He still gets called a “foreigner” — even after he’s written 16 books in Singapore

Neil Humphreys is no stranger to Singaporeans. His sports and lifestyle columns are a regular staple for some, and he is the author of not one but seven best selling titles about life in Singapore. Following the success of the Notes From An Even Smaller Island series, and since his return from a short stint in Australia, Neil has written three thrilling fiction novels about the glamourous but morally ambiguous world of football stars in Singapore and his native UK.

Interviewer (I): Thank you for agreeing to this interview, Neil! If you look back over your time in Singapore, most of us would say you’ve had a really amazing career. Since starting out as a teacher and a S-League reporter, you’ve now become an established brand name author in Singapore.

Yet I’m sure everyone’s dying to know a little bit more about your journey from part-time S-league reporter to full fledged author and superstar columnist status. What were the challenges you faced along the way, money, time constraints, motivation?

Neil (N): Wow, as opening questions go, that one was a beauty. I’m not even sure what a ‘superstar columnist’ is. How does one qualify? Can I put it on my next passport application?

I was actually a full-time S-League/sports reporter after being a full-time teacher, two very different occupations that opened up very different exotic worlds and made my first book possible. I would say at least two-thirds of the first book’s content was inspired by those jobs, as they allowed me to meet and interact with so many different Singaporeans from all walks of life. Looking back, I now realise how fortunate I was to be exposed to so many layers of a new country’s culture, which shaped my early writing.

OK, now for the obstacles I faced… First, the skin colour. Some said I was only published because I was an ang moh. Some said my book would only appeal to ang mohs. Some said I’d never understand Singapore properly because I was an ang moh. I can say, with a degree of pride, that the first two assertions were entirely wrong and the third is for others to decide. And in many ways, they already have. I’ve written 16 books now, most of them are set in Singapore and the majority of my audience has always been Singaporean, something I’m immensely proud of.

Money? Yes, there’s never enough of it in my line of work. But I’ve met plenty of white-collar folks with plenty of money who never see their families and don’t appear to be particularly happy. So I’m content to scribble as often as I can and spend my nights and weekends quietly with my wife and daughter, living a very simple life. Time constraints? Always. It’s part of the job and, rather annoyingly, thanks to my journalism background, I work better with a loaded stopwatch held to my head. Motivation? It depends on the writing. If it’s a novel, I am compelled to write. It’s not a question of motivation. I don’t have a choice.

I: Were there any incidents or times in your career that were particularly trying for you?

N: The ang moh in Singapore thing, which shouldn’t even be a ‘thing’ by now gets a little wearing. I’ve been fortunate enough to have a number of best-selling titles in different genres — fiction, non-fiction, children’s books — and yet I’m still invariably referred to as the “ang moh funnyman” for a newspaper column I stopped writing 10 years ago! But hey, we like our labels in Singapore. When I fill in official forms, I’m still ticking that box marked “others”, as if I’m alien species in a Spielberg movie, landing my alien craft in the East Coast and gentrifying all the bars in Joo Chiat.

But in all honesty, the hardest part is staying true to my lifelong ambition which is so, so challenging, particularly in Singapore where, let’s face it, the cultural pressure to earn the big bucks and achieve corporate prestige remains omnipresent. A lot of my friends, some of whom started in journalism after me, or even worked under me, are now newspaper editors or PR directors or working in top MNCs and good luck to them. I just try not to think about their regular pay cheques when I’m scribbling away in my apartment!

I: What would you say to aspiring young journalists and authors who want to strike it out in Singapore? Where should they get started? Should they go full time into writing or should they also have a hustle on the side as you did? Any wise words?

N: Well, this follows on from the previous question. I often have pangs of anxiety that I’m not providing enough for my family (I actually do, but in Singapore, whatever you earn, have you noticed how it never seems to be enough?) So the first point is, if you’re going into media/publishing to get rich, try something else. But then, if you’re going into anything with the sole intention of being rich, then you may want to go home and rethink your life. I’m still waiting for an obituary that reads, “Neil Humphreys died today. In 2004, his company gave him a 3.5 month bonus.”

I still retain the naive idealism that if you chase an occupation for wealth, there are no guarantees. But if you chase an occupation you actually like, then the wealth may or may not come, but you might at least be happy in your work. And the next point is, write. Just write. All the time, just write. The most common question I get is: “How do I write an article, column, poem, or book?” To which the only answer is, “you go and write it”. And it’ll probably be below-par, so you’ll write another one, and it’ll be better and on it goes. That’s the normal and natural process. Readers see my first published book. What they don’t see or the dozens of rejections for screenplays and book ideas I’d been sending out since I was a teenager.

I: Thank you, Neil. Let’s turn to your novels. We understand the passion for football, but you have this fascination for the seedy underbelly of vice and crime in your novels too. Where did that come from, or what inspired you to take this angle in your novels? Are any of the stories in your novels based on true stories you’ve seen or *gasp* experienced?

N: Yes and yes. To keep the lawyers happy, I can’t be any more specific than that. Just read the books. And then read them again, between the lines. All I will say is, I find it interesting that people are interested in my interest! For me, there is no difference between my non-fiction and fiction books. I explore the off-beat, the quirky, the funny, the weird and occasionally the cruel. The only difference is, in my Notes books, I took the piss out of them. In my Inspector Low books, I kill them!

I: Which was your favourite novel to write, and why does it stand out in your mind?

N: It’s always the last one. So in this case, it’s Rich Kill Poor Kill, because I’m always looking to see a little progress, a little development in the writing. Others might not see it, but I can, I hope!

I: Your latest book, Rich Kill Poor Kill, sounds like a dark, twisted ‘Rich Dad,, Poor Dad’ series. Could you tell us a little about the book and what inspired you to write it. Is it as violent as it sounds?

N: Funnily enough, I was THIS CLOSE to calling it Rich Dead Poor Dead, but it was decided that the titles might be too close for a lawyer’s comfort. The anarchic streak that runs through my writing like a stick of rock still regrets that I changed the title, but I suppose Rich Kill Poor Kill is blunt enough! Rich Kill Poor Kill is a baby with a few mothers.

First, I obviously wanted to continue the Inspector Low series after his exploits in Marina Bay Sins, where I left him down and almost out. I love this character so much. He’s by far the best character I’ve ever written. I love writing for him, his intellect, his acerbic wit, his social commentary, his little speeches. He has no censor, no filter. He’s an obnoxious arsehole who happens to be brilliant at his job. I still think he’s tailor-made for Adrian Pang to play, but it’ll need one brave TV producer and distributor to put this guy on primetime (but hey, you might actually get an audience for a Singapore-based TV production for a change. I’m just saying.)

Second, the after-effects of globalisation and a decade’s worth of rampant greed have really hit Singapore hard in the last few years and I’m fascinated by — and appalled by — the growing rich-poor divide in the country. A theme in my non-fiction books, and even in Marina Bay Sins, is one that I think nags away at the population almost every day. Who is Singapore really for? Who does it serve? Who profits the most? For a brief period, as local wages stagnated and foreign investors appeared to be buying up every available property on the market, it was hard to tell. The cooling measures helped, but Donald Trump, Brexit and some disturbing, xenophobic websites in Singapore prove that this issue will not got go away.

So I figured, there’s nothing like a serial killer to really test the economic divide. So I killed rich and poor to examine a society’s response. I only did this in the novel of course, I’m not a danger to the public. You can turn up safely at the book launch. I’m leaving the screwdriver at home.

I: Thank you for your time, Neil!

Catch Neil Humphreys’ Rich Kill Poor Kill at its book launch tomorrow, 17 Sep, 3.30–4.30pm at Kinokuniya Takashimaya Orchard, and be sure to get an autographed copy of his book!

Interview by Ellie Hu, a youth journalist with The Singapore Daily.

Share this: