Inkwell: Authors and Artists

    
Okay, while we're on Disney... what's the basic premise of Emperor's
New Groove any way? Can't tell a thing from the previews or the title
which old story is being re-told... dear heavens, they aren't writing
something original are they?

Oh, and Happy whatevery'allcelebrateatthistimeofyear.

-squeaks, who finally returned Beauty & the Beast after a week and a
half - Blockbuster is getting really touchy about that... imagine!
  

    

Evil regent (Eartha Kitt) and lunkhead assistant/lover (Patrick
Warburton) try to poison spoiled obnoxious emperor (David Spade) of
mythological (apparently Latin American) kingdom. They screw up and he
gets turned into a llama. He must flee and seeks help from a peasant
(John Goodman), whose home he is intending to tear down to build himself
a new summer palace. While on the run, bratty emperor must learn empathy
and compassion and the like from bighearted peasant. 

I thought it was extremely funny. 
  

    
And there's lots of things I haven't replied or commented on -- and I
will -- but I'm up to chapter 6 in the rewrite of American Gods , and
have stopped for a while in order to open stuff, eat too much, and --
of course --

wish a very happy holiday season
to all our readers

...


PS -- it's warmed up to Minus 10. We wound up with an extra many hours
of the company of the lovely Claudia Gonson (of the Magnetic Fields)
who was meant to be gone at dawn but wasn't... hurrah....
  

    
Cool! (um, not the weather... tho' that too)

Somehow I think my mother would have appreciated the hokey sweater
more if it dropped below 30 out here. I just hope it's warm enough so
that the airplanes bringing certain people home aren't horribly
delayed.

-squeaks, who doesn't celebrate, but is glad certain relatives are
insistent - CBLDF cruise is looking possible now!
  

    
This weather.  Ugh.  

I've been stealing your 'science-fiction cold' line, Neil.  

Happiness and peace to everyone, whatever you choose to do this
journey 'round the sun.
  

    
Ah, Christmas is over.  The end of crucified Santas for the year. 
(No, I'm not making that up.)  Hope everyone had a Merry Holiday
Thingie, and that New Years is good.

Vicky:  As for only imposing self-censorship on your writing, right
on.  I'd add that if it scares you to write something that is often the
sign that you NEED to write it.  At least, it's been so for me.  Often
I don't end up with something that I want to show to other people, but
despite that (or because of it) very real and important.  Anyway,
don't allow discomfort to keep you away from what you need to say. 
Sometimes I think we fight to keep ourselves out of certain parts of
our heads, and if you're able to break through that more power to you.
  

    
Merry belated Christmas, Neil!  (Haven't been able to get on a computer in
Seattle.)
  

    
Len -- I feel very uncomfortable about going to Keeler e-texts: the
work is still in copyright, after all. I'd rather talk someone into
bringing it back into print...

Michelle -- I agree with you about Howard Ashman. My friend Anne Bobby
worked with him on a number of pre-little mermaid musicals... all
flops, or never actually mounted. Sigh.

Toribat -- good to hear from you. Things sound dead interesting in
Knoxville (where my friend and occasional bodyguard Kevin Starr is now
running the Ronald macdonald franchise, so if you see a Ronald
Macdonald in Knoxville go over and say "Are you Neil's friend Kevin
Starr?")  And yes, the baby was REALLY cute.

Michelle: Am taking maddy to Emperor's New groove today or tomorrow.  


Took the kids to INTO THE WOODS at the Ordway the other night. Maddy 
(age 6) is now sitting listening to the broadway recording, with the
programme from the Ordway production, counting off the numbers. I have
to go and find her the London production in a minute, with "Our Little
World" on it.

I have a theory that into the Woods and Watchmen tell the same story.

"Stay with me, the world is dark and wild..." Bernadette Peters just
sang.

"It's not dark all the time. Only at night," said maddy sagely. "She's
just saying that because she wants Rapunzel to stay with her."

...
Claudia wound up here  for the extra most of a day waiting for tripleA
to come and start her car, which was unable to cope with the whole 20
below business.

....

Michelle -- I'll keep my fingers crossed...

and thank you Emily. And Martha, happy new year.
  

    
Grand, now I'm going to have to pop in the soundtrack and re-read
Watchmen...

Incidentally, my boss and a former co-worker are near-drooling jealous
that Claudia stayed over. Haven't mentioned it to James yet, but I
imagine he will pout if I tell him (after doing a double take).

-squeaks, who, it was pointed out, is distractedly 'in like' with
someone and simply must get back to doodling in her notebook. :)
  

    
Neil--

The image of Maddy listening to the CD with the Ordway program in hand
makes me very, very happy.

Watchmen/ITW... I'd love for you to expand on your idea. Neil, knowing
that there are people like you out there who think along those lines,
I feel less weird.  That may sound melodramatic, but as someone who's
never entirely fit into either world (few music-theater geeks like
comix and vice versa,) it's entirely true.

Thinking about Watchmen/ITW for the first time, I see certain
connections... playing with archetypes (fairy tale figures,
superheroes), isolation and interconnectedness, Witch & Rapunzel/Sally
Jupiter & Laurie/Dr. Mahattan & Laurie, cataclysmic outside force
(Giantess/Big Space Thing) bringing people together...  Also there's
that theme of opera/music theatre that runs through Watchmen (Ride of
Valkyries, Threepenny Opera, etc.)

Ah, but I am babbling.
  

    
BTW, I made some truly wonderful latkes this Hanukkah.  In the
interest of mankind's greater happiness in this festival season, I post
the recipe.  Cold vodka goes quite well with these lil' beauties.

Latkes

4 large idaho potatoes
1 small onion
2 eggs, beaten'
1/4 cup matzoh meal (or cracker meal (grind crackers in a blender or
food processor)
2-3 tbs all purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Oil for frying (I use olive oil because of its special Hannukkah
significance.)

You'll also need:

A great big bowl and a smaller one
a clean dishtowel
a grating tool (grater or food processor)
a cast-iron skillet (ideally)

Here's how you do it:

Spread the dishtowel over the bowl so it lines the inside.

Grate two potatoes and half the onion; put them into the towel-lined
bowl.

Bundle the potato/onion mixture in the towel and twist it to wring off
all the water you can-- it should go into the bowl. Discard the water
and scrape the potatoes and collected starch into the bowl. (the
towel-in-the-bowl bit is my great technological innovation)

Repeat with the remaining half of the potatoes and onion.  Set them
all aside.

In the other bowl beat together the eggs, matzoh meal, flour, salt and
pepper. 

Pour the egg mixture into the potatoes; mix thoroughly with hands. (I
use both hands, with an eggbeater-type motion.)

Let the mixture stand for 10 minutes (the flour and matzoh meal have
to absorb the eggs.)  In the meantime, heat 1/4 inch oil in a cast-iron
skillet to about 350 (also takes about 10 minutes).

Drop batter into oil, forming 2.5 inch pancakes. I spread them out a
little extra to make them lacier and crisper.  Don't do too many at
once or you'll cool the oil and the latkes will get greasy.

Fry for 2-3 minutes on each side until golden brown, and drain on
paper towels.  Keep warm on trays in a 200 degree oven.

Serve with applesauce & sour cream  (or, if extra indulgent, crème fra
che and smoked salmon.)
  

    
Len... yum.

Yes, all those things. But most of all, it's the idea of the last
Midnight -- and the giant -- being nuclear...
  

    
E-mail from Dave G:

For Keeler books try www.ramblehouse.bigstep.com
    Yours, Dave G
  

    
Dave, will do.

...

Took Maddy to see THE EMPEROR'S NEW GROOVE. It  was a pleasant
surprise: funny, undemanding, and it felt like a cross between a Warner
Bros cartoon and European Bandes Desinees. Not too long, and only one
song. I suspect I enjoyed it more than I ever would have enjoyed Empire
of the Sun, or whatever the respectable film it replaced was.

Am up to Chapter 12 in the rewrite. Chapter 12 is where things get
sticky.

Also doing the last rewrite on the scifi channel audio thingie.

And I got a wonderful photograph from Hong Kong...
  

    
Hurrah -- the ramblehouse.bigstep.com site lists By Harry Stephen
Keeler 
The Case of the 16 Beans
The Case of the Transposed Legs
The Mysterious Mr. I
The Chameleon
When Thief Meets Thief
The Fourth King
The Riddle of the Travelling Skull
The Man Who Changed His Skin
The Face of the Man from Saturn
The Man with the Crimson Box (not pictured) 
The Book with the Orange Leaves (not pictured)

many of which I DO NOT HAVE. Hurrah. Read Bradley Denton's BLACKBURN
last night -- very good book.

Now up to Chapter 14 of AMERICAN GODS, having navigated the rocky
shoals of chapters 12 and 13 (and the interlude between them). It ought
to be plain sailing through chapters 14 and 15. Then into the crawling
madness that will be the rewrite of Chapters 16 and 17. Chapter 18
needs a little oomph. Chapter 19 needs to figure out what its about....
  

    
Reading Harold Bloom's The Western Canon today.  He includes The Man
Who Was Thursday.
  

    
Complete change of subject, because I can't really think of anything
else just now. Um, Neil, I now have the PERFECT place for the license
plate frame you signed eons ago (other than around the silly plate).
Silver 2001 VW Turbo Beetle (which will, in a couple of years, be
painted to look like an Egyptian scarab beetle). :) Photos will be up
after new years, assuming it survives stupid people firing guns into
the air in East Oakland.

-squeaks, who will not stop bouncing about it until she gets her first
ticket in it... which will likely be soon. It likes to go fast.
  

    
Happy happy new year to everybody! *^o^*

Neil - Glad it got there! *wipes sweat off brow* Hope you like it. And
happy rewriting.

Michelle - Bug!!!!!!!

And pardon my ignorance: who's Harry Stephen Keeler? (He wrote
books... I got that much... ^_^;)

Long hidden message about the Japanese translation of The Dream
Hunters next.

*Disclaimer: don't expect a professional review!* >_<  
  

    <hidden>
  

    
Mimi--

That was a completely fascinating review.  Thanks for the insights
into the subtleties of translation.
  

    
michelle -- congrats on the silver car -- I love the idea of you
painting it into a scarab.

Mimi -- it's lovely. Harry Steven Keeler was either the worst good
writer or the best bad writer in american history. It's the plots,
really, which do the strangest things. I am currently reading THE SKULL
OF THE WALTZING CLOWN, am over half the way through the book, have
past the "you have all the clues -- have you figured out who did it?"
page and not only have not figured out who did it, I don't even know
what was done, or what's going on. I was impressed by the casual
insertion of a short story into the text as the hero reads a slush
pile. And, so far, no clown, waltzing or otherwise, and no skull.

I think Keeler is the kind of writer who will leave 95% of all readers
utterly cold -- he reminds me of someone like Conlan Nancarrow in
Mexico writing his music for player pianos...


Thanks for the review. Absolutely fascinating. I worry that Dream
Hunters would be less convincing in Japanese, I think.  It is lovely,
isn't it?
  

    
Had my flu shot yesterday.

Read Keith Roberts' literary memoir LEMADY, and it's an odd 
assortment of shallow stuff and grumbles, shot through with the veins
of brilliance and depth that one saw in the best of his fiction. I only
met him once, years ago (at a mexicon?) and we never really spoke. One
of the Pavane stories, however, was in a copy of  a magazine I
remember as being called Science Fantasy I found when I was about 8 or
9, and it burned in the way that bleak adult stories read before you're
ready for them can burn.

Today I have what seems to be a rotten cold. So I've sauna'd and had
an early night and suchlike. And am now off to do chapter 14 stuff.

Happy new year to all of you. Happy New Millennium to anyone who is a
stickler for accuracy. Happy 2001...
  

    
The Harry Steven Keeler society webpage is at
http://xavier.xu.edu:8000/~polt/keeler.html
I've just discovered. I think I'll join it.
  

    
http://users.aol.com/bigsecrets/Keeler/index.html

is a really good Keeler page by William Poundstone, who wrote the Big
Secrets books (the first of which was terrific. The two that followed
felt kind of desperate -- after you've revealed the recipe for Coke,
for Big Mac Sauce and KFC chciken mix how many big secrets are there?)
  

    

Good Lord. Plate o' Keeler. I just asked about him over in the Experts
topic in news about five days ago. Having gotten *no* responses, I too
unearthed those web pages. 

I sat down the other night with one of the two Keelers I have sitting
around on my shelves, but I honestly couldn't stay awake for more than a
few pages. The guy is so strictly off the wall in such a singular
way. But his simple disregard for several hundred years of the
development of narrative conventions for holding the readers' attentions
is, while theoretically fascinating, really a turnoff in practice. 

Of course, that's how I fell about Joyce, too.