#lewiscarroll — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #lewiscarroll, aggregated by home.social.
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Nothing compares to — Nothing
Nonlocal Variable is a mail artist living in Oregon, USA. Among his many activities, which are documented on his website, was a call with the puzzling theme of "Nothing" in 2025. Nothing is what we fear most. It is the root of our existential angst. One can react with a mouthful of cynicism like Oscar Wilde: "I love to talk about nothing. It's the only thing I know anything about." One can try to overcome your fear with unabashed affirmation like Victor Hugo: "All roads are blocked to a […] -
I learned something new!
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Chortle \Chor"tle\, v. t. & i. [imp. & p. p. {Chortled}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Chor"tling}.]
A word coined by Lewis Carroll (Charles L. Dodgson), and usually explained as a combination of chuckle and snort. [Humorous]
O frabjous day ! Callooh ! Callay ! He chortled in his joy. --Lewis Carroll.[Webster 1913 Suppl.]
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(16/18) ... #livres correspondants -> résistance des colporteurs de #livres pendant 40 ans en dépit de la répression/emprisonnements (cf 1863 1864 1865 1870 2023).
- USA : NY -> hôpital psychiatrique pour #femme dit asile/aliénées #psy #santementale #sante #misogynie Blackwell's Island Hospital (cf #AlbertLondres).
- Empire UK : #livre De l’autre côté du miroir de #LewisCarroll avec une partie #jeu d'échec entre Alice et le lapin blanc en... -
In a shocking turn of events, it turns out Lewis Carroll wasn't just about rabbits and tea parties—he was actually crunching #determinants like a Victorian spreadsheet wizard. 🤔🔢 Apparently, when not busy writing about mad hatters, he was busy inventing math tricks that no one asked for! 🐇✍️
https://www.johndcook.com/blog/2023/07/10/lewis-carroll-determinants/ #LewisCarroll #MathGenius #VictorianEra #MathTricks #UnexpectedConnections #HackerNews #ngated -
In a shocking turn of events, it turns out Lewis Carroll wasn't just about rabbits and tea parties—he was actually crunching #determinants like a Victorian spreadsheet wizard. 🤔🔢 Apparently, when not busy writing about mad hatters, he was busy inventing math tricks that no one asked for! 🐇✍️
https://www.johndcook.com/blog/2023/07/10/lewis-carroll-determinants/ #LewisCarroll #MathGenius #VictorianEra #MathTricks #UnexpectedConnections #HackerNews #ngated -
In a shocking turn of events, it turns out Lewis Carroll wasn't just about rabbits and tea parties—he was actually crunching #determinants like a Victorian spreadsheet wizard. 🤔🔢 Apparently, when not busy writing about mad hatters, he was busy inventing math tricks that no one asked for! 🐇✍️
https://www.johndcook.com/blog/2023/07/10/lewis-carroll-determinants/ #LewisCarroll #MathGenius #VictorianEra #MathTricks #UnexpectedConnections #HackerNews #ngated -
In a shocking turn of events, it turns out Lewis Carroll wasn't just about rabbits and tea parties—he was actually crunching #determinants like a Victorian spreadsheet wizard. 🤔🔢 Apparently, when not busy writing about mad hatters, he was busy inventing math tricks that no one asked for! 🐇✍️
https://www.johndcook.com/blog/2023/07/10/lewis-carroll-determinants/ #LewisCarroll #MathGenius #VictorianEra #MathTricks #UnexpectedConnections #HackerNews #ngated -
Una super-renna per Babbo Natale! https://edu.inaf.it/approfondimenti/scoperte/babbo-natale-slitta-supereroi/Anche i supereroi festeggiano il Natale, e a volte lo fanno in compagnia di Babbo Natale: andiamo a scoprire i segreti del “postino” più veloce della Terra!
#BabboNatale #Batman #FelixKlein #fisica #Flash #JerrySiegel #LewisCarroll #MarkWaid #matematica #StazioneSpazialeInternazionale #Superman @astronomia @astronomia -
@girlbandgeek 's playlist for #KpopTopTen #BestOfKPop2025 included CHAEYOUNG -- SHOOT (Firecracker).
As I watched the MV and saw the incorporation of Alice imagery, I was reminded of the continuing spell cast by those two books of Lewis Carroll.
I must read some of the more recent serious work on the Alice books and their author.
#Kpop #Chaeyoung #Shoot #LewisCarroll #AlicesAdventuresInWonderland #ThroughTheLookingGlassAndWhatAliceFoundThere #Alice
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https://www.europesays.com/fi/112634/ Harry Potter ja Ihmemaan Liisa joutuivat Glasgow’n yliopiston sensuurihampaisiin #elokuvat #EnidBlyton #Entertainment #FI #Film #Finland #Finnish #HaryrPotter #JKRowling #LewisCarroll #Movies #sensuuri #Suomi #viihde
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Sabrina Carpenter va revisiter Alice au pays des merveilles dans une nouvelle comédie musicale
La chanteuse américaine Sabrina Carpenter obtient son premier rôle majeur au cinéma en incarnant Alice dans une adaptation musicale du classique de Lewis Carroll. Réalisé par Lorene Scafaria et produit par Universal Pictures, ce projet ambitieux rassemble également Marc Platt à la production. À seulement 26 ans, l’artiste multiplie les succès et franchit une nouvelle étape dans sa carrière.
Un projet d’envergure porté par une artiste en pleine ascension
Une adaptation musicale du chef-d’œuvre de Lewis Carroll
Universal Pictures a confirmé que Sabrina Carpenter tiendra le rôle principal dans une adaptation musicale inspirée du roman Alice au pays des merveilles. L’œuvre de Lewis Carroll, publiée en 1865, n’a cessé d’inspirer les cinéastes et les créateurs depuis plus d’un siècle. Cette nouvelle version, encore sans titre officiel, promet une relecture moderne portée par la mise en scène de Lorene Scafaria.
PublicitésUn casting porté par Sabrina Carpenter
Sabrina Carpenter, déjà nommée à six reprises aux Grammy Awards 2026, s’impose ici dans un rôle central qui marque une étape déterminante dans sa carrière d’actrice. Si elle s’est fait connaître dans la musique, son expérience devant la caméra n’est pas nouvelle : le public l’a vue dans Emergency, Tall Girl, The Hate U Give, ainsi que dans la série Disney Le Monde de Riley, où elle incarnait Maya Hart.
Une nouvelle vision d’un classique intemporel
Alice, une héroïne revisitée au fil des décennies
Depuis sa parution, Les Aventures d’Alice au pays des merveilles ont inspiré des générations d’artistes. L’univers décalé du roman, peuplé de personnages fantasques, a déjà donné lieu à de nombreuses adaptations. Parmi les plus célèbres : le film d’animation mythique de Disney en 1951, entré dans la culture populaire, puis la version live-action de Tim Burton en 2010, dans laquelle Johnny Depp campait un Chapelier Fou inoubliable.
PublicitésUne œuvre profondément durable
Les adaptations se sont succédé sous des formes variées : films, séries, téléfilms, spectacles, comédies musicales… Elles témoignent de la richesse et de la modernité de l’œuvre de Carroll, qui continue de séduire le public. Cette nouvelle comédie musicale s’inscrit donc dans une tradition prestigieuse, tout en promettant une identité esthétique singulière grâce à l’univers de Lorene Scafaria, connue pour son sens de la narration visuelle.
Une équipe créative solide et une production ambitieuse
Lorene Scafaria aux commandes
Le projet sera réalisé par Lorene Scafaria, cinéaste reconnue pour Queens ou encore Seeking a Friend for the End of the World. Sa sensibilité artistique et sa capacité à diriger des performances musicales en font un choix stratégique pour une adaptation mêlant récit classique et séquences chantées. Sa vision pourrait offrir une interprétation sensible, contemporaine et musicale du voyage d’Alice.
PublicitésMarc Platt, figure incontournable des productions musicales
Aux côtés de Sabrina Carpenter, Marc Platt coproduira le film. Son nom est associé à des succès tels que La La Land ou Wicked, deux projets qui ont marqué la culture musicale et cinématographique récente. La présence de ce producteur expérimenté renforce les attentes autour de cette nouvelle adaptation, susceptible d’attirer un large public, à la fois amateur de comédies musicales et admirateur des univers fantastiques.
Avec son premier grand rôle au cinéma, Sabrina Carpenter s’engage dans un projet ambitieux mêlant musique, fantaisie et patrimoine littéraire. En s’emparant d’un personnage aussi emblématique qu’Alice, l’artiste franchit un cap important dans son parcours. Cette adaptation musicale d’Alice au pays des merveilles s’annonce comme un projet majeur, réunissant une équipe créative solide et une héroïne prête à redécouvrir un univers intemporel. Les attentes sont immenses, et le résultat promet de séduire les spectateurs du monde entier.
#adaptationCinéma #AliceAuPaysDesMerveilles #Cinéma #comédieMusicale #filmMusical #LewisCarroll #LoreneScafaria #MarcPlatt #popStar #SabrinaCarpenter #UniversalPictures
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Sabrina Carpenter va revisiter Alice au pays des merveilles dans une nouvelle comédie musicale
La chanteuse américaine Sabrina Carpenter obtient son premier rôle majeur au cinéma en incarnant Alice dans une adaptation musicale du classique de Lewis Carroll. Réalisé par Lorene Scafaria et produit par Universal Pictures, ce projet ambitieux rassemble également Marc Platt à la production. À seulement 26 ans, l’artiste multiplie les succès et franchit une nouvelle étape dans sa carrière.
Un projet d’envergure porté par une artiste en pleine ascension
Une adaptation musicale du chef-d’œuvre de Lewis Carroll
Universal Pictures a confirmé que Sabrina Carpenter tiendra le rôle principal dans une adaptation musicale inspirée du roman Alice au pays des merveilles. L’œuvre de Lewis Carroll, publiée en 1865, n’a cessé d’inspirer les cinéastes et les créateurs depuis plus d’un siècle. Cette nouvelle version, encore sans titre officiel, promet une relecture moderne portée par la mise en scène de Lorene Scafaria.
PublicitésUn casting porté par Sabrina Carpenter
Sabrina Carpenter, déjà nommée à six reprises aux Grammy Awards 2026, s’impose ici dans un rôle central qui marque une étape déterminante dans sa carrière d’actrice. Si elle s’est fait connaître dans la musique, son expérience devant la caméra n’est pas nouvelle : le public l’a vue dans Emergency, Tall Girl, The Hate U Give, ainsi que dans la série Disney Le Monde de Riley, où elle incarnait Maya Hart.
Une nouvelle vision d’un classique intemporel
Alice, une héroïne revisitée au fil des décennies
Depuis sa parution, Les Aventures d’Alice au pays des merveilles ont inspiré des générations d’artistes. L’univers décalé du roman, peuplé de personnages fantasques, a déjà donné lieu à de nombreuses adaptations. Parmi les plus célèbres : le film d’animation mythique de Disney en 1951, entré dans la culture populaire, puis la version live-action de Tim Burton en 2010, dans laquelle Johnny Depp campait un Chapelier Fou inoubliable.
PublicitésUne œuvre profondément durable
Les adaptations se sont succédé sous des formes variées : films, séries, téléfilms, spectacles, comédies musicales… Elles témoignent de la richesse et de la modernité de l’œuvre de Carroll, qui continue de séduire le public. Cette nouvelle comédie musicale s’inscrit donc dans une tradition prestigieuse, tout en promettant une identité esthétique singulière grâce à l’univers de Lorene Scafaria, connue pour son sens de la narration visuelle.
Une équipe créative solide et une production ambitieuse
Lorene Scafaria aux commandes
Le projet sera réalisé par Lorene Scafaria, cinéaste reconnue pour Queens ou encore Seeking a Friend for the End of the World. Sa sensibilité artistique et sa capacité à diriger des performances musicales en font un choix stratégique pour une adaptation mêlant récit classique et séquences chantées. Sa vision pourrait offrir une interprétation sensible, contemporaine et musicale du voyage d’Alice.
PublicitésMarc Platt, figure incontournable des productions musicales
Aux côtés de Sabrina Carpenter, Marc Platt coproduira le film. Son nom est associé à des succès tels que La La Land ou Wicked, deux projets qui ont marqué la culture musicale et cinématographique récente. La présence de ce producteur expérimenté renforce les attentes autour de cette nouvelle adaptation, susceptible d’attirer un large public, à la fois amateur de comédies musicales et admirateur des univers fantastiques.
Avec son premier grand rôle au cinéma, Sabrina Carpenter s’engage dans un projet ambitieux mêlant musique, fantaisie et patrimoine littéraire. En s’emparant d’un personnage aussi emblématique qu’Alice, l’artiste franchit un cap important dans son parcours. Cette adaptation musicale d’Alice au pays des merveilles s’annonce comme un projet majeur, réunissant une équipe créative solide et une héroïne prête à redécouvrir un univers intemporel. Les attentes sont immenses, et le résultat promet de séduire les spectateurs du monde entier.
#adaptationCinéma #AliceAuPaysDesMerveilles #Cinéma #comédieMusicale #filmMusical #LewisCarroll #LoreneScafaria #MarcPlatt #popStar #SabrinaCarpenter #UniversalPictures
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Sabrina Carpenter va revisiter Alice au pays des merveilles dans une nouvelle comédie musicale
La chanteuse américaine Sabrina Carpenter obtient son premier rôle majeur au cinéma en incarnant Alice dans une adaptation musicale du classique de Lewis Carroll. Réalisé par Lorene Scafaria et produit par Universal Pictures, ce projet ambitieux rassemble également Marc Platt à la production. À seulement 26 ans, l’artiste multiplie les succès et franchit une nouvelle étape dans sa carrière.
Un projet d’envergure porté par une artiste en pleine ascension
Une adaptation musicale du chef-d’œuvre de Lewis Carroll
Universal Pictures a confirmé que Sabrina Carpenter tiendra le rôle principal dans une adaptation musicale inspirée du roman Alice au pays des merveilles. L’œuvre de Lewis Carroll, publiée en 1865, n’a cessé d’inspirer les cinéastes et les créateurs depuis plus d’un siècle. Cette nouvelle version, encore sans titre officiel, promet une relecture moderne portée par la mise en scène de Lorene Scafaria.
PublicitésUn casting porté par Sabrina Carpenter
Sabrina Carpenter, déjà nommée à six reprises aux Grammy Awards 2026, s’impose ici dans un rôle central qui marque une étape déterminante dans sa carrière d’actrice. Si elle s’est fait connaître dans la musique, son expérience devant la caméra n’est pas nouvelle : le public l’a vue dans Emergency, Tall Girl, The Hate U Give, ainsi que dans la série Disney Le Monde de Riley, où elle incarnait Maya Hart.
Une nouvelle vision d’un classique intemporel
Alice, une héroïne revisitée au fil des décennies
Depuis sa parution, Les Aventures d’Alice au pays des merveilles ont inspiré des générations d’artistes. L’univers décalé du roman, peuplé de personnages fantasques, a déjà donné lieu à de nombreuses adaptations. Parmi les plus célèbres : le film d’animation mythique de Disney en 1951, entré dans la culture populaire, puis la version live-action de Tim Burton en 2010, dans laquelle Johnny Depp campait un Chapelier Fou inoubliable.
PublicitésUne œuvre profondément durable
Les adaptations se sont succédé sous des formes variées : films, séries, téléfilms, spectacles, comédies musicales… Elles témoignent de la richesse et de la modernité de l’œuvre de Carroll, qui continue de séduire le public. Cette nouvelle comédie musicale s’inscrit donc dans une tradition prestigieuse, tout en promettant une identité esthétique singulière grâce à l’univers de Lorene Scafaria, connue pour son sens de la narration visuelle.
Une équipe créative solide et une production ambitieuse
Lorene Scafaria aux commandes
Le projet sera réalisé par Lorene Scafaria, cinéaste reconnue pour Queens ou encore Seeking a Friend for the End of the World. Sa sensibilité artistique et sa capacité à diriger des performances musicales en font un choix stratégique pour une adaptation mêlant récit classique et séquences chantées. Sa vision pourrait offrir une interprétation sensible, contemporaine et musicale du voyage d’Alice.
PublicitésMarc Platt, figure incontournable des productions musicales
Aux côtés de Sabrina Carpenter, Marc Platt coproduira le film. Son nom est associé à des succès tels que La La Land ou Wicked, deux projets qui ont marqué la culture musicale et cinématographique récente. La présence de ce producteur expérimenté renforce les attentes autour de cette nouvelle adaptation, susceptible d’attirer un large public, à la fois amateur de comédies musicales et admirateur des univers fantastiques.
Avec son premier grand rôle au cinéma, Sabrina Carpenter s’engage dans un projet ambitieux mêlant musique, fantaisie et patrimoine littéraire. En s’emparant d’un personnage aussi emblématique qu’Alice, l’artiste franchit un cap important dans son parcours. Cette adaptation musicale d’Alice au pays des merveilles s’annonce comme un projet majeur, réunissant une équipe créative solide et une héroïne prête à redécouvrir un univers intemporel. Les attentes sont immenses, et le résultat promet de séduire les spectateurs du monde entier.
#adaptationCinéma #AliceAuPaysDesMerveilles #Cinéma #comédieMusicale #filmMusical #LewisCarroll #LoreneScafaria #MarcPlatt #popStar #SabrinaCarpenter #UniversalPictures
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Sabrina Carpenter va revisiter Alice au pays des merveilles dans une nouvelle comédie musicale
La chanteuse américaine Sabrina Carpenter obtient son premier rôle majeur au cinéma en incarnant Alice dans une adaptation musicale du classique de Lewis Carroll. Réalisé par Lorene Scafaria et produit par Universal Pictures, ce projet ambitieux rassemble également Marc Platt à la production. À seulement 26 ans, l’artiste multiplie les succès et franchit une nouvelle étape dans sa carrière.
Un projet d’envergure porté par une artiste en pleine ascension
Une adaptation musicale du chef-d’œuvre de Lewis Carroll
Universal Pictures a confirmé que Sabrina Carpenter tiendra le rôle principal dans une adaptation musicale inspirée du roman Alice au pays des merveilles. L’œuvre de Lewis Carroll, publiée en 1865, n’a cessé d’inspirer les cinéastes et les créateurs depuis plus d’un siècle. Cette nouvelle version, encore sans titre officiel, promet une relecture moderne portée par la mise en scène de Lorene Scafaria.
PublicitésUn casting porté par Sabrina Carpenter
Sabrina Carpenter, déjà nommée à six reprises aux Grammy Awards 2026, s’impose ici dans un rôle central qui marque une étape déterminante dans sa carrière d’actrice. Si elle s’est fait connaître dans la musique, son expérience devant la caméra n’est pas nouvelle : le public l’a vue dans Emergency, Tall Girl, The Hate U Give, ainsi que dans la série Disney Le Monde de Riley, où elle incarnait Maya Hart.
Une nouvelle vision d’un classique intemporel
Alice, une héroïne revisitée au fil des décennies
Depuis sa parution, Les Aventures d’Alice au pays des merveilles ont inspiré des générations d’artistes. L’univers décalé du roman, peuplé de personnages fantasques, a déjà donné lieu à de nombreuses adaptations. Parmi les plus célèbres : le film d’animation mythique de Disney en 1951, entré dans la culture populaire, puis la version live-action de Tim Burton en 2010, dans laquelle Johnny Depp campait un Chapelier Fou inoubliable.
PublicitésUne œuvre profondément durable
Les adaptations se sont succédé sous des formes variées : films, séries, téléfilms, spectacles, comédies musicales… Elles témoignent de la richesse et de la modernité de l’œuvre de Carroll, qui continue de séduire le public. Cette nouvelle comédie musicale s’inscrit donc dans une tradition prestigieuse, tout en promettant une identité esthétique singulière grâce à l’univers de Lorene Scafaria, connue pour son sens de la narration visuelle.
Une équipe créative solide et une production ambitieuse
Lorene Scafaria aux commandes
Le projet sera réalisé par Lorene Scafaria, cinéaste reconnue pour Queens ou encore Seeking a Friend for the End of the World. Sa sensibilité artistique et sa capacité à diriger des performances musicales en font un choix stratégique pour une adaptation mêlant récit classique et séquences chantées. Sa vision pourrait offrir une interprétation sensible, contemporaine et musicale du voyage d’Alice.
PublicitésMarc Platt, figure incontournable des productions musicales
Aux côtés de Sabrina Carpenter, Marc Platt coproduira le film. Son nom est associé à des succès tels que La La Land ou Wicked, deux projets qui ont marqué la culture musicale et cinématographique récente. La présence de ce producteur expérimenté renforce les attentes autour de cette nouvelle adaptation, susceptible d’attirer un large public, à la fois amateur de comédies musicales et admirateur des univers fantastiques.
Avec son premier grand rôle au cinéma, Sabrina Carpenter s’engage dans un projet ambitieux mêlant musique, fantaisie et patrimoine littéraire. En s’emparant d’un personnage aussi emblématique qu’Alice, l’artiste franchit un cap important dans son parcours. Cette adaptation musicale d’Alice au pays des merveilles s’annonce comme un projet majeur, réunissant une équipe créative solide et une héroïne prête à redécouvrir un univers intemporel. Les attentes sont immenses, et le résultat promet de séduire les spectateurs du monde entier.
#adaptationCinéma #AliceAuPaysDesMerveilles #Cinéma #comédieMusicale #filmMusical #LewisCarroll #LoreneScafaria #MarcPlatt #popStar #SabrinaCarpenter #UniversalPictures
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Currently reading: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Other Stories by Lewis Carroll. I didn’t watch and fall in love with the movieAlice in Wonderland until a few years ago, and instantly snapped up this book. I’m finally getting around to reading it and I’m loving it so far. #currentlyreading #AliceinWonderland #AlicesAdventuresinWonderland #LewisCarroll #bookstodon #ReadBannedBooks
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Useless Facts, Badly Drawn #470: Mad Hatter Disease.
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#lewiscarroll #madhatter #mercurypoisoning #disease #artimitateslife #strangebuttrue #wtf #funfacts #facts #webcomic #comics #uselessfacts #uselessfactsbadlydrawn -
Useless Facts, Badly Drawn #470: Mad Hatter Disease.
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#lewiscarroll #madhatter #mercurypoisoning #disease #artimitateslife #strangebuttrue #wtf #funfacts #facts #webcomic #comics #uselessfacts #uselessfactsbadlydrawn -
Useless Facts, Badly Drawn #470: Mad Hatter Disease.
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#lewiscarroll #madhatter #mercurypoisoning #disease #artimitateslife #strangebuttrue #wtf #funfacts #facts #webcomic #comics #uselessfacts #uselessfactsbadlydrawn -
Useless Facts, Badly Drawn #470: Mad Hatter Disease.
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#lewiscarroll #madhatter #mercurypoisoning #disease #artimitateslife #strangebuttrue #wtf #funfacts #facts #webcomic #comics #uselessfacts #uselessfactsbadlydrawn -
Useless Facts, Badly Drawn #470: Mad Hatter Disease.
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#lewiscarroll #madhatter #mercurypoisoning #disease #artimitateslife #strangebuttrue #wtf #funfacts #facts #webcomic #comics #uselessfacts #uselessfactsbadlydrawn -
My constant study.
Sidenote:
in 1995 the Euro was still the ECU
and 1,000 Italian lire were about one Deutsche Mark
(which became about half a Euro).#Alice
#AliceInWonderland
#LewisCarroll
#MartinGardner
#ThroughTheLookingGlass -
Calling all those who signed up to The Storybook Sock Box - Alice's Adventures In Wonderland - it's time for the big reveal!
Introducing 'Alice's Adventures In Wonderland' - a 100g skein of hand dyed 100% British Bluefaced Leicester 4 ply high twist sock yarn along with a contrasting 25g mini skein perfect for heels, toes and cuffs.
Included in the box is a copy of the book, a set of stitchmarkers, a postcard and a bookmark.
Boxes are already on their way. Happy knitting!
#yarn #knitting #crochet #indieyarn #indiedyer #handdyedyarn #yarnclub #books #reading #storybook #AliceInWonderaldn #LewisCarroll #socks #sockknitting #sockyarn
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🧵 "Moi, quand j'utilise un #mot, [...] il signifie exactement ce que j'ai décidé qu'il doit signifier, ni plus ni moins."
- #humptydumpty dans De l'Autre Coté du Miroir #LewisCarroll= idéologue -> "leurs mots, définis arbitrairement [...] désormais sans relation à ce qui n'est pas eux, ne sont plus ouverts à la moindre discussion."
= perversion ultime du #langage qui ne peut plus être commun.
cf #fascisme / extremisme
#marmion #science #connaissance #patrickmoreau #citation #danger
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🧵 "Moi, quand j'utilise un #mot, [...] il signifie exactement ce que j'ai décidé qu'il doit signifier, ni plus ni moins."
- #humptydumpty dans De l'Autre Coté du Miroir #LewisCarroll= idéologue -> "leurs mots, définis arbitrairement [...] désormais sans relation à ce qui n'est pas eux, ne sont plus ouverts à la moindre discussion."
= perversion ultime du #langage qui ne peut plus être commun.
cf #fascisme / extremisme
#marmion #science #connaissance #patrickmoreau #citation #danger
-
🧵 "Moi, quand j'utilise un #mot, [...] il signifie exactement ce que j'ai décidé qu'il doit signifier, ni plus ni moins."
- #humptydumpty dans De l'Autre Coté du Miroir #LewisCarroll= idéologue -> "leurs mots, définis arbitrairement [...] désormais sans relation à ce qui n'est pas eux, ne sont plus ouverts à la moindre discussion."
= perversion ultime du #langage qui ne peut plus être commun.
cf #fascisme / extremisme
#marmion #science #connaissance #patrickmoreau #citation #danger
-
🧵 "Moi, quand j'utilise un #mot, [...] il signifie exactement ce que j'ai décidé qu'il doit signifier, ni plus ni moins."
- #humptydumpty dans De l'Autre Coté du Miroir #LewisCarroll= idéologue -> "leurs mots, définis arbitrairement [...] désormais sans relation à ce qui n'est pas eux, ne sont plus ouverts à la moindre discussion."
= perversion ultime du #langage qui ne peut plus être commun.
cf #fascisme / extremisme
#marmion #science #connaissance #patrickmoreau #citation #danger
-
🧵 "Moi, quand j'utilise un #mot, [...] il signifie exactement ce que j'ai décidé qu'il doit signifier, ni plus ni moins."
- #humptydumpty dans De l'Autre Coté du Miroir #LewisCarroll= idéologue -> "leurs mots, définis arbitrairement [...] désormais sans relation à ce qui n'est pas eux, ne sont plus ouverts à la moindre discussion."
= perversion ultime du #langage qui ne peut plus être commun.
cf #fascisme / extremisme
#marmion #science #connaissance #patrickmoreau #citation #danger
-
A quotation from Lewis Carroll
“Reeling and Writhing, of course, to begin with,” the Mock Turtle replied: “and then the different branches of Arithmetic — Ambition, Distraction, Uglification, and Derision.”
“I never heard of ‘Uglification,'” Alice ventured to say. “What is it?”
The Gryphon lifted up both its paws in surprise. “Never heard of uglifying!” it exclaimed. “You know what to beautify is, I suppose?”
“Yes,” said Alice, doubtfully: “it means — to — make — anything — prettier.”
“Well then,” the Gryphon went on, “if you don’t know what to uglify is, you are a simpleton.”
Alice did not feel encouraged to ask any more questions about it, so she turned to the Mock Turtle, and said, “What else had you to learn?”
“Well, there was Mystery,” the Mock Turtle replied, counting off the subjects on his flappers, — “Mystery, ancient and modern, with Seaography: then Drawling — the Drawling-master was an old conger-eel, that used to come once a week: he taught us Drawling, Stretching, and Fainting in Coils.”Lewis Carroll (1832-1898) English writer and mathematician [pseud. of Rev. Charles Lutwidge Dodgson]
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, ch. 9 “The Mock Turtle’s Story” (1865)Sourcing, notes: wist.info/carroll-lewis/22791/
#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #lewiscarroll #wonderland #arithmetic #art #drawing #education #geography #history #math #reading #school #subjects #syllabus #writing
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I found this In Our Time episode on Lewis Carroll's Alice books strangely moving. The guests' enthusiasm for the subject has had me itching to dive back into the Annotated Alice.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001w7f9
#LewisCarroll #AliceInWonderland #ThroughTheLookingGlass #AlicesAdventuresInWonderland #InOurTime
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TomWaitsAWeek | Tom Waits – Alice (2002, US)
Today’s spotlight is on number 526 on The List, submitted by swordgeek. This is the last spotlight in our #TomWaitsAWeek feature.[1]
As mentioned in our previous spotlight, Waits’ 1993 album The Black Rider brought in someone who would become a key collaborator and influence on Waits, one Robert Wilson, an absolute fixture in the world of experimental/avant-garde theatre. While the earlier Franks Wild Years like Black Rider was also a stage-to-studio affair, I feel like adding Wilson into the mix amplifies the fact that the most Tom Waits of Tom Waits traits really glitter when the cinematic/stage-worthy qualities of his story-songs are given more room to breathe. Indeed, if, in another timeline, Waits only existed in the world of off-Broadway musical theatre, his brilliance would not be diminished in the least. So, yes, the Waits/Wilson collab albums – Black Rider, Alice (i.e., the subject of today’s spotlight), and Blood Money – are essentially soundtracks. And, because they’re soundtracks, it could be easy for someone who hasn’t yet heard them to feel intimidated without having seen their originating theatrical piece, or even assume these are curious artifacts only for Waits completists, akin to his film soundtracks. However, I would suggest one need not be guarded in approaching them. These albums, my friends, are absolute gems just as the ‘regular’ studio albums are, with Alice, imho, shining the brightest.
Similar to how Waits had first written the Black Rider songs for the Wilson-directed musical/”cowboy opera” of the same name (which premiered in 1990), Waits and Kathleen Brennan wrote songs for Wilson’s opera Alice (which premiered in 1992) and then later tweaked them for the studio album. While Alice the opera is primarily about Lewis Carroll’s rather questionable/creepy thing for Alice Liddell, the young daughter of some friends and possibly his muse for Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass, at least when approached as an off-stage collection of songs, Alice seems but one character in a typical Waits-ian cast, complete with circus performers. And, given all we’ve heard thus far on our journey through Waits’ discography, the music itself is familiar territory, particularly with a few callbacks to Small Change‘s “The Piano Has Been Drinking (Not Me)”, as well as some of the eclectic instrumentation used since the beginning of his experimental phase. I, for one, really love this album, and would likely place both it and Black Rider in my Top 5 Waits Albums list, if I had to make one.
Given my attempt to cover all the albums consecutively in the previous #TomWaitsAWeek spotlights, it should be noted here that Alice didn’t immediately follow Black Rider. First of all, there was an entire decade between the Alice opera and album. When asked by The Onion A.V. Club[2] on this matter, here is what Mr. Waits said:
The Onion: So, why did it take you so long to record the songs on Alice?
Tom Waits: The songs were written around ’92 or ’93, ’round in there. It was done with Robert Wilson in Germany. We stuck ’em in a box and just left ’em there for a while. They were aging like the honey. And we locked in the freshness. They were hermetically sealed. You move on to other things, you know? And then you go back and say, “Well, this was okay.”
O: It was kind of developing a reputation as the great lost Tom Waits album.
TW: I bought a copy of the bootleg on eBay. ‘Cause I didn’t know where those tapes were.
During this decade, Waits also released a non-Wilson collab album, the fabulous Mule Variations (1999). I think I learned my lesson while writing the last spotlight though, so I won’t attempt to summarize that album here too. However, I would say that Mule Variations/Black Rider/Alice is perhaps my favorite run in Waits’ discography, for whatever that’s worth. I will also not attempt to summarize the final few albums, i.e., Blood Money (2002), Real Gone (2004), Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards (2006), and Bad as Me (2011). Well, except for noting that Blood Money was actually released at the same time as Alice, and is also studio versions of songs that Waits and Brennan originally wrote for a Wilson musical (namely Woyzeck, which premiered in 2000), so let’s just say it’s Alice‘s fraternal (or conjoined?) twin.
That said, I did want to ramble on a tiny bit further here before logging off to finish the rest of our listening schedule[1] for the week, because there’s some WONDERFUL rabbit holes to go down when looking at this partnership and period, particularly on Wilson’s side. In between Alice the opera and Alice the album, aside from the aforementioned Woyzeck, Wilson racked up a number of entries in his CV that blow my mind just thinking about them. For instance, in addition to a handful of new projects with Philip Glass (with whom, as mentioned last spotlight, he had collaborated with on the 1976 opera Einstein on the Beach), during this time Wilson also collaborated with Ryuichi Sakamoto in 1999 for a Lincoln Center Festival piece called The Days Before – Death Destruction & Detroit III, which riffed off of my favorite Umberto Eco novel, The Island of the Day Before. Also, he completed the third in the trilogy of his works performed by the German Thalia Theater company (the first two being Black Rider and Alice), the 1996 Time Rocker, the music for which was written by none other than Lou Reed. AND THEN, Wilson would collaborate again with Reed in 2000 on an Edgar Allan Poe musical called POEtry, which ran at BAM. Reed would go on to release a studio album based on the musical, The Raven (2003), which features Willem Dafoe, Laurie Anderson, ANOHNI, Steve Buscemi, Ornette Coleman, The Blind Boys of Alabama, David Bowie… Like, OMG, to have been in New York at that time!
Anyway, I hope you’ve enjoyed/are enjoying #TomWaitsAWeek, or at least can devote some time in the future to the three Waits albums we have on The List…and beyond. I myself haven’t yet finished going through Waits’ studio discography, and also now have some physical media to track down. Speaking of which, I’ll sign off with one last thing from that Onion interview quoted above:
Tom Waits: You know what I really love? The CD players in a car. How when you put the CD right up by the slot, it actually takes it out of your hand, like it’s hungry. It pulls it in, and you feel like it wants more silver discs. “More silver discs. Please.” I enjoy that.
The Onion: Do you have one in the Cadillac?
TW: No, I have a little band in there. It’s an old car, so I have a little old string band in the glove compartment. It’s grumpy.
Edit: As provided in the comments by icastico, here’s a link to a bootleg of the original Alice demos – they’re fantastic and definitely worth checking out!
[1]For those listening through the discography with us, Alice was part of yesterday’s listening schedule. Here’s what’s left on the docket for today: Friday – Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards, Bad as Me.
[2]Thanks to BramMeehan for this link!#1001OtherAlbums #2000s #AliceInWonderland #experimental #KathleenBrennan #LewisCarroll #ListenToThis #LouReed #music #musicDiscovery #musical #Musodon #RobertWilson #RyuichiSakamoto #TomWaits #TomWaitsAWeek
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TomWaitsAWeek | Tom Waits – Alice (2002, US)
Today’s spotlight is on number 526 on The List, submitted by swordgeek. This is the last spotlight in our #TomWaitsAWeek feature.[1]
As mentioned in our previous spotlight, Waits’ 1993 album The Black Rider brought in someone who would become a key collaborator and influence on Waits, one Robert Wilson, an absolute fixture in the world of experimental/avant-garde theatre. While the earlier Franks Wild Years like Black Rider was also a stage-to-studio affair, I feel like adding Wilson into the mix amplifies the fact that the most Tom Waits of Tom Waits traits really glitter when the cinematic/stage-worthy qualities of his story-songs are given more room to breathe. Indeed, if, in another timeline, Waits only existed in the world of off-Broadway musical theatre, his brilliance would not be diminished in the least. So, yes, the Waits/Wilson collab albums – Black Rider, Alice (i.e., the subject of today’s spotlight), and Blood Money – are essentially soundtracks. And, because they’re soundtracks, it could be easy for someone who hasn’t yet heard them to feel intimidated without having seen their originating theatrical piece, or even assume these are curious artifacts only for Waits completists, akin to his film soundtracks. However, I would suggest one need not be guarded in approaching them. These albums, my friends, are absolute gems just as the ‘regular’ studio albums are, with Alice, imho, shining the brightest.
Similar to how Waits had first written the Black Rider songs for the Wilson-directed musical/”cowboy opera” of the same name (which premiered in 1990), Waits and Kathleen Brennan wrote songs for Wilson’s opera Alice (which premiered in 1992) and then later tweaked them for the studio album. While Alice the opera is primarily about Lewis Carroll’s rather questionable/creepy thing for Alice Liddell, the young daughter of some friends and possibly his muse for Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass, at least when approached as an off-stage collection of songs, Alice seems but one character in a typical Waits-ian cast, complete with circus performers. And, given all we’ve heard thus far on our journey through Waits’ discography, the music itself is familiar territory, particularly with a few callbacks to Small Change‘s “The Piano Has Been Drinking (Not Me)”, as well as some of the eclectic instrumentation used since the beginning of his experimental phase. I, for one, really love this album, and would likely place both it and Black Rider in my Top 5 Waits Albums list, if I had to make one.
Given my attempt to cover all the albums consecutively in the previous #TomWaitsAWeek spotlights, it should be noted here that Alice didn’t immediately follow Black Rider. First of all, there was an entire decade between the Alice opera and album. When asked by The Onion A.V. Club[2] on this matter, here is what Mr. Waits said:
The Onion: So, why did it take you so long to record the songs on Alice?
Tom Waits: The songs were written around ’92 or ’93, ’round in there. It was done with Robert Wilson in Germany. We stuck ’em in a box and just left ’em there for a while. They were aging like the honey. And we locked in the freshness. They were hermetically sealed. You move on to other things, you know? And then you go back and say, “Well, this was okay.”
O: It was kind of developing a reputation as the great lost Tom Waits album.
TW: I bought a copy of the bootleg on eBay. ‘Cause I didn’t know where those tapes were.
During this decade, Waits also released a non-Wilson collab album, the fabulous Mule Variations (1999). I think I learned my lesson while writing the last spotlight though, so I won’t attempt to summarize that album here too. However, I would say that Mule Variations/Black Rider/Alice is perhaps my favorite run in Waits’ discography, for whatever that’s worth. I will also not attempt to summarize the final few albums, i.e., Blood Money (2002), Real Gone (2004), Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards (2006), and Bad as Me (2011). Well, except for noting that Blood Money was actually released at the same time as Alice, and is also studio versions of songs that Waits and Brennan originally wrote for a Wilson musical (namely Woyzeck, which premiered in 2000), so let’s just say it’s Alice‘s fraternal (or conjoined?) twin.
That said, I did want to ramble on a tiny bit further here before logging off to finish the rest of our listening schedule[1] for the week, because there’s some WONDERFUL rabbit holes to go down when looking at this partnership and period, particularly on Wilson’s side. In between Alice the opera and Alice the album, aside from the aforementioned Woyzeck, Wilson racked up a number of entries in his CV that blow my mind just thinking about them. For instance, in addition to a handful of new projects with Philip Glass (with whom, as mentioned last spotlight, he had collaborated with on the 1976 opera Einstein on the Beach), during this time Wilson also collaborated with Ryuichi Sakamoto in 1999 for a Lincoln Center Festival piece called The Days Before – Death Destruction & Detroit III, which riffed off of my favorite Umberto Eco novel, The Island of the Day Before. Also, he completed the third in the trilogy of his works performed by the German Thalia Theater company (the first two being Black Rider and Alice), the 1996 Time Rocker, the music for which was written by none other than Lou Reed. AND THEN, Wilson would collaborate again with Reed in 2000 on an Edgar Allan Poe musical called POEtry, which ran at BAM. Reed would go on to release a studio album based on the musical, The Raven (2003), which features Willem Dafoe, Laurie Anderson, ANOHNI, Steve Buscemi, Ornette Coleman, The Blind Boys of Alabama, David Bowie… Like, OMG, to have been in New York at that time!
Anyway, I hope you’ve enjoyed/are enjoying #TomWaitsAWeek, or at least can devote some time in the future to the three Waits albums we have on The List…and beyond. I myself haven’t yet finished going through Waits’ studio discography, and also now have some physical media to track down. Speaking of which, I’ll sign off with one last thing from that Onion interview quoted above:
Tom Waits: You know what I really love? The CD players in a car. How when you put the CD right up by the slot, it actually takes it out of your hand, like it’s hungry. It pulls it in, and you feel like it wants more silver discs. “More silver discs. Please.” I enjoy that.
The Onion: Do you have one in the Cadillac?
TW: No, I have a little band in there. It’s an old car, so I have a little old string band in the glove compartment. It’s grumpy.
Edit: As provided in the comments by icastico, here’s a link to a bootleg of the original Alice demos – they’re fantastic and definitely worth checking out!
[1]For those listening through the discography with us, Alice was part of yesterday’s listening schedule. Here’s what’s left on the docket for today: Friday – Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards, Bad as Me.
[2]Thanks to BramMeehan for this link!#1001OtherAlbums #2000s #AliceInWonderland #experimental #KathleenBrennan #LewisCarroll #ListenToThis #LouReed #music #musicDiscovery #musical #Musodon #RobertWilson #RyuichiSakamoto #TomWaits #TomWaitsAWeek
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TomWaitsAWeek | Tom Waits – Alice (2002, US)
Today’s spotlight is on number 526 on The List, submitted by swordgeek. This is the last spotlight in our #TomWaitsAWeek feature.1
As mentioned in our previous spotlight, Waits’ 1993 album The Black Rider brought in someone who would become a key collaborator and influence on Waits, one Robert Wilson, an absolute fixture in the world of experimental/avant-garde theatre. While the earlier Franks Wild Years like Black Rider was also a stage-to-studio affair, I feel like adding Wilson into the mix amplifies the fact that the most Tom Waits of Tom Waits traits really glitter when the cinematic/stage-worthy qualities of his story-songs are given more room to breathe. Indeed, if, in another timeline, Waits only existed in the world of off-Broadway musical theatre, his brilliance would not be diminished in the least. So, yes, the Waits/Wilson collab albums – Black Rider, Alice (i.e., the subject of today’s spotlight), and Blood Money – are essentially soundtracks. And, because they’re soundtracks, it could be easy for someone who hasn’t yet heard them to feel intimidated without having seen their originating theatrical piece, or even assume these are curious artifacts only for Waits completists, akin to his film soundtracks. However, I would suggest one need not be guarded in approaching them. These albums, my friends, are absolute gems just as the ‘regular’ studio albums are, with Alice, imho, shining the brightest.
Similar to how Waits had first written the Black Rider songs for the Wilson-directed musical/”cowboy opera” of the same name (which premiered in 1990), Waits and Kathleen Brennan wrote songs for Wilson’s opera Alice (which premiered in 1992) and then later tweaked them for the studio album. While Alice the opera is primarily about Lewis Carroll’s rather questionable/creepy thing for Alice Liddell, the young daughter of some friends and possibly his muse for Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass, at least when approached as an off-stage collection of songs, Alice seems but one character in a typical Waits-ian cast, complete with circus performers. And, given all we’ve heard thus far on our journey through Waits’ discography, the music itself is familiar territory, particularly with a few callbacks to Small Change‘s “The Piano Has Been Drinking (Not Me)”, as well as some of the eclectic instrumentation used since the beginning of his experimental phase. I, for one, really love this album, and would likely place both it and Black Rider in my Top 5 Waits Albums list, if I had to make one.
Given my attempt to cover all the albums consecutively in the previous #TomWaitsAWeek spotlights, it should be noted here that Alice didn’t immediately follow Black Rider. First of all, there was an entire decade between the Alice opera and album. When asked by The Onion A.V. Club2 on this matter, here is what Mr. Waits said:
The Onion: So, why did it take you so long to record the songs on Alice?
Tom Waits: The songs were written around ’92 or ’93, ’round in there. It was done with Robert Wilson in Germany. We stuck ’em in a box and just left ’em there for a while. They were aging like the honey. And we locked in the freshness. They were hermetically sealed. You move on to other things, you know? And then you go back and say, “Well, this was okay.”
O: It was kind of developing a reputation as the great lost Tom Waits album.
TW: I bought a copy of the bootleg on eBay. ‘Cause I didn’t know where those tapes were.
During this decade, Waits also released a non-Wilson collab album, the fabulous Mule Variations (1999). I think I learned my lesson while writing the last spotlight though, so I won’t attempt to summarize that album here too. However, I would say that Mule Variations/Black Rider/Alice is perhaps my favorite run in Waits’ discography, for whatever that’s worth. I will also not attempt to summarize the final few albums, i.e., Blood Money (2002), Real Gone (2004), Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards (2006), and Bad as Me (2011). Well, except for noting that Blood Money was actually released at the same time as Alice, and is also studio versions of songs that Waits and Brennan originally wrote for a Wilson musical (namely Woyzeck, which premiered in 2000), so let’s just say it’s Alice‘s fraternal (or conjoined?) twin.
That said, I did want to ramble on a tiny bit further here before logging off to finish the rest of our listening schedule1 for the week, because there’s some WONDERFUL rabbit holes to go down when looking at this partnership and period, particularly on Wilson’s side. In between Alice the opera and Alice the album, aside from the aforementioned Woyzeck, Wilson racked up a number of entries in his CV that blow my mind just thinking about them. For instance, in addition to a handful of new projects with Philip Glass (with whom, as mentioned last spotlight, he had collaborated with on the 1976 opera Einstein on the Beach), during this time Wilson also collaborated with Ryuichi Sakamoto in 1999 for a Lincoln Center Festival piece called The Days Before – Death Destruction & Detroit III, which riffed off of my favorite Umberto Eco novel, The Island of the Day Before. Also, he completed the third in the trilogy of his works performed by the German Thalia Theater company (the first two being Black Rider and Alice), the 1996 Time Rocker, the music for which was written by none other than Lou Reed. AND THEN, Wilson would collaborate again with Reed in 2000 on an Edgar Allan Poe musical called POEtry, which ran at BAM. Reed would go on to release a studio album based on the musical, The Raven (2003), which features Willem Dafoe, Laurie Anderson, ANOHNI, Steve Buscemi, Ornette Coleman, The Blind Boys of Alabama, David Bowie… Like, OMG, to have been in New York at that time!
Anyway, I hope you’ve enjoyed/are enjoying #TomWaitsAWeek, or at least can devote some time in the future to the three Waits albums we have on The List…and beyond. I myself haven’t yet finished going through Waits’ studio discography, and also now have some physical media to track down. Speaking of which, I’ll sign off with one last thing from that Onion interview quoted above:
Tom Waits: You know what I really love? The CD players in a car. How when you put the CD right up by the slot, it actually takes it out of your hand, like it’s hungry. It pulls it in, and you feel like it wants more silver discs. “More silver discs. Please.” I enjoy that.
The Onion: Do you have one in the Cadillac?
TW: No, I have a little band in there. It’s an old car, so I have a little old string band in the glove compartment. It’s grumpy.
1For those listening through the discography with us, Alice was part of yesterday’s listening schedule. Here’s what’s left on the docket for today: Friday – Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards, Bad as Me.
2Thanks to BramMeehan for this link!#1001OtherAlbums #2000s #AliceInWonderland #experimental #KathleenBrennan #LewisCarroll #ListenToThis #LouReed #music #musicDiscovery #musical #Musodon #RobertWilson #RyuichiSakamoto #TomWaits #TomWaitsAWeek
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TomWaitsAWeek | Tom Waits – Alice (2002, US)
Today’s spotlight is on number 526 on The List, submitted by swordgeek. This is the last spotlight in our #TomWaitsAWeek feature.[1]
As mentioned in our previous spotlight, Waits’ 1993 album The Black Rider brought in someone who would become a key collaborator and influence on Waits, one Robert Wilson, an absolute fixture in the world of experimental/avant-garde theatre. While the earlier Franks Wild Years like Black Rider was also a stage-to-studio affair, I feel like adding Wilson into the mix amplifies the fact that the most Tom Waits of Tom Waits traits really glitter when the cinematic/stage-worthy qualities of his story-songs are given more room to breathe. Indeed, if, in another timeline, Waits only existed in the world of off-Broadway musical theatre, his brilliance would not be diminished in the least. So, yes, the Waits/Wilson collab albums – Black Rider, Alice (i.e., the subject of today’s spotlight), and Blood Money – are essentially soundtracks. And, because they’re soundtracks, it could be easy for someone who hasn’t yet heard them to feel intimidated without having seen their originating theatrical piece, or even assume these are curious artifacts only for Waits completists, akin to his film soundtracks. However, I would suggest one need not be guarded in approaching them. These albums, my friends, are absolute gems just as the ‘regular’ studio albums are, with Alice, imho, shining the brightest.
Similar to how Waits had first written the Black Rider songs for the Wilson-directed musical/”cowboy opera” of the same name (which premiered in 1990), Waits and Kathleen Brennan wrote songs for Wilson’s opera Alice (which premiered in 1992) and then later tweaked them for the studio album. While Alice the opera is primarily about Lewis Carroll’s rather questionable/creepy thing for Alice Liddell, the young daughter of some friends and possibly his muse for Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass, at least when approached as an off-stage collection of songs, Alice seems but one character in a typical Waits-ian cast, complete with circus performers. And, given all we’ve heard thus far on our journey through Waits’ discography, the music itself is familiar territory, particularly with a few callbacks to Small Change‘s “The Piano Has Been Drinking (Not Me)”, as well as some of the eclectic instrumentation used since the beginning of his experimental phase. I, for one, really love this album, and would likely place both it and Black Rider in my Top 5 Waits Albums list, if I had to make one.
Given my attempt to cover all the albums consecutively in the previous #TomWaitsAWeek spotlights, it should be noted here that Alice didn’t immediately follow Black Rider. First of all, there was an entire decade between the Alice opera and album. When asked by The Onion A.V. Club[2] on this matter, here is what Mr. Waits said:
The Onion: So, why did it take you so long to record the songs on Alice?
Tom Waits: The songs were written around ’92 or ’93, ’round in there. It was done with Robert Wilson in Germany. We stuck ’em in a box and just left ’em there for a while. They were aging like the honey. And we locked in the freshness. They were hermetically sealed. You move on to other things, you know? And then you go back and say, “Well, this was okay.”
O: It was kind of developing a reputation as the great lost Tom Waits album.
TW: I bought a copy of the bootleg on eBay. ‘Cause I didn’t know where those tapes were.
During this decade, Waits also released a non-Wilson collab album, the fabulous Mule Variations (1999). I think I learned my lesson while writing the last spotlight though, so I won’t attempt to summarize that album here too. However, I would say that Mule Variations/Black Rider/Alice is perhaps my favorite run in Waits’ discography, for whatever that’s worth. I will also not attempt to summarize the final few albums, i.e., Blood Money (2002), Real Gone (2004), Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards (2006), and Bad as Me (2011). Well, except for noting that Blood Money was actually released at the same time as Alice, and is also studio versions of songs that Waits and Brennan originally wrote for a Wilson musical (namely Woyzeck, which premiered in 2000), so let’s just say it’s Alice‘s fraternal (or conjoined?) twin.
That said, I did want to ramble on a tiny bit further here before logging off to finish the rest of our listening schedule[1] for the week, because there’s some WONDERFUL rabbit holes to go down when looking at this partnership and period, particularly on Wilson’s side. In between Alice the opera and Alice the album, aside from the aforementioned Woyzeck, Wilson racked up a number of entries in his CV that blow my mind just thinking about them. For instance, in addition to a handful of new projects with Philip Glass (with whom, as mentioned last spotlight, he had collaborated with on the 1976 opera Einstein on the Beach), during this time Wilson also collaborated with Ryuichi Sakamoto in 1999 for a Lincoln Center Festival piece called The Days Before – Death Destruction & Detroit III, which riffed off of my favorite Umberto Eco novel, The Island of the Day Before. Also, he completed the third in the trilogy of his works performed by the German Thalia Theater company (the first two being Black Rider and Alice), the 1996 Time Rocker, the music for which was written by none other than Lou Reed. AND THEN, Wilson would collaborate again with Reed in 2000 on an Edgar Allan Poe musical called POEtry, which ran at BAM. Reed would go on to release a studio album based on the musical, The Raven (2003), which features Willem Dafoe, Laurie Anderson, ANOHNI, Steve Buscemi, Ornette Coleman, The Blind Boys of Alabama, David Bowie… Like, OMG, to have been in New York at that time!
Anyway, I hope you’ve enjoyed/are enjoying #TomWaitsAWeek, or at least can devote some time in the future to the three Waits albums we have on The List…and beyond. I myself haven’t yet finished going through Waits’ studio discography, and also now have some physical media to track down. Speaking of which, I’ll sign off with one last thing from that Onion interview quoted above:
Tom Waits: You know what I really love? The CD players in a car. How when you put the CD right up by the slot, it actually takes it out of your hand, like it’s hungry. It pulls it in, and you feel like it wants more silver discs. “More silver discs. Please.” I enjoy that.
The Onion: Do you have one in the Cadillac?
TW: No, I have a little band in there. It’s an old car, so I have a little old string band in the glove compartment. It’s grumpy.
Edit: As provided in the comments by icastico, here’s a link to a bootleg of the original Alice demos – they’re fantastic and definitely worth checking out!
[1]For those listening through the discography with us, Alice was part of yesterday’s listening schedule. Here’s what’s left on the docket for today: Friday – Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards, Bad as Me.
[2]Thanks to BramMeehan for this link!#1001OtherAlbums #2000s #AliceInWonderland #experimental #KathleenBrennan #LewisCarroll #ListenToThis #LouReed #music #musicDiscovery #musical #Musodon #RobertWilson #RyuichiSakamoto #TomWaits #TomWaitsAWeek
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TomWaitsAWeek | Tom Waits – Alice (2002, US)
Today’s spotlight is on number 526 on The List, submitted by swordgeek. This is the last spotlight in our #TomWaitsAWeek feature.1
As mentioned in our previous spotlight, Waits’ 1993 album The Black Rider brought in someone who would become a key collaborator and influence on Waits, one Robert Wilson, an absolute fixture in the world of experimental/avant-garde theatre. While the earlier Franks Wild Years like Black Rider was also a stage-to-studio affair, I feel like adding Wilson into the mix amplifies the fact that the most Tom Waits of Tom Waits traits really glitter when the cinematic/stage-worthy qualities of his story-songs are given more room to breathe. Indeed, if, in another timeline, Waits only existed in the world of off-Broadway musical theatre, his brilliance would not be diminished in the least. So, yes, the Waits/Wilson collab albums – Black Rider, Alice (i.e., the subject of today’s spotlight), and Blood Money – are essentially soundtracks. And, because they’re soundtracks, it could be easy for someone who hasn’t yet heard them to feel intimidated without having seen their originating theatrical piece, or even assume these are curious artifacts only for Waits completists, akin to his film soundtracks. However, I would suggest one need not be guarded in approaching them. These albums, my friends, are absolute gems just as the ‘regular’ studio albums are, with Alice, imho, shining the brightest.
Similar to how Waits had first written the Black Rider songs for the Wilson-directed musical/”cowboy opera” of the same name (which premiered in 1990), Waits and Kathleen Brennan wrote songs for Wilson’s opera Alice (which premiered in 1992) and then later tweaked them for the studio album. While Alice the opera is primarily about Lewis Carroll’s rather questionable/creepy thing for Alice Liddell, the young daughter of some friends and possibly his muse for Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass, at least when approached as an off-stage collection of songs, Alice seems but one character in a typical Waits-ian cast, complete with circus performers. And, given all we’ve heard thus far on our journey through Waits’ discography, the music itself is familiar territory, particularly with a few callbacks to Small Change‘s “The Piano Has Been Drinking (Not Me)”, as well as some of the eclectic instrumentation used since the beginning of his experimental phase. I, for one, really love this album, and would likely place both it and Black Rider in my Top 5 Waits Albums list, if I had to make one.
Given my attempt to cover all the albums consecutively in the previous #TomWaitsAWeek spotlights, it should be noted here that Alice didn’t immediately follow Black Rider. First of all, there was an entire decade between the Alice opera and album. When asked by The Onion A.V. Club2 on this matter, here is what Mr. Waits said:
The Onion: So, why did it take you so long to record the songs on Alice?
Tom Waits: The songs were written around ’92 or ’93, ’round in there. It was done with Robert Wilson in Germany. We stuck ’em in a box and just left ’em there for a while. They were aging like the honey. And we locked in the freshness. They were hermetically sealed. You move on to other things, you know? And then you go back and say, “Well, this was okay.”
O: It was kind of developing a reputation as the great lost Tom Waits album.
TW: I bought a copy of the bootleg on eBay. ‘Cause I didn’t know where those tapes were.
During this decade, Waits also released a non-Wilson collab album, the fabulous Mule Variations (1999). I think I learned my lesson while writing the last spotlight though, so I won’t attempt to summarize that album here too. However, I would say that Mule Variations/Black Rider/Alice is perhaps my favorite run in Waits’ discography, for whatever that’s worth. I will also not attempt to summarize the final few albums, i.e., Blood Money (2002), Real Gone (2004), Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards (2006), and Bad as Me (2011). Well, except for noting that Blood Money was actually released at the same time as Alice, and is also studio versions of songs that Waits and Brennan originally wrote for a Wilson musical (namely Woyzeck, which premiered in 2000), so let’s just say it’s Alice‘s fraternal (or conjoined?) twin.
That said, I did want to ramble on a tiny bit further here before logging off to finish the rest of our listening schedule1 for the week, because there’s some WONDERFUL rabbit holes to go down when looking at this partnership and period, particularly on Wilson’s side. In between Alice the opera and Alice the album, aside from the aforementioned Woyzeck, Wilson racked up a number of entries in his CV that blow my mind just thinking about them. For instance, in addition to a handful of new projects with Philip Glass (with whom, as mentioned last spotlight, he had collaborated with on the 1976 opera Einstein on the Beach), during this time Wilson also collaborated with Ryuichi Sakamoto in 1999 for a Lincoln Center Festival piece called The Days Before – Death Destruction & Detroit III, which riffed off of my favorite Umberto Eco novel, The Island of the Day Before. Also, he completed the third in the trilogy of his works performed by the German Thalia Theater company (the first two being Black Rider and Alice), the 1996 Time Rocker, the music for which was written by none other than Lou Reed. AND THEN, Wilson would collaborate again with Reed in 2000 on an Edgar Allan Poe musical called POEtry, which ran at BAM. Reed would go on to release a studio album based on the musical, The Raven (2003), which features Willem Dafoe, Laurie Anderson, ANOHNI, Steve Buscemi, Ornette Coleman, The Blind Boys of Alabama, David Bowie… Like, OMG, to have been in New York at that time!
Anyway, I hope you’ve enjoyed/are enjoying #TomWaitsAWeek, or at least can devote some time in the future to the three Waits albums we have on The List…and beyond. I myself haven’t yet finished going through Waits’ studio discography, and also now have some physical media to track down. Speaking of which, I’ll sign off with one last thing from that Onion interview quoted above:
Tom Waits: You know what I really love? The CD players in a car. How when you put the CD right up by the slot, it actually takes it out of your hand, like it’s hungry. It pulls it in, and you feel like it wants more silver discs. “More silver discs. Please.” I enjoy that.
The Onion: Do you have one in the Cadillac?
TW: No, I have a little band in there. It’s an old car, so I have a little old string band in the glove compartment. It’s grumpy.
1For those listening through the discography with us, Alice was part of yesterday’s listening schedule. Here’s what’s left on the docket for today: Friday – Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards, Bad as Me.
2Thanks to BramMeehan for this link!#1001OtherAlbums #2000s #AliceInWonderland #experimental #KathleenBrennan #LewisCarroll #ListenToThis #LouReed #music #musicDiscovery #musical #Musodon #RobertWilson #RyuichiSakamoto #TomWaits #TomWaitsAWeek
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Apparently it is #MadHatterDay , so a good excuse to remind folks that Gormenghast creator Mervyn Peake also did some splendid Alice in Wonderland illustrations
#books #livres #AliceInWonderland #MadHatter #MervynPeake #Illustrator #illustration #LewisCarroll #fantasy #Gormenghast #bookstodon
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Random conversation prompt for #Bookstodon : what authors have a range to their writing that gives you whiplash? Inspired by my 9yo daughter currently loving The Lotterys Plus One, a children's book by #EmmaDonoghue , who I knew about only for her definitely-not-a-children's-book Room. #LewisCarroll also seems like a good answer given his mix of logic monographs and the Alice stories; I suspect there are a few writers of academic backgrounds with incongruent bibliographies. @bookstodon
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Random conversation prompt for #Bookstodon : what authors have a range to their writing that gives you whiplash? Inspired by my 9yo daughter currently loving The Lotterys Plus One, a children's book by #EmmaDonoghue , who I knew about only for her definitely-not-a-children's-book Room. #LewisCarroll also seems like a good answer given his mix of logic monographs and the Alice stories; I suspect there are a few writers of academic backgrounds with incongruent bibliographies. @bookstodon
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Random conversation prompt for #Bookstodon : what authors have a range to their writing that gives you whiplash? Inspired by my 9yo daughter currently loving The Lotterys Plus One, a children's book by #EmmaDonoghue , who I knew about only for her definitely-not-a-children's-book Room. #LewisCarroll also seems like a good answer given his mix of logic monographs and the Alice stories; I suspect there are a few writers of academic backgrounds with incongruent bibliographies. @bookstodon
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Random conversation prompt for #Bookstodon : what authors have a range to their writing that gives you whiplash? Inspired by my 9yo daughter currently loving The Lotterys Plus One, a children's book by #EmmaDonoghue , who I knew about only for her definitely-not-a-children's-book Room. #LewisCarroll also seems like a good answer given his mix of logic monographs and the Alice stories; I suspect there are a few writers of academic backgrounds with incongruent bibliographies. @bookstodon
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Random conversation prompt for #Bookstodon : what authors have a range to their writing that gives you whiplash? Inspired by my 9yo daughter currently loving The Lotterys Plus One, a children's book by #EmmaDonoghue , who I knew about only for her definitely-not-a-children's-book Room. #LewisCarroll also seems like a good answer given his mix of logic monographs and the Alice stories; I suspect there are a few writers of academic backgrounds with incongruent bibliographies. @bookstodon
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Today on our podcast Re-Creative Mark A. Rayner and I talk to author Jenn Thorson about the classic children’s story, Alice in Wonderland.
We discuss the history of the Alice in Wonderland books and the impact they've had on our culture. It's a fascinating conversation about the nature of writing with a “dream-like” quality.
#aliceinwonderland #book #books #charlesdodgson #jennthorson #lewiscarroll #throughthelookingglass #podcast
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"If you drink much from a bottle marked 'poison,' it is almost certain to disagree with you, sooner or later."
- Lewis Carroll, 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland #WyrdWednesday
#AliceInWonderland #Alice #AlicesAdventuresInWonderland #LewisCarroll #Disney #DrinkMe
