Q & A with Ted Lerner
by Dante Peralta II
Interview appeared in the Daily Tribune Newspaper in Manila on 7 May 2000

Q: Were you always this adventurous? You seem to be the guy in college who'd do something on a dare or spur of the moment.

A: Well, I'm not that stupid to do anything on a dare. I think it's more that I always had this desire to travel, to check out new things, to keep moving. My parents have been in the travel business for nearly 40 years. They owned a chain of travel agencies in and around Allentown, Pennsylvania. They were always traveling and would sometimes take us with them. So I think I got the travel bug from my parents, especially my mother who is always on the move.
The other thing is that I'm the youngest of four boys. My eldest brother went to law school, the next brother is now a doctor, the third brother works for the "Golf Channel" as a reporter and broadcaster. So I guess I'm the adventurer in the family.

Q: Who are your models in terms of style? Could you elaborate on these people?

A: One of my all time favorite writers is Tom Robbins, the author of "Even Cowgirls get the Blues," and "Jitterbug Perfume," and "Half asleep in From Pajamas," among others. These books are novels, but I absolutely love his style. He is the wittiest writer, able to turn a phrase on a dime, gives life and character to inanimate objects. Most of all Robbins expresses this pure joy, and love of life and freedom and ideals. His books always have the element of wanderlust in them, the love of checking out new things. He's a rebel but a rebel with style and class. I highly recommend his books to anyone who enjoys having an open mind.
Another writers I like is the famous Indian writer and columnist Kushwant Singh. I picked up several of his books while I was traveling in India. His style is very witty, close to the bone and he has a great eye for detail. And he's very to the point, doesn't mess around. He's also a professed dirty old man which I find endearing and can somewhat identify with.
Another writer is Hunter Thompson. He's the famous "gonzo" journalist that wrote books about the Hell's Angels, American presidential campaigns, Watergate, and other topics. He tossed all journalistic credos out the window. I like him because he often puts himself in the story, which while a no-no in "serious" journalism, worked perfect for him. By putting himself in the story, I believe the story more than if it was so called "objective," because he's so brutally honest. He doesn't just go to an event and tell you what happened, he tells you about the scene surrounding the event. Hunter Thompson is a genius.
By the way, I also read all kinds of material. I think that's important. If you see a trashy gossip magazine sitting there, pick it up and check it out. I just finished a non-fiction book whose premise was that UFO's are actually evil creatures who have enslaved the populace of the earth and turned man against each other. There is more honesty and reality in the cheesy and trashy than in so called high-quality stuff.

Q: In your own words, describe your style.

A: Now that I look back at how I just answered the last question, I'd say my style is a mixture of all those writers. On one hand I'm a journalist, but I don't believe in the traditional journalistic style of trying to be objective. Just because you have both sides of the story doesn't mean you have all sides, or the truth. I often do not identify myself as a journalist when I'm out and about.
I like the columnist genre. I think the column is the most underrated form of writing out there. If a column is done poorly, with the writer just standing on his soapbox and telling the world what he thinks all the time, then the column is weak. But a good column is very difficult to write. You have to get to the point, you have to incorporate yourself in the story. It's part opinion, part facts. The parameters are so wide it's almost scary. But when it's done properly, readers love it more than anything. It's short and to the point with a bottom line that it's got to be entertaining. I always keep that in mind.
I have a hard time describing my style because I just write what I feel is the proper story for the subject. I do know that I like to bring readers on a little adventure, if even for just a few minutes. To bring them to where the story is happening, describe the surroundings, put their senses on full blast. I'm a traveler right? I want to take people on this journey with me.

Q: Can you tell me something about your past that you seem to love the rustic lifestyle, that a squalid marketplace fascinates you, that you loathe malls?

A: I grew up in Allentown, Pennsylvania, which people describe as a nice place to raise a family. Which means that in the end, it's a boring place to live. I had everything growing up; we were well off. But I became what Pink Floyd describes as "comfortably numb." Too much suburban perfection. So I inherited my parents love for travel, but I wanted to see different things other than the good life all the time. I have always been comfortable with the downtrodden, the regular folks, the underbelly, even the sleazy and dirty side of things. Not that I'm totally like that, hardly. I just find that life is so much more interesting and lively when you get closer to the bone.
Modern day malls are too perfect, too sterile. You don't see peddlers hawking their things in malls. They are not allowed. The environment is too controlled. Markets like Balintawak are wide open. This is the real pulse of life in Manila. The streets are even more interesting. When you see peddlers out on the street, you know they are living day to day. There's no sheen of smugness and hype and trendiness. It's bare-bones living. It's real. I find that much more interesting than what's the latest trend, which changes by the week. Survival is never trendy.

Q: Do you still live in Manila? What other places have you written about?

A: My family and I now live in Angeles City. For one year now. We moved there on a lark. We used to come to Angeles a lot to hang out. It's a down and dirty kind of place, I guess that's why I like it. I've also written a lot about Angeles. I've been to a lot of place in the Philippines and abroad as well. Camiguin, Davao, Cebu, Mindoro, Sagada, Catanduanes, La Union, Ilocos Norte. There's always something new to see in the Philippines. I've written stories about most of these places. That's because I have a weekly deadline.

Q: What's the next project after "Hey Joe"?

A: Not sure because I'm so involved in "Hey, Joe". I'm helping to market it and we just put up a website. Perhaps a book of travel stories from around Asia and US. Or a book about Angeles City. Definitely a lot of material in Pampanga.

Q: Did you always want to be a writer? What was the epiphany for you?

A: I was more into broadcasting. I did a lot of radio and some television while I was in Hawaii. But I had the urge to write and it presented a great challenge. Writing is hard because what you put down is so permanent so it takes a lot of thought to string the right words together. I always kept a notebook where I would write my thoughts. But I really started writing when I came to the Philippines in 1991. I couldn't believe this place. There was so much to write about, so many interesting things. The action here just blew my mind, especially compared to Hawaii.

Q: You said you originally did not want to go to the Philippines? Why? What did you hear?

A: Unless you've been here, you'd never know the real story. That could be said about any place in the world. There are many places that have bad reputations like the Philippines. As if they are extremely dangerous, with people looking to hunt down any American they come across. I suppose this attitude has something to do with coming from America.
Americans are a bit naïve about the world. We're so programmed in to believing that everything has to be Walt Disney perfect, that anything less is "dangerous." It's ridiculous. That's another reason I always wanted to see places other than my own country. Many Americans have a very skewed vision of what the world is like.

Q: What Filipina trait of your wife made you fall for her?

A: Her looks and her eyes. She has these far away eyes, which I've always found intriguing.

Q: Why do you feel so strongly about Manila that you had to write about it?

A: As it says on the back cover of my book, "Like the city he lives and writes in, Hey, Joe is a full body experience." That's it. It's a full body experience. It has the outward look of degradation, dirt and a crumbling physical appearance. But if you keep an open mind, it's literally exploding with life.
Despite all its drawbacks, I never say I hate Manila. There is always something interesting, good action, nice smiling people, things that make me feel comfortable in Manila.

Q: Why was the book published in Germany?

A: I had been looking for a publisher in and out of the Philippines. Couldn't get the time of day from anyone. Then I hooked up with the German publisher. He has been a fan of my column in BusinessWorld. He asked me to write a story on jeepneys for one of his upcoming picture books and then I approached him with my idea. He liked it and we went from there.
It's turned out great. I had total creative control over every last detail in the book. My sister-in-law did the sketches and the cover. I edited the book, wrote the back cover, decided what went where. How can you beat that?
Now we're in the process of getting the book distributed in the United States. We're just beginning this project and I'm very excited. The publisher has full confidence in "Hey, Joe" becoming a big success in and out of the Philippines. I'm ready.

Q: Got any questions for me?

A: Yeah, could you possibly place an order for 100,000 copies of my book? I'd like to take a long trip somewhere. (Just joking, of course.)