September 2011
48 posts
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” It was 2001, and I was 23 years old when his music properly crashed into me. Later than for some, but just in time for me. That I found his songs operated at a much higher altitude than the rest was this listener’s lucky strike in the dark. But then I went on to find a voice and a man who sang for me and with me. It was, in its way for me, still pop music. Does pop music matter? More than I’d like to confess, more than I’m sure he’d like to admit. But that’s what broke those grey cardboard people down, and broke this listener right out. His public image as a bunker-buster. This man, a patchwork of real pieces of his heart… like us, made from books and films and records. Simply, he validated and made beautiful my own patchwork attempt of getting by and keeping true. Overnight – and from a song – it meant strength out of disregard. Weapons out of crutches. Words matter. Wit is everything. We now had a foundation upon which to slouch over and say “I won’t even bother trying to fake it with you anymore.” And the collateral damage has paid off: he’s given me so many friends out of strangers. Not alone, never alone. And when he sings… “
“I can’t save you from this; there’s nothing I can do to stop this. I stole your childhood and now I’ve lead you by the hand to your death. But the worst thing is I knew. I knew this would happen, this is what always happens. Forget your faith in me. I took you with me because I was vain. Because I wanted to be adored. Look at you. Glorious Pond. The Girl Who Waited for me. I’m not a hero. I really am just a mad man in a box. And it’s time we saw each other as we really are. Amy Williams. It’s time to stop waiting.”
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The Unseen Mystery Gang Script
So Mystery Gang, my Terminals spin-off comic series - with art from the amazing Ben Rankel (Wretched Little Creatures) - was put together pretty quick. We had about ten days to get the series going, and I had to hammer out the first draft of the first script in about a day and a half. What follows, is that first draft. It didn’t go so well with my editor (who is amazing to work with, seriously best editor ever). In hindsight, she is right… this is pretty off-the-mark. But it’s totally different than what actually made it to the page. So I thought I’d post that script here. It’s definitely not my best work… at all… but this is how my brain interpreted Mystery Gang in the very beginning. It’s like Scooby Doo on crystal meth.
Enjoy. And please, be kind. And check out the finished product - much different than the script below - here.
