This is exactly what I was yammering on about way back when

[shalanna]

The target readability/understandability level of a book: THIS is exactly what I was trying to say about my books way back when. That there are readers they're intended for, and there are readers they're probably not going to appeal to and/or click with. A character such as Camille won't appeal to every reader, and she won't make sense to some (especially Junior League members who have never worn a dress from KMart, such as one of my cousins who is an excellent Junior Leaguer, but who would not like Camille), but to those for whom she is written, she's making sense. matociquala, as usual, nails it.

And I am possibly not built to understand/appreciate the appeal of romantica, smut, erotica, splatterpunk, splatterhorror, that comedian guy whom Joe S. featured on last night's Scarborough Country, and most of Josh Whedon (sorry, guys, but a lot of his dialogue just comes across to me as cheeeeeEEEEzzzy**, much like Michael J. Straczynski's "Would somebody please tell me what is going ON here" dialogue for Babble-On Five and other series . . . hubby loves the stuff, my best friends such as Linda and Terry love the stuff, and I just sit there doing a Mistie* in my head--and sometimes out loud, which irritates the Whedonfans to no end). However, "The Rocky Horror Picture Show," "Priscilla, Queen of the Desert," "To Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything, Julie Newmar," "Camp," most of "South Park," and many other oddities fit perfectly into my addlepate-shaped brain receptors, like parts of a jigsaw puzzle you thought were lost but were really under the sofa pillow the whole time.

*Misties == episodes or followers of "Mystery Science Theater 3000," with Joel and later Mike and the robot friends. Robot Roll Call!

**Typical example: cheesy lines of dialogue are spoken on some Sci-Fi channel show that Hubby is watching. I reply with some smart-ass or snarky commentary. "Why would she DO such a thing?" agonizes the on-screen character. "Because the script SAYS so," I reply agreeably from the sofa. Evil look is shot in my direction. "When will it end?" screams a character. "In about five minutes, thank God--the show goes off at ten," I reply happily. "Why is the eye of the needle so SMALL?" wails the on-screen robot. "To piss off the camel?" I sparkle from the back of the room***. A throw pillow is lobbed my way. And so on. Occasionally the TV-worshipper has to laugh at whatever I've said, which gains me ten Princess Points, to be cashed in later at my discretion.

***Sorry, preacher joke. *grin*

****And I just recently discovered that Alice Cooper is a PK^2, the son and grandson of preachers . . . no wonder he developed such a psych-out of an act. He was recently interviewed on one of Mama's news channels while I was in her room, and he said that he has been normal all along, that the act was just that--an act. And that Frank Zappa thought it would be good for Alice's career, not to mention funny, if he did a bit of publicity about all the Shocking and Horrid Things that Cooper supposedly did onstage. Just goes to show, there's no such thing as "bad" publicity!

*****PK=Preacher's Kid

******Has anyone else ever noticed that Joe Scarborough looks--and sounds--very like a young John Wayne? It has bugged me forever that I couldn't figure out which celebrity he reminds me of, but then I caught one of John Wayne's early movies the other night, and there it was. Whoa.

Comments

[coneycat.livejournal.com]

The thing I love about Alice Cooper is, when Vincent Furnier speaks of him in the third person, it's not that Vince is one of those irritating people who speaks of himself in the third person. No, it's that Alice is a character. Alice gets beheaded onstage. Vince plays golf and hangs out with his kids. (I read one fabulous magazine interview that began with Vince chirpily telling the reporter he was sorry he was late calling, "but I was trying to get the baby to sleep and she just wouldn't settle." That gave the reporter a mental image or two!!)

My brother and I have a lot of fun playing "guess the dialogue" with TV shows. People sometimes ask, "How many times have you seen this episode?" Answer: "None! But it's not hard to figure out!"

We try not to play when othrs are watching, though!

[green-knight.livejournal.com]

I've heard an interview with Alice Cooper in his off-stage personality - very likeable.