Urban Tapestry
| Collaboration | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Urban Tapestry |
| Members: | Allison Durno, Jodi Krangle, and Debbie Ridpath |
| Date(s): | |
| Focus: | filk |
| Fandoms: | |
| External Links: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Review
Like writers of fan fiction who appropriate the stories and charactersfrom their favorite movies, television, and texts and craft new stories from them, fakers use those same source texts and turn them into songs. These songs can fill in gaps in the source narrative or provide the opportunity for the events in a source text to be seen from the perspective of a minor charac- ter. They can also allow for a deeper exploration of the thoughts and feelings of character that are not revealed in the source text. For example, "A Thou- sand Ships," from German writing partners Katy Droege-Macdonald (music) and Juliane Honisch (lyrics), provides a perspective on the battle that destroyed Troy from Helen's perspective.
Unlike literary texts, films and television often do not allow characters the luxury of introspection, something a filk song can provide. For example, Julia Ecklar's "Ladyhawke" unfolds as a dramatic monologue and commentary on the action of the film of the same name from the point of view of Phillipe Gaston. Canadian filk trio Urban Tapestry (Allison Durno, Jodi Krangle, and Debbie Ridpath) allows Gabrielle to express what her life was like before meeting Xena and how it changed afterward in "Battle On!"
While fan fiction maintains a close relationship to the source narrative it is based on, filk songs are more adaptive, many of them commenting on the experience of being a fan. Among fan fiction writers and fans who simply read but do not write fiction, this commentary on fandom itself takes the form of "meta" posts, nonaction writing by fans about fandom.
Urban Tapestry has several songs that fit into this category. In "Waiting on Frodo," the singer is waiting, very impatiently, for Jackson's Lord of the Rings movies. She is well aware of the fact that her friends, who clearly are not fans themselves, think her behavior is odd and hope her fascination will pass. In "The Truth Is Out There," an exasperated wife documents her husband's ob- session with the X-Files as he shuts out the rest of the world for his hour of happiness that would arrive every Sunday night when new episodes aired; dur- ing the rest of the week, he would pine for his lovely Scully, worry that people were out to get him, and begin to believe his friends have been replaced by ali- ens. Dr. Mary Crowell's sexy, bluesy "Legolas" is an homage to the Tolkien elf,
which includes rapt admiration for how skillfully he handles his bow. Source: Women in Science Fiction and Fantasy Volume 2 by Robin Anne Reid: Overviews. Chapter:FANS AND FILK (2009)