Song of the Week: Immigrant Song

On 11.20.09, In Music, Song of the Week, Vikings, By Shane

cleesevikingWhile I usually rely on historical trivia to guide me in choosing a song of the week, this week’s selection is inspired by a series of comments I made this week on Twitter.

As you may know, popular culture is awash in vampires lately. With the debut of yet another movie based on yet another vampire-themed young adult novel, we are confronted yet again with the bloodsuckers.

Hey, don’t get me wrong. I like a good vampire story, too. But, selfishly, I see no personal profit potential in the vampire trend. By the time I would be able to get anything produced for publication, I fear the trend will have crept back into its coffin waiting to be revived in another decade or so.

I expressed on Twitter the desire to create a new trend that I could cash in on. Zombies are starting to pick up serious momentum, but a true trendsetter is able to look beyond the immediate needs of the consumer and anticipate the next big thing. Thus, I envision a future trend for vikings.

Yes, vikings. And after slogging through a few examples of Viking metal on Last.fm (yes, such a genre exists), I was discouraged that I might not ever find a Viking song worthy of selection for this week’s song of the week.

But, then, happily I was reminded of the perfect song for this week’s selection by Aunt B (who, incidentally, is one of my favorite bloggers to read on a regular basis. Check out her blog, Tiny Cat Pants, as soon as you can).

And, so without further ado, I bring you a Viking-edition of the song of the week: Led Zeppelin’s “Immigrant Song.”

And, as an added bonus I bring you (courtesy of R. Neal’s reminder in the comments of my Volhalla post) the fury of the Viking kittens. Be prepared for pillaging. They are your overlords. (The usual location at vikingkittens.com doesn’t seem to be working, so I’ve liked to a different location for now.)

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Volhalla: A Fantastic Waste of Time

On 11.18.09, In General, Just for Fun, Social Media, Vikings, By Shane

BugsVikingI’ve never been afraid of getting silly. Sometimes, it can be quite therapeutic. Tonight, for example, I went online to research some information and found myself suddenly awash in news that the latest Vampire-inspired teen romance movie was premiering here in Knoxville.

It’s hard not to notice that Vampires have completely invaded pop culture these past few years. In the wake of the premiere of New Moon, you can find all sorts of talk about why vampires are a hot property again.

Sure, it’s easy to see why teens would want to be vampires. Vampires are generally portrayed as attractive, hyper-sexual beings who stay up all night, avoid daylight, and give the appearance of living like the wealthy elite even vikingcouplewhen they really sleep in someone’s basement. In some ways Vampires are teenagers– or at least they resemble most of the stereotypes about teenagers cranked up to 11.

But, you know what? I remember being a teenager. The days I felt attractive and hyper-sexual were far outnumbered by the days I felt like sulking and contemplating pillaging small farm towns. So, I found myself considering what might be a good counter-balance to the Vampire craze and how could I cash in on it? Vikings, my friend. Vikings. There just isn’t a whole bunch of young adult literature based on Vikings right now (old Thor comics notwithstanding). It’s a market ripe with opportunity.

hagarSo, I tossed the idea out on my Twitter feed that Vikings would be a good replacement trend for vampires in 2010. Soon enough, I was able to get a few friends, acquaintances, and a stranger or two to join the conversation and, lo and behold, a new movement was born. Or at least a new hashtag was: #vikingsarethenewvampires.

In reality, what I was most impressed with was the spirit of fun and silliness that everyone adopted almost immediately. It’s good sometimes to let loosedenmark_viking_trio and have a little silly fun.

But, if you one day read a tween-oriented book about a pretty young Saxon girl who falls in love with a sensitive teen Viking boy and how they are kept apart by the hot but evil Roman leader who wants the Saxon girl for himself, then you should know someone totally stole our story idea.

(Kudos, by the way, to Suzy Trotta who suggested the name Volhalla as the ideal name for a Viking story set in East Tennessee.)

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