Awhile back, Cindy and I spent several weeks watching Lost Season One via Netflix. We enjoyed it enough to rent Season Two as soon as it was available, watching the entire season in a matter of days.
In a way, Season One is like a prologue for Season Two. Sure, a lot happens in Season One: the crash, of course, and all the weird things going on, but most of Season One shows us who these characters are (and were) thorough backstory.
Without giving anything away, the stakes are raised big-time in Season Two. This season is (for the most part) fast-paced, exciting, intriguing and addictive. But there are a few factors that bring cause for concern:
Sometimes the character flashbacks seem to work against themselves. Much of the backstory provides essential information on why the characters act (or should act) the way they do. But that's part of the problem. We see what these characters are about, then back on the island, their behavior is sometimes inconsistent with what we've learned about them in the flashback. Sure, their whole lives have been turned around since the crash, but people will certainly still carry around their baggage. For instance (again, without giving too much away for those who haven't seen the show), we learn that there's something in Kate's past that makes a man like Sawyer not only a big turn-off, but downright odious. Yet she sure spends a lot of time with him. You can see other inconsistencies with other characters as well.
Certain characters appear in deus ex machina fashion, only to disappear after serving their purpose to get the main characters where they need to go for that particular plot point.
I have some other minor issues, but my main concern is that the writers/producers of the show will never be able to tie all the loose ends together. There's an awful lot to be explained at the end of Season Two and I just have to hope that Lost is not jerking our chains at the end of the season just to say "Gotcha!"
We shall see. Season Three begins in two days.
Which brings up another point that bothers me.
When Season Three does start in two days, it's only going to run for six weeks, followed by a thirteen-week break, after which the season will conclude. Talk about jerking your chain....
But again, I'm willing to go along.
For now....
Monday, October 02, 2006
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
Random Thoughts
First, if you have any interest whatsoever in speculative fiction, you should read James Tiptree, Jr.: The Double Life of Alice B. Sheldon. An excellent, informative, entertaining and long overdue biography. Highly recommended.
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Second, if Flannery O'Connor were alive today, I'd camp out on her front porch, sidestepping the peacocks, telling her how wonderful she is each time she opened the door. I've been chipping away at several of her stories from The Complete Stories. O'Connor read lots of Joyce, Kafka and Faulkner and that conglomeration of influences shows up in many of her stories. Many of the stories are humorous, disturbing, horrific, strange, violent, absurd and nihilistic - often all in the same story. She had the uncanny ability to capture small-town Southerners and yet bring out universal concepts, moral judgments and the possibility of redemption from them, and the supernatural, all without stooping to preachiness.
O'Connor was a Roman Catholic, but denominations are never clear from her stories, at least not to me. What amazes me is that so few Christians have read (or have even heard of) O'Connor. These are amazing stories. Start with her most famous, "A Good Man is Hard to Find," which is itself very easy to find: it's been anthologized just about everywhere.
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On the writing front, 600 words tonight on an almost-finished short story.
Now Playing = The Complete Columbia Stanley Brothers
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Second, if Flannery O'Connor were alive today, I'd camp out on her front porch, sidestepping the peacocks, telling her how wonderful she is each time she opened the door. I've been chipping away at several of her stories from The Complete Stories. O'Connor read lots of Joyce, Kafka and Faulkner and that conglomeration of influences shows up in many of her stories. Many of the stories are humorous, disturbing, horrific, strange, violent, absurd and nihilistic - often all in the same story. She had the uncanny ability to capture small-town Southerners and yet bring out universal concepts, moral judgments and the possibility of redemption from them, and the supernatural, all without stooping to preachiness.
O'Connor was a Roman Catholic, but denominations are never clear from her stories, at least not to me. What amazes me is that so few Christians have read (or have even heard of) O'Connor. These are amazing stories. Start with her most famous, "A Good Man is Hard to Find," which is itself very easy to find: it's been anthologized just about everywhere.
***********************************
On the writing front, 600 words tonight on an almost-finished short story.
Now Playing = The Complete Columbia Stanley Brothers
Friday, September 22, 2006
Getting Unstuck or The Battle of the Jeffs
Some excellent comments from the last post. Thanks to all.
It is tough to leave a story alone for awhile. I tend to want to struggle through the muck, waving knives and swords at anything that moves (or doesn't move), getting in the way of my story. But following Ford's advice, I went back to a story that had fizzled out awhile back. I focused on why one of the characters acts the way he does and several pieces of the puzzle fell into place, not all at once, but little by little, like a trail of clues leading me forward. The story is working and I'm excited about it. Like VanderMeer mentioned, I have a general idea of what's going to happen (or might happen), but I'll be open for any self-discoveries I or my characters might find along the way.
This from Sarah Monette. Advice, help and suggestions you can get from others, for which I'm thankful. But you've gotta do the work. Good stuff, Sarah.
***********************************
Watched another Blast from the Past on DVD last night, Let's Scare Jessica to Death from 1971. It's a good example of some of the 70's low-budget horror films that often work better than the stuff being made today.
Everybody have a great weekend -
It is tough to leave a story alone for awhile. I tend to want to struggle through the muck, waving knives and swords at anything that moves (or doesn't move), getting in the way of my story. But following Ford's advice, I went back to a story that had fizzled out awhile back. I focused on why one of the characters acts the way he does and several pieces of the puzzle fell into place, not all at once, but little by little, like a trail of clues leading me forward. The story is working and I'm excited about it. Like VanderMeer mentioned, I have a general idea of what's going to happen (or might happen), but I'll be open for any self-discoveries I or my characters might find along the way.
This from Sarah Monette. Advice, help and suggestions you can get from others, for which I'm thankful. But you've gotta do the work. Good stuff, Sarah.
***********************************
Watched another Blast from the Past on DVD last night, Let's Scare Jessica to Death from 1971. It's a good example of some of the 70's low-budget horror films that often work better than the stuff being made today.
Everybody have a great weekend -
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Sort of starts off real slow and then it fizzles out altogether*
The last two stories I've worked on (for the past month) have done exactly that. With both stories, I've started off with a good idea, run with it, then bogged down trying to find the finish line. I can tell that I'm manipulating the endings, something Jeff Ford warned us against at Clarion. I can even point to specific sentences and tell you "That's where it's happening, right there." But I can't seem to "unmanipulate" it.
I suppose that these stories will take care of themselves in time. Probably the thing to do is leave them alone for awhile and let Fred take over. It's frustrating, but everybody goes through it. (I hope they do.)
***************************
I've found that sometimes such fizzling out comes after reading a lot of really great stuff, then trying to write too soon afterwards. It's sort of like watching Roger Federer play tennis then picking up a raquet and hitting the courts. Anyway, lately I've been reading some short stories by Flannery O'Connor, one of my favorite writers.
There's much to admire in O'Connor's work. I certainly appreciate all the Southern touches, but I marvel at how she weaves a spiritual element into each story. The South is filled with spiritually, and not all of it good. O'Connor knows how to bring this out without beating the reader over the head with it. She also knows the importance of word choices. So many of her sentences could have been written with slight differences, but sacrificing much. Hers is a true world of wonder with enough strangeness to satisfy spec fic readers (even non-Southern ones).
My reading has been all over the place lately. In addition to O'Connor, I've been reading:
Scott Westerfeld
Jeff VanderMeer
Anton Chekhov
Dante
Jasper Fforde
Hans Christian Andersen
No wonder I can't write anything....
* from Neil Young's introduction to "Don't Let It Bring You Down" from the Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young live album 4-Way Street.
I suppose that these stories will take care of themselves in time. Probably the thing to do is leave them alone for awhile and let Fred take over. It's frustrating, but everybody goes through it. (I hope they do.)
***************************
I've found that sometimes such fizzling out comes after reading a lot of really great stuff, then trying to write too soon afterwards. It's sort of like watching Roger Federer play tennis then picking up a raquet and hitting the courts. Anyway, lately I've been reading some short stories by Flannery O'Connor, one of my favorite writers.
There's much to admire in O'Connor's work. I certainly appreciate all the Southern touches, but I marvel at how she weaves a spiritual element into each story. The South is filled with spiritually, and not all of it good. O'Connor knows how to bring this out without beating the reader over the head with it. She also knows the importance of word choices. So many of her sentences could have been written with slight differences, but sacrificing much. Hers is a true world of wonder with enough strangeness to satisfy spec fic readers (even non-Southern ones).
My reading has been all over the place lately. In addition to O'Connor, I've been reading:
Scott Westerfeld
Jeff VanderMeer
Anton Chekhov
Dante
Jasper Fforde
Hans Christian Andersen
No wonder I can't write anything....
* from Neil Young's introduction to "Don't Let It Bring You Down" from the Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young live album 4-Way Street.
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Beam Me Up?
It was more like "Beat me up" if you wanted to own the three seasons of the original Star Trek series on DVD just a few weeks ago. The price of each individual season has lately dropped from over $100 to $45 at Costco. Hmmmm...usually means there's a "new" edition coming out soon....
And there is. CBS/Paramount will begin broadcasting digitally enhanced versions of the original series, beginning on September 16, so the DVDs won't be far behind. (But at what price?)
From startrek.com:
The most noticeable change will be redoing many of the special effects, created with 1960s technology, with 21st century computer-generated imagery (CGI). Upgrades include:
Space ship exteriors – The Enterprise, as well as other starships, will be replaced with state of the art CGI-created ships. The new computer-generated Enterprise is based on the exact measurements of the original model, which now rests in the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.
Show opening – The Enterprise and planets seen in the main title sequence will be redone, giving them depth and dimension for the first time.
Galaxy shots – All the graphics of the galaxy, so frequently seen through the viewscreen on the Enterprise's bridge, will be redone.
Exteriors – The battle scenes, planets and ships from other cultures (notably the Romulan Bird of Prey and Klingon Battle Cruisers) will be updated.
Background scenes – Some of the iconic, yet flat, matte paintings used as backdrops for the strange, new worlds explored by the Enterprise crew will get a CGI face-lift, adding atmosphere and lighting.
The refurbished episodes also feature higher quality sound for the famous opening theme. The original score by Emmy Award-winning composer Alexander Courage, has been re-recorded in state-of-the-art digital stereo audio with an orchestra and a female singer belting out the famous vocals. A digitally remastered version of William Shatner's classic original recording of the 38-word "Space, the final frontier..." monologue continues to open each episode.
The remastered episodes have been converted from the original film into a High-Definition format, which gives viewers a clearer, crisper, more vibrant picture than before, even when viewed in standard definition. Once stations upgrade and start broadcasting HD signals, the episodes will be all ready for viewers to enjoy in HD.
Just for fun, here's a look at the new enhanced Enterprise.
I don't know how I feel about this. Sure, I realize that the show (especially the unenhanced edition) is major cheese, but I grew up on the show and have fond memories of it. Like many of us from my era, this was our first introduction to sf. And even though I haven't watched any of the newer Trek incarnations in the past 20 years or read a Trek novel in 30 years, I still love watching the old shows. (Some of them, anyway.) I like watching the old cardboard sets, the cheap fx, the universal rock-planet that appears in each episode.
Sure, it would be nice to see a cleaner picture, a better soundtrack, and fx with less of a cheese factor. But what can you do about Shatner's bad acting?
Still, I think of those old episodes as an old friend. He stumbles around a bit and embarrasses you sometimes, but he's still hanging in there.
"He's dead, Jim."
Yeah, well....yeah...
And there is. CBS/Paramount will begin broadcasting digitally enhanced versions of the original series, beginning on September 16, so the DVDs won't be far behind. (But at what price?)
From startrek.com:
The most noticeable change will be redoing many of the special effects, created with 1960s technology, with 21st century computer-generated imagery (CGI). Upgrades include:
Space ship exteriors – The Enterprise, as well as other starships, will be replaced with state of the art CGI-created ships. The new computer-generated Enterprise is based on the exact measurements of the original model, which now rests in the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.
Show opening – The Enterprise and planets seen in the main title sequence will be redone, giving them depth and dimension for the first time.
Galaxy shots – All the graphics of the galaxy, so frequently seen through the viewscreen on the Enterprise's bridge, will be redone.
Exteriors – The battle scenes, planets and ships from other cultures (notably the Romulan Bird of Prey and Klingon Battle Cruisers) will be updated.
Background scenes – Some of the iconic, yet flat, matte paintings used as backdrops for the strange, new worlds explored by the Enterprise crew will get a CGI face-lift, adding atmosphere and lighting.
The refurbished episodes also feature higher quality sound for the famous opening theme. The original score by Emmy Award-winning composer Alexander Courage, has been re-recorded in state-of-the-art digital stereo audio with an orchestra and a female singer belting out the famous vocals. A digitally remastered version of William Shatner's classic original recording of the 38-word "Space, the final frontier..." monologue continues to open each episode.
The remastered episodes have been converted from the original film into a High-Definition format, which gives viewers a clearer, crisper, more vibrant picture than before, even when viewed in standard definition. Once stations upgrade and start broadcasting HD signals, the episodes will be all ready for viewers to enjoy in HD.
Just for fun, here's a look at the new enhanced Enterprise.
I don't know how I feel about this. Sure, I realize that the show (especially the unenhanced edition) is major cheese, but I grew up on the show and have fond memories of it. Like many of us from my era, this was our first introduction to sf. And even though I haven't watched any of the newer Trek incarnations in the past 20 years or read a Trek novel in 30 years, I still love watching the old shows. (Some of them, anyway.) I like watching the old cardboard sets, the cheap fx, the universal rock-planet that appears in each episode.
Sure, it would be nice to see a cleaner picture, a better soundtrack, and fx with less of a cheese factor. But what can you do about Shatner's bad acting?
Still, I think of those old episodes as an old friend. He stumbles around a bit and embarrasses you sometimes, but he's still hanging in there.
"He's dead, Jim."
Yeah, well....yeah...
Monday, September 11, 2006
Going There
This from Sarah Monette's blog. Competition is something that's part of life; there's no getting around it. It's in how we view it -- and ourselves in it -- that counts. As a teacher, I always tried to instill in my students the idea that you're primarily competing against yourself, trying to go deeper, to explore what you're capable of, which ususally involves moving outside your comfort zone.
When I look back at my stories that show the most promise, nearly all of them involve a journey for me, the writer, to a place that is both challenging and uncomfortable. When I strip away all the safety barriers and protective coverings, I find some pretty incredible stuff waiting to be discovered.
That happened this morning for about an hour with a story that had just stalled for the past several days. It took me to a place that's both scary and challenging, but I stood there in the middle of it and learned a lot about the story and myself. The story is certainly not finished, but the truth (and the power) of it is rising to the surface.
It's a lot easier to compare yourself to other writers, though. But what good comes from it? As Sarah rightly says, there's always a writer that wins a bigger prize or whose book stays on the bestseller lists longer than yours. Those things are ultimately out of our control. But you can control how you challenge yourself by getting out of your comfort zone and making some discoveries that might not feel so good for awhile. But your writing will be stonger.
It's true. Give it a try.
When I look back at my stories that show the most promise, nearly all of them involve a journey for me, the writer, to a place that is both challenging and uncomfortable. When I strip away all the safety barriers and protective coverings, I find some pretty incredible stuff waiting to be discovered.
That happened this morning for about an hour with a story that had just stalled for the past several days. It took me to a place that's both scary and challenging, but I stood there in the middle of it and learned a lot about the story and myself. The story is certainly not finished, but the truth (and the power) of it is rising to the surface.
It's a lot easier to compare yourself to other writers, though. But what good comes from it? As Sarah rightly says, there's always a writer that wins a bigger prize or whose book stays on the bestseller lists longer than yours. Those things are ultimately out of our control. But you can control how you challenge yourself by getting out of your comfort zone and making some discoveries that might not feel so good for awhile. But your writing will be stonger.
It's true. Give it a try.
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
James Van Pelt's The Last of the O-Forms
I just finished James Van Pelt's second collection of short fiction, The Last of the O-Forms and Other Stories. It doesn't take much reading to realize Van Pelt is not only a very good writer, he's also comfortable in a variety of genres. In the fifteen stories in this collection, you'll find sf, fantasy, horror, an homage to Lovecraft, post-apocalyptic stories, stories about high school kids, little kids, birds and animals, a poker tournament, Bogart, Astaire and more.
Van Pelt knows about all these things, but more importantly, he knows a lot about what it means to be human, even when your surroundings pressure you to become something other than human. That he can do this without coming across as heavy-handed or sappy is pretty amazing.
Take, for example, the post-apocalyptic "A Flock of Birds." All we know is that something has wiped out most of the North American population, only about 50,000 people remain. Van Pelt isn't really concerned with how it happened. (Lord knows, it could be any one of a hundred ways.) What he is concerned with is how we handle the days that follow. A middle-aged, balding man named Carson spends his days watching for rare, near-extinct birds while taking care of an ailing woman who has wandered into his house. We've seen this scenario before, lots of times, but Van Pelt doesn't go where you think he's going.
He's never predictable in any of these stories. They're all fresh, well-told and memorable. The title story is one of the most powerful, unsettling tales I've read this year. The only thing I can't understand is why Van Pelt isn't talked about more.
Van Pelt knows about all these things, but more importantly, he knows a lot about what it means to be human, even when your surroundings pressure you to become something other than human. That he can do this without coming across as heavy-handed or sappy is pretty amazing.
Take, for example, the post-apocalyptic "A Flock of Birds." All we know is that something has wiped out most of the North American population, only about 50,000 people remain. Van Pelt isn't really concerned with how it happened. (Lord knows, it could be any one of a hundred ways.) What he is concerned with is how we handle the days that follow. A middle-aged, balding man named Carson spends his days watching for rare, near-extinct birds while taking care of an ailing woman who has wandered into his house. We've seen this scenario before, lots of times, but Van Pelt doesn't go where you think he's going.
He's never predictable in any of these stories. They're all fresh, well-told and memorable. The title story is one of the most powerful, unsettling tales I've read this year. The only thing I can't understand is why Van Pelt isn't talked about more.
Saturday, September 02, 2006
Finally!
Mission: Impossible - The Complete First Season will be released on December 5, just in time to be placed in the stocking of that special someone. Whoot! I have fond memories of the opening credits, the lighting of the fuse followed by a flurry of (what I then thought of as) lightning-fast images of fast cars, ticking clocks, masks being ripped off, stealth-filled shifty-eyed glances, all driven by Lalo Shifrin's much-parodied yet unforgettable theme music. I fear that after forty years this show will now look like major cheese puffs, but I don't care. I've waited a long time to see this show again and purge all images of Tom Cruise from my memory.
Friday, September 01, 2006
Rain, Stories, Novels, Fortune Cookies
Ah, the rain at last. Refreshing, isn't it?
Finished a new story this morning, a 7,000 word monster that may need to be further tamed. It's in the hands of my First Reader right now. Hopefully I'll send it out early next week.
A good friend of mine gave me a gentle nudge to get the revision on my YA novel going, so that's just what I'm going to spend the next few months doing. The novel comes first, then the short stories. Maybe I should tape that to the computer screen.
From last night's fortune cookie:
"Life is a tragedy for those who feel and a comedy for those who think."
Finished a new story this morning, a 7,000 word monster that may need to be further tamed. It's in the hands of my First Reader right now. Hopefully I'll send it out early next week.
A good friend of mine gave me a gentle nudge to get the revision on my YA novel going, so that's just what I'm going to spend the next few months doing. The novel comes first, then the short stories. Maybe I should tape that to the computer screen.
From last night's fortune cookie:
"Life is a tragedy for those who feel and a comedy for those who think."
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Three Notable Passings
This morning, actor Glenn Ford died at the age of 90. When most people think of Glenn Ford, they think of Pa Kent from the 1978 Superman, but that film only scratches the surface of the actor. Ford made several important films, among them two of my favorites, The Blackboard Jungle (which introduced millions to the Billy Haley and the Comets hit "Rock Around the Clock") and the noir classic The Big Heat. I never had half the trouble Ford had as a teacher in the first film and I'll never look at a pot of hot coffee in quite the same way after the second film.
Ford often played tough, rugged characters, but he also had a kind of quiet strength about him that you can detect in nearly all of his roles. My favorite Ford film isn't talked about much, the Western 3:10 to Yuma.
***********************
Singer/songwriter Jumpin' Gene Simmons (not the wildman from Kiss) passed away yesterday at 69. Simmons was one of the first artists to appear on the Sun Records label and worked as an opening act for the young Elvis Presley. Simmons was from the strange and wonderful Itawamba County, Mississippi. Favorite song title: "Peroxide Blonde in a Hopped-Up Model Ford."
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Joseph Stefano, who wrote the screenplay for Psycho and was co-creator of the original television series The Outer Limits died yesterday. He was 84.
Stefano made several changes to Robert Bloch's original novel for the Hitchcock film, most notably the book's opening. Early in the novel, Bloch has Marion Crane arriving at the Bates Motel with her death quickly following. Stefano didn't like it.
"My feeling was that, since I did not know anything about this girl, I wasn't going to care about her when she was killed. So we backed the story up a bit and learned something about her so that when she was killed, it would have more impact."
It sure did.
Ford often played tough, rugged characters, but he also had a kind of quiet strength about him that you can detect in nearly all of his roles. My favorite Ford film isn't talked about much, the Western 3:10 to Yuma.
***********************
Singer/songwriter Jumpin' Gene Simmons (not the wildman from Kiss) passed away yesterday at 69. Simmons was one of the first artists to appear on the Sun Records label and worked as an opening act for the young Elvis Presley. Simmons was from the strange and wonderful Itawamba County, Mississippi. Favorite song title: "Peroxide Blonde in a Hopped-Up Model Ford."
**********************
Joseph Stefano, who wrote the screenplay for Psycho and was co-creator of the original television series The Outer Limits died yesterday. He was 84.
Stefano made several changes to Robert Bloch's original novel for the Hitchcock film, most notably the book's opening. Early in the novel, Bloch has Marion Crane arriving at the Bates Motel with her death quickly following. Stefano didn't like it.
"My feeling was that, since I did not know anything about this girl, I wasn't going to care about her when she was killed. So we backed the story up a bit and learned something about her so that when she was killed, it would have more impact."
It sure did.
Monday, August 28, 2006
Random Recommendations
Right now I'm giving a cursory listen to Bob Dylan's new album Modern Times, which officially releases tomorrow. (XM Radio is playing a sneak preview of the album in its entirety.) Although I haven't been able to give it my full, undivided attention (breakfast, taking care of Bullet, etc.), I've heard most of every song. Without getting into specifics, I can pretty safely say that it doesn't vary much musically from 2001's Love and Theft. In fact, the styles may be even more nostalgic than that release: some blues, rock-a-billy, soft-shoe, a waltz, but very little out-and-out rock n roll. The first time I listen to anything, the music tends to come first, then the lyrics. I just have to look at the big picture for now. But this is Dylan we're talking about, so the lyrics will take time to sort through, demanding repeated listenings. More later.
It is interesting to note, however, that the limited edition featuring four extra tracks (none of them new material) and a DVD of Dylan performing the aforementioned four songs is currently No. 2 on Amazon's music sales. (The regular CD-only version is at No. 3.)
********************************
I bought James Van Pelt's collection The Last of the O-Forms at World Fantasy last year and just started it last night (a mere nine months later). I read the title story and was blown away. If all the stories are as good as that one, look out.
*********************************
I just finished Shadows and Silence, a collection of (mostly) ghost stories from Ash-Tree Press. Awhile back Ash-Tree ran a special including this volume and the World Fantasy Award-winning (actually it tied with Dark Matter) Acquainted with the Night. Ash-Tree books aren't cheap, but they're impeccably produced and the stories well-chosen. I was only disappointed with one story in Shadows and Silence, thought most of them were very good and several outstanding.
*********************************
I started watching Veronica Mars Season Two (from NetFlix) this weekend. While it's still early (four episodes), the writing doesn't seem as strong as in Season One. But I'll keep watching. (No spoilers, please.)
Now Playing = "Ain't Talkin'" – Bob Dylan
It is interesting to note, however, that the limited edition featuring four extra tracks (none of them new material) and a DVD of Dylan performing the aforementioned four songs is currently No. 2 on Amazon's music sales. (The regular CD-only version is at No. 3.)
********************************
I bought James Van Pelt's collection The Last of the O-Forms at World Fantasy last year and just started it last night (a mere nine months later). I read the title story and was blown away. If all the stories are as good as that one, look out.
*********************************
I just finished Shadows and Silence, a collection of (mostly) ghost stories from Ash-Tree Press. Awhile back Ash-Tree ran a special including this volume and the World Fantasy Award-winning (actually it tied with Dark Matter) Acquainted with the Night. Ash-Tree books aren't cheap, but they're impeccably produced and the stories well-chosen. I was only disappointed with one story in Shadows and Silence, thought most of them were very good and several outstanding.
*********************************
I started watching Veronica Mars Season Two (from NetFlix) this weekend. While it's still early (four episodes), the writing doesn't seem as strong as in Season One. But I'll keep watching. (No spoilers, please.)
Now Playing = "Ain't Talkin'" – Bob Dylan
Friday, August 25, 2006
Goodbye, Pluto and Other Small Things
Astronomers recently announced that the former planet Pluto has lost its planet status. Why? Basically it's too small, so now it'll be called a dwarf. Poor Pluto. Poor kids. Just think of all those textbooks that'll have to be changed now, to say nothing of all the old science fiction stories that have anything at all to do with Pluto. At least we won't have to eliminate a movement from Holst's The Planets. (Pluto hadn't been discovered when he wrote the suite between 1914 and 1916.)
But are any of us really safe? Watch out, Rhode Island: somebody might take away your statehood and declare you a "district." And how about the country Monaco? At 0.7 square miles, it might now be called a city. Maybe even a town or a village.
What about writers? Since I've only had a couple of short stories published, do I still get called a writer?....
Look out....
But are any of us really safe? Watch out, Rhode Island: somebody might take away your statehood and declare you a "district." And how about the country Monaco? At 0.7 square miles, it might now be called a city. Maybe even a town or a village.
What about writers? Since I've only had a couple of short stories published, do I still get called a writer?....
Look out....
Thursday, August 24, 2006
Smiley's People
The best part about listening to Bob Dylan's Theme Time Radio Hour on XM Radio (other than listening to Bob pontificate) is hearing music you wouldn't normally hear anywhere else. A few weeks ago, Dylan played a song called "Too Many Drivers" by Smiley Lewis. I liked Smiley's barrelhouse voice and thought that if "Too Many Drivers" was a good R&B tune, Smiley probably had lots of others. I filed the information under "To be further pursued (opportunity and funds pending)."
When I was in Daedalus Books & Music (one of my favorite haunts) awhile back, I noticed several CDs on the Proper Records label, a British label that specializes in affordable introductory compilations of artists like Howlin' Wolf, Cab Calloway, Ella Fitzgerald, B.B. King, T-Bone Walker, Clifford Brown, Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs, Hank Snow, Charley Patton and a whole slew of others (including my favorite name, Bull Moose Jackson). And there was Smiley, grinning at me from the racks, telling me that at $6.98, Gumbo Blues was a no-brainer.
It was a good decision. The twenty-four tracks on the disc (all recorded between 1950 and 1953) highlight Smiley's belt-it-out voice in a variety of styles. Most of the tunes are a hybrid of straight blues and rock, the early days of R&B. Smiley was from the New Orleans area and you can hear bits of Cajun, jazz, boogie-woogie and other styles throughout his music. Lewis does some nice guitar work, backed by some great sidemen including Tuts Washington on piano, Joe Harris on alto sax and Ernest McLean on guitar. These tunes remind me of Fats Domino (another New Orleans native who was a contemporary of Smiley's), but with more variety and depth. More than anything else, they're a lot of fun.
The liner notes (about three pages of text) provide the basic background on Lewis and his life. While a local New Orleans hit, Lewis never attracted the national attention he deserved. (The huge popularity of Fats may have had something to do with that.) But if you're a fan of early rock, R&B, soul, or just like to have a fun listening experience, Smiley's your man. Check him out.
When I was in Daedalus Books & Music (one of my favorite haunts) awhile back, I noticed several CDs on the Proper Records label, a British label that specializes in affordable introductory compilations of artists like Howlin' Wolf, Cab Calloway, Ella Fitzgerald, B.B. King, T-Bone Walker, Clifford Brown, Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs, Hank Snow, Charley Patton and a whole slew of others (including my favorite name, Bull Moose Jackson). And there was Smiley, grinning at me from the racks, telling me that at $6.98, Gumbo Blues was a no-brainer.
It was a good decision. The twenty-four tracks on the disc (all recorded between 1950 and 1953) highlight Smiley's belt-it-out voice in a variety of styles. Most of the tunes are a hybrid of straight blues and rock, the early days of R&B. Smiley was from the New Orleans area and you can hear bits of Cajun, jazz, boogie-woogie and other styles throughout his music. Lewis does some nice guitar work, backed by some great sidemen including Tuts Washington on piano, Joe Harris on alto sax and Ernest McLean on guitar. These tunes remind me of Fats Domino (another New Orleans native who was a contemporary of Smiley's), but with more variety and depth. More than anything else, they're a lot of fun.
The liner notes (about three pages of text) provide the basic background on Lewis and his life. While a local New Orleans hit, Lewis never attracted the national attention he deserved. (The huge popularity of Fats may have had something to do with that.) But if you're a fan of early rock, R&B, soul, or just like to have a fun listening experience, Smiley's your man. Check him out.
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Back in Town
It's good to be home. It's also good to see my mom moved from ICU to a regular hospital room on Sunday. She should be discharged possibly as early as tomorrow, after which she'll have about 6 weeks of physical therapy. We never would have thought such a thing possible several days ago. Thanks to everyone for their prayers, thoughts and best wishes.
*************************
As you can imagine, I wasn't able to concentrate much on writing, although I made a few notes on some of the stories I'm working on.
I was able to do a bit of reading, reading over a dozen short stories and one novel, Jonathan Lethem's excellent Gun, with Occasional Music.
ICU visiting hours left a large three-hour gap in each day that I filled by visiting the local Borders and the Half-Price Books in Mesa. Found some pretty good stuff at Half-Price including A Saucer of Loneliness: Vol. VII of the Complete Stories of Theodore Sturgeon and yes, the very first installment of The Year's Best Fantasy (before "Horror" officially entered into the title).
I also picked up a current genre magazine at Borders. No, I won't tell you what it was, but it wasn't F&SF. (I finished the September issue on the initial flight to Chicago.) The magazine I bought is one I've bought before - a mag you'd probably recognize - but I hadn't read it in out two years. I thought the first story was okay, but a weak choice for the lead story. The second - also okay, but that's all. The more I read, the more my disappointment level rose. "I know I can write as well as some of these people," I told myself. Then I read Ursula K. LeGuin's "Buffalo Gals, Won't You Come Out Tonight" from TYBF. Okay, I can't write like that! But I'd sure shoot for LeGuin's level any day.
Maybe those stories I read in the mag are the best stories they receive. (I sure don't know why they'd withhold the good stuff.) Maybe my stories aren't as good as theirs, but I think mine can at least compete. Anyway, it gives me hope...until I read LeGuin, that is.
Now Reading = James Tiptree, Jr.: The Double Life of Alice B. Sheldon - Julie Phillips
Now Playing = The Complete Recordings - Robert Johnson
*************************
As you can imagine, I wasn't able to concentrate much on writing, although I made a few notes on some of the stories I'm working on.
I was able to do a bit of reading, reading over a dozen short stories and one novel, Jonathan Lethem's excellent Gun, with Occasional Music.
ICU visiting hours left a large three-hour gap in each day that I filled by visiting the local Borders and the Half-Price Books in Mesa. Found some pretty good stuff at Half-Price including A Saucer of Loneliness: Vol. VII of the Complete Stories of Theodore Sturgeon and yes, the very first installment of The Year's Best Fantasy (before "Horror" officially entered into the title).
I also picked up a current genre magazine at Borders. No, I won't tell you what it was, but it wasn't F&SF. (I finished the September issue on the initial flight to Chicago.) The magazine I bought is one I've bought before - a mag you'd probably recognize - but I hadn't read it in out two years. I thought the first story was okay, but a weak choice for the lead story. The second - also okay, but that's all. The more I read, the more my disappointment level rose. "I know I can write as well as some of these people," I told myself. Then I read Ursula K. LeGuin's "Buffalo Gals, Won't You Come Out Tonight" from TYBF. Okay, I can't write like that! But I'd sure shoot for LeGuin's level any day.
Maybe those stories I read in the mag are the best stories they receive. (I sure don't know why they'd withhold the good stuff.) Maybe my stories aren't as good as theirs, but I think mine can at least compete. Anyway, it gives me hope...until I read LeGuin, that is.
Now Reading = James Tiptree, Jr.: The Double Life of Alice B. Sheldon - Julie Phillips
Now Playing = The Complete Recordings - Robert Johnson
Saturday, August 19, 2006
Arizona Update
Thanks to everyone for your emails, comments, thoughts and prayers. My mom came through the surgery as well as can be expected and is on the slow road to recovery. She's in excellent hands at Banner Baywood Heart Hospital in Mesa, AZ. Again, recovery will be very slow, so we're taking it one day at a time. I'll be staying a couple of more days before heading back to Maryland, then will probably come back to Arizona sometime later.
Thursday, August 17, 2006
Monday, August 14, 2006
Sunday, August 13, 2006
Ravens/Books/Little Miss Sunshine/Free Books
An excellent weekend started off Friday night with my good friend Jim inviting me to the Baltimore Ravens pre-season opener against the much-hated New York Football Giants. As soon as I saw Eli Manning take the field, I was immediately reminded of many memorable games between Manning's alma mater Ole Miss and my brother's alma mater Mississippi State. (For those of you interested in measuring time, I'm here to inform you that the nanosecond is not the smallest unit of measure. It is, rather, the subatomic interval between the "amen" of the invocation and the first chant of "Go to hell, Ole Miss.")
It was my first time in the Ravens' stadium and I must admit it's a first-rate facility. The game was pretty good too – McNair's opening drive was exceptional for a pre-season game, although I'm sure coach Brian Billick's blood pressure suffered when McNair decided to leap for the opening touchdown himself. Despite heroics and a pretty good running game, the Ravens fell to the Giants 17-16. But Jim and I had a great time.
Two books arrived Saturday, James Tiptree, Jr.: The Double Life of Alice B. Sheldon by Julie Phillips and Shriek: An Afterword by Jeff VanderMeer. Can't wait to start each of them.
Saturday Cindy and I went to the new, improved Baltimore Book Thing. For those of you who don't know, The Book Thing is a location (you can't really call it a "store") that gives away books. That's right, the books are free.
I know what you're thinking. They're all Readers Digest books and such. Not so. I've found signed first editions at The Book Thing, current bestsellers, hard-to-find titles, you name it. It's an incredible place that you have to see to believe. If you're ever in the Balto area on a Saturday or Sunday, check it out.
On to see our friends Juan and Kathleen for a showing of Little Miss Sunshine at the Charles Theatre. If you haven't seen the film, go. Now. Everyone's going to be talking about it and rightfully so. Cindy and I thoroughly enjoyed it. (More on the film later.)
Weekend's almost over. Time to get a little writing done. Everybody have a great week.
It was my first time in the Ravens' stadium and I must admit it's a first-rate facility. The game was pretty good too – McNair's opening drive was exceptional for a pre-season game, although I'm sure coach Brian Billick's blood pressure suffered when McNair decided to leap for the opening touchdown himself. Despite heroics and a pretty good running game, the Ravens fell to the Giants 17-16. But Jim and I had a great time.
Two books arrived Saturday, James Tiptree, Jr.: The Double Life of Alice B. Sheldon by Julie Phillips and Shriek: An Afterword by Jeff VanderMeer. Can't wait to start each of them.
Saturday Cindy and I went to the new, improved Baltimore Book Thing. For those of you who don't know, The Book Thing is a location (you can't really call it a "store") that gives away books. That's right, the books are free.
I know what you're thinking. They're all Readers Digest books and such. Not so. I've found signed first editions at The Book Thing, current bestsellers, hard-to-find titles, you name it. It's an incredible place that you have to see to believe. If you're ever in the Balto area on a Saturday or Sunday, check it out.
On to see our friends Juan and Kathleen for a showing of Little Miss Sunshine at the Charles Theatre. If you haven't seen the film, go. Now. Everyone's going to be talking about it and rightfully so. Cindy and I thoroughly enjoyed it. (More on the film later.)
Weekend's almost over. Time to get a little writing done. Everybody have a great week.
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
Shameless Self-Promotion
Inclinations has just bought and published my story "Results May Vary." You can read it here.
Monday, August 07, 2006
The Weekend
Cindy and I babysat our niece Sarah Saturday night and had a really good time. (Really.) I read two books to Sarah - The Foot Book (which she liked) and Tickle the Duck (which she really liked). I also brought along City of Saints and Madmen, but figured maybe that was a little much...
Got a rejection from Asimov's for "You Can Say Anything You Want." The ending (among other things) needed some work, so I spent part of the weekend making it (hopefully) stronger. Now to send it somewhere else...
I also finished True History of the Kelly Gang by Peter Carey. It's the fictionalized story of the Australian outlaw Ned Kelly. I thought the first half of the book was stronger and more interesting than the second half, but I'd recommend it.
As mentioned above, I started Jeff VanderMeer's City of Saints and Madmen (without Sarah). VanderMeer's writing is just incredible, as are his ideas. His new novel Shriek releases tomorrow, although I seriously doubt I'll have City of Saints finished by then. But has that ever stopped me from placing an order? Anyone who knows me at all knows the answer to that one.
Got a rejection from Asimov's for "You Can Say Anything You Want." The ending (among other things) needed some work, so I spent part of the weekend making it (hopefully) stronger. Now to send it somewhere else...
I also finished True History of the Kelly Gang by Peter Carey. It's the fictionalized story of the Australian outlaw Ned Kelly. I thought the first half of the book was stronger and more interesting than the second half, but I'd recommend it.
As mentioned above, I started Jeff VanderMeer's City of Saints and Madmen (without Sarah). VanderMeer's writing is just incredible, as are his ideas. His new novel Shriek releases tomorrow, although I seriously doubt I'll have City of Saints finished by then. But has that ever stopped me from placing an order? Anyone who knows me at all knows the answer to that one.
Saturday, August 05, 2006
A Couple of "Best Of" Encounters
Cindy and I decided to slide on over to our state capitol yesterday (Annapolis, for those of you outside the Kingdom of Maryland) and check out two of the places named "Best Of" in...oh, I don't know, some magazine we picked up somewhere....
The wings at Acme Bar & Grill on Main Street were quite good, certainly deserving of the "Best Wings in Annapolis" title. The wings come in fifteen flavors and are served regular, hot, extremely hot, and insane. I wimped out and ordered "hot" which had just a little kick to them. (Next time I'll punch it up a notch.) It's a tiny place that also features live music at night. In such a tight room, I hope it's two thin girls playing piccolo duets.
Just down the road, Storm Brothers Ice Cream was, I must admit, a bit of a let-down. There were plenty of flavors to choose from (I picked pralines and cream), and the prices weren't bad, but the ice cream didn't seem much better than what you could get anywhere else. Maybe I should go back and pick, say, seventeen or eighteen other flavors. To be fair, ya know.
Speaking of "Best of"s, in an effort to slowly turn Cindy into a spec fic fanatic, I twisted her arm to read two stories from Science Fiction - The Best of 2003: Jeffrey Ford's "The Empire of Ice Cream," which she enjoyed (despite our not-so-best-of ice cream experience of the day before), and "Only Partly Here" by Lucius Shepard, which she didn't care for. Oh well, Lucius is an acquired taste, I suppose. I'll bet Lucius would go for some insane wings...
The wings at Acme Bar & Grill on Main Street were quite good, certainly deserving of the "Best Wings in Annapolis" title. The wings come in fifteen flavors and are served regular, hot, extremely hot, and insane. I wimped out and ordered "hot" which had just a little kick to them. (Next time I'll punch it up a notch.) It's a tiny place that also features live music at night. In such a tight room, I hope it's two thin girls playing piccolo duets.
Just down the road, Storm Brothers Ice Cream was, I must admit, a bit of a let-down. There were plenty of flavors to choose from (I picked pralines and cream), and the prices weren't bad, but the ice cream didn't seem much better than what you could get anywhere else. Maybe I should go back and pick, say, seventeen or eighteen other flavors. To be fair, ya know.
Speaking of "Best of"s, in an effort to slowly turn Cindy into a spec fic fanatic, I twisted her arm to read two stories from Science Fiction - The Best of 2003: Jeffrey Ford's "The Empire of Ice Cream," which she enjoyed (despite our not-so-best-of ice cream experience of the day before), and "Only Partly Here" by Lucius Shepard, which she didn't care for. Oh well, Lucius is an acquired taste, I suppose. I'll bet Lucius would go for some insane wings...
Friday, August 04, 2006
The Scratching of the Head of Lot 49 (Spoilers)
I finished reading Thomas Pynchon's The Crying of Lot 49 a couple of days ago and it's fair to say I've been thinking about it ever since. It was my first encounter with Pynchon. I certainly don't plan to read his entire output (which is only seven books), but I'll probably read at least one more, maybe his new book.
So much has been written both about The Crying of Lot 49 and the elusive, ultra-private Pynchon* that I can only add my own stumbling thoughts.
This probably flies in the face of literary scholarship, but if The Crying of Lot 49 were a genre novel, I'd say it was a quest story. Oedipa travels to Southern California to settle the estate of her former boyfriend, meeting several trials, tribulations and dangers along the way. When she arrives, the purpose of the quest has changed – wildly – but her determination is unshaken. Maybe I'm just flat-out wrong, but I couldn't get the quest theme out of my mind. That way of looking at the novel didn't diminish it for me, however. Just the opposite.
The short novel (183 pages in my edition) is jam-packed with paranoia, conspiracy, sex, drugs, rock n roll, communication (and the lack of), entropy, scientific experimentation, deception, corporate greed, puns, psychology, underground networks, and enough cultural references to delight flower children of all ages. All of which is fascinating, but the first thing that struck me about the book is Oedipa's relationship with men.
All through the book, every man Oedipa encounters either disappoints, dupes or uses her in some way. In fact, the entire scheme beginning with the very first letter from her former lover Pierce might be an elaborate hoax. It seems that Pynchon's choice of a female protagonist constantly coming into contact with weak/powerless/deceitful men reaches far beyond any generic postmodern interpretation. She doesn't trust these men (I keep thinking of the multi-layered clothing in the strip game with Metzger), but time after time, she has no choice but to helplessly embrace the information given her by men. Is there no way out?
There's so much to be fascinated about in the novel. It's very possible that the whole journey is a monumental joke played on Oedipa, who – although distracted from her original purpose – is simply looking for answers.
Pynchon seems to be saying that there aren't any answers, that this whole existence is a joke, a universe without meaning. A funny joke, to be sure, at least as long as the quest is going on – depending on whom you ask. (Certainly not Oedipa.) The Crying of Lot 49 came out in 1966, a time ripe with conspiracy theories, paranoia and all the rest. I am interested in reading at least one more Pynchon novel to see if he still appears to embrace the same postmodern world-view posited here. But I have other questions as well.
No one knows whether Pynchon is a complete recluse or if he has personal relationships with people who don't know who he really is. I hope the latter, but from reading the novel, I suspect the former. What do you do with your life for forty years? Okay, write novels, but what else? Is paranoia a huge part of his life? Is personal communication with others something Pynchon feels is impossible? Pointless? Maybe he's playing the same joke on us that's been played on Oedipa. Or maybe he's the one sitting at the auction waiting for answers that will never come. Something to think about.
* "the man simply chooses not to be a public figure, an attitude that resonates on a frequency so out of phase with that of the prevailing culture that if Pynchon and Paris Hilton were ever to meet — the circumstances, I admit, are beyond imagining — the resulting matter/antimatter explosion would vaporize everything from here to Tau Ceti IV." – Arthur Salm in the San Diego Union-Tribune, February 8, 2004
So much has been written both about The Crying of Lot 49 and the elusive, ultra-private Pynchon* that I can only add my own stumbling thoughts.
This probably flies in the face of literary scholarship, but if The Crying of Lot 49 were a genre novel, I'd say it was a quest story. Oedipa travels to Southern California to settle the estate of her former boyfriend, meeting several trials, tribulations and dangers along the way. When she arrives, the purpose of the quest has changed – wildly – but her determination is unshaken. Maybe I'm just flat-out wrong, but I couldn't get the quest theme out of my mind. That way of looking at the novel didn't diminish it for me, however. Just the opposite.
The short novel (183 pages in my edition) is jam-packed with paranoia, conspiracy, sex, drugs, rock n roll, communication (and the lack of), entropy, scientific experimentation, deception, corporate greed, puns, psychology, underground networks, and enough cultural references to delight flower children of all ages. All of which is fascinating, but the first thing that struck me about the book is Oedipa's relationship with men.
All through the book, every man Oedipa encounters either disappoints, dupes or uses her in some way. In fact, the entire scheme beginning with the very first letter from her former lover Pierce might be an elaborate hoax. It seems that Pynchon's choice of a female protagonist constantly coming into contact with weak/powerless/deceitful men reaches far beyond any generic postmodern interpretation. She doesn't trust these men (I keep thinking of the multi-layered clothing in the strip game with Metzger), but time after time, she has no choice but to helplessly embrace the information given her by men. Is there no way out?
There's so much to be fascinated about in the novel. It's very possible that the whole journey is a monumental joke played on Oedipa, who – although distracted from her original purpose – is simply looking for answers.
Pynchon seems to be saying that there aren't any answers, that this whole existence is a joke, a universe without meaning. A funny joke, to be sure, at least as long as the quest is going on – depending on whom you ask. (Certainly not Oedipa.) The Crying of Lot 49 came out in 1966, a time ripe with conspiracy theories, paranoia and all the rest. I am interested in reading at least one more Pynchon novel to see if he still appears to embrace the same postmodern world-view posited here. But I have other questions as well.
No one knows whether Pynchon is a complete recluse or if he has personal relationships with people who don't know who he really is. I hope the latter, but from reading the novel, I suspect the former. What do you do with your life for forty years? Okay, write novels, but what else? Is paranoia a huge part of his life? Is personal communication with others something Pynchon feels is impossible? Pointless? Maybe he's playing the same joke on us that's been played on Oedipa. Or maybe he's the one sitting at the auction waiting for answers that will never come. Something to think about.
* "the man simply chooses not to be a public figure, an attitude that resonates on a frequency so out of phase with that of the prevailing culture that if Pynchon and Paris Hilton were ever to meet — the circumstances, I admit, are beyond imagining — the resulting matter/antimatter explosion would vaporize everything from here to Tau Ceti IV." – Arthur Salm in the San Diego Union-Tribune, February 8, 2004
Sunday, July 30, 2006
They Only Come Out at M. Night (Spoilers)
After weeks of bemoaning the fact that we never see any movies in the theater anymore, Cindy and I decided to treat ourselves to the new M. Night Shyamalan film The Lady in the Water.
Cindy and I enjoyed Shyamalan's first three films*, The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable and Signs, but were both hugely disappointed with The Village. But, we thought, everyone deserves a second chance.
You already know the plot (or if you don't, you can find it easily here), so let's talk about the topic I hear most people complaining about: Shyamalan's starring in his own film.
First of all, he's appeared in all of his films from The Sixth Sense on. (And I believe he appeared in Playing with Anger, but I haven't seen it.) Do moviegoers have a problem with a director appearing in his own films? If so, they should also have a problem with some of these people:
Charlie Chaplin
Orson Welles
Alfred Hitchcock
Woody Allen
Mel Brooks
John Huston
Roman Polanski
Clint Eastwood
Kevin Costner
Warren Beatty
And those are just the ones I can think of off the top of my head.
It could be, however, that the problem lies in Shyamalan's character in the movie: a writer whose book will greatly influence not only a future world leader, but millions of people. Is Shyamalan for real? Does he really think so highly of himself that his films are going to change the world? Maybe he's got a bigger head than I thought. If that's the problem people have with his appearance in the film, I can certainly understand it.
If that weren't enough, Shyamalan attacks (literally) movie critics in general, killing one off in the film. Had Shyamalan not appeared in the film (or maybe if it had been a cameo appearance), this jab at his critics would be funny, even a bit charming. But the best way to silence your critics is easy: make a good movie.
Has he done that? The Lady in the Water has a lot of problems and weaknesses, but for me, it still qualifies as a good movie. Sure, the movie's got problems: stereotypical characters, inconsistency in story and character, and the film requires a constant (and very unsteady) suspension of disbelief. There really aren't many surprises here. If you've seen even one of Shyamalan's films, you'll probably have a good idea what to expect. You might even be bored.
Yet in spite of everything I've mentioned, I enjoyed the film.
What?
Yes, I enjoyed it. One of the reasons the film works for me is Shyamalan's obvious passion for the story. Yeah, it's got problems, but he believes in it. He wants you to walk out of the theatre feeling something. Remember how you felt after you saw The Sixth Sense? Probably because you cared about the characters. Shyamalan makes you care about Cleveland Heep (and so does Paul Giamatti in a very good performance), even if you could care less about Story (Bryce Dallas Howard).
And it's entertaining, despite the flaws. Maybe Shyamalan's passion was enough to override all my reasons why the movie shouldn't work.
We might find fault with the film, we might dismiss it by saying "It's just a fairy tale, it's just a bedtime story," but when it's all over, Shyamalan does something that not many filmmakers know how to do anymore: entertain us and more importantly, give us hope.
*Actually he directed two films before these, Playing with Anger (1992) and Wide Awake (1998).
Cindy and I enjoyed Shyamalan's first three films*, The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable and Signs, but were both hugely disappointed with The Village. But, we thought, everyone deserves a second chance.
You already know the plot (or if you don't, you can find it easily here), so let's talk about the topic I hear most people complaining about: Shyamalan's starring in his own film.
First of all, he's appeared in all of his films from The Sixth Sense on. (And I believe he appeared in Playing with Anger, but I haven't seen it.) Do moviegoers have a problem with a director appearing in his own films? If so, they should also have a problem with some of these people:
Charlie Chaplin
Orson Welles
Alfred Hitchcock
Woody Allen
Mel Brooks
John Huston
Roman Polanski
Clint Eastwood
Kevin Costner
Warren Beatty
And those are just the ones I can think of off the top of my head.
It could be, however, that the problem lies in Shyamalan's character in the movie: a writer whose book will greatly influence not only a future world leader, but millions of people. Is Shyamalan for real? Does he really think so highly of himself that his films are going to change the world? Maybe he's got a bigger head than I thought. If that's the problem people have with his appearance in the film, I can certainly understand it.
If that weren't enough, Shyamalan attacks (literally) movie critics in general, killing one off in the film. Had Shyamalan not appeared in the film (or maybe if it had been a cameo appearance), this jab at his critics would be funny, even a bit charming. But the best way to silence your critics is easy: make a good movie.
Has he done that? The Lady in the Water has a lot of problems and weaknesses, but for me, it still qualifies as a good movie. Sure, the movie's got problems: stereotypical characters, inconsistency in story and character, and the film requires a constant (and very unsteady) suspension of disbelief. There really aren't many surprises here. If you've seen even one of Shyamalan's films, you'll probably have a good idea what to expect. You might even be bored.
Yet in spite of everything I've mentioned, I enjoyed the film.
What?
Yes, I enjoyed it. One of the reasons the film works for me is Shyamalan's obvious passion for the story. Yeah, it's got problems, but he believes in it. He wants you to walk out of the theatre feeling something. Remember how you felt after you saw The Sixth Sense? Probably because you cared about the characters. Shyamalan makes you care about Cleveland Heep (and so does Paul Giamatti in a very good performance), even if you could care less about Story (Bryce Dallas Howard).
And it's entertaining, despite the flaws. Maybe Shyamalan's passion was enough to override all my reasons why the movie shouldn't work.
We might find fault with the film, we might dismiss it by saying "It's just a fairy tale, it's just a bedtime story," but when it's all over, Shyamalan does something that not many filmmakers know how to do anymore: entertain us and more importantly, give us hope.
*Actually he directed two films before these, Playing with Anger (1992) and Wide Awake (1998).
Thursday, July 27, 2006
Word Explosion/New Stuff to Watch
Yesterday was one of those rare days that I didn't write anything - I was just too busy. But when I woke up this morning, it was like words were pouring out of me. I sat down and wrote 1600 words non-stop, finishing my new story (Well, a first draft of it anyway) at 6,500 words. Don't know why, but sometimes it happens that way. It's better not to question these things...
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My good friend Kelly has several great posts about upcoming films and books on his blog. I can always count on Kelly to recommend good stuff to read and watch. It seems we're often on the same wavelength. A few weeks ago, he recommended the series Carnivale to me, so I had NetFlix send Season One, Disc One.
I have to admit, the first episode was interesting, but didn't really have me doing backflips. But then I watched the second episode and that sucker really kicked the doors in! Now I'm hooked. (The worst thing about the DVDs - there's only two episodes per disc.) If you haven't seen it, Carnivale is about a traveling carnival in 1934 and the strange young man who joins them after the death of his mother, but that only scratches the surface. It's sort of a cross between The Grapes of Wrath and David Lynch. Somewhat unconventional storytelling, but very effective. I highly ditto Kelly's recommendation. Check it out.
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My good friend Kelly has several great posts about upcoming films and books on his blog. I can always count on Kelly to recommend good stuff to read and watch. It seems we're often on the same wavelength. A few weeks ago, he recommended the series Carnivale to me, so I had NetFlix send Season One, Disc One.
I have to admit, the first episode was interesting, but didn't really have me doing backflips. But then I watched the second episode and that sucker really kicked the doors in! Now I'm hooked. (The worst thing about the DVDs - there's only two episodes per disc.) If you haven't seen it, Carnivale is about a traveling carnival in 1934 and the strange young man who joins them after the death of his mother, but that only scratches the surface. It's sort of a cross between The Grapes of Wrath and David Lynch. Somewhat unconventional storytelling, but very effective. I highly ditto Kelly's recommendation. Check it out.
Monday, July 24, 2006
Word Count/Get In, Get Out/Mix It Up
The last few days have been fairly productive. I wrote about 1500 words yesterday on a new "short" story and added about 750 words this morning. It's still early in the revision process of my YA novel (Chapter Three of twenty), but it's going well - can't complain.
After experimenting with my schedule, mornings seem to be the best time to work on new stuff. I'm one of those weird people that really doesn't mind getting up early, as long as I've gotten around six hours of sleep. (And as long as there's coffee.) Lately I've been getting up around 5:30, having breakfast/reading, then starting to write about 6:00, usually for a couple of hours. Again, new stuff first, then revising if I have time, using the evenings if I don't.
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Watched a French film (via Netflix) this weekend called Cache (Hidden). I liked it quite a bit, but Cindy didn't care for it. In the extras, director Michael Haneke talked about getting in and out of scenes. He likes to skip all (or most of) the introductory elements that usually begin scenes, the "Hello, how are you" elements, getting to the meat of each scene. Once you're in the scene, let the scene do what it needs to do and get out quickly. Move in quickly, move out quickly.
(The odd thing is that Haneke, due to the subject of the film, breaks his own rule, but he has a good reason. In the very first scene, it seems absolutely nothing happens. Just keep watching. The anthesis of the "Get In, Get Out" rule provides an interesting contrast.)
I haven't seen any of Haneke's other films, but the technique works very well in Cache*. There's a definite difference in telling a story in a visual medium like film and telling one in prose, but I understand what Haneke is saying. I'm sure there's a way I can trim down the unnecessary and mundane in my own work and I'm certainly going to look for ways to do it. I think part of that is realizing that your reading audience is smart. (Not that your film audience isn't.) You give them credit for knowing what's going on without spelling it out for them, but scenes have to have a logical progression, even if they're not linear, even if you have to read it a couple (or more) times. What's there has to work, it has to be comprehensible. Anyway, Haneke's comment is making me analyze my own writing to a greater degree, which is always a good thing.
Maybe one day I'll talk a little bit (or invite you to do so) about the similarities and differences of the process of developing works in the arts. It's something I think about quite a bit, having spent many years in the music world and now kicking around in the writing world. Like the cute little overlapping circles in your first algebra book, the arts have lots of things in common and it can be interesting to look at those similarities. And you never know when you'll find something you can use.
*****************************
* I'm not going to tell you anything about the plot and I encourage you not to read about it. I will say that I was on the edge of my seat for two hours and I think you will be too.
Today's Short Story = "Oh, Whistle and I'll Come to You, My Lad" - M.R. James
After experimenting with my schedule, mornings seem to be the best time to work on new stuff. I'm one of those weird people that really doesn't mind getting up early, as long as I've gotten around six hours of sleep. (And as long as there's coffee.) Lately I've been getting up around 5:30, having breakfast/reading, then starting to write about 6:00, usually for a couple of hours. Again, new stuff first, then revising if I have time, using the evenings if I don't.
*****************************
Watched a French film (via Netflix) this weekend called Cache (Hidden). I liked it quite a bit, but Cindy didn't care for it. In the extras, director Michael Haneke talked about getting in and out of scenes. He likes to skip all (or most of) the introductory elements that usually begin scenes, the "Hello, how are you" elements, getting to the meat of each scene. Once you're in the scene, let the scene do what it needs to do and get out quickly. Move in quickly, move out quickly.
(The odd thing is that Haneke, due to the subject of the film, breaks his own rule, but he has a good reason. In the very first scene, it seems absolutely nothing happens. Just keep watching. The anthesis of the "Get In, Get Out" rule provides an interesting contrast.)
I haven't seen any of Haneke's other films, but the technique works very well in Cache*. There's a definite difference in telling a story in a visual medium like film and telling one in prose, but I understand what Haneke is saying. I'm sure there's a way I can trim down the unnecessary and mundane in my own work and I'm certainly going to look for ways to do it. I think part of that is realizing that your reading audience is smart. (Not that your film audience isn't.) You give them credit for knowing what's going on without spelling it out for them, but scenes have to have a logical progression, even if they're not linear, even if you have to read it a couple (or more) times. What's there has to work, it has to be comprehensible. Anyway, Haneke's comment is making me analyze my own writing to a greater degree, which is always a good thing.
Maybe one day I'll talk a little bit (or invite you to do so) about the similarities and differences of the process of developing works in the arts. It's something I think about quite a bit, having spent many years in the music world and now kicking around in the writing world. Like the cute little overlapping circles in your first algebra book, the arts have lots of things in common and it can be interesting to look at those similarities. And you never know when you'll find something you can use.
*****************************
* I'm not going to tell you anything about the plot and I encourage you not to read about it. I will say that I was on the edge of my seat for two hours and I think you will be too.
Today's Short Story = "Oh, Whistle and I'll Come to You, My Lad" - M.R. James
Thursday, July 20, 2006
A Few Thoughts on Horror
I consider myself very much a horror neophyte. Up until about a year ago, I read very little from the genre, but after being introduced to several writers, novels and stories, horror has taken up a good chunk of my reading. During the past year, I was delighted to discover two reference books edited by Stephen Jones and Kim Newman: Horror: 100 Best Books (1988) and Horror: Another 100 Best Books (2005).
Horror: 100 Best Books (hereafter referred to as 100) contains essays by authors and professionals in the field, citing their choices for the genre's best offerings. The book moves in chronological publication order, starting with Christopher Marloe's The Tragical History of Dr Faustus (ca. 1592) and ending with Ramsey Campbell's Dark Feasts (1987). Each entry provides a summary of the book and other interesting information, including whether (or how many times) the work has been adapted to film (and how successfully), after which follows the contributor's essay.
The majority of the essays offer insights into what makes the work classifiable as horror, sometimes surprisingly so. (Can you really consider Northanger Abbey a horror novel?) Most of the essays are quite good, disappointing only when the writer takes a trip down nostalgia lane ("I remember this story scaring the pee out of me...I was just a little tot when my mom gave me this novel, hoping to keep me off the streets" etc.), practically ignoring the attributes of the work at hand. But for the most part, readers will get a good glimpse into what the book is about and whether they should seek it out.
A word of warning: Some contributors give away too much. I don't know if I'll ever be able to forgive Malcolm Edwards for ruining the ending of Iain Banks' The Wasp Factory in 100.
With 100, the essayist's name isn't given until the end, which may not come for two or three pages. At first I was a little miffed at the practice of omitting the contributor's identity until the end, but it's probably a good idea. After all, if you're a writer, you might be negatively influenced by seeing Joe Schmoe's name at the top of the essay – the same Joe Schmoe who has rejected all 47 of your "Stinky the Vampire Boy" stories for his magazine.
My copy is a revised 1998 edition with a List of Recommended Reading in the back, followed by notes on the contributors.
With Another 100, you get the same basic format, except the contributor's name is placed before the book selected, (i.e. "Robert Silverberg on 'The Revenger's Tragedy' by Cyril Tourneur") with the contributor's biographical info immediately following the essay. The writing is generally very good and the excursions seem more limited than in 100. The List of Recommended Reading returns in Another 100, but also included is a Selected Webliography devoted to authors, contributors and titles.
One infuriating aspect of both books (which is no fault of the book or its editors) lies in the availability of the works chosen. Most of the newer books (and even some older titles in reprints) are readily available, but several of the selections were either published in limited editions or by a small press with low print runs (Jumbee and Other Uncanny Tales by Henry S. Whitehead an example of the former, Manly Wade Wellman's Worse Things Waiting the latter) or are simply too expensive. (The lowest priced edition of Michael Marshall Smith's More Tomorrow and Other Stories on Amazon.com is an ex-library edition going for $99.91. Bob Leman's 2003 book Feesters in the Lake will run you $127.25.) Still, reading copies of many of the 200 titles can be purchased on the cheap.
I noticed that several of the books in 100's Recommended Reading appendix were chosen for essay status in Another 100. I suppose you could look at that in a couple of ways. The obvious choices for the first book (Frankenstein, Dracula, Tales of Mystery and Imagination, etc.) open up the door for some overlooked titles to appear in Another 100. But does that mean lesser works might be considered for future volumes? I don't think so. It certainly seems obvious to me, pretty much a rank beginner, that the genre has more than adequate depth and richness for future volumes.
I was talking to my friend Kelly about the possibility and frequency of future volumes. Another 100 was published seventeen years after 100. I hope the interval between Another 100 and Yet Another 100 (or whatever Jones/Newman choose to call it) will be less than seventeen years. I'd love to see a volume every ten years and I think (and hope) that that is workable. In the meantime, we have summations of each year from Ellen Datlow and Stephen Jones (The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror and The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror, respectively), as well as others.
In the meantime, you've got 200 books to get through.
*************************
Today's Short Story = "The Rapid Advance of Sorrow" by Theodora Goss from In the Forest of Forgetting
Horror: 100 Best Books (hereafter referred to as 100) contains essays by authors and professionals in the field, citing their choices for the genre's best offerings. The book moves in chronological publication order, starting with Christopher Marloe's The Tragical History of Dr Faustus (ca. 1592) and ending with Ramsey Campbell's Dark Feasts (1987). Each entry provides a summary of the book and other interesting information, including whether (or how many times) the work has been adapted to film (and how successfully), after which follows the contributor's essay.
The majority of the essays offer insights into what makes the work classifiable as horror, sometimes surprisingly so. (Can you really consider Northanger Abbey a horror novel?) Most of the essays are quite good, disappointing only when the writer takes a trip down nostalgia lane ("I remember this story scaring the pee out of me...I was just a little tot when my mom gave me this novel, hoping to keep me off the streets" etc.), practically ignoring the attributes of the work at hand. But for the most part, readers will get a good glimpse into what the book is about and whether they should seek it out.
A word of warning: Some contributors give away too much. I don't know if I'll ever be able to forgive Malcolm Edwards for ruining the ending of Iain Banks' The Wasp Factory in 100.
With 100, the essayist's name isn't given until the end, which may not come for two or three pages. At first I was a little miffed at the practice of omitting the contributor's identity until the end, but it's probably a good idea. After all, if you're a writer, you might be negatively influenced by seeing Joe Schmoe's name at the top of the essay – the same Joe Schmoe who has rejected all 47 of your "Stinky the Vampire Boy" stories for his magazine.
My copy is a revised 1998 edition with a List of Recommended Reading in the back, followed by notes on the contributors.
With Another 100, you get the same basic format, except the contributor's name is placed before the book selected, (i.e. "Robert Silverberg on 'The Revenger's Tragedy' by Cyril Tourneur") with the contributor's biographical info immediately following the essay. The writing is generally very good and the excursions seem more limited than in 100. The List of Recommended Reading returns in Another 100, but also included is a Selected Webliography devoted to authors, contributors and titles.
One infuriating aspect of both books (which is no fault of the book or its editors) lies in the availability of the works chosen. Most of the newer books (and even some older titles in reprints) are readily available, but several of the selections were either published in limited editions or by a small press with low print runs (Jumbee and Other Uncanny Tales by Henry S. Whitehead an example of the former, Manly Wade Wellman's Worse Things Waiting the latter) or are simply too expensive. (The lowest priced edition of Michael Marshall Smith's More Tomorrow and Other Stories on Amazon.com is an ex-library edition going for $99.91. Bob Leman's 2003 book Feesters in the Lake will run you $127.25.) Still, reading copies of many of the 200 titles can be purchased on the cheap.
I noticed that several of the books in 100's Recommended Reading appendix were chosen for essay status in Another 100. I suppose you could look at that in a couple of ways. The obvious choices for the first book (Frankenstein, Dracula, Tales of Mystery and Imagination, etc.) open up the door for some overlooked titles to appear in Another 100. But does that mean lesser works might be considered for future volumes? I don't think so. It certainly seems obvious to me, pretty much a rank beginner, that the genre has more than adequate depth and richness for future volumes.
I was talking to my friend Kelly about the possibility and frequency of future volumes. Another 100 was published seventeen years after 100. I hope the interval between Another 100 and Yet Another 100 (or whatever Jones/Newman choose to call it) will be less than seventeen years. I'd love to see a volume every ten years and I think (and hope) that that is workable. In the meantime, we have summations of each year from Ellen Datlow and Stephen Jones (The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror and The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror, respectively), as well as others.
In the meantime, you've got 200 books to get through.
*************************
Today's Short Story = "The Rapid Advance of Sorrow" by Theodora Goss from In the Forest of Forgetting
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
Closer to a Million
Someone - I want to say it was Ray Bradbury - once said that in order to become a good writer, you have to pay your dues with about a million or so words. It's a pretty famous statement and lately I've seen other people blog about their own numbers. I figure I've still got quite a bit of work to do. A rough estimate of everything I've written the past few years comes to about 300,000 words, which is not very much. (This doesn't count my books of notes - freewrites, ideas and sketches, about seven or eight full notebooks.) I have written two novels, one a 60K YA novel (now revising), but most of my short stories are 5,000 words or less.
So no matter how you slice it, I've still got some dues to pay, which is fine. Part of the fun of the whole thing for me is the process of discovery, of taking risks, pushing yourself, challenging yourself. And seeking/embracing those voices of encouragement.
While looking for the million word quote in Bradbury's Zen in the Art of Writing, I came across several other quotes:
"For the first thing a writer should be is - excited. He should be a thing of fevers and enthusiamsms. Without such vigor, he might as well be out picking peaches or digging ditches..."
"Who are your friends? Do they believe in you? Or do they stunt your growth with ridicule and disbelief? If the latter, you haven't friends. Go find some."
"...my stories have led me through my life. They shout, I follow."
"Self-consciousness is the enemy of all art, be it acting, writing, painting, or living itself, which is the greatest art of all."
Bradbury also got into the habit of writing and sending out a short story each week. He did this for ten years. (Even if he took two-week vacations, 500 stories in ten years ain't too bad.) I think Jay Lake has been following this method for several years as well.
There's a lot packed into these 158 pages. It's been a couple of years since I read the book; maybe I'll read it again this week.
*******************************
600 words this morning on a new horror story.
Today's Short Story = "Lost Hearts" - M.R. James from Ghost Stories of an Antiquary
So no matter how you slice it, I've still got some dues to pay, which is fine. Part of the fun of the whole thing for me is the process of discovery, of taking risks, pushing yourself, challenging yourself. And seeking/embracing those voices of encouragement.
While looking for the million word quote in Bradbury's Zen in the Art of Writing, I came across several other quotes:
"For the first thing a writer should be is - excited. He should be a thing of fevers and enthusiamsms. Without such vigor, he might as well be out picking peaches or digging ditches..."
"Who are your friends? Do they believe in you? Or do they stunt your growth with ridicule and disbelief? If the latter, you haven't friends. Go find some."
"...my stories have led me through my life. They shout, I follow."
"Self-consciousness is the enemy of all art, be it acting, writing, painting, or living itself, which is the greatest art of all."
Bradbury also got into the habit of writing and sending out a short story each week. He did this for ten years. (Even if he took two-week vacations, 500 stories in ten years ain't too bad.) I think Jay Lake has been following this method for several years as well.
There's a lot packed into these 158 pages. It's been a couple of years since I read the book; maybe I'll read it again this week.
*******************************
600 words this morning on a new horror story.
Today's Short Story = "Lost Hearts" - M.R. James from Ghost Stories of an Antiquary
Sunday, July 16, 2006
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
Received my copy of the new Theodora Goss collection, In the Forest of Forgetting, a release I've been looking forward to for quite some time.
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Finished Peter Straub's lost boy lost girl last night. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Straub uses several POVs and takes a non-linear approach which is perfect for this tale. Obviously written with many layers in mind, this is a book I'll want to read again before the year's out. Highly recommended - Definitely good enough to buy.
*****************************
Nearly finished with the first draft of a new horror story involving a motel, a corpse and a guy named Fred. Something for everyone.
*****************************
Saw a sign in a convenience store the other day: Open 25 Hours. It sure didn't look like Bixby, Oklahoma....
Today's Short Story = "Small Magic" - Jay Lake from the June Weird Tales
******************************
Finished Peter Straub's lost boy lost girl last night. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Straub uses several POVs and takes a non-linear approach which is perfect for this tale. Obviously written with many layers in mind, this is a book I'll want to read again before the year's out. Highly recommended - Definitely good enough to buy.
*****************************
Nearly finished with the first draft of a new horror story involving a motel, a corpse and a guy named Fred. Something for everyone.
*****************************
Saw a sign in a convenience store the other day: Open 25 Hours. It sure didn't look like Bixby, Oklahoma....
Today's Short Story = "Small Magic" - Jay Lake from the June Weird Tales
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
Monday, July 10, 2006
Vacation!
Cindy and I had an absolutely wonderful time at Niagara Falls, a trip I highly recommend. The trip took about twelve hours on the way up, but we stopped quite a bit. One of those stops was at the Yuengling Brewery (America's oldest existing brewery) in Pottsville, PA, where of course, had a few samples. (It would be un-American not to.)
We stayed on the Canadian side of the Falls for most of the trip, with one day on the American side. Our very first stop was for breakfast. There was only one choice: The Flying Saucer Restaurant, where I had the E.T. Special – three eggs, bacon, sausage, home fries, toast and pancakes. (E.T. wasn't too slim, if you recall.)
For the first two days, Cindy and I checked out most of the touristy stuff on the Canadian side: The Journey Behind the Falls is okay – you travel down an elevator to tunnels that let you see a fair amount of the falls and feel some of the mist. You don't really get that close to the water, but the sound of it from the tunnels is pretty impressive. Go on this first – you'll be disappointed if you do anything else before The Journey.
The Skylon Tower elevator ride gives you a great overhead view of the Falls. Highly recommended, unless you're afraid of heights (which I am – but I still enjoyed it).
You'll have to go to the American side for the Cave of the Winds tour, and you should. You'll get drenched, but it's worth it. (For this, the Journey, and The Maid of the Mist, you'll receive a poncho, but don't count on it to help much on the Cave tour.) The Cave of the Winds is as close as you can get to experiencing the Falls without diving in.
You can take the Maid of the Mist boat ride from either the American or Canadian side. (We took the American side since the line was much shorter.) Highly recommended.
There's tons of other stuff, but if you've read this far, you're either already interested in going yourself or bored stiff. Anyway, we had a great time. (Pictures to follow, if I can get Blogger to cooperate.)
********************************
Reading material for the trip? Since my XM Radio wouldn't work in Cindy's car, we thought we'd read to each other during the drive. We made it most of the way through Prince Caspian (Chronicles of Narnia), one of the few books we could agree on. I read about half of Horror: 100 Best Books and the first hundred pages of lost boy lost girl by Peter Straub which is so far excellent. Magazines? Nada.
We stayed on the Canadian side of the Falls for most of the trip, with one day on the American side. Our very first stop was for breakfast. There was only one choice: The Flying Saucer Restaurant, where I had the E.T. Special – three eggs, bacon, sausage, home fries, toast and pancakes. (E.T. wasn't too slim, if you recall.)
For the first two days, Cindy and I checked out most of the touristy stuff on the Canadian side: The Journey Behind the Falls is okay – you travel down an elevator to tunnels that let you see a fair amount of the falls and feel some of the mist. You don't really get that close to the water, but the sound of it from the tunnels is pretty impressive. Go on this first – you'll be disappointed if you do anything else before The Journey.
The Skylon Tower elevator ride gives you a great overhead view of the Falls. Highly recommended, unless you're afraid of heights (which I am – but I still enjoyed it).
You'll have to go to the American side for the Cave of the Winds tour, and you should. You'll get drenched, but it's worth it. (For this, the Journey, and The Maid of the Mist, you'll receive a poncho, but don't count on it to help much on the Cave tour.) The Cave of the Winds is as close as you can get to experiencing the Falls without diving in.
You can take the Maid of the Mist boat ride from either the American or Canadian side. (We took the American side since the line was much shorter.) Highly recommended.
There's tons of other stuff, but if you've read this far, you're either already interested in going yourself or bored stiff. Anyway, we had a great time. (Pictures to follow, if I can get Blogger to cooperate.)
********************************
Reading material for the trip? Since my XM Radio wouldn't work in Cindy's car, we thought we'd read to each other during the drive. We made it most of the way through Prince Caspian (Chronicles of Narnia), one of the few books we could agree on. I read about half of Horror: 100 Best Books and the first hundred pages of lost boy lost girl by Peter Straub which is so far excellent. Magazines? Nada.
Tuesday, July 04, 2006
Dad's Birthday/The Book Thief/Vacation
First of all, a Happy Birthday to my dad who turns 77 today! His secrets to good health: lots of fresh air, working in the garden, catfish from his own pond, and daily meetings with his buddies at the coffee shop. Happy Birthday, Dad!
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I finished The Book Thief last night. This is one of those YA titles that appeals to both kids and adults. It's also a book that's received a lot of media attention (or hype, if you will). The novel is by Marcus Zusak, a 30-year-old Australian writer, and regardless of what you hear, this is not his first novel. Apparently the book was first marketed in Australia as adult fiction, but in the U.S., it's being marketed and sold as a YA.
The story takes place in Nazi Germany. After the death of her young brother, nine-year-old Liesel Meminger has been sent by her mother to live in a foster home in a small town near Munich. As you might expect, Liesel has trouble adjusting to her new foster parents, new friends, and the memories of the family that has been taken away from her. Liesel quickly develops friendships with three very different people: her foster father Hans, a young Jewish man hiding out in their basement, and a boy named Rudy who idolizes Jesse Owens.
Although Liesel and Rudy are a part of Hitler Youth, they both rebel against Hitler's authority – Rudy by acts of childish defiance and food theft, Liesel by stealing books. Of course there's much more to The Book Thief than stealing books: subplots abound dealing with war, death, loyalty, family, love, fear - all of which readers have seen before. But what makes Zusak's novel unique is its narrator: Death.
The use of Death as a narrator produces some of the book's strongest and weakest elements. Death's point-of-view helps Zusak to write with remarkable restraint, avoiding scenes that would typically come across as heavy-handed and sentimental. While it knows what's going to happen to each character (and when), there are many things Death doesn't understand about humans. It attempts to relate human emotions to the colors of the weather, which is effective, if somewhat overdone.
Death also has a tendency (not unlike the Lemony Snicket books) to frequently interrupt the story with word definitions and asides in bold type, leaving no doubt that this is a YA story in which readers should have things spelled out for them. Also much of the book is written in short, sparse sentences, which, when added to the narrator's many excursions, tends to deprive the novel of another level of depth that it should have had. Possibly I'm being too picky. The novel works quite well and is frequently gripping, but I think it could have been superb.
It seems that many readers are ready to immediately elevate The Book Thief onto a list of classic children's/YA literature. I'm not sure I'm ready to praise the novel that highly, but I did enjoy it and have no reservations about recommending it. Good enough to buy.
******************************
Cindy and I will be on vacation for the next several days, so everyone have a great 4th and beyond!
**************************
I finished The Book Thief last night. This is one of those YA titles that appeals to both kids and adults. It's also a book that's received a lot of media attention (or hype, if you will). The novel is by Marcus Zusak, a 30-year-old Australian writer, and regardless of what you hear, this is not his first novel. Apparently the book was first marketed in Australia as adult fiction, but in the U.S., it's being marketed and sold as a YA.
The story takes place in Nazi Germany. After the death of her young brother, nine-year-old Liesel Meminger has been sent by her mother to live in a foster home in a small town near Munich. As you might expect, Liesel has trouble adjusting to her new foster parents, new friends, and the memories of the family that has been taken away from her. Liesel quickly develops friendships with three very different people: her foster father Hans, a young Jewish man hiding out in their basement, and a boy named Rudy who idolizes Jesse Owens.
Although Liesel and Rudy are a part of Hitler Youth, they both rebel against Hitler's authority – Rudy by acts of childish defiance and food theft, Liesel by stealing books. Of course there's much more to The Book Thief than stealing books: subplots abound dealing with war, death, loyalty, family, love, fear - all of which readers have seen before. But what makes Zusak's novel unique is its narrator: Death.
The use of Death as a narrator produces some of the book's strongest and weakest elements. Death's point-of-view helps Zusak to write with remarkable restraint, avoiding scenes that would typically come across as heavy-handed and sentimental. While it knows what's going to happen to each character (and when), there are many things Death doesn't understand about humans. It attempts to relate human emotions to the colors of the weather, which is effective, if somewhat overdone.
Death also has a tendency (not unlike the Lemony Snicket books) to frequently interrupt the story with word definitions and asides in bold type, leaving no doubt that this is a YA story in which readers should have things spelled out for them. Also much of the book is written in short, sparse sentences, which, when added to the narrator's many excursions, tends to deprive the novel of another level of depth that it should have had. Possibly I'm being too picky. The novel works quite well and is frequently gripping, but I think it could have been superb.
It seems that many readers are ready to immediately elevate The Book Thief onto a list of classic children's/YA literature. I'm not sure I'm ready to praise the novel that highly, but I did enjoy it and have no reservations about recommending it. Good enough to buy.
******************************
Cindy and I will be on vacation for the next several days, so everyone have a great 4th and beyond!
Sunday, July 02, 2006
Choices
I spend far too much time dwelling on what most would call "trivial" issues, such as what books to bring on our upcoming vacation to Niagara Falls. Clarion bud Trent had similar issues awhile back and now the shoe is on the other foot. (Literally. As you can see, packing is not going too well.)
As I mentioned to Mr. H, I usually take a novel, a non-fiction and a magazine. Even with those limited categories, I'm having trouble deciding:
Fiction choices:
The Crying of Lot 49 - Thomas Pynchon
lost boy lost girl - Peter Straub
They Thirst - Robert R. McCammon
American Psycho - Bret Easton Ellis
Perfect Circle - Sean Stewart
The Night Class - Tom Piccirilli
The Basic Kafka - Franz Kafka (Okay, so it's not a novel...)
Ghost Stories of an Antiquary - M.R. James (Yeah, yeah, not a novel either...)
Non-Fiction choices:
Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets - David Simon
Horror: 100 Best Books - Stephen Jones, Kim Newman, eds.
Magazines:
July Asimov's (one story read)
July F&SF (three stories read)
June Weird Tales (one story read)
There it is. Gotta decide soon. Vote early, vote often.
As I mentioned to Mr. H, I usually take a novel, a non-fiction and a magazine. Even with those limited categories, I'm having trouble deciding:
Fiction choices:
The Crying of Lot 49 - Thomas Pynchon
lost boy lost girl - Peter Straub
They Thirst - Robert R. McCammon
American Psycho - Bret Easton Ellis
Perfect Circle - Sean Stewart
The Night Class - Tom Piccirilli
The Basic Kafka - Franz Kafka (Okay, so it's not a novel...)
Ghost Stories of an Antiquary - M.R. James (Yeah, yeah, not a novel either...)
Non-Fiction choices:
Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets - David Simon
Horror: 100 Best Books - Stephen Jones, Kim Newman, eds.
Magazines:
July Asimov's (one story read)
July F&SF (three stories read)
June Weird Tales (one story read)
There it is. Gotta decide soon. Vote early, vote often.
Thursday, June 29, 2006
Sucker
Every now and then I'll find out about a contest that I should by all rational thought processes not enter. But I usually do anyway. Here's one I saw about a week ago: ChiZine is holding a contest for a publication called ChiZine: Treatments of Light and Shade in Words. Man, just look at the panel of judges: Ellen Datlow, Neil Gaiman, Jay Lake, Brian Hodge and more. I must be crazy for entering this contest...
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Rejection today from Talebones for "Results May Vary." Sometimes once a story has been bounced around a few times, it's time to let it breathe its last. But I still believe in this one. On to the next place.
*******************************
Found this bit of writing advice from Mary Doria Russell on Marjorie M. Liu's blog.
*******************************
Rejection today from Talebones for "Results May Vary." Sometimes once a story has been bounced around a few times, it's time to let it breathe its last. But I still believe in this one. On to the next place.
*******************************
Found this bit of writing advice from Mary Doria Russell on Marjorie M. Liu's blog.
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
Episode 44 - Modern Times
I heard this on XM Radio the other day and am just now seeing the story from The Washington Post. Dylan's new album, Modern Times, will be released August 29.
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
Over the weekend, I read a story by Steve Rasnic Tem called "The Company You Keep" from last year's anthology Outsiders. It's the only one of Tem's stories I've read, but I won't be able to say that for much longer. The writing is very clear, very restrained, yet full of stunning images that match perfectly the story's ponderings on alienation and culture. Great story, great writing. If this is representative of all of Tem's work, why isn't he talked about more?
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Sometimes writing a new story is like driving a car on an abandoned highway. (Certainly a dream around the Baltimore/DC area.) You want to go faster and faster and think about putting on the brakes at some point, but you really shouldn't. This story is taking me to places I'm not comfortable being, but I can't put on the brakes - I've got to go there for the truth of the story to come out. I think my best stories have come from facing the darkness (or danger or whatever) head-on. Who knows what I'll find?
Now Reading = A Drink Before the War - Dennis Lehane
Listening to in the Car = Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
In the DVD Player = Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season One
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Sometimes writing a new story is like driving a car on an abandoned highway. (Certainly a dream around the Baltimore/DC area.) You want to go faster and faster and think about putting on the brakes at some point, but you really shouldn't. This story is taking me to places I'm not comfortable being, but I can't put on the brakes - I've got to go there for the truth of the story to come out. I think my best stories have come from facing the darkness (or danger or whatever) head-on. Who knows what I'll find?
Now Reading = A Drink Before the War - Dennis Lehane
Listening to in the Car = Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
In the DVD Player = Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season One
Sunday, June 25, 2006
Six Incredible Weeks
Just a quick shout of encouragement to everyone who will be attending Clarion East (or West) this summer. Most people will probably arrive in East Lansing today. Ah, that first critique session is just hours away.... Best of luck to all. Savor the experience - it'll be over before you know it, but the friendships will go on. Enjoy.
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HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CINDY!!!
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HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CINDY!!!
Saturday, June 24, 2006
Today's Events
I'm extremely proud of my wife Cindy for running in the Odenton Kiwanis MARC Train 5-Miler today. Six years ago when she started getting ready for Navy boot camp, she couldn't run very far. "I hate this! Hate it!" she'd say. Now she's finished a 5-miler. Again, I'm very proud of her. (Plus her birthday is tomorrow.)
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One of my Clarion stories "Uncle Snuffy on Doomsday" got a close call from a market today, but ended up in the rejection pile. This particular editor said the story "was a lot of fun" and "I love the concept and the characters," but apparently it wasn't enough. Onward -
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Wow, if you love great speculative book and magazine covers, you simply must check out Cover Story : The Art of John Picacio. What a gorgeous book. Picacio is simply one of the most stunning illustrators working today. Plus he's a super nice guy. This is a must-have.
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One of my Clarion stories "Uncle Snuffy on Doomsday" got a close call from a market today, but ended up in the rejection pile. This particular editor said the story "was a lot of fun" and "I love the concept and the characters," but apparently it wasn't enough. Onward -
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Wow, if you love great speculative book and magazine covers, you simply must check out Cover Story : The Art of John Picacio. What a gorgeous book. Picacio is simply one of the most stunning illustrators working today. Plus he's a super nice guy. This is a must-have.
Thursday, June 22, 2006
Progress Report
My short story "The Black" returned yesterday from its first stop on the Tour of Markets, getting rejected by F&SF. So, I'll ship him off somewhere else this afternoon.
Revisions continue on my YA novel currently titled Fortress. (You'd think a better title would come to mind, but so far that's it.) In the meantime, I finished the first draft of a new story early this morning. I have the terrible, awful, gut-wrenching fear that it also wants to become a novel. (Man, I hate it when that happens.) The story is 6500 words long (which is a pretty good chunk for me) and it feels like I have much more to tell in it. Man...
Today's Short Story = "The Owl" - Conrad Williams from TYBF&H 18
Now Reading = Bob Dylan: The Essential Interviews, Jonathan Cott, ed.
...plus about six other books...
Revisions continue on my YA novel currently titled Fortress. (You'd think a better title would come to mind, but so far that's it.) In the meantime, I finished the first draft of a new story early this morning. I have the terrible, awful, gut-wrenching fear that it also wants to become a novel. (Man, I hate it when that happens.) The story is 6500 words long (which is a pretty good chunk for me) and it feels like I have much more to tell in it. Man...
Today's Short Story = "The Owl" - Conrad Williams from TYBF&H 18
Now Reading = Bob Dylan: The Essential Interviews, Jonathan Cott, ed.
...plus about six other books...
Sunday, June 18, 2006
A fairly uneventful weekend, which is just fine with me. Started a new story tonight and am about to continue revising my YA novel. It's going to be a long process, but so far, so good.
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Cindy and I watched Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire last night, which was not very good. Visually it wasn't bad, but the storytelling was lousy. Not recommended.
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I've known about it for awhile, but I just started cataloging a few books on LibraryThing, stuff I've read lately or am currently reading. Cindy took one look at my catalog and gave me her best "You've GOT to be kidding" look. She thinks I'm the biggest geek on the planet. She might have something there...
Today's Short Story = "Tales from the City of Seams" - Greg van Eekhout from TYBFAH 18
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Cindy and I watched Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire last night, which was not very good. Visually it wasn't bad, but the storytelling was lousy. Not recommended.
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I've known about it for awhile, but I just started cataloging a few books on LibraryThing, stuff I've read lately or am currently reading. Cindy took one look at my catalog and gave me her best "You've GOT to be kidding" look. She thinks I'm the biggest geek on the planet. She might have something there...
Today's Short Story = "Tales from the City of Seams" - Greg van Eekhout from TYBFAH 18
Friday, June 16, 2006
How Much Should We Pay? or Ratio of Cost to Time
I was in the Annapolis Record & Tape Traders store yesterday, one of my favorite stores. I had a bunch of CDs and DVDs (several from garage sales) that I wanted to trade for credit. R&T is great - they rarely refuse anything I bring in and they always have great stuff (new and used) to choose from. Yesterday was no exception.
One of the CDs I picked up was the new Rhonda Vincent disc All American Bluegrass Girl, which, despite what you might think of the cover, is a disc of mostly traditional bluegrass tunes. I've only listened to it once so far, but it's pretty good. The biggest disappointment is the playing time = 39:45.
I'm sorry, in this day and time, nobody should release a disc that's less than 45 minutes long. With few exceptions, I'd rather see an artist release discs less frequently with more time on them. At least you'd feel like you're getting your money's worth. (But I can't really complain, since this one didn't really cost me anything.)
I've always wished the price of the disc reflected the playing time of the disc. A CD with 78 minutes of music shouldn't cost the same as one with 30 minutes. I remember when the Stand By Me soundtrack came out. A friend of mine bought it and was enraged that it was less than 25 minutes long. And he probably paid $15.95 for it. (It's still under 25 minutes long. Amazon sells it new for $10.98.)
Changing the subject slightly, if you haven't heard, the music industry (as far as CD sales go) is in big trouble. People are downloading and burning discs from their friends like crazy and disc sales are tanking. If you haven't already, you'll start seeing discounts all over the place, especially at Amazon. But most of those are the mass-produced older releases by big name acts. If it's a popular artist you're really into, you're probably going to be in luck. But if you're looking for an indie or something really out there, it's unlikely you'll see any discounts.
But the music industry (like the movie industry...another topic for another time) still doesn't get it. Prices are still too high. Had I not traded for the Rhonda Vincent disc, I would have paid $13.99. That's $1.16 per song. I could go to iTunes and get each song for 99 cents (which isn't much better) or download the whole album for $9.99. A few weeks ago Cindy was looking for a certain classical CD. Amazon had it for $17.95, but she got it from iTunes for $9.99.
I don't know if it's just a matter of time before CDs become obsolete, but the record companies don't seem to be doing much to slow down the inevitable.
One of the CDs I picked up was the new Rhonda Vincent disc All American Bluegrass Girl, which, despite what you might think of the cover, is a disc of mostly traditional bluegrass tunes. I've only listened to it once so far, but it's pretty good. The biggest disappointment is the playing time = 39:45.
I'm sorry, in this day and time, nobody should release a disc that's less than 45 minutes long. With few exceptions, I'd rather see an artist release discs less frequently with more time on them. At least you'd feel like you're getting your money's worth. (But I can't really complain, since this one didn't really cost me anything.)
I've always wished the price of the disc reflected the playing time of the disc. A CD with 78 minutes of music shouldn't cost the same as one with 30 minutes. I remember when the Stand By Me soundtrack came out. A friend of mine bought it and was enraged that it was less than 25 minutes long. And he probably paid $15.95 for it. (It's still under 25 minutes long. Amazon sells it new for $10.98.)
Changing the subject slightly, if you haven't heard, the music industry (as far as CD sales go) is in big trouble. People are downloading and burning discs from their friends like crazy and disc sales are tanking. If you haven't already, you'll start seeing discounts all over the place, especially at Amazon. But most of those are the mass-produced older releases by big name acts. If it's a popular artist you're really into, you're probably going to be in luck. But if you're looking for an indie or something really out there, it's unlikely you'll see any discounts.
But the music industry (like the movie industry...another topic for another time) still doesn't get it. Prices are still too high. Had I not traded for the Rhonda Vincent disc, I would have paid $13.99. That's $1.16 per song. I could go to iTunes and get each song for 99 cents (which isn't much better) or download the whole album for $9.99. A few weeks ago Cindy was looking for a certain classical CD. Amazon had it for $17.95, but she got it from iTunes for $9.99.
I don't know if it's just a matter of time before CDs become obsolete, but the record companies don't seem to be doing much to slow down the inevitable.
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
New Story/The 70's Reconsidered
Finished writing the first draft of "The Black," which is now in the hands of my first reader (Cindy). I also started revisions of the YA novel I finished a few months back. Lots to do.
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XM Radio sure is great, but I'm encountering some painful reminders that maybe all the music from the 70's wasn't so great. In the span of just an hour or two, I encountered England Dan & John Ford Coley, Bo Donaldson & the Heywoods and the dreaded "Convoy" by C.W. McCall. I wonder if we have any Pepto in the house...
Now Playing = "Kodachrome" - Paul Simon
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XM Radio sure is great, but I'm encountering some painful reminders that maybe all the music from the 70's wasn't so great. In the span of just an hour or two, I encountered England Dan & John Ford Coley, Bo Donaldson & the Heywoods and the dreaded "Convoy" by C.W. McCall. I wonder if we have any Pepto in the house...
Now Playing = "Kodachrome" - Paul Simon
Monday, June 12, 2006
I've been really frustrated with my writing the past few days, but reading Glen Hirshberg's blog this weekend really brought the problem into focus. It's about the work, nothing else and I hadn't been focusing on that. I did this weekend and it's really made a difference. Thanks, Glen, for sharing your insights and giving me a gentle kick in the pants.
Having said that, the story I've been working on called "The Black" is really starting to come into focus. It's really hard to compare every aspect of writing to my former life of teaching music, but sometimes the similarities are unavoidable. Some of the best times I had as a teacher occurred when the kids in the band grabbed onto what I was saying and immediately understood that "Hey, I actually understand how to listen/balance/tune (or whatever) across the band. Now I understand what to do." Sometimes, in spite of myself, it happens to me too.
Now Playing = "Tomorrow Night" – Carl Smith – XM Radio – Traditional Country
Listening to in the Car – Cold Hit – Stephen J. Cannell
Today's Short Story = Clownette – Terry Dowling from The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror 18
Reading = His Majesty's Dragon - Naomi Novik
Having said that, the story I've been working on called "The Black" is really starting to come into focus. It's really hard to compare every aspect of writing to my former life of teaching music, but sometimes the similarities are unavoidable. Some of the best times I had as a teacher occurred when the kids in the band grabbed onto what I was saying and immediately understood that "Hey, I actually understand how to listen/balance/tune (or whatever) across the band. Now I understand what to do." Sometimes, in spite of myself, it happens to me too.
Now Playing = "Tomorrow Night" – Carl Smith – XM Radio – Traditional Country
Listening to in the Car – Cold Hit – Stephen J. Cannell
Today's Short Story = Clownette – Terry Dowling from The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror 18
Reading = His Majesty's Dragon - Naomi Novik
Friday, June 09, 2006
A Review of The Theme Time Radio Hour, hosted by Bob Dylan
The Theme Time Radio Hour, hosted by Bob Dylan
Broadcast 6/7/06 – This Week's Theme: Jail
Anyone who's read his interviews (or his autobiography Chronicles, Vol. 1) knows that radio was a huge influence on Dylan as a youngster, so it's really not too surprising that Bob would end up hosting a weekly radio show for XM Radio. And like Chronicles, the show is surprisingly good.
You could call them introductions, you could call them mini-commentaries, but Dylan has something of interest to say about each song. With more familiar songs, such as Johnny Cash's "Folsom Prison Blues," he might relate a bit of trivia. (Merle Haggard was an inmate in the audience during the live recording of the song.) To introduce a more obscure tune, he might tell you a bit about the artist, like Warren Storm – the Godfather of Swamp-Pop Music. (I kid you not.)
The credits at the end of the show name researchers, but having read Chronicles and the liner notes to the Dylan album World Gone Wrong, I wonder how much of the info Dylan relates comes straight from his own knowledge. My guess is quite a bit.
The delivery is often whimsical, playful, tongue-in-cheek; you can tell Dylan is having a great time. And you can't help but grin at his corny jokes ("Life in prison: here today...here tomorrow.") and goofy rhymes. Even in the XM ads that run throughout the week, Dylan ends his spiel with "The Theme Time Radio Hour, the best hour in American broadcasting." You can almost feel your pants leg being pulled.
All of Dylan's antics are great fun, but the highlight is the music itself. Sure, some of the tunes you've heard millions of times before ("Back On the Chain Gang," "Folsom Prison Blues"), but where else are you going to hear Bessie Smith's stunning "Send Me to the 'Lectric Chair" or "Prison Wall Blues" by Cannon's Jug Stompers? Some of the songs are no doubt meant to be funny, but even Andre Williams' "Jail Bait" throws a bit of merciless truth in your face. More importantly, Dylan introduces his audience to singers and bands that many listeners have probably never heard of, possibly bringing new fans to acts that have been gone for generations.
So there's Dylan, spinning tunes, spinning tales and having a great time...and maybe showing us a little bit of himself. What could be better than that?
Set List
Folsom Prison Blues – Johnny Cash
21 Days in Jail – Magic Sam
Send Me to the 'Lectric Chair – Bessie Smith
Prisoner's Song – Warren Storm
Back on the Chain Gang – Pretenders
Jail Bait – Andre Williams
Prison Wall Blues – Cannon's Jug Stompers
Columbus Stockade Blues – Kenny Layne and His Bull Dogs
Nine Pound Steel – Joe Simon
Okie's in the Pokie – Jimmy Patton
Christmas in Prison – John Prine
In the Jailhouse Now – Sir Douglas Quintet
Jail Bird Love Song – Mississippi Sheiks
Riot in Cell Block #9 – Wanda Jackson
Sing Me Back Home – Merle Haggard
The Last Meal – Hurricane Harry
Broadcast 6/7/06 – This Week's Theme: Jail
Anyone who's read his interviews (or his autobiography Chronicles, Vol. 1) knows that radio was a huge influence on Dylan as a youngster, so it's really not too surprising that Bob would end up hosting a weekly radio show for XM Radio. And like Chronicles, the show is surprisingly good.
You could call them introductions, you could call them mini-commentaries, but Dylan has something of interest to say about each song. With more familiar songs, such as Johnny Cash's "Folsom Prison Blues," he might relate a bit of trivia. (Merle Haggard was an inmate in the audience during the live recording of the song.) To introduce a more obscure tune, he might tell you a bit about the artist, like Warren Storm – the Godfather of Swamp-Pop Music. (I kid you not.)
The credits at the end of the show name researchers, but having read Chronicles and the liner notes to the Dylan album World Gone Wrong, I wonder how much of the info Dylan relates comes straight from his own knowledge. My guess is quite a bit.
The delivery is often whimsical, playful, tongue-in-cheek; you can tell Dylan is having a great time. And you can't help but grin at his corny jokes ("Life in prison: here today...here tomorrow.") and goofy rhymes. Even in the XM ads that run throughout the week, Dylan ends his spiel with "The Theme Time Radio Hour, the best hour in American broadcasting." You can almost feel your pants leg being pulled.
All of Dylan's antics are great fun, but the highlight is the music itself. Sure, some of the tunes you've heard millions of times before ("Back On the Chain Gang," "Folsom Prison Blues"), but where else are you going to hear Bessie Smith's stunning "Send Me to the 'Lectric Chair" or "Prison Wall Blues" by Cannon's Jug Stompers? Some of the songs are no doubt meant to be funny, but even Andre Williams' "Jail Bait" throws a bit of merciless truth in your face. More importantly, Dylan introduces his audience to singers and bands that many listeners have probably never heard of, possibly bringing new fans to acts that have been gone for generations.
So there's Dylan, spinning tunes, spinning tales and having a great time...and maybe showing us a little bit of himself. What could be better than that?
Set List
Folsom Prison Blues – Johnny Cash
21 Days in Jail – Magic Sam
Send Me to the 'Lectric Chair – Bessie Smith
Prisoner's Song – Warren Storm
Back on the Chain Gang – Pretenders
Jail Bait – Andre Williams
Prison Wall Blues – Cannon's Jug Stompers
Columbus Stockade Blues – Kenny Layne and His Bull Dogs
Nine Pound Steel – Joe Simon
Okie's in the Pokie – Jimmy Patton
Christmas in Prison – John Prine
In the Jailhouse Now – Sir Douglas Quintet
Jail Bird Love Song – Mississippi Sheiks
Riot in Cell Block #9 – Wanda Jackson
Sing Me Back Home – Merle Haggard
The Last Meal – Hurricane Harry
Wednesday, June 07, 2006
All Kinds of Fun Stuff
I'm really enjoying my new XM Radio - a great gift from the family. Thanks! I'm eagerly awaiting Bob Dylan's radio show, which will be on in about an hour. This week's topic: songs about jail.
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You can find some great stuff on the web by Clarion buddies Nicole Kimberling, Tenea Johnson and John Schoffstall.
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Just started reading Naomi Novik's His Majesty's Dragon, which so far is delightful.
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You can find some great stuff on the web by Clarion buddies Nicole Kimberling, Tenea Johnson and John Schoffstall.
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Just started reading Naomi Novik's His Majesty's Dragon, which so far is delightful.
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
Reasons to Celebrate
I just read the news on Jeff Ford's blog that Glen Hirshberg's new collection American Morons will be coming out later this year. (Amazon has the date as October 1.)
In the meantime, if you haven't read Hirshberg's first collection, The Two Sams, I highly recommend it.
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I walked into Gold's Gym last night and saw a notice that the contest winners could now pick up their prize money. Whoooot! I didn't get my hopes up that the check would even cover a dinner at Popeye's, so I wasn't too disappointed to find that each winner (There were 66 of us.) received $38.63. So subtracting the entry fee, I earned $13.63 - the hardest $13.63 I ever earned. But it was fun and I'm 12 pounds lighter and feel great.
Today's Short Story = "Hunting Meth Zombies in the Great Nebraskan Wasteland" - John Farris from The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror 18.
In the meantime, if you haven't read Hirshberg's first collection, The Two Sams, I highly recommend it.
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I walked into Gold's Gym last night and saw a notice that the contest winners could now pick up their prize money. Whoooot! I didn't get my hopes up that the check would even cover a dinner at Popeye's, so I wasn't too disappointed to find that each winner (There were 66 of us.) received $38.63. So subtracting the entry fee, I earned $13.63 - the hardest $13.63 I ever earned. But it was fun and I'm 12 pounds lighter and feel great.
Today's Short Story = "Hunting Meth Zombies in the Great Nebraskan Wasteland" - John Farris from The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror 18.
Sunday, June 04, 2006
I went to a moving sale yesterday and found a kindred spirit. Sort of.
These two women were selling an entire household of stuff (including the house) that belonged to their mother, who is now in a nursing home. The ladies had placed an ad in the paper, part of which read "hundreds of books," so of course, I was there.
The ad was wrong. There were thousands.
I got there early as the ladies were setting up some things outside. I mentioned that I was interested in the books, and as soon as the B-word came out of my mouth, they each grabbed an arm and led me inside.
"What category would you like?" they said, their eyes lit up.
"Science fiction, fantasy, horror...but I'll look at anything."
They led me to a room, three sides of which were filled from floor to ceiling with books, at least half of them sf/f/h. As you might imagine, it was all older stuff, several book club editions, but still some good stuff. I didn't really find much collectible stuff (other than a first edition of Watership Down), but still some nice reading:
Best Ghost Stories of J.S. LeFanu
Collected Ghost Stories of Oliver Onions
Tales of the Uncanny and Supernatural – Algernon Blackwood
Tales of the Mysterious and Macabre – Algernon Blackwood
Lilith – George MacDonald
Over the Hills and Far Away – Lord Dunsany
Poseidonis – Tales of Lost Atlantis – Clark Ashton Smith
Gather, Darkness! – Fritz Leiber
The Best of Cordwainer Smith
I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream – Harlan Ellison
and much more, including some books on sf criticism.
I picked up a few more books, mostly non-fiction. This woman had any category you could name: history, classics, theology, science, anthropology, women's studies, language, reference, costume, theater, music, crafts, archaeology...it just went on and on.
The ladies told me that what I'd seen was about a third of what their mother had. The rest would be appraised and sold at their next sale in six months. I gave them my card and told them to please give me a call and they said they would.
I drove away thinking that this woman, now in a nursing home, must be a pretty amazing person. I instantly regretted not having met her. I'll bet she's got some amazing stories herself.
Now Playing = Beatles 65
Listening to in the Car = The Amulet of Samarkand (The Bartimaeus Trilogy, Book 1) – Jonathan Stroud
Today's Short Story = "Speir-Bhan" – Tanith Lee from The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror 18
These two women were selling an entire household of stuff (including the house) that belonged to their mother, who is now in a nursing home. The ladies had placed an ad in the paper, part of which read "hundreds of books," so of course, I was there.
The ad was wrong. There were thousands.
I got there early as the ladies were setting up some things outside. I mentioned that I was interested in the books, and as soon as the B-word came out of my mouth, they each grabbed an arm and led me inside.
"What category would you like?" they said, their eyes lit up.
"Science fiction, fantasy, horror...but I'll look at anything."
They led me to a room, three sides of which were filled from floor to ceiling with books, at least half of them sf/f/h. As you might imagine, it was all older stuff, several book club editions, but still some good stuff. I didn't really find much collectible stuff (other than a first edition of Watership Down), but still some nice reading:
Best Ghost Stories of J.S. LeFanu
Collected Ghost Stories of Oliver Onions
Tales of the Uncanny and Supernatural – Algernon Blackwood
Tales of the Mysterious and Macabre – Algernon Blackwood
Lilith – George MacDonald
Over the Hills and Far Away – Lord Dunsany
Poseidonis – Tales of Lost Atlantis – Clark Ashton Smith
Gather, Darkness! – Fritz Leiber
The Best of Cordwainer Smith
I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream – Harlan Ellison
and much more, including some books on sf criticism.
I picked up a few more books, mostly non-fiction. This woman had any category you could name: history, classics, theology, science, anthropology, women's studies, language, reference, costume, theater, music, crafts, archaeology...it just went on and on.
The ladies told me that what I'd seen was about a third of what their mother had. The rest would be appraised and sold at their next sale in six months. I gave them my card and told them to please give me a call and they said they would.
I drove away thinking that this woman, now in a nursing home, must be a pretty amazing person. I instantly regretted not having met her. I'll bet she's got some amazing stories herself.
Now Playing = Beatles 65
Listening to in the Car = The Amulet of Samarkand (The Bartimaeus Trilogy, Book 1) – Jonathan Stroud
Today's Short Story = "Speir-Bhan" – Tanith Lee from The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror 18
Friday, June 02, 2006
Wheels
I hate to even contemplate it, but it's getting close to that time again...
My Saturn will turn 10 in about six months, so I really should start looking for something new. It's still hanging in there, but for the past year, I've had several substantial ($500+) repairs that have hammered into the ever-shrinking Wolverton Retirement and Island Cruise Fund. And I think the AC is starting to go. Worse than that, the CD player's on the fritz.
I really hate to think about getting a new car/vehicle/whatever. In nearly 30 years of driving, I've only had four cars:
1977 Mercury Monarch - 8 years
1985 Subaru (Can't remember the model...That tells you something) - 4 years
1988 Toyota Celica - 11 years
1997 Saturn SL-1 - 6 years
When Cindy and I married she had an old, barely running Dodge Colt that broke down just about every week. The car was disaffectionately referred to by me as The Clot. One day while we were driving to Fort Worth, The Clot breathed its last just as we were pulling onto the highway. That was far from the first straw, but it was certainly the last. "I'm getting you a new car tomorrow," I told Cindy and that's just what I did. I think she's been eagerly waiting to return the favor, so I should have something in mind before the Saturn decides to shut down.
I'm not picky...at least not too picky. I don't really need an SUV or a truck. I'd like to stick with a four-door, something Bullet can ride in. I need good mileage. (Don't we all?) I've been getting 32 MPG on the highway. I'd love to keep it around there. Just give me a good AC, a CD player, XM Radio, and I'm set. (I know, I don't ask for much.) All recommendations will be considered.
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On a sadder note, another used book store is being sold. Deja Vu Books in Bowie, MD, one of my favorite stores, is for sale. Hopefully the new owner will keep it a bookstore - this area has already lost a couple of nice ones lately.
My Saturn will turn 10 in about six months, so I really should start looking for something new. It's still hanging in there, but for the past year, I've had several substantial ($500+) repairs that have hammered into the ever-shrinking Wolverton Retirement and Island Cruise Fund. And I think the AC is starting to go. Worse than that, the CD player's on the fritz.
I really hate to think about getting a new car/vehicle/whatever. In nearly 30 years of driving, I've only had four cars:
1977 Mercury Monarch - 8 years
1985 Subaru (Can't remember the model...That tells you something) - 4 years
1988 Toyota Celica - 11 years
1997 Saturn SL-1 - 6 years
When Cindy and I married she had an old, barely running Dodge Colt that broke down just about every week. The car was disaffectionately referred to by me as The Clot. One day while we were driving to Fort Worth, The Clot breathed its last just as we were pulling onto the highway. That was far from the first straw, but it was certainly the last. "I'm getting you a new car tomorrow," I told Cindy and that's just what I did. I think she's been eagerly waiting to return the favor, so I should have something in mind before the Saturn decides to shut down.
I'm not picky...at least not too picky. I don't really need an SUV or a truck. I'd like to stick with a four-door, something Bullet can ride in. I need good mileage. (Don't we all?) I've been getting 32 MPG on the highway. I'd love to keep it around there. Just give me a good AC, a CD player, XM Radio, and I'm set. (I know, I don't ask for much.) All recommendations will be considered.
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On a sadder note, another used book store is being sold. Deja Vu Books in Bowie, MD, one of my favorite stores, is for sale. Hopefully the new owner will keep it a bookstore - this area has already lost a couple of nice ones lately.
Thursday, June 01, 2006
F&SF June Issue
If you've read the issue, go over to The Slush God's site and vote for your favorite story. Here are the stories ranked according to my level of enjoyment:
1. "Hallucigenia" - Laird Barron
2. "Counterfactual" - Gardner Dozois
3. "The Protectors of Zendor" - John Morressy
4. "Why the Aliens Did What They Did to That Suburb of Madison, Wisconsin" - Tim McDaniel
5. "Terms of Engagement" - C.S. Friedman
6. "Animal Magnetism" - Albert E. Cowdrey
Now Playing = The Sidewinder - Lee Morgan
Just Finished Reading = The Spiderwick Chronicles, Book 1: The Field Guide - Holly Black & Tony DiTerlizzi
Today's Short Story - "The Protectors of Zendor" - John Morressy
1. "Hallucigenia" - Laird Barron
2. "Counterfactual" - Gardner Dozois
3. "The Protectors of Zendor" - John Morressy
4. "Why the Aliens Did What They Did to That Suburb of Madison, Wisconsin" - Tim McDaniel
5. "Terms of Engagement" - C.S. Friedman
6. "Animal Magnetism" - Albert E. Cowdrey
Now Playing = The Sidewinder - Lee Morgan
Just Finished Reading = The Spiderwick Chronicles, Book 1: The Field Guide - Holly Black & Tony DiTerlizzi
Today's Short Story - "The Protectors of Zendor" - John Morressy
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