Word: gomezes
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...Gomez started out writing and self-publishing a fanzine called Our Noise, an interrelated series of short stories which introduced the world to the fictional Bottlecap. The stories were sold through mail-order and at Tower Records stores and became somewhat popular. Bret Easton Ellis, the celebrated young author of Less Than Zero, stumbled onto Our Noise and brought Gomez to the attention of publishing companies. The 'zine was subsequently adapted into novel form and published in 1995. So we meet Gomez in much the same position as his fictional alter-egos: on the verge of either big-time commercial...
...wonder then, that Gomez so accurately describes the fear and frustration that comes with the big opportunity Bottlecap is presented. Just as their first major label recording attempt will either rocket them to stardom or ship them back to minimum wage jobs in Kitty, so too will Gomez's second novel either open a door to a career in writing or relegate him to obscurity...
More than just identifying with Bottlecap's precarious position in the entertainment industry, Gomez's own personality seems to shine through in almost every character and situation. The third-person narrator is just a thin cover for Gomez to make explicit comments about his characters or settings. It's hard not to wonder exactly how many of the funny little stories in the novel actually happened to Gomez or one of his friends at some point...
Likewise, it's easy to imagine Gomez, 27, who grew up in Southern California, chuckling and whispering "Cool!" to himself as he taps away at his keyboard, adding another reference to Atari nostalgia or the triple-X ads at the back of L.A. Weekly into the novel...
...what seems to be the wrong moment. In the final pages, as the plot careens towards a surprising conclusion, we are side-tracked for almost a page with a pointless anecdote about how Steve once spent a Christmas day playing in a cardboard box with his older brother. Ironically, Gomez criticizes his characters for being inattentive and losing focus, even as he meanders over their pasts and present thoughts as if there were no plot waiting to be resolved. The book often feels like Gomez really did want to write a 430-page novel but had to stretch his actual...