Andy Laughton interview

BUKKAKEWORLD:
Mike Philbin interviewed by Andy Laughton

Andy Laughton: Of all the extended metaphors you could have used to symbolize corporate aggression/oppression, why choose semen? The word "cum" appears in Bukkakeworld 270 times. Was the concept of semen raining from the sky the genesis of the book, or did you choose the metaphor after deciding on the plot? Which came first (pun intended), the metaphor or the plot?

Mike Philbin: Cum in the face is the perfect metaphor for how the human being is treated by the money-making enterprise. It happens also in the military. Human rights are a joke. Either you're shat on by your superiors or you're a pawn of your trade union. You're shat on either way. And sperm is better then faeces. There's nothing more annoying or insinuating than having those salty five ounces glancing across your face whenever you try to make a creative point against the corporate mindset, again and again and again.

Laughton: Building on that image, could you explain your idea of the corporate mentality that this book rails against? Surely not all corporations are bad? What are you fighting against with Bukkakeworld, and why?

Philbin: My aim with this book was to replicate each working day where you're a name and not a number. This thesis was actioned by writing chapter one, copying it twenty or so times, then slowly changing the content of each chapter that would represent (what should have been) the same working day. I wanted to set up a sense of continuation of each drab day within the framework of some sort of dramatic narrative.

Laughton: Cats or feline imagery are everywhere in this book. Why cats? Is this a not-so-subtle attempt to inject some femininity to offset all the cock and cumshot imagery?

Philbin: Cats are cute. In Oriental business, cats are reveered. Michelle Pfeiffer's Catwoman was a bonus. Kittens' paws are so soft, yet they sheathe the claws that can rip your flesh off—kittens are the perfect corporate icon.

Laughton: In Bukkakeworld, you've employed a narrative style (second-person) that is largely the ugly duckling of literature. Why did you choose to write BW in second-person? To me, it personalizes, makes me feel uncomfortable, and hints that maybe I'm a part of the problem. Is BW a call to action? Do you think the book would be nearly as effective in first-person or third?

Philbin: Well, it really is a book about you, the corporate lackey, the number, the faceless. You. Yes, you are a part of the problem. In a sense, we are all a part of the problem. We're a complacent army whose war has yet to reveal its uglier face.

Laughton: My favorite passage in the book is the singsong call and answer of what the protagonist is doing versus what Kitten is thinking (butterflies in the sunlight)—Kitten sees our hero in great distress but is unmoved by this, her thoughts peaceful and playful, for the first time hinting to the reader that greater things are hidden in that little cat. Is this just a good piece of writing or is there a more important message there?

Philbin: My suspicion is that if I died tomorrow the literary world would be a better place. Right?

Laughton: Building on that, it's no secret that you're a controversial figure in many circles. How much of that is affectation or self-perpetuated? Do you think you take any of the Philbin hate into your writing process? You've already symbolically "killed" your Hertzan Chimera identity, so you tell me—would the literary world be a better place without Mike Philbin?

Philbin: Hang on, I've just gotta put on some mood music to get me into the zone... That's better. What's not important is that a writer dies. All writers die. The important thing is the culmination of their death. Not whether it was valid or justified (like if they deserved that the shrieking mob of naysayers got to them) but if it followed a spectacular writing life. Well, I'm working on that last bit, day by day. I just don't suffer mind-washed morons very well—get your own ideas, follow not the herd.

Laughton: Is there anything you won't write about? What's too taboo for you? You strike me as one of the most fearless writers I've read, so what do you fear?

Philbin: [blank stare as the music takes hold] There's really nothing to say to this. People think, "Oh, Mike Philbin, he's such a rascal, he's such a scamp. I wish he would fuck me up the ass with a rolled up copy of one of his thin books." Actually, no they don't, but I'd like to think that me writing this might make more people go outside and talk among their comrades and ask what their own elected government is doing to them in that ass every fucking day.

Laughton: From the covers to the formatting, Bukkakeworld and Planet of the Owls show some striking similarities. Was this simply a design decision, or are the books in some way connected in terms of content? Are they parts of a whole or two distinct books with only looks in common?

Philbin: There's a distinct dichotomy going on between New World Order and Perceived Alien Threat. Very soon we might see a culmination of this global effort. And it'll not be very pretty for planet Earth. The coming events might make the content of even Bukkakeworld and Planet of the Owls pale into insignificance. Yes, there's Stanislaw Lem-like subtexts in the books, there has to be—otherwise they're just too stupid for even me to bother writing.

Laughton: I'm sure you've had to explain what "bukkake" is to someone who was unaware of the concept before—what was the most memorable reaction of someone when you defined the term for them?

Philbin: When someone goes, "Japanese delicacy... right." And winks. But they're stepping back as they wink. They're afraid. And reader fear is where I'm most excited. Not fear as in they get a girly-little cheap three-act narrative thrill as the panting antagonist chases their third-person heroine or hero down corridors of dark cliches blah de blah de blah. But the other fear—the I DON'T WANNA OPEN THAT BOOK fear. And they still do. Because that sorta fear is irresistible.

Laughton: Can someone ever really escape from Bukkakeworld, or is this all there will ever be?

Philbin: The Corporation will eat all of mankind, if we're not careful. As a race, we're about to find out how mortal we are. Whether any of us survive is just the toss of a coin at this point.