Once upon a time in Philadelphia, there really was a bar on the corner of 13th and Pine Streets called Dirty Frank’s. And Andrea Jartman, who inspired Jayson’s gal-pal Arena, really did live above it. I never lived with Andrea, but when I created “Jayson,” it made narrative sense to put Jayson and Arena under one roof. They were such behavioral opposites and such emotional trainwrecks that, despite being best friends, they were destined to clash if they ever moved in together. Which is one reason I never lived with Andrea.
Jayson and Arena have lived above Dirty Frank’s bar for almost 30 years now – or three years in cartoon time – and have never set foot in the place. Robyn bought the building almost 20 years ago and he’s never set foot in it either.
When I was writing the pilot script for the “Jayson” sitcom, it seemed obvious that the bar should be another setting where all the characters could hang out. But I didn’t want to invite comparisons to “Cheers,” so I put my spin on it by turning it into a laundry bar – a place where young singles could quaff a brew or two while they washed their clothes. I called it “Suds.”
The pilot script went nowhere. But as I started developing plotlines for my new graphic novel, I decided it was time to capitalize on the fact that all my main characters live above a bar – and that Robyn owns it! So just wait till you see what happens in “Jayson Gets a Job” when Robyn decides to put his own unique stamp on Dirty Frank’s!
No comments:
Post a Comment