a seed of inspiration: Animal, Vegetable, Miracle

by Amy on May 9, 2013

I love food.

You all may know my story with food and nutrition.

The short version is: My dad was diagnosed as pre-diabetic; I started paying attention to what I ate and subsequently lost 40 lbs in a year without any kind of exercising.

Over the last few years I’ve learned more and more about nutrition and sugar and what our bodies actually need (ex: good fats help regulate blood sugar so don’t feel bad about eating guacamole).

As I say, that is the short version … and in the last week or so I’ve read Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver, and I’m excited to add local-eating to my list of un-American food habits*.

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver is (from Wikipedia):

a non-fiction book by Barbara Kingsolver detailing her family’s attempt to eat only locally grown food for an entire year.

The book revolves around the concept of improving the family’s diet by eating only foods that her family was able to grow themselves or obtain locally (save for grains and olive oil). Kingsolver, along with her husband and daughters, start a farm in Virginia where they grow and can different varieties of tomatoes, learn about rooster husbandry, make cheese, and adjust to eating foods only when they are locally in season. The book contrasts this with the ecological costs of growing food in factory farms, transporting it thousands of miles, and adding chemical preservatives so it will not spoil.[1][2]

Not gonna lie: I LOVED this book.

LOVED it. It speaks my language (food, glorious food). I want to reread it right now. I want to go to a Farmer’s Market and learn what’s in season and cook amazing recipes cobbled together from what grew this week a few miles away.

In spite of my Master’s degree and all, I really do like being domestic. The cooking part, not the cleaning part.

I am fascinated by the cultural changes that have been wrought in the latter half of the 20th century in America. Totally aside from any economic or environmental arguments for local-focused eating (both compelling), the gigantic shift in just how we think about food is astounding. How did we go from being able to grow and can our own vegetables to not knowing where hamburgers come from in just a couple generations?**

My great-grandmother was a farmer – she kept a roadside stand to sell produce in Ohio mid-century. My mom has all kinds of memories of helping pick food (and eating 1/3 of it) or playing hide-and-seek in the corn fields. Just 50 or so years ago.

But in spite of this, my mom never really grew anything herself – my dad had a small patch of garden with strawberries and tomatoes that he started when I was in about high school, but that’s it. I daydreamed about having a garden, mostly inspired by Anne Shirley. I’d draw out my plan of how I was going to use this corner or that corner of the yard. I think my parents even bought me seeds. But I never learned how to GROW anything.

Kingsolver’s book is part memoir – which I love. The personal stories and reactions and expectations are what make local-eating seem most doable. I want to have a pair of dirt-stained-knees gardening pants. I want to be able to know instinctively when it’s time to plant the tomatoes. I WANT to grow onions, weaving the dried stalks into braids to hang in my kitchen for use all winter long. That sounds like something I can manage and would love.

But the book is also part nonfiction reporting on the state of the food industry. Sidebars including the recent statistics on pesticide effectiveness or genetically altered corn. I love that the book is peppered with URLs where I can learn more about really ANY of the topics discussed (except turkey mating. Apparently that kind of info is just not around).

I seriously loved this book and have already added it to my must-buy list. Also my list for Andrew to read. That list is getting rather long.

I fully admit that living in SoCal I have it WAY easier to eat well locally all year. But we’re paying ~$4/gallon for gas so surely you won’t begrudge me that.

I usually post about food/home topics at Those Crazy Schuberts if you’d like to follow me there as well.

Reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle plants a seed of inspiration to:

  • Buy the book and re-read each chapter in the month it corresponds to
  • Reread my other Barbara Kingsolver books. I love her.
  • Make friends with a farmer (or 2)
  • Visit Appalachia
  • Visit one of our local farmers markets every week.
  • Put together my Team Schubert cookbook with recipes organized by season (I’m using these templates)
  • Make pumpkin soup or pesto or any of the other dishes using the recipes in the book (find the recipes at the book’s website)
  • Attempt canning tomatoes (again, recipe in the book)
  • Attempt making my own cheese (scary, but apparently not difficult)
  • Find someone to teach me about gardening and soil and compost and all of that
  • Plant a garden (our backyard has been basically wasted for the year we’ve lived here)

 Have you read this book? Any seasonal recipe recommendations for me?

*un-American in this instance being defined as no fast food, very very very limited processed food and valiant attempts to quit sugar, among other things.

**not exaggerating for some kids

7 comments

a seed of inspiration: Gillian Flynn

by Amy on April 5, 2013

I am so inspired to write a a crime novel right now.

Not the strangest thing I’ve ever typed, but still weird, I know.

As I write this, I just spent about 2 hours reading the last half of Sharp Objects, the first novel from Gone Girl author Gillian Flynn.

I didn’t mean to read for 2 hours. But I was taking a break from some other work to read a little bit and just got SUCKED IN.

I’ve always loved TRUE crime and never really read crime novels. I love true crime…. I think the criminal profile psychology is fascinating.

Even though I didn’t think crime novels were really my thing, last summer I kept seeing Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn EVERYWHERE – I think it spent something like 8 weeks at the top of the NY Times best seller list. So I added it to my library list and ended up reading it a couple months ago.

LOVED it.

I am pretty good at critical reading – I can guess the ending (or come pretty close) to a lot of books and movies. Andrew HATES it :)   … Between that and my love of true crime, I didn’t expect to enjoy crime novels. Too formulaic, I assumed.

TOTALLY wrong about Gillian Flynn’s novels. With Gone Girl about 1/2way through I had a guess… then another hundred pages I realized I was wrong and had another guess … and then my opinion/guess/sympathy had completely changed AGAIN just in the last 20 pages or so.

Same thing when I read Dark Places (her second book). The reader begins with one sympathy that shifts completely several times until the very end when it all comes together.

And then, as I mentioned, I just read Sharp Objects in about a day. LOVED it as well.

I need to buy all 3 of these books and re-read them.

Gillian Flynn is the kind of writer I want to be like.

Gillian Flynn is the kind of writer I need to buy all of her books as soon as they come out to A) support her so she will keep doing it and B) read and reread.

Other authors I love this much: Anne Tyler, Edith Wharton, E.M. Forster, Tom Leveen, L.M. Montgomery, J.K. Rowling …. who else? I NEED to own all their books because I want to re-read them all the time.

Gillian Flynn 3 books

Reading Gillian Flynn books plants a seed of inspiration to:

  • Buy them all from Amazon and re-read them immediately
  • Continue Start working on my second novel idea, which I realize is basically a crime novel
  • research criminal profiles
  • read all kinds of true crime…. or find a little Internet/Wikipedia rabbit hole on the same
  • find more crime novels to indulge in

P.S. I read rumors that said Reese Witherspoon would be playing the lead in Gone Girl and Charlize Theron the lead in Dark Places. I would prefer Charlize Theron in Sharp Objects, instead, but nobody asked me.

3 comments

a seed of inspiration: Saturday Night Live (the 1970s)

by Amy on February 8, 2013

Ok, so I was born in the 1980s, my parents never really watched Saturday Night Live and by the time I was old enough I neither had TV nor the time to watch each episode when it was on.

I’ve seen a few full episodes here and there, but mostly just the funnier clips and highlights of the last 10+ years. Tina Fey, Will Ferrell, Kristin Wiig, Andy Samberg and the like.

But a few months ago I was on Netflix, looking for a TV show I could have on in the background while I blog and edit photos. Something that has a lot of seasons, and not one of the shows that Andrew and I are planning on watching together.

I would prefer a show that’s not currently on the air – it’s hard to keep up with TV shows when you don’t have TV – but I figured with 35+ years of seasons of SNL this show will last me awhile.

The first season is a little …. hit and miss. There is a very funny Paul Simon episode, but otherwise they are really just trying to find their feet and figure out the regular structure to the show.

But. I wanted to start at the beginning.

I want to see the development. I want to see the show’s progression. I want to see the actors’ progression. I want to see the recurring characters show up.

I love it.

From Wikipedia:

The show was intended to have just six episodes. The original concept was for a comedy-variety show featuring young comedians, live musical performances, short films by Albert Brooks, and segments by Jim Henson featuring atypically adult and abstract characters from the Muppets world. Rather than have one permanent host, Michaels elected to have a different guest host each week (Albert Brooks was originally booked to be a permanent host, and claims it was his idea to have a different host each week). The first episode featured two musical guests (Billy Preston and Janis Ian), and the second episode, hosted by Paul Simon on October 18, was almost entirely a musical variety show with various acts. The Not Ready For Prime-Time Players did not appear in this episode at all, other than as the bees with Simon telling them they were cancelled and Chase in the opening and “Weekend Update”. Over the course of Season 1, sketch comedy would begin to dominate the show and SNL would more closely resemble its current format.

 The highlight of the first season is Chevy Chase.

He did the opening bit for basically all of the first season. He did Weekend Update all first season. And his Gerald Ford impression is one of my favorites. Andrew and I still quote it to each other.

Young Chevy Chase is delicious. I watched a bunch of his early movies over the summer. (I don’t yet watch Community and don’t really know his current story, but I’m totally in love with young Chevy Chase)

And of course, SNL made him a big big star so he left at the end of the first season. Bummer.

(note: I believe he was banned from the show later, and the season 3 episode that he hosted is NOT available on Netflix. Fishy)

But then Bill Murray showed up at the beginning of second season. And he is HILARIOUS.

He’s magic. His various old man impressions and his crooked mouth hillbilly characters and his Nick ______ recurring lounge singer (the last name changes depending on where the lounge is). He and Gilda Radner have AMAZING chemistry (check out The Nerds clip below).

Young Bill Murray is pretty fantastic too.

And Dan Aykroyd. Holy geez I love him. His fast-talking salesman (the bass-o-matic or kill your own steer restaurant) and his sleezy executive character (selling kids bags-of-glass and then trying to explain why baby dolls are just as dangerous) and the Coneheads (Aykroyd recently tweeted that was his favorite character).

Aykroyd also did the Richard Nixon and Jimmy Carter impressions while on the show. Again, I wasn’t old enough to watch these episodes when they were on, so basically my ideas of Nixon and Carter are heavily colored by Aykroyd’s impressions.

I love love love Dan Aykroyd.

Plus, OF COURSE, his recurring character with Steve Martin.

(fun side note. Steve Martin was never in the SNL cast, but he hosted so many times he has a recurring character and a lot of people assume he was on it.)

Anyway, the Festrunk brothers – Martin and Aykroyd – are ridiculous and so fun. There’s a clip below.

Who else?

John Belushi. Obviously. He’s very very talented. Not exactly my style of humor, but clearly he was a star for a reason.

The 4th season, every few episodes there was a joke about him dying early. In hindsight it’s just hearbreaking.

Make sure you watch the clip below of Belushi’s Samurai character. One of his most popular. He also was the proprietor of a Greek restaurant that got a running series of episodes.

Garrett Morris. Very funny but not given a huge range of roles. Apparently he really felt hemmed in and stereotyped. Too bad. Excellent (excellent) singer, though.

Laraine Newman. She still does voiceover work, I learned. She didn’t have a whole lot of really great characters, but she was the Conehead daughter and tended to get a lot of the little-girl parts when needed.

Jane Curtin. Another Conehead. She also did Weekend Update after Chase left. I think she’s probably very talented, but she got basically all the cranky-mom/older woman characters. Her Weekend Update-self was overserious and quick to anger. I didn’t find that very funny, but I’m sure it’s not HER fault.

Apparently she was actually thrilled when Belushi and Aykroyd left because she was able to do so much more. Sad it had to work out that way.

Gilda Radner. ADORABLE. I just love her. Her Roseanne Rosannadana character was one of her more popular. She also did a lot of little-girl roles, as well as quite a few idiot-girl roles. Her recurring NERD character (Lisa Lupner) with Bill Murray was so much fun. Watch their clip below too. I just love Gilda so much. So sad she died so young.

Andy Kaufman. Appeared every so often. That guy is just so strange. Fascinating. But bizarre.

Another interesting bit of trivia from these first few seasons… The show started off a little rough but very quickly became very popular.

(from Wikipedia): On October 30, 1976, Weekend Update played the 1974 broadcast of Ford pardoning President Richard Nixon – many backstage felt that decision was instrumental in helping Jimmy Carter win the ’76 election, especially among younger voters.

Favorite hosts from the first few seasons that you should check out

  • Steve Martin. Obviously. Any of them. There’s 5 or 6 just in these first 5 years
  • Buck Henry. I actually have no idea who this guy is, but he also hosted 5 or 6 times and was fantastic on all of them.
  • Christopher Lee (it was a bit bizarre)
  • Elliot Gould. Love him.
  • Walter Matthau
  • Eric Idle and Michael Palin each hosted a handful of times … Strange and fun.
  • Madeline Kahn
  • Ruth Gordon

And just in case you have no idea what I am talking about because you were born in the 1990s, here are some AMAZING highlights from the first 3 or 4 seasons:

(warning. Assume these are all offensive. Watch at your own risk. Also, commercials. Thanks NBC)

 

My understanding from reading the history is that the show more or less fell apart during the 5th season (I’m only a few episodes in). Chase and Belushi and Aykroyd were gone, which left Murray playing all the big scenes. Half the cast addicted to cocaine. Radner exhausted because she was doing the show plus working on a Broadway show.

So at the end of the 5th season more or less everyone left – including Lorne Michaels. I still intend to watch on through the 1980s and 90s and 200s and on…. But I think it’s clear that the magic of the very beginning is special.

Watching the first 5 seasons of SNL plants a seed of inspiration to:

  • Watch both Ghostbusters movies, Animal House, Stripes and all those fantastic late 70s/early 80s movies
  • read through all the entries on BillMurrayStory.com
  • watch ALL the seasons of SNL (oh yes I will. I’m partway through season 5 now)
  • read Gilda Radner’s memoir
  • read this SNL history
  • work up a collection of impressions. Andrew tells me I’m good at impressions, but really I just imitate the people around me.
  • make friends with Dan Aykroyd on Twitter. I mean, that’s what it’s there for right?? I love him.

Do you watch SNL? Have you seen these early episodes?

2 comments

a seed of inspiration: Wired for Story

by Amy on January 25, 2013

I’m kind of obsessed with storytelling at the moment.

I’m not totally sure when it started. I’ve been listening to The Moth and This American Life for years and years. I read A Million Miles in a Thousand Years last fall.

But then I read Wired for Story:The Writer’s Guide to Using Brain Science to Hook Readers from the Very First Sentence by story consultant Lisa Cron –  and I’m in love.

{How does one get to be a story consultant? I want that job.}

A few weeks ago I read the book in about 2 days. 2 days in which I was at work for 16 hours and driving at least 4 hours. And sleeping.

So, you know. I read it pretty quickly, considering.

I don’t remember WHERE I first heard about this book, or from whom, but I only heard good things about it. So since I was trying to write fiction I thought it would be a good book to get. To sit on my shelf next to On Writing and Bird by Bird.

At the time I read Wired for Story, I had recently finished a NaNoWriMo sprint, working on the first draft of my first novel.

When I started writing that manuscript, I only had a vague idea of where the story would go, so by the time I hit 50,000 words (around the time I read Wired for Story), I could see where all the story holes were, all the slow parts, all the story sections that needed some substantial rehauling (spoiler: nearly all of it).

From the back of the book:

“Imagine knowing what the brain craves from every tale it encounters, what fuels the success of any great story, and what keeps readers transfixed. Wired for Story reveals these cognitive secrets – and it’s a game-changer for anyone who has ever set pen to paper.

The vast majority of writing advice focuses on ‘writing well’ as if it were the same as telling a great story. This is exactly where many aspiring writers fail – they strive for beautiful metaphors, authentic dialogue, and interesting characters, losing sight of the one thing that every engaging story must do: ignite the brain’s hardwired desire to learn what happens next. When writers tap into the evolutionary purpose of story and electrify our curiosity, it triggers a delicious dopamine rush that tells us to pay attention. Without it, even the most perfect prose won’t hold anyone’s interest.”

Not only do the principles in this book apply to my great novel-writing adventure, but I would love if I could apply them to longer-form journaling in my memory keeping. Particularly in my travel-Blurb books, for example. Or for whenever I get around to re-journaling my high school years.

Chapter titles include: How to Hook the Reader, How to Zero in on Your Point (a personal favorite as I think this is an easy thing to miss), and The Road from Setup to Payoff.

I really really loved this book. For so many reasons.

It’s accessible (to me, at least. But I have a Masters degree in Literature so now that I think about it maybe it’s not accessible but I just speak the language. Hmmm).

It’s smart (again, zeroing in on the point. Nobody cares what color car she drives unless it comes up later in the story).

I learned a lot. A LOT. If you are even a little bit interested in storytelling and story structure, read this book.

I’m a little bit obsessed with the idea of storytelling anyway – after listening to The Moth and watching The Lord of the Rings Special Features so many times (you don’t want to know how many).

This is the perfect Storytelling 101 book if that is something you’re interested in. Or, if you want to tighten up your scrapbook journaling. Or if you want to get better at telling stories at parties or something like that.

I can’t wait to read it again. I’ve already recommended Wired for Story to 3 or 4 different people.

Reading Wired for Story plants a seed of inspiration to:

  • Write more. Write often. Write better.
  • Scrap everything I have and start over (not going to do that, don’t worry)
  • Read Joseph Campbell and other story-structure gurus
  • Re-read Wired for Story again slowly. And again and again with my trusty orange pen.
  • Develop outlines for some of the other novel ideas I have.
  • LIVE more stories – and then practice telling them at parties. Or The Moth.

Other recommended resources for fiction writers (non-books)

Any others?

0 comments

a seed of inspiration: Storyology from Ali Edwards

by Amy on September 28, 2012

I finally got around to working through Ali Edwards’ Storyology self-paced online class last weekend.

I bought it a year ago when it originally came out and just hadn’t sat down with the several-hours-necessary to go through it. Not because I wasn’t inspired or didn’t care. More because I am already a firm member of the church-of-Ali and am already on board with all the storytelling ideas included.

The self-paced online class includes a multi-page handout (including writing prompts) and a 2 hour video presentation.

As I read through the handout, including reasons why and techniques for storytelling, I found myself agreeing with virtually all the major points. Mental notes. Trying to memorize Ali’s word choice because these are the same arguments I want to make.

From the class description:

DESCRIPTION | A motivational, process-based presentation showcasing my favorite techniques to get words into my scrapbooks. My hope is that after completing the class you will be inspired to tell more of your own personal stories.

TOPICS INCLUDED | The reason why, getting ready to write, story mechanics, rhythms, etc. This class includes six different writing prompts and you are encouraged to take the time during the presentation to write your responses to those prompts (pause the video and then resume when you are ready).

Visit Ali’s site for more feedback from Storyology participants or to register.

One thing to note …. the handout includes multiple pages of text – which basically mirror exactly what Ali talks about in the video. I didn’t realize that when I started, so I read through the whole handout and then had to go over the same information (more in depth) during the 2-ish hour video presentation.

I love the ideas in this class.

But if you’re not willing to sit down to DO the writing and TELL the stories, you’re not going to get much out of this class.

Either make the time or be brave enough to put the words down …. or save yourself the $14 of the class cost. If you’re not going to be willing to do the work, I can’t see that you’re going to get anything out of the class.

This is definitely the kind of self-paced class I will revisit periodically for the inspiration and the kick in the pants to actually DO what I know in my head I should be doing.

You can visit this class page to register

Working through Storyology plants a seed of inspiration to:

Full disclosure: I had an idea for a similar ecourse/ebook when Ali released this.
So of course, I bought hers right away to see what she had to say about the same subject.
My idea is still different so maybe we’ll see that in the future ….


*Also: I am NOT an affiliate. I just want to support Ali.

1 comment

a seed of inspiration: Internet Marketing for Smart People podcast

by Amy on September 7, 2012

It’s been quite a while since I’ve written one of these ‘seed of inspiration‘ posts. Honestly, between Onward and Upward and 30 Days of Lists prep I have little to no time to read or watch or see or experience much new. Nothing wrong with that – just putting your head down and working away for awhile. I just wasn’t struck with any new inspiration or insights to share with you….

But this most recent week I listened to several months worth of archives of the Internet Marketing for Smart People podcast – from Copyblogger – and now I’m all fired up and gung-ho about my L&R plans for the rest of the year and into next!

If you’re not familiar with Copyblogger, you can essentially teach yourself how to create an online income just by reading and implementing the archives. Really if you’re trying to make money with any of your online presences you should take a look at the archives over there. These principles could work for a photographer, etsy merchant, consultant, or anything.

I’ve probably been reading the site for 3 or more years, and the distillation and practical action steps included in the podcast material is one of my favorite things.

Plus, I love that I can learn about something like this (internet marketing) while I am on my drive to work.

So, after listening to all these episodes I have some ideas for affiliate marketing, I have some good additional sources to follow up with, and I have some great ideas for what to offer you all soon!

Favorite episodes cover building an audience, site design and affiliate marketing. Take a look if you’re interested in making some money with your online presence.

Check out their whole archive here or subscribe via iTunes here

Note: If internet marketing is something you’re interested in:

Listening to Internet Marketing for Smart People plants a seed of inspiration to:

Do you have any good internet marketing resources for me?

3 comments

a seed of inspiration: our new kitchen

by Amy on June 22, 2012

You may have seen my guest post on Justine’s blog …. My new favorite place is our new kitchen – the only room in our new house that has been FINISHED*

We bought our first house mid-February and learned that because of mold (the house had been vacant for a year) we had to completely gut the previous kitchen.

The previous kitchen was … fine. A little dirty, but once clean it wasn’t any better or worse than in our last apartment.

But since we HAD to re-do it anyway … we went all out. We went WAY over what we had budgeted for initial-move-in work, but we designed a kitchen that we will love for years and years to come.

No point skimping just to have to re-do it again in a few years.

New cabinets, new floor, new countertop, new appliances, new garbage disposal even. The fridge was ours already, and the light fixture didn’t need to be replaced, but other than that EVERYTHING is new.

It’s beautiful. Right? I mean look at these photos!

Granted, the kitchen was *about* 4 days old when these were taken, and it will never again look this clean and uncluttered …. But I genuinely love the color and material combinations.

I love the modern aesthetic of the cabinets and brushed nickel hardware. I love the dark gray countertop. I’m just so pleased with the way it turned out!

I am also loving the natural light. The kitchen gets BEAUTIFUL amounts of indirect light all day. A tiny bit of direct light for about an hour…. Which means that it never gets too hot in there AND I have lovely light for food/cooking photos (in my next life I’d like to be a food blogger).

Related: I genuinely love to cook. I’ve been working on adapting and creating from scratch some healthy recipes… I tried making chicken stock from scratch the other day. I love creating healthy, balanced meals. No 3-minuyte PB&J for me. No, I’d rather spend the time to make a big batch of turkey chili with lots of veggies.

Having a brand new kitchen plants a seed of inspiration to:

  • Cook ALL THE TIME.
  • Invent new recipes
  • and then make up my own cookbook
  • buy a bunch of cookbooks
  • clean the kitchen (more often)

Does anyone else love their kitchen the way I do?

*OK. That’s not totally true.
There are still some *small* things we want to do in the kitchen
like find a hanging basket to hold onions and garlic and things.
But there is no more MAJOR work that needs to be done for awhile.

3 comments

a seed of inspiration: WTF podcast

by Amy on June 1, 2012

As you all know by now … I have an annoyingly long commute to work. *At least* 45 minutes one way. Without traffic.

So, of course, I’ve been listening to A LOT of podcasts …. I got all caught up with the other 10 or 12 I subscribe to, listened to the whole of Here’s the Thing in a week …. and have recently started on WTF with Marc Maron.

His episodes are at least an hour long (sometimes more), and I think the last 50 episodes are available on iTunes.

Which means I’ll probably be all caught up by the end of June.

Nevertheless, I’ve been listening to Marc Maron CONSTANTLY for the last few weeks and so far am loving it.

I have to admit, the very first episode I listened to (don’t remember which), began with Marc riffing on a recent diarrhea experience he had.

Total turn off for me. I don’t really find bodily-function humor funny. I wasn’t sure I would want to listen to this on a regular basis.

But, I have to say, the more I listen to, the more I like Marc personally and the show as a whole.

From Wikipedia:

WTF with Marc Maron (also referred to as What The Fuck with Marc Maron) is a twice-weekly podcast hosted by stand up comedian Marc Maron. The show launched in September 2009. The program primarily consists of interviews with comedians and comedy writers, as well as others in the entertainment and radio communities. WTF has featured a number of notable guests, including Robin Williams, Ben Stiller, Conan O’Brien, Doug Stanhope, Chris Rock, Zach Galifianakis, Louis C.K., Steven Wright, and many others. The show is produced by Maron’s former Air America co-worker, Brendan McDonald.

Maron structures the show with a 15-or-so-minute ramble at the beginning. He has a background in stand-up comedy and radio, so imagine a morning DJ just talking about what is on his mind for 15 minutes.

That is when he started riffing on anything from his new pants to his thoughts on ambition and death.

It’s …. bizarre. But, it does definitely allow the listener to get to know Maron personally.

The more I listen, the more he really seems to me like a genuinely good guy – humble, hard working, and honest – in spite of his background in the entertainment industry.

The show is sponsored by some big advertisers (Comedy Central, Bill Maher’s show, Stamps.com and others), so there are a few plugs at the beginning of each episode. Along with various announcements for where Maron will be doing stand-up.

It seems like the podcast is a major source of his income, so I don’t begrudge the advertising plugs one bit.

One nice thing is once the bulk of the episode starts – his 45+ minute interview with an entertainer – there are no more interrupting advertising bits. Very considerate for the listener, and I would imagine effective for building a responsive audience.

And that interview is the BEST part.

I’ve listened to maybe …. 30+ episodes? Maybe fewer….. Interviews with everyone from Michael Cera who I just love to Todd Glass who I have never heard of and know nothing about …..

I have such a fascination with most (all?) aspects of the entertainment industry … Listening to interviews with working actors, writers and occasionally musicians is so fascinating.

Sometimes the conversation is light-hearted and teasing (as with Jeffrey Tambor), sometimes it’s more reflective (as with David Cross) … and sometimes it’s downright intense (as with Todd Glass).

You really never know. There’s no SET structure to interview questions – clearly Maron has been doing this a long time and has excellent interviewing skills. Much of the interview just comes from the guest’s personality and what they end up sharing.

Example:  I just listened to the Fred Stoller episode …. and they talked about what he’s working on now and what it was like for him growing up …. And then apparently Stoller called Maron back after the interview to apologize for not having the stripper stories to share or not talking about his time working for Larry David.

I am really really enjoying this show …. it makes me both hopeful and ambitious for my whatever-it-will be career. … And depressed that I’m 30 and have accomplished nothing.

More or less :)

But I love it, and I’m so grateful he puts out hour+ shows 2x a week!

Listening to WTF with Marc Maron plants a seed of inspiration to:

  • start a podcast. I know I said that. I still think about it.
  • Save my pennies to get some of the premium episodes.
  • see if I can write comedy. I’m relatively funny in real life, but I don’t think it translates into writing TV scripts and such
  • audition. One nice thing about living in L.A. is there is ALWAYS the (small) possibility you can fall into the entertainment business. It’s something I entertain fantasies of doing without ever wanting to do the work required.

4 comments

a seed of inspiration: Game of Thrones

by Amy on May 25, 2012

Here’s no shock to anyone: I’m a big nerd.

I adore (Peter Jackson’s) Lord of the Rings movies … .we’ll be going to the midnight showing of The Hobbit. I love Harry Potter and Star Wars ….I’m not the kind of uber-nerd that seeks out the latest in fantasy-fiction …. but I am quite dedicated to these.

…. and as soon as I started hearing good things about HBO’s new series Game of Thrones I added it to our Netflix queue.

Of course, I’m not *quite* as big of a nerd as Andrew …. I mean, I was content to wait til the Game of Thrones DVDs came up in our Netflix queue. But Andrew went and sought them out. Asked all his friends if anyone owned them so we could borrow them.

And then watched the first 4 episodes WITHOUT me to “make sure that you [Amy] would like them” …. uh huh. Yea.

So, needless to say – Andrew got obsessed with HBO’s Game of Thrones and we watched all 10 episodes of season one in about 3 days. In addition to, you know, work and real life.

Obsessed enough that it made it into Project Life!

About the TV series (from Wikipedia):

Game of Thrones is an American medieval fantasy television series created for HBO by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss. It is an adaptation of A Song of Ice and Fire, George R. R. Martin‘s series of fantasy novels

And about the book series (from Wikipedia):

The story of A Song of Ice and Fire takes place on the fictional continents Westeros and Essos, with a history going back thousands of years. The series is told in the third person by 31 point of view characters in the series. The three main storylines become increasingly interwoven: the chronicling of a dynastic civil war for control of Westeros among several competing families; the rising threat of the assumed-to-be-extinct cold supernatural Others dwelling beyond an immense wall of ice on Westeros’ northern border; and the ambition of Daenerys Targaryen, the exiled daughter of a king murdered 15 years earlier in a civil war, to return to Westeros with her fire-breathing dragons and claim her rightful throne.

The fantasy series has been praised for its realism; it subdues magic in favor of battles and political intrigue. Drawing inspiration from historical events, Martin deliberately defied the conventions of the fantasy genre and frequently displayed violence, sexuality, and moral ambiguity. Main characters are killed off, indicating that the supposed heroes may not come through unscathed, and readers are left to decide which characters are good or evil. A Song of Ice and Fire also received critical commentary for its portrayal of women, religion, and food.

I should say … I’ve already read most of the Wikipedia entries for the Game of Thrones books – I’m not the type that cares about spoilers – and we are SO looking forward to the second season on DVD!


I love the casting!

There a a few BIG actors …. and then some of those where-have-I-seen-that-guy actors …. and then a small handful of came-out-of-nowhere actors. Emilia Clarke, for example, or Kit Harington.

Sean Bean as another tragic hero. But, every time he had an emphatic speech I could only think of that scene from Return of the King when he is rallying the troops “For Gondor!” …. Maybe he should get out of the fantasy game for a little bit…

Peter Dinklage is amazing. As per usual. Plus his character is one of my favorites. One of the few characters that you can actually see both the good and the bad sides of. He really makes that power-hungry, cruel Tyrion Lannister seem sympathetic…..

Emilia Clarke is gorgeous, for one. For two, I really love her character too. She’s not been in much of anything else, but I am so looking forward to what she does beyond Game of Thrones.

All of the actors who play Stark children are delightful … each in their own completely different way …

I am in love with the locations where this was shot ….

Especially so soon after visiting Scotland. I can’t wait to go back … and go farther north next time.

Or Africa. Why haven’t I been to Africa yet?

Add it to the list.

Game of Thrones became the kind of show that I literally could NOT stop thinking about (Lost was that way, for example).

We’d watch an episode or 2 in the morning, I’d go to work, and as I sat there trying to read a press release, my mind would wander to a scene between the Lannisters, or thinking about Ned Stark’s reaction to such and such.

I’m telling you. It was ridiculous. I’m sure part of the reason has to do with watching so many episodes in such a short period of time, but it is also a testament to the vision of the TV show. Making the world SO real (in spite of the dragons and the fake languages).

Watching Game of Thrones plants a seed of inspiration to:

  • Name a future pet Khaleesi. I read an article that certain people are naming their daughters Khaleesi, but that’s going a bit far
  • See all of Peter Dinklage’s movies. I just love him
  • Go back to Scotland. Further north this time … to the islands and all where the magic lives!
  • read the books. I’m not REALLY a fantasy-book fan, but I think now that I have SEEN the world I’ll enjoy the books a lot more (that’s what I found with Lord of the Rings, at least)
  • Watch the Lord of the Rings movies. For the 20th time or so.
  • attempt to write my own fantasy series …. I don’t know exactly WHY this interests me, since I don’t really read that much fantasy. But for some reason watching this series (and reading about future books) really gets my imagination going!

Have you seen (or read) Game of Thrones? What do you think?

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a seed of inspiration: Here’s the Thing

by Amy on May 11, 2012

Last week I listened to the whole of Alec Baldwin’s new podcast Here’s the Thing.

(In my defense I have a very long drive to-from work)

From their site:

In WNYC’s new podcast series, award-winning actor Alec Baldwin gives the listener unique entrée into the lives of artists, policy makers and performers.

Alec sidesteps the predictable by taking listeners inside the dressing rooms, apartments, and offices of people such as comedian Chris Rock, political strategist Ed Rollins and Oscar winner Michael Douglas.

Every two weeks, Alec pursues great conversations in unexpected places to find out what motivates his guests, how they feel about what they do and what keeps them up at night. Here’s The Thing: Listen to what happens when a man you think you know surprises you.

Here’s the Thing is produced by Emily Botein and Kathie Russo, with Jim Briggs, Wendy Dorr, Ed Herbstman, Melanie Hoopes and Ariana Pekary.

I admit it – I’m kind of in love with Alec Baldwin. Ever since 30 Rock. I can’t help it. He’s so charming AND straight-shooting (in the interviews/pieces of his I’ve seen).

And I loved him on Friends. … but other than that, I’ve seen hardly any of his other movies/work. Or, I’ve seen the films but I don’t remember him in it (which actually speaks to his acting ability now that I think about it, if I didn’t remember ALEC BALDWIN but just the movie as a whole).

But anyway. I love Alec Baldwin. I love learning about behind-the-scenes filmmaking. And I have big chunks of time in which to listen to podcasts, so I thought I’d give Here’s the Thing a shot.

This new program is produced by WYNC – who you might recognize as the producers of Radiolab and Freakonomics and SO MANY other great shows!

From the way each episode is broken up (about 25 minutes long with a break in the middle which I assume is for a commercial or station identification or similar), my guess is that it is aired on the radio. The podcast is updated into iTunes once every couple weeks. And so far, there are about 6 months of archives available.

Between this podcast and WTF with Marc Maron (which I’ve been listening to this week), I realize I would be a terrible interviewer. Baldwin just has this gift of engaging conversation, intuitive questions and genuine curiosity that really draws out his guests and makes the whole interview seem natural and intimate.

I can’t do that.

I’ve listened to all of these episodes (there was another that was posted this week that I haven’t gotten to yet).

You’ll notice these aren’t all entertainment-people. Ed Rollins is in politics, Rob Morris helped found Love146. … and the newest episode (which I haven’t listened to but am definitely looking forward to) is with an economist!

I love Baldwin’s approach to these interviews. … he has definite opinions on things like politics, and the entertainment industry and being a parent … and he is not afraid to turn his interviews into a 2-sided discussion, rather than just softballing easy questions to his guests.

At 25 minutes every 2 weeks, this is the kind of minimal commitment that I think makes podcasts accessible to busy people ….. Take a listen!

Let me know what your favorite interview is … (personally, I loved the Herb Alpert one because I kept thinking how much Andrew would like it).

Listening to Here’s The Thing plants a seed of inspiration to:

  • Watch a bunch of Alec Baldwin movies. Particularly It’s Complicated, Glengarry Glen Ross, The Cooler, and any of his other BIG ones.
  • Hunt down some Alec Baldwin on SNL YouTube clips. I think he’s said he’s hosted 11 times or some such nonsense.
  • Learn more about politics. I pay attention during presidential election years, but not much otherwise.
  • Watch all of Stephen Daldry’s movies in a row
  • Go see a Groundlings performance (went once YEARS ago and should really go again)
  • See a bunch of Michael Douglas movies. Particularly Wall Street, The China Syndrome, The American President and Fatal Attraction.
  • start my own podcast. Though not an interview-based one.

 

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