I’m finding these five minute interviews fascinating. There’s so much that can be uncovered in just five minutes. I’ve been thinking about asking questions. I don’t think we ask enough questions. Even the silliest question, if it has a sincere motivation can open up new possibilities.

Anyway, here’s Ed Touchette. Perfect company for a Sunday.

1. Who are you?

Marvelous question. I write and paint and fill the in between hours with sleep and dreams of someday visiting the Swiss Alps. I’ve studied architecture, music, and have read extensively about the early years of America, 1650-1652. I’m also working on the development of a better hot dog. I won a pie eating contest once. (really I did.) What else can I say? You can see a lot of my work here.

2. What do you write?

Marvelous question. I write about the dimmer side of life. I call it fiction but its really nonfiction. But who would believe that the events in my stories really happened. I mean we live in a sane world, the berserk and bizarre come together only in stories. Limping Frogs is a good example.

3. Why do you write what you write?

I’ve been accused of being not that funny and have been lauded for my cutting edge wit. Many people are still undecided about this so I keep writing hoping they’ll make up their minds. Besides it keeps me from day dreaming about the Swiss Alps and from mourning the loss of the steam locomotive. I miss the days of the iron horse and long to revisit the golden age of rail. So I write.

4. Why should we read what you write?

Despite the fact that it was outlawed early in the Twentieth Century, electric shock as a treatment for certain disorders of the brain is making a comeback. Do you really want someone shooting electricity through your head? If not, read. Read everything. Look at my blog That’ll keep you away from television which is pretty much defunct as an entertainment medium.

5. Is the world a better place because of what you write?

Sure. There are things that need to be said and I’m doing just that. I don’t expect the world to stop and pay attention to each syllable but sentences like this one give many pause to reconsider. “A bamboo pole rode along with us—one end resting on the dashboard, the other poking out the open rear window.” Seeing words strung together in such a fashion can change your life.

Ed’s art is available here.