Blog flog: 28 February 2005

[dwg.livejournal.com]

Link: http://www.eridine.com/blog/2005_02_01_archive.html#110963270442621648
Title: "Music, music everywhere, but nothing to listen to"
Date: 28 February 2005

This is a lengthy one, and my inner fangirl got provoked halfway through.

Music, music everywhere, but nothing to listen to

Okay, so A STROKE OF MIDNIGHT is finally put to bed. The last calls from the editors came today. The last e-mails. The copy editors caught something that I had totally missed. It had Rhys simply vanishing from a scene and then using magic to call in and talk to Doyle, as if he was still outside the fairie mounds talking to the police. There'd been two different versions of this scene. One had Rhys there through out the section and one had sent him out and kept him out with the human police. When I glommed them together, well, oops. Thanks again to my copy editors for the save.

Um, I wonder if the copy editors had checked stuff like...y'know, basic spelling and grammar?

I know it's probably too much to hope for, waaayyy too late, but it's something worth clinging to -- just on the off-chance that it actually happens. Then I can tout around my copy of the book and claim it's a miracle phenomenon. But quietly, because I don't want such claims goin' to Laurell's head. Or any other part of her anatomy.

It's vaguely reassuring that the editors caught at least one major glitch in the book. One. It teases my hope that yeah, this one will be actually readable. Porny, but readable. And it's one glaring continuity error that we the fans won't go apeshit over, though there'll still be those little gems like Rhys having one eye or two.

I always write to music. But this book takes the prize on how many different albums got used. I thought you guys might find a list of everything that got used interesting. If you aren't interested, then stop reading now.

Holy contradictory statements, Batman!

So, we figure you'll be interested in this because it's interesting, but if you don't find it interestingly provoking your interest, just woah, stop right there and pluck out your own eyeballs.

It either is or it's not. You can't have it both ways, ma cher, contrariness aside.

Okay, so I made the mistake of reading on.

Musicals: Jekyll and Hyde The original Broadway cast recording, The Complete Work Jekyll and Hyde the gothic musical thriller, 1776 original Broadway cast with William Daniels, and 1776 with Brent Spiner. A YEAR WITH FROG AND TOAD is also a musical, but it seemed to fit the need that is usually filled by Christmas music. Frog and Toad did have some Christmas music on it, but it was mainly just a very feel-good album for days when the writing was moving slow.

...gah, don't ruin my interest in Gothic theatre. Please. For the love of fuzzy ducklings. Jekyll and Hyde is one of the good ones.

And am I the only one disturbed by the amount of Christmas music this woman listens to? Even when it's not Christmas? And especially considering how she likes to be PC / hip and trendy and slightly outside the norm and swears to a Goddess or Deity about stuff? Dude. So wrong. So very, very wrong. And horribly creepy for all the wrong reasons.

I found Thornley's album COME AGAIN, first, and loved it. Three Days Grace came that same week. I found both through listening to a local radio station 105.7 KPNT, New rock for St. Louis. They played the singles and I went searching for the album. The two albums came when I'd almost given up on finding any music to write A STROKE OF MIDNIGHT to. I mean I was recycling music from the last Merry book, but it wasn't satisfying. I find that each book seems to have it's own personality, and mood, and needs music accordingly.

You mean...she wasn't listening to cheesy 70's porno music? *bow-chicka-bowr-row* someone cue the Wakka-Wakkas!

I'm also pretty sure there were plenty of people that didn't find the last Merry book satisfying, but for completely different reasons. I should know, I'm one o' 'em.

Honey, it's a book. You don't have to take it out to dinner or buy it a drink and then come home to put on the Barry White to keep it in the mood. You don't have to stay there until the morning, you can just leave your money on the dresser and go on with your day.

Call me crazy, but the book doesn't actually need the music. You might to stay in whatever mood, but it doesn't.

Then when we were on tour a fan gave us two album mock-ups by a group called Breaking Benjamin. He said, "If you like them, please buy the albums." I promised I would. The mock-ups were not great quality, and it almost sunk them, but by that time I needed a music break, so in desperation I bought one album to see if it was better in higher quality. Oh, my, God! Yes, it was. The first Breaking Benjamin album that I got was SATURATE. I think I went out the next day and got their album WE ARE NOT ALONE. I loved them both. Thanks so much to the gentleman who gave us the dubs on tour. If you hadn't handed them to me, I might never had discovered this great band. Thank you so much. I am embarrassed to say that I cannot recall your name. Thank you again.

*yawn* Thanks for that, Radio LKH. Did you get a free t-shirt for promoting all this?

Late in the book I'd exhausted four great albums, nine if you count the musicals, too. Nine wonderful albums, and the book was not done, and I needed new music again. Like I said, a record. Then I heard a truly disturbing version of John Lennon's of IMAGINE by a band called A Perfect Circle. The album was EMOTIVE, and there were a lot of other great songs on it.

Okay. Stop. Right. There.

My anal inner fangirl is going to kick in right now.

Firstly, it's called eMOTIVe. Making it all caps to make it stand out really pisses me the hell off. I mean, isn't that what apostrophes and quotation marks are for? If you can't italicise, or underline a title of something, you quote it. "eMOTIVe"

See? You hit two extra keys. Or one, twice.

Won't. Kill. Ya.

Basic grammatical conventions 101 -- it ought to be drilled into you through English classes in high school, and doubly so in university/college. I don't care that you're a professional author and may want to have some creative licence and shorthand with these things, this is a public blog. You're not demonstrating basic skills in literature, honey, you're not setting a good example to the kiddies.

If anyone hears any screaming going past their window, it's my respect. It hurled itself off the roof.

Secondly, all but two songs (Passive and Counting Bodies Like Sheep to the Rhythm of the War Drums -- sheesh, could that title be any longer?) are covers of songs about peace and the ridiculousness of war. I'll put it down to Maynard James Keenen to make Imagine sound creepy. And if you note the cover and insert art, it's all post apocalyptic mess with WWII posters telling everyone to be calm and all will be Norman Rockwell-style happy.

It's ironic. And I like it for being ironic. Irony is yummy.

I know this because I own the album and have the insert right in front of me, and I'm reading the liner notes.

Thirdly, don't ruin my APC love. I'll take the teasing, I'll buy the albums, I covet the DVD and it's remixes. Just don't ruin my APC love by suddenly "discovering" a band called A Perfect Circle that's got a creepy version of Imagine.

Fourth, if this is to prove how "Goth" or angsty Laurell can be - APC is so not H4RD K0R. That's what Tool is for. APC is the soft version of Tool. And even though I love Tool, and I have my fangirlism for APC, I still get teased mercilessly for how pansy APC can be. And eMOTIVe is not the album to prove how "Goth" or angsty you are. Metal doesn't automatically equal Goth!Angst! and thus win over the hip and trendy kids with their hair and that music.

Next, she'll latch onto Godhead (*ahem* gODHEAD) for their creepy version of Amazing Grace. Or Eleanor Rigby.

Or better yet, Marilyn Manson. That oughta win over her core demographic, hmm? Laurell writes the next Anita book to Cake and Sodomy? Or d'you think she'd go for the cover of Personal Jesus?

Or is he too mainstream for her?

Given her music selection thus far, suddenly throwing eMOTIVe in there is seems totally out of whack. Just stop pretending, ma cher. Stop pretending to be Goth and hip. Please. You're insulting me, and my music guru-dom.

I just want to yell at her to "Play some bloody Sabbath! You bastard!"

*breathes* Time to calm down, Margaret.

But even A Perfect Circle's EMOTIVE could not get me through the home stretch of MIDNIGHT. What's a girl to do when she exhausts great band after great band? Well accident, and my lack of technological no-how was about to come to the rescue. Jon had put Thornley, Three Days Grace, and both the Breaking Benjamin albums on an mp3 player. A Perfect Circle's EMOTIVE had gone on the player, as well. One day I was trying to find a specific song instead of just playing the play list beginning to end, and I hit the wrong button at the wrong moment. Suddenly the play list was in shuffle mode and I was listening to Thornley's Falling to Pieces followed immediately by Three Days Grace's Burn, and A Perfect Circle's Peace love and Understanding. At first I was horrorified, and a little angry. Damnit, I didn't need my music to get screwed up. Then I realized that by shuffling all these songs that I liked in a very new, fresh order, it made all the music fresh again. I liked the songs, that hadn't changed, I just needed a little bit of a change. The accidental shuffling did the trick. These songs on shuffle are what got me through the end of A STROKE OF MIDNIGHT. The music got me through the end game, and all the way through the rewrite, and the return of it from New York. It takes some damned good music to live in my head for that many months, and still make me smile. Or, make me dance. Yes, when I'm thinking really hard sometimes a little dancing around the office, using the body really hard, will shake something loose, and help me get back to work. Any way, that's it. That's the play list for A STROKE OF MIDNIGHT, Merry number four.

Woah. Holy crap. And stop the world -- Laurell has discovered what the shuffle button is for. And lo, she liked it, for it was good.

Yeah verily, and Merry Book Number Four was completed.

All praise and thanks to the Mystery that is The Shuffle.

It's like Shuffle is the Jesus of music, able to resurrect the albums, like Lazarus. Now, if only Shuffle could turn water into wine, and whine into plot.

Thanks to all the bands that kept me going. Thanks to everyone who recommended music to Jon and I.

I'm sure everyone will now sleep easier and better knowing that.

I'm going to consider this as a test to my faith in my taste in music. Yeah. This blog entry was put here to test my faith in my taste in music.

I'm still confident that I am, indeed, the music guru.

>:\

"... I won't become the thing I hate, I won't become yooouuu..."

Comments

[freyalorelei.livejournal.com]

What I'm wondering is, how the hell can she listen to non-instrumental music and write at the same time? Whenver I try to listen to songs while writing, I end up inadvertantly writing out the lyrics. I mean, whatever works for her, I guess, but I just don't understand it.

A Year With Frog and Toad? Like, the children's books by Arnold Lobel? This helps her write Merry Gentry? o.O

......Okay!

[dwg.livejournal.com]

Yah. I noticed that. Lots of childrens and Christmas music gets played when she's writing.

I find it creepy. Really, really creepy. Like those obscenely cheerful people that don't understand why you're not as cheerful as they are and get High On Life. *shudders*

How the hell that helps with the porny adventures of Anita/Merry (I wish to call it Merita from now on, because they're practically the same) is anyone's guess.

[harpergrey.livejournal.com]

"Merita" -- I love it! May I also use your fabulous new term? ;)

[dwg.livejournal.com]

Go for it. And "Anerry" just sounds weird.

[naeko.livejournal.com]

Sometimes I need non-instrumental music to which to write. In fact, most of my music has lyrics. It all depends on what my muses are feeling when I write.

However, I do the lyric-writing too sometimes, if I'm having trouble with a scene. Even then, switching to an instrumental song won't help. It's usually just time to let it go for the moment.

[sister-ananke.livejournal.com]

this is the funniest thing I've read all day. Why did I only just find this comm?

I agree on the APC - I tease the boys mercilessly but I'm the one who bought 3 copies of The Thirteenth Step because they kept getting scratched :o

[dwg.livejournal.com]

I get some serious shit for liking APC.

Though, the latest was my amusement over seeing Constantine and recognising passive as the "Token Angst!Song as Mormon!Keanu walks into the bar..."

[sister-ananke.livejournal.com]

See now I want to see it even more. It looks so bad yet so good. Plus I'm a complete sucker for religious schlock - Stigmata is a big fave.

My latest song-movie amusement was identifying each Nine Inch Nails song in Man on Fire (I missed a few but my partner got 'em all...*shudders* now I'm thinking angst!pokemon)

[dwg.livejournal.com]

I got The Mark Has Been Made from the trailer of Man on Fire, but haven't seen the movie. I'm told I must, for a rather amusing and unique way to kill someone.

It's acutally pretty good, but I went to town on the snarking. If you want to know all about it - spoilers and all *shameless plug* read my interpretation of Constantine. (http://www.livejournal.com/users/dwg/317283.html#cutid3)

[nanale.livejournal.com]

The original Broadway cast recording, The Complete Work Jekyll and Hyde the gothic musical thriller, 1776 original Broadway cast with William Daniels, and 1776 with Brent Spiner.
Please let me test my understanding. She says, that "Jekyll and Hyde" was on the Broadway in 1776? It's not early in the morning, but this sentence is a little bit disturbing (or at least for me disturbing). If I understand it right and only if, then she writes some crap. First, 1776 and "Jekyll and Hyde"? Hm,...no, it was written in 1885, according to the legend after a scary nightmare of R.L. Stevenson.
And as much as I know, the first Opera opened her doors on the Broadway in 1883 (Metropolitan Opera).
I also find it disturbing, that she can hear vocal music while she writes or at least music in her own language. Other languages aren't that bad, you can ignore the lyrics, but hearing your own language and don't listen to the lyrics?

[dwg.livejournal.com]

Be afraid. Be very afraid.

And hey, in 1776, maybe they were so advanced, they sucked it right out of the 19th century. Right out of Robert Louis Stevenon's head as he dreamt it.

Yeahhh.

Nah, keep being afraid.

[frabjously.livejournal.com]

Hey man, A Perfect Circle is Hard to the CORE.

:)

[dwg.livejournal.com]

...theyr'e still the soft version of Tool.

Though, they did steal the guitarist from Smashing Pumpkins.

[saadiira.livejournal.com]

"Honey, it's a book. You don't have to take it out to dinner or buy it a drink and then come home to put on the Barry White to keep it in the mood. You don't have to stay there until the morning, you can just leave your money on the dresser and go on with your day. "

I love this.

Now, wonders what her taste in music says about her, and is afraid...

-Dira-

[harpergrey.livejournal.com]

(Must also have fangirl moment...)

I found Thornley's album COME AGAIN, first, and loved it. Three Days Grace came that same week.

and

I was listening to Thornley's Falling to Pieces followed immediately by Three Days Grace's Burn

Sigh. Why did she have to go and say that? I really like those songs (and Three Days Grace's self-titled album -- however, I maintain that Thornley was much better when he was still with Big Wreck), and now I'm not going to be able to listen to them without thinking of her. *shudders* I suppose I should be glad that she's giving Canadian music some attention (without acknowledging at any point that they are Canadian, of course). And yet, part of me (the fangirl-ish part *g*) is screaming, "No! You can't write such awful stuff to music that I actually like! Go back to your freaky Christmas carols!"

Now I must go hug my knees and compulsively rock back and forth in my corner, thanking my gods that she didn't decide to fixate on either the Tea Party or the Headstones. ;)

[dwg.livejournal.com]

Now I must go hug my knees and compulsively rock back and forth in my corner

My only response to that is an urge to start chanting "Redrum! Redruuuum!"

[pith]

You used "verily". I love you.

First reaction? "Stay away from my Canadian and wannabe-Canadian music, infidel!"

She's so self-involved. Yikes. It honestly reads like she thinks everyone's hanging on her every word. LKH, you're not the preternatural Oprah: thousands of people will not (I hope) run out and buy an album because you write to it. Sadly, what about the backlash? If I didn't already like some of the artists she mentioned, I'd be inclined to stay as far away from their CDs as possible.

[raietta.livejournal.com]

I don't know how I found this LJ comm, but I am SO happy I did!

As a girl with a deep and abiding love for Tool (I belong to the "how could they break up and Maynard James Keenan make up that pansy-ass APC? Damn you, Maynard Keenan! Damn you!!! and then go buy APC albums on the sly" group), I must say, I don't know what I'm going to do with myself now that
I know that LKH likes the same music that I do--what do I do with this information? Oh dear...

And the last line of the blog--Thanks to everyone who recommended music to Jon and I. That would be Jon and ME, thank you! Arrrgghhhh.... And this woman got an English degree? Unbelievable.