Author: Don

Steampunk, Camelotter and the Nairobi Trio

Update: here are the 400 or so best shots in a slide show. The music is Danny Gatton’s “Cruisin’ Deuces.”

[flowplayer src=’http://tancos.net/flv/wp-content/uploads/cc28.mp4′ width=640 height=480]

I finally finished going through my Costume-Con pictures. The full gallery is here; there are 984 pictures in 3 albums. Selected photos are below the fold.

Continue reading “Steampunk, Camelotter and the Nairobi Trio”

Memo to every singer-songwriter who performs at open-mic nights

Passion and sincerity are cheap. If you want to hold my attention, show me craftmanship. Write lyrics that scan, fit them to actual melodies, and sing on key. Learn how to play your guitar, not just strum chords. Maybe then I won’t passionately and sincerely loathe hearing you.

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Memo to everyone who enjoys old-time fiddle music: If you ever have a chance to hear Chirps Smith, drop everything and go.

New poll

Who’s the best villain in anime? Cast your vote in the poll to the right.

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The most annoying character in anime is, inevitably, Shinji Ikari, with 28% of the vote in the previous poll. Voters were also seriously irritated by ChibiUsa, 15%; Happosai, 14%; C-ko, 10%; Kimura, 8%; and Tomo Takino, 6%. Nanami, Pain, Jinnai, NB, Basera Neki, Naga, Gauron and Kazuhara each received fewer than ten votes of the 179 cast.

Advisory

May 7 through May 9 I’m going to be at Costume-Con 28 in Milwaukee. If any of my readers should also attend, note that I probably won’t be in costume — although I have a closet full of medieval garb, most of it doesn’t fit anymore, and I have little time for sewing these days — but I will be armed with a camera, which I will not hesitate to use. You have been warned.

Should you be within reach of Milwaukee, the convention is worth catching if you have any interest in costuming at all. It’s cosplay-friendly — the top masquerade winners in the 2007 con were a Trinity Blood group.

With a little luck, I might be able to catch a showing of The Secret of Kells on the big screen on the way home.

Anyone else?

Here are the nominees thus far for best villain in anime.

Johan (Monster)
Cell (Dragonball Z)
Friagne (Shakugan no Shana)
Sephiroth (Final Fantasy)
Light Yagami (Death Note)
Leader Desslok (Space Battleship Yamato)
Lord Genome, the Spiral King (Gurren Lagann)
Gendo Ikari (Neon Genesis Evangelion)
Ladd Russo (Baccano)
King Hamdo (Now and Then, Here and There)
Beatrice (Umineko no Naku Koro ni)
Piccoro Daimaou (Dragon Ball)
Joker (ROD TV)
Charles Solomon ((Not eligible for technical reasons.))
Yomi Isayama (Ga-Rei Zero)
Vegeta (Dragonball Z)
Freeza (Dragonball Z)
Lust (Full Metal Alchemist)
Lord Shishio (Rurouni Kenshin)
Char Asnable (Gundam)

Considering the number of bad guys throughout anime, this is a surprisingly short list. Who else should be on it?

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John C. Wright declared that April 22, widely observed as Lenin’s birthday “Earth Day,” was actually Pluto Day. Is Pluto really a planet? Of course it is; else why would it have its own Sailor Senshi?

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I recently found “Dennou Coil licensed” and “Dennou Coil Media Blasters” among recent search terms. Has the best show of recent years finally been licensed, or do the searches indicate wishful thinking? The latter, apparently. However, I do note that The Tatami Galaxy (Yojo-han Shinwa Taikei) has been licensed for streaming by Funimation, and if it is now possible to watch Masaaki Yuasa legally online, then there is still some hope that we may yet see Mitsuo Iso on DVD.

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Leiji Matsumoto made a video for “Bohemian Rhapsody.”

(Via Ogiue Matrix.)

It doesn’t work particularly well — the images have nothing to do with the lyrics — but it’s worth watching once for the curiosity value. If you want to see a better example of combining music with the Leijiverse, I recommend Interstella 5555. The best video of “Bohemian Rhapsody” remains the Muppets’.