Some kind soul put the full album of The Gouster--commercially available only as part of the Who Can I Be Now? (1974 - 1976) set, which is quite pricey: MP3 $61.49, Audio CD $113.29, Vinyl $249.98--up on the You Tub, and I've just given it my first listen. And it was quite thrilling, of course, but I have to say that I'm glad that I didn't part with big bucks to hear it, as there wasn't much here that I didn't already have. By the numbers:
1. John I'm Only Dancing (Again)--I've got this as a single and on at least one greatest hits compilation. Maybe somewhere else, too.
2. Somebody Up There Likes Me--sounded like the Young Americans album version to me.
3. It's Gonna Be Me--got this on the RykoDisc version of Young Americans.
4. Who Can I Be Now--got this on the RykoDisc version of Young Americans, too.
5. Can You Hear Me--this was a different version, and it was nice to hear it, but it's not that different, you know?
6. Young Americans--if this was a different version, then I didn't hear the difference.
7. Right--again, a little bit different, but not that much.
So so far as I can tell, the only "new" stuff you get here are slightly different versions of two of the songs.
So if you were thinking about putting down the big money, you might want to do a re-think. There are better ways to show your love for Bowie than by enriching Parlophone UK, ya know?
Friday, September 30, 2016
Wednesday, September 28, 2016
Must See TV
"In this world no one can be different or strange or damaged. They'll lock you up."
River
Episode 2
written by Abi Morgan
"We trust to our peril... but to not is to be alone... and then... Oh, the silence."
River
Episode 3
written by Abi Morgan
" . . . the person to fear the most is the one to whom you gave all your trust."
River
Episode 4
written by Abi Morgan
"We trust to our peril... but to not is to be alone... and then... Oh, the silence."
River
Episode 3
written by Abi Morgan
" . . . the person to fear the most is the one to whom you gave all your trust."
River
Episode 4
written by Abi Morgan
Tuesday, August 2, 2016
Again, Harry Potter
And, according to J. K. Rowling, The Last Harry Potter. Which is really a shame, because 100 pages into it . . . and, well, it's shit, isn't it?
I'm glad that this book brought droves of people into bookstores. I'm glad that people are buying this book and reading it. I don't understand why it's getting rave reviews, though.
First off, the play format is a bit off-putting . . . especially when you realize (and it doesn't take long) that it isn't really a play. For at least two reasons. First, things are described as happening that can't happen onstage--or can only be done with some very sophisticated and obtrusive technology. Such as characters drinking potions and transforming into other characters. Such as characters climbing out of the window of a moving train. Such as characters being eaten by bookcases. Second, the scenes are very short. Many of them . . . I'd say most, but I'm only one-third of the way through at this point (still, if I were a betting man . . . ) . . . two to five pages long. And the location changes from one scene to the next. The only way to do that onstage would be to have a bare stage . . . but that's not what's described in the narration. I'd also add that a play is primarily driven by dialogue, and short scenes do not lend themselves to well-developed dialogue. Which is definitely the case here, as a lot of what the characters have to say to each other is shit.
I will finish reading this book, and I'll gladly read it to Jacqueline (who has already told me several times, "I'm taking this book to my room!") and Joe, together or separately (probably separately) . . . and who knows, maybe I will have a huge turnaround and be sorry that I knee-jerked this thing 1/3rd of the way through. But right now I'm just kind of pissed off and sad. Pissed off because I don't see any reason for this book to exist other than as a money grab. And J. K. and company have all the money they will ever need. Sad because I loved Harry Potter . . . and I don't like to see him fucked over.
Sigh.
ADDENDUM: I finished reading this morning (Wednesday, 8/13/16) and my opinion of the book hasn't changed. In fact, I think even less of the thing now for several reasons. A small one (but it still counts in my book) is that there were several typos in the book. Which always means sloppiness. Second, there's a phrase which is repeated quite a few times in the book, and it really irritated the living shit out of me. It is also a phrase which tries (and fails) to be clever. Third, in the credit lists after the play there are listings for such things as magical effects, flying effects, and SFX. And when I saw that and thought back on the play, I realized that if they could do even a portion of the things that were described in the action--I'm pretty sure that they couldn't do everything, no matter how many special effects they brought onto the stage area . . . I mean, going underwater into a lake?--that there would be some pretty spectacular moments in the play. And spectacular visual, auditory, and (at least as a by-product) olfactory moments in a stupid, lifeless story equals . . . everything that is wrong with Hollywood, really.
But enough. It's just a shame that J. K. Rowling allowed this to happen. If I could get my hands on a Time-Turner, I'd go back a day and a half and chose not to read this book. I'd still read it to Jacqueline and / or Joe if they wanted me to do so, but at least then I'd be reading for the first time with at least one of them, and I wouldn't already know that it was going to suck.
I'm glad that this book brought droves of people into bookstores. I'm glad that people are buying this book and reading it. I don't understand why it's getting rave reviews, though.
First off, the play format is a bit off-putting . . . especially when you realize (and it doesn't take long) that it isn't really a play. For at least two reasons. First, things are described as happening that can't happen onstage--or can only be done with some very sophisticated and obtrusive technology. Such as characters drinking potions and transforming into other characters. Such as characters climbing out of the window of a moving train. Such as characters being eaten by bookcases. Second, the scenes are very short. Many of them . . . I'd say most, but I'm only one-third of the way through at this point (still, if I were a betting man . . . ) . . . two to five pages long. And the location changes from one scene to the next. The only way to do that onstage would be to have a bare stage . . . but that's not what's described in the narration. I'd also add that a play is primarily driven by dialogue, and short scenes do not lend themselves to well-developed dialogue. Which is definitely the case here, as a lot of what the characters have to say to each other is shit.
I will finish reading this book, and I'll gladly read it to Jacqueline (who has already told me several times, "I'm taking this book to my room!") and Joe, together or separately (probably separately) . . . and who knows, maybe I will have a huge turnaround and be sorry that I knee-jerked this thing 1/3rd of the way through. But right now I'm just kind of pissed off and sad. Pissed off because I don't see any reason for this book to exist other than as a money grab. And J. K. and company have all the money they will ever need. Sad because I loved Harry Potter . . . and I don't like to see him fucked over.
Sigh.
ADDENDUM: I finished reading this morning (Wednesday, 8/13/16) and my opinion of the book hasn't changed. In fact, I think even less of the thing now for several reasons. A small one (but it still counts in my book) is that there were several typos in the book. Which always means sloppiness. Second, there's a phrase which is repeated quite a few times in the book, and it really irritated the living shit out of me. It is also a phrase which tries (and fails) to be clever. Third, in the credit lists after the play there are listings for such things as magical effects, flying effects, and SFX. And when I saw that and thought back on the play, I realized that if they could do even a portion of the things that were described in the action--I'm pretty sure that they couldn't do everything, no matter how many special effects they brought onto the stage area . . . I mean, going underwater into a lake?--that there would be some pretty spectacular moments in the play. And spectacular visual, auditory, and (at least as a by-product) olfactory moments in a stupid, lifeless story equals . . . everything that is wrong with Hollywood, really.
But enough. It's just a shame that J. K. Rowling allowed this to happen. If I could get my hands on a Time-Turner, I'd go back a day and a half and chose not to read this book. I'd still read it to Jacqueline and / or Joe if they wanted me to do so, but at least then I'd be reading for the first time with at least one of them, and I wouldn't already know that it was going to suck.
Monday, August 1, 2016
Old Testament Coincidence . . . or Something Else?
Jacqueline and I started reading the Orthodox Study Bible some time ago . . . a year or more . . . maybe even two years ago . . . and we've been reading one page per night every night she's with me, which is four nights per week.
We read from other books, too. We've been reading Les Miserables
for a couple of years . . . three or four pages a night when she's with me . . . and we're currently on page 830 or so.
But just recently she wanted me to start reading from a third book, so we've been reading two or three pages from the Great Illustrated Classics Bible for the past month or so.
We always read the books in the same order: Orthodox Bible, Great Illustrated Classics Bible, and then Les Miserables.
So tonight in the Orthodox Bible we read about Solomon asking God to give him wisdom. And then when I opened the Great Illustrated Classics Bible we read . . . about Solomon asking God to give him wisdom.
Now think about the odds on that coincidence. So many random elements had to come together for that to happen.
Yep.
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