Mishmash

Hoping for Narrative at a Funeral

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I recently attended a funeral where the pastor was not acquainted with the deceased, or the family.  Beforehand, he’d been in touch with the family via email to learn something about the woman who was to be buried.  He asked for stories.

At the graveside, he recounted stories, wove them into his funeral services–sometimes the whole story, sometimes just a reference.  I could tell these stories made a difference.

I wonder how many of us hope for a narrative that makes sense at a funeral.  That the person who died had a story of their life–one that seemed to have an arc, a climax, a purpose.  While we often choose a minister who personally knew the deceased or at least the family, I can understand how much more a family who doesn’t know the minister might be yearning for him/her to speak a narrative of a life they knew, even if he didn’t.  And what pressure on a minister to create that from stories and testimonies.

But still I was awed by the feeling that he successfully gave back to them a story of their mother–a life they recognized, complete with purpose and narrative arc, as if it had been written by her, or by God himself.  And how they seemed satisfied by that story–as if the completion of a story gives us closure.

Certainly those of us who are living hope that our lives are creating a story with a narrative arc.  I’m thinking I should jot down some notes for a minister here about what my story was–just in case he needs some pointers.

Rocket Men: “Lonely” Astronauts in Popular Music

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Hey, The American Astronaut, a film-noir musical about a steampunk astronaut, isn’t the most widely known astronaut in music. I got to feeling nostalgic about Major Tom and other Musical Odes to Astronauts and found a few that I thought you might enjoy.

Most of these songs characterize the astronaut as lonely and eventually disconnected–disconnected from family as he leaves, disconnected from Earth, and in a few of the songs, disconnected from the spaceship as well, as he floats out into the nothing of space. Bowie’s song was in 1969, timed to coincide with the first moon landing; Elton John’s in 1972 and Peter Schilling’s in 1983. I add Duran Duran’s Astronaut as a contrast–he’s “leaving with an astronaut” which makes the song much more about coupling than de-coupling. And then, the opening to “Enterprise”–“Faith of the Heart” that celebrates astronauts as parts of teams.

I think the lonely/together idea is interesting when you talk about astronauts. Are we starting to see astronauts not as those who leave community, but those who are creating community? The first three songs are about leaving, about separating, and about not trusting Ground Control and where they might be sending humans. The other two, perhaps, are seeing the adventurous side of being an astronaut again, certainly about being part of a larger community which connects all the aviation pioneers in a long line of exploration and pushing out into space–which according to Star Trek– is densely populated.

Welcome, “lonely” astronaut!

Below: David Bowie “Space Oddity”; Elton John, “Rocket Man”; Peter Schilling “Major Tom”; Duran Duran “Astronaut” and Russell Watson’s “Faith of the Heart,” the opening to the TV series “Enterprise.”

For more on the story of Major Tom and the first three songs, try this link to the Straight Dope on Was there really a Major Tom?

The Science Fiction Western Musical You Might Have Missed

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It was 2001, and a lot was going on in the world, so you might have missed this movie. I bought American Astronaut because I heard great reviews. It was a Sundance Festival Official Selection, and in Toronto as well. It’s won numerous awards. Black and white, some great cinematography moments. See the trailer here.

http://www.americanastronaut.com/video/AmericanAstronaut-trailer.m4v

But for a sample of this bizarre movie, check out this Youtube moment:

As a movie, it’s stunning visually in an episodic way. Film noir-like, each scene seems to have been thought of as a separate selection–as if in a university film class– and so they don’t all weave together well. The plot is hard to follow–until a moment in the bar when the plot is explained–but afterwards, every moment that you believe you will identify with this story and these characters, you are shoved out into the cold on your own. I did get through the whole thing, but wished there was more time spent on Venus–the focus of the mission–and in the showdown between Curtis and Hess–the focus of the movie.

You can’t say the dialogue is bad, only that it is weird. My friends and I laughed a lot. You have to experience it for yourselves, though I can’t recommend it. Entertainment Weekly says, “Imagine a Laurel and Hardy skit directed by Salvador Dali.” And that sums it up. It’s surreal.

If you are looking for a coherent plot, you won’t find it. Sympathetic, understandable characters, nope. Believable motivations, or a world with certain rules–nope.

But you will find a dance contest on an asteroid, a locomotive and barn in space, a planet full of Victorian women, and that great dance scene in the men’s bathroom…and great camera angles and solid cinematography. Good music–yep, it’s fun.

I think that my friends will probably make me pay for many years to come for subjecting them to the film…but I told them it gave us good bonding time. Like going through a car wreck, with a good soundtrack.

Cell Phones, Brain Tumours and the Future of Communication

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Just finished reading a great article by Melinda Wenner in Walrus Magazine about the connection between Cell Phones and Brain Tumours.  What it does isn’t so much confirm the connection, but confirm the complete avoidance by cell phone companies on confirming compelling evidence.  It was enough to make me want to limit use.  Check out the article for yourself on Walrus, the magazine.  You make the call–or not.

Cellphone Games

I’m tired of there not being more sound, comprehensive studies done, and that science is being curbed by companies.  If we can get phen-phen off the market, why can’t we do some substantial studies on technology–something that affects millions and millions of people?

If I were iPhone, I would make Skype standard on the device, elimate the phone itself and just make it a video phone–we’re heading there anyway.  Vidphones are about to catch up to Science Fiction.   And having to see a screen in your hand would keep the radiation away from your brain.

My Prediction: Whoever makes Skype universal on their Blackberry/iphone/Palm Pilot/cellphone wins the communication wars.  Period.

Edward Gorey on Writing a Novel: The Unstrung Harp

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My friend and fellow Clarionite, Nick Wolven, posted this link to Edward Gorey’s beautiful, wrenching depiction of a novelist at work. I’d like to say this doesn’t often happen, but that part about wandering around doing everything else but writing—uh–that happens. Going to places or events to “improve the novel”, thinking that everyhing you attend and experience will aid the writing—uh—that happens. But it is funny. See how much this resonates with you:

The Unstrung Harp; or, Mr. Earbrass Writes a Novel

And for Contrast: The Empire Goes Slack

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In my blog entry/movie review “On Clones and The Clone Wars” I try to make the argument that the movie fails as an adult product–of which Star Wars had amassed millions of fans (not just sci-fi fans, but folks who grew up with the series as a defining part of their childhood, and a cultural reference)–but succeeds as a kid’s product, which is what it intended to do.

For more on the end of Star Wars fandom read this from the New York Times:

The Empire Goes Slack

Let me once again reiterate that the audience for this film was kids.  Unfortunately, the audience really ready for the film was made up of adults with much higher expectations (and a lot of pent up impatience from having two bad films precede this)–and frankly it matters more to them that Lucas pay attention to them, the loyalists, rather than pandering to a new set of toy-buying kids.   Lucas blundered here, yes.

However, can you imagine a kid’s series on TV with a better universe to play with, better settings, better graphics (minus the marionette characters) ?  Yep, those characters we loved have had the final bits of real character squeezed from their puppet forms…but perhaps Lucas is hoping that the kids will discover the Star Wars movies again.  Maybe Clone Wars is a metaphorical giant hand with fingers pointing back to Episodes 1-6, even as another finger points to the Wal-mart toy shelves.

So, your kids might be benefiting from Lucas’ franchise and cleverness, while the jilted adults are smoldering in the back room.

On Clones and The Clone Wars

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I just returned from seeing The Clone Wars. It’s not going to revive the Star Wars franchise, but it’s a passing afternoon’s entertainment. Is The Clone Wars to Star Wars what Star Trek, The Animated Series is to Star Trek? Yes, in a way. And that’s not a bad thing.

The plot is simplified, two characters are added to appeal to younger audiences–one a young girl, who acts about 12, and two, a baby she must look after through the last half of the film. Target audience seems to be Babysitters who enjoy Star Wars. I think it’s odd why Lucas chose the main character of the film to be female and to have this stereotypically female task–safeguarding a baby. Star Wars seems to me to be very male-oriented: wars, “sword” fights, power struggles, technology, dark hoodies. This film seemed as if Disney took over scripting and added a young female lead and a horrible female villain to match her. I kept thinking “Snips” would break out in song. “I wanna be where the Jedis are….I wanna swing, wanna swing light sabers!”

What it does right: the settings are amazing and truly in the tradition of Lucas’s previous films–he often tries to do radically different settings–the vertical battle was stunning ; the action sequences are full of camera angles that are challenging and interesting;

What it lacks: Why did Lucas insist that the characters look like “marionettes”? These folks are worse than watching a Sims Youtube video. Expressionless, their eyes are either blinking or squinting or blank. I wish Pixar would have done this show….it might have even been funny.

There’s no tension. All the jedis can do amazing things. If the plot needs them to move from point A to point B, there’s no doubt they will make it. They just cut through a few droids, leap from one flying jet to another, tumble, roll and they are safe. It was a film of maneuvers without tension or fear. It’s funny. I actually felt fear during The Incredibles. Even though it was animated, there were rules set up–characters could die, things could go wrong.

This is then a plotting and character problem. The Jedis are plotted to do these things and those things they will do. It’s never a question that they won’t accomplish their mission, really. And with them animated, the characters don’t sweat, don’t umph, don’t act as if anything ever hurt. It’s the problem Superman writers faced when Supes could do anything. Kryptonite had to be written into every script, or his powers had to be limited–else there’s no audience identification. But, added with bad animation, there’s no feeling that these automatons even represent humans.

I did not identify with Snips. “Snips” was a bad character. She’s whiny, a twelve-year old brat whose animators make her float around and jump with ease. She’s constantly smarting off to her boss, Anakin, when she’s supposed to be a learner of a higher order of thought and power. Oh, she needs no physical training to be as powerful as Anakin. Never got that idea at all. She does everything she’s called to do–with complaint.

Anakin nor Obi Wan are fleshed out either. They are trapped in a kid’s plot and they must play their roles. Anakin is the unwilling mentor figure; Obi Wan the parental figure; Snips the bratty sidekick/trainee character. This is a long version of a Saturday Morning cartoon.

Which is to say that it finds the audience it needs on Sat. Morning. It is good for kids. It places them in a simplified, watered down version of the Star Wars universe–and if they have plots like this, the series will be entertaining for a target age of 5-14. So, in a way, it does exactly what it set out to do: advertise the new series coming to Sat. mornings; appeals to kids; continues the Star Wars universe in a way that doesn’t mess up Lucas’s vision. It is not more harmful to its original than Star Trek, the Animated Series was to Star Trek.

Is it for adults? Not really. The simplified plots, the flat characters, the watered down version of Star Wars will cause afficionados to run for the door. But then so did Episodes 2 and 3, and those were with real actors, sets, and expensive special effects. The Clone Wars, while a faded clone of the original films, achieves a level of entertainment for children. And that’s what it wanted.

The Fantasy of Beringia, except it’s true

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Woolly Rhinoceros
Woolly Rhinoceros

I work at the Beringia Centre, where we preserve Yukon history from 14,000-10,000 years ago. The great land mass of Beringia, situated in what is now the Bering Strait, connecting Siberia and Alaska, was our Atlantis–land that flourished for awhile and then sunk beneath the sea.

While it was here, it was a huge grassland bordered by glaciers and mountains, a refuge untouched by the Ice Age going on in northern North America, a place where plants and animals evolved and lived. And the animals, like the Woolly Rhino to the left, looked like something out of an ancient bestiary.

I think Beringia is a fantasy setting untapped. I would love to get a group of science fiction and fantasy writers to choose Beringia as a setting—scimitar cats, woolly mammoths, hunters crossing the land bridge, giant sloths and beavers, and the magic of the Gwich’in and T’lingit storytelling to go with it. It’s our living fantasy setting, or was.

Everything there is true, and the facts and science could aid a group of writers in developing storylines based on the science and setting of Beringia.

Perhaps one of our assignments in my after school sci-fi/fantasy writing program will be to go to the Beringia Centre and imagine it as a fantasy/sci-fi setting—research the science–develop a story. True, fantasy writers like to come up with settings that utilize wizards, dwarves, dragons, but these are northern European settings, northern European mythology, and Canadian writers have a treasure sitting beneath them.

We don’t have to live by Elves Alone.

Perhaps Beringia will inspire new writers to come up with their own mythology and characters based on this place–and break the European mold. Eh, it’s just an idea. Come visit and see the Fantasy that was really true. I dare Europe to find the bones of a dragon!

Fiction Can Change the World

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It’s the subtlety of fiction that sneaks up on you and changes your mind.  No one has to argue in front of a court of law, no one has to hit you over the head, or point to a passage of scripture.  Fiction gives you a person.  And you learn about this person, what it is to be black, white, female, male, gay, straight, Christian, atheist, hermaphroditic, Klu Klux Klan, the president, a beggar, a horse.  And you can’t see the label as a label again—you’ve been talking with them all night.  You’ve seen where they’ve lived, heard what they’ve thought, and fought with them through battles where you were both alone.  Fiction appears harmless, but it’s the art that changes minds from the heart up.

Whitehorse: a Pullman City

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I’m in the Baked Café on First and Main, looking out the big wall of windows, watching all the Whitehorsians and their dogs. Phillip Pullman imagined an alternate reality in his set of books His Dark Materials, of which most people would recognize The Golden Compass. Everyone in this world has an animal companion. Some days, Whitehorse seems to take after that model. Every man and woman has his/her dog–mostly mutts, pound rescues, but some purebreds too. They walk these dogs down Main Street, tie them up at the different bike rack sculptures, let them spar with other dogs, eat with them, talk with them, live with them. You can’t find Susie without her two dogs–the Komondor giant dog that looks like a white sheepdog on growth hormones and the Bichon Frise, the Mini-Me to the first. Or Lily without her two huskies that she walks in the same way Uma Thurman might walk cougars, the leashes taut, pulling her. It’s beautiful to think that our companions complement–or even complete–us.

I have lived in other cities where there were dogs or cats, but never have I lived in a city where nearly every person had an animal companion like it is here. Phillip Pullman writes about your companion animal as your soul, certainly they reflect personality, certainly they too–like any companion–change the nature of our personality to not being just one person, but person with Merlin or Lucky or Danish or Peut Etre or Phish. Just like when you become a couple, the nature of your personality signature with other people changes. Some people are very different with their SO around. Some people are complemented by the other. Some people are more themselves alone.

Donna Harraway has a great book/pamphlet on these significant animal relationships called The Companion Species Manifesto, where she calls on us to think of our companions as unique non-humans in a symbiogenetic relationship with us. A unique couplehood where we each change the other.

My point: it’s not so hard to imagine Pullman’s animal companion utopia. I did it today. We see it everywhere. And those of us who live in the far north, peut etre, see it less as fantasy and more as commonplace–as we seem to be more familiar with familiars, and allowing ourselves to be mingled in with our companions, not fighting for our “me” but enjoying our “we.”