What's funny about Jesus' Son is that I never even wrote that book, I just wrote it down. I would tell these stories and people would say, You should write these things down. Denis Johnson bookfunnyjesus Change image and share on social
All the modern verse plays, they're terrible; they're mostly about the poetry. It's more important that the play is first. Denis Johnson importantmodernplay Change image and share on social
I'd met a woman and I got married, but the money ran out right away. I hadn't had a job for seven months, and it just came over me that I was never going to work again. It hit me. Denis Johnson hitjobmarry Change image and share on social
In the plays - that's where I go crazy. But my prose has a much lighter touch; it's not trying to thrill with language, just to be more truthful. I'm not concerned with the accuracy of anything. We don't get to the truth of anything with facts. Denis Johnson accuracyconcerncrazy share on social
If you take a lie and allow your desire for the truth, you'll end up with some truth - not fact, but something that gets you closer to the truth. That's what we want. When we go to a play, we need to be assured that the experience we're having. Denis Johnson assureclosedesire share on social
I didn't finish the stories until we went to the Philippines and I got malaria. I couldn't work and I didn't have any money, but I had seven stories. So I wrote three or four more. Denis Johnson finishmalariamoney Change image and share on social
I was probably 35 when I wrote the first story. The voice is kind of a mix in that it has a young voice, but it's also someone who's looking back. I like that kind of double vision. Denis Johnson backdoublekind Change image and share on social
When I'm writing for Esquire, my conscious thought is, I'm not writing for American Scholar. Denis Johnson americanconsciousesquire Change image and share on social
I really enjoy writing novels. It's like the ocean. You can just build a boat and take off. Denis Johnson boatbuildenjoy Change image and share on social
You're under pressure when you produce facts. You're working with facts in journalism, but you're under all kinds of formal constraints; there are expectations. Denis Johnson constraintexpectationfact Change image and share on social