In Sparse Black Whimsy Marcus Scott Williams pulls the reader through a cascade of emotions and fleeting thoughts, through a rhythmic and enchanting New York City full of color and light, taste and smell. The reader is thrown right into this place. Moments pass as quickly as they come, in a memoir that intentionally mucks up its own genre. What we are left with is a portrait of an intensely sensitive person, trying constantly to attune themselves with their feelings and surroundings, to stay totally in the moment. Recently I spoke with Marcus Scott Williams about writing Sparse Black Whimsy.
Zorko
I remember first reading an excerpt from Sparse Black Whimsy online shortly after it came out. I was really intrigued by it, so I ordered the book. And when I got it I was surprised because I enjoyed the book even more than I was expecting to. I think one of my favorite things was how it played around with my concept of “memoir” and how it was so different from other memoirs I’ve read in the past. Most of the time memoirists try to form some kind of narrative out of their lives, a story. And also they often look back, whereas Sparse Black Whimsy is so immediate, it feels like it’s being written right now. What does memoir mean to you as it relates to this book? Do you read a lot of memoirs or diaries?
msw
I have read my fair share of memoirs but like, yeah the way a lot of people frame stories about their lives is very event heavy, and I think the event matters a lot less as compared to the emotional content. The emotional content shows you everything, you feel me? Like where your head was at other environmental factors and shit that all participate in shaping the decisions you make. These chapters I call Flash Memoirs for that immediacy, I write out what I feel in the moment to try & capture what I see feel hear etc. in as much purity as possible. More to learn that way.
Zorko
I like how it gets to something about our lives. I think a lot of the time we think of our lives as being structured like movies or novels, as in we think there is a coherent story holding it all together, but I think what SBW made me pay more attention to is how our lives are really built from these little moments and emotions, and we fill in the rest later on. Like, we write the story or “memoir” later on. Does this make sense?
msw
Yeah absolutely that makes sense I’m kinda gettin at some shit like that. People skkrr over the moment nowadays. All I’m tryna do is get thoo life comfortably so I wanna know as much detail about my behaviors as I can, if THAT makes sense haha.
I have an analogy. One of my favorite novels is One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Kesey. Because since it’s about mental patients it goes into word intimate detail of people psyches & you learn more from them, from their emotional content & behaviors than you do about the specific events they’ve been through. It’s all tied together but learning that’s strictly event-based is very surface level. This is what I’m tryna do w flash memoirs in this style.
Compare that to the movie version of the book, which focused only on the events that happened in the plotline instead of the relationships characters had with each other. That’s a basic memoir type formula. You can learn shit either way but I think getting to actually know somebody is more fruitful.
Zorko
I think I can see that too in the way you write about your relationships. You don’t introduce your friends to the reader, we don’t know anything about them, instead you’re just getting into the moments between you. How you relate.
msw
Yeah I think that’s much more beautiful you feel me.
Zork
Definitely.
msw
What was your personal favorite chapter?
Zorko
My favorite is the chapter where you meet the guy from down south who moved to New York. And he is telling you about how difficult a time he’s having, how he doesn’t feel like he can leave because it would mean he can’t make it in NYC. I thought a lot about NYC and how I think about the city. I grew up in upstate New York, now I live in the Midwest. You’re from the middle of the country originally right? And I’m thinking of all the mythology around NYC and the way people think of it. It always seems like a different world to me. And that chapter made me think about the whole “making it in NYC/if you can make it here you can make it anywhere” myth that goes along with that.
msw
Yeah I’m from Missouri & I totally subscribe to that mythology haha. It is such a big deal to come here from somewhere as small as Kansas City. Rashad On The Pier is two of my favorites as well. Such an honest moment in that person’s life. It’s hard to find your rhythm in a place like this if you’ve never experienced anything like it.
Zorko
But I feel like, the book is sort of pushing against (idk maybe not intentionally but I read it this way) that whole “make it in NYC” thing that’s in a lot of movies and books. Because it’s not focused on events or linear narrative, but objects, emotions, sensations etc.
msw
Yeah I guess sorta subconsciously I am pushing against that because I think it’s an irresponsible picture of this place haha. Like the way I learned to ‘make it’ I feel is exactly to try & work on controlling myself & not the environment because it’s such an oppressive place.
Zorko
I definitely see that in the book. In your attentiveness to your own mood, your body and emotions.
msw
Precisely.
Zorko
I remember I was in NYC not too long ago for maybe the 3rd time ever and I forgot how much it reminds me that I’m like, a little speck on the earth, and there’s so many people I won’t meet or know and so many experiences I won’t have. I think that’s the good part of it for me, which is also the scary part for someone who has always lived in pretty small towns and cities
It makes you more self-critical maybe? Or it has that effect on me, crushes my ego a bit.
msw
Oh definitely, like everything surrounding me is so large & not really intimidating but like, there’s so much of it, almost too much to take it in. So I’m forced to look inward to be able to control my own body better in order to properly operate in a place like NYC. I’m almost three years in & I know as I’m saying this now that I’m gonna learn so much more that will dismantle & rebuild my ideas about everything.
Zorko
One thing you can’t miss about the book is how many chapters take place or mention trains. Do you think movement inspires you to write? I’ve felt this way before, like if I’m on a bus or train I feel more creative energy.
msw
Yeah it’s very relaxing being in trains planes buses I think. They usually just lull me to sleep but when I’m not I’m lulled to a point of inspiration fa sho & a lot of it is MTA’s fuuuuuut up so just my life in NYC is the transit system largely.
Zorko
That’s right! The book is so topical now with all the trouble and Cuomo declaring a state of emergency for MTA which I didn’t even know was possible till recently. A”State of Emergency.”
I always felt like the reason I’m motivated to write while travelling is that there are so many images passing by, there are a lot of things you can latch on to. Music is like that, which is everywhere in the book. Do you always listen to music when you write? Do you feel like it helps?
msw
Music is very important to me. Helps me maintain my natural rhythm. That’s why the book is so rhythmic. I’m basically just writing raps cuz there’s always some beat playing in the background
& naturally Mannie Fresh beats are playing in my head & shit so that’s a main motivating force. So to answer your question yes it helps v v much by helping me maintain my frame of mind to stay focused.
Zorko
There’s a dictionary definition of it but I’m interested to know what you think of when you hear the word “whimsy.” What does whimsy mean to you?
msw
Whimsy to me means carefree & loose. A person who is whimsy notices the world & notices all the fucked up aspects but enjoys what they can.
Zorko
I’m into that.
Sparse Black Whimsy is published by 2Fast2House. You can follow msw on Twitter: @mswthug.