Connelly, Welliver go old school tech as Bosch
LOS ANGELES - For years, the veteran Los Angeles homicide detective Harry Bosch has ducked phone calls, preferring shoe leather to new tech gadgets that he can't quite master. His inventor, author Michael Connelly, is a bit more tech savvy, and so is the actor who plays him on the new Amazon Prime Instant Video series, Titus Welliver. But not by a lot.
We spoke with both recently when they stopped by the Paste BN L.A. bureau to talk tech and Bosch, which debuts Friday on Amazon.
BOSCH GEAR
The character Harry Bosch still uses a flip phone in novels and on the show. "He's a technophobe, but he has a 14-year-old daughter who draws him into modern times," says Connelly. "He Skypes."
However, Bosch "knows technology has advanced, but for every good step, someone will figure out `how can I turn this against' him, so he has a cops suspicion."
At home, Welliver has the Apple TV and Roku ("but my kids had to set them up for me") while Connelly sports the 3-year-old iPhone 4S smartphone, and he's not in any rush to get the newer iPhone 6 model.
"I've been comfortable with it, and know it's a struggle to relearn."
Unlike Bosch, Welliver went all out recently and switched to the big iPhone 6 Plus. He's not sure he loves it.
"It's a big phone, not great for phone calls, but for listening to music or watching, it's great."
BINGEING IS AKIN TO READING
The ten Bosch episodes will all be available for viewing at once, or to be viewed via a Binge fest, all at once. Connelly says this is how he wants readers to enjoy his books while reading them as well.
"Chapters were invented because of production issues in books. When I write chapters, I don't want readers to stop. I want them to try another one, and that's how I want (viewers) to watch the show.
THEY BINGE TOO
Welliver has young kids, and is binge watching old TV shows he grew up with via Apple TV .
"I wasn't crazy for the programming available to them, so I sat down with them and watched "The Brady Bunch," "Combat," "Gilligan's Island," and the "Rat Patrol."
Connelly doesn't watch films in theaters and misses many TV series when they originally air. "A lot of stuff goes by me, so I come into shows late. But I can catch a weekend catching up on Breaking Bad, Lost, Californication."
E-READING = MORE CONNELLY FANS
Despite the loss of major bookstores and a drop in analog book sales, Connelly says e-reading has only brought good things for authors.
"My feeling is more people are reading…the e-readers have expanded the universe. I can only look at my own sales figures. The growth has been way too big to" explain any other way.
Connelly says fans line up at his readings asking them to autograph e-books. Which means he signs their iPad and Kindle cases. "I've seen the covers. They've become clogged with signatures from writers. Collecting and signing books continues in the electronic age."
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