These are drafts – brainstorms. Some arrangements seem sillier over repeat listen; obvious convoluted word order and contrived phrases, are produced, during a process* of ‘free association’

*The process is a neutral, permutation, search – matching sections, with alternative word choices; like ‘Madlibs’ ** The intention with the splicing, is to create variations, of the audio ( which was written, with this capability, in mind), that can be used as captions for completed illustrations*** (later on).

**( from the 1990’s Troll book order form); where nouns are interchanged, to listen to the result; often amusing, sometimes surprising, interesting or outright ridiculous.

***The Visual Novel, I envisioned, was many permutations, and choices, with finished art ( line, color), with as many* frames in sequence, and characters, options, along with quality voice actresses, speaking dialogue, in the scenes.

*Lurid Max- meaning, vigorous productivity, effort to quality, and, precision, scope, and generous quantity: stamina.

The dialogue I have been able to have actresses read, is designed to be an immersive story, with detail, for the characters in a story arc. And the lurid pre code horror scenes.

The lurid pre code horror scenes, in and of them self, can only be the ‘sum of the parts’ – thus*, the effort to create quality backgrounds, supporting cast, unique dialogue, and story, is the unique, voice, I can bring to this genre.

*( as demonstrated with fan -art)

Some of the spliced segments are ‘campy‘ variations – in the spirit of b-movies*.

*Upon looking at the terms- b-movie, grindhouse, and arthouse films; I see another way to describe the project.

Art house, Grindhouse.

I wanted to create ‘Art house’ stories ( dialogue, character presentation), with grindhouse content (lurid, adult)*

* aspiring, to bring as close to ‘feature’ quality ( to what is generally relegated to b-movies ).

I suppose, the idea, was to reach viewers* in a setting with aspects of grindhouse** ( lurid, adult content); and put “Art house” stories.

* ( like a Trojan horse – as the recent Joker movie , is described as a Trojan horse: a dark art house movie, disquised as a DC feature film – with as much ‘feature’ quality, as possible ( aspiring above b-movie)

**where the audience doesn’t generally expect much beyond low brow literature,

I grew up really interested in writings of authors who effectively did that: Harlan Ellison and Dan Simmons.

As an artist, I wanted to illustrate an opus. Adaptations, fan-art, are products that are viewed independently of the writing they are based.* I considered, my own writing, would have the unique opportunity, to be visualized**, and that of the creative roads, that the Lurid Max projects, was the path least traveled.

*The artist, a technician; interpreting the script.

**( as the creator/artist/writer ( something that is not as common),

So I venture on this sojourn, as a creative artist/writer – as my favorite authors, of childhood, Simmons and Ellison.

(Dan Simmons: Hyperion, Song of Kali, Carrion Comfort, Prayers to Broken Stones, Crook Factory, Darwin’s Razor, Tough as Nails, Summer of Night – very lurid aspects, a wide scope of allegorical lore ( like mathematics professor Richard Garfield: Magic the Gathering); something that powerfully grabs the attention of an active adolescent; but with high brow sci-fi, ( from an informed science background) literature, and art house, existential and social messages. ).

It was the IQ of Simmons, and the contemporary social parables of Ellison– conveyed with speculative fiction, that he pioneered, which seemed the epitome of the transformative power of creative storytelling – using the imagination.

With each project, I want to bring this – to premises that are often presented incomplete*. The camp, and lurid content, is ‘featured’, in defiance, of frustrating ‘censorship’ that has sterilized, the intensity of classic themes, reducing it’s message, squelching it’s voice.

* without one aspect or another: ie, uninspired presentations, where the lurid content is a lure; over presentation that lacks substance. Or a very nuanced story with delicate relationships, and meaningful parable, but presented sterile, omitting major elements, not to improve the story, but simply ‘censorship’ to reach a wider mainstream audience).

But, it is more than that- Lurid Max presents them unflinchingly*, unapologetically – in the spirit of authors, whose stories were speculative fiction. Taking the reader on a sojourn, of a wide scope of literature: the heights of existential epiphany, depths of horror, exploring the id, creations of imagination, creating parables, invoking insight, into platonic morality, savage outrage, righteousness and legacy.

*(courageously, if I may)