Fantasy Schmantasy

Trying to come up with a blog subject has been a pain in the posterior.  I plan on doing another comics related commentary, but I was not ready.  I thought it was too soon for another music themed commentary.  So I finally came up with my own hang-ups with a particular genre, Fantasy.  When it comes to Fantasy, I prefer Mythic and Urban/ Modern/ Contemporary Fantasy.  The Whole Sword and Sandal or Sword and Sorcery leaves me bland.  I live in the modern era so I have modern ideas and conventions.  The High Fantasy genre has become passé and clichéd.  I have an appreciation for the Masters; Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, the Eddings, Hickman, Weis, and Terry Brooks.  As much as I enjoyed studying medieval culture and history in College, it does not hold my fascination anymore.  Too many fantasy authors cover the same themes and cultures.  I also find Stereo typical High Fantasy as too escapist.  When I do enjoy High Fantasy the authors mix up the cultures a bit.  They use Cultures that are not routine for high Fantasy.  

What I enjoy about Contemporary Fantasy is that it is nice to see a sense of wonder in our jaded world.  One of the things that I see in Modern culture is that there is nothing unknown to us.  This is a fallacy, ask any scientist and they will tell you that we don’t know all there is to know.  In Contemporary Fantasy, it is conveyed that the fantastic is still possible and out there.  Also Contemporary Fantasy straddles the border between Fantasy and Horror.  Clive Barker and Charles DeLint have both written in both genres.  The unknown and fantastic can be frightening, and not always benign.  A common theme in Contemporary Fantasy is arrogant modern man runs into a Mythical creature and is reminded he does not know everything. 

Since the modern world is more global, Contemporary Fantasy spans over more cultures.  In many cases a Contemporary Fantasy work can cover both ancient and modern cultures.  I am surprised that in Film, Contemporary Fantasy has not been tapped into that much.  Dueling with wands and pistols, flying mythical beasts is chases with cars, magical tomes on flash drives are a few ideas I could see used in modern media.  I understand the modern world and its rules, when I read High Fantasy I need a rulebook.  That just how I see it.

Examples of Contemporary Fantasy Authors are Charles DeLint, Jim Butcher, Laurell K. Hamilton, Clive Barker, J.K. Rowling, Emma Bull, Neil Gaiman, Sergei Lukyanenko, Terri Windling, and Mercedes Lackey.  These authors run the gambit of Wondrous to grim and gritty.

Fang Me

Recently at Wal*Mart I saw a plethora of Vampire TV shows and old films.  When I was a kid till I was 12, Vampire Movies freaked me the hell out.  The Worst offender was the old Hammer Horror Dracula series with Sir Christopher Lee.  That Man’s intense glare and demeanor made me want to run for the hills.  He stills scares me, but I love it now. For me he is the best Villain EVER.  So, I did not get interested in Vampire Media, until I discovered an interesting fact.  In the Time-Life Folklore series, the Vampire book stated that in Eastern Europe they believed that Cleft lip and palate people were either Werewolves or became Vampires when they died.  Since I have a Cleft lip and Palate, my curiosity was ignited. 

So let’s look at the various Vampire Media.  The first for me was the bad pilot Nick Knight with Rick Springfield from 1989.  It was pretty cheesy; it was later resurrected in 1992 as Forever Knight.  I watch that show for the first couple of seasons.  It was not the best, but had some very good characters.  La Croix the main villain was great; he was the proto-Spike. Then there was the revival of Dark Shadows in 1991, it had Ben Cross as Barnabas Collins.  I am a little young to have seen the original series in first run.  I later watched it, when SciFi Channel launched in 1992.  The remake was not as cheesy as the original, but the original’s kitschiness was gold like Original Star Trek was.  Interview with a Vampire Came out, it was fun.  I agree with Lestat that Louis is a Whiney Wuss.

I never got into Vampire Literature; Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles had me raising an eyebrow in disbelief.  Laurell K. Hamilton’s Anita Blake is interesting; mind you I have only read the first three. 

When Buffy the Vampire Slayer film came out, I saw it as a kitschy satire of Vampire films.  It also reminded me of Polanski’s The Fearless Vampire Killers.  Years Later the TV Show came along.  Now I am the first to point out the Film and show are different animals all together.  The Show was smart, sarcastic; the heroine was not as blindly shallow and vacant as her Screen counterpart.  I still think today, that a young Nicholas Brendon should have been Spiderman.  The Buffy Series also gave us Angel and Spike, the best instance of familial rivalry in Vampire fiction since Lestat and Louis.  Whedon did well with this series and its spin-off Angel.   In 2007, Blood Ties on Lifetime came out, this time the main Vampire was based on a historical figure.  The Vampire was a supporting character like with Buffy.  Recently with the Film Version of the Twilight series and the TV version of Vampire Diaries, the young Adult Vampire Novels have taken the forefront.  Twilight’s version of Vampire breaks some serious Vampire Lore.  Don’t get me started about sparkly Vampires.  In 1996 Kindred the Embraced, premiered on Fox.  It was an Adaptation of Vampire: The Masquerade table top Roleplaying Game by White Wolf.  Vampire: The Masquerade spawned its own culture including a Live Action Roleplaying Game. 

Personally I enjoyed the Dark Shadows Revival, Forever Knight and Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel.  Twilight got a so-so from me.  Vampire Diaries seems like Vampire 90120.  Now I am not a Vampire Media Aficionado, but I know what I like.  I have read a few Vampire Novels, owned the Vampire Masquerade RPG at one time, and own a few Vampire show and movies.  Too many have made the Vampire too cute and cuddly.  30 Days of Night, both the comic book and Film, went about bringing back the menacing dark, visceral Vampire.  I think both accomplished their jobs.  I am just giving an overview here and barely skimming the surface.  A series of books can be made about Vampires in Media.  Before I go I will mention a few more Vampire Film I enjoyed.  Fright Night, Love at First Bite and Once Bitten do Vampire Comedy well.  When people mention Dracula: Dead and Loving It, I steer them to those three films.  Well there it is my rundown.

Wham Bam Thank You Glam

I have been thinking about what sub-genre of Rock has been the most influential.  What I mean by that is how many bands and styles have sprouted off from the original.  Well after lots of thought I have come to the conclusion that the genre is Glam.  I mean the 70’s rock movement not the 80’s metal from Hollywood. Although most of the influential bands come from the United Kingdom, The first that started seems to be the American act The New York Dolls.  Dressed in drag and oozing with attitude not only are they viewed as early glam, also proto-punk.  There it is the first offshoot, Glam helped give us punk.  Other Glam bands that influence punk are Alice Cooper, Lou Reed, and David Bowie.  Bowie himself with others helped influence such styles as New Wave, New Romantics, Glam Metal, Goth and Grunge.  Such Bands like Sweet, Queen, who surpassed there early glam connection, Slade, Kiss Alice Cooper and T. Rex helped influence Heavy Metal and Glam Metal.  There are bands that started out as glam acts that surpassed it that would surprise you, such as Kiss, Alice Cooper, Queen, Electric Light Orchestra, Twisted Sister, and Roxie Music.   Elton is included by some others view him as glam lite or faux glam. 

Glam, Glam Rock or Glitter Rock was theatrical, unconventional and gender bending.  It was pop with catchy melodies and rhythms.  It was fun, exciting and controversial.  The Film Velvet Goldmine captured most of that in 1998.  It took social convention and threw it to the wolves.  Iggy Pop, Proto-Punk great, played in this sandbox with David Bowie.  Glam Metal was a pale Shadow of the earlier Glam Rock.  Glam Rock experimented with Style, ELO played with Orchestral Pop and Rock. Queen played with Operatic Rock.  Bowie experimented with style in ways no one can explain even today.  Roxy Music played with Synthesizers and through Brian Eno influence Ambient Music. Gary Glitter, Slade and Sweet seemed more throw away pop. However they were fun, bright and exciting pop.  They were much better that a lot of Pop that has come along since.  Glam was in your face, brash and unapologetic like most Rock.  Almost Forty years later one can still see its influence all over Modern Rock.   The Darkness seemed to be a throwback to this Movement.  Cherry Poppin’ Daddies, from my neck of the woods, attempted a Glam revival in 2000 with Diamond Light Boogie.  Glam may be gone, but cannot ever be forgotten.

Plastic Freaks

Okay, First thing I was born with a Cleft palate and Lip.  That means when I was born I looked like the kids on the project Smile commercials.  It also Mean I spent my childhood and Teenage years in and out of the Hospital for Reconstructive Surgery.  I joke with people that I have had more nose jobs than a Hollywood Housewife but less than Michael Jackson.  I had to have these surgeries to function.  I get irritated seeing all these episodes of Dr. Phil, Oprah and Maury where these Teenagers want Plastic Surgery.  If I could have avoided them myself I would have.  Another One was these people who are addicted to Plastic Surgery.  Why????  The Pain is not worth it to me.  Maybe I have had the perfect Plastic Surgery Aversion; too many I had no choice in.  Hell some of the Nose jobs I have seen, I say to myself I would love to have the before nose.  Mine is malformed inside and for everything my surgeon tried I still have trouble breathing.  I wish people would learn to become happy in their own skins.  I know it is hard, but is surgery and the possible complications are worth it.

That is my not so humble opinion.