Thursday, December 30, 2010

If music be the food of love...

As the Bard himself says, music is one of those tools that can really make or break that sensual moment.  I find inspiration and stimulation for a lot of my erotic writings by using certain tunes to "get me in the mood", as it were. 

Thanks to the wonders of modern technology, I can share some of my favourite inspirational and stimulative tunes with you all.  Some of these I may have shared earlier, but it never hurts to "Play It Again", eh!

The Ballrooms of Mars - T.Rex

Significantly under-rated on the American side of the Atlantic, Marc Bolan was the originator of "Glam Rock", the musical genre that spawned the likes of David Bowie, Gary Glitter and The Sweet.  T.Rex was hugely successful everywhere else in the World except the North American continent, and "T.Rextasy" was the natural successor to "Beatlemania".  Bolan wrote a plethora of romantic and raunchy songs - maybe I'll list some of them someday - and Ballrooms of Mars is one of his best.

Bird of Paradise - Snowy White

A tale of love and loss, performed exquisitely by the very handsome Snowy White, a superb blues guitarist who was part of Thin Lizzy, way back before my time.

Hello Again - Neil Diamond

One of the most romantic songs Neil ever penned, and always the precursor to a wonderful evening - either at the keyboard - or elsewhere...  (Nudge-nudge wink-wink!)

Budapest - Jethro Tull

An excllent song from the flute master of Folk Rock, with the kind of superb imagery that's always useful for setting the erotic scene.  Nice and gentle - romantic, even - but those images leave you with a certain warmth - "Yes, and her legs went on forever, like staring up at infinity, through a wisp of cotton panty and a skin of satin sea."  Hot night in Budapest!

Jersey Girl - Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band

Never one of the great singers, this is Bruce at his warmest, sexiest, most brilliant best.  I warp this into "Geordie Girl" - those who know, know why - and it's a wonderful, romantic and soul-filling ballad.

Half the World - Belinda Carlisle

Sighs! Wants! Needs! Sighs!
A beautiful song with those underlying currents of desire and passion, portrayed beautifully by the beautiful Belinda. If only...

I use this song to add to my mood when in the erotic zone!  Easy to see why!

Je teme - Gainsbourgh and Birkin

Hot! HOT! HOT!!
Just watch the speakers melt.

It's All Coming Back To Me Now - Pandora's Box

This is the original version of the song by Jim Steinman that was subsequently ripped off by Celine Dion and Meat Loaf.  This version is so much better than either of those, so much raunchier, so much more tender, so much more real.  Elaine Caswell has a wonderful voice, and this song thrills me on so many levels!  So, if you touch me like this, and I hold you like that...

Incidentally - I couldn't find a YouTube version of my favourite piece of sensual music, so I'll work on that and post it up there myself!

Enjoy!

Ashen

On Reading Frankenstein!

I have just finished reading the actual "Frankenstein" by Mary Shelley, and I have to say - I am amazed!

The story Shelley wrote bears little resemblance to the movies that have terrorised and thrilled watchers over the years. And, as far as the monster itself is concerned, the movies are far, far from the mark!  Sure, Shelley's description of the Monster is of a giant, grotesque, ugly creature "of such loathesome yet appalling hideousness", but that is where the comparison stops.  The dumb, clumsy, dare I say goofy, monster of the films in no way represents the eloquent, self-educated, indestructible, super-human of the book.  The sub-title of the book  - The Modern Prometheus - gives a clearer indication of what the Monster is really about.

Certainly, the Monster does become an evil fiend, perpetrating horrendously malicious acts upon Frankenstein's family and friends.  But that is not, seemingly, how he originally thought, and his acts were driven by the anger and pain caused by the actions of Victor Frankenstein himself - even if we grant that the original murder of Frankenstein's young brother was an accident.  All of the subsequent murders and acts of terror were aimed to cause pain to Frankenstein as recompense for his refusal to create a bride for the Monster, in the same form as himself, which would have allowed him to have some form of companionship throughout the rest of his otherwise doomed-to-be-alone existence.  In much of what the Monster says, we can pity him, but the depravity of his acts counteracts our feelings, and leaves us in a quandary: What should we feel for this hideous creature - fear and horror, or pity and sorrow?

Why the majority of film makers have never focussed on the true nature of the Monster is easy to see - it is a very complex character to translate into the small amount of time a film allows. Also, the timeline of the novel stretches over a number of years, and the timeline of a typical Frankenstein movie is usually a number of days.

Before I totally castigate all Fankenstein horror movies, I'll reserve my final judgement until I see De Niro's performance as the Monster.  I'd hope the portrayal by such an accomplished actor would be more in line with Shelley's own vision, and I look forward to seeing it.

I'll let you all know how it goes!

Ashen

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

The Only Place To Waltz...

This atmospheric song takes me to places I really need to be, and it's the only place to rock!

The Ballrooms of Mars

Happy dancing!

Ashen

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

The Longest Night...

Winter Solstice - December 21, 2010, at 23:38 UTC.

This is the longest night of the year, and, for many followers of the arcane (and therefore Pagan) mythologies, it is the true time of Death and Rebirth, the true New Year, the symbolic end (death) of the old year, and the start (birth) of the new.

As the Wiccans like to chant...

The Holly King cometh!
His end draweth near.
Tonight He will die
At the wane of the year!
Tonight He will fall
At the dark of the Sun.
His season hath ended,
His giving is done!

The Winter Solstice is the origin of numerous traditions, superstitions and rituals that have, over the millenia and landscape, been carried down to become part of modern practices and songs. Many so-called Christmas traditions stem from the ancient traditions of the "older" religions, and were actually consciously included into the new religion so as to coerce as many of the followers of those older religions to join the new one, which, with so many familiar practices, the people found easy to do.  Practices such as burning the Yule Log and spreading its ashes, decorating with "boughs of Holly", and kissing under the Mistletoe come directly from the Celtic religion, where they are part of that religion's worship of trees.  Holly is one of the holy trees of the Celts, and Mistletoe is actually a parasitic plant that lives on Oak trees - another Celtic holy tree.

And, of course, the very fact that we decorate a "Christmas Tree" directly connects us to the pagan tribes of ancient Europe.

So, Hail to the Oak King!  The Oak King Cometh! And, to all my Christian friends, and to everyone else in the World, I wish you all a Happy Yule, and a peaceful and fruitful New Year!

After all - the majority of these ancient traditions are actually fertility rites - and what else would an erotica writer wish for? ;-)

Ashen