What's Making Me Happy Today: "Bright Star" by Anais Mitchell

[raven_cromwell]

Y'all! our new year is to be blessed with new offerings from the incomparable Anais Mitchell. I don't know if it's kindness or torture, releasing the title track so far from its debut on January 28th; all I know is its repetitions have backgrounded my morning, and will probably stretch into my evening.

Watch on YouTube

FUCK, just look at all that poetry, and those gorgeous guitar riffs.

Comments

[delphi]

Oh, this is wonderful.

[raven_cromwell]

Gaaah, isn't it?!

I gotta admit it made me smile double to see you enjoying the word-play, since I finally! figured out the word-play in your header text. I'd always assumed singing the body electric was a line from one of your fics, and rather set myself the task of figuring out which one.

Until I came across Andrea Gibson's I Sing The Body Electric; even when my power is out. And immediately got the most marvelous chills, because my GOD what a disability anthem--I'll freely admit I cried.

I'd come across it in the vaguery of tumblr, and couldn't entirely remember the title when I went looking for it again; but of course thanks to seeing it on your page so often, I remembered singing the body electric. Upon which I discovered that Gibson riffed off that magnificent queer icon Whitman himself. So, you, like the most delightful genius of word play ever! double-riffed on two queer icons holy shit! The care that went into that header text is awesome! (Ofc, I'm assuming that you knew about the Gibson poem; if you didn't, here's to unintended fucking double brilliance ;) And on the off-chance you didn't, I have to include a link, because it's thepiece of writing I'm most enamored of rn and I'll now smile even harder than I already do when seeing your icon.

[delphi]

I've read a little Andrea Gibson, but I hadn't come across that poem - thank you so much for bringing it into my life today! I have a feeling I'm going to be going down the rabbit hole with their poetry and recordings tonight.

And ha, you know, I occasionally think about changing that header. It was actually the name of my second or third website back in the day when doing things electronically was still novel enough to make a pun about it. But I'm still kind of fond of it, and anything similar I'd come up with now would probably be too niche to do double duty as a hat-tip and mission statement. I don't think I've ever quoted Whitman in a story outright, but I strongly suspect I slipped a few references into my teenage fic for the Magnificent 7 TV show, which would have been my main fandom back when I came up with the name.

[raven_cromwell]

Right back to you, re the thanks! I knew Gibson was a poet, but hadn't even an inkling of recordings until your casual mention. Whereupon I went looking and...fuck, I feel like I've been opened and cored and put back together. Her voice and delivery are just a masterwork in and of themselves; you know how much I love spoken-word anything and she is so exquisitely at the top of her game there are no words.

Right from that opening bit of Bullets and Windchimes, when she starts off with such a bang with "Heaven", you know you're in for the best rollercoaster. Was completely glued to my computer for an hour, and now totally intend to go in publication order and slowly savor every album.

[delphi]

Oh man, I'm so happy to have shared! Their spoken word work is excellent and some of the first I really got into way back in my student days.

[raven_cromwell]

I know Ivan Coyote is another fab one for you; anyone else immediately coming to mind? (I'm on a kick, now ;)

[delphi]

Alix Olson and Lauren Zuniga have a slightly different tone, but live in the same neighbourhood in my head! And S. Bear Bergman, but unfortunately it looks like most of his recordings from Butch Is a Noun disappeared after he transitioned, which I totally understand, but there were some great readings - and if you happen to find some he's still hosting anywhere, you might like them.

Also, entirely outside the queer commune and in the dark woods, but Tom Waits' spoken word works written by him and his partner Kathleen Brennan were my first real introduction to the form and formative listening on the artistic front - ones like First Kiss and What's He Building In There.

[raven_cromwell]

You are the literal best. Got assailed a day or two back with throat pain and hoarseness so severe I stomped my inner frugal into submission to beg the urgent care for relief, convinced it was strep. Apparently sounded fucking horrific, because poor nurse about cried when she told me it wasn't strep, and lungs were clear--which probably put bronchitis out, and she was baffled.

Finally caught a break when stepdad remembered he had some top-shelf cough syrup, which was about the only thing could kick Mom's chronic bronchitis; the kind that works fast and hard. And we decided, fuck it; can't make it any worse, and we'll be able to tell if it's working pretty quick.

Upon which we discovered that it hadn't gotten bad enough to flag anyone's attention, but sneaky little bastard had definitely settled in my chest, as I'm now hacking up what feels like the nile's worth of gunk.

All of which is to say you couldn't have dropped these at a better time. Now, the silver lining to this mess will be filling my ears with lovely words whenever I can stay awake. <33333333 you so much.