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hen Spitting Image once suggested

Ronald Reagan's brain was missing.

they were inferring that the president must have had a ringer in his bell to begin with. Could the same be said of the current White House squatter?

'I don't know if he‘s smart or not smart.‘ says Walter Mosley. ‘But he’s an idiot.‘ So much for Dubya. It‘s not the pretzel-man he’s picking a fight with though. ‘He’s a proxy. he‘s not my dictator or my king. He'sjust the guy we gave power to.‘

No. the ire of this best-selling author is reserved for the corporate hucksters that feed and bleed the venal political system of the most powerful nation in the world. It‘s a theme from both of his non-fiction books: 2000's Working (In the Chain Gang. a critique of American capitalism. and What Next. a forthcoming work on the aftermath of ll September. Hard to imagine John (irisham tackling such topics.

‘()ur corporations are amoral.‘ he says. hardly a controversial statement in light of all the post-linron scandals. ‘They govern America’s foreign policy and therein lies the schism between capitalism and democracy. I would like to see a law that no corporations in the United States can take actions that erode the sovereignty of other nations.

"Terrorism doesn‘t only exist outside and against the ['nited States] he says in the context of the tragedy he witnessed from his lower Manhattan apartment. ‘II also comes from the United States. And our big issue is to work for a peace movement. I think black America is more qualified to do it because we understand. Most Americans will tell you that there‘s never been acts of terrorism in the United States before I I September. We say: “Where were you

when they were bombing the schools of

Montgomery?" They say that wasn‘t terrorism. And the answer from black people is: “Well that’s because you weren‘t terrorised. We certainly were.”

Still. Mosley is at great pains to make it clear that he's no enemy-within L'S-basher: 'Certainly. America has done a lot of things wrong. Certainly. the people who died in the World Trade Centre were innocent ofthat wrong. but in the long run the only way to have defence is to have peace. And that's for everyone.‘

All Mosley"s writing. whether of the crime genre. science fiction. political commentary or the blues (check out Rl.'s Dream. his book on the soul-selling Robert Johnson) is based on a powerful sense of morality. Where does that come from‘.’ 'Who knows'.’ I think most people. even those who hate each other. have the same concerns about their lives and their family and their children. You could have some radical Aryan hl'OlllCl'htXKl Ku Klux Klan guy and some radical black nationalist who would work together if it meant their children having better lives. ()ne of the problems is that because we aren‘t that knowledgeable we begin to hate people for reasons that really don't make sense.‘

Meanwhile. back at the White House . . .

Clinton famously name-dropped the author of the liasy Rawlins series while on the ()4 campaign trail. In return Mosley describes Bill as ‘a nice guy and very smart‘ but remains underwhelmed by his former president‘s achievements. Interestingly. perhaps. Slick Willy was also an admirer of Kinky Friedman.

a fellow practitioner of what Mosley calls ‘comic noir‘.

Easy Rawlins. protagonist of what are now seven books. first appeared in l990‘s Devil in a Blue Dress. and was later adapted for the big screen with Denzel Washington as the melancholic sleuth. A new book. Bad Boy Braw/y Brown. will be published in the UK this September.

‘When I looked at liasy I looked at comedy and tragedy in the classic sense. Easy has a very tragic view of the world. He may save your life but that just means you‘re going to have to spend 20 or 30 years living in misery.‘

This contrasts with Fearless Jones. a new Mosley series. where the title character is 'fraid of nothing; not the racist LAPD who want to throw him in jail for being black. nor the German army who tried to shoot him during World War II ‘Most for being American. His friend. and narrator of the

Americans tell

book. is Paris Minton. an altogether less courageous man.

‘Paris doesn‘t want to do big things.‘ he says. ‘He wants his business. he wants some money. he wants a girlfriend now and then. But there's nothing to be sad about for these two. That‘s really the difference. The tone is more comic.‘

Fearless Jones. as with most of Moslest work. outguns the

you there’s never been terrorism in the United States before 1 1 September. Where were you when they were bombing the schools of

opposition with dialogue to- die-for and characters that lunge offthe page at you. It also boasts the classic noir line: ‘I never thought a kiss could be like a loaded gun.‘

But for all he's been inspired by the hardboiled likes of Raymond Chandler and Chester Himes. it is rather wonderful to discover the writer is a great admirer of Winnie the Pooh (first book he ever read) and Rolf Harris (whom he encountered on his last visit to the Book Festival).

'()h God! I loved that song [’Tie Me Kangaroo Down Sport’] as a kid. And there he was standing in front of me.’ And then there's his admiration for Richard Pryor. Mosley won a Grammy for penning the liner notes to a retrospective of the comics recordings. ‘I love him. He‘s a brilliant American. unafraid to tell the truth which few people have ever done. It was so funny when they just asked me out of nowhere to do it and out of nowhere I answered yes. It was the first award I really loved.‘

The conclusion of Mosley"s award-winning tribute to Pryor is apt for quotation here. It could just as easily apply to the author as the comedian: ‘The materials herein are hot- blooded and hazardous . but when you decipher the delicate balance. when you appreciate the truth of his complaints. then you will have received a rare gift of understanding that is as dangerous as it is wonderful. as brilliant as it is black.‘

Walter Mosley, Consignia Theatre, 10 Aug, 6.30pm, £8 (£6); The 1 1th on the

1 1th: A Reflection on America, Consignia Theatre, 1 1 Aug, 4.30pm, £7 (£5).

8—15) Aug 2002 THE LIST FESTIVAL GUIDE 13

Montgomery?’