I Just Read About That…

SOUNDTRACK: GRANT LEE PHILLIPS-Live on KEXP, January 21, 2010 (2010).

I really liked Grant Lee Buffalo back in the day.  I think Grant Lee Philip’s voice is amazing–soulful, expressive, beautiful.  He was also a troubadour on Gilmore Girls!

Since Buffalo broke up, Phillips has released a few solo albums.  I have found that I don’t enjoy his solo music as much as I did the band music.  His voice is still amazing, but the solo stuff is a little too slow and meandering for me.

This set comprises four songs from his album Little Moon.  “Strangest Thing” is my favorite song from the set, it’s upbeat and beautiful.  And “Little Moon” is correctly described by the DJ as moody an intoxicating.  It’s not my favorite of his songs but the description is totally correct.

This is an enjoyable mellow set.  The DJ and Grant Lee are relaxed and comfortable and the between song chats are informative and interesting.  You can listen here.

[READ: October 30, 2012] Rapunzel’s Revenge

This story is a wonderful extrapolation of the Rapunzel story which has been moved to the Wild West.  Yup, that’s right.  Rapunzel is a cowgirl.

Well, in the beginning, the story is pretty faithful to the original.  Many elements of the fairy tale are present–Rapunzel was kidnapped from her parents (or traded for some lettuce) and raised by the enchanted witch.  This story fleshes out the politics of the witch somewhat–she has cursed the surrounding lands and made them barren–all of the fertile ground is within her walls and the peasants must pay tribute to her from their meager earnings.  And Rapunzel is a rather rebellious and outgoing girl who wants to leave her stepmother’s walled fortress and explore the world beyond.

When Rapunzel tries to climb the wall just to see what’s out there (the wall is like 70 feet tall), she is grabbed by the witch’s guard, Brute, an over-sized man who is very grouchy.  But when she learns that her real mother is still alive (and is a suffering peasant) she tries to escape for good.  Brute catches her again, and the witch locks her up (the re imagined prison is a very cool twist).  I loved that she escapes with no help from anyone (just her hair).  And that as she’s running off she meets a prince who was coming to rescue her meets her; she sends him on a wild goose chase.  This Rapunzel needs no prince.

She soon runs into Jack.  This is Jack of beanstalk-fame.  We don’t learn much of his background except to know that he caused a lot of trouble back home and that he has become a bandit in order to get money for his mother (whose bakery was destroyed).  And he’s carrying a goose, which everyone tries to eat.

The rest of the story is a wonderful tale of adventure  horse thieving, bad guys and a woman with really really long hair who can lasso with the best of them. Rapunzel becomes an ass-kicking heroine, bent on freeing her mother and destroying the witch’s domination of the area.  Her plan to deceive the witch is funny, well-designed and quite exciting.

There are some wonderful moments in the story, like when she convinces Jack that he is actually a good guy, despite his petty crimes,  or when she convinces Brute that he’s not just a brute, and when she laughs at how fearful the bad guys are once they lose their guns.

The dialogue was also great–whip-smart and funny.   And the illustrations (done by Nathan  are outstanding.  It is amazing to watch Rapunzel grow up through the book.  To see her mature from a chubby girl to a beautiful woman over the course of the book is really a wonderful treat.  I also loved the hilarious costume that she is in for most of the beginning of the book.  And the overall style of reality within fantasy is pulled off with a terrific sense of flair.

This book is pretty much for all ages.  There’s no foul language (there’s even a joke or two about those who use bad language).  There’s a very tepid romance (much less romancey than say Disney) and there’s no real violence.  It’s perfect for a rebellious girl or a boy who needs to know that girls kick ass too.

The Hale family made a great book.  I hope they do another one.