Tom Vanderbilt grew up in a Chicago suburb and moved to New York to become a writer. “The ultimate hustle, freelance writing,” he said. “You don’t know where your next paycheck is coming from, but for the last few years, it’s been traffic.” Vanderbilt came to Zócalo to discuss his book Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do (and What It Says About Us)
Q. What music have you listened to today?
A. Dr. Dre. When I was living here in the ’90s, I listened to a lot of West Coast hip hop, so I guess I was in a nostalgic mood. It’s not my usual.
Q. When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
A. Sadly, a writer, but probably more of a genre novelist. I read a lot of genre stuff, spy, mystery books. I haven’t gotten around to that yet.
Q. What is your favorite cocktail?
A. Gin and tonic.
Q. If you could take only one more journey, where would you go?
A. The Sahara.
Q. What profession would you like to practice in your next life?
A. Something like conservation biology, or wildlife biology. E.O. Wilson kind of stuff.
Q. What is your fondest childhood memory?
A. Family road trips through the West, to the South.
Q. What is your most prized material possession?
A. My Mac. There’s probably something better than that, but I’m not that materialistic.
Q. What promise do you make to yourself that you break the most often?
A. To not procrastinate.
Q. What should you throw away but haven’t been able to part with?
A. I have a lot of excess books. I had a lot of records but my wife made me get rid of those.
Q. Who is the one person living or dead you would most like to meet for dinner?
A. J.G. Ballard, the novelist.
To read more about Vanderbilt’s talk at Zócalo, click here.
*Photo by Aaron Salcido.