Nine days of travel are finally behind us, and we're safely back in London. Both the Chicago and Washington legs of the trip went very well, although the twelve- to fifteen-hour work days at the Agile 2007 Conference in D.C. really wore me down. Coming, as they did, on the heels of five weeks off, the ramp-up in terms of being able to get myself back into work mode - requiring observation, analytical thinking, constant interaction with people who aren't Vicki, and long, contentious discussions - was pretty brutal. As I said to Vicki, "I just went from one extreme to the other, and from zero to sixty (work hours) in one short week!"
For those who've missed my frequent updating of this blog while I was away - yes, both of you! - things should get back to normal tomorrow. Unless I sleep all day!
Friday, August 17, 2007
Monday, August 13, 2007
A New Blog Is A Beautiful Thing!
For anyone who frequents this blog and hasn't yet checked out the collaborative blog known as The Studio Has A Few Notes, you really owe it to yourself to give it a visit. It's all about movies and TV shows, with a half dozen or so voices chiming in, including my own. I'm currently being shamed by my co-bloggers in terms of output there, but I'm sure I'll eventually make up for it (just have to get through this week away first!)
I couldn't be more pleased with how that experiment is going so far...
I couldn't be more pleased with how that experiment is going so far...
Highlight Of This Year's Comic Convention
I'll scan the finished product in when we get home, so that you can appreciate what he came up with, but here's Gene Ha (artist of Alan Moore's Top Ten series, as well as last month's issue of Justice League of America) doing an unbelievable sketch for Vicki and I. We've had a lot of amazing experiences at the Chicago show over the past decade and a half, and this half hour or so definitely figures somewhere near the top of that list. All of the details will be provided when we're back and settled.
My Dinner With Tricia Helfer
Well, it wasn't so much a dinner, as just a long, meaningful conversation.
OK, so we didn't actually talk all that long... or at all... but I did get to see her fairly close-up at the Chicago comic convention last weekend, and snapped this photo! As Vicki said, Tricia's a pretty good looking woman, even when she's not dolled up as Number Six on Battlestar Galactica!
Back From Absentia
We finally have Internet once again, now that we're in Washington. (Had I been thinking more clearly, we would've spent the $10/night to get it in Chicago, since the three short phone calls we made to Tammy, including one in which she wasn't home but voice-mail briefly picked up, totaled $60! We'll never make that mistake again!)
Lots and lots of stuff to write about from the Wizard World convention in Chicago, and I'll try to get some of that done this week, when I'm not in Agile sessions or out with Vicki and the gang. We had some great luck toward the end of our two days there and I'll be sharing those experiences as soon as I can get some photos off my camera and a bit more time to think straight. The drive from Chicago to Washington took us about 12 hours yesterday, with minimal meal breaks. Considering it was a Sunday, it's not surprising that we made pretty good time, until we got to the Maryland area. Around here, it seems, slowdowns (and outright stoppages) on the highways occur quite frequently, for no discernible reason... even on Sundays! Other than that, though, it was a good drive.
Lots and lots of stuff to write about from the Wizard World convention in Chicago, and I'll try to get some of that done this week, when I'm not in Agile sessions or out with Vicki and the gang. We had some great luck toward the end of our two days there and I'll be sharing those experiences as soon as I can get some photos off my camera and a bit more time to think straight. The drive from Chicago to Washington took us about 12 hours yesterday, with minimal meal breaks. Considering it was a Sunday, it's not surprising that we made pretty good time, until we got to the Maryland area. Around here, it seems, slowdowns (and outright stoppages) on the highways occur quite frequently, for no discernible reason... even on Sundays! Other than that, though, it was a good drive.
Thursday, August 09, 2007
Farewell Transmission
I'm about to power down the laptop in preparation for us heading onto the road to Chicago (and then, on to Washington on Sunday). I'll next have Internet access either late tonight, or late Sunday night. In the meantime, keep hashing out the Collaborative Blogging details and maybe I'll actually have something cool to read when I get logged on next time!
Try not to miss me any more than I'm not missing you! Or something like that.
Try not to miss me any more than I'm not missing you! Or something like that.
Silver Age Comic Trivia XXXV
Our final question (and my favourite of all the ones asked over the years in Chicago): Amazingly, only once, between Avengers # 3 and Avengers # 66 - a 5-year span of time! - did any character speak on the cover. Who was that loud mouth? (Answer to be provided by me next time I have Internet access, as a Comment to this post).
Yesterday's Answer: As at least one of you knew, the first Superman-Flash race ended in a tie. Not only was it a draw, but it was an intentional one (the heroes made sure they tied) because two warring gangs of criminals were wagering on the outcome and the racers wanted to spoil their plans.
That wraps up 5 straight weeks of daily Silver Age Comic Trivia. The contest in Chicago is tomorrow afternoon, meaning that soon it'll all be over except for the crying! Thanks to everyone who played, and to those who just read along.
Yesterday's Answer: As at least one of you knew, the first Superman-Flash race ended in a tie. Not only was it a draw, but it was an intentional one (the heroes made sure they tied) because two warring gangs of criminals were wagering on the outcome and the racers wanted to spoil their plans.
That wraps up 5 straight weeks of daily Silver Age Comic Trivia. The contest in Chicago is tomorrow afternoon, meaning that soon it'll all be over except for the crying! Thanks to everyone who played, and to those who just read along.
Wednesday, August 08, 2007
What I Did Today (August 8th, 2007 Final Edition)
Today was mostly occupied by doing prep work for our trips to Chicago and Washington that kick off tomorrow. That, and ruffling as many feathers as possible on the whole collaborative blogging topic.
I did get in my first bike ride since the surgery, going all the way to the comic store, then the chiropractor, and then home. As I told Tammy, I biked "like an old man" for most of it, since I didn't want to overdo it in the heat and humidity we were treated to today.
As we leave tomorrow, and my vacation ends later this week, this officially ends the "What I Did Today" series, which was intended to keep interested parties in the loop on how my five-week vacation was going. Here's hoping it entertained once or twice along the way.
I did get in my first bike ride since the surgery, going all the way to the comic store, then the chiropractor, and then home. As I told Tammy, I biked "like an old man" for most of it, since I didn't want to overdo it in the heat and humidity we were treated to today.
As we leave tomorrow, and my vacation ends later this week, this officially ends the "What I Did Today" series, which was intended to keep interested parties in the loop on how my five-week vacation was going. Here's hoping it entertained once or twice along the way.
Collaborative Blogging - The Title Poll
Since Tammy's gung ho to get something set up to allow us to at least try this concept out (how Agile of her!), we should spend a few minutes today deciding on a title. That's not to say we can't change it again later, if something better occurs to someone; but we should get something now (she's still on vacation and will have some time, at least).
If you're someone who indicated that you'd be willing to contribute, then please add a Comment to this post indicating your preference from the list below, noting that you can write in a suggestion of your own as your vote (but only one). If any of the write-ins get a "oooh, that's good!" reaction from people, we can take that as a sign that we've got a winner.
Candidates:
1. The Studio Has A Few Notes
2. Popculturalists' Handbook
3. I'll Have What She's Having
4. Tag, You're It
5. your write-in suggestion
If you're someone who indicated that you'd be willing to contribute, then please add a Comment to this post indicating your preference from the list below, noting that you can write in a suggestion of your own as your vote (but only one). If any of the write-ins get a "oooh, that's good!" reaction from people, we can take that as a sign that we've got a winner.
Candidates:
1. The Studio Has A Few Notes
2. Popculturalists' Handbook
3. I'll Have What She's Having
4. Tag, You're It
5. your write-in suggestion
Silver Age Comic Trivia XXXIV
In this, our penultimate entry, simply ask yourself: who's faster, Superman or the Flash? More specifically, who won the first race between the two?
Yesterday's Answer: As at least two of you knew, Galactus not only stripped Norrin Radd of some of his cosmic powers in Fantastic Four # 50, but he also erected a barrier around the Earth such that the Silver Surfer could never leave his new home. This was clearly pique on the part of Galen, since there was no logical reason why his former herald couldn't have returned to Zenn-La and lost love, Shalla Bal. But you don't turn against and defy ol' Hockey-Stick-Head without suffering some payback, as the Surfer found out, to his dismay.
Yesterday's Answer: As at least two of you knew, Galactus not only stripped Norrin Radd of some of his cosmic powers in Fantastic Four # 50, but he also erected a barrier around the Earth such that the Silver Surfer could never leave his new home. This was clearly pique on the part of Galen, since there was no logical reason why his former herald couldn't have returned to Zenn-La and lost love, Shalla Bal. But you don't turn against and defy ol' Hockey-Stick-Head without suffering some payback, as the Surfer found out, to his dismay.
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
What I Did Today (August 7th, 2007 Edition)
I finally broke the work e-mail embargo today, and spent several hours catching up on a month's worth of chatter (over 1600 e-mails).
With only one more 'free' day before we leave for Chicago on Thursday, I've been busy with obligatory duties like paying bills, printing off hotel info, and figuring out what to pack. Tammy's now over and taking up residence for her house-sitting stint, so she and I will be up to who-knows-what tomorrow.
And for once, I didn't resent my limited swimming options today, as it rained for pretty much the entire day. Sometimes it's like that.
With only one more 'free' day before we leave for Chicago on Thursday, I've been busy with obligatory duties like paying bills, printing off hotel info, and figuring out what to pack. Tammy's now over and taking up residence for her house-sitting stint, so she and I will be up to who-knows-what tomorrow.
And for once, I didn't resent my limited swimming options today, as it rained for pretty much the entire day. Sometimes it's like that.
Collaborative Blogging
Sounds like we have enough interested parties to potentially make a go at this idea.
Since I'm going to be out of the country for the next week and a half, if progress is waiting on me then nothing's going to come of it anytime soon.
Having said that, I think there are still some decisions to be made and maybe we could get them out of the way in the next little while and consider that to be progress. To wit:
1) Suggestions were made to broaden the scope beyond simply movies (and certainly beyond just newly-released movies), and I think movies and TV fit well enough together that I'd personally be happy with that being the purview. But how do others feel? Or, to put it another way: just what is our vision statement for this blog, anyway? ;-)
2) What sort of filtering/labelling will we use, under the assumption that eventually our cozy little blog will have so much content that someone might want to limit the posts by some means? From other sites I've seen, one popular criteria is poster, such that if Visitor X just wants to see Tammy's posts, for example, he can easily do that.
Another obvious choice would be some sort of genre-based criteria, so that if Visitor Y prefers to just read what the group's been saying about Horror Movies, she'd have no problem making that a reality. (That of course raises the question of categorization, always a thorny topic.) What do people think about this?
3) Not to sound like too much of a stuck-up ass, but where do we draw the line between "style" and "competency"? In other words, I personally don't care what any of the rest of you might say (I'm not concerned about Political Correctness, nor worried about whether I agree with what you say in the least) but by my association with you, I guess I care somewhat how you say it. Sentences that aren't. Rampant typos. General lack of proof reading before posting. Where's the bar? Do we even have a bar or does anything go?
4) We need a really good name for the blog, and ideally something that we'd all be happy to have our names (or aliases) associated with. Suggestions?
And I'm sure there are other logistical details that I'm forgetting.
Also, PeterJ, please feel free to begin setting wheels in motion on the software side, if you're so inclined.
Since I'm going to be out of the country for the next week and a half, if progress is waiting on me then nothing's going to come of it anytime soon.
Having said that, I think there are still some decisions to be made and maybe we could get them out of the way in the next little while and consider that to be progress. To wit:
1) Suggestions were made to broaden the scope beyond simply movies (and certainly beyond just newly-released movies), and I think movies and TV fit well enough together that I'd personally be happy with that being the purview. But how do others feel? Or, to put it another way: just what is our vision statement for this blog, anyway? ;-)
2) What sort of filtering/labelling will we use, under the assumption that eventually our cozy little blog will have so much content that someone might want to limit the posts by some means? From other sites I've seen, one popular criteria is poster, such that if Visitor X just wants to see Tammy's posts, for example, he can easily do that.
Another obvious choice would be some sort of genre-based criteria, so that if Visitor Y prefers to just read what the group's been saying about Horror Movies, she'd have no problem making that a reality. (That of course raises the question of categorization, always a thorny topic.) What do people think about this?
3) Not to sound like too much of a stuck-up ass, but where do we draw the line between "style" and "competency"? In other words, I personally don't care what any of the rest of you might say (I'm not concerned about Political Correctness, nor worried about whether I agree with what you say in the least) but by my association with you, I guess I care somewhat how you say it. Sentences that aren't. Rampant typos. General lack of proof reading before posting. Where's the bar? Do we even have a bar or does anything go?
4) We need a really good name for the blog, and ideally something that we'd all be happy to have our names (or aliases) associated with. Suggestions?
And I'm sure there are other logistical details that I'm forgetting.
Also, PeterJ, please feel free to begin setting wheels in motion on the software side, if you're so inclined.
Sojourner: The Road Becomes What You Leave
This is the final disc in the Magnolia Electric Company box set known as Sojourner. I've skipped the fourth disc, Shohola, (for now) because it's a collection of songs recorded by Jason Molina with just his guitar for accompaniment, making it a little less than a true Magnolia release. But I may still provide some thoughts on Shohola, after I've had a chance to listen to it a few more times. And of course I've already gone on at length about Nashville Moon, Black Ram, and Sun Session, the first three discs in the set.
The Road Becomes What You Leave is actually a short DVD film, rather than a CD (you really do get a little bit of everything in this box set!) The director is Todd Chandler, and all of the footage was shot in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba (MEC is from Indiana, by the way). I had been really looking forward to watching it, since behind-the-scenes, tour-based videos are often a lot of fun. This is a very odd example of that, though, for several reasons. First of all, it's only about twenty minutes long. I had no idea it was so short, and when the end credits started up, I honestly thought that we were just starting a new section of the movie! I imagine it's expensive even producing that short of a feature, but it still barely whet my appetite.
It also doesn't quite qualify as a concert video - at least of the type I'm used to - because while the band is shown performing a couple of times, more often than not the music on the soundtrack at that point is from a studio recording, rather than what they're playing on the stage! Since I love the music they chose to put on The Road Becomes What You Leave, I can't really complain that much... but I still would've preferred to have heard what the boys were cranking out! I suspect the technical challenges of capturing what was coming out of the band's speakers, and making it sound anything like it should once it was mixed into the video, may've influenced that creative choice.
By the same token, it's not a terribly effective behind-the-scenes look, because you get almost no dialogue from the band members! You do get a glimpse of what their lives on the road are like - it ain't pretty! - and one hilarious scene shows several of the guys performing at a karaoke club, which speaks volumes about their personalities (again, though, you don't get to actually hear them; but you can't help but laugh at their individual styles and mannerisms). Ironically, I'd say that Tim and I got significantly more of an impression of what Jason Molina, Peter Schreiner and Jason Groth are like from just a few minutes of conversation with them after the last concert in Toronto, than you do from watching this DVD. Even a little bit of them just talking into the camera, or answering some questions from a bodiless interviewer, would've leant more substance to the guys. But then again, I don't know what the director was going for.
Where The Road Becomes What You Leave Behind works is in its choice of music to accompany the images - each of which is not only a great MEC song but also perfectly suited to the visuals - and its warts and all approach to showing what a tour for a band like that really entails. If you want to know what MEC's roadies look like, for example, just glance at the picture at the top of this write-up! They bring in their own stuff, set it all up, pack it all up again afterwards, and lug it around in a beat-up van. Not exactly the glamourous life of a rock star! It actually had me thinking, at times, "I wonder if it'd be fun to volunteer to be a roadie for them for a month..." and then I realized I'd probably not even last a week!
In short, it's a fun little film that certainly doesn't overstay its welcome. The soundtrack is awesome, you get a good taste of life on the road, but you don't really get to know the band, or their live performances, much at all. Definitely a thrill for the big-time MEC fan like Your Humble Blogger, but not nearly as impressive - or as insightful - as I'd hoped it would be.
Imaginary Stories: Chapter One (** Draft **)
Chapter One: A Dream Of Flying
"What would Daedalus have done differently, had he known what was to come? What could he have said to Icarus that might've set his son on a safer course? Though legend has it that the heat of the sun melted the wax holding Icarus' wings together that day, we've long known the fallacy inherent in that story. As Icarus climbed higher and higher upon his newly formed wings, after his father had warned him of the danger, the temperature around him in fact plunged, just as he himself would, moments later. No, the moral of that story had nothing to do with science, and everything to do with a son's unwillingness to obey his father. And in that sense, Icarus lives on..."
- "A Dream Of Flying", Coming Of Age Tale, Sanjay Majmudar (Born: 1990), Published 2006
Had Elizabeth Lee been born a half-century earlier, she would surely have been the sort of student who spent most of her class time with her arm thrust straight up, desperate to have the teacher pick her to answer whatever question had just been asked of the group. Nowadays that was hardly effective at getting anyone's attention, though, as all eyes, even those of the instructor, tended to be pointed downwards as the lesson progressed. Instead, Elizabeth tapped her responses as quickly as she could into the back of the book that sat in her lap, knowing that some impersonal bit of software written ages ago was recording and analyzing what she'd typed, as well as that of everyone else in the room. Not only were her responses being evaluated instantly for correctness, but in the case of any wrong answer, patterns were being sought electronically that might indicate where she'd gone astray.
"You wish," she muttered, and then realized she'd said it loud enough to be heard by those seated closest to her, and drawn several of their amused gazes in the process.
Without looking up, and at the same low level as her previous mild violation of classroom etiquette, she offered up, "Nothing to see here, folks. Move along." She was rewarded, if that was the right word for it, by a snicker from Linus Morgan, seated in a squishy chair a few feet behind her and to her left. Whether he was laughing at her or with her, Elizabeth couldn't be sure, but she didn't really care all that much anyway.
Maths, Sciences, all of the Literatures, even History; none of them really challenged her anymore. She'd come to realize that her fifteen year old brain was becoming her greatest asset lately, even if it wasn't the part of her that the boys seemed to notice first. Boys like Linus, for example. You wish, she thought, but this time had the sense to keep her mouth shut.
Laurel Allen stood in front of the class, silently monitoring the results her students were entering. This section of the material, dealing with fairly dry historical data that the students were busy analyzing and interpreting, was pre-recorded, which freed Laurel to focus her attention on the sea of icons glowing on the lectern in front of her. She hadn't yet been a teacher long enough to completely quell the curious voice within her that asked, "How did we ever gauge our pupils' understanding before we had instant feedback available?" As a student herself only a few years earlier, it had all seemed completely natural, as it had to a couple of generations of pupils before her: as you learned something, you were immediately and continually quizzed on your understanding of it. But now that she stood on the other side of the machinery, she could see the beauty of it and wonder how education ever worked without it. In the absence of that feedback loop, after all, how would she have known in October that Sanjay Majmudar was slipping behind in his comprehension of Chord Theory? Would she simply have lost him, then, as each successive Trigonometric concept had further collapsed that shaky foundation in his mind, all for want of a little extra coverage? Or would she have been expected to be a mind-reader for each of her students? And what? Held court over a class of three or four students at most?
She was roused out of her reverie by a pair of flashing symbols on the display in front of her. Not surprisingly, Liz Lee's avatar - a paper lantern - was blinking green, as she'd just gone up over the 98% mark once again. That's my girl, Laurel thought, and not for the first time. Elizabeth Lee was the favourite student of every teacher this year, it seemed.
More worrisome was the red circle around Peter Osborne's triangular-shield icon, flickering on and off in a successful attempt to get Laurel's attention. She reached out and tapped it, and read the resulting analysis that temporarily obliterated her status board. Young Mr Osborne, it appeared from the answers he was providing, had somehow gotten it into his head that the Literary Revolution had preceded the Industrial! That would certainly explain why he was struggling so badly with some of his conclusions at the moment. Laurel scanned what the education software had come up with as a corrective strike, tweaked it slightly to make it more likely that Peter would get the point without feeling stupid, and OK'd it with a quick tap. Her class status board re-appeared, with Peter's avatar now encircled in yellow instead of red. She knew the results of her action would be popping up on his display instantly, so she looked up to try to catch his surprised reaction. C'mon, Peter, she thought, work it through.
Within half a minute or so, Laurel got an appreciative nod back, though Peter never lifted his eyes. If all went well, he'd get back on track shortly and she'd handle the next crisis to show up on her board. I love my job. And she did!
Hours later, on the grass outside their school, several of the students from Miss Allen's class gathered for the customary end-of-day debrief.
"Favourite question?" Linus Morgan asked the sky above him, as he lay flat on his back on the lawn, but his three companions knew the question was really aimed at them.
"How's your COAT coming along?" Peter Osborne said, causing Sanjay Majmudar and James Hancock to laugh.
"No, you brain-dead amoeba, I mean favourite question asked in class today! Like you didn't know."
Sanjay said, "OK, I'll play along, Mr Morgan, sir. Ah, which subject would you be asking about, sir?"
Linus regarded his friend cooly, as if unsure of just who was playing whom. "Let's go with Romance Literature, since you strike me as the romantic type."
"Oooh," crooned James, "should we leave you two alone? Because, you know, young love doth all but blot out the sun!"
Sanjay stroked his chin, feeling the few whiskers there that he couldn't help but wish would hurry up and multiply. "Well," he said, "I still get particularly interested every time Lesbian Lit comes up, so I guess you know which one was my favourite today..."
"Ah, good old Marianne Crowe, circa 1920..." sighed James. His friends grew quiet as they all shared a moment of reverence.
"What I really want to know," Peter said, finally breaking the silence, "is how your God damned COAT is coming along."
"Since you asked so nicely," Linus responded, sitting up, "I've got forty nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine lovely little words written... but I can't seem to decide on the last one! In fact, I'm starting to believe that final, perfect word may just take me as long to arrive at as the first forty-nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine did! Happy?"
"In other words, you still haven't started it," Peter replied, the tone of his voice showing his disapproval with each word.
"Well, that's certainly one way to look at it, yes. But I prefer my version."
Without any amusement in his eyes at all, Peter said, "Ladies and gentlemen... my friend, Peter Pan!"
"You're all wet, old chum," Linus said. "You're on the wrong track. You've got hydrogen in your zeppelin. Your wires are all crossed, and you're --"
"Yeah, I get the general idea," Peter interrupted. "So why don't you tell me and my two esteemed colleagues here just what it is you're working on that's actually going to usher you out of childhood at long last."
Linus stood up abruptly, feigning alarm. "Wait a second," he exclaimed. "How do I know you're not an international spy, here to steal my brilliant idea of a story and take it back to your homeland? What kind of a name is 'Osborne', anyway? It sounds... Canadian!"
Sanjay chose that moment to follow Linus' earlier example, and sprawled out on the grass. "I wrote about two hundred words last night. But I think I may have gotten my protagonist into a situation he can't get out of."
"So kill him off!" James rasped, with typical quickness.
"That's not really the effect I'm going for," Sanjay said. "I mean, he has to triumph in the end, otherwise it sort of..."
"Undermines the point?" Linus offered.
"Exactly! Although, perhaps 'triumph' is too strong a word. I suppose it's more a matter of vindication."
"What's he being vindicated for?" asked James, showing actual interest.
Sanjay swallowed hard, hoping it wouldn't show from where he lay. "For betraying his father."
"What would Daedalus have done differently, had he known what was to come? What could he have said to Icarus that might've set his son on a safer course? Though legend has it that the heat of the sun melted the wax holding Icarus' wings together that day, we've long known the fallacy inherent in that story. As Icarus climbed higher and higher upon his newly formed wings, after his father had warned him of the danger, the temperature around him in fact plunged, just as he himself would, moments later. No, the moral of that story had nothing to do with science, and everything to do with a son's unwillingness to obey his father. And in that sense, Icarus lives on..."
- "A Dream Of Flying", Coming Of Age Tale, Sanjay Majmudar (Born: 1990), Published 2006
Had Elizabeth Lee been born a half-century earlier, she would surely have been the sort of student who spent most of her class time with her arm thrust straight up, desperate to have the teacher pick her to answer whatever question had just been asked of the group. Nowadays that was hardly effective at getting anyone's attention, though, as all eyes, even those of the instructor, tended to be pointed downwards as the lesson progressed. Instead, Elizabeth tapped her responses as quickly as she could into the back of the book that sat in her lap, knowing that some impersonal bit of software written ages ago was recording and analyzing what she'd typed, as well as that of everyone else in the room. Not only were her responses being evaluated instantly for correctness, but in the case of any wrong answer, patterns were being sought electronically that might indicate where she'd gone astray.
"You wish," she muttered, and then realized she'd said it loud enough to be heard by those seated closest to her, and drawn several of their amused gazes in the process.
Without looking up, and at the same low level as her previous mild violation of classroom etiquette, she offered up, "Nothing to see here, folks. Move along." She was rewarded, if that was the right word for it, by a snicker from Linus Morgan, seated in a squishy chair a few feet behind her and to her left. Whether he was laughing at her or with her, Elizabeth couldn't be sure, but she didn't really care all that much anyway.
Maths, Sciences, all of the Literatures, even History; none of them really challenged her anymore. She'd come to realize that her fifteen year old brain was becoming her greatest asset lately, even if it wasn't the part of her that the boys seemed to notice first. Boys like Linus, for example. You wish, she thought, but this time had the sense to keep her mouth shut.
Laurel Allen stood in front of the class, silently monitoring the results her students were entering. This section of the material, dealing with fairly dry historical data that the students were busy analyzing and interpreting, was pre-recorded, which freed Laurel to focus her attention on the sea of icons glowing on the lectern in front of her. She hadn't yet been a teacher long enough to completely quell the curious voice within her that asked, "How did we ever gauge our pupils' understanding before we had instant feedback available?" As a student herself only a few years earlier, it had all seemed completely natural, as it had to a couple of generations of pupils before her: as you learned something, you were immediately and continually quizzed on your understanding of it. But now that she stood on the other side of the machinery, she could see the beauty of it and wonder how education ever worked without it. In the absence of that feedback loop, after all, how would she have known in October that Sanjay Majmudar was slipping behind in his comprehension of Chord Theory? Would she simply have lost him, then, as each successive Trigonometric concept had further collapsed that shaky foundation in his mind, all for want of a little extra coverage? Or would she have been expected to be a mind-reader for each of her students? And what? Held court over a class of three or four students at most?
She was roused out of her reverie by a pair of flashing symbols on the display in front of her. Not surprisingly, Liz Lee's avatar - a paper lantern - was blinking green, as she'd just gone up over the 98% mark once again. That's my girl, Laurel thought, and not for the first time. Elizabeth Lee was the favourite student of every teacher this year, it seemed.
More worrisome was the red circle around Peter Osborne's triangular-shield icon, flickering on and off in a successful attempt to get Laurel's attention. She reached out and tapped it, and read the resulting analysis that temporarily obliterated her status board. Young Mr Osborne, it appeared from the answers he was providing, had somehow gotten it into his head that the Literary Revolution had preceded the Industrial! That would certainly explain why he was struggling so badly with some of his conclusions at the moment. Laurel scanned what the education software had come up with as a corrective strike, tweaked it slightly to make it more likely that Peter would get the point without feeling stupid, and OK'd it with a quick tap. Her class status board re-appeared, with Peter's avatar now encircled in yellow instead of red. She knew the results of her action would be popping up on his display instantly, so she looked up to try to catch his surprised reaction. C'mon, Peter, she thought, work it through.
Within half a minute or so, Laurel got an appreciative nod back, though Peter never lifted his eyes. If all went well, he'd get back on track shortly and she'd handle the next crisis to show up on her board. I love my job. And she did!
Hours later, on the grass outside their school, several of the students from Miss Allen's class gathered for the customary end-of-day debrief.
"Favourite question?" Linus Morgan asked the sky above him, as he lay flat on his back on the lawn, but his three companions knew the question was really aimed at them.
"How's your COAT coming along?" Peter Osborne said, causing Sanjay Majmudar and James Hancock to laugh.
"No, you brain-dead amoeba, I mean favourite question asked in class today! Like you didn't know."
Sanjay said, "OK, I'll play along, Mr Morgan, sir. Ah, which subject would you be asking about, sir?"
Linus regarded his friend cooly, as if unsure of just who was playing whom. "Let's go with Romance Literature, since you strike me as the romantic type."
"Oooh," crooned James, "should we leave you two alone? Because, you know, young love doth all but blot out the sun!"
Sanjay stroked his chin, feeling the few whiskers there that he couldn't help but wish would hurry up and multiply. "Well," he said, "I still get particularly interested every time Lesbian Lit comes up, so I guess you know which one was my favourite today..."
"Ah, good old Marianne Crowe, circa 1920..." sighed James. His friends grew quiet as they all shared a moment of reverence.
"What I really want to know," Peter said, finally breaking the silence, "is how your God damned COAT is coming along."
"Since you asked so nicely," Linus responded, sitting up, "I've got forty nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine lovely little words written... but I can't seem to decide on the last one! In fact, I'm starting to believe that final, perfect word may just take me as long to arrive at as the first forty-nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine did! Happy?"
"In other words, you still haven't started it," Peter replied, the tone of his voice showing his disapproval with each word.
"Well, that's certainly one way to look at it, yes. But I prefer my version."
Without any amusement in his eyes at all, Peter said, "Ladies and gentlemen... my friend, Peter Pan!"
"You're all wet, old chum," Linus said. "You're on the wrong track. You've got hydrogen in your zeppelin. Your wires are all crossed, and you're --"
"Yeah, I get the general idea," Peter interrupted. "So why don't you tell me and my two esteemed colleagues here just what it is you're working on that's actually going to usher you out of childhood at long last."
Linus stood up abruptly, feigning alarm. "Wait a second," he exclaimed. "How do I know you're not an international spy, here to steal my brilliant idea of a story and take it back to your homeland? What kind of a name is 'Osborne', anyway? It sounds... Canadian!"
Sanjay chose that moment to follow Linus' earlier example, and sprawled out on the grass. "I wrote about two hundred words last night. But I think I may have gotten my protagonist into a situation he can't get out of."
"So kill him off!" James rasped, with typical quickness.
"That's not really the effect I'm going for," Sanjay said. "I mean, he has to triumph in the end, otherwise it sort of..."
"Undermines the point?" Linus offered.
"Exactly! Although, perhaps 'triumph' is too strong a word. I suppose it's more a matter of vindication."
"What's he being vindicated for?" asked James, showing actual interest.
Sanjay swallowed hard, hoping it wouldn't show from where he lay. "For betraying his father."
And Now For Something Slightly Different
For my 1100th post, which is the very next one, I'm going to put up a chapter to a short story I've been writing. But where normally I post the finished product, this is simply going to be the draft as it exists right now. The story in question is one I expect may take me awhile to finish, and at the moment I haven't even completed chapter one to my own satisfaction. At some point I hope to be able to 'publish' a more polished version, but what's a blog good for, if not a little experimentation?
So anyway, that's what's up next. Get over it!
So anyway, that's what's up next. Get over it!
"That's Because It Was Used Up"
Musician Glen Hansard tells the story of lending his guitar to Magnolia Electric Company's Jason Molina when the two crossed paths in Ireland. Before using it, Molina duct-taped a little white cross onto the instrument; when Hansard asked him about it, the MEC songwriter replied that it was a protection spell. Hansard liked that idea, so he kept the cross on it.
Months later, in the Czech Republic, he accidentally left his guitar behind after a gig, and when he returned the next day, it was long gone. He was frantic to get it back, even offering a $5000 Euro reward on account of its sentimental value to him. Much to his surprise, a few weeks later the guitar mysteriously showed up back at the venue, and he got a call to pick it up. The guitar was still in-tune and in all ways just as he's last seen it, except that the little white cross was gone. When he called up Molina to tell him that everything had come back except the protection spell, Jason said, "Yeah, that's because it was used up."
Man, I just love that story!
Thanks to Tim, I can tell you that you can listen to that story as well a few select songs from Sojourner, here. Since one of the sample songs is "What Comes After The Blues?" you'd be just plain crazy not to!
Months later, in the Czech Republic, he accidentally left his guitar behind after a gig, and when he returned the next day, it was long gone. He was frantic to get it back, even offering a $5000 Euro reward on account of its sentimental value to him. Much to his surprise, a few weeks later the guitar mysteriously showed up back at the venue, and he got a call to pick it up. The guitar was still in-tune and in all ways just as he's last seen it, except that the little white cross was gone. When he called up Molina to tell him that everything had come back except the protection spell, Jason said, "Yeah, that's because it was used up."
Man, I just love that story!
Thanks to Tim, I can tell you that you can listen to that story as well a few select songs from Sojourner, here. Since one of the sample songs is "What Comes After The Blues?" you'd be just plain crazy not to!
Silver Age Comic Trivia XXXIII
Besides stripping him of some of his cosmic powers, what else did Galactus do to the Silver Surfer by way of punishment after the Surfer betrayed the devourer-of-worlds to save the Earth?
Yesterday's Answer: By issue # 74, Batman had taken over ownership of DC's Brave and the Bold series, and would remain there throughout the rest of the Silver Age and beyond, teaming up with different characters each month. Therefore, Aquaman and Atom, who got together in # 73, had the honour of being in the last non-Batman issue.
Yesterday's Answer: By issue # 74, Batman had taken over ownership of DC's Brave and the Bold series, and would remain there throughout the rest of the Silver Age and beyond, teaming up with different characters each month. Therefore, Aquaman and Atom, who got together in # 73, had the honour of being in the last non-Batman issue.
Monday, August 06, 2007
Sojourner: Sun Session
Continuing my journey through the Magnolia Electric Company box set called Sojourner, I'm now on disc # 3, called Sun Session. I've previously covered Nashville Moon and Black Ram, for anyone not following along at home.
Sun Session is an EP, only about fifteen minutes in length, featuring just four songs. According to the MEC website, it was recorded in a single day, back in March of 2006, at Memphis' Sun Studios, by most of the usual suspects (Molina, Groth, Schreiner, Rice, etc). All but one of the songs have been previously released, two on Fading Trails and one on the transitional Magnolia Electric Company album (either the swan song of Songs: Ohia or the MEC debut, depending on who you talk to) - although that one's re-interpreted here quite drastically. It's certainly a strong, though small, sampling of MEC music.
"Talk To Me Devil, Again" leads off the CD, in what seems to be the same form as showed up on Fading Trails. Like everything else on that 2006 release, it's very powerful, both musically and lyrically. I've come to realize as I've gone through Sojourner, that the contents of Fading Trails were essentially the best of each of these earlier recording sessions. Certainly that holds true on this disc, with this song and the next one being simply exquisite. A few lyrics:
"Devil if I fall hold out no water to me
Devil when I fall, hold out no hand
Devil unwind what’s empty
Devil unbind my heart
Devil make the two ends meet
Devil if I fall apart
Talk to me devil, again (x3)
Baby I still have time"
Next up is "Memphis Moon," also from Fading Trails, and possibly one of the most sadly beautiful songs I've ever heard. I wrote months ago about choreographing a music video in my head, as I biked along and listened to "Cross The Road, Molina" on Trials And Errors. The only other song I've ever had that experience with is "Memphis Moon." Whereas the former example was full of action and excitement, devising a video for this song always seems to call for something very small, personal and full of heart-ache. In my head, I see it as being about an older couple, with the grey-haired wife on her deathbed and the husband seated beside her, reminding her of stories from when they were younger. See if you don't see a little of that yourself as you consider:
"Tea for two stars falling from the memphis sky (x2)
I know the night bird called you now
Everything is fine
I know it’s soon to be fading out
But oh, didn’t we shine
Didn’t we shine
Some people say that the memphis blues ain’t bad (x2)
Put your little hand in mine darling
I know you’re fading fast
It weren’t the memphis blues you had
But baby you still shine
Goodbye my love, goodbye my love, goodbye
Turn your lamp down low my love, goodbye
I hear the whistle singing now to the lonesome pine
I know that we faded out
But oh, didn’t we shine
Didn’t we shine"
I also have something of a special relationship with the third song on Sun Session, "Hold On Magnolia." When buddy Tim was trying to interest Vicki and I in Magnolia Electric Company, back when I didn't know them from Spider-Man and the Electric Company, he'd lent us a couple of their CDs and was hoping we'd want to go see them in concert a few weeks later. I remember listening to the Magnolia Electric Company CD, and sort of liking it after a couple times through, but being a little undecided because of that whole country tinge to it. But it was the closing song, "Hold On Magnolia," so strangely sad and yet uplifting at the same time, that first connected with me and made me want to hear it again. And pretty soon I'd play the CD every night, because I couldn't wait to experience that amazing finish once again. And of course it wasn't long before the rest of the album had similarly won me over, and its follow-up What Comes After The Blues? was soon gobbled up, and by then I was a goner. What's included on Sun Session is a re-recording of that seminal track, with a more low-key instrumental accompaniment. As you'd expect, it's quite jarring to encounter it like that, and my first reaction was to recoil and not like it. But now that I've heard it a few times, I can appreciate it on its own terms, even while still preferring the original version. I guess, in a way, this is a more intimate recording of it, and that's not a bad thing at all. "Hold On Magnolia" closes with:
"Hold on Magnolia, I know what a true friend you’ve been
In my life I have had my doubts
But tonight I think I’ve worked it out with all of them
Hold on Magnolia to the thunder and the rain
To the lightning that has just signed my name to the bottom line
Hold on Magnolia, I hear that lonesome whistle whine
Hold on Magnolia
I think its almost time"
The only completely new song on the CD, "Trouble In Mind," takes the signature Molina depression to a new level, as the lyrics finally broach the subject of suicide as a response to life's hardships. I've typically found some element of hope in even the most dire MEC tracks before, and in this case it's up to Groth, Schreiner, and friends to pull off that trick, which they do. The music more than makes up for the lyrical heartache, providing the sort of foundation for it that has you humming happily along, oblivious to the subject matter. If you listen to the words, though, you'll hear:
"Trouble in mind, I'm blue
But I won't be blue always
You know the sun is gonna shine
In my back door someday
I'm gonna lay my head
On some lonesome railroad line
Gonna let that big eight hundred
Satisfy this mind of mine
Trouble in mind, I'm blue
My heart is sinkin' low
You know I ain't had so much trouble
In my life before"
So Sun Session, while merely an appetizer, is still very solid, for every one of its meager fifteen minutes. And if, as the claim goes, all four of these songs were recorded in one day, then colour me impressed! The production quality is high, there's nothing that feels the least bit rushed, and even simply getting "Memphis Moon" so perfect in a day would've seemed impossible to me.
Sun Session is an EP, only about fifteen minutes in length, featuring just four songs. According to the MEC website, it was recorded in a single day, back in March of 2006, at Memphis' Sun Studios, by most of the usual suspects (Molina, Groth, Schreiner, Rice, etc). All but one of the songs have been previously released, two on Fading Trails and one on the transitional Magnolia Electric Company album (either the swan song of Songs: Ohia or the MEC debut, depending on who you talk to) - although that one's re-interpreted here quite drastically. It's certainly a strong, though small, sampling of MEC music.
"Talk To Me Devil, Again" leads off the CD, in what seems to be the same form as showed up on Fading Trails. Like everything else on that 2006 release, it's very powerful, both musically and lyrically. I've come to realize as I've gone through Sojourner, that the contents of Fading Trails were essentially the best of each of these earlier recording sessions. Certainly that holds true on this disc, with this song and the next one being simply exquisite. A few lyrics:
"Devil if I fall hold out no water to me
Devil when I fall, hold out no hand
Devil unwind what’s empty
Devil unbind my heart
Devil make the two ends meet
Devil if I fall apart
Talk to me devil, again (x3)
Baby I still have time"
Next up is "Memphis Moon," also from Fading Trails, and possibly one of the most sadly beautiful songs I've ever heard. I wrote months ago about choreographing a music video in my head, as I biked along and listened to "Cross The Road, Molina" on Trials And Errors. The only other song I've ever had that experience with is "Memphis Moon." Whereas the former example was full of action and excitement, devising a video for this song always seems to call for something very small, personal and full of heart-ache. In my head, I see it as being about an older couple, with the grey-haired wife on her deathbed and the husband seated beside her, reminding her of stories from when they were younger. See if you don't see a little of that yourself as you consider:
"Tea for two stars falling from the memphis sky (x2)
I know the night bird called you now
Everything is fine
I know it’s soon to be fading out
But oh, didn’t we shine
Didn’t we shine
Some people say that the memphis blues ain’t bad (x2)
Put your little hand in mine darling
I know you’re fading fast
It weren’t the memphis blues you had
But baby you still shine
Goodbye my love, goodbye my love, goodbye
Turn your lamp down low my love, goodbye
I hear the whistle singing now to the lonesome pine
I know that we faded out
But oh, didn’t we shine
Didn’t we shine"
I also have something of a special relationship with the third song on Sun Session, "Hold On Magnolia." When buddy Tim was trying to interest Vicki and I in Magnolia Electric Company, back when I didn't know them from Spider-Man and the Electric Company, he'd lent us a couple of their CDs and was hoping we'd want to go see them in concert a few weeks later. I remember listening to the Magnolia Electric Company CD, and sort of liking it after a couple times through, but being a little undecided because of that whole country tinge to it. But it was the closing song, "Hold On Magnolia," so strangely sad and yet uplifting at the same time, that first connected with me and made me want to hear it again. And pretty soon I'd play the CD every night, because I couldn't wait to experience that amazing finish once again. And of course it wasn't long before the rest of the album had similarly won me over, and its follow-up What Comes After The Blues? was soon gobbled up, and by then I was a goner. What's included on Sun Session is a re-recording of that seminal track, with a more low-key instrumental accompaniment. As you'd expect, it's quite jarring to encounter it like that, and my first reaction was to recoil and not like it. But now that I've heard it a few times, I can appreciate it on its own terms, even while still preferring the original version. I guess, in a way, this is a more intimate recording of it, and that's not a bad thing at all. "Hold On Magnolia" closes with:
"Hold on Magnolia, I know what a true friend you’ve been
In my life I have had my doubts
But tonight I think I’ve worked it out with all of them
Hold on Magnolia to the thunder and the rain
To the lightning that has just signed my name to the bottom line
Hold on Magnolia, I hear that lonesome whistle whine
Hold on Magnolia
I think its almost time"
The only completely new song on the CD, "Trouble In Mind," takes the signature Molina depression to a new level, as the lyrics finally broach the subject of suicide as a response to life's hardships. I've typically found some element of hope in even the most dire MEC tracks before, and in this case it's up to Groth, Schreiner, and friends to pull off that trick, which they do. The music more than makes up for the lyrical heartache, providing the sort of foundation for it that has you humming happily along, oblivious to the subject matter. If you listen to the words, though, you'll hear:
"Trouble in mind, I'm blue
But I won't be blue always
You know the sun is gonna shine
In my back door someday
I'm gonna lay my head
On some lonesome railroad line
Gonna let that big eight hundred
Satisfy this mind of mine
Trouble in mind, I'm blue
My heart is sinkin' low
You know I ain't had so much trouble
In my life before"
So Sun Session, while merely an appetizer, is still very solid, for every one of its meager fifteen minutes. And if, as the claim goes, all four of these songs were recorded in one day, then colour me impressed! The production quality is high, there's nothing that feels the least bit rushed, and even simply getting "Memphis Moon" so perfect in a day would've seemed impossible to me.
A Potential Change Of Plans Looms
Vicki, ever watchful for all things that worry me - a full-time job, believe you me! - has proposed a plan whereby she joins me in Washington next week, while I'm attending Agile 2007 with some co-workers. As I noted yesterday, I've had concerns about how the whole bandage-changing procedure was going to go without her. Now it looks like I might not have to find out!
We're still working through the details - like, can she really be away from her job for that entire week? - but it's looking promising so far. Luckily, Tammy's available to house-sit for us while we're away so that angle's taken care of.
Stay tuned for further updates on this breaking news... (hah!)
We're still working through the details - like, can she really be away from her job for that entire week? - but it's looking promising so far. Luckily, Tammy's available to house-sit for us while we're away so that angle's taken care of.
Stay tuned for further updates on this breaking news... (hah!)
Cartoons Aren't Just For Kids Anymore
Two unrelated events occurred today that made me think about animated presentations and their target audiences. First, I was watching an episode of the Legion of Super-Heroes cartoon, and while it was OK, I kept finding myself thinking along the lines of, "Boy, they've really dumbed this down for kids." But of course, it happens to be a program that's intended to be shown on the WB Kids network, so why shouldn't they play up the physical humour, have the characters act like morons, and keep the concepts simple and straight-forward? I mean, sure, occasionally you get material like the best Bugs Bunny cartoons, where there's equal appeal to adults and kids, for different reasons. But it takes a certain amount of genius to pull that off, so you won't see it often. Which means that, as long as comic book properties are targeted for kids' venues on TV, I shouldn't expect anything different.
Then I see the awesome trailer for the direct-to-DVD interpretation of Darwin Cooke's wonderful DCU New Frontier comic series from a couple years ago, which is being promoted as a Justice League animated feature (a good move, in my opinion). And it's just night and day, the difference between it and something like the aforementioned Legion or Teen Titans animated shows. While it's hard to get a complete sense of the tone and style from a short trailer, I like just about everything that I saw in it! Now, would a child of 8 or 9 enjoy it? Probably, although some of it would likely go over his or her head. And I suppose it really depends on the kid, and whether he or she has only ever been shown little kid stuff, or been challenged at all. But it really doesn't matter, as the intended viewers of Justice League: The New Frontier are adults, not kids. Not because of strong language or nudity (at least, I doubt either of those will be found in it), and probably not because the violence will be anything worse than you see in typical cartoons these days. It'll be aimed at an older audience - at least, I hope it will; the comic certainly was - because it'll deal with complex themes and have characters who don't act like they just stepped out of a sitcom. And that's a pretty exciting prospect, for this fan, anyway!
Then I see the awesome trailer for the direct-to-DVD interpretation of Darwin Cooke's wonderful DCU New Frontier comic series from a couple years ago, which is being promoted as a Justice League animated feature (a good move, in my opinion). And it's just night and day, the difference between it and something like the aforementioned Legion or Teen Titans animated shows. While it's hard to get a complete sense of the tone and style from a short trailer, I like just about everything that I saw in it! Now, would a child of 8 or 9 enjoy it? Probably, although some of it would likely go over his or her head. And I suppose it really depends on the kid, and whether he or she has only ever been shown little kid stuff, or been challenged at all. But it really doesn't matter, as the intended viewers of Justice League: The New Frontier are adults, not kids. Not because of strong language or nudity (at least, I doubt either of those will be found in it), and probably not because the violence will be anything worse than you see in typical cartoons these days. It'll be aimed at an older audience - at least, I hope it will; the comic certainly was - because it'll deal with complex themes and have characters who don't act like they just stepped out of a sitcom. And that's a pretty exciting prospect, for this fan, anyway!
Silver Age Comic Trivia XXXII
During the Silver Age, Brave and the Bold switched from a showcase format to featuring seemingly random team-ups, and then eventually to being a Batman team-up title. Who were the last characters to team up in Brave and the Bold before Batman took over the title permanently?
Yesterday's Answer: Lady Sif, the Asgardian love interest of the Mighty Thor, was sister to Heimdall, the guardian of the Bifrost Bridge. Heimdall's senses were said to be so acute that he could hear grass growing, and see the whiskers on a rodent, miles away. Not exactly the sort of abilities you necessarily want in your girlfriend's brother, if you ask me!
Yesterday's Answer: Lady Sif, the Asgardian love interest of the Mighty Thor, was sister to Heimdall, the guardian of the Bifrost Bridge. Heimdall's senses were said to be so acute that he could hear grass growing, and see the whiskers on a rodent, miles away. Not exactly the sort of abilities you necessarily want in your girlfriend's brother, if you ask me!
Sunday, August 05, 2007
Sojourner: Black Ram
Continuing through the Magnolia Electric Company box set release called Sojourner, this time out I'm looking at - or more accurately, listening to - the second disc in the set, Black Ram. (I'd previously covered, at length, the contents of Nashville Moon, the first CD in the box.)
Black Ram is a collection of nine songs that were recorded in Richmond, Virginia, with an entirely different group of musicians than the current MEC group (all of whom were present on Nashville Moon). Musicians on it include David Lowery (bass), Rick Alverson (classical guitar) and Molly Blackbird (backing vocals), none of whom ring any bells for me. Nowhere to be found on this CD are Jason Evans Groth, Peter Schreiner or the rest of the familiar faces from the recent Magnolia concerts I've attended. If anything, the music here is more reminiscent of some of the later Songs: Ohia albums released not long before that group's one constant, songwriter/lead singer Jason Molina, relaunched the band as Magnolia Electric Company, establishing a more consistent line-up than had ever been the case with Songs: Ohia.
As such, it's a significantly more mellow, quiet set of songs than Nashville Moon or any of the MEC studio releases to date, with much more understated music to accompany the lyrics. I'd say it's also missing the Country & Western influences that were evident on the previous disc, which is not a bad thing for my money. And it contains only two songs I'd heard previously, making for yet another stark contrast to Nashville Moon, which was mostly familiar material for fans like me. That last distinction made for a drastically different listening experience between the two, as Black Ram has required quite a few more repetitions before I felt like I'd really gotten its pulse enough to reflect on its contents here. I'm happy to say that my appreciation for it has grown with each successive pass through it, which is a good indicator, where music and Your Humble Blogger are concerned. There's been nothing like the sort of pure joy that I felt listening to Nashville Moon, practically right out of the box, but still, this collection's slowly earning a place somewhere in my heart.
"In The Human World," like "No Moon On The Water" (on Nashville Moon) appears to have been a Jason Molina solo release at some point (whether before or after this recording was made, I know not). The opening track is one of the quietest on the disc, and it really requires the listener to come to it, and not the other way around. The first time that I knew I was going to really like this tune, on about the third or fourth time through it, came when the subtle three-note guitar refrain that's sprinkled throughout actually caught my attention. It provides such a hypnotic backdrop, once your ear figures out that it's there, that it gives the song an entirely new dimension. Among the lyrics, I love:
"You've already lost so much
Now that the moon has passed you by
All the good things are asleep in the human world
It makes more room for the dark to walk around
Speak to all my friends
Whose names I can't remember now"
The title track, "The Black Ram," is one that hasn't entirely grown on me (yet?) Although it has an interesting emotional instrumental uptick partway through, most of its music is fairly barren, having some of the least captivating sounds on the disc. Also, the louder swells, when they come, tend to overpower the vocals, to the point where I'm not even sure of some of the lyrics. I look forward to finding out what's actually being sung, once they make their way onto the MEC website. For now, this is just not one of the bigger attractions on the CD for me.
"What's Broken Becomes Better", on the other hand, has a terrific driving beat to it that really gives Black Ram its first shot of adrenaline. It's still quieter than a typical MEC song, but stands out from most of its peers on this CD in terms of energy and emotion. As silly a yardstick as it is to use, this is one of the few songs on this CD that I could imagine listening to on my iPod as I biked to work or back (where I need at least some fire to keep those legs a-pumpin'). A few lyrics:
"I learned to trust anything but love
The fight's not just in the blood
It's in the dawn and in the dust"
It's back to a more sedate pace with "Will-O-The-Wisp", which would certainly not have been out of place on a Songs: Ohia album like Ghost Tropic. It's the sort of song that's perfect for those moments of quiet contemplation, or as pleasant background music while you read or write. Nothing about it really holds my attention, though, so it's in much the same category as "The Black Ram" for me: nice enough but nothing really special.
"Kanawha," which is a river (and county) in West Virginia, starts off like a continuation of the previous song, but then gets saved by some beautiful guitar work about a minute and a half in that brings it to life nicely. The guitar sections make it a much more memorable song, and to my very untrained ears, sound like intentional echoes back to "What's Broken Becomes Better." But it's not like I even know how to read music or anything, so I could be completely wrong. The lyrics of "Kanawha" haven't really done much for me to date.
"A Little At A Time" is the first of two songs on Black Ram that were included on Fading Trails last year. It's amazing to me how much this song sticks out like a sore thumb here, as far as being head and shoulders better than the rest. It's just an amazing blend of music and lyrics, with some of the best in each category. In fact, as I've noted before, it's got lyrics that won't let you go. Who can forget:
"Maybe if I send back the blues her broken heart
She'll send back mine
A little at a time"
With a session musician bearing it as a last name, I'm not sure if there's an interesting behind-the-scenes story as to why the seventh song is titled, "Blackbird," or if it's just one of those coincidences. I find that I like the music on this one, but lyrically, nothing stands out. Still pleasant enough, though.
Jason Molina's never-ending obsession with all things lunar shows up once again in "And The Moon Hits The Water," a track with an almost-subversive drum beat behind it that you don't really notice until you find yourself completely caught in its grip by the final third of the song. Some lyrics worthy of consideration:
"Night does its work
It doesn't always follow the rules (or does it)
Moon was the howlin' wolf that was walkin' the street
Moon was the mountain that washed the shadows from the feet
Was there ever any other way to live
I thought I had to always be wrong
Was there ever any other way to live
I thought I had to always be strong"
The CD wraps up with the second song that showed up on Fading Trails, "The Old Horizon." Unlike the other songs similarly transported onto Fading Trails, this one actually differs very slightly between here and there. I mention this only because I've listened to last year's MEC release so many times that even subtle changes jump out at me. Here, it's simply the addition of some backing vocals at the end of the song, which neither hurt nor really enhanced the listening experience for me. What I've loved about this song, since first hearing it on Fading Trails, is the inclusion of something, at a few key points throughout, that sounds very much like the sort of metal-wrenching cry that you'd hear in a train yard. I love the sound of trains, and while I'm not sure if that's even what the intent of this was, it just really adds another layer to the song for me. While typically quiet, it does include great lyrics like:
"I built my life out of what was left of me
And a map of an old horizon
Arrow find my chesnut heart
Shadow for conjurin'
Big black eyes to hide my secrets in
And the map of the old horizon"
In summary, I'd put this release below Nashville Moon or the other material that's come from Magnolia since the name change. It's much more at the level of the good-but-not-great Songs: Ohia albums like Ghost Tropic and Impala, as even Didn't It Rain? probably beats it, both lyrically and musically (he says now).
Black Ram is a collection of nine songs that were recorded in Richmond, Virginia, with an entirely different group of musicians than the current MEC group (all of whom were present on Nashville Moon). Musicians on it include David Lowery (bass), Rick Alverson (classical guitar) and Molly Blackbird (backing vocals), none of whom ring any bells for me. Nowhere to be found on this CD are Jason Evans Groth, Peter Schreiner or the rest of the familiar faces from the recent Magnolia concerts I've attended. If anything, the music here is more reminiscent of some of the later Songs: Ohia albums released not long before that group's one constant, songwriter/lead singer Jason Molina, relaunched the band as Magnolia Electric Company, establishing a more consistent line-up than had ever been the case with Songs: Ohia.
As such, it's a significantly more mellow, quiet set of songs than Nashville Moon or any of the MEC studio releases to date, with much more understated music to accompany the lyrics. I'd say it's also missing the Country & Western influences that were evident on the previous disc, which is not a bad thing for my money. And it contains only two songs I'd heard previously, making for yet another stark contrast to Nashville Moon, which was mostly familiar material for fans like me. That last distinction made for a drastically different listening experience between the two, as Black Ram has required quite a few more repetitions before I felt like I'd really gotten its pulse enough to reflect on its contents here. I'm happy to say that my appreciation for it has grown with each successive pass through it, which is a good indicator, where music and Your Humble Blogger are concerned. There's been nothing like the sort of pure joy that I felt listening to Nashville Moon, practically right out of the box, but still, this collection's slowly earning a place somewhere in my heart.
"In The Human World," like "No Moon On The Water" (on Nashville Moon) appears to have been a Jason Molina solo release at some point (whether before or after this recording was made, I know not). The opening track is one of the quietest on the disc, and it really requires the listener to come to it, and not the other way around. The first time that I knew I was going to really like this tune, on about the third or fourth time through it, came when the subtle three-note guitar refrain that's sprinkled throughout actually caught my attention. It provides such a hypnotic backdrop, once your ear figures out that it's there, that it gives the song an entirely new dimension. Among the lyrics, I love:
"You've already lost so much
Now that the moon has passed you by
All the good things are asleep in the human world
It makes more room for the dark to walk around
Speak to all my friends
Whose names I can't remember now"
The title track, "The Black Ram," is one that hasn't entirely grown on me (yet?) Although it has an interesting emotional instrumental uptick partway through, most of its music is fairly barren, having some of the least captivating sounds on the disc. Also, the louder swells, when they come, tend to overpower the vocals, to the point where I'm not even sure of some of the lyrics. I look forward to finding out what's actually being sung, once they make their way onto the MEC website. For now, this is just not one of the bigger attractions on the CD for me.
"What's Broken Becomes Better", on the other hand, has a terrific driving beat to it that really gives Black Ram its first shot of adrenaline. It's still quieter than a typical MEC song, but stands out from most of its peers on this CD in terms of energy and emotion. As silly a yardstick as it is to use, this is one of the few songs on this CD that I could imagine listening to on my iPod as I biked to work or back (where I need at least some fire to keep those legs a-pumpin'). A few lyrics:
"I learned to trust anything but love
The fight's not just in the blood
It's in the dawn and in the dust"
It's back to a more sedate pace with "Will-O-The-Wisp", which would certainly not have been out of place on a Songs: Ohia album like Ghost Tropic. It's the sort of song that's perfect for those moments of quiet contemplation, or as pleasant background music while you read or write. Nothing about it really holds my attention, though, so it's in much the same category as "The Black Ram" for me: nice enough but nothing really special.
"Kanawha," which is a river (and county) in West Virginia, starts off like a continuation of the previous song, but then gets saved by some beautiful guitar work about a minute and a half in that brings it to life nicely. The guitar sections make it a much more memorable song, and to my very untrained ears, sound like intentional echoes back to "What's Broken Becomes Better." But it's not like I even know how to read music or anything, so I could be completely wrong. The lyrics of "Kanawha" haven't really done much for me to date.
"A Little At A Time" is the first of two songs on Black Ram that were included on Fading Trails last year. It's amazing to me how much this song sticks out like a sore thumb here, as far as being head and shoulders better than the rest. It's just an amazing blend of music and lyrics, with some of the best in each category. In fact, as I've noted before, it's got lyrics that won't let you go. Who can forget:
"Maybe if I send back the blues her broken heart
She'll send back mine
A little at a time"
With a session musician bearing it as a last name, I'm not sure if there's an interesting behind-the-scenes story as to why the seventh song is titled, "Blackbird," or if it's just one of those coincidences. I find that I like the music on this one, but lyrically, nothing stands out. Still pleasant enough, though.
Jason Molina's never-ending obsession with all things lunar shows up once again in "And The Moon Hits The Water," a track with an almost-subversive drum beat behind it that you don't really notice until you find yourself completely caught in its grip by the final third of the song. Some lyrics worthy of consideration:
"Night does its work
It doesn't always follow the rules (or does it)
Moon was the howlin' wolf that was walkin' the street
Moon was the mountain that washed the shadows from the feet
Was there ever any other way to live
I thought I had to always be wrong
Was there ever any other way to live
I thought I had to always be strong"
The CD wraps up with the second song that showed up on Fading Trails, "The Old Horizon." Unlike the other songs similarly transported onto Fading Trails, this one actually differs very slightly between here and there. I mention this only because I've listened to last year's MEC release so many times that even subtle changes jump out at me. Here, it's simply the addition of some backing vocals at the end of the song, which neither hurt nor really enhanced the listening experience for me. What I've loved about this song, since first hearing it on Fading Trails, is the inclusion of something, at a few key points throughout, that sounds very much like the sort of metal-wrenching cry that you'd hear in a train yard. I love the sound of trains, and while I'm not sure if that's even what the intent of this was, it just really adds another layer to the song for me. While typically quiet, it does include great lyrics like:
"I built my life out of what was left of me
And a map of an old horizon
Arrow find my chesnut heart
Shadow for conjurin'
Big black eyes to hide my secrets in
And the map of the old horizon"
In summary, I'd put this release below Nashville Moon or the other material that's come from Magnolia since the name change. It's much more at the level of the good-but-not-great Songs: Ohia albums like Ghost Tropic and Impala, as even Didn't It Rain? probably beats it, both lyrically and musically (he says now).
An Old Idea Re-Visited
It's been mentioned in the past, generally to a lukewarm reception, but something I read today made me think about bringing it up again: the group blog. I think Tammy was the first in our corner of the blogosphere to suggest this, last year (though I could be wrong), and then a little after that I floated the idea an inch or two up the ol' flagpole before dropping it again.
Why? Well, I like my own blog, and I wish there were more blogs that I could enjoy reading as much. Oh, I know there are millions of blogs out there, but most of the ones I've been to just don't cut it (with some notable exceptions). While famous peoples' blogs can be fun, it's not the same as reading the words of people you actually know. I suppose it's just an extension of that community feeling that I'm looking for.
One of the more obvious obstacles to overcome is: what would we blog about? Most of us already have blogs - even if a select few don't act like they do! - so why start another one? While I don't have a definitive answer, the topic that seems to interest all of us to some degree is movies. From what I can tell, there's a wide enough range of tastes between us to provide for some variety, both in terms of what would get covered, and the views expressed. So I guess I'm asking: if you're a frequent visitor to this site, would you be interested in participating in such an experiment? (And by participation, I mean more than simply reading.) And is there a topic more suitable than movies?
Another obstacle, of course, would be agreeing on what blogging site/software to use. I like Blogger; others swear by Word Press, and I'm sure there are probably other options. If we did this, then clearly whatever we'd use would have to provide access to multiple posters (they probably all do) and be fairly easy to use for those unfamiliar with it.
So what's the feeling? Am I barking up the wrong tree here?
Why? Well, I like my own blog, and I wish there were more blogs that I could enjoy reading as much. Oh, I know there are millions of blogs out there, but most of the ones I've been to just don't cut it (with some notable exceptions). While famous peoples' blogs can be fun, it's not the same as reading the words of people you actually know. I suppose it's just an extension of that community feeling that I'm looking for.
One of the more obvious obstacles to overcome is: what would we blog about? Most of us already have blogs - even if a select few don't act like they do! - so why start another one? While I don't have a definitive answer, the topic that seems to interest all of us to some degree is movies. From what I can tell, there's a wide enough range of tastes between us to provide for some variety, both in terms of what would get covered, and the views expressed. So I guess I'm asking: if you're a frequent visitor to this site, would you be interested in participating in such an experiment? (And by participation, I mean more than simply reading.) And is there a topic more suitable than movies?
Another obstacle, of course, would be agreeing on what blogging site/software to use. I like Blogger; others swear by Word Press, and I'm sure there are probably other options. If we did this, then clearly whatever we'd use would have to provide access to multiple posters (they probably all do) and be fairly easy to use for those unfamiliar with it.
So what's the feeling? Am I barking up the wrong tree here?
Silver Age Comic Trivia XXXI
In the far-off land of Asgard to be found in Marvel Comics, who was Lady Sif's brother?
Yesterday's Answer: DC Comics' Brotherhood of Evil, not to be confused with Marvel's Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, were frequent arch enemies of the Doom Patrol. The Brotherhood's original membership was limited to Monsieur Mallah, Madame Rouge, and the Brain, but sometimes also included General Immortus and Garguax.
Madame Rouge ultimately went solo, though, and in her final Silver Age appearance successfully killed off Monsieur Mallah and the Brain, and then set her sights on the Doom Patrol members as well. After a few unsuccessful attempts to wipe them out, she trapped them on a remote island, and in a broadcast that was being made world-wide, told them that both the island they stood on and a small fishing hamlet in Maine had been booby-trapped with explosives. It was up to the Doom Patrol to decide which of the two would be detonated. She was confident that Robotman, Elasti-Girl and Negative Man (the DP) would bring eternal humiliation down upon themselves by choosing to save their own skins, but instead they bravely shouted, "Fire away!" and died as heroes. A truly unique Silver Age moment!
Yesterday's Answer: DC Comics' Brotherhood of Evil, not to be confused with Marvel's Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, were frequent arch enemies of the Doom Patrol. The Brotherhood's original membership was limited to Monsieur Mallah, Madame Rouge, and the Brain, but sometimes also included General Immortus and Garguax.
Madame Rouge ultimately went solo, though, and in her final Silver Age appearance successfully killed off Monsieur Mallah and the Brain, and then set her sights on the Doom Patrol members as well. After a few unsuccessful attempts to wipe them out, she trapped them on a remote island, and in a broadcast that was being made world-wide, told them that both the island they stood on and a small fishing hamlet in Maine had been booby-trapped with explosives. It was up to the Doom Patrol to decide which of the two would be detonated. She was confident that Robotman, Elasti-Girl and Negative Man (the DP) would bring eternal humiliation down upon themselves by choosing to save their own skins, but instead they bravely shouted, "Fire away!" and died as heroes. A truly unique Silver Age moment!
BoilBoy - The 9 Days After Photo
Vicki assures me that lots of healing is evident in this photo, compared to what it looked like just six days ago. And if you click on each of the two photos to get a closer look (and who wouldn't want to do that, I wonder?), you can see that the hole's filled in, in terms of depth, at least a little. But, it still looks like - and feels like - a big gaping wound, and so I'm starting to worry about my attendance at the Agile 2007 Conference in Washington a week from tomorrow, and whether I'll really be able to make that happen. Vicki's been a fantastic nurse throughout all this, but she ain't gonna be there! I've asked someone at work to find out if the hotel we're staying at has a nurse on staff, or if there's a nearby walk-in clinic; otherwise, it's going to be up to one of my traveling companions to deal with daily bandage changes and cleanings, which is quite frankly a Hell of a lot to ask of a co-worker. It's ironic that I average only about 2 business trips each year, and yet one of this year's is coinciding with a minor medical crisis. Funny, that!
By the way, the red marks all around the wound are from the tape that holds the bandage on. Having that tape ripped off each day is one of the worst parts of this whole experience, and seeing the site now (I normally can't see anything back there) it's no wonder my back's as sore and sensitive as it is!
Saturday, August 04, 2007
Silver Age Comic Trivia XXX
Name the members of the Brotherhood of Evil.
Yesterday's Answer: The Masked Marauder, who seemed to have a real knack for coming up with incredible inventions like a disintegration ray and a visor that could fire a blast that would blind an opponent, first appeared in an early issue of Daredevil (# 16) which also featured ol' Web-head himself, Spider-Man. The two heroes had previously met over in Spidey's title, but this encounter went one better and spread the fighting and teaming up over back-to-back issues! It wouldn't, however, be until nearly a year later, in Daredevil # 26, that we would learn that the Marauder was actually Frank Farnum, manager of the building in which Matt "Daredevil" Murdock and Franklin "Foggy" Nelson had their law offices. Who knew being a building manager qualified you for world-class inventor and criminal mastermind?
Yesterday's Answer: The Masked Marauder, who seemed to have a real knack for coming up with incredible inventions like a disintegration ray and a visor that could fire a blast that would blind an opponent, first appeared in an early issue of Daredevil (# 16) which also featured ol' Web-head himself, Spider-Man. The two heroes had previously met over in Spidey's title, but this encounter went one better and spread the fighting and teaming up over back-to-back issues! It wouldn't, however, be until nearly a year later, in Daredevil # 26, that we would learn that the Marauder was actually Frank Farnum, manager of the building in which Matt "Daredevil" Murdock and Franklin "Foggy" Nelson had their law offices. Who knew being a building manager qualified you for world-class inventor and criminal mastermind?
Introducing: My Stories!
Believe it or not, someone at work not too long ago actually wanted to check out my stories on this blog, and complained that they were hard to find with so many posts here. I suggested he use the "Fiction" label, but even then, he said, there was a lot of noise to get through. I meant to do something about it earlier, but forgot.
So now I've added a new label, called "My Stories", which is used exclusively for the stories themselves. They're still also tagged as "Fiction"; but if someone just wanted to read the stories themselves, without any of the commentary or other thoughts I've posted on fiction in general, they now easily could.
So now I've added a new label, called "My Stories", which is used exclusively for the stories themselves. They're still also tagged as "Fiction"; but if someone just wanted to read the stories themselves, without any of the commentary or other thoughts I've posted on fiction in general, they now easily could.
Baby, She's Back!
It only took one issue for new writer Tony Bedard to live up to my hopes in terms of de-skankifying Supergirl! I just finished reading Supergirl # 20, in which Kara takes on a bunch of the gang from Amazons Attack, including a giant ugly cave troll, and she was nothing short of lovable (says someone who used to love her)! She didn't act like a ditz, come on to anyone, or even once try to escape responsibility for what she'd done earlier (accidentally helping in the taking down of Air Force One); instead she put her life on the line to save a bunch of innocent civilians and was actually pretty smart in the use of her powers.
This is the way Supergirl's supposed to be portrayed! Thank you, Mr Bedard!
Friday, August 03, 2007
What I Did Today (August 3rd, 2007 Edition)
Other than a few household chores, studying Silver Age Trivia notes, and getting my first swim in in over a week, I mostly did this! What other questions do you have?
Sojourner: Nashville Moon
This is a review (or at least what passes for one around these parts) of Magnolia Electric Company's Nashville Moon CD, from the Sojourner box set.
Each of the 12 songs on this disc were recorded with the main Magnolia group in 2005 in Chicago. The first 3 songs on the CD made it on to the last MEC studio album, Fading Trails. Because they were taken directly from these recording sessions and put onto Fading Trails, they'll be intimately familiar to anyone who owns that album. The songs are "Lonesome Valley", "Montgomery" (also known as "Montgomery Bound") and "Don't Fade On Me." It's probably only a little bit hyperbolic (and fannish) of me to say that there's just not a bad note or word to be found on any of the 3 songs; but if there are, I can't hear them! I loved them on Fading Trails, I thrilled at hearing them (for the first time) in concert last year, and I absolutely adore them here. With lyrics like these:
"Now I’m not worried about heading back
I will be punished by a civil death
If I’ve done enough but not my best
I turn my pain into a simple plan
Harmony onward friend
Dragging myself out again
Oh through the lonesome valley, the lonesome valley"
and
"All my doubt my life has measured out
And it’s taken my hat at the door
All my reasons for wanting less
And all yours for not needing more
Stops my breath and my heart in time
No want, no waste and no fight
This boy is Montgomery bound
You see I make my mistakes on my own time
Now let the twilight show the girls the town
This boy is Montgomery bound
Brown-bottle eyes and the black cat’s hips
The road becomes what you leave
And my ghost ain’t waiting"
and
"Even that tired old moon has finally come back to town
And she’s been asking for you
And I thought that no one lived for nothing now
Even christ stayed until he had run out of doubt
But you faded on me"
how can you not go weak at the knees when you hear them? They're probably the strongest of the songs on this CD, but that's most definitely not a case of damning with faint praise! They're just really outstanding examples of music.
Next up is "Hammer Down", re-recorded from the version that shows up on What Comes After The Blues? Like most of the re-recordings on this CD, it's done in a style that - to my amateur ears, at least - sounds consciously more Country & Western. I don't know if that simply reflects the tone or mood of the recording sessions, the target audience, or a direction that the band was considering at the time and wanted to play around with. I'm no C&W fan - by any stretch! - but I find where MEC music is concerned, I'm usually able to still enjoy what they come up with in that vein. (More often than not, I can do that with the Eagles, too. Not sure what that indicates, but there it is!) This is no exception, although I think I'd still take the slightly rockier version from What Comes After The Blues? over this one, but it's a close call. I suppose the argument could be made that any song with the truck-drivin' title of "Hammer Down" always was C&W to begin with anyway, so...
The first (sort of) new song for me, "No Moon On The Water" shows up after "Hammer Down." We heard this one in concert last year but that's the extent of my exposure to it prior to today. A small amount of Internet searching now reveals that this had previously been released as a solo Jason Molina "single", meaning this represents the first time it was done in the studio by the whole group. It splits from the relatively laid-back tone of the first four songs, breaking quickly into a frenetic beat that's pure rock, including a much more pronounced drum beat than typical MEC. While not as impressive as some of the other material in terms of lyrics, I do like:
"I have to work hard to suffer alone
I have to work harder to be so alone
Don’t like half of who I’ve been
But I’ve kept my promises to all of them"
as it evokes the typical MEC introspection that I've come to know and love. I think I'll come to like this song more over time, but currently I'm only lukewarm on it.
The title track, "Nashville Moon" follows, and is the first song that I think I'm hearing for the very first time on this CD. It resumes the slower pace that "No Moon On The Water" had broken from, although it moves in and out of that mode throughout its four and a half minutes. It's definitely a song that, had I heard it out of the blue before getting this CD, I'd have known pretty quickly that it was MEC (in much the same way that I recently recognized the voice of Radiohead's Thom Yorke over the end credits of The Prestige, despite not knowing he was on the soundtrack nor having heard his solo album at that time). Of all the new songs, this is my early favourite. What's not to like about:
"How many ghosts
Will I meet on the road
That depends
On how hard you're runnin'
That depends
Which ones you know and which ones know you'll be comin'
How far away is that Nashville moon
That depends...
And how many miles
'Til my mistakes catch up
That depends
Which ones you're countin'
That depends
What you're forgettin' again
Does it matter whose side I'm on
Or does that depend
Baby, on the fight
Does it matter that every star fell from the sky
Or does that depend
Baby, on the night"
The seventh track is, by far, the biggest treat on the disc for me. It's a very lively recording of "What Comes After The Blues," a song that I've heard a few times but never owned before. You'd think, considering that Magnolia released an album with that very same name, that it would've been the title track on that CD; but no. There's actually no recording of "What Comes After The Blues?" on What Comes After The Blues? Yeah, I know... weird, huh? And despite some typically-morose lyrics, the song has a fabulous up-beat to it that makes you want to get up and dance to it (I don't dance, but you know what I mean). To say that I truly and deeply love this song would be putting it mildly. Just dig this snippet:
"You see I nailed my guilt
To the back of my eyes
So I see it now before the sun
Now who was I
Now who am I
Lord... what have I done
What comes after the blues
Now Noah must've had
A lotta room on the ark
For all of them broken hearts
Stay with me now
Oh crimson pal
Pain like this will even outlive the dark
And come after the blues"
Mmmm mmmm, that's some fine magic.
A song I'd only ever heard as a live version, "Don't This Look Like The Dark" is next up. I didn't even realize until I started looking for the lyrics to this song tonight that it had only shown up on Trials And Errors, the MEC live CD that I've probably listened to more than anything else on my iPod other than Dark Side Of The Moon. Again, this is a more C&W-ish recording than I'm used to, so it's just not going to resonate in my ear as well as the live one, at least for awhile. I prefer the more driving rhythm that the gang employs when playing it live, after all. But you can't complain about lyrics like:
"I can't start to count the things I said I'd never be
But I became them all the night you quit countin' on me
And all the harder things that you said to my heart
Every one of them things was true but
That one look at the end
That one look at the end
Was what ran it through"
Same goes for the recording of "North Star", although even moreso. The live version on Trials And Errors is just going to be impossible to ever top, and one of the songs I just have to listen to whenever I make that selection on the iPod. But, it's interesting hearing a studio version now, because everything's there, just not as revved up as I'm used to. And, like "Don't This Look Like The Dark", realizing that this song hadn't been released on a studio album before now boggles my mind. It's such a great song, but I suppose having it on their one and only live release probably got it out there enough. Among my favourite lyrics are:
"You used to say I had what it takes
I think I did if you meant too little, too late
And by the looks that I'm getting I made some big mistakes
But I thought you said I was great
I shoot straight and give it my best try
I make my heart as hard as nails
That might be the way you live your life
But it's almost got me killed
Darlin' I'm not giving in
That happened miles ago
I heard the north star sayin'
Kid, you're so lost, even I can't bring you home
Now did you think that we was gonna last
Well, honey, you know you don't have to answer that
Half of that was my kind of joke
But I don't remember which half"
One of my recent passions has been re-discovering the middle three songs on the MEC EP, Hard To Love A Man. The first of them, "Bowery", shows up here, although once again re-recorded to a slightly slower beat. I hadn't listened to Hard To Love A Man all that much initially, simply because it's not quite long enough for a bike ride to or from work. Then I hit on the idea of setting it up to play that CD, and then go automatically into the start of the next MEC album, so that it would last my whole way. And then I really got into "Bowery", "Doing Something Wrong" and "31 Seasons In The Minor Leagues" and haven't left that mode yet. Aside from being a little slower, this recording isn't very different than what appears on that earlier EP. In fact, I've heard it enough times today that I'm already starting to forget some of the subtle changes they've made, so I guess that's further proof that they're quite similar. Like so many of its peers, "Bowery"'s a very moody song that rewards you the more you listen to it, as the lyrics really start to paint such vivid images:
"While the wolf had her fangs
Deep in my heart
Who’s been writing them songs
Who’s been singing
And who’s been listening
Blue eyes while you’ve been gone
That two dollar hat and them old black stockings
Down on the bowery"
(Aside: Mentioning it above made me think of the great lyrics within "31 Seasons In The Minor Leagues" that go:
"And everything you ever looked up to
Now it’s all looking down on you
Trying to see if you can get back up
Out of that hole you climbed into
But they’re not expecting much
Cause you got so far down
You got so far down"
which always make me think of Bull Durham, Field of Dreams, and the minor league lifers...)
Another brand spanking new song, "Texas 71" is the penultimate offering on the CD. It's slowly starting to win me over, although it's got a very dirge-like beat through most of it that doesn't welcome the new listener very warmly. As usual, though, the lyrics make up for the lack of energy in the music:
"Now I think twice about every bargain
Everything I've had and I've walked out on
Oh the lone star horizon (x2)
The ones I leave and the ones ahead
The chance I had and the choice instead
Oh the lone star horizon (x2)
Which one of these can I not outrun
Which one of these can I
Oh the lone star horizon (x2)"
Finally, the CD ends with another new-to-me song, "Down The Wrong Road Both Ways" which is a pretty good title, just on its own! It's got that C&W twang to it that I'm not overly fond of, so we'll have to see if it grows on me more over time. There's a nice instrumental riff in it that I wish they did more of, just like I wish many of their songs were just that little bit longer ("Montgomery" weighs in at less than 2 minutes, when it really could easily support twice that amount of time even just instrumentally. On the other hand, as it is, it gets in, it says its bit and gets out quickly, so maybe I should just shut up and trust the song-writer!) Here are just a line or two from the final song on Nashville Moon:
"If I could have my heart come back
And be forgiven for them old days
I'd be headed where I always been
Down the wrong road both ways"
Overall, there's a country feel to this collection that's right on the edge of my C&W tolerance, but thankfully didn't cross the line. For some, however, I imagine it'd be a turn-off so this is probably "one for the fans." As the disc that contains the most previously-heard music of the four, I've spent a lot of my time drawing comparisons between what came before, and this CD. I suspect my experience with the other 3 CDs will be very different, as they're filled with a much larger proportion of new material. Having said that, I'm extremely happy with disc # 1, because it provides so many new takes on songs that I already love. We'll have to see how the others stack up.
Each of the 12 songs on this disc were recorded with the main Magnolia group in 2005 in Chicago. The first 3 songs on the CD made it on to the last MEC studio album, Fading Trails. Because they were taken directly from these recording sessions and put onto Fading Trails, they'll be intimately familiar to anyone who owns that album. The songs are "Lonesome Valley", "Montgomery" (also known as "Montgomery Bound") and "Don't Fade On Me." It's probably only a little bit hyperbolic (and fannish) of me to say that there's just not a bad note or word to be found on any of the 3 songs; but if there are, I can't hear them! I loved them on Fading Trails, I thrilled at hearing them (for the first time) in concert last year, and I absolutely adore them here. With lyrics like these:
"Now I’m not worried about heading back
I will be punished by a civil death
If I’ve done enough but not my best
I turn my pain into a simple plan
Harmony onward friend
Dragging myself out again
Oh through the lonesome valley, the lonesome valley"
and
"All my doubt my life has measured out
And it’s taken my hat at the door
All my reasons for wanting less
And all yours for not needing more
Stops my breath and my heart in time
No want, no waste and no fight
This boy is Montgomery bound
You see I make my mistakes on my own time
Now let the twilight show the girls the town
This boy is Montgomery bound
Brown-bottle eyes and the black cat’s hips
The road becomes what you leave
And my ghost ain’t waiting"
and
"Even that tired old moon has finally come back to town
And she’s been asking for you
And I thought that no one lived for nothing now
Even christ stayed until he had run out of doubt
But you faded on me"
how can you not go weak at the knees when you hear them? They're probably the strongest of the songs on this CD, but that's most definitely not a case of damning with faint praise! They're just really outstanding examples of music.
Next up is "Hammer Down", re-recorded from the version that shows up on What Comes After The Blues? Like most of the re-recordings on this CD, it's done in a style that - to my amateur ears, at least - sounds consciously more Country & Western. I don't know if that simply reflects the tone or mood of the recording sessions, the target audience, or a direction that the band was considering at the time and wanted to play around with. I'm no C&W fan - by any stretch! - but I find where MEC music is concerned, I'm usually able to still enjoy what they come up with in that vein. (More often than not, I can do that with the Eagles, too. Not sure what that indicates, but there it is!) This is no exception, although I think I'd still take the slightly rockier version from What Comes After The Blues? over this one, but it's a close call. I suppose the argument could be made that any song with the truck-drivin' title of "Hammer Down" always was C&W to begin with anyway, so...
The first (sort of) new song for me, "No Moon On The Water" shows up after "Hammer Down." We heard this one in concert last year but that's the extent of my exposure to it prior to today. A small amount of Internet searching now reveals that this had previously been released as a solo Jason Molina "single", meaning this represents the first time it was done in the studio by the whole group. It splits from the relatively laid-back tone of the first four songs, breaking quickly into a frenetic beat that's pure rock, including a much more pronounced drum beat than typical MEC. While not as impressive as some of the other material in terms of lyrics, I do like:
"I have to work hard to suffer alone
I have to work harder to be so alone
Don’t like half of who I’ve been
But I’ve kept my promises to all of them"
as it evokes the typical MEC introspection that I've come to know and love. I think I'll come to like this song more over time, but currently I'm only lukewarm on it.
The title track, "Nashville Moon" follows, and is the first song that I think I'm hearing for the very first time on this CD. It resumes the slower pace that "No Moon On The Water" had broken from, although it moves in and out of that mode throughout its four and a half minutes. It's definitely a song that, had I heard it out of the blue before getting this CD, I'd have known pretty quickly that it was MEC (in much the same way that I recently recognized the voice of Radiohead's Thom Yorke over the end credits of The Prestige, despite not knowing he was on the soundtrack nor having heard his solo album at that time). Of all the new songs, this is my early favourite. What's not to like about:
"How many ghosts
Will I meet on the road
That depends
On how hard you're runnin'
That depends
Which ones you know and which ones know you'll be comin'
How far away is that Nashville moon
That depends...
And how many miles
'Til my mistakes catch up
That depends
Which ones you're countin'
That depends
What you're forgettin' again
Does it matter whose side I'm on
Or does that depend
Baby, on the fight
Does it matter that every star fell from the sky
Or does that depend
Baby, on the night"
The seventh track is, by far, the biggest treat on the disc for me. It's a very lively recording of "What Comes After The Blues," a song that I've heard a few times but never owned before. You'd think, considering that Magnolia released an album with that very same name, that it would've been the title track on that CD; but no. There's actually no recording of "What Comes After The Blues?" on What Comes After The Blues? Yeah, I know... weird, huh? And despite some typically-morose lyrics, the song has a fabulous up-beat to it that makes you want to get up and dance to it (I don't dance, but you know what I mean). To say that I truly and deeply love this song would be putting it mildly. Just dig this snippet:
"You see I nailed my guilt
To the back of my eyes
So I see it now before the sun
Now who was I
Now who am I
Lord... what have I done
What comes after the blues
Now Noah must've had
A lotta room on the ark
For all of them broken hearts
Stay with me now
Oh crimson pal
Pain like this will even outlive the dark
And come after the blues"
Mmmm mmmm, that's some fine magic.
A song I'd only ever heard as a live version, "Don't This Look Like The Dark" is next up. I didn't even realize until I started looking for the lyrics to this song tonight that it had only shown up on Trials And Errors, the MEC live CD that I've probably listened to more than anything else on my iPod other than Dark Side Of The Moon. Again, this is a more C&W-ish recording than I'm used to, so it's just not going to resonate in my ear as well as the live one, at least for awhile. I prefer the more driving rhythm that the gang employs when playing it live, after all. But you can't complain about lyrics like:
"I can't start to count the things I said I'd never be
But I became them all the night you quit countin' on me
And all the harder things that you said to my heart
Every one of them things was true but
That one look at the end
That one look at the end
Was what ran it through"
Same goes for the recording of "North Star", although even moreso. The live version on Trials And Errors is just going to be impossible to ever top, and one of the songs I just have to listen to whenever I make that selection on the iPod. But, it's interesting hearing a studio version now, because everything's there, just not as revved up as I'm used to. And, like "Don't This Look Like The Dark", realizing that this song hadn't been released on a studio album before now boggles my mind. It's such a great song, but I suppose having it on their one and only live release probably got it out there enough. Among my favourite lyrics are:
"You used to say I had what it takes
I think I did if you meant too little, too late
And by the looks that I'm getting I made some big mistakes
But I thought you said I was great
I shoot straight and give it my best try
I make my heart as hard as nails
That might be the way you live your life
But it's almost got me killed
Darlin' I'm not giving in
That happened miles ago
I heard the north star sayin'
Kid, you're so lost, even I can't bring you home
Now did you think that we was gonna last
Well, honey, you know you don't have to answer that
Half of that was my kind of joke
But I don't remember which half"
One of my recent passions has been re-discovering the middle three songs on the MEC EP, Hard To Love A Man. The first of them, "Bowery", shows up here, although once again re-recorded to a slightly slower beat. I hadn't listened to Hard To Love A Man all that much initially, simply because it's not quite long enough for a bike ride to or from work. Then I hit on the idea of setting it up to play that CD, and then go automatically into the start of the next MEC album, so that it would last my whole way. And then I really got into "Bowery", "Doing Something Wrong" and "31 Seasons In The Minor Leagues" and haven't left that mode yet. Aside from being a little slower, this recording isn't very different than what appears on that earlier EP. In fact, I've heard it enough times today that I'm already starting to forget some of the subtle changes they've made, so I guess that's further proof that they're quite similar. Like so many of its peers, "Bowery"'s a very moody song that rewards you the more you listen to it, as the lyrics really start to paint such vivid images:
"While the wolf had her fangs
Deep in my heart
Who’s been writing them songs
Who’s been singing
And who’s been listening
Blue eyes while you’ve been gone
That two dollar hat and them old black stockings
Down on the bowery"
(Aside: Mentioning it above made me think of the great lyrics within "31 Seasons In The Minor Leagues" that go:
"And everything you ever looked up to
Now it’s all looking down on you
Trying to see if you can get back up
Out of that hole you climbed into
But they’re not expecting much
Cause you got so far down
You got so far down"
which always make me think of Bull Durham, Field of Dreams, and the minor league lifers...)
Another brand spanking new song, "Texas 71" is the penultimate offering on the CD. It's slowly starting to win me over, although it's got a very dirge-like beat through most of it that doesn't welcome the new listener very warmly. As usual, though, the lyrics make up for the lack of energy in the music:
"Now I think twice about every bargain
Everything I've had and I've walked out on
Oh the lone star horizon (x2)
The ones I leave and the ones ahead
The chance I had and the choice instead
Oh the lone star horizon (x2)
Which one of these can I not outrun
Which one of these can I
Oh the lone star horizon (x2)"
Finally, the CD ends with another new-to-me song, "Down The Wrong Road Both Ways" which is a pretty good title, just on its own! It's got that C&W twang to it that I'm not overly fond of, so we'll have to see if it grows on me more over time. There's a nice instrumental riff in it that I wish they did more of, just like I wish many of their songs were just that little bit longer ("Montgomery" weighs in at less than 2 minutes, when it really could easily support twice that amount of time even just instrumentally. On the other hand, as it is, it gets in, it says its bit and gets out quickly, so maybe I should just shut up and trust the song-writer!) Here are just a line or two from the final song on Nashville Moon:
"If I could have my heart come back
And be forgiven for them old days
I'd be headed where I always been
Down the wrong road both ways"
Overall, there's a country feel to this collection that's right on the edge of my C&W tolerance, but thankfully didn't cross the line. For some, however, I imagine it'd be a turn-off so this is probably "one for the fans." As the disc that contains the most previously-heard music of the four, I've spent a lot of my time drawing comparisons between what came before, and this CD. I suspect my experience with the other 3 CDs will be very different, as they're filled with a much larger proportion of new material. Having said that, I'm extremely happy with disc # 1, because it provides so many new takes on songs that I already love. We'll have to see how the others stack up.
Reviewing Sojourner
After I'd listened to the first (of four) music CDs within the Sojourner box set, I decided that I really want to write up some reviews on the music that arrived so unexpectedly in my mailbox today. As I've noted before, the Music Appreciation aspect of this blog has generally gotten short shrift compared to, for example, comics! But since Sojourner represents a very significant release by one of my favourite bands, I'm going to give it the attention it deserves. Whether anyone out there cares - except buddy Tim - isn't really the point, when you come right down to it.
And while you're waiting breathlessly for the first installment of the aforementioned review, you could always enjoy some previous posts about Magnolia Electric Company by either following the Magnolia label, along the left hand side, or clicking here, here, or even here. I got a big kick out of re-visiting each of those previous blog entries my own self, as I was listening to Nashville Moon (disk # 1) this afternoon.
And while you're waiting breathlessly for the first installment of the aforementioned review, you could always enjoy some previous posts about Magnolia Electric Company by either following the Magnolia label, along the left hand side, or clicking here, here, or even here. I got a big kick out of re-visiting each of those previous blog entries my own self, as I was listening to Nashville Moon (disk # 1) this afternoon.
Silver Age Comic Trivia XXIX
Almost into the final week leading up to the Trivia Panel now (it's a week from today), so it's time to start asking some really hard questions! Like, what was the secret identity of the Masked Marauder?
Yesterday's Answer: The Metal Men consisted of Iron, Gold, Lead, Tin, Platinum and Mercury (the only metal that's liquid at room temperature, or so he always bragged!). They were created by Doctor Will Magnus, of course.
Yesterday's Answer: The Metal Men consisted of Iron, Gold, Lead, Tin, Platinum and Mercury (the only metal that's liquid at room temperature, or so he always bragged!). They were created by Doctor Will Magnus, of course.
It's A Magnolia Kind Of Day!
The mail just arrived, and when I went to bring it in, what should I discover but two Magnolia Electric Company treats! Sojourner, the five disc box set from MEC has arrived, as well as our three tickets to see them in concert in October! How freaking awesome is that?! (Trust me: very!)
Now I'm not so down on Amazon anymore (though I have to wonder why they previously bumped the estimated delivery date way out to mid-August like they did!)
And I think I now know what some of the music we'll be listening to on the drive to Chicago next week will be...
Now I'm not so down on Amazon anymore (though I have to wonder why they previously bumped the estimated delivery date way out to mid-August like they did!)
And I think I now know what some of the music we'll be listening to on the drive to Chicago next week will be...
Thursday, August 02, 2007
What I Did Today (August 2nd, 2007 Edition)
A second day ends in which the only dope in my life was me...
I started reviewing my Silver Age Trivia notes from years past today, but didn't get very far. I also read a bunch of newer comics, because I had a backlog two weeks long that was crying out for some attention.
Last night, overnight, I didn't get a lot of sleep, partially because my brain picked that time to start really thinking about the short story I've managed to write so little of so far this week! Much more of the framework occurred to me as I didn't sleep, and serious doubts about my ability to pull it off also surfaced. Both of those, if history counts for anything, are relatively good signs for me and my writing. Go figure!
And the rest of my time was spent surfing the Web, which just seems to get bigger and more wondrous everytime I do so.
I started reviewing my Silver Age Trivia notes from years past today, but didn't get very far. I also read a bunch of newer comics, because I had a backlog two weeks long that was crying out for some attention.
Last night, overnight, I didn't get a lot of sleep, partially because my brain picked that time to start really thinking about the short story I've managed to write so little of so far this week! Much more of the framework occurred to me as I didn't sleep, and serious doubts about my ability to pull it off also surfaced. Both of those, if history counts for anything, are relatively good signs for me and my writing. Go figure!
And the rest of my time was spent surfing the Web, which just seems to get bigger and more wondrous everytime I do so.
I Finally Placed That Smell
This week, at some random point when I was reading some current comics and reflecting aimlessly - both of which I get to do lots of, on vacation, making me wonder why I'd ever go back to work - it finally clicked what the current Civil War/Skrull invasion protracted storyline reminds me of. Well, actually, two precursors occurred to me this week, but one is more significant than the other.
The more trivial parallel came to mind when I started considering what might be coming in the next big Spider-Man event: 4 issues in length, it's called "One More Day", in which, rumour has it, someone close to Spidey is going to die and his personal life is about to change dramatically. It's scheduled to come out in Sept and Oct so we won't have much longer to wait, but to date the lid's been kept fairly tight on it, as far as I'm aware. So I got to wondering.. Marvel Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada has been very public about not liking the fact that Peter and Mary Jane are married in the Marvel Universe, because he feels it's too limiting in terms of what kind of stories can be told about Mr Parker's personal life. He can't have any romances beyond MJ, for example, because who'd root for a Spidey who's stepping out on his old lady? But what could Joe Q do about this situation, since a divorced Peter P would also not be well-received? Well, of course, someone could always kill Mary Jane... And that's possibly what "One More Day" will be, although I have my doubts. For one thing, it's likely easier to knock off old Aunt May, since she's already at death's door (in the current story playing out in the comics), and they killed her off years ago, only to bring her back via some sleight-of-hand involving a phony May being killed or something like that. And no one really knows how to write Aunt May anyway, so is that big a loss? So the smart money's probably on May, not Mary (Jane). But suddenly I thought, "What if it turns out that the MJ Peter married was actually a Skrull?" We know that stuff like that is coming up in the Marvel U so why not use it to get Parker out of his marriage?
Perhaps the biggest single obstacle to employing that resolution, believe it or not, is the fact that Marvel's already used it! Back in the 90s, Johnny Storm inexplicably became involved with, and married, Ben Grimm's blind girlfriend, Alicia Masters, only to have it revealed a year or two later that "Alicia" was a Skrull who'd fallen in love with Johnny after being sent to spy on the FF (or something like that). The marriage was annulled, the real Alicia flew back to Ben's arms, and Johnny was back to banging every chick he met (or so it seemed sometimes). So re-using that device, this time with Peter/MJ, is probably too gauche even for Joe Q. Or maybe not.
The more promising (and likely) revelation that I had related to how the use of Skrulls - as imposters who've been posing as characters we thought we knew - was eerily similar to what is probably the most maligned Spider-Man story of all time: the Spider-Clone Saga, again from the 1990s (a truly dire period in comic history). Attempting to fully recap that folly here would require more time than I care to spend right now, but the short version goes like this:
In the 1970s, one of Peter and Gwen's old university professors turned out to be a master cloner (!), who'd created, and quickly aged to adulthood, clones of Gwen and Peter, only to discover in the process that he'd inadvertantly grown his very own Spider-Man! This tale came about a few years after the real Gwen had been killed by the Green Goblin - pardon me, there's something in my eye - so it made for some interesting scenes in which still-grief-stricken Petey caught glimpses of his lost love in the crowd, but was maddeningly unable to catch up to her before she got away. Eventually he did catch her, and fought a second Spider-Man, and it was all resolved in just a few issues! In the end, the clones were supposedly killed, their bodies incinerated, and life went on (Prof Warren was locked up and no one listened to his crazy ramblings about having cloned Spider-Man).
Fast-forward to the 90s, and an older Peter, in love with Mary Jane (maybe even married by that point, I can't recall) was shocked to be confronted by a duplicate of himself. But that's nothing compared to the sinking feeling he experienced as he was told, and then eventually came to believe, that the man before him was the real Peter Parker, and he was the clone! Egad! The Spider-Man we'd been reading about for two decades was the lousy clone created by Prof Warren way back when - though he didn't know it - and the real Spidey had been off in hiding the whole time (in Marvel time, about a half dozen years or so had passed). Could it be?! Had we really been hoodwinked into thrilling to the adventures of a phony for all those years?
Marvel let this story stand for a shockingly long time (a year? more?), with 'clone-Peter' retiring from the superhero gig and 'real-Peter' taking the name Ben Reilly (to avoid confusion, like that was even a possibility by that point!) and operating as Spidey. Eventually fan reaction - almost universally negative - forced them to 'reveal' that it was all a trick, and the man who'd been in hiding was the actual clone, though he didn't know it. We ultimately got our original back, after a period in which both of them operated, as Spider-Man and the Scarlet Spider. In the decade since, there's been virtually no reference to the Spider-Clone Saga, Ben Reilly or the Scarlet Spider in the comics themselves, but the fans still bring it up scornfully at the drop of a hat (myself included, although I had given up on Spidey around that time and never really returned until JMS started writing it years later).
And yes, that was the Reader's Digest version! There's sadly a whole lot more to it than that, but you get the gist!
Anyway, the upcoming Skrull bruhaha is starting to remind me of the Spider-Clone Saga. Marvel's definitely going for the same "he/she isn't who you thought they were!" shock experience that the Spider-Clone Saga aimed squarely at - and hit! And that's a scary thought, when you consider how that worked out the last time. Could they really be stupid - or ballsy - enough to try a repeat performance? And more importantly, would it go over any better this time?
The more trivial parallel came to mind when I started considering what might be coming in the next big Spider-Man event: 4 issues in length, it's called "One More Day", in which, rumour has it, someone close to Spidey is going to die and his personal life is about to change dramatically. It's scheduled to come out in Sept and Oct so we won't have much longer to wait, but to date the lid's been kept fairly tight on it, as far as I'm aware. So I got to wondering.. Marvel Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada has been very public about not liking the fact that Peter and Mary Jane are married in the Marvel Universe, because he feels it's too limiting in terms of what kind of stories can be told about Mr Parker's personal life. He can't have any romances beyond MJ, for example, because who'd root for a Spidey who's stepping out on his old lady? But what could Joe Q do about this situation, since a divorced Peter P would also not be well-received? Well, of course, someone could always kill Mary Jane... And that's possibly what "One More Day" will be, although I have my doubts. For one thing, it's likely easier to knock off old Aunt May, since she's already at death's door (in the current story playing out in the comics), and they killed her off years ago, only to bring her back via some sleight-of-hand involving a phony May being killed or something like that. And no one really knows how to write Aunt May anyway, so is that big a loss? So the smart money's probably on May, not Mary (Jane). But suddenly I thought, "What if it turns out that the MJ Peter married was actually a Skrull?" We know that stuff like that is coming up in the Marvel U so why not use it to get Parker out of his marriage?
Perhaps the biggest single obstacle to employing that resolution, believe it or not, is the fact that Marvel's already used it! Back in the 90s, Johnny Storm inexplicably became involved with, and married, Ben Grimm's blind girlfriend, Alicia Masters, only to have it revealed a year or two later that "Alicia" was a Skrull who'd fallen in love with Johnny after being sent to spy on the FF (or something like that). The marriage was annulled, the real Alicia flew back to Ben's arms, and Johnny was back to banging every chick he met (or so it seemed sometimes). So re-using that device, this time with Peter/MJ, is probably too gauche even for Joe Q. Or maybe not.
The more promising (and likely) revelation that I had related to how the use of Skrulls - as imposters who've been posing as characters we thought we knew - was eerily similar to what is probably the most maligned Spider-Man story of all time: the Spider-Clone Saga, again from the 1990s (a truly dire period in comic history). Attempting to fully recap that folly here would require more time than I care to spend right now, but the short version goes like this:
In the 1970s, one of Peter and Gwen's old university professors turned out to be a master cloner (!), who'd created, and quickly aged to adulthood, clones of Gwen and Peter, only to discover in the process that he'd inadvertantly grown his very own Spider-Man! This tale came about a few years after the real Gwen had been killed by the Green Goblin - pardon me, there's something in my eye - so it made for some interesting scenes in which still-grief-stricken Petey caught glimpses of his lost love in the crowd, but was maddeningly unable to catch up to her before she got away. Eventually he did catch her, and fought a second Spider-Man, and it was all resolved in just a few issues! In the end, the clones were supposedly killed, their bodies incinerated, and life went on (Prof Warren was locked up and no one listened to his crazy ramblings about having cloned Spider-Man).
Fast-forward to the 90s, and an older Peter, in love with Mary Jane (maybe even married by that point, I can't recall) was shocked to be confronted by a duplicate of himself. But that's nothing compared to the sinking feeling he experienced as he was told, and then eventually came to believe, that the man before him was the real Peter Parker, and he was the clone! Egad! The Spider-Man we'd been reading about for two decades was the lousy clone created by Prof Warren way back when - though he didn't know it - and the real Spidey had been off in hiding the whole time (in Marvel time, about a half dozen years or so had passed). Could it be?! Had we really been hoodwinked into thrilling to the adventures of a phony for all those years?
Marvel let this story stand for a shockingly long time (a year? more?), with 'clone-Peter' retiring from the superhero gig and 'real-Peter' taking the name Ben Reilly (to avoid confusion, like that was even a possibility by that point!) and operating as Spidey. Eventually fan reaction - almost universally negative - forced them to 'reveal' that it was all a trick, and the man who'd been in hiding was the actual clone, though he didn't know it. We ultimately got our original back, after a period in which both of them operated, as Spider-Man and the Scarlet Spider. In the decade since, there's been virtually no reference to the Spider-Clone Saga, Ben Reilly or the Scarlet Spider in the comics themselves, but the fans still bring it up scornfully at the drop of a hat (myself included, although I had given up on Spidey around that time and never really returned until JMS started writing it years later).
And yes, that was the Reader's Digest version! There's sadly a whole lot more to it than that, but you get the gist!
Anyway, the upcoming Skrull bruhaha is starting to remind me of the Spider-Clone Saga. Marvel's definitely going for the same "he/she isn't who you thought they were!" shock experience that the Spider-Clone Saga aimed squarely at - and hit! And that's a scary thought, when you consider how that worked out the last time. Could they really be stupid - or ballsy - enough to try a repeat performance? And more importantly, would it go over any better this time?
It's Admittedly A Niche Market To Have A Corner Of
Vicki pointed out to me a few days ago (and I just tried it again and got the same results she did) that if you do an Internet search of "silver age comic trivia", while you will in fact get about a half million results, right at the top of the list will be one or two links to this very blog! I don't know enough about search engine algorithms to understand if that's a universal result or if previous trips there from our various computers/IP addresses are skewing things in my favour. But if I had to guess, I'd think it's the same result that anyone else would get.
Now, why anyone would be searching for Silver Age comic trivia in the first place (in order to stumble thusly upon my blog, and delight in the fact that there are dozens of past questions for them to try their hands at, as well as a new one coming out each day), is a very good question indeed. But if they were....
Now, why anyone would be searching for Silver Age comic trivia in the first place (in order to stumble thusly upon my blog, and delight in the fact that there are dozens of past questions for them to try their hands at, as well as a new one coming out each day), is a very good question indeed. But if they were....
Silver Age Comic Trivia XXVIII
Name the members of the Metal Men, including their human creator.
Yesterday's Answer: Although they managed only one appearance in the Silver Age (and barely qualified at that), the Lady Liberators still made quite the impression! In Avengers # 83, the Valkyrie (in reality, the villainous Enchantress in disguise) used a pinch of mind control along with a dollop of feminist ideology to get the Wasp, Black Widow, Scarlet Witch and Medusa to gang up on their male counterparts in the Avengers (also known as "Male Chauvinist Pigs", it said on the cover!)
Yesterday's Answer: Although they managed only one appearance in the Silver Age (and barely qualified at that), the Lady Liberators still made quite the impression! In Avengers # 83, the Valkyrie (in reality, the villainous Enchantress in disguise) used a pinch of mind control along with a dollop of feminist ideology to get the Wasp, Black Widow, Scarlet Witch and Medusa to gang up on their male counterparts in the Avengers (also known as "Male Chauvinist Pigs", it said on the cover!)
Wednesday, August 01, 2007
What I Did Today (August 1st, 2007 Edition)
My first day off the percocets and I only feel a little like a recovering junkie!
I managed to limit myself to just one nap today, but still didn't get much done. Tammy and I went out to pick up my new glasses and get this week's comic haul, and of course we all watched Babylon 5: The Lost Tales. And both of the females in the house went swimming this afternoon, which made it officially Bizarro Day for me (them swimming, me not.. it's just not right!)
I've also started to think too much about how soon my vacation will be over. That's not a good thing.
I managed to limit myself to just one nap today, but still didn't get much done. Tammy and I went out to pick up my new glasses and get this week's comic haul, and of course we all watched Babylon 5: The Lost Tales. And both of the females in the house went swimming this afternoon, which made it officially Bizarro Day for me (them swimming, me not.. it's just not right!)
I've also started to think too much about how soon my vacation will be over. That's not a good thing.
Babylon 5: The Lost Is Found
We just finished watching Babylon 5: The Lost Tales and all of its extra features. I'm happy to report that it was several hours very well spent! Here are my thoughts, for the few of you out there who might actually care. (And by the way, Spoilers Lie Ahead, if you plan to watch it but just haven't done so yet!)
I really liked both of the stories included in this debut direct-to-DVD offering. If the quality of the writing and acting are indicative of what's to come, then I truly hope we get many, many more of these in the years to come. Tammy commented that each of the two segments seemed like they could've been pretty good episodes of the original series, which is presumably what writer-director (and B5 creator) Straczynski was going for. And it was definitely a good idea to have the two plots intertwine, as JMS did, since it allows you to enjoy each on its own - and the DVD setup makes it possible to watch each separately - while still presenting a complete seventy-minute experience if watched together. I wonder if all future DVDs in the series will stick to that format, or if they'll experiment?
The Lockley story did something that, to the best of my knowledge, JMS had successfully avoided in over 100 episodes (and half a dozen movies), which was to come pretty damned close to proving the existence of God (and all that goes with that). I kept expecting that it would all turn out to be a Technomage trick, since the alternative - that the character in question really was possessed by a demonic power - seemed outside the normal realm of B5 lore. In fact, had anyone other than JMS written the episode in question, I'd have imagined him pulling out what little hair he has left upon hearing about it. So that made it interesting in a way that I hadn't expected. As I'd read in an early review of this story, there was a noticeable lack of station personnel in some of the shots. It's not that there weren't any personnel; just that B5 didn't feel like the hustling, bustling port of call that we'd come to know and love over five seasons. I suspect that they simply didn't have the budget for it, although I always though extras worked for peanuts (you do have to clothe and, in many cases, add prosthetics to them, however, so...) At any rate, I was pleasantly surprised by how much more I enjoyed Lockley's tale than I'd expected to. I'm still not a big Lockley fan, but this didn't hurt in that regard. Now if only we could get a new Susan Ivanova tale sometime soon...
And there's no doubt that I had been more looking forward to seeing President Sheridan and Galen in action, because I liked both characters more than I ever took to Tracy Scoggins' "Ivanova-replacement" role. Happily, the second half of The Lost Tales also delivered, as it worked really well on nearly all levels! Both Sheridan and Galen were perfectly in character, with layers upon layers of (sometimes hidden) motivations evident in their actions. Galen sets the leader of the Alliance down a certain path, and even appears visibly angered when it's not followed, and yet we're left to wonder if perhaps he got exactly the result that he'd hoped for. Sheridan, for his part, is put in a position where a very difficult decision is being asked of him, and yet he chooses to side-step it by taking on an even greater - and more personal - responsibility in its place. That's a beautifully fitting outcome, especially where Bruce Boxleitner's character is concerned, as we'd been treated to four incredible years of personal growth over the final four seasons of the TV series. Sheridan's compassion here, tinged with a willingness to "do the deed" in the future if there really were no other choice, just adds further luster to an already-great fictional leader.
I really only had two complaints about this movie. The first is that no mention whatsoever was made about the resolution of the storyline that Crusade's cancellation left hanging. I mean, sure, we know Earth survived the Drakh attack (perpetrated in the Babylon 5: A Call To Arms TV movie and then continuing through Crusade's aborted run) thanks to various glimpses of the future provided during Babylon 5's tenure, but some sort of acknowledgment of how that happened would've been good, especially considering the inclusion of two of the principles to that story, John Sheridan and Galen. That felt like a missing piece, to me.
And the "beyond the rim" classification of G'Kar and Dr Franklin, made by Lockley, were certainly touching enough, but struck me immediately as being in contradiction to what we already know about the characters. G'Kar, after all, was supposed to be traveling to parts unknown with uber-telepath Lyta Alexander, so what had happened to that relationship in the 9 years between Season 5 and this story? Are we to believe he returned, dumped Lyta and took on the doctor, and then headed back out once again? Also, we'd seen Dr Franklin leave for an important 'Xenobiology' position on Earth at the end of Season 5, and then in the final Babylon 5 episode, "Sleeping in Light" (which takes place 19 years later, or 10 years after this movie), Franklin is seen visiting Garibaldi on Mars, and refers to his vital work that's underway on Earth. So the continuity cop in me says, "Huh?" Yes, I know both actors have died and won't be in any future B5 tales, but the story's still king, isn't it?
But those are minor quibbles with an overwhelmingly favourable experience. At $20, I felt like our money was extremely well-spent, especially considering that I expect to watch it a few more times over the next few years. And I certainly hope my contribution was a drop in the bucket and that sales leave no doubt about how viable future editions would be. JMS was quoted as saying that the series has earned something like half a billion dollars over its lifetime (while costing under $100 million to produce) so clearly there's a big fan base out there. I know there were at least three of them in our house tonight!
I really liked both of the stories included in this debut direct-to-DVD offering. If the quality of the writing and acting are indicative of what's to come, then I truly hope we get many, many more of these in the years to come. Tammy commented that each of the two segments seemed like they could've been pretty good episodes of the original series, which is presumably what writer-director (and B5 creator) Straczynski was going for. And it was definitely a good idea to have the two plots intertwine, as JMS did, since it allows you to enjoy each on its own - and the DVD setup makes it possible to watch each separately - while still presenting a complete seventy-minute experience if watched together. I wonder if all future DVDs in the series will stick to that format, or if they'll experiment?
The Lockley story did something that, to the best of my knowledge, JMS had successfully avoided in over 100 episodes (and half a dozen movies), which was to come pretty damned close to proving the existence of God (and all that goes with that). I kept expecting that it would all turn out to be a Technomage trick, since the alternative - that the character in question really was possessed by a demonic power - seemed outside the normal realm of B5 lore. In fact, had anyone other than JMS written the episode in question, I'd have imagined him pulling out what little hair he has left upon hearing about it. So that made it interesting in a way that I hadn't expected. As I'd read in an early review of this story, there was a noticeable lack of station personnel in some of the shots. It's not that there weren't any personnel; just that B5 didn't feel like the hustling, bustling port of call that we'd come to know and love over five seasons. I suspect that they simply didn't have the budget for it, although I always though extras worked for peanuts (you do have to clothe and, in many cases, add prosthetics to them, however, so...) At any rate, I was pleasantly surprised by how much more I enjoyed Lockley's tale than I'd expected to. I'm still not a big Lockley fan, but this didn't hurt in that regard. Now if only we could get a new Susan Ivanova tale sometime soon...
And there's no doubt that I had been more looking forward to seeing President Sheridan and Galen in action, because I liked both characters more than I ever took to Tracy Scoggins' "Ivanova-replacement" role. Happily, the second half of The Lost Tales also delivered, as it worked really well on nearly all levels! Both Sheridan and Galen were perfectly in character, with layers upon layers of (sometimes hidden) motivations evident in their actions. Galen sets the leader of the Alliance down a certain path, and even appears visibly angered when it's not followed, and yet we're left to wonder if perhaps he got exactly the result that he'd hoped for. Sheridan, for his part, is put in a position where a very difficult decision is being asked of him, and yet he chooses to side-step it by taking on an even greater - and more personal - responsibility in its place. That's a beautifully fitting outcome, especially where Bruce Boxleitner's character is concerned, as we'd been treated to four incredible years of personal growth over the final four seasons of the TV series. Sheridan's compassion here, tinged with a willingness to "do the deed" in the future if there really were no other choice, just adds further luster to an already-great fictional leader.
I really only had two complaints about this movie. The first is that no mention whatsoever was made about the resolution of the storyline that Crusade's cancellation left hanging. I mean, sure, we know Earth survived the Drakh attack (perpetrated in the Babylon 5: A Call To Arms TV movie and then continuing through Crusade's aborted run) thanks to various glimpses of the future provided during Babylon 5's tenure, but some sort of acknowledgment of how that happened would've been good, especially considering the inclusion of two of the principles to that story, John Sheridan and Galen. That felt like a missing piece, to me.
And the "beyond the rim" classification of G'Kar and Dr Franklin, made by Lockley, were certainly touching enough, but struck me immediately as being in contradiction to what we already know about the characters. G'Kar, after all, was supposed to be traveling to parts unknown with uber-telepath Lyta Alexander, so what had happened to that relationship in the 9 years between Season 5 and this story? Are we to believe he returned, dumped Lyta and took on the doctor, and then headed back out once again? Also, we'd seen Dr Franklin leave for an important 'Xenobiology' position on Earth at the end of Season 5, and then in the final Babylon 5 episode, "Sleeping in Light" (which takes place 19 years later, or 10 years after this movie), Franklin is seen visiting Garibaldi on Mars, and refers to his vital work that's underway on Earth. So the continuity cop in me says, "Huh?" Yes, I know both actors have died and won't be in any future B5 tales, but the story's still king, isn't it?
But those are minor quibbles with an overwhelmingly favourable experience. At $20, I felt like our money was extremely well-spent, especially considering that I expect to watch it a few more times over the next few years. And I certainly hope my contribution was a drop in the bucket and that sales leave no doubt about how viable future editions would be. JMS was quoted as saying that the series has earned something like half a billion dollars over its lifetime (while costing under $100 million to produce) so clearly there's a big fan base out there. I know there were at least three of them in our house tonight!
Good Mail Day
Today's mail brought two packages, containing 3 music CDs, 2 movie DVDs and 1 hardcover book! That's a pretty good haul already, and I haven't even been to the comic store yet!
Out of all those items, I suspect it'll be Babylon5: The Lost Tales that gets cracked open tonight! Tammy's already over for a visit, so the stars have all aligned for the viewing of this first new B5 goodness in years! (The other film purchased was 300, which I was able to get on Blu-Ray for the same price as it would've cost on regular DVD, thus doubling my Blu-Ray movie collection in one fell swoop!)
For the completists out there, the CDs were:
Nothing like the Sun by Sting
The Eraser by Thom Yorke (of Radiohead fame)
Rust Never Sleeps by Neil Young
and the hardcover was Fragile Things by Neil Gaiman. Oodles and oodles of hours of entertainment that all arrived on my doorstep on this day!
Out of all those items, I suspect it'll be Babylon5: The Lost Tales that gets cracked open tonight! Tammy's already over for a visit, so the stars have all aligned for the viewing of this first new B5 goodness in years! (The other film purchased was 300, which I was able to get on Blu-Ray for the same price as it would've cost on regular DVD, thus doubling my Blu-Ray movie collection in one fell swoop!)
For the completists out there, the CDs were:
Nothing like the Sun by Sting
The Eraser by Thom Yorke (of Radiohead fame)
Rust Never Sleeps by Neil Young
and the hardcover was Fragile Things by Neil Gaiman. Oodles and oodles of hours of entertainment that all arrived on my doorstep on this day!
Silver Age Comic Trivia XXVII
Name the members of the Lady Liberators.
Yesterday's Question: Bob Cobb, traveling brush salesman, was the secret identity given to Superboy's friend, Lar Gand, also known as Mon-El. Lar came to Earth suffering from amnesia, but all indications were that he was another survivor from Krypton: he had the same powers as Superboy, his ship contained some Kryptonian artifacts, and he'd been in suspended animation for years (explaining how he could be Superboy's age despite Krypton being destroyed about 15 years earlier). For these reasons, young Kal-El named him "Mon-El", made up of "Mon" to reflect that he'd arrived on Earth on a Monday, and "El" as a way to include him in the House of El. Eventually his memory returned and he recalled that his real name was Lar Gand, and he was actually from the planet Daxam, but had visited Krypton (and met Jor-El) shortly before its destruction. Daxamites, like Kryptonians, gain superpowers under a yellow sun (like ours).
Yesterday's Question: Bob Cobb, traveling brush salesman, was the secret identity given to Superboy's friend, Lar Gand, also known as Mon-El. Lar came to Earth suffering from amnesia, but all indications were that he was another survivor from Krypton: he had the same powers as Superboy, his ship contained some Kryptonian artifacts, and he'd been in suspended animation for years (explaining how he could be Superboy's age despite Krypton being destroyed about 15 years earlier). For these reasons, young Kal-El named him "Mon-El", made up of "Mon" to reflect that he'd arrived on Earth on a Monday, and "El" as a way to include him in the House of El. Eventually his memory returned and he recalled that his real name was Lar Gand, and he was actually from the planet Daxam, but had visited Krypton (and met Jor-El) shortly before its destruction. Daxamites, like Kryptonians, gain superpowers under a yellow sun (like ours).
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