Subject: Comparing things to Ed Wood Re: Books

From: nenslo <nenslo@yahooX.com>
Newsgroups: alt.slack

"Rev. Ivan Stang" wrote:

> I watched that Tim Burton biopic "Ed Wood" in a movie theater with my
> former wife, when it came out. What I saw as an inspiring comedy, she
> saw as a depressing tragedy.

That's probably because you knew quite well that, compared to Wood's
actual life "Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?" is an inspiring comedy.

>The scene where Ed's first wife breaks up
> with him, loudly, at a party full of his weird-ass fucked up friends...
> well... luckily that didn't happen to me. But we did have a fight on
> the way home from the movie over whether Ed was a detestable loser or
> an admirable "I Did It My Way" kook who did the best he could with what
> he had.

Wood's Supreme SubGeniosity lies in this: he was both. He evaded all
criteria and expectations. The one time I ever went to see Plan 9 and
Glen or Glenda in public, the theatre was filled with folks who were
going to laugh, on various levels, at the funny movie. Oh, they TRIED
to laugh for the first ten minutes... they kept TRYING to laugh, but
eventually they just couldn't any more. They were transported to that
mystical realm in which the world REALLY IS made up of flimsy
cardboard sets populated by stiff jerky bad actors and their stupidly
written lines are heartbreakingly TRUE.

It's like comparing someone to Janor. All you can say is they aren't Janor.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: Re: Comparing things to Ed Wood Re: Books
From: "Rev. Ivan Stang" <stang@subgenius.com>

> That's probably because you knew quite well that, compared to Wood's
> actual life "Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?" is an inspiring comedy.

I don't know a thing about Ed Wood's life, outside of what that movie
showed. But it's funny that you bring up "Who's Afraid of Virginia
Woolff" as a comparison to something. To me "Who's Afraid of Virginia
Wolff" is a home movie.

Not of me, but some relatives.

THIS part of my life is an inspiring comedy compared to other parts of
my life. And I thought THOSE were an inspiring comedy at the time.

What I dread now is finding out in a decade or so how utterly miserable
and stupid I actually am now, without knowing it, having had nothing
better to compare it to.

Uncertainty principle.

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Original file name: Comparing things to Ed Wood ReE - converted on Monday, 21 July 2003, 13:39