Short Stories
I’m probably the only person alive who remembers A&E’s Short Stories series. I don’t even recall when it was on other than maybe the late 1980s or early 1990s. I can’t even say for sure why I liked the show so much. But whatever it was, I think it may have found a new home with McSweeney’s Wholphin DVD quarterly.
I’ve been doing my best to collect previous issues of McSweeney’s Quarterly Concern. With the exception of issues 17 and 12, I have all issues released after 11 (and I’m pissed that I can’t find 12. One day it’s available, the next it’s gone. Poof). My latest acquisition is issue 18, a small, chipboard-bound paperback that happened to be bundled with the inaugural issue of Wholphin. Until earlier today they have lived on my bookshelf, shrinkwrapped together, waiting for a calm moment. I am in the middle of a rare (partially self-induced) lull in school work so I decided to unwrap the bundle and see what a DVD quarterly is all about.
I already have some experience with McSweeneys DVDs. I’m currently reading issue 11 which ships with a hilarious Making of Issue 11 DVD. If you watch it, be sure to check out the alternate camera angles during the sequences with author readings.
After watching the issue 11 DVD my expectations for Wholphin were on the goofy side. This is a good thing because most of Wholphin was goofy.
One treat that I wasn’t expecting was a severely cool movie version of The Specialist from issue 11, a story about a woman who holds an endless expanse of arctic tundra inside her womb (the story was re-titled The Big Empty on the DVD). I read the story last weekend, so it was a helluva kick seeing it all acted out. The casting was perfect, Selma Blair was incredible, direction and music were awesome, and…I felt like I was watching A&E’s short story series all over again. Artsy, edgy, beautiful…
The other shorts on the DVD were great as well, even the odd Iranian animation at the end. Jeroen Offerman singing Stairway to Heaven backwards in reverse (so it plays forward) made me wish I had more guts to do silly things in public places. And the Spike Jonze short on Al Gore was an eye opener. Whoodathought the guy was a goof?
I’m torn… I really, really want to subscribe. I need to watch my money, though.
Anyone feeling generous? I accept gifts.
Too late, I subscribed.
So there.
Comment by erat — November 30, 2006 @ 3:59 pm
I also remember Shortstories from the late ’80’s. In fact, I still have a couple of episodes on VHS that I’m converting to DVD. Alas, neither of them were among the better ones. They’re just the only 2 that survived the ravages of time. BTW, I’m not trying to sell you anything; my copies are personal stuff I want to keep.
I wish the show would come back, but I don’t think it never will. It was one of the best shows in the history of television.
The IFC Short Film series is somewhat similar, but not quite as good; at least not across the board.
Comment by Phil Hall — January 9, 2007 @ 8:38 am
Some day I’ll get satellite TV back. I had to get rid of it when I returned to college (it’s expensive), and in the process I lost Sundance Channel, IFC (are they the same yet?), Bravo, etc. Until then, Wholphin helps fill the void (sorta. I still miss A&E).
Comment by erat — January 9, 2007 @ 9:51 am