If I had to choose one, I’d probably say Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. Either that, The Phantom of the Opera, or Little Shop of Horrors. Honestly, it was those classics that helped me see the world a little differently.
They taught me that the world can look normal on the surface, but underneath that normality, something strange, beautiful, or terrifying can be waiting to disrupt everything.
Not long ago, I introduced my kiddos to Little Shop of Horrors, and boy oh boy, my girls loves Audrey II. But rewatching it now as an adult, I realized there was so much I missed when I was younger.
Audrey II may have been the obvious villain for Seymour, but the dentist and Mr. Mushnik were villains too. They exploited Seymour and Audrey in different ways. And honestly, how many times have we dealt with a Mr. Mushnik or that sicko Dentist? Or even loved someone like Audrey, someone who loves a person who mistreats them?
Younger, nerdy, geeky me really used to feel like Seymour. I understood wanting to be seen. Wanting to be loved. Wanting something magical to come along and change your life, even if that magic had teeth.
What’s something you used to believe as a kid that seems ridiculous now?
That I was a curse. Silly, I know, but it’s true. My mother passed ten days after I turned six. My father passed before I was old enough to really remember him. Before my mother died, she got married and had two more kids. My stepdad used to say she did that because she didn’t…
What’s the best advice you’d give to someone younger than you?
Hm… do it with joy. No matter what it is, if you find something that gives you joy and doesn’t harm anybody, do it. Write that story. Paint that picture. Draw that image, comic, or world you keep seeing in your head. I used to watch Def Poetry Jam, and J. Ivy’s poem “I Need…
Who are you most inspired by?
0Oh man, I saw this and instantly knew the answer lol. Some of my biggest inspirations are R.L. Stine, Stephen King, Sam Lake, Zane, Eric Jerome Dickey, Thomas Harris, anime, pop culture, and video games. I’ve always loved storytelling that pulls you in one direction, gets you comfortable, then throws you somewhere completely different. Same…
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