Author Interview, Mark Billingham talks about the similarites between crime ficiton and stand-up comedy

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Author Interview, Mark Billingham talks about the similarites between crime ficiton and stand-up comedy

Mark Billingham started out as a TV writer and stand-up comedian, but with the publication of his first novel, Sleepyhead in 2001, he also began a career as a bestselling crime fiction writer. Although Mark still does a bit of stand-up, he mostly concentrates on writing his crime series which features Tom Thorne, a London based detective.

Mark has won many awards including the crime novel of the year award 2009, for Death Message. Now, he has been nominated for the much coveted CWA Gold Dagger Award, so we caught up with Mark to talk about book awards, and ask him why a comedian would want to write a crime novel.

Bookarmy: Congratulations on your CWA Gold Dagger nomination for In the Dark. Can you tell us a little about the book?

Mark Billingham: In the Dark was my first standalone novel and is a very different book from any I’ve written before. It’s far less procedural and revolves around three characters – a heavily pregnant woman, a young black gang member and an ageing gangster. It was a story I’d wanted to tell for a while and was not one that Thorne could easily fit into. Having said that, he does make a small cameo appearance! The story is about how one, random act of violence changes three people’s lives forever and sends them on a collision course. Being my first non-series novel, I’m absolutely thrilled that it has been nominated for the Gold Dagger. Writing it was a little scary sometimes, but it’s always good to step outside of one’s comfort zone and I couldn’t be happier that the book has done so well. Now I’m keen to do it again…

BA: There are many literary prizes around; we had the Booker announced a few weeks ago which created a lot of media interest and coverage for all the shortlisted titles. Do you think literary prizes are a good thing for authors, readers and for the standard of crime fiction writing in general?

MB: I certainly don’t think that prizes are a bad thing, although inevitably sometimes you are not measuring like against like. Anything that gives authors a higher profile and thus encourages people to read can only be good and yes, if it raises the bar in terms of crime fiction, then everybody wins.

BA: I read on your website that the question you are most commonly asked by interviewers is why a stand-up comic would want to write crime books. I’m afraid I’m going to add to that long list and ask: are there really any similarities between stand-up and writing crime fiction?

MB: Yes, there are a lot more than you might think. I’m actually doing a lot less stand-up these days. The main reason is that I don’t have the time to write new jokes. I was never very prolific anyway in terms of turning over material, but if I spend a day writing gags these days, it feels like I’ve wasted a day when I should be writing the new book. The other thing is that I have to spend so much time travelling to promote the books that I’ve had to give up travelling to perform stand-up. If I hadn’t I just wouldn’t be spending any time at home. So I’m pretty much doing the bare minimum of stand-up – if I did any less then the gigs would be nerve-wracking because I’d be rusty, I wouldn’t be match fit. It doesn’t take too much time away from the circuit for the timing to go, and the confidence. The books have given me the freedom to pick and choose which gigs I do now, which is great. Not having to do it makes the gigs a lot more fun.

I approach both crime writing and comedy in the same way. They are both about engaging with your audience very quickly and keeping them entertained. Both involve performances of a sort. Also, the crime writer uses a lot of the same techniques and tricks as a comic. It’s all about choosing when to reveal the key information. The books are full of punchlines. They just happen to be a lot darker than the ones I use on stage at the Comedy Store. Comics and writers are rather different as people though. Comedians can be a very bitchy and twisted bunch. In contrast, most of the crime-writers I know are very easy-going and good-natured. There’s definitely a lot more blood spilt in comedy.

BA: You are one of six authors shortlisted for the Gold Dagger Award, the others include Kate Atkinson for When Will There Be Good News?, Lawrence Block’s Hit and Run and William Brodrick’s A Whispered Name. Do you have any favourites amongst the other short-listed titles?

MB: I’m a big fan of Lawrence Block of course – how could you not be? That said I haven’t read Hit and Run. I really enjoyed When Will There Be Good News?, as I have enjoyed all the Jackson Brodie novels. It’s a great list and one I’m hugely proud to be part of. I guess I have a six-to-one shot at it, so I’m keeping everything crossed!

BA: What makes the difference between a good and a great crime novel?

MB: I suppose the great crime novels are always about more than simply solving a mystery. If a book stands or falls on the readers not guessing whodunit, it’s probably not a great crime novel. For me, the great writers are the ones who weave all sorts of other things into the tapestry of their story. I enjoy those writers who are interested in what crime does to people; who write about grief and pain and the ramifications of violence. I’m not that interested in simple puzzles.

BA: Thank you and best of luck for the 21st October!

MB: Thank you. I’ll have a rabbit’s foot in my pocket. Or maybe I’ll just take the whole rabbit…