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Photo courtesy of Brian Celio
Go five miles in any direction and you're in a whole new world with different people and a completely different culture. Go another five miles and you just might be delighted or horrified at where you end up or what you might discover. That's what I love about Los Angeles. That's what I love about LA's literary landscape as well.
The problem, however, is that most us don't go that extra five miles when it comes to reading. We stick mostly to what we know and what seems comfortable. We rarely explore and, because of that, we rarely discover. And that's a shame.
With this in mind, meet Brian Celio, an "underground" writer and artist in Los Angeles who lives in that extra five miles that, unfortunately, many of us never dare to go. Author of Catapult Soul, a new book from Exile Publishing, Celio won't be featured this week in the LA Times, and he won't be signing his new work at Border's Bookstore in Pasadena next weekend. His work, however, is gaining a lot of attention in Los Angeles, as well as in his hometown Pittsburgh, and might be something worth discovering on your own.
Catapult Soul is a portrait of a modern artist, one shaped by a blend of classic literature and Punk Rock music in a truly hostile environment. Catapult Soul by Brian Celio is available at Amazon.com.
I met up with Brian the other day and had a few questions for him.
Q. Clearly you put a lot of work, a lot of yourself, into Catapult Soul. How did it come about? What inspired you to write it?
A. I started Catapult Soul when I was 19 and momentarily stopped when I was 24. I needed some time off because it was literally pushing me to the brink of insanity. Then I plunged back in for a few more years and finally felt at peace with it shortly after turning 27. As for what inspired me to write it: I felt a void inside and something calling me to fill it. Then I found myself writing a novel that would eventually take over my life. About three years in, I realized that not only was the novel writing itself but it also seemed to be writing my reality. I kind of got lost between what was real and what was fiction. I couldn't tell if I had control over my protagonist, or if my protagonist had control over me. I'm still not sure if there's a difference between us, or who actually wrote Catapult Soul: Brian Celio or Vincent Vallano. That's what happens with an artist’s novel, satirical or not.
Q. How would you describe Catapult Soul?
A. To be honest, I struggle with this and say different things every time. My first reader (a friend) said that it's too multi-faceted for a synopsis. So I asked her to at least tell me what writer I'm like or name a book similar to Catapult Soul. Again, she didn’t have an answer. But I continued to push til she finally said, "It's like A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man electrocuted with 30 amps of sex, drugs, and Rock 'n' Roll." I laughed, taking it as a compliment, as well as finding some truth in it, seeing as they're both about the development of an artist, only mine is edgier and set in the millennium. But I'm still conflicted over its deeper elements. On the surface, you have a realistic love story between Vincent "V" Vallano and Ivy Pineda, who meet at a party in Pittsburgh and find out they attend the same college in Maryland. Then you have V's mother, Tèa, who immigrated to Pittsburgh from Catania, Sicily. She's not your typical hand-flinging, starving Sicilian. She's very melancholy and down-trodden, mainly because of V's abusive father, Rick, who slaves away at one of the three remaining steel mills in Pittsburgh. Another plot line is V's loyalty to his best friend, Pessi, who falls in love with Ivy's best friend, Teresa "Squawk" Cazzata. She’s a loudmouth dope fiend who quickly pulls Pessi into her insane little world, while V struggles to pull him out. Meanwhile, V develops a mentor relationship with Dr. Rosenbaum, a sagacious professor at Aristod. Dr. Rosenbaum gives V the initial push forward into writing the story you're already reading. After that, the chaos of love and insanity dueling above the development of anti-postmodern art ensues.
Q. Your book has received a lot of attention without a lot of publicity or major reviews. How have you managed to do what a lot of "artistic" writers haven't?
A. I gained my initial readership through people taking a liking to my poetry many years ago, before I even considered being a novelist. I started reading classical poetry around 8 and fell in love with Romanticism, which can be seen here and there in my prose. I ended up incorporating many styles into Catapult Soul, not to be showy but because I’ve been influenced by all kinds of art and people from all walks of life. So it’s easy to make it appealing to anybody who likes to read.
Q. Is there anything else readers should know before they read your work?
A. I believe Catapult Soul is a story that defies everything else out there while affirming that Art is not dead, that Art is not inherently boring, and that Art can hopefully make a difference. With that said, I'm an aesthetic nut who comes from Harold Bloom's line-of-thought that says aesthetic value is the essence of what makes something Art. But I also believe combining and balancing it with cognitive value is the key to revolutionizing Art. If anything, I just hope my readers enjoy the struggle and take something away from it.
Comments
i need this book
Thanks, Steve-o. I hope you like it.
great article! celio is HOT and i love his style and appeal. i'll definitely be checking the book out.
Already read "Catapult Soul." It's a complete knock out and I'm glad Celio put so much of the ideal punk rocker into V's character. I don't care about academic or literary circles. My advice to Celio is to stay away from them and stick with his roots, especially if he wants his work to remain credible with the true outcasts in society. I'm always afraid of supporting another sellout. But either way "Catapult Soul" is a monumental piece for the punk rock community to be proud of. Good job on getting this kid talking about rocking, Frank.
sorry, makeshift, but i think you're a little out of line. it's unfair to put celio in a tug-of-war contest by telling him to stay out of academic and literary circles and only embrace punk rock. if you truly understand "catapult soul" you wouldn't be saying that it's all about punk rock or that v's main objective is to promote punk rock. just because there's many references to the culture and he has an obvious love for the music, doesn't mean that's the essence of "catapult soul." apparently you skipped over the passages about unity and christ-like behavior as well as the entire ending.
it's great you're a fan too but don't say things that might make the author feel like he has to cater to a certain audience. that's the beauty of "catapult soul." there's something for everyone. also, pick up your book and reread chapter 21. i think v makes it pretty clear in las holez that he doesn't want "pigeon-holed" and his reasoning for feeling alienated comes from being someone who COULD fit in anywhere but wouldn't if he tried. i mean, do you think you, mr. holier-than-thou punk rocker, would embrace the v who says on pg. 422-423 "i was finally where i wanted to be, doing what i wanted to be doing: standing in the middle of nowhere, musing...slipping into contemplation over what it would be like to be a tree branch"??? a tree branch, man. not a mosh pit. look at every "slip away" v has. he never turns into "the ideal punk rocker." instead he turns into things people can't fight over. he's ultimately trying to get away from everything trying to nail him down. so again, let bc/vv be infinity and just enjoy what you can take from it and not try to claim the whole thing on behalf of your cause.
First off, great article and discussion Frank and Brian. I've also read "Catapult Soul" (I read it when it was an e-book and I'm currently reading the printed version). Second, I love to hear every word that comes out of Brian's mouth, which I basically do since he's a Facebook friend lol. As for Brad and Make Shifters, you both make valid points but I think you're both smart enough to know that "Catapult Soul" is never going to work perfectly in anyone's favor. Like Brad said, that's the beauty of it. But if you know the real Brian at all, you know that he appreciates ALL his fans and would rather see them fighting against the system than over his book. Now kiss and make up <3
Umm, who cares what "Catapult Soul" is about? It's the funniest book I've ever read. The comedy trumps any seriousness that stems from the story line. My guess is that it's all one big joke for Celio and the artistic torture crap is simply satire. So it really boils down to...are you laughing with him or being laughed at? Ha ha ha hahahahahahaha!
Thanks, everyone, for your comments and keep them coming. My goal with this article was 1) to get people talking about Brian and his work and 2) to try and get some people to read outside of the box -- to go beyond their usual suspects and try something new. So thanks for sharing your comments and opinions.
Brad, you're the one out of line here. All I said was for the author to stay true. Then you took that to paranoid extremes. But if you want to reference, how about I just list things found on every other page that are punk rock-related. Now I'm not saying "Catapult Soul" isn't about other things but it's clearly a strike back at society for making punks look like idiots by portraying a highly-intelligent punk that can be embraced by all kinds of people.
P.S. - in one of his first reveries V pretends he's Danzig singing "American Nightmare." Pg. 77: "CD-crazed, I was in a deep reverie in which I was the singer of a Rock-n-Roll band performing to a soldout crowd..." (skipping some parts here) "...Down into the crowd, I was whaling out the voice of Evil Elvis." If you didn't know, Evil Elvis is the nickname for Danzig, who used to be in The Misfits, one of the original punk bands. Then V goes onto sing the song all the way to college. So yeah, that's one of his first "slip aways" so it completely refutes that V "never turns into the ideal punk rocker." Think again, my friend. Read again. He starts out as a punk and remains a punk, which is why I'm proud of it no matter what you say.
screw joyce. celio is the s h i t. joyce's works are boring and "a portrait of the artist as a young man" isn't a true portrait of any struggling artist i know. celio's portrait is way more realistic and v's emotions make more sense than dadelus who's a panzy throughout the entire story. at least v fights back and shows anger and rage towards everything. catapult soul is nothing more than a long book about revenge and redemption and probably the finest example of it.
Hey, everyone. It's me...the "aggressive artist" haha. Since this is my first official interview, I've obviously been monitoring it like a hawk. I'm not gonna say anything about "the essence of the book" but I really appreciate everyone's enthusiasm and perspectives. However, please don't disrespect each other and other artists, especially James Joyce! He's been my biggest artistic inspiration and I'll always revere his work and defend him. It's one thing to say you like me, but to say "screw Joyce" is like a slap in my face. "A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man" and "Catapult Soul" share alotta similarities and run parallel with each other since they're both artist's novels. I'll even go as far as to say "Catapult Soul" could be read as a modernized extension of "A Portrait" but with my own experiences and style. Just please let the legend rest in peace. He was like my grandpap growin' up!
no disrespect, mr. celio, but i agree with make shifters. at some point you're going to have to decide who's side your on. that's what it is to be a punk rocker. i'm sure it's a great feeling wanting to be embraced by everyone but it's not possible no matter what you're involed in. i haven't read a portrait of an artist as a young man or catapult soul but i read your excerpts and other writings. i relate to your style and attitude. but do you really think someone who's not like us will feel the same way? in the end they are going to be the ones that turn against you. so it would probably be best to "cater" to people who already support you naturally. there's nothing wrong with staying underground and speaking and writing for that audience. too many exploiters of punk rock and all things underground. the only way to be legit is to stick with what you claim to represent. if it's punk rock, cool, i'm with you. if it's academia and other snobs that perpetuate this system, then i'm not. best of luck. peace.
fellow pittsburgh punk
Wow, Jeff. That's some pretty sad words to read. But here's the thing: I refuse to cater to anyone. I write for myself, based on my experiences and perceptions. What happens once I put it out there isn't up to me, although I try to give insight to potential readers. I say, "Well if you like this writer and that writer, or this work or that work, then you might like me." What else am I to do this early on? Only time will weed this mess out, then I'll have whatever audience is right for me, but sorry to disappoint you: it won't be just punk rockers.
Remember: Punk Rock stemmed from intelligent and creative hoodlums who felt their voice wasn't being heard, so they screamed. But understand there's so many others out there who feel the same way...without having "punk" patched on their pants. Reality is: nobody has to buy a Dead Boys album to validate their alienation, angst, or despair.
As for people turning against me? It's gonna happen from all angles. (I've experienced it over a thousand times in my personal life.) Having a delicate hand with an acerbic tongue, I'm bound to get lovers and haters from every demographic you wanna chop up...but nobody is gonna get writing from me that doesn't come from my heart. And if I get a hater because I don't cater then later, gator: go buy a porn mag and be a masturbator...with your tyrannical teeth.
I loved this book! Instantly became one of my favorites. Very emotionally and crazy. Glad to read on Facebook that Celio is writing a second novel. Go go go!
i can't wait to read it! i just missed getting a copy before it went off the market before so i'll be the first in line this time =)
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