I think, wherever I’m at now, I think that’s where I wanted to be originally, where there’s no real contrast between the me I yack about under that particular pseudonym and the me doin’ the scribbling. Give or take the lashings of absurdity and the like flung into it all for to keep things interesting.
You've been writing at Blogcritics since March of 2004, and you have a pretty impressive body of work assembled (375 articles as of this writing). How old were you when you started writing? The Irish are born talkers and storytellers — how much of the literary "you" springs directly from your Irish roots? Is there a collection of stuff that predates BC and Mondo Irlando that hasn't seen the light of day?
Well, I think my writing has gotten a lot more, I dunno, colloquial in time, a lot more obviously “Irish”. That comes from listening to people, though, from wanting to write like people talk, people who work in factories and grocery stores and butcher’s shops ‘round here, folks I could listen to all day. However I write has more to do with a love for those particular local dialects and the like than with any particular love for Irish literature. There are only a handful of Irish writers I actually like. Brendan Behan, James Joyce, Flann O’Brien as of late, these sortsa people, people who also played with the language and the pitch and the gloriously inventive swearing you might hear of an eve in the bookies and the taverns here and there.
I dunno when I started writing, I was young, I know that much. I used to write terribly graphic horror tales as a wee lad, and with regards pre-Blogcritics/Mondo Irlando scribbling, there are countless short stories and two novels lost to the whirl of the hard-drive that date from way back then, wretched buggers each and every one. Sometimes I click on them under the demented assumption that they might’ve been okay, but no, hideously embarrassing, stunted tripe. It was important, though, insofar as developing some sorta style might be concerned.
You have one of the more identifiable and unique voices at BC — how long did it take you to find that? Is it still evolving, or are you comfortable with your current literary identity?
At the minute, I’m very comfortable with it ‘cause it feels like mine. I don’t feel like I’ve ribbed bits from here and there, or if I have, I don’t know I’m doing it. I feel like I’ve got some sorta unique style developed, maybe a terrible one, but I think it’s identifiable as mine, for me at least, and that’s as much as I wanted. It took time, and I think the first year of stuff I wrote for BC, for example, is fairly mightily removed from the stuff I write now. For better or worse, I dunno, but I prefer it now, that’s for sure. I don’t necessarily like the pieces all the time, or even most of the time, but I like the style, so that’s always something.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - DJRadiohead
Cheers, Duke. I have known this honor was heading your way for some time now and have been looking forward to this. Well done and well deserved.
2 - El Bicho
Duke, congrats on the recognition, although I'm sure you are the BCoM every month to your devoted fanbase.
Lisa, great job as usual.
3 - Mark Saleski
it's about freakin' time! hail duke. well-deserved.
4 - Mat Brewster
Does this mean we get to upgrade your title to something like Prince de Mondo?
Congrats, Sir Duke.
5 - Greg Smyth
Thoroughly deserved, fine Sir.
And cheers for the namecheck, kind of you to include someone with such a patchy and low-frequency writing record.
6 - Mary K. Williams
I hope this comes thru - as I'm posting from a sleeply little laptop on vacation.
Yay for Duke! Congrats Babycakes! (Yeah, I dunno where that came from - but it fit)
You deeply entertain and inspire the rest of us.
Very well deserved.
7 - Aaron Fleming
Much congrats Duke! Who deserves it more than yourself? No one, that's who.
8 - Gordon Hauptfleisch
Duke--DJRadiohead said it best: your inspiring writing "gives me the kind of fits of jealousy that make me want to hang it all up."
So Congratulations, I guess.
9 - Mark Sahm
It's 3AM in a room lit by the blue glow of a dead channel, and a half-drunken Jeff Fahey rolls out of bed.
Restless, he nudges the trackpad to wake up his laptop. By random forces of short story plotism, he surfs his way to this page, and lets out a cry of frustration.
A woman rolls over and turns on a light. "What's all the matter?" Harry-Potter-Woman asks.
"It's that fella," Jeff growls, "the one who mocks my last name... he just got awarded Blogcritic of the Month."
"Oh, him," HPW replies, "Just forget you saw it, baby." She rolls back over, and pulls the covers taut between her legs. She takes a breath, biting the corner of her lip as the air billows in her lungs.
"Why don't you come back to bed," she exhales, "and show me why you were the sexiest cowboy in Silverado." HPW turns off the light, a sly grin on her face.
Congrats Duke.
10 - Mayank 'Austen' Singh
Congratulations Duke. Of course you knew you deserved it.
11 - lono
All hail the Duke. Nay, let me put that in Duke terms.
All hail the motherfuckin' Duke. I strongly encourage all y'all to read his assesment of GG Allin DVD. I could link it here, but you will have more fun searching for it... I promise you that.
12 - Eric Berlin
congrats Duke !
13 - Dawn
Oh Duke, you just get sexier and more charming -like the last single guy at 3:00 am on a drunken Saturday night.
And that my friend, is meant in the most sincerest and lovingest way (as a former drunk from back in the day).
14 - Eric Olsen
When the Duker is on -- and he frequently is -- he is the finest pure, white lightning, stream-of-word-slinging emotion-wrangler these pages have ever seen. Congrats and thanks Aaron!
15 - duane
Well said, Eric. I second that.
16 - Matthew T. Sussman
The podcasts bring out the Duke I like the best, both Mondo Podcast and BCRadio. Not just the energy, but the fact that he doesn't always need music to liven up his tone.
Allow me to be the troll who says the bad things but I'll lay up a bit and just say I'm too uncultured to understand Duke's written prose. M'bye it's al' th' ap'st'ph's th't g't 'n m' w'y.
But truth be told this interview and his answers had a brilliant wit to it and it doesn't matter how you write, you'll see it.
17 - Scott Butki
Congratulations on getting recognized, Dukester
18 - Connie Phillips
Congratulations Duke!
19 - Duke De Mondo
Folks - i was away for the week there, and return to find that not only has this been posted, but also, a wealth of beautiful words flung my way both in and out of the article itself. I dunno what a fella might say to thank anyone for the kindsa things said, or to thank the BC powers that be for selecting me for this, or to thank Lisa for the ammount of work she put in, so what i'll do is say i'm out my mind wi' happiness an such, and that even though i obviously knew this was comin, what with the questions and the "we've picked you for next months BC Of The Month", even so, it still seems all the surreal in the world. So thank you. Heh, and Mark Sahm, friend, that was altogether beautiful. I only hope Harry Potter Woman ended up with such an outstanding example of humanity.
20 - Fearghus
Introduced me to Bright Eyes, Ryan Adams and The Pogues. What a legend.
21 - gillian
good on ye! wow. thats some size of an interview!
22 - Terry Hughes
Oh how I remember him when he was but a boy; when he would use the humble pen and paper. No more. Nay! The paradigm has indeed shifted.
23 - Scott Butki
Note to self: Write a companion guide translating and/or attempting to explain Duke's amazing prose.
Sort of like a James Joyce companion book but with more bits about rock and music and suck
keep up the great work, man.
I'm going to go print out your picks to read on a dull day since your pieces inevitably brighten my days.
24 - Scott Butki
For some reason both the 72 hour link and the anus link both go to, er, the anus, um, piece.
I'll read one piece about your butt but two - let alone 72 hours about your anus - seems a bit much.
25 - Duke De Mondo
Scott, thank you for the kind words! and thank you also for pointing out that error. i've sent a wee email to the BC yahoo group for to see about havin it sorted out.
Terry Hughes - sweet joseph's fuck! what a kick upside the teeth from back in the day that was! a pleasure to see your name up yonder. the email's still the same, incidentally, if'n you wanna fling one on o'er.
Beautiful Ms Gillian; much appreciated, that support right there. and ms McKay surely went to the very furthest boundaries of her duties in compiling this number.
Fearghus - glad to be of service, mate! thanks also!