You can read Quinn’s post here.
Check out The Laboratory #4!
Reading
V.
After finishing War and Peace, I felt I had enough time to finish another longish novel before school begins. While teaching, I read shorter novels because my reading is interrupted so much by work. So far, V. is what you expect from a Pynchon novel: a large cast of characters, urban legends, songs, conspiratorial murmurings, shadowy and not-so-shadowy government agencies, funny character names, multiple narratives, etc.
I’m thinking next summer’s big read will be Infinite Jest.
Narrative Discourse: An Essay in Method
Genette’s major work of narratology. Jason and I are both interested in literary theory and this fits with our concept of The Laboratory. It’s dense, but I find Genette’s terms useful, especially splitting apart the different meanings we have for “narrative.” Particularly interesting, and rather dense on first read, is his shorthand for representing narrative in a novel including side-narratives, flashbacks, and other fluctuations of narrative time.
Between this and the podcast, I find myself reading in a different way these days. I’m reading more like a writer and looking at how texts are constructed. I’ve also found that this is affecting my writing in general.
Watching
In the summer, I watch more movies than I should. Lately, to balance the reading of books like The English Patient and War and Peace, I’ve been watching a lot of trash, euro-trash, and exploitation films. Too many to name here, but I’ll say Fascination (1979), Death Bed (1977), and Blood Freak (1972) are particular favorites. Some reviewers feel extreme hatred for those last two, but I found them a lot of fun in their own way. I’ve also been watching some art film to balance some of the trash:
Son of the White Mare (1981)
Not only one of the best animated films I’ve ever seen, but one of the best films period. The story is based on a kind of Hungarian Beowulf epic. The use of color here is fantastic and intense. This movie makes me want to make things better. Click the title above to get to a version on YouTube. Thanks to Derek Ballard for introducing me to this one.
Shana Moulton
I’m still processing her work. It’s slightly disturbing and hilarious and brilliant at the same time. The films I’ve seen are mostly out of the Whispering Pines series in which Moulton’s character Cynthia pursues self-improvement through versions of New Age and mundane medicine. You can see her work by following links at her webpage.
Carolee Schneemann
Out of several films I’ve watched by her, my favorites so far have been Fuses (1967) and Plumb Line (1968-1972). Fuses is described as a meditation on heteroerotic love. Not for kids and NSFW. Plumb Line is about the decay of a relationship and probably the most experimental listed. Films are scratched, burned, reversed, etc. I would love to see these in a theater or museum. Maybe I can talk my cinematographer friend with a projector to screen these one night.
Listening
With the exception of Parmegiani’s Violostries, I’ve been listening to movie soundtracks. Sometimes while writing, sometimes not. Generally, I’ll try to listen to an hour of music at the end of the day if I have time. I’ve been playing and replaying:
Assault on Precinct 13: John Carpenter
Lost Themes: John Carpenter
Lucifer Rising: Bobby BeauSoleil
I recently discovered Stelvio Cipriani’s score work. Listening to what I can find. I think I love Carpenter’s film music more every time I listen to it.
Writing & Submitting
Ghoulanoids #2 is fully drafted. Derek and I consult and discuss and re-write the whole time he draws it, so our final draft is the issue when it comes out. There should be multiple toys with this release and we’ll have bigger news in the Ghoulanoids world soon. I’ve got at least three more issues heavily outlined and partially scripted and the overall story outline in skeleton form.
We’ve heard from the publisher that issue one is now being shipped all over the US. If you pre-ordered, it should be on its way within a week or two. Copies will be available at Quimby’s and Floating World and some other places. Drippy Bones will be updating their site shortly and you will be able to order from them as well.
Derek and I have another book to deliver this year unrelated to Ghoulanoids. I’ve outlined the story and scripted most of it. There’s still quite a bit of work to do on it.
I’m almost ready to begin submitting poetry and flash fiction again. I just need to set out some time to edit and make some files and submit. Sounds easy, but it’s a whole job in itself.
I need to work on Lab #4’s exercise.
Stephen McClurg 