In his debut novel, Band Fags!, award-winning playwright and actor, Frank Anthony Polito, introduced readers to goody-two-shoes Jack Paterno and his foul-mouthed best friend, Brad Dayton. Together, these "Band Fags" discovered that the label held a truth for them both—more so than the average marching band member.
Through his sophomore and junior years, Brad did his best to convince Jack to be proud of being gay. But Jack wanted no part of chasing cute boys and hitting the gay bars on Friday nights after football games. Instead, he pursued a life of popularity, giving up his position as first-chair trumpet player during senior year—and as Brad's best friend—leaving Brad to all but disappear from Band Fags!
Now with the June 2009 release of his second novel, Drama Queers!, Polito shows readers exactly how Brad spent the nine months that he and Jack were estranged.
"A lot of readers contacted me," says Polito, "expressing an interest in seeing more of Brad Dayton." While a sequel to Band Fags! was one way of telling Brad's story, Polito decided to go back and fill in the blanks. "I wanted to show Brad going it alone during senior year, finding his way without his best friend at his side. Just because Jack was no longer there, Brad wasn't about to lay down and die—not with the world of the Theatre calling!"
Part of the reason for fleshing out Brad's story stems from Polito's desire to one day see his tale of two friends told onscreen. Polito received his M.F.A. in dramatic writing from the prestigious Carnegie Mellon School of Drama in 2006. "Fingers crossed," says Polito, "the story of Jack Paterno and Brad Dayton will soon be coming to a big ( or small ) screen near you!"
WCT: How soon after completing Band Fags! did you begin writing Drama Queers? Talk about the experience of writing the first novel as compared to the second novel.
Frank Anthony Polito: I started writing Drama Queers! in February 2008 and Band Fags! was released that June. The experience of writing the second book verses the first was pretty much the same—a mad dash to get it finished. I only had seven months to complete the first draft of DQs, whereas I had nine or 10 for BFs. But Drama Queers! came a bit easier, since I'd gotten to know Brad ( the protagonist ) from his appearance in Band Fags! I took a lot of time getting started with the writing of the first novel. I would write a chapter, read it, edit and revise—several times—until it was "just right." With Drama Queers!, I didn't bog myself down as much.
The thing that was most different about writing Drama Queers! is that, for the most part, Brad's life isn't based on my own, the way Jack's was in Band Fags! With Jack, there was the constant struggle of "But I didn't do that!" With Brad, I got to make things up, and allowed him to do things I would never do—like hanging out at a gay bar at 17, and befriending a drag queen.
WCT: Part of the reason for fleshing out Brad's story stems from your desire to one day see your tale of two friends told onscreen. How close are you to bringing these stories to the silver screen?
FAP: In terms of fleshing out the story for the screen, I've written a very rough draft of a screenplay, focusing on the high school years ( 10th-12th grades ) . The problem is that it's hard to fit 800-plus pages into a 120-page/two-hour script. Because both books are "episodic," I'm leaning towards adapting them for television, which is where I'd really like to see the story told. Even though my background is in theatre, I grew up watching TV. With a series, you can cast a much wider net and tell a story with a larger arc ( and more characters ) . I've had some initial interest from producers, and I'm hoping to begin working on the script for a pilot next.
WCT: You've appeared off-Broadway, and on both television and Film, including the daytime drama One Life to Live and the film One True Thing with Meryl Streep and Renee Zellweger. Can you talk a little about how being an actor influences your writing? Do you "act out" a scene before committing it to paper?
FAP: I don't necessarily "act out" a scene before writing it, but what I like to do is read the text aloud after I've written it to hear what it sounds like. I like to think of both stories as "one-man shows," where I'm the protagonist and this is the story I'm telling you. The way it sounds affects the words that I choose to tell it. For example, I use a lot of alliteration in my narrative, and I'm a stickler about not repeating words—unless it's intentional. This is something a reader may not even notice as he's reading the page silently in his head.
WCT: Who are your readers?
FAP: For the most part, my readers are gay guys who grew up during the '80s, who can relate to the story. [ However, ] I've had quite a few straight women ( and even a few men ) who've read my book, and have told me they've totally enjoyed it. They appreciate the insight to a world they weren't familiar with. I've also had some younger people read the book. They seem to like learning about the '80s, and seeing how far things have come since, and how different ( or similar ) it was to grow up gay back then. I've also heard from readers as far away as Malaysia and Belgium, who had no idea what growing up gay in the United States was like, but still enjoyed the story.
WCT: What is the strangest/coolest/hottest thing that has happened to you at a reading?
FAP: When I was at A Different Light in San Francisco, I couldn't help but notice the couple of guys who were cruising each other in the gay-porn section at the back of the store, totally oblivious to the fact that I was up there reading. In Detroit, there was a woman sitting at the reading with her small child. I have a feeling she had no idea who I was or what my book was about, but wanted to enjoy the experience of attending an author event. As soon as I mentioned "blow job," her face dropped, she picked up the kid and left the store.
WCT: How would you want to hear a bookseller describe your book to a customer who is contemplating buying Drama Queers?
FAP: A bookseller should describe the book as a "coming-of-age story set against the backdrop of a high school drama club during the '80s"—which is a very "marketing-y" way of putting it. I guess I'd like readers to know that it's a funny and sweet story, about a gay kid growing up in the '80s, isn't afraid to be true to himself. The book isn't filled with a lot of teenage angst, the way most gay coming-of-age stories are. For the most part, he's very proud of who he is, and is often rewarded because of it.
WCT: Talk a little about you guest-blogging for Kenneth in the ( 212 ) . How does blogging influence you as a novelist?
FAP: Blogging for Kenneth in the ( 212 ) is … not as easy as one would think! First of all, it's time-consuming. You have to find the items you're going to blog about, find the images, copy/save/paste them [ and ] then you have to write the witty posts. And with Kenneth, I found he has a loyal reader-base who expect a certain type of post each day. And if you don't give it to them, they will let you know! You'd be surprised at the things people will call you out on, especially under the name "Anonymous." Early on, I tried to please everyone. Whenever I got a comment about something I'd written that someone took offense to ( my referring to Hell's Kitchen as "Hell-sea," my incorrect use of "hoi polloi"—which means "for the masses," and not "the elite," which is "hoity-toity" ) I would apologize right away. The last time I blogged, I took the attitude of "Fuck it! If you don't like what I'm writing, don't read it!"
The hardest part about blogging, for me, is that when I write something, I don't want to just "think and type." Even if it's a tiny post about say, some hot guy on TV, I have to write, read and rewrite it several times, making sure to put my own "stamp" on it: my own witty repartee, my use of alliteration and lack of repetitive words. And facts! As a blogger, you do not want to get it wrong. If you do, someone will surely let you know!
WCT: What's up next for you, Frank?
FAP: Originally, I had planned on writing another novel. I worked on two different outlines, and was just about to present them to my editor when the Lambda Literary Award finalists were announced. Much to my dismay, Band Fags! didn't make the cut for Best Debut Fiction. I was totally devastated—in part because my ego was crushed, and in part because I thought I was a "favorite" going in. The book had gotten so much good press over the past year, it was reviewed in ( most of ) the major gay publications and even named "Best Fiction 2008" by the members of the InsightOut Book Club. How could I not be a finalist?
Of course, the first thing you think as a writer is "You didn't make the finals because your book sucks!" No matter what praise you're given, the negative always haunts you. But then I realized it was a blessing in disguise. If I'd made the finals—and especially if I'd won—I'd end up spending the next year working on another novel, when what I need to be doing right now is focusing on my dramatic writing. This is why I spent two years ( and several thousand dollars! ) going to Carnegie Mellon. So my plan is to start working on some spec scripts, in hopes that I can use them to help further my pursuit in writing for film and television, which is my long-term goal.