Geek of Oz

On Sunday the 30th of January 2011 I had the pleasure of being in the company of musical juggernaut Amanda Palmer and tour manager extraordinaire Eric Sussman . Two of the most real and inspiring people that I have ever met.

I love music. I really don't live without it. I write, A LOT! I read, A LOT! But I pretty much always have music on. For some stupid reason though I never really write about it. This changes NOW! Although perhaps just this once. Amanda Palmer , wife of word-wizard Neil Gaiman , and musical juggernaut has released her newest album "Amanda Palmer Goes Down Under". An ode to her love for the country of Oz and all of us folk of convict lineage. Before we go forward, you can download the album now for just 69 cents! So before you hit the jump, go get it HERE!

Photo by Kimberly Butler I arrived at a lavish hotel in Hobart 45 minutes early to be greeted in the foyer by the concierge, a young man who looked uncannily like the film incarnations of the Weasley twins, sans ginger. "Are you here for the interview" Fred asked. "Ah, yes" I replied surprised. I should have expected that there would have been more people than just me there. The concierge motioned to a large, luxurious sofa where I sat sweating bullets. Panicking that the writer whom I most admired would think me to be a prat, or worse, a hack. The lump in my throat rose and fell every time someone entered the lobby. Was it him? No. It was a middle aged couple wearing middle aged couples clothes, linen shirts and boat shoes. A 30 something year old man approached me and asked if I was there for the interview to which I enthusiastically replied "yessir". He then went on to ask for my resume... wuh? My resume? It turned out that he was conducting in...

Tonight I had the pleasure of watching, and listening to The Truth is a Cave in the Black Mountains. A short story written by Mr Neil Gaiman , with painted projections by Mr Eddie Campbell and with a score arranged by and performed live by Sydney string quartet, Fourplay . You could end your reading here and be comforted by the knowledge that the experience was wonderful but please read on while I paint you a more detailed picture.

Based upon the manga of the same name by Sakurako Gokurakuin, Sekirei is yet another harem/fighting tournament anime centred around a strong yet naïve female and a hopeless, unwitting male. The major difference between Sekirei and many other series of the same ilk is that Sekirei does a bloody good job of it. If you can stomach the gratuitous amount of fan service and bare breasts (stomach or enjoy), Sekirei actually offers a well told story which has a surprisingly deep story and characters with heart.

Madman has released Kaze No Stigma (Stigma of the Wind) in one complete collection on DVD. Kazuma Kannagi, heir to the throne of the fire magic wielding Kannagi Clan is cast out when it is revealed that he struggles to use fire magic at all. The nail in the coffin is when Kazuma is defeated in a battle for succession to his second cousin, Ayane. Kazuma disappears for 4 years but upon his return the fire-magic users find that although he was unskilled with fire, he has quickly become an incredibly powerful wind magic user. Kazuma quickly comes to blow with Ayane who is now no match for Kazuma strength, even though she now wields the Enreiha a magical flame sword. The paths of both characters intertwine and begrudgingly become partners in a quest to find the murderer of a number of fire users.

Makoto Konno is an average Japanese high school girl.... an average time travelling school girl. In a random series of events which culminate in a near death experience she finds that she has the power of time travel.  Her new found powers aren't without their side effects. By travelling through the same time stream and righting all of her wrongs she begins to effect the lives of everyone around her.