Meet a SideTour Host: Author Anthony Bozza

I’ve been obsessed with music in one way or another since I was a wee lad of four, so this question is loaded for me and nearly impossible to answer. Actually, more questions than answers come to mind, such as, “what kind of soundtrack are we talking about? would it be played by a philharmonic orchestra? if so, would it be written by John Williams and sound like the Star Wars theme? or would I go more traditional, like the music from The Sting or The Pink Panther? would it be a rock opera, like Tommy? or would it be electronic, like Daft Punk’s music for Tron Legacy, or the soundtrack to A Clockwork Orange?” As my favorite comedian and one of my friends, Reggie Watts is fond of pointing out, dark energy is always more interesting, and typically bad guys have better outfits (this is particularly true in outer space), so I imagine if I were forced to chose one one song, my theme would be more of a Cure or Bauhaus track than anything by Taylor Swift or the Bangles. 

You’ll find out when I write it. Actually, that’s not a bad title. 

What does your ideal NYC day look like?

It looks sunny with low humidity. New York is one of the greatest cities in the world to walk or bike, so it would involve some of that. I adore Central Park, I adore Prospect Park and I love the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens, so those would all be on my list of options. I’m no Ansel Adams but I do love photography so I’m quite content to cruise this fine landscape of ours and make some imagery. If it were a weekday and non-sunny, then a museum, of which there is one to satisfy any taste. I particularly love the Frick and the Guggenheim, as well as the New Museum. By evening I’d be ready for a cocktail and some dinner, wouldn’t you? Depending on where my travels took me I’d either hit an old favorite or something new I’d been meaning to try. I keep a long list of of restaurants and bars in a note on my phone. I also really like the immaculate infatuation website, and their iPhone app is the best I’ve found for tracking all that’s new and delicious in our town. There are so many great restaurants and bars here, at every single level of cuisine and price you can imagine, so there is an adventure to be had every day if you’re up for it. One of my very good friends Damian, better known as Dieselboy, is America’s premier Drum n’ Bass DJ but he’s also the biggest foodie I know. He travels constantly and I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been in a city, texted him for suggestions and gotten a list longer than I’d be able to hit in a week sent back to me in 15 minutes. The guy’s taste is impeccable too, so more often than not, I utilize him as human Yelp for restaurants in town. 

Where does your inspiration come from?
I’m fascinated by the human experience, human psychology, sociology and history. I’m fascinated by extreme characters and individuals or individuals that go or have gone to extremes for their art. Often they can’t explain why they do it, even when it leads to their own detriment. I like searching for the why of it, which is what I get out of co-writing. I love writing, I always have, though I didn’t study creative writing or journalism in college - I studied history. But fiction has always been a huge source of inspiration to me because it can make a three-dimensional, living breathing world exist in a two-dimensional plane if the story teller is skilled enough. It isn’t easy, and I truly relish that challenge every time I sit down with my computer. 

Who are your biggest influences?
Writing wise, Kurt Vonnegut, Vladimir Nobokov, Charles Dickens, Denis Johnson, Amy Hempel, Katherine Dunn, Raymond Chandler, Charles Bukowski, Hunter S. Thompson, Franz Kafka and Truman Capote. There are more, but that’s off the top of my head. Music wise it’s endless, everyone from Bauhaus to Biggie Smalls, Led Zeppelin to Leon Redbone to Leonard Cohen to AC/DC to Earth, Wind and Fire, Nirvana to New Order. Last time I checked, my iTunes said that I had 675 days worth of music in my library, and then there’s my vinyl collection. So yes, I’m obsessed. I’ve started posting the occasional themed playlist from my Spotify account to my Facebook author page, if anyone is interested. I also do a monthly podcast that you can access at my website, www.anthonybozza.net or through my Facebook author page, that highlights what new bands and goings-on in the music world are moving me at the moment. Turning people on to bands they may never have heard but come to love is endlessly rewarding to me because I know how much the music I love has meant in my life. A friend of mine is marrying a girl I went to high school with who told him that the Cure tape (yes, tape) I gave her off the dashboard of my car when I was a senior and she was a freshman changed everything for her and made her into the music fan she is today. It was amazing to hear that.