Tinhuviel Artanis

This is the second video I've made for Barry's acoustic solo version of "God's Gardenias." I was in the process of redoing parts of the original, per BA, after taking it down from You Tube, when my computer was murdered. Everything was lost, so I had to start from scratch. I followed the path B wanted taken with the song, so here's hoping it measures up. I'm probably going to do "Down the Pyramids" next. It's a quirky song, pretty much comprised of piano abuse. You'll understand when you hear. In the meantime, have some Pretty.

To my knowledge, these lyrics were only ever available on the Shriekback Digital Conspiracy mailing list as one of the Songs of the Week.  The lyric transcription was made for the post, then was corrected by the band to provide accuracy.

Feel free to sing along!

NERVE by Shriekbackxml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /

Bassline has no point of view
Impatient
Waiting for a statement
Faith don’t come so easily
This proves nothing
Only bursting bubbles
Legs open, eyes crossed
Pressing on the nerve
We all like that
We all like that

Arafat got such evil eyes
cased in armour
Twenty thousand bodyguards
Only trust the devil I know
Drawing circles
Gonna call him up now
head line, heart line
Pressing on the nerve
We all like that
We all like that

Pumping, Gushing, Running, Hiding
Pull tighter
Pull tighter
played on one string
fire is inside
Expressed in Molotovs
Click, flash, no pictures
Make mine Kalashnikov
Compound fracture
Pressing on the nerve
We all like that
We all like that

I started this project in January, teaching myself how to make movies in order to bring this music to everyone. You can see the progression of how I grew from being a complete movie-making moron to being a mere idiot. I'm kind of proud of my dumbass self.

Here's the final song, all thanks to Khanada Taylor and Barry Andrews! And the lyrics gave me the opportunity to feed my Great Mortality fascination. Morbid? Yes. Groovy? I think so.



And here's the full playlist. Actually there's a fourteenth song, but B won't share it with me because his Virgo nature finds it unfit for consumption, even private consumption. How about that?



Hope you enjoy these, and please spread the love! These songs deserve to be heard.

Made for Bruce McRae and Carlo Asciutti, who comprise Thee Caretakers. Their music is made of Pure Awesome. Just sayin'.

My favourite Billy Joel song of all time. From the Glass Houses album. Don't know why I thought about it tonight. There's something about this song that is timeless, something that is touching me particularly at this moment. I cannot place my finger on it. Whatever it is, it's the perfect excuse to find it on my iTunes and listen to it again, and to share it here. Because it needs sharing.

These are included in the Vimeo album I just posted the link to, so I'm not gonna rehash myself and post the individual links. I'll start doing that with Lesson #58. Hope these tickle your funny bone and, if you dig The Roth the way I do, flips your pancake.



( More Rothage Behind the Cut )

This isn't always the way it happens, but this is one good example.

Earlier today while I was coming home from dropping off Diane after she'd helped me empty the ION of all my personal belongings, Froderick played "Now We Are Free" by Hans Zimmer and Lisa Gerrard. This was one of the songs I listened to almost constantly when I was writing "The Sainted Confessor." Actually, the three driving songs during that dark period were this one, DMB's "Lying in the Hands of God," and "Veridis Quo" by Daft Punk. Well, honourable mention has to go to Cyndi Lauper's "True Colours" and "Sister Rosetta Goes Before Us" by Robert Plant and Alison Krauss. But I digress.

One night while I was writing on Sainted, working on The Joker Blogs site, and chatting with Megs and gunslingaaahhh, I figured I would pop on to You Tube and see if I could find a decent video that used "Now We Are Free" to share with the girls. If memory serves, they one or both of them weren't entirely sure what song I was talking about, and I needed for them to be with me on what I was "seeing" with my ears since they were both being my psychotherapists for while I wrote Sainted. Yeah, it was that disturbing for me, especially since the character Cadmus was ripping up every night had been anchored to someone I actually knew and called friend. Anyway, I was trawling through You Tube, searching under the song title and came across this video (yes, I favourited it then, that's why I could so easily find it now).



Seeing James McAvoy's face accompanied with that music instantaneously solidified the mortal side of Faust and fleshed him out as Kallum McCreary. And it did something never before done in my world, having given essentially one character two different anchors. Even though Scott anchored to the Vampiric Faust, and James McAvoy anchored to the mortal Kallum, they are essentially anchoring aspects of the same character.

But that's how it happens, more often than not, the anchoring of a character. It's an accident and it's almost always an irreversible instance.

I used to listen to a show called The Thistle and Shamrock on NPR from the mid-80s on through to the late 90s, when the local station stopped carrying the show. Every week, Fiona Ritchie would offer up the most wonderful music from the Celtic world, and I was so in love with it all. It was this show that introduced me to Dougie MacLean, Talitha MacKenzie, Loreena McKennitt, Capercaillie, Silly Wizard, and I could go on and on.

When I became involved in the local Celtic music community, I was pointed in the direction of Horizon Records, which carried the biggest collection of Celtic Folk CDs in the area. I was able to find Dougie, Loreena, Talitha, and all the others who had become an integral part of my life. But there was one artist I never could find, and the guys at Horizon could not order, 'cos they'd never heard of her and she did not show up in their database.

Her name was Janet Russell, and she was a Scottish Traditional performer.

I had come to believe that I had gotten her name wrong and I would never be able to find her music. This grieved me no end, because Ms. Russell transformed my outlook on Celtic Folk and gave me hope that I might someday be able to sing in that way. She did this with just two songs, the two Fiona Ritchie showcased on T&S one weekend. I was lucky enough to be taping this particular show, which also featured Dougie MacLean's 'Over My Mountain' (which I made a video for because the song can't be readily found anywhere, if you don't know where to look. Even the band I used to manage, Kilmoulis, had never heard of this song, and they knew a great deal about Dougie). Listen to it and immerse yourself in its glory.



This show also introduced me to Scottish Mouth Music by way of Talitha MacKenzie and Martin Swann. But I digress.

Fiona played two songs by Janet Russell; 'Old Woman Is Watching' (aka 'Weave and Mend') and 'Band o'Shearers.' I was gobsmacked and utterly enthralled. I played that tape over and over again, learning every word of the lyrics and emulating the accent to the best of my abilities. A decade later, I began singing the songs, particularly 'Old Woman Is Watching,' at the local UU church when one of our coven elders, Lady Neith, would do the lay-led service for one of the Sabbats. 'Old Woman Is Watching' was the song I sang for my professional singer grandmother. It was also one of the songs I sang for falkenna when I was in England. Of course, I'd sing the songs a capella and came nowhere near the absolute glory of Janet Russell's musical prowess, but I did my best and I began to cherish that tape with every passing year. Cassette tape isn't known for its durability or longevity, so I was really scared that I would lose this music before I could find a proper Janet Russell album. When I could, I would make copies of the tape, and copies of those copies. Eventually, the sound became so hissy, it was pretty hopeless that I would be able to preserve it in any viable way.

Over time, the copies and copied copies broke or disappeared, and the original tape also broke. And I had resigned myself to the belief that I would never hear these songs again, nor would I be able to find any Janet Russell music at all. Goddess knows, I had tried. I even wrote to Fiona Ritchie in the hope she could help me retrieve this music or point me in the direction of a place where I could find it. But she did not remember the songs and even inquired about whether or not I had the name of the artist right.

But all that changed today. I was looking for the lyrics to 'Band o'Shearers' because I wanted to be sure I was singing parts of the song correctly. It is sung in Scottish slang, so it's a tad garbled in areas, not that I am complaining...the Scots can do no wrong (except to kill Archibald Cunningham). Imagine my utter surprise when I saw the name Janet Russell! So I began a frantic search to see if I could find the album this song was on.

I found it. I FOUND IT!!! After 26 years, I found Janet Russell and the album on which both 'Band o'Shearers' and 'Old Woman Is Watching' are featured. And I can order it. And I am going to order it. And I am going to cherish it and keep it safe for as long as I am alive and still relatively sane.

And I'm making You Tube videos for at least these two songs, so other people can hear them, and be as in awe of Ms. Russell as I have been all these long years.

Honestly, I almost cried when I found the album a few hours ago. Hell, I'm near tears writing about it now. I only wish Aunt Tudi were here to share this monumental moment with me. She was perhaps the only one who knew how marrow-deep important this was to me. It'll probably be next month before I am able to order the album, but I will beg, borrow, or steal to get the fundage before I let this opportunity pass me by. It's just too important to my existence for that to happen. That may sound extreme, but music is the single most beloved thing in my life, and songs like the one Janet Russell recorded have been instrumental in the creation of the person I am today.

Finally, I will be able to play these songs for Lady Neith, and Davis & Kathleen (2/3 of Kilmoulis), and anyone else who is curious about them, or knows anything about me and realise how intrinsic Janet Russell's music has been to my life.

I'm not sure if I've sufficiently conveyed the profound importance finding this album is, but I cannot stress enough how wondrous this day has been, simply because I did a search for lyrics. This...THIS is why I adore the Internet. I don't care what anyone says, the Internet is more than a technology habit or a minor diversion for millions. It is a miracle. An absolute miracle.

Okay, I am off to attempt not weeping with complete joy. It's unbecoming. Ha Ha!

Hard to believe there are fifty of these now. That is just absurd.



( more madness found here )

And, with that, I'm gonna give the Tutorials a rest, at least until I collect more footage. I'm sure this could go on forever, as long as Tim Roth continues to kick ass and take names.

If there's anything I could do to persuade Barry Andrews to cover this song, just tell me what it is, and I will do it.



Just picture it (auditorially, that is): whisper-growl interlacing with ineffable funk bass. It could be so Vast and Dangerous. Despite my faith in such an unholy marriage, B refuses to walk down that road.

And that's a damned shame.

When I first saw this movie, this scene and Jeffrey Jones' "Drahkoola" scene almost made me wet my pants. There are probably only a wee handful of people who remember this flick, and even fewer people who found it funny. But I thought it was stupidly hilarious, and I still quote the Gypsy woman when I get the urge to, you know, actually sleep. If I can find the "Drahkoola" scene, I'll be uploading that to You Tube as well, so be warned.

Earlier today, I heard a snippet of music that just set my skin on fire. It turned out to be 'Lux Aeterna' by Clint Mansell. I went looking for it, found it, downloaded it, and have pretty much been listening to it nonstop for the past 2.5 hours. It has been a major driving force the the Waltham Phantom narrative, allowing Cadmus to be as emotionally cruel as he possibly can be to wee Flint. I've been basking in the glory and wishing there were some way to just euthanise the younger Vampire and be done with the Flint arc.

Then... a few minutes ago on Tumblr, I was sent the link to this video on You Tube, seeing as how my Tumblr is You Tube oriented. It's 'Lux Aeterna.' I am not fucking amused by this. God is just ramping up the abuse, I swear.



Did I mention, not fucking amused? Just wanted to make sure I got that in there.

GAH

God help us all. Here, I get my rant on about my hairdresser, to the heavenly strains of Electronic ("Feel the Beat") and Shriekback ("Despite Dense Weed"). Damn you iPod shuffle! Damn you all to hell!

Really, I don't think I've had so much fun making a video. And this one was pretty complex to make, getting some of the beats right within a scene, not just switching from one scene to the next. Any Liam Neeson lovers out there may well be pissed off by this video, but I DON'T CARE. I love Liam Neeson, but this one is for the Bad Guys, so screw any of you who can't take a joke. HAHAHA!

Whilst doing a search for an obscure Tim Roth performance on a British show called 'The South Bank Show,' I came across a five-part doco about Clive Barker from the same show. Funny, that, considering Barker and Roth could have been separated at birth. But that got me to thinking about how much Clive Barker has infiltrated my life.

In the 80s, of course, along with a host of others from my generation, I went to see the horror movie Hellraiser, and was utterly transformed into this soul who could no longer see the world in exactly the same way. Clive Barker had shown me that, for lack of a better phrase I'm going to steal from Shriekback's 'Exquisite,' "beauty can be terrifying, and there is nothing straightforward about pleasure." I had always been a diehard Stephen King acolyte, but that was no longer enough for me. It was heartening to hear Stephen King give his blessing to Barker, as it seemed to give me permission to wholly love this man.

But it was years before I actually read any of Barker's work. The reason for this was, his books were not available in our local libraries (that has since changed), and I could not afford to buy any of them. That changed when I began working and I soon began buying as many Barker books as I could find in the bookshop. The first book I read by Clive Barker, The Damnation Game, I read in 1990, at almost exactly the same time I began voraciously listening to Shriekback. The following books were all read to an almost exclusive Shriekback soundtrack:

• The Damnation Game


• The Hellbound Heart


• Weaveworld


• Cabal


• Imajica

A decade later, that connection was made quite apparent when the group that helped bring to life the Shriekback Digital Conspiracy decided we needed a collective name by which Shriekback fans who came across the site could call us. We wanted a more obscure name for the word 'group,' and we wanted something that would align us with reptiles. It fell to me to create the title and, drawing from Clive Barker and our collective sense of conspiracies and how they connected to Shriekback, I suggested the name of Cabal Iguana. The others dug it and Derk, who was my partner in crime in all this, us being the two founding members, well...he adored it. So it stuck.

Imagine my sense of hilarity being twisted almost to breaking point when booraven22 and morriganwind dubbed our writers' group The Writers' Cabal, of which we three comprised the Vampire Division. I still have our tee-shirt, which I often wear with pride. The fact that my place in the Cabal was assured simply because of my stories, which found themselves insanely driven by Shriekback's music, made me cackle with a sense of absurdity. And one of Barry's friends, who is a writer in his own right, is a member of our Writers' Cabal on Facebook. My, how things do cycle 'round in an endless sort of madness. At least in my little world.

Then, there's the Illuminati's music, which I'm trying to finally bring to the world almost 24 years after it was all recorded. One song, "Gods in Exile," brought visions of Clive's worlds to my mind. So I began a search for his artwork online and began to collect pictures. This was the result.



The picture that's shown when Adrienne Loehry screams out 'GODS IN EXILE!' is Clive Barker's own vision of Pinhead, who was never called Pinhead in The Hellbound Heart and was actually envisioned to be more female than male when first written by Clive. Of course, once his childhood friend Doug Bradley took on the role in Hellraiser, everything was changed forever, but most satisfyingly so, IMHO.

I just find that particular Illuminati video to be a marker of sorts in the continuing cycle that links Shriekback, and particularly Barry Andrews, to Clive Barker and his work. It all melded so perfectly, especially for anyone who may have read Imajica and knows the myths about the Dominions and how the fifth one was banished in a way from the other four, and how the gods were all scattered by Hapexamendios.

And, ooooh, I could go on and on about Imajica, but I won't here.

Anyway, I sent Clive the link to the video, so he would know how his art had been used. If he was not okay with it, I wanted to know so I could redo the video with something other than his work. He made no indication of being displeased, so the video remains. Woo hoo! Oh, and I don't know Clive Barker personally. It was sent via Twitter, the medium by which he communicates with his Darklings (that is what he calls his friends and family, which he includes those of us on Twitter as being). I wrote to him several years ago about his usage of Darkling, because I'd never seen it used anywhere ever except in relation to my Vampires. So that was deeply strange and familiar to me. Another moment of WTF in my life.

Another bizarre connection between Shriekback and Clive Barker is this:
When I read Cabal, I did so whilst listening to Shriekback's Go Bang!, probably their only reviled album. But there were some gems on this album, like (most wondrously) "Dust and a Shadow," and "Nighttown." "Nighttown" became a kind of theme song for Cabal, which was made into a movie called Nightbreed. Now, this movie was, and is, deeply loved by falkenna, whom I had met through association with The Darth Maul Estrogen Brigade. Besides our abiding love for Maul, we discovered that we also loved this movie. Years later, after becoming very close friends, I would spend more than a week at her house in Brighton, where I would meet Barry Andrews, who had written "Nighttown." These are the moments that demand my disbelief in coincidence. These are the moments that haunt my mind and call out for stories to be told.

And, if Clive Barker doesn't beat me to them, telling the stories better than I ever could, then I will someday commit them all to paper, and can then die, knowing that my mission has been accomplished.

In the meantime, I continue to read Clive Barker, and I continue to listen to Shriekback/Barry Andrews.

Oh, and I never did find that blasted footage of Tim Roth from 'The South Bank Show.' Dammit.

Taken, respectively, from Skellig: the Owl Man and The Legend of 1900 (which has always been one of my favourite movies, not just TR movies, but all-time movies. The Father Unit bought it for me ages ago because he knew how I felt about pianists. So this is like porn for me.)

Enjoy! And, if you have any Tutorial ideas, don't be shy. If I can make it (barring not being able to find the video footage), I will, jes' for you.





Off for more writing. The tale is fleshing out nicely, and I think I've figured out what keeps Flint alive. And it really pisses Cadmus off. I'm loving being able to allow Cadmus full-blown emotions now, although he's letting the cat out of the bag about his real-life parents as a result. That's okay.

Ta.

It's one of those strange sort of occurrences that makes a thing undeniable. This song has been on my iPod(s) for like a thousand years, but it rarely comes up. When I started hunting for Archibald videos, and was mostly sorely disappointed, I found a video that used the song and was "Well, how about that? Coldplay and Cunningham, what an odd combination." And I thought nothing of it anymore. That's been a couple or three months ago. Again, I forgot about the song.

Then today, about an hour ago while I was walking and listening to Froderick, the song came up again, and I started listening to the song, and BOOM, it was transferred from being "just Coldplay" or "just a song used in an Archibald video," because really Flint is absolutely nothing like Archie, who would kill everyone within a twenty-mile radius if given half a chance (much like Cadmus), it became a "shiiiite, that's upbeat with a que sera sera sort of vibe, but still talking about a 'then and now' situation...Flint!" And the title itself pretty much describes Flint's philosophy ~ Viva La Vida, live the life.

Now, there's no doubt I have to keep the little bugger around, denying Cadmus his midnight snack...and honestly, in the scheme of things, Flint wouldn't be much more to Cadmus than a snack.

So here are the lyrics, the Flintian bits in bold. Following that is the proper Coldplay video, then the Archie video that I saw a while back, just for the hell of it.

I used to rule the world
Seas would rise when I gave the word
Now in the morning I sleep alone
Sweep the streets I used to own

I used to roll the dice
Feel the fear in my enemy's eyes
Listen as the crowd would sing
"Now the old king is dead! Long live the king!"

One minute I held the key
Next the walls were closed on me
And I discovered that my castles stand
Upon pillars of salt and pillars of sand

I hear Jerusalem bells are ringing
Roman Cavalry choirs are singing
Be my mirror, my sword and shield
My missionaries in a foreign field

For some reason I can't explain
Once you go there was never
Never an honest word
And that was when I ruled the world

It was the wicked and wild wind
Blew down the doors to let me in
Shattered windows and the sound of drums
People couldn't believe what I'd become

Revolutionaries wait
For my head on a silver plate
Just a puppet on a lonely string
Oh who would ever want to be king?

I hear Jerusalem bells are ringing
Roman Cavalry choirs are singing
Be my mirror, my sword and shield
My missionaries in a foreign field

For some reason I can't explain
I know Saint Peter won't call my name
Never an honest word
But that was when I ruled the world

I hear Jerusalem bells are ringing
Roman Cavalry choirs are singing
Be my mirror, my sword and shield
My missionaries in a foreign field

For some reason I can't explain
I know Saint Peter won't call my name
Never an honest word
But that was when I ruled the world

Not just art either. Writing, tchatchkes, fandom, treasures, and a tweet from guess who, caught on film!

paisley_daze, this is the actual scene the gifs I posted earlier came from.

I'm actually really proud of this one, mainly because it took me hours and the rest of my sanity to compile and synch up.

A few years back, I made a series of posts called The Man Menagerie. I thought it would be fun, while I wait on more lyrics for Illuminati, to make a music video featuring an assload of sexy men. This is the result.

 

Starring in order of appearance:

Brad Pitt (as the throwaway)
Tim Roth (as the bow-legged one)
Stephen Rea
Anthony Hopkins
Adam Ant
Malcolm McDowell
Anthony Andrews
Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje
Hugo Weaving
Clive Barker
Ed Kowalczyk
Stuart Townsend
Johnny Depp
Bear McCreary
Adrien Brody
Danny Huston
Chiwetal Ejiofor
Dave Matthews
Prince
Gordon Currie
Vin Diesel
Danny Elfman
Jeremy Piven
Eddie Izzard
Will Smith
Jeff Goldblum
Craig Parker
Billy Zane
Heath Ledger
Kieron Elliot
Jason Carter
Joshua John Miller
Naveen Andrews
Joaquin Phoenix
Vincint D'Onofrio
Herbert Lom
Michael Nouri
Lenny Von Dohlen
Orson Welles
Mark Sheppard
Ray Park
James McAvoy
Jason Isaacs
Julian Sands
Kevin Spacey
Peter Murphy
Alfred Molina
Rik Mayall
Robert Downey Jr.
Alan Rickman

( clickie for eye candy )

There's a lot of debate over the latest viral video, this one of a father (Tommy Jordan) putting eight bullets in his daughter's laptop to teach her a lesson about respect and appreciation.



There is a small group of people, many parents themselves no less, who object to his methods. One woman even said "I do see the frustration parents feel, but the applause of other parents saying, 'Yay,' comes from their unwillingness to jump in and be parents in the platform that their kids are playing in."

Wait, excuse me?

I'm not a parent (thank the MIGHTIES), but I take issue with thinking like this. First of all, why should the parent have to contend with their child on that child's platform? They are the parent and should therefore dictate what platform upon which the two interact. This is one of the many things wrong with modern parenting, at least in America.

Secondly, why shouldn't parents cheer Mr. Jordan on? He's finally taking back the authority too many parents today have willingly relinquished to their children. For too long the children have been in charge, and look at the results of such a dreadful arrangement. What, one or two generations completely out of control? Tons think their profession is playing video games or shopping. Their sense of entitlement is nauseating because their demands for instant gratification have been met with acquiescence by the parents on every single level.

The only issue I take with Tommy Jordan is that he had to let things get this far before taking drastic measures, which probably means he learned that there was a such a word as "no," and he could actually use it when dealing with his daughter, a bit on the late side.

And awwww, poor little Heather was publicly embarrassed? Maybe she should have thought twice before bitching publicly about her parents. If you take something to a public forum, be prepared to accept responsibility for your actions on that same forum. And those who argue that the girl was just a child, and therefore incapable of understanding the ramifications of her behaviour, are a major part of the problem. Children should learn early on that their actions bear consequences. Maybe there wouldn't be so much bullying if kids were taught this invaluable lesson. The Threefold Law does not just apply to adults.

Take responsibilty. And, if you don't, be prepared to learn hard lessons.

And all you willy nilly parents out there who think that this act of tough love was too tough; taking away a parent's rights to properly discipline their children will lead to lessons like the one Tommy Jordan had to teach his daughter Heather. If you take your kids in reign early on, you want have to drag out the big guns (pun intended) later in their lives. Stop being wimps and start being fucking parents.

And stop condemning Tommy Jordan for having the balls to what you're too afraid to do yourself.

For fans of the original classic by Shriekback. This is from 'Haunted Box of Switches,' a kind of live piano solo effort by Barry Andrews. To my knowledge, every track on this album was recorded in real time, and pretty much unaltered for the album. B apparently developed a newfound admiration for Elton John during the recording of 'Haunted Box.' Ha!