Filking

[stoutfellow]

I've written a handful of filks, from time to time; a couple of them have even made it onto convention programs. Unfortunately, my musical imagination is mostly primed with rock songs, and filks on that base (it seems to me) tend not to be actually performable, however good they may sound in my head. Also, the potential for disaster is nontrivial. (My attempt to write a filk about Mad Yuri based on "White Rabbit" was probably one of my worst ideas...)

If I were musically creative, I might try composing my own tunes, but that's not a realistic possibility.

Ideas still occasionally crop up, though. This may well have been done before, but I'm tempted to try a riff on McCartney.

"Seelie Love Songs", anyone?

Comments

[dan-ad-nauseam.livejournal.com]

Actually, I've already written "Silly Filk Songs." Unfortunately, the lyrics are on the other computer.

[hornedhopper.livejournal.com]

Fighting Cetas makes you stronger,
Ghem weapons lance the hall,
And the swordstick that you're using,
Battles gas bombs not at all...

[Sorry, feeling *definitely* silly; couldn't resist (g)]

[filkferengi]

As thnidu would say [and has in fact written a filk about], to the tune of what? I'm getting "Brick In the Wall", which I suspect is not what you originally had in mind. :)

[hornedhopper.livejournal.com]

No, to the tune of White Rabbit!!

[hornedhopper.livejournal.com]

addendum: picture Gracie Slick in a Vor ladies' dress, with some of the audience doing the mirror dance to White Rabbit!!

Now, wash your brain, dear. (g)

[filkferengi]

Hey, as long as "Greensleeves", "Gilligan's Island", and "Yellow Rose of Texas" aren't involved, it's all good. :)

[mmegaera.livejournal.com]

I do admire filkers, my own abilities in that arena being somewhat abysmal.

I sure would love to see a Vor Game filk to the tune of the Beach Boys' Sloop John B, though (sigh).

[stoutfellow.livejournal.com]

I sure would love to see a Vor Game filk to the tune of the Beach Boys' Sloop John B, though

It's dangerous to say such things on-list. You may wind up doing it yourself.

Soon after I joined the list, I asked - all innocent - if anyone had ever written a filk about Elli Quinn to the tune of "The Mighty Quinn". Someone - I have a vague memory that it was Jean Cain, but I'm not sure and I'm disinclined to search the archives - challenged me to write one myself. A week or two later, I posted "Quinn the Admiral" - my first filk.

I wrote my one-and-only piece of fanfic under similar circumstances. Pouncer was going on about the backstories of minor characters (I think he was talking about Arde) and I raised a question: Baz claims that he deserted in the heat. What battle, in what war? (There really aren't any good possibilities, given Baz's age and what we know of Barrayaran history during Miles's childhood.) Pouncer shot back that he was too busy with Arde - I'd have to answer that question myself. I had no intention of doing so, but then an idea - a silly, even ludicrous idea - popped up and wouldn't let go. "The Magic Incident" was the result.

I don't know whether the moral is "Don't raise possibilities on the list" or "If you want to see what you can do, raise a possibility on the list".

[mmegaera.livejournal.com]

Oh, I *liked* The Magic Incident, but I read it long before I met you in person, so I didn't make the connection. That connection makes it even nicer

You did notice that I've never actually mentioned my wist about the tVG/Sloop John B filk on the list, right???

[stoutfellow.livejournal.com]

Yes, I noticed. Wise of you, I suppose.

[filkferengi]

Agh, the pain! Congratulations, sir: yet another pun putrid enough to make a filker wince. ;)

[stoutfellow.livejournal.com]

I'm picturing some poor schlub who's had one too many run-ins with La Belle Dame Sans Merci and is getting sick of it, but she won't leave him alone...

[filkferengi]

You know, I haven't called you in a while; would you like to set up a time, or are you [possibly literally] snowed under?

[stoutfellow.livejournal.com]

Friday's probably good. Also, I'm off all next week.

[filkferengi]

Woo-hoo! When is better for you?

[stoutfellow.livejournal.com]

Weekends are usually good; of weekdays, Mondays and Fridays are generally better than other days. Evenings are better than other times.

[hornedhopper.livejournal.com]

et quien?

[stoutfellow.livejournal.com]

Er. What? (I understand the Spanish; I don't understand what you're asking.)

[hornedhopper.livejournal.com]

I was just being my nosy self (g)! I was asking who La Belle Dame Sans Merci is. And it was supposed to be French... :)

[stoutfellow.livejournal.com]

It's a reference to a poem by Keats (http://www.bartleby.com/126/55.html).

[stoutfellow.livejournal.com]

Oh, of course it was supposed to be French. My bad. (Thwack!)

[hornedhopper.livejournal.com]

Held in thrall to the tight grip of his Muse??

And *heh.*