A fake commercial made in 1998 by Phil Lord and Chris Miller for a series of educational shorts about action figures based on historical figures. It was never aired. Maybe they wondered about its educational value. Regardless, it's definitely fun.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Friday, June 25, 2010
poke in the eye? punch in the nose? The point of poetry
The point of poetry is to be acutely discomforting, to prod and provoke, to poke us in the eye, to punch us in the nose, to knock us off our feet, to take our breath away." Paul Muldoon (b. 1951, Northern Ireland)
No wonder poetry is hard work. Hard to read. (Who wants to be poked in the eye?) Hard to write. You need to be in top form, fighting fit to deliver those punches and pokes and prods... to take the breath away...
And it doesn't let you in quick. You have to work for it. Whether reading it, or writing it.
But that's what makes it so powerful.
Kind of the way with most things--at least the important things. The more it costs, the more precious it. The harder it is to climb the mountain, the more amazing the view from the top.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Monday, June 21, 2010
IMPROV everywhere hit the NY public Library
so silly and fun ...
and you can read more about how they did it here
Friday, June 18, 2010
70 years ago 2day Churchill's "finest hour" speech
Today, on June 18 1940, in the House of Commons, Churchill gave his "finest hour" speech. One of the greatest speeches ever delivered. Barely 6 weeks in office as Prime Minister, he faced the threat of invasion from Nazi-occupied France.
It lasted 36 minutes. And is credited with being the moment when Britain found the resolve to fight on after the fall of France and ultimately, with her American and Russian allies, to defeat the German armies.
Churchill's original typescript (23 pages) is currently on view in Cambridge and shows how heavily he edited. Red and blue scrawls of handwriting all over it. Drafted and redrafting. Amending. Adding. Deleting. Right to the last minute as he rose to deliver it and even on the fly as he spoke.
Aside from the obvious thing that strikes you (he wrote his own speeches), the other thing is: apparently, the last part of the speech is written out as if it's blank verse (5 line paragraphs set out in indented type). The scholars that know these things say it's influenced by the Psalms (which together with Shakespeare were the two great influences on his rhetorical style). Here's what one of them says (Mr Packwood to be exact): "Because it looks like poetry, it gave him, I think, a rhythm that brought life to his oratory. This was a man who raised the art of speechmaking to high literature."
Interesting how formatting text in that way helps you say it right. Reminds me of picture books. Which are like poetry that way. They are designed to be read aloud. And as the writer, you try to make them foolproof for reading aloud. Formatting and design are critical.
Anyway, doesn't it make you want to get on a plane and a train and get to Cambridge and see his typescript for yourself? Well. Almost. It does me. Especially if the airline prices come down...
The speech ends with these famous words: "Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties, and so bear ourselves that if the British empire and its Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will still say, 'This was their finest hour' "
via NYT Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Monday, June 14, 2010
what should writers wear?
John Grisham said: "Writers can wear anything. I could go to a black-tie dinner in New York City with blue jeans on and boots and a cowboy hat and a bow tie, and people would just say, 'Oh, he's a writer.' "
One of the perks of being a writer.
(Of course you've never seen John Grisham wearing anything exactly outrageous, have you? so I guess you can afford to say this when you're already kind of put together.)
Thursday, June 10, 2010
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