Alternative fandoms, outsider artists, plus how everything is tied together

[firecat]

I really like Moby-Dick (the novel by Melville).

I'm afraid I don't much care for this guy's artwork style, but he made 552 illustrations for Moby-Dick (one for each page of his edition), which I think is a great project.

http://www.tinhouse.com/books/fiction-poetry/moby-dick-in-pictures.html

He also claims to have "the world's largest personal collection of Nazgul art"

http://everypageofmobydick.blogspot.com/p/the-worlds-largest-personal-collection.html

This is a recent article about him.

http://www.cincinnatimagazine.com/artsmindsblog/wild-weird-world-matt-kish/

While digging around to find out more about this guy, I discovered there is now a biennial "marathon reading of Moby-Dick" in New York City. This happened in 2012 and 2014. In 2013 there wasn't a reading, but there was a "Moby-Dick Not-Marathon," aka a convention. The next marathon will be in 2016. Its Kickstarter campaign is a sight to behold.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/amandabullock/moby-dick-marathon-nyc

I found out about Matt Kish via a pattern by Ann Weaver, "His Mark," in the new (50th!) edition of knitty.com:http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEw14/PATThismark.php

She has published two books of knitting patterns based on Moby-Dick. The paper versions of the books have illustrations by Matt Kish.

Comments

[jesse_the_k]

My first time was on cassette with Alexander Scorby booming loud enough to drown out the rain in the sails. I'd stuck with the foolish H.S. assumption that classics = boring. Not so!

Did you know that in its centenary, Moby-Dick was the "big read" in the UK? I was surprised, since I think of it as a fundamentally US novel, but it does have a global reach.

Different readers for each chapter: Tilda Swinton to start, but also actual mariners. Streamable or downloadable. Sadly, they don't include the Prologue (the words "Supplied by a Late Consumptive Usher to a Grammar School" tickled me, for some reason. Nerd).

Even more sadly, I lack a cetecean icon. Here, have a seal instead.

[firecat]

One of my reactions to finding out about the marathon reading is "Yay, finally an American novel gets the Ulysses treatment."

My audiobook is narrated by Adams Morgan.

[jesse_the_k]

Wait. You have Moby-Dick read by a gentrifying DC neighborhood?

/sending myself to bed.

[bibliofile]

Yet more evidence that if there's a book there's a fandom to go with it. Fandom FTW

[leafrider.livejournal.com]

That's fascinating. I had no idea people have done that much Moby Dick inspired work, or Nazgul for that matter. I'm impressed.

[fauxklore]

There is an annual Moby Dick marathon reading in New Bedford, MA. They even move over to the Seamen's Bethel for the chapter set there.

[firecat]

Oh cool!

[epi-lj.livejournal.com]

I have a similar book based on Thomas Pynchon's, "Gravity's Rainbow." :)

[firecat]

I came across that in my Matt-Kish-related wanderings.