Writing, Music, and More with Alex Aller
Saturdaze: Hi Alex! Could you tell us a bit about yourself?
Alex: Hi! My name is Alex Aller, I grew up in Queens, New York but I live on the EastSide of Los Angeles now. I'm a writer and musician. I write books and music that go together. Saturdaze: Off the bat- how did you get into writing and music? Alex: I got grounded one summer in high school because I got caught drinking. No cellphone, no TV, no friends. It was the summer I wrote my first book. I've been writing books ever since. Though I've always loved singing, it's the music that came after actually. Alex: Why did you decide to incorporate your music into your writing? Saturdaze: The actual moment of impact where the two met was very natural. I had just been riffing on the characters I had been writing about. I decided to actually do it because I realized that just music would never make me happy.
Alex: What’s your book about, and why did you decide to release it chapter-by-chapter?
Saturdaze: My book is about a girl in her last year of high school dealing with the death of one of the mother figures in her life. It talks a lot about grief, friends who help us cope, and how deteriorating mental health, though abstract can actually physically affect us.
Alex: I've decided to release some chapters to just get to know my peers in the writing world. It's a massive world I'm not too familiar with, but it's one I really hope to be in.
Saturdaze: How do you go about starting a new project? What does your creative process look like?
Alex: Honestly, it's kinda boring which is why I really struggle with letting others in on the process. I mean, it's not boring to me of course, but it's literally hours of hammering away at my keyboard silently. From there, it'll unfold into music or perhaps the other way around. It's different each time.
Saturdaze: Who is your biggest inspiration and why? Alex: Patti Smith is a massive inspiration for me. In my eyes, she is a true artist who has never let the perception of who she is actually affect the way she works. No one told her to become a novelist, but here she is taking the industry by storm. She got to live two lives. Probably more. We just don't know about them. Saturdaze: Any new upcoming projects or pieces you’ve been working on lately? Alex:Yeah, I've been tinkering with some new music and ideas I've had during the quarantine. I'm thinking it'll be the next project I release, but I can never tell until I actually finish what I'm writing. Stay tuned for lyrical, post apocalyptic fiction.
Saturdaze: How would you describe your music to someone who has never heard it? Alex: Ethereal and cinematic. It's the closing song of your favorite coming-of-age film. Saturdaze: What do you enjoy doing away from writing and making music? Alex: I have a lot of hobbies. I should honestly just pick one. I like playing tennis, drawing, skincare, collaging, claymation. Saturdaze: Tell us something no one knows about you. Alex: I've been studying the Beatnik Era for the past five years. I would like to one day be an expert and teach at the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poets Saturdaze: What does the future hold for you?
Alex: Ok, here I go. I'm manifesting it, so it will be.
I just found the literary agent and book publisher of my dreams. My novel & accompanying soundtrack - Building You Up - will be in bookstores and record shops all over soon.
Thanks for having me!
IG: @byalexaller
You're so blurry (pre-order link Chapter 23): https://unitedmasters.com/m/5efde6bfa226c72f0a2ad14d