Saturday, April 11, 2015

Kirker Butler

Kirker Butler has worked as a lifeguard, a country music DJ, a Tommy Hilfiger Jeans specialist, a medical supply deliveryman, a Christian music DJ, a bartender, a precious jewelry clerk, a prop PA, a telemarketer for a comedy club, a wedding DJ, a brewery waiter, a videotape editor, an entertainment news producer, an actor, a bouncer at a nightclub (one night), a host at a different nightclub, a singing telegram guy, a receptionist at Neiman Marcus, and the set decorator for N’SYNC’s first “I Want You Back” video.

Today, Butler is a two-time Emmy nominated writer and producer who has written for Family Guy, The Cleveland Show, The Neighbors, and Galavant. His graphic novel, Blue Agave and Worm was published in 2010. Additionally, Butler has written for The Academy Awards, E! News Daily, and the WB series What I Like About You.

His new novel is Pretty Ugly.

Recently I asked him about what he was reading. Butler's reply:
Because my brain works better if I’m doing more than one thing at a time, I am currently reading three books. I’m almost finished with Paul Beatty’s The Sellout and it is hands down the funniest book I’ve read in a long time. It’s absurd and infuriating and hilarious and illuminating. It’s one of those books that so well done it almost makes me angry.

I’m also reading the e-book Chunk, my friend Brian Donovan’s memoir about growing up as a fat kid and into a fat adult. It’s very poignant in places and very funny throughout.

I also just started Elmer Gantry by Sinclair Lewis. It’s been sitting on my shelf for a couple years now, and it just felt like the right time to take it down and read it. I’ve been kicking around a story idea about an evangelist who rises to fame, and then I thought, “maybe I should save myself the trouble and just read Lewis’ much better version of the story I would write.”
Visit Kirker Butler's website.

The Page 69 Test: Pretty Ugly.

--Marshal Zeringue