Melpomene — Work in Progress June 2012

It has been some time since I last posted. What have I been doing in my life as Maynard Barrett? (I have many lives!).

When I find the time, I am slowly progressing through the original screenplay, Melpomene. Yes, it is, indeed, becoming a protracted beast… or, “epic,” in a more positive spin.

Here’s the June 2012 preview of Melpomene…

            Melpomene Script 2012-06-04 PDF
            Melpomene Character Notes PDF

                Note: Some of the content is inappropriate for minors.
                    (Not that minors would be reading this!).

Melpomene — Work in Progress Aug 2011

In my last post, I mentioned I was writing a screenplay.

This screen project is titled Melpomene. Having given it some thought, I have decided to upload a current work-in-progress script of it, should it be of interest. As a forewarning, be advised this screenplay has some content inappropriate for minors. (Not that minors would be reading this!).

       !! PDF DELETED — SEE NEWER POSTS !!

Note: this screenplay is incomplete; a work in progress. Also note, the content is © Maynard Barrett, 2011. For any interest in the production of the film, please contact me (see the Contact page).

Coming Soon: A New Book

First of all, you have my apologies that it has been a very long time since I last posted an article.

At the moment, I am writing a new book. It will be out at some point in the near future, and will be announced nearer the time.

The new book is a book of poetry. More specifically, it is very descriptive poetry; flows of images or scenes painted with words. It also contains a “puzzle”. You will have to wait for the book’s release to know what form this “puzzle” takes. I do not wish to write anything more about the book at this time — its nature will have to remain a surprise as it contains a lot of secrets and will be so much more than just a poetry book.

In unrelated news, I am also writing a screenplay at the moment. It is kind-of about a young woman who speaks in very thought-provoking lyrical passages. She has many unique ideas about coping with fears of mortality and mankind’s actions that are catalysed by such noesis. Although it is never mentioned in the film, she could be interpreted to be bipolar (manic depressive) or, perhaps, unipolar (chronic depressive; dysthymic). Due to her lyrical dialogue, she is a beautiful character to write for — and will probably make an equally appetising character for an actress to play. I can not write any more details about this screen project at the moment.

Independent Music: A Bonsai Tree

Since the turn of the new millennium, the beau monde of independent music has been growing exponentially. It evolved from the alternative music scene of the early to mid 1990s, a time when “giving the finger” to the hand of capitalism proved popular for the lowlifes of rock (Kurt Cobain, Noel Gallagher, and so on). By the late 1990s, this anti-capitalist attitude grew wearisome and was found disagreeable by the capital labels that had embraced it for its lucrative popularity. As the cost of basic four-track recording equipment went down, so did alternative music — down to the underground, where it became independent. Later, Virgin refused The Smashing Pumpkins’ initial idea for their highly anticipated 2000 album, Machina: The Machines of God, to be a double-CD concept album akin to traditions set by their 1995 album, Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. The band were forced to reduce the album to a single CD. Later that year, the band left Virgin and recorded and released the second part of the concept album independently for free. The transfer by radio station Q101 is still available from Archive.org’s open source audio archive. It stands, subtly titled Machina II: The Friends and Enemies of Modern Music, as an icon of the independent music scene’s “Great Escape” from the restrictive enterprise of the major labels.

Twenty Five and Approaching Three-O

I thought I’d write down some of my thoughts of recent days. As I write this, I am less than 40 hours away from my twenty fifth birthday. I wish I could explain why this number feels like a milestone to me. All I am able to explain is the sense of foreboding it gives me.

Five Things I Like

It is a popular topic among bloggers, the top ten or top five things I like/love. I figured it is about time I wrote one of my own. In no particular order:

The Blind Always Lead the Short Sighted

Why condemn the UK Swine Flu helpline for its untrained staff? All helplines and customer services are staffed just the same. The blind always lead the short sighted.

In the UK, there is a helpline for Swine Flu. Recently, there have been various articles condemning this helpline for its inappropriate staff, who have no medical knowledge or experience.