The World According to Adrian Tan
All about James Lye, George Orwell, Mrs Tay's Death on Growing Up, why everyone's adapting his works, and an alter ego called "Rosie".
Do you remember the first mainstream Singaporean book of this generation? The Teenage Textbook and its sequel The Teenage Workbook were unprecedented hits when they hit the stands in 1987.
Their author Adrian Tan speaks to Inkpot writer WenQing about all manner of things,including his surfing habits and JC life.
WenQing
What did you think of THE TEENAGE TEXTBOOK MOVIE (see Inkpot review) ?
I loved it. I've seen it twice and I'm looking forward to bringing friends to watch it again. It's exactly my kind of movie: humour, music, moments of insight, and GREAT CREDITS. Didja watch the credits, Huh? Didja? Didja?
You're writing a sequel. What's it going to be about?
I am writing a novel about weddings in Singapore and it may or may not be a sequel. I've been tinkering for years on the subject of marriage in Singapore - we fuse East and West and come up with rojak. Weddings are a real big part of Singapore life, because they combine the four F's: food, friends, finance and sex.
Would you want to see it become a movie too?
I wouldn't mind it being a movie, but I don't want to think of it in those terms as it tends to skew my already idiosyncratic writing style.
How rich did the two books make you? Enough to retire and run away to some Caribbean paradise with your wife?
The two books sold more than 50,000 copies, which in Singapore is considered to be unprecedented for novels (especially those which are not compulsory texts for students: i.e. the Textbook is not a standard textbook). The Teenage Textbook and the Teenage Workbook are the only two books by the same author to have reached the number 1 and number 2 spots on the Times Best Seller Lists.
I did not earn a fortune on them. I don't think professional writers in Singapore will be able to support themselves writing novels. They would have to work at a day job such as journalism, lawyering, selling pirate VCDs or what not.
What did you think of the Necessary Stage play (see Inkpot review) of your book... especially in comparison to the film?
The play was very funny, and I loved Hossan Leong, Mark Richmond and the rest of the cast. But the film is miles better, simply because it was very intimate and personal, something which (surprisingly) the stage version did not aim for. The play was a rollicking comedy, but the film is light and romantic. The music in the film is a lot better too.
All in all, considering that Haresh did both the play and the movie, he managed to produce two very different types of work. That's impressive.
Why do you think people like to adapt your work so much? Is there something quintessentially Singaporean about the contents of your book?
Is it for me to say? Many young and not so young people have come up to me from time to time to tell me how much they remember my book. When I was doing a cameo in the movie, I happened to stand next to a young man who was able to recite chunks of the Textbook to me. It was unreal.
How much control did you have over adaptations... I mean, did any of it conform to your vision?
I deliberately did not want any artistic involvement in the film. The director and screenwriters are creative people, and they have their own ideas. The last thing they would want (I imagine) is to cramp the style of these people by breathing down their necks. And if you've met Monster films, you will know they have yucky necks.
Besides, what the heck do I know about making movies?
Did the movie satisfy you in getting your message across?
Message? What message? I just want people to enjoy themselves - and the film certainly achieved that. I have been told by Monster Films that while many many many people liked the movie, some have criticised it as lacking depth. For crying out loud, it's a teen movie for the holidays. Sometimes Singaporeans are too darn serious. Anyway, there are issues in the film, just as in the novels. It's just that those issues are not so obviously in-your-face.
Anyway, the only prerequisite for the movie was that it had 100% indigenous music. When I wrote the Teenage Textbook I wanted young people in Singapore to read about themselves, for a change. And similarly when the movie came along I wanted young people to listen to Singapore music, because there are so many talented bands out there who deserve our attention.
Did you get paid for rights to the adaptations? (Did you get paid a lot? Does that make you rich enough to retire to a Caribbean paradise... you get the point)
No.
How come you let your brother adapt the play instead of doing it yourself? He wrote his (Geography!) honours thesis on Batman. Does weirdness run in the genes?
What's so weird about Batman?
My brother is very talented - he was the TCS producer who created the character of Phua Chu Kang (try and top that). He has also written for Hossan Leong and Joe Augustin, and he is now working in MTV. He lightened the movie with humour and other stuff - if there's one thing he does not like, it's heavy emotions. He ain't heavy (he's my brother).
Was your JC life anything like what you described in your books? Were any characters based on you? What would you say to the fact that I know people who re-read your books so many times and felt that they could almost live the lives of the characters in your book? (and would that make you almost like a social engineer?)
I don't want to be any kind of engineer, please. I'll probably screw things up (no pun intended).
My JC life at Hwa Chong was much like JC life anywhere else. Long endless telephone calls, vicious attacks of acne and lots of reading and pop music. Oh yeah, there was a bit of studying as well.
If any of the characters resembled me, it would have to be Tom D'Cruz, simply for the looks. Tall, well-sculpted face and great in jeans - that was me.
What kind of books do you read?
George Orwell is my favourite author, I've read all his novels and most of his non-fiction. Timothy Mo is fun, and there is this chap called David Lodge whom I enjoy. And then there's (sssshhh) Tom Clancy.
I also absolutely adore Catherine Lim - she is a marvellous writer.
Do you watch much film or TV?
I have this thing for John Hughes movies - I think he is fantastically talented. TRAINS, PLANES AND AUTOMOBILES, SOME KIND OF WONDERFUL, HOME ALONE, he can do anything. I also like good science fiction: ALIEN, TERMINATOR, great stuff. I even write a bit of science fiction. One of my science fiction short stories was on the BBC World Service not too long ago. They gave me fifty pounds sterling for it, which is pretty good.
Do you find Gurmit Singh at all funny? Does he think he's David Letterman, and does he do it well enough?
Gurmit should be himself, I saw him live at a wedding once and he is side-splittingly funny. He's best when he's spontaneous.
Should James Lye be back in Triple 9 or are they getting along fine without him? Do they need Wong Li Lin back?
I'm a big James Lye fan but I think he gets crappy scripts. I think he could do a lot better. Wong Li Lin and James Lye? No chemistry. Perhaps she should do something else.
Did you cry when Mrs Tay died in Growing Up? or didn't you watch the much hyped episode (coz i didn't)?
I didn't cry, and those tissues were not mine. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
Of course I watched the episode - WHY DIDN"T YOU? I hope you have a good excuse because it was brilliant. Very Cantonese soap opera: long suffering mum, ungrateful children, delayed deathbed scen. After that, the series went downhill.
What do you think of Singapore writers?
I love both of them.
(That was a joke)
We've got many good writers. I go to poetry readings and stuff sometimes and the only thing that goes through my mind during those readings are: "These people are way more talented than me."
What do you think of current Singaporean films?
I really enjoyed ARMY DAZE (see Inkpot review) and FOREVER FEVER (see Inkpot review). 12 STOREYS is also good. And I saw MONEY NO ENOUGH twice. I haven't seen TIGER'S WHIP yet, though, have you?
TIGER'S WHIP is probably the last of the movies done by Singaporeans for the heck of it. Tiger's Whip, Teenage Textbook, Money No Enough etc. were all done before anyone ever thought that money could be made from Singapore films. Next year though we will get the "jump on the bandwagon" gang, and I wonder if that will be the death of Singapore films. Over commercialisation is not a good thing in this case.
Your books portray JC life as very cheery and happy. Michael Chiang's Army Daze makes BMT look like it's very cheery and happy too. Do you think that Singaporeans tend to make potentially unhappy and uncheery bits of Singapore life more rose-hued than they really are?
Duuuhhh, it's because Army Daze and my books are comedy, you bird brain (sorry, got carried away there). Have you ever read Colin Cheong or Phil Jeyaretnam? They are the complete opposite. Even Cat Lim is a mite Gothic. So I don't agree with your generalisations (see Inkpot review), my dear chap.
Are you gonna write a textbook/workbook about the lawyer-ly life in Singapore? (The Lawyer's Textbook? Would you be a character? Can lawyers be funny?)
No to everything.
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Quickies
Do you have a tattoo?
Er - pass.
Do you surf the net often? Do you ever go on IRC and pretend to be someone else?
Okay, I surf like a zillion hours a month and my Pacific Net bill looks like my NRIC number. As for IRC, well if you see a character called "Rosie" - it's me.
If you had to write a sitcom about lawyers, what would the characters' names be?
Er - pass.
If you could build anything out of broccoli, what would you make?
Have you been sniffing that airplane glue again? What kind of question is this? Okay, since you ask, a sad sheep dog dying of bacteria in its gut. Then it would be called a Melancholy Broccoli Collie with E-Coli.
How many ways of describing "cheese" can you think of in a minute without saying the word?
Er, I was on Pyramid Game once (Editor's note: yes we saw that, that's why we asked), so I should be good at this. I'm yellow and smelly and rats like me. Wait! That sounds like Pol Pot. Let me see...
Do you like teenagers?
Love them all. They are the only ones among us who have dreams, and ideals, and beliefs. They can do anything.
Kevin Spacey was a mean grasshopper in A BUG'S LIFE. if you were cast as an animated animal in a Disney movie, what would you be?
Clearly I would be one of those chimpanzees with articulated tails. Chattering, scratching myself and eating bananas: what more is there to life?
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"The only prerequisite for the movie was that it had 100% indigenous music." |
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"If any of the characters resembled me, it would have to be Tom D'Cruz, simply for the looks. Tall, well-sculpted face and great in jeans - that was me.
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"The episode of Growing Up where Mrs Tay died was brilliant. Very Cantonese soap opera: long suffering mum, ungrateful children, delayed deathbed scen. After that, the series went downhill." |
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