I think I have come to the tail end of what turned out to be more labor-intensive for an obsessive-minded music nerd such as myself than even I anticipated.
Given the positive reaction to the Spotify playlist that I created for Bobby Pins and Mary Janes, I decided to backtrack and rebuild the playlists for all my books that had them or could have had them.
For instance, if I had a Cut My Hair mix, it was on cassette. There was no such thing as iTunes or Spotify back then. So, for that book, I just pulled out a copy and flipped through the pages, building a rather long playlist based on chapter titles and significant songs. You can access the results through this link if you have Spotify.
It's not as complete as I'd like. A couple of songs are missing. In fact, a lot of the playlists I have built are incomplete. Some of the more obscure Britpop that makes up a lot of The Everlasting's original list is just not available in the States. Neither is the Faye Wong track that should be on the Have You Seen the Horizon Lately? list, not to mention the Geneva title track. Same goes for My Life Story's "12 Reasons Why I Love Her"--in fact, 12 Reasons has such a bad batting average, I was forced to actually label the list as "incomplete."
On the other hand, almost all the songs from Love the Way You Love are there, and you can hear tracks from all three Spell Checkers books, including the one that isn't out yet.
The Spotify interface is a little weird for getting the urls for individual lists, but essentially, if you got to the Cut My Hair list or Bobby Pins and Mary Janes version, and then click on my profile name, you can see all of my public lists. The books covered are:
* 5 1/2 - the book in progress
* 12 Reasons Why I Love Her
* Cut My Hair
* The Everlasting
* Have You Seen the Horizon Lately?
* Love the Way You Love
* Spell Checkers
It should be noted that I don't actually like all the songs in Spell Checkers. I picked that Lady Gaga one for the party scene in volume 1 because the lyrics are so bad!
Current Soundtrack: take your pick!
Showing posts with label 5 1/2. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 5 1/2. Show all posts
Sunday, June 03, 2012
Friday, March 16, 2012
TINSELTOWN TO THE BOOGIEDOWN
TONIGHT!
Joëlle Jones and I will be appearing on "The Karl Show! (starring Jason)," broadcast via the Portland Radio Authority live from 8-10 pm.
You can listen in here at the PRA website.
You might also check the show's Facebook page. I believe they check it for questions during the taping.
Two hours of talk and music, focusing on the creative process and the songs that inspire us. Joëlle and I have put together a pretty swell music list. I'll mostly be playing songs from my playlist for my long-gestating novel codenamed 5 1/2.
Within a matter of days it will also be archived at the Karl Show website and I believe also uploaded to iTunes.
Here's a sneak peak, the original version of a song you might here in another form:
Joëlle Jones and I will be appearing on "The Karl Show! (starring Jason)," broadcast via the Portland Radio Authority live from 8-10 pm.
You can listen in here at the PRA website.
You might also check the show's Facebook page. I believe they check it for questions during the taping.
Two hours of talk and music, focusing on the creative process and the songs that inspire us. Joëlle and I have put together a pretty swell music list. I'll mostly be playing songs from my playlist for my long-gestating novel codenamed 5 1/2.
Within a matter of days it will also be archived at the Karl Show website and I believe also uploaded to iTunes.
Here's a sneak peak, the original version of a song you might here in another form:
Monday, May 11, 2009
THE JOB MR. RICH DONE
To-Do List For the Week of 5/11/2009
* English adaptation of Cynical Orange vol. 9; prepare to start next manhwa
* Print and mail This World and Body to prospective publisher
* Continue researching that new project with an artist you've respected for a long time that fell in your lap last week
* Talk to another prospective editor about that and also maybe World and Body
* See what Mike Holmes is up to
* Give full viewing priority to Pigs, Pimps, & Prostitutes for review
* Write that four-page comics story you need to write
* Get back on that other comic book script you started the week before last
* Get back on 5 1/2
Current Soundtrack: Dexys Midnight Runners, The Projected Passion Revue
e-mail = golightly at confessions123.com * Criterion Confessions * Live Journal Syndication * My Corporate-Owned Space * ComicSpace * Last FM * GoodReads * The Blog Roll * DVDTalk reviews * My Books On Amazon
All text (c) 2009 Jamie S. Rich
To-Do List For the Week of 5/11/2009
* English adaptation of Cynical Orange vol. 9; prepare to start next manhwa
* Print and mail This World and Body to prospective publisher
* Continue researching that new project with an artist you've respected for a long time that fell in your lap last week
* Talk to another prospective editor about that and also maybe World and Body
* See what Mike Holmes is up to
* Give full viewing priority to Pigs, Pimps, & Prostitutes for review
* Write that four-page comics story you need to write
* Get back on that other comic book script you started the week before last
* Get back on 5 1/2
Current Soundtrack: Dexys Midnight Runners, The Projected Passion Revue
e-mail = golightly at confessions123.com * Criterion Confessions * Live Journal Syndication * My Corporate-Owned Space * ComicSpace * Last FM * GoodReads * The Blog Roll * DVDTalk reviews * My Books On Amazon
All text (c) 2009 Jamie S. Rich
Tuesday, January 06, 2009
NEW ART FOR THE PEOPLE
Taking stock for 2009:
- TO SEE THE LIGHTS (a.k.a. the Love the Way You Love YA novel) is about halfway to completion with a current count of 33,000 words. I alternate between liking it and not knowing what the hell I feel.
- JAMIE S. RICH'S 5 1/2 is on hold while I work on the above.
- LYING DOWN, the comics series with Mike Holmes, is still in limbo. Need to make a decision soon.
- SPELL CHECKERS, the graphic novel series with Joëlle Jones and Nicholas Hitori de looks to have a publisher, and I am very excited about that. If you recall, Nico leaked some art, which got things rolling.
- YOU HAVE KILLED ME is so very close to being done. Joëlle has been cranking, and it looks awesome.
- BP & MJ is in limbo. So is THIS WORLD AND BODY. I'd really like to have something definite for them ASAP, and in the order of their listing, but sadly the world works on its own timetable, not mine.
Current Soundtrack: Blur, "Tender;" El-P, "The League of Extraordinary Nobodies;" the Who, "Our Love Was"
Taking stock for 2009:
- TO SEE THE LIGHTS (a.k.a. the Love the Way You Love YA novel) is about halfway to completion with a current count of 33,000 words. I alternate between liking it and not knowing what the hell I feel.
- JAMIE S. RICH'S 5 1/2 is on hold while I work on the above.
- LYING DOWN, the comics series with Mike Holmes, is still in limbo. Need to make a decision soon.
- SPELL CHECKERS, the graphic novel series with Joëlle Jones and Nicholas Hitori de looks to have a publisher, and I am very excited about that. If you recall, Nico leaked some art, which got things rolling.
- YOU HAVE KILLED ME is so very close to being done. Joëlle has been cranking, and it looks awesome.
- BP & MJ is in limbo. So is THIS WORLD AND BODY. I'd really like to have something definite for them ASAP, and in the order of their listing, but sadly the world works on its own timetable, not mine.
Current Soundtrack: Blur, "Tender;" El-P, "The League of Extraordinary Nobodies;" the Who, "Our Love Was"
Friday, October 10, 2008
TAKE CARE OF YOUR HOMEWORK
This has been kind of an inventory week. I hadn't been very happy with my writing on 5 1/2 for the last couple of weeks, so I took the week off from doing new work to assess what I had in hand.
First I read over the entire six scripts/chapters of my comic with Mike Holmes, Lying Down, to double-check and see if they needed in tightening. A little was required, but I mainly was able to pick-up different threads that, now that I have the whole thing constructed, could be worked through the story, particularly different objects that will connect people and events. I liked the scripts quite a bit and am actually impressed with myself for writing an action sequence involving cars. That's something I'd never really done before.
Mike and I hope to have a publisher nailed down soon.
Then, today I read over what I have for Jamie S. Rich's 5 1/2, and I'm feeling much better about it now. I actually really like the first section, tentatively titled "I am the Resurrection," and I was happy to get to the end of where I am at in Part II and realize I knew what the next scene should be, which I could not have said when I picked the manuscript up this morning.
Current word count is 41,400. I think there was some glitch when my computer last did a tally, as in between I realized that what I had vs. what I had posted was not the same. Ooops. Stupid Macbook.
Current Soundtrack: Johnnie Taylor on the iTunes, "Jeopardy" on the TV
Current Mood:
e-mail = golightly at confessions123.com * Criterion Confessions * Live Journal Syndication * My Corporate-Owned Space * ComicSpace * Last FM * GoodReads * The Blog Roll * DVDTalk reviews * My Books On Amazon
All text (c) 2008 Jamie S. Rich
This has been kind of an inventory week. I hadn't been very happy with my writing on 5 1/2 for the last couple of weeks, so I took the week off from doing new work to assess what I had in hand.
First I read over the entire six scripts/chapters of my comic with Mike Holmes, Lying Down, to double-check and see if they needed in tightening. A little was required, but I mainly was able to pick-up different threads that, now that I have the whole thing constructed, could be worked through the story, particularly different objects that will connect people and events. I liked the scripts quite a bit and am actually impressed with myself for writing an action sequence involving cars. That's something I'd never really done before.
Mike and I hope to have a publisher nailed down soon.
Then, today I read over what I have for Jamie S. Rich's 5 1/2, and I'm feeling much better about it now. I actually really like the first section, tentatively titled "I am the Resurrection," and I was happy to get to the end of where I am at in Part II and realize I knew what the next scene should be, which I could not have said when I picked the manuscript up this morning.
Current word count is 41,400. I think there was some glitch when my computer last did a tally, as in between I realized that what I had vs. what I had posted was not the same. Ooops. Stupid Macbook.
Current Soundtrack: Johnnie Taylor on the iTunes, "Jeopardy" on the TV
Current Mood:
e-mail = golightly at confessions123.com * Criterion Confessions * Live Journal Syndication * My Corporate-Owned Space * ComicSpace * Last FM * GoodReads * The Blog Roll * DVDTalk reviews * My Books On Amazon
All text (c) 2008 Jamie S. Rich
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
NOTHING IS EVERLASTING
I've been meaning to update since last week. I finished "Part One" of 5 1/2, putting me about 1/3 of the way to completion. I printed out what I had, and it's 95 manuscript pages, about 38,000 words so far.
"Part Two" is already underway.
This calls for a song:
Annette Thomas - "Nothing is Everlasting"
Yes, that title is significant.
Current Mood:
I've been meaning to update since last week. I finished "Part One" of 5 1/2, putting me about 1/3 of the way to completion. I printed out what I had, and it's 95 manuscript pages, about 38,000 words so far.
"Part Two" is already underway.
This calls for a song:
Annette Thomas - "Nothing is Everlasting"
Yes, that title is significant.
Current Mood:
Monday, August 18, 2008
ALL 4 THE TEARS IN YOUR EYES
I've been using the library to get my hands on boxed sets collecting old soul and R&B singles by the big labels, including these marvelous, mammoth Stax/Volt collections that have felt like a portal into a whole new world of music I somehow never got exposed to. (Keep in mind, my dad decided those drug-taking, sexpot Beatles ruined music; he also thinks the Beach Boys were clean-cut young men.)
In the latest set I have, collecting tunes from 1968 through 1971, I found a song that I must public ally declare my new favorite sad song of all time:
Carla Thomas - "I Loved You Like I Love My Very Life"
My goodness, that is so direct, so honest. I used to say Spiritualized's "Broken Heart" was my favorite for that reason, but now that song sounds like 18th-century verse in comparison to Carla Thomas' track. Every time she sings about having a hard time breathing, I realize I have a lump in my throat, too. There is no pretense, no need to hide behind metaphor or glossy language. Carla just sings it like it is.
I've been a Carla Thomas fan for a little over a year now, ever since I decided to finally track down earlier versions of the song "You'll Lose a Good Thing," which I know from the mournful, almost contemptuous McAlmont & Butler version. Her voice has a warm, syrupy quality, but at the same time, her delivery is very unassuming, like she is so confident she doesn't need to show off by over harmonizing or tossing around unnecessary notes. She can mess around and have fun (her duet with Otis Redding, "Tramp," is fantastic) when she wants to, but when she goes for the emotional jugular as she does on "I Loved You..." the depth of meaning she manages to convey is astounding. The song particularly struck me right about now as it's like a compact version of 5 1/2. Songs like this that make me think of my books end up soundtracking trailers I cut in my head, helping me to get directly to the mood I am hoping to achieve in the story.
And, of course, there is the finality of it all. This song is all past tense. Not just the love she had for whomever she is singing about, but you can also interpret the phrase "I loved you like I love my very life" that she is placing her life in the past, too: I loved both of these things, and now they are gone. What happens next to her is still in question, but she's making it clear that just about everything she cared for is now gone. There is still hope, sure, she hasn't yet changed it to "I loved my very life," but it sure feels like things are going that way.
"I Loved You Like I Love My Very Life" will join the ever-expanding playlist for 5 1/2, perhaps starting a second playlist, as I like the complete nature of the first list (which has been amended since I posted it, with Otis' "Try a Little Tenderness" being dropped in after the Suede). It will likely be followed by the recently discovered Baby Washington and her song, "Hey Lonely." I found it at Mod-Centric, and you can download it from them. It's amazing how songs come along at just the right time, that you hear them and think, "Gosh, that makes so much sense, that's exactly what I want right now." Suddenly your iPod becomes like those Russian dolls, each one opening up to reveal another one. So, the Carla Thomas track leads to the Baby Washington track, and so on. This morning, as I was climbing out of the shower, my shuffle landed on Elvis Costello's "Sleep of the Just," off of the King of America album, and it was like, "Oh, yes," and now the playlist has a third song. LastFM has the full track.
Pecking around on YouTube to find sharable versions of some of these songs, I found some cool alternate versions of both "Sleep of the Just" and "You'll Lose a Good Thing" that I thought were worth sharing.
Current Soundtrack: shufflin' paint: Camera Obscura, the Thrills (anyoen else ever notice the Gatsby reference in "No More Empty Words"?), Del the Funkee Homosapien, Blur, Patti Smith (covering "Gimme Shelter"), Dr. Octagon, Morrissey, N*E*R*D
Current Mood: how does it feel to feel?
e-mail = golightly at confessions123.com * Criterion Confessions * Live Journal Syndication * My Corporate-Owned Space * ComicSpace * Last FM * GoodReads * The Blog Roll * DVDTalk reviews * My Books On Amazon
All text (c) 2008 Jamie S. Rich
I've been using the library to get my hands on boxed sets collecting old soul and R&B singles by the big labels, including these marvelous, mammoth Stax/Volt collections that have felt like a portal into a whole new world of music I somehow never got exposed to. (Keep in mind, my dad decided those drug-taking, sexpot Beatles ruined music; he also thinks the Beach Boys were clean-cut young men.)
In the latest set I have, collecting tunes from 1968 through 1971, I found a song that I must public ally declare my new favorite sad song of all time:
Carla Thomas - "I Loved You Like I Love My Very Life"
My goodness, that is so direct, so honest. I used to say Spiritualized's "Broken Heart" was my favorite for that reason, but now that song sounds like 18th-century verse in comparison to Carla Thomas' track. Every time she sings about having a hard time breathing, I realize I have a lump in my throat, too. There is no pretense, no need to hide behind metaphor or glossy language. Carla just sings it like it is.
I've been a Carla Thomas fan for a little over a year now, ever since I decided to finally track down earlier versions of the song "You'll Lose a Good Thing," which I know from the mournful, almost contemptuous McAlmont & Butler version. Her voice has a warm, syrupy quality, but at the same time, her delivery is very unassuming, like she is so confident she doesn't need to show off by over harmonizing or tossing around unnecessary notes. She can mess around and have fun (her duet with Otis Redding, "Tramp," is fantastic) when she wants to, but when she goes for the emotional jugular as she does on "I Loved You..." the depth of meaning she manages to convey is astounding. The song particularly struck me right about now as it's like a compact version of 5 1/2. Songs like this that make me think of my books end up soundtracking trailers I cut in my head, helping me to get directly to the mood I am hoping to achieve in the story.
And, of course, there is the finality of it all. This song is all past tense. Not just the love she had for whomever she is singing about, but you can also interpret the phrase "I loved you like I love my very life" that she is placing her life in the past, too: I loved both of these things, and now they are gone. What happens next to her is still in question, but she's making it clear that just about everything she cared for is now gone. There is still hope, sure, she hasn't yet changed it to "I loved my very life," but it sure feels like things are going that way.
"I Loved You Like I Love My Very Life" will join the ever-expanding playlist for 5 1/2, perhaps starting a second playlist, as I like the complete nature of the first list (which has been amended since I posted it, with Otis' "Try a Little Tenderness" being dropped in after the Suede). It will likely be followed by the recently discovered Baby Washington and her song, "Hey Lonely." I found it at Mod-Centric, and you can download it from them. It's amazing how songs come along at just the right time, that you hear them and think, "Gosh, that makes so much sense, that's exactly what I want right now." Suddenly your iPod becomes like those Russian dolls, each one opening up to reveal another one. So, the Carla Thomas track leads to the Baby Washington track, and so on. This morning, as I was climbing out of the shower, my shuffle landed on Elvis Costello's "Sleep of the Just," off of the King of America album, and it was like, "Oh, yes," and now the playlist has a third song. LastFM has the full track.
Pecking around on YouTube to find sharable versions of some of these songs, I found some cool alternate versions of both "Sleep of the Just" and "You'll Lose a Good Thing" that I thought were worth sharing.
Current Soundtrack: shufflin' paint: Camera Obscura, the Thrills (anyoen else ever notice the Gatsby reference in "No More Empty Words"?), Del the Funkee Homosapien, Blur, Patti Smith (covering "Gimme Shelter"), Dr. Octagon, Morrissey, N*E*R*D
Current Mood: how does it feel to feel?
e-mail = golightly at confessions123.com * Criterion Confessions * Live Journal Syndication * My Corporate-Owned Space * ComicSpace * Last FM * GoodReads * The Blog Roll * DVDTalk reviews * My Books On Amazon
All text (c) 2008 Jamie S. Rich
Friday, August 01, 2008
BEAUTIFUL FUTURE?
I am writing a scene at a high school reunion and decided that, for the memory lane slideshow my characters are subjected to, I should look through my senior yearbook and actually see what kind of photos we printed in the damn thing. Naturally, you can't help but read the notes people wrote to you when you pull these things out of the closet, and it truly is amazing how little we change in life.
What? My grin makes people itch? I do remember having a Graphitti T-shirt of Brian Bolland's Joker that people said looked like me, but I made you itch?!
Joëlle will appreciate this note from a blonde Swedish foreign exchange student named Jessica:
Ulp.
For more international incidents, I give you Jose Antonio Carlos Hernandez Martine, an exchange student from Spain whom we used to tease by calling him by his full Catholic name:
Nope. Not a single person. More amazing: nobody ever kicked my ass in high school. Sounds like I deserved it, though!
He continues:
I was scary to look at and my grin made people itch!
The page after that, my friend and prom date Christina Snyder chastises me for telling her Scott Rich was my brother, the prank I wrote about in Four-Letter Worlds. Oh, the legend continues! The yearbook contains many notes about my future books and the great things they all expected me to do. What a bunch of suckers!
The following makes me cringe quite a bit:
I don't cringe at the writing, as that's actually a pretty incisive, meaningful expression. I cringe at the fact that I called this wonderful girl "Mother Goose" to make fun of how she walked! I remember Tiffany as being sweet, quiet, and one of the school's smartest kids. She was also really pretty, and I am mortified that I wouldn't have told her that instead of such a mean nickname. Tiffany, if you ever see this, I am so sorry!
Elswhere, I was a teacher's aide for third-period that last year, in Mrs. James' sophomore English class. So, being the lecher I am, naturally there are a lot of notes in here from 15-year-old girls who I shamelessly flirted with.
Yikes! I am not sure I want to understand either. I really don't remember being an ear sucker.
My favorite, though, came from a very real crush of mine. She ended up dating this guy Chad who couldn't close his mouth, and looked like he had spent the day kissing the hot part of a stove.
Genius plans can never come too early!
I leave you now with photographic evidence of all that is wrong with me, my senior yearbook photo of the speech team, ca. 1990:
That's a Smiths The Queen Is Dead T-shirt I have on. In a team of six, I am the only boy, and I dated both of the girls next to me at different times over the course of the first semester. Thus, the whole lot of uncomfortable you see on my face.
Current Soundtrack: shuffle through Nicky Wire, Bright Eyes, Richard Ashcroft, Charlatans, Bloc Party; Primal Scream, Beautiful Future
Current Mood: mortified
e-mail = golightly at confessions123.com * Criterion Confessions * Live Journal Syndication * My Corporate-Owned Space * ComicSpace * Last FM * GoodReads * The Blog Roll * DVDTalk reviews * My Books On Amazon
All text (c) 2008 Jamie S. Rich
I am writing a scene at a high school reunion and decided that, for the memory lane slideshow my characters are subjected to, I should look through my senior yearbook and actually see what kind of photos we printed in the damn thing. Naturally, you can't help but read the notes people wrote to you when you pull these things out of the closet, and it truly is amazing how little we change in life.
"I want you to know if it wasn't for you, I would have gone all my high school years without getting my ass fondled."
-Dave S.
"I admire your unique outlook on life. Don't lose it. (But lose that grin that always makes people itch.)"
- Lloyd N.
What? My grin makes people itch? I do remember having a Graphitti T-shirt of Brian Bolland's Joker that people said looked like me, but I made you itch?!
Joëlle will appreciate this note from a blonde Swedish foreign exchange student named Jessica:
"Well, you know so much about Swedes already that we don't have anything to hide any longer...You know even more than I do, as a matter of fact! 'Milk girls with braids and a white hat saying: Ja ja.'"
Ulp.
For more international incidents, I give you Jose Antonio Carlos Hernandez Martine, an exchange student from Spain whom we used to tease by calling him by his full Catholic name:
"I consider you one of my best friends, one of those friends that have a full-life guarantee. Sometimes I have hated you for your 'Spaniard-women-are-ugly-fat-and-they-don't-shave-their-legs jokes' (if you do not know what is good stuff, how can you judge? Anyhow you only can know it if you go to that marvelous country called Spain.) But most of the times I have had a great tme with your company. Has anybody told you that you weird?"
Nope. Not a single person. More amazing: nobody ever kicked my ass in high school. Sounds like I deserved it, though!
He continues:
"Perhaps that is the reason I like you, perhaps is your careless tonuge that has taught the minimum of vocabulary as to survive in this fucking world or perhaps is your look which 'scared' me the first day I saw you."
I was scary to look at and my grin made people itch!
The page after that, my friend and prom date Christina Snyder chastises me for telling her Scott Rich was my brother, the prank I wrote about in Four-Letter Worlds
. Oh, the legend continues! The yearbook contains many notes about my future books and the great things they all expected me to do. What a bunch of suckers!The following makes me cringe quite a bit:
"So what do you say to the weirdest guy that you know that actually has the same fears, dreams, and shoelaces as everyone else? I guess I could say that the comedy kept me going or the rude jokes kept me blushing or the tickling hands kept me running or the 'Mother Goose' kept me worrying (about how I walk) or your writing kept my mouth dropped but I won't say any of those things. Instead I'll say that I wish you the best of luck (and love!) in everything you attempt and 20 years from now I'll really aprreciate being able to tell my kids I knew that weirdo with all the safety pins who wrote the horror stories then starred (or is it stared?) in them!
- Tiffany H.
I don't cringe at the writing, as that's actually a pretty incisive, meaningful expression. I cringe at the fact that I called this wonderful girl "Mother Goose" to make fun of how she walked! I remember Tiffany as being sweet, quiet, and one of the school's smartest kids. She was also really pretty, and I am mortified that I wouldn't have told her that instead of such a mean nickname. Tiffany, if you ever see this, I am so sorry!
Elswhere, I was a teacher's aide for third-period that last year, in Mrs. James' sophomore English class. So, being the lecher I am, naturally there are a lot of notes in here from 15-year-old girls who I shamelessly flirted with.
"Heck! Mrs. James class was great, without your morbid stories and 'happy' attitude it just would not have been so tolerable. Anyway I wish you all the best, I'm sure my kid's will be reading some of your happy poetry in their senior English class."
- Valerie B.
"It's been interesting knowing you. By now I should be used to you teasing me. I am. At first you made me mad, but now you make me laugh."
- Misty S., summing up every relationship I've ever had
"In my mind you are the finest guy in the 300 quad, school...heck...the WORLD! DYE YOUR HAIR BACK. YOU DON'T GIVE ME THE CREEPS!!!"
- Cindy (no last initial)
"Words just can't express what I think of your perverted, demented, twisted, kind, endearing charms. I think that you are one of the most stupendous guys I have ever met, though you enjoy sucking on young innocent girls ears, we (I) love you for it! I don't understand, I mean, I'm totally unable to comprehend you - nor do I want to!"
- Erica P.
Yikes! I am not sure I want to understand either. I really don't remember being an ear sucker.
My favorite, though, came from a very real crush of mine. She ended up dating this guy Chad who couldn't close his mouth, and looked like he had spent the day kissing the hot part of a stove.
"Good luck with your little house in the forest shared with that special cat."
- Kelley M.
Genius plans can never come too early!
I leave you now with photographic evidence of all that is wrong with me, my senior yearbook photo of the speech team, ca. 1990:
That's a Smiths The Queen Is Dead T-shirt I have on. In a team of six, I am the only boy, and I dated both of the girls next to me at different times over the course of the first semester. Thus, the whole lot of uncomfortable you see on my face.
Current Soundtrack: shuffle through Nicky Wire, Bright Eyes, Richard Ashcroft, Charlatans, Bloc Party; Primal Scream, Beautiful Future
Current Mood: mortified
e-mail = golightly at confessions123.com * Criterion Confessions * Live Journal Syndication * My Corporate-Owned Space * ComicSpace * Last FM * GoodReads * The Blog Roll * DVDTalk reviews * My Books On Amazon
All text (c) 2008 Jamie S. Rich
Sunday, July 27, 2008
THE WAY I FEEL NOW DEATH IS NOT AROUND
Made some decent work progress this week. It's amazing how nice and quiet it gets when Comic Con is on. Someone should seal up that convention center like the witch's oven in "Hansel & Gretel" and never let all them geeks out.
I wrote somewhere in the neighborhood of 4,000 words on 5 1/2 this week, bringing the total word count to 13,745. It's hard to be entirely accurate as in addition to moving forward with the narrative, I also spackled and repaired some holes. Much sketching and notetaking was also completed. I am thinking of taking these updates off of a weekly schedule, however, as they make me overly concerned with producing a good number when I had set out on this novel with the intention of taking my time with it. I may only add updates when I have other writing things to talk about.
Current Soundtrack: Spiritualized, NPR stream of the 7/25/08 show in Washington D.C.
Current Mood: haunted when the minutes drag
e-mail = golightly at confessions123.com * Criterion Confessions * Live Journal Syndication * My Corporate-Owned Space * ComicSpace * Last FM * GoodReads * The Blog Roll * DVDTalk reviews * My Books On Amazon
All text (c) 2008 Jamie S. Rich
Made some decent work progress this week. It's amazing how nice and quiet it gets when Comic Con is on. Someone should seal up that convention center like the witch's oven in "Hansel & Gretel" and never let all them geeks out.
I wrote somewhere in the neighborhood of 4,000 words on 5 1/2 this week, bringing the total word count to 13,745. It's hard to be entirely accurate as in addition to moving forward with the narrative, I also spackled and repaired some holes. Much sketching and notetaking was also completed. I am thinking of taking these updates off of a weekly schedule, however, as they make me overly concerned with producing a good number when I had set out on this novel with the intention of taking my time with it. I may only add updates when I have other writing things to talk about.
"Yet, what are ghosts if not metaphors? Are we all not haunted houses, wandering around with our pasts rattling like the chains of Jacob Marley, shackled with our misdeeds and fearful of a lonely future? I was heading back to high school, to see people I had left for good eighteen years ago. Are these not ghosts?
Screw it. Drink up!"
Current Soundtrack: Spiritualized, NPR stream of the 7/25/08 show in Washington D.C.
Current Mood: haunted when the minutes drag
e-mail = golightly at confessions123.com * Criterion Confessions * Live Journal Syndication * My Corporate-Owned Space * ComicSpace * Last FM * GoodReads * The Blog Roll * DVDTalk reviews * My Books On Amazon
All text (c) 2008 Jamie S. Rich
Sunday, July 20, 2008
WHY DO I KEEP COUNTING?
I didn't get to spend much time on 5 1/2 this week, getting a mere 1,900 words on paper. A couple of movie screenings, that volume of Antique Gift Shop, and the 12-page script for Allred got in the way. No idea what will be done with the latter, but I enjoyed writing it.
Doing two scripts for an unannounced Image anthology, a six-page script by request of an artist, and this one brings my short story count up to four in the last month or so, totally something like 34 comic book pages. I really do enjoy doing those little things.
Anyway, my schedule is totally clear this coming week, plus everyone in comics will be at Comic Con, so it should be pretty much all novel while that's happening. I doubt you'll hear my name spoken at all at the show. I tried to get some decisions made about the book with Mike Holmes, just to see if we could add it to a roster of announcements from the prospective publisher, but never heard back one way or the other on it. Ah, the joys of "no reply."
Unrelated to all that, I have two words for Maggie Gyllenhaal: I'm Batman.
Seriously? Adorable...
If you ever grow tired of Peter Sarsgaard, I'm totally available. I'll even add a second A to my first name just to fit in. Plus, that whole thing where girls normally have to get over the fact that I'm creepy won't be a problem with you, since, you know, you're married to Peter Sarsgaard.
And, hello, who at American Express has been reading my diary? Because clearly someone got ahold of my private fantasy about my ideal couple to see in a porno movie:
Current Soundtrack: Amityville, Mazzy Star, Christina Aguilera, The Symbols, Thom Yorke
Current Mood: dorky
e-mail = golightly at confessions123.com * Criterion Confessions * Live Journal Syndication * My Corporate-Owned Space * ComicSpace * Last FM * GoodReads * The Blog Roll * DVDTalk reviews * My Books On Amazon
All text (c) 2008 Jamie S. Rich
I didn't get to spend much time on 5 1/2 this week, getting a mere 1,900 words on paper. A couple of movie screenings, that volume of Antique Gift Shop, and the 12-page script for Allred got in the way. No idea what will be done with the latter, but I enjoyed writing it.
Doing two scripts for an unannounced Image anthology, a six-page script by request of an artist, and this one brings my short story count up to four in the last month or so, totally something like 34 comic book pages. I really do enjoy doing those little things.
Anyway, my schedule is totally clear this coming week, plus everyone in comics will be at Comic Con, so it should be pretty much all novel while that's happening. I doubt you'll hear my name spoken at all at the show. I tried to get some decisions made about the book with Mike Holmes, just to see if we could add it to a roster of announcements from the prospective publisher, but never heard back one way or the other on it. Ah, the joys of "no reply."
Unrelated to all that, I have two words for Maggie Gyllenhaal: I'm Batman.
Seriously? Adorable...
If you ever grow tired of Peter Sarsgaard, I'm totally available. I'll even add a second A to my first name just to fit in. Plus, that whole thing where girls normally have to get over the fact that I'm creepy won't be a problem with you, since, you know, you're married to Peter Sarsgaard.
And, hello, who at American Express has been reading my diary? Because clearly someone got ahold of my private fantasy about my ideal couple to see in a porno movie:
Current Soundtrack: Amityville, Mazzy Star, Christina Aguilera, The Symbols, Thom Yorke
Current Mood: dorky
e-mail = golightly at confessions123.com * Criterion Confessions * Live Journal Syndication * My Corporate-Owned Space * ComicSpace * Last FM * GoodReads * The Blog Roll * DVDTalk reviews * My Books On Amazon
All text (c) 2008 Jamie S. Rich
Sunday, July 13, 2008
CURRENT WORKLOAD: BOXES & LISTS
The first week's word count for 5 1/2 is a decent 6,450 words. That includes no working on it last Sunday, Monday, or yesterday.
This morning, I wrote a six-page comic book script for possible inclusion in an indie anthology, as requested by the artist. It's a book featuring collaborations between comics creators living in Portland and San Francisco, a bridge between our bohemian, neo-capitalist metropolises.
At the moment, working on film reviews. Next week I'll be mainly focused on starting Antique Gift Shop vol. 7. I also am supposed to write something for Allred one of these days.
I'm told Popgun, vol. 2 will be in shops on July 22. Also, Love the Way You Love, Side B is being prepped to go to the printer.
Current Soundtrack: The Beatles, White Album
Current Mood: creative
The first week's word count for 5 1/2 is a decent 6,450 words. That includes no working on it last Sunday, Monday, or yesterday.
This morning, I wrote a six-page comic book script for possible inclusion in an indie anthology, as requested by the artist. It's a book featuring collaborations between comics creators living in Portland and San Francisco, a bridge between our bohemian, neo-capitalist metropolises.
At the moment, working on film reviews. Next week I'll be mainly focused on starting Antique Gift Shop vol. 7. I also am supposed to write something for Allred one of these days.
I'm told Popgun, vol. 2
will be in shops on July 22. Also, Love the Way You Love, Side B is being prepped to go to the printer.Current Soundtrack: The Beatles, White Album
Current Mood: creative
Saturday, July 05, 2008
I WAS PULLED FROM THE WRECKAGE ONE DAY...
Current Soundtrack: Midlake, The Trials of Van Occupanther
Current Mood: gloomy
e-mail = golightly at confessions123.com * Criterion Confessions * Live Journal Syndication * My Corporate-Owned Space * ComicSpace * Last FM * GoodReads * The Blog Roll * DVDTalk reviews * My Books On Amazon
All text (c) 2008 Jamie S. Rich
Let me not be too consumed with this world
Sometimes I want to go home
and stay out of sight for a long time
These Are the Sad Songs
1. The Charlatans - "My Name is Despair"
2. Engelbert Humperdink - "A Man Without Love"
3. Tim Hardin - "Black Sheep Boy"
4. Spiritualized -"Death, Take Your Fiddle"
5. Tex Ritter - "High Noon (Do Not Forsake Me)"
6. Violent Femmes - "See My Ships"
7. The Smiths - "Frankly Mr. Shankly"
8. The Trash Can Sinatras - "I Know It's Over"
9. The Bad Habits - "My Days Are Numbered"
10. Low - "Murderer"
11. Arcadia - "Missing"
12. The Yardbirds - "Ten Little Indians"
13. Tim Hardin - "How Can We Hang on to a Dream?"
14. The Coral - "Who's Gonna Find Me?"
15. Midlake - "Van Occupanther"
16. Gallon Drunk - "Lost and Alone"
17. Eva Cassidy - "Kathy's Song"
18. Violent Femmes - "Nothing Worth Living For"
19. Joy Division - "Atmosphere"
20. Low - "Sunshine"
21. Suede - "Heroin"
Current Soundtrack: Midlake, The Trials of Van Occupanther
Current Mood: gloomy
e-mail = golightly at confessions123.com * Criterion Confessions * Live Journal Syndication * My Corporate-Owned Space * ComicSpace * Last FM * GoodReads * The Blog Roll * DVDTalk reviews * My Books On Amazon
All text (c) 2008 Jamie S. Rich
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
CURRENT WORKLOAD: TWO STEPS, TWICE
It's been quite a weekend. Ian Shaughnessexy has been visiting, and he and his main squeeze have been running me ragged. For the first time in my life, I've been rejected from an alcohol establishment for being too intoxicated. Personally, I think it was because I am too intoxicating. They say tomato, I say tomatilla.
I've still been feeling a little creatively fallow. Though I have had some great ideas for Jamie S. Rich's 5 1/2, I've been purposely not working on anything that is my own. So, more freelance.
I'm working on two manhwa scripts at the moment: one for Tokyopop that I can't find anything official about to link to, and then the fourth volume of Goong for the newly relaunched Yen/Ice Kunion.
So, staying busy. Fear not!
Current Soundtrack: Sugababes, "About You Now"
Current Mood: busy
It's been quite a weekend. Ian Shaughnessexy has been visiting, and he and his main squeeze have been running me ragged. For the first time in my life, I've been rejected from an alcohol establishment for being too intoxicated. Personally, I think it was because I am too intoxicating. They say tomato, I say tomatilla.
I've still been feeling a little creatively fallow. Though I have had some great ideas for Jamie S. Rich's 5 1/2, I've been purposely not working on anything that is my own. So, more freelance.
I'm working on two manhwa scripts at the moment: one for Tokyopop that I can't find anything official about to link to, and then the fourth volume of Goong for the newly relaunched Yen/Ice Kunion.
So, staying busy. Fear not!
Current Soundtrack: Sugababes, "About You Now"
Current Mood: busy
Thursday, March 20, 2008
LUCKY THAT MY BREASTS ARE SMALL AND HUMBLE
SO THAT YOU DON'T CONFUSE THEM WITH MOUNTAINS
Confessors, it is 12:41 am and just moments ago I hit save on what I believe to be the first completed draft of the brand new novel.
Final word count: approx. 84,600. If that doesn't seem like a lot, think about the fact that the body of this post is about 500 words, and an average movie review for me is maybe 700 words. Then multiply.
What was started on 8/21/07 and begun in earnest in December is now a whole thing. This past autumn I traveled everywhere with a notebook that contained four possible projects that I was developing. Two were comics proposals that are now with my agents, Baker's Mark, and they are shopping them for prospective homes. Another was the comic book project with Mike Holmes. (Mike? You out there?) Not included in the notebook was the second series of Love the Way You Love.
The third was BP & MJ. It began as a single scene. There is a part of Starting Out in the Evening where Frank Langella says he writes a story because he sees a scene with one of his characters in it, and he wants to see what happens to him or her next. This is very much how BP & MJ started. Sitting in a San Diego hotel room, I suddenly envisioned a scene, the first page of the book. I carried the words and images around with me for about a month and finally wrote it down. Four months of planning and now four months of writing and I know where the character was going.
Though, honestly, I still have to marinate on the final scene a little. And the last line. I reached the end of the actual outlined story at about 11:00 pm tonight, and realized I didn't really have a final image. I took a walk, listened to some Cutting Crew, and then came back with a clear head, sat, and let it come.
When I grow up, other writers will want to be me. Until then...?
Maryanne and I were saying that people should try to guess the title. Give it a try. If anyone hits it, I'll send you a copy of the manuscript. But I can guarantee no one will. I've only told a handful of people, so I'll know if anyone squealed. (And if I did tell you, then you can't participate; keep that gob of yours zipped!)
As a hint, for those wondering what this book is about, think that if The Everlasting is UTFO's "Roxanne, Roxanne," then BP & MJ is "The Real Roxanne." This is a response record.
Or if The Everlasting is Goodfellas, this is Casino. With the part of Robert DeNiro played by Marion Cotillard.
The novel also is supposed to have some involvement from Joëlle Jones, and there is still a chance she could read it and hate it and then I have to throw it out because there is no point in doing it if Joëlle hates it. There's no point in doing anything Joëlle hates.
Interested parties who want to publish this book and think they can afford me should contact Gretchen Stelter at Baker's Mark. Link is in the sidebar.
And Lord help me, with this out of the way, I am thinking this summer I might start the next novel, a little something I'm currently calling Jamie S. Rich's 5 1/2.
Next step, though, is sitting down and reading what I have, making sure I haven't lost my mind, and then giving it to a couple of folks so they can double-check that to be true.
Viva Forever!
Current Soundtrack: the BP & MJ playlist; I'll post that here soon, I'm too tired to type it up now
Current Mood: accomplished
e-mail = golightly at confessions123.com * Criterion Confessions * Live Journal Syndication * My Corporate-Owned Space * ComicSpace * Last FM * GoodReads * The Blog Roll * DVDTalk reviews * My Books On Amazon
All text (c) 2008 Jamie S. Rich
SO THAT YOU DON'T CONFUSE THEM WITH MOUNTAINS
Confessors, it is 12:41 am and just moments ago I hit save on what I believe to be the first completed draft of the brand new novel.
Final word count: approx. 84,600. If that doesn't seem like a lot, think about the fact that the body of this post is about 500 words, and an average movie review for me is maybe 700 words. Then multiply.
What was started on 8/21/07 and begun in earnest in December is now a whole thing. This past autumn I traveled everywhere with a notebook that contained four possible projects that I was developing. Two were comics proposals that are now with my agents, Baker's Mark, and they are shopping them for prospective homes. Another was the comic book project with Mike Holmes. (Mike? You out there?) Not included in the notebook was the second series of Love the Way You Love.
The third was BP & MJ. It began as a single scene. There is a part of Starting Out in the Evening where Frank Langella says he writes a story because he sees a scene with one of his characters in it, and he wants to see what happens to him or her next. This is very much how BP & MJ started. Sitting in a San Diego hotel room, I suddenly envisioned a scene, the first page of the book. I carried the words and images around with me for about a month and finally wrote it down. Four months of planning and now four months of writing and I know where the character was going.
Though, honestly, I still have to marinate on the final scene a little. And the last line. I reached the end of the actual outlined story at about 11:00 pm tonight, and realized I didn't really have a final image. I took a walk, listened to some Cutting Crew, and then came back with a clear head, sat, and let it come.
When I grow up, other writers will want to be me. Until then...?
Maryanne and I were saying that people should try to guess the title. Give it a try. If anyone hits it, I'll send you a copy of the manuscript. But I can guarantee no one will. I've only told a handful of people, so I'll know if anyone squealed. (And if I did tell you, then you can't participate; keep that gob of yours zipped!)
As a hint, for those wondering what this book is about, think that if The Everlasting
is UTFO's "Roxanne, Roxanne," then BP & MJ is "The Real Roxanne." This is a response record. Or if The Everlasting is Goodfellas, this is Casino. With the part of Robert DeNiro played by Marion Cotillard.
The novel also is supposed to have some involvement from Joëlle Jones, and there is still a chance she could read it and hate it and then I have to throw it out because there is no point in doing it if Joëlle hates it. There's no point in doing anything Joëlle hates.
Interested parties who want to publish this book and think they can afford me should contact Gretchen Stelter at Baker's Mark. Link is in the sidebar.
And Lord help me, with this out of the way, I am thinking this summer I might start the next novel, a little something I'm currently calling Jamie S. Rich's 5 1/2.
Next step, though, is sitting down and reading what I have, making sure I haven't lost my mind, and then giving it to a couple of folks so they can double-check that to be true.
Viva Forever!
Current Soundtrack: the BP & MJ playlist; I'll post that here soon, I'm too tired to type it up now
Current Mood: accomplished
e-mail = golightly at confessions123.com * Criterion Confessions * Live Journal Syndication * My Corporate-Owned Space * ComicSpace * Last FM * GoodReads * The Blog Roll * DVDTalk reviews * My Books On Amazon
All text (c) 2008 Jamie S. Rich
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