#30 Punch a planet in half
Issue #30 Punch a planet in half
5th October 2022
Hi everyone. I appreciate you all very much. Thanks for being here.
So I've not had the greatest of weeks but happily it seems like Radio is going to be ok - I'm just not sure how long it's going to take me to calm my hyper-vigilance with regards to the little tyke. I keep reliving the moment the car hit him. Deep breath.
In non-canine areas of my life, things are going well. We celebrated Laura's 40th birthday over the weekend and I was able to send out the first chapter of my book to my wonderful writing patrons. The feedback was awesome - it was extremely gratifying to have people being so smart and considered about the stories I've had rattling around my head for the last year.
Now, let me recommend these things for your consideration...
Rule of three
[Books] Cradle
A jewel in the crown of the baby-faced genre of Progression Fantasy, the Cradle book sequence is the platonic ideal for this kind of fiction. Our hero, Lindon, is a powerless nobody in a world of magic-fuelled martial artists but then, over the course of 11 books and counting, he slowly trains himself (so...many...training...montages) to be someone who can punch a planet in half. It's hilariously over the top. Every time you think Lindon can't get any more powerful - a whole new part of the tech tree opens up and he learns he can turn his arm into a cosmic hoover or something. Oh how I loved its silliness and absolutely devoured every single bijou book in the series.
[Videos] Climate change is bad
I was happy to see this spoof ad for Chevron from Anchorman director Adam McKay. I was particularly pleased because I wrote and produced this spoof ad for the banking industry five years earlier. No such thing as a new idea, I guess. On reflection, I think Adam's one is better but with the caveat that I wasn't allowed to swear or mention companies by name.
[TV] Community
For me, Community is one of the greatest sitcoms ever written. I think only Spaced surpasses it in my personal pantheon of situational comedies. So I was extremely excited to see that the fabled cry of #SixSeasonsAndAMovie is finally coming true. Joel McHale confirmed on social media this week that we're going to make a feature length reunion trip to Greendale. Most of the cast is returning but will Troy make a cameo? If you're new to Community then I recommend starting with the episode Modern Warfare and then just go back and watch it from the beginning.
Spotlight
I've been sitting on this for a couple of months so I'm very excited to finally announce that Katy Schutte and I will be running a VR Improv Residential in December. We're presenting it under the FANDCO banner that has produced all our VR work together - 13 Cycles, The Galaxicle Implosions & Play Test - and we'll be using custom software coded specifically for improv theatre by tech genius, Rob Armstrong. There'll be a big splashy launch next week but members of this newsletter get 7 DAYS to secure a place before it goes out to the general public. Here's the details:
The event will run from the evening of Friday 9th December until the morning of Monday 12th December 2022.
You'll get the chance to do improv in virtual reality throughout the weekend - looking at tools like synchronous shared space, virtual avatars, manipulating digital props and exploring VR locations - all equipment will be provided.
Learn from Katy Schutte and Chris Mead, two of the most respected improv instructors in the UK, and industry leaders in the nexus of improv theatre and virtual reality. We'll be teaching classes on wider improv theory as well as giving you plenty of time in virtual worlds.
We'll be staying at the beautiful Ashley Court retreat in Devon.
The event will be fully catered with vegetarian and vegan seasonal meals, many taken directly from the gardens of Ashley Court.
We're keeping the group extremely small - somewhere between 8-10 people for the entire retreat. The whole weekend will cost £799 including meals and board. We are happy to offer payment plans in order to spread the cost of attending. If you'd like to know more or to book your place on the event, please email hello@chrismead.co now.
Longform thoughts
"You can talk about writing all you want, you won’t produce a book any faster than someone who isn’t talking about writing."
Read more in Focus on habits part of my Organisation for creatives series.
Radio days
This week, Radio is cake.