Fountain cover 2.0

And here is the FOUNTAIN cover 2.0. It's more highfalutin' and all. But I dig the cleanness of it.

The print version may differ with the blurbs on the cover, but in the age of digital publishing, all that razzle dazzle can be put on the web page. 

In fact, Andrew Vachss looks like he just put out his first unpublished novel A BOMB BUILT IN HELL with a cover by Geoff Darrow that has no text on it. And it looks great.

Thanks to Kid A for this cool design. 

Thoughts?

david@davidscotthay.com

xoxoxo

DSH

CLONING CHRIST

If you found your way to this blog by purchasing CLONING CHRIST: THE SECOND BOOK OF DANIEL from Arson Books off Amazon, I thank you. I believe it's a fun read.

"CLONING CHRIST heralds a mercurial new talent to the page! Quirky, riveting, hilarious, disturbing, and unclassifiable (in the best sense). It is a page-turner that is at once magically realistic and completely allegorical. If Christ were cloned, as is the central conceit here, he would enjoy the hell out of this book." - Jay Bonansinga, National Bestselling Author of PINKERTON'S WAR, PERFECT VICTIM, and co-author of THE WALKING DEAD TRILOGY.

And if you made it far enough you may have come across the preview for FOUNTAIN. I consider FOUNTAIN to be my best work. The feedback has been tremendous from both my peers and colleagues. Initally, the response from the publishing world was divided into two camps: 1) I don't get it. 2) Brilliant. But pass.

Until Arson Books. More about those crazy guys later.

FOUNTAIN should be released this coming weekend on Amazon Kindle and Barnes & Noble Nook. And if all goes well, a paperback version later this year.

At right is a mock up of the cover. It plays more to the satirical nature of the book. Another version which I'll post when completed plays more to the literary version. Regardless of slant, the word on the street is the book is funny. Which I guess means I've hit the funny bone. I've also heard it's haunting. (This from a best-selling author who hasn't released her official blurb to me yet). But I've gotten other very gracious and flattering blurbs from some very talented other writers, including this one from Darren Callahan who seems to sum it up best:

"David Scott Hay has done a something incredible - an artful book about an arty subject that doesn't drop into pretension. 'Fountain' is an affecting story about tough, interesting people who hold beauty up like Achilles' shield against a very real, very bitter, and oddly funny world. A must for fans of sharp tongues and sharp writing." -- Darren Callahan, "The White Airplane and Horror Academy: Two Plays by Darren Callahan"

But until then enjoy CLONING CHRIST: THE SECOND BOOK OF DANIEL. I consider it an early work/boot leg demo, but still a good read and a journal of what my thoughts and interests were at the time. Feel free to tell me what yours are at david@davidscotthay.com. I'd love to hear from you.  
And if you haven't downloaded a copy, you can do so here:  CLONING CHRIST: THE SECOND BOOK OF DANIEL . There's a little extra preview in the back for another project.

So, thanks for taking a peek. I'll be posting more about this new venture as well as some other exciting things. That is, if we survive the end of the world this Saturday.

XOXOXO
DSH

DAVE'S FAVE FIVE 2010

Hello, creative folks and friends:

Once again my top five of 2010 for books, movies, and music.

xoxo
DSH

Books:

War- Sebastian Junger- the documentary RESTREPO by the same folks is good, but much much more detail and context is in the book. I recommend reading it then watching the movie to get the full effect of a year spent deployed in the most dangerous place on earth, the Korengal Valley in Afghanistan.

Bear V. Shark- Chris Bachelder. An amazingly insightful satire. Almost every page and line therein is like flipping a channel. A tad cold by its nature, but you’ll finding yourself nodding in agreement and recognition. Will cure your satirical urges. But the next book you’ll read, you’ll want a pure story. Like Savages.

Savages - Don Winslow. Knew nothing about his previous work before reading it. Hell thought he was a first time author. A thriller stripped to the bone and told with an unapologetic FU smart ass attitude. You'll either dismiss it or strap in. But there's a page turner here with cool characters and a sprinkling of politics, smarts, and yes, even some poetry and recklessness. Unapologetically loved it. Loved it. Loved it. Marketed as a thriller and thats true, but like any good story it's really a love story. (Just finished it this week. Days later it's still sticking with me.)

Day by Day Armageddon/Beyond Exile- J.L. Bourne. Two books in a trilogy (third not out) It's zombie fiction written by an active duty soldier. Very smart and knowledgeable with plenty of military insight. A very small story that continues to grow in scope. The first book was fun, but sort of just stops. The second picks up immediately after and the author really finds his stride with this one. Hell of a hook at the end of this one

Miracle Boy and Other Stories- Pinckney Benedict. I hear this guy is crazy and so are his stories. I’ve been savoring this book, dipping into it occasionally like a fine scotch. Unpredictable, but accessible. He’s a helluva mentor as well.

HM:

The Things They Carried – Tim O’Brien – when I want to see what good clean writing that packs a wallop in nice short bursts looks like I go to this book. I’ve almost gotten over the feeling that it makes me think I'm a hack. Given away almost as many copies of this as I have of Fight Club. The only reason it's on the HM list is because this was a reread.

Chuck Klosterman IV- Chuck Klosterman - The Greatest Hits essays of the last ten years. Steeped in pop culture and sharp observations and insights. The author has revised many of these and added some footnotes graced with the passage of time since the initial publication.

Rock N Roll Will Save Your Life- Steve Almond – For music lovers. He gets it. Gets why we get it and if you don’t feel music is as important as breathing, then you and I have nothing to say.



Movies:Okay, haven’t seen a ton, but these are movies though maybe not technically the best or critically acclaimed, either surprised me or made me laugh or engaged me in a way that I was not expecting.


Big Lebowski (Fest) – If you dig the Dude, there is nothing like drinking a few White Russians in the theatre with a few hundred fans screaming lines or adlibbing along. A BLAST!

The Expendables – More fun than the cold, joyless Inception. As a child of the 80’s it was comfort food. A good fun time with no expectations. I enjoyed myself.

The Square – Wow. What a great stripped to the bone thriller. Highly recommend for noir fans. Holy Shit. Netflix it.

The Ghost Writer – I love a movie that I can simultaneously enjoy, respect, admire, mock and be surprised by.

George Washington – Gem of a movie. Honest, compelling and heartbreaking. David Gordon Green's debut, and I would say best.

HM:
Inglorious Basterds – Very rewatchable. Was surprised how much I liked it.
Scott Pilgrim V. the World – Had a blast. Great music.
Get Him to the Greek – Made me laugh when I needed a few.



Best Live Music Show:
Dandy Warhols – How is this band not bigger in the States? Great seats, great music. They softened some songs up, rocked up some more, but kept it all cool. I have a daisy on my left toe…
Justin Townes Earle - The single greatest music moment of the year for me. JTE laying his acoustic guitar down and doing Randy Newman’s Louisiana 1927. Punctuated by the occasional footstomp. You could hear a pin drop. Was like going to church should be like. Soulful and transcendental. Haunting. And sorrowfully fleeting. I live for these moments that make me feel we're more than a bag of meat and bones. (John Boutte's 2007 live version is a soul cousin to the JTE version, but still not the same.)

The Giving Tree - A bunch of young Illinois boys with several acoustic guitars, upright bass, banjos etc. A rollicking mix of folk, bluegrass, Americana, roots rock and just sheer fun. Thanks to Fitzgeralds for yet another great showcase.

Ray Price – Dancing with Carrie Hill while old school country legend Ray Price sang Crazy Arms at my favorite Juke Joint in Texas. It don’t get much better. Ever.

HM or tied for 5th:Del Moraccos
Modern Sounds
Concrete Blonde
Patty Griffin
Willie Nelson


Best TV Show:
Californication – 3rd Season not as strong as 1 and especially 2. But a few episodes made it worth it.

Breaking Bad – holy shit.

Sons of Anarchy – Shakespearian in scope. The politics and secrets keep it humming. The action, though, is somewhat pedestrian, so they use it sparingly. Every character has something going on and growth, which is nice. Both good guys and bad guys and that label changes frequently.

Walking Dead - Downloaded but not watched. Zombies and Darabont, so I give this one a free ride.

Community - Thank you for filling the void left from Arrested Development.

Happy 2011, y'all.

DAVE'S FAVE FIVE 2009

Hello, creative folks and friends:

Once again my top fave five of 2009 for books, movies, and music.

xoxo
DSH

Books (fiction):

Sudden Fiction (Various) Anthology of great short shorts. This is the fiction writer’s version of poetry. Sure some of them are gimmicky, but I don’t mind the occasional card trick.

Kill Your Friends (John Niven) Dark, dark satire on the music industry in the 90’s. Hookers and blow and laugh out loud funny. Seriously. Snot flew.

Coming Through Slaughter (Michael Ondaatje) Dense and loose and jumps around like good jazz. Even if you only catch every fifth note, you’ll catch the beauty. Reminded me of Cormac MaCarthy’s Blood Meridian. It rewards close reading. I plan to make my way through his backlist (though probably skipping The English Patient).

Last Evenings on Earth (Roberto Bolaño) Great short stories. Especially for creative types.

Jelly Roll (Kevin Young) Jazzy, earthy poetry. I even read some of them outloud. I never do that.

Revolutionary Road (Richard Yates) Haven’t seen the movie. Don’t want to see the movie. But hardly a few pages didn’t go by where I tagged, flagged or marked a line, or paragraph. Brutally insightful into relationships and the ability to manipulate others and ourselves. I even wrote a paper on it.

Okay that was 6. It was a good year. Interesting to note that 3 of my favorite reads were required reading in my MFA program. Those cats know their stuff.

Movies:

Synechode, NY – Easily dismissed as pretentious, but I found it to be a commentary on artistic pretension and filled with much black humor. It lingered with me weeks after I saw it. A lot of people got lost in the Rubic’s Cube of it all, but I think I have the simple answer for it. “Courage in art, but not life.” Feel free to email after you’ve seen it. (simply a man trying to impress a girl.)

Star Trek – Brought out the kid in me. (yeah, Bana is no Khan, and there was some silliness, but at a certain point I didn’t care.) I have since watched this on DVD three times. Love it. Cannot wait for the next one.

The Hurt Locker – Wow.

The Fantastic Mr. Fox - Wes Anderson without being too obtuse. Funny, witty, wry and endearing. Will probably buy it. Nothing like the charm of real stop-motion. This one I think will continue to gain an audience as word of mouth from everyone who sees it seems to be quite taken with it.

Man on Wire – Who knew a story about a high-wire walker could be so profound and beautiful? (This won the Oscar last year for Documentary, but I’m a bit behind.)

Official Rejection – A great indie doc on getting an indie film through the indie film festival. Disclaimer: I know the writer/producers/director. I met them on the circuit when they were shooting all their experiences. I was out with Hard Scrambled, they were out with Ten 'Til Noon. Paul crashed with us while suffering through the Chicago Indie Fest. I had to have a few stiff drinks while watching this. It was like watching an alternate reality homemovie of my own experiences. I have a two second cameo... barkeep!


Best Live Music Show:

The Hoyle Brothers – True honky tonk country. Covers and originals. They place Happy Hour every Friday at the Empty Bottle from 5:30 – 7:30. I always being my Texas friends and they always give a seal of approval. And you can request songs they don’t play and they’ll give it a go. “Streets of Bakerfields” for example. Twice. Nice guys too.

Springsteen – The Boss. As good as advertised.

The Guggenheim Grotto – It boasts the band’s same signature mix of timeless, multi-instrumental pop/folk, but offers a greater maturity and a higher sense of self-consciousness while delving into more sampling and electronic techniques. – Nic Harcourt.

The first song they sang was just vocals and a ukulele (which I guess you can get away with if you’re Irish) and won the crowd over immediately. I listen to this smart, haunting music all the time. Great live, and good background, but the lyrics are intelligent and catchy. Listen closely. Another great opening act discovery at FitzGerald’s in Berwyn.

The Tillers – A twentysomething trio. One mic and old timey/bluegrass music. They were nervous as this was their first gig in the Chicago area., so they churned through their songs and at the ½ hour mark asked the soundman how much time they had. Answer 20 more minutes. You should have seen them relax. Even told a story or two about their new VW bus called Gus and then they jammed the rest of the way through their set. Great guys. Great music. (Later I was told they had to beg for the gig—I’m sure they’ll be back. Crowd loved them.). Yet another great opening act discovery at FitzGerald’s in Berwyn.

And finally…

The Flaming Lips. Floor seats (standing, who sits at a Lips show?). Another transformative experience. I usually just sit back at shows and take in all the music, but this one I got lost in and I’m not just talking about the copious amounts of confetti. My cheeks hurt from smiling so much. You just can’t watch a Lips show passively. Especially on the floor. You gotta love a band whose first song is about two scientist racing for a cure and staged with all the wonderfulness and joy and theatrics of other bands’ finales. Joy over anger. Oh Yoshimi...


HONORABLE MENTION: Queensryche: met the band backstage with Carrie Hill (whose wily ways got us backstage passes). And through some quirk of conversation, Geoff Tate believes I have fathered both of Carrie’s daughters. We sealed the deal with a fist bump (Geoff and I). Awe. Some.

Thanks for reading. Happy New Year.

AWOL Blues: Part II (The Room)

It is soul crushing.

Fucking soul crushing.

I'm talking broken spirit epic. And yet, it happened with a quiet email.

And so I quit. I quit writing.

See in the couple of years from when I started to get the script into fighting shape, several Iraqi themed movies tanked. Actually, all of them. So there we are excellent script and dick in hand. And no movie.

So I quit the biz. I quit writing. I told myself to live a year without the fucking pencil or staring at a computer screen or blank page. But what to do now? So many thing... so I learned the bass guitar. I joined a cover band. I gardened. I experimented successfully with and made my own BBQ sauce (DBQ- Red Eye Jack ad Smokey Bee). I lived an external present in the moment life and it was amazing. Huh... so this is what regular people do.

But you know the script is just sitting there and someone mentioned the Nicholl Fellowship contest the big Academy sponsored screenplay contest. I remember thinking when is that deadline only to look it up online and see that it was THAT day. Through a mishmash of electronic shuffling and faxing, credit cards and dropped elevator calls Mark and I get both LA and Chicago signatures on the application and submit the script at the deadline.

Cut to: a few months later. We make the QF. The first time I've/we've done so. It's 50/50 for the next cut and for whatever reason we don't make it. We'll have to be happy with the top 5%. But getting that first letter and reading it to Mark over the phone was a nice moment. A few months later we start getting emails asking to read the script. It's flattering, but know the end result: it's not commercial enough. It's actor'award bait, but not the time.

But the thing about screenwriting and movies is nothing is ever really dead. And the path is never clear or predictable. At my shitty day job, a junior broker here and I chat occasionally and he mentions his buddy from college is in the biz. Turns out he's a successful screenwriter having been Joel Schumacher's assistant for many years. Before he wrote himself into a room with Vince Vaughn. I seemed to recall this fact about his buddy 18 months earlier, but the timing was wrong and I didn't have anything ready to go even if I could get him to pimp my stuff. Again, timing.

But it comes up in conversation again and I asked if he'd introduce me, I had after all just placed in teh QF of Nicholl and he'd know what that meant. He got my stuff and shortly thereafter called me and offered to help out. Going against my better judgment I sent him a comedy. It went to William Morris and came back with shitty coverage.

Embarrassingly bad.
(FYI, fart and dick jokes are added after the script's been sold.)

But he was cool about it and I talked to him again and said I have this drama, kinda dark and it made the QF of Nicholl so would he take a look at that. He agreed (there are some cool cats out there). I sent it to him and he forwarded it to William Morris for Coverage. Well, I guess he got bored and before the coverage came back read the script and really, really liked it. It helped that the coverage came back with a thumbs up within the next day or two and he asked if it was okay if he could forward it to Joel Schumacher as he knew they were currently looking for this kind of material. He asked me. if. it. was. okay.

(BTW by this time: I have been suckered out of my hiatus to write Straigtht Razor Jazz -- see other blog. I vow to take a hiatus every year, a spiritual purging, if you will. I botch this by going to grad school.)

Within a couple of weeks we get a nice email from Schumacher's company. Who are these guys? Great writing. I’d love to meet them.

A trip to LA where the meeting doesn't happen -- rescheduling is the name of the game, we finally nail downa lunch, butI"m back in chiacgo so I phone in my hellos and banter. But we manage to pitch our next piece ADAM PROPHET, he likes the idea enough and we have an open door for submisison. Now we just crack that script. (Draft number 7 coming up...) Aaron or Jeremy, if you're reading this you're either laughing from pathos or recognition, regardless at least you're laughing, right.

Who knows what will happen, but my name is known in some professional circles and in a good way. And now we're one step closer to the danger zone.

And that motherfuckers is how you get in the room. Easy, no?

AWOL Blues. Part I (the hurt locker)

My co-writer and I have a meeting with Joel Schumacher's right hand guy.

How did this happen?

We wrote ourselves into that room.

I'm not a political person. At least in my writing. I seem to be more interested in personal issues such as survival, loyalty, redemption, half-realized dreams and whatever else they wrote in that profile of mine a few years ago.

That changed with the Iraq war, or police action or occupation. It took a while as I admit I was in that camp of I've read The Hot Zone or Cobra Event and I know Saddam's got the WMD. But now like everyone else, I know it was grade-A bullshit. This is what happens when you're just smart enough to be a danger to yourself and those around you.

So I decided to say something. I'd write a screenplay. And so I did: AWOL Blues.

But see that's-- now that I'm really thinkin about it the way it happened, that's not the spark point for the idea. Actually, I was contacted to pitch a small character drama for a director here in town. He mentioned he had a visual of sailors in Chicago and suddenly they're getting into a jam, those kooky sailors.

Well, I grew up with an ex-Marine father and didn't know squat about sailors, so I pitched the idea incorporating Marines and two locales the director had lived in, making it a small State-side version of Going After Cacchiato, a book I reference but only have read the book jacket thus far. It was a moment of inspiration where the whole thing fell into place. I typed up the outline, registered it online with the WGA and I pitched it with enthusiasm as if it was the only possible movie the universe would accept now and at the end of the pitch I pointed at the director and said, "and that's your fucking movie."

He smiled, said "wow."

At the end of the night, he said: I think we can make this happen." But it didn't. He balked at my quote and really wanted it to be about sailors.

Cut to: a year later, and I'm on the indie (ie B) film festival circuit with Hard Scrambled and am hearing nothing but BS about the war. My Hard Scrambled producer and I start talking about doing a political movie. I pitch him my idea. He liked the story, but sees students, not Marines, or kooky sailors. But I have a clear vision with the piece, so we agree to go our separate ways on the project and I go off and in a rare moment of "this is what I'm supposed to be doing with my life," hole up in my hotel room between screenings and start writing the script.

Nine months later, my producer asks hows it going? (seems his Iraq movie script has stalled). I send him a rough draft. He says we have to do this. This is important and we have to do it. By hook or crook. Now.

But "now" as we all know in movie speaks, means "after a lengthy script development process, also known as Development Hell (actual term)." A year and half of frustrating rewrites and finally we get the script to a pretty solid point. It's a bit loose, but it's a road trip movie. I like it.

And then the Nov 06 elections change everything. People started resigning, and now my fresh script seemes very dated. So I cut more and more of the political outrage and make it more and more about the characters and add a personal dilemma as a result of the war. The process is painful and scream-worthy frustrating. My producer and I have a different sensibilities regarding a number of things, though he sends me book and documentaries and keeps the grist for the mill going.

I don’t remember the impetus (maybe I've blocked it), but after one particualr set of notes, I call my buddy Mark Glinski and cry, bitch, moan and groan and say I need fresh eyes and writing and we have to get this script turned around so we can shoot it now.

So I do that thing I've never really done. A Page One rewrite.

Mark and I take the essence of the script, the main character and cut the rest. The original structure had a marine going AWOL and his other marine buddies coming after him. We cut the posse and made it more about spiritual conflict, patriotism, and family. And add a chick. It could have been set in Vietnam, Korea, WWII. Once we have the spine in place we divided up scenes and write. Mark proves his worth as always and comes up with some great suggestions and some truly heart-breaking scene work. Even our producer with renewed enthusiasm add a few notes and suggestions I would call brilliant.

It was, I think a breakthrough as a writer for me, this script. And I think Mark would agree. We finalized our deal with the producer. Exciting. Did I mention I'm directing? Fuck yeah. Everyone who's read the script loves it. It's very, very solid. We're shooting ASAP, we're hiring a casting director, and once we get actors attached (I have some already interested in the supporting cast pool) the rest will fall into place. And we will quit our day jobs to do Something Important. Two weeks before we're to go wide with the script to land a casting agent, the producer drops the script.

Drops. As in don't quit your day job.

To be continued...

The Fountain: a Novel

A fountain on the third floor of an art institute grants the drinker the ability to create ONE masterpiece. Then shortly after you die. Shehanigans and philisopy ensue.

It's a satire.

And a mediation on human rights, the creative process, the artistic life, survival, loyalty, the state of media, etc. We follow The Critic, The Hack, The Artist. They all have names, but you don't get them just yet.

And yes, Dear Reader, it has generous dollops of sex and violence and hopefully the energy of Trainspotting the movie.

I'm about 2/3 -3/4 of the way through a first draft. This is my MFA thesis project at Queens University of Charlotte where I'm currently workshopping it under the mentorship of wildman Pickney Benedict.

This is my first novel (first one in about ten years). I'd sworn off them finding some success with stage writing and then screenwriting, but of course had a lighting flash of an idea while prowling about at the MCA silently cursing the hip art students all in black. I wrote a bunch of scenes and chapters without rhyme or reason, but usually in response to something I heard or read or saw while on other projects and then one day last winter decided to get serious about it finishing it. I started with that scatter shot collection of material and have been revising and writing like a madman ever since. So far so good. It's been a nice process of fear, confidence, cracking myself up and the constant whirly brain. Did I mention fear? Just a touch.


The workshop process has been enlightening. You really do get a sense of what works with another reader's particular sensibility. Some folks want more detail, more handholding. Some are fine with the minimalist writing. This awareness is a def asset. But I also realize that on a project like this-- it seems-- that a brief introduction is neccesarry to steel the reader. Noone really picks up a book at the bookstore without reading thee book jacket so they can get a hint of the story/genre, etc.

Nowadays it's rare (my mom excluded) for anyone to read a book or see a movie without knowing what they're going to get. The last movie I walked into cold was SHINE. I had no idea what it was about other than the lead actor was supposed to be amazing. It was a little disorienting, but rewarding as the brain tried to figure out what kind of movie it's going to be, what role the charcters will play, etc. Then you settle into it. This is why when writers do public readings they do a brief set-up with the audience to give it come context. The purist in me thinks it's not neccesarry, that the writing should carry its own weight.


And there's the rub.


But as I wrote earlier above, you know the context now for The Fountain, and I just might have post the prologue here in a bit...


xoxo
DSH