1) David Chase, the creator of THE SOPRANOS, was a guest on the WTF with Marc Maron podcast a while back, and he was talking about the series finale and how/why he chose the Journey song “Don’t Stop Believing” to play during the final moments. He said he had it mind what the final episode would be and he knew he wanted one of three possible songs to be playing.
Chase asked some of his production people what they thought. He listed the three possible songs (and no, I don’t recall what the other two songs were and I’m not going to go back and relisten to the podcast interview again). Chase said the other two songs received positive responses, while “Don’t Stop Believing” received negative ones. Everyone was in agreement that the Journey song should not be the final one, and the it should be one of the other two.
That’s when Chase knew, without a doubt, he would use “Don’t Stop Believing.”
I think this is probably the best example of how I approach writing. If people say, “You shouldn’t do that,” or “You can’t do that,” that’s when I know to do it anyway.
2) My Easter plans this year? I’d like to do what Jesus did two thousand years ago:
Disappear on Friday and stay gone until Sunday, when I reveal to everyone, I’m alive.
3) “Can I be honest?”
My son says this a lot. I’ve had other people say it. I’m not sure what the origin of this phrase it, but it somewhat annoys me. I know it’s a verbal tic, like an interviewer saying, “Can I ask you a question?”
Well, yeah, obviously you can. That’s the point of an interview, right?
The “Can I be honest?” is a weird one, because of course I want a person to be honest with me, especially my own son.
I guess there’s part of me that wonders what would happen if I said “no.”
“No, you can’t be honest. Please lie to me. Please tell me the complete opposite of whatever the honest answer would be.”
I wonder how people would react to that.
4) What I’m watching:
Discovered a show on Amazon Prime called THE BOOTH AT THE END.
It’s two seasons, 10 episodes in all, about a mysterious man sitting in a booth at a diner, who is approached by different people with various requests. Whatever they ask for can be granted, however, they must complete a task given to them by the man. Their request (or wish) will be granted if they complete the task – which can be anything from stealing something, to committing murder.
Sometimes the task is oddly specific, and other times, it’s vague and random.
“The Man,” is all he is ever known by, and the viewer knows nothing about him. He might be an angel or a demon, or something else entirely, as he is disconnected from the people he talks to, and often seems disinterested in whether they accept the task or give up on it before completion. As he often tells the person when they question whether they can go through with their task, “Then don’t.” He doesn’t appear to care, and whatever the task may be is not something he is aware of beforehand.
The episodes are short (23 minutes or so) and are all set in one place, and each vignette consists of two characters talking: The Man who makes the deals, and the person who wants something. It’s a bit like watching a stage play, since everything is told through dialogue. It makes me think the original concept for the series was possibly a series of (very) short plays.
It would work as that. But it works this way, too.
“How far will you go to get what you want?” is the basic premise of the show, and it’s an intriguing question. The plots tend to intersect from time to time, and I wish I could say all questions are answered by the final episode…but it isn’t.
And that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Since the last episode was filmed over a decade ago, I doubt there will be any more. But at least the show didn’t overstay its welcome and become a boring mess like many other shows.
Besides, sometimes I like filling in the blanks myself.
5) What I’m reading:
Still reading Chris Whitaker’s ALL THE COLORS OF THE DARK.
Despite the short chapters, it’s a long book, and not what you would call “a fast read.” In fact, some of it is a bit of a slog. The author is a serious believer in a slow burn. Atmosphere and setting get a lot of attention.
The writing is good enough to keep me going, but I’d be lying if I didn’t say there are times when I’m tempted to yell, “Get on with it already!”
But I don’t. Mainly because the author wouldn’t hear me.
I’ll stick with it for a while longer.
That’s your Dispatch for the week.
Slade Grayson is a writer who relies on the kindness of strangers. And readers. And sometimes strange readers. You can buy his books here, or buy him a coffee here.