"But with a catlike speed..."

"..He seemed more a part of the sun and high places of the outlands. His slightest movement spoke of steel-spring muscles knit to a keen brain with the co-ordination of a born fighting man. There was nothing deliberate or measured about his actions. Either he was perfectly at rest - still as a bronze statue - or else he was in motion, not with the jerky quickness of over-tense nerves, but with a catlike speed that blurred the sight which tried to follow him." - The Phoenix on the Sword

Happy birthday, Mr. Howard.

Happy (belated) birthday, Neil Peart!

Well, it was bound to happen eventually... Neil Peart, the drummer for Rush, celebrated his 59th birthday on Monday, and of course I missed it (that's what happens when you're the new guy in the band, I guess).

Neil is, besides being a unique and thoughtful lyricist, one of the best drummers alive today.  Some would say he's the best living drummer, period.  Of course, some wouldn't even bother with that caveat...

And so, let's celebrate with Neil doing what he does best, teaching those skins a lesson during his drum solo (referred to here as 'O Baterista', but more commonly known as 'The Rhythm Method'), taken from the Rush In Rio concert:

Happy (late) birthday, Neil!

Happy birthday, Alex Lifeson!

Alex Lifeson, guitarist for Rush, turns 58 today. Happy birthday, Alex, and try not to get arrested again, okay?

Working with both one of the greatest bass players of the age and arguably the greatest drummer alive today, Lifeson's contributions to the band sometimes get overlooked, which is unfair.  He doesn't get as much attention as he should, in part because he's not an Eddie Van Halen style guitar shredder.  Musically, Alex is something of a chameleon as a guitarist, adapting his playing to the needs of any given song.  That, and his ego doesn't demand that the guitar always hog the spotlight, but rather will pull back to let Neil and Geddy take control if that's what works best for the song (the fact that, unlike most bands, there is no clear lead/rhythm divide between the guitar and the bass is just one of the many elements that make Rush so musically unique).

And so, to celebrate let's listen to La Villa Strangiato, an extended instrumental piece that was inspired by a dream/nightmare that Alex had, and really showcases his range and talent as a guitarist.  Also, as a bonus, you get the hear Alex's stream-of-consciousness rant near the end (during this tour it was customary to go off into his own little world near the end of the piece, which would change from night to night - Peart and Lee had no idea what he would be saying any given show, as it just depended on whatever the aliens decided to beam into his head that night).

Happy birthday, Geddy Lee!

Geddy Lee, one of the greatest bassists of all times, as well as an excellent keyboardist and a unique vocalist, is 58 years young today.  Happy birthday, Geddy!

To help celebrate, I present to you one of Geddy's favorite songs to sing live, 'Secret Touch':

The Hardest Gary Gygax Quiz In The World

Knightsky took the Hardest Gary Gygax Quiz in the World and got 60%!



You are a Gary Gygax Myrmidon. You are mighty in the ways of Gary Gygax. You're probably a First Edition or OD&D player, and I wouldn't be surprised if you had an original copy of the Chainmail rules.

Paladin Code: You completed this quiz without using Google.

I missed questions 6, 8, and 9, and didn't even try 10 or the bonus question.

You can take the quiz here.

Happy birthday, Gary.

Happy birthday, Ken St. Andre

Just wanted to wish a happy birthday to the Trollgod himself, Ken St. Andre.

If it wasn't for Ken's work on Tunnels & Trolls, I wouldn't be writing Trollslayers, and as a result I probably wouldn't be bothering with this blog.

So happy birthday, Ken, and hopefully you'll roll lots of doubles today!

I swiped this image from Warren Ellis...

...knowing that I would only have one chance to post it.  Well, today's the day (click to enlarge):

Happy birthday, Andre Norton

Andre Norton (born Alice Mary Norton) wasn't the first female writer of science fiction and fantasy, but she was the first one to become truly popular among fandom circles.  More importantly, the 'Grand Dame of Science Fiction and Fantasy' was the inspiration for multiple female SF/fantasy authors to follow.  On a personal level, she was one of the first authors, along with Robert E. Howard, that I knew by name as a young child, and actively sought out any books I could find with her name on it.

Happy birthday, Robert E. Howard

Thank you for all the stories and inspiration, Mr. Howard.

(no, I haven't posted much lately - been distracted by shiny things)