Ian’s review of Romeo and Juliet > Likes and Comments

Move over, Manny Rayner. Here comes Ian "the Bruce" Graye, the maverick of mashups, or, as his fans like to call him, the Bard Down Under.

Bird Brian wrote: "Damn, Ian! This is impressive!

I wanna die with you, Julie, in the church tonight, in an ever-lasting ki-iissss!"

Thanks, BB. I too felt that Juliet was one syllable too long for a Boss song.

Richard wrote: "Move over, Manny Rayner. Here comes Ian "the Bruce" Graye, the maverick of mashups, or, as his fans like to call him, the Bard Down Under."

Thanks, Richard. I might ask Manny to move over, but I'd never push him out of bed.

I wish the Grauniad shared your typographical precision. They said that I was "Bared Down Under". This is only occasionally true.

Ian wrote: "Richard wrote: "Move over, Manny Rayner. Here comes Ian "the Bruce" Graye, the maverick of mashups, or, as his fans like to call him, the Bard Down Under."

Thanks, Richard. I might ask Manny to mo..."

Well, I'm sure you're never Bored Down Under!

Richard wrote: "Well, I'm sure you're never Bored Down Under!"

That is so true, Richard. Whenever I start to feel Bored, I look Down Under and I'm repaid with Interest.

Ian wrote: "Richard wrote: "Well, I'm sure you're never Bored Down Under!"

That is so true, Richard. Whenever I start to feel bored, I look Down Under and I'm repaid with Interest."

You've been reading too much James Joyce again.

Richard wrote: "You've been reading too much James Joyce again."

Au Cointreau. That's "The Pale King".

I got this one...

Paul wrote: "I got this one..."

Thanks, Paul, the music ones are for you.

Okay, I'm moving over. But I'll Be Back, in Norwegian.

Manny wrote: "Okay, I'm moving over. But I'll Be Back, in Norwegian."

I'm picturing Schwarzenegger with a Viking helmet! :)

I'm picturing Manny dressed in a condom stuffed with walnuts.

Manny wrote: "Okay, I'm moving over. But I'll Be Back, in Norwegian."

Ian wrote: "I'm picturing Manny dressed in a condom stuffed with walnuts."

Yes, we can see it now. Manny's World, by Jo Stain Guard-her.

Running out of review material, Ian? ..or did you really just read this play?

Traveller wrote: "Running out of review material, Ian? ..or did you really just read this play?"

Traveller, I am shocked, SHOCKED that you would think I had just read this play.

Ian wrote: "Traveller wrote: "Running out of review material, Ian? ..or did you really just read this play?"

Traveller, I am shocked, SHOCKED that you would think I had just read this play."

I didn't, i didn't... therefore the first part of my question. ;)

Anyway.. LOL. I just realized that this is probably one of the works reviewed by you that i have already read myself!!! You tend to do a lot of contemporary stuff, and i'm really behind on my contemporary lit.

Traveller wrote: "You tend to do a lot of contemporary stuff, and i'm really behind on my contemporary lit. "

What are you calling contemporary? The last 400 years?

I recommend Hamlet. Then you can read all the Hamlet parodies, mashups, celebrity death matches and so on. A world of Hamlet hilarity awaits. Plus of course Hamlet is really quite good.

Ian wrote: "Traveller wrote: "You tend to do a lot of contemporary stuff, and i'm really behind on my contemporary lit. "

What are you calling contemporary? The last 400 years?"

No seriously, I'm really behind with people like DFW , David Mitchell, William Gaddis and that crowd. Shame, i can't even characterize 'contemporary' as people who are still alive... :(

Ian, this is pure brilliance. You could start a new Shakespearean Troupe: Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Bard.

I'm somewhat concerned that from now on when I read Shakespeare I will look for resonances with Springsteen, and vice versa when I listen to Springsteen.... :)

Here's more for Bruce at the end if the audience demands an encore:

BRUCE:

At night I walk the streets lookin' for romance
But I always end up stumblin' in a half trance
I search for a connection in some new eyes
That hardly protect you from too many dreams passed by

I see you standin, across the room watchin' me without a sound
I'm gonna push my way through that crowd
I'm gonna tear your holy walls down
Tear all your walls down

Paul wrote: "I recommend Hamlet. Then you can read all the Hamlet parodies, mashups, celebrity death matches and so on. A world of Hamlet hilarity awaits. Plus of course Hamlet is really quite good."

Paul, you do have your priorities straight. :)

I just discovered the death matches over the weekend. I was laughing hard enough to cry from time to time.

What is the protocol with liking the death match reviews? I held back at the time bc it felt a bit like retroactive ballot box stuffing, but I realize all the votes are tallied and posted. (It's funny I was concerned, now that I think of it. I must have been even more scarred by Florida and the 2000 Presidential election than I first thought.)

Moonbutterfly wrote: "Speaking of Shakespeare, I want to read some of his work but don't know where to start. What do you recommend?

Edit: Not Romeo and Juliet obviously."

Hamlet is a good start. So many others, too.

Are you in the mood for a tragedy, a comedy, or a history?

Traveller wrote: "Ian wrote: "Traveller wrote: "You tend to do a lot of contemporary stuff, and i'm really behind on my contemporary lit. "

What are you calling contemporary? The last 400 years?"

No seriously, I'm really behind with people like DFW , David Mitchell, William Gaddis and that crowd. Shame, i can't even characterize 'contemporary' as people who are still alive... :( "

You can always catch up, Traveller - just take it one book at a time.

or the way I'm reading at the moment, five at once, (I don't recommend that.) Kris, the CDM grand tournament is over - vote as early and as often as you will. There are NO hanging chads on Goodreads.

Kris wrote: "You can always catch up, Traveller - just take it one book at a time. "

Paul wrote: "or the way I'm reading at the moment, five at once, (I don't recommend that.) "

True - this is a "do as I say, not as I do" piece of advice.

Have a good haircut! Sometimes a drastic change is good. :)

Kris wrote: "Kris wrote: "You can always catch up, Traveller - just take it one book at a time. "

Paul wrote: "or the way I'm reading at the moment, five at once, (I don't recommend that.) "

True - this is a..."

LOL, Paul, methinks that Kris had perhaps noticed that i tend to overload my "currently rereading" situation a bit... :P

Greedy little piggies sometimes cannot chew all that they've bitten off... :/

Moonbutterfly wrote: "You guys are so hardcore. I'm gonna pickup Hamlet after I get my haircut. My hair is to my butt and I decided to get a pixie cut. So, the mood most likely will be tragedy. LOL"

As they say, "A change is as good as a holiday. So, : Happy Holiday!" XD

Traveller, it's more like I feel your pain. Remember, I'm the one reading 8 books at once, so I have no room to judge. :)

At the start of this year, I had never read any Pynchon, and now I've read 4 by him. I guess I meant that it looks hard to catch up if you think of all contemp lit at once, but if you take your time, you can fill in some gaps.

Moonbutterfly wrote: "You guys are so hardcore. I'm gonna pickup Hamlet after I get my haircut. My hair is to my butt and I decided to get a pixie cut. So, the mood most likely will be tragedy. LOL"

Moonbutterfly: The Scottish play (view spoiler)[don't tell my actor friends I pronounced the title Macbeth (hide spoiler)] and King Lear are good tragedies to start with.

If you're in the mood for something to lift your spirits after that, Much Ado about Nothing has some spirited chsracters.

Hamlet would be a good start, especially if you want to read my review:

http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

Kris wrote: "Here's more for Bruce at the end if the audience demands an encore:"

My love will not let you down

Richard wrote: "Moonbutterfly wrote: "You guys are so hardcore. I'm gonna pickup Hamlet after I get my haircut. My hair is to my butt and I decided to get a pixie cut. So, the mood most likely will be tragedy. LOL..."

Othello and The Merchant of Venice are also quite good. I have to read some more of these plays when I have time. Thanks for the entertaining reminder Ian! I thought this was brilliant.

Traveller wrote: "No seriously, I'm really behind with people like DFW , David Mitchell, William Gaddis and that crowd. Shame, i can't even characterize 'contemporary' as people who are still alive... :( "

They all form part of my personal canon, plus Don DeLillo. Many of them are re-reads for me, because I wanted to review them. I'm trying to make sure that my forward reading keeps up with my backreading. I've actually got behind in more contemporary novels, but I rationalise that they're still there for me to read sometime.

Jonathan wrote: "Thanks for the entertaining reminder Ian! I thought this was brilliant. "

Thanks, Jonathan. Sometimes the concept is more entertaining than the execution. Though I did have fun making up some bawdy lyrics for Juliet.

Ian wrote: "Jonathan wrote: "Thanks for the entertaining reminder Ian! I thought this was brilliant. "

Thanks, Jonathan. Sometimes the concept is more entertaining than the execution. Though I did have fun ma..."

I bet Juliet appreciated having some bawdy lyrics.

Kris wrote: "Ian wrote: "Jonathan wrote: "Thanks for the entertaining reminder Ian! I thought this was brilliant. "

Thanks, Jonathan. Sometimes the concept is more entertaining than the execution. Though I did..."

"You're no bawdy till some bawdy loves you."--Dean Martin.

Kris wrote: "I guess I meant that it looks hard to catch up if you think of all contemp lit at once, but if you take your time, you can fill in some gaps. .."
Thanks Kris. Yes, move a mountain one pebble at a time, i guess...

Ian wrote: "I've actually got behind in more contemporary novels, but I rationalise that they're still there for me to read sometime.
."

Sadly Happily, more is being written AS WE SPEAK, so, as soon as you thought you'd caught up, more of them pops out into the open.... winking and begging to be read... :P

But are they any good?

Manny wrote: "Okay, I'm moving over. But I'll Be Back, in Norwegian."

Manny, you absolutely have to write "Bjorn in the USA".

Ian wrote: "But are they any good?"

Well, who is going to go first in investing their time to find out for us? :P

Hilarious!!!! On a par with Fifty Shades of Graye. I think you should be crowned the GR Pharaoh of Remixes....or however they were inducted.

On second thoughts you'd probably want various combinations of annointing and naked dancing girls...

Traveller wrote: "Well, who is going to go first in investing their time to find out for us? :P"

That's what GR is for. I really do look forward to the next new novel that all of us (i.e., my friends) want to read. Like the shared experience of 1Q84. I wonder what's on the horizon or out there now?

Promise to let me know if you find it first?

Ian wrote: "Traveller wrote: "Well, who is going to go first in investing their time to find out for us? :P"

That's what GR is for. I really do look forward to the next new novel that all of us (i.e., my frie..."

I think we all need to make a pact with each other to give a heads up whenever one of us thinks we've found it. Another SD-esque group read? :)

Richard wrote: ""You're no bawdy till some bawdy loves you."--Dean Martin. "

"Now you're just some bawdy that I used to know" - GOTYE

Olympic-calibre music pun.

Kris wrote: "I think we all need to make a pact with each other to give a heads up whenever one of us thinks we've found it. Another SD-esque group read? :) "

I am pacted.

In-pacted?

Im?

Im or er?