“Highway Zero” is the first novel I read while walking. My doctors, my niece, and my legs have been urging me to move more due to excessive sedentism, which worsened after the pandemic. So, when I got Billy’s book on my Kindle, I decided to walk and read it simultaneously. I survived the book without tripping over Brooklyn’s uneven pavements or being struck by cars, electric bicycles, and motorcycles that frequently invade sidewalks or speed through crosswalks, ignoring traffic lights. The truth is, I didn’t read it on the streets. I took those reading walks in the safety of the large lounge area where I usually work. What I listened to while walking along Franklin Avenue, Eastern Parkway, or in Prospect Park was the music cited in the novel. The electronic book has links to numerous ’90s songs that redirect to the lyrics and the music. While reading, I listened to them, but I preferred to save the songs for my walks through my neighborhood.
Our protagonist, Jack, also appears in Billy Lawrence’s first novel, “The Punk and the Professor,” where Jack is a troubled student who, under the guidance of one of his teachers, overcomes his problems and decides to go to college. In “Highway Zero,” Jack moves from town to town, college to college, filling himself with experiences that remind us of Jack Kerouac’s “On the Road.”
While preparing for this interview, I decided to re-read the interview I did with Billy Lawrence a few years ago when “The Punk and the Professor” was published. I found myself asking similar questions, maybe because the book, as a sequel, contains similar topics. Let’s find out.
Billy, thanks for granting this interview.
JS: We know that you started writing “The Punk and the Professor” while you were studying at Southampton College. When did you start writing “Highway Zero,” and why did you feel you needed to have a sequel?
BL: Thanks for taking the time, Jhon. Punk and Professor was an 18 plus year project in my head that started as stories and poems. The sequel Highway Zero was necessary because Jack’s journey was only just beginning. I knew upon finishing the first one that it would need a sequel. We need to find out where many of these people end up. So I started drafting the book around 2020/21. But I really dove in and wrote the entire book from August 2022 to November 2022 in a vortex of many sleepless nights.
JS: I thought that both novels, “The Punk and the Professor” and “Highway Zero,” touch on similar themes and emotions. What has changed? Does our character, Jack, have more tools to face his life now?
BL: Highway Zero still has the family dynamic but it’s more mature now that he’s gone off to college. He’s been through a lot coming out of the story in the first book, and it picks up just after the first book ends. I think the reader finds that it’s not really a happy ending after the first book ends. Like life, there are always new challenges awaiting. Jack is not really prepared for what he finds out there, but he is stronger having been through what he lived through in the first book. He’s still looking for family and home. He’s still looking for love. He’s still searching for himself, even more so now. The great thing is people who haven’t read the first book can still jump right into this one.
JS: I assume that, as in “The Punk and the Professor,” “Highway Zero” is fiction built from biographical experiences. Is it emotionally challenging for you as the author to talk about troubled Jack and think of the image you leave behind for your students, friends, and family? Or, on the contrary, are these past difficulties motivational tools to write the novels, hoping to inspire support and understanding?
BL: Many real experiences find their way into my stories. There is certainly a lot of me in him. For example, I did ten cross country road trips, most of them in the late ‘90s. I also went to undergrad college in Portland, Oregon. So those experiences are a direct influence on the story.
This book was even more cathartic than the first one. Travelling the country and going to college was a whole new chapter of my life that opened my mind to the world. I wanted to share that awakening. In some ways it was more eye opening than the experiences in the first book, but it was inevitable. I certainly hope to get people thinking about what a young male in his twenties might be thinking and feeling. I also wanted to capture a slice of college life. You’re watching an evolution take place.
JS: Mental health and personal growth are prominent themes in both “The Punk and the Professor” and “Highway Zero.” How do you approach writing about these topics, and what do you hope readers take away from Jack’s struggles and triumphs?
BL: Jack goes through tremendous stress and battles panic attacks and substance abuse. He’s really not happy beating his body up but he continues to do so for a long time. He keeps getting sucked right back into it. It’s really a cultural adjustment that people have to make to change themselves and that’s tough. That said, I didn’t really set out to make a statement about any of these things. There were elements of my experiences I wanted to convey in the story and there were elements that evolved on their own in the plot. The resolution wrote itself, and maybe it was the resolution I wanted in my own life but didn’t get. Yet in book three you’ll once again see how his progress just opens the door to new struggles.
JS: “On the Road” by Kerouac mentions many musical artists and records, like Charlie Parker’s “Ornithology,” Lionel Hampton’s “Central Avenue Breakdown,” and Billie Holiday’s “Lover Man.” You do the same. For me, as a non-native English speaker, reading and listening to the music from the ’90s was a cultural trip. What inspired you to incorporate these musical references, and did you intend to create a connection among the songs besides reflecting some of Jack’s moods?
BL: Music is a huge part of my life. I listen to it every day. Lots of different types. The soundtrack of this book goes along with what I genuinely felt about each scene. The songs playing in the background were the songs that came to me in those years. Most chapters are named after a song, mostly from the ‘90s. Music was a big part of Jack’s life in the first book, mostly ‘80s songs. It becomes an even more important part of this one. And in the third book it will consume him.
JS: Some readers, like me, want to listen to all the songs; others might just read the names and remember them, while some might only read the titles and continue with the narration. What would be your ideal reader reaction when they read the song titles and artists?
BL: If someone is reading the paperback, it’s possible they might not even realize some of the hidden song titles. The ebook actually comes with clickable links to the songs. I’d love the reader who reads these titles, clicks, listens, and says, “hey, I know this great song!” The nostalgic celebration could be monumental. But I’d also love the reader who is discovering all this great music for the first time. In a way, the book is a time capsule with lots of great music from a pretty cool time in U.S. history.
JS: Jack, the protagonist, performs the song ‘I’m Still Standing,’ and I believe this is the most significant song for him among all those cited in the novel. Can you comment on its significance for Jack? Additionally, which of these songs holds the most significance for you now? Has the importance of these songs changed for you over the years, or do they remain the same?
BL: “I’m Still Standing” is the ultimate survival song. So many people can relate to it. It’s upbeat and happy. For Jack, it’s a celebration of making it out of a dark place. All of the songs mentioned in the book are favorites; they’re all special in so many ways. I actually have a 40 song soundtrack playlist on Spotify, which I compiled to really show the feel of the book and to show what I think should be in the mini-series if it’s ever made into one. These are the must have songs, though there’s another extended playlist with over 200 songs that I would consider the true score of the mini-series. I haven’t counted, but there are well over 150 songs mentioned in the book, either directly or indirectly. As a sidenote, I was a bit of a karaoke champion in college, but Jack takes it to a new level. He also does songs that I couldn’t touch like “I’m Still Standing” by the great Elton John.
JS: Given the timing of the novel, just before 9/11, it carries a political touch. Do you see the novel as a meditation on what changed before 9/11 and what we lost afterward? Would Jack have had the same experiences after 9/11, or do you think something within him would have been different?
BL: I never really thought about what would have happened if Jack was going through all this after 9/11, but I guess it wouldn’t have been the same. Nothing was. Certainly, for a kid from New York he would’ve been altered. The book definitely captures the pre-9/11 world and in many ways the pre-internet/pre-cell phone world. We did have internet and it makes an appearance, but it’s a small part of everyone’s life at that point. It’s not what it is today, an everyday necessity. Our sense of freedom changed after 9/11 and the uprising of tech. Gas prices also went up. Fear levels increased which led to drugs, violence, crime, especially hate crimes. People forget just how bad the 2000’s really were. Costly wars, corrupt government contractors profiting from the unjust wars, really a collapse of society. It was all so patched back together so quietly during the 2010s that people forget, and for kids today the 2000s are what they see in books or movies.
The book doesn’t go too far past 9/11 though, so we don’t really see what Jack does and how much it will affect him. We know it does on that day, but where it leads him next is all coming up in the third book.
JS: You also teach and are familiar with issues related to younger generations. What do you think would change if the novel were written with characters from the current time? Would we have similar characters? What issues would be more important?
BL: If you switched the timeline of this novel to today, you’d lose a lot. It really was a different world. A simpler one, more natural, yet more challenging in that we didn’t have access to information as easily. Much of the mysteries of life are spoiled today, if not by false information, then by the real information. But we still have all the same problems. Even if you went back to Shakespeare’s time, all the same problems of today existed in his plays. The core of the characters is the same. We really haven’t changed much.
JS: As a teacher, you interact with younger generations regularly. How have your experiences in education influenced the way you portray young adults and their challenges in your novels?
BL: One of the things I love about my job is working with the younger generations coming up, undergrads and grad students. That keeps me inspired and often hopeful. I know there are some kids out there right now going through what Jack went through, what I went through. College kids pick up bad habits. For some, college is where they become alcoholics. It’s a tough time for most of them. If they can relate to this story, that’s great. I hope it gives them hope, or at least a laugh. But I didn’t write any of this with them in mind. I’m writing of an entirely different time and place.
JS: The story is also like “On the Road,” a novel about friendship. But Jack’s relationships aren’t encapsulated with a single buddy like Sal Paradise’s most important companion, Dean Moriarty. Can you comment on that?
BL: Yes, Sal constantly returns to Dean in his narrative. My character Jack has a whole crew of friends, some come and go, some stay, but there is no one person that Jack clings to. In a way, that’s his problem, but in another way, depending on how you look at it, this could be a good trait. Jack’s Dean is his past. His past is essentially an antagonist in my novel.
Freedom is very important to Jack too, yet he’s looking for love and acceptance. Jack sheds the dysfunctional people in his life, like Sal does in the end. Jack realizes he doesn’t want any of it if it costs him his health. In some ways, Jack is a combination of Sal and Dean, the reflective and the wild, and he chooses one, sheds the other, and makes a choice to evolve into something greater.
JS: Let’s talk about relationships and the role of women in the novel. How do you compare this topic with “The Punk and the Professor” and with “On the Road”?
BL: One criticism of The Punk and the Professor is the lack of women characters. That omission is on purpose in some ways to show the misdirection in his life, but Jack does think of the women in his family. I’ve been told it’s a “boy’s book.” Likewise, Highway Zero is probably a young man’s book. But this sequel brings in more women with more depth, not because I was obligated as a writer, but because he’s simply evolving.
In many ways, Jack worships women. He’s looking for a woman to save him. He’s pining over the women from the past. He finds himself in deeper platonic friendships with young women, of course after a series of sexual relationships, but most of those are frustrating to him. We see that he doesn’t really find satisfaction with those sexual flings. He’s rather bothered by some of them. I think this is a guy who needed to just slow down, look around, build better relationships, and be patient. Young men can be sensitive too.
On the Road takes a lot of heat today for being male-centered, and it certainly shows an old-world perspective, but it’s a novel from a guy’s perspective. Haven’t we learned from that and become better? I think we’ve come a long way since the 1940s, but also a long way since the 1990s when Highway Zero takes place.
JS: How about the diversity of the characters? There are many characters from different backgrounds.
BL: In terms of diversity, there were clear statements in the first book about the separation of ethnic groups in New York, how black and white neighborhoods had clear borders, how discrimination openly existed even in the shadows of the nation’s biggest most diverse city. Jack realized what was wrong, but didn’t have any ways of diversifying his life. In many ways, going to college naturally does that for kids, especially ones from rural and suburban backgrounds. They’re sent off to live and work with other young people who are from different backgrounds. Since Highway Zero is a college book, there are a lot of new friends brought in from different backgrounds. Many would assume a place like Oregon is pretty white, and it is out in the rural areas, but a city like Portland is uniquely diverse. I personally became friends with people who were Native American, African-American, African, French, Korean, Japanese, Indian, and more, so I wanted to show that with Jack. The irony is the boy from New York had to go all the way to Portland to meet all these people who were right there in New York City.
JS: What’s your next project? Are we having Jack in the next chapter of his life? What would that be?
BL: I have my fourth collection of poetry coming out this year and another nonfiction book. But the sequel to Highway Zero is underway. Hopefully, this one won’t be another six years like the break between books one and two. I’m making slow progress on it, but the whole story is there. We follow Jack back onto the road into the 2000s. Music takes an even bigger role this time. More surprises. More choices. This is going to a fun one. I’m grateful for anyone who reads my books, so thanks again!
Thank you! I’m looking forward to more ‘walking novels’ with links to soundtracks for my next literary stroll. Who knows, maybe I’ll finally master the art of walking and reading without stumbling!
Here you can read the interview with Bill Lawrence about his novel The Punk and the Professor.
About the Authors
Billy Lawrence has lived in many states, worked many jobs, and written under all variations of William. He was born and grew up on Long Island in New York. Highway Zero is his second published novel and a sequel to The Punk and the Professor.
Learn more at www.wklawrence.com
Jhon Sánchez: A Colombian-born writer, Mr. Sánchez arrived in NYC seeking political asylum, where he is now a lawyer. His most recent literary publications include “ ‘My Love Ana’—Tommy,” available on Bio-Sci-Fi Fiction on the Web, Volume 4 (Audible Anthology), “Without Scars,” in Dark Horses Magazine (2024) “The Fragrant Flavor of the Strawberry Rhubarb Pie” in the anthology Put Out the Lights and Cry, Diner Noir (2023), “Tigui” in the anthology I Used to Be an Animal Lover (2023), “Handy” on Baseline Feed (Podcast) and in Teleport Magazine(Defunct), “The Chocolate Doll Cake” in Landing Zone Magazine (2022), “A Weekly Call” in Everybody Press Review (2022), and “On Writing” in the other side of hope (2021). He was awarded the Horned Dorset Colony residency in 2018 and the Byrdcliffe Artist Residency Program in 2019. His collection Enjoy a Pleasurable Death and Other Stories that Will Kill You , edited by Helen Evrard, will be published by Broken Tribe Press. For updates, please visit his Facebook page @WriterJhon, Instagram @jhon_author, and Twitter @jhon_author. You can also find his articles on Muck Rack