Interview-20 Questions with Debra Devi

I haven't yet done a music post on blues giants Howling Wolf and Little Milton in part because there's just too much to write about them. I'm not quite ready to write something short enough for a blog post. The Mighty Wolf definitely deserves a post all by himself. He was called "The soul of man" and was he ever. So while I was reading about Howling Wolf's recently deceased guitarist, the famed Hubert Sumlin, I was delighted to discover someone else who not only knew a great deal about Hubert Sumlin but had interviewed him for a book detailing the African-American roots of blues and larger African influences on American language and culture.

Every Saturday I  inflict upon share with you my various impressions on music, film or literature. For a change of pace I thought it would be fun to feature an interview with someone who is already a successful professional musician and published author. That's a somewhat rare combination and one which I thought was interesting.


Debra Devi is a musician and the author of the award winning book The Language of The Blues: From Alcorub to Zuzu. This book is not only a collection of interviews with famous musicians such as Little Milton Campbell, Hubert Sumlin, Robert Jr. Lockwood, Bonnie Raitt, Dr. John, Jimmie Vaughn and others but also an "anecdotal dictionary" of blues terminology. Since most blues terminology comes from African or African-American sources this book discusses more than music but please read the interview with Debra after the break.

Debra Devi

The Urban Politico: There are a lot of modern blues and rock musicians that are interested in aping culture and music but couldn’t care less in understanding where it came from. You are different. So what got you interested in documenting and transmitting the African-American blues cultural meanings?

      Debra Devi: Thanks! I’ve loved the blues from my first exposure to it at a Koko Taylor concert in Milwaukee when I was 17. Son Seals was playing guitar and I literally flew out of my chair onto the dance floor. I had never danced before. Met my first boyfriend that night, too.   

      When I was working for Blues Revue magazine as an associate editor, I realized that a lot of us blues fans bandy about words like mojo and hoodie – but do we really know what they mean? Or where they are from?  I started keeping a list of terms from blues songs like killing floor, juke, hoosegow etc. When I was up to 100, I realized maybe I should write a book. 

The Urban Politico:  When you were interviewing these musical giants for your book did you have any preconceptions going in that were altered after you completed your interviews?

Debra Devi: I was unprepared for their generosity.  Everyone I spoke to gave so much time and attention to my questions. I interviewed elder blues legends like Robert Jr. Lockwood, Henry Gray, Hubert Sumlin,  “Little” Milton Campbell Jr., Alvin “Red” Tyler, Mardi Gras Indian Chief Howard “Smiley” Ricks, and Jody Williams. I also talked at length with prominent crossover artists like Dr. John, Bonnie Raitt and Jimmie Vaughan and Robben Ford. Most of the managers of the older blues artists were not interested in arranging interviews because being in my book wasn't going to sell albums. 

Luckily, one day there was a press conference at the Lincoln Center Barnes and Noble for a big blues concert that night in NYC. Sitting along one wall, in a receiving line, were many of the artists I had been trying to interview. I got in the autograph line. As I moved down the line, I was able to explain this project directly to Hubert Sumlin, Robert Jr. Lockwood, Milton Campbell and other blues legends. I walked out with a dozen home phone numbers.  They wanted to be involved in documenting the history of the blues. 

The Urban Politico: Were you surprised by the amount of African links to American culture and especially blues music that you found?

      Debra Devi: Yes.

The Urban Politico:  What do you think is the most important thing that blues fans (and for that matter non-blues fans or just people interested in African-American culture) can learn from your book?

Debra Devi: The Africans brought here as slaves had incredibly strong aesthetic, ethical and cultural values that not only withstood the shock of their forced transplantation to the New World, but actually transformed and invigorated it.  I had no idea that so much African language has seeped into American English. Just a few examples: jam, jazz, jiffy, boo boo, rock, to dig something, banana, yam, funk, hip, hobo, chick. 

So many African religious concepts, too – to be cool, to have soul – have become part of our uniquely American culture.  Equally important are the aesthetic values and devices from African music that survived in the blues, which in turn birthed jazz and rock ‘n’ roll.  African musicians of the slavery era were actually more advanced in the use of polyphonic, contrapuntal rhythms than their European peers were. While European composers explored harmonic complexity, Africans focused on rhythmic complexity, in part because African languages were tonal, so drums could be used to “talk.”  

Although their drums, songs, and languages were outlawed in the colonies, African slaves held fast to the remarkable rhythmic, harmonic, and melodic features of their music. They continued to employ vibrato, tremolo, overtones, and hoarse-voiced and shouting African vocal techniques to convey many shades of meaning. Over time they mingled all these features and techniques with the work songs they created and with the European hymns and folk songs they heard to create the blues. 

Why is this not taught in our schools? We learn about the Dutch, English and other groups that came here. Why don’t our children learn about the tribes from which most of the slaves came, or the richness of African culture and language, and that Africa’s influence is what has made this country uniquely American? How is this not American history equally worthy of being taught alongside the Revolutionary War? 

If my book can encourage people to explore those questions, I’ll feel I have made some small contribution. 

The Urban Politico: Did your book grow in the telling? Was it much more detailed than you expected it to be?

Debra Devi: Lord, yes! I never imagined I’d wind up with 385 footnotes.

Little Milton

The Urban Politico: One of your interview subjects was Little Milton.  He had a voice which could be described as operatic. Any tricks he passed on to you about vocal projection? I am in awe at the control he had both vocally and instrumentally.

Debra Devi: I wish I had thought to ask him for some vocal coaching; he was indeed a very fine singer. I saw him in his seventies perform live and his voice was still so rich and deep. He was a top-notch bandleader, too.

The Urban Politico: Hubert Sumlin often described Howling Wolf as a stern taskmaster, musically speaking. Can you imagine working for someone like that? Or do you ever see yourself in that light?

Debra Devi: I think Hubert Sumlin recognized and respected Wolf’s mastery. I also enjoy working with masters who drive me to be better.  I’m pretty exacting but I’m lucky to work with such great players in my band that I rarely have to crack the whip. I have to work hard to keep up with them! 

The Urban Politico:  If there is one thing you would want non-musicians to know about being a musician what would it be? Same question for non-writers and writers.

Debra Devi: Find your own voice.

The Urban Politico: How does the songwriting process work for you? Do you sit down and determine to write a song and then write one or do you need a stroke of inspiration?

Debra Devi: I usually write a song because I have a strong feeling I can’t express in words. I play my guitar until I hit upon something that expresses that feeling. The lyrics come later. I wrote “Get Free” after I came home from (Zen Guitar author) Phil Sudo’s memorial service, for example. 

I do sometimes also sit down determined to write a song.  If artists only wait for inspiration to strike, they’ll be waiting a long time. 

The Urban Politico: Where do you see modern blues and/or blues-rock headed at a time where pop, electronica, rap and country seem to be commercially dominant?

Debra Devi: I have been encouraged by the popularity of artists like Cee Lo Green, Adele, Amy Winehouse, Joe Bonamassa and Jack White, who have strong blues vibes. I noticed that at the Grammys this year there was more real singing and more real musicians on the stage. I think we’re seeing a backlash against overly processed music. Listeners are flocking to soul again!  At the same time, like Bonnie Raitt said when I interviewed her: “Why don’t we hear B.B. King on the radio?” Good question.  

The Urban Politico: How long have you been playing guitar? Was that your first instrument?

Debra Devi: I started off playing acoustic guitar, which I never found that satisfying. Once I got ahold of an electric guitar I was hooked. To me, it’s like singing through my fingers. I’ve been playing long enough to hope to get to play a lot longer. 

The Urban Politico: Who are some of your influences musically?

Debra Devi:  The Doppler effect, love, breathing, feedback, sex, car horns, cats yowling, pain, rain, thunder, wind, heartbreak, Om.  Freddie King, Son Seals, Jimmy Page, Dave Navarro, Chrissie Hynde, The Sex Pistols, Bonnie Raitt, Prince, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Aretha Franklin, Chris Spedding, Brian Robertson. 

The Urban Politico: Unfortunately even today there are a fair amount of people who get intimidated by the guitar and think you have to be a certain gender or race to play it. It’s just an instrument, like any other. Any advice for fledgling guitarists? Especially women guitarists?

Debra Devi: Don’t be afraid to make unattractive faces! I look like a puffer fish when I’m soloing. My advice is to go to blues jams, get in a band– start playing with other people, start playing original songs, start performing. Dare to suck! That’s how you get good. You should always play with people better than you.   

Playing guitar is not that tough. It doesn’t require massive physical strength or tons of testosterone. The main issue for women is socialization to look pretty above all else, and to avoid expressing certain strong emotions. As my mother said when I asked her if I could play electric guitar when I was fifteen, “It’s just not ladylike!” 

Playing electric guitar is a great way for women to plug into their personal power and to get comfortable being loud.  

The Urban Politico: Do you read music? Are you deep into musical theory? Do you think these things are critical for musicians starting out?

Debra Devi: I don’t read music and never had the patience to learn theory.  I wanted to play so bad that I just picked up the guitar and got started.  I play mostly by ear, which can slow me down some. But I also trust my ear more than my brain, so sometimes I think maybe it’s OK to play by ear.  

I do love jazz and would love to be able to hang better with my jazz-playing friends, so at some point I’m going to dig in and learn a few things.  I think it can be very helpful to learn to read music and to study theory, so long as you don’t let your brain override your ear.

Sumlin and The Wolf

The Urban Politico: Hubert Sumlin famously preferred to play without a pick. Some other guitarists like Marc Knopfler, Albert Collins and John Lee Hooker also usually eschewed picks. What’s your preference and why?

Debra Devi: I dig picks. I use a Jim Dunlop 1MM. I sneak my fingers in there sometimes for a little hybrid, but there’s something fierce about a pick attack that works for me.

The Urban Politico: I see that you endorse Fender guitars so I’m guessing you like the single-coil sound? If so, why is that? 

Debra Devi: I do like the single-coil sound, but I also routed out the back pickup of my Strat and put a humbucker in there. And I added jumbo frets. I like different sounds for different moments. 

The Urban Politico: Do you prefer standard tuning for much of your music or do you ever play in alternate tunings?

Debra Devi:  On the Get Free album, I used Drop D on “Demon in the Sack” and “When It Comes Down,” and DADGAD on “Love That Lasts.” I love alternate tunings. I find them very inspiring for songwriting. Soloing in them is pretty fun, too! 

The Urban Politico: What is more important to you: your writing or your music? Do you see yourself continuing to pursue both paths simultaneously? Does one feed into the other?

Debra Devi: Right now I’m more focused on music, but I’m sure a book idea will torture me into writing it at some point. Writing is very isolating, but music gets me out of the house and hanging with other people. The two balance each other out nicely in my life.

The Urban Politico: On your album “Get Free” is “Howl at the Moon” an Ellen McIlwaine cover? She's been mentioned around these parts before as someone people should know about. 

Debra Devi: Actually, I wrote the “Howl at the Moon” on my Get Free album. I’m not familiar with Ellen McIlwaine, but I’ll check her out!

The Urban Politico: The best blues performances have often been live. Why is that?

Debra Devi: As I say in the book, “The defining experience of Vodou--possession--is the source for the idea in the blues (and later, in rock ’n’ roll) that the musician’s highest attainment is to connect with the soul beyond the body and the mind, and be so possessed by this connection that it animates and drives the artist’s performance.” It’s easier to get there live!

The Urban Politico: Thanks so much for your time, Debra!

Debra Devi: Thank you, great questions!

Learn more about Debra's music and writing at http://www.devi-rock.com/
Debra is a former associate editor of Blues Revue and has also written for Rolling Stone, Guitar World and The Village Voice, among other publications. 
When It Comes Down (Live)
Guitar Solo (live)

Racism: Beauty and The Beast

It is occasionally comforting to imagine that the people of evil spirit all look evil or ugly. That way you can tell who they are ahead of time and avoid them. It is also comforting to imagine that the election of a black President meant that America was finally starting to move past its ugly history of white supremacy and racial hatred towards a "post-racial" era. However, both of those ideas are complete fairy tales. Racial hatreds persist. And it's not just the stereotypical obvious skinheads or toothless inbred Southerners driving pickup trucks who spew racial hatred of the other, especially black people. Nope this stuff is nationwide. It's found in high-class and low-class people. People of great beauty and people of astounding ugliness can agree on how much they hate blacks. People who are living paycheck to paycheck and people who can light Cuban cigars with hundred dollar bills can find camaraderie in their shared disdain for citizens of African descent.

I am talking of course of two recent incidents. One incident involved mathematician and conservative columnist John Derybshire. The UK born Derbyshire (who is a walking example of why I think the US should have a more restrictive immigration policy) has a long history of writing hateful pieces about Black people. But in a recent piece for Takimag, he outdid himself in a scornful rebuttal to the idea that Black parents have to caution their children how to behave around whites, particularly white police officers. You can go read it there if you like. Basically his "argument" is that most black people are stupid and violent. He also thinks blacks are lazy and primarily have jobs via affirmative action. He sums up by saying he warns his children to avoid black areas or events with large numbers of black people. This is a typical excerpt.

(11) The mean intelligence of blacks is much lower than for whites. The least intelligent ten percent of whites have IQs below 81; forty percent of blacks have IQs that low. Only one black in six is more intelligent than the average white; five whites out of six are more intelligent than the average black. These differences show in every test of general cognitive ability that anyone, of any race or nationality, has yet been able to devise. They are reflected in countless everyday situations. “Life is an IQ test.”
(12) There is a magnifying effect here, too, caused by affirmative action. In a pure meritocracy there would be very low proportions of blacks in cognitively demanding jobs. Because of affirmative action, the proportions are higher. In government work, they are very high. Thus, in those encounters with strangers that involve cognitive engagement, ceteris paribus the black stranger will be less intelligent than the white. In such encounters, therefore—for example, at a government office—you will, on average, be dealt with more competently by a white than by a black. If that hostility-based magnifying effect (paragraph 8) is also in play, you will be dealt with more politely, too. “The DMV lady“ is a statistical truth, not a myth.

There was actually some conservative push back. A conservative economist was actually one of the first people to call for The National Review to fire Derbyshire for his Takimag article. The National Review did "fire" Derbyshire. Derbyshire himself did not seem too bothered by this. He has self-identified as a racist since at least 2003. No one who has ever read a representative sampling of his work can honestly say they weren't aware that Derbyshire has a special dislike for Black people and NAMS (Non Asian Minorities-Derbyshire is married to a woman of East Asian descent and evidently makes exceptions for that group).

The second incident of note was that a Chicago area bartender named Jessica Harr, decided to share with the Facebook world how much she hated Black people. She called for expulsion of blacks, used racial slurs, talked about how ugly and dumb black people were and said she'd never hire any blacks. Of course when the s*** hit the fan this MENSA member made her page private but by then it was too late and her employer decided that it was probably best if Harr found a new place to earn money.

UPDATE: Proof owner Mike Bloem, who waited almost 24 hours to respond to the situation, had this to say about the incident: "Proof would like to confirm its belief in equality, fairness and tolerance to all our friends and partners. Sadly, on occasion, we are all exposed to ignorance and racism. We believe that by continuing to be true to our ideals and leading through our actions that each of us can be an agent for positive change." 

Yeah, whatever. The truth of the matter is that women who look like Harr usually don't have a problem getting hired in the nightclub/food service/hospitality industry. I am certain that in a short period of time she will have a new gig. And perhaps she will only share her racist rants in person instead of on Facebook. Problem solved, right?

Well, not really. The issue is that Derbyshire and Harr both appear to have lots of supporters, judging by the comment boards of some conservative websites. And as I stated Derbyshire's attitudes have been crystal clear for years. He didn't all of a sudden decide that he hated Black people. So I don't really understand why now The National Review decided that it could no longer publish his work. The other interesting thing to me is that Derbyshire's relative openness about his attitudes is almost of benefit to me. I know exactly where he stands. I know that he doesn't like me and won't give me a fair shot. But Harr is the sort of person who smiles in your face but goes home to rant about how she wants you expelled from the country. Unless I'm looking for it, I may miss it. I have worked with and for people like Harr in the past. There's always some seemingly non-racial reason they have for why they're moving forward and you're not. And it's always delivered with a smile. Such people are dangerous.

QUESTIONS
1) Do you think the US is more racist now than before the 2008 election or are people just dropping their masks?
2) Is it fair to fire someone for what they wrote on their Facebook page? How about private email?
3) Had you heard of Derbyshire before now? Is there anything he said that was true? Do you think his attitudes are common among conservatives?
4) Why did The National Review decide to sever ties with Derbyshire now?
5) Ever worked with open racists? 

Music Reviews-Curtis Mayfield

Curtis Mayfield

Even among talented creative folks there are people who specialize and know their limitations. There are great singers who couldn't write a song to save their life. There are incredible musicians who can't sing. There are excellent songwriters who are far too shy and retiring to ever perform their own works. There are skilled performers who have zero business sense and defer all financial decisions to their managers, agents, attorneys and promoters. There are talented bandleaders who really shouldn't be trusted to engineer or produce their own recordings. And so on.

But sometimes, along comes a man who is capable of doing just about whatever is necessary to create his music and bring it to the public. Curtis Mayfield was such a man. He was at various times and oft simultaneously, a singer, songwriter, producer, arranger, bandleader, guitarist, A&R man, record company executive/owner, promoter, multi-media tycoon and social activist. So he was a giant among giants.

Curtis Mayfield had a masterful career both with The Impressions where he had become the primary songwriter and lead vocalist and later as a solo artist. If someone could be said to have his pulse on the feelings of Black America and transmit that musically it would have been Curtis Mayfield as much as anyone, and that includes heavyweights like James Brown, Donnie Hathaway and others. Songs like "Move on Up" , "Keep on Pushing" and "We're a winner" did become mainstays of the Civil Rights/Black Power movements.

As mentioned Mayfield was a very inventive guitarist. His peculiar chord structures and rhythms were picked up on by among others, Jimi Hendrix (just listen to Little Wing or Electric Ladyland) and Jeff Beck and provided an interesting different approach to the guitar than was common in the late sixties and early seventies. As a solo artist Mayfield often sang in a falsetto register, which was miles apart from his normal speaking voice. Again, Hendrix put this to great use, especially in Electric Ladyland.

There is occasionally a controversy about whether someone who describes brutal conditions of being black or poor in America and/or negative responses to those conditions is indeed endorsing such responses. This dinged Mayfield a bit with his songs "Superfly" and "Pusherman". But people who knew his work knew that the positive but realistic Mayfield was just telling it like he saw it. So in that way he was a forerunner of people like The Last Poets or the Watts Prophets or other rappers that would later come on the scene. He was also a collaborator, patron and producer of Donny Hathaway.

If you have the opportunity I would pick up just about any of Mayfield's music-starting with his gospelly/doo-wop with The Impressions thru his sixties soul with that group and the late sixties/early seventies movement into funk and funk rock as a solo artist. I'm a little iffy about some of his late seventies work as it's in the same universe as disco but even "bad" Mayfield work is better than "good" disco in my book. So if you're not hip to his work, please check him out. Sadly he's no longer with us, having passed away after a freak accident left him a quadriplegic, but he left more than enough music to show that he was indeed a master of 20th century music. You don't get inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice by just showing up. He worked. The below songs are just a very small sampling of Mayfield's solo and group work. His music takes me back to a more positive time.

People Get Ready   Miss Black America  Move on Up  When Seasons Change

Billy Jack  Get Down  Give Me Your Love(Live)   If there's Hell Below  Sad Sad Girl

Superfly Doo Doo Wop is Strong in here Pusherman We're A Winner

Stone Junkie  Fool for You  Big Mac Makings of You We People who are darker than blue

Meet the New Boss: Obama and Domestic Spying

I'm your new boss. I'm SO happy to see you!!!

One of the most intriguing things about human nature is how we respond to surface changes while the substantive policy remains the same. In short, a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down.

In New York City for example former Mayor Rudy Giuliani made no pretense of having much use for the black community or so-called black leaders. Under his leadership the NYPD was unleashed to harass and search black and Hispanic citizens, primarily men or boys, who could literally just be walking down the street minding their own business. Occasionally this aggressive attitude would lead to brutal or even deadly uses of force on citizens. People were outraged. They marched, protested and called the snarling churlish lisping Giuliani all sorts of nasty names.


Enter Mayor Bloomberg. Bloomberg is a "feel your pain" kind of guy. He's (usually) articulate, soft spoken, reasonable and can insult you in such a nice way that you'll thank him for doing so. He had no problem meeting with black leaders and making the requisite noises of regret any time there was a questionable NYPD incident. But the underlying policy of stop and frisk, agitate and intimidate wasn't changed. If anything, it expanded. But because Bloomberg's surface persona was much more pleasant than that of the belligerent Giuliani, much of the public controversy over police stops initially subsided. Now, however, thanks to Commissioner Kelly's pugnacity and the aggressiveness of the NYPD in crossing jurisdictional and legal lines, people may finally be starting to resist and fight back.

There's a lesson there. You may recall the Total Information Awareness Program that was aborted under then President Bush. Democrats and civil libertarians all of stripes raged against this in editorials. They thundered against it in on the airwaves. They called it creeping fascism. So the program was "dropped". Soon afterwards Hope and Change arrived.

And then people went back to sleep, content that they had stopped this wicked idea dead in its tracks. But much like the Terminator or the car Christine, ideas like this don't die. They just slowly and patiently rebuild themselves until they are reborn. Now they might have a modified name or use slightly different people as fronts. But that's all window dressing. The bottom line is government is " like fire, a handy servant but a dangerous master". The government will now be storing information on you for five years. The previous limit was 180 days.

The U.S. intelligence community can now store information on innocent Americans for up to five years under new Obama administration rules, expanding previous authority to hold details on individuals with no ties to terrorism.
The National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) was previously supposed to immediately destroy intelligence information about Americans when there were no clear ties to terrorism, but now new rules that basically justify spying on innocent Americans are being justified by terrorism fear-mongers.

But wait there's more!!! Behind door number two we have this prize for you!

NERMEEN SHAIKH: A new exposé in Wired Magazine has revealed new details about how the National Security Agency is quietly building the largest spy center in the country in Bluffdale, Utah, as part of a secret NSA surveillance program codenamed "Stellar Wind." According to investigative reporter James Bamford, the NSA has established listening posts throughout the nation to collect and sift through billions of email messages and phone calls, whether they originate within the country or overseas. The Utah spy center will contain near-bottomless databases to store all forms of communication collected by the agency. This includes the complete contents of private emails, cell phone calls and Google searches, as well as all sorts of personal data trails—parking receipts, travel itineraries, bookstore purchases and other digital "pocket litter."

AMY GOODMAN: In addition, the NSA has also created a supercomputer of almost unimaginable speed to look for patterns and unscramble codes. James Bamford writes the secret surveillance program "is, in some measure, the realization of the 'total information awareness' program created during the first term of the Bush administration," but later killed by Congress in 2003 due to privacy concerns and public outcry.

Do you get this? EVERYTHING that you communicate electronically, everything that shows who you are, what you read, where you go each day, what sorts of purchases you make, etc is being gathered up in databases where it will be perused and sifted through by government agents.
Now how is this possible if we have a Democratic President, one that taught constitutional law, someone who theoretically has an understanding of the Bill of Rights, of privacy, of individual rights?

It's possible because the neither the Republicans nor Democrats have any real commitment to or understanding of the Bill of Rights. Sure both sides will mouth pious platitudes to certain constitutional guarantees when they are important for some other purpose or to a favored interest group (Republicans and the gun lobby or Democrats and the abortion lobby) but ultimately neither side could give a mosquito's tweeter about the Bill of Rights as a general limitation on the executive branch's ability to investigate, monitor, arrest or compel behavior by the individual. The current President may not have southern swagger or Texas twang or other characteristics or behavior patterns which some progressives didn't like. But when it comes to civil liberties, make no mistake, President Obama is just as dangerous as any right-wing zealot and perhaps more so. Too many people are willing to give him a pass on things they never would have tolerated from President Bush. For example, that recent Supreme Court decision that allowed strip searches of all people arrested, even those arrested for minor non-violent offenses, was supported by the Obama Administration. This cartoon puts it perfectly.

If the below bill were to be proposed today as is with no other changes I don't think it would get passed. I think that Republicans would openly oppose it as a law which protected terrorists. Democrats might say (in front of the cameras) it was a good idea in theory but in practice (once behind closed doors) would carve out so many exceptions while CLAIMING they supported the law that even if passed it would be meaningless.

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

What's your take?
Are you bothered by the government gathering information on you?
If Republicans were doing this would we have heard more outcry?

Why aren't civil liberties important to more people? 

Television-Game of Thrones S1 Recap and S2 Anticipation

HBO's Game of Thrones FINALLY returns for Season Two tomorrow!!! 

Why did I like Game of Thrones? Because it's adult fantasy. It presents real characters with recognizable motivations and frailties. Few characters are one moral shade. Everyone has their own interests and limited information. Imagine The Wire or The Sopranos meets Middle Earth.

Season One started with the "hero" Ned Stark agreeing to work for the King. It ended with both the King and Ned murdered and Ned's family scattered. I hope you enjoy the Season One Recap below. Season Two Trailers are included within. There are no Season Two spoilers but Season One is detailed.

This is a series with a lot of moral complexity, backstabbing, double dealing, religious extremists, and examinations of the glory and horror that goes on when wars start. It breaks down the costs of honor and how difficult it can be to always do the right thing.
There was an asinine NYT review of Season Two that complained that Ned was dead, things weren't moving fast enough and there were too many characters. NEWS FLASH: Season Two does not complete the story. Season Two is primarily based on the second book of a series which is currently planned for seven. If you want simplistic heroes, quick results and feeble-minded plot lines, go watch a cartoon at the kiddies' table. If you have some patience for Dickensian complexity and appreciate good writing and great production values, check this out.

Season One Recap

Ned Stark, the Warden of the North, was invited by his oldest and closest friend, King Robert Barratheon, to become King Robert's Hand (Prime Minister). King Robert wants Ned's oldest daughter Sansa to marry Robert's son Joffrey. This will unite their families. Ned will be the father-in-law of one king and the grandfather of another. King Robert's wife, Queen Cersei Lannister, is committing adultery with her twin brother, Jaime. Ned's son Bran saw them. Jaime threw Bran from a window. Bran survived but was crippled and comatose. Someone made a second murder attempt. Based on her sister's information, Ned's wife Catelyn tells Ned that the Lannisters murdered the previous Hand, her brother-in-law.



Arya makes a point to big sis



Disturbed, nonetheless Ned goes south with the royals, his feuding daughters Sansa (a very traditional girl) and Arya (a tomboy), and some Northern soldiers. Ned left his castle Winterfell under Catelyn's authority. She and eldest son Robb will watch after Bran and the youngest son Rickon. Catelyn dislikes Ned's illegitimate son Jon Snow. Jon Snow is exiled to the Wall. Although, like most nobles, Ned and Catelyn have an arranged marriage, quite unusually they love, trust and respect each other.

Ned is shocked to discover that the Robert he remembers as a decisive leader and great warrior has become a brutish, lazy drunk who is simultaneously browbeaten by Cersei and regularly abuses and cheats on her. Ned finds that the Kingdom's true power is held not by the King but by (1) his Lannister in-laws, the king's creditors who have entirely too many soldiers around, and (2) the enigmatic royal advisers Varys (a spymaster) and Littlefinger (Treasury head who still carries a torch for Catelyn).

Lady Catelyn Stark

Catelyn Stark finds evidence that the Queen was present where Bran "fell". She thinks the second attempt proves Bran knows something dangerous. Incognito, she travels south to see Ned. Littlefinger tells both Starks that the Lannisters, specifically the dwarf Tyrion Lannister, were behind the murder attempts. Ned asks Catelyn to do nothing rash and sends her back to Winterfell. Ned will investigate. Ned's daughters see that Robert's teen son Joffrey is a mean and vindictive little brat.

King Robert learns that a previous regime princess, Daenerys Targaryen, still lives. Danerys is married to a Eastern king. She is pregnant. Robert wants to murder her. The moralistic and honest Ned disagrees. Ned resigns as Hand, greatly embarrassing and angering Robert.

Returning home Catelyn Stark (nee Tully) runs into Tyrion Lannister. As Catelyn is on her father's lands and close to her sister's domain, in one of Season One's greatest scenes she orders Tyrion's arrest. (This scene was also echoed in Boardwalk Empire)

This proves to be a very bad idea. Although he dislikes his sarcastic, prostitute patronizing son, Tyrion's father, Tywin Lannister is outraged by Tyrion's arrest. Tywin sends his most monstrous soldiers to rape, kill and pillage on Tully lands. Jaime Lannister attacks Ned Stark. Ned is crippled. His bodyguards are killed. The King remakes Ned the Hand.  Ned orders away more of his dwindling troop to defend his wife's lands.

Ned finally realizes that not only is Cersei having an incestuous affair but also all of her children are Jaime's. This is a capital crime. Rather foolishly, but in accordance with his morals, Ned tells Cersei that he knows everything. He gives her 48 hrs to leave town before he informs Robert. Cersei laughs, offers herself to Ned and when that fails, tells Ned she's not going anywhere and if he wants to get in the ring against her he better come heavy.

Cersei has arranged for Robert to be mortally injured in a hunting "accident". Cersei seduced her own cousin to set Robert up. The too compassionate Ned is unwilling to tell his dying friend of Cersei's crimes. Robert's brother Renly urges Ned to seize Cersei and her children and recognize Renly as King. Renly's soldiers will protect Ned and his family. Ned believes that Renly's older brother Stannis is the lawful heir and scornfully declines Renly's offer. Ned sends word to Stannis. Renly flees.
Increasingly desperate for manpower and advice, Ned turns to Littlefinger, who suggests Ned submit and play ball until such time as he can profitably reveal the incest. Ned rejects that idea as dishonorable. Out of options, Ned requests that Littlefinger pay the City Guard to support Ned until Stannis' arrival. Littlefinger agrees.

Robert makes Ned regent and dies. Thus armed with the law, his few remaining soldiers and the City Guard, Ned goes before Cersei, Joffrey and Lannister troops to claim his rights as regent.  Cersei says she doesn't give a flying f*** what Robert said. The only question now is if Ned will bend the knee to Joffrey. Ned says Joffrey is not the true king and orders Joffrey's arrest. But Littlefinger betrayed Ned. The City Guard supports the Lannisters. Ned is captured. His final loyalists are killed. Across the palace, Lannisters butcher Stark people. Arya escapes but Sansa is captured.


Ghost: Jon Snow's Direwolf

 Across the ocean Danerys Targaryen is now the last Targaryen. Her pervy older brother Viserys was upset that his sister's authority had eclipsed his own. Viserys wanted his brother-in-law Khal Drogo to invade Westeros immediately. Viserys threatens to kill Danerys but is killed by Drogo. Drogo and Danerys grow even closer together when the assassination attempt on Daneys fails. Mess with a man's woman and unborn child and you're going to get handled. Drogo promises Old Testament level retribution. 

But some of Drogo's men aren't supportive. They don't wish to go to war overseas for a foreigner. They are vociferously opposed to Danerys ordering them about.
One fool insults Danerys. Khal Drogo must make an example. They duel. Drogo is contemptuous of his adversary's weapon. In an example of "You may get yours but brother don't let me get mine", Drogo fights weaponless and leans into the other man's sword to get close enough to rip out his opponent's throat with his bare hands.

M-A-N indeed. But this Alpha Male Big Dog display costs Drogo. He is now either infected or poisoned and falls from his horse. A Khal who can not ride is no Khal at all in Dothraki culture. Danerys tries to save Drogo's life. She begs help from a witch. The witch "saves" Drogo's life by making him virtually comatose, which is no life for any Dothraki. The witch's sorcery also kills Danerys' unborn child and leaves her barren. Danerys mercy kills Drogo. The Dothraki horde deserts Danerys. She is left with a small core of women, children and Dothraki men who are either poor warriors or liberal/loyal enough not to mind taking orders from a foreign girl. In her first official act as Khaleesei (Queen) she creates a funeral pyre for Drogo and burns the witch alive upon it. Impulsively, she places dragon eggs on the pyre. She walks into the fire and the eggs hatch. Unharmed by the flames she is now the literal mother of dragons-three newborn dragons suckle upon her.

Sansa begs for her father's life

Hearing of his father's arrest, Robb Stark summons the Stark bannermen. As Robb is only 17 or so, some Northerners question his wisdom or authority but after Robb's Direwolf Grey Wind bites off a few fingers, they get with the program. Catelyn reminds Robb that the Lannisters still have his sisters. The Lannisters demand Robb's allegiance. Sansa Stark begs (now King) Joffrey to show her father mercy. Joffrey says he will do so provided Ned retracts his claim that Joffrey is not King and admits to treason.
Locked in a dungeon and in a VERY bad mood, Ned has no intention of doing any such thing. He's been in worse situations. For Ned, truth and honor are more important than his life. Varys, who refuses to help Ned escape, asks if Ned feels the same way about his daughters' lives.

Ned goes before the crowd including King Joffrey and recants his claim that Joffrey is not king. He falsely admits to treasonous acts. Varys has led him to believe that Ned will be exiled. This is Cersei's desire. Joffrey, however, has different plans. From pure spite Joffrey orders Ned's execution. Ned is beheaded while Sansa screams in horror. In a touching scene Ned sees Arya in the crowd and is able to tell a Night Watch man to save her. Bran Stark (who has awoken from his coma with no memory of Jaime and Cersei) and Rickon Stark see their father's murder in dreams. Bran is developing some form of ESP.
Ned's death means war. Good GAWD Y'all!!!




Robb "The Young Wolf" Stark



The North secedes and recognizes Robb Stark as their "King In The North". Robb Stark leads the Northern forces to initial victory against the Lannisters. He captures Jaime Lannister. Jon Snow hears the news. He wants to desert the Night Watch to fight alongside his brother but is convinced to keep his oath. There are strange happenings in the north. The Night Watch intends to ride in force to defeat the wild tribes and any undead creatures. Jon isn't the first prince forced to put Wall duty above family duty.

The sadistic Joffrey makes Sansa look upon her father's severed head and promises her that soon he'll put Robb's head next to it. Sansa responds that maybe Robb will make her a gift of Joffrey's head instead. In response Joffrey has his bodyguards beat Sansa for his enjoyment. They all do this except for The Hound, a brutal killer who murdered Arya's friend, but who evidently likes Sansa.

Daenerys Reborn

Got all that? Good because it will be on the test. Ned's dead. Robb Stark calls himself King but will Catelyn Stark take orders from someone whose bottom she used to wipe? The Starks will seek new allies. Jon Snow is riding North where his loyalty and honor will be tested. Arya Stark is going thru hell trying to get home. Sansa Stark is going thru hell being Joffrey's plaything. Bran Stark has strange dreams. Tyrion Lannister will become his nephew Joffrey's Hand, at Tywin Lannister's command. This puts Tyrion on a collision course with Cersei, who despises him. Cersei rages against the patriarchy but dare not disobey her Daddy. Both Stannis and Renly claim the throne. Daenerys Targaryen has dragons. Season Two will introduce several new characters. Harsh, austere and battle tested Stannis makes common cause with a religious redheaded strange seductive seer from the East while charismatic and militarily inexperienced Renly has Westeros' only female knight watching his back.

Other Houses must decide who to support. Some are just happy to see rivals wasting manpower and money.

Season Two New Character

There will be oodles of violence, sex, love and hate. In Season One HBO used dogs for the Stark Direwolves. Per books the wolves are large/dangerous enough even as pups to worry Stark enemies. As adults -and they grow quickly - they are supposed to be almost as large as small ponies. In Season Two the Stark Direwolves will be represented by a mixture of dogs, CGI and animatronics. I'm looking forward to this. Wow you read all this??? I would have quit a long time ago. =)  Well in reward for your patience here are some trailers for Season Two and a feature from Season One.
Season Two Trailers
The Cold Winds are Rising Trailer  
The More You Love Trailer   Price for our Sins Trailer 
Nowhere to Hide Trailer  Seven Devils Trailer
Arya Stark Feature