sovay: (Claude Rains)
sovay ([personal profile] sovay) wrote2011-06-23 12:33 pm

A broken bow across a long-lost violin

Dear brain. Rumors of devil's bargains and the legend that an angel foretold his talent to his mother before he was born notwithstanding, it is not helpful to dream that Niccolò Paganini was the Phantom of the Opera. For starters, the timeframe is completely wrong. Also, crackfic.

Speaking of which, though:

I'm going to tell you a little story that I think you might find apropos. One day, a god named Zeus looked down upon the people of Earth from Olympos and thought, "I will turn myself into a bull." Then, as a bull, he went down amongst the humans and fucked a spider. And that is why, today, we have coconuts.

I love The Daily Show.

[identity profile] schreibergasse.livejournal.com 2011-06-23 04:52 pm (UTC)(link)
"But at least it was a dream. At least he was asleep."
--S.L.a.T.f.A.t.F, ch. 23.

[identity profile] cucumberseed.livejournal.com 2011-06-23 04:55 pm (UTC)(link)
Cracky. Quite cracky indeed.

[identity profile] ron-drummond.livejournal.com 2011-06-23 05:09 pm (UTC)(link)
I look forward to hearing how your brain responds!

[identity profile] kenjari.livejournal.com 2011-06-23 05:21 pm (UTC)(link)
Have you seen the film The Red Violin? It has a segment that I think is inspired by Paganini with a dash of Liszt thrown in.
And now I will have Rachmaninov's "Variations on a Theme of Paganini" going through my head for the rest of the day.

[identity profile] kenjari.livejournal.com 2011-06-24 12:02 am (UTC)(link)
No need for apologies - I'm rather fond of the piece, although I haven't listened to it in quite some time because my only current copy is on cassette. Luckily, I was able to find it in the Naxos online library - I chose a Polish recording that turned out to be interesting if not always precisely to my taste. (I got the title wrong in my initial comment - it's the Rhapsody on a Theme of Pagnini). The piece also appears in Dead Again.

[identity profile] asakiyume.livejournal.com 2011-06-23 05:48 pm (UTC)(link)
That quote from the Daily Show made me laugh out loud. And Paganini as the phantom of the opera--AWEtacular :-)

[identity profile] strange-selkie.livejournal.com 2011-06-23 06:15 pm (UTC)(link)
*comes sniffing round for crack, encouragingly*

[identity profile] helivoy.livejournal.com 2011-06-23 09:45 pm (UTC)(link)
"Retiring at 53 with full pay"... I didn't know Jon Stewart had turned into Glenn Beck, or is using Fox News-type sources for his information.

[identity profile] nineweaving.livejournal.com 2011-06-24 01:04 am (UTC)(link)
I ithink you should make Paganini a Scorpion Bowl with the coconut. And a little umbrella.

Sleep is good. I hope it gets to be a habit with you.

Nine

[identity profile] nineweaving.livejournal.com 2011-06-24 04:00 am (UTC)(link)
I've never even heard of a Scorpion Bowl.

Lucky you. You've probably heard them sloshing around inside frat boys out on the street after midnight.

Do you really think Paganini is a sticky-drink kind of person?

Do you really think Zeus is an arachnid-fucking kind of God?

Nine

[identity profile] hylomorphist.livejournal.com 2011-06-24 07:35 am (UTC)(link)
it is not helpful to dream that Niccolò Paganini was the Phantom of the Opera.
But, once more, an awesome sovay-ish kind of dream. I wish I had more of those.
I just dreamt tonight that I was suddenly woken in a room in a strange old house by a female, semi-transparent ghost, which in the dream really freaked me out since for an unknown reason I took it as some sort of death sign. Maybe that's just to say that my mind is completely screwed up by a mixture of French grammar and philosophy of mind right now.

love The Daily Show.
Yes, John Steward definitely has his moments. And that was one of them. (N.B. Greek attitude really screws up inter-European relations right now, but then, what do I really care about politics.)

[identity profile] ap-aelfwine.livejournal.com 2011-06-25 12:56 am (UTC)(link)
That does sound like crackfic, but it would be good crackfic. Glad you're having interesting dreams, in any event.

Interesting bit of absurdism from the Daily Show, there--I'll have to watch this clip, I think.