Lunatic Writer's Blog

Gollum Caesar Captain Haddock and Vincent van Gogh

6/30/2013

Last evening I had the great pleasure of watching another episode of Simon Schama's magnificent series,
The Power of Art.
The epsiode I watched was "Wheat Field with Crows" and it centred around the life of Vincent van Gogh and what led up to the creation of this masterpiece.

I must confess my knowledge of van Gogh, to this point, had been quite simplistic. I hadn't realized, for example, that he did not begin painting until he was in his late twenties. Before then, he had been a failed preacher. He turned to painting as a new way to evangelize. How extraordinary...

A good part of what made Simon Schmarr’s episode about van Gogh so extraordinary was the exceptional portrayal of van Gogh by actor Andy Serkis. He appears in a series of vignettes where he captures the artist’s passion and torment magnificently. It is one of those perfect casting choices which leaves you thinking no one else could possibly have played the role. Serkis’s performance makes the work of Kirk Douglas in Lust for Life seem like a cartoon by comparison.

Not surprisingly, I decided I must learn more about Serkis and his work. How dumbfounded I was to learn I had already seen several of his performances. Serkis is Gollum in “Lord of the Rings”, also Caesar in Rise of the Planet of the Apes. Most recently, he played Capt. Haddock in “The Adventures of Tintin”.

Serkis seems to have made a specialty of “performance capture” where his physical actions and voice are converted into animated characters. Obviously, he is a master of this new art which is a mixed blessing to fans, I would have to say. Judging by his portrayal of van Gogh, I would very much like to see more of Serkis, as is, playing real-life characters. A wonderful actor, animated or not.

Schama & Serkis (as van Gogh)

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BIG LEDGE Update

6/27/2013

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Big Ledge is presently in the hands of three publishers and one agent. The agent has showed some initial interest. Unfortunately these things tend to move at the speed of receding glaciers... By contrast, I have been nagged repeatedly by reps from Self-Publishing companies who are anxious to help me 'get my work out there'... Hmm... I can only shake my head and repeat the mantra: "I will not grow cynical, I will not grow cynical..."

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Never GOING BACK: a book review

6/22/2013

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Never GOING BACK
by Antonia Banyard

Three friends are driving from Vancouver to Nelson, BC, to commemorate the death of a friend. For me, this is a premise that would normally not raise excitement. But very soon I am swept up by the vivid characterizations of the story’s main characters: Siobhan, Lance and Evan. Banyard draws them in loving detail and makes the reader care for them deeply. Each of them, though adults, has unfinished business. Ten years before, their “rite of passage” was interrupted, and this trip to Nelson may be their last chance to sort things out. Lance, Evan and Siobhan—each of them is vulnerable and flawed, yet each just on the cusp of achieving a greater and more loving maturity.

Lance is my favourite character: in a state of emotional somnolence as the novel opens, wishing a UFO would land in his backyard and whisk him away. He is a dreamer, naïve, a procrastinator. He has the heart of a monk and an explorer all at once. Yet as the story unfolds, it is probably he who makes the greatest emotional journey.

Banyard has a wonderful grasp of emotional subtlety, paying careful attention to a small gesture or unspoken word. It is worth mentioning that two out of her three main characters are male, yet Banyard, effortlessly, it seems, writes in a cross-gender voice.

There is a gentle, seductive rhythm to this work, echoing perhaps the essence of the place she writes about. The writing is precise, yet poetic and, Banyard succeeds brilliantly in capturing the unique quality of the Kootenays and the people who live here.

An enchanting read.

8/10

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Advertising, Chilean Dictators and the Canadian Government: How They All Fit Together

6/21/2013

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Last night I saw Pablo Larrain's wonderful Academy Award nominated film called “No”, based on the play El Plebiscito by Antonio Skarmeta.

The "no" refers to a referendum held in Chile back in 1988 when voters were asked to choose between “yes” and eight more years of dictatorship under General Pinochet or “no” to see Pinochet ousted from power.

From here, many years later, the choice seems like a no-brainer. But politics is complicated and Chile has had a complicated history.

The international community, embarrassed by Chile’s abysmal human rights record, forced Pinochet to hold this referendum to legitimize his government.

Pinochet accepted the challenge, knowing that Chile’s opposition parties were scared and divided. They figured it was highly unlikely they could form a united front to oppose him in the referendum. Sounding familiar yet?

While watching the film it was astounding how many parallels one could draw between what the Pinochet government was doing in 1987 and what the Canadian federal government is doing in 2013. Not for a moment would I equate the two governments. For all the quarrels I have with Mr. Harper, I do not accuse him of torturing citizens or literally making them “disappear”. However, their approaches to seeking re-election and dealing with opposition voices is quite similar.

The movie centres on the story of René Saaverdra who reluctantly agrees to help launch the “no” campaign by developing a series of television ads to be broadcast each night for 15 minutes for 25 days. The “yes” side would have its own 15 minutes, but in a much more desirable time slot.

The flavour of the “yes” ads is quite predictable (and familiar to Canadian eyes). The patriotism card is played for all it’s worth. Much flag waving, anthems, citizens marching on mass towards some ill-defined world of material progress (which seems to depend on 40% of the citizenry living below the poverty line.)

Many on the “no” side, are very keen to focus on the atrocities of the Pinochet regime (and there are many) but Saaverdra insists they must send out a message that is positive, and happy. They must, in fact, produce a product which will appeal to a wide range of people. To old ladies fearful of losing their material possessions and to young men and women who are convinced all politics is corrupt. Does any of this sound familiar?

Despite much resistance from veterans of the “no” camp, our marketing hero convinces them to broadcast images of dancing, singing, happy people, all looking forward to a bright future without Pinochet. The ads conclude with the message, “Happiness is coming, vote ‘no’".

General Augusto Pinochet

Rene Saavedra played by Gael Garcia Bernal

The "no" campaign gains traction and Pinochet’s people get nervous. In addition to digging into their old bag of tricks such as physical threats and violence towards the opposition, the “yes” side now makes fear the central theme of its television ads. Only ‘they’ are fit to govern, the messages argue. Broadcasts become ripe with images of how miserable life will be if the socialists (or 'communists' as they prefer to call them) come to power. One ad show an image of a steam roller crushing a table lamp, and even a doll, symbolic of how everything Chileans value will soon be crushed into oblivion if Pinochet is forced out office.

In spite of the “yes” side’s negative push, Saavedra holds firm: only positive messages, dancers, singers, catchy jingles, even mimes on the television screen. And always the happy tag, “Happiness is coming, vote ‘no’.”

Some of Saavedra’s own colleagues dismiss this strategy as nothing more than a coca-cola commercial, and this is a fair criticism in part but what Saavedra seems to understand clearly, and the others only dimly, is that one must first catch the voter’s attention emotionally. One must first engage the viewer’s gut feelings, must make him crave for a future vision. Then you can discuss the details.

In the end, the “no” side does win and Pinochet steps down. The rest is history.

I think the movie should be required viewing for all opposition parties in Canada. It shows the power of the “positive message”, the importance of understanding the fundamentals of marketing, to foster the understanding that maybe the only thing that can be more powerful than an appeal to fear (which dictators worldwide are quite expert in) is an appeal to future happiness.

The movie is more convincing than my feeble arguments. Check it out.

More About No

Film Trailer

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Poetry in the Booksmyth Underground

6/14/2013

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Last evening I had the pleasure of attending the poetical readings of Daniela Elza and Sam Stephenson at Nelson’s Booksmyth Underground. These reading were supplemented by some open mike offerings by other local writers.

This is the first time I have heard Sam Stephensen read. He is an extremely polished and engaging presenter. He paces his material brilliantly. His eye contact with his audience is spell-binding but never threatening. Best of all, however, is the quality of the material itself. Sonorous, jumping from universal god-like perspectives to close-up microscopic views as intimate as water droplets on cedar leaves. Sam’s material is thoughtful, lyrical, wryly humorous and begs to be heard aloud.

In a question period after the readings, Sam was asked to speak about his ‘process’. He answered that he was a great fan of discipline in writing and wished he had some! This, of course, was a facetious remark which drew many laughs from the audience. Clearly Sam has talent and discipline in spades. Don’t miss a chance to hear this man read.

Here's a link to a radio interview with Sam

I was a little slower to warm to the readings of Daniela Elza. Her work was more fragmentary, more like trying to catch a flitting butterfly. Gradually, however, Daniela’s poems connected more deeply with me. In many of her poems, crows were important symbols. As they seem to be for me also. How universal is this I wonder? Daniela is a good reader also, though not as polished as Sam. She professed to dreaming of busking as a poet on Granville Island. Sam, who had done just such a thing, advised her that it was no easy task and that one could only hope for success by inviting a group of friends to attend and bribing them with gluten-free muffins!

It was fine evening and I am happy to report that poetry is alive and well within the Nelson Underground, and concur with Sam Stephenson that freshly baked muffins are pretty much the answer to everything.

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A Question of Gravity: new novella

6/5/2013

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Kritsa, Crete

I'm trying something new. I've just finished writing a novella. I would like to offer it, serialized, to whoever is interested, publishing one installment per week. No charge! Just send me a message if you would like to be included on the list to receive weekly installments.

Here's how it starts:

Trent held out the manuscript in mid air, no malice, only realism in his voice. “Did you ever think about who’s going to publish this? I mean, for starters, is it fiction or non-fiction?”
Martin looked down at his runners. They were adorned with flecks of red paint. “I’m not sure.”
“Well, that’s my point; if you’re not sure, what’s the reader supposed to make of it?” Again he waved the manuscript at his friend, inviting him to take it back, which reluctantly he did. “Look, it’s not that you’re not a good writer…”

Still not sure? You can read the entire first installment here.

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Nostalgia Binge Continues: My Second Novel

6/3/2013

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My next novel, The Charioteer, was completed during my second year of university (I did this rather than playing bridge). It follows the adventures of a young man traveling throughout Greece (as I myself had done the year before) and his encounter with one very unusual man who may be a reincarnation of a Bronze-Age warrior. This manuscript was sent to a couple of publishers and read by author Gwendolyn McEwan who, like myself, was something of a Hellenophile. She said my writing reminded her of Gerald Durrell's. I had never read any of his books, but I figured this comment couldn't be all bad. The writer in residence at the U-of-T at this time was Josef Skvorecky. I'm pretty sure he read over a bit of the manuscript too and, in the end, I believe I sent it out to a few publishers.

The title refers to a magnificent bronze sculpture found in the museum of Delfi, in Greece--for me, it was the very epitome of lightness and grace. No photo really does it justice.

I suppose, at this point, had I sufficient courage, I might seriously have considered writing as a career. Instead I went into teaching where I thought I might safely indulge my many and diverse interests. (But please, no jokes about "those who can't, teach…")

Seems I've done a bit of name dropping in this blog... My bad.

Gwendolyn

Gerald

Josef

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Looking Back: My First Novel

6/1/2013

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I have written four novels, none as yet published. The first, Tangents, (I still think that's a pretty good title) was written as a teenager, still in high school. This angst-ridden tome follows the day-to-day tribulations of (wait for it...) a high school student, making his way through the hypocritical world of secondary education. If the novel has a theme, it would be how difficult it is to "connect" and find meaning. Hence, the title. I'm not sure where the manuscript is today--perhaps buried in a box in my basement. It was never sent to a publisher.
Most memorable about Tangents is how it provided me with the best excuse EVER for not having my homework done. I remember the morning vividly. I was in French class. I don't know why but all the high school French teachers I ever had were small, yet fierce, women. This particular one would walk down the rows as class began and check the status of each student's homework. Finally my turn came. "Is your homework done?" she asked, fire in her eyes, her high heels clicking threateningly on the linoleum flooring. Bleary-eyed I replied. "I'm sorry, Madame, I was up really late last night, finishing my novel." This was not the answer she was expecting. She paused for a moment, decided she would say nothing, then moved on to interrogate the next student.

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Gollum Caesar Captain Haddock and Vincent van Gogh

BIG LEDGE Update

Never GOING BACK: a book review

Advertising, Chilean Dictators and the Canadian Government: How They All Fit Together

Poetry in the Booksmyth Underground

A Question of Gravity: new novella

Nostalgia Binge Continues: My Second Novel

Looking Back: My First Novel

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