Claptrap

the delightful "Severed Limb"
Originally uploaded by Panja

I just finished reading an excellent novel set on the waters of the Mississippi in 1857, filled with steamships, drawls, gamblers, whores, slaves and - believe it or not - vampires. I sometimes like to listen to music that enhances the mood of a book; it dawned on me last night at the Victoria pub that The Severed Limb go perfectly with this novel, Fevre Dream. Their self-described skiffle sound has that rockabilly mood of the south, even in their Johnny Cash covers. And they have skinny boys in black dancing to their tunes.

They were a great, little surprise, and I'm sure that their song "The Girl from Bethnal Green Road" only promises more chances to see them locally in the near future.

Afterwards, there was a burlesque performance and by that stage it dawned on my drunk mind that it was my first one too. Dance, tits, then a quick run to the ladies to put the clothes back on. The pub never got full - most people there seemed to be mates with the band or the staff - but there was a general air of friendliness that only encourages returns. (Yesterday was the first time I sat through a whole show at the Victoria.) Somebody must twist Zombina and the Skeletones arms until they agree to play there.

I also saw desayuno_ingles yesterday, who was in the neighbourhood to pick up her sowing maching at Sew Amazing. We took her to Broadway Market for some lunch and had a brief look at the new shop/gallery that opened on Mare Street: The Last Tuesday Society. One of the staff was one of those people that proclaim outloud "I wonder how I'll die. Probably from an overdose" and there was a gray parrot observing everyone quietly by the front door - not to be confused with the various stuffed animals about the place.

I spoke to my mom on the phone and it looks very likely we'll move to Brasil for six months at the end of the summer.

Blood Dreams

George R.R. Martin, Fevre Dream, 1982
Forget the Twilight Saga. Forget The Vampire Diaries. Forget the mediocre books by Charlaine Harris and the TV series, True Blood, spawned from them. What you really need is a trip back in time to 1857 with the help of George R.R. Martin; sail down the Mississippi in the legendary steamship Fevre Dream and feast your eyes on the world that briefly grew on the river’s banks. The Fevre Dream’s captain (and our hero) is a three-hundred pound man covered in hair and warts, famously known as the ugliest man alive. If you can overlook that, you might earn a loyal friend who will fight for you against any trouble along the way – especially if the trouble involves pale creatures that only come out at night and feast on human blood. Exactly those creatures you’ve found so lacking in modern vampire series.

Sure, there will be one or two bumps along the way – those rapids that jolt the reader and leave him queasy (in particular, a certain banquet scene on the Fevre Dream with a nasty surprise at its end). But as with any other sure-handed thriller or horror story, you know your destination will soon be in view and as you step on firm land you’ll carry the journey in your heart – for better or worse – as you walk away. And when you reach home, you’ll make sure the doors and windows are locked before you say a prayer and fall asleep on your pillow covering a double-barreled shotgun.