What’s On My Mind 

Looking for inspiration outside myself

A few weeks ago, my wife and I caught The Midnight at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles. For those of you who don’t know, The Midnight is a synthwave band with a sound that bounces between melancholy 80’s synth, triumphant 90’s rock (complete with saxophone solos), and a modern commitment to the idea that what makes a moment special is that it is temporary.

So this:

If you’ve never been in the Palladium, it’s one of LA’s old school music venues. Mostly standing room only with some (eye-wateringly) expensive seats up on the balconies. You crowd in among fellow fans, close to the act even if you’re on the outskirts.

Aside from acts we know personally, neither my wife nor I had been to a real rock concert in years. We’d never attended a concert together, despite that being one of the most traditional getting-to-know-you dates there is. Before the show, my wife liked the band, but not as much as I did. After the show, she loved the band.

That’s because a live act is so much more than listening to the record, just as watching a movie in a theater or with a crowd of friends is so much more than watching alone at home.

The Midnight was a neon dream, a digital communion with actual analog humans. A saxophone with such passion and intensity, the crowd lost it when he hit the solo in Vampires, and the spotlight revealed he was playing in the crowd.

We all had problems. We all dreamed of a better world and found beauty in the transcendent nature of the one we existed in. We prayed to the Holy Mother of the Midnight and received grace for our faults and love from those around us.

It was like Frankenstein’s Neon Lightning struck us from the dark clouds, coursing through our bodies, giving us comfort, inspiration, and energy to get back up and keep moving.

This isn’t about how great The Midnight are. I’m not a music journalist, and the best way to learn about them is to listen to their music. In fact, that’s the point – I’m not a musician, though I love music. I’m a writer, a master of words and stories, of complex ideas and convoluted plots.

Music is those things and none of those things. It was a place where I could stop thinking about the craft, turn off, and feel. Which, ultimately, is the purpose of all artwork.

It unlocked what a story I’ve been kicking around for decades wants to be. What the feel of it ultimately is, though I’ve been avoiding it. It inspired me to just push some projects out and not worry if it’s the perfect place for them. To get on stage and jam, because that’s what this is all about.

It made me feel young again.  It reminded me to choose the story that leads me to action, not resignation.

Have you gone to an artistic church lately? Have you pushed yourself outside your area of expertise? Turned your brain off and just felt how big and wide and scary and wonderful the world is?

When was the last time you went to a concert?

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What I’ve Been Up To

Like any good artist, I’m juggling a few projects. Here’s where we’re at:

• Rewrites on supernatural procedural Curtain Call with my partner-in-crime, Kevin.
• Thinking about Dreadnought, a horror feature project I’ll be starting with my other partner-in-crime, Dani.
• Opening up a comic book project for that idea I mentioned earlier. Still in the note-taking stage, but excited to finally get this one out of my head. Working title: Synthwave Cyberpunk.
• Outlining a Creepypasta of all things. There’s too much going on there for me to ignore, and I’m blocked up. Time to get some ideas out there. I’ll have a publication date for the first part by the next newsletter.

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Cool Things

1. Tropicali – Best poke I’ve ever had in one of the grooviest locations I’ve ever been in. Seriously contends with some of the best tiki bars I’ve visited in my life for atmosphere, and the food? Absolutely incredible.
2. Big Bear Tiki Tours – A custom-built flat boat designed to look like a floating tiki bar takes you on a tour of Big Bear Lake while a bartender slings one of the best Mai Tais I’ve ever had. Even more adorable than the idea is the husband and wife duo behind it. They’ve fought to keep their dream alive, and I believe this will be the year they take off. This one is worth the drive and the day trip, people. You will never feel more relaxed than sipping a zombie while rocking gently on the lake, watching the sun go down over the mountains.