Forthcoming book by David Lavery: Joss Whedon: Wonder Boy.
Prospectus for David Lavery's "comprehensive critical biography of Joss Whedon."
Lavery talked about his plan for this book at the Slayage conference.
May 30 2006
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Razor | May 30, 14:51 CET
Calledon | May 30, 15:00 CET
This would be a must-buy for me, too.
phlebotinin | May 30, 15:21 CET
His presentation was hilarious and very interesting and I can't wait to buy this.
Haunt | May 30, 16:00 CET
Oh, I'm laughing. I'm laughing lots. He might have taken that term from Whedonesque..
gossi | May 30, 16:22 CET
the ninja report | May 30, 16:32 CET
Or something.
Haunt | May 30, 16:40 CET
As a personal request, I'd like some examination of Joss' late 90s/early 00s projects (animated Dracula musical, the sitcom with James Gunn and the second Buffy movie) that didn't get off the ground. I think that's the one area that few if any writers have covered in profiles of Joss.
Simon | May 30, 16:42 CET
Ashley | May 30, 16:44 CET
I remember Lavery trying to sell this a year or two ago. Glad it is a done deal.
Lioness | May 30, 16:45 CET
Following Simon's personal request, I'd also like to know a little more about the Oliver North hearings musical Joss apparently wrote in his earlyish days in Hollywood after college. It was mentioned some years back in the New York Times "Must-See Metaphysics" article about Our Master (heh). It never got off the ground but it'd be sure interesting to read about his ideas for it. Maybe that's all it ever was - ideas. Don't know. Finding this out, among other things, would be why the Lavery book would be so interesting.
Edited to add: The Joss Whedon "Genius" book may be a hagiography and thus not a serious work, but I find it a useful collection of info from myriad interviews, etc. from over the years. I appreciated having it all in one place. Wesleyan Prof. Basinger's words about Joss were particularly interesting to read. I hadn't read them elsewhere.
[ edited by phlebotinin on 2006-05-30 23:51 ]
phlebotinin | May 30, 16:48 CET
If this book is more focusing on the creative process, I'll buy it, definitely.
gossi | May 30, 16:54 CET
Am I the only one that reads Variety back articles :P? Here. Go read.
Simon | May 30, 16:58 CET
phlebotinin | May 30, 17:01 CET
Anyone know?
zz9 | May 30, 17:08 CET
palehorse | May 30, 17:13 CET
crossoverman | May 30, 17:34 CET
Chris inVirginia | May 30, 17:34 CET
Also, isn't the term 'Wonder Boy' from those dark times we might call pre-Whedon (or maybe Before Joss as opposed to After Joss or BJ as opposed ... OK, maybe not ;) ? There's the pluralised book and (underrated, IMO) film with Michael Douglas and Roy Hobbs' bat from 'The Natural' (originally published in about 1950) but I don't know about the specific JW connection gossi mentions. Could someone make with the enlightenment ? There could be a mini-Mars Bar in it for the lucky winner. But there isn't.
(BTW, it's clearly just a typo but does anyone else really want to see Joss write a musical Simpsons episode entitled "Once Moe with Feeling" ? ;)
Saje | May 30, 18:10 CET
"I intend in addition to interview many people who have worked with Whedon, including Jeanine Basinger and Richard Slotkin, his professors at Wesleyan,"
I work with one of his professors from Wesleyan. I wonder if he'll look him up? It's so funny, his wife and I are a big Buffy fans, and we're always asking him "so, what's he like???". He just rolls his eyes at me:)
Harmalicious | May 30, 19:20 CET
And TamaraC? No, I'm an idiot: I thought Simon was linking something new and that Joss had resurrected Mutant Enemy (one more disappointment of the day).
[ edited by embers on 2006-05-31 06:10 ]
embers | May 30, 19:47 CET
| May 30, 20:30 CET
David had a funny little rant at about this point in his presentation over the fact that those professors (or at least Basinger) are also responsible for Michael Bay. He got sort of unleashed for a few minutes on Bay, and it was laugh-out-loud funny.
Haunt | May 30, 20:58 CET
Santa Monica sets
Allyson | May 30, 21:02 CET
embers, that article was from 1998. You saw that. Right?
IrrationaliTV | May 30, 21:19 CET
I am certainly looking forward to the book. I'm sure we would all be willing to help put the word out - for a certain amount of consideration.
dreamlogic | May 31, 00:47 CET
Ah, Saje, I was about to point out that typo but you beat me to it with an even wittier comment. Once Moe With Feeling! I'd watch that.
I still laugh at the "Grampire" project. I want to see it!
[ edited by ElectricSpaceGirl on 2006-05-31 09:27 ]
electricspacegirl | May 31, 02:23 CET
Now all I can think of is Joss in form fitting black spandex, which isn't a bad thing....just different.
cheryl | May 31, 07:44 CET
zz9 | May 31, 10:01 CET
Anyway, can't wait for the book. I was disappointed with "The Genius Behind Buffy" also (which had perhaps two small pieces of information I didn't already know), and would be interested in seeing a close look such as this. I hope the "auteur Joss" section talks about all of his episodes, though, and not jsut the most famous ones; I think examining an episode like "Family," which is in my opinion one of his "worst" episodes (worst of course being very relative!), could be instructive.
WilliamTheB | May 31, 17:45 CET
svetulka | May 31, 18:26 CET
Wonder Boy, won't you take me far away from the mucky-muck man.
High above the mucky-muck castle made of clouds
there sits Wonder Boy sitting oh so proudly
not much to say when your high above the mucky-muck.
Now it's time for me to tell you about young nastyman
arch-rival and nemesis of Wonder Boy
With powers comparable to Wonder Boy!
What powers you ask?
Well i have the power of flight, that do anything for ya? That's levitation holmes!
How 'bout the power to kill a yak rom two hundred yards away? With mind bullets!
That's telekinesis Kyle! How 'bout the power...to move you?
Tenacious D, said it best!
Sorry, just read the title and the song won't leave my brain now.
[ edited by nixygirl on 2006-06-01 05:41 ]
nixygirl | May 31, 22:36 CET