'The Endless Rave happens at the edge of Soho proper. Some people say the first humans to return to Bordertown decided to celebrate by dancing there, and the dancing has never stopped. The dancers come and go, of course, and so does the music: sometimes it's made by seedyboxes, and sometimes by B-town drummers gathered to jam, and sometimes by a dancer or two stamping a rhythm and humming a tune. No one knows how large the Endless Rave has been, but everyone swears there's always at least one kid dancing there.' -- Will Shetterly's Nevernever

29th of September, 2002

Jack here. Cat dropped into Tigh-a-Glas where the Green Man offices are located to say, 'I'm using the Endless Rave quote this week because I'm in the midst of a project for next October called, for now, the Endless Jam. Chris White named it. It will be held at the St. Lawrence Arts & Community Center here in Portland, Maine, and will be seventy-hours of non-stop music! Yes, either in the guise of concerts or less formal jammings, the music will not stop for the entire time. Medieval, Celtic, Jazz, Cowpunk, Post-Modern, Contradance, you name it, you'll hear it there. And yes, there'll be lots of room for dancing so make sure to bring your soft soled shoes along! I'll keep you informed as it unfolds as it should be an amazing experience!' And that was the last we saw of him as he muttered something about 'Mark Persky, smart fellow that he is, likes hurdy gurdy music...' and disappeared into the CD Library in search of bands that perform hurdy gurdy music. ... do I now hear the raucous sounds of Blowzabella's 'Between The Wars' drifting up the staircase? I didn't know we had a seelie box recording of that performance!

Now onto this edition... Merlin... Tolkien... Taliesin... Witches in New England... Even a smattering of other mythopoeic material... We've reviews of all of these this edition, and a whole lot more. If you read our Best of GMR issue last week, and I'll bet you did, you noticed that we get more than our fair share of what I'll call mythopoeic material, be it the latest Charles de Lint Newford collection (Tapping the Tree), Beowulf being read by Seamus Heaney, or even Tolkien's Legendarium: Essays on The History of Middle Earth, one of the many works of non-fiction that have wandered our way. I never cease to be amazed at what we get here at Green Man. And this edition has many new things that will tempt you to loosen your purse strings! Everything from a review of Inventing the Middle Ages to an in depth look at The Annotated Hobbit, and more than a few tasty Celtic CDs will be found here this outing.

Thanks go this outing to Stephen Hunt for editing the CD reviews; Maria 'Just a Bit Insane Right Now' Nutick for editing the film reviews, proofing everything, and writing the What's New commentary for film; and the rest of the editorial staff for doing their usual excellent job. And please welcome David Kidney on board as the new assistant Music Editor. He has both the knowledge of the music we cover, and the experience building relationships with labels as part of his work with RYLANDER. Stephen, our present assistant Music Editor, is becoming an Editor-at-Large who will be available as need be for interesting assignments!

In their heydey, American Westerns presented a larger than life projection of the aspirations of a people and a time. They were totems, expressing the characteristics that the dominant American tribe found desireable. As autobiography, they wrote America into its own legends and international perception as land of the cowboy. And those legends have interacted with the perception of American history and culture. The visual extension of the dime novel, they determined how the cattle rancher, the outlaw, the frontier lawman, the American Indian, would be perceived in the popular mind. Contemporary Westerns are dialogues with those perceptions - either as film nostalgia or as revision and redefinition. And these dialogues would appear in contemporary Americana and Country and Western music (eg. The Outlaws, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson), in contemporary Western novels (eg. those of Louis L'amour), in quasi-cowboy films (like Urban Cowboy), and in historical research.

David Kidney offers a galloping survey of Westerns in his Western Film Omnibus, which illuminates the icons, shows how transitions in American culture have influenced the Western, and even hints that today's 'cowboys' are the spies and 'special ops' which, similarly, offer us a pantheon for their myth and define American aspirations. David takes an Excellence in Writing Award for his superb essay.

 

Craig Clarke brings us an intriguing omnibus review about an American folk darling, Pretty Boy Floyd. What is it about flamboyant criminals that captures our imaginations so entirely? Craig's review compares two Floyd biographies, by Jeffery S. King and Michael Wallis respectively, with the novel Pretty Boy Floyd by Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana, to discuss this complex question.

Eric Eller offers an overview of '[a] book about scholars, but not solely for scholars,' Norman F. Cantor's Inventing the Middle Ages. As Eric says in his review, 'The evolving nature of 20th century learning changed attitudes and understanding about the Middle Ages considerably. Comparing the fiction of Lord Dunsany or William Morris to that of J.R.R. Tolkien or C.S. Lewis, though only a few decades separate their work, shows the dichotomy between the 19th and the 20th century conceptions of the Middle Ages.' Read the rest of Eric's review to see why he finds this book a "useful and entertaining resource."

Jack Merry went on a Tolkien bender this last week. What we get out of it are a brace of reviews, the first one of The Annotated Hobbit, the newly-released revised edition. Read Jack's loving and detailed review to see why any Tolkien lover must have this book in her or his collection. The second of Jack's Tolkien reviews is an omnibus review comparing and contrasting two reference books, Robert Foster's Tolkien's World from A to Z and J.E.A. Tyler's The Tolkien Companion. Jack says, 'I chose these two reference works because they are contrasting examples of one superb approach and one not-very-well-conceived approach, down to and including their respective titles.' Which is which? Can you guess? Read the review to find out! Our last review from Jack this week covers an anthology of Merlin stories, The Merlin Chronicles. With pieces from folks like Charles de Lint, William Morris and Robert Holdstock, this one is a must-read. 'Suffice it to say,' says our Merry Jack, 'that there's enough reading here for many a cold winter's night.'

Vonnie Carts-Powell takes an appreciative look at the Be Good Tanyas and their CD, Blue Horse. The Be Good Tanyas are a three women folk rock group that, according to our reviewer, have 'the sort of rawness that's been completely expunged from contemporary pop music.' Read her review to see if you agree.

Judith Gennett found a winner in the Finnish-American music that Les Ross Sr. plays on Hulivili Huuliharppu (Rollicking Harmonica. She notes, 'I've been told that Finnish-American music is insular. I've been told that Finns may not hug you when you arrive but that they won't talk about you when you leave either. In any event, Finnish-American music is not well publicized, but when you do find it, it is a joy and not all that 'different' and inaccessible to American tastes. This album in particular is skillfully made and on top of things, and especially warm and a lot of fun.' Christine Lavin's I Was In Love With A Difficult Man is a singer-songwriter CD that our reviewer had strong feelings about... Sort of. Now go read her review!

An odd CD in the form of Ellika & Solo's Tretakt Takissaba arrived at the mail room of Tigh-a-Glas a month or so ago. Why odd, you ask? Because it's a rare event when a recording of a Stockholm jam session between Ellika Frisell, a player of Swedish fiddle and viola in the Bingsjo and Orso traditions, and Solo, a storyteller and adept of the kora, (West African harp), wanders in to Green Man. Mike Stiles says it 'is a must for all who love unusual and rare fusions.' Mike also looks at Irish fiddler Cady Finlayson's Shines Like Silver: 'Cady does a perfectly acceptable job when playing with the more or less traditionally based ensemble on this CD. Personally, I've found that this CD also makes a great background for poetry readings! However, her forays into the world music scene demonstrate that with the right backing, she could easily rival the output of Riverdance alum Liz Knowles.' Sooeeee! Kevin Fowler's High on the Hog has, Mike says, one great song on it, but that's enough to make him recommend this CD for your listening pleasure. Read his review to see if you too will wallow in the mud over this song! Cat tells me that we got two copies of Llangres' Stura, so he kept the extra copy. Lucky bastard! As Mike says, 'Stura belongs in every Celtic CD collection. The music is first-rate and opens a window to one of Europe's oldest traditions. It's a significant step in a cultural movement to preserve and expand the heritage of the Asturian region. Although the CD is self-produced, the recording is of excellent quality, and the cover art rivals anything that the major labels have put out. Let's hope that Llangres get sufficient support from listeners like us to justify a world tour soon!'

Luke Holder's This Was A Giant was a treat for Wolf: 'Holder tells stories, and he lets them unfold slowly. His laid-back folk-pop sound is a great setting, and he makes these stories come alive effortlessly, weaving in and out of different subject matters to form a patchwork quilt that speaks to you, asks you to run your fingers along it's stitches, to find the pathway to the centre of it all so that the entire story, every single word of it, is understood by the heart as well as the mind.'

Peter Massey likes those CDs released on small, somewhat obscure labels, so Karen & Colin Thompson's Time and Tide CD appealed to him: 'Once again I find myself amazed by the standard and quality of real folk music to be found on independent releases and small labels. This album is a testament to the skill of working folk singers for researching and finding little known traditional ballads and poems and setting them to tasteful music.'

A well-deserved Excellence in Writing Award goes to Gary Whitehouse for his country music omnibus. It is, as Assistant Music Editor Stephen Hunt noted earlier this week at the editors weekly breakfast of fresh New York bagels, lox, cream cheese, and really strong coffee: 'full of knowledgeable praise, spiky criticism and genuine wit.' Gary also looks at four CDs (Radney Foster's Another Way to Go, Stewart MacDougall's Hearsay, Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash's Distance Between, and Paul Thorn's Mission Temple Fireworks Stand) of which he notes 'A lot of different styles get lumped together under the umbrella of alt-country. Here are four CDs that cover a wide range: Texas country-rock, mellow country-western, country-tinged roots rock, and southern-fried rockin' gospel soul.'

Maria Nutick, Assistant Video Editor, bringing you this week's assortment of comedy, tragedy, thrills, and romance -- and that's just from one of our fine reviewers this outing!

Craig Clarke has gone psycho! His omnibus this edition takes an in depth look at the life and times of the ever frightening yet strangely compelling Norman Bates. Craig covers Psycho, Psycho II, Psycho III, Psycho IV, the little known Bates Motel, and the 1998 Gus Van Sant remake of the classic Hitchcock film. Find out which film gives the Psycho phenomenon a shot in the arm and which one gives it a shot in the head in this terrific review.

Are you a hopeless romantic who believes in soulmates and destiny, or are you a pragmatic thinker who believes in logic and free will? In either case, Michelle Erica Green thinks you might enjoy Serendipity. Read her very perceptive review to find out why she says 'Anyone who's seen As You Like It or Much Ado About Nothing will be able to predict the twists' and why she still finds this movie to be 'an entertaining...magic carpet ride'.

Wolf hasn't gone psycho, but he may have gone a little nuts...in addition to his contributions to the Music and Book sections, he brings us 5(!) interesting and enjoyable film reviews. He discusses The Witches of Eastwick twice this edition -- read his scathing review of John Updike's novel, and then find out why he's probably watched the film version 30 times. Wolf explains why a 'one note movie' like Death Becomes Her can still, in his opinion, be an amazing film...and have you seen Lady in White? I haven't, but I'm certainly going to now that I've read this loving description of a film that 'makes you think a little bit longer on the life you choose to lead, and the life you may leave behind'. Wolf also brings us a pair of films that explore the struggle of African-Americans post-Reconstruction and during the early part of the 20th century: Beloved and The Color Purple. He calls Beloved 'a work of art', and says that The Color Purple is 'one of the greatest films ever made'. Go read them to find out what he means!

 

 

Now where was I? Ah, that was it... Her Greyness (the Walker) and Mia have taken the White Bull of Maeve by the horns and started to clean up our indexes. (Me? Help? No... They know better! Really.Truly.) Small matters got neglected over the summer as they sometimes do, and our review back in June of Charles de Lint's Waifs & Strays collection (still the only review online!) never got indexed. Well, it is now. And they're bringing order to myriad Macs and Mcs who have been runnin' wild in the performer indexes! When they're done, our indexes'll be even easier to use than before, and that's good news for you, our dear readers! Now s'cuse me while I serve them High Tea in the Cloisters, as they deserve pampering for undertaking this grueling task!

 

 

'Well, do you ever get the feeling that the story's too damn real, and in the present tense? Or that everybody's on the stage, and it seems like you're the only person sitting in the audience?' -- Jethro Tull's 'Skating Away On The Thin Ice Of The New Day'

    

 

Mabon, 23rd of September, 2002

I'm Jack Merry, your host for this edition. Welcome to Green Man, the choice of artisan bakers, dancers, poets, fromagers, editors, buskers, publicans, literary agents, publishers, musicians, fishmongers, and writers everywhere! Cat's off coordinating the concert preparations for the second night of our Mabon celebration; Excalibur Rising has been more fussy than usual in their tech needs. Hmmm... Anwir says I'm wrong -- apparently, he's actually off sampling the newly decanted cask of Brasserie Artisanale Du Tregor ale that a busker from France left here in exchange for access to our collection of fiddle tunes. T'was a fair exchange indeed, as it also included a performance by him (and other musicians in town for a meeting of The Buskers Guild) in the Great Hall that lasted most of the night. And he and the other buskers left with many a tune in their heads to keep them playing fresh material for years to come! Now excuse me for a few minutes while I go see how good this brew is... oh, certainly, do come along... Ahhh, most excellent! Shall I pour you a mug? Yes, 'tis indeed it a fine ale! Maggie, you imp of a corvid, mind your manners and keep out of his cider!

Now to the business at hand... Liath 'Leaf' o Laighin, our Librarian, and member in reasonably good standing of the Summer Court, tells me that her Court celebrates Mabon and the passing of Summertime by feasting, drinking, making music, and, most importantly, remembering what was good about the summer that's just passed. (Don't ask the Puck what he thinks worth remembering -- I don't want to know what that ever-so-creative trickster did.  I still remember his tale from the last end-of-the-summer gathering.) The editorial staff here at Green Man decided likewise, so this is a look at what they remember and think you, our dear readers, should know about. Our editors and assistant editors (Cat, Asher, Grey, Stephen, Mia, and Kim) have gone back into our archives of over six thousand reviews of videos, books, live performances, and recorded music to recall what's tickled their fancy. I think you'll find their choices to be well-worth the time it takes to read them!

(It is not so much that I'm not in good standing with the Court as that they do not wholly approve of my liaisons with human poets and musicians down the centuries. Will Yeats was never the same after I showed him what the Fey were really like.)

Kim's pleasure | Asher's pleasure | Cat's pleasure | Anwir's pleasure | Stephen's pleasure | Mia's pleasure | Grey's pleasure

 

Kim Bates leads off this issue:

By Mabon everything in my part of the world is straining under the load of creativity. The grapes and apples have long gone to the raccoons (we have 50 per square kilometer here in our city of 4.5 million), and the squirrels keep sampling my zucchini to see if they like it any better this time around. They don't. Did I mention that I have the most beautiful zucchini plant in the world? It's almost tropical with its lush, mysterious dark green leaves with grey accents, covering about two meters in diameter. And the tomatoes, well; with their vivid red flesh and sensuous texture, they boast flavours that commercial substitutes can't even dream of producing.

It's been a fine season even with the drought, but there's a sense of desperation in my garden and along the river where I walk daily with my blonde sidekick, Sylvie the scruffy dog. A tinge of red in the sumac, a bit of rust on the squash vines, some toughness in the basil leaves all whisper what we know in our bones: the days are getting shorter and the end is in sight. Now is truly the time to pause and savour what this season has produced, while everything rooted in the soil strains to produce one more fruit, another new branch, a few more flowers.

Like my garden, Green Man Review has grown and flourished over this season. It is truly a privilege to work with some of the most interesting and knowledgeable writers around. All have brought a sense of passion, a love for the various traditions that Green Man Review covers, and the odd hybrids and mutations that grow out of the roots and branches of folklore and music.

Unlike my garden, our bounty will go on well past the first hard frost, and we can ignore the desperation of the waning light, instead looking forward to our Midwinter celebrations. And, for our staffers living on the other side of the globe, this season brings the renewal of light and the promise of new growth. So, here at Mabon, I've decided to honour all of the writers who have contributed music reviews since Midsummer. After poring over What's New, I've selected one review from each staffer, both old and new.

What's special about each of these reviews? For starters, all of these folks found something to love in these selections, and if you've read any of their negative reviews, you'll realize most are not easily swayed by anything less than excellence. But these are not the paroxysms of overblown enthusiasm you'll find on fan sites or listservs: our folks know their stuff! Here at Green Man Review we value the knowledge that resides in our reviewers. They show us new facets of the traditions they cover, and we believe it when they tell us why new albums blending ancient and post-modern deserve a second look. Readers also know that each and every one can build a solid case for why some discs end up as coasters. But as we're celebrating Mabon, I thought we could celebrate some great music as well.

Read on for a look at our fine collection of writers, listed in alphabetical order.

John Benninghouse contributed a review of an album from 1971 by Hound Dog Taylor and the Houserockers. These blues were hot then, and they're hot now. As we said in What's New: 'His Excellence in Writing Award winning review is as good as cold beer on a hot afternoon, ham hocks and turnip greens, and smoky blues wailing away late at night.' Is the irrepressible Asher Black in love? Our What's New writer was convinced: 'You'd think so, to read the way he caressingly describes Niamh Parsons' album Heart's Desire. Nothing gets Asher excited like Niamh Parsons -- although we eagerly await his upcoming reviews to see which other artist may light his lucky, er... so to speak. Jayme Lynn Blaschke contributed a fine review of one of his favorite artists, Smithfield Fair, and this CD, Jacobites By Name did not fail to disappoint. Which song seems to borrow a melody from the 'Heffalumps and Woozles' song from Disney's 'Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day'? Read the review to find out! Jennifer Byrne found a gem in Ronan O Snodaigh's album Tip Toe. I've been repeatedly amazed by Kila's frontman, and Jennifer's review eloquently tells us why it's worth checking out.

Craig Clarke links Beck's CD Mutations to the roots and branches of folk -- and he goes on to explain how Beck's need to produce non-commercial music resulted in a commercial success! Richard Condon was delighted by Quebec's Celtic group Athanor, and he does a masterful job of something very difficult for our reviewers: he deftly communicates a real sense of this instrumental album. With so many instrumental efforts by fine Celtic musicians crossing the Green Man Review desk, it's important to have reviewers who can not only give us a feel for the album, but communicate some of the technical reasons that a CD rises above the rest of the pack. Bravo Richard!

Eric Eller brings us vivid glimpse into the world of contemporary Italian folk music with his review of Lucilla Galeazzi's Lunario and Radicanto's Terra Arsa. As he writes, 'Understanding a singer's language is not necessary to appreciate good music. A great album stands on its own regardless of the listener's linguistic ability. Strong, moving singing can tap into the listener's heart through any language barriers. By capturing the listener's hearts, traditional musicians can sustain their native musical styles through audiences outside of their homelands.'

Andrea Garrett perservered with The Blackbirds' The Earth and Gravel, and was charmed by the combination of Welsh and Irish tunes by this Minnesota trio. Read her review to find out why this CD was worth a few spins before writing. Judith Gennett was also seduced by Tony McManus's new CD Ceol More. This disc of gentle guitar music didn't hit her until she was playing it at night, while driving along the Columbia River Gorge in Oregon. I've driven along much of the Columbia River myself, and I can testify that the scenery is magical. I've also had the chance to hear this disc in less enchanting surroundings and I have to agree that this is a beguiling and subtle album from one of Scotland's finest guitar players. But don't take my word for it, read Judith's review. Michelle Erica Green provides us with a great overview of Beth Nielsen Chapman's solo career in her omnibus review. Chapman's songs have been snapped up by a variety of popular artists -- read Michelle's thorough and interesting review to find out why you might want to check out the original. As you may have noticed, here at Green Man, we don't just give albums a casual spin and churn out a review. Robert Gould initially thought Jack Beck's CD Oh lassie lassie, was 'everything I thought I was not into,' with its traditional take on Scottish music. Much to his amazement, he liked it -- although he usually goes for rocked-up hybrids of traditional music. Read his review to find out why.

Tim Hoke is another reviewer who really knows how to convey the sense of an album, and he enjoyed the soothing tones of John McCormick's CDs Western Island and Between Our Hearts. Stephen Hunt truly amazed me with his take on one of my favorite groups, The Waterboys! We both agree that Mike Scott is a fellow traveller, and have followed his many journeys through his music -- from Manhattan's East Village, to the west of Ireland, to Scotland's Findhorn community. Stephen's essay shows remarkable perspective on a remarkable musician.

Speaking of remarkable, Michael Jones was up to his usual entertaining standard with his review of the Flash Girls' CD, The Return of Pansy Smith and Violet Jones. Who are the Flash Girls? You've read about them in other guises here at Green Man Review -- read Michael's review to discover their other talents.

Joe Karrman's debut was a fine beginning, and another trip down memory lane to an influential folk rock band from the 1970s. Read his review to find out why many of our favorite folk rock bands drawing on Celtic traditions build on Horslips -- Happy to Meet, Sorry to Part. David Kidney consistently amazes me with both his knowledge and his enthusiasm for roots music on both sides of the pond. In this entertaining review of Dave Alvin & the Guilty Men, he tells us what some ex-Blasters are up to these days with their CD Out in California.

Sean Laffey is new to Green Man Review but not to Irish music! His review of Clannad career retrospective CD, A Magical Gathering The Clannad Anthology provides a grand look at this influential group of traditional musicians who became avatars of the New Age. Reading his review brought me back to the mid 1980s when I thought I was going to hear a traditional group, and instead was a bit shocked to hear the band's new, ethereal direction. Are these the selections you would have made from Clannad's repertoire? And which GMR staffer compiled this album? It's all in the review!

Chuck Lipsig has been attacking his writing career with a vengeance, so I was thrilled when I received his review of three CDs from Greenwood (Greenleaf Fancy, Windy and Warm, and The Cottage Door). Read his review to find out why I'm always happy to get his perspective on Celtic music.

Iain Mac Harg is a piper, and the perfect reviewer for a labour of love that is sure to be valued by pipers everywhere. This series, Masters of Piobaireachd Volume Four, brings the knowledge and the wisdom of piping teachers to those who are not blessed with being in the right place (Scotland) at the right time (when these folks are teaching). Read Iain's review to find out why those playing the pipes should check out this CD featuring Robert Brown & Robert Nicol. What an undertaking! Peter Massey shows us the ins and outs, the ups and downs, the career changes, the life changes, practically everything one might want to know about a folk music icon, Steeleye Span; 20 studio albums are reviewed here -- a great resource for those who may not have lived through this era, and a thought provoking treatment for the experts. Jack Merry is an epicurian to the core. He likes his stout, his cheese, his coffee, and his dance music. Read his entertaining review to find out why the finer things in life are worth it -- including this collection of dance CDs.

No'am Newman has a new tag for his byline: 'I may not like folk music now, but I liked it 30 years ago.' No'am wins the Curmudgeon Award in my book because he always entertains us with his no holds barred approach! Yet, despite his disclaimer, he actually did like Maggie MacInnes' Spiorad Beatha (The Spirit Of Life). It's all in the review! As we wrote in What's New, Lars Nilsson was happy to get a reissue of an influential folk rock band: 'I liked the Easy Club very much when they first appeared and I must say that their music has aged very well, just like a vintage wine. For those of you who like groups taking the tradition further Chance or Design is a must.' Maria Nutick offered us a unique spin on two CDs by an unlikely hybrid: Apocalyptica. Their Apocalyptica Plays Metallica By Four Cellos and Inquisition Symphony bring the imagery of heavy metal into the medieval world, preserving its dark tone. This music conjured up images of 'dark porter and absinthe and kohl-eyed velvet-cloaked sorceresses.' Is the music as interesting as the review? That would be a feat!

Patrick O'Donnell also enjoyed an unusual musical blend with his review of Patrick Bouffard's Roots 'n' Roll. As he tells it, this is weird and magical from the first track: 'El rey del sallo con pertiga,' opens with a fade-in to a psychedelic-sounding hurdy gurdy that explodes into a heavy acoustic-rock guitar riff. The hurdy gurdy reappears and disappears throughout, like a small child jumping up and down to get your attention. It all adds up to a bizarre, yet likable, mix.' John O'Regan, another reviewer new to GMR, also brings a wealth of knowledge to our staff. He has even been likened to a certain encyclopedic Irish sportscaster, in a review no less! One of his first reviews was of a duo from my home town, The Irish Brigade's Live at the Half Time Rec. Reading his review took me back to my home town, and I look forward to future journeys via his reviews.

Steve Power also joined us this season, contributing a great review of Breda Smyth's Basil and Thyme. As he says in his review: 'The girl from Mayo did good. Basil & Thyme is a grower. Plant it firmly in your CD collection.' We love those horticultural references here at GMR, almost as much as references to Dragon Breath Stout!

Big Earl Sellar is another reviewer who never ceases to amaze me with his musical acumen. Not only is he occasionally hilarious, he is always informative. He doesn't suffer fools gladly, and he always knows why an album or a collection merits attention. His review of 3 CDs by Ensemble Tumbash reveals not only the breadth but also the depth of his knowledge of world music. But he says it better himself: 'My fascination with the music of Central Asia has been ongoing for almost a decade now. In a world of World releases, the very divergent sounds of this section of the planet sound to me like a musical bridge between East and West, where Asian sounds meet those of Celtic and various Arabic forms. These discs by the Ensemble Tumbash present another facet of the myriad of musical idioms in the lands commonly referred to in the West as Mongolia.' Just remember, he's an old punk, not an old hippie. Pat Simmonds also brings a wealth of knowledge of Irish music to his reviews. His review of Liz Doherty's Quare Imagination sets us straight on why this fiddler and university professor brings down the house wherever she goes. Pat's knowledge of musicians playing Irish music, as well as the roots and branches of these traditions all over the word, is phenomenal, and he always manages to bring us into the know in his no-nonsense reviews. Mike Stiles is in the house! Again! And that makes me happy. One of his first reviews after rejoining GMR was of two CDs by the Trailer Park Rangers: Lullabies of All This Mess and Everyone's a Winner. Here's a sample of his passionate review: 'While the mainstream US music scene limps blandly through its sheltered adolescence, the Trailer Park Rangers are running full throttle out at the frontier. They kick up more home-grown American musical wit in one song than most alt-country bands do in an entire CD.'

Grey Walker is not just about books. Oh no. She also has a taste for the wonderful and unusual in music. This time she wrote an omnibus review of a troupe that defies categorization and always manages to amaze. Will Cirque du Soleil's CDs hold a candle to their live performances? Read her review to find out. Chris White gives us glimpse into another unusual world. Why did Bob Frank create a CD of the medieval poetry dealing with Robin Hood entitled A Little Gest of Robin Hood? Here's what he says: 'On his Web site folk performer and recording artist Bob Frank includes a description that says, 'Talk about elusive. Bob Frank is so invisible, when he looks in the mirror, he thinks they woke up the wrong guy.' The visible tip of the iceberg of Frank's career was a eponymously titled, long out-of-print, Vanguard recording. Frank's recent release A Little Gest of Robin Hood is in sub-sub-genre so obscure that it will do little to alter Bob Frank's visibility... except among students of medieval English literature and those with a serious passion for all things Robin Hood.' Yes folks, we get it all here at GMR! Gary Whitehouse did a splendid job of tying three Rough Guides together, from 3 mountainous regions separated by culture, continent and tradition: Himalayas, Alps, and Appalachians. There are few writers who could manage such a feat with grace, yet still manage to convey a solid assessment of these collections. As he says, ''High lonesome' is a term coined to describe the bluegrass sound popularised by Bill Monroe, but it aptly describes the outlook of anyone who lives in the mountains. At first glance, the music of the Himalayas, Alps and Appalachians might seem about as different as any three different types of music in the world. And it is, on the surface. But when you dig beneath that surface, you'll find some remarkable similarities. They're mostly found in the spirit that drives the people who make this music.' Chris Woods is another writer with a breadth and depth of knowledge of traditional music -- this time of the English Folk traditions. Heart of England, Volume Two, is a labour of love for both Chris and the folks who raised money for the Teenage Cancer trust -- and produced some fine music to boot. Wolf did a fantastic job with a CD that charmed him as listener and frustrated him as a reviewer: Alva's Love Burns in Me. Why the frustration? All great reviewers like to do a little intel on a new group -- especially one that inspires, but there's almost nothing available on the Web about this CD of medieval love songs sung entirely in the languages of the period. As Wolf explains 'With the translations provided the listener can follow along, but the music is beautiful on its own. The songs lose none of their power by being in archaic languages; in fact, they seem to gain power by having the words submerged in enigma.'

 

Asher Black, at your service.

I've been thinking about our omnis. I like omnibuses of a single artist, because they have the advantages of placing work in the context of the artist's larger vision, of showing the integrity or disintegration of the artist's soul, and of illustrating the progression of or distraction from the artist's craft. I like omnibuses of a single theme (tying together the work of various artists), because I think that part of the brilliance of folk art (whether in song, film, or story) is its capacity to follow a theme, as a tributary, to its poetic source -- the source which is the secret of its timelessness -- that which makes the old myths, fairy tales, lore, and legend ever-present with us... whether it is expressed as the agony of a soldier's lover or the gods coming down for dinner.

Perhaps it's possible to give a more detailed treatment of a single work by itself, but I'm not sure that reviews which treat a single work, but don't do the other things I've mentioned, are necessarily more detailed at all. I think a review is perhaps more detailed when it draws together the vision of a single artist or the shared theme of myriad artists and shows, by its very form, the relations of individual voices to the universal cries down through the ages, the continuity of antiquity and the presumably modern, the intersection of the individual and the community, the familiarity of the young artist with a later, older self.

An omnibus like that is an essay in the folk process without the need to be merely distant and academic. And when the writer is looking consciously at this process without failing to be confronted with the individual works of art at hand, then the omnibus takes on a kind of brilliance, and shines out in the reviewer's craft as a dialogue not only with the artist or the work, but within the tradition, a part of the folk conversation as surely as are those who clap and hum along at a sessuin. It is not merely a spectator in the outer orbit of an event.

Among our truly amazing collection of thoughtful and delightful omnibuses, I found Lahri Bond describing the qualities of a singer's instrument so well in his June Tabor Omnibus, and his prose such an epicurean feast, that I had to include it as a primary course at our Mabon table. It's a long one, too, and could easily be the equivalent of several reviews. I like them on the longish side. As with films, I think... if it's good, why wouldn't you want it to go on a while, take your time, and savor it with delicate concentration? Lahri's no blurbster. This is exquisite writing that makes one want to say, 'don't stop.'

And then, too, we have Michelle Erica Green's Baseball Film Omnibus. What does it have to do with folkore? Everything. I would say that fine ideas like this don't come along every day, but at GMR they actually do. Michelle's work is typical of the projects our talented staff take on routinely, sometimes crunching on them for a while with the back molars of their minds, and sometimes throwing them out in overnight fits of ingenuity and mania. You'll have to ask Michelle which it is, in this case, but her omni has those qualities I mentioned. Sure, she could just do ordinary reviews of each film, but Michelle has a point to make that can only be made by showing the relationships between the work of different artists handling a common theme. And the point is a brilliant one. Being partial to historiography, I loved her Amelia Earhart Omnibus also. She doesn't just make the usual, obligatory 'tragic heroine' references and try to pass them off as thought. She illustrates how we may perceive a person a certain way because of art, and doesn't preach us into settling for merely one or the other. It's a perfect example of what an omnibus can do.

Jack Merry solves the dilemma of what to do with a library of musiclore books, in his Musiclore Omni. It's one thing to read a lot of books and catalog them in the mind by author, year, number of illustrations... It's another thing entirely to think through them... assembling their details into a relational set of abstractions, so as to become conversant in both. Jack's review is monstrously successful in doing just that; it's a virtual essay on how to distill a pile of books, all competing for attention, all with fancy blurbs, into something like a concise study of theme punctuated by anecdotes so cleverly arranged that it's like having the authors all gathered round one's armchair for one of those smoky late night chats I remember from university, listening to and holding forth with comrades of art and mind. 'Fascinating' would be an understatement. This is, to paraphrase Holmes, a 'three-pipe read,' and I'm about to rub out a bit of flake for my briar, just thinking about it.

New words for garbage... That's what Maria Nutick wants to bestow upon the sequel in her omnibus pair review of Heavy Metal and Heavy Metal 2000. How about excremation? But she likes the original flick because it's tawdry, camp, and cultish... in an 'impossibly large-breasted' sort of way. And I like her omni, because if you've ever felt that something decent...well, maybe not decent... but with potential... was betrayed by an artist's later work or, as in this case, by a Terry Brooks... I mean... a sleazy hack pornographer of the art equals nudie ashtrays variety, how else are you going to say it without placing the moral forgery in the context of the original spark of humanity? It's easy to just trash something, severity for the sake of severity, bitchy-ness as an end in itself, but Maria takes the more difficult and courageous road of... contemplation. And the fact that she doesn't take potshots is why I'll probably erase that bit about Terry Brooks. Mia sets a good example. Of course... there needs to be someone we can point at and say, 'Don't be like that person. Don't be like Asher!' So maybe I won't erase it. I'm a very bad man. Maria, though, is sooo good, and so is her review. That's why I like Kimberlee Rettberg's handling of Beowulf so much... She doesn't whine 'The film is not like the book!' She looks at how a modern retelling can risk betraying everything that's universal and important about folklore, not joining the process by retelling so much as repudiating it... untelling, if you will. Excellent treatment.

And then there's the master of comprehension and condensation. That would be our very own Penguin... Michael M. Jones. I've selected his Peregrine's Perogative (yep, it's a column rather than a review, so note the difference in style). If you want it shorthand, off the cuff, and with a double espresso before rushing out into the corporate anti-folk malaise, trailing traffic jams and security checks, you'll be wanting this old Took. A little Green Man over one of those power-bar lunches that we used to call 'breaks' is just the kind of nourishment one needs to face the cubicle again with a sense that somewhere life still exists. Let the mind waddle around a bit and get comfy, before going to that degenerate meeting on how you're one with everyone else in the company (instead of just cogs in a money machine for the stockholders). Peregrine. Consider it therapy. Hell, hit print and paper the walls of the employee lounge with it! Some poor book-starved soul will be grateful.

Now it's not just omnis that turn me on. Robert Wiersema's review of The Matrix is an anthem. It's Robert's first review for us. He looked at what we do around here, took a good look, and summed it up in one stone cold killer of a piece. It's bulked up. It's tough. I hide my own reviews behind it when they're afraid. Then, when I need break from matrix-like consensual reality, something a little different, I go see what Rachel Brown is reviewing... like Bride With White Hair. Rachel is superb at offering up an oasis... tempting us with a break from the desert of formula films. She tells us, short and sweet, what's different, what's unusual and, frankly, what's interesting.

Grey Walker's attendance at opening night of a film-event, The Lord of the Rings, has all the character of a live performance review, capturing the excitement and shortness of breath common among those who've waited for this for years... for the intersection of our beloved story with technology in the hands of someone driven by sincerity and integrity, unafraid to add a voice and yet not envious enough to mute the original song. Grey's review answers all the permutations of the question...'Is it what we hoped?' What Grey's review indicates clearly is personal involvement with the art. And she'd write a negative review the same way. Is it relevant that a reviewer 'clenched her fists' at a certain point? Absolutely! And self-awareness adds to rather than detracts from a review. A reviewer should let the art affect her. Our physical, visceral responses are as telling as our thoughts. Thankfully, Grey doesn't hold back in her exquisite review.

Likewise, Stephen Hunt, our Assistant Music Editor, in his review of Gosport 2002, transmitted something absolutely essential in a live performance review... a sense of presence... of being there. His narrative shows the symbiotic relationship of folk art with folk event. Stephen is the kind of person who'll travel to festivals so he can review them, and bring back with him more proof that you never step into the same gig twice... His Gosport review captures what's unique about a music festival without sacrificing what's fascinating and substantial for those of us who didn't go this time. I can just about hear the sound system and the crowd when he writes, and the anecdotes feel like walking around at the thing.

Same deal here: What I like about Music Editor Kim Bates' interview with the Bogles is that she doesn't vacuum clean everything that's raw or peel away everything scabby about the dialogue. She sits us down with the artists not on some antiseptic photo set that looks like it has edge but is really a collection of props... She points to a couple of weathered couches, lets you get your own beer, and invites you to stay for the conversation.

Grey must have a master's wheel of book reviewing. Someplace where the latter is akin to Spanish fencing. She spins out rapier sharp reviews with striking economy of movement, tantalizing and drawing her reader into the circle of her perception. So when she reviewed Chretien de Troyes' Arthurian Romances it was sure to be an alluring read. It is, and you should. Master Reviewer Michael Jones' review of A Kiss of Shadows succeeds in simultaneously summarizing the urban fairy tale as a genre along with a particular instance of it. In his review, context and content are the same. Once again... economy of motion.

Asher, too, writes reviews as well as blurbing them. And sometimes when I write, I think 'Damn, I'm good!' So here's a couple of my own... The Adventures of Tom Bombadil ('twas my audition review) and Bloodtide. I like the Bombadil review because it was written as a ruthlessly thorough answer to an argument (whether Tom is Tolkien's great failure, or a meta-example of his genius), and because it concentrates on theme. I like the Bloodtide review because I think it's defining a particular reviewing style: a primary concentration on theme (and considering a work in light of its treatment of universal themes, like love, death, sex, and evil) ... wed to detail, personality, and ornamentation. I think, too, that a fairminded reviewer must be able to love or hate a work and remain critical... intimate and analytical, the whole soul personally engaging the art, with openness and a fencing foil... both at once. To the degree my attempts at this have been successful, I'm pleased with the work.

 

Cat Eldridge has a dilemma.  How to list but a few superb reviews worth reading again?  His answer: 'With great difficulty.'

However (he goes on),  I can pick reviews that clearly impress me now even more than they did they were first published. Jo Morrison's review of Jane Yolen's The Wild Hunt is a cool look at a truly unique novel, and one should pair it with Grey Walker's superb introduction to Jennifer Stevenson's short story, 'The Solstice'.  Grey's review of Charles de Lint 's The Wild Wood is also so good that I want to read it now. Rowan Inish's detailed review of Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere not only makes me want to re-read this novel of magic realism, but brings London Below to life! Slipping into historical fiction, Jack Merry's overview of four works centering on Robin Hood and his myth are a great introduction to that genre of fiction. My review of George R.R. Martin's The Armageddon Rag captures the feel of that rock 'n' roll as apocalypse novel. On a lighter note, Michael M. Jones' omnibus review of J.K Rowling's Harry Potter books is, to my thinking, the definitive look at that series. On the non-fiction side, Chris Woods' insightful look at Clinton Heylin's No More Sad Refrains: The Life and Times of Sandy Denny  gives us a nice feel for the musician herself. Food and the magical aspects of it are what Stephen Hunt found in Cait Johnson's Witch in the Kitchen - Magical Cooking for All Seasons, a tasty treat for all of us! A truly great reference work, Medieval Folklore, is given a superb review by Kim Bates, as is  Donna R.White's A Century of Welsh Myth in Children's Literature. And Michael Jones gets the last word in this section with his enthusiatic review of Emma Bull's The War for the Oaks, in which he brings that novel of the Fey Courts alive for the reader.

Music reviews are even more difficult than book reviews when I try to single out but a select few! The single best review I've ever read anywhere is Michael Jones' review of Heather Alexander's three Celtic CDs (Wanderlust, Life's Flame, and Midsummer), which makes me ache to hear her play live! Now, Maria Nutick's review of Apocalyptica's Apocalyptic Plays Metallica By Four Cellos and Inquisition Symphony didn't make me want to hear them, but I was reminded of what the music of The Winter Court must be like... Brrrr! An absolutely perfect reason to do omnibus reviews is exemplified by Lars Nilsson's look at the nearly two dozen CDs in the Swedish Folk Music series. It'd be damn silly to have them as separate reviews! Same applies to the CDs covered in Jack Merry's A Celtic Music Feast, where each CD is given its due within the context of his tale-telling. Not that Jack can't give a CD his undivided attention -- just read his review of MacKeel's Plaid to see him do so! And I would be remiss not to admit that I love a truly thorough trashing of a bad CD -- which is why Big Earl Sellar's thumbs down review of Randy Armstrong's Dinner On The Diner wraps up this section.

We do a lot of live performance reviews, far more than anyone else. And some make me curse for not seeing that show, damn it! I'll single out three that really caught the feel of the performance for me: Fairport Convention: A Classic Evening, The Mill, Banbury, England (reviewed by Chris Wood), Lunasa at the Majestic Theater, Corvallis, Oregon (reviewed by Gary Whitehouse), and Oysterband, Leadmill in Sheffield, UK.  Yvonne Carts-Powell's review truly gives me the feeling that I was there.

For film and video, David Kidney's twofer of The Three Musketeers and The Four Musketeers is on my list of great reviews, as well as Richard E. Dansky's overview of The Lion in Winter and Jack Merry's detailed examination of Robin Hood and Robin of Sherwood -- not to mention Asher Black's truly stunning review of Brotherhood of the Wolf / Le Pacte Des Loups! Need I even say that Michael Jones' review of The War for The Oaks trailer has a special fondness for me? I think not!

 

 

Anwir ap Evnessyen offers us his views:

During my tenure as liaison to Green Man from the Winter Court, I've had the opportunity to explore the archives with cousin Liath. How delightful it has been to read such witty and educated prose! Sir Cat has asked me to mention a few of my favorites. 'Tis my honor and privilege, of course.

So much of the material reviewed by Green Man deals with my People in some way. Fortunately, many of the reviewers here are quite familiar with my Folk, and so are able to provide an educated viewpoint in reviewing such work. As I hail originally from the land you now call Wales, I was particularly delighted to read Kimberly Bates' fine and comprehensive review of an omnibus of Welsh literature. Another such superb review came from Jack Merry and deals with Celtic folklore.

Now, few members of the Court are fond of Lady Cottington and her habit of collecting Fey folk for study, but Michael Jones was still able to provide a brilliant review of her Pressed Fairy materials. And your Rowan Inish writes marvelously about various sea monster tales. Even my own pet kraken Gwithir was amused when I read it to him one eve.

Oh, and I should mention that I was particularly taken with Donna Bird's well done review of Age of Homespun. I had read this work whilst involved in some of my research on mortalkind, and was delighted to find that she had provided such an intelligent and well written review.

Naturally, music is quite important to my Folk. Few magazines that I've seen in my wanderings amongst mortals can provide the sort of reviewing prowess that is available here. Chuck Lipsig's omnibus Boiled in Lead review and Stephen Hunt's terribly thorough look at the Waterboys spring immediately to mind. I am also quite fond of Judith Gennett, and her musings on Yid Vicious are such a treat.

As it happens, I was visiting the Northwest Folklife Festival earlier this year, and Gary Whitehouse has a nearly flawless review here. I was also quite impressed by Mattie Lennon's explanation of the Irish Rambling House, as I've spent more than a few nights in Ireland at these sorts of gathering places. I am fond of mortal music festivals, though of course lodging is never a problem for my People. But Richard Hamilton's Festival Camping essay could be quite useful for mortals planning a trip to such an event.

I must admit, films have never been a mortal medium I've enjoyed. I much prefer to mingle with your sort at a play or a concert. Still, I've seen a few films in my time and find that Green Man reviewers are quite skilled at dissecting this form of entertainment. Maria Nutick provides quite my favorite perspective of The Wicker Man, and Asher Black (how I love that name) has a fascinating review of one of your mortal fantasies about dear Jeanne D'Arc (nice girl, but so gullible), The Messenger. Of course, Grey Walker is always a delight; likewise, her review of The Fisher King was deliciously detailed. And Michelle Green's work on Roald Dahl's The Witches...oh my, yes indeed.

Now, I must be off, as you might imagine I'm terribly busy with preparations for Mabon. And of course the Court looks forward so to the coming Samhain...such a lot of tasty dark surprises we have in store for the next few months.

 

Stephen Hunt says that 'It's all the fault of James Fagan, the Australian musician and singer.' 

James (continues Stephen) is blessed with being six feet tall, handsome, generous hearted, and having more musical talent than any human being has a right to. I'm blessed to be able to call him my friend, so it was no surprise when he bounded into my house one day (James always 'bounds.' 'Sloping' or 'shuffling' are alien to him.) with a huge grin on his face. 'Have you seen our CD on Green Man Review?' he asked. My face must have momentarily registered incomprehension (after all, 'hello' is a more usual form of greeting). 'What? Don't you know about Green Man? Come here, you'll love this,' he said, setting himself at my PC and bashing away furiously at the keyboard.

I dutifully stood by the screen, and smiled as the title page Green Men appeared and slowly winked at me. Meanwhile, James was babbling excitedly about Fairport Convention, Charles de Lint, and how this was 'made' for me, before triumphantly rising from the chair with an exclamation of 'here it is!'

That review was of Nancy Kerr and James Fagan's Steely Water, and I did indeed 'love it.' When I got to the name of the reviewer, I remember saying something along the lines of  'this Kim Bates knows what she's talking about, doesn't she?'   I'm still discovering just how true that initial assessment was!

Having discovered Green Man, I began reading it almost obsessively, starting with the books and CD's that I knew and loved, just to see if all these writers 'knew what they were talking about.' Grey Walker's review of Charles de Lint's The Little Country and Lars Nilsson's review of two Robb Johnson CDs merely confirmed my enthusiasm.

I quickly discovered that Green Man was a great way not only of visiting my current interests, but also of revisiting and remembering the cultural landmarks of my childhood. As a young boy in Britain in the 1960's, the role models for my fantasy play were divided fairly equally between American (The Virginian, Superman) and indigenous (Robin Hood, King Arthur) influences. Disney's animated film adaptation of T.H. White's 'The Sword in the Stone' was an early favourite, and the gift of the book (as a Christmas present from my mother), was the starting point for my ongoing love affair with books. When I got a little older, I moved onto White's The Once and Future King. Rebecca Swain's fine review not only brought back these memories but reminded me to take the yellowing old paperback off the shelf and read it again.

While we're in Arthurian movie territory, my all-time favourite (to date) is Excalibur. Asher Black's review of this film is intelligent, insightful, original and beautifully written. You could say that about any of Asher's reviews, but hey, these are my choices!

While voyages of reminiscence and self-discovery are all very fine (!), the bottom line for any arts review magazine is 'do the reviews make the reader want to discover more about the work that's being reviewed?' Michael M. Jones' review of Charles de Lint's The Onion Girl certainly tipped the scales for me, while Cat Eldridge's piece on Paul Brandon's Swim the Moon made this novel a book that I had to own (never mind the fact that I had to buy it as an expensive, U.S. import hardback. It's mine I tell you, muhuhuhahahaha!). Gary Whitehouse wrote a review of the early Joan Baez reissues that was so good it sent me into the nearest record store.

Something that I have seen (lots of times!) is Fairport Convention in concert. GMR is a valuable resource for followers of the venerable British folk-rockers and boasts a large number of impressive reviews. I particularly enjoyed (and empathised with) Debbie Skolnik's review. Debbie is the only Green Man staff member that I've actually met face to face and she's every bit as engaging, articulate, funny and delightful as her writing!

Finally (and I'm not sure if this is allowed), I'm going to choose one of my own efforts for the 'live music' category. The Gosport and Fareham Easter Festival 2002 was a truly magical weekend of music, friendship and laughter. As I started writing the review I came to the conclusion that the best approach to the job would be to try to capture the collective state of mind of several hundred people as it evolved over the four days! This review has earned me more feedback (to date) than all my other reviews put together. I was particularly pleased to receive the following messages. 'The review is really good, much appreciated. At last, a thought out, grown up write up!' (from Bluehorses' Nic Waulker) and 'I enjoyed the review a lot -- it captured the spirit of the event' (from The Waterboys' Mike Scott).

I'm still something of a 'new boy' at Green Man, and the other folks that I've mentioned here (and many others) are my mentors. I hope that you enjoy their inspirational reviews as much as I do.

 

Mia Nutick here: I have a friend who says she wakes up every morning and asks herself 'what am I proud of today'. For me, that's an easy one -- I work for GMR. That I am considered worthy to work in the company of such a consistently fine group of writers is an absolute honor. As the newest member of the Editorial staff I'm happy to contribute my thoughts on some of the work I've really enjoyed from other GMR staff. It would be quicker to just say 'all of it,' but the Chief frowns on that kind of cowardice...

Books are my passion, and we've published some really superb book reviews over the years. A couple of my favorites would have to be April Gutierrez' look at The Sandman: The Dream Hunters and Grey Walker's fantastic analysis of our shared favorite, Susan Cooper's The Dark is Rising series. Grey also had me envying her writing with her review of Terri Windling's The Wood Wife. Of course, Matthew Winslow's marvelous translation of a letter he found in our staff lounge had me at 'hello,' as did Rachel Brown's merciless skewer of a pompous autobiography by travel writer Richard Sterling.

Some wonderful essays sit in our archives, too. Chuck Lipsig makes some great observations in Living My Fantasy - Music & Other Neat Stuff on the Internet, and Jack Merry's Celtic Music, An Insider's Viewpoint and Live Music, A More or Less Polite Rant are both entertaining and educational to a musical novice such as myself.

Sometimes, like Stephen, I find the reviews more entertaining than than the material being reviewed -- for example, I've never listened to much Central Asian music, but Big Earl Sellar's review of an omnibus of Ensemble Tumbash CDs was absolutely fascinating. Stephen Hunt's Bob Dylan omnibus was also terribly well done, and Michael Jones made me nearly giddy with his review of The Return of Pansy Smith and Violet Jones.

I'm not a Joan Baez fan, but Gary Whitehouse made me wish I'd been at her recent concert with this lovely piece. Our video section has grown exponentially this past year, with such excellent contributions as Asher Black's take on Signs and Michelle Erica Green's Dangerous Liaisons/Cruel Intentions/Valmont omnibus. And I can't forget Robert Wiersema's fabulous look at The Matrix... I still don't like the film but I can never look at it the same way again!

Happy Mabon to our readers: thanks for taking the time to look at our work. And Happy Mabon to our staff: thanks for the inspiration!  

 

This is Grey Walker, the lucky person who gets to edit the book reviews. And the aigne. Don't ask me what 'aigne' means unless you really want to know.

I had a very difficult time coming up with reviews for this issue. Not because I couldn't think of any, but because I could think of so many. The only way I could do it at all was to continually tell myself, 'These are not the best reviews. These are just the ones catching my eye this week.' Otherwise I'd find myself in bed at three tomorrow morning, lying awake and thinking, 'Now, how on earth could I have forgotten that one???!'

The first review I want to mention is Stephen Hunt's review of The Eleventh Annual Gosport and Fareham Easter Festival. I know it's been mentioned already, but I want to mention it, too, partly because it's one of the first reviews I edited for GMR, and therefore has a special place in my heart. But also partly because it's so amazingly amazing. I awarded Stephen the Odysseus Award for Intrepid Reviewing only half-humorously. I awarded him an Excellence in Writing Award in absolute seriousness. Stephen made me feel like I'd been to the festival myself. This review was a staggering tour de force, catapulting Stephen into Senior Writer status (and I worded it that way on purpose to make our modest Mr. Hunt squirm. He hates it when I talk like that...).

Another form of intrepid reviewing is Maria Nutick's review of a Shaolin: Wheel of Life performance. Maria e-mailed me and said, 'I'd like to review a martial arts exhibition as a folk event.' I told her, 'You're going to have to sell me on this one.' She did. Tim Hoke didn't sell me anything in his review of a concert by Red Priest. He lured me, instead. I want to hear Red Priest now, I don't care how. Tim is notable for his muscular, not-a-single-spare-word reviewing style. He's the Ernest Hemingway of GMR (and need I say that, Tim being quite as modest as Stephen, my effervescent praise will make him just as uncomfortable?).

Film reviews. Hmmm.... Asher Black's review of The Thirteenth Warrior especially stands out in my mind -- and not just because Mr. Black agrees with me about this generally misunderstood film! His review is a thoughtful explication of the way the movie follows not only the plot, but also the narrative style of a traditional epic. I also have to mention my own review of Peter Jackson's The Fellowship of the Ring, not because it's particularly fine, but because it was the review I had the most fun writing. I went to the movie on opening night and then came home and stayed up for several hours, talking with friends both on the phone and online, re-hashing every frame of the movie, and writing most of my review in the white fever heat of that long enchanted moment. I've already claimed dibs on the review for The Two Towers. I'd have bought my tickets already, except that they aren't available yet.

I'm also going to plug one more of my own reviews, the one of Malcolm Dalglish and the Ooolites' albums Pleasure and The Hymnody of Earth. The music on these two albums is uniquely enchanting, combining traditional American folk music of all sorts with gorgeous choral singing and ethereal hammered dulcimer. Ok, I know, I already reviewed them. So why haven't you bought them yet? And how about Kim Bates' review of Garmarna's Hildegard von Bingen? The review is superb, and so is Hildegard.

I saved the book reviews for last, because books are my first and true love, and I still can't quite believe that I get to edit the work of so many wonderful reviewers writing about what I love. Following are my favorite reviews (this week), in no particular order. Pamela Murray Winters' review of Josepha Sherman and T.K.F. Weisskopf's Greasy Grimy Gopher Guts: The Subversive Folklore of Childhood makes me laugh with delight. Christine Doiron's review of James Herbert's eerie novel Once... (is it fantasy or horror? or both?) makes me shiver.

Two series I love, for very different reasons, are Guy Gavriel Kay's The Fionavar Tapestry and Robert Holdstock's Ryhope Wood cycle. Matthew Winslow's review of The Fionavar Tapestry captures perfectly the feeling of Kay's deliberately heart-tugging writing. And Richard Dansky manages the difficult task of describing Holdstock's involuted, ancient, disturbingly yearning visions in his review of the Ryhope Wood books.

One thing that makes Green Man Review unique is the way we highlight the mythic and folk elements in culture. Rebecca Swain was inspired by this strand of cultural examination to review John Berendt's delightful and thought-provoking book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. Rebecca's review focuses on the book as a biography, a biography of both a tragic love story that ended in murder, and also of a dark, turned-in-on-itself town in America's Deep South.

Michelle Erica Green examines a mythic figure for Americans, Amelia Earhart, in an ambitious and splendid omnibus review of two novels about Earhart, a scholarly study, and a collection of Earhart's own writing. You have to read Michelle's review to see how she turns all the facets of a folk heroine to the light, one by one.

And finally, three splendid reviews of three of my favorite books. Maria Nutick took on the challenge of reviewing Emma Bull's Bone Dance, one of the most often-quoted books around the GMR water cooler. She met the challenge and did us proud. Michael Jones, who -- we are all fairly sure -- doesn't even eat, drive, or shower without a book in one hand, wrote a magnificent review of Spindle's End, Robin McKinley's re-telling of the Sleeping Beauty story. Michael's review shows clearly why the old, old tales can be told again and again without losing any of their power. I've mentioned J.R.R. Tolkien's The Smith of Wootton Major in my staff bio as the book I'm most likely to re-read. I love it so much that I would never dare review it, for fear of being reduced to wordless tears. I am fortunate that Asher Black has reviewed it, saying many things I would have said, and other things I would have kept in my heart. Thank you, Asher. And thank you, every one else at GMR whose reviews keep me awake, listening, and looking

.

Sweet Mab, now I have more suggestions for me winter entertainment pleasure! Shall I start with Paul Brandon's Swim the Moon? Or perhaps J.R.R. Tolkien's The Smith of Wootton Major would do? And I certainly hadn't heard of A Magical Gathering The Clannad Anthology, which sounds like a real craic of an album! And Asher made a brilliant suggestion for a spot of reading pleasure in The Adventures of Tom Bombadil ... Sigh... I'll need a few more pints of that French ale to help me with the sorting out of all the suggestions, so let's grab a mug and head down to the Great Hall to see if Excalibur Rising is doing their sound check... And you can join us later for our feast.  A succulent roast goose stuffed with apples is the main course, along with lots of Avalon Applejack, fresh baked bread, and other fine eating! Why there might even be a pumpkin pie... After you, honoured guest...

'The instruments were bagpipes and whistles, guitars, drums, cymbals and bells, mandolins, fiddles, and something that sounded like a button accordion. The music was anything the night called for. There were jigs and reels -- she might have guessed that. But there was hot city blues, too, rock, jazz, funk, and bluegrass full of mountains and whiskey. It should have sounded silly, and didn't. The fusion reminded Eddi of zydeco: wildly disparate musical styles played on inappropriate instruments, all to scorching good effect.' -- Emma Bull's War for The Oaks