(Incidentally, what is it with people and ruining stories/endings for other people? Shortly after book 6 came out, Meredith saw a person driving their car with a piece of paper pinned up in the back window stating who died at the end of the book. Come on, that's just mean. I'm also hearing about people reading the last chapter of the final Harry Potter and that's it. Really? Isn't the journey the important part? Otherwise you could easily just find a plot summary somewhere online if you really tried, and save yourself the $16.99.)
It's always fascinating to see to what lengths fans of a fantasy genre will go to celebrate that fantasy-world. There are the costumed SCA participants and comic book convention attendees. The extensive collections of fan fiction for, well, really every sci-fi/fantasy universe. The people who stand in line for weeks for a major anticipated film or product (Xbox, iPhone, etc.) opening. Heck, even my friends' film George Lucas in Love is in essence a brilliantly executed series of riffs paying homage to the Star Wars series. (Well, there's more to it than that, but I'm trying to make a point here!)
For me, one of the perhaps most bizarre but fabulous examples of this kind of fan creativity is the recent growing musical sub-(sub-sub-sub-)genre of Wizard Rock (aka 'wrock').
That's right, it's all music about the Harry Potter universe. Sure, this isn't all stuff you'll be singing along with, but the sheer concept is fabulous - and some of these bands are even getting famous, albeit primarily in a cult kind of way. Still, they made ABC news this week (in the business section, wha-?). And they're certainly at least doing well enough to go out on country-wide concert tours.Rather than just play music about magic and Hogwarts and such, many of the bands choose to emulate characters or otherwise act like they live in the universe. There are the Parselmouths (who play "evil" Slytherin girls - they performed at Meredith's library on the day The Deathly Hollows came out), Draco and the Malfoys (their website is http://www.evilwizardrock.com/ - you just can't make this stuff up), The Remus Lupins, and likely the best known band, Harry and the Potters, who perform as the main character himself -- at two separate ages, via magical time travel of course. Sheer brilliance.
My brother Brian is one of the big fans who turned us on to Wizard Rock; a Harry and the Potters track even made it onto an anniversary podcast/"book on tape" for Meredith. You know he's hooked when I left him a voicemail during the Parselmouth concert at the library, and he was able to pick out the track they were performing from a 5 second clip. Impressive.
(Aside: The opening band was actually covering Harry and the Potters tunes. There are already Wizard Rock cover bands?!?)
Anyway, these bands are a bunch of really creative folks, and the lyrics are fabulous. My favorite: "Are you petrified / of being petrified?", from Harry and the Potters' classic hit "Save Ginny Weasley". It's also great to see them getting recognition - yes, they mainly play at libraries and small venues, but I'm seeing 1.1 million listens to "Save Ginny Weasley" - and the kids and adults alike were having a blast at the library concert. I'm having fun just seeing band names, let alone hearing the tracks. Now there's even a Wizard Rockumentary and a Wizard Rock Encyclopedia. Here's to creativity!
Makes you a little disappointed to think that instead of one of these great bands -- of fellow kids (probably even younger than the actors at this point, no less) -- the filmmakers decided to have former members of Pulp perform at the Goblet of Fire's school dance (Yule Ball) sequence. Ah well, film marketers and CD sales will trump authenticity. Until the CD is dead at least. Long live personalization, creativity, and Wizard Rock!
And now, back to reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows. Well, once Meredith relinquishes it. Should I start a Wizard Rock band while I wait?
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