Sunday, June 2, 2013

GORMENGHAST In POP CULTURE: THE CURE



Ooo! Mood night! 

For fans of both the book & movie GORMENGHAST, & of THE CURE:

Did you know THE CURE wrote their song ‘THE DROWNING MAN’ about LADY FUCHSIA?!
(Lyrics below). Some band members were fans of the book. I heard that leader Robert Smith said he cries when he reads it because he knows what happens to her.

Here's links to movie & book, if you're a curious Cure fan; or a swoony new fan of Dracula Jonathan Rhys Meyers- or generally want to see fantastic BBC character acting: go watch, & come back for videos & lyrics.

JRM is considerably skinnier here: he put on 25 lbs of muscle later when he got tired of being cast as teenagers. I'll stake anything that he had fun doing this one, though.




Also ‘ALL CATS ARE GREY’ by THE CURE
on the same album, also said to be inspired by Gormenghast- I'm guessing the lyrics speak for our sad, tragic villain Steerpike as he hides, trapped, below in the castle "amongst the stones" and the flood. (Lyrics later.)

THE DROWNING MAN, Storyline
                                         (with SPOILERS):  

Is this song about suicide? Not necessarily. Our beloved Fuchsia in the book seems to decide against suicide- then ironically dies by accident: perched on the windowsill (not intending to jump), Fuchsia “starting at the violent sound” of a knock at the door, falls into the floodwater. The author mercifully has her knocked unconscious first.


YES!!