By Nicole Cosentino, Special Writer
MONROE — “Scott announced for the first time in his life, although nobody could hear him or was even listening, ‘My life is a movie,’” reads a line from Village People singer Eric Anzalone’s new semi-autobiographical novel “Collisions Course.”
Mr. Anzalone, a Monroe resident and the 46-year-old single father of a high-school-age daughter, has been arrested, hit by a car and held hostage at gunpoint.
He was the lead singer of a heavy metal band in the ‘80s and the guitarist for a punk band in the ‘90s, according to the book’s official website, www.collisionscourse.com.
For the past 17 years, Mr. Anzalone also has performed as the biker in the world-famous disco group, the Village People, playing shows all over the globe.
According to Mr. Anzalone, the book is “The Big Chill” for his generation.
In that popular 1983 film, seven former college friends gather for a reunion after a funeral and see just how much life has changed them since their college days, according to the International Movie Database website.
”In (the novel), a group of guys who went to high school together in the 1980s make a plan to get together 20 years in the future for a reunion,” Mr. Anzalone said. “No matter where they were in life — married, with children, whatever — they would come to the reunion alone and were going to party like they were 18 again.”
Mr. Anzalone wrote the novel under the name J.E. Anzalone because he didn’t want people to think it was about, or involved, the famous singing group.
”I didn’t want people to think this book was about the Village People,” Mr. Anzalone said. “The main character in the book is me, and I won’t lie about that. He (the main character) is in a ‘70s band, and a lot of interesting things happen to him. Again, you’re going to have to figure out what you think is real and what’s not.”
Mr. Anzalone said he is a graduate of San Marcos High School in California and studied music and theater at the University of Miami in Florida.
”After about two years, I quit because I was getting professional offers,” Mr. Anzalone said. “I moved back to Los Angeles and never looked back.”
Before joining the Village People, Mr. Anzalone said he played the role of Berger in a European tour of “Hair,” was a singer on Princess Cruises, voiced the characters Donatello, Raphael, and Splinter in “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” was the front man for ‘80s metal band, Paradigm, and played guitar for the punk band SiR.
More recently, he graduated summa cum laude from Arizona State University with a degree in film and media May 4.
As for getting his job singing with the Village People, Mr. Anzalone said he was browsing the Village Voice trade magazine in 1991 when he came across an advertisement describing a “well-known group looking for a singer with a passport.” He sent in a sample of his singing, a photograph and a resume without even knowing what band he was applying to join. It was only when he got a call back he found out he was about to become a member of the Village People.
”It’s funny because it’s just a part of my life now,” Mr. Anzalone said. “It’s flattering and it’s a blessing to still have the following that we do and to still have the longevity that we do because bands come and go all the time.”
With the group, Mr. Anzalone said he has performed to packed arenas and other venues from Finland to South Africa.
Mr. Anzalone said writing his novel and performing on stage are incredibly different sensations.
”Performing-wise, I can do anything, anytime, anywhere. As a writer, though, it’s a little more personal for me,” he said. “Even though I’ve written screenplays and I’ve studied (writing), it’s more work for me. I’m a perfectionist, and it takes me forever because I edit myself as I go.”
Mr. Anzalone said he finds inspiration to write by lighting some candles, drinking coffee, listening to Frank Sinatra, drinking a beer and listening to rock or “even just going for a walk,” depending on the mood of his writing.
”I’m the voice of the book, but I’m not the story of the book,” Mr. Anzalone said. “I think a good story is a good story to anyone, no matter who you are. My book’s target audience is people from ages 25 to 65. It’s sort of a coming-of-age story because it deals with people in high school and then it deals with them 20 years later when they’re approaching 40.”
Mr. Anzalone also has been published once before with his novel, “Humanities.”
”It’s pretty much the same story,” Mr. Anzalone said. “I didn’t really know what I was doing (when I wrote that). It was sort of an experiment.”
Mr. Anzalone said he has lived in the township for several years and has no plans to leave the community.
”I like where I’m at right now. I’m close enough to the big city — either Philly or New York — and the beach. It’s called the Garden State for a reason,” Mr. Anzalone said. “ I love New Jersey.”

