This is funny! I’m here listening to the audiobook because I’m making a bardlock and this story was my biggest inspiration. (this and the devil went down to georgia! i’m making two bardlocks based off of both!)
This is an amazing story and narration. I always love this story. A friend of mine is a composer and created a piece based off this story. He recorded it and started off by "finding" his uncle's journal, showed maps and drawings, and discussed the Rue d'Auseil extensively. He then transitioned to saying his uncle found the music, and he played the music (which he wrote to match the story) in his video. Thanks for recording this!
Another encapsulating reading of an enveloping Lovecraftian tale! He truly had a talent of worming into the reader's subconscious to the point he/she literally feels and becomes part of the story in a sense.
Read this one bout 3 yrs ago, great story, great read by you Ian. I always envisioned this as some of Lovecraft's monsters being entertained by music in return for not eating the guy, stories of ppl playing music for monsters goes back to early China and Greek era, in China stories of ppl entertaining dragons (Asian dragons, aka serpentine and no wings) with song, dance and instruments as well as mystics discussing mysticism and zen w them. Japan has similar tales, so does classic Korea. The Greeks had so many things to entertain, monsters, gods, and so on. I think HP just took this and added his twist, he had a knack for such adaptations. There's even tales of ppl playing for Nessie 400+ kilometers north of you, yes I looked it up on google earth and switched it to kilometers, usually I have it on miles, I know you folks use both but since 99% of the world uses the metric system I thought it proper. I've also heard and read tales of ppl playing the violin in the mist of the Highlands to appease some ancient gods. I'm sure you're familiar with some of all this, I've been reading bout it all for a long time, early 70s, the crazy yank is 55 after all. Best to all at HB !
Always reminded me of my lifelong "relationship" with my favorite band. METALLICA...we think we know the artist who gives voice and music to feelings and thoughts we may have. They seem to have some strange ability to "read us", alas...neither is the case. A strange kinship, because we don't really know THEM. The main character here finds out what is really the source of Zahns frantic intoxicating music.
Love this one. Strong elements of Poe, but still original as hell. I grew up around people obsessed by cars and cup final results. I was not interested. I wanted to know secret things. Found them on that cliff like street.
One of Lovecraft's best pure cosmic horrors. Avoids so many of his usual pitfalls and cliches, such as outrageous alphabet soup monster names, excess indescribability, degenerate genealogies, sinister foreigners, etc. Everything here just works.
Did you know that the belgian prog/experimental band Univers Zero had recorded a song called "La Musique d'Erich Zann" on their 2014 album "Ceux du Dehors"?
11:03 Your metaphysical studies taught you kindness? That kinda goes against the usual "Cosmic spheres of unfeeling horror". Which, say what you will, is a nice change of pace.
We have already recorded one Derleth tale: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-QRWeXLmcwJ4.html Trouble is, most of his works aren't in the public domain, which means we can't legally record them. There are definitely a few more we can do though. Ian
Auseil is not a true French word, but it has been suggested that Lovecraft derived it from the phrase au seuil, meaning at the threshold. - That's what Wikipedia has to say about it, and considering the rest of the setting, 'Street at the Threshold' seems as accurate an interpretation as any.
