THE GREAT BLACK HORSE WESTERN WEEKEND

What a marathon - The Tainted Archive (http://tainted-archive.blogspot.com) hosted over 100 articles relating to the Black Horse Westerns. A mammoth undertaking that Broken Trails takes it hat off to.
There were interviews:
Matthew P. Mayo
Gillian F. Taylor
David Whitehead
Lance Howard
Jack Giles
I.J.Parnham
Chuck Tyrell
Chap O'Keefe
Many of whom also submitted articles on writing, the Black Horse Western community and facts about the West and one that proved that the Black Horse Western was more popular than Harry Potter.
Dave Lewis and Steve M of the blog Western Fiction Review provided various book reviews.
All together and in full technicolour with sound-a-round and in 3-D we were treated to an epic Black Horse Western weekend.
Congratulations to Gary Dobbs who worked his fingers to the bone on this.

Friday's Forgotten Book: TAMIKO by Ronald Kirkbride

The US title for this book is 'A Girl Named Tamiko'.
The story centres around the central character Ivan Balin a photographer who has one goal in life and that is to get a visa so that he can live and work in America. He has crossed from mainland China, where he was born to a Chinese mother and a Russian father, to Japan.
At the opening of the book he is obsessive and a user. Obsessed with getting a visa and using a local bar girl, Eiko, and giving her the wrong impression. She kind of loves him and thinks that he'll take her with him which is the last thing on Ivan's mind.
Then he meets Fay Wilson the receptionist for the American Ambassador. She's spoilt, rich and hates everything Japanese. Ivan thinks that gives him a connection to her but then she hates his yellow skin. Sure they get it together but she's just using him.
On an off night he meets up with his English friend, Nigel, who introduces Ivan to Tamiko. She is the key to the archives in the library but it is a completely different door that she opens. Through her Ivan gets to photograph one of Japan's most influential modern artists who refuses to have his picture taken. Instead of outrage - it is the making of Ivan Balin's reputation as a photographer. He can't move for orders and it is by taking another photograph that he is given an assignment that takes him into the heart of Japan and two weeks with Tamiko that will change his attitude and his life.
Ronald Kirkbride brings life into his characters and through them gives an insight into post-war Japan. There is conflict with those, like Tamiko's brother, who want to stick with tradition and those who know that they need to embrace modern ideas if they are to compete on equal terms.
'Tamiko' is a fully satisfying read. It was first published by Cassel in 1959 and my edition was the 1960 publication from Pan Books. There is no waste in the 154 page length though believe me there are times when you feel like shouting at Ivan Balin to wake up to himself.
If you like this one then you might like Ronald Kirkbride's 'An Innocent Abroad' where a Japanese tomboy takes on modern America.

J. D. SALINGER 1919 - 2010

Sad news.
The Manhatten born writer, J.D.Salinger died last Wednesday.
Although he wrote many short stories and novellas between 1940 and 1961 he is better known for 'The Catcher In The Rye'.
Published in 1951 'The Catcher In The Rye' was, and still is, one of the most influential books of it's time. Holden Caulfield first appeared in a 1941 short story called 'Slight Rebellion Off Madison' which became the basis of the novel. It was the creation of this anti-hero who despised the 'phonies' of the adult world that turned both author and character into icons of teenage rebellion.
A huge talent.

SKILLET: AWAKE

I had never heard of Skillet before the Smackdown vs Raw 2010 console game came out.
Two of the tracks on that game were 'Hero' and 'Monster'. Themes used by the WWE for their pay per views - 'Monster' being used for 'Hell In A Cell' and 'Hero' the theme for both 'Tribute To The Troops' and the 2010 'Royal Rumble'.

Skillet were formed back in 1996 in Memphis, Tennessee by John Cooper (lead vocals and bass guitar). Later he was joined by his wife, Korey (keyboards and rhythem guitar) and lead guitar Ben Kasica. Jen Ledger is the drummer and vocals and completes the current line up.
Over the past 13 years the music has covered many of the music genres including hard rock, Industrial rock and symphonic rock.
Two of their albums 'Collide' and 'Comatose' have been Grammy nominated.

'Awake' is classed as old school prog rock with added styles.
The opening track is 'Hero' - and a good one, too, as it makes for one of those stop what you're doing and listen for a while. 'Monster' is darker in both tone and colour and the mood continues into 'Don't Wake Me'. This is deceptive as the mood changes with 'Awake And Alive'a song that does exactly what the title implies.
This album is a rareity in that there is not a dud track on it.

If you like Linkin Park (and I don't), Puddle of Mud or Evanescence then you should take to this Skillet album.

Jen Ledger had a song to herself on an earlier Skillet 'Comatose' tour and her vocals on the 'Awake' album are absolutely excellent. Hint to Skillet - Jen should have more to do on next album. Both Jen Ledger and John Cooper's voices complement each other.

On first listening to this album I had no idea of the band's history except that it had been a No.1 album on the Billboard Chart. What I didn't know was that this was a Christian rock band.
I knew that Christian bands were around and covered every kind of genre from heavy metal to rap and many that I had sampled were so in your face with the 'important message'.
So, it was great to come across a band that didn't do that. Sure, the 'message' is there but oh, so subtle. Read the lyrics and you'll see what I mean.

'Awake' has been enough for me to go out looking for more of their albums. The music works on several levels so that the listener draws from it what they want to.

Western Wednesday: BLACK HORSE WESTERN WEEKEND

The Black Horse Western Weekend starts this Friday over on The Tainted Archive (http://tainted-archive.blogspot.com).
Over the weekend end the blog owner, Gary Dobbs, plans a marathon of over a hundred items that include reviews, interviews and articles about Black Horse Westerns, the authors and books. One huge undertaking.
Over recent months interest in Black Horse Westerns has taken off and many new writers have been surprised at the success of their novels predominant amongst them are Jack Martin and Terry James and Thomas McNulty the latter still being in Amazon's top 10 western bestsellers. Old hands, too, are being recognised like Lance Howard and Rory Black's 'Iron Eyes' series - two of these books figure in the current chart along with Abe Dancer's 'Shot Gold'.
One Black Horse Western, I.J.Parnham's 'Devine's Law', was the subject of debate between The Tainted Archive, Broken Trails and I.J.Parnham's own blog at The Culbin Trail.
Recently, a bunch of Black Horse Western writers along with a wild bunch of new writers and old hands got together to produce the serialised western known as 'The Story With No Name'.
Nowadays the Black Horse Western brand crops up all over the place and the writers come from every continent in the world.
So sit back and enjoy the Black Horse Western weekend over on The Tainted Archive.

IS PARIS BURNING? - 1966

This movie is set in August 1944.
The Allies are advancing with one main aim and that is to reach the Rhine and the liberation of Paris is not amongst the priorities.
Adolph Hitler, on the other hand, wants Paris to be totally destroyed.
The French Resistance are divided. The Communists want to start a resistance campaign to save the city while the Guallists are passive and want the Allies to liberate Paris. Ultimately, the Communists act first by taking over the Police Prefecture and start taking out the Germans and the Guallists have no choice but to join forces.
The Germans have their hands full and a truce is called which allows the Germans to plant their demolition charges in the Louvre and Eiffel Tower and other places of interest.
Okay, so the Germans never blew up Paris so no suspense there. But the same arguement could be made about 'The Longest Day' or any of the true war films - we all know what happened.
It's all about 'the how'.
The only 'big' star in this movie is Paris itself.
The action takes place in the real places and, as it is filmed in Black and White, enables use of film of the real events that tie in with the action.
Another point is that the French play the French, the Germans played by Germans and Americans by Americans. And Orson Welles as the Swedish Ambassador - though there is one point, when donning a black hat, the camera angle takes the viewer back to 'The Third Man' - my only complaint but a nice touch all the same.
And a star studded cast that includes Jean-Paul Belmondo, Yves Montand, Leslie Caron, Charles Boyer, Simone Signoret and Alain Delon. Most of the Germans like Hans Messner and Wolfgang Priess have turned up in German uniform in one film or another and, therefore, familiar faces. Gert Frobe gets promoted from Private in 'The Longest Day' to the General in charge of the demolition of Paris.
The Americans include Kirk Douglas as Patton, Robert Stack as Seibert and Glen Ford as Omar Bradley. Along for the ride in cameos are Skip Ward, Anthony Perkins and George Chakiris - though blink and you'll miss him but he's listed in the 'stars'.
Together Gore Vidal and Francis Ford Coppola have put together a pretty good script and Maurice Jarre's soundtrack ties it all together.
As a nice touch an aerial shot of Paris turns from black and white to colour.
And the final scenes where all you hear is Hitler screaming out 'IS PARIS BURNING?'
The thing that struck me was that we are all used to seeing the jubilant crowds surrounding tanks during the liberation - but not the tragedy for the Germans were still resisting.
The film comes in two halves. First the story of the French resistance. Then the original Intermission. Part two concentrates on the liberation by the Allies and the German 'resistance'.
A film that shouldn't be missed.

JEAN SIMMONS 1929 - 2010

Jean Simmons who died yesterday aged 80 was born in Crouch End, North London.
Her first notable screen role was that of the young Estella in David Lean's 1946 production of Charles Dicken's 'Great Expectations' - a story that she would re-appear in with the 1980s mini-series this time playing Miss Haversham.
She then went on to play Ophelia to Laurence Olivier's 'Hamlet' (1948).
During her movie career she would star alongside the likes of Frank Sinatra and Marlon Brando (Guys And Dolls); Gregory Peck (The Big Country); Burt Lancaster (Elmer Gantry); Kirk Douglas (Spartacus) and Richard Burton (The Robe).
In 1965 she took over the role of Susan, originally played by Heather Sears, in the sequal to 'Room At The Top' (1959)'Life At The Top' opposite Laurence Harvey.
Her later acting career encompassed both the stage with 'A Little Night Music' and tv series such as 'The Thorn Birds' and 'North And South'.
Jean Simmons was married twice - first to Stewart Grainger with whom she made several movies and then to the director Richard Brooks.
She is survived by two daughters Tracy and Kate.