By: Heidi MacDonald,
on 6/21/2016
Deep in the grubby sump of one of those so-called ‘Social Media’ sites, there is a clump of aging comics fanboys called The Really Very Serious Alan Moore Scholars’ Group, known to its sad and lonely adherents as TRVSAMSG. When they’re not annotating everything in sight, or calling down ancient evils on the heads of […]
By: Dianna Dilworth,
on 3/26/2015
Musician Elvis Costello is working on a memoir.
The book, Unfaithful Music & Disappearing Ink, will come out on Penguin’s Blue Rider Press in October. Check it out:
Born to a musical family outside of London and relocated to Liverpool, Costello created his own form of punk, became one of the first artists to exploit the newly-burgeoning MTV-Video world and managed to make himself a huge reputation in the UK and the U.S. through both his catchy tunes, provocative, poetic lyrics and more than a few instances of bad behavior. Now, having just turned sixty, Elvis is in the pantheon of elder statesmen musician/rockers, collaborating often with the likes of Paul McCartney, great ballet and opera companies, hip-hop groups, jazz ensembles while appearing frequently in venues like Carnegie Hall and on shows like David Letterman and Jimmy Fallon.
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By: Maud Newton,
on 12/12/2011
My mini-column for last week’s New York Times Magazine is on poetry and song. King David viewed them as natural companions, but these days they’re seen as distinct, unrelated arts.
Accepting Spain’s Prince of Asturias Award for Letters recently, musician and poet Leonard Cohen implicitly took David’s view. He spoke of learning a progression of six flamenco chords from a mysterious young Spaniard who soon killed himself. “It was those six chords,” Cohen said, “it was that guitar pattern that has been the basis of all my songs and all my music… Everything that you have found favorable in my songs, in my poetry are inspired by this soil.”
And he expressed unease over the honor. “Poetry comes from a place that no one commands and no one conquers. So I feel somewhat like a charlatan to accept an award for an activity which I do not command. In other words, if I knew where the good songs came from, I’d go there more often.”
Related: Christopher Ricks, Jonathan Lethem, and Lucinda Williams on the case for Dylan as poet; PEN New England’s new prize for excellence in song lyrics, judged by Paul Simon, Elvis Costello, Rosanne Cash, Paul Muldoon, and others; The Village Voice’s jokey list of contenders for the award; and, courtesy of my friend Michael Taeckens, Rimbaud and Jim Morrison. And, just for fun, Roger Miller and Dave Hickey on Hank Williams’ hooked-up verse.
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By Bianca Schulze, The Children’s Book Review
Published: December 9, 2010
This year, many people are predicting that Apple’s iPad will be the number one gift found under the Christmas tree. Assuming that you’ve embraced the notion of e-books—and you’re happy with the saying: “Any reading is good reading!”—we’re certain that you’ll be looking for a couple of book apps to get your iPad recipient started.
From the more traditional pieces of literature to the fun, book-related games; these apps are a great way to kick-start a new iPad library or add to an existing one. Hopefully this list makes your job of sifting through the hundreds or available apps just a little bit easier.
From Ruckus Media
Tom Thumb and the Knights of the Round Table
Told by John Cleese, illustrated by Tim Gabor, music by Elvis Costello
Price: $3.99 on iPhone / $3.99 on iPad
Publisher’s synopsis: John Cleese tells the tale of tiny Tom Thumb and his larger-than-life adventures in the land of King Arthur. Read along, play along, and record your voice with apps for families from Ruckus Media!
Features:
• READ the classic story!
• SEE the enchanting video!
• HEAR Emmy-Award winner John Cleese tell the story with an original score by recording artist Elvis Costello!
• RECORD your voice reading to your child!
Add this app to your collection: Tom Thumb and the Knights of the Round Table
The Velveteen Rabbit
Told by Meryl Streep, illustrated by Dave Jorgenson, music by George Winston
Price: $3.99 on iPhone / $3.99 on iPad
Publisher’s synopsis: Meryl Streep shares the tale of love so powerful it can turn a toy bunny into a real rabbit. Read along, play along, and record your voice with apps for families from Ruckus Media!
Features:
• READ the classic story!
• SEE the award-winning video!
• HEAR acclaimed actress Meryl Streep tell the story accompanied by pianist George Winston!
• RECORD your voice reading to your child!
Add this app to your collection:
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I can’t remember him ever mentioning a non-anglophone writer among his favorites – and rarely refers to them on his own work.
[…] from another recent interview, here are some excerpts from Alan Moore’s praise for fellow Purgatorio stablemate Kieron […]