all good things.

[bluelovesorange]

Spanning the globe today in this post, I hope - because really, there is a world outside of America and there's a world in America...or something like that.

Diana Wynne Jones (Start singing, folks, it's the second day)

Angie, yes there's going to be an animated version of Howl's Moving Castle, and it is being spearheaded by the director who did Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away (Which I still haven't seen. Damn it.) More about that can be found at Diana's official site.

I have read 18 DWJ books, including collections of short stories - Everard's Ride and Warlock at the Wheel, I recommend highly.

She's briefly mentioned in the author notes for Stardust, by Neil Gaiman, I believe..it's been a while since I've picked up Stardust.

Have you seen Welsh languageTV? Apparently, there's nothing in the world like it. (well, obviously)

the super furry animals (Welsh band) or here Something4theweekend, indeed.

Leonard Cohen Join wintercolours in the unholy beauty that is Jeff Buckley's "Hallelujah" and a cap off to Leonard Cohen, who wrote the original song that Buckley based Hallelujah on.

I remember, vividly, hearing the librarian reading to us the story of the Gefilte (Gifilte?) fish who was taken home and let loose in the bathtub as a pet, before....

Or perhaps I saw it on Reading Rainbow. Whichever, I was completely horrified.

http://www.christina-chiu.com/

Because there's more to the Asian-American literature world than Amy Tan.

Godiva sent me their catalogue, and I have decided there is a conspiracy to kill me dead by packaging and or/chocolate consumption. The peppermint truffles, especially. I've cut back on chocolate, but this is ridiculous - I do like their lady Godiva tin, though.

Which brings us to Grant Lee Phillips. Hey, this man can sing the phone book and you'd think it was the most profoundest, deepest, intimate secret in the world.


www.bunnybass.com

Have you seen the Hello Kitty bass?


Am listening to U2's Passengers cd -- incidentally, it's less painful than POP. Good God, that was just.....

Comments

[anniesj.livejournal.com]

Which brings us to Grant Lee Phillips. Hey, this man can sing the phone book and you'd think it was the most profoundest, deepest, intimate secret in the world.

Oh, word. Word to the nth degree. That's such a perfect way to describe Grant. His voice does things to me. When I hear him sing "Lazily Drowning" and he gets to "but I'm soon to be delivered" and his voice goes all fragile and sweet on the last note... It makes me sigh. Grant is a god. All hail Grant.

[minim_calibre]

If you like the Buckley, try the Cale!

Now, 9 times out of 10 with Leonard, I'm Little Miss Accept No Substitutes--the whisky-and-cigarettes voice, the hint of Canada in his accents, the depth of knowledge of the meanings in his words, oh yes, I do adore my Leonard (who has multiple versions of Hallelujah, and has, over his 30+ years in music, taken tinkering with his own vision to an art form)--but the John Cale version of Hallelujah is really quite something.

Avoid the Bono. It's crass and overproduced.

For heartbreaking Leonard, nothing really beats If It Be Your Will.

For wry Leonard with a twist? Closing Time.

Best Leonard cover ever? Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Tower of Song.

Weirdest Leonard? The still-raw and very random Death of a Ladies Man. Much potential, thwarted by Phil Spector.

There's Leonard for everything, for every mood, every age, every possible variation.

Thus ends my standard issue Leonard pimping.

heh, a bit like Elvis Costello's recent article...

[crushw-eyeliner.livejournal.com]

In the 'music issue' of Vanity Fair, where he detailed a song for every hour of the day.

Thanks for the recs, and I will seek out Leonard, Nora has informed me I'm getting one of the 'best of' collections of LC, so I'm suitably excited.

[postcardjunkie.livejournal.com]

Someday, I will read DWJ. But for now, I'm just spreading the word and converting all the children I know. Is that good enough?

Hallelujah is great, as is Leonard Cohen. I'm giving my father "The Essential Leonard Cohen" for St. Nick's on Friday (he asked for it). It's good stuff. Or was I supposed to wait and give him that for Christmas? I always get impatient when I get people's gifts too far in advance, damnit.

I remember that story, too! With the gefilte fish in the bathtub and everything. . . I think it was in one of my grade school reading books. I remember discussing the story in class, and the teacher asking us to look at the illustrations and identify when the story was supposed to take place. I remember being annoyed at the question because the illustrations aren't always accurate (for example, look at the version of Pride and Prejudice made in the 30s or 40s -- from the costumes, you'd think it took place in the 1840s, but it was really supposed to be the 1820s).

Anyway, the illustrations showed a bathtub with feet, a grandmother wearing a long skirt, and a girl in a mini-skirt-dress so short it barely covered her ass. Clearly, the story took place in the late 1960s or early 1970s, as that's the only time in history that such short skirts were acceptable. My teacher told me I was wrong because of the grandmother's apron and the bathtub with feet. Whatever, my grandmother had a bathtub with feet in the 1980s, that doesn't tell you anything. As you can see, I still have a chip on my shoulder about being told I was wrong when I was clearly right. Grr. *g*

Also, gefilte fish is completely disgusting.

[queenofthorns.livejournal.com]

She's briefly mentioned in the author notes for Stardust, by Neil Gaiman, I believe..it's been a while since I've picked up Stardust.

Yes, it is Stardust - I just checked. Also, one of the characters in DWJ's Deep Secret is modelled after Neil Gaiman - apparently, Nick's breakfast demeanour is pretty much Neil's as well ;)

I was "converted" last spring by a good friend who sent me Hexwood and Howl's Moving Castle with instructions to read immediately, and though I had to read Hexwood about three times in a row to figure out what was going on (and I'm still not entirely sure about all the details) I just fell in love. Particular favorites: Hexwood, both of the books featuring Howl, Fire and Hemlock, The Time of the Ghost and the brilliant Deep Secret. I can't wait for the "sequel" coming out in March!!

cool, thanks

[crushw-eyeliner.livejournal.com]

That's another plus mark for "Deep Secret"...I'll have to check it out for certain. Thanks again!

[ragingpixie.livejournal.com]

I remember, vividly, hearing the librarian reading to us the story of the Gefilte (Gifilte?) fish who was taken home and let loose in the bathtub as a pet, before....

The Carp in the Bathtub. For future reference, if needed. :)