SMASH
What has the past year been like for you?

MALLMAN
It's been hard work mostly, but that's what I live for. Mostly it's been a lot of performing, probably around 100 - 125 shows this year. In order to tour, I had to not only scale down my live show (to a two piece) but also get rid of a lot of material things. I moved from a duplex into a bedroom, so I threw or gave away around 90% of the things I owned. It's important as a songwriter, to always go through changes, it's what keeps the magic coming in - the changes forces growth, and from that growth comes...INVENTION, or re-invention, even.

SMASH
What are you looking forward to in the year to come?

MALLMAN
More change more change more change. Change keeps us living in the moment, and in the present. As ALPHA 60 (the computer in JEAN LUC GOARD'S "ALPHAVILLE") says, "The present is the form of all life". Songwriting pulls it's magic from the present, like a photograph taken - it captures a moment/scene/story, and immortalizes it. The irony is that, one must draw from the now, not the then, for the "magic" to come. So, in keeping with my statements, I would say I am not looking forward to the next year at all, rather looking inward to the present.

SMASH
You make references to authors like Dostoyevski , William Blake and Voltaire in your songs. How would you describe your relationship with books and writers?

MALLMAN
A lot of the inspiration for my songs, comes from non-musical places - for instance, I just wrote a song for my new record from the perspective of MICHAEL CORLEONE (son of DON VITO CORLEONE in the GODFATHER movies/books) - I was inspired by the Copolla movies for this one, not Mario Puzo's book series- Once I wrote a song about president ROOSEVELT. Writers come into my songs a lot more on the next record than ever - because I find them inspiring as people - and in a book, one tends to become more enveloped by a story than in a movie, or on television (which I'm really not a fan of). Bob Dylan draws a lot from the bible, as the MODERN MYTHOLOG - which I’m not sure is actually true, I would say that HOLLYWOOD is the MODERN MYTHOLOGY - celebrities, etc.

SMASH
How are books on tape different from the readable kind?

MALLMAN
Some are abridged. It's pretty funny - I've seen a MOBY DICK at the bookstore that takes only an hour and half to listen to.

SMASH
What qualities in a book make it a good candidate for transfer to tape?

MALLMAN
I don't know really - cheap is great - Dennis Rodman’s autobiography is funny because it’s READ BY HIM! Anything where the author reads there own book is tremendous. I would say that’s actually BETTER than reading the book.

SMASH
Would you give us some titles of books that are good on tape?

MALLMAN
Well, I really enjoy the classics. There’s an awesome version of HITCHIKERS GUIDE TO THE GALAXY out there. Douglas Adams is always great to listen to on the road, because his books are very non-linear in ways. It’s very episodic so you can stay in a city for a few days, and then put it on during the next long drive, not needing a refresher as to where you were when you left off.

SMASH
Would you please give us a list of your all-time favorite books or just some books that you have read in 2003 that you were really into?

MALLMAN
I’m not a very HIP reader, kind of like my music collection it’s mostly old stuff - I’m super into reading the generic stuff, stuff kids read in HIGH SCHOOL and COLLEGE - HEMINGWAY, CAMUS, SARTRE, NABAKOV, HESSE - well, I guess, PHILIP ROTH is pretty new, as well as VONNEGUT, oooh and KATHY ACKER - there’s a modern one - except she’s died in 1997.