- Another Cure chapter. The song "A Night Like This" is a beautiful song in its own right, track 8 on "The Head on the Door," which some poet-friends in Melbourne performed a track-by-track jam of poems influenced by the songs. But there's another Cure song that my best friend Mike put on a mixtape for me that was just Robert Smith's voice and a brilliant string section and tympani drums that's called something like "Other Nights Like This" -- the handwriting was scratchy. I never remembered to ask him, and now it's too late. Now the tape's broken, and I keep googling the first words, but I can't find anything.
- At bad parties, the only people there are your friends; at good parties, everyone in the universe is there. David wrote: Isn't it the opposite - aren't the best parties the ones where your best friends are? But all my favorite parties have been equal parts people you love, people you hate, and people you start to love when you get in that hazy, sleep-deprived zone of 2-3-4 A.M. when you're all sitting together and heads are rolling around.
- “I can’t deal with Flaming Orgasm -- it sounds absolutely gross. Just make me a Sex on the Beach.” I have heard this line. Numerous times. No -- serial times.
- When I move, you move. What? It's a line from a song? Thanks, I hadn't realized -- no, I give due props to Mr. Chris Bridges in the credits. While we definitely have our differences of opinion, especially as far as "Pimpin' All Over the World," I think he has a really wild handle on vernacular language (I have a weird fascination about how he spells mouth "mouf") -- and the moment was too perfect. The description of Devin teaching Jupe how to speak is one of the most sensual passages I think I've ever written. And, hey, in the music video, they're even partying in a factory.
- Crash Goldberg. His name is probably influenced by Crash Mansion, a concert space in New York; my novel Never Mind the Goldbergs; two friends from Central named Wurm and Snorey the Miserable; and a dream I had once. But the most influential part was probably Jody, my editor on Candy in Action -- Candy's last name was originally Resnick, which was also the last name of one of the stars of Goldbergs. She said, you can't do that! I told her it's going to be a crossover -- they're first cousins, and one day Candy is going to have to protect Moish's girlfriend. Jody put her foot down. But I was like, no way -- and, dammit, one day you're gonna see how Crash fits into Goldbergs reality.
- Self-braggery: I got a string of three solid smile-faces from David with no changes in between. Here:
- Since then, Reg had moved on to bigger and better while I had somehow managed to stay true to my loser roots.
- "That’s Crash Goldberg. You know him, I guess—Crash, get your hands off her, she’s gay!—and these are the guys."
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- I don’t even know why you’re the greatest but you are, man." - Margie's reappearance. I know this is a mystery story, and one of those did-it-happen? things that authors love to do, but it really happens, too. In the Northeast especially. There are only like 50 kids in the entire 350,000-person neighborhood, and you always run into each other. Especially the mystifyingly beautiful people who you don't know. And it gets progressively more awkward.
<- 3. yards and yards away
Chapter 5 is on its way...if you're wondering anything, write and ask.
