Martin Taras

            On Monday morning I published “Be All You Can Be”, my translation of “Allons z'enfants” by Boris Vian on my Christian’s Translations blog. Tomorrow I’ll post the lyrics on my Boris Vian Facebook fan page and on my personal Facebook page. 

            I finished memorizing “Au charme non plus” (The Charm is Gone) by Serge Gainsbourg. I searched for the chords but no one has posted them and so tomorrow I’ll start working them out. 

            I played my Martin acoustic guitar during song practice for the last of two sessions. 

            I weighed 87.25 kilos before breakfast. 

            Around midday I spent about fifteen minutes practicing “Paranoiac Utopia” and only had to stop and look at the chords once. 

            I weighed 87.9 kilos before lunch. 

            In the afternoon I took a bike ride downtown and back. 

            I weighed 87.7 kilos at 18:10, which is the heaviest I’ve been in the evening since November 11.

            I was caught up on my journal at 18:55. 

            I compared the song practice video of my electric performance of “Vomit of the Star Eater” on September 17 to that of September 13 and found that September 13 looks better and is more expressive. I compared September 19 to September 13 and still find September 13 looks and feels better. I compared September 20 to September 13 and found that September 20 looks and feels just as good, plus I play it better. I compared September 24 to September 20 and September 20 looks and feels better. I compared September 29 to September 20 and September 29 looks better, plus I use the volume pedal for a tremolo effect. I compared September 30 to September 29 and September 30 has comparatively worse lighting and more mistakes. I compared October 3 to September 29 and on October 3 I was too slow with the volume pedal. I compared October 4 to September 29 and find September 29 looks and feels better. There are five more electric takes to compare and then I’ll know which one I’ll upload to YouTube. After that decision I’ll have more time to rehearse for my book launch. 

            I spent about half an hour rehearsing “Paranoiac Utopia” and ran through the song twice. I didn’t have to stop to look at the chords but I did pause to figure them out a few times. I think there’s a good chance that tomorrow I’ll be able to get through without stopping and then I’ll start re-learning “Memo to the Heart of Insecurity”. 

            I made a new batch of gravy from my sirloin tip roast beef drippings. I had some with a potato while watching episodes 16 to 20 of Batfink. 

            In episode 16, Harry and Larry are jewel thieves plotting to steal the Wombley Diamond. Harry goes upstairs where the diamond is being held and sneaks behind a curtain behind the backs of the guards. He uses a scissor arm to grab the diamond and tosses it out the window into the alley where Larry waits with a catcher’s mitt. But Larry misses the diamond and it bounces into the window of the candy factory next door and into a vat of melted chocolate. Now Harry and Larry are stealing candy bars all over the city to find the diamond while Batfink also searches for the diamond and the thieves who stole it. Batfink sends out his super sonar and the beep comes back covered in chocolate and with a bite taken out of it. Karate catches Larry and himself with a stretch of taffy. Batfink and Harry sword fight with candy canes until Batfink falls into a vat of chocolate. He ends up on a conveyer belt covered with almonds and coconut and is about to be sliced by the plutonium blade (I don’t know if the writers understood the properties of plutonium. In several stories things like cages and blades are said to be made out of plutonium to indicate that they are incredibly strong. But plutonium is about as strong as aluminium and is brittle at room temperature). The blade breaks on the Wombley diamond, which Batfink found when he was in the vat of chocolate. Harry runs but Batfink lassos him with a licorice rope. 

            In episode 17, Hugo Agogo has started a crime college and he has three students. Their assignment today is to rob police headquarters. They steal all the guns and the cops can’t get more because the thieves also stole their pants. Batfink uses his super sonar to locate the thieves because the sign reading “Crime College” isn’t obvious enough. Hugo and his students eject through the roof and land in the school bus with the Batillac in pursuit. Batfink tells Karate to cut them off but Karate says it’s against the law to pass a school bus. Hugo shoots a rocket at them but they turn sideways and open both doors so the missile just flies through. Hugo burns the bridge after passing it but Batfink uses his own body as a bridge for the Batillac. Hugo leaves a bomb that blows the Batillac into the air but Batfink anticipated that and they go out before it happened. They fly up to get in before it lands. The bomb caused an oil leak that spills ahead of the school bus and causes it to crash. 

            In episode 18, Myron the Magician steals the most valuable painting in the world, Whistler’s Mother in Law. Batfink finds Myron’s hideout but while searching a closet Karate disappears. It’s an elevator that leads to the basement where Myron has Karate tied. Batfink is also captured and wrapped in chains his wings of steel can’t break because they are rubber. Myron says he’ll send Batfink over a cliff on a flying carpet. Batfink says carpets can’t fly and Myron agrees. But the rubber chain catches on a jagged rock and acts as a bungee cord to send Batfink back up to tackle Myron. 

            In episode 19, Hugo goes to the city’s biggest factory on payday and sprays the paymaster with a mind control solution. Everyone who is sprayed gives Hugo all their money. Batfink sends his super sonar to find Hugo but Hugo brainwashes the Beep. It comes back to tell Batfink to go left but he knows it’s been brainwashed so he goes right. Hugo brainwashes Karate and then Batfink. He orders Batfink to submissively allow himself to be crushed by a lowering giant iron. But Batfink’s wings of steel protect him because he was wearing a plastic Batfink mask that protected him from the brain wash. 

            In episode 20, Hugo robs top secret plans with a monocle that shoots a blinding light. Batfink and Karate are winding towards Hugo’s hideout on a twisted mountain road when they are hit by a blinding beam and go over a cliff but don’t crash. They reach the hideout but are trapped in a plutonium glass chamber. Hugo sucks the air from the chamber and then tries to blind them but Batfink holds up a mirror and Hugo is blinded. Hugo then accidentally pulls the switch that releases the heroes. 

            Episode 20 was animated by Martin Taras, who started animating at Van Beuren Studios in 1934 but it closed in 1936. He worked for Fleischer Studios, then for Jam Handy, followed by Terry Toons and then Famous Studios. There he created Baby Huey, who appeared in the first Casper the Friendly Ghost comic in 1949. He drew Casper, Spooky the Tough Little Ghost, and Wendy Witch to name a few. He animated the 1967 Spiderman series, Josie and the Pussycats and Super Friends. He also worked as an animator for the films Fritz the Cat, Lord of the Rings and Wizards.