Derek We Hartley Knew You...

I was catching up with Derek Hartley, host of The Derek And Romaine Show, on SiriusXM. I had interviewed him when he published his last book Colonade:A Life In Columns. I wanted to catch up with him and talk about his new book When Nitelife Falls

 So Mr. Hartley , lets catch up. How have things been going with you and the DNR show as of late?

The show has been going really well. We did two specials in July around Alan Ball and True Blood and they were both very successful. Something we can really be proud of. I think after eight years on the air, you always want to have moments that you can look back on and be glad you did them. Those specials were definitely in that category.

Although the one opinion that mattered most to me was that of Alan Ball. We really like him and he is such a dear person. And we saw first hand when we visited the set how hard everyone works on the show and how much joy they get out of it. We got great interviews and everyone was so forthcoming. The hardest part of making the specials was all the great stuff we didn't have time for. Everyone at HBO and True Blood was so great. So we really wanted to do justice to Alan and his team and their show which is truly a labor of love for the cast and crew. I hope that we did. He said he liked it. That's all that matters to me.  

What I am really most proud of recently is the money we have raised for the Gay Center in NYC with Amber riding in Braking the Cycle and Romaine working crew. Our listeners have donated more than $43,000 so far which just edges out the money we raised in 2006, during our last big fundraiser. In the history of our little show, we have encouraged our listeners to donate more than $110,000 in the fight against AIDS. That means more to me than the Out 100 or the GLAAD Award or anything else we have done. I only wish it was more. We can never do enough.   

Now for those who did not know, You published your first book "Colonnade, A Life In Columns" about your early years at working and living in New York,  I loved the book. How was that experience for you?  Did it exceed what you had in mind when you published it?

Since I was a kid, I wanted to write a book. I was always just so lazy. But at heart, I am a writer. So, I have the personal satisfaction of having written a book. And for fans of the show, it is nice to give them something tangible to have and enjoy. I don't think it exceeded what I have in mind. I have very grand dreams for myself! I have a hard time ever being satisfied with my work. There is always one last little thing to fix or change. It is probably for the best that we have a live show. If it was recorded and edited, it would probably take me weeks to make a single four hour show. I am not a perfectionist, but I am impossible to satisfy, especially for myself. I always think I can do it better.

 I hear you have a new book out now. What can you tell me about it? Did the success of your first book help in any way with the reason you decided to publish another?

The first book was about my life before the radio show. I think the listeners wanted something more that they could relate to currently. And my life has changed a lot since the show started. I wanted to write something that was about that transition. The new book covers a lot of ground: buying a house, making friends, falling in love, having a cancer scare. Ultimately it is about presenting something you can't get just by listening to the show. The stories you haven't heard!

The reviews of the new book have been great. And I think readers are enjoying seeing how I have changed, from the old me before the show, to me now, or at least closer to now. With the recent ten year anniversary of 9/11, I reread the part of my first book that covered that time in NYC. I couldn't believe how long ago and far away that seemed. I posted that chapter on my blog. People shouldn't have to buy my book to see what I thought about 9/11. NYC is a tough town and New Yorkers can deal with a lot of challenges. That was off the charts, but we are very resilient here. You can't knock these people down.

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I did enjoy the cover. Who came up with the concept for it and what was the story behind the shoot?

I had in my head an idea for the cover. I wanted Erik Rhodes, who is a big strapping porn star, to look like he was naked, holding a much smaller man collapsing in his arms. I found a model named Christopher Schram and the three of us joined the photographer Jeff Eason for a photo shoot at the NEXT Magazine offices. We did the picture I wanted and we all liked it. But it took maybe five minutes. So we had time and started playing around a bit. We did the shot of Erik dragging Christopher on the ground and the moment I saw the photo I knew that was the one. It was so striking. I'm very happy for on set inspiration. And Christopher was a really good sport being dragged around on the dirty floor. We put him in all sorts of crazy positions that afternoon, poor thing.

Now that you have two books under your belt, looking back on what you have written, What perspective has that given you about what you have accomplished so far? Have you gained any insight on who you are now from looking back at where you started through your work?

Psychologically it was hard getting over the hump of actually doing the first book. But I am someone who once I have done something, and figured out how to do it, I can very easily do it again and again and again. So the second book was easier in that regard, although it took longer because I really labored over it to get it just right. And there was a lot of painful emotional stuff in the book that was hard to face. There is real heartbreak in that book and I still live with it. But I have never talked about it on the show. There is nothing worse than that friend who is hung up on a guy and won't shut up about it. I don't want to be that person. It's awful. So I keep that inside. But I tell that story in the book and I think you get a real sense about how I feel inside when you read it. When I write, that's the real me and I don't hold much back.  

 So can we look forward to another book somewhere down the pike? What is the future of The DNR Show?  What can we expect to see from you in the coming year?

I am writing something else right now. Something I have been meaning to write for a long time that is really just for me. And I have a couple of other side projects I am trying to turn into something. So I don't really have the time to write another book right now. But I suspect I will put another one together in the next year or so. I would like to do a really fun book of all my favorite stories and adventures. Basically a series of true life comic mishaps. Something light and fun. But I have also been thinking about a more serious, almost political book, since I rarely get to express that side of my personality on the show. So who knows. I don't have solid plans for the future ever. You never know where life will take you.

As for the show, I don't know what the future will hold there either. It is a miracle we have been on as long as we have. Not that I think the show is ending soon, but I would not be surprised if it ended very suddenly at some point. When it does end, I know there won't be a long, drawn out good bye. You have to listen everyday because I am telling you, you'll miss a couple of days and come back and it will be gone or one of us will be gone and that will be that. Neither Romaine nor I are long kiss good night kinds of people. When we are done with something, it's done. And we haven't had a contract since 2008 so really we could be fired or canceled or walk away at any moment. My dream ending would not be a series of highlights and tributes anyway. I'd like to do a normal show and then do a nice one minute so long at the end and hit that hard break like I always do. Done and gone. Boom. And then grab my bag and walk out the door and never look back.

In the near term, certainly you will see us doing a lot less traveling in 2012. My second book has sold better in digital format than in paperback since the launch so I am trying to get Romaine to make her book available in a digital form. And the two of us have been talking a lot about doing a he said/she said book about the show like "You Say Tomato, I Say Shut Up" which we both very much enjoyed. So our goal going forward is to do less, but have the things we do be bigger and new and exciting. Quality over quantity, which has not always been the hallmark of our show. But if we are going to keep this radio marriage interesting in the ninth year and beyond, we have to spice it up. 

CLICK HERE TO GO TO DEREKS AMAZON.COM PAGE TO ORDER!! 

I want to personally thank Derek for taking the time to talk to me. I really appreciate it, Love and Light, JD