I’ve been watching this and it’s pretty fantastic. Via Amazon Prime Discovery trial, which I will cancel when finished. The producer who had all the letters in storage boxes was Edward Pressman – who produced Phantom of the Paradise. Have you guys ever seen that?
Are You Adequately Prepared to Rock?
These guys were so great before drugs and dysfunction overcame them.
Duel of the Fates
The Obi-Wan trailer reminds me of how great Duel of the Fates is.
It sets the perfect tone for the cinematic climax of Phantom Menace. Nothing to that point in Star Wars was choral, which set it apart even more.
I had no idea what they were saying, or if it was a made-up language. It just sounded cool.
“The great sword fight at the end of the film – the decision to make that choral was just the result of my thinking that it should have a ritualistic or quasi-religious feeling, and the introduction of a chorus might be just the thing. … [T]he medium of chorus and orchestra would give us a sense that we’re in a big temple.”
The words originated in the medieval Welsh poem Cad Goddeu (The Battle of the Trees). The text was translated into English by Robert Graves, and published in 1948 as part of The White Goddess: A Historical Grammar of Poetic Myth.
John Williams selected lines 32-35:under the tongue root
a fight most dread,
and another raging
behind in the headWilliams had it translated into a variety of languages, eventually selecting Sanskrit “because of the quality of the vowels.”
Korah Matah Korah Rahtahmah
Korah Rahtamah Yoodhah Korah
Korah Syahdho Rahtahmah Daanyah
Korah Keelah Daanyah
Zeparella
Not the ONLY all-female Zefflin cover band, but they might be the best.
I am required to post Lez Zeppelin for completeness.
Viking Kittehs
In honor of Len Zefflin week, enjoy this gem from the early internets.
I think I liked the song better after finding this. I’m sure it’s what they pictured when they wrote it.
Len Zefflin II
This is the earliest known live concert recording of um, Len Zefflin, as they played Gonzaga University prior to their first album’s release. Young Monkeystador’s parents did not take him to this show. The venue was unheated for rock events, and this was a December concert. It was their fifth show in the U.S., and they used propane heaters to keep themselves warm before going on.
Please Don’t Suck
Just kidding. It’s fine if you suck. Joel Edgerton is in this as Uncle Owen, and will periodically remind me that I really liked Green Knight. And maybe the Tatooine landscapes will make me think of some cool Dune stuff.
Viva Charo
Though Segovia’s classical influence is often proffered to explain her skill, Charo has a highly original style that weds intimate, lyrical classical melodies with the rhythmic flourishes of the flamenco tradition and spikes it all with a pop sensibility.
“She is a great guitar player,” said Kim Perlak, the chair of the guitar department at the Berklee College of Music. Citing her command of techniques like classical tremolo and flamenco scales, she added, “You have to practice that all the time to get to be that fluent, especially if you want it to be intuitive the way she does it.”
I only knew her as the “cuchi-cuchi” woman from Love Boat. Check out this fascinating article on María Rosario Pilar Martínez Molina Baeza, her childhood in Francoist Spain and Segovia’s academy, to New York, Las Vegas, American 70’s and 80’s television, and beyond.
Prince Is For The Teachers
Solid detective work.
Parking Lot Movie
I really enjoyed this. Available for $0 on Amazon Prime. A great antidote to overhyped action hero fare, and probably the sort of thing someone who appreciates abandoned malls would like.
There’s probably nothing worse than poets working in parking lots.