Digging In to After Ashley: Dr. Viktor Frankel

In After Ashley the character of Julie is very taken with the writings of Dr. Viktor Frankl. Here's a little background on the good doctor. 

Born: March 26, 1905, Vienna 

Died: September 2, 1997, Vienna 

Academic titles

M.D. (1930), Ph.D. (1949), Dr.h.c.mult.

Life and Work

Viktor Emil Frankl, M.D., Ph.D. was Professor of Neurology and Psychiatry at the University of Vienna Medical School. 

1940-42 Frankl was director of the Neurological Department of the Rothschild Hospital

During World War II he spent 3 years in various concentration camps, including Theresienstadt, Auschwitz, and Dachau. 

1946-70 he was director of the Vienna Neurological Policlinic. 

He was Visiting Professor at Harvard and at universities in Pittsburgh, San Diego and Dallas. The U.S. International University in California installed a special chair for logotherapy - this is the psychotherapeutic school founded by Frankl, often called the "Third Viennese School" (after Freud's psychoanalysis and Adler's individual psychology.) He received 29 honorary doctorates from universities in all parts of the world. 

Frankl authored 39 books which to date (2011) have been published in 40 languages. His last two books are "Man's Search for Ultimate Meaning" and "Viktor Frankl - Recollections", both published in 1997. Up to 1997 the book "Man's Search for Meaning" had sold over nine million copies in the USA alone. According to a survey conducted by the Library of Congress and the Book-of-the-Month Club it belongs to "the ten most influential books in America." (New York Times, November 20, 1991). And the readers of Japan's "Yomiuri Shimbun" newspaper voted for "Man's Search for Meaning as "one of the ten books to be passed to the twenty-first century" (Yomiuri Shimbun, Tokyo, 2000/11/30) 

Frankl held lectures at 209 universities on all 5 continents. 

According to the American Journal of Psychiatry, his work is "perhaps the most significant thinking since Freud and Adler." 

Watch Dr. Frankl give a talk about man's search for meaning. 

Bio provided by http://www.viktorfrankl.org

Digging In to After Ashley: Joe Jackson's "It's Different for GIrls"

Something that comes up in the first scene of After Ashley is a discussion between Ashley and her son Justin, about relationships. They reference the song "It's Different for Girls" by Joe Jackson. It's a song I wasn't familiar with so I had to look it up and thought that some of you might also need to hear it and see the lyrics so here we go!

What the hell is wrong with you tonight?
I can't seem to say or do the right thing
Wanted to be sure you're feeling right
Wanted to be sure we want the same thing
She said, I can't believe it
You can't, possibly mean it
Don't we, all want the same thing
Don't we
Well, who said anything about love?
No, not love she said
Don't you know that it's different for girls?
(Don't give me love)
No, not love she said
Don't you know that it's different for girls?
You're all the same
Mama always told me save yourself
Take a little time and find the right girl
Then again don't end up on the shelf
Logical advice gets you in a whirl
I know, a lot of things that you don't
You want to hear some?
She said, just give me something
Anything
Well give me all you got but not love
No, not love she said
Don't you know that it's different for girls?
(Don't give me love)
No, not love she said
Don't you know that it's different for girls?
You're all the same
You're all the same
You're all the same
You're all the same
You're all the same
You're all the same
You're all the same
You're all the same
Who said anything about love?
No, not love she said
Don't you know that it's different for girls?
(Don't give me love)
No, not love she said
Don't you know that it's different for girls?
(Don't give me love)
No, no, no, no, not love she said
Don't you know that it's different for girls?
(Don't give me love)
No, no, no, no, no, not love she said
Don't you know that it's different for girls?
You're all the same
You're all the same
You're all the same
You're all the same

That's kind of dark, but it does set the tone for After Ashley.  What do YOU think Joe's talking about in the song? 

Digging In to After Ashley: Eminem's Song "Stan"

In Act 1 of After Ashley the characters Justin and Julie meet at a bar in Florida while Julie is dancing to Eminem's song "Stan." Justin refers to it as "violent, misogynist rap" and Julie disagrees with the description. While reading the script I thought that the song was a savvy pick by author Gina Gionfriddo. I've embeedded the long form of the music video below so you can watch it if you're not familiar with it. The naughty words have been cut out so there are some weird blank spots on the audio track. 

Since there are so many bleeps you might also want to read the full text of the song here. 

I thought it was a savvy pick by Gionfriddo, not only because the song is probably the most critically acclaimed hit by Eminem and quite catchy, but because it's a brilliant thematic tie-in to After Ashley. I have to agree with Julie - the song's not about misogyny, but it's about an obsessed fan who becomes increasingly more unstrung when his hero, Eminem, fails to write him back. It's a sharp look at fandom and celebrity obsession. It's Eminem coming to grips with his own celebrity status, and the weirdness that comes along with it, but it's also a condemnation by the artist to his fans. He's saying "hey, sometimes I'm just running my mouth - I'm not to be taken all that seriously. Stop reading into it because sometimes a song is just a song and it's me venting my spleen in rhyme. I'm not someone you should try to emulate, find your own way."

What's your take on the song and/or video?