[at-l] RE: Reqeust for Info

[nealb at midlandstech.com (William Neal)]

Probably has been done.  Hardly any subject matter has not been used, but
just because an idea is great does not mean that the right writer, director,
producer, etc. have come together.  Ideas are a dime a hundred.  It's the
execution that counts.

If it was the idea that counts then I could claim Star Trek, Star Wars,
Hannibal Lector, Indiana Jones, and a couple of movies and new Fall TV
shows.  And that is just the tip of iceberg.  Again, it is the execution
that counts.  Bet someone had the idea for the AT way before Benton did.
And the trail is not exactly what Benton had in mind.

William, The Turtle

-----Original Message-----
From: Curtis Balls [mailto:cballs@verizon.net]
Sent: Sunday, June 22, 2003 9:21 PM
To: at-l@mailman.backcountry.net
Subject: [at-l] RE: Reqeust for Info



Before you guys run away with yourselves, let me 'splain myself:

1. I am NOT writing a trail guide.  It's been done by a number of people.
Besides, I don't want to.
2. I am NOT writing a book about my hike.  It's been done. There are
hundreds of "my hike" books, most of them self-published.
3. I am NOT writing a book about anyone's hike.
4. I am NOT writing a book about hiking.
5. I am NOT looking to self-publish.  If I can't get a publisher for this
project, I'm not doing it.
6. I AM trying to do something that hasn't been done before, so if you wanna
help out I'd be more than grateful.

BTW, AT-L and other hiking lists and other hikers are only ONE source of
information.  I have several others and of course I hiked the Trail in 1999
so there's my own experience to pull on.   

I'm gonna give some one a million dollar idea and you musical/theatre people
out there really, really ought to pursue it - a Broadway musical based on a
thru-hike.  It has all the right elements:  a beginning and an ending,
struggle, change, spiritual quest, self-discovery, all that wonderful home
grown American mountain and folk music that could be worked into the story,
the quintessential American desire for personal freedom, open space and a
way to just "get away from it all," other topical elements that could be
worked in: environmentalism, ideas about "wilderness", etc.  You'd have to
have an emotional hook that EVERYONE can relate to, not just hikers, so
you're main characters would have to be a man and a woman who eventually
find love and togetherness on the Trail after some conflict, or maybe it's
an older married couple who rediscover what they mean to each other after
the Trail finally drove them apart.  Use your imagination.  We spent several
days on the Trail in 1999 trying to figure out a story line.  Personally I'd
prefer the main characters to be gay or lesbian but realistically the appeal
would be to narrow.  No reason you couldn't have gay or lesbian characters
playing a pivotal role however.  A lot of gay men and lesbians hike the
trail.  There's practically no end to the musical, sociological and
spiritual commentary that you could plug into such a play.  I imagine the
big production number either being at Trail Days or at a shelter with lots
of hikers crowded in trying to keep their spirits up after a long, rainy,
cold day and after the set-up about quitting the trail, there's a rousing
number about going on.  The transformational moment would of course come on
top of one of the mountains where the main character(s) have their personal
epiphany with nature, both their own and the nature around them, which
resolves their conflict and brings them together.   Think of the trail
issues you could work into it:  hiking poles, dogs, cellphones, partying,
LNT, commercialism, encroaching land development...much of this you'd need
to handle with humor.  Don't preach, entertain.  Imagine all the beautiful
set designs that could be built for the scene changes.   I'd be interested
in helping out anyone who wanted to drive the development of such an
enterprise.

Call me.

Musical Balls


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