This week: how soon is late; files of dreams; got smoke; hot soda; I can’t believe it’s now butter; patriotic ninjas; parry or perish; myth America; ice cream for crow; beating off badgers; bear pause; Yogi Berra necessities; adult cartoon problems; waxing lyrical; singing it all back home; musical youth; drawing from inspiration; gag reflex; meeting ideas; grounded fantasy; dropping the balrog; cool intentions; it’s a gift; no regrats; young hams; surprise endings; growing up is hard to do; Question of the Week – Sneakers respond; Dahl boy; asshole spectrum; the Fosse record; Oreo gets in your eye; the fable man; when you Ish upon a Tar; screwball recommendations, and, finally, who wants to know??
Question of the Week:How are you different in a divergent part of the multiverse?
Sub-question of the Week: What’s something that you used to love, but no longer care for?
Thanks for listening.
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You were close, David. Magpies aren’t maggoes, they’re maggies. But the Collingwood Magpies football club are the ‘Pies (“Carn the Pies!”) not to be confused with actual pies you get at a bakery. That are full of meat. Unlike when I get my hopes up walking past bakeries in Canada saying they have pies only to always find it’s just bloody fruit. You don’t have pies! You have false hope! Just like painting eyes on the back of your helmet when you ride through maggie territory. They’re not stupid. You are. And you better pedal, son.
I absolutely knew who writers and creators of characters were when I was a kid; that was very important to me and instrumental to my development as a cartoonist myself. I never thought “these characters have always existed and the writer/artist just put them on paper” — I liked knowing who the writers were and what their process was, so I don’t think it’s weird at all for parents to point Ian out as the creator of Sparks.
I think I mis-told a Chuck Jones story about this. Here it is from the source…
Jones often recalled a small child who, when told that Jones drew Bugs Bunny, replied: “He doesn’t draw Bugs Bunny. He draws pictures of Bugs Bunny.” His point was that the child thought of the character as being alive and believable, which was, in Jones’ belief, the key to true character animation.
https://www.chuckjonescenter.org/projects
One multiverse version of me took a summer job as a costumed character at Fort Steele, a heritage town in B.C. I’d sent in a résumé the previous year when I was scrambling to audition for whatever paying gigs were available to young non-equity actors. The next year when Fort Steele called and offered me a job, I turned it down. I didn’t want to spend a couple of months in the wilds of the Kootenay Mountains, cut off from civilization. But maybe that other me built on that experience and is now performing at Bard on the Beach or the Stratford Festival this summer. And maybe she’s getting cast in serious female-focused Canadian-shot dramas like “Y: The Last Man” or “Women Talking.” Or maybe she got mauled by a bear.
FYI, Schimigadoon doesn’t just spoof Brigadoon, but also other musicals set in small towns (and the South Pacific) from the 1940s and 50s. Schmicago parodies musicals from the 60s and 70s from three different genres: Bob Fosse musicals like Cabaret and Pippin, tribal musicals like Hair, Godspell and Jesus Christ Superstar, and Victorian Era-set shows like Sweeney Todd and Oliver. I’d recommend watching the series in order as it continues the story of a couple played by Cecily Strong and Keegan-Michael Key who have a rocky relationship. They’re aware they’re trapped in a musical alternative reality and try to work the conventions and tropes so they can leave. My sister and I turned on the subtitles so we could sing along and improvise back-up vocals.
I’m a firm believer that I’ve always been destined to make my living in the arts one way or another, so as an art director I have to wonder if my path wasn’t one in the visual arts might it have been in the musical arts! The Draganski side of the family is stacked with musicians, by that I mean they’re career musicians. It’s in my DNA but so is are the visual arts which comes from my Mom’s side and her side is stacked with career artists. Somewhere far back my DNA had a battle over what the dominant genes would be, visual or musical art and I guess the visual DNA won by a landslide. Somewhere out in the multiverse my other self is either playing and reading music or defending Gotham at night.
How about The Flash?! I mentioned last time I was seeing it on opening day, before the spoilers surface. Spoiler-free, I’ll just say this, The Flash was very much a DC movie, Ian said it perfectly last time, The Multiverse was created by DC in Flash comics so it has ownership from way back. Once again it’s fun to watch how DC and Marvel handle something like the multiverse or time travel, Marvel uses it to solve a much bigger problem because they have scientists like Stark and Banner to control it, DC takes the same thing and rests it on the shoulders of one character and makes an epic cautionary tale out of it. DC learned this 40 years ago before Marvel even thought of trying it, “Crisis on Infinite Earths” is like a manual on what happens when this shit gets out of hand because nobody can control it. I loved seeing Michael Keaton again as MY Batman, that was the best part for me. And who thought that Batman, both of them, knew so much about the dangers of time and multiverse travel? That was a surprise and I’ll never look at a bowl of spaghetti the same way again. I think what demands a repeat viewing for me was seeing these characters, firmly directed by Burton and Snyder in the past, under the command of another director, it was so great to see them in some different settings and environments for a change! Don’t get me wrong, I love Burton and Snyder’s work a lot, it was just great to see everyone in a way we haven’t seen them before. Nice summation of DC from where we’ve been, I only wish Cavill had made an appearance one last time.
I used to love to clothes shop, I could spend hours at the mall trying on stuff and looking for sales and outfits. Now I loathe trying on clothes, it makes me anxious and I feel as if I’m wasting time. My first wife may have had some influence, she loves to shop and will spend a day doing it. My current wife Susan is completely 180 degrees and will not go to the mall unless she absolutely has to. Susan will buy everything online if she can and only I go to the mall now, but I’ll spend all my time in the book and toy stores!
Hey, why Does Pia hate “Chicago” so much? Susan hates musicals in general but is it just “Chicago” Pia dislikes or because it’s a musical? I was able to watch about 10 minutes of “La-La Land” and I was out so I get it, these aren’t for everyone.
Hasta la Vista Sneakers! I’ll be back next week!!!