erinwrites: (Default)

Originally published at erin-go-blog!. You can comment here or there.

After our performance at GAFilk, Rand and I had a conversation with Seanan about our “imprint musicals.” We had performed “Heaven on Their Minds” from Jesus Christ Superstar, a musical that we both love. And Seanan wondered, “why Superstar?

For Rand, it was the musical he had the most access to as a child, he explained. (my love of Superstar, though no less than Rand’s, came much later when it was introduced to me by roommate/bestie Jen…)

“Ah,” said Seanan. “I’m never one to question someone’s imprint musical. What’s yours?” she asked, turning to me.

I thought for a second. “Annie,” I replied.

I had the Broadway Cast Recording of Annie (on vinyl!) as a child. I loved it. I loved it so much that, at 8 years old, I was a bit disappointed by the movie because so much of it had been changed. (That album was originally released in 1977. The movie came out in 1982.) Young Erin’s favorite song was “We’d Like to Thank You, Herbert Hoover.” No, I can’t explain that.

A few years later, I landed the role of a non-speaking orphan in a community theater production of Annie. I own both the soundtrack and DVD of the 1999 made-for-tv version. (This was due in large part to my HUGE CRUSH ON VICTOR GARBER, who played Daddy Warbucks.)

I also have a bit of a soft spot for Oklahoma!, which was the first professional production I saw (a touring company in Pittsburgh, on a Girl Scout trip). Also during high school, I saw a college production of Sweeney Todd, which I absolutely adored. I can’t say I love Sondheim, but I do love me some Sweeney Todd. (I feel kind of “meh” about the film version…and OH! Who is part of that original Broadway cast? None other than my  good friend Victor Garber.)

Now, since then, I’ve seen and fallen in love with many, many more musicals. Too many to list, really. (While I’ve seen many professional productions, I still have yet to see anything on Broadway, which is kind of a bucket list item for me.) But…you never forget your first, do you?

Here’s a clip from the 1999 TV version I mentioned, featuring Victor Garber. (Andrea McArdle makes an appearance as the “Star To Be.”)

I’m more than happy to talk musicals in the comments, so go ahead and talk to me! (And no, I haven’t listened to Hamilton yet. *hangs head in shame*)

erinwrites: (erinface)

Originally published at erin-go-blog!. You can comment here or there.

I started a full con report, which I suppose will get finished eventually, but for now, I wanted to get this post up about our concert for any interested parties! It went really, really well overall and I once again would like to thank the concom, the guys working the sound board, Amy McNally for providing her awesome fiddling on a couple of songs, and just everyone in that audience. I wasn't kidding when I said I wanted to hug you all. *hug*

So, this was our setlist for the ConCom’s Choice concert at GAFilk (with notes):

Heaven on Their Minds

really, seriously, just a straightforward cover of the song from JCS. (The Original London Recording is my preferred version. ymmv.)

Pandas/Jesus

A mashup of “Pandas” by Corky and the Juice Pigs and “This Jesus Must Die” from JCS

(Storybook) Love Story

A parody of Taylor Swift’s Love Story, about The Princess Bride (lyrics here)

The Princess Who Saved Herself

A cover of the Jonathan Coulton song (minus the phone call bridge)

Actually Ironic

A few years ago, College Humor or Funny or Die did a video that adapted Alanis Morrisette’s “Ironic” to make it, well, actually ironic. We didn’t think it went far enough and added some of our own little twists to it. This went over really, really well.

Ex

Dear Seanan

With Seanan in the audience! Squee! This is a parody of Seanan’s song “Dear Gina” (lyrics here, by me and Merav Hoffman) Lyrics and video from our FKO concert here.

Real

from William Shatner’s album Has Been. (which you should totally check out if you haven’t already.) This song was a collaboration with Brad Paisley. I played the part of William Shatner. Amy played fiddle. It was awesome.

Tiberius Rising

Just a straight performance of Ookla’s song with Rand on lead vocals, Amy on fiddle, and me singing a bit on the chorus.

Little Red Riding Hood

Cover of the Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs, featuring me on the ukulele, alone. I’ve done this in open filk a couple of times, but I was REALLY NOT PREPARED to do it on stage. OMG. My fingers forgot how to work, and it was almost a total disaster&, but the audience seemed to have a good time anyway and everyone seemed to be on my side and nobody threw things or anything!

Cowboy Secret Space Detective

with two new girl-centric verses! And yeah, I screwed up the lyrics (both in performance and when I posted them to facebook) and I am super embarrassed.

Haven’t We Been Here Before

A cover of a Styx song from the album Kilroy Was Here

View Mistress

“View Master” with lyrics modified by vixy (and tweaked here and there by Rand and me)

Cliffs of Insanity

A parody of “Green Hills of Harmony” about (again) The Princess Bride, lyrics by me and Rand (lyrics here) And here’s a video from FKO.

Obviously, links for a lot of things are provided, both to lyrics and video&http://eringoblog.net/#8230;I’ll get lyrics for some of these other things posted at some point.

And just in case you need a reminder of how much I never ever EVER thought I would sing in front of people let alone on a stage, you can read more in my writeup from FKO in 2013.

Oh, and do let us know if you have photos, video, or sound recordings from the concert...we'd love to see/hear them! (er, well, I could maybe do without ever seeing or hearing that performance of "Little Red Riding Hood")

erinwrites: (Default)

Originally published at erin-go-blog!. You can comment here or there.

Again, this isn’t entirely original…it just puts our own twist on something that was already out there. The italicized segments were spoken.

An old man turned ninety-eight, he won the lottery and died the next day…
of chronic emphysema from inhalation of the latex particles scratched off decades’ worth of lottery tickets.
It’s a black fly in your Chardonnay…
poured to celebrate the successful fumigation of your recently purchased vineyard in southern France.
It’s a death row pardon two minutes too late…
because the governor was too busy watching Dead Man Walking to grant clemency any earlier.
And isn’t it ironic…don’t you think

It’s like rain at a dehydration victim’s funeral
It’s a free ride to your bankruptcy trial
It’s the good advice to never listen to me
Who would’ve thought…it figures

Mr. Play It Safe, he was afraid to fly
He packed his suitcase and kissed his kids goodbye
He’d waited his whole damn life to take that flight
And as the plane crashed down he thought
“Now I’ll never make it to that Fear of Flying seminar”
And isn’t it ironic…don’t you think

It’s like rain flooding an umbrella factory
It’s a free ride to an overpriced car dealership
It’s the good advice from the guy who just got you fired
Who would’ve thought…it figures

A traffic jam when you’re already late…
to receive an award from the Municipal Planning Board for reducing the city’s automobile congestion 80 percent.
A no-smoking sign on your cigarette break…
at the R.J. Reynolds tobacco corporate offices in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

It’s like ten thousand spoons when all you need is a knife…
to rob a soup kitchen
It’s meeting the man of my dreams, and then meeting his beautiful wife…
who happens to be the psychiatrist I recently hired in hopes of improving my luck with the opposite sex.
And isn’t it ironic…don’t you think
A little too ironic…yeah, I really do think…

It’s like rain on your wedding day…to the Egyptian sun god Ra
It’s a free ride when you’ve already paid…for a stolen car
It’s the good advice someone advised you not to take
Who would’ve thought…it figures

erinwrites: (Default)

Originally published at erin-go-blog!. You can comment here or there.

Here are the two new verses we wrote for “Cowboy Secret Space Detective”:

I want to live in Washington in a big White home
and I want to be the first commander in chief with two x-chromosomes
I’ll give the West Wing some estrogen
I’ll be the first lady to have a First Gentleman
And my run won’t be derailed by an email non-event
I want to be the first female President!

I’m gonna know my value in a world of men
And Howard Stark and I will fight against Leviathan
We’ll co-found SHIELD to keep the world Hydra-free
And I know Steve will save the last dance for me
And I’ll be a super spy like Maxwell Smart, but even* smarter
I wanna be Agent Peggy Carter!

*may change this, per Randy Hoffman’s suggestions

erinwrites: (erinface)
A brief update for the non-facebook crowd...my grandfather died last night. He was 93, and his health has been failing, so it wasn't unexpected. (not that this makes it better, or easier. Grief is grief, after all...)

Something I haven't mentioned on facebook yet is that my sadness is mixed with panic, as I am scheduled to attend a convention (for a local alumnae assocation, which I serve as president) in Arizona tomorrow through Sunday. So, you know...plane tickets and registration (which included the hotel), which the organization is on the hook for. I'm waiting for word from home re: arrangements before I enter full panic mode.
erinwrites: (erinface)

Originally published at erin-go-blog!. You can comment here or there.

Hey, I forgot to post my most recent lyrics. No video of this one, at least not yet. ;) We performed it at FilKONtario. Those of you coming to ConCertino will have a chance to hear it this weekend. :)


(Storybook) Love Story


Music: “Love Story” by Taylor Swift


I'd torment you whenever I saw you

You were my farm boy and I was in love

I saw you there, sunlight dancing on your golden hair


What could I say, you looked just like a picture

I just pointed saying, "Fetch me that pitcher"

‘Twas foolish

But you said, "As you wish"


Then you had to go, you were seeking fortunes,

But you swore you would always make it back to me

Then I was kidnapped by some pirate

Why did you have to go?

And I said


Humperdinck took me, I thought you'd left me all alone

Now I’ll never doubt you; here they come, we’d better run

You'll be the pirate and I'll be the princess,

It's a love story, baby, just say Yes


So I ran out to the fire swamp with you

Tried to keep quiet 'cause we're dead if they knew

I’ll close my eyes; avoid the rodents of unusual size


But at the other end the evil Prince was waiting

Humperdinck said, "Get away from Buttercup"


But you were everything to me,

and I was begging him, Let him go

So I said…


Humperdinck, take me and leave him alone

I'll come quietly; promise you I’ll never run

You are my prince and I'll be your princess

It's a love story, baby, I’ll say Yes


Westley, please save me, I just don't know what to do

I don't love Humperdinck, I’m so screwed

I’m so afraid, will we make it out of this mess?

It's a love story, baby, please say, Yes


I got tired of waiting

Wondering if you were ever coming around

My faith in you was fading

Then I saw you in that bed, lying down

And you said


“Buttercup, gently, I've been mostly dead all day

I came for you, all you had to do was wait

Help me out of bed, this jerk has got to go”

You picked up your sword and stood on your own

and said…


“To the pain, Humperdinck / You warthog-faced buffoon"

The prince dropped his sword, he won't be getting married soon

We tied him to a chair and rode off in the sunset

That’s our love story, baby, we said Yes


erinwrites: (erinface)
It's time for round 2 of signal boosting!

I know some of you have seen this elsewhere (I've avoided sharing it directly on Facebook, because I don't want my parents to know about it yet), but I thought it would be worth sharing here. If you could help me out by signal boosting, here or elsewhere, I'd really appreciate it. It's okay to post to facebook...just don't tag me or Rand!


Mom's Medical Bills

"My parents have worked really hard their whole lives, and have had a recent run of bad luck on the job/medical front. My dad, fortunately, has been able to receive medical care through the VA. My mom, though, is just over a year shy of qualifying for Medicare and has had a multitude of issues trying to get covered by the ACA in Pennsylvania. In the meantime, she had an emergency last summer--collapsing while on a walk with my aunt. One trip to the emergency room, an overnight hospital stay, and numerous tests later, my parents have found themselves owing several thousands of dollars to the hospital. Mom is fortunately doing fine, health-wise , but is dealing with a tremendous amount of stress as a result of this. Anything will help!"

And as I said previously, I really look forward to a time when no one has to fundraise to pay medical bills of any sort. Ever.

Sigh.
erinwrites: (erinface)
I know some of you have seen this elsewhere (I've avoided sharing it directly on Facebook, because I don't want my parents to know about it yet), but I thought it would be worth sharing here. I know it's not a great time, and since there's not really a hard deadline, I'm going to keep it going for a while after Christmas too. If you could help me out by signal boosting, here or elsewhere, I'd really appreciate it.

Mom's Medical Bills

"My parents have worked really hard their whole lives, and have had a recent run of bad luck on the job/medical front. My dad, fortunately, has been able to receive medical care through the VA. My mom, though, is just over a year shy of qualifying for Medicare and has had a multitude issues trying to get covered by the ACA in Pennsylvania. In the meantime, she had an emergency this summer--collapsing while on a walk with my aunt. One trip to the emergency room, an overnight hospital stay, and numerous tests later, my parents have found themselves owing several thousands of dollars to the hospital. Mom is fortunately doing fine, health-wise , but is dealing with a tremendous amount of stress as a result of this. Anything will help!"

And as I said when I posted this on Tumblr, I really look forward to a time when no one has to fundraise to pay medical bills of any sort.

Sigh.
erinwrites: (erinface)
So I got it in my head that I should write a parody of Poison's "Every Rose Has its Thorn" about the Toby books (Luna, rose roads, rose goblins, etc...)

That's as far as it's gone at the moment.

(I heard it on the radio, and I'm rereading the books...)
erinwrites: (Default)

Originally published at erin-go-blog!. You can comment here or there.

A couple of weeks ago, I read multiple posts about the theory that the mother on How I Met Your Mother is dead at the point when future Ted is telling his children the story. (If you are a fan and have somehow avoided this theory? Congratulations&http://eringoblog.net/#8230;)

I was not, and am not, okay with this.

Part of what&http://eringoblog.net/#8217;s fueling these theories, apart from clues and odd moments in the show, are the tweets and posts and comments from cast members regarding the series finale. Cobie Smulders, apparently, said in an interview that she &http://eringoblog.net/#8220;immediately started weeping&http://eringoblog.net/#8221; after reading it. Alyson Hannigan tweeted a photo from the table read, consisting of her script surrounded by used tissues.

Today, I read an article on TV Guide.com titled &http://eringoblog.net/#8220;Does it Matter if the Mother is Dead?&http://eringoblog.net/#8221; The authors thesis is, of course, that it does not.

I am not okay with this.

I was okay with the finale of Six Feet Under being what it was, because this was a show about death and mortality. I was fine with the end of Breaking Bad, because really&http://eringoblog.net/#8230;how else would a show like that end? But How I Met Your Mother is a sitcom, and at its heart, a love story. A romantic comedy, if you will. I have certain expectations from a story like this. Yes, the show has had moments that were heartbreaking and poignant, but ultimately, I will feel betrayed by an ending that tears Ted&http://eringoblog.net/#8217;s true love away from him&http://eringoblog.net/#8230;one that we have all waited SO LONG to meet. (and don&http://eringoblog.net/#8217;t even get me started on how I&http://eringoblog.net/#8217;ll feel if that happens and it leads to him somehow ending up with Robin after all. No.)

In the aforementioned article, the author says, &http://eringoblog.net/#8220;&http://eringoblog.net/#8230;sitcoms tend to feel forced to wrap up with a neat bow and rainbows and kittens because God forbid what would&http://eringoblog.net/#8217;ve happened if Rachel never got off the plane&http://eringoblog.net/#8230;&http://eringoblog.net/#8221;

rossrachel

 She got off the plane.

Yeah? So what? I will fully admit with zero shame that I would have been upset and disappointed if Rachel hadn&http://eringoblog.net/#8217;t gotten off the plane. As I said, these are romantic comedies. In a romantic comedy, Rachel gets off the plane. In a romantic comedy, the mother doesn&http://eringoblog.net/#8217;t die.

I get that there&http://eringoblog.net/#8217;s a place for tragedy. I do. I get that people don&http://eringoblog.net/#8217;t always get to live happily ever after, and that in real life, loved ones die. But I respectfully disagree that all of our art needs to reflect reality. I know where to go for reality; I want stories that offer hope. I want Ted to get married and raise his children and grow old with the woman he loves. I want Ross and Rachel to find their way back to each other and finally make it work. I want Harry and Sally married and talking about their wedding cake at the end. I want Lloyd and Diane holding hands on the plane, heading off to England ready to defy the odds against them. I want Westley and Buttercup literally riding off into the sunset together.

buttercup-and-westley

Wuv. Twoo wuv.

And I just don&http://eringoblog.net/#8217;t get what&http://eringoblog.net/#8217;s so terrible about that.

I don&http://eringoblog.net/#8217;t know if this has always been the case, but there seems to be this persistent idea that what makes for good writing is subverting expectations. (In this case, the expectation that the audience expects Ted and the Mother to have the happy ending I described above.) There&http://eringoblog.net/#8217;s also a persistent idea that the best love stories are the most tragic ones. I&http://eringoblog.net/#8217;ll bet you aren&http://eringoblog.net/#8217;t surprised by this, but most of the time, I kind of hate tragic love stories.* 

es-titanic-jack-rose

I&http://eringoblog.net/#8217;ll never let go, Jack&http://eringoblog.net/#8230;

(Side note&http://eringoblog.net/#8230;don&http://eringoblog.net/#8217;t you dare even try to bring up Romeo and Juliet. If you think &http://eringoblog.net/#8220;tragic love story&http://eringoblog.net/#8221; is the point of Romeo and Juliet, well&http://eringoblog.net/#8230;that&http://eringoblog.net/#8217;s a whole different rant.)

My bottom line is this: we have enough heartbreak and sadness. In this sea of portrayals of bleak desolation, of horror, of darkness, of anti-heroes, and of tragedy, this show has been one of my bright spots. Over the course of this season, I have fallen in love with Cristin Milioti and her beautiful portrayal of the mother, and I have forgiven Ted for his past douchebaggery. Over the course of the past nine seasons, I have laughed and cried and loved with these characters&http://eringoblog.net/#8230;

Is it really to much to ask for it to not break my heart at the end?

*I still harbor some resentment over the way the movie Once ended. Seriously, ask my husband. 

erinwrites: (Default)

Originally published at erin-go-blog!. You can comment here or there.

Despite generally being a fan of fantasy, I really, really don’t want to experience Game of Thrones. I came upon this blog post that pretty much sums up why. Here’s one quote:

I HATED THE BOOKS. But I read EVERY SINGLE ONE. Hating it the entire way but not able to put them down.  And now with the show, I cannot stop watching.  Those who read and/or watch Games of Thrones know there is little sense of rules or mastery or fairness.  Instead, there is violence, abuse, systems of power that favor the powerful, good people dying, why are they ALWAYS dying?!  Good people die.  All the fucking time.  And no magic to save them.  Well, very little, and it is dark and scary and uncontrollable.

And another:

George R.R. Martin is such a different kind of fantasy writer.  Where is the hero(ine)?  Where is the arc of self-discovery and mastery?  Where is the MAGIC?!  I hated the books not because they weren’t well-written — Martin’s world and characters are some of the most (morally) complex I’ve seen; there is a terrible beauty to it all — but because of how they made me feel.  Constant anxiety and disappointment and rage.  And distrust!  I did not, could not, trust the writer anymore.  Horrible things could happen at any moment, betrayal and loss and trauma at every turn.  (Umm, the Red Wedding. What.The.Fuck.)  I found myself trying to disengage emotionally, trying not to care about characters as it became increasingly clear that Martin had an almost perverse interest in the exact opposite of character preservation.  But I couldn’t.  I kept reading. I’m still watching.  And I’ll await the next book, the next season, with both excitement and dread.

I would hate it. And yet I would find it compelling. And I would keep reading/watching with that sense of dread and anxiety. And I would be angry. SO VERY ANGRY.

The author ends this piece speculating about what has drawn people into this story…in particular, a sense of catharsis that comes from “loving and rooting for and mourning and even reviling these characters intensely.” And while I’m sure this (and her other points in favor) is valid, I just don’t think it’s for me. Trust me, we’re all better off this way.

You probably don’t want me to talk about my love/but mostly hate relationship with Breaking Bad either…

(Here’s a secret…I’m saying this out loud because sometimes not liking the thing everyone likes is lonely. If you feel the same way, please speak up and make me feel a little less lonely!)

erinwrites: (Default)

Originally published at erin-go-blog!. You can comment here or there.

So, last year I blogged about my and Rand’s concert at FilKONtario. Well, I recently got that DVD of the concert that Tom promised, and I managed to get some video posted on YouTube over the weekend.

Here’s a link to the playlist I made, which includes five of the songs we performed.

And directly embedded above is “Cliffs of Insanity,” our Princess-Bride themed parody of “Green Hills of Harmony.” (lyrics at the link)

Enjoy! :D

erinwrites: (Default)

Originally published at erin-go-blog!. You can comment here or there.

Y’know, I’ve kind of resisted the term “bucket list” since the movie came out, and everyone started talking about having one. And not just in terms of “things to do before I die,” which is, pretty much, the definition of the term. Suddenly, everyone had a “summer bucket list” or whatever. But, I digress…

Anyway, this year, I turn a big number. A big, scary number. (I was born in 1974–you do the math.) And while I’ve had a couple of setbacks, career-wise, I can’t really complain too much. The past decade has been really good to me. Last year, in particular, I took on some things that were a pretty big deal to me personally. I performed in a concert! On a stage! In front of people! I started learning how to play the ukulele. (still a work-in-progress, but I’m continuing to plug away!) I decided I was tired of waiting for someone else to create a local alumnae organization of my sorority and took it upon myself (with the help of my awesome and dedicated friends) to get it going. I wrote two songs. (Okay, co-wrote, and they were parodies, but still!) I also celebrated 5 years of marriage to an amazing man.

Looking ahead to this year, I’m finally going to take that ASL class like I’ve been talking about for ages. I’ve got some other song ideas that I want to work on. I’d like to get myself writing regularly again. I want to get back to yoga, too. And then there are some other things, some big things, that don’t necessarily need to happen this year or before the BIG NUMBER, but they are things I would like to do/see/experience at some point. So, here they are:

  1. Go to a Disney park (never been…bonus, go to a Disney park WITH SEANAN!)
  2. See the Northern Lights
  3. (this one has a huge question mark after it…) Get a Ph.D. (???? I think about it, but I’m not sure if I really want to do it. I’m not sure if it would be worth it…)
  4. See a show on Broadway. (I’ve seen lots of Broadway shows, but none of them on Broadway.)

I thought I had more things for this list, but that’s all that’s coming to mind at the moment…I reserve the right to add items as necessary. ;)

At any rate, happy 2014 to you, and please share what big (or small) things are on YOUR lists!

 

erinwrites: (erinface)

So, Seanan wrote this post yesterday, which you should totally read (if you haven't already), and as I commented on it, I realized that I had a lot more to say than would fit in a comment. And then vixy wrote this, and the thoughts started bouncing around in my brain some more. This has been in my head since I first heard about this video (The Doubleclicks, "Nothing to Prove"). I had wanted to submit something, but I couldn't figure out what I wanted to say.

I haven't always identified as a geek, but I've always been geeky. My dad was always a fan of fantasy and SF. He introduced me to Lord of the Rings and Star Trek (he taped every episode of TOS on VHS). I was a regular fixture at my local public library, and I burned through the fantasy section (I don't have a clear memory of everything I read back in those days, other than there being a lot of Piers Anthony...). I wore out a VHS tape of The Last Unicorn, and when I saw The Princess Bride for the first time, it promptly became one of my all-time favorite movies. But with the exception of a couple of good friends I could occasionally geek out with, I didn't really travel in geeky circles as a teen.

I didn't read comics. I didn't play video games. The internet didn't even exist until I was in college.

(Once the internet existed, though? I was all over it.)

After college, I started to really embrace my geekiness, little by little. I got into geeky TV shows, like The X Files and Buffy.I discovered Harry Potter. I made friends with some fabulous geeky ladies in an online writing group (which later led to Toasted Cheese).

But it wasn't until much later (2004, to be exact) that I really got introduced to the whole idea of fandom. That happened when I met my husband. (If you click the link, the one on the left is mine.) He read comic books, and played music at science fiction conventions, and was part of this thing called filk (which, I should add, I had been introduced to before meeting him, by way of one of my Toasted Cheese friends). He started bringing me with him to filk conventions in 2005, and I kept going back.

It might be because of Rand, or it might be that I don't go to large gen cons like SDCC or DragonCon, but no one has ever asked me to prove myself, or questioned my credentials as a geek girl. Still, whenever this topic comes up, I can't help but feel a little bit anxious.

Because I'm afraid, if questioned, I would fail.

I read some comics, but I haven't read all the comics. I haven't seen all the right movies, or all the right TV shows, or read all the right books (some I'm interested in and just haven't gotten to them yet; others, I'm simply not interested in at all). And there's a little tiny part of me that wonders if people think I'm only part of this world because of Rand.

And every time I catch myself slipping into this line of thinking, I have to kind of shake myself out of it.

I am not a fake geek girl.

I am not a fake geek girl because the fake geek girl is a myth.

And I am a part of this community because I choose to be.

It may be true that, technically, I am here because of Rand (would I have found my own way without him? who knows...)--but I stuck around because of me.

Because, although I don't think either one of us really knew it at the time, when he brought me to that first convention...

...he was bringing me home.

erinwrites: (erinface)
I wish LJ had an "ask" feature like Tumblr, because I would totally submit an ask to [livejournal.com profile] hsifyppah.
erinwrites: (erinface)
As I have mentioned here and there, I really, really, really want to go to MuseCon.

Rand doesn't think he can go, but he is encouraging me to go on my own. On the one hand, this is excellent! On the other, I am a rather introverted person who dislikes traveling alone.

And while I know there will be lots of friendly faces there, one thing I currently lack is a roommate. I'd like to share a room to defer costs a bit, but the idea of sharing a room with someone I don't know fills me with anxiety and dread...so I'm putting the feelers out a bit on various social media to find out who's planning on attending this thing, and whether or not you know of anyone who might be looking to share a room.

Thanks!
erinwrites: (Default)

Originally published at erin-go-blog!. You can comment here or there.

FilKONtario report posting has been interrupted because earlier this week, my paternal grandmother passed away. The funeral was today.

me & grandma

(This picture is from my bridal shower in 2008)

KolbNappe  140

My paternal grandfather (pictured above, at Justin’s wedding), died in 2009, and my maternal grandmother died in 2001, not long after I moved to Buffalo. I wrote about losing her here.

gram0024.jpg

(One of my favorite photos of her. I don’t have any more recent photos scanned.)

I know I’m very lucky to have known all of my grandparents, and to have them in my life as long as I have…but it’s very heavy on my mind that I only have one grandparent left. I’m too exhausted to put any more thoughts together right now, so I’ll leave it with this.

me & grandpa again

 

(at grandpa’s 85th birthday party in 2007)

 

erinwrites: (Default)

Originally published at erin-go-blog!. You can comment here or there.

This is probably going to be a long one, so prepare yourself! Get a snack; I’ll wait…

I’ve always been a performer in one sense or another. I had a not-insignificant role in my 5th grade play. I was in a community theater production of Annie when I was in middle school. I was a cheerleader (don’t judge me! And if a cheerleader hurt you in your formative years, let me apologize on behalf of all nice-girl-cheerleaders everywhere…)

I never really thought of myself as a performer in the musical sense. I had been scared off of singing by an experience in middle school (Even after getting a role in Annie, I was cut from the middle school show choir. I ask you, who does that? It was middle school, and it’s not like I went to a performing arts school or it was super competitive or anything…but I digress.) When I went to college, I joined a sorority that took music very, very seriously, and I declared myself a founding member of the “tone deaf club.” Now, to be fair, I knew I wasn’t actually tone deaf, because people who are actually tone deaf have no idea that they’ve hit the wrong note. For us, it was about being people with no musical/vocal training among people who had been singing in choirs their entire lives. I was intimidated. I wasn’t very good at harmonizing. And so, I went merrily on with my life, singing when I had to (at things like Greek Sing, or other sorority events), but otherwise, singing along with the radio or my CDs was about it.

Well, it’s probably no surprise that the longer I hung around in filk, the more people started to express an interest in hearing me sing (*coughdebbieohicough*). I protested at first, but little by little, people started to wear me down. ;) The first time I sang at all was in a very tiny circle very late at night at GAFilk in 2007. I blame Amanda.

erin and jam banquet

Amanda is one of my co-editors at Toasted Cheese, and the reason I sort of kind of knew what filk was before I even met Rand. We had been online buds since…ummm…I’m going to say 1999? But this was the first time we had met in person. Anyway, Amanda had written a short filk of “One Singular Sensation” and she asked me to sing it with her. We practiced it a few times, and then went looking for a small circle to sing it in. So, a handful of people in that room heard me sing that night.

I think it might have been the following year (at GAFilk again) that Rand convinced me to sing a bit of a Flaming Lips song with him–not “Yoshimi,” but “Fight Test,” which has a chorus with overlapping parts that becomes counterpoint at the end. The Flaming Lips are kind of known for having a singer who can’t really sing, so I figured it was pretty low pressure. (Actually, here’s a post I wrote about that.)

After that, he convinced me to try “Yoshimi,” which would have me singing lead. We worked on it, and I sang it in a circle at FKO in 2009.

Yoshimi!!!!!

(Photo by Brooke Lunderville)

People seemed to enjoy that, so I was encouraged. Rand and I kept singing “Yoshimi” in circles, but I was a little worried that people were going to start to get sick of hearing it, so I never really pushed for it. ;)

In 2010, Rand and Adam were nominated for a Pegasus award, and Adam was unable to attend the convention to perform it. Rand asked me if I wanted to try to do it. “Um…” I said.  I agreed to work on it with him (and I think I only freaked out and had a meltdown once!) We went ahead and did it, and but for the fact that I was later informed that Rand’s microphone wasn’t working, I think it went okay.

OVFF 26 059

(Photo by Walter Korynkiewicz)

Fast forward to last year, when Tom contacted Rand to invite us to be this year’s Filk Waifs. We started putting together a list of things we might be able to sing together, as well as ideas for songs (mostly parodies) that we might be able to write. I bought a ukulele last August, thinking that I might get good enough at one or two things to play it in the concert. (that…did not happen. It will, but I was more focused on the singing. Did I mention I was nervous about the singing? I ended up taking voice lessons from a former colleague, which was a HUGE help. Thanks again, Shelley!)

Erin practising in our room

(practicing in UT’s room Saturday morning. I’m playing a melodica–also known as a hooter. Photo by Allison Durno)

Fast forward again to the day of the concert. The Filk Waif concert is the first concert on Saturday. After having breakfast, Rand and I met up with UT to rehearse a song they were going to be performing with us, and we showed them a couple of other things we were going to be performing as well. It was really, really good for me to have a chance to warm up.  After that, there were a couple of workshops. I ran one on calligraphy and paper crafts. Tim Walker ran a percussion workshop at the same time, which I am super bummed I couldn’t attend! I’ll write more about the workshop later. After the workshop, we grabbed a quick bite to eat in our room, and then it was go time!

Rand and Erin's Concert

(Photo by Debbie Ohi)

Here’s the set we played:

  • Star Wars That I Used to Know (parody of “Somebody that I Used to Know” by Gotye. Credits can be found at the YouTube link)
  • My Baby Loves a Bunch of Authors by Moxy Fruvous
  • St. Brendan’s Way by Lowest of the Low
  • Actually Ironic (parody? sort of? of “Ironic” by Alanis Morrissette)
  • Dear Seanan (parody of “Dear Gina” by Seanan McGuire written by me and Merav Hoffman. Video and lyrics at the link.)
  • Crackstatic by Ron Hawkins
  • Yoshimi/Space Oddity/Major Tom mashup (Flaming Lips, David Bowie, Peter Schilling)
  • Cliffs of Insanity (parody of “Green Hills of Harmony” written by me with help from Rand and an assist from Amanda. More info in my previous post, linked.)
  • Still Can’t Buy Me Love by Ookla the Mok (with Urban Tapestry)

If you’re interested in the lyrics (other than the parodies I wrote/co-wrote, which can be found at the links), they can all quite easily be found by googling. I’m tired. ;)

I’m pretty sure it was a success. ;) After we left the stage, Tim and Annie (who knew how nervous I was) ran over to us and gave us gigantic hugs, and everyone we talked to seemed to enjoy the performance. So…singing! Win! Right now, the “Dear Seanan” video is the only one I am aware of. I’m sure other things will appear eventually, and I’ll let you know!

Here’s Allison’s post about Saturday at FKO. I’ll have more later. Stay tuned!

erinwrites: (Default)

Originally published at erin-go-blog!. You can comment here or there.

To tell you the truth, I’m not really sure where to begin. I guess I’ll begin here: FKO 23 was simply amazing.

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(I know that ribbon is hard to read, but it says “Guest.”)

I mentioned before, but I will mention again, that I’ve been attending FKO regularly since Rand first brought me there in 2005. (I appear not to have taken any photos at FKO 2005. I’m going to borrow some!)

IMG_0196

(Me with Debbie Ohi at FKO 2005. Photo by Allison Durno)

I had a wonderful time at my first FKO (which was also my first Filk convention); I got to meet/see/hear so many fantastic people, like Debbie, Allison, and Jodi of Urban Tapestry, and Carla Ulbrich and Joe Giacoio, and Tom Smith, and John Hall, and Tanya Huff, and Steve MacDonald, and Mary Ellen Wessels, and Kathleen Sloan, and…oh, man folks, we could be here all day. :) Let’s just say that if I met/encountered you at FKO in 2005, you were part of a very important moment in my life. What I can say, without a doubt, is that I felt immediately welcomed. I was afraid it would be awkward. Here was Rand, bringing in this new person. I didn’t sing or play an instrument; I am introverted and tend to be awkward in social situations when I don’t know many people. Those worries turned out to be unfounded, and needless to say, I kept coming back.

And fast forward to this…

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When Rand told me that Tom had contacted him and wanted us to be Filk Waifs at FKO this year, I was incredibly honored. I think I cried a little. (and let’s be perfectly honest…I was also a little terrified. Not so much about the hosting duties, but about the fact that the gig comes with a concert. I started to get all rambly here, but I decided that I’m going to move all the rambly bits about singing to a separate post, which will include details about the concert…look for that soon.)

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(Hanging out in the con suite Friday evening. Photo by Dave Weingart. I’ll be relying on the photos of others for most of this post, as I was a bit too preoccupied to take very many photos myself!)

Rand and I arrived at the hotel late Thursday afternoon and got to enjoy a nice dinner in the hotel restaurant with Tom and Sue Jeffers, Dave Clement, and Ju Honisch. And to tell you the truth, I have very little memory of what else we did on Thursday. It was nice arriving on Thursday, though, because it allowed us to have a pretty easygoing Friday. These details are also a little fuzzy, so I’m going to skip on ahead to the actual convention.

IMG_0769

(Photo by Phil Mills)

After an informal meet-and-greet, things kicked off with Kathleen Sloan performing her song “Take it Back.” The song has a beautiful message, and I think the world would be a better place if more people took it to heart!

The opening song was followed by concerts from Judith Hayman and Peggi Warner-Lalonde and Cat Faber, both of which were lovely. It was during Friday night’s concerts that Rand and I began our hosting duties, giving brief introductions for each of the performers and making various announcements throughout the weekend. As each of the performers took the stage, we asked them to answer a question from our Master List of Questions. (Sample questions: Flight or invisibility? Kirk or Picard? What product do you most miss from your childhood? And so on…)

I think the questions were a hit. ;) After the opening concerts, we headed into the night’s big event: Urban Tapestry’s 20th Anniversary concert!

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(Photo by Dave Weingart)

Urban Tapestry is always a pleasure to see and hear, and this concert was no exception! Here’s a link to Allison’s livejournal that includes a video of one of the songs they performed (“I Am Stardust”). Allison wrote more about Friday night at FKO here.

And…I think this is going to be a long one, so I’m going to call this part one and end it here. More coming soon!

erinwrites: (Default)

Originally published at erin-go-blog!. You can comment here or there.

This one is called “Cliffs of Insanity” and it’s a parody of “Green Hills of Harmony” (which is itself a parody of “Farewell to Sicily” (or “Banks of Sicily”) a Scottish song from WWII). Subject matter should be apparent. 😉 Lyrics are by me and Rand.

The lady is kidnapped and Guilder is framed
The six-fingered man haunts my subconscious brain
The rhymes of the giant drive Vizzini insane
And that word doesn’t mean what he’s thinkin’

And it’s sail, sail away from that sailboat
He may be gaining, but we’re not afraid
As we sail for the cliffs of insanity
All of the eels are shrieking

We don’t want to kill her, but it’s hard to avoid
Vizzini has told us we’ll be unemployed — >
Fezzik offers a peanut — Vizzini’s annoyed
When we get to the top, we’ll be leavin’

And it’s scale, scale, the side of the mountain
Hang on to Fezzik — the man in black gains
As we climb up the Cliffs of Insanity
All of the eels are shrieking

It’s time for a fight now, and well-matched are we
But I’m not left-handed, and neither is he
I have to admit that he’s better than me
And I’m knocked on the head when he’s leavin’

And it’s sleep, sleep, sleep off the headwound
I’ll wait for Vizzini — I will not be moved
And it’s fare ye well, ye cliffs of insanity
All of the eels are shrieking

Some fight for the glory. Some fight for the pay
But I am the Spaniard, and fighting’s my way
It’s a hard life to live, and a high price to pay
When the six-fingered man is still breathin’

Hello — My name is Inigo Montoya
You killed my father — Prepare to die
And it’s fare ye well ye Cliffs of Insanity,
All of the eels are shrieking

January 2019

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