How fitting to couple Richard Armitage with one of the best bands of the 21st century! I love the fanvideos, and I have a really soft spot for the ones that feature Muse:
Phew. I think that’s all of them.
I love all of these, but those who know me know which one is near and dear to me. :D
edit: Almost all of these videos can be downloaded from Elvira’s site, RAfanvids.
Iz4blue is such a delight that I had to share this. You may have seen some of these videos, but she’s always bound to come up with one you haven’t seen, and she’ll always make you smile.
If you like, be sure to comment on Iz4blue’s blog.
via DistRActed musings of one ReAlity
FanstRAvaganza will return tomorrow, or tonight if I get industrious.
Continuing on with FanstRAvaganza. Hope you hang with me. There’s another surprise if you do. :D
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I assume almost everyone who reads my blog is a fan of Richard Armitage, the actor, but occasionally people who are serious about politics land here looking for some bit of information on the guy who supposedly outed Valerie Plame. I’m sure other RA bloggers have experienced something similar. One visitor in particular, whom I’ll call Tory, was looking for an article about the U.S. State Department official and clicked on the ‘Who the Hell is Richard Armitage?’ post. Her first instinct was to back out, but curiosity got the better of her, and she ended up listening to clips from ‘North and South’ but never made it past those as she was so anxious to load it up on YouTube to watch the whole thing. She is now a fan. LOL! Eventually she sent me a note to share what happened to her, and several weeks ago I asked her to record something for me. She declined as she really is in politics and doesn’t want to make her fascination known. But she gave me permission to share some of her words:
I was just curious enough to press play on the first clip, and then he uttered, “I will be home to dress…” That was the moment I became fascinated. I viewed the entire clip but kept going back to the conversation with his mother. I have never been mad about someone’s voice, but I’m in love with his voice. I’m in love with him! When I knew I was ‘in the bag’ as you say, was listening to the radio play, ‘Clarissa.’ I cannot stomach the book. I cannot stand Lovelace, and I think I despise Clarissa more. Despite this loathing, I willingly sat through a four hour adaptation in hopes of hearing Richard’s Lovelace.
Phew! He does that whisper in his voice to perfection.
For those who have not read nor are familiar with Clarissa, it’s considered to be one of the first novels. Some say it was the first, but I don’t think that’s quite the case. I could be wrong about that. Perhaps one of our resident teachers/librarians will weigh in. Despite its standing in classical literature, I also hate that book! Clarissa is so put upon and silly that it’s hard to really root for her, and this goes on for around 1000 pages. Sheer torture. But as Tory put it, “The best part of the play is hearing Richard Armitage sing!”
When I first heard he was musical and involved professionally in musical theater and before ‘Clarissa’ was produced in 2010, I had been wondering if he could sing, and love or hate Clarissa, it was so worth finally knowing he could. One of the real benefits is that I became a rabid Radio 4 listener. I’m so sorry I did not have the pleasure before. More on this here.
Whether RA could sing or not, from my first introduction to him in early 2008, I wondered what quality it was in his voice that so fascinated me. It took me over a year to pinpoint. Thankfully, in 2009 I decided to stop writing all of my journal entries and record some of them. This helped me capture the thoughts that eluded me when I finally had a pencil in hand. I also quickly obtained some voice to text software so I wouldn’t have to hear myself while transcribing. LOL! Here’s an entry from August of that year:
It’s a wonderful thing about voices…. I was just listening to Sylvester, and I don’t even like those kinds of books….they’re boring, syrupy and talk about Mary Sue?….they’re replete with it. But you know (chuckle), I just love listening to it because of the range Richard Armitage has….It’s finally dawned on me what I really love about his voice. It’s the same thing I love about [SO’s] voice and my son’s voice……there’s a melody in their voices, a song, a possibility. They always seem on the verge of breaking into a song or making a joke……or something. SO can’t sing and my son can’t sing, and I’m not sure if Richard Armitage can sing, but they all share that song in their voices. I don’t mean they sound sing songy but rather the modulation of their voices gives an expectation. And…it’s usually hopeful. I love that.
Yes, I was a bit harsh about Sylvester, but my friends, that’s how I felt. That aside, it’s the expectation in his voice that makes me come back over and over again to hear him. If it were just the deep timbre of his voice, I really could get that from Alan Rickman and so many others. But it’s something way beyond his vocal register, and it was so interesting to hear RA’s take on how he thinks of music and the voice and how he actually used music and in particular singing to help him craft his characters for the audio books! From his interview for The Convenient Marriage:
I always love hearing him talking about his preparation! I also have a soundtrack in my head. Almost everything in life is put to music; it’s a rare day when I don’t put everything to a rhythm. I wonder if this happens naturally with everyone. I really don’t know, but I do know that sometimes this is a curse for me. I wonder if that happens to RA.
If you’re enjoying this, don’t forget to enter the Heyer audio book giveaway. Details here.
Oh, and Tory hasn’t heard that interview clip, and I don’t think she’s seen the picture either. So I’m sure I’ll be hearing from her later. LOL!!
And she and I have come to realize that we not only agree about Clarissa and our fascination for RA but have quite a few things in common including some people we know. It’s been such a treat to get to know her, and she’s far from the only person with whom I’ve been developing friendships due to RA. So many of you I’ve had such pleasure coming to know! One in particular is always so pleasant and encouraging, and her joy is contagious. I wonder sometimes if she realizes what a delight she is. Iz4blue (aka Sinjoor):
Yeah, this is totally cool, and it really is all about the love. So well put.
Iz originally hails from Antwerp, Belgium; we’ve just had the privilege of her being part of the U.S. for the last several years.
By the way, she really does know how to ferret out some of the best videos and fan fiction, and there are so many that it’s good to have a guide. She has worked with Eva over at Wattpad to create an Armitage Fan Club, and it’s a great place to find fan fiction. The best thing about it is how easily it can be accessed from a phone, and for those of us on the go (whether we want to be or not), it’s a boon. Iz has also started a blog where she can bring all of the other good vibrations to our attention easily. With the publication of Sexy Back 3, maybe a top ten of RA montage videos? :D
RA Audio clips courtesy of RichardArmitageNet.Com and RichardArmitageCentral. Thank you, thank you, ladies for all that you do! I could not have done this post without you.
Screencap courtesy of RichardArmitageNet.Com.
Interrupting my FanstRAvaganza posts for a public service announcement. :D
I’ve said it before: watching Heather’s Sexy Back videos is a rite of passage as a Richard Armitage fan. Some of us have been waiting three years for her next Sexy Back video, and now….
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the wait is over!
If video shows as ‘private,’ reload this page; have a bucket of water handy. Video download available here.
Thank you, Heather! It’s a pleasure to showcase your video, which oh, maybe one or two fans have been wanting to see. LOL!
For the uninitiated, here’s the one that started it all:
And its equally entrancing sequel:
If you haven’t checked out Heather’s channel, do it now. Lots of other things there that are great. I also have an interview with her.
Yeah, the drum roll was cheesy, but I’m having fun with sound files and can’t seem to stop. :D
I adore laughing. It truly is great medicine. A little something to cheer you if you need it:
Hope everyone has a great week!
And another one for good measure. :D
edit: Check this out. See, see, I knew it was good medicine. I’m adding the public service tag.
It’s been hard to get back into the RA universe this week. Certainly, it’s not Richard Armitage. No, it could never be due to him. He is utterly fascinating all the time. In fact, that’s the beauty of having him caught on tape — he can be whatever I want him to be anytime, anywhere. But sometimes real life just won’t let me fanatasize incessantly about him. Did I say fantasize? No, I would never do that. At least not while I’m asleep. I want to be awake so I can get the most out of it, but damn, SO and the kids just won’t stop being who they are to let me do it! So I was in a tizzy pondering my abilities for fantasy about RA (yes, when you’re a rabid fan, you think about heady stuff like that) — at the least trying to work up that perpetual glow fans get when they’ve been wowed by himself’s abilities.
What I really needed was a little Armitage fix. I just couldn’t do it to myself since the curse of taking something fun and making it convoluted complex was riding me hard. Thankfully, I didn’t have to do it. I opened my in-box, and there was a little treat waiting. It was almost as if the laws of attraction really do work. Less than a minute later I was back thinking of angst about life and love in an enjoyable way, and before I could think too much, I was loading up various slide shows (oh, sometimes there are some slide shows that my heart can barely handle for the thrill; I force myself to look at them anyway. :D), and well, my fingers were itching to unleash all of my bullshit on you again.
The little treat I received is packed with goodies to find. So despite its length, you make up for it by watching over and over to mine them. Picture me with glazed eyes and a wonderful glow this morning. :D
Enjoy:
Most who read this blog know how much I like fan videos. There’s no question I’m addicted to them. Probably only a few other fans are more obsessed (at least that I know about :D ). Certainly, when fan videos concerning Richard Armitage pop up on YouTube, I check them out. Imagine my surprise when I saw a fan video with a fan literally singing to him. The song was clever and funny. My grin was huge, and I chuckled at the end when the singer giggled.
But watching her video was never going to be enough. I’m infernally curious about everything and people are chief among my interests. I think I’ve said that a time or two. But I’m not curious for the sake of it. People are not specimens to me. They are living and breathing and have feelings and desires, and despite my snark, I always believe everyone has something to contribute. This is what edifies.
Allison of the video had already had a bit of an edifying effect on me. Her seemingly carefree nature throwing caution to the wind with her willingness to drop the mask so many of us wear made something bubble up in me and had me nodding my head and wanting to shout, “You go, Girl!” I immediately sent her a note asking if I could have an interview. That’s one of the cool things about having a blog — it’s media, my friends, so anyone writing a blog can become a reporter and probably have access to people in a way they never could otherwise. If I haven’t learned anything else about reading blogs for the last several years, I’ve learned that! Oh, the possibilities are endless, and I am loving it! I’ve got plans to interview all sorts of people now that I’m a journalist. ;-)
While I was waiting for Allison to respond, I started reading her blog. I read it off and on for a couple of days until I finished it, and some parts I read several times. She is intensely interesting, and sadly, this little blog entry is not going to do her justice. But I have to try.
A little mood music before I begin:
When I loaded up her blog, Al’s Adventure!, I realized she was on her way out of town, literally heading off for an adventure by means of couchsurfing, and it was not the ubiquitous diary of someone’s daily routine. No, this was something more, and I was immediately drawn into her life and Richard Armitage was forgotten. But I’m just jaded enough that if this had been mere blog entries to herald the advent of her vacation pictures, I would have probably stopped reading.
So I went to Ireland with Al where she met up with a guy named Marty Kelly, whom she had never met before, and now I feel like I’ve met and maybe will say hey to if I’m ever in his hometown. No, I probably wouldn’t do that, but it’s fun to think about it. I found myself thinking about all sorts of things as Al was on her adventure. The sense of wonder at discovering new people and things was infectious like her video. Often I could see the twinkle in her eye while I was reading about her pursuits, and her sunny disposition almost had me reaching for my sunglasses.
Al also made it to England, Wales and Scotland, and then was back home in Seattle, but not for long. Several weeks later she returned to Ireland to live and work for three months. This gave her plenty of time to find out the craic. 
And when you’re in the land of bards, the craic inevitably includes waxing poetic. My eyes were moist with something :D as I read her “elegy” to Marty Kelly’s dryer on the verge of departing:
Ode To A Tumble Dryer, With The Help Of Marty Kelly
Tumble Dryer you broke my heart
For years you spun my garments dry
One time I left you on too long and the heat was intense
I was chafed for days
And I cried silently with the washing machine
The toaster laughed and mocked me
English muffins never tasted the same again, not even with gooseberry jam
Especially with gooseberry jam
But now you lay cold and untumbling
There is something inside of you that I can’t fix
I cleaned out your lint trap
I changed the fuses
And still you remain silent, sullen
I called the repairman for help
But your parts are too old, unavailable
Tumble Dryer believe me I tried my hardest to fix you
Thank you for the years of toasty clothes
But the garbage truck is rumbling down the street
And it’s time
It’s time
But Al was not content to ruminate over the appliances with Marty and was soon off on a side trip to Yugoslavia of the former kind. I loved seeing Split in Croatia. Her pictures are clean and inviting. Certainly fitting for a travel brochure beckoning people to lay down some serious cash to come see for themselves.
But I was also moved by the stark reminder of the devastation that occurs from even a wary foot, and how we are so insulated from it in America.
Then Al returns to Ireland and is back home not too long afterward, and I figured the journal would come to an end when the traveling did. There was indeed a respite for over a year, and before I could begin reading the rest, Allison responded to my note. Her honest humility and sweetness at my request was evident — even to my somewhat hardened self. She told me she was surprised by the interest and assumed anyone who commented on her video would tell her what rubbish it is. I did realize she was new to playing the guitar, so I wasn’t thinking it was the best guitar piece I’d ever heard, but her honesty and sweetness even when she was being bawdy came through. That’s what made me so curious.
I finished the blog and learned about her mother passing away during the blog’s silence. She had mentioned her several times, and I felt like I was coming to know her, so it was a bit of a shock. I read about her pets, and for the first time in my life might have had feelings for a rat. I also read about her recent stay with her sister in the Dominican Republic. The imagery of that visit is very well done. I could see and sense so many things — the ominous looking “Watchmen” walking through the yard, Al locking herself out of the house, the food, and the stray dog, Reckless Clive. It was as if I was there just as I’d been in Ireland and Croatia, and she had hardly said a thing.
I wrote my questions as I was reading, and frankly, I had to work hard to come up with one about Richard Armitage. Allison is very interesting in her own right. Thankfully, I didn’t have to come up with those questions although I did ask a couple. Nat sent me a note that she had also asked for an interview, so we decided that she would give most of the 411 on that, and I would be free to ask and write what I wanted.
My questions/comments to Al:
There are so many blogs, as you know, but what I like about yours is that while it’s honest, it doesn’t have a bite. It really does have a genuine sweetness. That’s hard to fake.
Coolness! That’s good to hear. It’s absolutely how I try to live my life. Several of my friends have dubbed me the most non-judgmental person they know. I’m just happy to be me and I’m a hedonist in the true sense – I do things that will result in my happiness. The good news for me is that I’m VERY easy to make happy. I’ve noticed throughout my life that I have a marvelous capability to infect others with my good moods. I also have a deep dark side that I think helps to temper the sweetness. I’m not cutesy with pretty, pretty locks and sunshine and lollipops, I’m sweet with short spunky hair, tattoos and pet rats!
No question your good moods are contagious. I’m still smiling from watching you sing.
And you just sound creative as hell.
My mother would kiss you for that!
LOL!
I would love to read your poetry. I did read that you write it, and it wasn’t just Ode To A Tumble Dryer? Or did I dream that? Do you write anything else outside the blog? Would love to read it. Your imagery is good. I could see everything in the blog and how it fit in the bigger picture of your life. Well done, and I know some of that was not easy to write.
Holy cow my mother would really kiss you for this. My sister would probably join in too!! They both have encouraged me to write all my life. I do like writing, just not enough to really apply myself. And especially not long things. I think that’s why the blog posts, poems and songs work so well. I do have a good number of poems that I’ve written throughout the years, and personally I think they are spectacular, but I never assume anyone wants to read them. Plus, I lack the motivation to get them published anywhere! I know I could put them on the blog, but it’s always a little weird to put something so personal out there and have no one respond to it – I always just figure I’m boring people. I’ll send you some though, if ya like!
Oh, I don’t think you’re going to bore anyone, and I’ve very much enjoyed the poetry. If I hadn’t, this part of the interview wouldn’t be here.
I also love your pictures. You do good photo. I especially love the ones of Croatia.
Seeing Sarajevo and Croatia was beautiful and intense. As a privileged American I’ve never seen what war does to a place first-hand. I had never seen buildings pock-marked with bullet holes and signs by the side of the road warning of land-mines. My Couchsurfing host took me to a memorial site where practically a whole town had been massacred. It was pretty intense. Thanks so much about the photos!!! I’d say it was a bit of a hobby of mine. It’s by no means a serious hobby, I only have the one small camera – but I’ve had people amazed at some of the photos I’m able to take with it. There are just a lot of tricks that I’ve picked up over the years.
Of course there is your guitar playing and songwriting. The Richard Armitage ditty aside, how are you liking the guitar? After the fingers develop callouses, it can be a lot of fun. LOL! Considering how good your ear is with words, I have a feeling you can hear beats and tones well. This is a big plus for you.
I’m loving playing my guitar (her name is Charlene) I can’t remember if I mentioned this, but guitar came into my life at a time when I really needed a therapeutic outlet, and it continues to be. I love creating music. I was never a very confidant singer, but I find that I can sing much better when I play guitar. I can’t “hear the notes” to sing (as a lot of people have tried to coach me to do) but I can hear the notes within the chords of the guitar, so as a result I’ve become a much better and more confidant singer! It is a little weird to lose most of the feeling in the fingers of my left hand! But for me it’s a source of pride, I’m really impressed with myself that I stuck with it long enough to get the calluses.
I’m sure you and Charlene have a lot more coming. :D
I noticed on the blog that you like the Fratellis. What other music do you like?
Oh the Fratellis are GREAT! Their music is so high energy, and I love the way they borrow from so many genres. So many bands have a lot of talent but all their songs sound the same, so I love the way that the Fratellis mix it up. I’m very into roots music, folk, bluegrass, roots country, and I love hearing how music in America evolved, as the roots stuff began to morph into rockabilly, which then gave rise to punk. So you can listen to Hank Williams and hear so much influence in a lot of more modern stuff. I love vintage soul music, Otis Redding and Sam Cooke, it’s just all so good. It’s where we all came from. Going back even further, I love to listen to world music and hear all the similarities. One of my greatest loves is fusion music done right, when artists can successfully combine “different” forms of music into one fluid sound that works and all of it’s levels. Gogol Bordello and Flogging Molly are two of my all time favorite bands, and for an absolutely brilliant example of a fusion that blew my mind is The Dharohar Project from Mumford and Sons and Laura Marling. They went to India and created music and it’s just amazing. Right now I’m listening to Gillan Welch, I just love her too. Lordy, I could write about music all day.
I understand. LOL!
And before I forget, I have to ask you about the couchsurfing thing?! I know what couchsurfing is, but I’m wondering about this organization. Sounds wonderful! I would love to hear more of your thoughts about it. Now that the dust has settled a bit from your last trip, what would you say is the best thing you’ve taken away from the experience?
If it were up to me, Couchsurfing would win the Nobel Peace Prize. The experiences I had and the people I met through this site re-affirmed my belief in the goodness of human-kind. Some of them completely astounded me with their hospitality. There is not enough gratitude in the world for me to feel towards these folks. A few of them even helped to teach me some of the most important life lessons I’ve learned. I had a small few whom I just didn’t really click with, but I never had an outright negative experience. The best thing I’ve taken away from my travel experiences (aside from all the brilliant things I’ve gotten to do and the people I’ve gotten to meet) is the ability to appreciate almost any situation I find myself in. If I’m somewhere and I’m cold or wet or covered in sweat, I know that it’s only momentary, that eventually I’ll get warm and dry, or cool down – and then I’ll be really grateful that I’m cozy again because I’ve known what it’s like to be uncomfortable. Also, if the shit is hitting the fan and everything is going wrong – I try to picture myself one day telling the terrible story and laughing about it. I used to think in terms of “if only…” like, if I were somewhere nice but rainy, I’d think, “oh, if only it were sunny, then it would be perfect.” or “if only I had decided to splurge and stay at that nice hotel then things would be so much better.” or “if only I had packed the silver bullets I could defend us against this werewolf, but I didn’t want to lug them around the whole time…” You know, that sort of thing ;)
I’m finally learning that sort of thing. :D
When I was reading about your Irish Adventure, I couldn’t help but wonder about Marty Kelly. I figure there’s more to that story, but maybe I’m reading into it. By the way, he’s cute! But maybe he wasn’t your type?
Marty is one of the most amazing people I have ever known. He’s like a soul brother to me and when it comes down to it, I have a fantasy that when we’re 60 years old and have led whole separate lives of stories and adventures we’ll finally settle down together and own goats and rats.
Do you have any other travel goals?
I don’t have any other travel goals, but I never really did. All the traveling I’ve done has kind of just popped up in my life. The opportunity comes along, and I take it.
I have to tell you that I got misty eyed when I read your mom had passed away since I felt like I had gotten to know her some. Many condolences on that. We’re never prepared for it! I sense there is plenty more to write about Mom. It was obvious you have a lot more to say.
My mom was by far the best and closest friend I ever had. She encouraged me in all of my odd and artistic endeavors. She gave me just enough wiggle room to explore and be free, but never let me doubt for a minute that she loved me entirely and would do anything to keep me safe. I’m utterly grateful for the time I got to spend with her and not a day goes by that I don’t miss her.
May everyone have a mom like that!
One more question or questions, and they’re going to be about Richard Armitage since that is the premise of my blog. LOL! I’m wondering what made you do the video? And if he saw it and made it known, how you would respond? :D
Well the song was just written in mid-November, after having watched the last few episodes of Spooks, and first played it for a friend about a week after that. She loved it and was the one who encouraged me to put it on You Tube. If I’m honest, I’m flabbergasted at the reception this song is getting. I wrote it as just a larf, I just thought, “why don’t I write a cutesy song about my crush on RA, but it’ll be kinda funny since he mostly plays dark characters.” I never for a second thought I’d ever be making a You Tube video or that – be still my heart! – he may ACTUALLY HEAR it one day! I have little doubt that he will see the video – which, again, still doesn’t seem real but in this age of technology I’m sure someone will eventually call his attention to it and he’ll watch it and… no, it’s just too much for my poor mind to handle! ;) But if he actually responded, well, that would be… how can I make words describe it – really freakin’ cool. All I can say is that if he does respond, how am I to know it’s really him unless he thanks me in person? Just sayin’, Richard, if you’re reading this and want to shake my hand and be all like, “thanks for the great song, Al” I’d have no problem with that. None at all.
LOL!
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There is so much more to say about Allison. She could no doubt make a book, and during our conversations, she commented that she was humbled and having been something of a reject in her younger days was honored that someone would want to ask her these questions. As she said it, I thought how often those who have endured what it is to be something of a reject in their youth end up being the most interesting people.
Photos courtesy of Allison of course.
Oh, and Al is on Etsy and has some neat looking items. Why am I not surprised by this? LOL!
If you haven’t already done it, go over now and look at Nat’s interview. Fantastic as usual. She is a comic genius!
note: If you’ve made it this far, sorry this was so long, but Allison was worth it, and I had a blast doing it.
Blessings to all. :D
See Diary Part 23 here, or to access all entries, hit “The Diary” tab above.
Spoilers for ‘The Impressionists’ and maybe a little for ‘Between the Sheets.’
[note: Regarding this diary, I sometimes get very kind notes from people wanting to comfort me. I really appreciate that. You will never know how much. But it has begged that I address the time line of these entries. Please know that these diary pieces are from two years ago or more. In fact, some entries are now almost three years ago. I thank all of you again who have expressed concern for me. I’m long since over the state of mind I was in then although in some respects I’m not over it. LOL!]
Entry — A few weeks later and still Fall, 2008:
Haven’t watched any Richard Armitage lately, and I’m glad I quit watching so many things repetitively. I think I finally snapped to when I got to the point I was watching but not really watching. My mind kept wandering to all sorts of crazy notions, but I was dutiful in slapping myself mentally for wasting time. It seems I’m always doing that. My daydreaming is almost a sickness. I wonder if I can ever outgrow it. When I was a kid, I was too naive to cover it up, and it was a constant source of teasing. Dad always liked to tell the story of me walking to school and the neighbors seeing me and chuckling at my strolling around looking at the bushes and the trees and singing to myself, and how they would holler at me to hurry up or I’d be late. I still love looking at things along the way. I’ve never been able to completely stop, but the specter of being late is always there. SO seems to be the only one who doesn’t think daydreaming is a problem. I just wish I had been smart enough to make a living at it, and it was always about a living dammit!
When I was 18 and wanted to major in music in college, I got a lecture about what I was really looking at — “Unless you get lucky, you’re going to play dives for years or you’re going to teach other people’s children to play.” Dad was a fantastic musician, and his years of playing gigs legitimized the truth of what he was saying. If he couldn’t succeed, then how the hell was I going to? Anyway, neither of those paths sounded appealing, and so I let myself be talked out of my first love.
Today, ‘The Impressionists’ came from Netflix. I forgot I had it in my queue, and I’m not sure when I’ll watch. It’s just going to make me remember again how I sold out. Maybe I’ll just send it back since two of the little SOs want me to get ‘Jane Eyre’ w/Toby Stephens no matter that they’ve seen it several times. According to them he’s so good that they’re now head over heels in love with Rochester. Of course that was true after they read the book! They even made a Facebook page about fictional characters ruining their love lives. LOL!
I look at them fangirling, and I’m so glad they are lighthearted enough to do it and laugh at themselves. I wish I had let myself revel in things like that as a girl. Eventually I fancied myself above it and was too busy making fun of it to ever enjoy it myself. I was a pompous ass and probably still am. Maybe I’ll keep the ‘The Impressionists’ discs.
A few days later:
The little SOs have had to content themselves with watching ‘The Impressionists,’ and although they’re still into Toby, they’re rapidly becoming big fans of Richard Armitage. They’re just not great fans of him in this particular series. But then they’re too young to really appreciate the nuances of his Monet, and how can they truly understand the conflict over Camille — his contrition to her and his honor to his father? They can’t. Not yet, and hopefully never.
And so much for being lighthearted about this. I was hanging on Richard Armitage’s every move. LOL! I cannot believe I was unaffected by how he looks when I first saw him. Must have been one of my most shallow moments. Granted, he is not the most handsome man I’ve ever seen, yet he is continually making me re-examine how I define handsome. No, actually, he’s beautiful in this. I have rarely thought a man was beautiful, but that’s the best description. He is definitely physically attractive, but it’s something inside coming out of this character, that longing for Camille and something more which permeates his eyes and moves to his shoulders and arms and onto his fingers, and returns to his shoulders, and settles there.
A little while later:
After everything I’ve seen of Richard Armitage’s acting, I can still be in this much awe of how he brings out depth of character? Will this ever get old? I hope it never does, and it has me continually wondering what he draws on to convey his expressions. “Quite a detailed actor” — yes, but what detail is in the mind’s eye? Or does he even do this consciously? Is this part of unfocusing the conscious? I don’t think he has a wife and kids or a pregnant girlfriend stashed somewhere, yet the purity of his movements is stunning. Whatever is happening in his head, I find myself replaying mere seconds of footage to dissect exactly what he does as Monet to convey these impressions and can’t escape recognition of SO in his demeanor.
There’s an earnestness and an innocence in Monet that makes me see SO, my young man who had everything to anticipate but pulling some baggage. How in hell does Richard Armitage capture that? (need to finish the Stanislavski book). I know he’s not innocent, or maybe he is. I don’t know. I’m so curious how he can play this character and the one in ‘Between the Sheets,’ who now that I think of it had a believable innocence as well despite the revelation of his heinous behavior. Or how he could play the stalwart but naive John Thornton and then the mercenary Guy of Gisborne, whose behavior also had a childlike expectation woven through it. Interesting. I keep writing down my impressions, but I can’t quite capture the essence of his performances. It’s like I’m in the dark trying to find a lamp but stumbling over something at my feet when I come close.
The only other actor to stir me to this degree is James Dean. I watched ‘East of Eden’ again the other day (after about a 25 year respite from it), and he nails Cal’s angst. He strays into melodrama some, but I figure it’s the era the movie was made. When I was twelve, this performance embodied the questioning and frustration I had long felt. I remember thinking I would eventually find the answer and some relief when I was grown. But I still question what drives people and what drives me, and I try to push it away and function normally, and “normal” dictates that I figure everything out in a moment. I know that’s not possible, but I keep trying to sum everything up, always trying to conclude, but I can never conclude. In hindsight it was alternately relieving and excruciating to watch Cal.
And now in watching Richard Armitage, that relief and agony is heightened again. Maybe much worse this time. It has created an almost painful longing to express what it is that dogs me all the time, and at one point in my life literally drove me insane. When I was watching him in this, I wanted to paint or play, and even toyed with the idea of writing a story, but writing has a vulnerability I can’t bear. I can’t write and exposing my clumsy attempts at it makes me shudder, and I haven’t painted anything in such a long time I’m not sure I can anymore. I’ve become too jaded to paint anything. But I can still play. I think. All I know is Armitage’s movements as Monet have a resonance that’s clear and sweet, and it reminds me of a finger slipping across a note, the feel of it coming off the note, and the tension and resolution and sometimes lack of resolution it expresses. And now I haven’t put my fingers on any notes for two years, and my frustration at not being able to express adequately how I feel has been locked up. I’ve wondered why I quit playing; I don’t remember any other time I didn’t play. I was playing before I could read. There are pictures of me trying to pick out pieces when I was barely able to sit on the piano bench. But I can’t bring myself to play. The thought of it leaves me…I’m not sure how it leaves me.
The next day:
I wish SO would watch this guy! He would agree with me about his abilities. SO is very attentive to detail when it concerns human beings. He still surprises me at times with what he perceives; I know he would appreciate Richard Armitage’s sensitivity and craftmanship. I would love to hear his thoughts! What a shame he hasn’t really watched anything. He was only half watching Vicar of Dibley, and Richard Armitage is mostly a foil in that. Then there was such a break between Vicar and George Gently that I don’t think SO realized it was the same guy, and Ricky Deeming also wasn’t a big part. Mostly I would love to talk to SO about what is happening to me and my urge to capture on paper the types of ethos and emotions I’m seeing Richard Armitage convey in his portrayals. Until now I’ve been content to swell up like a toad with what I perceive of people and things. I’m about ready to burst with what I want to express, and that’s much more interesting than writing all of this crap about my life.
Present day:
Getting ready to start Claude and Camille: A Novel of Monet
And I have to mention this video:
This has become one of my favorites. I love the version of Ave Verum Corpus that bccmee used. She has a great sense about her music selections not to mention tight, well done videos, and this was her first one! I’ve been anxious to post this piece so I could highlight it.
I also love this music because it’s a wonderful Welsh baritone. The Welsh are my weakness. I am a quarter Welsh, and when I visited Wales, the sense of kinship was overwhelming. More about that later. For now, the version of Ave Verum Corpus that I normally listen to is on this album, but the Ave is not my favorite piece in that collection. So glad bccmee introduced me to this new version.
I really need to start that music blog. Maybe I’ll work it in during my spare time. LOL!
See Diary Part 25 here.
Screencap and screenclips courtesy of my stash.
I’ve likened the words of Richard Armitage to pebbles going into a pond where we all ripple appropriately, and I’ve said more than once how much fun it is being a ripple in the RA universe. Hope the erudite among you will forgive me the mixing of those metaphors. With the recent hand wringing over RA’s grammatical homicide of the apostrophe (I won’t even go into his faux pas with double negatives), I feel compelled to ask for that concession.
Where was I?
Yeah, feeling the pond.
Being a ripple is never so keenly felt as when I float around on Twitter. Earlier, Sinjoor tweeted a link to a YouTube video, and I will admit I don’t always go over to look, but I did today. So glad I did, because I got to “meet” Allison, who I predict is going to make quite a splash among us fans. She has some guts, and hey, if RA sees her singing, who knows? He might call her. ;-) I adore your initiative Allison, and the song is a hoot!
Note: I wrote this piece earlier today and was going to post it on New Year’s, New Years’, New Years Eve, NYE (take your pick), but I wanted to speak to Allison first. So I sent her a note, and then I went off to do other things. It finally dawned on me a little while later that she put the video up to get a reaction, and there was no need to ask her permission to use it. Yes, sometimes I’m very, very slow on the uptake. So Allison, here I am reacting. :D
Oh, I just noticed right before I posted this that Skully already had it up. Aren’t we good little ripples? LOL!
I don’t know what you’re doing today or where you’re going, but hopefully, you can reflect sometime this Christmas season on what it is that really counts. No matter your politics or your religion or what you’ve done right or wrong, can we all agree that we want to love and be loved?
The festive mood of this season has been slow to take root in me, but I really appreciate this community for encouraging me. In particular, bccmee has been great. She’s so upbeat and has such a sense of fun that it’s hard to stay down when you encounter her or her videos. She just sent me one that gave me such a warm feeling:
I may just have love in all of my titles until the end of the year. ;-)
edit: The song is ‘Everybody’ by Ingrid Michaelson
And I forgot to mention that bccmee is having a contest! Here’s how it works:
Try to spot as many special effects as you can. By special effect, I mean something that is different than the original video. Don’t overlook the obvious ones! Whoever sends me (bccmee on YouTube) a direct message with the most special effects listed will be able to choose their favorite Richard Armitage character for a future fanvideo!
RAFrenzy 
