Linkmania
Many of you (ok, all 3 of you who read this blog) have wondered what, if anything, makes the Angry Piper less angry? What tonic soothes the savage beast that is The AP? Well, aside from my favorite alcoholic beverage, Guinness (hail the almighty pint!), there are lots of things, believe it or don't. I will attempt to give an extensive list, in the hopes that some of you may explore these links and perhaps forge some common bonds betwixt thee and me. As always, comments are welcome.
MUSIC: In the words of Jesusman, "Now, I know what you're thinking..." You're thinking my name's the Angry Piper, the rootinest, tootinest, shootinest sumbitch this side of the Pecos, and I likes me pipe music. Well, you're right. But before you think it's all about strathspeys and piobroch (those of you who know what those are), look closer. My favorite bands include some of the best in Celtic fusion, meaning traditional mixed with what the Beastie Boys would call "Da New Style". Hard rock and some mean pipers DO a listening pleasure make. My favorite of these is Seven Nations , but some others include Gaelic Storm and The Glengarry Bhoys, both of whom put on a hell of a show. Check them out next time they're in your area-I dare you not to like them. If you like your bagpipes with a bit o'punk (and who doesn't?), you may think the Dropkick Murphys have the market cornered, but you'd be wrong. Check out The Real McKenzies and Mudmen, two Canadian Bands who don't make it down south of the border nearly enough. For pure bagpipe insanity, check out Neil Anderson, former piper of Seven Nations, aka the Antipypr.
As far as traditional pipers go, you can't, and I mean absolutely can not, get any better than uilleann piper Paddy Keenan, who is the best piper in the world, hands-down ( I have listened to every single piper in the world and therefore I am comfortable making that claim.) But seriously, I saw Paddy play once, and I found myself trying to think of another time I had been in the presence of someone who is a true master of his craft, and I came up with nada. Another incredible uilleann piper is Leonard Barry, who needs to put out another cd soon.
For highland pipes (which is what yours truly plays) I haven't found anyone better than Gordon Duncan, who of course doesn't have a website that I can find. Also check the aforementioned Neil Anderson. Scott Long, the current piper of Seven Nations is amazing-you can get his solo cd of the 7N website.
I don't ONLY listen to bagpipes. My favorite band of all time is The Police, so naturally I like Sting as well (and those of you who have been longtime readers of my blog know this). The best site I have ever seen dealing with The Police and Sting is truly a labor of love and a great friggin' site. You can find it here. Another favorite of mine, someone I'm kookoo for cocoa puffs about, is PJ Harvey. And lets not forget The Foo Fighters, who I personally think are one of the best bands EVER. I liked Soundgarden a lot, and I lament their demise, but Audioslave is pretty cool too. And speaking of a master of his craft, it doesn't get much better than the late great SRV. There's more, but my life isn't all music.
BOOKS: In fact, a good portion of my life is book-related. If I were to include links to all the authors I've read whose books I've enjoyed, this would be one long blog. So, on to what I consider to be the cream of the crop.
Shakespeare Online is a terrific site for all things Bardic and you can read everything he's written online. One of my favorite writers of all time is Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.; see my previous post on The Book That Changed My Life for reasons why. James Baldwin writes the kind of books that stay with you forever, whether you're black, white, gay or straight (or anything else, for that matter). For truly compelling writing, Ashley Warlick's first novel, The Distance From the Heart of Things, is a must-read. Gabriel Garcia-Marquez's 100 Years of Solitude deserves its golden reputation, and I'm waiting impatiently for the new Arturo Perez-Reverte novel, since all his others were so damn good.
In the categories of Science-Fiction/Fantasy, J.R.R. Tolkien is still the king. I'm a devotee of the cults of Robert Silverberg and Roger Zelazny as well. You can't beat Douglas Adams for unbridled hilarity. For other S-F icons, check out Frank Herbert and William Gibson. My favorite series in the S-F category is the Chung Kuo series by David Wingrove-truly amazing stuff, and yes, I like it better than Dune. For sword-and-sorcery, Robert E. Howard is still the top dog (and unlikely to fall), although Fritz Leiber is right up there with him.
Great Weird Tales writers include Edgar Allan Poe, Gerald Kersh, Joe R. Lansdale, Robert Bloch, and of course, H.P. Lovecraft, the fountain of all that is weird.
For Mysteries, I love the works of Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett, Max Allan Collins, and for sheer guilty pleasure, Mickey Spillane. Laura Joh Rowland and Ellis Peters write brilliant historical mysteries. More favorites: Donald E. Westlake, John D.MacDonald, Evan Hunter (aka Ed McBain) and Hugh B. Cave. And you don't get any greater than Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
Lastly (for now) there are those writers who defy all attempts to pigeonhole them. Here are three of my favorites: Harlan Ellison, Neil Gaiman, and Ray Bradbury. If I could write one fucking tenth as well as Ray Bradbury (or any of the above, for that matter), I'd change my name to The Happy Piper.
I buy lots of Used Books from Abebooks.
APPAREL: I got my plaid from Great Scot. For those hot days, I prefer my Utilikilt, Black Mocker Neo-Traditional if you're interested.
FUN STUFF: The Angry Piper likes his Playstation 2, and the best place to get cool info/reviews/cheats is Gamespy. I also like to play Warhammer, but I don't recommend getting into the hobby unless you have lots of time, and now, lots of money too. I don't play all that much anymore; for now I content myself with the occasional Heroclix game.
I used to be rather heavily into martial arts (in the years before I discovered Guinness) and still have a strong interest in them, notably Aikido and Capoeira, which is something I dearly wish I had started when I was young, rather than studying Tae Kwon Do for 6 years.
I live in New England, and I like to do my drinking at The Green Briar, where the live music on Sundays (Go Finbar!) is great. For more live Irish music in and around Boston, I always check The Celtic Arts Calendar.
Online, my life pretty much consists of this blog, eBay and Paypal, as well as many of the above links and occasional internet pornography. But when I'm not doing any of those things, I'm usually hanging out at Rubbersuit Studios, reading webcomics, or posting my two cents to Minimum Security. Sometimes I even take advice from Dr. R. Murk, and I've even been known to visit some friends, like the Angry Veteran (we're often angry together) and super-sexy Eve (whom I keep safe from Nantucket werewolves).
Enough Links? On with the comments!
MUSIC: In the words of Jesusman, "Now, I know what you're thinking..." You're thinking my name's the Angry Piper, the rootinest, tootinest, shootinest sumbitch this side of the Pecos, and I likes me pipe music. Well, you're right. But before you think it's all about strathspeys and piobroch (those of you who know what those are), look closer. My favorite bands include some of the best in Celtic fusion, meaning traditional mixed with what the Beastie Boys would call "Da New Style". Hard rock and some mean pipers DO a listening pleasure make. My favorite of these is Seven Nations , but some others include Gaelic Storm and The Glengarry Bhoys, both of whom put on a hell of a show. Check them out next time they're in your area-I dare you not to like them. If you like your bagpipes with a bit o'punk (and who doesn't?), you may think the Dropkick Murphys have the market cornered, but you'd be wrong. Check out The Real McKenzies and Mudmen, two Canadian Bands who don't make it down south of the border nearly enough. For pure bagpipe insanity, check out Neil Anderson, former piper of Seven Nations, aka the Antipypr.
As far as traditional pipers go, you can't, and I mean absolutely can not, get any better than uilleann piper Paddy Keenan, who is the best piper in the world, hands-down ( I have listened to every single piper in the world and therefore I am comfortable making that claim.) But seriously, I saw Paddy play once, and I found myself trying to think of another time I had been in the presence of someone who is a true master of his craft, and I came up with nada. Another incredible uilleann piper is Leonard Barry, who needs to put out another cd soon.
For highland pipes (which is what yours truly plays) I haven't found anyone better than Gordon Duncan, who of course doesn't have a website that I can find. Also check the aforementioned Neil Anderson. Scott Long, the current piper of Seven Nations is amazing-you can get his solo cd of the 7N website.
I don't ONLY listen to bagpipes. My favorite band of all time is The Police, so naturally I like Sting as well (and those of you who have been longtime readers of my blog know this). The best site I have ever seen dealing with The Police and Sting is truly a labor of love and a great friggin' site. You can find it here. Another favorite of mine, someone I'm kookoo for cocoa puffs about, is PJ Harvey. And lets not forget The Foo Fighters, who I personally think are one of the best bands EVER. I liked Soundgarden a lot, and I lament their demise, but Audioslave is pretty cool too. And speaking of a master of his craft, it doesn't get much better than the late great SRV. There's more, but my life isn't all music.
BOOKS: In fact, a good portion of my life is book-related. If I were to include links to all the authors I've read whose books I've enjoyed, this would be one long blog. So, on to what I consider to be the cream of the crop.
Shakespeare Online is a terrific site for all things Bardic and you can read everything he's written online. One of my favorite writers of all time is Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.; see my previous post on The Book That Changed My Life for reasons why. James Baldwin writes the kind of books that stay with you forever, whether you're black, white, gay or straight (or anything else, for that matter). For truly compelling writing, Ashley Warlick's first novel, The Distance From the Heart of Things, is a must-read. Gabriel Garcia-Marquez's 100 Years of Solitude deserves its golden reputation, and I'm waiting impatiently for the new Arturo Perez-Reverte novel, since all his others were so damn good.
In the categories of Science-Fiction/Fantasy, J.R.R. Tolkien is still the king. I'm a devotee of the cults of Robert Silverberg and Roger Zelazny as well. You can't beat Douglas Adams for unbridled hilarity. For other S-F icons, check out Frank Herbert and William Gibson. My favorite series in the S-F category is the Chung Kuo series by David Wingrove-truly amazing stuff, and yes, I like it better than Dune. For sword-and-sorcery, Robert E. Howard is still the top dog (and unlikely to fall), although Fritz Leiber is right up there with him.
Great Weird Tales writers include Edgar Allan Poe, Gerald Kersh, Joe R. Lansdale, Robert Bloch, and of course, H.P. Lovecraft, the fountain of all that is weird.
For Mysteries, I love the works of Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett, Max Allan Collins, and for sheer guilty pleasure, Mickey Spillane. Laura Joh Rowland and Ellis Peters write brilliant historical mysteries. More favorites: Donald E. Westlake, John D.MacDonald, Evan Hunter (aka Ed McBain) and Hugh B. Cave. And you don't get any greater than Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
Lastly (for now) there are those writers who defy all attempts to pigeonhole them. Here are three of my favorites: Harlan Ellison, Neil Gaiman, and Ray Bradbury. If I could write one fucking tenth as well as Ray Bradbury (or any of the above, for that matter), I'd change my name to The Happy Piper.
I buy lots of Used Books from Abebooks.
APPAREL: I got my plaid from Great Scot. For those hot days, I prefer my Utilikilt, Black Mocker Neo-Traditional if you're interested.
FUN STUFF: The Angry Piper likes his Playstation 2, and the best place to get cool info/reviews/cheats is Gamespy. I also like to play Warhammer, but I don't recommend getting into the hobby unless you have lots of time, and now, lots of money too. I don't play all that much anymore; for now I content myself with the occasional Heroclix game.
I used to be rather heavily into martial arts (in the years before I discovered Guinness) and still have a strong interest in them, notably Aikido and Capoeira, which is something I dearly wish I had started when I was young, rather than studying Tae Kwon Do for 6 years.
I live in New England, and I like to do my drinking at The Green Briar, where the live music on Sundays (Go Finbar!) is great. For more live Irish music in and around Boston, I always check The Celtic Arts Calendar.
Online, my life pretty much consists of this blog, eBay and Paypal, as well as many of the above links and occasional internet pornography. But when I'm not doing any of those things, I'm usually hanging out at Rubbersuit Studios, reading webcomics, or posting my two cents to Minimum Security. Sometimes I even take advice from Dr. R. Murk, and I've even been known to visit some friends, like the Angry Veteran (we're often angry together) and super-sexy Eve (whom I keep safe from Nantucket werewolves).
Enough Links? On with the comments!
posted by The Angry Piper at 10:30 PM
7 Comments:
I’m sorry Keith, but we (all 3 of us) have talked about this with each other and, really, we have all decided that we have nothing to say. I mean, other than the fact that you have no taste. And that you’re stinky.
Okay, maybe a little more;
You never visit me. I now what happened last time we were together, but I promise not to do that again, I was drunk, and angry.
You should add Edgar Rice Burrows to your reading list, it’s mandatory for any fan of pulp writing.
I recently picked up a couple of the newly released works of R.E. Howard’s manuscripts just as he wrote them (with some minor editing for typos.) This includes the Savage Tales of Solomon Kane, which has even some of his unfinished stories in it, though I haven’t gotten to any of them yet.
I have avoided getting a PS2 or any other game consol like it was a case of herpes. Because I know I would see it suck even more of my spare time away into the ether. I lose enough of my life to the internet, TV and reading bloggs of vapid content.
Burroughs is a staple of any Pulp reader. I didn't include him because his tales of John Carter and Tarzan are mostly out of print, although some can be found from Random House. They're also readily available on the used market in paperback from Del Rey. I've only read a few of the Carter tales(I think I read the first three based on the handy numbers on the covers), but they are Pulp in the extreme with lots of fighting, aliens and derring-do. I've never read any Tarzan tales.
They're re-releasing most of Howard's Weird Tales stuff...In addition to Solomon Kane and the complete Conan stories, Del Rey just released Howard's Bran Mak Morn tales. I'm awaiting his Kull and Sailor Steve Costigan (if they make them) anthologies with anticipation. Howard also wrote several short stories set in the Cthulhu Mythos of Lovecraft (The Gods of Bal-Sagoth being one of the best), and I'm hoping that they'll be released in a new anthology soon...until then you can get them in a trade by Chaosium entitled Nameless Cults, after the book by Von Junzt. (Robert Bloch's Cthulhu collection was called Mysteries of the Worm, after Ludvig Prinn's De Vermis Mysteriis. Heh.)
This is better than Hulka-Mania!
AP,
Thanks for the plug, pal, even though I certainly don't deserve it lately. For the three others reading this, please excuse my monthlong absence. The cross country move/starting new life is just about complete. The AV blog will have a new post tonight, featuring Cindy Sheehan, General Shinseki, and Mr. Miyagi. Yeah, you read it right.
AV
I've got a link for ya... it's my big fat sausage link!
What ya gonna do brotha's when linkamania runs wild on you?
OMG, your blog updates as often as your wardrobe. Just surprized that your black tee shirt didn't have a martial arts slogan or logo on it!
Side note, Robert Fletcher is scared.
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