Stranger stars to light my way

[sovay]

I am returned from Readercon. In point of fact, I have been returned from Readercon for about five hours now, but I spent most of them lying on a couch. I have an enormous headache and a kind of full-body inability to focus on anything; I am not really surprised, since the only night I really slept at the hotel was Thursday. I regret very little. This is not a con report, but I'd like to note some high points before I pass out.

I almost saw enough of handful_ofdust this year. We had dinner together two nights out of three and I sort of crashed her autograph session, since the next chair was empty—I ended up signing a friend's copy of Lovecraft's Monsters (2014) with an exhortation for Gemma to write more poems like "Haruspicy" (and send them to Strange Horizons) and then totally forgetting to ask Gemma to sign my copy, which I bought for the express purpose. She has bequeathed me a stack of DVDs, including Night Tide (1961), Phantom of the Paradise (1974), Jupiter Ascending (2015), and the Criterion edition of Fiend Without a Face (1959). Some of these may yet be reviewed for Patreon.

I did not see enough of Michael Cisco this year, but I had the pleasure of hearing him not only recount the plot of Flesh for Frankenstein (1973), but perform the Baron's death speech with implied 3-D dangling liver. I am now sold on that film and Blood for Dracula (1974); I only hope I was able to repay in kind by describing Doctor X (1932) and Mystery of the Wax Museum (1932). We talked about Aickmann and Tarkovsky. I am seriously thinking of trying to make a day of Necronomicon in August.

I did not intend to invite yhlee for an evening of watching my mother have her science fiction collection evaluated by a professional book dealer, but that's how today worked out. derspatchel came out and met us for dinner at Thai E-Sarn in Arlington Heights, because Thai restaurants are not apparently a thing that exist in Yoon's part of the world. We had previously, with rushthatspeaks, gaudior, nineweaving, and schreibergasse, been part of a Friday night expedition to WooRi in Arlington Center, because Korean restaurants are not apparently etc. We're back to that thing where all my friends need cheap, reliable teleportation.

At Arisia in January, Jean of Somewhere in Time Books promised to find me an affordable copy of Joan Aiken's A Necklace of Raindrops (1968). It wasn't that I didn't believe him: I just wasn't sure he would be able to. He did. I bought it. It is the exact same edition that I remember reading in elementary school, with the silhouette illustrations by Jan Pienkowski. It made me incredibly happy—I read it last night before bed and talked about it on the side of the Win Fairy at this afternoon's panel on re-reading. Weird little deadpan fairytales that they are, the stories have generally held up. "On the station signboard, under DESERT, the words FOR OASIS have been added."

Friday's panel on hells and underworlds could have gone on twice as long. I would have appreciated not having to get up for the Saturday morning reading at what Schreiber' calls the ass crack of dawn, but I went back to bed afterward. I am very pleased with the way my half-hour reading went. I was requested afterward to write a particular story; as soon as I get my brain back, I am going to try to.

I participated in the Readercon Miscellany again this year; I sang Lal Waterson's "The Scarecrow" and Peter Bellamy's "We Have Fed Our Sea." I do not know if a recording was made, but someone should please let me know if the answer is yes. It occurred to me on the day that sacrifice to the earth and the ever-hungry sea should go together.

(If recordings exist of the Banjo Apocalypse Crinoline Troubadours' "Lionheart," someone should also please let me know, because it's been stuck in my head since Saturday night and I can't find the lyrics anywhere.)

I can tell that at some point I misfiled some money slightly between the fold in my wallet for income and the fold for spending cash, because counting the bills in the former tells me I sold eight and a quarter copies of Ghost Signs, but there are now four copies left of the thirty which I had to sell in January. That kind of blows my mind. Also, it means that for the first year at a convention ever, my book purchases were paid for by my book sales.

I did numismatics.

I firmly believe that other interesting things happened (I saw asakiyume for five minutes!), but I have just realized that it's two in the morning and I would like to be asleep. Shockingly, I'm going to see what I can do about that.

It was a really good weekend.

Comments

[aedifica]

A Necklace of Raindrops was 1968?? Wow. I think that's one my library acquired later in my childhood, i.e. sometime in the 80s, so I assumed it was new then. But yay for affordable Joan Aiken anthologies! My very favorite is Not What You Expected.

[sovay]

But yay for affordable Joan Aiken anthologies! My very favorite is Not What You Expected.

I don't know if I've read that one! I might if you describe the stories. Why is it your favorite?

[aedifica]

I think the reason may be that so many of the stories give the feeling that something magical might be right around the corner, yes that corner there. A lot of her stories do that, not just in this anthology, but the ones in this anthology tend to do it stronger. One of my favorites is "Hope," in which someone walking through London alleys meets someone who is probably the Devil. Another whose name I don't remember has a child call King Canute on the telephone. And there's another with a huge rambling old house that turns out to have a family tree in one of the rooms--an actual tree with ancestors sitting in the branches.

[sovay]

One of my favorites is "Hope," in which someone walking through London alleys meets someone who is probably the Devil. Another whose name I don't remember has a child call King Canute on the telephone. And there's another with a huge rambling old house that turns out to have a family tree in one of the rooms--an actual tree with ancestors sitting in the branches.

I don't think I've read any of these and they all sound great.

[gaudior.livejournal.com]

Also, it means that for the first year at a convention ever, my book purchases were paid for by my book sales.


Yay!

[sovay]

Yay!

It was really cool!

[ladymondegreen.livejournal.com]

Hooray! I'm so glad that the Joan Aiken has made its way back to you. That sounds like an excellent weekend. I hope you got good sleep.

[sovay]

I'm so glad that the Joan Aiken has made its way back to you. That sounds like an excellent weekend.

It really was. And I am so happy about the Aiken. I read "The Baker's Cat" and parts of some other stories to derspatchel last night.

I hope you got good sleep.

Not so far! I will work on it tonight.

[sevenravens.livejournal.com]

I loved hearing you sing, as always! I had never heard We Have Fed Our Sea and it was perfection. There's a video of a slightly earlier version of Sisters Lionheart here: http://bactroubadours.com/video/

[sovay]

I loved hearing you sing, as always! I had never heard We Have Fed Our Sea and it was perfection.

Thank you! Peter Bellamy set it for voice, piano, and cello as part of The Maritime England Suite in 1982. I had fallen in love with the text when I was discovering Kipling's poetry in 2006, because of its hungry sea, but then it turned out that I liked Bellamy's tune just as well. For years I only had the suite in a really terrible cassette rip, wobbly and staticky and slightly at the wrong speed; then last month I discovered the much better-quality version above and have been listening to it every few days since. My version of "We Have Fed Our Sea" is not identical to Bellamy's, but that's the folk tradition for you. Feel free to continue the transformation!

(Because that's nearly fifty minutes of music I've just linked you, the songs in order are: "Song of the Red War-Boat," "Sir Patrick Spens," "Sir Andrew Barton," "The Spanish Armada," "The Zealous Puritan," "The Dutch in the Medway," "We Have Fed Our Sea," "Andrew Rose & The Cruel Ship's Captain," "The Death of Nelson," "The British Man of War," "You Gentlemen of England," and "The China Clipper." More information available at Mainly Norfolk.)

There's a video of a slightly earlier version of Sisters Lionheart here

Yay!

. . . Are there lyrics sheets to any of the current versions? I am somewhat unclear on the publication/recording history of most of the Candletown material, which is only because I have been living under a rock. I remember your "Rare Annie" because it was published in Mythic Delirium #28; I think I've only heard the others. I don't suppose I can add my voice to the chorus wanting a studio recording, or at least a live concert?

[sevenravens.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much for the links!Peter Bellamy is definitely on my radar, but not that particular set of songs! I am super excited to dig into that. I would love a recording of your version, as it was perfection.

A couple of Claire's Distant Star Ballads have been published, but not that one, I think. I can definitely email you the lyrics, though. We do have plans to eventually do a recording of all of them. I think there will eventually be crowd funding of some sort, but we shall see!

[sovay]

Peter Bellamy is definitely on my radar, but not that particular set of songs!

I have an inordinate number of his Kipling settings on my computer, so please feel free to ask if you're interested in anything! I have a respectable quantity of non-Kipling Bellamy as well. 2006 was also the year I plunged headfirst into sea chanteys, and The Young Tradition were a big part of that.

I would love a recording of your version, as it was perfection.

I don't know if anyone recorded the Miscellany—and if they did, what the sound quality will be like—but I'll gladly send you anything I get.

I can definitely email you the lyrics, though.

Thank you! I would love that.

We do have plans to eventually do a recording of all of them. I think there will eventually be crowd funding of some sort, but we shall see!

Huzzah. I look forward.

[gwynnega]

It was wonderful to see you! I really enjoyed your poetry & prose reading and your singing.

It's been over twenty years since I've seen Flesh for Frankenstein and Blood for Dracula, but I remember enjoying them a lot, especially the latter, which made me a fan of Udo Kier.

[handful-ofdust.livejournal.com]

I had an excellent time as well. Haven't done much since i got back but chores an intermittent sleeping, but it was well worth it.;)

[sovay]

I really enjoyed your poetry & prose reading and your singing.

Thank you! It was lovely to see you, too. Someday I insist on having the money to travel so that I can see non-New England friends outside of conventions.

It's been over twenty years since I've seen Flesh for Frankenstein and Blood for Dracula, but I remember enjoying them a lot, especially the latter, which made me a fan of Udo Kier.

That's actually how we started talking about them—Michael was complaining that Udo Kier gets dubbed for so many of his roles when he has such a terrific voice, which he then felt inspired to demonstrate and next thing I knew I was listening to the last words of a dude with his liver hanging out. It was excellent.

[sovay]

Haven't done much since i got back but chores an intermittent sleeping, but it was well worth it.

Yeah, I'm still not actually recovered. It totally was, though.

Awesome to see you!

[snowy-owlet.livejournal.com]

I was glad to meet you, however briefly, and I very much enjoyed your singing! What a voice!