Fahrenheit V13: David Riddel Discusses His Most Memorable Books

David Riddel is a true artist in every sense of the word. Riddel, who goes by the stage name Dr. Purgatory, released his sophomore LP, The Consumption: A Tragic Folktale in Six Parts, last month. The album is ambitious and determined-sounding, fusing the spheres of jazz, chamber music, and literary storytelling. With Riddel steering the ship, the album features an impressive lineup of contributors and collaborators. The list includes Colleen Allen (alto sax, flute), Conrad Gluch (alto sax, bass clarinet), Noam Lemish (piano), Andrew Downing (upright bass), Aline Homzy (violin), and Stefan Hegerat (drums). The album was always intended to be ambitious, and that’s obvious when experiencing the finished product.

But The Consumption is not just an album. Riddel didn’t set out with this goal, but he created a multidisciplinary project that is not just a record, but also a novella. Forty pages in length, it is a dark, modern folktale featuring characters from mythology and folklore. Before the album’s recording, Riddel had been writing and tinkering around with short fiction. As the concept for the record became apparent, the story for the novella began to take shape in his mind. When he had a good sense of what he wanted to write, he began writing while taking inspiration from some of his literary heroes, like authors George Saunders, Ottessa Moshfegh, and Aleister Crowley.

There couldn’t be a better guest for our Fahrenheit V13 interview than Riddel, who joins us today. He discusses the importance of books in his youth, his preference for fiction, his favourite writers, and what he views as the best part of reading.

What was the most memorable book from your childhood?

David Riddel: “Watership Down. This is still one of my favourite books. I read it about every ten years and it makes me cry every time. There’s an immense gravity that I remember feeling as a child while reading it because I was suddenly reckoning with violence and death in a way I hadn’t before. This book really affected me and I think it shaped my tastes in a lot of ways. It’s technically a ‘fairy tail,’ but its stark realism is what I find very moving and relatable. The ’70s film adaptation is a timeless masterpiece in its own right.”

How important were books and reading in your family growing up? Did you share that same level of enthusiasm, or did you differ from them on that?

“My mom reads a lot and I think she helped me get into reading very seriously. She would read in her spare time (and still does), and I really saw that. I’m glad I had someone around to help me make reading a habit because my reading kinda fell off in my early teens, but I got back into it heavily in my late teens and really stuck with it. My mom and I would sometimes read the same book and discuss it after. I really love doing that.”

What is the book that has made the most impact on you as a person?

“This is an easy one. Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy. I’ve read it three times and every time I get a new experience. It is not only the most impactful book I’ve read but the most important piece of art I’ve yet encountered. This is one of those ‘if you know, you know’ books. It’s simultaneously so disturbing and so poetic. I still can’t believe how much every line matters so much and how he never repeats himself. The tone of this book is so intense. Violence is at the heart of it and is neither revered nor condemned, it just ‘is.’

“This book made me view humanity in a different way. I used to think we were inherently good, occasionally giving in to temptations that can corrupt us, but now I think we’re inherently bad, with violent inclinations that need to be suppressed in order to function collectively. It also reinforced in me the belief that nature is the only God, and it is more powerful than us and indifferent to our existence.”

David Riddel, photo by Parmida Vand

Do you prefer fiction or non-fiction? What’s your preferred genre?

“I read almost exclusively fiction. Occasionally I’ll read an essay compilation or something, but typically I avoid politics and social commentary in literature, so I stick to fiction. I learn more about the world this way. One exception to this, though, is George Orwell. His journalistic works Homage to Catalonia, Road to Wigan Pier, and Down and Out in Paris and London have really greatly informed my outlook.

“In regards to genre, I really like American literature, particularly Southern Gothic. I love how colloquial the language is, and I really love how scathing it can be. I also really like autobiographical fiction and the Beats. I relate to this style of writing most. It’s very dynamic and exciting.”

Who are your favourite writers?

“Cormac McCarthy, Flannery O’Connor, Henry Miller, George Orwell, William Burroughs, Ottessa Moshfegh, George Saunders, William Faulkner, and a young Mexican writer who has only two novels, Fernanda Malchor.”

Which book had the best soundtrack in your mind while you were reading it? What songs or artists had the best fit?

“Interesting question. I tend to keep music and literature in separate compartments in my mind, they don’t really overlap much. However, The Crying of Lot 49 is the first Pynchon book I read and, in typical Pynchon fashion, it’s very stressful and chaotic. I really picture Frank Zappa and other unhinged psychedelia in the backdrop.”

David Riddel, photo by Parmida Vand @ Howland Sessions Media

Which book series do you think deserves a proper screen adaptation? Who would you want to play the main characters? Which artists would do the soundtracks?

“I think about Blood Meridian becoming a film, but I’m very conflicted about it. There have been many attempts, but it never makes it to production. The book is too violent and its tone would be impossible to replicate on film. If it received funding, it would be impossible to do it justice while pleasing producers and making it profitable. I think this is the dilemma it’s faced since the idea of an adaptation was proposed.

“I feel like the Cohen Brothers could maybe do the best job because they would respect it the most and have enough reputation to take a big risk. The biggest question is always ‘Who would play Judge Holden?’ and I don’t know… Some people have said Tom Hardy, but he would make a better Glanton, I think.

“As for the soundtrack, I could only picture atmospheric western, or no music, like in No Country for Old Men. This is the only way to capture the starkness. I really like the score to Yorgos Lanthimos’ The Favorite, (the droning, out-of-tune, single viola note repeated over and over) and something similar could work for Blood Meridian.”

What book have you been meaning to read? How long have you been meaning to do that?

“I haven’t read No Country for Old Men. I’ve been saving this one because of how revered the film is. It’s the only Cormac I haven’t read, and I’m saving it for when the time is right. I will watch the film immediately after.”

How many books do you own? Any titles or editions you’re particularly fond of?

“Right now, I own about 100 books. I’m not much of a collector, but I’ve had to do big, painful purges of my book collection over the years. The nicest book I owned was an old copy of Hemmingway’s For Whom the Bell Tolls. I had to give it up, though. I have a nice copy of Fernanda Melchor’s Paradais, which I’m fond of!”

Dr. Purgatory ‘The Consumption’ album artwork

Are there any particular editions or collections of books you’d be excited to collect and own?

“Again, I’m not much of a collector. I don’t know much about sought-after editions of famous works. I’ve been in antique bookstores though and I understand the appeal. They are very timeless and classy, but book collecting is for people with more money than I have!”

What book do lots of other people enjoy that you just can’t stand?

“I read A Wild Sheep Chase by Haruki Murakami and I really didn’t like it. This is the one writer that I can’t agree on with people. He’s so revered, and lots of people whose opinions I really respect are big fans of his, but I just really don’t like his prose style. I’ve thought about giving him another chance, but he left a bad taste in my mouth.”

What book do you enjoy that no one else seems to?

“I can’t think of any books that I have to defend a lot, but one book that I really enjoyed that nobody seems to know about is The Seas by Samantha Hunt. I came across an advanced reader copy of it and just gave it a chance when I had nothing to read and it really blew me away. It’s very sad and dream-like, with disturbing allusions to the Iraq War.”

How often do you find or make time to read? Are you paperback, hardcover, or ebook?

“I read every day. I use public transit a lot and it’s perfect for reading time. I like portable paperbacks. I just throw it in my bag and I have it whenever I need it. I’ve learned to always bring a book no matter where I’m going or what I’m doing. Getting stuck somewhere with nothing to read is agonizing. I’m also pretty hard on books. They’re always in my bag getting food on them and I spill water all the time. It’s better to not ruin nice hardcovers.”

What’s your most controversial opinion on books and literature?

“I guess I have to come back to my feelings on Murakami. His writing is too literal, it’s very ‘this happened then this happened’ without any style or subtext. I like writing that implies things, that’s ‘winking’ at you constantly, and I didn’t get this from him at all. I’ve had this argument before, and I know this is an unpopular opinion so please don’t get mad at me!”

David Riddel reading a book

What is the worst part of the publishing industry right now? What’s the best?

“I don’t really know too much about it. I have a good friend who is doing really well with children’s books and that’s my only window into the publishing industry. I imagine there are a lot of parallels to the music industry, in that writers are probably making less right now, but there’s more freedom than ever to create art on your own terms. Writers don’t seem to be struggling as much as musicians, though, and I think this probably just comes down to the formats of our respective art. It’s so easy to get any music for free but you need to buy a book.”

Graphic novels and comics have enjoyed mainstream crossover thanks in no small part to the cinematic universes of Marvel and DC. Do you enjoy graphic novels or comics? Any particular titles that stand out as favourites?

“I never got into comics or graphic novels, and I really don’t like Marvel movies (with the exception of a few X-Men movies). There are a few adaptations of graphic novels I’ve really enjoyed, though. The Watchmen HBO series was really great, and I have always liked X-Men. I watched the cartoon as a kid and had some friends who had the comic books. There was something about that world that always resonated with me, and I think it did for a lot of kids my age at that time.”

Most people seem to have a cookbook that was either passed down or gifted that has stood the test of time, and remains a fixture in their collection: do you have such a book? How did you come by it?

“I’ve never been into cookbooks because I don’t use recipes when I cook. I love cooking but I just can’t follow instructions with anything. This has led to some culinary disasters over the years. I wish I had an old heirloom cookbook. My mom has lots of recipes for baking and stuff but I can’t bake. Baking requires too much rigid instruction-following and I ruin everything.”

Have you read any musical biographies? If so, any favourites?

“I don’t think I’ve ever read a musician’s biography. Again, I stick to fiction. Biographies just don’t provide what I’m looking for from books. I need the tone and the poetry that comes in literature to keep me going in a book, otherwise, I’ll lose interest. I feel like I can get in a documentary what I get from biographies.”

What’s the longest book you’ve ever read? Did you enjoy it despite its length?

“I read Antkind by Charlie Kaufman recently. It was 720 pages, I think. It took me about a month and I enjoyed it so much. It’s an insane book, but easily the funniest thing I’ve ever read. It’s very ‘meta’ and only he could pull something like that off. The hardest part of reading a long book is bringing it around with you everywhere! It was a hardcover and my spine suffered for the month.”

What’s the scariest book you’ve ever read?

“I think Frankenstein is the scariest book I’ve read. Not because it’s technically a ‘horror’ novel, but because of the portrayal of loneliness, which I think Mary Shelley understood is the scariest thing in the world. I’m very afraid of loneliness and putting myself out there, and whenever the monster does this in the book he’s only alienated more.”

What’s the worst book you’ve ever read?

“I tried to read The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo but I thought it was trash akin to The DaVinci Code (which I think I finished!). I really don’t like suspenseful plot-driven books. It’s all about the writing for me, and whoever wrote that (I’m not even going to look it up) definitely doesn’t care about the writing. I probably sound like such a stupid asshole but it’s true!”

What’s a book that you think everyone should be required to read from cover to cover throughout their time in school?

“Everyone should be required to read The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers. This is a great introduction to the Southern Gothic genre. This book is perfect. It’s sad and funny and there’s so much humanity in it. It’s easy to read but there’s so much to analyze. I think this should be required reading in high school instead of fucking Great Gatsby.”

What’s the best part of reading for you? What’s your ideal reading setup?

“The best part of reading for me is those moments where you feel understood. Where someone describes to you exactly how you feel when you didn’t know how to say it, or maybe didn’t know you felt that way at all. These moments can be quite profound and it’s not unusual for me to laugh out loud or shed a tear when they happen.

“My ideal reading setup is a quiet, above-ground train (I like to look out the window). I find this setup so meditative and I could read for hours straight! I need my own space though and it has to be quiet. I really like trains that have quiet sections for this purpose.”

What was the best reading or book-related present you ever received?

“It wasn’t a gift, per se, but my grandma wrote a book and she gave me the manuscript, which was just paper in a binder. It felt like a gift because of how personal it is. It’s such an incredible and unusual book and I hope it makes it into the world someday.”