Handled my BIZ-NESS today.
I’m far from “caught up.” Rather hopelessly far, I think, but that doooessnn’ttt matttteeerrrrr. This book is getting written. And so far, fast than I’ve ever written before. Which isn’t to say it’s about the speed. It’s not. Rather, it’s just an indication of how far I’ve come that I can get in the groove for as long as I’ve managed each day, and sustained that over the past almost-three weeks. How fast or how long it takes me to finish is elementary. I can’t go faster than my brain will allow. I have to be happy with what I’ve written.
I am.
I watched Eraserhead tonight while Liz memorized for an audition. Surrealism isn’t really my thing; I like a narrative structure. I think it’s harder to do, there are less places to hide, and it reveals more truth about the human condition. BUT, here’s the thing:
I do respect it.
For me, what separates noteworthy, praiseworthy surrealism from just nonsense that anyone can make is how effective it is at evoking the feeling of a dream. In my nightmares, I’m terrified. More terrified than I ever get in real life. So…terrify me. Unsettle me to my core. If you can do that, you’re a cut above, because there’s still technique there. You have to EXECUTE in order to terrify someone, and I can respect that.
I wouldn’t exactly say that Lynch nails that, per se, with Eraserhead. It’s much more noteworthy in the sense that it shows soooo much of who Lynch became as he continued to make films. It’s fine. It’s protoplasmic as far as I’m concerned. Some really great ideas in there that he nails later on, not so nailed here. But, despite the clumsiness and awkwardness…it’s still watchable. There is still something there. Mostly his sound design and his visual style. But also just some of his naked nightmares. It’s personal. I respect that, too.