Tribute summer: Game of Thrones for Harry Potter

This is a very interesting time for me as I have participated in one of the fandoms I had been resisting for years, Game of Thrones. We are talking about the series everyone watches, everyone’s obsessed with and no one mocks! Because you will mock the Marvel fanatic for the lame false-scientific justification and the Star Wars fanatic for the Chewie-Solo bromance but no one will ever mock the brutally realistic fantasy series about a bunch of rich families either bedding or killing each other.

And I am now part of that fandom too! Haven’t read the books but I did binge-watch it really fast and passionately; I now manage to include discussions about Game of Thrones in most of my human encounters (and one with a cat but just the one). It is a brilliant series and it is captivating and from what I hear the books are even better! It is also an adult fandom as it is sprinkled with disgusting, gore scenes, lots of nudity and disturbing breastfeeding scenes that are somehow worse than all of the angles of any beheading… I am trying to keep this spoiler free but you know which breastfeeding I mean.

I really loved Game of Thrones and I can only assume those that watched it as it came out, having to wait each week to see what would happen, love it even more. However, during my extensive exposure to such a mature and ‘life is a bitch’ series I was also reading my favorite book series ever, Harry Potter. If the contrast is not apparent, let me just say that all three main Harry Potter characters are alive, so are their romantic interests and the strongest magical force in the series is love. It is also a children’s book series (or so some ignorant people claim) while ‘A Song of Ice and Fire’ should be kept away from children at least until they realize they will never get a Hogwarts letter.

So this is basically my tribute to Harry Potter (the books really) as it came about from my parallel journey with Game of Thrones.

So what if it is unrealistic? So what if it is idealistic? So what if it is over-optimistic? So what if the ‘love conquers all’ theme is a bit cheesy? It is so beautiful! It is beautiful to read as a child because it is wonderful to be convinced that love is ancient magic. And as an adult it is comforting to read that someone who does not appreciate love will always underestimate how strong a drive it is. The world sucks and that is where George R. R. Martin has it right, but you turn to books and specifically to science fiction for some imaginative comfort and distraction. Is it not fun to read about a magical world where you can see your diseased loved ones in a hidden mirror and beat your materialized greatest fear with laughter? It is even more fun to do that and then watch Game of Thrones so the fall back to reality is even steeper.

Anyway, it is misleading to say the two are even comparable, that is not the case,  but it got you here didn't it?  It is just that the show’s realism is a good trigger for me to write this tribute. However, by all means, if you haven’t watched Game of Thrones you should, it is FUCKING AWESOME!! But this is not the post for such a tribute.

I don’t think an extensive tribute is necessary; I will only focus on two instances. I cannot fully describe the rush of warmness you feel when the name ‘Ron Weasley’ shows up on a page for the first time, knowing he becomes the best friend of a kid that lived under a staircase for eleven years.  And of course realistically, such a kid would not be sociable enough to make a best friend on their first encounter on a train, but J.K.Rowling’s version is so much more redeeming. Then come the tears when one of your favourite characters died that had been around for countless child-appropriate moments and this non-child ending is a rush of melancholia. A movie drags it out and uses E minor chords in the background, you are forced to feel sad in a conventional way but in these books, you fill in the gaps yourself and the sadness is so much more pure. I, for one, was an adult on a train tearing up because Fred Weasley died the moment Percy reunited with his family (if you have only seen the movies you might not know what I am talking about).

I could go on for a long time about why I love Harry Potter, book by book. These two examples do not even talk about my favourite characters throughout the series. But having now demolished any sort of street credit I may have had when I bashed Justin Bieber as pre-adolescent, shit-noise (and let’s be honest that it no street cred to be proud of) I can firmly state that I loved reading Harry Potter as a twenty-two year old. Definitely not as much as I had when I was younger and did not know what was going to happen but it was very similar to being covered with a nice fluffy blanket. So, you know, re read them or if you are that ashamed, get a son, daughter, sister, nephew to read them with. It’s as good an excuse as any. 

Stumbled on a Foals Concert (just happened to have the tickets on me)

I have spent most of my blog posts either whining or whining about those that whine. I decided it was time to bring some positivity to this blog and talk about beautiful things, things that make us happy, things like live music!

I remember that before YouTube, my brother would download concerts and me being small and stupid would go ‘this does not sound like the taped version, they are obviously terrible'. I was a fool and I apologise, for now I know, live is the epitomy of music! There are some issues arising, as always. Some artists, for example, have a heavily produced sound that cannot translate well to live shows and while backing tracks are available they can range from complimentary to shameful, SHAMEFUL! So, how can they be dismissed if their product is beautiful and original? Is an artist’s worth dependent on live adaptation?

Yes. Not an artist’s worth per se, a performer’s worth. The artistic element includes the performing element because it is all part of the final product. It also includes the formation element, sure; writing the music, combining various instruments, lyrics, vocals all of it. I have a very strict appreciation policy; both these aspects need to be present. I am in need of an artist to do more than recite lyrics that they haven’t written onto music that they haven’t composed. Having a pleasant voice is not that uncommon and especially with today’s technology, not that honest. So my definition of a good artist resides a lot in the making of the song.

However, having seen a few bands live and many concerts on YouTube I must say I lose a great deal of respect if the live version is not good. Not identical, because identical is boring anyways just good, energetic, emotional or something. I remember being into the Dandy Warhols because they had cool, fun songs and they didn’t take themselves too seriously. I also remember a live show of theirs that was abysmal and then furiously searching the web for a good one to erase this disappointment with not much success. Traumatising! I now have a ‘good songs, bad band’ label on them.

It is not so much about proof of worth though. Live shows are where you love a band, where the raw talent and clear message are conveyed. Not to mention that the band’s energy is reflected onto the audience, which absorbs that energy and gives it back for the band to feed on! It is way too magical to be unnecessary. And pragmatically, how many bands have reached the top without being good live? A good live show is what gets them going and what keeps them going. (Just realised I have written ‘band’ instead of ‘artist’ everywhere, but for some reason I cannot get myself to change it)

I understand that a good performer is not necessarily a good artist but I think the other way round is true. The extents vary and some songs are more successful live than others but all in all it is the ability to adapt a song to its setting that gives music its vividness compared to other arts!

I am that person that has live versions of songs on her phone and everyone complains when they come on shuffle, so I am a bit overly passionate about the subject. Nonetheless, I have numeric support; as buying a record is not the primary source of income for artists anymore, and concerts are given more and more refined attention. I guess this is what happens when you get bored of autotune, you look elsewhere J

Stumbled on to a 21 year-old’s life

Having spent my first ever blog post defending mainstream music, I am stunned to find mainstream music entertainment stab me in the back. Clubs are not really my thing, I don’t drink too much and I adore board games and hot tea. But coming home for Christmas and with New Year’s Eve being a must celebration, I nowhave a much better insight at what I've been missing out and may I say, I like my lameness and I am sticking with it! Now, as every self-respecting blogger, I have a couple of things to whine about!

Side note: these things may be a bit more specific to Greece as this is where my experience unfolds and strictly apply to mainstream venues.

It’s not that I don’t like your face but…

I don’t get bars with much too loud music. There are so many places where you can’t dance, nobody else is and unless you have the confidence of Kanye West you probably won’t either! So, going there with a group of people all with the common goal of having a drink or two (or n drinks), what do you do when the music is too loud? You just get two or three hours of shouting all your three-word conversations, hoping for something amusing to happen so you can nod and laugh. I know I sound like a grandma but seriously, just lower the volume a wee bit OR dance! If dancing is involved, my argument is invalid. I understand how loud music helps get you in the mood and attenuates body language (duh, you can’t talk!) but if I'm getting ear ache, I demand my feet ache from my kick-ass dance moves!

Is it a cry for originality?

Most dance songs nowadays are a couple of existential or sexy verses and then a particular beat, with heavy bass (I have just murdered the validity of all my previous blog entries). So, what is the deal with all the MacBook DJ’s cutting the original beat from the songs, and inserting another one? You get Jason Derulo’s ‘Talk Dirty To Me’ line and all of a sudden, instead of the highly anticipated oriental bridge you suddenly get a Skrillex-like bass drop! What is that all about? That song is basically on the map because of that booty-shaking segment, take that away and all you get is a 90’s pick-up line with noise!

Actually, this last one works for me J

I have a very rational fear of not knowing ANY of the songs that play in clubs. Luckily, when I was younger, I knew all of the dance songs around, I knew the lyrics and the accompanying dance routines. So the fact that the clubs rely on songs from five-six years ago so much more than current ones was a pleasant surprise. But isn't it worrying? I believe new music being produced and played is important and I know for a fact there’s a lot of it that is good out there! I'm not talking about the dubstep-induced RnB tracks, but if that is not working, why don’t we try a different direction? If everyone prefers Black Eyed Peas – My Humps to semi-deep house semi-mainstream music, then club music should adapt! Even at the expense of my relevance in a night out.

My closing statement is that I will be more open-minded about how I spend my nights out as I did actually have fun in spite of these complaints (desperate attempt to not sound like a grandma). So I will reconsider clubs once in a while… a long while… when I absolutely have to. All I am saying is you can get alcohol and good company in any place of your choosing so if you share my distress, fear the title of lameness no more! Speak up!

Actually, you know I am only joking, who likes board games any way, right? Heh (sobs)

Stumbled on Muse's Cover of Nirvana-Lithium

Previous entries might give the very false idea that I am set on my opinions. So with this one, I would like to clear the air. I have some doubts about this entry, maybe my claims are false and I do hope they are actually so please point them out!

The question I have been asking myself is what makes a music artist original and more precisely, do we care about originality in a solitary sense or as an addition to a genre? Should we judge an artist for themselves or compared to their surroundings?

This has greatly disturbed me since first listening to Nirvana. They made grunge the centre of the 90’s, the next step in rock music, even a fashion statement! You can’t help but love that imperfect, crude voice of Kurt, or his mop-like hair, or his intermediate guitar skills. And then there’s Dave Grohl, drumming like the pro he is, aggressively yet fun, a real artist, an unstoppable machine of musical genius (fangirl moment, I apologise). Finally, simple lyrics from a pessimistic pot-head (among other things) that gave adolescence a matching soundtrack.

But Kurt shot his foot and died (this is my personal favourite theory and I’m sticking to it). The band no longer is. So what is their legacy? While a legacy is present for sure, this is where my doubts arise; for their legacy partly is grungy, indistinguishable, dull alternative rock bands. Suddenly, two chords sufficed! Minimal skill was required. Pot remained a strong component but now accompanying whining, boring clichés. All bands may site them as an influence but the influential ones surely don’t site them as the main one, not even top five. They made things easy, maybe too easy. It is my personal belief, for example, that if Simple Plan suddenly disappeared and their songs were performed by Good Charlotte, no one would even notice. And these are popular rock bands and sometimes fun but definitely a drag on originality. So what is the verdict? Are Nirvana to blame?

Having honoured the past, let’s now talk about the present. This is very personal; it is my all-time favourite band, Muse, as I can explain things better with my extensive (exteeeensive) knowledge on the band. Muse were first criticised as unoriginal, as Radiohead copycats, mostly because of Bellamy’s voice. Later on, we dedicated fans, Muse can also have some of the credit, convinced the world of their unique sound, their perfectionism in melody, their excellence in riffs and live energy. They combine so many different things, they sound like no one else and they are talented musicians, extravagant performers and such particular artists (again, apologies). Now that my personal admiration is out there, I have to ask; so what?

Could they be too particular? Or too extravagant? It feels like if anyone was inspired by Muse and developed the sound any further they would sound silly. They do not define a generation; they are dorky in a hipster-less sense, non-scandalous and lacking stardom. Not to mention their flirtations with pop music, leaning away from their Muse-ical characteristics (pun intended). They lack a legacy. They are not an old band, so the fact that they are not a leading inspiration yet is not definitive but maybe just a tad alarming.

Personally, it’s quite easy to keep on loving Muse and forget all these doubts but still debate over Nirvana’s damage but in all honesty, music is a continuum; no one likes just one band!... Apart from me! Fuck all, Muse rule!!

Stumbled upon a 9gag post

http://9gag.com/gag/a5KBb3y?ref=fb.s.mw

So the cherry on top of my nerd-cv is of course the endless hours I spend on 9gag. It is not uncommon that the posts there reflect other areas of interest so I am not going to bother you with pretences that what I came across was something unexpected. Quite the opposite.

 I always knew that I could not be the only one! I always knew there were others like me… I am talking, of course, about the prospect of a Harry Potter prequel as you might have guessed.

Personally my favourite chapters throughout the series were the ones about the four animagi, the girl and the ugly git with the abnormally large nose. So, Prisoner of Azkaban Ch. 18, Order of Phoenix Ch. 28 and of course, The Deathly Hallows Ch. 33 (I am tearing up just writing the last one down). You can imagine how furious I was with the movies in the first two cases, when these beautiful scenarios were rushed and blurry and not given the justice they deserve! Forget about Peeves, you can’t explain all of Remus’s misfortune and Sirius’s dedication to James in under a minute while having them run around a table chasing a bloody mouse!

This goes out to those agreeing that not only more should have been done in the movies, but more could be said by books, new books that is (the old ones are obviously flawless). There’s just so much material! They were Hogwarts’ biggest mischievous foursome; this could at least make one book all about our three handsome boys and their slimy parasite. The story could revolve around a central love triangle possibly and sidelines could include Remus’s  secret, their struggle to become animagi, Petegrew’s questionable character etc. And Rowling, like no one else, can so subtly yet effectively show the transition through adolescence. Who better than her to transform that egotistical narcissist, James, to the dream boy of every girl’s fantasy.

Rowling has demonstrated a preference for a character focused narration, so I would suppose that would be the case. It could be from James, in order to keep ‘Potter’ in the title, and leave Snape’s side of the events kind of appearing but our main character not realising it. We would know the truth, it would be a running joke (not a joke per say). Just think about it:

‘James was walking down the Great Hall when he overheard Snape saying something about hazel eyes. James wondered whether their potions class was getting just a tad too demanding. He made a mental note to let Lily know she might be in danger in the unlikely event that Snivellus notices her eye colour.’

Admittedly not the best piece of writing ever but you get the idea.

Or it could be someone more distant like Lupin, which would greatly satisfy me as I am endlessly in love with him. It could offer a third person perspective to the whole thing. And it seems as if he would be a likeable character throughout, calm and sound. Or it could be Snape and we could all be reaching for handkerchiefs in every single page.

Bottom line is, a prequel of some form would work. People love the characters from the Harry Potter series like they love their friends, I know this from experience. If Harry, Ron and Hermione have reached their peak, James, Sirius, Remus, Lily and Snape are the safest bet. They are already loved and probably have a hell of a story to share.  All I can do is wish and daydream and I invite you to do the same. But remember, ‘it does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live’! That’s easy for a wizard living at Hogwarts to say though.

Stumbled on my own blog entry... (cont.)

“Music nowadays is so bad! I don’t understand how people took the wonderful sound of Pink Floyd and turned into Skrillex!” said the caveman when the first flute was invented.

Evolution, in a more scientific sense, is a form of natural selection. A lot of things appear, but those that are found to be beneficial stick and become part of the next generation and those that aren’t, eventually abandoned. It’s a continuous process. But obviously this is not science, it is art. Then again music, like every art, is constantly evolving as well. If it didn’t, we would be listening to knocking rocks (not a band name…yet?) rather than Joy Division. If music did not evolve, all those songs we love would have never existed. If art did not evolve, being blind, deaf etc. would not be that big a deal.

And say there was this magic button, that whenever you are satisfied with the stage of the genre, you could press “stop” and nothing would ever change. As magical as that sounds, it would be oh, so dull. We would have ten “Hey Jude”s and ten “Macarena”s! Also, once again, crappy music is a necessary parasite to masterpieces. It existed then, but in this scenario it would be crappy and identical, so double the crap!

All these are quite literal and practical arguments, something which in no way corresponds to music. Music corresponds to imagination, feelings and depiction of current reality. So, if our reality is changing, our feelings given closer examination and our imagination wild and roaring, how can music still be about “the way you sip your tea” and “the way you comb your hair”? We have Starbucks and curling irons; you sip you tea though a paper cup trying not to spill it over your white shirt and you are using ten different stinking sprays to minimise the damage from the curling iron. Life is high paced, 12 minute songs bore you. Music is, luckily, relevant.

This has been bugging me since the very first word I typed. I hate Skrillex, I really do. I find that his songs pinch that one particular part of the brain, right at the front. But I do love Muse and I do love the Horrors and White Lies and a thousand bands post Pink Floyd. None of those just emerged out of nowhere, not even Pink Floyd themselves! They evolved, they transformed, they handpicked the best parts of past music and made wonderful additions. And I know loads of people that like Skrillex and at least one song I like which was inspired by that hipster with the terrible haircut.

So my personal conclusion is Viva la Evolution! It has worked out quite well in many areas (my ecological alter ego has some objections here); I have no reason to doubt it. And I am curious to see where it is going and hell, if I don’t like the end results, I will just whine about how my children’s generation wrecked music. Looking forward to it.

Stumbled on a Retro Fanatic

Having established in my previous blog entry that mainstream music is not the devil, I think it is time to discuss another nostalgic topic; how terrible music is nowadays, not like old times… The times I have heard or said this are probably making this whole text completely irrelevant and unreliable. But as “words are spoken to be broken”, I have to stand up for my true and debatable belief; music today is just fine!

To begin with, it is only a bit weird hearing 20-year olds saying that referring to the 90’s. Well, they weren't in much of a state of judgement then were they? When they grew up a bit they got acquainted with Nirvana, Offspring and all those 90’s jewels. But I have an idea about why that music is… “music to your ears”; it is because it is the tip of the iceberg! The base consisted of Wet Wet Wet and Right Said Freddy. In 2050, when the same whiny teenagers talk of 2010’s, they will not likely talk about “Anacoda”- Nicki Minaj, but maybe “Lonely Boy”- Black Keys. And yes, there has been an exponential increase in song production therefore maybe more stupid songs are trending now but I’m pretty sure there were thousands songs then that were and are inaudible.

The other thing I find weird is having two different sorts of people say this; my father and my friend. Why is that weird? ‘Cause when my father says “music used to be much better than this concentrated noise”, he means Beethoven (that is 1880) and Bach (three to four centuries ago)! That makes both the Beatles and Jimmy Hendricks seem like yesterday, doesn't it? What I mean is that we technically are in the same era with the 60’s chronologically and conceptually. If my generation merges Bach and Beethoven into one genre, classical music, then only one genre corresponds to The Stone Roses and Fall Out Boy (love and hate them respectively). Now, I am obviously not talking for that small (unfortunately) percentage that can differentiate between Bach’s more baroque era and Beethoven’s romantic. Bottom line is, music has not changed that drastically within its genres (yes, there are more than one genres to choose from!).

All this probably doesn't change the fact that past music sounds better than current to most, but once again, I just feel it has to do with nostalgia and exposure. As far as nostalgia is concerned, Backstreet Boys – “Get Down” is just as cheesy as One Direction – “Live while we’re young”. But one of them is connected to kids’ parties and more carefree times and personally, that one I love. As far as exposure is concerned, Eagles – “Hotel California” is the one song I expect every living soul to know. It’s on the radio, it is in movies, it is everywhere. And it has been for so long! But the world is not ending tomorrow, so songs of today may be the next generation’s or the generation after “Hotel California”. Personally I’m rooting for Psy – “Gangham Style” just for the hell of it!

Whenever you feel gloomy, listening to a past tune,

Put on Macarena and puke from night till noon.

Whenever current music fills you up with holes,

Worry not, my friends, there’s “Holy Fire”-Foals.