fanmix: we are torchwood [torchwood, alice/emily]

[vanitashaze]

1. So, last Saturday I saw the Shakespeare Free-For-All production of Hamlet with my cohorts. Despite the fact that - in typical Wash D.C. fashion - it poured most of the day and was disgustingly hot the rest of it, it was actually a rather pleasant experience. Most of the time was spent sniggering over the Hamlet/Horatio. It was an unusually energetic performance, really. Jeffrey Carlson (the actor playing Hamlet) was flopped around a LOT. And the first time he and Horatio were onstage together, he jumped on top of him.

Also, I discovered that there are Shakespeare graphic novels. How cool is that?

2. After reading cerebel's Chase The Higher Ground, I want to see Iron Man again. And Prince Caspian, even though it made me cry.

3. 3rd of the Turchwyd femslash mixes, completed even if it's a little late. (And yes, Alice and Emily are the infamous Torchwood Lesbians. You know the ones.)







Carbon [Tori Amos]
where the world bleeds white
just keep your eyes on her, keep
don't look away
keep your eyes on her horizon
bear claw free fall
a gunner's view black and blue
shred in ribbons of lithium
blow by bow, her mind cut in sheets
layers deep now unraveling
just keep your eyes on her
[Download]


Halcyon (Beautiful Days) [Mono]
[instrumental]
[Download]


Hands Clean [Alanis Morisette]
You're essentially an employee and I like you having to depend on me
You're kind of my protege and one day you'll say you learned all you know from me
I know you depend on me like a young thing would to a guardian
I know you sexualize me like a young thing would and I think I like it
Ooh, this could get messy
But you don't seem to mind
Ooh, don't go telling everybody
And overlook this supposed crime
[Download]


Shake The Sheets [Ted Leo & the Pharmacists]
She said, "Roll out and make your mark. Pull on your boots and march.
Then roll and meet me where you'll find me doing my own part.
Roll out your dented car. Maybe it won't roll far.
But if you do everything you can, well babe, that's more than a start."
...
So there's no end to work, so there's no end to the murk.
So everything else is dirt, but I am pure and steady.
So cut out the morbid verse. I know you'll make it work.
And how're you gonna save the world, when the world ain't ready?
[Download]


Step Into My Office, Baby [Belle & Sebastian]
I'm a slave to work
I'm only living when I walk amongst the office staff
And catch up with the office wag, I'll be in bed by nine
My curtains drawn, my thoughts composed
I get to work on time
...
We need to talk, so step into my office, baby
I want to give you the job, a chance of overtime
Say my place at nine?
[Download]


Die Young (Black Sabbath Cover) [Gerion]
Behind the smile, there's danger and a promise to be told,
You never get old. Life's fantasy - to be locked away
and still think you're free, you're free, we're free!
So live for today, tomorrow never comes
Can't you see the writing in the air?
Die young, gonna die young
[Download]


A Sound That Only You Can Hear [K's Choice]
I feel you and you feel me as I feel you
It's good, it's scary
The speed, the heat, it's deep and steep
It's light but hard to carry
...
Your hands, my mouth, your mouth, my hands
The weight of what we're thinking
No words, the air we breathe
It's not liquid, but we're drinking
[Download]


Coconut Skins [Damien Rice]
Oh, you can hold her eggs
But your basket has a hole
You can lie between her legs and go looking for
Tell her you're searching for her soul
You can wait for ages
Watch your compost turn to coal
...
No need to know what you're doing or looking for
[Download]


Metal Heart [Cat Power]
Losing the star without a sky, losing the reasons why
You're losing the calling you've been faking, and I'm not kidding
It's damned if you don't and it's damned if you do
...
Metal heart, you're not hiding
Metal heart, you're not worth a thing
[Download]


Bonus: Sweet Sangria [Tori Amos]
I know you know every desperado
and sharp shooter in the west
You say that I can't see behind the mask
of those who call themselves
the good guys in this
who take and take
"So are you with me or not," you say
"This time decide"
...
A no window I ask you, give me a bloodless road
Tell me why does someone have to lose?
[Download]


Zip.

Comments

[ticketsonmyself.livejournal.com]

Like a cross between a British butler and an audiobook narrator.

Wow, that in itself sounds weird enough. It's good when you can tell the cast is rocking out, though—for their sakes at least, given that it tends to be so hot at the Free For All, they're practically melting out of their clothes.

While he obviously got the "yes, this character is a bad guy" thing, the way he did it encompassed both the good and bad of the man, the "mafia boss slick" and the inner turmoil over killing... well, everybody. Dunno if he would have stood out as much in a more sedate cast, but when everyone else was like, LA LA LA LA CRAAAAAZZZYY he was very cool.

Claudius as a mob boss! That's a connection I've never made before, but it does work well. For years I've held the theory that Claudius is actually pretty good at ruling the country, or at any rate better than Hamlet Sr. was, and certainly better than Hamlet himself would be. There's textual evidence, what with the old king Hamlet busting out wars left and right; Denmark's relations with its neighbors seem to be calming down some under Claudius. And you just have to look at Hamlet and think about what he'd be like, running the kingdom. I was just thinking about rewatching the four-hour Branagh version, being inspired by this post (http://selenak.livejournal.com/381098.html?format=light&mode=reply) on Hamlet:

One of the elements I loved in the Kenneth Branagh Hamlet on film - that Derek Jacobi as Claudius and Branagh as Hamlet were made up to look as alike as possible given that they as themselves really don't. For the first time, this made me wonder how long the Claudius/Gertrude tryst had been going on, and whether in fact the Ghost's ultimate revenge on Claudius wasn't setting up Hamlet to avenge Hamlet Senior's murder when in fact Hamlet was Claudius' son.

I love that idea, although I don't think there's the support in the text that there is for the Claudius-for-stability interpretation.

Those sets sound great! I remember the Pericles sets were sea-greenish, too (of course, the sea's important there), and a lot of beautiful moving fabric waves across the stage for scene changes and so on; the costumes were all color-coordinated with the sets, and the music was orchestral.

Yeah, I thought that Amy Manson was rather awful, but to be honest I didn't like/notice any of the Jack backstory. Mostly, I spent the time during that storyline shouting, ENOUGH JACK, WE DON'T CARE! BRING OUT THE IANTO!

It's true, just about every second of the Jack backstory was painful anyway. And I totally felt sorry for Tosh, sitting through his smarm when she was desperate to get out of UNIT Guantanamo. I was wondering what more substance we could get of Ianto's backstory from these writers, but I did enjoy what it turned out to be.

[vanitashaze.livejournal.com]

Claudius as a mob boss! That's a connection I've never made before, but it does work well.
Though the whole "revenge" theme is still very relevant in this day and age, I kind of thought that the whole struggle over kingship was a little outdated (or maybe I'm just spoiled, living in the US of A?) A friend actually suggested that someone do a modern adaption of Hamlet with them crazy Columbian drug lords instead of kings. I totally agree, though one might run into problems with all the references to 'kings' and such.

It's funny: the stereotypical way for a Bad Guy to become such is to kill his father/brother/lover for the throne, but people ignore the fact that a lot of the kings and rulers we hail as pretty cool actually did commit patri- or matri- or fratri-cide to get the throne (and if they're really cool, they committed all three). Yes, he was a little of a ruthless bastard, but I agree with you in that Claudius would have done a MUCH better job as king.

Orchestral? Oh, I'm jealous. For some reason, every Shakespeare production I see is haunted by the spectre of awful music. Macbeth, it was people literally banging metal sheets together (the type you might roof your shed with); As You Like It was supposedly-futuristic-but-really-crap GarageBand drivel; the rest, just noise. (What is it about good old Will that urges people to experiment?)

I was wondering what more substance we could get of Ianto's backstory from these writers, but I did enjoy what it turned out to be.
Being a clear fan-favorite, I'm actually surprised that none of the writers seem to be very adept at giving him a life outside Torchwood, but at the same time I'm kind of glad about it. I mean, we've all seen Cyberwoman; clearly, Bad Things Happen when they try. I have a feeling the whole reason why people like him (and his relationship with Jack) so much is that that the writers haven't tried to stuff anything down our throats - they just left David-Lloyd to do his thing. And it's a good thing.

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[ticketsonmyself.livejournal.com]

Though the whole "revenge" theme is still very relevant in this day and age, I kind of thought that the whole struggle over kingship was a little outdated (or maybe I'm just spoiled, living in the US of A?) A friend actually suggested that someone do a modern adaption of Hamlet with them crazy Columbian drug lords instead of kings. I totally agree, though one might run into problems with all the references to 'kings' and such.

Yes, though we no longer believe in the divine right of kings, the violent power struggles and especially the culture of paranoia are things we come back to today. C.P. Cavafy's King Claudius (http://www.cavafy.com/poems/content.asp?id=163&cat=4), Zbigniew Herbert's Elegy of Fortinbras (http://www.poetryfoundation.org/archive/poem.html?id=179877), and Heiner Müller's Hamlet Machine (which frames Hamlet in the light of East Germany and the failure of revolution) engage in readings with respect to the latter; Brecht's interpretation of the former appears in A Little Organum for the Theatre.

Orchestral? Oh, I'm jealous. For some reason, every Shakespeare production I see is haunted by the spectre of awful music. Macbeth, it was people literally banging metal sheets together (the type you might roof your shed with); As You Like It was supposedly-futuristic-but-really-crap GarageBand drivel; the rest, just noise. (What is it about good old Will that urges people to experiment?)

Those do sound awful! I can see how a director might think the metal sheets were a decent idea, since I expect people use them for thunder sound effects and there's a lot of that in Macbeth. I believe in experimental productions of Shakespeare, but there are bound to be a good number of clunky decisions. Pericles was stunning in terms of visual spectacle (some of those dresses and sets almost looked like they belonged in a Busby Berkeley production) and music (I think there was even a harp), which helped offset the fact that the play itself isn't one of the finest attributed to Shakespeare.

It's true, the last thing we want is another Cyberwoman. I found the writers' characterization of Ianto and his relationship with Jack confusingly uneven in the first season, but they've done an okay job of establishing something in the second season. In the first season, I didn't find Ianto or his relationship with Jack interesting, but I'm pleased that there's more consistent and developed characterization to work with now.

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[vanitashaze.livejournal.com]

In the first season, Ianto struck me very much as throwaway character, something created just in case they needed extra cannon fodder around the hub. The writers were originally planning to kill him off, and really, it showed.

Actually, you kind of see this pattern with all the Torchwood characters. It's somewhat amusing and a little sad that in a show that's run two seasons, they still don't know what exactly they're trying to do with it. (Or, here's to hoping the 3rd season is the one where they get their act together.)

Re: Reposted for typo

[ticketsonmyself.livejournal.com]

The writers were originally planning to kill him off, and really, it showed.

I didn't know that! Makes sense, and it clarifies a lot.

I hear Chibnall is leaving for good (and it really is for good; that is, I think it's worth celebrating). I'll probably wait for reviews of the first episode or so. If the new characters don't hit an Owen-style low, I may well tune in.

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[vanitashaze.livejournal.com]

Chibnall is leaving? This totally makes my day -

Nay, my year.

I know that no matter how bad it is, I'll end up watching the first episode hours after it's broadcasted and squealing and shouting and whatnot. Because, really - I was excited by Static Shock (and still am). It's hard for me to give up on shows I like, and I'm not that great a judge anyway.

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[ticketsonmyself.livejournal.com]

Static Shock looks like it might be better than Torchwood—at a glance, anyway. The Wikipedia entry's even illustrated with a character of color!

From the horse's mouth (http://torchwoodtv.blogspot.com/2008/02/hub-hubbub-ii.html): Chris Chibnall is definitely leaving Torchwood. He simply doesn't have the time to produce both "Law & Order" and "Torchwood". So, if series three does indeed go ahead, the show will have a new head writer next year.

Re: Reposted for typo

[vanitashaze.livejournal.com]

That's because the main character is a character of color - Virgil Hawkins, age 15, 'bang baby' and superhero known as "Static Shock". He's assisted on most of his (mis)adventures by his friends Frieda, an activist with bad fashion sense; Daisy, who's not only a cool character but a smart one; and his best friend, a geeky, Irish-American named Richie, who may or may not be gay but, thanks to a delayed reaction to the same chemicals that gave Static his power, is certainly a genius. The show diverts from the comic in a lot of aspects, but really, I prefer it better. On the surface it seems like a typical WB superhero show, but SS's cool in that it actually deals with a lot of issues like racism, the divide between the rich and poor, father-son relationships, homelessness, gun violence, etc...

Anyway.

Chibnall produces Law & Order? Figures.

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[ticketsonmyself.livejournal.com]

That actually does sound great! I noticed Frieda's only mentioned in passing at the Wikipedia entry and Daisy doesn't have a description, but from your summary Static Shock probably passes the Rule (http://dykestowatchoutfor.com/the-rule), unlike a number of shows I have known and loved.

Chibnall's joining Law & Order: London. I guess that's a new spinoff.

Re: Reposted for typo

[vanitashaze.livejournal.com]

The lack of Frieda-love mainly lies in the fact that originally, she was intended to be Static's love interest, but that idea was quickly scrapped, Daisy was brought in, and Frieda regressed to Daisy's "best friend". (Honestly, I think Daisy was a lot more interesting than Frieda, and that they made the right call.) It was one of those first season not-well-thought-out things, I suppose.

London? Before we know it, Law & Order: Cardiff edition. And how are they going to do the Tough American Cop Voice, while talking about biscuits and lifts?

Re: Reposted for typo

[ticketsonmyself.livejournal.com]

More focus on female friendship is always good, though!

Before we know it, Law & Order: Cardiff edition.

Bwahaha. That totally came to mind for me, too.

And how are they going to do the Tough American Cop Voice, while talking about biscuits and lifts?

I don't know, but then I'm almost totally unfamiliar with L&O. Hee!

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[vanitashaze.livejournal.com]

My familiarity with it mostly lies in that awful voiceover-theme that comes on after Monk - there's some sort of big clangy percussion instrument involved - and what little I've seen while stuck at home, sick.

(That, and the fact that their biggest hit is Law & Order: SVU. That's enough to make me cringe and walk away pretty fast.)

Re: Reposted for typo

[ticketsonmyself.livejournal.com]

I didn't know Monk was still on the air!

Oh, SVU. Ahaha.

Re: Reposted for typo

[vanitashaze.livejournal.com]

Oh yes, it is. No new episodes, though, just repeats.

A lot of repeats.