• Wizard Rock – For Jo by RiddleTM

    ByNick Jeffery
    1 Comment

    I was listening the latest episode of The Three Broomsticks podcast this weekend, where talk turned to Potter inspired music and Wizard Rock. As a latecomer to the fandom I was aware that Wizard Rock existed but otherwise entirely ignorant. One of the first bands mentioned was a duo called RiddleTM. Judging from their website they haven’t been active for more than ten years, but the music is still available on Sound Cloud. 

    One of their songs has encapsulated to me how it must have felt to grow up with the Harry Potter stories and the growth of both the fandom and the author. For Jo by RiddleTM is a profoundly moving gratitude in ballad form, and because it moved me to tears, I’m sharing it with you here:

    For Jo Lyrics
    July 21st 1997 and no one had heard of you.
    But one decade later there’s queues at the door
    People placing their order and shouting for more.
    How far you have come
    How far you have come.
    Enchanted the world with a story you wrote
    Of a boy who was ordinary
    And now parents read to children who have long been asleep
    ‘Cause they want to know more about wizard Harry.
    How far you have come
    How far you have come.

    (Chorus)
    So Ms Rowling
    Here is a song I wrote for you
    ‘Cause I’m grateful for all that you’ve taught me
    And inspired me to do.
    You showed me good triumphs over evil
    And you taught the whole world how to read
    So thank you Ms JK Rowling
    Thank you so much for Harry.

    Though all 7 books have been finished and read
    The magic is still burning strong.
    And we who were there will never forget
    The anticipation we felt for so long.
    How far you have come
    How far you have come.
    And we grow up with Harry, the Boy Who Lived,
    Who has helped us through all the bad times.
    And the theories and mysteries, the questions and clues
    Were the talk of the forums and in our hearts too.
    How far you have come
    How far you have come

    (Chorus)

    So we’ll raise our pumpkin juice and our butterbeer
    And we’ll sing about the great things you’ve done.
    And we’ll be happy now Voldemort’s defeated
    And we’ll cheer for Harry who won.

    (Chorus)

    So Ms Rowling
    This is the song I wrote for you.
    Here’s to you now and to your future
    And I just wanted to say thank you.

    For Jo Lyrics by RiddleTM

  • Ink Black Horcruxes

    ByNick Jeffery
    4 Comments

    Much work has been done tracing the parallels between The Ink Black Heart and The Half Blood Prince. One of more intriguing ones is the plot point of horcruxes and the search for them. Anomie’s sock puppet Twitter accounts were first identified (I think) by Sandy, here in the comments, just a few weeks after the book was published:

    – The sock puppet accounts seem to parallel horcruxes, especially when both are designed to bully and torture perceived enemies

    Sandy in the Hogwarts Professor Comments

    Is this a viable parallel or a reach to far? Find out what the top parallel-pundits think after the jump!

    Read More “Ink Black Horcruxes”

  • Chris Calderon – J. K. Rowling, the Beatles and the Counterculture Revolution

    ByNick Jeffery
    4 Comments

    Yesterday, long time friend of Hogwarts Professor, Chris Calderon shared his insights into the shared 1960’s heritage of both Dylan Thomas and the popularisation of The I Ching. For me the most remarkable part of this find is the existence of a documentary, filmed in 2000 as J. K. Rowling was approaching a similar level of fame, about the Beatles featuring Rowling herself. Today, Chris will take us through this film and her appearances – enjoy!
    Read More “Chris Calderon – J. K. Rowling, the Beatles and the Counterculture Revolution”

  • Harry Potter and the Streamed Television Series – Confirmed.

    ByNick Jeffery
    8 Comments

    Yesterday at 1pm Eastern Time (and 6pm here in the UK) Warner Brothers Discovery held a press event to announce the launch of the new television streaming service Max. Rumours were spread, from sources within Warner Discovery, last week that they were close to closing a deal, that would see a new television adaptation of Harry Potter announced at the same time. Speculation from the ever reliable Rowling Library suggested that one reason for the leak was to increase pressure on Rowling Inc to sign before the press event so that the new series could be announced at the same, increasing the impact of Max in the increasingly competitive streaming market.

    For this reason, the event was joined not just by investors and media journalists, but also a healthy number of Rowling and Potter watchers, myself among them. Right at the very end of the hour long presentation the announcement was made, clearly as the headline of the new service. Find out what we know, and the initial reactions after the jump:

    Read More “Harry Potter and the Streamed Television Series – Confirmed.”