BACK TO YOU.
>> THANK YOU SEE YOU LATER FOR
SPOTLIGHT.
>> A NOTABLE NORTHWESTERN ALUM
IS IN TOWN FOR MAJOR
RECOGNITION.
GAME AUTHOR GEORGE R.R. MARTIN A
GRADUATE OF NORTHWESTERN'S
MEDILL JOURNALISM SCHOOL WAS
AWARDED.
I SAT DOWN WITH MARTIN AND BEGAN
TALKING ABOUT THE IMPACT OF THE
BOOK SERIES THE HBO SHOW OFF OF
IT.
HE SAYS HE IS NOT ALLOWED TO
DISCUSS FUTURE "GAME OF THRONES"
SHOWS AND SPIN-OFFS IN DETAILS
AND WILL NOT ANSWER QUESTIONS
ABOUT THAT NEXT BOOK.
>> IT CHANGED MY LIFE, IN MOSTLY
GOOD WAYS.
ALTHOUGH YOU KNOW, LOOKING BACK,
I WISH I HAD STAYED AHEAD OF THE
BOOKS.
MY BIGGEST ISSUE WAS WHEN THEY
BEGAN THAT SERIES, I HAD FOUR
BOOKS IN PRINT AND THE FIFTH ONE
CAME OUT JUST AS THE SERIES WAS
STARTING IN 2011.
I HAD A FIVE-BOOK HEADSTART AND
THESE ARE GIGANTIC BOOKS.
I NEVER THOUGHT THEY WOULD CATCH
UP WITH ME.
AND THEY DID.
THEY CAUGHT UP WITH ME AND
PASSED ME AND IT MADE IT STRANGE
NOW THE SHOW WAS AHEAD OF ME AND
GOING IN DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS.
I'M STILL WORKING ON THE BOOK.
BUT YOU WILL SEE MY ENDING WHEN
THAT COMES OUT.
>> I WANT TO REWIND.
YOU WERE AN AVID READER AT A
YOUNG AGE.
>> RIGHT.
>> YOU USED TO SAVE YOUR MONEY
TO BUY USED PAPERBACKS.
>> AND COMIC BOOKS.
COMIC BOOKS ARE WHAT I CUT MY
TEETH ON IN THE BEGINNING.
I STARTED GETTING A DOLLAR A
WEEK ALLOWANCE AND IT WAS
ANOTHER ERA SO THAT WAS 10 COMIC
BOOKS I WOULD BUY WITH MY
ALLOWANCE.
AND WHEN I STARTED BUYING
PAPERBACKS THOSE WERE 35 CENTS I
HAD TO GIVE UP FOUR COMIC BOOKS
TO BUY A PAPERBACK AND I DID
BECAUSE I WAS ADDICTED TO THE
BOOKS, TOO.
>> YOU STARTED DOING YOUR
WRITING AND SELLING YOUR
WRITING?
>> YES.
>> DRAMATIC READINGS INCLUDED?
>> THEY WERE, YES.
MOST OF MY CUSTOMERS WHO --
I GREW UP IN THE PROJECTS IN NEW
JERSEY.
AND I WOULD WRITE THESE TWO,
THREE PAGE STORIES, HANDWRITTEN
ON PAPER RIPPED FROM MY
NOTEBOOK, THEY WERE MONSTER
STORIES AND VAMPIRE STORIES AND
STORIES ABOUT MONITORS AND
THE --
MONSTERS.
THE KIDS I WAS SELLING THEM TO,
THEY WERE NOT AS GOOD READERS AS
ME.
SO I READ THEM THE STORY WHEN
THEY BOUGHT IT I READ THEM AND I
DID THE WHERE WOLF HOWLS AND
THAT STUFF.
AND I SOLD IT FOR A NICKEL I
COULD GET SIX NICKELS AND I
COULD BUY MORE COMIC BOOKS AND
MILKY WAY BARS AND IT WAS A GOOD
THING FOR A WHILE.
AND ONE OF THE KIDS STARTED
HAVING NIGHTMARES BECAUSE OF MY
STORIES AND HIS MOTHER CAME TO
MY MOTHER AND MY MOTHER SAID
STOP SCARING THE OTHER KIDS SO I
HAD TO STOP.
>> SORRY TO HEAR THAT.
IT WORKED OUT FOR YOU.
LATER ON YOU CAME HERE TO
NORTHWESTERN TO ATTEND MEDILL.
WAS IT A CULTURE SHOCK COMING TO
THE MIDWEST?
>> COMPLETELY, YEAH.
WE NEVER HAD A LOT OF MONEY.
MY FAMILY NEVER OWNED A CAR.
I TOOK THE BUSES TO GET
ANYWHERE.
AND I NEVER WENT ANYWHERE.
ONCE A YEAR WE WOULD GO INTO NEW
YORK CITY ABOUT 45 MINUTES AWAY
BY BUS AND SEE THE CHRISTMAS
SHOW AT RADIO CITY MUSIC HALL
AND EAT AT AN AUTO MATT AND
VISIT SANTA AT MACY'S.
THAT WAS OUR CHRISTMAS TRIP BUT
THAT WAS THE ONLY TIME I COULD
GET INTO NEW YORK.
I HAD CERTAINLY NEVER BEEN
OUTSIDE OF NEW YORK, NEW JERSEY.
I HAD NEVER BEEN TO ANYTHING
BEYOND THAT.
SO IT WAS A WHOLE DIFFERENT
WORLD TO ME.
>> IN THAT TIME, YOU LIVED
THROUGH YOU EXPERIENCED CHICAGO
WINTERS WHICH YOU GET THE WINTER
IN JERSEY BUT WE BRAG ABOUT IT
HERE.
>> I GOT IMMERSED IN THAT RIGHT
AWAY MY FRESHMAN YEAR I WAS IN
BOB HALL HERE ON THE CAMPUS.
AND WE GOT HIT WITH A SNOWSTORM.
I BELIEVE IT WAS 23 INCHES.
23 INCHES IN LIKE A DAY.
AND I REMEMBER I WAS --
IT STARTED AND I WAS WALKING
BACK FROM CLASS TO THE DORMITORY
AND THE SNOW WAS COMING DOWN TO
HEAVILY THAT I COULD NOT SEE A
THING.
I'M FOLLOWING THE SIDEWALK I
COULD NOT SEE THE BUILDINGS
AROUND ME, VAGUE LIGHTS THROUGH
THE SNOW.
WHICH I THOUGHT WAS A BUILDING I
WOULD GO THAT IS NOT MY BUILDING
WHERE THE HELL AM I?
I WAS LOST IN A BLIZZARD.
BUT I FOUND THE DORMITORY.
AND THEN THE SNOW JUST KEPT
ONCOMING AND COMING.
AND I WAS ON THE FIRST FLOOR AND
IT GOT SO HIGH IT COVERED THE
WINDOW.
OUTSIDE.
AND THEN, WE GOT HIT WITH A HARD
FREEZE.
ALL THE SNOW DID NOT MELT FOR A
COUPLE WEEKS AND THEY HAD TO DIG
TRENCHES FROM THE DOOR TO THE
DOORS OF OTHER BUILDINGS IT WAS
LIKE THE TRENCH SYSTEM IN WORLD
WAR I INSTEAD OF MUD IT WAS MADE
OF SNOW.
YOU WOULD BE IN THIS TRENCH WITH
THE WALLS HIGHER THAN YOUR HEAD
AND PEOPLE GOING ONE DIRECTION
AND YOU REACH A FORK WHERE IT
MET WITH A TUNNEL.
THIS WAY TO THE AUDITORIUM.
THAT KIND OF STUFF.
IT WAS LIKE A DIFFERENT WORLD
FOR TWO WEEKS AND THEN IT GOT
WARM AND ALL THE SNOWMELTED AND
THE REGULAR WORLD RETURNED.
I FELT LIKE I WAS ON AN ARCTIC
PLANET FOR A WHILE.
YOU COULD TELL BY THE WAY I TALK
ABOUT IT I REMEMBER IT ALMOST
WITH A NOSTALGIA IT WAS A COOL
EXPERIENCE AS WEIRD AS IT WAS.
>> DID YOU LATER REALIZE HOW
THAT EXPERIENCE INFLUENCED YOUR
WRITING DOWN THE ROAD?
>> WELL, I HAVE STOLEN SOME OF
THAT TRENCH STUFF AND THAT FOR
THE WINTER SET THE WALL IN THE
"GAME OF THRONES" I CAN DESCRIBE
THAT FROM MEMORY.
YOU FILE EVERYTHING AWAY.
IF YOU ARE A WRITER EVERYTHING
THAT HAPPENS TO YOU, GOOD, BAD,
YOU KNOW, HEARTBREAK, TRAUMA,
LOVE, DEATH, AND JUST LITTLE
INCIDENTS LIKE THAT THINGS THAT
WHAT THE ZENRY LOOKS --
SCENERY LOOKS LIKE AND WHAT THE
WEATHER IS LIKE AND YOU DRAW ON
IT AND MAYBE DECADES OR QUARTER
CENTURY LATER, SUDDENLY YOU ARE
WRITING SOMETHING THAT BRING IT
IS TO MIND AND YOU BRING IT OUT
AGAIN.
>> AND WE'LL HAVE MORE OF OUR