Beat-Up Words

So, I realize that over time, I am changing.  The pictures that once embodied my soul no longer describe me the best.  Instead, new shots off a more serious young man ring truer, except in my moments of unbridled joy.  But, that's not really what I want to talk about.

Instead, I want to talk Jack Kerouac.  Well, not really Kerouac per say (sp?), but the whole idea of the Beat Generation.  For anyone who knows my literary tastes, it comes as little surprise that I love the Beat poets.  I love the idea that you can say whatever the hell comes into your head, put it on paper, and it doesn't matter if it makes sense or if it brings insight or if its vulgar, it's just part of you.  You need to say what you need to say and screw all the rest of it.  I love these ideas, and I tend to live my mental life by these rules.

However, I realized today...realized, perhaps not being the best word...I admitted to myself today that I don't really like to read most of the Beat writers.  I mean, Kerouac is okay in On the Road and Dharma Bums; I love Ginsberg as a poet, though sometimes it gets a little dull, but Burroughs is just bizarre.  And I enjoy their works on an entirely cerebral level, but my soul doesn't really get into it.  I feel the idea, but the story doesn't connect to me.  And who knows, I'm not a Beat expert, maybe that's the point.

But trying to get through Visions of Cody made my brain hurt, and I can't really be in any state but complete focus when I try to get through this kind of literature.  And, since that is so rarely the state that I'm allowed to be in when I'm reading, it doesn't really work for me. 

I read someone who wrote about the stupidity behind the idea of a "guilty pleasure."  I think it was John Waters in one of his essay collections.  Regardless, it said that the idea of feeling bad that something perfectly legal and acceptable felt good was ridiculous.

I think that a lot of times, we don't choose what brings us pleasure.  It's something that is a culmination of the things in your past, your education, and what you've been trained to like.  Then, some things are just simply good to all people.  But, there's no accounting for taste, there is no perfect piece of entertainment, so we all have to find our own way.

Thus, even though I want to be a literature snob, I really enjoy reading Stephen King novels (especially Lisey's Story, Duma Key, The Dark Tower series, and Under the Dome - A supernatural take on real life phenomena).  Augusten Burroughs, a self-described "trashy memoirist" speaks to me in a way that few others do.

Ideas don't make a good read, but a good read can give you all kinds of new ideas.

Consternation and the Flu

Okay, first off I want to say that right now, at the beginning of August in anno domini 2009, I have the flu.  My head is all congested, I could barely speak yesterday, and I feel weak.  I can't focus long enough to read a single page of a book, leaving me to "rest" by mindlessly staring at the TV.

Anyway, I don't want to talk about being sick.  I'm not interesting enough sick to turn it into an article (no Tay-Sachs, no glittery skin...).

For those of you who don't know, I started writing for the online market on a freelance basis.  Doesn't allow me to get all of my sarcastic kinks out, but that's where I've been for the last month...trust me, I've turned out about 30,000 words in the past months an articles for hire.  I'm making okay money doing it, and I have reviewed almost every mobile phone known to man...and if I haven't done it yet, I'm sure it's on my "to write" list.

But something is bothering me:  am I really as bad as all of these people?  Now that I've joined some websites that easily host writing, I take some time to give back to the community and read some of the writing posted.  And it makes me crazy.  Articles usually are only about 400 words and they express none of the detail or style that makes me want to read.  This enabling of the entire populace with a keyboard makes me want to pull my eyelashes out.  Articles about scamming hypnotist fathers should at least pique my interest, but alas, all is for naught.  And then, I did something stupid.

I searched Twilight.

Here's my opinion:  Stephanie Meyer did a good job of writing for her audience.  I thought Twilight (the first book, not the series) was long and boring with too little action to justify its page length.  I think Bella is a character too intensely flawed to be likable while Edward is too perfect to be attracted to Bella.  I can't even remember what happened in the third book.  I liked Jacob, but then, in Breaking Dawn, he imprinted on a child, giving his relationship a pederastical quality that I wasn't quite a fan of.  That, mixed with vampire baby, vampire sex, and the great foreplay-but-no-intercourse that is the "battle" sequence at the end of the novel make the series fall apart.

Do I understand why people like it?  Sure, it gives you an escape from reality.  I just happen to find real people, who have both flaws and redeeming characteristics more palatable.  Plus, the movie's acting and color scheme made me wretch.

But, there are tons of articles, blog posts, and whatnot detailing every minutiae of this series.  If you don't have anything new to say, put up and shut up.  And if what you have to say is bizarre, then say it well.  If you're going to make an argument for whether Wicked or Twilight is going to send you to hell faster, than I insist it have paragraph breaks.

If you're going to scream about a novel, then at least italicize the title.

If you're going to suggest a summer reading list, then I insist no more than half the list be made up of classics, books that have recently become movies, or popular series that have already been read.  Make your suggestions mean something.

Give me some detail that I didn't know before.  Force me to consider things from a new perspective.  Otherwise, shut the hell up.

And if you catch me not following my own advice, let me know, and I'll fix it.

(By the way, for those of you looking for a great article about Twilight and what it's doing to relationship expectations, check out this piece that recently was placed in Slate)

A Few of My Daily Things

A few things from today:

First off, this morning, the radio in my head was playing extra loud. First up on the radio? "Under the Sea" from The Little Mermaid. It was a weird mix of the movie and the Broadway version. I know. Then, because this guy in my grammar class has a National Guard backpack, that song that they play before movies, "Citizen Soldier," got stuck in my head. Classy.

I just finished the fourth draft of my play "Love's Call." It is also fully blocked now! The actor's, without any rehearsal of merit (we've been strictly blocking...I hate mixing up different parts of the process all together), have already shown me a great deal of growth. I am very pleased. Plus, everyone loves Daniel's diabetes monologue in Act II. One of my actors (who has diabetes) leaned down to me after it was done and asked me if I secretly had it. That's always what you want to hear. I consider that a slam dunk. Anyway, taking the next few days off because they are all going to be at GTC.

I've been reading the Watchmen. Not really in preparation for the movie (because things will be different and that's always disappointing). Rather, it's just one of those things that I feel like I should have read. And a lot of people have been raving about it to me. So, I borrowed K'Fain's copy. I don't know yet. I'm about five volumes in (12 volume set)...maybe it's just that the graphic novel form doesn't really appeal to me. I don't read a lot (meaning, I don't read any) of them. And it's distracting. But maybe, by the end, it will prove me a liar. Besides, it's a departure from The Night Trilogy which I read last weekend (you know, because it was Fall Break...).

Anything else...? I don't think so right now. So I leave you with a hilarious video that I was thinking about earlier today. Click here.