Revenge of the himbo: Debut author Hector Mackenzie on beauty and anxiety

Maybe we’re all phony.

When I read the first draft of Hector Mackenzie’s The Long Cloud, I knew I’d never recover. It was a solar eclipse in Aries, he was my boyfriend, and in my opinion, it was a masterpiece.

The novel follows ageing-out male model, Xander Alexander, as he returns home to New Zealand after a decade living in London. The premise is simple, but the story traverses complex themes within its 256 pages – self-worth, sex, money, anxiety, belonging, and suicide – all in lowercase and without punctuation. The Long Cloud’s originality, accessibility and intimacy made me feel sure it was the book to get young men reading again.

For more stories like this, try our Life section.

However, as it’s made its way in the world, the novel has been polarising. Some critics have described its protagonist as ‘vapid’ and a ‘himbo’ or ‘kidult’. Others have called the book ‘brilliant’ and ‘utterly absorbing’. Author of I Love Dick, Chris Kraus, described it as ‘funny, snarking, touching, and profound.’ Here, Hector and I grapple with what it means to be a ‘himbo’ and how looks can be deceiving.

Madeleine: So in a recent review, Xander was described as a ‘himbo’. Would you agree with that description?

Hector: (Laughs) I personally find it deeply offensive that someone would call Xander a himbo, but I guess it’s open to interpretation. Is Paris Hilton a bimbo? Or a genius? I would argue she’s both. So, you know… I think there’s a tendency to conflate good looks with stupidity.

But I always wondered if that was maybe just a cope for the fact that people are jealous of himbos. So the only way to feel superior is to say that they’re stupid. Or maybe it’s one of those idioms that’s actually true? But I think that Xander is very emotionally intelligent and perceptive. Even if he doesn’t make the right decisions. But what intelligent person does?

Do you think that because your language in the book is very accessible – and very funny – that Xander’s being assumed to be stupid?

Uh, perhaps… I just wanted people to feel like they were reading the internal monologue of someone’s mind. And, in someone’s mind, they don’t think in capitals and commas. There’s no English exam going on up there. It’s just a constant stream of endless fantasies and anxieties and desires. A stream of consciousness lacks formality.

So, I wanted the reader to really feel that, to feel like they were hearing his private thoughts. Perhaps, because, one, he’s good looking, and two, he’s a male model, and three, it’s written unconventionally, people are conflating that with stupidity. But, ironically, I feel like that’s a really stupid and basic take. But maybe I should have made him an English major. Then maybe the literary world could’ve related to him (laughs).

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Scribe Publications (@scribepub)

Maybe! But genius is saying things simply. And I’m interested, what’s Xander’s problem fundamentally, though? Like, he is this good-looking guy. He’s been successful. But he’s struggling. How does that happen?

Well, being a model isn’t a prerequisite to happiness. I mean, not that I know of. I’m not a model. If it is, the whole point of my book is moot. The main thing for Xander is that he doesn’t have a purpose. And I think that’s the main source of fulfilment in life; to feel like you have a purpose. That you’re of value.

And Xander perceives himself as having no real value other than being good looking… and he’s got no other outlet. No purpose. And, as his career is ending, so is his youth. So is his potential. And when someone is lost, and has no sense of value, even if the world projects value onto them, if they don’t feel of value, they become a menace to themselves, and to society.

Xander is definitely an unwitting menace. And, throughout the book, he’s constantly trying to control how others see him through what he wears. Like, he obsesses. Why?

I’ve never met anybody who doesn’t think they can control how they’re perceived by how they present themselves. Even if they dress like a derelict, they’re trying to control how other people see them. In that instance, it’s, ‘I don’t give a fuck, I don’t care what you think’. But that’s still someone trying to influence how people perceive them.

In my own work, I’m interested in how the physical is spiritual. Do you think if Xander, like, really nailed a look, he would feel fulfilled?

I mean, I would say yes, for a beautiful and brief moment (laughs). But fashion can only take you halfway. You have to be the authentic thing. Otherwise, you’re a phony. But phonies have their charm too.

Xander, is he a phony?

Well, maybe we all are.

Well, sure. But, I would say, his tragedy is that he’s good at convincing people he’s something. Like, he seems to be able to shapeshift into what others want, but then to not be fulfilled himself.

Yeah, so that’s him going halfway. He can create a strong first impression and convince this young girl that he’s a cool British writer, but he’s not. So, that can’t sustain itself, because he’s not actually the thing… as you say, the physical needs to align with the spiritual.

‘Don’t judge a book by it’s cover’ vibes.

No. But we all do, don’t we? And, when we read a book, and it’s shit, the cover doesn’t mean anything anymore. You’re not gonna think, ‘oh, but the cover’s so great, I’m going to keep reading it’. If it’s not a good book, then the cover is meaningless. It’s the same with fashion. And with people.

Your book cover is epic. It looks like a mirror.

Yeah, I really think it’s one of the great modern book covers. And that’s not tooting my own horn, that’s tooting the publisher (Scribe) and the designer (Luke Bird)’s horn. But it is a kind of mirror. It reminds me of the Narcissus reference in Zoolander, where he sees his own reflection through a warped spoon and realises he’s beautiful. My cover’s the same. It’s a warped mirror and, like with all mirrors, you see whatever you want to see.

Hector Mackenzie’s ‘The Long Cloud‘ is out now.