Flashing #24: Atonal

Welcome to the story you’re not going to read. This is as pretentious as I can get. I’ll apologize in advance by showing some sample art from a new comic I’m working on with Marco Magallanes:



Shaolin political-thriller with a strong sci-fi hook. Ok – that’s fun, right? Now I’ll be a pretentious prick and tell the origin of today’s story.

A professor I had in college introduced me to Arnold Schoenberg and I’ve been a huge fan of atonal music ever since. The idea that you can create a piece that seems random and chaotic from one note to the next that is still filled with emotion and story is amazing to me. My senior year in college I worked at Jillian’s in Boston with this guy Garret (unrelated: He recommended Gravity’s Rainbow to me and, in turn, introduced me to Thomas Pynchon). Garret told me about a homeless guy in Boston that handwrote entire novels where no word logically followed the preceding word yet the whole piece would still manage to tell a story. I remember thinking it was a wonderful way to waste a life. Last night I started my hardboiled story with a little piece on “Central Park In The Dark” which is one of my favorite atonal compositions.

Those three things formed a perfect storm of pretention last night and I said, “Fuck it – I’m gonna try an atonal version of the original memoir.” So I attempted to write a story where a) no two adjacent words could ever be moved into a proper sentence b) the words chosen flow despite the fact none of them fit and c) there’s still a story when all’s said and done. I don’t know if I succeeded, but believe me when I tell you that writing this piece was much harder than it probably looks.

Ok – let’s do it. If you want less pretentious Flashing stories head on over to the main page.

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With sleep skies trouble grayed I curtain arose clock pulled bathe, “Fuck!” Collar rain skies empty walking emptied nobody streets darkness. Missed past borrowed dark schooled worked youth losing breezy closed light clip-clop-clip. In disarrayed moments sound bus turn driven chance dance follow. Life! Which figuring food quick window find frequents locally drinks.

Barrier euro phrase opened book “what” points nothing “was” points stares “this” cigarette. Bar stranger end one clock sip clock sip shift bathroom smoke clock sip another. None companion conversationless clock phone clock fumbled clock nothing chug.

Another.

English find visiting “you?” soon chug order everyone “Prost” talkity-talkity-talkity. Common blue America blame laughed understands pats pats pats Jaeger! Prost! Another. Writer holiday (lies) published researching (half-truths) wanting relaxed (truths). Another. They’d expensive I-80 “Memphis!” always barbeque blues gas worried Prost! Another. Bush Kerry Obama “Hillary?” Obama never McCain “Fuck!” Another. Prost! Another. Prost! Another. Clock tables chairs prost clean stumble fall stumble “Taxi!”

Sleep.

Back sings “Me?” Brown different “American!” bar alone clock phone fumble clock sings “Again?” Beatles different “American!” bar alone clock phone fumble clock sings “No.” Another. Another. Another. Clock done auf wiedersehen “American!” what “American!” stumble “Fuck!”

Phone.

Thinking face beautiful ring thinking voice soft ring thinking hands locked ring “Hello.” Not words miss here need want yearn soon soon soon. Different everything older “Happy” excited soon soon soon. Kiss taxi hotel sleep.

Safe easy hotel tourists “American!” yes. Home home home. Soon.

Labels: flashing

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