where the family lived, his late mother Sherry’s difficult youth, being the youngest boy after older siblings Tom and Cathy, and the re-locating … It’s no wonder his imagination is triggered when he needs it the most.
“When I was a kid in San Jose, my parents would place me in programs with mentally gifted kids. My dad was always on the road, and my mom was a housewife who read a lot,” he said. When we came to Bakersfield in ‘76, we landed right in the rough part of East Bakersfield. I was kept out of school for three months. Then I had trouble fitting in as the new kid and because of my parents being so wary of our south Bakersfield neighborhood. They wouldn’t even let me ride the bus to a gifted program. I ended up being very sheltered. We didn’t have many friends.”
But where he lacked friends, he filled the void by being creative.
“I became an artist in many different ways - I read a lot, worked with clay, and when I was at Emerson Jr. High, I began doodling. Art classes were no big deal to me. I read Archie, Sgt. Rock and MAD Magazine. Goofy, cartoonish art from outer space … ” he laughed.
Artist Sergio Aragones (famous for his illustrations in MAD,) soon became a big influence on a young Belardes.
“I had a big map of the U.S. made by Aragones on my wall and I used to look at it all the time,” he said. “I loved maps - Disneyland’s Adventureland, anything with theme parks.”
Above: 1981 Sergio Aragones' MAD map of the USA.
Entering South High School, Nick’s interest in writing began to sprout. But it was during his college days at Bakersfield College as an art major that he felt free to explore more of his interests. It was also during this time he married and became a father to sons, Jordan and Landen. Due to responsibilities, he took a break from school to tend to family duties and worked in factories.
Above: The Belardes boys, from left - Jordan and Landen, posing for their band, Black Dog.
“I bounced from art to writing and back all the time when I was at BC,” he said.
Re-entering BC as a history major, life changes continued. After completing the CSUB master’s coursework in history, Belardes began travelling around the U.S. with an area full of urban legends in Ohio known as Helltown as a familiar destination.
“I consider the ‘90s to be my formative writing years,” he explained. “In ‘96 I knew exactly where my life was going. After my second trip to Helltown in ‘98, that’s when I decided I wanted a job as a creative writer.”
Above: Belardes' alter-ego, Bugardes.
From there, the story becomes another mix of jobs and dreams. After a stint as the storyboard artist/creative writer for the Fremont Street Experience in Vegas, Belardes stayed closed to his sons by driving the lengthy trip to Bakersfield and back. Then, like many former Bakersfield residents - he was suddenly single and moved back to Bako to work and be a full-time father.
Belardes stops to give credit to two key writing mentors from his college years.
“Professors Oliver Rink and John Arthur Maynard from CSUB, helped me in so many ways - learning about early exploration in America and the counterculture - Jack Kerouac once spent around three months living with farm workers in the Central Valley. My writing early on was not very good. I pretty much had to teach myself how to write, and became obsessed with it.”
Above: One of Belardes' doodles for Bakotopia aka "Bugotopia"
Back to the present, local blogosphere beginnings - and “Lords Part One”…
Yes, Belardes had reached some goals, completing some early writing projects (“Citrus Girl,” “Thick White Crust,” etc…) along the way. Some saw the light of day, others remain in the vault or works in progress.
Around ‘03, Belardes received a phone call from Maynard, his old CSUB professor, who told him about a lengthy investigative piece, local journalist Robert Price had written about the mysterious “Lords of Bakersfield.” The story dealt with a secret underground society of prominent business men who preyed on young boys and had wild parties. The story was similar to the Hellfire Club, rumored to boast famous historical figures like Ben Franklin, and others from the period.
“Dr. Maynard told me all about those articles in the Californian,” he said. “Maynard was on fire with curiosity.”
Belardes soon went to work on his own fictional version of Price’s “Lords” story with different plot lines and mystery. Although the original “Lords” story sounds like an urban myth for the ages - it was enough to put Belardes to the task with backing from his writing agent, Don Ackland.
In true imaginative marketing fashion, he created his own mythos surrounding his big project to make a splash. Now, all he had to do was drum up interest - enter the age of internet marketing.
Above: Lords Part One final cover, not used.
Unfortunately, tragedy soon struck. His agent Don Ackland dies suddenly in a car wreck. This left Belardes all alone with his plan. There was only one choice on the table where he could get immediate results - to put the book out himself, but how?
“After my agent died in ‘05, I went to the Web. I thought about blogging along with an idea to start a publishing company, Noveltown, but people thought blogging was a dumb idea,” he said of testing new media still experiencing growing pains. “I was an introvert, but blogging made people think I was an extrovert.”
Above: remnants of his original '05 blog.
After a year at the helm of his “Paperback Writer” blog, Belardes’ local online exploits helped spread his name and gather fans and enemies. One day, you might read a story on a local band he admired, easily gaining favor in Bakersfield. The next, a critique of a local art show he didn’t necessarily enjoy. Little did he know the power he possessed, which always ended with a crafty plug for, “My upcoming controversial novel, Lords Part One coming soon!”
Above: Lords Part One final cover.
“Lords Part One” was finally released in October 2005 and although success was minimal nationally, it still stands as a powerful testament to the spirit of self-publishing. To this day, “Lords” lore continues to live on in Bakersfield - with plans for an upcoming indie film based on interviews about the Lords of Bakersfield. You can even see a teaser trailer on MySpace, reminiscent of the Blair Witch Project.
“It was hard work learning how to promote with “Lords” and Noveltown,” he admitted. “Mark Twain and Beatrix Potter also published this way.”
Above: Spoken Word Poet Organizer Talks to Belardes at San Joaquin River Parkway and Conservation Trust's Respite by the River event in Fresno, CA.
Belardes has always been a familiar face among Central Valley writing circles attending workshops, and making connections. During the Yosemite Writer's Conference in ‘06, he met Brenda Knight with Viva Editions, a division of Cleis Press publishing. Known more for gay and lesbian erotica, the Viva Editions division of Cleis approached Belardes about writing a book of trivia for their mainstream line-up.
“Viva approached me about writing something bizarre and fascinating,” he said. “They knew I was a history professor.”
A deal was soon reached and off he went in search of every wild tidbit he could find.
"I am bizarre!" - Belardes invites you to enjoy his new book.
“I would go to CSUB, grab about 30 to 50 books and pile them on a desk along with my laptop - which got killed in the process,” he laughed. “It became an all day thing. I had to speed read, visit Internet sites, and make sure facts were accurate.”
Praising his copy editor, the result is “Random Obsessions” out now and available at every major book selling chain including Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, and Borders. There are plans for a book tour all over California, starting with a big local celebration on Saturday, Aug. 22, at Borders Books, 4980 Stockdale Highway, at 2 p.m. There will be a signing and entertainment courtesy of local musicians and fellow authors from L.A. (D.R. Haney), and Hollywood (Rich Ferguson). A smaller show is set for 2 p.m. Aug. 29 at Barnes & Noble in Bakersfield as well.
After the promotion hoopla is over, Belardes plans on continuing his literary crusade with some help from the exposure he’ll receive from “Random Obsessions.” And like a true evangelist - minus the cheesy suit and grin, he’s always ready to share a bit of wisdom with those who’ll listen.
“The imagination is a gift,” he said. “But not everyone can wield it in a successful way.”
Order "Random Obsessions" now at the following online stores!
(click any of the links below)
-Viva Editions
-Amazon.com
-Borders Books
-Barnes & Noble
www.nickbelardes.com
Also printed in Bakotopia magazine, issue 60, 8-6-09 - COMING SOON!
Blog comments
More blog comments ...