SOUNDTRACK: THE TALLEST MAN ON EARTH-“I’m a Stranger Now” (2019).
I’ve enjoyed The Tallest Man on Earth and I’ve been looking forward to seeing him live for a while. I’ve actually had really back luck with his tours. One time something came up on the night I was supposed to see him. Another time he had to cancel his tour. But, with luck, I will get to see Kristian Matsson live.
The Tallest Man on Earth sings simple folk songs. The greatness of his songs comes from his voice and delivery. There’s something about his voice and his style that is steeped in American folk, but the fact that he’s from Sweden changes his outlook and his accent.
This song from his album I Love You, It’s a Fever Dream follows in the style he is known for–spare, simple melodies and his often wordy lyrics.
Starting with fast acoustic chords (played high on the neck), Kristian begins singing in his familiar but unique style. The bridge ends with a fast vocal melody that is a pure hook that leads to the singalong titular chorus.
After three minutes, the song slows down to a quiet guitar melody and near-whispered vocals.
[READ: May 1, 2019] The Man on Platform 5
I know Robert Llewellyn from the show Red Dwarf, of which I am a huge fan.
In fact, I didn’t know anything about this story, but I figured if Kryten wrote it, it must be good. I had read his memoir, the wonderfully titled Thin He Was and Filthy Haired, and I was sure I had read this at the time as well. But evidently not, because when I started flipping through it I realized I didn’t know a thing about this story. I also see that he has written quite a lot more in the last two decades.
It seems fairly obvious from the get go that this story is a gender reversing story of Pygmalion or My Fair Lady. Instead of a man trying to improve a woman, in this story, a woman is trying to “improve” a man. In some ways it’s very modern and progressive and in other ways it’s pretty stuck in gender stereotypes. But hey it was the 90’s, before writers were enlightened.
The man who needs bettering is Ian Ringfold. He is a trainspotter! (I love that Llewellyn made that his hobby as I have heard of it but never knew exactly what it entailed). He loves obscure facts, dry goods (he works in a supermarket) and being incredibly dorky. He is deeply into what he likes and genuinely can’t understand why other people wouldn’t like those things.
Enter Gresham and Eupheme. They are half-sisters and have spent pretty much their entire lives squabbling. Their train breaks down on the same platform that Ian is currently trainspotting. Eupheme, the more humane one of the two, bets Gresham that she can turn this sad “anorak” into a “useful member of society.” Gresham says it cannot be done. Eupheme (who is short on funds) says that if she can turn this loser into someone that Gresham would fancy that Gresham would pay her a tidy sum. (more…)