Craig Laurance Gidney's Blog, page 56
August 17, 2013
MUSES: On Stevie Nicks and her Gold Dust Woman Persona
I first heard Stevie Nicks when I was in the 6th Grade. The song “Sara” came on and it was the most magical song I’d ever heard. Then, I was big into disco, and Donna Summer was my idol. What drew me to “Sara” were its gentle chord progressions, the ethereal background chorus, the glimmering […]
August 16, 2013
Books I Wish I’d Written: Tours of the Black Clock by Steve Erickson– A twilight trip to an alternative version of the 20th Century
Tours of the Black Clock by Steve Erickson My rating: 5 of 5 stars Steve Erickson claims kinship with authors Philip K. Dick and Thomas Pynchon, and its easily to see why. Like those authors, he subtly twists the nature of reality and history until it resembles the inner (both philosophical and psychological) landscapes of […]
August 15, 2013
DC’s Hidden Treasures: The Battaglia Mural in the Mount Pleasant Library
Last night I learned that my neighborhood library, the Mount Pleasant Branch of the DC Public Library system, has a mural in the children’s section painted by Aurelius Battaglia. He was an illustrator who went on to work for Disney. His animation can be seen in […]
FLASH FICTION: The Birth of the Dragon Lady (a superhero original story)
The Birth of the Dragon Lady The attached work is my take on a superhero origin myth–an African American female superhero! Filed under: fantasy Tagged: flash fiction, superhero
BOOK REVIEW: Saint Fire by Tanith Lee. A surreal Joan of Arc tale.
Tanith Lee just won a World Fantasy Lifetime Achievement Award, which is well-deserved. At her best, her prose and storytelling ability have an almost supernatural intensity. She has also been tremendously supportive of my own writing. As a congratulatory measure, I am reprinting some reviews of her fiction, in the hopes that more people will […]
August 14, 2013
On Meghan McCarron’s “Swift, Brutal Retaliation”
Swift, Brutal Retaliation by Meghan McCarron My rating: 5 of 5 stars This is a ghost story, but done as a realistic family drama. Think Cheever or Franzen rather than Shirley Jackson or Stephen King. The ‘horror’ is the disintraging relationships. The emotional brutality and unrelenting prose probably what placed this story on this year’s […]
FLASH FICTION: Lamia’s Lament by Craig Laurance Gidney
Lamia's Lament – Page 1 – Wattpad. Today’s piece of Flash Fiction is inspired by M. John Harrison, who introduced me to the myth of the Lamia, is dedicated to my brother Calivin Leroy Gidney III, who introduced me to Greek Mythology. Filed under: Book Reviews Tagged: flash fiction, greek mythology
August 13, 2013
MUSIC REVIEW: Azam Ali & Loga R. Torkian, Lamentation of Swans.
Haunting Glossolalia & Hypnotic Music Azam Ali and Loga R Torkian have created a beautiful tapestry of atmospheric sounds that meld together electronic, world and ethereal music seamlessly. Ali opts to sing wordlessly on this release, which unleashes her awesome range. My favorite piece is “Winter Forest,” which blends Indian-style chants with Bulgarian-style singing. Torkian’s […]
FLASH FICTION: Beautiful Asteriod – Wattpad
I posted a piece of flash fiction on Wattpad–a rumination on lookism and the fashion industry. Beautiful Asteriod – Wattpad. Filed under: Fiction Tagged: flash fiction
August 11, 2013
Dream Paralysis or the residue of nightmares
For the past month or so, I have had some vividly disturbing dreams, mostly due to a prescription drug that I am taking. The nightmarish atmosphere of this dreams appeals to my taste. One dream was about a movie starring Meryl Streep and Sally Field, who are ghosts watching over their husbands. Streep and Field […]
