The cool payoff of my choice to post items about Vegas After Midnight here on the Monkey is that it gets conversations going, and conversations motivate me to think more about the setting and to keep sharing more. Daniel and J.J. have been especially helpful in this regard lately with their comments in previous VAM-related posts. Thanks guys. Feel free to keep it up.
The other day when I shared a draft text of what I plan to use as an opener for the book, a conversation got started about how that text reads very differently depending on whom the reader envisions to be speaking it – and that (as I interpreted the comments) if a person doesn’t have the right kind of image in her head when reading it, it can come off as obtuse and overly chewy. This is something I appreciated hearing, because it motivated me to think and clarify my plans for the character who is going to be “saying” those words, not to mention writing/saying most of the flavor text of the whole book. Picchiatello Jack is THE narrative voice through which I’ll be communicating. So I agree, it’s important to be sure I frame his voice and style right up front. And I plan to do just that as the text goes through its various editorial and playtest stages.
Meanwhile, the immediate thought-exercise that I was inspired to try (and share here) is to construct a recipe of the various archetypal ingredients and pop-culture inspirations for this newly-revealed narrative voice, Picchiatello Jack. The things I’ve shared about him so far have pretty overtly taken the character in the direction of a Tim Curry kind of guy, since he’s the only name I’ve specifically associated – and Curry IS a solid influence, to be sure. But I decided to sit down and work out where else I am drawing inspiration from with this guy, and to what degree.
So, here’s my recipe for Picchiatello Jack:
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 pound Adam Ant
- 1 pound Bono
- 1 pound Mick Bradley
- 1/2 pound Johnny Depp
- 1/2 pound Jerry Lewis
- 1/2 pound Tim Curry
- 6 ounces Freddy Mercury
- 6 ounces Wolfman Jack
PROCESS:
Preheat a crock pot on low heat while making the following concoction: take the Bradley dough and roll it out flat with a rolling pin, using a mallet to soften up clumpy places. On top of this add a gently kneaded mixture of the Curry, Wolfman, Mercury, and half of the Ant. Set the remaining Ant aside for later. Spread this mixture out so that it covers most of the Bradley dough. Then, fold the right half of the Bradley over the left as if you were folding a pizza and turning it into a calzone. Next, dice up the Lewis and the Bono, toss them so they are gently mixed up but not so much that the two ingredients lose definition. Take this pasty/chunky mixture and cover the folded pie with it liberally, making sure to cover right to the edges.
Cook on low heat for 8 or 9 years, then remove from the oven.
While that is cooking, mix the Depp and the other half of the Ant in a blender 
set at frappe, and then chill that for at least 30 minutes. Then, once the Picchiatello is out of the oven, pour the cool Ant/Depp sauce all over it and serve.
Voila! You have a very servicable Picchiatello Jack to enjoy.
And this post, mon ami, gets the FTW O’ Teh Intarnets award.
[grin] {blush}
I think this is a daring recipe. It depends on how well you dice the Lewis. When mixed in with the Mercury and Jack it might become too Robin Williams on acid, but I think the Lewis helps capture the flavor of the Fool. Obviously the Depp can be used in many ways; what flavor of Depp will you be using? (I have an idea, but I’d like to hear it from you.
Follow your bliss,
JJ
I expect the smooth mellower version of the Depp will dance with the rich flavors of the Curry in order to counteract any potential for overstimulation of the Williams-on-Acid variety.
This should come off tasting far more like Venus Flytrap than like Johnny Fever. Which suggests that maybe a specific seasoning of some Flytrap might be good to add into the overall recipe.
Flytrap would be an interesting addition to the mix, a splash of soul, but I’m surprised you didn’t dash in some Davis (the junior variety). I can dig the more mellow flavor that you’re looking even out this recipe. I’m wondering what it is in the Jack that you wish to add to the mix. There is also a sort of kinetic energy rising from this recipe. I think Flytrap would tone that down some, or maybe better phrased, take the edge off some of the more spicy flavors as well.
Now I think one should consider how all this mixes with the stock of Bradley. I believe as you work this more and more you’ll find that there is a strong strain of Mick flavoring the piece that you may not be giving enough credit to. Don’t let the other flavors mask this hearty stock. You may need to re-evaluate your portions as time goes on.
Follow Your Bliss,
JJ
Daniel Perez just paid me the coolest compliment in the world and sent in an audio version of Jack’s speech. Listen to it here: A Voice in the Wilderness
JJ,
Good points, all. The Wolfman Jack ingredient is not so much in the recipe as a true flavor, but as an undertone drawn from how his voice was used as the DJ-narrator-chorus in Six String Samurai. I don’t see Piccho Jack as tasting much like Wolfman Jack in personality – but the influence is there in the role he fills and the nostalgic connection to pop culture that he embodies.
Sammy Davis is a good choice, too – but I’ve specifically avoided using any personalities* that are already filling an NPC role in the game – and Sammy is the Jack of Clubs. That’s not to suggest his cool crooner archetype is not suitable – I just didn’t want to add it in when he’s already being used elsewhere. In fact, if I were to allow already-used personalities into the recipe, I’d pretty much just be able to say “take a big hunk of Matt Helm-era Dean Martin (as portrayed by ME, if you must) and pour the Ant/Depp mix over that, and BAM! you’ve got Piccho Jack.”
*note: There is ONE personality in the original recipe that directly correlates to an important character who is already being used elsewhere. This guy’s famous stage persona is not a big part of Piccho Jack – but his REAL personality (for which he is less famous) is strongly connected to Jack. In fact, you could say that the only reason this guy is in the recipe is because he brings in the, um … DNA … that Jack needs. If that hint makes you uncertain but not outright perplexed, then I’ve done my intended job. The key is in the name Picchiatello Jack. And it’s not in the “Jack” part.
Mick, did you alter the soundfile in any way? The version you posted here is faster than my original version, and the audio goes in an out towards the end (an effect I did not put in). Just checking.
I did in fact compress it a bit more because the original file size was too big to embed in WordPress. But I didn’t fade in or out, no. I still have your original as well.
Yeah, the compression messed it up a bit.
Mick, is some ways the Fool is the embodiment of the everyman. In this sense he is the embodiment of VAM. I don’t think that it is too outrageous to say that he incorporates elements that are distilled into the various High Rollers (I hope I got the name right).
Follow your bliss,
JJ
I went back and redid the original file and saved it as mp3PRO instead of mp3 and that allowed me to get the file size down without having to actually compress the audio. So the link now points to Daniel’s original file as submitted. Later today I’m going to feature the audio file in its own post, once I write some text and find a good flash player to embed it. Thanks again, Daniel!
Once it goes up, I’ll put something on my blog as well to get more VAM goodness on the RSS waves.