This is a five star short and I’ll tell you why: it dispenses with the customary fourth wall, the artifice that divides author from reader; in a bold paradigm-grope it addresses you directly. And don’t you deserve it? I mean, enough games. Seriously. Seriously. This is a short-in-the-round and audience participation is not just encouraged, it’s required. So, readers, welcome in to this short, make yourselves at home. Dylan, how about a glass of Scotch? Qualcomm, don’t be upset if this is a rip off of one of yours. Ewan, you stuffy cunt, let down your hair and enjoy this short. Matza, go ahead, post an anonymous comment, I won’t mind. Evans, this short could use a soundtrack, do you know any Liberace? Slocum, I encourage you to pair this short with braised lamb. Benny, welcome back. Disney, FU! Mr. Pony, feel free to draft a picture of how this short makes you feel. The Buyer, um, something about hockey and Mounties.
But this short isn’t just a gimmick, that’s what’s truly great about it. It also has a lot of heart, for instance, it tells the story of Jack, a guy who’s just dying for a little affection. He sits quietly in his office (he’s a private dick) and waits for a leggy blonde to walk through his door. But she never comes and so he feels this shrinking feeling in his groin as a certain quiet sadness overwhelms him. And it also has a part that discusses the texture of a fresh, soft, warm turd, as it splats on the sidewalk, steaming off the canine heat that so recently harbored it. And here, in this very sentence, there is mention of gay anal sex, with its man passion on full display as hairy hips slap against hairy ass and the rigid rod of manhood disappears into.... Note the castration imagery evoked during this description of penetration. There’s an old creepy house on a hill out of a gothic novel in this short and a village idiot from the middle ages; there’s a futuristic despot commanding his followers toward a galactic battle, and a quiet school girl episode of embarrassment and self-doubt; there are no topical references in this short, thank God, but there’s a first person bit where the narrator is self-congratulatory even though we all know he’s a jackass; here it comes: I’ve known a lot of great vulvas in my time, and take it from me, they’re each as unique as a fingerprint – and twice as sexy!
I don’t really know. Maybe this isn’t working. I’m going to go back and revise it. Maybe this is too “tricky”. But you see, at least I’m being honest with you, at least I’m inviting you in to the process instead of putting on an exhibit behind bulletproof glass. Keep in mind, representation is not just a presentation done twice. This is your short. You own it. You ask who wrote it? We all did. We all wrote this short, and that’s why it’s so special. Good night, and God bless Acme Shorts.
Date Written: January 19, 2005 Author:Ewan Snow Average Vote: 4.35
Comments:
01/26/2005Stomach Foot: author, can i touch this short? or will alarms go off?
01/26/2005Stomach Foot: (Stomach Foot here.)
01/26/2005Jon Matza (5): hydrox; gluten. No mention of scoop=it's by him?
01/26/2005anonymous: Thi short is public property, Stomach Foot. All are welcome!
01/26/2005anonymous: This
01/26/2005Stomach Foot (4):
01/26/2005The Rid: Is there a guest version of this short, Author?
01/26/2005anonymous: This short is for all members of the Acme community, guests and authors alike. Don't be discouraged if your name isn't mentioned. Your spirit is alive within the text!
01/26/2005The Rid (5): In that case!
01/26/2005Dylan Danko (5): Scotch?? Hmm...don't mind if I do. Doop-di-doo.
01/26/2005Will Disney: f me? f you!
01/26/2005anonymous: Enjoy, Dylan. Thanks, Disney, you're really getting in to the spirit of this!
01/26/2005Mr. Pony: I really like the sappy tone at the end. You can almost hear the hate!
01/26/2005Dylan Danko: Perfect timing I may add, as I'm prohibited from drinking before 3:00. It's a rule I made for myself. Yeah.
01/26/2005Mr. Pony: 3:00 am?
01/26/2005Benny Maniacs (3): I can't believe you guys are buying this. Postmodern suckers.
01/26/2005qualcomm: i can't believe you helped write it, maniacs, given your attitude.
01/26/2005anonymous: Great feedback, Benny. Thanks for making this short as great as it is. But remember, it's not just a postmodern gimmick, it also has a lot of heart!
01/26/2005Mr. Pony:
01/26/2005anonymous: Wonderful, Pony! This short makes you feel like a post-coital robot. Good for you!
01/26/2005Dylan Danko: Benny Maniacs, it behooves you to abide by the guiding principles of the day, today, National Compliment Day
01/26/2005anonymous: Matza here. FU, Disney.
01/26/2005anonymous: Man, this feels guuuuuuud
01/26/2005Mr. Pony: That's why I stopped being so nasty this morning! I think every day should be National Compliment Day.
01/26/2005Mr. Pony: Matza, I can't believe you ruined your perfect record!
01/26/2005Ewan Snow (5): in to
01/26/2005Dylan Danko: Pony, I find your asiatic features particularly fetching today. I would also like to compliment you, pre hoc, on your skill in tonights visual round.
01/26/2005Jon Matza: Sorry, Pony. But it sure felt good to let my imagination run wild -- if for only a moment!
01/26/2005Mr. Pony (5): I can certainly understand that! Bee Tee Doubleyou, Benny, I think this is actually Post-Postmodernist.
01/26/2005Jon Matza: Author: from the bottom of my heart, thanks for giving me the chance to let my imagination (creativity) run free!
01/26/2005anonymous: Don't thank me, brother. Thank yourself! I just hold up a mirror; you're the one with the pretty face.
01/26/2005qualcomm: thanks for letting me participate in this gimmicky happening, author! i love empty, heartless tricks like this!
01/26/2005anonymous: Hold on, partner. This short also includes a part that discusses the texture of a fresh, soft, warm turd, as it splats on the sidewalk, steaming off the canine heat that so recently harbored it. You call that heartless? Okay, feel free. You wrote it, after all!
01/26/2005qualcomm: i just love taking part in happenings like this. craig lewis and i used to go to flash mobs back in '03. this is just like that, only more fun, because it's not as complex and rife with meaning!
01/26/2005Jon Matza: Stealing Danko's joke, qc? Have a little self-respect!
01/26/2005qualcomm: i was referencing it, you ninny. hence, the inclusion of lewis.
01/26/2005Jon Matza: S'alright, guy - you've been working hard out there today. Have an orange slice!
01/26/2005qualcomm: and actually, it was lewis who first made the joke. you don't know your history.
01/26/2005Jon Matza: Bro, you want to my powder blue headband just say so, no need to go sick on me.
01/26/2005Jon Matza: ...borrow...
01/26/2005Roland Gift: no, YOU calm down, you angry little man!
01/26/2005Dylan Danko: Or my Fragonard embossed compact?
01/26/2005TheBuyer (5): sure, I'm in. Turd, warmth, mounties, all that, ya.
01/26/2005Phony Millions (3): You bunch of glib motherfuckers!
01/26/2005anonymous: So, Brad, is that a "no" on the Liberace? That's cool, it's all part of this short. Thank you for writing it.
01/27/2005Dark Pony: Among others, you left scoop out. Whyzzat?
01/27/2005John Slocum (4): This is some of the best work I've done. Braised lamb? No-medium/rare rack of lamb more like. Nice n' bloody, juicy.
01/27/2005Ewan Snow: In order to trick people into thinking he wrote it. Notice I also spelt "into" as "in to". My idea originally was to make it seem like anybody could have written it, but that ran out of steam, so I decided to sort of frame scoop. It sort of worked on Matza at least! Did I leave out any other current authors?
01/27/2005John Slocum: hey, guy: you might have fooled matza, but this guy saw right through the deception to the ballet-like agility of snow, the leotard and be-tutued prose danced with poise and elegance. I'm not saying you're gay or dress like a woman or anything, just that you can marshal dextrous prose that is both dense AND easy to read, you make it difficult AND simple for the reader(have you ever worn a nurse's outfit?). Kidding, nice work.
03/11/2009qualcomm (4.5): -1/2 star for the unsnowish capitalization of god. maybe it's because we all wrote this.