Something to Entertain You

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I'm pretty busy with work at the moment. I have been listening to some new music and watching more movies recently, and picking back up on Book of the New Sun in my little free time. I thought I would share some media that keeps the fire burning for me. (We should do more of these. Inspirational media is core to creative output!)

Music

  • The Holy Crag by DIM is a 40 minute medieval ambient album from an amazing dungeon synth artist. It's like if Music For Airports was conceived of in a medieval monastery. DIM is an incredible artist otherwise, you should listen to the whole discography.
  • Echoes of Battle by Caladan Brood is an epic black metal album that is a tribute to the Malazan book series, which I read 6-7 (?) years ago. This album gets me fired up on my drives home from work.
  • 7fingers is an album by Nils Frahm and Anne Müller that is an interesting mix of IDM and classical. It is a mix of fast synth-y beats, emotional cello (I think cello), and field recordings.
  • Untrue by Burial is a pre-Skrillex dubstep album. That means it's dark in atmosphere, almost chill, with inspiration coming from dark UK streets. It's much more like the UK garage genre than Skrillex (really Burial sounds nothing like Skrillex). Archangel, the second track, has been on repeat in my head for a week now.

There's a lot more I could list. If you want to see more of my music taste, leave a comment and I can do a follow up. Or search 'quajzen' on Spotify, you'll find me.

Movies

  • Dogtooth was a trip. About some very, uh, sheltered kids in Greece. Very psychological and incredibly arthouse. I had seen Killing of a Sacred Deer by the same director, and enjoyed it. 
  • Being John Malkovich is a classic Charlie Kaufman movie I have now seen twice. It's bizarre, hilarious, dark, and a glimpse into a cynical worldview. It's about a puppeteer turned office paper-filer that finds a portal in his office that leads to the head of the actor John Malkovich. Things only get weirder from there.
  • Twice since March have I seen House (1985), the goofy horror-comedy that is a mashup of classic Stephen King premise (writer confronts trauma through the supernatural) and... muppets. It's the result of throwing a Vietnam war vet into a haunted house with some... interesting choices for ghost/monster design. Funny on several fronts. I should also mention I found this movie when I was recommended House (1977), the Japanese horror-comedy. I haven't seen that one yet due to the mix-up.
  • I watched the first third, maybe half, of Shrek. It did something in my head for reigniting classic fairy tale mystique, despite being a parody on the genre. Something about seeing Shrek combat a dragon made me want to take another look at Mydwandr for classic fantasy vibes.

Youtube (yep, I am going there)

  • MyHouse.wad is the subject of a video essay. It's a Doom mod that takes heavy inspiration from House of Leaves, a horror book I read in undergrad that is a labyrinthine experience at every level. 
  • The Mask (2023) is a fictional autobiographical media compilation about "Tyler Joseph," a wanna-be stand-up comedian who falls into conspiracy theories. This video kept my attention because of its "commitment to the bit," of being Instagram stories, TikToks, Facebook posts, etc. about Joseph. The video creator has many other... experimental and interesting videos that would probably appeal to your average Gen Z adult (which I am).
  • King Arthur has an eternal legacy, but this video (from the Library Ladder) highlights how the story has changed to convey different messages, and how the story has been used, more or less, as propaganda in various noble societies.

Books

I have been slowly picking my way through Book of the New Sun main series, but have read some on the side. I read Blood Meridian, which was horrific but... darkly enlightening? It's been a while since I finished it, so I don't know I have much more to say.

I re-read a Laird Barron horror story, Hallucigenia. It's in The Imago Sequence and Other Stories, and stands out for me from that collection. This one is about a billionaire and his wife whose lives are destroyed by a terrible accident. They are chronically injured in a way that doesn't go away, even after several years. It's a mix of cosmic horror and jaded investigative drama. I would also recommend the titular story of collection.

I would include video games here, but nothing has particularly inspired me. Instead, I'll leave you with this meme I made:

 
 
The game in question is Shadow of the Wyrm (It's not actually ascii, but I thought of the meme anyway. Deal with it). It's ok. Haven't gotten very far.
 
Ok, that's it. I think. Stay safe out there in the big wide world. Back to work for me.

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