I did quite well on The Blue Peter Elephant today, which is finally starting to develop a life of its own (thank you, Picowrimo! Thank you!), but not so well on Music II, which was mostly tinkering with stuff I'd already written and wondering which scene I could most easily get a handle on next.
I probably should explain, as I did in the comments yesterday, that the title The Blue Peter Elephant comes from a famous episode of an educational British children's TV show, in which a baby elephant, being shown off in the studio, gets out of control, craps on the floor and then proceeds to drag her keeper through it. You can watch it on youtube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_Cj2TtFd_E). It's fame, of a kind, hence its use as a title for a play about people obsessed with getting on TV.
TOMMY: And get Dildo on the show. Take her out to dinner, soften her up a bit, then ask her to do it as a favour to you. Works every time.
JIM: Soften her up a bit… Are you asking me to seduce her?!
TOMMY: It's funny, you don't normally strike me as a vestal virgin. In fact, if anyone asked me, I'd have said you'd had extensive sexual experience.
JIM: Quite extensive, yeah, but…
TOMMY: In fact, I'd have said you were the kind of slutty little skirt chaser no woman was safe from. If I had a daughter, I wouldn't let you anywhere near her.
JIM: You do have a daughter, boss.
Music II (it's a scene from Mr Rosen's early life, when he was a young man in Vienna, just before the second world war - his first encounter with Georg von Hardenstein, a playright, who soon becomes his best friend).
"It's not what I really want to write, you know," said Hardenstein. "My genius is all for High Tragedy, but that doesn't bring in the dosh. I have a crumbling castle and eight crumbling aunts to maintain, so it's comedies, comedies, comedies, at the mo."
"A castle?" said Arthur, who wasn't especially interested in aunts.
"Castle Hardenstein," said the Count. "You won't have heard of it. The Hardensteins distinguished themselves by never doing anything of note historically, and never building anything of any architectural worth. They simply squatted in their fortress for hundreds of years, living off the backs of the local peasants, and indulging in the occasional bout of looting and pillaging, until the nineteenth century, when my late lamented grandfather, the fifteenth Count Hardenstein, suffered fearful loss through putting money on a horse, which he believed, if it were pressed, would run far faster than the rest. Only it didn't. They never do. The family has never recovered, and since I'm the last of the male line, they all look to me to restore their fortunes to the dizzying pinnacles they once occupied. Or at least to raise enough cash to have the roof fixed. You wouldn't believe how the West Wing leaks. Going in there during a downpour is like walking through an Amazon rain forest. Only colder. And with mould hanging off the walls in lieu of lianas. So, you're Rosenthal. Jewish?"
"No," said Arthur, "Catholic. My parents converted before I was born."
"That was jolly prescient of them," said Hardenstein. "I wish my ancestors had shown half as much foresight, then I wouldn't have to sweat ink to earn my bread. But if you'll take a word of advice from Uncle Hardy, you might want to do something about the name. It's quite misleading, given that you are, in fact, not."
I feel Tommy's professional ethics could be interesting
Well, this a guy who's hoping to persuade a guest to commit suicide live on his show in order to up the ratings, so yes, professional ethics aren't really his thing. Although he does</> believe Tell It Like It Is performs an invaluable service ("a hard-hitting, socially critical exposé of the evil underbelly of society").
Count Hardenstein remind me of the rude version of Cindererlla
*Sporfle* Possibly I should consider changing the name before I reach the final draft...
They're both wonderful! I love Hardy already. But really, "Rosen" is still a giveaway though.
I worked with a guy called Grunthal in England, pronounced "grunth'l", the English way, and it took me a while to realise it was really Greenvalley. :-)
Good for you, making such good progress on The Blue Elephant, which I'm not familiar with, and so thanks for the link. If I had a daughter, I wouldn't let you anywhere near her.
JIM: You do have a daughter, boss.
Hah! Good one!
And you've got a nice bit on Music II, crumbling aunts is such a good image, as is that of the Hardensteins squatting in their fortress:)
Sometimes Hardy is great at free association and sometimes it doesn't work at all. I wish he'd ramble effectively a bit more often, but I never know quite waht will inspire him.
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ninetydegrees
no subject
on 2009-11-03 11:14 am (UTC)I did quite well on The Blue Peter Elephant today, which is finally starting to develop a life of its own (thank you, Picowrimo! Thank you!), but not so well on Music II, which was mostly tinkering with stuff I'd already written and wondering which scene I could most easily get a handle on next.
I probably should explain, as I did in the comments yesterday, that the title The Blue Peter Elephant comes from a famous episode of an educational British children's TV show, in which a baby elephant, being shown off in the studio, gets out of control, craps on the floor and then proceeds to drag her keeper through it. You can watch it on youtube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_Cj2TtFd_E). It's fame, of a kind, hence its use as a title for a play about people obsessed with getting on TV.
TOMMY: And get Dildo on the show. Take her out to dinner, soften her up a bit, then ask her to do it as a favour to you. Works every time.
JIM: Soften her up a bit… Are you asking me to seduce her?!
TOMMY: It's funny, you don't normally strike me as a vestal virgin. In fact, if anyone asked me, I'd have said you'd had extensive sexual experience.
JIM: Quite extensive, yeah, but…
TOMMY: In fact, I'd have said you were the kind of slutty little skirt chaser no woman was safe from. If I had a daughter, I wouldn't let you anywhere near her.
JIM: You do have a daughter, boss.
Music II (it's a scene from Mr Rosen's early life, when he was a young man in Vienna, just before the second world war - his first encounter with Georg von Hardenstein, a playright, who soon becomes his best friend).
"It's not what I really want to write, you know," said Hardenstein. "My genius is all for High Tragedy, but that doesn't bring in the dosh. I have a crumbling castle and eight crumbling aunts to maintain, so it's comedies, comedies, comedies, at the mo."
"A castle?" said Arthur, who wasn't especially interested in aunts.
"Castle Hardenstein," said the Count. "You won't have heard of it. The Hardensteins distinguished themselves by never doing anything of note historically, and never building anything of any architectural worth. They simply squatted in their fortress for hundreds of years, living off the backs of the local peasants, and indulging in the occasional bout of looting and pillaging, until the nineteenth century, when my late lamented grandfather, the fifteenth Count Hardenstein, suffered fearful loss through putting money on a horse, which he believed, if it were pressed, would run far faster than the rest. Only it didn't. They never do. The family has never recovered, and since I'm the last of the male line, they all look to me to restore their fortunes to the dizzying pinnacles they once occupied. Or at least to raise enough cash to have the roof fixed. You wouldn't believe how the West Wing leaks. Going in there during a downpour is like walking through an Amazon rain forest. Only colder. And with mould hanging off the walls in lieu of lianas. So, you're Rosenthal. Jewish?"
"No," said Arthur, "Catholic. My parents converted before I was born."
"That was jolly prescient of them," said Hardenstein. "I wish my ancestors had shown half as much foresight, then I wouldn't have to sweat ink to earn my bread. But if you'll take a word of advice from Uncle Hardy, you might want to do something about the name. It's quite misleading, given that you are, in fact, not."
no subject
on 2009-11-03 12:08 pm (UTC)I like the interaction between the two characters in the second one and their cynical, world-weary tone.
no subject
on 2009-11-03 03:38 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2009-11-03 03:13 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2009-11-03 03:39 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2009-11-03 03:32 pm (UTC)(I know it is childish of me to have Count Hardenstein remind me of the rude version of Cindererlla, but I still can't help it.)
no subject
on 2009-11-03 03:37 pm (UTC)Well, this a guy who's hoping to persuade a guest to commit suicide live on his show in order to up the ratings, so yes, professional ethics aren't really his thing. Although he does</> believe Tell It Like It Is performs an invaluable service ("a hard-hitting, socially critical exposé of the evil underbelly of society").
Count Hardenstein remind me of the rude version of Cindererlla
*Sporfle* Possibly I should consider changing the name before I reach the final draft...
no subject
on 2009-11-03 06:43 pm (UTC)As Reith put it, to inform, educate and entertain.
no subject
on 2009-11-03 07:01 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2009-11-03 08:28 pm (UTC)I worked with a guy called Grunthal in England, pronounced "grunth'l", the English way, and it took me a while to realise it was really Greenvalley. :-)
no subject
on 2009-11-04 06:04 am (UTC)He doesn't actually change it till he gets to England, and then his concern is not be recognisable as a German rather than as Jewish.
There's a stop on the L in Chicago called Goethe Street, only it's pronounced Go-thee :-)
no subject
on 2009-11-04 06:52 am (UTC)no subject
on 2009-11-04 09:53 am (UTC)no subject
on 2009-11-03 09:40 pm (UTC)If I had a daughter, I wouldn't let you anywhere near her.
JIM: You do have a daughter, boss.
Hah! Good one!
And you've got a nice bit on Music II, crumbling aunts is such a good image, as is that of the Hardensteins squatting in their fortress:)
no subject
on 2009-11-04 06:06 am (UTC)no subject
on 2009-11-03 10:47 pm (UTC)I love this phrase.
no subject
on 2009-11-04 06:06 am (UTC)no subject
on 2009-11-04 02:14 am (UTC)no subject
on 2009-11-04 06:06 am (UTC)