A relentless authentic punk rock dreamer from 1988 Hoboken becomes the unwitting “poster boy” for a megalomaniacal media mogul’s lifestyle makeover scheme, and must fight to reclaim his identity and stop the mogul from destroying his community.
Get to know the writer:
1. What is your screenplay about?
It’s about a budding teenage punk rocker in 1978 Hoboken, New Jersey, with little talent but lots of passion, who refuses to sell out for musical success and fades into obscurity. Ten years later, he’s stuck in a dead-end job at a mall record store in the 1980s when corporations are taking over every aspect of our lives.
The 28-year-old Loser becomes the poster boy for the ultimate lifestyle makeover company that’s part of a Disney-like multimedia empire, which is remaking entire cities so it can brainwash residents into buying their entertainment products from the cradle to the grave. In effect, remaking the Loser who sells out his dreams and even his Punk Rock Girlfriend to become a Winner in the Corporate Empire.
But in the end, he uncovers the corporation’s sinister plan and reverts to his punk rocker persona to make a “loud noise” that snaps the residents out of their brainwashed stupor. In short, it’s about staying true to yourself and your dreams regardless of commercial or critical “success” in the public’s eye.
2. What genres does your screenplay fall under?
It started out as a satirical comedy about 30 years ago, then recently I modified it into a musical movie. Instead of straight dialogue, I envisioned actors singing or talk-singing lines.
3. Why should this screenplay be made into a movie?
It’s funny, smart, and makes you think about the world we now live in. I wrote the original version over 30 years ago, which was optioned by the co-writer of ROBOCOP (Michael Miner) and shopped around to music-related movie prodcos such as MTV Films and Island Films.
But they didn’t get it — this was before studios and big companies started remaking old movies, TV shows, and music for new generations of consumers. It foresaw a time in which corporations recycle and commercialize whatever they can, including our own social media content.
In my script, Lifestyle Consultants & Developers (LCD — Lowest Common Denominator, get it?) literally recycles human shit and sells it back to the consumers who produce it as sanitized, homogenized, pasteurized yogurt. Frozen yogurt or Fro-Yo to be more precise. Because when it starts to melt, it smells like shit.
Coincidentally, the term “enshittification” has come into use to describe how consumers are ensnared by services or platforms that then monetize the product to such a degree the experience becomes really shitty.
4. How would you describe this script in two words?
Bizarre satire.
5. What movie have you seen the most times in your life?
It’s a tie between The Wizard of Oz and Network, my two favorite films of all time.
6. How long have you been working on this screenplay?
It was the second feature script I had written — about 30 years ago as I mentioned. But when the Robocop co-writer and his producer partner were unable to get it made, I shelved it. Then I saw Spike Lee’s movie version of the theater performance of PASSING STRANGE which is about a young black musician’s coming of age story and I was inspired to rewrite my script as a musical movie.
7. How many stories have you written?
Dozens of feature and TV screenplays, hundreds of newspaper articles, columns, and blog posts. Several of my scripts have been optioned or won money and prizes in major contests, shopped around by producers and managers. None produced yet though.
8. What motivated you to write this screenplay?
At the time, I was reading books about screenwriting that listed key ingredients such as 3-act structure, likeable or interesting characters, clear goals and stakes, etc. It felt stifling and boring to follow the rules, so I set out to do the opposite of all that! And when Michael Miner, the Robocop writer, read it as part of a screenwriting workshop I signed up for at the University of Hawaii, he took me aside and said he thought I had something he could sell to his contacts since he started out doing music videos.
9. What obstacles did you face to finish this screenplay?
It was early in my screenwriting career when I had more energy and sheer passion back then, so it wasn’t difficult to finish. I had just gotten out of rehab, which is where I realized I had a second chance to reinvent myself and do what I loved—writing—instead of simply trying to make a lot of money doing things I didn’t care that much about such as sales and marketing work. Fortunately, my wife was completely supportive and since we didn’t have kids, we could afford my decision to be a writer.
10. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?
Reading. Art. Listening to music. Politics. Science. Sports. I have very eclectic tastes, which is reflected in my characters and stories that draw on everything from folk tales and mythology to art, classical music, punk rock, and jazz.
11. What influenced you to enter the festival? What were your feelings on the initial feedback you received?
I saw a post on Blue Sky about the Political Screenplay Festival and thought, hmm, that’s different! I’ve won or placed as a finalist in a bunch of respected competitions, beating out thousands of other entries. But they all mostly promote the standard genres that are the most commercial. My I GOTTA BE ME script goes against that grain and is a commentary on mass consumerism, driven by conservative—and political—desires to go back to the Good Old Days that weren’t so good to minorities, women, and LGBT people.
Your reviewer really seemed to get what I was going for and the feedback was spot on. His suggestions were actionable too and made sense. I have paid for Black List professional reader evaluations and feedback in other contests before, and felt the WildSound notes were as good or better overall. I was very impressed with the accuracy and his insights as well.
