A Pizzazz Magazine Exclusive

Publisher Don Lemmon

Pizzazz Magazine: First of all, what is a day in your shoes like? What do you do from waking to hitting the hay each day?

Steven Poor: I fix breakfast for me and my wife, first thing.  Best omellettes ever!  Or is it spelled ommellettes?  Omelets?  Crap, anyway, I get Kathy to work, I get home, write a bit, clean the house, do some cooking, maybe lift some weights to sculpt my masculine phsyique, do some more cooking, polish the silver (that sounds dirty, doesn't it?), troll a few forums to keep some people's blood pressure up, stalk ebay and ask foolish questions to sellers ("My cat is interested in the electric toothbrush you're selling, do you take monthly payments?"), pick Kathy up from work, write some more, practice with the band, then share quality time with Kathy.  Sometimes we even have glorious sex! 

Pizzazz Magazine: What would you say is the highlight of your life so far and how does it compare to your overall goals?

Steven Poor: Glorious sex!  I always wanted to lose my virginity, ever since I learned what it was, and what a vile, despicable thing it was. 

Pizzazz Magazine: Who was the first person to tell you getting into what you are known for was a crazy idea? At what point did you agree (even if it was momentarily)?

Steven Poor: Ironically, many people have encouraged me to write, my parents included.  I don't think they believed I would pursue it full-time, and the fact that the opportunity to do so has opened up to me is intimidating as hell.  I feel crazy just doing this, honestly.  I could be a productive member of society, I could contribute to the well-being of Humanity, I could entertain my cats, I could even find a cure for cancer.  Instead I sit at home and write.  Crazy!

Pizzazz Magazine: Have you made contacts using the internet that you know you wouldn't have if it weren't for the web being so accessible?

Steven Poor: I met you, Don!  I've run across some very cool opportunities that would never have come my way if not for the internet.

Pizzazz Magazine: Funny how it usually works. We grow up wanting to be firefighters or nurses, then due to the glory of media, rock stars, actors, etc. and then reality sits in... We end up being ourselves... Good or bad... What's your story?

Steven Poor:   I wanted to be an artist. My parents nixed that idea. I wanted to be an actor.  My parents nixed that idea. I wanted to be a musician.  My parents nixed that idea. I wanted to be a graphic artist. My parents nixed that idea. I ended up writing, something I'd been doing the whole time. Maybe one day I'll be a fireman?  Or an arsonist? 

Pizzazz Magazine: What one thing haven't you done you would still like to?

Steven Poor: Lose my virginity.  :0(

Pizzazz Magazine: Tell me one of the negative aspects of your field that everyone needs to know. Do not say there are none! The biggest lie about your work is:

Steven Poor: A loosely-structure schedule is both a plus and a minus. Too many things can interfere with work, things that you feel need to get done. With no timeclock, actual work can slip away with cleaning, cooking, errands and other necessary household things.

Pizzazz Magazine: What are your 5 favorite or most frequently visited websites?

Steven Poor: craigslist, realultimatepower.net, ebay, deardiary.net, altonbrown.com, rickemerson.com

Pizzazz Magazine: Tell me something people do not realize about you, maybe it's not a secret, maybe it's not anything special, but it is something no one else has ever asked you about until now. What's boring to you is news to everyone else...

Steven Poor: I like to read to my wife.  Especially emotionally-charged stuff from my childhood, like "Bridge to Terrabithia." 

Pizzazz Magazine: What's the craziest thing you have experienced in your work? Maybe it's something you witnessed and didn't participate in, but what would shock us, make us laugh or show us another side to things besides the obvious...

Steven Poor:   Once I caught Tom Clancy dangling his participle.  I couldn't believe it!!!

Pizzazz Magazine: Anything embarrassing happen when YOU were trying to look cool? What? Embarrassing and crazy are different things!

Steven Poor: If I try to look cool, I guarantee I will look like an idiot. I finally stopped trying to look cool.  I still look like an idiot, but I do so without the risk of accidentally looking cool in the process. 

Pizzazz Magazine: Tell us a few sites that friends of yours own that would appreciate a plug:

Steven Poor: www.liesandpropaganda.com  is always a great stop. Pillarsofnein.com is a neat place to check out a pretty cool band. I don't know too many other people with websites....

Pizzazz Magazine: The biggest PLUS FACTOR about your line of business is:

Steven Poor: I have the ultimate tool of self-expression, simple words. 

Pizzazz Magazine: Did the people around you change when you went out looking to succeed in this field? Sometimes those who weren't so supportive in the beginning, suddenly become supportive or possibly vice versa; they became thorns in your side....

Steven Poor: I have found a treendous amount of support in my writing, it is very exciting, very comforting. 

Pizzazz Magazine: What question makes you crazy whenever asked and hopefully saying so here will prevent it from being asked again?

Steven Poor:   "Why does it burn when I pee?"

Pizzazz Magazine: Who do you see on TV, in film or hear on the radio that just makes you wonder how in the hell they got where they are?

Steven Poor: I believe that the bar for fame is stunningly low. Consider how many actors, musicians, authors and other successful entertainers are terrible. Why are they famous? Because we have been fed them. I will refer you all to the fact that once again, payola is revealed as the motivating factor behind the success of Good Charlotte and other musicians. There are other bands who are far better, but the money isn't behind them. The money says it all, no matter if it is being said in movies, TV, music, books, or anything else. I truly believe that fame is granted by a company who feels they can sell fools the goods, and not by fans who can spot actual talent. There are "bogeys" out there, truly talented people who have been discovered by a large audience. However The Money typically grants the performer his or her audience; the performer rarely brings their audience to The Money. 

Pizzazz Magazine: Tell me a joke!

Steven Poor: What's brown and sticky? A stick.

Pizzazz Magazine: What music group do you listen to most often and what is their best album?

Steven Poor: Rush, Poe, Kiss, Nine Inch Nails, Dream Theater, Cheap Trick, Pink Floyd, Veruca Salt, my tastes are all over the map. I have even learned to appreciate Trace Adkins. I would be hard-picked to find a favorite Rush album.  Poe?  Haunted.  Kiss? Alive.  NIN?  The Downward Spiral. DT?  Images and Words. Cheap Trick? Silver. PF? The Wall. Veruca Salt? American Thighs.

Pizzazz Magazine: Who should hang up their hat in your business? Why?

Steven Poor: Tom Clancy. Nothing new here, folks. Move along. 

Pizzazz Magazine: Tell me your favorite movie genre, name a few titles, think video rental or dvd's you own and watch the most:

Steven Poor: I love weird stuff, stuff that does wonderful things to the audience. Donny Darko, Boomtown Saints, Saw, The Sixth Sense, anything that manages to throw an unexpected curve ball at the watcher.

Pizzazz Magazine: What TV show do you miss from childhood... I used to love Land of the Giants and Dance Fever (kidding on that one)....

Steven Poor: The Muppet Show!

Pizzazz Magazine: Ever had someone from your past try and track you down and bug the tar out of you? I know this seems like the same questions as, "did people change" but it isn't meant to be.... Maybe we can put a little tact in people's future efforts here...

Steven Poor: I had an ex-girlfriend track me down a while back, called at the worst times, and asked strange things. Sometimes people want The Present to be just like The Past. Things change, we don't feel the same way we did 20 years ago.  

Pizzazz Magazine: If you were anyone besides yourself, who would you be (even for just a day, on a good day, of course) and did you emulate them growing up or is this a recent admiration you have acquired?

Steven Poor: Tom Clancy. Yeah, he's a boring writer, but he's a successful one too!

Pizzazz Magazine: Who in your business would you like to say, "Hey, remember the time someone hooked you up and now look where you are? How about hooking me up with... (blank)?" Insert the BLANK....

Steven Poor: Patrick F. McManus. How about a hand getting Someone In The Biz to look at some of my stuff? 

Pizzazz Magazine: What did we forget?

Steven Poor: I got nothin'....