It Was Quite Something

That's a phrase Scorsese uses a lot--you'll hear it a few times on THE LAST WALTZ featurette and commentary, which I watched half of before 24. I thought it was interesting that the way he filmed this concert helped him choose the shots and editing for the boxing scenes in RAGING BULL, as he felt that, in their way, they were like music, too.

Finisheed BANNOCK, BEANS & BLACK TEA. I admire that Seth would devote a decade to putting together such a handsome book of his father's childhood stories--truly a labor of love. However, it's just not that good. I mean, we all like tales of poverty and hardship--they're touching and inspiring when done well--but while there's enough of that here, there just aren't enough gripping little anecdotes to make a book. In fact, for as much as Seth discusses the process he went through of editing these stories from his father's varying, sometimes redundant reminiscences, the editing here is sloppy, resulting in a fair amount of repetition and a "first car" story long after we've already read about said car and "seen" it in action. The best part of the book is the burning hate John Gallant still feels when he thinks of his do-nothing father, but unfortunately he's a bit too much of a gentlemen to really let loose, aside from the bitter story about his journey with his sweet sister, a journey the father should have rightfully taken, and which resulted in his sister's death a week later from whooping cough. The design of the book is beautifully old-fashioned, and Seth's spot illustrations classy and beautiful, though perhaps a bit too slick for the stories within. He's not really my first choice to draw wretched, dirty farmboys, you know? Also, I have to admit I was annoyed that the book only seems hand-lettered, and in fact is just printed with a font based on his lettering. That and the art have the unfortunate effect of conveying a feeling that Seth wasn't quite as personally invested in the project as I'm sure he was.

Wrote pages 2 and 3 of Irregular Joe #3, thus ending the scene in Chasen's with Jimmy and Gloria Stewart. It's a bit different from my outline--the Stewarts weren't originally in there, in fact--but I got what I needed to in. As it deals partially with an unhappy couple having to go through the motions for the sake of a child, it ended up being a little painful to write, more than I expected, really. Coincidentally, I'm going to bed early so I can be at my ex's house at 5:45, since she is going to wait in line to register our son for kindergarten in the brand-new school.