Adam is up first.
When people have found out that you're a professional comedy writer, have they tended to do the feedback and criticism thing in real life? Telling you what would have made "Frasier" funnier, and sure everybody says this "MASH" episode is a classic but let me tell you what's wrong with it, and why couldn't you guys have made Carla a lesbian? Why the homophobia? And so on.
Sometimes when mingling with strangers I don’t tell them I’m a TV writer — for just the reasons you described. I say I write tech manuals. They drop the subject real quick.
It is annoying when they offer suggestions on shows I’m on, but worse is they’ll give me suggestions or criticize shows I’m not associated with. “Hey! Why is BIG BANG THEORY lousy this year?” “I don’t know. I never worked on BIG BANG THEORY.”
But people generally are complimentary. Or they’ll say, “I never watch MASH but my grandparents loved it.” That gives me a real warm feeling.
There have been occasions where people have given me spec scripts. This even happened at a high school reunion.
And when my father and I were making funeral arrangements for my grandmother the mortician pitched me a movie. I should have said I was a tech writer that day.
msdemos asks:
In searching your name on IMDb Mr. Levine, I noticed that there are a number of "Ken Levine's" listed, each one differentiated with a consecutive Roman Numeral. Is there, or isn't there a rule that applies to individuals having the exact same name in the entertainment world......or no, is that something that some just do on their own in order to avoid confusion with others that may have the same name?
I hadn’t noticed that but I guess it’s to distinguish one Ken Levine from another. What Roman Numeral am I? Does my bio say I was emperor of Rome? If not, who do we contact to add that to my listing?
Douglas Trapasso has a long question.
The vibe I get frequently through your blog is that "stuff" just simply had a higher inherent quality three or four decades ago it doesn't matter the category - music, movies, burgers, etc. Pre-Nixon crap at least -tried- harder to be decent compared to Y2K crap.
I'm in my late fifties now and falling into that same rabbit hole myself, maybe it's inevitable. Can -anything- brand new approach the first time you heard "Born to Run" or saw a production of "Hamlet" or the movie "Citizen Kane"?
Here's the question: Has this -always- been the feeling? Were your elders in the entertainment world when you came up equally dismissive of the generation behind them? And is that tension what ultimately fuels the best art/pop culture going forward?
I would say, to a certain extent, that it’s the same with every generation. My parents hated my rock n’ roll, their parents probably hated their jitterbugging (and they were good jitterbuggers).
I think every generation feels the best music ever is what was playing when they were in high school. (And some generations would be wrong to think that.)
As for movies and TV, will today’s fare stand the test of time the way some shows and films of the past have? Will there be the equivalent of THE GODFATHER or BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI or CASABLANCA from this generation of filmmakers? Only time will tell.
I don't know if there's a "tension" per se. Each generation wants to make their own mark and that's the way it should be.
If there is one difference between the current generation and those of the past (and I know this is a gross generalization), is that I get the sense this generation has little regard for what came before they were born. Older generations — certainly mine (Pleistocene Era) — took great interest in the music, films, and TV of the past.
There is so much amazing stuff out there. But it might be in black-and-white, or it might not fit the PC standards of today so it’s dismissed.
We boomers watched old movies. We had to. That’s all that was on TV. But we loved them. And we were introduced to worlds and artists we had never seen. There’s a treasure trove of material just waiting to be discovered. Treat yourself if you haven’t already.
And finally, from DBenson:
Did Cheers ever consider bringing back Coach's daughter?
Not to my knowledge. That episode with Coach’s daughter (played beautifully by Allyce Beasley) was a little gem. And I think the feeling was we weren’t going to top it. Plus, Allyce soon became a regular on MOONLIGHTING so I don’t think she would have even been available.
What’s your Friday Question?
from By Ken Levine
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