Lord Chambers is not reactionary. Lord Chambers, like any character I can really relate to, is an aristocratic anarchist. Everything should be by and for the best. The ordinary should be treated fairly and kept happy, but the world should not revolve around them.

Lord Chambers was originally the name of my friend Eric's pet raccoon. Eric does not really have a pet raccoon, but I dreamed that he did.

Lord Chambers has a tendency to break loose from his leash and wreak absolute havoc in public places.

Analyzing my dream further, I realize that the raccoon Lord Chambers in my dream is just a part of myself, the wild, squirrely part of myself that enjoys wreaking havoc and running under the feet of panicked Herd Animals. All I want is to have fun and run around the store - I can't help that they have such horrified reactions to me!

Eric had me on a leash because Eric is the first person who taught me to embrace that side of myself, the wild, imaginative side. When I broke free from Eric in the dream, that meant that I am ready to let go of Eric's guidance and discover my own path; a sort of coming of age, an imaginative Bar Mitzvah. If only Eric had said: "Go into the world, son, and be a man."

All kidding aside, Eric was the first person to really feed my imagination. When we sat together on the bus in first grade, he came up with the most ridiculous and scatological stories imaginable and it stuck with me. Eric was like a great surrealist or even dadaist and he made me who I am today.

No homo.