If I were a vidder, I would consider it a moral imperative to make a Doctor Who fanvid to the Belarus entry. Between the song's title and theme, and the original video's many sequences of a man running? It's meant to have a DW fanvid.
A tangential observation: Early in the video I thought "great, Yet Another Damsel In Distress". But when she started playing the violin, for me, that was when she became someone with agency.
A tangential observation: Early in the video I thought "great, Yet Another Damsel In Distress". But when she started playing the violin, for me, that was when she became someone with agency.
further Wagnerian thoughts
Sep. 14th, 2012 10:39 pmLack of sleep has caught up with both spouse and myself, so minimal Ring-watching last night and tonight. However:
1. Siegfried looks way too much like Theoden in the PJ LOTR. And Hagen looks eerily like one of the guys from our folk dance group.
2. Spouse: Okay, I'm confused. How did Brunhilde get the ring?
Castiron: Alberich made it; Wotan took it from Alberich; Wotan was forced to give it to Fasolt; Fafner killed Fasolt and took it from him; Siegfried killed Fafner and took it from him; Siegfried voluntarily gave it to Brunhilde, so Siegfried's Bilbo and Brunhilde's Frodo.
Spouse: Brunhilde's a lot cuter than Frodo.
3. Castiron: It looks like a zombie horse.
Spouse: That would be different.
Castiron: At least it won't mess up the stage.
Spouse: Unless pieces fall off.
Castiron: Do zombie horses eat human brains or horse brains?
4. Castiron: Hey, if Alberich's last name were Daz, then his son would be Hagen Daz!
5. Many imitations of Anna Russell's "She's his aunt, by the way."
Castiron: Ew. She's his aunt on both sides. That's even worse.
Spouse: It's Star Wars! "Siegfried, I *am* your aunt."
----
Not staying up till one to watch till the end, but overall, we've enjoyed the performances enough that I've got the DVD on my wishlist.
1. Siegfried looks way too much like Theoden in the PJ LOTR. And Hagen looks eerily like one of the guys from our folk dance group.
2. Spouse: Okay, I'm confused. How did Brunhilde get the ring?
Castiron: Alberich made it; Wotan took it from Alberich; Wotan was forced to give it to Fasolt; Fafner killed Fasolt and took it from him; Siegfried killed Fafner and took it from him; Siegfried voluntarily gave it to Brunhilde, so Siegfried's Bilbo and Brunhilde's Frodo.
Spouse: Brunhilde's a lot cuter than Frodo.
3. Castiron: It looks like a zombie horse.
Spouse: That would be different.
Castiron: At least it won't mess up the stage.
Spouse: Unless pieces fall off.
Castiron: Do zombie horses eat human brains or horse brains?
4. Castiron: Hey, if Alberich's last name were Daz, then his son would be Hagen Daz!
5. Many imitations of Anna Russell's "She's his aunt, by the way."
Castiron: Ew. She's his aunt on both sides. That's even worse.
Spouse: It's Star Wars! "Siegfried, I *am* your aunt."
----
Not staying up till one to watch till the end, but overall, we've enjoyed the performances enough that I've got the DVD on my wishlist.
and Die Walküre....
Sep. 12th, 2012 11:44 pm(Castiron arrives home from errand.)
Spouse: You haven't missed much; they haven't figured out they're brother and sister yet.
***
Castiron: Ewww. This opera is making me glad that my sons don't have a sister.
***
[Spouse comes back from putting short people to bed.]
Castiron: You've just missed a half hour of Wotan and Fricka arguing. There's one for dangerous jobs -- Marriage Counselor to the Gods.
Spouse: Why does Fricka have Madeline Kahn hair?
Castiron: Oh, like in Young Frankenstein? I think it's just a reflection. [waits for next closeup] No, it's a hair ornament.
Spouse: Why did Mel Brooks never do a takeoff on the Ring?
[later]
Castiron: Yeah, she's figured out that Wotan's been sleeping around a bit. His child support payments must be amazing.
Spouse: Eh, he's a god; he can get away with it. Hey, with the eyepatch, Wotan looks like that hangman that keeps appearing in Mel Brooks movies. [a minute later] It's good to be a god.
[later]
Spouse: Why haven't the Muppets done the Ring?
Castiron: Miss Piggy as Fricka; she wouldn't even have to act.
Spouse: I can't quite see Kermit as Wotan, though.
Castiron: Janice as Brunhilde?
Spouse: "Oh, like, wow, great battle!"
Castiron: Gonzo and Camilla as Siegmund and Sieglinde?
[later]
Castiron: Is it just me, or does Brunhilde look like Maggie Smith?
Spouse: She must not have been very busy.
Castiron: Yeah, she probably just decided that if she was going to sing in a Wagner opera, she'd better do it now before she doesn't have the stamina.
***
[We both take a break; Castiron goes outside for five minutes to take out the rest of the trash and comes back in to discover that the battle scene at the end of act II is half over.]
Castiron: That figures. Forty minutes of expressive singing, and then as soon as I leave the room, the plot happens.
***
Spouse: What are those, the guns on a battleship?
Castiron: Valkyrie seesaws?
***
We quit for the night shortly afterwards, so I have no comments on the magic fire-surrounded rock, which we'll presumably see tomorrow anyway.
I do have to say, though, that Anna Russell's analysis of The Ring of the Nibelungs is an excellent preparation for watching the real thing. Plot synopsis, major leitmotifs, and a recognition that this really is over-the-top stuff.
Spouse: You haven't missed much; they haven't figured out they're brother and sister yet.
***
Castiron: Ewww. This opera is making me glad that my sons don't have a sister.
***
[Spouse comes back from putting short people to bed.]
Castiron: You've just missed a half hour of Wotan and Fricka arguing. There's one for dangerous jobs -- Marriage Counselor to the Gods.
Spouse: Why does Fricka have Madeline Kahn hair?
Castiron: Oh, like in Young Frankenstein? I think it's just a reflection. [waits for next closeup] No, it's a hair ornament.
Spouse: Why did Mel Brooks never do a takeoff on the Ring?
[later]
Castiron: Yeah, she's figured out that Wotan's been sleeping around a bit. His child support payments must be amazing.
Spouse: Eh, he's a god; he can get away with it. Hey, with the eyepatch, Wotan looks like that hangman that keeps appearing in Mel Brooks movies. [a minute later] It's good to be a god.
[later]
Spouse: Why haven't the Muppets done the Ring?
Castiron: Miss Piggy as Fricka; she wouldn't even have to act.
Spouse: I can't quite see Kermit as Wotan, though.
Castiron: Janice as Brunhilde?
Spouse: "Oh, like, wow, great battle!"
Castiron: Gonzo and Camilla as Siegmund and Sieglinde?
[later]
Castiron: Is it just me, or does Brunhilde look like Maggie Smith?
Spouse: She must not have been very busy.
Castiron: Yeah, she probably just decided that if she was going to sing in a Wagner opera, she'd better do it now before she doesn't have the stamina.
***
[We both take a break; Castiron goes outside for five minutes to take out the rest of the trash and comes back in to discover that the battle scene at the end of act II is half over.]
Castiron: That figures. Forty minutes of expressive singing, and then as soon as I leave the room, the plot happens.
***
Spouse: What are those, the guns on a battleship?
Castiron: Valkyrie seesaws?
***
We quit for the night shortly afterwards, so I have no comments on the magic fire-surrounded rock, which we'll presumably see tomorrow anyway.
I do have to say, though, that Anna Russell's analysis of The Ring of the Nibelungs is an excellent preparation for watching the real thing. Plot synopsis, major leitmotifs, and a recognition that this really is over-the-top stuff.
[insert random commentary on the Rhinemaidens' costumes, though actually they do a darn good job singing while suspended]
Spouse: What kind of costume is Alberich supposed to be wearing?
Castiron: Maybe he's an extra from The Hobbit.
[On better look, he's clearly an extra from the pay-per-view edition of The Hobbit.]
***
Spouse: Hey, Alberich looks like Lister from Red Dwarf.
[later]
Spouse: It's glam-rock Wotan! Hey, Wotan looks like Meatloaf.
Castiron: Rocky Horror Ring Cycle?
***
Castiron: Oh, that's why they did that thing with Wotan's hairstyle; it's to show that he's one-eyed.
Spouse: What, they couldn't temporarily surgically remove the singer's eye for the duration of the show? There's no dedication to art anymore.
***
[large chunk of opera missed due to older son arriving home, but it's nice background music]
***
Spouse: My, the costume designers were really inspired by American pop culture; I swear that I've seen the guy playing Loge on Saturday Night Live.
[later]
Spouse: Oh, now I recognize him! It's Eraserhead!
Castiron: What, like the David Lynch movie?
Spouse: Yeah! And didn't John Lithgow once play a creepy role where he had that hairstyle?
Castiron: ....
***
Overall, good enough that we'll likely watch the next three nights (and I'll likely buy the DVD if one is released); I'm hoping the Ride of the Valkyries occurs when younger son is still awake, as he recognizes the music from The Blues Brothers.
Tangentially, someone *has* to have written a Thor fanfic where Thor and Loki watch the Ring Cycle and Loki snarks the inaccuracies.
Spouse: What kind of costume is Alberich supposed to be wearing?
Castiron: Maybe he's an extra from The Hobbit.
[On better look, he's clearly an extra from the pay-per-view edition of The Hobbit.]
***
Spouse: Hey, Alberich looks like Lister from Red Dwarf.
[later]
Spouse: It's glam-rock Wotan! Hey, Wotan looks like Meatloaf.
Castiron: Rocky Horror Ring Cycle?
***
Castiron: Oh, that's why they did that thing with Wotan's hairstyle; it's to show that he's one-eyed.
Spouse: What, they couldn't temporarily surgically remove the singer's eye for the duration of the show? There's no dedication to art anymore.
***
[large chunk of opera missed due to older son arriving home, but it's nice background music]
***
Spouse: My, the costume designers were really inspired by American pop culture; I swear that I've seen the guy playing Loge on Saturday Night Live.
[later]
Spouse: Oh, now I recognize him! It's Eraserhead!
Castiron: What, like the David Lynch movie?
Spouse: Yeah! And didn't John Lithgow once play a creepy role where he had that hairstyle?
Castiron: ....
***
Overall, good enough that we'll likely watch the next three nights (and I'll likely buy the DVD if one is released); I'm hoping the Ride of the Valkyries occurs when younger son is still awake, as he recognizes the music from The Blues Brothers.
Tangentially, someone *has* to have written a Thor fanfic where Thor and Loki watch the Ring Cycle and Loki snarks the inaccuracies.
Spouse: Why hasn't Elmo ever played the Phantom?
Castiron: That's a very good question.
Spouse: He'd have to do it with Denyse Graves as Christine.
Castiron: And Telly as Raoul, and then the Phantom and Raoul can argue, and Christine can suggest that they cooperate!
***
(on television, someone sings "Christine!")
Spouse (the auto mechanic): That just makes me think of an entirely different movie.
Castiron: It'd be a great car for the Phantom to drive.
(later)
Castiron: Hey, isn't there a car called the Phantom? [Googles] Yeah, the Rolls Royce Phantom. That's what the world needs; a possessed Rolls Royce Phantom named Christine.
Spouse: Now, *there's* a crossover.
***
Spouse: You know what would really be great? If Freddy Mercury were playing the Phantom.
Castiron: That's a justification for building time machines right there.
***
Yes, it's beg week on PBS again. (Still. Pretty soon the non-beg week will be the novel and unusual thing.)
ETA: Come on, makeup artists, can't you make a Phantom with a genuinely disturbing face? A few burn ridges? Sheesh. [ETA2: Okay, it's a bit worse at the end, but still, not that disturbing.] I've seen people with more severe facial disfigurements in the grocery store or in the park, and *they* certainly aren't horrifying. Use some flipping imagination!
Castiron: That's a very good question.
Spouse: He'd have to do it with Denyse Graves as Christine.
Castiron: And Telly as Raoul, and then the Phantom and Raoul can argue, and Christine can suggest that they cooperate!
***
(on television, someone sings "Christine!")
Spouse (the auto mechanic): That just makes me think of an entirely different movie.
Castiron: It'd be a great car for the Phantom to drive.
(later)
Castiron: Hey, isn't there a car called the Phantom? [Googles] Yeah, the Rolls Royce Phantom. That's what the world needs; a possessed Rolls Royce Phantom named Christine.
Spouse: Now, *there's* a crossover.
***
Spouse: You know what would really be great? If Freddy Mercury were playing the Phantom.
Castiron: That's a justification for building time machines right there.
***
Yes, it's beg week on PBS again. (Still. Pretty soon the non-beg week will be the novel and unusual thing.)
ETA: Come on, makeup artists, can't you make a Phantom with a genuinely disturbing face? A few burn ridges? Sheesh. [ETA2: Okay, it's a bit worse at the end, but still, not that disturbing.] I've seen people with more severe facial disfigurements in the grocery store or in the park, and *they* certainly aren't horrifying. Use some flipping imagination!
Dear Bayerische Staatsoper:
When I've read summaries of the opera Eugen Onegin, I don't recall there being a male stripper segment. That said, thanks for the livestream, and the singing is lovely.
Sincerely,
someone who is beginning to think that the people who stage operas have weirder brains than mine
When I've read summaries of the opera Eugen Onegin, I don't recall there being a male stripper segment. That said, thanks for the livestream, and the singing is lovely.
Sincerely,
someone who is beginning to think that the people who stage operas have weirder brains than mine
random M songs
Jan. 22nd, 2012 07:52 pm1. "Molly Ban": a folksong that can be summarized as "practice gun safety". (Version I'm listening to is Pauline Scanlon, Red Colour Sun.)
2. "Mally Leigh": in its rendition by Connie Dover on If Ever I Return, the happiest and most chipper song I've heard in ages
3. "Mamma Mia": what older son is singing for some unknown reason. (It's interesting what he picks up -- he won't show any sign of interest in a song at the time, but a few days or weeks later it'll pop up.)
4. "Marusya Bohuslavka": song performed by The Ukranians that's currently making me go "where the heck did I put the CD? I need the lyrics!" (This is the only issue I have with buying songs on MP3. I don't notice the lower sound quality on anything except classical; I back them up in enough places that I'm not worried about losing them. But I want to sing something resembling the correct words when I sing along. It's enough of a challenge in English -- my mondegreens, let me show you them -- but in a language I don't speak, I really need something written out. Why don't MP3 albums come with a lyrics sheet?)
2. "Mally Leigh": in its rendition by Connie Dover on If Ever I Return, the happiest and most chipper song I've heard in ages
3. "Mamma Mia": what older son is singing for some unknown reason. (It's interesting what he picks up -- he won't show any sign of interest in a song at the time, but a few days or weeks later it'll pop up.)
4. "Marusya Bohuslavka": song performed by The Ukranians that's currently making me go "where the heck did I put the CD? I need the lyrics!" (This is the only issue I have with buying songs on MP3. I don't notice the lower sound quality on anything except classical; I back them up in enough places that I'm not worried about losing them. But I want to sing something resembling the correct words when I sing along. It's enough of a challenge in English -- my mondegreens, let me show you them -- but in a language I don't speak, I really need something written out. Why don't MP3 albums come with a lyrics sheet?)
The mp3 player meme
Nov. 15th, 2011 10:10 pmVia ![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
oursin and heleninwales:
Instructions
1. Open up your music player. Hit shuffle.
2. Record the first few lines of the first 20 songs that come up that do not give away the name of the song. Skip instrumentals, but don't skip the embarrassing ones.
3. Make hapless LJ (or DW) denizens guess the song names and artists. Google is cheating. For musical songs, the name of the musical is acceptable in place of the artist.
4. Least hapless LJ (or DW) denizen wins admiration.
(My modifications: I'm including the non-English-language ones I have lyrics for as extra bonus entries. I'm tempted to skip duplicate artists -- like any proper random selection, certain musicians are over-represented -- but am leaving that as-is.)
( alas, Kansas's Play the Game Tonight wasn't in the top 20, because that would have been appropriate )
oursin and heleninwales:Instructions
1. Open up your music player. Hit shuffle.
2. Record the first few lines of the first 20 songs that come up that do not give away the name of the song. Skip instrumentals, but don't skip the embarrassing ones.
3. Make hapless LJ (or DW) denizens guess the song names and artists. Google is cheating. For musical songs, the name of the musical is acceptable in place of the artist.
4. Least hapless LJ (or DW) denizen wins admiration.
(My modifications: I'm including the non-English-language ones I have lyrics for as extra bonus entries. I'm tempted to skip duplicate artists -- like any proper random selection, certain musicians are over-represented -- but am leaving that as-is.)
( alas, Kansas's Play the Game Tonight wasn't in the top 20, because that would have been appropriate )
apropos music
Oct. 26th, 2011 09:45 pmDriving home this evening, I was on a two-lane no-passing road, stuck behind one of these people who's going 10 mph below the speed limit for no apparent reason. As I was alone in the car, cue my usual round of "hey, bozo! it's called an ACCELERATOR! read the speed limit signs, damn it!"
And what then pops up on the iPod? Great Big Sea's "Fast as I Can." "I'm going fast as I can; please don't make me rush...."
That amused me enough to make the remainder of the time bearable.
(Also, my lower register has expanded enough in the past year or so that I can sing along with most GBS songs now in an appropriate octave! Yay!)
And what then pops up on the iPod? Great Big Sea's "Fast as I Can." "I'm going fast as I can; please don't make me rush...."
That amused me enough to make the remainder of the time bearable.
(Also, my lower register has expanded enough in the past year or so that I can sing along with most GBS songs now in an appropriate octave! Yay!)
