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IN MY HUMBLE OPINION ROkie White FEATURED COLUMNIST R Ray Collins FICTION |
Tom Robbins described his work in a recent interview thusly: "...my books are a hallucinogen, an aphrodisiac, a mood elevator, an intellectual garage door opener and a metaphysical trash compacter. They'll do everything except rotate your tires." That's the best description of Tom's literary efforts I've ever read. Critics and reviewers tend to speed-read and skim "review copies" of books, so they usually miss Robbins by the length of a football field (Journalism's favorite measurement). He writes slowly and carefully and must be read that way. In the article the interviewer refers to Tom as a wordsmith. That he ain't. Wordsmiths write editorials. Robbins is a craftsman when the word no longer has much meaning. He nails and glues words together, sandpapers and primes them, then paints them with complimentary colors. Every sentence and every paragraph is rewritten 'til the words gleam like a Barbie doll's inner thigh after Ken goes home. When I tell folks I've known Tom for 35 years and worked with him in Seattle they say, " He must be a wild and crazy guy, kinda like Steve Martin or Robin Williams..." He ain't that, either. He's a cross between Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. If you need a fence whitewashed it'll be done, then he'll go fishin'. Robbins has the three ingredients necessary for the creative act: imagination, confidence and self-discipline. He's a private person, almost shy, and a hard worker. Tom would come to the office, put his head down and pass ou...er...ah... go to work. That's Tom. Oh, once he did roll a fake bomb into the editorial conference room. That's Huck. On the Seattle Post-Intelligencer Tom was an excellent writer, editor and a walking idea factory. Tom had many subtle ideas that newspaper management didn't understand, and he was considered a menace to Seattle society, especially young people. Not only was he active in the underground press during the Troubles of the late 60's, Robbins was probably the first underground rock'n'roll disc jockey in America. Thomas Blueberry Robbins is also a direct-descendant of the infamous Colonel Blueberry Robbins, hero of the Battle of Blowin' Rock, NC. During the Civil War, Col. Robbins refused to side with the South or the North and his troops fought to keep Blowin' Rock free and independent. The battle didn't succeed, but at least the Colonel gave it a shot. Photo and article © 1998 by Ray Collins  |