GHOSTWOOD 090: "Dune (1984)" Is Up!

 
"Your time has come. A storm is coming. Our storm. And when it arrives, it will shake the universe. Emperor...we come for you!"
-- Paul "Muad'Dib" Atreides, Dune (1984)

It is happening again...My co-host with the most Xan Sprouse and I are back with a new episode of Ghostwood: The Twin Peaks Podcast!  In this episode, we discuss Dune, the 1984 science fiction film written and directed by David Lynch, starring Kyle MacLachlan as Paul Atreides, Everett McGill as Stilgar, Jürgen Prochnow as Duke Leto Atreides, Francesca Annis as Lady Jessica, Kenneth McMillan as Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, and Sting as Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen!

LET'S ROCK!

In this episode, Xan and I discuss things like treasonous insurrection and threats to democracy, Donald Trump making history as the first President of the United States to be impeached twice, Baron Harkonnen's reluctance to engage in a peaceful transfer of power and commit insurrection against the incoming government, our being unapologetic fans of Dune, running down the various Twin Peaks and David Lynch film actors, Stilgar being the Barry White of the Fremen, Jack Nance being miscast as a Harkonnen, comparing the Trump Administration and family with the Harkonnens, Yueh's obsession with killing Baron Harkonnen screwing over House Atreides, looking forward to Dave Bautista as The Beast Rabban, Sting as Dr. Frankenstein in The Bride, Sting's Flying Underpants, John Constantine being physically based on Sting, wondering why Brian Eno only did the "Prophecy Theme", Alejandro Jodorowsky blaming the studio instead of David Lynch for how Dune turned out, moviegoers being given a glossary of Dune terminology before the movie, David Lynch requesting the "Alan Smithee" disavowed credit for the extended versions, Lynch's original plans to adapt Dune Messiah, the studio viewing Dune as "Star Wars for adults", the idea of a David Lynch Star Wars film, the Navigators folding space, the Bene Gesserit sisterhood making their own messiah, wondering why Christopher Walken has never been in a David Lynch project, Paul organizing the Fremen into an insurgent army to take control of Arrakis, our realization that Xan and I were at the same Chris Isaak concert before getting to know one another, finally getting a novelization of Buckaroo Banzai Against the World Crime League, talking Daleks with Xan on Next Stop Everywhere, Xan sleeping through a chunk of Inland Empire, and more!

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Be sure to come back next week for Episode 091, as Xan and I discuss Wild at Heart, the 1990 romantic crime film written and directed by David Lynch, starring Nicolas Cage as Sailor Ripley, Laura Dern as Lula Pace Fortune, Diane Ladd as Marietta Fortune, and Willen Dafoe as Bobby Peru!

Sting Channels Constantine for HELLBLAZER 30th Anniversary Announcement

Sting is sending out an S.O.S. to all of John Constantine's fans.

DC Comics/VERTIGO has posted a short video from one Gordon Sumner, better known as the legendary musician Sting, announcing that he's written the foreword to the upcoming John Constantine, Hellblazer: 30th Anniversary Celebration commemorative collection.  The foreward will feature Sting's "take on the perspective of the Golden Boy, Constantine’s alternate-universe twin, touching on his relationship with the occult detective over the years."

According to the statement from DC, Sting recorded the video while preparing for his upcoming 44/876 tour with Shaggy.  The musician’s inclusion in the Hellblazer Celebration hardcover is a nod to Sting inspiring John Constantine's look.  The character first appeared in The Saga of the Swamp Thing #37 in 1985 and was created by Alan Moore, Steve Bissette and John Totleben.  Based physically on Sting, Constantine proved popular enough in 1988 to be spun off into his own VERTIGO series Hellblazer, which ran for an impressive 300 issues.  The replacement series Constantine immediately followed, after Constantine was brought back to the relaunched DC Universe as part of "The New 52" to lead the supernatural team Justice League Dark.  In DC's "Rebirth" era, Constantine currently appears in his latest monthly series, The Hellblazer, which will end with its twenty-fourth issue.

In the 23-second video (which you can view HERE), Sting dons Constantine's signature trenchcoat and makes the following announcement:  "Hi, my name is Sting.  I'm here to celebrate the John Constantine, Hellblazer 30th anniversary.  John and I have a long history, so I've written a forward to the edition, which goes into more detail about our relationship.  And so, I wish him well -- He's done very well for himself."

The commemorative collection will explore the complete history of the series with four one-page essays written by author Rich Handley.  It will also include a comprehensive timeline of Constantine’s life and three one-page stories featured in Hellblazer issues #1, 2 and 4. Memorable stories from writers Alan Moore, Jamie Delano, Neil Gaiman, Garth Ennis, Paul Jenkins, Brian Azzarello, and others reflect the best of the long-lasting series, including Constantine's first appearance in The Saga of the Swamp Thing #37 and Hellblazer issues #11, 27, 41, 63, 120, 146, 229 and 240.

The John Constantine, Hellblazer: 30th Anniversary Celebration commemorative collection will be available for purchased on October 30, 2018.

Need Some Music? Sting Has an App for That

Okay, this may not be the next Angry Birds, but starting this Monday, the legendary singer, musician and songwriter Sting is releasing a free app on iTunes.  A message in an iPad, if you will.

According to The Wall Street Journal, the former lead singer of The Police and solo artist for the past twenty-five years in making use of iPad tech to promote his back catalog and reach a wider audience.  The app, called "Sting 25," will reportedly combine music, concert footage, photographs and videos.  The featured highlight will be footage from Sting's performance last month at New York's Beacon Theatre, which includes duets with guests such as Lady Gaga and Stevie Wonder.

Other features in the app will be a sliding timeline that shows photos and video from career milestones such as Live Aid in 1985.  Another navigation bar moves through about twenty "influences," ranging from author Quentin Crisp to the Cold War, with images and audio commentary from Sting. If any songs from eleven of Sting's solo albums reside on the user's iPad, the app automatically recognizes them.  Songs the user doesn't have can be sampled in the app and then purchased through iTunes.

Essentially, the app works as a retrospective of his long career.  "This is a very convenient way of archiving yourself," said Sting in an interview from his apartment overlooking New York's Central Park.  "There is a story, so whatever helps me to tell it, I will use.  This is the future, in my opinion.  I'm putting my money on the app."

It's Time to Reboot HELLBLAZER's John Constantine

Even though the character of John Constantine has only been around since 1985, he's really showing his age these days...and that's a big problem.  The star of DC Comics' VERTIGO series Hellblazer  is a rare comics character allowed to age in real time, which means he was officially 35 years old in 1988 and 40 in 1993, making him now 58 (or very close to it) in 2011.

Debuting in Saga of the Swamp Thing #37, Constantine was created by Alan Moore, Steve Bissette and John Totleben as a morally dubious British sorcerer who was based physically on Sting, the former lead singer of the legendary rock band The Police.  In 1988, before the creation of the VERTIGO imprint, he was given his own spinoff monthly series Hellblazer that remains in publication to this day.  Over the years, Hellblazer has featured a number of talented writers crafting memorable runs, including Jamie Delano, Garth Ennis, Paul Jenkins, Warren Ellis, Brian Azzarello, Mike Carey, Denise Mina, Andy Diggle and now Peter Milligan.  And there was even a big-budget movie, Constantine, that starred Keanu Reeves as an Americanized version of the character.

In recent issues, Constantine has had his blond hair turn white with age, cut off his own thumb in a fit of temporary madness and married Epiphany Greaves, a considerably younger alchemist who is the daughter of a London gangster.  Yes, the badass manipulative bastard who once flipped off the First of the Fallen right after tricking him into fixing Constantine's terminal lung cancer has gotten old and settled down with a girl young enough to be his daughter.  Of all the unsettling, horrific things to happen in Hellblazer over these past 23 years, the sight of these two getting it on just might be the creepiest.

So as far as I'm concerned, it's way past time for a reboot.  Something has to be done before Constantine ends up in a wheelchair or even worse, one of those scooters, sucking on an oxygen mask.  It doesn't have to be a complete continuity reboot, mind you, maybe something that takes him back to just after Ennis' original run and then freezes his age like most comic book characters.

According to Bleeding Cool, Constantine is scheduled to return to the DC Universe after the upcoming even series Flashpoint.  His reappearance in the DCU is probably related in some way to Swamp Thing's return in the pages of Brightest Day, although there has been no indication that Hellblazer will cease publication.  It could simply be there will be a younger, sanitized DCU version of the character while the older, less restrained version continues decaying year after year in his VERTIGO series.

Hopefully, the VERTIGO Constantine is allowed to continue, but not in this current aged state.  I miss seeing him in his prime, without a scar on his face and having both thumbs and color in his wild hair.  I could always go back and reread earlier stories, of course, but if Superman and Batman get to have new adventures without the sign of wrinkles or even a hint of gray, then why shouldn't Constantine?  If he can beat terminal lung cancer, then surely he can beat old age.