14 Comments

Well all this sounds very exciting. Enjoy Barcelona. I always did.

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Thanks, Judy!

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I think you (and the team you'd work with) would inject some needed greatness into the bio pic genre with this. This would be a cool idea and I cant wait for it to happen. I may be biased as a South Bay punk kid, but I have a good feeling about it and I'll put some Good Vibrations (intended) out there for it!

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Thanks, Sean! It's been an interesting journey and good vibrations much appreciated!

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Mar 27Liked by Jim Ruland

Well. Damn. This sounds amazing. Best of luck with the continued work on the film. Just a small self-serving note: my parents grew up in Torrance and were a part of the baby boomers being raised by WWII veterans who settled in SoCal after the war. While they were not into the same music I came to love, and they are a few years older than the players involved, the stories of the South Beach bands so fascinate me. Their experiences overlap with stories my parents have shared about the area. The idea of a coming of age movie based on “My Damage” sounds so perfect and needed, and not solely or simply because of the music. It is a unique time to have grown up in that area. When I make it down there now, I tend to at least drive by spots mentioned in your books, such as just wanting to see San Pedro High or the pier in Hermosa. Next visit: Polliwog Park. My kids will love it.

Thanks again for making sure these stories and memories are being preserved. Take care.

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Thanks, Travis! Grateful to hear about your connection to the South Bay. It's fascinating to me that the region is a mainstay of West Coast jazz, a hub of 1950s Bohemia, the heart of California's aerospace industry, and the birthplace of beach volleyball, Gravity's Rainbow, and hardcore. According to Keith, Polliwog Park in Manhattan Beach is virtually unchanged -- or at least that was the case 10 years ago...

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Mar 27Liked by Jim Ruland

In the spirit in which this was written, I’ll pretend I’m not that excited or impressed about all of this, but I’m sending good vibes. Break a leg in Barcelona.

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Thank you! It's like sobriety or writing a novel and taking it day by day.

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Heh. I remember folks saying that about "Dune": "it'll never get made", "no one could film it; it's impossible", etc.

Now it's been done twice; 3x if you count the sequel.

Maybe that's the secret after all.

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Excellent points, Shaggy!

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I miss being around the entertainment business being in Portland. It is fun to know how the sausage is made.

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It's weird isn't it? I think Hollywood is more interesting to me now that I know more about how books are made. I used to think publishing was pure in comparison (don't laugh) but it's same bullshit except the stakes are much, much lower.

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See you soon in Barcelona!

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Yay! Can't wait to catch up!

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