Season 4, Episode 4: After winning a contest, Carl fears getting his penis cut off and taken by a group of dicks, so Frylock turns him into a woman.
Season 2, Episode 16: Shake uncovers a delicious, demoniacally possessed submarine sandwich in his front yard. A voice tells him if he eats the whole thing he will be killed.
People who can look at the monumentally ordinary and out of it dream up imaginary worlds that fascinate and delight others, are amazing.
Case in point. Right now I'm watching a cartoon series about a milkshake, a packet of French Fries and a meatball who live in a ghetto. Aqua Teen Hunger Force is, like junk food, addictive.
Master Shake, Frylock and Meat Wad are detectives whose nemesis is the evil Dr Weird and whose escapades see them pitted against characters like a giant rabbit robot with a spray gun full of hair-growth hormone perfume, brain-burning leprechauns with a penchant for rainbows, and a piece of mould that comes to life in a greasy kitchen (and turns out to be a really nice guy).
With episode descriptors like 'a Pink Man sets out to destroy the moon but can't find anyone to help him', its surreal morbid humour and total lack of continuity between each 12-minute story (at times even within storylines) is completely bizarre. The show has a cult following in America and I can see why. It's ridiculously funny!
But as a result I'm having a crisis of confidence in my own imagination...
How do people come up with this stuff?
Will my story be even remotely interesting?
Why does it feel incredibly difficult to write with an original voice?
Argh - this writing gig is so hard!
2 comments:
Don't be discouraged. And don't try toforce something that is not YOU...it will be painfully obvious to the reader that the words are manufactured, and not believable. You are mysterious, a veritable silo full of weird and wonderful facts and ideas, sometimes very deep, sometimes even a bit creepy, especially when you get involved in analysing dreams. So just let it flow, little lady....let's hear what's bottled up inside you. Its bound to be fascinating!
As the one who introduced you to this show, I must certainly agree with you, it is truly original. This is personification at it's best but it lacks the clever wit and humour of other shows like The Simpsons, Family Guy and American Dad. These shows have master writers behind them, the humour in these shows is cutting edge, and too plentiful to catch in just one viewing. By comparison, watching Aqua Teen Hunger Force requires less commitment. I still like it though, the best character is Carl - what a legend! I'm pretty sure you'll attract a different cult following to that ATHF's, probably one with more of a taste for Riesling and lobster monay rather than a milkshake, burger and chips.
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