A few thoughts on the nature of imagination, and how it often falls far short of the absurdity of the real world.
Let’s say I had an idea about a story, or better yet, a film script.
Now this script was going to be somewhat avantgarde, kind of meta-fictional. The idea is this, I’m going to write a script about a local theatre company that is producing a live-action version of a bad, 15 year old action film. Let’s say, hypothetically, that film is Point Break. Now here’s the the really “meta” part of it. Every time the play is performed, the company randomly selects an audience member to play the title role of Johnny Utah (the role that Keanu Reeves had in the film). And to capture the true essence of Reeve’s performance, the audience member will read all of his/her lines off of cue cards.
This idea, while obviously ridiculous, is not totally unworkable. In a Christopher Guest sort of vein, it might very well work. But that would be in a clear satirical voice, in a world that is only related to ours, but in way meant to mirror reality.
And I’d say to you…
Well…
THAT’S A REAL FUCKING STORY!!!!!!!!!
Some times, not often, but every once in a while I impress myself with a sentence, or a thought, or an idea that I think is particularly original. And I’ve spent the better part of a decade writing seriously, but there is no god-damned way in hell I could ever come up with something as clearly shit-ball crazy as that.
It’s times like this that I really question my decision to pursue a career in the creative arts.
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October 28th, 2007 at 8:46 pm
Every once in awhile something comes along that’s so utterly insane/brilliant that you go ‘I wish I thought of that’! Point Break LIVE sounds, if not hilarious, then at least an amusing way to blow a twenty on a Saturday night. I suppose if they really wanted to push the envelope they could have random nights where three more people were picked out of the audience to voice all the sound effects and/or sing the background music…
I wouldn’t worry about it. All creators have their time. I try to keep in mind that Laura Ingalls Wilder didn’t start writing till she was sixty. And hope my time comes… a little sooner.
I imagine these fellows would do well to serve as Point Break LIVE’s warm up act: The Freaking Brothers
October 30th, 2007 at 10:13 pm
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January 7th, 2008 at 12:18 am
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