Richard Matheson and the Value of Trash
I watched some of the Dark Dreamers interview series. They ranged from pragmatic to fey to interesting to boring. The best was with Richard Matheson. He noted that most of his best ideas came from watching movies, and, more importantly "bad movies with a neat premise." That his writer brain took the good and used the bad to generate cooler stories and such.
It was a neat little insight. And it might explain why a lot of writers I love have a penchant for art and art forms that can be thought of as junk, Z grade entertainment. I've also found that trashy stuff usually has some underlying current of value that appeals to the senses, something that's bigger than the obvious. Lots of writers claim junk culture as a source of inspiration. Ellison, King, Lansdale come to mind right off the bat.
How about you? What gems hide in the junk drawer of your mind?
JSR
It was a neat little insight. And it might explain why a lot of writers I love have a penchant for art and art forms that can be thought of as junk, Z grade entertainment. I've also found that trashy stuff usually has some underlying current of value that appeals to the senses, something that's bigger than the obvious. Lots of writers claim junk culture as a source of inspiration. Ellison, King, Lansdale come to mind right off the bat.
How about you? What gems hide in the junk drawer of your mind?
JSR