Monday, April 9

Classified to Crane Wife to Killers.



My brother wondered if my pictures make the paper because I’m the only one that sends them in. Thanks a lot Bruce.

For my birthday I told Amy I’d like either The Decemberists’ The Crane Wife or The Killers, though I didn’t know the name of The Killers' album.

That cemented the decision. Unless I asked for women’s shoes, Amy doesn’t like shopping. I got The Crane Wife. Anyway I really like the album. It was named one of the best of 2006.


Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

In the course of looking up a video to go with it, I found myself connecting one to another till I ended up with The Killers. Guess I’ll have to get that one too.

The Crane Wife (from Wiki).

The Crane Wife is an old Japanese tale.

While there are many variations of the tale, a common version is that a poor man finds an injured crane on his doorstep (or outside with an arrow in it), takes it in and nurses it back to health.

After he releases the crane, a woman appears at his doorstep with whom he falls in love and marries.

Because they need money, his wife offers to weave wondrous clothes out of silk that they can sell at the market, but only if he agrees never to watch her making them.

They begin to sell them and live a comfortable life, but he soon makes her weave them more and more.

Oblivious to his wife's diminishing health, his greed increases.

He eventually peeks in to see what she is doing to make the silk she weaves so desirable.

He is shocked to discover that at the loom is a crane plucking feathers from her own body and weaving them into the loom.

The crane, seeing him, flies away and never returns.

Band leader (The Decemberists) Colin Meloy found a version of this story and decided to write music based on it.

The Decemberists making of The Crane Wife part 1.

Definitely sounds like Robyn Hitchcock, an old favorite of mine.

Robyn with The Decemberists, Feb 2007. I think they know it too.

Robyn with Deni Bonet. She played a song with Robyn in the Jonathan Demmi music video movie, Storefront Hitchcock. Yes, I own it. And I have Stop Making Sense too. One of the best music movies till Scorsese does The Rolling Stones (which he is working on).

Jonathan Demmi also directed the great music video movie Stop Making Sense with The Talking Heads. A must see. He also directed New Order’s Perfect Kiss. Almost 10 minutes of 1980’s sound. It’s funny; I used to really like this song. I can see people dancing to the light of a mirror ball at 2:30 AM. Now, its only so-so. ??? BTW, MORE COWBELLS.

New Order also did Crystal. The Killers got their name from the name on the fictional band’s (for the video) drum face, "The Killers".



Ending up with The Killers, When You Were Young. "He doesn’t look a bit like Jesus but he looks like a gentleman."



So at least to me, everything is connected. It's a small world.

5 comments:

Johnny Yen said...

I'm a big Robyn Hitchcock fan as well!

He's had a second career as an actor lately-- he was in the remake of The Manchurian Candidate.

Unknown said...

I saw the movie but don't remember him. I'll have to look it up. He's quite the character and very talented.

Toccata said...

Nothing like a brother to keep you in check! Congratulations on the new picture in the paper.


The Decemberists' The Crane Wife was one of my fave CD's of last year. Enjoy.

Deb said...

That picture was very worthy of being published...I think you're a wonderful photographer.

I don't know much of The Crane Wife yet but have heard a lot about it from Barb (Bad Tempered Zombie)...it's her favorite. What I've heard, I've really enjoyed though.

olivia said...

How kewl! You're a superstar ... :)