tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1017057827402163522011-12-23T23:43:13.231-08:00Camped out on the sidewalk of the InternetAaron Waltherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09543114827402257701noreply@blogger.comBlogger681100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101705782740216352.post-51036874524578476652011-08-21T20:46:00.000-07:002011-08-21T22:36:43.768-07:00

I've been watching a lot of documentaries lately. There's something fascinating about a director that can find and extrapolate the story out of the lives of real people. A good documentary can be just as funny, intense, scary, and thought provoking as any carefully scripted piece of fiction. The following is a brief examination of my five recent favorite documentaries. OVERNIGHT Many of you

Aaron Waltherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09543114827402257701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101705782740216352.post-49504198508134746382011-08-10T18:00:00.000-07:002011-08-10T19:55:45.253-07:00

"There's No Place Like Springfield" Written by Steve Gerber I've talked a lot about what makes a great episode of G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero. A cursory glance over the last nine episodes indicates that writers who work creatively within their restrictions, focus on a strong character with fun voice acting and iconic imagery, and still hit all the basic story beats will deliver a winning

Aaron Waltherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09543114827402257701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101705782740216352.post-36299324954054705882011-06-29T10:25:00.000-07:002011-06-29T10:29:05.357-07:00

Look At How Cute You AreIs it about a woman? Is it about a cat? It's strangely appropriate for either.LyricsLook at how cute you aredo you even know itI bet you don't even know itwhen you walk into the roomall eyes are on youbut you just try to hidei really hate you sometimesdo you even know iti bet you don't even know itwhen you ignore mecan't you seeyou're driving me madcan't stand the way

Aaron Waltherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09543114827402257701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101705782740216352.post-16208624714456639662011-06-22T18:55:00.000-07:002011-06-27T13:29:53.798-07:00

Lasers in the NightWritten by Marv WolfmanA lot of legendary cartoon and comic book writers have worked on G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, and it doesn't get much more "legendary" than Mighty Marv Wolfman. Comic book aficionados will recognize Wolfman's name immediately. He has written countless books for both Marvel and DC, notably Crisis on Infinite Earths.Lasers in the Night is one of the

Aaron Waltherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09543114827402257701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101705782740216352.post-21017433394268927472011-06-12T21:28:00.000-07:002011-06-12T21:36:55.755-07:00

Successful PeopleI've been playing a lot of other people's music lately, which partially inspired this song. The rest of the inspiration comes from the soul crushing depression and jealousy that comes from seeing other people succeed.Lyrics:successful people have great hairsuccessful people wear silk underwearsuccessful people have nice teethsuccessful people don't eat beefsuccessful people have

Aaron Waltherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09543114827402257701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101705782740216352.post-3675631254067805682011-06-06T11:05:00.000-07:002011-06-06T12:22:03.724-07:00

"The Traitor"Written by Buzz DixonBuzz Dixon wrote a slew of great G.I. Joe episodes, including the movie, but The Traitor is easily the best story he delivered. Split into two parts, The Traitor tells the story of Dusty betraying the Joes and joining Cobra. It's a compelling episode full of intrigue, action, and comas!The story begins in a ship docking harbor, where Cobra attempts to steal a

Aaron Waltherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09543114827402257701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101705782740216352.post-56870258044005547522011-06-01T17:58:00.000-07:002011-06-01T19:57:10.760-07:00

Paying For It is the autobiographical memoir of author Chester Brown detailing his experiences soliciting prostitutes. Brown has a lot to say about to about the nature of monogamous love and his interpretation of it. He writes about his conflicting needs for sexual gratification and physical intimacy with his desire to not have a girlfriend.If half of this book is philosophizing about the

Aaron Waltherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09543114827402257701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101705782740216352.post-47195253023425510742011-05-27T08:03:00.000-07:002011-05-27T08:25:50.915-07:00

Play With Fire by The Rolling StonesSometimes I really hate the Rolling Stones. Sometimes I really love them. This is a song that I love.LyricsWell you got your diamondsand you got your pretty clothesand the chauffeur drives your caryou let everybody knowDon't play with me cause you're playing with fireYour mother, she's an heiressshe owns a block in St. John's woodand you're father'd be there

Aaron Waltherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09543114827402257701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101705782740216352.post-65779027043393839892011-05-23T17:25:00.000-07:002011-05-24T08:28:24.486-07:00

"Hearts and Cannons"Written by Alfered A. Pegal and Larry HoustonI think one of the strongest elements of the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero concept is the distillation of cliches and stereotypes into well rounded characters. The characters are pastiches of America. Sometimes it's a little heavy handed, and a few times it's embarrassingly tacky, but most of the time the Joes are representative

Aaron Waltherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09543114827402257701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101705782740216352.post-58935982632311215982011-05-08T23:22:00.000-07:002011-05-08T23:27:18.660-07:00

A Four Legged Friend - written by Roy RogersLyrics:A four legged friend, a four legged friendhe'll never let you downhe's honest and faithful right up to the endthat wonderful one, two, three, four legged friendA woman's like cactus and cactus can hurt'Cause she's just a tight waisted winky eyed flirtShe'll soon have your land and your pride and your goldAnd bury you deep long before you grow

Aaron Waltherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09543114827402257701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101705782740216352.post-11927175956585619402011-05-02T11:19:00.000-07:002011-05-02T12:51:45.561-07:00

"Memories of Mara"Written by Sharman Di VonoOne of the tactics used by voice actors in creating voices for cartoon characters is doing impersonations of other actors. For example, Homer Simpson's legendary voice grew out of Dan Castellaneta's Walter Matthau impersonation. Such was the case with Neil Ross' voice work for one of the most popular G.I. Joe characters, Shipwreck.Shipwreck's voice

Aaron Waltherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09543114827402257701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101705782740216352.post-60368726014500735242011-04-27T13:48:00.000-07:002011-04-27T14:42:04.744-07:00

Back in 2007, I went to my first comic book convention, Wizard World Chicago. I spent most of my time in Artists Alley, looking at all the independent comics and artists that were selling their books. It was hard for me because, given the financial opportunity, I would have bought something from everybody there. I did walk out of there with a pile of comics. Some were good, some weren't, but

Aaron Waltherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09543114827402257701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101705782740216352.post-45618398816506707012011-04-20T17:44:00.000-07:002011-05-18T22:39:22.385-07:00

Hey Hey, My My - written by Neil YoungMy loop station has been on the fritz, but I squeezed this song out of it. This might be my favorite song by Neil Young.The lyrics as sung by me:Hey hey, my myRock and Roll can never dieThere's more to the pictureThan meets the eyeHey hey, my myYou're out of the blue and into the blackYou pay for this but they give you thatOnce you're goneYou ain't never

Aaron Waltherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09543114827402257701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101705782740216352.post-80763884972601248202011-04-18T20:42:00.000-07:002011-04-18T21:50:43.187-07:00

"My Favorite Things"Written by Doug BoothI think it's safe to say that G.I. Joe comic writer extraordinaire Larry Hama can be credited with the lions share of creativity behind the franchise; and although the comic and the cartoon existed independently of each other, the cartoon often picked up Hama's ideas and took them in their own direction. Their only real concern was pushing the toys, not

Aaron Waltherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09543114827402257701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101705782740216352.post-3007614467343774282011-04-13T16:28:00.000-07:002011-04-13T18:14:47.145-07:00

When it came to buying comics, I used to be a real Wednesday regular kind of guy, but over the last couple of years my regular purchases have dwindled, much to the chagrin of my local comic book store I'm sure. There are a lot of reasons for my lack of weekly purchases beyond a broad disinterest in the majority of comics being published. Truthfully, there are a lot of good comics being made

Aaron Waltherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09543114827402257701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101705782740216352.post-41069159975082645342011-04-11T08:50:00.000-07:002011-04-11T09:32:45.442-07:00

It's frustrating when things don't go "according to plan" but it's something we all frequently experience in our lives. The realization that we have no control over the chaos of the cosmos much less over a few aspects of our daily lives is huge blow to the ego, but it's a part of life.It's also a part of collaborations of all kinds. Weather it be working relationships, social relationships, or

Aaron Waltherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09543114827402257701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101705782740216352.post-60865978025235509252011-04-06T17:16:00.000-07:002011-04-06T17:19:25.604-07:00

Side of the RoadBeats created in Acoustica Beatcraft and played through an RC2 Loop Station.Lyrics:Every time it makes me so madWhen people tell me that there's not a girl to haveEvery time it makes me insaneWhen people tell me that you got to play the gameBut there's a girl by the side of the roadShould I pick her up or just let her go goThere's a girl, she looks like a hitch hikerThere's a girl

Aaron Waltherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09543114827402257701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101705782740216352.post-29501996082963753122011-04-04T20:42:00.000-07:002011-04-04T21:31:35.502-07:00

"Once Upon a Joe"Written by Buzz DixonThis is probably one of the more widely remembered episodes on my list, probably because it's funny! Stalwart Joe writer Buzz Dixon turns in one of the funniest and most lovable episodes of the show. It has a lot of fun with the standard storytelling format and, despite being a second season episode, stars fan favorite, Jack Nicholson infused Shipwreck.The

Aaron Waltherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09543114827402257701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101705782740216352.post-20470089931226256452011-04-04T10:20:00.000-07:002011-04-04T11:00:53.462-07:00

Paul McCartney will always be known as one of the driving creative forces behind one of the most influential rock and roll bands of all time. And though he will always be remembered predominately for his songwriting capabilities (Yesterday), I think this sometimes overshadows his incredible talents as a bass player. Lest we overlook his accomplishments as a bass player, I've compiled a list of

Aaron Waltherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09543114827402257701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101705782740216352.post-76040855011968149062011-03-29T22:52:00.000-07:002011-03-29T22:53:51.815-07:00

Somebody Buy Him A Beer

Aaron Waltherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09543114827402257701noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101705782740216352.post-29079710053275936302011-03-27T19:16:00.000-07:002011-03-27T20:50:04.363-07:00

"Computer Complications"Written by David SchwartzAs I said last week, one of the biggest challenges the Joe writers faced was juggling so many characters while still giving them all adequate face time. If they had a hard time in the first season, then things only got harder in the second season. The 1986 toy line brought over 20 new characters that needed to be sold. Naturally, this meant that

Aaron Waltherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09543114827402257701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101705782740216352.post-26326533702897693132011-03-24T21:30:00.000-07:002011-03-24T21:58:33.612-07:00

Never having any older brothers, I never had anybody really close to me to emulate or tell me about all the great music I should listen to. I was blind and unable to swim when I took my first tentative steps into the music pool. For me, it started with the oldies station, because that was the safest music to listen to.When I was a kid, oldies meant 50's and 60's music, I guess these days it

Aaron Waltherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09543114827402257701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101705782740216352.post-44484971905937447152011-03-21T11:32:00.000-07:002011-03-21T11:35:23.041-07:00

GastonI did not write this song. Here are the lyrics.Gosh it disturbs me to see you, GastonLooking so down in the dumpsEvery guy here'd love to be you, GastonEven when taking your lumpsThere's no man in town as admired as youYou're ev'ryone's favorite guyEv'ryone's awed and inspired by youAnd it's not very hard to see whyNo one's slick as GastonNo one's quick as GastonNo one's neck's as

Aaron Waltherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09543114827402257701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101705782740216352.post-24715493893590425122011-03-16T21:37:00.000-07:002011-03-17T00:00:02.806-07:00

"Worlds Without End"Written by Martin PaskoThe regular G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero cartoon series began in 1985 and the characters featured most prominently were the series four toys, which were the newest ones available at the time. The toy line first went into production in 1982 and produced new characters and play sets each year for over a decade. This, of course, means that by the time

Aaron Waltherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09543114827402257701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101705782740216352.post-14136220116493835842011-03-13T22:46:00.000-07:002011-03-13T22:48:53.514-07:00

I'm going to post videos of songs I write. This is a folksy song called I Got Mad at Someone on the Internet.I don't know what I was trying to do with my voice but now you're stuck with it.

Aaron Waltherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09543114827402257701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101705782740216352.post-91171096009116065122011-03-09T22:34:00.001-08:002011-03-10T00:03:08.325-08:00

"In the Presence of Mine Enemy"Written by Chris Weber and Karen WillsonThe premise of G.I. Joe makes for a difficult set up. On the one hand, you have a colorful cast of characters and an easy storytelling engine of Good Vs. Evil. On the other hand, you have an unmanagably large cast of characters and a neutered portrayal of war in which fake weapons have to be used, nobody can die, and vary

Aaron Waltherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09543114827402257701noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101705782740216352.post-4455430381780240032011-03-06T15:24:00.000-08:002011-08-24T23:19:35.936-07:00

Warren Ellis' Planetary. Grant Morrison's Animal Man. Alan Moore's...majority of his work... I like comics that play around with a meta narrative and I've made no secret about it. Subversion of reality, historical metaphors, character analogues--these are things that I love to read in comics and The Bulletproof Coffin delivers all of that in full. Writer David Hine and artist Shaky Kane

Aaron Waltherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09543114827402257701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101705782740216352.post-3862307743426138222011-03-02T17:07:00.000-08:002011-03-06T23:22:26.819-08:00

I have an unashamed love for G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, not for the toys, the cartoon, or the comics, but for the entire franchise. So entrenched was G.I. Joe in my developmental childhood years that it's impossible for me to look at the franchise objectively. Hasbro successfully pegged me in it's target demographic.There are a lot of reasons why G.I. Joe was so successful. The biggest

Aaron Waltherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09543114827402257701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101705782740216352.post-77803039582035063002011-02-23T14:16:00.000-08:002011-02-23T16:40:11.241-08:00

I'm always annoyed at the way death is belittled in superhero comics.Death is such a powerful tool in fiction. One only needs to look at Disney classic Bambi for proof of that. Of course, you don't need to look much further beyond Bambi to see the inherent differences in a full feature movie and a decades old serial publication.There are readers who's mantra is, "it doesn't matter what happens

Aaron Waltherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09543114827402257701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101705782740216352.post-13952935866946539812011-02-21T11:57:00.000-08:002011-02-21T12:27:48.750-08:00

By far, my absolute favorite album of 2010 was FROND by Australian psychedelic band POND.Starting with the opening track, Betty Davis(Will Come Down From Heaven to Save Us) you know what kind of a ride you are in for with this band. Wild howling, crashing drums, and freaked out guitars.I got this album on a whim, based entirely on them being tagged as a "psychedelic" rock band, and I was not

Aaron Waltherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09543114827402257701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101705782740216352.post-84735085810092748942011-02-20T19:05:00.001-08:002011-02-20T20:09:19.061-08:00

I'm a time waster.A big one. I've got a million things to do and only so much time in which to do it. And in the limited free time I have, I probably spend most of it sleeping.Procrastination is my most hated enemy, not only because of my frequent battles with it, but also for the way it afflicts others. Many people that I know, be they musicians, artists, or writers, really struggle with

Aaron Waltherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09543114827402257701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101705782740216352.post-86857482441945563442010-10-21T17:07:00.000-07:002010-10-21T18:23:01.043-07:00

A month ago I signed up for one of those free credit report websites. I had payed off some debt and wanted to know where I was sitting and where I would be going in the future. Freecreditreport.com was the lucky recipient of my business. I'm sure you've seen their ads around the internet. They advertise a free service, but in reality you must become a member of their website. The monthly

Aaron Waltherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09543114827402257701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101705782740216352.post-74775642812079877962010-09-23T16:41:00.001-07:002010-09-23T22:26:33.109-07:00

I'm currently writing a kid's book called King of the Road. It's about the adventure of a house cat and a rabbit that was raised by stray cats. It is based off many of the animals in my neighborhood. This is the fourth chapter, where they meet another cat and a raccoon.CHAPTER FOUR RUMBLE Quickfoot slowed his pace so that Chesterton could keep up with him. Together, they walked down

Aaron Waltherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09543114827402257701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101705782740216352.post-35935556713736639992010-03-31T17:38:00.000-07:002010-03-31T17:59:48.199-07:00

What a grueling experience it has been trying to write Real Life/Real Death. Not to suggest that I'm not proud of my work, though it needs a lot more work to be good, I'm very glad to be done with it. This little story was originally just going to be an exercise in writing. The plan was to write a new chapter a week until it was done. There was no outline and no planing beyond the initial idea

Aaron Waltherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09543114827402257701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101705782740216352.post-17791451364561159042010-03-31T17:31:00.000-07:002010-03-31T17:38:44.057-07:00

THE STORYI died.On my way to the afterlife I dreamed. My dreams were neither surreal nor enlightening. First, I dreamed of Sandy. She was dancing, but I was the only one in the room. Only it wasn’t a room, it was like some kind of cloud high above the sky.Then I dreamed of Anne. I dreamed she had finished her schooling, gotten a high paying job, and married a handsome young man, eventually

Aaron Waltherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09543114827402257701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101705782740216352.post-3290781225814435302010-03-28T19:13:00.000-07:002010-03-31T17:28:04.975-07:00

I've been sitting on this chapter for a while now. It's the penultimate chapter, and I am going to finish the final chapter next week. I've learned a lot in this little exercise and it will be a great relief when I'm finally done with it.YOUTH, SEX, AND POWERA hail of bullets criss-crossed around the room in all directions.It was pretty late, but there were still a couple groups of people in

Aaron Waltherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09543114827402257701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101705782740216352.post-86209280925989396622010-01-13T18:58:00.000-08:002010-01-13T19:01:13.829-08:00

“HELP”I tensed up, tried not to show it, briefly debated the merits of life in jail, and decided to just swallow my whiskey.Koslowski sat down at the bar next to me and ordered a drink.I said nothing.After a few sips from his beer, he turned to me and said, “Ain’t you got nothin to say to me, Frank?”I said nothing. I confess, when I’m drunk, I’m not much of a quick thinker. I’m impulsive, yes,

Aaron Waltherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09543114827402257701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101705782740216352.post-52280962192298392352010-01-10T19:40:00.000-08:002010-01-13T18:59:45.269-08:00

"A FEW MORE"The question tumbled out of my mouth.“Did you just say, Koslowski?”“You know him,” Super Citizen flatly said, glaring at me.“Yeah, worked with him when I was on the force. Mother fucker’s been hounding me all week. I should have known he was up to something.” I confessed before spitting out a crass, “Fuck!”I could tell a few of them were put off by my loud swearing. I don’t spend

Aaron Waltherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09543114827402257701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101705782740216352.post-36002869280483341852010-01-03T18:13:00.000-08:002010-01-10T19:42:54.270-08:00

Chapter Sixteen"IDIOTS"The hotel room was full of idiots.I guess that’s a harsh way of saying it, but I’m not a guy who wastes time trying to think of the perfect word to describe something. These people were fucking idiots.The hotel room was actually pretty big; it had to be to hold all these people. It’s what they call a suite, I suppose. Whoever sprung for this room must have a lot of money

Aaron Waltherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09543114827402257701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101705782740216352.post-6769279334278619412009-10-26T19:31:00.000-07:002010-01-10T19:44:17.929-08:00

"GONGS OF A BELL"“JESUS CHRIST, FRANK!”I slammed the car door behind me, sending shards of broken glass everywhere. I stomped off in no particular direction.“Frank, for the love of Christ, where are you going?” Sandy shouted.I heard the other car door slam shut and a few seconds later Sandy was pacing me. “Frank, will you just stop for a second.”“No,” I said, “I’m done. I’m leaving. You’re

Aaron Waltherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09543114827402257701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101705782740216352.post-45230051540320880092009-10-05T19:37:00.000-07:002009-10-05T19:40:32.715-07:00

“EASY CHOICES”We were parked outside of large, fancy hotel, I don’t remember which one. The anonymity of being one out of hundreds of parked cars was a little comforting. Jennifer had gone inside to see if the others were still checked in. Apparently this place was their de facto hideout. Whoever chose this place must have had money to throw around. She said it was one of her teammates, the

Aaron Waltherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09543114827402257701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101705782740216352.post-70511757518610022782009-10-05T19:35:00.000-07:002009-10-05T19:37:26.367-07:00

“SHARON”Her scream drowned out the other sounds of the night.It was hard to tell exactly what was going on. Between the flashing lights of the squad car, the piercing beam of the handheld flashlight, and all my regular anxieties brought on by the usual city night life, I was finding it hard to focus. But what I can tell you is that within seconds, Jennifer and I were running down the street in

Aaron Waltherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09543114827402257701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101705782740216352.post-54870213182495945462009-09-20T19:04:00.000-07:002009-09-20T19:05:22.109-07:00

“IN THOSE EYES”The phone rang interminably.“Hello?”“Detective Ross?”“Yeah, who’s this?”“Ross, it’s Frank, Frank Calico.”“Frank! What are you calling me for? You know the whole precinct is looking for you?”“Yeah, I figured. Look, something big has gone down. I don’t know, I just…It’s big, okay. I want to talk to you. I thought I could handle this, but…I just don’t know. Things keep

Aaron Waltherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09543114827402257701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101705782740216352.post-87212439896828220482009-09-02T18:03:00.000-07:002009-09-03T13:40:03.354-07:00

I'm going to talk extensively about the movie, so be warned, there are spoilers aplenty.It's long been my contention that Quentin Tarantino's movies work so well because they are self aware genre pieces, each one seemingly more so it's predecessor. Inglourious Basterds is no exception. Like Kill Bill and Death Proof before, Tarantino is going for a deliberate "genre mash up" style, done in such

Aaron Waltherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09543114827402257701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101705782740216352.post-50017040861843342112009-08-30T17:21:00.000-07:002009-08-30T17:26:23.757-07:00

“NIGHT CAT”The city was abuzz with its nighttime choir of sounds, but it was all silence to me.The sound of my heavy breathing echoed inside my head. I was only listening for one thing, and I couldn’t hear it. I ran out of the apartment complex, desperate to find what I was looking for.And I did. She was running in my direction, ducking behind cars in the parking lot. Then I saw him. He was

Aaron Waltherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09543114827402257701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101705782740216352.post-57653116038253182752009-08-13T16:07:00.000-07:002009-08-13T16:15:16.912-07:00

"THIRTY-EIGHT SPECIAL"My ears were ringing.I shook my head, trying to get my bearings. I think the alcohol was finally wearing off. There was a familiar weight in my right hand. My gun. The Thirty-eight Special had been fired. I looked over to Sandy, she was screaming something. At least, that’s what it looked like; my vision was a little blurred and I couldn’t hear what she was saying,

Aaron Waltherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09543114827402257701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101705782740216352.post-21089241426010527332009-08-11T19:53:00.000-07:002009-08-13T16:14:58.440-07:00

“SANDY BREEZE”Sandy’s lips sucked gently on my neck. It was a good way to end the night.Sandy Breeze was a stripper at Gurly’s. She was small and stout in stature, had short, dark brown hair, and was pushing forty. She wasn’t the most attractive stripper, but something about her just pressed all my buttons. She reminded me of better days.And she seemed to like me well enough. To say what we

Aaron Waltherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09543114827402257701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101705782740216352.post-74773717649180978292009-08-10T13:27:00.000-07:002009-08-11T20:06:04.894-07:00

"GURLY'S"It was broad daylight, but the neon lights were still on. They were always on. The first thing that caught your eye was the big pink neon lights. They twisted themselves around until they formed the image of a woman on her hands and knees, her ass hung in the air in a provocative manner. Directly above this hung another neon light that spelled out the word “Gurly’s” in an elegant

Aaron Waltherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09543114827402257701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101705782740216352.post-40272722332139541582009-08-01T11:26:00.000-07:002009-08-01T13:30:33.468-07:00

Remember the first time you saw the film The Boondock Saints? You had just caught up on Quintin Tarantino's filmography and were still riding high on The Matrix wave when this movie came out of nowhere and stumbled into your possession. Naturally, you thought this was the coolest movie ever because, well, you were eighteen and violence was cool. But then as you got older the movie lost some of

Aaron Waltherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09543114827402257701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101705782740216352.post-80749534251333752572009-07-19T22:18:00.000-07:002009-08-11T20:06:54.231-07:00

Well, I've been out of town for a week and I haven't gotten nearly as much writing done as I'd have liked. But I do have a new chapter to update. I'm not too happy with the way this chapter ended, but the point of this exercise is to just write through all that and edit it later, so that's what I'm doing. Anyway, here's chapter Seven.“THE TEAM”I was sweating.It was pretty cold out, but I was

Aaron Waltherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09543114827402257701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101705782740216352.post-20834758515484949302009-06-24T21:19:00.000-07:002009-08-11T20:07:52.817-07:00

"SAYING GOODBYE TO THE BOTTLE”The bastard was big. He was real big.The door swung around on its hinges, sending shockwaves through the walls. A picture frame shattered as it hit the floor. The big bastard lumbered through the doorway, he didn’t look to be in any particular hurry. That bothered me. Worst of all, I couldn’t fucking breathe.I guess I was having some kind of panic attack. I

Aaron Waltherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09543114827402257701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101705782740216352.post-4038296940319565862009-06-21T21:03:00.000-07:002009-06-21T21:23:37.268-07:00

It's been a while, but after finally getting Zero's Heroes up and running, I've been able to devote some time to Real Life/Real Death. So here's chapter five, it's another short chapter in which we get a very brief glimpse of the other heroes from Night Cat and a very large dose of self loathing from our main character, Frank.Chapter Five“CRACK”I was ten hours sober. I don’t think good when I’m

Aaron Waltherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09543114827402257701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101705782740216352.post-28937981023599695152009-05-30T14:00:00.001-07:002009-05-30T15:05:25.810-07:00

Last thursday I had the extreme pleasure of meeting the band that has probably been the biggest influence on me personally. I speak, of course, about the Meat Puppets.They were in St. Louis for a show, and beforehand, were hanging out in Vintage Vinyl, promoting their new record. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to attend the show. Thankfully, I've seen them live before, so it wasn't that big of a

Aaron Waltherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09543114827402257701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101705782740216352.post-57718380187341797002009-05-07T21:40:00.001-07:002009-05-07T23:08:47.998-07:00

Believe it or not, I've been fairly busy for the past few months. Busy, of course, in relative terms. I mean, yeah, I still have time to play through Half Life 2 and read all of Akira, but I haven't done a whole lot of writing. And the reason for that is:This is the "vanity press" I created for myself. It's nothing fancy, strictly online publishing, for now, as an easy outlet for self

Aaron Waltherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09543114827402257701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101705782740216352.post-5661734535402332262009-03-09T19:34:00.000-07:002009-03-09T20:32:25.521-07:00

As anyone can see, I've slowed down quite a bit on Real Life/Real Death. I haven't had much time to devote to it, but rest assured, I have been busy. By the end of the month, I should have my webcomic up and running. It's been a long time coming, but it's all worth it because I have been working with some wonderful artists. But once everything is up and running, I should be able to get back

Aaron Waltherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09543114827402257701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101705782740216352.post-39334824926311647572009-01-18T17:54:00.000-08:002009-08-11T20:04:50.695-07:00

I'm a little disappointed in myself, it's been a month since I last worked on Real Life/Real Death, which was meant to be a weekly exercise. But my attention has been pulled back and forth between some other projects, that coupled with my extreme laziness has really crippled my RLRD output. But I was able to jump back into it tonight. It's a short chapter, but it felt good to get back to it."

Aaron Waltherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09543114827402257701noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101705782740216352.post-49288652186214815932009-01-04T17:15:00.000-08:002009-01-04T19:33:23.105-08:00

Stephen King purportedly hated Kubrick's adaptation of The Shining, which is of note because he is usually pretty apathetic toward other movie adaptations, acknowledging that they are "apples and oranges." But something about The Shining rubbed him the wrong way, and I think I can see why, for all the reasons I stated before, I don't think it was a good remake either. Likewise, King confessed

Aaron Waltherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09543114827402257701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101705782740216352.post-22928677733563898092009-01-04T16:43:00.000-08:002009-01-04T17:15:16.173-08:00

Well the holidays are gone and with them my seasonal depression. I'm not one for making New Years resolutions, I mean, I'm practically perfect in every way. So, no, there's nothing I need to change about myself. But I did make a list of things I need to do this year.1. Play more gigs. I like playing music, and I always want to do more. There's really not much more to say about this one.2.

Aaron Waltherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09543114827402257701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101705782740216352.post-84944984820448624312008-12-19T17:53:00.000-08:002008-12-19T19:58:03.241-08:00

For those of you too lazy to scroll down, part one can be found here.When it comes to film, there's few directors that I am in as much awe of as Stanley Kubrick. There's really not much I could say about his genius that hasn't been said elsewhere, but out of all the Kubrick movies I've seen, The Shining is the only one that isn't very good, despite the fact that it's incredibly entertaining.So

Aaron Waltherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09543114827402257701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101705782740216352.post-77133259746873918012008-12-17T18:50:00.000-08:002009-06-21T21:25:36.716-07:00

"SO LONELY"Buzz. Buzz. Buzz. Buzz.I pawed at the alarm clock, trying to stop the irritating noise. Then I realized that I didn’t have an alarm clock. It wasn’t an alarm clock buzzing at all, it was my phone. Ringing. I was cold, where the hell did my good blanket go? How much did I drink last night? Didn’t matter. I picked up the phone.“Hullo.”“Mr. Calico.” It was a lady, and she

Aaron Waltherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09543114827402257701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101705782740216352.post-89413850484004000392008-12-17T17:10:00.000-08:002008-12-17T18:34:47.865-08:00

Last month I read The Shining, and these last couple of weeks I've watched both the movie and television miniseries. Like many movies I didn't see until I was older, The Shining was ruined for me by The Simpsons, but in a good way. That was definitely the spark of my interest in The Shining story, but more recently I've become quite interested in the Intellectual Property(as it were) as I think

Aaron Waltherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09543114827402257701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101705782740216352.post-8125715989298218652008-11-23T16:32:00.000-08:002008-12-17T18:56:56.990-08:00

"BEING HONEST"The police sirens began to fade into existence like a Polaroid snapshot. I knew I had to get out of there; unfortunately I was pretty distracted by the girl. There was something about her; she couldn’t have been more than twenty years old. I was suddenly reminded of my daughter, Anne. God, I haven’t spoken to her in so many years. So many memories flooding into my mind,

Aaron Waltherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09543114827402257701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101705782740216352.post-65430015080986004082008-11-16T18:50:00.000-08:002008-11-16T18:52:46.392-08:00

Aaron Waltherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09543114827402257701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101705782740216352.post-33933197741742624352008-11-09T19:37:00.000-08:002008-11-30T17:14:10.524-08:00

"WE'RE SUPERHEROES"As a child, I wasted a lot of money on frivolous entertainment. Entertainment such as comic books. Superheroes were my favorite, Batman, Superman, Spider-man, and so on. And being a child, I believe in superheroes. We all did. We read about their adventures. And after reading about them, we’d pretend to be them. But I eventually grew out of it. And as I grew older,

Aaron Waltherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09543114827402257701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101705782740216352.post-17684685381205793662008-11-09T19:15:00.000-08:002008-11-09T19:57:51.351-08:00

"Starting next week, hopefully, I'll begin putting up chapters..."On a cosmic level, it was really funny that I typed that. Let's see, it's been....about two months. Yeah, so much for "next week." The day after I posted that previous blog entry, my computer imploded. Which effectively cut off my work flow. There's not really much else to say about it, complaining about it won't give me the

Aaron Waltherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09543114827402257701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101705782740216352.post-5136410518452995502008-09-18T17:02:00.000-07:002008-09-19T15:27:00.826-07:00

Uhg, my slave job has been bearing down on me this last month, and it is every bit as horrible as you would expect from something referred to as a slave job. What I find most stressful, is that my creative work always slows down. I mean, ya know, that's what happens when you have less time to devote to it. So, instead of getting anything done, I spend all my purloined time thinking. Thinking

Aaron Waltherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09543114827402257701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101705782740216352.post-89236409777747996632008-08-27T17:50:00.000-07:002008-08-29T14:13:08.895-07:00

So last week I talked about being inspired, which I would like to follow up on today. As stated, I am inspired by many things. I do, however, want to make a distinction here between inspiration and influence. I am influenced by everything, whether I like it or not. Sometimes I'm influenced directly by things that I read or see. Other times I absorb ideas through pop culture osmosis. That is

Aaron Waltherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09543114827402257701noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101705782740216352.post-25148038927339415762008-08-19T18:56:00.000-07:002008-08-20T20:39:16.967-07:00

(or, I'm tired of being a Wannabe League Bowler, I wanna be a League Bowler!)Why? This is the question that has plagued my mind for the past few years.I suppose that is rather vague. The question, more specifically is: What is it that drives me to pursue artistic outlets rather than, as most people my age are prone to doing, a career? I am at what I consider to be a crucial age of my adult

Aaron Waltherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09543114827402257701noreply@blogger.com0