When a person does something really stupid, and their foolishness is pointed out to them, they sometimes say - All right, I might have got it wrong but it's not like I killed anyone.
Faced with this, some time around 100 AD, the Stoic Philosopher Epictetus made this reply - You didn't kill anyone because there was no one there to be killed. But the only thing you could get wrong, you did get wrong.
I think that's a fair point, and a good reply.
I'm not surprised that people used the familiar excuse - Well it's not like I killed anyone - as long ago as the first century. In ancient literature people often have the just the same sort of problems and attitudes as people do today.
After musing about this for some days, and thinking I must have something really interesting to say about people always being the same, I realise I don't. Hum. Oh well, I find it interesting anyway. And I like Epictetus. I admire him too. He was a slave when he was young, and then went on to be one the founders of Stoic philosophy.
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I watched The Runaways. I thought it was a good film. Kristen Stewart was excellent as Joan Jett. I liked her a lot. (I haven't seen any of the Twilight films however.) Dakota fanning was a good Cherie Currie too.
Kim Fowley, their manager, comes over as strange, and quite creepy, though I'm sure that the members of the band have said things about him far worse than portrayed in the film.
When the Runaways were around, in 1978 and 79, music journalists in Britain completely derided them. I don't think I ever saw a good word written about them. They were dismissed as just a bunch of young girls selling records by dressing in revealing corsets and so on. This was very unfair. They were a very good band. Their Live in Japan album is great, they could really play.
I looked at their page on Wikipedia and at the foot of the page, under the heading 'Use in media' it says 'In the 2008 novel Lonely Werewolf Girl, by Martin Millar, the main character's favorite band is The Runaways.' I was pleased about that. In the next book, Kalix will go and see the film.
Next book? :)
ReplyDeleteAwesome!!!
ReplyDeleteCan't wait for the next book :)
Just finished with Curse... and loved it.
ReplyDeleteSo what next will we get to see (imagine) Kalix and Vex Cheerleaders and what effect will a Finnish Werewolf have on the Scottish clans?
Martin,
Do you have an idea of how many Kalix books you are likely to write?
I also liked The Runaways film and agree that Kristen Stewart was great as Joan Jett.
ReplyDeleteBest thing about this blog post was the line "In the next book, Kalix will go and see the film."
Bring on that next book. :D
I'm writing a third book about Kalix now. That will probably be that last one. Well, the last for a while anyway. I have other things I'd like to write next.
ReplyDeleteWould it be rude to ask when you think book 3 might be available in the U.S.? I don't wish to be pushy, but there is never so much laughter in my house as when my son and I are in the living room avoiding chores and reading your novels. That my house is almost clean is surely not a good sign.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I can't thank you enough for writing stand alone books. This makes you very honorable in this day and age. I love sequels but I get very annoyed when I pay $20 for a book only to find out that I have purchased a beginning and a middle. Many, many thanks.
I love the Kalix books, but my favorite is still the Good Fairies. Epic.
I'm so happy to hear that there's going to be a third Kalix book!!! That is very good news.
ReplyDeleteA third Kalix book is most welcome, and I'll be very happy to read of Kalix's take on The Runaways. In fact, the only reason I found some of the Runaway's music is because Kalix liked it so much I had to go and find it. Which in turn led to my seeing the movie. So when Kalix sees the movie it'll be things truly coming full circle.
ReplyDeletethe opening of the Runaways was shot in my friend's shop "Glory"--we all shouted when we saw it. There were only 3 other people in the theater and about ten minutes in to the film, a guy came and sat one seat away from me. I was really caught up in the film until a particularly bright moment,
ReplyDeleteand I realized my "neighbor" was "busy"--yikes!
Kalix would have known what to do far better than i.
Rosie, I like the thought of you and your son both avoiding chores to read my novels! I am writing a third book about Kalix at the moment, but, sadly, this will take me quite a while to finish, so i can't really say when it will be published.
ReplyDeleteCat, I liked that shop, and it was a good when Joan Jett bought the leather jacket. That's an unfortunate story about the cinema. Kalix would probably have killed the person. Though I'd just have moved away.
ReplyDeleteI discovered The Good Fairies of New York in Oban towards the end of our Scotland trip in September 2008. Now I'm on page 35 of Wolf Girl. I love the way you write... and all the Scottish references. You use a quick choppy sentence structure that somehow leads to a contented happy reading experience. I love it. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteYay! Can't wait for your next book... I hope things work out for Kalix and Decembrus.:)
ReplyDeleteI was praying you would write another Kalix novel! It is heart-warming to hear that you will be. I enjoy your comic work and recommend your Kalix work to my customer at B&N.
ReplyDeleteMartin,
ReplyDeleteMy week has been decidedly crappy, so reading the news that you are currently writing the third Kalix installment brightens my outlook considerably. Many, many thanks.
yay yay yay! a 3rd part of kalix is in the works, marvelous news! i can't help but loving it, the showdown in part 2 gives me so much inspiration about what could get on now so don't wanna bug but please don't forget about our impatience! since there are so much complicated romances & love affairs already: what about a (new) queer lycanthrope character? also nobody would mind if you will return to kalix 4 someday sometime somewhere. also love the idea about a kinda soppy gory movie or series - while reading i already saw it all very vividly... love your work, gift your books, thanx for all!
ReplyDeletei recently finished reading curse of the wolf girl and when kalix read her comics and thought that it's better when a book doesnt end with everything resolved, i thought there wasn't going to be anymore books and that made me kinda sad, im so glad there is going to be a third book :3
ReplyDelete