Random: The Fine Art of Reviewing

[nebroadwe]

I don't necessarily believe, as the creators of Ratatouille have Anton Ego declaim, that critics "thrive on negative criticism, which is fun to write and to read." If I haven't seen critics eagerly and snappily hail the good as often as they eagerly and trenchantly slam the bad, it's because Sturgeon's Law is true. But I love a good zinger, whatever the context, so this morning I chuckled heartily to read of a little known animated comedy that

The narrative lumbers along drunkenly, getting distracted by shiny things and occasionally forgetting where it's suppposed to be going. It's so much fun that we don't much care either.

(And then it meets up with another drunken comedy and they start singing "Show Me the Way to Go Home," but they've forgotten half the words and end up repeating that phrase over and over, slightly out of synch with each other because each one tries to hum a bit more of the tune while making gargly mumbling noises to hide their ignorance of the text ... )

Why, yes, it has already been a long morning. Why do you ask?

Comments

[nebroadwe.livejournal.com]

It only gets stuck in my head with the alternate lyrics: "Show me the way to my habitual abode; / I am fatigued and I wish to retire ... " Bloody viral memes.

[evil-little-dog.livejournal.com]

...both versions. I always get both versions because it starts with the original and then slides into the alternate lyrics. *headdesk*

[nebroadwe.livejournal.com]

A friend from Notre Dame recently introduced me to this song (http://www.nd.edu/~folk/audio/SetYourHeart.mp3), which I've used ever since as the ultimate earworm replacement. Mind you, this recording is a little overproduced for the purpose (and may not work for nontheists), but it does have the little rising figure in the tenor line of the refrain that keeps me repeating the chorus over and over and over until it faaaades away.

[evil-little-dog.livejournal.com]

...happy li'l pagan girl here...though I often wander around at Yule humming various Christmas songs (and surely love some of them), the earworm usually turns itself to some other song within a few hours. The radio station in my head has a tendency to switch regularly so I'm never quite sure what I'll have playing throughout the day.

The only time it was really bad was when I was suffering from lack of sleep and the refrain from the Dixie Chicks' Cowboy Take Me Away wouldn't leave me alone...for nearly a month and a half.

[nebroadwe.livejournal.com]

I get earworms worst when I'm ill -- there is nothing so annoying as lying feverishly awake in bed with something rattling about in one's head, keeping one from drowsing off properly. Sometimes it's not even music. I once had the phrase "Young Men's Association of the Ichor-God Bel-Shammharoth" from one of Terry Pratchett's books (or possibly more than one) replaying itself in my brain for hours. [shudder] I tried to drive it off with poetry, but in the end I think I had to turn on the BBC and listen to the sports report. Cricket scores send me to sleep faster than just about anything else, especially when reported in one of those lovely reassuring BBC voices.

[evil-little-dog.livejournal.com]

I can't sleep to speaking voices (no radio because djs come on and talk; no tv, ditto).

Of course, when you are awakened by someone who shall not be named (*points at icon*) shoving her nose in your mouth or hitting you with her paw or sneezing in your face, sleep is one of those things you cherish anyway. *laugh*