Pipkin has toured with Rodney Dangerfield, appeared in such movies as "The Alamo" and "Friday Night Lights," acted on TV in such shows as "The Sopranos," and written eight books, numerous television episodes and many magazine articles. After reading the Q&A, check out this excerpt from "The Old Man and the Tee."
How would you describe your new book?
Pipkin: The Old Man and the Tee is the story of my year-long quest to become the kind of golfer I felt my father always wanted me to be. He instilled a great love of golf and the outdoors in me when I was very young, and after his death, this crazy task I set for myself helped me to relive and rediscover all of the great things he’d given me in my life. Because I had a dream to do this for my dad, I was able to enlist the support of many of golf’s greatest teachers to help me achieve my goals. I also got a lot of fine and often funny life advice along the way, so I suppose the book is a father-and-son story with a big heart and a lot of laughs.
Is the book just for golfers?
Pipkin: My intention was to make the book a good read for golfers and non-golfers alike. You don’t need to play baseball to enjoy W.P. Kinsella’s "Shoeless Joe" or the movie "Field of Dreams," and there’s no real reason why you have to be a golfer to enjoy "The Old Man and the Tee." I’ve gotten great feedback from readers who aren’t golfers, but decided to give the book a try anyway and got hooked. The great instruction from legendary teachers and pros like David Leadbetter, Dave Pelz and Ben Crenshaw is a big draw for dedicated golfers, but no matter your interest in the game, I stand by the belief that a good story will always be a good story.
Who is the "old man" in the book?
Pipkin: My father, Raymond Pipkin - Pip, as his friends and family knew him - is the "old man" who inspired this story, but as my amazing year progressed, I kept crossing paths with other great old men who have in one way or another have been mentors to me. When you have the opportunity to write funny and stirring material about Willie Nelson, George Plimpton, Byron Nelson and Harvey Penick, you start to realize just how lucky you’ve been.
When did you know you would devote your life to writing?
Pipkin: I started my first novel when I was in the sixth grade - and no, I wasn’t 19 years old at the time. I was just a kid who loved to read and write, and who loved great storytelling. In the ensuing years, I’ve continued to write pretty much non-stop, though it took me a long time to learn how to make a living at my craft. I spent more than ten years as a comedian and performer, and toured with many of America’s finest acts, including Rodney Dangerfield and my pal Harry Anderson, but I think I always knew the writing would eventually win out.
What are your goals as a writer?
Pipkin: One of the great pleasures of my writing is that I’ve been able to work in so many disciplines - magazines, fiction and non-fiction books, television and film. And though I wouldn’t say I’ve stumbled on a get-rich-quick plan, I have been able to write almost exclusively about things that I love and people who have made a difference in my life.
Depending on what I’m working on, my goals vary, but there are common elements in all my work. First and foremost, I’m a great believer in the nearly lost art of storytelling (a skill that has been recently discounted in importance in the world of serious "literary" writing). Memorable characters, snappy dialog, and an allegiance to what always reads as "true" are also essential, but give me great story-telling, and I’ll be up all night reading it every time.
What do you enjoy more - your work as a writer, or as an actor?
Pipkin: The acting work has evolved pretty much on its own since my days doing stand-up comedy. The roles I’m offered are often small ones with the potential to be really memorable. So whether I’m juggling ping pong balls out of my mouth in "Waiting for Guffman," falling asleep on Tony Soprano’s shoulder in "The Sopranos," or writing a heart-breaking letter of farewell in "The Alamo," everyone remembers my part.
But the truth is, I work as an actor because I can; I work as a writer because I have to. I can’t even conceive of a time in my life when I wouldn’t write, and that drive to put words on pages, to float images in the mind’s eye, to tell stories that make a connection between myself and a reader or a viewer is what compels me just about every day of my life to sit and write. And how lucky for me to have that.
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