as I write this I am less that 24hrs away from my segment appearing on Comedy Central’s TRIP TANK.
…
That’s a pretty big event for some jerk in Milwaukee.
I was talking with a friend of mine and he asked if I was going to have a big get together. I suppose a different kind of person would do that. Throw a big party or shoot his mouth off at a college bar and get laid six ways from Sunday by some co-ed. Those are probably fine ideas, but I’m just going to watch it by my cousin’s and get back to work. First off, you civilians have to consider that I’m not actually going to enjoy it. I wrote the thing so I’m going to be A-filled with anxiety B- scrutinizing it and comparing it not only to other segments but to every single cartoon my subconscious can produce in the three minutes it is on. and C- inevitably coming up with some funnier twist I should have thought of when it was still at the writing stage. Ambition and Drive are joy sucking qualities. Which is not to say I won’t be proud of it and stoked, and probably really hard to deal with for the rest of the week.
Another thing you may be surprised to hear is that I have not seen the finished product yet. This is a job like any other job. If my job at a fast food place is to peel off the cheese from the cheese block no one would be shocked to know I didn’t see what the hamburger looked like when it was put in the bag. I don’t have much insight about it beyond the script I wrote for it, which would normally make me very nervous, but the guys at the studio seemed pretty sharp to me as far as making with the funny.
So…from now until 9:30 my time…I guess I just continue with a normal working day and then watch the cartoon…and then get back to work. I guess…what else do you do? What would you do? I am up to my ears in deadlines and I have two comic book conventions coming up. No time to bleed as they say. I guess I’ll have a stiff drink before it starts, or after it starts. You work basically from age five when you first realize someone made the cartoon you are watching until you finally get to this point…like..it’s the majority of your life on the potential side and then in a half an hour you are on the other side. I guess I’ll see you on the other side. I already know what’s on the other side…more potential. Frankly, I expected …I dunno what…to be filled with all sorts of emotions. Truth be told I’m pretty calm and focused on the next thing. This is a big deal and it isn’t at the same time. It’s an important step forward, that’s what it is. The goal is always more..more seasons, more segments on the seasons, to get better at the writing you do for them..
…and pretty weird, and pretty cool.
If I could be spared peoples reactions afterwords that would be great. People are a pain in the ass 90% of the time and usually try to be extra hip by pointing out some technical thing or some diversion from the comic or some flaw or another. I know why that is, no one wants to seem like a suck up. Take my word for it though, better to be a suck up that to piss on someones parade. I fully expect , even though I have made it clear at least 2 dozen times, that it is just one short segment and I don’t know if the characters have been changed, that people will say “I thought they were going to look like they did in the comic book” and “it was only three minutes?” I know the five year old version of myself would say that. hmm…I know what the five year old version of me would do too, he’d watch the cartoon and think to himself ” I wanna make a cartoon” and he’d go in his room and draw.
well…just to plug it one more time before it airs…
Comedy central 10:30pm EST Trip Tank also available online afterwords at
http://www.cc.com/shows/
ALSO…go to their websites and raise hell about my segment. They DO notice those things. Your feedback matters, that’s why they have those sites up. They want to make cartoon people want to see…so tell them what you liked. kapeesh?
and if you’d like to tell me how great it was I’ll be at these two upcoming cons
MCBA Spring-Con St.Paul MN May 17-19
Phoenix Comicon Phoenix AZ June 6-8th
and I’m always here www.arseniclullabies.com
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