James Robert Smith: What’s your opinion on the origin of the
fictional zombie plague: supernatural or scientific?
Brian Pinkerton: "Zombies represent science at its most wicked. One of
the harrowing realities of life is that we lose control of our bodies. Oh sure,
we can pump iron at the gym, diet to shed unwanted pounds, or sign up for a nose
job or facelift. But in the end, the body—not the brain—rules.
We get old and sick and fall apart. Our joints wear
down, our posture curls. Our hair falls out, we sag, we slow down. Wrinkles,
varicose veins and age spots spoil our appearance. Cancer, Alzheimer’s, heart
disease and other evils attack from within. We become horrified observers of
our own decay.
Chaz Singleton, the central zombie of my new book, HOW I
STARTED THE APOCALYPSE, is fully and painfully aware of the terrible things
happening to his state of being. He smells bad. He has bad skin. His eyes are
dull and bloodshot. He limps along. People hate him because he is a repugnant
reflection of themselves.
Chaz also suffers from the zombie curse of flesh
eating. He struggles with his obsessive appetite like an alcoholic battling
with booze. The cruelty of addiction is just one more torment our bodies throw
at us. Whether it’s alcohol, cigarettes, crack cocaine or heroin, the human
species encounters physical cravings that can take control and not let go. Time
and time again, the brain loses out to the temptations of the
flesh.
Supernatural defines those things that exist outside the
natural world. Zombies represent the natural world falling apart. We have seen
the face of our worst nightmare, and it is us."
How I Started the Apocalpyse.
Brian's Author Site.
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