Jonathan Strange and Mr. iTunes

[mollyringle]

First set of numbers: Top reasons why you should read Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke:

1. It rocks. (Duh.) Storyline, copied from one of the articles below: "...tells the story of two feuding magicians who attempt to restore English magic in the age of Napoleon, and combines the dark mythological fantasy of J.R.R. Tolkien with the social comedy of Jane Austen."
2. Susanna Clarke will be writing more about that world, with some of the same characters, so it shall be more than a one-book experience. (Though the one book is long enough to hold you for a while, at some 800 pages.)
3. New Line Cinema--yes, the darlings who brought us the LOTR films--has bought the film rights, and assigned Christopher Hampton, the Oscar-winning director of Dangerous Liaisons, to adapt it.

What more need you know? Get in on the fandom early! Join us!

---
Second set of numbers, an assignment from bluesound:

01. Total volume of music files on my computer? A mere 9.5 GB. Nothing compared to Douglas.

02. The last CD I bought was: Two at once...Stars: 'Heart,' and Doves: 'Lost Sides'

03. The last song I listened to before writing this was: "Young Urban" - Ambulance Ltd

04. Song playing right now: "Devil's Dance Floor" - Flogging Molly

05. Five songs I listen to a lot or that mean a lot to me:
1. "Sometimes" - James. Puts me in mind of my early love for the U.K., and love in general.
2. "Elephant Stone" - Stone Roses. Not only my favorite song of theirs, but a bright spot in the darkness of living in California, when I discovered them. Perks me right up.
3. "Under Pressure" - Queen/David Bowie. It may be cheesy, but I have always loved this one. Another that perks me up every time.
4. "Tapioca Tundra" - The Monkees. An odd choice for favorite Monkees tune. It's associative for me: takes me back to sunny, happy, exciting childhood summers. Plus, after all this time, I still love Nesmith's voice.
5. "Just Like Heaven" - The Cure. A very common choice for favorite Cure song, but hey, there was a reason it was popular. Still, I could just as easily fill this space with other similar songs of the time, such as "I Melt With You" by Modern English (often mistaken for The Cure).

06. Five albums I listen to a lot or that mean a lot to me:
1. Pulp, 'Different Class.' The only reason I didn't list a Pulp song up there was that I couldn't choose just one. Get this album and see why.
2. Dead Can Dance, 'Within the Realm of a Dying Sun.' Listened to it on a loop one time when I had a horrible cold, and I think it welded into my brain in some important place. Grand and spooky and mystical.
3. Howard Shore, soundtrack to 'LOTR: Fellowship of the Ring.' Not that it's better than TTT or ROTK's scores, necessarily--they're all solid. But this one is planted in my memory as the soundtrack to the blossoming of one of my strongest fandom obsessions ever. So I *heart* it.
4. The Who: 'Tommy.' I was in a community theater production of this, back in California, which was quite fun, and I ended up liking the music way, way more than I expected to. The original album is much better than any Broadway version, though.
5. The Beatles: 'Help!'/'Rubber Soul'/'Revolver.' Yeah, I'm cheating; but they're short enough that if you add up these three, you might get 75 minutes. My favorite Beatles phase: the nice solid middle ground, between early-ditzy and late-drugged.

07. Which 5 people are you passing this baton to, and why?
Anyone who wants to...I've spent enough time on this already!

Comments

[otisgal737.livejournal.com]

04. Song playing right now: "Devil's Dance Floor" - Flogging Molly


yay for Flogging Molly!!!!!!!!

[terrylj.livejournal.com]

I love Mike Nesmith. When Nickelodeon put The Monkees on in 1986, it was my first fandom crush ever. The hat, the eyes, the voice...everything.

I remember the song title "Tapioca Tundra", but I can't remember which song that is. Can you give me some idea of the lyrics? Especially if Mike wrote it, the title doesn't always associate with the lyrics.

Save the Texas prairie chicken!

[mollyringle.livejournal.com]

I know they're technically Irish punk, but whenever I hear them I can't help thinking, "Arr! Avast, ye scurvy knaves! Prepare to be boarded!"

[terrylj.livejournal.com]

Never mind, just remembered that Google is your friend! I like that one, and I love 99% of their songs, but I think my favorite is "The Door Into Summer". For me, that's the one that evokes the most nostalgic memories of my child-and teen-hood, and just gets more poignant as I get older.

[mollyringle.livejournal.com]

Yes! The Texas prairie chicken! I came to the Nez crush later in life--with the Nick reruns I crushed more on Davy and Micky--but man, what a cutie. I dig the strong/silent/smart ones muchly; and the gentlemanly Texan accent doesn't hurt, either.

Right, the words "Tapioca Tundra" never actually occur in the lyrics; heh. (Think it was one of Mike's.) Starts out with off-key whistling, then picks up... Chorus is "It cannot be a part of me, for now it's part of you / Sunshine, ragtime / blowing in the breeze / Midnight, looks right / standing more at ease..."

Is that helping?

*throws Mr. Schneider's arm around you*

[mollyringle.livejournal.com]

Ah, good. Hee. Yes, I'm quite fond of "The Door Into Summer" as well. Though, because of watching those episodes over and over and over, every time I hear it I remember the episode where they had to dress Davy up like a chick, because they entered a competition for "mixed" groups only. During that song he kept trying to get off stage, and Mike kept hauling him back. The important things you remember...

[mildred.livejournal.com]

I'm currently enthralled by Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell :) It's my bedtime reading, which means it is also the reason why I haven't had as much sleep as I should have for the past few weeks!

[sopdetly.livejournal.com]

Looks like a good book, definitely. But I don't think I'll have time to read it until...mid-August. :P In two days I start rereading HP 3-5 one chapter per day, then HBP comes out, and I'll read that 8million times in two weeks, and then Eldest comes out. *sigh*

[mollyringle.livejournal.com]

Isn't it cool? Other books seemed pale after I finished that one. (Not just because the cover is so black, either.) :)

[mollyringle.livejournal.com]

Oh, I hear you. My to-be-read (and to-be-reread) books, if stacked up in one pile, would become the tallest point in Seattle. ("And that's sayin' somethin'.") Just being a "coolfinder" in case anyone needed a recommendation.

(Though I don't know what Eldest is, so I am apparently not that cool.)

[kalquessa.livejournal.com]

SHE'SWRITINGANOTHERBOOKANDNEWLINEISMAKINGAMOVIELIEKOMG!!!!1!!1!!!!!

*hyperventilates*

I think I may need a moment alone with this information. If there is cherry chapstick on the html after it is returned, think nothing of it.

And her interview is the feature article in the newest issue of Locus Magaqzine, which has yet to deign to show up in my mailbox, damnit.

[kalquessa.livejournal.com]

Seriously, I would really appreciate it if Ms. Clarke, Neil Gaiman, Stephen King, Jasper Fforde and J. K. Rowling all took a little hiatus (of, say, a year or three) while I catch up on the stacks (the husband recently purchased a new bookcase specifically for the purpose of housing our to-read piles)

[kalquessa.livejournal.com]

You, too? A friend lent me their most recent CD, and that's what I thought of the minute it started.

Oh, and "Under Pressure" is teh excellent. My tarts and I claimed it as our theme song back in my old office.

[mildred.livejournal.com]

Ooh my cover is white, lol.

It's odd, I found it quite difficult to get started, but now I can't put it down! Every time I think about the book I just want to rush over and read it, lol. Yay for weekends :P

[mollyringle.livejournal.com]

Flogging Molly is perhaps the only suitable music for Talk Like a Pirate day. I have to wonder if they set out to sound like pirates.

And I guess any song with Bowie in it couldn't be entirely cheesy. :)

[mollyringle.livejournal.com]

Hehehe.

Man, I hope they follow through, and don't let the project fall into one of Hollywood's many black holes. Must have faith in New Line.

I'm thinking they'll need more than one movie, for those 800 pages. Maybe two. Or, heck, why not sprawl into a trilogy? :D

[kalquessa.livejournal.com]

Definitely need more than one movie. It's such a complicated book. Some of the things I wouldn't mind seeing removed in film because trying to portray them in film would Just Not Work (for instance the scene where Drawlight sees the Fire, Wind, Shower of Rain, and SCw/D&FT) but I reeeally want most of it to make it onto the screen.

*squeezes eyes shut and thinks Ian-Holm-as-Mr-Norrell thoughts at casting director*

[modmerseygirl.livejournal.com]

I've been wanting to read Jonathan Strange - will definitely have to pick it up now, for sure. :-) Thanks for the recommendation, dear!

Enjoyed your survey answers.....

1. "Sometimes" - James. Puts me in mind of my early love for the U.K., and love in general.

Ditto that. :-) I love that song.

And the Beatles....*sighs*

chris hampton rocks

[jedmiller.livejournal.com]

That's so cool. He is perfect for it. Can you gimme a little Colin Firth, Ben Kingsley, Keira Knightley, Robin Williams and Colin Salmon?

I still need an Arabella and a Childermass. I wish Nigel Hawthorne were still alive to play Mr. Norrell.

Yes, Robin Williams.

Oooohhh - I want to come to Seattle just to talk JSAMR with you!!!

[jedmiller.livejournal.com]

don't you know about not-working?! it's done wonders for my novel catch-up efforts...

Re: chris hampton rocks

[mollyringle.livejournal.com]

Cool--I didn't know you were a Friend of English Magic! *uses York Minster icon, appropriately*

Now that I look more closely, it appears Hampton is going to adapt it, not necessarily direct it--but still; very cool. So let's see...that's Firth for Strange, I assume--good choice. He might not be quite geeky enough, but I'd never turn him down. (I also liked someone's suggestion of Adrien Brody.) Kingsley as Norrell? Interesting! He could easily morph into it. I pictured Ian Holm, of course... Knightley for Lady Pole, I take it. Excellent idea. Kate Winslet doesn't quite fit the physical description of Arabella, but she might do well. Glad you found a Stephen Black--I couldn't think of a perfect one. Who would Robin Williams be? Vinculus? That would be pretty great.

Someone suggested Johnny Depp for Childermass. Might be good, but I think he's a little too pretty. Depp could do the cameo of the Raven King, though.

I also would love to see Jude Law or David Bowie as the gentleman with the thistle-down hair, and Alan Cumming as Drawlight.