Part 14 of “The Haircut Who Would Be King” by Robert Trebor Blog Tour
June 26, 2024
Introducing “The Haircut Who Would Be King” by Robert Trebor
This is a satirical portrayal of Donald Trump’s ascent to power and his unconventional alliance with Vladimir Putin. Trump, depicted as egotistical and emotionally stunted since childhood, transitions from real estate to reality TV before entering politics. He recruits shock jock Alex Clamz for his presidential campaign, facing off against the sensible Mallory Claxton. Despite scandal and controversy, Trump wins the presidency with covert support from Putin. The narrative humorously highlights their contrasting personalities, with Putin portrayed as a former KGB agent with unique coping mechanisms. The story unfolds with absurdity and farce, reflecting on contemporary political dynamics through a comedic lens.
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“What inspired you to write a political satire as your literary debut?”
Technically, it’s not my literary debut. I was commissioned to write a humorous book, Dear Salmoneus, based on my salesman character in Hercules and Xena. It’s satiric advice in the style of Dear Abby, where historic figures ask Sal questions about love and money. Haircut is my narrative debut.
The inspiration was to pull myself out of depression and nausea when Trump was elected. Like millions of other Americans, once the results were confirmed, I threw up. I knew many other people were feeling sick about this, and humor has always been a palliative for me. Perhaps I could write my way out of the pain, and cheer others as well.
“How did being an actor affect your writing?”
Part of being an actor is having empathy for the character you’re playing, without editorializing. I played the Son Of Sam in a movie, and it wasn’t my job to judge him. Now, if you’re doing comedy, you don’t play it “lighter”. In some ways you have to be MORE seriously committed, and the humor will emerge from that. We have to realize that we are all ridiculous in some ways, so in the writing or playing, we need to apply this, even exaggerate it to some degree.
“How do you balance humor with political commentary in your narrative?”
I never thought about “political commentary” at all. The book is an entertainment, a raucous. burlesque satire. As Kirkus said “..the book is genuinely funny…and also slyly interjects some serious reflection into its vaudeville..” That reflection is a by-product of the characters I wanted to include, and their collision with each other.
Which character in the book do you resonate with the most, and why?”
I resonate with every character, to some degree. However, should a film be produced of the material, I’d love to play Alex Clamz (Alex Jones). I watched him a lot on Youtube and only exaggerated his verbiage 10%. He’s all out there: scary-funny and monstrous-infantile. Maybe because I played the world’s first traveling salesman, Salmoneus in Hercules and Xena, I get Alex’s methodology.
What do you hope readers take away from your book?
Much hearty laughter. And a strong determination TO VOTE! And encourage others to vote. Nobody can sit this one out.
Author Info
Robert Trebor is a character actor with more than 40 years experience on stage, film, and television. Two of his noteworthy roles are The Son of Sam in the film Out Of The Darkness, and Salmoneus the Merchant in the Hercules and Xena TV series. Playing both a psychopath and a salesman was enormously helpful in preparing this book. For more information – https://roberttrebor.net/