Well it was only one route and one tire, after all, nothing to worry about. My frustration is much more personal than discursive in any case, as I have written what I take to be the story of our time, future-looking and revolutionary, so I get 'tired', excuse the bad pun, of the retreads and as well, work against the nostalgia that seeks the old metaphysics for all of the wrong reasons, as you have just outlined. I could not agree more, as I think you know. But recall Marx's comment, distinguishing himself from Feuerbach: 'for the communist man, the idea of god cannot exist', with the ellipsis, as in exist at all, let alone worshipped. Now Kristen-Seraphim does not project a communist future, but it certainly works toward a new ethics. Its marketing slogan is 'the new mythology is demythology' and I stand by that. 'Blynification' is new to me though!
I want to gently suggest that 'Percy' and like retreads don't need the extra booming given that Disney(?) has picked it up. Symptomatic of the wider nostalgia industry, this Blytonesque redux festival needs to be put to rest. All these tales do for emerging youth is make the young more tolerable for adults; that is, more conveniently controlled given that antique allegories imagined in a completely different metaphysics should have any ethical relevance to their modern lot. Such epics are evidence of avoidance; of our world crisis, of the absence of an ipsissimous culture, of the lack of autochthonous art. They are the children's version of autobiographical journalism, or yet dramatized news reports, masquerading as 'novels' (Miriam Toews) or 'let's rewrite a Homeric tale or a Victorian news story but with a female lead' (Atwood) and thus have no creative merit. And speaking of retreads, I think 'The Bus' may have suffered a flat tire in this installment. Now whether it just ran over the rusty spike of an English tuck-shop sensibility or one of my fictional characters shot it out with her FNX .45 Tactical avec 'silenceur' is another matter entirely.
Interesting thoughts! I, too, dislike the 'Disneyfication'/'Blynification' of these and other stories, which I why I recommended the books, not the films. Now, don't get me wrong - they're not 'great literature' and are at best a poor substitute for the original stories, but - regardless of the reason one might project as a hypothesis for their production - they do pique children's interest in the source material. Not everyone, of course, but some - and that's not a bad thing.
An analogy would be the insipid yet ubiquitous Daft Punk/Pharrell Williams song 'Get Lucky' from a few years ago. A (rather dramatic) colleague of mine one day stormed into the staff room, lamenting how the kids all loved it but they had no idea the bass line had been completely lifted from Chic, etc. and to set them straight he'd played some of the original tracks in his class. But then he stopped mid-stream and said, well, at least now some are listening to the originals, so I guess it's OK in the end.
At the end of the day, if reading a Percy Jackson novel or watching Clash of the Titans (1981) leads someone to Homer, et al, it's OK with me. Metaphysical differences or not aside, I think these myths and legends need to remain in our popular consciousness - and at least as much as those relatively more recent religious ones which are dangerously influencing society, politics, ethics, etc. today. Give me a ridiculously over the top hero who slays a score of horrible monsters before breakfast any day over some ridiculously pure divine who's standard is so out of my reach that I spend my entire life futilely working towards it - and still end up in hell because I drank a beer, touched myself and used his name in vain ... all at the same time.
Oh, and about the tyres on The Bus, there's no need to worry - we're all-terrain and use only the finest run-flats!
Wow - those Greeks must have been making high-grade wine. They are some creative story weavers!
Love all the alliteration in Helplessly Hoping. Its a beautifully written song - words and music - that's been a favorite for decades. "Wordlessly watching, he waits by the window and wonders..." Love it.
It's a beautiful song - and I just used it to teach alliteration to one of my classes! The 'w' sound is remarkable: it wraps you up in a nostalgia blanket. So glad you like it! And, yes - there was some serious win being made ....
It's shocking that the 11th is already here. I'm reeling from the fact that I've got two more days of school left - and about twenty days worth of marking to do beforehand!
I remember those days only too well (college not school, but same old). Looking forward to the end of a long term and while the moment of looking forward brings the stress of all still to be completed. Stop, make coffee, put another album on ...
Thanks! I'm very glad you liked the tracks. They were chosen to accompany last year's 8 December playlist: 'Spanish Fly' (Van Halen), 'Angie' (Stones), 'Once Upon a Time in the West' (Dire Straits), 'Valerie' (Jerry Garcia) and 'Do You Feel Like We Do?' (Frampton). Still one of my favourites!
Well it was only one route and one tire, after all, nothing to worry about. My frustration is much more personal than discursive in any case, as I have written what I take to be the story of our time, future-looking and revolutionary, so I get 'tired', excuse the bad pun, of the retreads and as well, work against the nostalgia that seeks the old metaphysics for all of the wrong reasons, as you have just outlined. I could not agree more, as I think you know. But recall Marx's comment, distinguishing himself from Feuerbach: 'for the communist man, the idea of god cannot exist', with the ellipsis, as in exist at all, let alone worshipped. Now Kristen-Seraphim does not project a communist future, but it certainly works toward a new ethics. Its marketing slogan is 'the new mythology is demythology' and I stand by that. 'Blynification' is new to me though!
I want to gently suggest that 'Percy' and like retreads don't need the extra booming given that Disney(?) has picked it up. Symptomatic of the wider nostalgia industry, this Blytonesque redux festival needs to be put to rest. All these tales do for emerging youth is make the young more tolerable for adults; that is, more conveniently controlled given that antique allegories imagined in a completely different metaphysics should have any ethical relevance to their modern lot. Such epics are evidence of avoidance; of our world crisis, of the absence of an ipsissimous culture, of the lack of autochthonous art. They are the children's version of autobiographical journalism, or yet dramatized news reports, masquerading as 'novels' (Miriam Toews) or 'let's rewrite a Homeric tale or a Victorian news story but with a female lead' (Atwood) and thus have no creative merit. And speaking of retreads, I think 'The Bus' may have suffered a flat tire in this installment. Now whether it just ran over the rusty spike of an English tuck-shop sensibility or one of my fictional characters shot it out with her FNX .45 Tactical avec 'silenceur' is another matter entirely.
Interesting thoughts! I, too, dislike the 'Disneyfication'/'Blynification' of these and other stories, which I why I recommended the books, not the films. Now, don't get me wrong - they're not 'great literature' and are at best a poor substitute for the original stories, but - regardless of the reason one might project as a hypothesis for their production - they do pique children's interest in the source material. Not everyone, of course, but some - and that's not a bad thing.
An analogy would be the insipid yet ubiquitous Daft Punk/Pharrell Williams song 'Get Lucky' from a few years ago. A (rather dramatic) colleague of mine one day stormed into the staff room, lamenting how the kids all loved it but they had no idea the bass line had been completely lifted from Chic, etc. and to set them straight he'd played some of the original tracks in his class. But then he stopped mid-stream and said, well, at least now some are listening to the originals, so I guess it's OK in the end.
At the end of the day, if reading a Percy Jackson novel or watching Clash of the Titans (1981) leads someone to Homer, et al, it's OK with me. Metaphysical differences or not aside, I think these myths and legends need to remain in our popular consciousness - and at least as much as those relatively more recent religious ones which are dangerously influencing society, politics, ethics, etc. today. Give me a ridiculously over the top hero who slays a score of horrible monsters before breakfast any day over some ridiculously pure divine who's standard is so out of my reach that I spend my entire life futilely working towards it - and still end up in hell because I drank a beer, touched myself and used his name in vain ... all at the same time.
Oh, and about the tyres on The Bus, there's no need to worry - we're all-terrain and use only the finest run-flats!
A pleasure to exchange views as always!
Wow - those Greeks must have been making high-grade wine. They are some creative story weavers!
Love all the alliteration in Helplessly Hoping. Its a beautifully written song - words and music - that's been a favorite for decades. "Wordlessly watching, he waits by the window and wonders..." Love it.
It's a beautiful song - and I just used it to teach alliteration to one of my classes! The 'w' sound is remarkable: it wraps you up in a nostalgia blanket. So glad you like it! And, yes - there was some serious win being made ....
Wine, that is. But there was probably some serious 'win' being made, too!
What a lovely sequence of tracks in your playlist! This will get a few plays in our house as December progresses (how is it the 11th already?)
It's shocking that the 11th is already here. I'm reeling from the fact that I've got two more days of school left - and about twenty days worth of marking to do beforehand!
I remember those days only too well (college not school, but same old). Looking forward to the end of a long term and while the moment of looking forward brings the stress of all still to be completed. Stop, make coffee, put another album on ...
The good old days, when so much could be answered by putting another album on ...
That’s exactly what I thought! Well chosen Bryan
Thanks! I'm very glad you liked the tracks. They were chosen to accompany last year's 8 December playlist: 'Spanish Fly' (Van Halen), 'Angie' (Stones), 'Once Upon a Time in the West' (Dire Straits), 'Valerie' (Jerry Garcia) and 'Do You Feel Like We Do?' (Frampton). Still one of my favourites!