the remus lupins @ evanston public library 14 June 2009

Taylor is the real wizard rock fan. (Wizard rock being a sub-genre of rock that centers around the world of Harry Potter.) She has the largest collection of wrock merchandise I’ve seen, she knows all the bands, and she’s involved with Wrockstock and the Wizrocklopedia. She even got me to start a wizard rock band with her called The Cheering Charms. This is a thing with her obviously. Last summer she flew out to take me to Wrock Chicago, a one-day wrock fest that was part of a local Harry Potter convention. It was amazing!! For the longest time I remained aloof of the whole phenomenon, but went because Taylor is my best friend and that’s what best friends do. But I was very much impressed. Sure there were a few bands that need to tighten the screws a little, but I was blown away by how professional a number of them were! One band that took my heart was The Remus Lupins.

The Remus Lupins are one of the BIG bands in the genre, along with Harry & the Potters and Draco & the Malfoys. And this is with good reason. Lead singer and songwriter Alex Carpenter is a total legit rock musician. He’s got excellent chops, has a winning smile, and is one of the genre’s heartthrobs. When I saw him at Wrock Chicago he sang a song called “Alone on Valentine’s Day” that has him howl (because Remus Lupin in the HP books is a werewolf, you know), and I was literally swept off my feet. So ever sinse then I’ve had a place in my heart for wizard rock and The Remus Lupins.

Wizard rock bands usually play libraries and bookstores (the event Friday night was a kick-off for the libraries summer reading program, I think), but I got weird looks from people when I told them where it was. A library? How good can they be? Uh, abso-frickin-mazing! I took my brother John Calvin (a few years ago a dead ringer for Year One Harry Potter) and we arrived at the library with a few minutes to spare before doors opened. Once inside, I was surprised to see so many familiar faces! Taylor had introduced me to a lot of people last summer, and many of them were there, like Abby – the wizmaster in charge of Wrockstock. A few of her cohorts were there as well. And Jared of Gred & Forge (another wizrock band) and Steph of Tonks & the Aurors. That’s when it dawned on me that they were opening for the Remus Lupins! Huzzah!

One of my favorite things is seeing young fans get and be excited for a show. This one had little kids younger than seven lining up in the front row. Gred & Forge is definitely a dancing band, and he encouraged everyone to dance. Little kids dancing to songs about Weasleys!! YES! Jared behaved himself, which was good. And then the older fans, the ones in the middle and high school range, were adorable. Pogoing and twisting and running into each other in squeals. Wizrock events are places where certain people can let their true colors fly, and I love seeing that. Tonks was minus her Aurors as they couldn’t get off work, but did a fabulous acoustic set just the same. She’s a Springsteen fan, and it shows her her performance style. Her voice really booms!

And then my boys The Remus Lupins came up. Mr. Alex Carpenter knows how to deliver a great rock show even in a library. The band just put out a new record The Rest is Silence and played a few songs off it. They got nice and sweaty quickly, and were jumping all over the place. I love that there is in existence superbly crafted songs (dance and shoegaze alike) that are about Harry Potter. It just amuses me greatly. There was also a sax involved at a few points. Quite a bit more cowbell than I expected, which was welcome. There was jumping off the bass drum. And of course, loads of giggly, excitable fangirls who danced like mad.

Afterwards I got my brother a “Percy Is A Prat” t-shirt from Gred & Forge – every band referenced that opinion at least once during their set – and a “Team Lupin” shirt for myself. Then I got a little giggly fangirly myself, and made all the other girls jealous.

Accio Hot Guy. Yep, a pretty good Friday night.

i’m a lumberjack and i’m okay 1 June 2009

Two years ago I borrowed Michael Palin’s Diaries 1969-1979: The Monty Python Years from Taylor’s mom. Unfortunately, I moved away and had to return the book before I finished it. I’m proud to say I finally finished the book!!

I recall that two years ago Taylor and I had a converation about how much we love Michael Palin, a position made almost solely from his performances in Monty Python and the Holy Grail. (We also find him the handsomest of the Pythons, even if our dear friend Evan is the spitting image of Eric Idle.) After reading the book in its entirety, I can say that not only is the man incredibly talented and funny, but also smart, sweet, and endearing. You read about the history and development of one of the greatest comedy groups of all time, as well as anecdotes about the growing young Palin family. He’s a devoted husband and father (how many celebrities can say they have been happily married to the same woman since they were 22?!), and it’s refreshing to see them featured so prominently in his diaries. He’d go see his sons perform in the school Christmas pageant and be brought to tears at how dedicated they were to their roles. He’d mention little suggestions his wife would make that would find their way into Python merchandise. And he frequently mentions his parents, and the struggle the family had with his father, who suffered greatly from old age.

Having read Kim Howard’s Monty Python’s Tunisian Holiday, I was interested in reading Palin’s version of events. Though not as thorough (of course the superfan would have better recollection of those six weeks than the very busy actor), they do mention similar events, like how funny it was to hear the local extras being taught to say “Welease Wodewick” for the Pilate scene, and how nice it was to have a sober Graham Chapman as the set doctor (I didn’t know he became a doctor before becoming a comedy actor/writer!). But then to have the pleasant filming experience followed up with all the legal and financial trouble it took to have Life of Brian released! a definite struggle, but it certainly paid out in the end.

I’m familiar with Monty Python work, but not to a great extent. So I found myself going on YouTube to look up clips and sketches from Palin’s various projects. I found this gem, a little 3-year-old who’d memorized the “Mr. Gumby and the Brain Surgeon” sketch, playing both Palin and Cleese characters:

And I also discovered this sketch that I wasn’t aware of before that had me in giggles for obvious reasons:

Definitely recommended if you’re into British comedy shows, or would at least like to know more. A follow-up is being published later this year, so get the first installment read before then!

live long and prosper, scruffy nerfherder 1 June 2009

This post is a good week behind, but I got caught up starting at my new job this past week, so please forgive me…

I heard about the movie Fanboys the way I have lately learned about new movies – perusing new movie trailers on Hulu. A film about geeky guys circa 1998 who are huge Star Wars geeks and intend to break into Skywalker Ranch to view Phantom Menace before their friend dies of cancer? Sign me up! It appears it had a short theater run, as it only came out a few months ago and came out on DVD this week. As I am transferring to another Chain Name Entertainment Store location, I bought it as a farewell present to myself.

Initial thoughts? Not bad. The casting is pretty great. LOADS of cameos of stars from various cult classics (including Star Wars cast members), and Jay Baruchel – a man I have adored peripherally for years. This is the kind of film you might think Judd Apatow had a hand in when you consider not only the casting but the humor. Actually, the humor was a bit of a drawback. Way too heavy on the potty, not enough smart. Sure, they’re geeky guys, but you can lay off it just a little and get a better laugh (in my opinion).

Of course there were multiple mentions of Trekkies and the Eternal Struggle between the two fandoms. Pretty funny, even more so since I have seen the new Star Trek film twice this week. It got me thinking of Harry Potter fans and do they have an arch nemesis fandom? No, not really. Potter fans are very inclusive. I briefly entertained the idea of Potter vs. Twilight, but Twilight gets it’s behind whupped so easily there’s no competition. Plus, way too much crossover. People do get VERY heated over their respective fandoms. I know I do. And Shatner making an appearance was a stroke of genius. (Not a spoiler since it’s in the trailer.)

Now, the new Star Trek… I’ve heard that J.J. Abrams made the latest installment with non-Trekkies in mind. He did an excellent job. I thought the casting was great, though my mother and aunts who grew up on the original series feel Spock didn’t quite have the edge that Leonard Nimoy gave him – but boy is that man hot. As is New Kirk Chris Pine, who did an admirable job being Harrison Ford-like. I do have to say that the plot line was pretty run-of-the-mill. Many shades of other sci-fi franchises and not all that incredible original. However, I still found it enthralling and hope that in future the films will build off the foundation this one served as and be even more made of awsome.

Star Trek may have won the battle this time, but Star Wars still wins the war.