One final instrumental to segue us into the finale! Like Coyotes, in the first draft this was a Benji-centric dream. Realizing that chapter needed to focus on L opened the door for C’s starring turn here. Way back in Tight Tee Shirt, C conveniently said “I had a dream last night too. A dream about…
LX Commentary #24: Love On A Budget
Defeating the villain was (seemingly) the point of the previous chapter, but we still have 3 songs left. What’s next? It’s about to get weird… Just like the song says: “Love on a budget doesn’t make much sense anymore.” A simple line, I embraced the second half of that lyric here—but that’s not how it…
LX Commentary #23: So Much Better
After reading the slapsticky, Monkees / SNL sketch inspired first draft, my longtime first reader / editorial voice of reason Jon Mack commented on sections that were “witty banter for the sake of witty banter.” It was fair criticism that got me thinking if there was a way to have witty banter with a purpose….
Outtake: The Missing Narrator (Extended Version)
This is a fun deleted section that’s a little too meta and absurdist for its own good. I trimmed it waaaay down for the Jubalee chapter of L Extreme, but still dig it enough to share here. I’m a big fan of non-traditional, hyper referential storytelling and loved the setup of the overly loquacious intrusive narrator…
LX Commentary #22: Jubalee
“Jubalee” is an epic track oozing with vivid imagery to work with, making it ripe for a play by play trek across various locales. Florist –> Tea Shop –> Circus My initial approach was a redux of the fake Halloween neighborhood watch trick-or-treating section, sending Benji & C & Frank back out on the town….
LX Commentary #21: Kenny
Bonus track time! Or said differently, I cheated again… First I swapped the order of Mmmmmmm & Even If. Here I’m including a song that isn’t actually on A Love Extreme. Why? It’s complicated. In the first draft this flashback to Jessica meeting Kenny in Jamaica was the second half of “Where Do Old Lovers…
LX Commentary #20: Ladies On Parade
Way back in chapter 5, “Waiting For An Invitation” starts with the lyric “Ladies roll by…” I’ve always considered the ladies rolling by as a precursor/sister song to this parade (“there is a theme there”), so I knew we’d be headed back to the cemetery. But how would we get there? Taking the baton from…
LX Commentary #19: Coyotes
Another instrumental closes out Side C before we flip the record for the final time. I always knew I wanted to mirror the opening of the “I Am You, You Are Me, We Are One” sequence here, but doing the fuller suited celebrity déjà vu took awhile to figure out. Replacing the two men with…
LX Commentary #18: I Went With Some Friends To See The Flaming Lips
Benji Hughes rarely discusses the stories behind songs in interviews, but when he does this one is frequently cited as “a play by play.” Writing the L Extreme version as a play by play did not work at all. I probably struggled with this chapter most of all. The song chronicles a real-life Flaming Lips concert…
LX Commentary #17: Love Is A Razor
“Love is a razor. It’s cold, and it’s sharp. It’s cutting out hearts that glow in the dark. And it’s selling wine…” The core of this chapter is your basic lyrically inspired play by play: C has a glow in the dark razor and challenges Benji to a shaving contest. Absurd shenanigans the eventually turn…