1.What is your motivation for writing?

reading was my first addiction.  writing was just a natural progression.  my daily journal on gasstationthougths.com is my motivation for waking up each morning.  words are my favorite game.  words are my drug of choice.  words have become my specialty.

2. How close to Matt Kent is your co-author Wheeler Antabanez?

matt and i live in the same body but that¹s where the similarities end.  matt kent is really just a weak little pussy.  i¹m the one with the real balls and i¹m sick of that asshole getting all the credit for my hard work.  i gained control of this body during the writing of gasstationthoughts and i still haven¹t loosened my grip.  it pisses me off that matt¹s name is on the cover and it pisses me off that your questions are directed at him.  i am going to kill matt kent.

3. Has your family come to terms with your writing?

my family hasn¹t evolved to the point where they can think for themselves.  they live behind a shield of lies that protects them from the reality of who i¹ve become.  my parents are still mourning the death of their sweet, innocent little boy.

4. Many voices of a generation find themselves in such distaste with society that they end their lives (Kurt Cobain, Ian Curtis, Wendy O'Williams). What keeps you going?

kurt cobain taught me everything i know about art.  he lived and died true to his words.  one day i will be dead, but for now what keeps me going is the birds chirping in the trees, skimpy summer tank tops and the moon shining through my bedroom window.  life is a beautiful and terrifying experience that is too valuable to waste on other people¹s expectations.  i always keep my death close to remind me that i¹m alive.

5. You seem to understand the message that the Columbine shooters, Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris, made better than the parents and society do. In what way could you describe what's happening to the world so that they might understand it better?

eric and dylan were two high school seniors with their whole lives ahead of them.  instead of graduating into a life of hopeless monotony they destroyed their world.  all my life i have struggled with my loathing for humanity.  when i heard about columbine i felt relieved that there were finally people who actually understood.

6. In reading your book gasstationthoughts, I tend to think that this is what Holden Caufield would have been like if Salinger would have let himself go.  In that book, the only thing Holden Caufield wanted to be was a Catcher in the Rye, what do you see Wheeler Antabanez becoming?

wheeler antabanez could never be that catcher in the rye.  i am too far gone to suffer like holden did.  every time i read that book i cry because holden reminds me so much of matt just before he gave up hope.

7. What type of music do you listen to?

i listen to lots of music.  no need to start naming bands.

8. I read that you are working on another book, what is it about?

my next book will be the final chapter of my life.

9. You write poetry that is very powerful and thought provoking. Have you done readings of your work and if so, what was the reaction from the conservatives?

i don¹t like to do readings because i can¹t stand meeting my fans.  i did a book signing when gasstationthoughts was first published and it was kind of cool, but i prefer to remain in seclusion.  

10. I know you have a great distaste for conventional religion and in particular, Christianity and god. Do you believe in anything after death or that we all just cease to exist?

i grew up believing in god.  i took it seriously because my parents told me that it was real.  as a kid religion was more than just a chosen belief it was a terrifying reality.  i faced my "sins" everyday and suffered because i could never meet the standards placed on me by the church.  it wasn¹t until later in my adolescence that i realized the rules were purposely created to contradict human nature in order to keep followers locked into constant feelings of guilt and shame.  once i realized that religion was just another form of sick, manipulative control i never went back.

11. Has life gotten any better since the publication of your book? Are you finally a "star."

i have become somewhat of an underground celebrity, but my aspirations are much broader.  judging your worth by the amount of people who know you is worthless.  for me fame just happens to be an important part of my plan.

12. Have you considered suing the Caldwell and West Caldwell police for infringing on your freedom of speech and your rights?

using the legal system for revenge in any traditional way is just a waste of time.  no amount of money could soothe the fury that i feel for the stupidity of the community that surrounds me.  my revenge will be measured in success and my success will be defined in the minds of the individuals who will have the opportunity to experience my art.

13. Was there anything that your publishers felt was too excessive in your original manuscript that had to be removed before publishing?

out of all the publishing houses that i queried for the publication of gasstationthoughts barricade books was the only one with the balls to even consider it.  lyle stuart, the president of barricade books, is a notorious defender of the first amendment, but even he waited for me to beat the "terroristic threats" charge in court before agreeing to publish my book.  gasstationthoughts was published as it originally appeared on my web site and is in stores now uncensored for your reading enjoyment.

15. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

dead.

Matt Kent's book is a disturbing, honest, and sometimes brutal look into the life of a young adult. It never holds back, it says it like it is, and in many ways will shock people with its candor and honesty. Kent is a truly talented writer who is destine for greatness if he lives that long. It is nice to see that Barricade Books had the trust and belief in his writing, and allowed him to present his work in its original format without editing or censoring. I hope that all of the lost "sheep" out there who saw Kent's book only as a form of terrorism can put down their Bibles, remove the blindfolds from their eyes, and use the brain they have. The words the author uses are not unique, they are the same words used and thought by almost every young adult out there. Only with the honesty of Kent's book can we truly get to understand the world a little better. This is the book J.D. Salinger would have wrote if he had the guts to let Holden Caufield be alive.