The Story behind Livin’: From the Amsterdam Red Light to the African Bush, by Frankie Hogan


In the first handful of stories documented in Livin’, I would wake up with a hangover each morning of the trip and take down notes of the night before with a smile. I knew I had stories and material to work with, but I never thought of it in book format. It didn’t cross my mind in those early stages. I would just say to myself, “Holy shit, I bribed a cop yesterday to get out of a country and I was inside a 4000-year-old pyramid. I need to get this shit down.” The thinking then was to use parts or details in my screenwriting. But when I came home and told tales of the road at the bar, I was flooded with suggestions to write a book on the trips. I mean, people were slap-balls giddy for me to put this together. Part of it was the universal excitement for the road and travel. Part of it was the unique stories only a drunken, carefree diabetic can produce with a backdrop of the wonders of the world. But the biggest reason was the connection of listeners, and now readers, to the stories. They can see themselves there.  And they are hearing it from someone who is like them—an everyman.


Even when I did decide to turn this collection of travel stories into a book, I knew I needed to include a variety of options and locales. I also wanted to keep a balance between the three main reasons I travel: history, nature, and nightlife. A book of late-night romps from Vegas to Amsterdam to Ibiza would miss the mark for me. A book of only ancient monuments wouldn’t do the road justice. A constant safari or mountain climb can be seen elsewhere. I dig on all three. That’s the road, and that’s life. Livin’: From the Amsterdam Red Light to the African Bush shines a light on the eccentric staples of the road through some of the most cherished locations the world has to offer.

Frankie Hogan
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Frankie Hogan is an American writer, director and filmmaker. He is founder and principal partner of Corner Prophets Production Company, a film production company.  A native of South Philadelphia’s Grays Ferry neighborhood, Hogan lives in Los Angeles. Livin’ is Hogan’s first book—a book he wrote in hopes of inspiring others to stop making excuses, and make their dreams of travel a reality

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