Happy Wednesday, my friends! Today I’ll be interviewing Rob Rufus, whose book, The Vinyl Underground, was recently published. It’s a tough time to be releasing books right now, so I’m very glad to be able to chat with Rob and also offer you a book recommendation if you need one.
Blurb
Dig it.
During the tumultuous year of 1968, four teens are drawn together: Ronnie Bingham, who is grieving his brother’s death in Vietnam; Milo, Ronnie’s bookish best friend; “Ramrod,” a star athlete who is secretly avoiding the draft; and Hana, the new girl, a half-Japanese badass rock-n-roller whose presence doesn’t sit well with their segregated high school.
The four outcasts find sanctuary in “The Vinyl Underground,” a record club where they spin music, joke, debate, and escape the stifling norms of their small southern town. But Ronnie’s eighteenth birthday is looming. Together, they hatch a plan to keep Ronnie from being drafted. But when a horrific act of racial-charged violence rocks the gang to their core, they decide it’s time for an epic act of rebellion.
1. What inspired you to write The Vinyl Underground?
RR: I’m a record collector and happened to buy a used record from the 1960s. To my surprise, there was a forty-year-old love letter inside! It was between two high school sweethearts. One had gone away to college, so they were pairing their letters with music they listened to. I thought it was a really beautiful way to connect, and that’s what spurred the idea for the book.
GH: Oh wow, that’s so cool. I thought the pairing of letters with music was such a great idea in the book, and it’s even better to know that real people did it, too.
2. Ronnie, Milo, Ramrod, and Hana are all very different characters. What was the inspiration behind them?
RR: Hana is based on someone who is every bit as awe-inspiring and badass. Ramrod was inspired by people in my life who are reluctant revolutionaries, even if sometimes it is hard to accept it. Ronnie and Milo are both manifestations of myself, honestly.
GH: I think it’s fair to have various characters that resemble parts of yourself. And reluctant revolutionaries have been a definite pattern throughout history.
3. It’s rare to see Young Adult books set in the late 60’s. Out of all the possible time periods you could have picked, why choose the Vietnam War?
RR: There are distinct parallels between the 1960s and what we are experiencing today. It’s a shame that publishers don’t think the protest movement is “relevant” and don’t publish a lot of books set around that time period. I think the youth of today could be well served learning about the 1960’s, and the power of true active protest versus the ever-popular passive protests of today (tweeting, marching after an election, etc.) because one gets results and the other does not.
GH: That’s an interesting way to put it. I really enjoy exploring activity vs. passivity in books, but often fail to reflect on it in real life.
4. Music — specifically vinyl records — plays an integral part of The Vinyl Underground. Is there a reason why you chose to focus on music as a form of escapism in the story?
RR: I think I chose it because music is the way I escaped as a teenager . . . it still is, to be honest. Music puts emotions into words, and for that reason is an incredibly powerful thing to teenagers. I couldn’t think of a better totem to gather around.
GH: Hard agree. Music is such a powerful thing for people of any age and speaks to people in many ways.
5. How has writing The Vinyl Underground changed your life?
RR: Well, releasing a book at the beginning of a pandemic has been interesting, ha-ha. The process of writing and shopping the book honestly left me more jaded on the literary industry than I already was. But personally, writing the book allowed me to connect with my dad, a Vietnam Vet, and learn about his life in a way I never had before. It was a really special thing.
GH: The literary industry can certainly be hard to maneuver. I love that you were able to connect more with your dad through writing the story, though.
6. In my experience working with other historical fiction writers, a lot of research goes into the book before it is actually written. How did the research and planning process go for you?
RR: It definitely took a lot of research and planning. I read a LOT of books, watched a lot of documentaries, read articles and watched news stories from the time to get a sense of how the narratives were discussed without the gift of hindsight. I also talked to people who participated and lived through the events covered in the book. From there, I had to outline the narrative of the characters with the actual narrative of history – if anything was off, it would throw the entire book off. It took an amount of detail I’m not used to laser-focusing on, but it was really important to me to get those details right. I’ve spoke to a few Vietnam Vets and people who were teenagers in the 1960s and they were all impressed that it was so on-point, so I’m glad I put in the extra effort.
GH: Absolutely. Extra effort almost always pays off and I could see it in The Vinyl Underground, too. It was a pleasure to see familiar events neatly interwoven into the story without taking the spotlight off of the characters.
7. If you could only give one piece of advice to a budding storyteller, what would you tell them?
RR: Read. Read, read, read. Watch movies, plays, TV shows. When you are drawn to a particular writer or story, then read or watch it critically. Why is it so impactful to you? Why does the writer’s voice resonate with you? Take their work as a blueprint to the type of story you want to tell and the way you want to tell it. Imitation is key when starting out, anyone who says differently is lying.
GH: Seems solid to me! Reading stories you enjoy not only inspires you, but teaches you points about writing as well. Studying your favorite stories can definitely be both fun and beneficial.
That’s all for now!
Special thanks to Rob for taking the time to answer my questions! Do The Vinyl Underground a favor by checking it out on Amazon or Goodreads, and maybe even picking it up 🙂
Let me know: have you read The Vinyl Underground? Do you think pairing letters with music is a beautiful concept?
Chat with me in the comments below!
Make your mark,
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