The biggest news of the month is that my book is available for pre-order. It’s about Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein (no release date yet for the film, but it will be this fall). I interviewed everyone, from Guillermo himself, to cinematographer Dan Laustsen, to Oscar Isaac, to composer Alexandre Desplat, to costume designer Kate Hawley, to Christopher Young, head of archives at Tiffany & Co. I interviewed production designer, hair designer, makeup department head, Mike Hill the creature designer, concept artist Guy Davis, the sound designer, the visual effects designer, Evan Schiff the editor … so many more. Jacob Elordi! Everything. Guillermo invited me into the mobile editing lab, parked in a warehouse on the waterfront in Dundee, and I watched him piece together a montage. It was an honor! And so interesting to watch the process. I stood on the sidelines during a couple days of filming, which was so cool – it was such a massive production! Putting all of this together in book form was a huge task! But I love the idea of having it be a celebration of the artists and true artisans and who worked on this film. So. Order the book!
I was the official witness for the marriage of my two dear friends, Keith Uhlich and Dan Callahan (both amazing writers: look them up!) The day was overwhelming and filled with joy. Happy Pride!
Three generations walking the sea wall on Mother’s Day. Mum and I went to church and then met up with Jean and the kids. The day was perfect. Sun block is important.
Waiting for Charlie at Bar 6 on a rainy day. Drinking a Bloody Mary and reading about the Beatles. It’s one of my favorite little bistros in New York and it’s been there as long as I can remember. At least, it was there when I first moved to New York. It was a common hangout for us in grad school since it’s basically right around the corner. So many memorable times there and it’s still a good meet-up spot. We walked over to the Strand afterwards. I bought a biography of Irving Thalberg.
Wandering through the green leafy jungle of the neighborhood, watching my nephews ride their bikes.
Here’s how Frankie is doing.
Reading
We Don’t Know Ourselves: A Personal History of Modern Ireland, by Fintan O’Toole
Journey to Russia, by Miroslav Krleža
Revolution in the Head: The Beatles’ Records and the Sixties, by Ian MacDonald
The Tragic Mind: Fear, Fate, and the Burden of Power, by Robert Kaplan
How was Revolution in the Head? I just checked out a copy from the library but haven’t started it yet.
I dug it – but his opinions are VERY strong, and so you have to just forgive anything you really disagree with. It’s focused on the music – who plays what, who does what – it can get really technical (the middle eighth, etc.) but there is a glossary. I know these songs so well – and in a lot of cases I am already familiar with this stuff (Ringo’s drumming on Ticket to Ride, or Day in the Life), it was fun to pull them up and listen again.
Your experiences on set in Scotland with GDT & crew sound amazing. What a blast that must have been!
Love the seawall photo
How are you finding the Fintan O’Toole book? It’s been on my radar for a little bit, I’ve enjoyed reading essays by him hither & yon, his essay in NYRoB (I think) about popular misreadings/inapt-citations of Shakespeare a few months back was very good
It’s SUCH a good book and such an interesting way to write a memoir. and it goes year by year and he picks some event going on in Ireland that year – JFK’s visit, or whatever – and gets into it, and what it reveals about the currents and secrets and subtext of Ireland at the time, which of course was what formed him. It’s fascinating. I’m tearing through it.
I haven’t read that Shakespeare piece – I’ll find it. Misreadings and quoting WS out of context is one of my nerdier pet peeves. Like don’t say “to thine own self be true” to me and not expect a short lecture from me about how the biggest blowhard in the history of the blowhards says that line. It’s PABLUM, it’s a cookie-cutter greeting card spouted by a bore who’s never had an original thought. Like, Laertes is probably like “got it, dad, enough with the word salad.”
I’m annoying!
Was trying to make some smart reply to this but, like someone once said, better to give my thoughts no tongue.
The O’Toole piece is good, he makes the rebuttal of dumb quotations the starting point, but more interestingly gives some insightful comment about what Shakespeare’s world is REALLY about. Not gonna be anything you don’t appreciate, but it’s well put.
I believe that same issue also had a review of what turned out to be a pretty good history of Roman/Latin Christianity, circa 300 to 1300. Same review also led me to an interesting recent biography of St Patrick (“biography”, remarkable how little can be known about a random resident of northwest European islands circa 400). I guess I’m saying beware of opening these literary magazines, you’ll only add to your reading lists, but you already knew that
NYRB is particularly deadly that way!
Frankie looks so fine.
he’s doing great! lots of bird activity is a constant torment.
Congratulations on your book, Sheila! It sounds like an amazing experience, and I know the book will be memorable as well.
Thanks so much, Barb! It’s been a ride, that’s for sure! And I can’t wait to finally hold the book in my hands. It still doesn’t feel real in a way.