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Hi Colin, thank you so much for sharing one of the most splendidly unique books out there. We have nothing like this. No one does.

I feel like we have gotten to know you pretty well, but please can you tell us a little bit more about yourself for our readers?

Sure, thank you Pigs! I was a self-taught classicist, which means my ancient history and mythology is sketchy but I once adored and breathed the languages of the ancient world, was very good at navigating their form and style, and at offering wild interpretations of lines that had baffled scholars for generations. My claim to fame is that I once explained the elusive dogs in the crossroad passage in Horace to the mystified Horace expert. A child of five could have explained the passage – I was a child of five.

You clearly have a healthy sense of humour. This is evident from your work at The Gorko Gazette. What comedy/comedians have helped develop this warped humour?

The Far Side, Monty Python, Marx Bros. Then if you want to you begin to see humor everywhere. Kurosawa, Bergman, Kubrick had me rolling in the aisles.

When did you know that creative writing was for you?

Still not sure about it. I have no memory of having written RCM, for example, but I know I did it in about 4 weeks in spring of 2024 while completely miserable and furious at the world, instead of stabbing myself repeatedly with potshards, which is what I felt I deserved. The passages where RCM describes his idea for making moving pictures (fasties lol) still get me hard as Mandoblé rock.

Colin, you have taken a much-loved classic and committed mutiny. Can you explain yourself? Are you a fan of the original?

I always hated Robinson Crusoe. Which was the fuel for this version: I fixed the original, I wrote a version worth reading, not that enlightenment essayist hog slop. But I admire Defoe. My favorite of his is Captain Singleton, which I have written a 160k word adaptation of, a fragment of which was published in my collection The Penult (LEFTOVER Books 2023). Whereas Robinson Crusoe was a homework assignment written for bartlebies with extremely limited rewards. To rewrite Robinson Crusoe I could not even stand to reread the original in its entirety…I think I only looked at the first few chapters, then let the current take it.

We wouldn’t be doing ourselves justice if we didn’t ask this horribly unoriginal question. It is too relevant and over the past few weeks I have been secretly enjoyed being in a world of pain making pirate/ship/boat/island puns. So, here it goes… if you were stuck on a desert island, what one item of clothing would you take with yourself?

My sunga.

Sorry, I meant book?

Collected poems of Jim Harrison.

Who are your favourite authors in the writing community/indie scene?

Doughboy, Z.H., Damon Hubbs, Donna Dallas, Tempest Miller, Eric Kong Angal, krw. There are people who are not part of any scene who are sitting on stashes of pure gold and not publishing. Damn them to eternal hellfire, they know who they are.

More favorites: anyone we have published in The Gorko. Theodore Wallbanger, who exists in a layered world of his own invention. Adam Johnson of CVGJ. Yes, the boy god. I lick his nipples.

Also recently discovered that David from response_pod is a prolific genius. This is the opening an Advent calendar thrill of interacting with whatever/whoever indie lit is today. Tomorrow the list expands.

What is up next for Mr Gee?

I thought I would adapt Pindar’s Odes.

How did you first hear about Urban Pigs Press?

I found Urban Pigs by following you fellows on X and reading some hardboiled excerpts from James, not sure if before you started the press or where. For about 5 years I was just doing hardboiled parodies, none of which I finished, before I started doing the adventure novels with the same voice. So illogically or otherwise it made sense to send you my hardboiled pirate story.

*Original answer* Who?

Thank you! I was looking forward to these responses and I haven’t been left disappointed. I hadn’t seen your original answer to the last question until I put everything over to the site. It made me do a snort of enjoyment so had to add it too. I think it is the best answer to that question yet.

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Do yourself a favour! Buy Colin Gee’s Robinson Crusoe Maybe and delight in the insanity of the finest rewritten classic, definitely, not maybe!

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Bio:

Colin Gee is founder and editor of The Gorko Gazette. Stories in The Penult with LEFTOVER Books. Novel Lips forthcoming from Anxiety Press.

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