Interview: Davey Havok on his new book, 'Pop Kids,' and AFI's September mystery

Davey Havok has expressed himself through many avenues, from hardcore to the darkly melodic platinum and gold heights of AFI’s albums Sing The Sorrow and Decemberunderground to the electro-tinged harmonies of Blaqk Audio, who issued their second album last year. He’s topped the charts and starred on Broadway. And now he’s taking aim at the Barnes & Noble: Spring 2013 saw Havok in a swanky Hollywood hotel reading aloud from his debut novel, Pop Kids, about a fame seeking 17-year-old named Score. Havok spoke to altpress.com about the book, celebrity culture, Zac Efron, David Lynch, Spider-Man and the possibility of new AFI music arriving before 2014.

What was it like getting up and reading in front of people?
DAVEY HAVOK: It was an entirely different experience to read in front of people. I was so much more exposed than I ever have been onstage—whether I had been performing rock or electro-pop before, on Broadway, in any circumstance. It was really a fragile experience. But it was so gratifying. So cool. First of all, it was really touching to see how many people came out to the signing and how many of those people were not only fans, but dear friends. It was wild to get that sort of support from everyone. I was told when I read from Pop Kids that multiple people in the audience had opened up the book and were reading along, which is something I never even considered as a possibility. I didn't see it because I was reading and emoting. That experience—the talk and the reading—was very unique. The whole event was so touching, so gratifying and really unlike anything. It was nice.

People talk about the exchange of energy between audience and performer. What sort of energy was coming back from people who were reading along?
It was so calm and silent during the moments I was reading the short story I had written for the evening and reading from Pop Kids. There was almost a tangible sense of—it sounds extreme to say thrall—but a sense of focus on what I was saying. Which, really kind of pressurized the circumstance, which worked well for the content I was reading. The location we did it in was so perfect and beautiful. The Standard let us have it outside by the pool. It was a beautiful night. The poolside was filled, there were lanterns everywhere, and there were pink balloons floating in the pool they had put there in honor of the book release.

When I was speaking, I didn't notice something that's very modern: I didn't notice any flashes, any cameras up; I didn't notice any recording. Certainly I feel it was unlikely that it wasn't happening, but it wasn't as intrusive as it is in a live music environment. Usually, at least in playing live music, it's something you cannot help but notice because it's literally in your face.

You mentioned a new short story. Have you become more prolific?
Certainly at the time I was writing Pop Kids, I was reaching points where the end was near and I was fearing not having that outlet because I was enjoying writing the book so much and enjoying the characters: I was very inspired as it continued. This started to happen somewhere in the middle of a draft that I thought was going to be the last draft and was probably five out of 50. At that point, I didn't know what I was going to write about. I had a few ideas, and it wasn't until months and months later when I still wasn't done but I was getting closer to completing it that I was realized what the next novel was going to be. Almost the entire storyline hit me at once.

Once I finished Pop Kids and was working on getting it published I immediately began writing the second novel. But as life turned and shifted and collapsed, I wasn't able to continue with that until recently. As a matter of fact, I had written just a little over 100 pages of the beginning of the second story. In the past few weeks, I have gone back to it. I haven't had time to focus on it every day, but I really make an effort not to let two days go by with out getting into it, editing it and trying to move forward. One of the things I learned in writing Pop Kids is it's virtually impossible to write an even semi-cohesive narrative unless you're immersed in it.
 

You’ve said you aren’t into writing non-fiction or anything autobiographical. Yet the main character in Pop Kids is trapped in a rural California town, he’s into vegetarianism, no interest in religion. There’s no Davey Havok in there?
I think most fiction writers will admit to writing what they know or what they're familiar with or from some sort of personal perspective. I certainly wouldn't deny that there are some ties [between myself and the main character] when looking at the protagonist as you are, what Score professes to be about or the facade he creates for himself. There are some parallels between his personality and my persona, if you will. We do not have a lot in common but environments and experiences. A lot of what comes from the book, whether it be the character himself or the actions, are of course from my own experiences—personal or with my friends or environments I’ve been in or experienced by proximity. As with everything I do, there is an honesty to Pop Kids; it's just a matter of whether or not people can sift through what is fiction, what is narrative and what is character to the root of my personal sentiment. I do hope different people take different things from the book depending on who they are or what culture they come from.

Why are people so driven to be famous for its own sake? As someone who has achieved fame, what advice would you give to Score?
I would say: “Man, do something! Make something! Care about something!” I would point out that creation matters and fame for the sake of fame or fame for the sake of being an empty human being is worthless. What causes this thirst culturally is the media’s facilitation. It's all self-fulfilling and providing the forums where your average person can gain recognition through purely narcissistic acts and those forums being successful and growing because your average person reacts to it positively. Rather than looking at someone that has garnered fame by way of creating something or doing something positive, or by way of some sort of art form or talent, those people who desire attention for the sake of attention are saying, “Well. I used to have to make something, do something or work at something to achieve that. Now, I don't. Look at all these people that don't. Who just destroy themselves or make sex tapes. They're receiving the attention that I want; I'll just do that. Why not? I'll just have fame and fortune without doing anything. Why would I do otherwise?” What's the value of anything else when the majority of what is put in front of people is that type of celebrity? Even on a micro level: “Maybe I’m the most famous person on Instagram in Detroit, but I can break this worldwide if I make the right YouTube video! Maybe I should get bigger tits…”

Score is as much in search of fame as he is for meaning. Did you find meaning in performing and creating when you were his age?
There's such a disconnect between the youth that Score represents and my youth. I mean, the dividing line and the gap between people who are raised on social media and the internet and people who aren't is vast. It's stark. Beyond your average teenage growth and coming of age, if you will, I found deep meaning in so much when I was growing up. I went out of my way to discover more and more and find deeper meanings in those art forms that impacted me. Whether that be music, literature or film, all of those forms of art meant so much for me. They were little diamonds that had to be mined out of record stores that were miles away or from people who were older than me who had experienced what I hadn't experienced.

Who should play Score in the Pop Kids movie?
I don’t know! I think about that all the time! I want the new Zac Efron. That’s who I want. But I want him with [James] Franco or even Shia [LaBeouf]. I want the beautiful Disney boy and to have him fall apart. I was so thrilled when I saw Spring Breakers.

Your Twitter bio lists acting as one of the things you do. Obviously you were on Broadway. What else are you looking to do in that realm?
I would love to get back onstage on Broadway. I think because of the way I look and because I’m not classically trained, it really would be dependent on whether or not a show runs that allows for someone with tattoos or allows someone who sings the way I sing to be part of the show. My agent is waiting for that moment. I would love to get back onscreen. If we’re talking dreams, to be in a Wes Anderson, Coen Brothers or David Lynch film would be a dream come true. I would love to work with Marc Webb, too. I would love for him to direct me in a film since we’ve worked so much in video.

People don’t realize the director of 500 Days of Summer and The Amazing Spider-Man used to do AFI, My Chemical Romance and Yellowcard music videos.
I would love to act with him in the [director’s] chair. He's probably busy with [the sequel to] Spider-Man. But all of that is something I would love to do. I'd love to be a voice of a cartoon in a Pixar or Disney film or Adventure Time.

You certainly have the voice for it. Okay, last question. I noticed there’s a great teaser video on afireinside.net that says “September 2013” at the end. I know the band have switched management and seems to be–
You’re breaking up on me. Your phone is breaking up, can’t hear you…

Aw, c’mon! Are we going to be talking about AFI in September?
I can’t hear you! You’re breaking up! No, okay, where’d you get that idea?

There’s a video on your website that says “September 2013.”
Whoa. No shit?

Are you seriously saying this video is news to you?
No. Well, kind of! I forgot about that part [with the month/year]. You know, I guess September will tell, my friend. [ALT]