rose_griffes (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
rose_griffes) wrote2026-04-21 08:04 pm
rose_griffes) wrote2026-04-21 08:04 pm
You're the sheep, I'm the shepherd
This has been an overwhelming school year, so… yeah. Too much to retell for the moment.
Media consumed recently-ish:
music
Super-obsessed with British singer Ren’s breakthrough song “Hi Ren” from late 2022. I just came across it earlier this month, however. It’s far more than a song; it’s performance art. Theatrical in the best way.
When it comes to music I love, I find enjoyment in reaction videos--a YouTube staple nowadays where someone records themself listening to a song for the first time. So after stumbling across this song, I went down that rabbit hole as well. Fascinating how the creative types (musicians and so on) immediately see the duality portrayed in the song as part of the creative process, whereas a lot of non-creator types see it as a commentary on mental health. (It’s both.)
Related side note: one of the more popular music reactors on YouTube is an opera singer whose channel is called The Charismatic Voice. Recommended, if you’re interested in that.
For the renewed love of Hamilton, the musical, two reactors had the most interesting commentary: Amari Leonei and Knox Hill. It’s a delight to remember that YES, the musical Hamilton is a work of genius. Amari Leone’s turn into the ultimate Eliza Schuyler Hamilton stan was a particular joy.
I’ve also been listening to a singer that I loved in childhood, Gerry Rafferty. His best-known song as a solo artist was “Baker Street,” but he also sang with Steelers Wheels: "Stuck in the Middle (With You)". No reaction video links for this plunge; most of my listening has been while cleaning on Saturday as Rafferty’s solo songs play on shuffle.
To clarify about my childhood fannishness: the only song I knew by Rafferty back then was “Baker Street,” because it was omnipresent on the radio for a time. I found it enthralling, but I was young enough that I didn’t have the money to buy the record. Listening as an adult, it’s striking how “Baker Street” is just perfectly produced as a song: every element is so balanced and well-performed. That saxophone solo is iconic for a reason. Rafferty’s voice is excellent in all of his other songs, too, and it’s tragic that “Baker Street” was rather prophetic for his own life. (Alcoholism was the major factor in his death.)
French singer Camille’s 2005 album “Le Fil” ended up on my playlist a lot over the winter. She’s an eccentric and creative creator; too bad that her best-known song is for Disney’s Ratatouille, rather than her stronger creative works. (“Le Festin” isn’t a bad song, but it’s very much in the vein of “female French singer does a Frenchy bit for an American audience”.)
books
Tangled Up in You, by Christina Lauren, is a modern-day retelling of the movie “Tangled,” which was Disney’s retelling of the Rapunzel story. Fun and emotional; I liked it enough to read a few more novels by the writer(s)*. But this one was the best by them.
*Apparently two writers working together, using their first names to make a joint author name.
Matt Dinniman has a book series known as Dungeon Crawler Carl--sort of a role-playing game story, although it’s an original ‘game’ / series. I’ve read… the first two, I believe. I think that’s all that is available through the online library options for now. At any rate, the books are surprisingly moving for an RPG type of tale. I think there are several more published, and that the story is ongoing.
Currently reading an older novel: Gore Vidal’s Burr, published in the 1970s. The Hamilton revival led me to this; plus, I had never read a novel by Vidal, so that gave me two reasons to try it. I’ll get back to y’all and let you know what I think after I finish.
television
The only show I’ve watched this school year was season two of Andor, which I liked but didn’t love. It’s not going into my “must be purchased in physical media” list. See my previous post for some of the reasons why.
Media consumed recently-ish:
music
Super-obsessed with British singer Ren’s breakthrough song “Hi Ren” from late 2022. I just came across it earlier this month, however. It’s far more than a song; it’s performance art. Theatrical in the best way.
When it comes to music I love, I find enjoyment in reaction videos--a YouTube staple nowadays where someone records themself listening to a song for the first time. So after stumbling across this song, I went down that rabbit hole as well. Fascinating how the creative types (musicians and so on) immediately see the duality portrayed in the song as part of the creative process, whereas a lot of non-creator types see it as a commentary on mental health. (It’s both.)
Related side note: one of the more popular music reactors on YouTube is an opera singer whose channel is called The Charismatic Voice. Recommended, if you’re interested in that.
For the renewed love of Hamilton, the musical, two reactors had the most interesting commentary: Amari Leonei and Knox Hill. It’s a delight to remember that YES, the musical Hamilton is a work of genius. Amari Leone’s turn into the ultimate Eliza Schuyler Hamilton stan was a particular joy.
I’ve also been listening to a singer that I loved in childhood, Gerry Rafferty. His best-known song as a solo artist was “Baker Street,” but he also sang with Steelers Wheels: "Stuck in the Middle (With You)". No reaction video links for this plunge; most of my listening has been while cleaning on Saturday as Rafferty’s solo songs play on shuffle.
To clarify about my childhood fannishness: the only song I knew by Rafferty back then was “Baker Street,” because it was omnipresent on the radio for a time. I found it enthralling, but I was young enough that I didn’t have the money to buy the record. Listening as an adult, it’s striking how “Baker Street” is just perfectly produced as a song: every element is so balanced and well-performed. That saxophone solo is iconic for a reason. Rafferty’s voice is excellent in all of his other songs, too, and it’s tragic that “Baker Street” was rather prophetic for his own life. (Alcoholism was the major factor in his death.)
French singer Camille’s 2005 album “Le Fil” ended up on my playlist a lot over the winter. She’s an eccentric and creative creator; too bad that her best-known song is for Disney’s Ratatouille, rather than her stronger creative works. (“Le Festin” isn’t a bad song, but it’s very much in the vein of “female French singer does a Frenchy bit for an American audience”.)
books
Tangled Up in You, by Christina Lauren, is a modern-day retelling of the movie “Tangled,” which was Disney’s retelling of the Rapunzel story. Fun and emotional; I liked it enough to read a few more novels by the writer(s)*. But this one was the best by them.
*Apparently two writers working together, using their first names to make a joint author name.
Matt Dinniman has a book series known as Dungeon Crawler Carl--sort of a role-playing game story, although it’s an original ‘game’ / series. I’ve read… the first two, I believe. I think that’s all that is available through the online library options for now. At any rate, the books are surprisingly moving for an RPG type of tale. I think there are several more published, and that the story is ongoing.
Currently reading an older novel: Gore Vidal’s Burr, published in the 1970s. The Hamilton revival led me to this; plus, I had never read a novel by Vidal, so that gave me two reasons to try it. I’ll get back to y’all and let you know what I think after I finish.
television
The only show I’ve watched this school year was season two of Andor, which I liked but didn’t love. It’s not going into my “must be purchased in physical media” list. See my previous post for some of the reasons why.