The harvest was bountiful this year. Snap looked over the orchard baskets in the back of his pickup and exclaimed. “My my, this year will definitely please the masses. I bet we can run production for at least an extra two months.”

Pop dropped the last basket in the corner of the truck bed and wiped his brow. “Most definitely, Snap. I do say, W.K. would be clicking his heels if he could see all of them.”

Feedback hissed from a pa horn hanging at the corner of the orchard. “The mixers are primed. Waiting on you guys.” The connection dropped and the air went silent.

“Ughh, can’t he cut us a break. Sheesh,” complained Snap as he pulled out his pack of smokes. He handed one to Pop, who thanked him with a nod.

“Making foreman has really gotten to his head.” Pop punctuated the sentence with a long drag of his cigarette.

“Yeah. He knows the growing season is running later than usual. What the hell? At least the long rain this year increased output. I mean, look at it. Have you ever seen so many fruity marshmallows at one time?

“Never in my life. What does he care anyways? Shit’s gonna get done. Remember when we had to pour this crap in by hand? All I know is, Crackle’s lazy ass barely ever lifted a finger. A true business man. Look at this old company photo! Evidence!”

“THAT ASSHOLE!”

I bet that if I had Titanus, I could get $600 for all three!

Last night, I was talking shop with the boys. I fear that it has become a buyer’s market.

What once was just a collecting hobby had eventually turned into a part time job. I was making scratch. In one weekend, I could afford a PC upgrade. Another one would afford me a clothes shopping spree.

I was living the high life. Jet setting between Sylmar and Sherman Oaks, always on the lookout for new prospects. But as time went on, the numbers dwindled. I’d go weeks without a new crop. The well ran dry.

But as the haze lifted, a new star approached. I just had to enter a new market! Less frequent but it would definitely be more profitable. I just had to face one problem, delivering the goods to the customer.

I hated going to the middleman to help move my stuff to the customers, it ate at my gross profit. I insisted on being independent, no outside help. But these new products would fetch some green, stacked to the heavens.

Tomorrow I might stop by Box City for five relatively large boxes. Fin.

So I went over to Dave’s place not that long ago, and he was watching the classic documentary American Movie. 

It was about half way through the film, but my timing seemed impeccable. “We got to get these scarecrows on a killer slant” came out of Mark Borchardt’s mouth at that very moment. I immediately told Dave that there was a song by the noise rock band Liars titled Scarecrows On A Killer Slant.

Now see, this is the third instance of this happening for me. I have come across other forms of media that seemed to be the inspiration for song titles belonging to various artists many times prior!

When reading Flow My Tears The Policeman Said by Philip K. Dick, the protagonist mentions seeing a song of his on a jukebox. Built To Spill named one of their songs on the album Ultimate Alternative Wavers after it. That song is Nowhere Nothing Fuckup!

Those Idaho weirdos are sci-fi buffs. Huh.

If you own OK Computer, take a look at the track listing.

The second track is Paranoid Android. Now before The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy was adapted to a movie, only a few nerdy Americans outside of the majority populous of England have read that series of books. Who the hell is Marvin? He’s the paranoid android in the book, that’s who!

That constitutes my third reference, but a fourth one that may be a bit of a stretch is on that same Radiohead album. Track eight is called Electioneering. Now I never heard the term referenced in the many hours of Fox News that I have viewed. But when I was watching Ikiru by Akira Kurosawa, a couple of bureaucrats having a laugh shout out “Electioneering.”

There is was in it’s subtitled glory. One single, solitary word slapped up on the screen. Is that where Radiohead got the title for that song? Who has Thom Yorke on their speed dial? 

My memory does serve me right. I’m not forgetting.