Stowaway #2 Edward Neale Durlak
Edward Neale Durlak is Susan Kaye Quinn’s brother. The following is in his own words:
Greetings Fellow Artists & Explorers,
If you have discovered our payload, there is a treasure trove of creativity from the Planet Earth to process and hopefully enjoy. Dare I say, be entertained (a human concept meant to illicit a positive and satisfying feeling from an audience by an artist).
I am a solo musician who has written and performed songs for many decades. Though I dabble in fiction and film making, my true passion is musical expression. I offer a sampling of what I consider to be my best work in this arena, sprinkling in a few short stories as well just for fun.
Here is a summary of my contribution to this mission:
- END Songs – various selections from a variety of sources including Halloween Albums, Best of Collections and Ad-hoc recordings covering everything from a tribute to Eddie Aikau to a UFO landing and a cautionary tale about population control.
- DEATH Hits – A sampling of songs from my black comedy opus “Death, The Musical.” I started this project in college and finished it 15 years later. There’s a trailer for the full musical included as well. Consider this effort as a reminder to not take life too seriously and laugh a little.
- NAMESAKE – My signature album, hence the title. Meant as something of a legacy work, this was my effort to encapsulate my core philosophies and experiences into an organized collection. It hits all the themes, but unlike other works every song is deeply personal.
- OUIJA GAME Music Video – My only foray into this medium was bare bones at best, but a great deal of fun to make. Don’t worry if you don’t know what a Ouija Game is, it’s explained in the video. Few songs make me beam with pride, but this one certainly does the trick and I love the analogy.
- INTO THE LIGHT Short Story – Some quick surreal fiction to cleanse the palate, with a little gallows humor mixed in. Pairs nicely with the END Song “Angelica Vampire” which was the inspiration and I recommend you give it a listen before or after reading the story.
- SUMMER DELIVERY Short Story – Another quick comic tale, this one based on a true story. A non-fiction romp through a chapter of my life that is another nice reminder to not take it all too seriously as lots of things can get lost in translation in a time of chaos.
Well, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it. Hope you enjoy the ride. As the Monster Party song says –
“Kick back, relax, laugh the joke’s on parade – Don’t get me wrong, don’t give up on your future – But be entertained”
It is beyond thrilling to be a small part of this amazing effort to deliver a time capsule of creativity to the Lunar surface. Many thanks to Astrobotic for engineering the mission and much love and respect to my big sister & author Susan Kaye Quinn for the countless hours organizing the idea and all the content.
Before we were merely Earthbound, now we’re Writers on the Moon!
All my best,
~ Edward Neale Durlak, a.k.a. END (02/08/2021)