The mythological fig igure of the
writer who goes to’ Hollywood
has haunted the literary psyche
since F. Scott Fitzgerald. Yes,
even the psyches of us humble
freelance journalists.

Like all good myths, the tale
‘raises several awkward questions,
mainly: Is literature dead?

Just because its death was an-
nounced prematurely in the 20s,
30s,-40s,.50s, 60s and -70s,' that’s
no proof that it hasn’t finally ac-
tually died. in the 80s.

. What:was the last book you

thinking about life, or challenged

ened to. cause. you to do: some-
| thing. wild. and ‘impulsive and
maybe beautiful, but ' certainly
ridiculous?
ue Come on! It. was a long time
a, ago. =:
Your last great vicarious emo-
tional thrill was probably trig-
gered by a movie, assuming. ,
nothing happened in your real’
‘life, which, with a bit of: Juck, vit
‘didn’t. -

- Of course, this emotionai hit:

COULD have come from a
video, which is a teeny-weeny
movie. :
“But comniercial television, Pm
£ . sorry,’ doesn’t count any’ more
pete ‘ because the COMMERCIALS

us : . omar

WEST. VANCOUVER: Monday,
April 44, 8" p.m. Development:
variance permit‘ re: 2354 Bellevue.

Ave. / Zoning. bylaw re: -parking i in-

, 7” . commercial zones/: - Local : .im-
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Bay Marina lease bylaw/.Zoning ., f

wa : ’ bylaw amendment re: certain ‘real:
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ma . 2486 Haywood Ave./ : Develop-
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' - Drive,.2354 Bellevue Ave./ Rezon-’

ing.. and: development variance

permit. application re: “6223 © Im-.
perial Ave.,Garrow Bay/ Rezoning ©.

‘application te: 793: 22nd Street.

NORTH VANCOUVER. CITY:

Monday, April 14,7: bp. m.: Official
community | plan amendment re:
Stoker Farin and 900 block Marine:
Drive/ Rezoning applications 2501

16th St./ Temporary ‘Hostel Use
permit/ Renewal “of: personal ser-
: vices
burial plots/ Expo
Events Committee.
NORTH VANCOUVER
DISTRICT: .Monday, April <14,
7:30 p.m.: Delegation .of Polygon:
Properties re: Stoker Farm proper-
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— - : block Mountain Highway; Stoker
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copies... hie |

ABIPLE PRICING

“1350 PEMBERTON AVENUE
NORTH VANCOUVER |.

985-5115

4 Sunday, April 13, 1986 -— North Shore News.

Bob Hunter

LOS ANGELES—I am writing, this sitting by the win-
dow of my suite in the Tropicana Motel. on Santa
Monica Boulevard a few ‘blocks from Sunset Strip in
Hollywood, having just finished writing (pardon me,

“polishing”’) a movie script.

zead that’ changed your way ‘of -

your sense of yourself, or threat-_

. Thitee or four. In other words,

/ figure of the writer who smashes

Westview Drive and 914-920 West”

contract/.- Reservation: of ~ §
86 Special 2

PARES ARID PER Yat ontotEAL, 208, Bono’ of.
‘TAXES EXTRA ay

reading the various stages of your
, script increases. by a quantum
factor.

who have 500 friends and rela-
tives too. One begins to realize
that movies are part of aural
culture more than they are liter-
ate European stuff. That is; the
first movie ever made should
have been called Out of Africa,
since the effect on people’s heads

e strictly personal ®

was to tribalize them, ‘as
McLuhan, bless him, knew all
along.

What I failed to appreciate un-
til this singular experience of
hanging out around Hollywood
for a little while, being ‘‘part ‘of
the | industry,"" was that the

, MAKING of a movie is a nearly:

totally tribal event as well.

Sitting in the Tropicana, I was,
as hick would have it, camped in
the middle of the set of a rock
video movie. It was actually be-
ing shot outside my window,
around the kidney-shaped pool.

This is a delightfully seedy old
place, by the way. Elvis stayed
here. And now it is a regular
prop in rock videos.

I scripted away diligently at my
word processor while, just out-
side the window, screaming fe-

- males ran. about, shouting
obsenities, and there were gun-
shots, smoke and hideous alien
monsters shambled around in the
midst of an enormous crowd of
technicians, cops, production
people, cranes with lights, trucks
full of equipment, gigantic lamps

are still there. Too disruptive.
Will be viewed by our children as
awesomely psychologically bar-
baric.

So. To write or write scripts,
that is the question!

Is it nobler to be in print for
evermore squashed between five
quintillion other mouldering
hardcovers in.a museum some-
where, or to be replayed late at
night by future generations of
amateur anthropologists and
weirdos?

 Script-writing’ is quite different
from other fosms of writing. For
one thing,” it tends rather
unalterably, ‘to be a team effort. :
The loneliest part is the writing,
and even’ ‘that seems to involve at
feast a’ “roomful of people at a
time.:

Well, not quite. A couple. -
boards.
compared to the lonely existential
my script I found that, coin-
cidentally, the neighbourhood
rock video was through being

the literary pick through the last
inch of. rock leading into the

. magnificent. buried - temple of shot, too.
Ultimate Truth, the script writer Lo and behold, it is quiet here
has to be a gregarious s.o.b. or under the palms around the

he’s doomed.

I mean there are the producers.
They all know 20 people. You get
a co-production, which is com-
mon, and instead of just doubl-
ing,” the number of people

Tropicana’s lighted pool, in the
deep of the Hollywood night.

And 1 know in my bones now
that the answer is to take up
business administration. . Either
that or bea poet.

This. week at councils

for temporary use permit at 1775
Main Street/ Rezoning bylaw re:
Capilano - College. sitting area
amendment/ Residential waste col-

Application: for
strata title -

And then there are directors,

and people with funny little clip-

By the time I finished writing {

lection . report/ Subdivision ap-.
proval 1200 Block Coleman Street/, '

conversion to
Skyline’ “Manor:

There are many weight groups
or centers which will help one
losé weight. Many will teach
proper preparation, weighing
and measuring of foods, coun-
ting calories and an endless
supply of ideas to help the
dieter distract him/herself from
overeating.
What if you already know
how to eat properly; have
- counted calories until your eyes
watered and still you can’t keep
the weight off? Is there another
way?
Dan Rutley, a professional
_ hypnotherapist and counsellor
on the North Shore, suggests
. that not only can one lose
‘weight but learn to keep it off.
“There are two main pro-

blems when dealing with’
says Dan. “The *

weight loss,”
first is, strong feelings of being
deprived and the second is self-
discipline.” Dan emphasizes
that “when the feelings of
deprivation are eliminated the
self-control increases.” Hyp-
nosis can help the over-eater to
desire ‘better’ foods, become

full more quickly and remain -

full and satisfied between
meals. Three things are achiev-
ed: a better diet, less calorie in-
take and the elimination of

snacking (plus a happier, thin-

ner person)...

Being overweight is ‘olten a.

sign that something is wrong,

\ Dan emphatically states:“peo-
‘ple’ overeat’ for’ a variety of

OVERWEIGHT?

‘any questions you may have.:

reasons: boredom, wony, anx-
iety, stress, depression and
sometimes it’s just a bad habit.
| show people ‘how to’
eliminate or deal more effec-
tively with these reasons.”
“Everyone can lose weight,”
Dan says. By using hypnosis,
and actually teaching people
‘how. to’ achieve their goals
they often derive many other
benefits. .

Dan Rutley
Professional Hypnotherapist’
“Feeling confident; stronger,

more self-disciplined; feeling

happier with a better self-image

and greater ability to affect.

one’s own life positively are just ©

‘some-additional benefits,” says.
~ Dane:

Your may ) wish to speak with

Dan;-he offers a free consulta-:

tion to discuss his services ard:

D. RU"

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