Reading + Music [inspiration box]

[rex_sun]

Hey guys, okay, you are about to get the hell spammed out of your friendslist. Sorry. The computer has been occupied for the past, uhm, week?

1. Things I've read lately! Three Hikaru no Go fic recs.

Kuwabara is Dead (Long Live the Honinbo) by flonnebonne
Gen. I'd put it at a T. "So, what does Kuwabara do on the last day of his life?" 
++Recommended for: uniqueness, style, rarely used character, and humor.
>>This fic has me laughing out loud. It's about death, but it's so upbeat. I promise that there is not another fic like this.

Portraiture by troisroyaumes
Gen. K+/PG. "Touya Kouyou's would-be biographer uncovers a mystery."
++Recommended for: uniqueness, execution, how absoltely cool it is.
>>I like mystery. Hardly anyone writes it. This is mystery done right. The entire read is very haunting. At the end I was wide-eyed and my mouth was agape.

The Solemn Truth About Go by harunekonya
Gen. K/G. "Akira wants to know what his father is always doing in the mysterious room, and is determined to find out!"
++Recommended for: humor, adorableness, unique perspective
>>Warning: will give you cavities, it's so sweet. The writer chose a unique way to present the story and pulled it off amazingly well.

2. Music!

I listen to music every day. In the morning I sit up for a while, check my messages, and then play music for an hour. At night, I brush my teeth, get dressed for bed, and then play music for an hour. I love music. My favorite is American Blues, but my favorite band is rock band U2.

I don't often associate music with writing, though. I am not, myself, musically talented, so while I enjoy it I cannot use music in my art. This, however, is... different. This song. It's one of my absolute favorites. I wanted to share it because I listened to it right after finishing the first rough draft of my Hikaru no Go fic, "The Hurricane Quiets", and... well...

Please don't mind the video, I'm just using this youtube video to give y'all the music. Title: Like a Bruise. Artist: Jon Itkin.

Comments

[shirogiku.livejournal.com]

I've read the first one and the third, but the first one would be my favourite, because Kuwabara is so Kuwabara and the mood of the fic fits so well with the manga. I think you've linked it to me. Now gotta check out the second)))

I, on the contary, listen to music very sporadically, and I didnn't know this artist, but I like this song, it's pleasant to listen.
I rarely get the meaning of the lyrics on the first try, though - English skills failXD I like guitar in songs in general. U2 are cool.

My recent discovery are FST (fan-made sound track for everything). A Suzaku Kururugi FST I found at some point was very good.

[rex-sun.livejournal.com]

I've been a hardcore U2 fan since I was a baby, lol. My mom used to play their calmer songs by my crib.

As for FSTs... I don't listen to them! ^^;;; I rarely ever seem to like the creator's taste and I see a lot of people choosing songs that... Frankly, I don't get. I am a HUGE fan of very CLEAR CUT language and poetry. If I have to dig to find the meaning, then I think it is inaccessible and I dislike the piece as a bad work of art. So I'm pretty picky in music, and I don't often get /why/ people chose certain songs, because the lyrics are so convoluted.

This song is very simple to understand in contrast. Here are the lyrics written down if that helps you:

I've got knots in the floor
Beneath the knots in my bed
I'll work till I'm sixty
And I'll die of a heart attack

My face is white
My sense of humor is black
Twelve bucks an hour sure seems like a lot
But how the he'll am I gonna retire on that?

Will the years wear me into you?
Will I be your purple tattoo?
Like a self inflicted wound
Like a bruise

Met a girl last Wednesday night
At a sawdust bar
She rubs my shoulders
When I'm too beat to play my guitar

She waits tables
While I work concrete machines
She's plenty good for now
But she's not the girl of my dreams

Will the years wear me into you?
Will I be your purple tattoo?
Like a self inflicted wound
Like a bruise

This must be happiness
I'm doing the best that I can
Get my beliefs on Sunday
Relief still comes in a can

They tell me that Jesus Christ
Was a hardworking man
But when I break that sigh
I'm the only god I'll ever understand

Will the years wear me into you?
Will I be your purple tattoo?
Like a self inflicted wound
Like a bruise

Will the years wear me into you?
Will I be your purple tattoo?
Like a self inflicted wound
Like a bruise


It's very Americana, so a few things: "knots in my bed"= may be referring to the practice of carving chinks, tying thread, or otherwise making knots in a bedpost to signify how many romantic partners have been in the bed. "Break that sigh"= gave me a bit of trouble when I first listened, till I realized that is a very pretty way to describe opening a can of cold beer. (Breaking the top with the tab, and the pressure whooshes out in a sigh.)

[shirogiku.livejournal.com]

I didn't know about "knots in the bed", that's interesting. I can't even think of a similar custom in my country.

[rex-sun.livejournal.com]

Ahh, to be honest, I think you'll find it hard to find even other Americans who know about it. Hell, I can't remember where I learned it, even. I don't know if it's an old custom or just a very small one. Either way, it's a sort of vulgar custom. Sort of like a badge of pride, "Look at how many people I've slept with." In this song, it just shows that the guy has been through the ringer in work, love, and life, and he doesn't really have much dignity any more.

...of course, I'm not the artist, so I'm not 100% sure that this is what he meant by knots in the bed. Because it follows "knots in the floor" which... er, I'm even less sure on. I suppose what he means by that is to show he has a rough, poor-quality home?