Prior to writing the Bestselling Population 485 (based on personal experiences involving firefighting and small-town life), Michael Perry traveled the United States as a freelance writer for publications as diverse as Esquire, Salon.com, Utne Reader, the music magazine No Depression, and the trucking magazine Road King. With the release of OFF MAIN STREET: Barnstormers, Prophets & Gatemouth’s Gator (Perennial Trade Paperback Original; April 12, 2005), Perry shows his unique knack for bring light and humor to: God, cow manure, baldness, lot lizards, Klan wizards, small-town funerals and much more in a series of essays.

In an introduction that begins, “I am a stranger in a strange town, and the man standing next to me has just removed his pants,” Perry reflects on the book tour, one in which he encountered presidential candidate John Edwards: “I thought of toothpaste and hairspray . . . the contrast between our respective perkiness was alarming” Perry wonders why writers claim book tours are difficult while reporting the day of his first television appearance he discovered a facial blemish that turned his nose into “a pulsing red schnozz” followed by a bizarre book signing moment involving an aggressive fan and antibacterial ointment.

With Red State/Blue State issues dominating culture and politics, Perry’s essay “Branding God” provides a look behind the headlines, interweaving the story of his Christian fundamentalist upbringing and subsequent drift from faith with the story of a fire-and-brimstone preacher, a mysterious dark-haired girl, and rough-and-tumble scenes from his days as a Wyoming cowboy.

The ten percent of Americans afflicted with kidney stones will find Perry’s firsthand account of his own bout with a stone both horrifying and hilarious.  Recalling that Ben Franklin used to stand on his head to relieve his kidney stone troubles, Perry tried the same thing in a motel bathtub.  He wound up in the hospital.

Musician profiles include pieces on country music stars Sara Evans, Aaron Tippin, folk legend Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, controversial singer Steve Earle, and yep, a big ol’ essay on Elvis.

Also included:

• A traveling butcher whose daughter is in desperate need of a kidney
• A heartwarming and breaking Christmas story set on a fleet of country music tour buses
• The kidnapping of a giant Big Boy statue in Toledo
• The goofy cultural significance of America’s water towers
• Bunking beside a prostitute in Central America
• Gearjammers” essays on hitching with truckers in a convoy and life on the road

I trust you will enjoy the review copy of OFF MAIN STREET and the Population 485 CD, read by Perry. I hope we can discuss setting up interviews with this gifted writer/humorist at your earliest convenience.

Sincerely,

Tim Brazier
tim.brazier@harpercollins.com