Well, dear readers, we’re almost halfway through December and heading into the final two weeks of this year, known as 2018. It’s been a rewarding, creatively wonderful, but frustrating and frequently irritating year, too, and I have to obliterate the latter while accentuating the former, if you get my drift and my meaning or even my meaning and my drift. And so I’ll spend the next few notes looking back on the good whilst trying not to think of the bad and the ugly.
As I’ve done for almost two decades now, I began a new book on January 1 and writing that book was so pleasurable that it was pleasurable. I loved spending time in the world of GEE and while it went through various permutations because Muse Margaret was on me a lot to smooth things out and to make sure that the character of GEE was never not likeable or that I not get bogged down in too many period details that weren’t germane, while keeping the detail sharp in what was germane. The second half of the book, which involves a whole new character, went through that same process, walking a tightrope between what was right, what was too much, and what wasn’t working. That went right through to the final pages of the book, which I rewrote more than anything I’ve ever written. My first attempt didn’t work at all, but even when I figured it out, when I knew what it had to be, even then I didn’t write it well. I rewrote THAT about six times and in fact the first person to proof the book got three versions of the ending as I kept rewriting it. The final time was the charm and I knew it, Muse Margaret knew it, and the proofer knew it. When it’s right, it’s right.
Doug Haverty came up with what I consider to be an absolutely perfect cover – I can’t even tell you why, but it just evokes the book so perfectly in an amorphous way. We had many choices, but that was the one the minute I saw it. And Grant did his usual beautiful book design. I was very pleased by the reaction to the book, although I’m sure it’s not for everyone, as is the case with every book ever written. Since I’d borrowed Peyton Kirker’s first name for the character in the second half of the book – well, I even paraphrased her last name, too – Kirkner became Kellner – I thought it only right that she be the first person to read the book, and she was. And her reaction so tickled me – she came for a Kritzerland rehearsal and as soon as I opened the door she said, “This is my favorite book.” And it has proven popular with young girls, so that’s fun.
Of course, we did our monthly Kritzerland shows and I had other stuff to do, but mostly after finishing the book I went right to work writing the score for A Carol Christmas, plus having many meetings with Doug on the book. That was probably two or three months of the year right there. And then I began planning what would become the birthday tribute concert for Richard Sherman. We’ll pick up there next time.
Yesterday was an okay day. I mean I avoided drama, so that was good. I didn’t get to bed until four again, and then I was awakened by the doorbell ringing at 8:45 – workers who needed to get into the garage to fix something – as it turns out, the damn door was open. I went back to bed and slept until eleven. So, somewhere around six hours of sleep. Then I had to get ready because Kay Cole was arriving at noon-thirty to take me to a belated birthday lunch. We went to Barone’s – I was originally going to have scampi, but in the end I couldn’t resist the spaghetti carbonara, which was great and not too huge a portion. We were there about two hours, then I dropped her off at her car here, whilst I went on to pick up mail and some packages, after which I came home.
I got a lot of screeners, and some of them I’m actually interested in watching. But I first did stuff on the computer and listened to some music. Then I sat on my couch like so much fish.
Last night, I watched a DGA screener entitled Vice – an odd title for a very odd and somewhat off-putting smart-ASSY film. The “Vice” refers to Vice President, as in Dick Cheney. It’s done in the same style as the director’s last film, The Big Short, which I thought was okay. It’s like a cross between Scorsese and Oliver Stone, but much more arch and jokey. There’s narration, both on camera and off, there’s a lot of fourth wall breaking and weird tries at humor that don’t really play that well because, in the end, they’re trying to tell you the story of a person. The agenda of the film is very clear and if you are a right wing sort you won’t enjoy it, probably, but who knows? Christian Bale gained a lot of weight and “becomes” Dick Cheney – not my kind of “acting” – more of an imitation, really. Amy Adams is fine as his wife, as is Sam Rockwell as George W. Bush, and the supporting players are all fine, too, and they include in a very small role (small, but if you stay for the credits, she gets the actual last line of the movie) – Melody Hollis. The subject matter and Cheney are certainly interesting and certainly we are where we are as a country today partly because of his BS – all power, all the time. It’s a little over two hours long and I grew weary of it at around the ninety-minute mark. It’s real Oscar bait, just as The Big Short was – we’ll see how it does. The studios now dictate to reviewers when they can publish – called a review embargo. I find that nauseating, actually – it’s a crass attempt to hold the reviews until just before a film opens.
After that, I had some crackers and a little ice cream, listened to more music, and that was that.
Today, I shall also try to avoid drama. I’ll eat, hopefully pick up some packages, and then I’ll see our evening performance of A Carol Christmas as we enter our fifth week of shows. I know that Sunday is just about sold out, with only about eight seats left, but Friday and Saturday are lighter than they should be and there are, of course, easily explainable reasons for that, which I shan’t go into now, but will once we’ve finished the run. Needless to say, if everything was working as it normally does at this theater, we would, in fact, be full at all performances. No one ever seems to want to go out after the show, so I’ll probably just come home.
Tomorrow, she of the Evil Eye comes, so I’ll leave and do stuff, then I’ll just work on the Kritzerland show, and at some point I’ll make a decision whether to attend that evening’s performance. Sunday, we have our full matinee – if it really sells out, there won’t be any reason to go as I wouldn’t have a seat and I don’t fancy standing in the back of the theater for ninety minutes. But we shall see how it all shakes out. Then next week and the week after are mine all mine and there will be not much work done and I’ll just try to keep the old head above water until the end of the year.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, try to avoid drama, eat, hopefully pick up packages, and see our evening performance of our show. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s Friday – what is currently in your CD player and your DVD/Blu and Ray player? I’ll start – CD, lots of British music on Lyrita CDs. DVD, I must have twenty or more screeners here now and I will start to watch them all. Your turn. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, as we take a look back at the year that was, part one.