Title: Roller Babes
Author: Tim Patten
Publisher: iUniverse
ISBN: 978-1-4917-8329-0 (sc), 978-1-4917-8328-3 (e)
Pages: 343
Genre: Fiction
I am writing my 4th book. I focus on American gender issues; women’s gay and men’s issues. Tim Patten is a former professional roller derby skater and principle in Jam the documentary about the ARDL, a coed league. Tim skated banked track derby for twelve years from 1979 to 1992. Today he lives in San Francisco.
Interviewed by: Simone Wolff
Today we are talking to Tim Patten, author of “Roller Babes.”
PBR: What got you interested in women’s roller derby?
As a very young boy, 4 years old I saw roller derby on TV after I shoved a peanut up my nose and almost suffocated.
PBR: Where did you find all the delightful slang included in the characters’ speech?
Many hours of searching and trying to replicate the times. A chore worthy of bring characters to life who represented the times.
PBR: What can the women of that time period–the 50s–teach us about today?
One primary idea when I interviewed the women who were alive, simply was to take the risk and the bumps in life that come along with taking a path that women were not supposed to take.
PBR: How did you learn about the history of roller derby? What sources remain?
I watched it on TV and even skated a little myself in the 1970s.
PBR: What do you think of roller derby today, and its representations in media like Whip It?
I enjoy it all. There was a formula in the old days to give the sport enough showmanship to make it enjoyable for millions to watch as spectators. That is gone now. Today it is a participant sport, competing at roller rinks mostly.
PBR: Why do you think women came out on top in Roller Derby (rather than the all-male teams)?
People are interested in seeing women doing things that are not lady-like. We have some fascination with that idea still.
To learn more about “Roller Babes” please read the review at: Pacific Book Review
