An Interview with J. Coburn: Inside the Mind of Writer

From One Writer to Another

J. Coburn is a man who wears many hats in life. Author, publisher, speaker, clothing designer, and body modification artist - he has been featured on local and national television and radio, including VH1 and MTV. He has also appeared in local and national magazines and newspapers. His public speaking experience consists of colleges and corporate events where his subjects are as varied as the man himself: self improvement, self image, and communication are among his many subjects. In 2004 he released his first book titled "Selections From The Serial Killer Cookbook (The Handbook For America's Youth)". The book has developed a cult following and has become required reading for many writing courses. He has created is own record label, Freaklabel and his own publishing company, Provoke Publishing. When you first come into Coburn's vision and world you may be taken a back. He's not the 3 piece suit kind of guy. He's got the look of a rock'n'roll rebel, tattoos, body piercings, everything that the 'establishment' deems as left of center and dangerous. At the heart of it, Coburn is far from that label. The best part, he wears no label at all. His writings are extreme just like the man himself. But that can also be deceiving on the cerebral level. His is extremely down to earth, a very quiet and pensive man who is a deep thinker and philosopher. One thing J Coburn certainly isn't is boring. Here is a piece of a man with a great deal on his mind.

T: What was your youth like growing up in Brooklyn IA?
J: Typical. I worked a lot at the local grocery store, had a steady girlfriend, I was a loner for sure. Nothing to do in a small town but party, I chose to work and focus on taking in information from books, music, and documentaries. I was doing my best to keep myself occupied, trying to keep my mouth off the barrel of a gun.