Personal Interview Questions
with Micheal Lane

August 19, 2008. Queenie D Chats with Micheal Lane about his inspirational novel,
The Wisdom of Yawdy Rum

Personal Interview Questions for Micheal Lane

I need you to clarify something before we go any further - is Yawdy a real person? I'm confused as to whether or not he is based on someone you met, real, or totally imagined?

Yawdy Rum is a fictional character; however, he's a combination of several individuals I met in the course of working on the book. One in particular is a very dear friend of mine here in Minneapolis, Irv Williams. Irv is presently 89 years young and has been a performing jazz musician nearly all his life. He still performs publicly three or four times each week. He's such a genuine, proud and truly unique person. Many of the things related in Yawdy's life came from Irv's own experiences growing up—stories he shared with me that he allowed me to incorporate into Yawdy's life experiences.

Many readers have commented to me that Yawdy is such a real person. I think he comes across that way in the book because of the beauty of his character, his grace and his wisdom.

Personal Interview Questions for Micheal Lane

Following up with my last question, what parts of this story are true to your life? Can you tell us a little bit about your journey to figure out what direction you wanted your life to take?

Much of the story is true. The book is a blend of memoir and inspirational writing although many of the events didn't necessarily happen in the order as they are laid out in the book, and of course, Yawdy Rum is a fictional character. One of my editors remarked that you have to live it to write about it. The basis for my character in the book comes from my many years of experience in one of the largest privately held corporations in the world. I believe the experiences from my various corporate roles are common to individuals in similar positions with both small and large organizations everywhere. I've heard it said that corporations are soul killing machines.

Des, my wife and I have an autistic son. He's the basis for Patrick in the book. The issues we encountered raising an autistic child which I share in the book are real.

I've wanted to write since I was in high school. However, the financial pressures and family commitment prohibited me from pursuing my, nearly life-long, goal until our kids had grown. The interesting thing about the book is how the story idea came to me. I had always said if I had a clear idea of the setting, scene and character for a book that I would jump in with both feet. There are times in our lives when an idea hits us so strong it's like a giant wave washing across our consciousness. Something so strong, we feel frozen for a moment by its impact on our thoughts: an epiphany—moment of awakening or sudden insight that leaves us feeling different, somehow forever changed. I had one of those epiphany moments while I was in New Orleans in February of 2005.

Following a late evening business dinner, while walking back to my hotel in the French Quarter, I stopped under the awning of Reverend Zombie’s Voodoo shop on Saint Peter Street. Directly across the street, on the sidewalk in front of Preservation Hall, a line of thirty or forty people snaked along the front of the building waiting to get in. I could hear, as well as feel, the beat of the New Orleans jazz radiating from the building. Standing there staring through the drizzle at the old structure, I suddenly felt the presence of an old jazzman, his energy, and his grace. I returned to my hotel and made a few brief notes to myself about the experience. Three nights later, I awoke in the middle of the night with a name on my mind. I got up, fumbled with the light in my hotel room, found a pad of paper and a pen, and wrote down the name—Yawdy Rum. Three months later, I left the corporate world and spent two years working on the story. The book published in 2007.

Personal Interview Questions for Micheal Lane

Did you ever feel guilty about leaving your wife at home with an Autistic son, basically raising him as a single parent? Did this contribute to your desire to break away from the corporate world?

Absolutely! But, I would add, we each had our roles. My wife's role was to manage a household with three children with one of them being autistic, while mine was to be the breadwinner. You do what you have to do.

My mother died when I was 16 years old. She was only thirty-six. I think more than anything that experience gave me the perspective that life is so very short, and if there is something I wanted to accomplish, I needed to get after it. I couldn't imagine the sense of regret I would feel if I didn't reach out for my goal.

Personal Interview Questions for Micheal Lane

What kind of research did you have to do in order to become a Jazz expert?

Oh, my, what a great question. In addition to tons of reading about jazz in general and traditional New Orleans jazz in particular, Irv Williams who I mentioned earlier, helped me understand the spiritual side of the music. Also, I had the opportunity to meet and spend time with the band members of the traveling Preservation Hall Jazz Band. What a great group of very professional musicians.

There is also a very kind gentleman by the name of, Charlie DeVore, who lives in St Paul, Minnesota. Charlie is a walking encyclopedia on traditional jazz. Charlie spent time in New Orleans in the Navy in the 1950s. He knew and played with many of the original Preservation Hall band members. I owe a great debt of gratitude to Charlie for his technical help with the book and my understanding of New Orleans jazz.

Personal Interview Questions for Micheal Lane

Do you think it's common for executives at a certain level to feel like you described - like they are "supposed" to make innovative contributions in the workplace but in reality their job is to just do what is expected of them? Why is this?

Yes, I think it's the same the world over. At lower levels of a corporation, a person can challenge the status quo and be pretty safe, but when you get to a senior level in the organization, you are expected to carry the corporate line. And, if you don't—you're gone. I think Yawdy's remark in the book is the best. He said, in terms of corporate tolerance for someone who's bucking the system, "They want things predictable. Oh, they talk a good story about giving people room to explore and grow and try and fail, but they tolerate it only to a certain point. It scares 'em."

Personal Interview Questions for Micheal Lane

Have you learned to play your Gibson?

Yes. I play my Gibson AJ45 nearly every day. It's like therapy for me. I'm not as good as I'd like to be, but it's more about learning and growing than it is about becoming an accomplished guitarist. I love the simplicity of the traditional New Orleans jazz. There is nothing quite like the happiness you feel when you get the rhythm going in "When the Saints Go Marching In." Music renews our souls.

Personal Interview Questions for Micheal Lane

Why do you think Yawdy never remarried after the tragic circumstance surrounding his first marriage? Is he the type of man that loves hard once and that's it?

I think he loved his first wife so much, and that it was such a complete experience for him, that he never wanted to let go of it. Yawdy never fell out of love, or perhaps he never wanted to bring another person into the space he held in his mind for Della.

Personal Interview Questions for Micheal Lane

Is there a reason you didn't include much information about your other two kids?

That's for the next book. It's titled, Contrary. It's a story about a family with an autistic child and two other typical children. It's told by a smart looking brown teddy bear in a pink and blue floral button shirt who came to live with the family.

Personal Interview Questions for Micheal Lane

Is the secret to life really as simple as Yawdy makes it? Without revealing what it is, do you think it's something any old person could adapt and make work in their lives?

Yes. I think that's why Yawdy's wisdom is so powerful. It's simple. That doesn't make it any less difficult to achieve. Yawdy's character even struggles with some of it as well. I think that's what makes him so human, so real.

Personal Interview Questions for Micheal Lane

You relate life to Jazz music. Where did your inspiration for this come?

The connection between jazz, or better said basic music theory, came from my learning to play the guitar. It hit me like a Mack truck. There seemed to be such a clear connection between music and life. Moreover, I think Yawdy frames it better when he explains that jazz is life.

Personal Interview Questions for Micheal Lane

What other projects are you working on right now? Will you write another book?

I have just completed a book titled, Something About Sofy, as a special project for a historical group in Kansas. It will only have a limited release. It's the true story of a young woman named, Hattie Davis, who at the turn of the twentieth century went to work in a small Kansas newspaper office to help support her family. The editor wrote a column that was syndicated all across the country. In it, he wrote of a fiery young woman named, Sofy. Sofy was the pen name for Hattie. It's the story of her musings on life, boys and coming of age in 1907.

I'm also in the very early stages of Contrary. It will most likely be a four or five year project.

Book Club Queen: Thank you for taking the time to talk with us about your wonderful book Mike!

Micheal: Des, thank you very much for allowing to me interact with your readers. I hope they fall in love with Yawdy and Adrian as much as I have as the writer.

Personal Interview Questions for Micheal Lane

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