Lou Anders's Blog, page 32
September 28, 2012
Olly Moondust vs the Conchords
As an enormous David Bowie fan, everyone is always asking me if I've heard "Bowie's in Space" by Flight of the Conchords, and yes, I have, but I didn't think it was all that clever. I actually have the same objection to it that I had to Being John Malkovich,
which is that you could just dump any celebrity in and repeat their name over and over and over. Being John Malkovich could just have easily been Being Kevin Bacon, or Being Bobbie De Niro, because there's nothing of who Malkovich is as a person in the role as written.
"What you doing out there, man? That's pretty freaky, Bowie. Isn't it cold out in space, Bowie?" just doesn't have any real cleverness to it. A passable Bowie impression with stupid lyrics. By contrast, Sifl and Olly's Olly Moondust skit is just spot on perfect parody. "I dreamt of a wizard with a hot quitar. The lovliest magic man, now he's a star. I got three-D stereophonic laser love. You're on my TV. I've been stuck in space for such a long time. Sorry man, I'm five years late for tea time. Hydroplaning towards infinity. Just some drag queens and me. You dirty little thing..." This could almost have been written by Bowie himself, circa 1972. But don't take my word for it. Compare them for yourself:
No contest.
Update: Jimmy Fallon's TeBowie is pretty good too:
which is that you could just dump any celebrity in and repeat their name over and over and over. Being John Malkovich could just have easily been Being Kevin Bacon, or Being Bobbie De Niro, because there's nothing of who Malkovich is as a person in the role as written."What you doing out there, man? That's pretty freaky, Bowie. Isn't it cold out in space, Bowie?" just doesn't have any real cleverness to it. A passable Bowie impression with stupid lyrics. By contrast, Sifl and Olly's Olly Moondust skit is just spot on perfect parody. "I dreamt of a wizard with a hot quitar. The lovliest magic man, now he's a star. I got three-D stereophonic laser love. You're on my TV. I've been stuck in space for such a long time. Sorry man, I'm five years late for tea time. Hydroplaning towards infinity. Just some drag queens and me. You dirty little thing..." This could almost have been written by Bowie himself, circa 1972. But don't take my word for it. Compare them for yourself:
No contest.
Update: Jimmy Fallon's TeBowie is pretty good too:
September 26, 2012
The Eternal Champion
Today's SF Signal Mind Meld asks what "Science Fiction Biographies We Would Like to See Published" There are great answers from John Joseph Adams, Gardner Dozois, Gary Farber, Gordon Van Gelder, and Farah Mendlesohn. I'm also in there, somewhere in the middle, giving my usual spiel about why Michael Moorcock is the single most important figure in 20th Century Literature and how the entire multiverse would come unraveled if you went back in time and prevented his birth. There are two great books that deal with Moorcock already, both written by Colin Greenland. The first is Entropy Exhibition: Michael Moorcock and the British 'New Wave' in Science Fiction
, written in 1983 and being the first critical assessment of the New Wave movement, and the second is Michael Moorcock: Death Is No Obstacle
, a book length interview with Moorcock. Both are long out of print, and I'd like to see them both reissued, at least in ebook format. But neither is quite a biography of the great man. 
September 25, 2012
Good Old Girl
Marian Call says she didn't have the TARDIS specifically in mind when she wrote "Good Old Girl," but there was obviously some timey-wimey stuff going on when she wrote this:
"Good Old Girl" appears on the album Got to Fly.
"Good Old Girl" appears on the album Got to Fly.
September 21, 2012
Painting Process: The Making of "Omens"
Cynthia Sheppard is a wonderful artist, who, incidentally, did our covers for Mirror Maze
and Hunter and Fox.
In this YouTube video, she shows us the process for creating one of her paintings. It's a fascinating and beautiful 10 minutes well worth your time.
and Hunter and Fox.In this YouTube video, she shows us the process for creating one of her paintings. It's a fascinating and beautiful 10 minutes well worth your time.
September 20, 2012
XKCD: Click and Drag
This recent edition of XKCD is astounding. It may also be that really, truly rare thing called "something new." I cannot imagine the work that went into this. I'm stunned. (Also, make sure you go underground).
September 19, 2012
New Hobbit Trailer
I don't understand the people grousing about The Hobbit being stretched from two to three films. Usually, when a book gets adapted to the screen, you hear complaints about how much was left out. With work as rich as Tolkien's,
I want as much of what is on the page to appear on the screen as possible. Also, is this a shot of Sylvester McCoy? Awesome!
I want as much of what is on the page to appear on the screen as possible. Also, is this a shot of Sylvester McCoy? Awesome!
September 14, 2012
RPGs, Fantasy Fiction, and Monte Cook's Numenera
I played a lot of RPGs as a kid: AD&D, Gamma World, Top Secret, Star Frontiers, Gangbusters, Boot Hill, Call of Cthulhu, and the James Bond Role Playing Game. I haven't gamed in years (pen & paper that is. I'm 97 hours into
Skyrim on the PS3). But for some time the relationship between RPGs and fantasy fiction, especially sword & sorcery fiction, has been fascinating me. Moreover, I'm very interested in the number of fantasy authors who are gamers and the effect that has on their world (hint: I think it's a positive one).
Lately I've been collecting and perusing RPG manuals again, even if I don't have time to play them. Here's a shot of the bookshelf next to my bed:
I'm also in pretty deep to Monte Cook's Kickstarter project Numenera . For those who haven't heard, this is a new role playing game being done by one of the shining lights of the RPG world. I am a sucker for world-building and campaign settings anyway, and his "dying earth" style sci-fantasy really pushed my buttons. Monte has said he's drawing on the works of Jack Vance, Mike Moorcock, and others for inspiration, and I was curious enough to pitch in. But this campaign has gone crazy big--it's currently over $375,000 with three days to go ($75,000 of that was raised since Monday), and Monte keeps throwing in stretch goals. The amount of Cool Stuff you get as a backer has just gotten unbelievable. Here's what $60 gets you:
THE REAL DEAL $60 Level
App (Android, iOS, or PC)
Name in the back of the corebook
Player's Guide PDF
Numenera corebook PDF
The Devil's Spine 32-page adventure PDF
The Mechanized Tomb 32-page adventure PDF
The Other Side of the Maelstrom 32-page adventure PDF
The Ninth World Bestiary 160-page PDF
Sir Arthur's Compendium 160-page PDF
Numenera 3D Paper Fold-Up Terrain PDF
GM's Screen PDF
Cypher, Creature, and XP Deck PDFs
Numenera corebook in print
Ninth World Guidebook PDF
That's 16 pieces of content -- 14 in PDF form, one 400 page full-color hardcover, and an app! And there are all kinds of optional add-ons, like mats, cards, GM screens, and (the one I picked) custom dice!
If you are a gamer, you probably already know about this. But if you don't, you've got three days left to get in. Monte's kickstarted a whole product line now--so you'll be able to get all this stuff commercially later--but not for anything like $60!
Skyrim on the PS3). But for some time the relationship between RPGs and fantasy fiction, especially sword & sorcery fiction, has been fascinating me. Moreover, I'm very interested in the number of fantasy authors who are gamers and the effect that has on their world (hint: I think it's a positive one).
Lately I've been collecting and perusing RPG manuals again, even if I don't have time to play them. Here's a shot of the bookshelf next to my bed:
I'm also in pretty deep to Monte Cook's Kickstarter project Numenera . For those who haven't heard, this is a new role playing game being done by one of the shining lights of the RPG world. I am a sucker for world-building and campaign settings anyway, and his "dying earth" style sci-fantasy really pushed my buttons. Monte has said he's drawing on the works of Jack Vance, Mike Moorcock, and others for inspiration, and I was curious enough to pitch in. But this campaign has gone crazy big--it's currently over $375,000 with three days to go ($75,000 of that was raised since Monday), and Monte keeps throwing in stretch goals. The amount of Cool Stuff you get as a backer has just gotten unbelievable. Here's what $60 gets you:
THE REAL DEAL $60 Level
App (Android, iOS, or PC)
Name in the back of the corebook
Player's Guide PDF
Numenera corebook PDF
The Devil's Spine 32-page adventure PDF
The Mechanized Tomb 32-page adventure PDF
The Other Side of the Maelstrom 32-page adventure PDF
The Ninth World Bestiary 160-page PDF
Sir Arthur's Compendium 160-page PDF
Numenera 3D Paper Fold-Up Terrain PDF
GM's Screen PDF
Cypher, Creature, and XP Deck PDFs
Numenera corebook in print
Ninth World Guidebook PDF
That's 16 pieces of content -- 14 in PDF form, one 400 page full-color hardcover, and an app! And there are all kinds of optional add-ons, like mats, cards, GM screens, and (the one I picked) custom dice!
If you are a gamer, you probably already know about this. But if you don't, you've got three days left to get in. Monte's kickstarted a whole product line now--so you'll be able to get all this stuff commercially later--but not for anything like $60!
Age of the Dragons
When I was in Hollywood, "Moby Dick in Space" was constantly being bandied about as an idea. Sometimes seriously, sometimes as a joke. Now it seems that I've missed Danny Glover, as Captain Ahab, in a retelling of Herman Melville's Moby Dick, in which the White Whale is a White Dragon, going direct to DVD. Has anybody seen this? Is it any good?
September 13, 2012
LEAVING MEGALOPOLIS
We're in the last twenty-five hours for Gail Simone and Jim Calafiore's Leaving Megapolis. For those who don't know, this the celebrated writer and artist team on DC's Secret Six
(and many other separate projects), coming together for their first Kickstarter project. I was in early, because hey it sounds amazing, but this whole campaign has been blowing me away.They were asking for $34,000 to make produce a graphic novel, and they are currently at $106,965. The graphic novel was going to be 80 pages, but due to the level of support it's now over 112. And the digital version was going to be a PDF but now will include a download code on ComiXology! I love Kickstarter and find the pledge drive as exciting as the product. But for this one, where the minimum pledge level for both comic and digital comic is just $15 (or $9 for just the digital), how can you not?. Here's the pitch. I'd get in now if you haven't already.
