First lines: Once Upon a Time in the North

August 24, 2008 – 17:33

Back in 2006 I read Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy, and I promply placed it at the top of my list of the best books I read that year. In March 2007 I spend a little while with a small book that ties into the same world. Today, I read another His Dark Materials tie-in, a little blue book called Once Upon a Time in the North.

With just ninety pages and some illustrations, reading a book in an afternoon isn’t that much of an achievement. It’s a self-contained short story featuring two characters from the trilogy proper, and it’s a very compelling read. If not for the closing ceremony of the Olympics which was clammoring for attention in the background, I would have finished it even sooner.

I’d recommend the trilogy as a whole, but if you’d like a taste before you jump in, this certainly isn’t a bad place to start. Meanwhile, I’ll be waiting for the proper follow-up.

Philip Pullman — Once Upon a Time in the North
The battered cargo balloon came in out of a rainstorm over the White Sea, losing height rapidly and swaying in the strong northwest wind as the pilot trimmed the vanes and tried to adjust the gas-valve.
By Evil Nickname | Posted in Life | Comments (0)

First lines: Nineteen Eighty-Four

August 24, 2008 – 12:09

Big Brother (who is watching you). Room 101. Sending stuff down the memory hole. The Thought Police and Thoughtcrime. 1984. George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four has unleashed quite a few concepts upon the world. And just like with that other book of his, I don’t think there’s much I can say about this book that isn’t already said ad nauseam.

As a novel, Nineteen Eighty-Four ain’t half bad. Okay, it dragged a bit in Part II where two lengthy excerpts of The Book were quoted verbatim. I mean, any book that presents an alternate future needs an explanation of the back story, but that doesn’t have to be a long, dry treatise on the perceived flaws of Ingsoc. Other than that, I don’t have any complaints.

George Orwell — Nineteen Eighty-Four
It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.
By Evil Nickname | Posted in First Lines | Comments (0)

Yada yada bla bla (week four, if you’re keeping score)

August 17, 2008 – 23:31

Another week nearly gone. And yet again, I’ve got nothing to say. This sitting around indoors isn’t providing much inspiration. Okay, so I went to see The Dark Knight last Thursday, but who’s waiting on another review? No, these days, I’m mostly just killing time. Sometimes with some work (the muse of inspiration seems to have taken a holiday, though), but mostly with some reading (not really getting anywhere with Nineteen Eight-Four) and lots of television (the Dutchies are kinda letting me down in the Olympics). No, it’s not something I’d advise to anyone, not being able to stand for a six week minimum. But then again, it wasn’t like I had any options, did I? I was lying half paralyzed from that big freaking needle they shoved up my spine, and someone who supposedly knows what’s best for knees because he has studied the matter for some time and cuts ‘em up on a regular basis says that this course of action is the one to take. Who am I to disagree? I know stuff. I know quite a lot of different stuff. But do I know anything about the best course of action for a knee that’s all messed up? No sir, I do not. That’s why I let people who do know that stuff tell me what’s best for me, and I go with the program. Even when I suspect that I won’t like the program. ‘Cause sometimes, well, you gotta take the bitter medicine, and swallow it.

Thus ends this selfindulgent whinefest. Thanks for indulging me.

By Evil Nickname | Posted in Life | Comments (0)

Regeneration: 50% complete

August 11, 2008 – 11:54

For those of you who desperately need an update: I’m caught somewhere between Oh—we’re halfway there and Halverwege—zo ver nog van het eind. Plus that I’m closer to whining like a little baby than anything else on account of the pain in my back. Probably overused some muscle I never used before.

By Evil Nickname | Posted in Life | Comments (0)

First Lines: Four Past Midnight

August 9, 2008 – 12:34

One of my favorite stories by Stephen King is one of his shorter ones, Rita Haywood and the Shawshank Redemption. So when I acquired another five books to fill out my collection, I picked up Four Past Midnight first, as it is a similar volume as the one that contains Shawshank, Different Seasons.

Of the four stories in this book, I knew vaguely what Secret Window, Secret Garden was about, and I do have a shady image of the mini-series based on The Langoliers: furry little creatures that devour the world around some airplane. Beyond that, my mind was a blank canvas. Spoilers ahoy!

The Langoliers turned out to be pretty much what I remembered: when today is done, little hungry creatures come to devour the past. Secret Window, Secret Garden is your typical ‘he was the guy he was looking for himself all along’, The Library Policeman tells of the guy who comes to get you when you fail to return your book to the library (do you still wonder why I don’t deal with libraries, except by looking at the pretty ones?) and finally, The Sun Dog deals with one messed up Polaroid camera. It’s also a prelude to the things happening in Needful Things.

Stephen King — Four Past Midnight
Well, look at this — we’re all here.
By Evil Nickname | Posted in First Lines | Comments (0)

Old Crow out of Hell

August 5, 2008 – 13:28

Last April, I made some noise about a Meat Loaf promising to play “For Crying Out Loud” in The Netherlands, and that he’d better keep his promise.

After last night’s concert in Amsterdam, I’m kinda glad he didn’t play it. It would probably sound just as bad as all the songs he did play. One of our national newspapers said he screeched like an old crow that didn’t know when to sing what line. Meat Loaf was absolutely fuckin horrible. When the highlights of your concert consist of the solo-spots of your backup singers and the instrumental breaks, somethings terribly rotten in the state of Denmark.

The most cringe worthy part of the evening was when during “You Took the Words Right out of my Mouth” (of which he only played the chorus). With no regard to his own abysmal performance, Mr. Loaf decided that one guy didn’t sing along good enough to suit his fancy, and tore the guy a proverbial new one. When he asked if the audience was ready to sing along, I inexplicably heard myself yell that we were, but we’re just waiting for the fat guy on the stage to catch up.

Meat Loaf should just call it quits. And I say that as a fan. The last three concerts I’ve seen him do, range somewhere between “just about barely acceptable” (Amsterdam 2007) and “makes a root canal treatment without any anesthetics seem like a good pretty idea” (Cologne 2007). Last night’s show comes close to the latter one, and if I had to label it, I would probably be something like “sounds offensive even when you’re deaf”.

The only redeeming factor last night, as far as I’m concerned, were the band and the music. As a Steinman fan, I’m in it for the music. The singer I heard in my head was a lot better than the one on stage. And the band, well, they’re absolutely fuckin fabulous. Mad props to all of them, and especially to the amazing Patti Russo. Why she still hasn’t got an album out (or songs for sale through anything else but iTunes) is a mystery to me.

In fact, I think the band should fire their singer, and put the amazing Patti Russo up front. Or alternatively, they should march up to Jim Steinman’s mansion, send forth a herald, and proclaim that since his The Dream Engine seems to be dead in the water, he might as well give them some new songs, record them with whatever singer who’s name isn’t Meat Loaf and is still able to carry a tune, and tour the hell out of it.

If I were a wise man, I should say that this has been the last time I went to a Meat Loaf concert. But as he plans to record a decidely “un-Meat Loafy” album early next year, a new tour seems to be inevitable…

By Evil Nickname | Posted in Music | Comments (5)

Revalidation: 16.666% complete

July 30, 2008 – 23:15

One week down, five to go. Actually, that’s a bit misleading. I still got five weeks left that I may not put any weight on my left knee. Then, I have an appointment with my orthopedist, and presumably, I may slowly start to use that damn leg again, and should be free of those damned crutches in a couple of weeks.

But the good news is that as of yesterday, I’m free of all bandages and compressive stockings, except for one small bandaid over the one hole in my knee that wasn’t healed completely.

By Evil Nickname | Posted in Life | Comments (0)

Long way to the top (if you wanna rock n’ roll)

July 23, 2008 – 13:32

Monday’s operation was a cakewalk on easy street. The situation in my knee was slightly worse then could be seen from the MRI, which means that I’ll now have to walk around on crutches for at least six weeks. That leads to a whole new set of complications to which I haven’t found a sollution yet, but we’ll see.

By Evil Nickname | Posted in Life | Comments (0)

Cakewalk on Easy Street

July 21, 2008 – 10:00

Today at ten AM—which is just about the time this post becomes public—I am expected to check myself into the hospital for a knee operation. Sometime later this afternoon, I can take my crutches and go.

The rest of the week I will be taking a break from the internet while I suffer and have a bad time. Here’s some songs that might fit the occasion.

  • Bruce Springsteen - Long Walk Home (live at Amsterdam Arena 2008/06/16) (another recording turned up, and it’s way better)
  • Desolation Angels - Walk Away Renee (featuring Karla DeVito on vocals)
  • Spock’s Beard - Cakewalk On Easy Street (radio edit)
By Evil Nickname | Posted in Did I Play That?, Life, Music | Comments (1)

First lines: Stardust

July 20, 2008 – 15:16

One Wednesday night last October, I had some free time on my hands. ‘Twas the night before my holiday in the south of France, and I didn’t feel like sitting at home. So I went to the cinema to see Stardust. As with most movies I really like, the reviews were lukewarm at best, and it didn’t do too well in the theaters.

There’s this rule I’ve made up some years ago: I cannot see a movie based on a book by Stephen King before I’ve read that book. For Neil Gaiman, I have no such rule. I just started reading my first book by him—in fact, I had it with me for during the ads and waiting—and I heard good things about the movie. The movie, and later on, the rest of Smoke & Mirrors, peaked my interest in the book.

Fast forward to some months ago, when I was in a comic shop, picking up the new episode of The Dark Tower comic. Browsing through the section for graphic novels and hardcover collections, I happened on the Gaiman section, and an illustrated version of Stardust. (Soon after placing Stardust on my mental to-read list, I found out that the book was first published as a four part graphic novel illustrated by Charles Vess. It was surprisingly hard to find an illustrated version in The Netherlands, until I actually looked at the other merchandise in a shop I regulary visit.)

While the book and movie are quite alike, they’re quite different as well. Gaiman allowed the screenwriters quite some liberties, as he did not want people to go the theater expecting to see a film which was completely loyal to the book and failed. As a result, you got the same story about a boy who travels into Færie to find a fallen star for his beloved and what happens to him on his way back, but they seem too take two completely different ways home.

In the end, I think I like the book more than the movie, but I’m just like that. Recommended. Both.

Neil Gaiman — Stardust, Being a Romance within the Realms of Færie
There was once a young man who wished to gain his Heart’s Desire
By Evil Nickname | Posted in First Lines | Comments (0)