The subject of Acrentropy's quote-of-the-month series for 2005 has made the beloved character actor listings at Fame Tracker.
Alas, Yaphet Kotto remains unlisted.
Tuesday, June 07, 2005
Monday, June 06, 2005
The Dark Tower: Reflections on a series
Years ago, I picked up The Gunslinger and was enthralled. I sped through the first three books of Stephen King's Dark Tower series only stopping because the fourth had yet to be published. It was a year after that when Wizard and Glass came out and I found that I no longer had the burning desire to read any more. The flashback structure put me off, and I went no further than Rhea of the Coos.
Then, back in November, I decided to go back to it again for two reasons. One, all seven books were now in print, so there would be no waiting after I finished one to get to the next. And two, all seven were available in audio form, which I thought would be a great way to enjoy the entire series. So now, after approximately 140 hours of audio CD, I've come to the end. Some thoughts (And there are necessary spoilers here, so Dark Tower virgins be warned):
For years after I initially read the first three books, I'd occasionally have an impulse to tap my throat three times with two fingers and say "Thankee-sai". Aside from this being a real geeky thing to do, the more extraordinary part of this is I had absolutely no memory of where I picked this up. It's an illustration of what I most admire from the books: the unique expressions of language used to create this world. Not only unique but also natural. The speech patterns are therefore quite credible as everyday language. "Do you ken it?", "Do you say so? Then let it be so." and "Long days and pleasant nights" are just some of the turns of phrase that I'll carry with me long after I have finished these books.
My first impression those years ago when I stopped at the fourth book has carried over to now: Wizard and Glass is the weakest link. Primarily, this is due to the flashback that makes up the bulk of the novel. It's too drawn out for it's own damn good. You could argue this was on purpose as Roland and his friends bided their time in Mejis, but I think it goes beyond that. I think King fell too much in love with Susan and Cordelia and Eldred and Thorin and so on so that it just got too unwieldy for its own good. I think King forgot his big piece of advice from his On Writing text: Kill you darlings, Kill your darlings, Kill your darlings.
And one other note on Wizard and Glass: It also has the least satisfying ending. The Wizard of Oz thing was a little too much for me, more so than any of the other literary and cultural allusions used throughout. And it was also disappointing that a vicious, interesting villain (i.e. The Tick Tock Man) was brought back into the picture at such great effort only to be shot dead within the first few pages of seeing him again. Gee, thanks for the cameo, Andrew Quick.
As if to make up for all this, the first section of The Wolves of Calla was the most satisfying beginning of the series. This whole portion does a wonderful job of introducing Tian Jaffords, Andy the Robot and the story as a whole. The exposition never feels forced, and I am left eager to know the further details of this little community full of farmers and ranchers eeking out a living and the horrible fate of their children. Also, of all the fantastical and strange names that King comes up with for this world, my favorite was given to a barren tract of land mentioned in this intro: "Son-of-a-bitch"
I remain undecided on the whole Meta turn the books took in The Wolves of Calla. It did make me glad that I had read (twice, in fact) the aforementioned On Writing, as his views of the writing process and details of his accident were great supplementary material to the later books. It seems clear that the Dark Tower series is more personal to him than any of his other works, so it must have seemed natural for him to insert himself into the proceedings. As a result, we get a portrait of the man himself to go along with Roland's inner demons.
In terms of the format I used to experience this epic, the voice work was top notch. Aside from a recording of King himself doing Drawing of the Three (more on this in a moment) Frank Muller did the first four books. Stephen King actually inserts a note about Muller in the fifth book recording and expresses his sadness at his death and how he would not be able to complete the series. George Guidall picks up where Muller left off for the last three books. Both did very well with the characters and had sufficient range to paint distinct portraits of all the myriad characters of New York, Midworld and everywhere else.
When I was ready to read the second book, the only audio copy available at the library was the King read version, recorded back in 1991. These days, King is well practiced in reading for audiobooks (for the third time, let me invoke his On Writing, whose audio version is read by King and is excellent), but this was apparently not the case back in 1991. It could also just be chalked up to poor production values, but the bottom line is that it's a rough listen with a lot of audible breathing and such. Still, these are King's characters and who better to bring across their manners of speech. The only drawback is King's Eddie, which sounds so much like vintage 1970 George Carlin recordings as to be distracting.
And then there's the ending to the series as a whole. As those of you who have read it know, there are actually two endings. The first shows the fate of Susannah after she enters the door to Central Park. This ending was fine with me, and was a nice way to wrap up the story of the other Ka-tet members. The second ending, that for Roland, is preceded by a commentary from King on the nature of journeys and the persistence of fandom. He further states that his revealing of Roland's fate might be upsetting to his readers. To this I say, if he really didn't want us to see what happened when Roland entered the tower, he need not print it. He yields to the psychic arm-twisting of his fans and concludes the story of Roland for us.
To Mr. King I have to say, he need not have worried about our reactions. Anyone who has the patience and persistence (Not unlike Roland's dogged determination. What does that say about us?) to get through almost 4,000 pages of text must have a feeling for the themes and characters that have been laid out. With that in mind, Roland's ending inside the Tower was just as fulfilling as Susannah's, if not more so. After all, Ka is like a wheel.
(This can also be viewed at Blogcritics)
Then, back in November, I decided to go back to it again for two reasons. One, all seven books were now in print, so there would be no waiting after I finished one to get to the next. And two, all seven were available in audio form, which I thought would be a great way to enjoy the entire series. So now, after approximately 140 hours of audio CD, I've come to the end. Some thoughts (And there are necessary spoilers here, so Dark Tower virgins be warned):
For years after I initially read the first three books, I'd occasionally have an impulse to tap my throat three times with two fingers and say "Thankee-sai". Aside from this being a real geeky thing to do, the more extraordinary part of this is I had absolutely no memory of where I picked this up. It's an illustration of what I most admire from the books: the unique expressions of language used to create this world. Not only unique but also natural. The speech patterns are therefore quite credible as everyday language. "Do you ken it?", "Do you say so? Then let it be so." and "Long days and pleasant nights" are just some of the turns of phrase that I'll carry with me long after I have finished these books.
My first impression those years ago when I stopped at the fourth book has carried over to now: Wizard and Glass is the weakest link. Primarily, this is due to the flashback that makes up the bulk of the novel. It's too drawn out for it's own damn good. You could argue this was on purpose as Roland and his friends bided their time in Mejis, but I think it goes beyond that. I think King fell too much in love with Susan and Cordelia and Eldred and Thorin and so on so that it just got too unwieldy for its own good. I think King forgot his big piece of advice from his On Writing text: Kill you darlings, Kill your darlings, Kill your darlings.
And one other note on Wizard and Glass: It also has the least satisfying ending. The Wizard of Oz thing was a little too much for me, more so than any of the other literary and cultural allusions used throughout. And it was also disappointing that a vicious, interesting villain (i.e. The Tick Tock Man) was brought back into the picture at such great effort only to be shot dead within the first few pages of seeing him again. Gee, thanks for the cameo, Andrew Quick.
As if to make up for all this, the first section of The Wolves of Calla was the most satisfying beginning of the series. This whole portion does a wonderful job of introducing Tian Jaffords, Andy the Robot and the story as a whole. The exposition never feels forced, and I am left eager to know the further details of this little community full of farmers and ranchers eeking out a living and the horrible fate of their children. Also, of all the fantastical and strange names that King comes up with for this world, my favorite was given to a barren tract of land mentioned in this intro: "Son-of-a-bitch"
I remain undecided on the whole Meta turn the books took in The Wolves of Calla. It did make me glad that I had read (twice, in fact) the aforementioned On Writing, as his views of the writing process and details of his accident were great supplementary material to the later books. It seems clear that the Dark Tower series is more personal to him than any of his other works, so it must have seemed natural for him to insert himself into the proceedings. As a result, we get a portrait of the man himself to go along with Roland's inner demons.
In terms of the format I used to experience this epic, the voice work was top notch. Aside from a recording of King himself doing Drawing of the Three (more on this in a moment) Frank Muller did the first four books. Stephen King actually inserts a note about Muller in the fifth book recording and expresses his sadness at his death and how he would not be able to complete the series. George Guidall picks up where Muller left off for the last three books. Both did very well with the characters and had sufficient range to paint distinct portraits of all the myriad characters of New York, Midworld and everywhere else.
When I was ready to read the second book, the only audio copy available at the library was the King read version, recorded back in 1991. These days, King is well practiced in reading for audiobooks (for the third time, let me invoke his On Writing, whose audio version is read by King and is excellent), but this was apparently not the case back in 1991. It could also just be chalked up to poor production values, but the bottom line is that it's a rough listen with a lot of audible breathing and such. Still, these are King's characters and who better to bring across their manners of speech. The only drawback is King's Eddie, which sounds so much like vintage 1970 George Carlin recordings as to be distracting.
And then there's the ending to the series as a whole. As those of you who have read it know, there are actually two endings. The first shows the fate of Susannah after she enters the door to Central Park. This ending was fine with me, and was a nice way to wrap up the story of the other Ka-tet members. The second ending, that for Roland, is preceded by a commentary from King on the nature of journeys and the persistence of fandom. He further states that his revealing of Roland's fate might be upsetting to his readers. To this I say, if he really didn't want us to see what happened when Roland entered the tower, he need not print it. He yields to the psychic arm-twisting of his fans and concludes the story of Roland for us.
To Mr. King I have to say, he need not have worried about our reactions. Anyone who has the patience and persistence (Not unlike Roland's dogged determination. What does that say about us?) to get through almost 4,000 pages of text must have a feeling for the themes and characters that have been laid out. With that in mind, Roland's ending inside the Tower was just as fulfilling as Susannah's, if not more so. After all, Ka is like a wheel.
(This can also be viewed at Blogcritics)
Literary Excerpts
It's going to be a busy day today, so I leave you with some choice quotes from my favorite books:
The Last Dancer by Daniel Keys Moran - "The young tend to be concerned with dying well. Personally I worry more about when; I expect to go out screaming and shooting and generally comporting myself with a lack of dignity."
Unlikely Stories, Mostly by Alasdair Gray - "The saint was small, paunchy and bow-legged. He squatted before a crack in a rocky cliff, grinning and blinking mirthlessly, like a toad. The emperor told the soldiers to wait, went forward, knelt before the saint and talked about the problem of empire."
The Last Hero: A Discworld Fable by Terry Pratchett - "I DON'T HOLD WITH CRUELTY TO CATS, said Death, putting it gently on the floor."
Fierce Invalids Home From Hot Climates by Tom Robbins - Are you kidding? I can't pick just one! Just go out and read the darn thing!
The Last Dancer by Daniel Keys Moran - "The young tend to be concerned with dying well. Personally I worry more about when; I expect to go out screaming and shooting and generally comporting myself with a lack of dignity."
Unlikely Stories, Mostly by Alasdair Gray - "The saint was small, paunchy and bow-legged. He squatted before a crack in a rocky cliff, grinning and blinking mirthlessly, like a toad. The emperor told the soldiers to wait, went forward, knelt before the saint and talked about the problem of empire."
The Last Hero: A Discworld Fable by Terry Pratchett - "I DON'T HOLD WITH CRUELTY TO CATS, said Death, putting it gently on the floor."
Fierce Invalids Home From Hot Climates by Tom Robbins - Are you kidding? I can't pick just one! Just go out and read the darn thing!
Thursday, June 02, 2005
The Grunt, the Reverend and the Mogul
Here are some stories about three individuals that deserve all the recognition they can get.
Via Demagogue, we learn of Sgt. Robert Stout who was recently wounded in Iraq. He received a Purple Heart for his wounds...and a discharge for his sexual preference. He expressed his desire to remain in Iraq and do his duty, but he was honorably discharged due to his being an open homosexual. Considering the recruiting nightmares that the military is experiencing, it shows how f*cked up the priorities of conservatives are when his being gay trumps his being a patriotic American wishing to do his duty even after getting a face full of grenade shrapnel. In Ken Burns' The Civil War, we hear about the barrage of questions Dorothea Dix used when choosing nurses for her field hospitals. Near the end of the war, the only question she had was, "When can you start?".
Via Daily Kos, we hear from Rev. Dr. John Lentz, who has brought to light some nefarious practices going on in Ohio churches. The brave few like this pastor are trying to talk some sense into these other churches, but I don't know if it will do any good. However, if churches want to insert themselves and their flocks in the political process, then they need to go ahead and give up their tax-exempt status. To quote George Carlin: "If holy people are so interested in politics, government and public policy, let them pay the price of admission like every body else! The catholic church alone could wipe out the national debt if all ya' did was tax their real estate holdings!"
Via Blah3, we listen to Ted Turner as he gives a speech to a group of CNN employees. He speaks of how the network, which he no longer has a controlling interest of, should cover more international news stories and less "pervert of the day" stories. A perfect message for a network that has lost its way since the glory days. It will probably fall on deaf ears, but this story does affirm a fact about millionaires and political parties: We Democrats may have far fewer rich guys on our side, but at least ours have a lick of common sense.
And on a lighter note, via Boing Boing, we have two very choice links to furniture and shirts that are beyond cool. Though I'd certainly be willing to own and wear that shirt myself, I think I'd pass on the furniture for fear of waking up in the middle of the night and thinking I was trapped in a Tim Burton movie.
Via Demagogue, we learn of Sgt. Robert Stout who was recently wounded in Iraq. He received a Purple Heart for his wounds...and a discharge for his sexual preference. He expressed his desire to remain in Iraq and do his duty, but he was honorably discharged due to his being an open homosexual. Considering the recruiting nightmares that the military is experiencing, it shows how f*cked up the priorities of conservatives are when his being gay trumps his being a patriotic American wishing to do his duty even after getting a face full of grenade shrapnel. In Ken Burns' The Civil War, we hear about the barrage of questions Dorothea Dix used when choosing nurses for her field hospitals. Near the end of the war, the only question she had was, "When can you start?".
Via Daily Kos, we hear from Rev. Dr. John Lentz, who has brought to light some nefarious practices going on in Ohio churches. The brave few like this pastor are trying to talk some sense into these other churches, but I don't know if it will do any good. However, if churches want to insert themselves and their flocks in the political process, then they need to go ahead and give up their tax-exempt status. To quote George Carlin: "If holy people are so interested in politics, government and public policy, let them pay the price of admission like every body else! The catholic church alone could wipe out the national debt if all ya' did was tax their real estate holdings!"
Via Blah3, we listen to Ted Turner as he gives a speech to a group of CNN employees. He speaks of how the network, which he no longer has a controlling interest of, should cover more international news stories and less "pervert of the day" stories. A perfect message for a network that has lost its way since the glory days. It will probably fall on deaf ears, but this story does affirm a fact about millionaires and political parties: We Democrats may have far fewer rich guys on our side, but at least ours have a lick of common sense.
And on a lighter note, via Boing Boing, we have two very choice links to furniture and shirts that are beyond cool. Though I'd certainly be willing to own and wear that shirt myself, I think I'd pass on the furniture for fear of waking up in the middle of the night and thinking I was trapped in a Tim Burton movie.
Wednesday, June 01, 2005
"Spinning Seizures"
I'm not much of a video game player as I used to be. The only thing I play semi-regularly is Delta Force, which is perfect for fulfilling that occasional need for military mayhem. Still, I found a lot to like in this article about gaming pet peeves. I swear, this one line had me laughing for ten straight minutes when I first read it:
"Look at the little guy. The one on the left. The one who's just a head. I mean, let's face it: strategy is all that guy's got going for him. He has no limbs and he's already on fire."
Keith David Quote of the Month: June 2005
Keith David has had a lot of big roles in big films, but I think my favorite line of his comes from a smaller film titled "Dead Presidents". In this story, a couple of childhood friends go to Vietnam and survive, only to have trouble adjusting to life back in the old neighborhood. David plays Kirby, the local pool hall owner who in one scene is assaulted outside of his place. Kirby ends up using his artificial leg to beat the crap out of the mugger, all while he hops around on his one good leg. The line he utters after this is over is priceless:
Kirby: Everyone in this town knows I've only got one leg! And that m*therf*cker grabbed the wrong one!
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