10 times D
Feb. 22nd, 2008 10:14 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
franceslievensWhen ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
frenchani gave me a D to put in front of ten things I like, the first thing that went through my mind was dancing. It isn't just something I like. In fact I love to shake my booty and get on that dancefloor. I must look terrible doing it, though. Never have I danced professionally or followed a course. More so I'm as stiff as a wooden stick and get all sweaty and out-of-breath after a couple of songs, but the dancing clears my head and is extraordinarily liberating. Like singing you don't have to do it perfectly, you simply have to do it with your complete concentration, attention, and being.
In fact I've got a sweet spot for dance movies. Dirty Dancing brings up fond childhood memories. My sister and I cycled to my Gran's to watch it one night, because she had cable tv. We owned the soundtrack on a cassette tape. It's probably all worn out now or even broken – we played it so often, and would either dance on it, watching our reflections in the big window of the room we used to play in, or we'd sing along. "The Time of My Life" as sung by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes transports me back to my childhood every time I hear it. I didn't get a clue of what exactly was going on in the film, but I loved every bit of it. Back in the day I was very romantic. Now I prefer to hide my romantic heart. Possibly because what used to be grown-up romance that kids hardly understood, gets pitched directly to the small ones these days.
Rewatching that clip from the film, I realise how buff Patrick Swayze looks. I never really had it in for him though. No, give me Johnny Depp any day. His work with Tim Burton is always inspiring. It is due to Mr. Depp's extravagant role choice I learned to know not only Tim Burton, but also John Waters. The original Hairspray is hilarious – and also a sing-and-dance-movie. I sense some kind of theme here.
And now Depp is singing in his very own musical. He looks so gothic, it leaves me wondering what he would have looked like had he been playing a vampire by Drusilla's side. Buffy the Vampire Slayer will always have a special place in my heart. It was the main drive for me to discover the social networking part of the internet – only because I wanted to know how the story continued. Daydreaming wasn't enough anymore. I wanted to check my speculation with the exact storylines, and suddenly I had made friends and learned more than I set out to know. That's even more food for my daydreaming. I will never set out on a day without a story playing in my head, and the last thing I do before falling asleep, is making up stories. My mind can't think of nothing. It goes on, and daydreaming is the best way to keep it occupied and leaving no time for fretting over silly things.
Once in a while the daydreaming is good for tiny gems of stories – whenever I care to remember them and write them down. The ones I love to imagine are quite creepy: I've got a knack for writing about people who are dieing miserably. It's a wholey inadequate translation of the French word "crever", which inconveniently starts with a C. I believe I'm good at it, because even with the tiniest little flu bug I feel horrible, not being able to keep my food down. I'm dieing miserably at least a couple of times a year. But every time I get up on my feet again. Really, I'd make for one hell of a vampire. Or a cat, but again that's a c-word.
D'Angelo (Dee) knows all about dieing. He's the very first character we meet in the first season of The Wire. At that moment he's on trial for shooting a guy in the "towers" in Baltimore. The storytelling of the series is so compelling it sucks you in immediately. The acting is brilliant, the photography cinematographic. The Wire is current television at its best. Because of the multitude of characters the pace of the show is slower than you might be used to, but this means that the extended time (these are dvd-episodes of one hour instead of 45 minutes) is adequately used to flesh out the details and give every character – even the tiniest snitch – a background and a family history.
My enjoyment of this series starts with the opening credits. The choice of Tom Waits Way Down In The Hole is spot-on. It captures the entire feel of the series like only the title song of Firefly has been able to do.
Even in television the songs are all important. I sing them along, or hum, irritating my viewing partner in the process. Like dancing it's my outlet, but unlike dancing I'm quite good at it. I'm a late starter, so am not aspiring the stage and the love of all mankind like I did when I was young and watching Dirty Dancing. Now I aspire being able to reach the high D (D6) in my murderous aria. Gounod's Mireille is ridiculously high. Really, why would anyone listen to someone singing that high? And why would I try and reach those notes? Two years ago I was getting worked up on an A flat. Today I'm practicing notes that lie three complete tones up the scale. It's scary and sometimes I even feel like a freak, but that complements my geekiness.
I've never actually liked my light voice very much. I preferred to belt it out, never using my head voice. When starting the singing classes I did start with the broad voice of a dramatic soprano, but working on the technique my voice became lighter and lighter. I wish I had a husky sexy voice like Duffy. Her single Mercy came on on the radio today. I love that voice and that music. Can't wait to buy her album.
But there's only one voice that I can listen to for the rest of my life, reading the telephone directory if necessary: Daan's.
frenchani gave me a D to put in front of ten things I like, the first thing that went through my mind was dancing. It isn't just something I like. In fact I love to shake my booty and get on that dancefloor. I must look terrible doing it, though. Never have I danced professionally or followed a course. More so I'm as stiff as a wooden stick and get all sweaty and out-of-breath after a couple of songs, but the dancing clears my head and is extraordinarily liberating. Like singing you don't have to do it perfectly, you simply have to do it with your complete concentration, attention, and being.In fact I've got a sweet spot for dance movies. Dirty Dancing brings up fond childhood memories. My sister and I cycled to my Gran's to watch it one night, because she had cable tv. We owned the soundtrack on a cassette tape. It's probably all worn out now or even broken – we played it so often, and would either dance on it, watching our reflections in the big window of the room we used to play in, or we'd sing along. "The Time of My Life" as sung by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes transports me back to my childhood every time I hear it. I didn't get a clue of what exactly was going on in the film, but I loved every bit of it. Back in the day I was very romantic. Now I prefer to hide my romantic heart. Possibly because what used to be grown-up romance that kids hardly understood, gets pitched directly to the small ones these days.
Rewatching that clip from the film, I realise how buff Patrick Swayze looks. I never really had it in for him though. No, give me Johnny Depp any day. His work with Tim Burton is always inspiring. It is due to Mr. Depp's extravagant role choice I learned to know not only Tim Burton, but also John Waters. The original Hairspray is hilarious – and also a sing-and-dance-movie. I sense some kind of theme here.
And now Depp is singing in his very own musical. He looks so gothic, it leaves me wondering what he would have looked like had he been playing a vampire by Drusilla's side. Buffy the Vampire Slayer will always have a special place in my heart. It was the main drive for me to discover the social networking part of the internet – only because I wanted to know how the story continued. Daydreaming wasn't enough anymore. I wanted to check my speculation with the exact storylines, and suddenly I had made friends and learned more than I set out to know. That's even more food for my daydreaming. I will never set out on a day without a story playing in my head, and the last thing I do before falling asleep, is making up stories. My mind can't think of nothing. It goes on, and daydreaming is the best way to keep it occupied and leaving no time for fretting over silly things.
Once in a while the daydreaming is good for tiny gems of stories – whenever I care to remember them and write them down. The ones I love to imagine are quite creepy: I've got a knack for writing about people who are dieing miserably. It's a wholey inadequate translation of the French word "crever", which inconveniently starts with a C. I believe I'm good at it, because even with the tiniest little flu bug I feel horrible, not being able to keep my food down. I'm dieing miserably at least a couple of times a year. But every time I get up on my feet again. Really, I'd make for one hell of a vampire. Or a cat, but again that's a c-word.
D'Angelo (Dee) knows all about dieing. He's the very first character we meet in the first season of The Wire. At that moment he's on trial for shooting a guy in the "towers" in Baltimore. The storytelling of the series is so compelling it sucks you in immediately. The acting is brilliant, the photography cinematographic. The Wire is current television at its best. Because of the multitude of characters the pace of the show is slower than you might be used to, but this means that the extended time (these are dvd-episodes of one hour instead of 45 minutes) is adequately used to flesh out the details and give every character – even the tiniest snitch – a background and a family history.
My enjoyment of this series starts with the opening credits. The choice of Tom Waits Way Down In The Hole is spot-on. It captures the entire feel of the series like only the title song of Firefly has been able to do.
Even in television the songs are all important. I sing them along, or hum, irritating my viewing partner in the process. Like dancing it's my outlet, but unlike dancing I'm quite good at it. I'm a late starter, so am not aspiring the stage and the love of all mankind like I did when I was young and watching Dirty Dancing. Now I aspire being able to reach the high D (D6) in my murderous aria. Gounod's Mireille is ridiculously high. Really, why would anyone listen to someone singing that high? And why would I try and reach those notes? Two years ago I was getting worked up on an A flat. Today I'm practicing notes that lie three complete tones up the scale. It's scary and sometimes I even feel like a freak, but that complements my geekiness.
I've never actually liked my light voice very much. I preferred to belt it out, never using my head voice. When starting the singing classes I did start with the broad voice of a dramatic soprano, but working on the technique my voice became lighter and lighter. I wish I had a husky sexy voice like Duffy. Her single Mercy came on on the radio today. I love that voice and that music. Can't wait to buy her album.
But there's only one voice that I can listen to for the rest of my life, reading the telephone directory if necessary: Daan's.
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no subject
Date: 2008-02-22 09:25 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-22 09:35 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-22 11:26 pm (UTC)And thanks.
no subject
Date: 2008-02-23 03:08 pm (UTC)I like your answers, too and I'm really happy that you've started watching The Wire! The song is indeed brilliant - they've got new artists performing it for the each season and while it's still the same song, different bits of the lyrics stick out.
I was already past the romance thing when Dirty Dancing came out and totally didn't understand what all the fuss was about. Johnny Depp though? Even with unfortunate surname he's my movie boyfriend.
no subject
Date: 2008-02-23 03:28 pm (UTC)The very first episode P. (who's a big Tom Waits fan) said "Hey, that's a song from Tom Waits." It's performed by different artists every season? Didn't notice it when we started watching season 2 last week.
Johnny Depp so is my movie boyfriend. Although there have been flings with Leonardo Dicaprio (I was young and foolish) and Willem Dafoe, I'll always return home, as it were.
Unfortunate surname?
no subject
Date: 2008-02-23 03:44 pm (UTC)Subtitles would come in very handy for watching The Wire - it's incredibly difficult to follow. Wikipedia kindly offers samples of the different theme song version here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wire_(TV_series)#Music).
Depp is a stupid person in German, an idiot.
no subject
Date: 2008-02-23 05:43 pm (UTC)I haven't listened to the other songs. I wanna stay unspoiled as much as I can for this one -- even for the opening credits. ;-)
no subject
Date: 2008-02-23 06:57 pm (UTC)We knew The Blind Boys of Alabama (who did the first season's version) beforehand, because of their work with Ben Harper. Their blend of blues and gospel seems old-fashioned at first, but they're very good at what they're doing. We've got a video of a concert with them and Ben Harper and that has parts that make the hairs stand up on my arms (and that's a compliment).