Speakeasy Podcast
3June 27, 2016 by Laird
I recently had the distinct pleasure to sit down with Michael Calia, Victor LaValle and Paul Tremblay to discuss horror on the Wall Street Journal Speakeasy podcast.
Thank you to Michael and staff at the studio for the opportunity to have this great round-table.
image via WSJ and PHOTO: JESSICA M., MICHAEL LAJOIE, EMILY RABOTEAU
lairdbarron.wordpress.com 
I enjoyed the joint interview but was struck how the authors viewed horror not as an existential gut punch but, rather, as mere “inflection” or “garnishment.” I understand the motivation of successful genre authors to break the genre chains and diversify one’s audience. But for many of us benighted readers horror will always be more than seasoning — especially cosmic horror. So I suspect that many diversifying horror authors must walk a tightrope: use horror tropes to keep your audience buying but introduce non-horror tropes — noir, mystery, family drama — to mine new audiences. Keep your balance, Mr. Barron.
For me it’s less about marketing and more about that balance you mention; creativity. Horror in life and art is far more vibrant than horror as life or art.
Well that’s a killer epigram — one which Nietzsche would have approved (or written).