"AFTER an unequivocal experience…"

"AFTER an unequivocal experience on the inefficiency of the subsisting federal government, you are called upon to deliberate on a new Constitution for the United States of America."--Federalist #1.

The 2nd time a major marketing campaign was used as a force of good (the first being Common Sense, of course.)

Read the whole thing, as they say.

And happy 4th of July!

No More Horribly Slow Murderer?

"The Horribly Slow Murderer with the Extremely Inefficient Weapon," the one about the demonic figure trying to kill an ordinary guy with a spoon, has been removed by its user, possibly in an attempt to try to force more people to buy it when it comes out on DVD. Don Hertzfeldt also doesn't put his films out for free, which makes sense, considering they're his major source of income.

It's an interesting choice on the filmmaker's part--do you continue to leave it up to promote & publicize either the short film on DVD (or, in the case of "Spoon," the forthcoming feature-length release), or do you take it down and hope your product is strong enough and original enough to get people to buy it? I'm disappointed that "Horribly Slow Murderer" is no longer available, but it's quickly risen to the ranks of the one of my new must-haves on DVD.

So there you go.

To replace "Horribly Slow Murderer," here's H.P. Lovecraft writing copy for Whitman's Samplers:

http://www.mcsweeneys.net/2008/8/15burns.html

Star Trek: The Abridged Script

Star Trek: The Abridged Script

courtesy Rob Hilton.

Pretty funny.

"BLACK HOLES LET US DO ANYTHING!"

Very cool things to do with lotto winnings

Let's hear it for Cynthia Stafford, who won $120 million in the Lotto and has used her winnings on… increased funding for the arts. Good for her.

My favorite tidbit: one of the projects she's embarking on is producing a film version of Don DeLillo's White Noise.

You go, girl.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/vickie-karp/third-screen-lotto-winner_b_212378.html

Online interview at MilesDavisonline.com

My first online interview! Thanks to Jeff Hyatt for his excellent questions.
Go forth and read. See inside my head, terrifying as that may be...

http://milesdavisonline.com/culture/the-miles-davis-online-interview-greg-machlin/

88,000 words

I'm past the 88,000 word point on my novel, which feels good; it's now officially A NOVEL. (For those who don't know, I abandoned "StrangeOffice," my previous novel, due to a general lack of enthusiasm which had seeped into the text itself, and have stayed enthusiastic with this project despite the fact that, word-wise, it's easily the longest thing I've ever written. My epic sci-fi postapocalyptic comedy 2034: Basket Full of Books, which I'm pretty sure was the previous record-holder (not counting StrangeOffice), was a comparatively brief 20,000 words.

Still, StrangeOffice was a very important steppingstone to the novel--it helped me see I needed to hone my descriptive skills, and think a little more carefully about structure.
I'm not revealing the title to the new work yet. No, not out of any superstition; I'm forcing myself to be as tight-lipped as possible about it so I will be driven to finish it.

This is a somewhat new tactic for me, particularly since my plays would receive public readings very early on in the process. I'd have to tell the actors what it was about to get them interested in performing at the readings. It feels weird to be so secretive about my work; invariably, when I get into a conversation and mention the novel, I immediately jump to the Miles Davis play or the movie I adapted into a stage play (or Bacon-Weaving).

How about you, readers? More or less secretive about your creative works? Does it change project by project, or do you have a general rule?

Side note: I think I'm going to give in and officially make this blog a writing blog, so if you have any questions about writing--playwriting or otherwise, send 'em in!

New movie on this new cool site

So there's this website that lets you make 3D animated movies with some (currently very limited) templates: two actors, one set, one musical track if you want it. It's very, very cool and, given the limitations, is probably of particular interest to playwrights.

Here's the prologue from 2034: Basket Full of Books.

http://www.xtranormal.com/watch?e=20090416010742604

Guest post for Chris Leyva & brief update

I wrote a guest blog post at Chris Leyva's blog about writers and the waiting game, which quotes my favorite scene from "American Patriot," my comedy about the Iran-Contra scandal… a trunk play I'm waiting to figure out what to do with.

http://web.me.com/chrisleyva/Chris_Leyva/Blog/Entries/2009/4/1_Thoughts_on_%E2%80%9CThe_Waiting_Game%E2%80%9D_by_Greg_Machlin.html

I saw a play by a family friend, Richard Sewell, out in Pasadena, called "The Ruckus at Machias," a week ago. If you're looking for a really good revolutionary war play about the first British ship captured during the war, this is the one. Maine pride! (actually, "family friend" is a bit of an understatement--my parents are best friends w/ Kim and Dick, I'm best friends with their son Gavin, and my sister's best friends with their daughter, Bryn.)

Iowa ratified gay marriage. Iowa pride!

More updates later. My new novel's coming along well (knock on wood), but I can't talk about it yet. (The first rule of novel club is: you do NOT TALK about novel. The second rule of novel club: you do NOT TALK about novel.)

And now, your daily dose of insanity

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJZQZARGq5M

"The Horribly Slow Murderer with the Extremely Inefficient Weapon." One of the most demented things I've seen on the internet since "Salad Fingers."

And if you haven't seen "Salad Fingers," you REALLY NEED to see "Salad Fingers." There are eight episodes in all.

Autism & grocery stores

One of the kids in one of my after-school classes is very mildly autistic; he also happens to be better behaved than a lot of the "normal" students. Anyway, this is a piece on the NYTimes blog "Motherlode" from a woman who has an autistic son, and on her experiences taking him on a grocery shopping trip to try and continue mainstreaming him.

http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/03/05/dont-judge-a-mother-until-you-know-the-whole-story/?hp

What's equally interesting to me is the comments. The vast majority of them are sympathetic, or from other parents of autistic children, sharing experiences they've had. One comment, however, calls the mother "irresponsible" for taking her son out to get food--something he'll have to do on his own when he's older; the commenter also claims "you could schedule these training runs when you don't have an actual purchase to make," apparently having missed this:

"As a result, I schedule the bulk of my grocery shopping for times when he is in school or being cared for by someone else. However, sometimes I plan short trips like this one to help him get used to grocery stores (a skill he’ll need if he is going to live independently) or, like today, because we need some essential item at a time when I have no childcare options for him." The commenter goes on to claim--well, here's the whole thing. Read the blog post first, then this:

"

Really irresponsible behavior on the part of the mother. These “training runs” can be conducted just as effectively when she doesn’t have an actual purchase to make, and can take the child out of the store without having to subject him (not to mention the clerks and the other customers) to his dis-ordered behavior. She can justify her actions until kingdome come, but basically she was just imposing her own lack of responsible planning, and desire for convenience on 1) the child; and 2) everyone else who was affected by his behavior. While one can feel sympathy for the challenges that mother and child face, it is the height of self-absorption to just put on the victim cap, assume the martyr stance and expect the rest of society to stand aside or politely ignore her child’s bad behavior. She’s just scamming here, trying to claim ‘intergration’ when all she wants is ‘convenience’.

— [Commenter name deleted]"

And I'm thinking: A corrosive lack of empathy. Poor reading comprehension. Holier-than-thou. Patronizing. Head fake toward "sympathy" for them, when you can tell he feels no sympathy whatsoever. Calling her a "scammer"(?!?!?) And, finally, the complete and total failure to recognize that autism is a SEVERE MEDICAL CONDITION, and referring to it as "bad behavior."

I don't want to go so far as to say that conservative philosophy itself is a disorder, but there's so much overlap between a lack of basic, humane empathy and the philosophy itself that seems to me worthy of note.

this is just to say, for joe l. c.

i have "borrowed"
your season 2
of the wire
that was in
your living room
in iowa

and which you might
have wanted to re-watch
because the wire is so amazing

forgive me
it is too critically acclaimed
so intelligent
and Emmy-denied
lance reddick
is
teh awesome

Busy busy busy

Submitted my pilot "Greg Machlin's Absurdities" to the Slamdance TV pilot competition, polishing a "30 Rock" spec due Feb. 28 for the Nickelodeon fellowship, and working two jobs (SAT instructor/tutor and chess/lego instructor for Parker-Anderson). Saw "7 Days" back at the University of Iowa Jan. 23 and 24; both nights sold out. The show went fantastic.
And StrangeOffice awaits!

But in the meantime, to tide you over, here is a post from the inimitable John Scalzi, who is a GOOD blogger and blogs far more regularly than I, your resident BAG blogger. (I do, however, blog more frequently than George R. R. Martin, who is currently at work on the fifth volume of his Song of Fire and Ice series, and posted a response to fans who have been clamoring for the release of the volume & want to know why it isn't out yet, which is how this whole thing got started.)

http://whatever.scalzi.com/2009/02/26/10-things-to-remember-about-authors/

When I get the 30 Rock spec done, I should be able to resume blogging on a more normal basis.

The New York Times may be dying

"I sense a great disturbance in the force," says Obi-Wan Kenobi after the destruction of Alderaan.

http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200901/new-york-times

I think I'm probably in the minority of people in my generation, but I grew up with the print New York Times, at least the Sunday edition. My dad would get it every Sunday afternoon at Mr. Paperback, and I'd devour the Week in Review, the Arts & Leisure section, the magazine & the book review. I'd actually make myself read through portions of business & the front section, travel, and style before getting to the good stuff. Sometimes, I'd even get to walk down to Mr. Paperback and get the Times myself (and get lost for three-quarters of an hour in the stacks).
I suspect that one of the reasons I aced my verbal SATs was because I spent several Sunday afternoons reading the Times, learning new vocab and getting used to a professional style of essay writing instead of doing my homework.

Heck, if you look at the timeline--Greg starts reading New York Times at age 12, Greg develops interest in film, theatre, and politics--it could be that my obsessions were partially shaped by the Times. Sure, some part of this attachment may be due to the fact that my mom was published in the paper, but that wasn't until 2000.

For all of my complaints about Wen Ho Lee (wrongfully imprisoned thanks in part to the Times) or trumped-up coverage over Whitewater, or Judith Miller going to prison to protect those who endangered national security and having everyone talk about it like she was some sort of heroic whistleblower instead of, say, the equivalent of a chief lieutenant to Al Capone, the Times is still the paper of record, and for all the justified complaints about their theatre criticism (read Time Out New York for a NY publication that really knows how to engage, write about, and support a theatre community while still being honest about the quality of shows), I don't think there's any toher single print publication that combines the caliber of reporting, feature writing, arts writing, opinion, and explanatory journalism under one roof. The Washington Post lost its luster with their out-of-step editorials, the L.A. Times didn't cover the writers' strike fairly, even the New Yorker, though I love it, is way too cosmpolitan.

So it's with a mounting sense of dread that I read this article in the Atlantic. I don't subscribe to the Times only because I can't afford it, being underemployed right now… and also because I can't deal with the paper buildup. Hirschorn seems to think that investigative reporting will be fine because it will have to "justify itself." Uh, no. Reporting is reporting, Mike. And that's the problem--sometimes reporters have to follow dead ends, and sometimes the subject matter itself is just boring--but things need to be entered into the public record by an objective source. And furthermore, it's not as if investigative reporters know in advance which pieces are going to strike gold.

The fact that no major media outlet has hired Greg Palast doesn't speak well for investigative reporting's future, in my view. So, no, I'm not so sanguine as Hirschorn about the impending fall of the Times. (It may yet be averted, but I believe that the future of journalism in general depends on some form of paying content. If I were the Times, I'd start charging again for the website--the Wall Street Journal does it.) But really, we as a society need to decide that good journalism, and good arts criticism, and good local news coverage, are things worth paying for.

So pay up.

Greg is late to the party.

Yes, I'm sure everyone already reads this and it's very popular, but if you haven't…

you should check out Questionable Content. Specifically, this strip.
I started from the beginning and up to QC #142.

Unlike a lot of internet comics, there's not too much to catch up on, but you can start at the beginning, read 100 a day, and get caught up in 13 days. Seriously, they're like, bite-size, and very entertaining. Also, you get to watch Jeph (the artist's) style evolve and develop.

Completely unrelated note: I started this blog on a yahoo account, and google doesn't seem to want me to import it into my google account. Any advice?

2nd completely unrelated note: I start my SAT teaching/tutoring position soon, and I'm quite pleased to, but the potential census-taking job is going to take longer than I thought to begin--if it happens at all--and the 2nd tutoring job may have fallen through the cracks. If anyone knows of anyone needing a good writer/office assistant in the greater L.A. area…

Happy New Year

If you haven't yet seen "Where the Hell is Matt?"

http://www.wherethehellismatt.com/videos.shtml?fbid=jysBOtouHDn

The DMZ in Korea is still my favorite.