This post is part of the ongoing series of Musicilove.
He is so right about the accessibility of “classical” music. There is something intimidating for so many, and what a shame. I’m so glad James is on his mission to make it personal. His passion is infectious:
continued here:
Oh, yeah, a fake fan letter is a must:
James,
I love your stuff! You are dead on. Keep it up!
Sincerely,
One of your rabid fans, and no, I’m not rabid about everyone despite the look of things here.
Two days ago someone posted this video on Twitter:
Pompeii by E.S. Posthumus from their Unearthed CD.
I’ve talked about this one before as it’s been one of my favorites since I first saw it almost a year ago. From its finely done editing to its music, this is one of the best Strike Back videos and all around fan videos. There is nothing awkward in it. No moments when the music sounds incidental to the scenes. Just a tightly knit casting of John Porter’s life coming at you. But mostly what draws me is the feeling he has a much greater destiny than the machinations of an MI-6 agent. The sounds of a celestial choir no doubt contribute to this sense.
After I was done watching that one, I moved onto some others that for two to three years I’ve gone back to again and again. Most of them were set to background or theme music and most of them had a sense of the epic, which is what first drew me to fan videos and eventually led me to discovering Richard Armitage. I’ve had an affinity for this musical genre since I was a little kid and dreamed of writing movie scores for a living. One of my fondest childhood memories is spending hours and hours at the piano picking out expansive tunes and trying to perfect them. It’s still one of my favorite pastimes, and I can spend considerable time doing it.
For years after I was grown, I thought this was something entirely frivolous and hoped I would eventually snap out of it. And I did for a couple of years. But I’m coming to understand in a way I didn’t even come close to doing before that this sense of the epic is part of who I am and part of everyone else, and we are all part of it. We’re all part of something epic going on. We were formed to be eternal people with a destiny, and I find myself reveling in this more and more. Although at some points in my life I have considered the antithesis — that we’re a pale mosaic of organisms which has no purpose other than forming some random picture, but I’m not tempted by that any longer and haven’t been for many years. It’s unsatisfying and frankly, boring. Whenever I did feel myself beginning to take the yoke of that thinking, the cells in my body would go into rebellion, and when I examined what was so disturbing, I realized the random picture doesn’t square with the need to seek out my story, our stories, the story.
And how interesting that stories are so important to most of us, and quite a few reading this blog are especially attuned to them. It’s what holds us together as people and more specifically what holds many of us together in our fascination with Richard Armitage. There are plenty of very good looking actors. Plenty of tall actors. Plenty with a wonderful timbre to their voices. Plenty with pleasing personalities. What sets him apart is his determination to get at the story. Of course just like most of us, he’s done things to ensure he didn’t starve, but it seems he’s trying to get at the story as much possible. Or perhaps I’m putting my own views on all of you and should say that I’m fascinated with dear ol’ Richard chiefly because of his infatuation with the story, and certainly by what it is that motivates him so much to get at it and in a way that’s true. I’ll talk more about this later. For now this will have to continue as one of those loose ends along with the others laying around this blog.
So I’ve spent a couple of days rewatching videos that have a sense of the epic, and of all the videographers I’ve watched, none does a better job of putting a finger on the pulse of the story and bringing it to life for others than Angela (aka Spikesbint or Angelfish69).
One of the first that comes to mind:
“Ashielf Pi” by E.S. Posthumus from Cartographer
One of the first I saw of hers:
“Intro” by Caliban from Small Boy and a Grey Heaven
One that does not involve Richard Armitage:
“Central Park” by James Newton Howard from King Kong Soundtrack
One of her birthday tributes to Richard. Be sure to check out her others, and I hope she does one this year. This one made me cry the first several times I saw it:
“Generations” by Immediate from Trailerhead and “The Loss of Yours” by Adrian Johnston from Becoming Jane Soundtrack
“End Music from Atonement” by X Ray Dog from The Vision
Here are some others who have done a superb job of capturing the story with epic music, but I’m only posting one video from each of them in the interest of not having this post go on and on.
JulietD001:
“The Wolsey Commits Suicide / Finale” by Trevor Morris on The Tudors Soundtrack
One of the first North and South videos that was my favorite, and I still love it. By PoleStar00:
“Lake Constance” by Mike Oldfield from Millennium Bell
One by PhoenixLupin, who has some wonderful Richard Armitage videos, but this happens to be about “The Fall”:
“Summoning of the Muse” by the Dead Can Dance from Within the Realm Of A Dying Sun
I’ve labeled all of the videos with their musical pieces, but unfortunately, not all of that music is easily available to the public. That is slowly changing. Some other theme composers who are used by quite a few videographers are Craig Armstrong, Dario Marianelli, Howard Shore of LOTR fame, Ennio Morricone, Jerry Goldsmith, Martin Phipps and Andy Price. There are also artists who frequently can sound epic but do not technically fall into the background or theme music genre. Some of those are Within Temptation, Secret Garden, Tarja, Linkin Park, Muse, and Coldplay.
Oh, and I swear James Newton Howard and Thomas Newman are the same guy, or is it just me who thinks they sound exactly alike? :D
And my mood is expectant as I’m listening to “Unbreakable” by James Newton Howard from the Unbreakable Soundtrack.
Sometimes I want to jump up and fly when I have so much in me that I can’t express it. It’s terrible and wonderful, and while I was sitting here reworking my next piece, I just had to post this for now instead. This has been on my playlist for years and has become an anthem for me. I imbue it with all kinds of spiritual meaning of which I’ll spare you the details today. Do with the song what you will, but do something with it! One of my all-time favorite players:
It’s my understanding Lindsey Buckingham learned to play the banjo before the guitar and that explains his unusual picking style. Whatever happened, I can’t get enough of listening to his playing. But I have to confess I prefer the stripped down version of him for the next song as opposed to his over mixed pop version self of the 80s. Proving that older really can be better:
Okay another from Lindsey, and this one cannot really be captured on video. It’s really best live. I’ve had the privilege of hearing it that way a few times and can’t really describe it! If you don’t like it, we need to talk. :D
There’s so much I could post, but there’s no need for any duets or combos. He’s sufficient on his own. However if you want to reference something, go for it.
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.
For awhile now I’ve been working on another blog but don’t quite have it ready yet, so I’m starting a new category on this one instead — musicilove. When you get to the end of the post, you’ll know why I posted this today instead of waiting until after FanstRAvaganza, but no peeking. :D
Each post of musicilove will hopefully have something you’ve never heard but wish you had, and sometimes I’ll have a veritable playlist, as I do with this post. If it gets out of hand, I’ll find another place for it quickly. For now the only impetus for posting will be things that strike my fancy, and of course my fancy is always ready to be struck.
I’m starting with music that always makes me smile, and it’s dominated by an instrument that I’ve wanted to dismiss but just can’t. Most important for me is I might not be here if not for this instrument. When Dad was wooing Mom, he would sing and play the ukulele, and she told me that it was this that made her succumb to his charms. I grew up with Dad playing all sorts of things on the uke, and I loved it when I was really little. Then I got too cool to listen and would roll my eyes, but eventually I came back to loving it, and really it was such a pleasure to hear Dad play it. He could play anything with strings, and we loved it when he “broke out” the uke. Most of the time he was a bass player (guitar and upright). When he and Mom were dating and newly married, she would go to his jobs with him, and the bass violin would ride down the middle of the car between them as that was the only way it would fit. Thank heaven for the uke. :D
I howled when I saw this video because this is one of the songs Dad sang to Mom:
Here’s another one he sang to her, and Mom always had a sweet smile on her face when he played it. Don’t those two look happy?
But the uke is not limited to just sweet love songs. I’m totally digging Pink Floyd on the uke:
So not everyone likes Pink Floyd. How about some Led Zeppelin?
Or maybe The Stones:
Okay, enough of the amateurs. Perhaps it’s clear by now that the uke is not reserved for luauas even though a drunk Don Ho singing Tiny Bubbles may sometimes come to mind. When I think of Hawaii and the ukulele, I prefer to think of IZ:
And a few more to whet the appetite of those who primarily think the ukulele is outdated.
The inevitable tie in to Richard Armitage, a sort of six degrees and actually, two degrees of separation now. And when I figured out who the principal performer is, the choice of song was perfect. For months I’ve been dying to post this, and today is the right day.
His name is Bret McKenzie. You can read about him here, and it will be interesting to hear your thoughts about this in regard to dear Richard. Oh, and whether I ever see ‘The Hobbit’ or anything by Peter Jackson, I’m falling in love with New Zealanders. Their humor and love of life is evident in almost everything I see.
And last but not least, this kid I found by cruising around on Ukulele Hunt:
The question of whether or not Richard Armitage would make a good James Bond has come up countless times in the fandom, and it happened again the other day with DEZMOND’S poll. I didn’t vote because I’m conflicted, but I want to go on record as saying that he would make a marvelous James Bond. I’ve never doubted it. The question for me is whether or not he should indeed play Bond. I know I would love whatever he chooses, but from the first time I heard the suggestion of him being Bond, I’ve had my reservations.
The character is fairly one-dimensional. At least he is in all the Bond movies I’ve seen, which is all of them except Daniel Craig’s Bond (need to rectify that in the near future). Maybe Craig has changed things up? Somehow I doubt it, and that’s no aspersion on him. It would take a mega star to change up the Broccoli Machine, and then maybe even that wouldn’t happen because the Broccolis are not going to hire anyone who is going to mess with their cash cow. I’m sure their thinking is “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
That’s a good rule of thumb if it’s only about money. If it’s about art, then there’s no such thing. Well, money is still involved, but hopefully it doesn’t dictate everything. Last time I checked, and again, I haven’t seen Craig’s portrayal, Bond was not about art, and certainly not about any real thought. About as deep as Bond usually gets is sexual innuendo via the liberal use of double entendre. I can watch Sean Connery for that ’cause he does it so well, and really, I don’t want to see RA being a Sean Connery retread although I’m sure he could pull off some great stuff.
But let’s say RA did play Bond. What would that mean for his career? I’m inclined to think it would not bode well. All of the actors who have played Bond including Connery have not done much of note. One reason is most of the actors chosen for the part are not the best actors or even close, and I would bet it’s almost an admission that an actor is second tier to be chosen. I could be wrong about that, but my common sense says this is not considered a plum role if someone thinks of himself as a serious actor. I would hate to see RA in that group.
Another reason for my hesitance is Bond is such a larger than life character (bigger than any actor’s portrayal) that the typecasting which comes with it makes accepting the part maybe a bit daunting later, and especially if the actor plays the part really well as Connery did. Is there any doubt RA would play this well? Ohmygosh, just thinking about him being Bond, well, I need to keep this blog safe for work. Suffice to say that PHWOAR! would probably roll off my tongue so often it would be sore.
All of that aside, the only thing that really gets me excited about RA being this character is imagining how he would deal with the back story, and yes, of course some gratuitous shots for objectification edification. Speaking of which, here is a shot that in my opinion screams James Bond:
And just for comparison purposes:
Oh, heck a few more.
When I saw this…
I quite naturally thought of this…
And when I think of this…
It’s easy to think of this…
Definitely need a cool drink, and maybe I need to speak to Hunkess. I could do with a little celebration of masculinity of this historic Hunkie.
That Sean Connery has got to be one of the sexiest ever! The dude is even sexy as a graying, balding man. Phew!
What woman could resist someone that manly looking and with that beautiful, deep burr? Oh yeah, Connery has ‘it’, and obviously, so does RA. I think I’ve just convinced myself that Richard should NEVER play Bond. He is the only one I’ve ever thought could eclipse Connery. RA doesn’t need that baggage!
Side note: I think it’s a hoot that Ian Fleming based the “sophisticated persona” of Bond on Hoagy Carmichael. I love Hoagy! Love to play Hoagy, and yeah, his music is sophisticated. But his persona? I’m not seeing it. LOL!
Then again, Wikipedia could just be having us on. I’m not a Bond aficionado so I wouldn’t really know, and I don’t have time nor inclination to become one. I’m doing well to write this blog. Better stop now since I feel a strong urge to go on a tangent about Hoagy.
Oh, what the hell!
One of the all-time great songs, and a real pleasure to play as well as hear:
Another one I love to play:
And by the way, I love 7notemode. He is a helluva player, but then this is my kind of music. If you ever think of me playing anything, this would be it! And maybe a little Brubeck and Duke Ellington as well. :D
Oh, and as much as I love 7notemode, I wanted to post Oscar Peterson playing Skylark but couldn’t find it. Oscar is fantastic. If you’ve never heard him, you’re missing out!
One of these days I may start writing a music blog. That’s my first love and will be the one that sees me out of this life. I can never close my mind to any kind of music and never get tired of listening to everything that comes down the pike. Yes, even rap music. Some of it is really good. The little SOs who are not slouches when it comes to knowledge of music (loving everything from Bach to Nat King Cole to Gershwin to Lou Reed to Muse) are always laughing at my music choices and then putting them on their iPods. :D
Lately I’ve been preparing another post about Lucas North, and the process of it has me listening to someone who became one of my favorites several years ago. He is a precious little jewel to me and apparently only to a few other people as he’s vastly underrated by the general public and unfairly swabbed with a song that was run in the ground awhile back. That debacle would ruin a lesser musician, but he’s too talented for that to keep him down. Oh, I’ll get to who it is, but I had to say that first. Whoever this guy really is, he’s a thinker, and he’s just damn fine at playing too.
The album this song below is from should go down as one of the all-time greats, but that will probably be dictated by his next few albums. Whatever his place in music history, I look forward to whatever he’s got. Before you look at this video, just know it’s a slideshow of someone’s wedding in Russia (?). Interesting song choice, but then perhaps the Russians are a bit pensive about everything even including a wedding event? Maybe Cresmix will weigh in and help us understand. Not that I expect her to speak for all Russians, but it does seem they are very emotional and sometimes heavy hearted even about something that should be joyous.
And I would embed something else, but this was the only thing I could find, and I really wanted you to hear this song if you’ve never heard it. I figured almost everyone had heard this song, but I’m finding out that’s not true — at least here in America, and that’s even with the album making it to Number 7 on the charts in the U.S.
So I had to take another breather from all that’s RA. Actually, I couldn’t completely take a breather. I’ve just been reading and not talking so much about RA. Poor guy what would he do if I didn’t bring my nonsense to cyberspace? Probably be a lot better off, but I wouldn’t have nearly so much fun.
I’m going to tag this post a tangent, but I can’t bring myself to put tangent in the title, ’cause the word implies chaos, and I’m not feeling the least bit chaotic right now. Usually, I can’t sit still. Toes are tapping, fingers thrumming, or teeth clicking all the time. It’s a little bit of the curse from ADHD, but I refuse to take medication, and NO, I’m not saying others shouldn’t take medication.
Thankfully, I have relaxed for a few days, which is something I don’t do very often. It’s been pretty quiet around my house, and that’s probably because my kids are all gone somewhere, SO is very busy with other things, and NO ONE has come to my front door in almost a week. I guess everyone in town who might come to my door is on vacation. Yea! for vacations. :D Despite how it sounds in this post, I really do love people. They fascinate me and always have, and probably always will. But sometimes I need a break from all that goodness.
So I’ve been listening to some “new” music a friend sent me. I cannot believe I never bought these songs on CD, but I have them now! And they’re still good and oh so easy to chill to:
This next one is one of my favorite songs of all time. I have it on vinyl but why I never bought it on CD I don’t know.
Maybe in a day or two (or maybe in a few hours) I’ll be back waxing on and on and on about Richard Armitage. This is probably just the calm before the storm.
Previously, I said RA’s performance in the tea scene was like a maestro conducting the perfect symphony. I’m not sure what symphony that would be. Too many great ones to narrow it to one. But the symphony I was thinking of when I wrote that was The Firebird Suite by Stravinsky. It’s not too bold a statement to say that Stravinsky has probably influenced almost every modern composer in the last fifty years. When I first heard Martin Phipps’ score for “North and South,” I thought he might be influenced by Stravinsky. His use of chord progressions and his distinct use of rhythms was the giveaway. Oh, and how cool that I thought of a Russian but didn’t know at the time that RA seems to have an affinity for some things Russian — Crime and Punishment, vodka, brooding.
I was bummed to realize I couldn’t buy the “North and South” soundtrack. I’ve also noticed that if it’s put on any sites, it’s scrubbed in a fairly short period. Not sure if this is Martin Phipps or his producers. Whatever the case, they are quite thorough, and even if there is something I could embed at the moment, I don’t want to mess with putting up one of his pieces only to have the link go bad very quickly. However, there is plenty of Stravinsky up, so for your pleasure, the old master conducting The Firebird:
and another one of his pieces. This one forever changed music for me:
RAFrenzy 