Tim SteilTim Steil
 

Frequently Asked Questions

Tim gets a lot of questions. Mostly they come from the voices in his head, but just in case you were curious, he's also provided some of the answers to those questions.




So you're a writer huh?

Well, there are these books and articles out there with my name on them. Does that count?

 

Route 66? Aren't there already a ton of books out there on that? I mean, its kinda been done before hasn't it?

Yeah sure. So has your mother, but you still like her right?

 

Fantastic Filling Stations? Who in the hell wants to read about old gas stations?

More people than you would think, less than my accountant had hoped for. Anyway, some of them are pretty cool, and though I'm not a big collector of that stuff, these guys who restore them are pretty neat folks

 

Highway 61 Revisited? Nice rip-off from Dylan....

Well, the title was my editor's idea. I wanted to call it "Harry Potter and the Legendary Porn Star Seka", but apparently the legal depart put the kibosh on it

 

Aren't there already a couple of books about Highway 61 out there?

Yes, in fact there is another one coming out soon called Highway 61 Revisited. But most of the others tend to deal with only the southern end of the road. Mine covers it all the way to Canada. Plus it ain't half bad

 

So about these books of yours?

Yeah?

 

Do they suck?

Well, I've found a couple of typos here and there, and some numbnuts designer printed one of the pictures backwards in one, but folks seem to like them. Overall I'm pretty happy with them. I think you will be too.

 

So were you really on the Howard Stern Show?

Yes.

 

So? What the fuck? What did he ask you about?

Actually, I was interviewing him. But he did say he thought I sounded very professional and thought I should be working for one of the big papers.

 

Then what happened?

Then he asked if I ever wore my wife's underwear when were were having sex.

 

Well? Do you?

OK, next question please.

 

OK Mr. Big-shot-writer, who do you like? Who influences you?

Well, I think Jim Harrison is an absolute genius. Everything he does is beautiful. Plus, anyone who drinks a $400 bottle of wine with his Spaghetti-O's on toast for breakfast sounds like a kindred spirit. As far as influences, probably the most enduring have been the non-fiction work of Tom Wolfe, the reportage of Seymour Hersh, and essays by Calvin Trillin. Other than that, the obvious classics, Mark Twain, Arthur Conan-Doyle, and Mad Magazine.

 

So what about music?

What about it?

 

Who do you like?

Repeat after me:

"Becker + Fagen = Godliness"

 

Becker and who?

Go to your room ya little punk. Jesus

 

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