Do Androids Dream of Electric Companionship?

NYT article about modern robotics.

Reminder and clarification of the details of my reading this week:

CHINADOLL OVERDRIVE
Wednesday, August 1
Theatre Row, Summer Play Festival
410 W. 42nd Street (West of 9th Ave.)
8pm

RSVP by emailing
literary@spfnyc.com

It's free, you should just RSVP. I don't know what the crowd's going to look like.

I have been up around the clock with my head in the Butcherhouse... but I am excited about this reading. Rinse away the dread and anxiety, the ailments of perfectionism, and I think this could actually be fun.

I think I've been holding onto this play a little too tightly. It will be good to have outsiders lay eyes on it.

Where the hell did July go?

Prozac Vs. Heroin

Stars
Come out of the sky
You shine like the summer's sun
And
I might even die
Whatever thy will be done

Smile
Try for the heaven
Or maybe just kingdom come
And I will be done
And I will be done

So
Talking for fun
Whatever their words must say
If
Heaven could fall
It's not gonna make him stay

Try
To keep it together
Or make it to kingdom come
And you will be done
And you will be done

Smile
You open the sky
You star like the sunken sun
I
Might even die
Whatever, I will be done

Just try
To make it together
Or maybe to kingdom come
Add you will be done
Yes you will be done
And you will become
But you will
Become
Brian Jonestown Massacre

All I Needed Was the Love You Gave

YAZOO

Strangely, I'm looking forward to my reading next week. I may have gone through a tumultuous love/hate relationship with CHINADOLL OVERDRIVE, but I'm sort of excited to see what the thing looks like in operation. My little sci-fi tragi-dramedy. A confused orgy of genres.

I tend to be skittish about putting my work out there. A growing number of agents and managers are getting their hands on leaked drafts of my BUTCHERHOUSE screenplay—and while it's flattering to be contacted by them, it's vaguely upsetting that they're reading old drafts of something I'm still working on.

The New Dolls Are Arriving

Next Wednesday, August 1, the new dolls hit the stage. I'm not convinced they're ready, but readings are always a gamble. Wish I could devote more time to it, but this movie thing is just taking priority right now.

Hope we get a decent audience. The play may be in a less polished state than I'd like, but there are aspects to it that mean something to me. Themes that are meaningful to me.

But no. Full disclosure. If the theater community didn't take me seriously after BUTCHERHOUSE, then CHINADOLL OVERDRIVE isn't going to change their minds. The next one, perhaps. I just need some time to get it in order.

A better person than me would be able to launch a theater career and a film career simultaneously.

I've got some years ahead of me. Just have to avoid the falling pianos.

Smashing

Sorry, quiet Butcherhouse blog. I'm deep in another draft of this movie version, and let me tell you: you kids are in for a TREAT!

Some major updates to come, I promises.

Anybody hear the new Pumpkins?

Reading of a New Play

I'm having a reading of a new play. Folks at SPF asked me if I had something. This is something I've been playing with for a while now...

CHINADOLL OVERDRIVE
a reading
Aug. 1, Wednesday
8pm
Lion Theatre @ THEATRE ROW

I've got mixed feelings about readings. Particularly this one, where I've got very little control over a multitude of unknown factors.

This play is in a rough state. And I'm a perfectionist in the worst way. But it's probably healthy for me to put this out there. You keep it inside too long and it turns toxic.

It's a strange time for me. I've got a lot of (potentially) exciting things cooking that I have little control over... and this reading's just another thing to worry over.

There's a lot that I like in this play, even though I've kept it under wraps and it's become a bit of a monster. But the reading's free and the play's much shorter than BUTCHERHOUSE.

One night only. It's my robot play.

On the Dark Side

July again already? I want to laugh until my head falls off.

Slowly, with great deliberation, the world reveals itself.

Blackhole Sun

Humor me. This funny website scours the text on any blog/url and assigns an MPAA rating based on the amount of bad words it finds. It's serving as an excuse for me to post entries on all my blogs: active, dormant and anything in between. I guess this sucker managed to eek out a PG-13! Let's hear it for restraint!

I really hope I don't have to whittle my screenplay down to a PG-13 rating. Right now, based on language alone, it's a hard R. (At least.) I really hope we don't have to make a PG-13 horror movie.

But I'll cross that bridge if we go there...

Preoccupation

These are the final days...

Don't Play Cards with Satan

The Devil and Daniel Johnston.

Did I ever stop to tell you, I am a desperate man...?