VANDERGRAAFK

[Scott]

Some of you might be curious as to the meaning of the moniker "vandergraafk", especially as it has nothing to do with Charmed. Well, van der graaf generator were and still are the most incredible British rock band ever. Led by Peter Hammill and charged up by the brilliant Guy Evans (drums), David Jaxon (saxes, saxes, saxes), Hugh Banton (organ, piano, bass pedals) and occasionally Nic Potter (bass), this fantastic improv group created superlative music. Listen to Sci-Finance, Pioneers over C, w, Killers, Man-Erg, and every other fantastic piece of music ever composed by the band (whose last release was in 2005). Later, Peter got together the K band featuring Guy, Nic and John Ellis. They were equally fantastic, although they were more intensely bound to Peter's vision than VdGG were.

That would seem to answer the question as to the meaning of vandergraafk. However, scratch beneath the surface and more will be revealed. K is also the infamous character from Franz Kafka's Das Schloss (The Castle). K is also the beginning letter of my surname. K is also the beginning letter of the surname of one my favorite tv characters, namely, Dr. Richard Kimble, an innocent victim of blind justice, falsely accused of many things, but also motivated to do acts of goodness and virtue, a charming precursor. And, last not least, k is a famous and oft-used variable in both mathematics and physics.

My surname is Krier, a common name in eastern Luxemburg along the Mosel River. However, it is not a common German name. It is a regional dialect bastardization of either Krieger (warrior) or Krueger (potter). Does this explain my Gemini like personality? Does this explain my demonic tendencies (Freddy Krueger)? Or, does the fact that I was born on the Gemini cusp? Does Belthazor lurk within? Wer weiss? Quien sabe? Qui sais? Who knows? Only the Shadow knows!

Finally, many of Peter Hammill's early lyrics focused on Egyptian and Norse mythology. Thus, we have a song, "The Necromancer" from Aerosol Grey Machine. We also have the "Boat of Millions of Years", as well as "Firebrand". Peter should be a fan of Charmed. If he is not already so, at least Peter's children should be.

I am, in short, K, or vandergraafk, for long!

Sample lyrics: "I Once Wrote Some Poems" from the Peter Hammill solo album "Fools Mate"

"I once wrote some poems while walking on gravestones, when Death started slipping inside my mouth.

Oh, that was really a long time ago and I'm not writing poems now

And, though I don't feel quite like dying, there is something deep inside me softly crying...

And, though I don't feel quite like dying, there is something deep inside me ..."

or "After the Flood" from the VdGG album The Least We Can Do Is Wave To Each Other

"Every step appears to be the unavoidable consequence of the preceding one. And in the end there beckons more and more clearly: total annihilation.

Allegedly excerpted from the work of Albert Einstein!

[vandergraafk]

Like Paige, I ramble, especially during interviews for the Season 8 DVD of Charmed:

Let me first state that I was given quite a wide latitude to discuss Charmed. There were a few specific questions that I was asked to address. I'll come back to those.

First, the discussions were not limited to Season 8. Indeed, I think I spent more time talking about previous seasons than the last season. Perhaps that because, like Paige, I "ramble when (I) get excited". Second, there were different questions for different interviewees, I believe. Since I was known to have my own site - charmedverse.proboards74.com - Mila wanted to know how I went from being a fan to creating a site. Third, as a male, I had perhaps a different approach to Charmed. It was less about "girl power" and more about Charmed as literature. Fourth, although I still consider myself somewhat inadequate in terms of Charmed trivia - and knowing all of the episodes inside and out - I was more of an expert than perhaps other interviewees.

So, what did I discuss? I was asked to name the first episode I had watched entirely. That was a bit tricky since I had been drawn to the show by the theme music. One of my all time favorite songs has to be the Smiths How Soon Is Now. I recognized the song, but couldn't place the artist. (I had also forgotten that it was the theme to the CRAFT.) I started watching on Tuesday nights on TNT and caught a few episodes in the early morning or late afternoon. I remember seeing snippets of Saving Private Leo and the Something Wiccan This Way Comes, but the first episode I probably saw from end to end was Oh, My Goddess Part . And, THAT really confused me! It looked like nothing like the rest of the show. I distinctly remembered the cloud scene where all the Elders, dressed in togas, were dead. What, on Earth, did this have to do with a show centered on a manor, I asked myself. Things got worse when I kept remembering the Cole character, and now there was this Chris character. And, now Leo was an Elder? All very confusing. My point was simply: despite the best efforts of the producers/writers/directors to make Charmed accessible - through clips shows, through "previously on", etc. - it was darned difficult to develop new fans to the show. Understanding Charmed took a commitment. I only really understood it after I taped all of the shows in succession and then watched them in order.

One day I happened to looked up Charmed on google. I got a couple of hits. I checked out the tv.com site that promised a listing of episodes both old and upcoming. There, I discovered the episodes all had names - sometimes ones quite different that the WB was using to promote upcoming episodes, e.g., I Slept with a Zombie rather than Death Becomes Them. At the time, I had noted the www.Charmedones.com site, but didn't explore it until May 2006. It was then that a whole new world opened up to me and brought me into contact with other dedicated fans.

Since I was not really into games or fan clubs and was fascinated by the issues that Charmed touched on - in classic SCI-FI fashion - I was drawn to the debates. The breadth of knowledge evinced by many of the participants - Xenith and Maracev, as well as Lisa M, to name but a few - impressed me and sharpened my own skills. Eventually, I decided to go on a lark and respond to a proboards advertisement below the Charmedones banner. And, it's been a very wild ride ever since.

In true Sci-Fi fashion, I thought I'd give a shot at writing some novels. As perhaps a majority of fans would love to see, I always wanted Prue to meet Paige. Two of my three works involve that. In addition, I was drawn to the books (I've read about 33 in 6 months of the pulp novels. And, I've read all of the commentaries except Triquetra, which I've yet to acquire.)

That was quite a ramble.

Some specific questions asked were the obvious ones: who's my favorite sister. I've already made my confession in the Paige Whitelighter/Witch thread, but I'll re-state it. I am a Paige-head. Though I really like Piper and Prue, Paige is the best for me. This probably explains why I want Paige to meet Prue.

Interestingly, I was asked about Barbas. Billy Drago is a fine character actor. That he could pull off a credible Demon of Fear, as well as its antithesis: Hope, is a testament to his great acting ability. I was taken aback by this question so my response was probably not as good as I would have liked it to have been. I focused principally on Sympathy for the Demon, but I also discussed the difficulty the sisters had in vanquishing Barbas. As Barbas proclaimed in his final(?) vanquish in A Call to Arms, fear always returns.

I was then asked about what vanquish means. I confess that there is no simple answer to that question, especially not after what went down in Season 8. The Source is conjured and vanquished a new. The TRIAD are resurrected and vanquished. I know I shared what I thought was the reaction of many fans when we learned who was behind the kidnapping of Christy. The TRIAD? WHAT? Didn't Cole vanquish them in Season 3? Of course, I merely anticipated Piper's reaction, but this little bit really slammed the nail into the wall after we had already been treated to several returns of Barbas, Cole's limbo life in Seven Year Witch, the brief return of the Source, etc. So, what did I think vanquish meant: a temporary end to corporeal existence with the banishment of demon essence and powers to the Wasteland. Given time and the attempt by lesser demons to hook up with past greats, they will return to corporeal form - one way or another. Evil never really goes away.

Asked who my favorite demon was, I confessed it was Zankou. I liked the suave sophistication that Oded Fehr's character was given and that Mr. Fehr relentlessly displayed. He was cunning, collected, but quick to kill when challenged.

Asked about my favorite vanquish: This was tough. The destruction of the Nexus and with that the vanquish of Zankou had to be my favorite. Although I did not fully express why, I think it's because of the size of the nuclear blast, the desperation that the sisters were facing, and the fact that we were all left on the brink of our seats wondering what Season 8 would bring.

I also cited the vanquish of Shax in Charmed Again Part II, the vanquish of the Source in Charmed and Dangerous, and "suicide by witch" in Centennial Charmed. I did not mention the destruction of the manor in Kill Billie, Volume 2 since - per se - this was not a demon vanquish. But, in terms of sheer emotional power, that destruction has to rate up there as one of the best. Phoebe dead, Paige presumed dead, a devastated Piper desperately tries to coax her sister back to life and Leo returning to circumstances utterly unexpected. The sound of the broken, burning wood debris falling to the ground and the eerie sound of multiple car alarms wailing in the background created a surreal scene that made it extremely difficult for me to hold back tears. Even though I know the outcome, it is just really, really powerful. It is even better than the final blast through the wall in All Hell Breaks Loose. For, now we know that two of the sisters aredead, whereas in All Hell Breaks Loose though it was not entirely clear whether Piper or Prue would die as a result of the blast and Leo;s inability to heal them perhaps since he was stuck in the underworld with Phoebe.

I, of course, had to discuss the Avatars. After all, much of sci-fiction is dedicated to imagining different futures. In this case, we have a demon free world that is predicated on totalitarian thought control. Stalin would have been pleased. Maybe Osama bin Laden, if he could get over his obsession with Whitney Houston, might be pleased. Imagine what his Islamic caliphate would look like!

I've gone on and on. And, I'm sure there's much more to add. I did mention Lost Picture Show in Season 8 for the return of Sam. P3 H2O got mentioned. Sam, I Am. I've Got You Under My Skin, Love Hurts, etc.

Unfortunately, as in many situations sometimes I get caught up in my speaking: Inspector Sheridan became Agent Sheridan, as I conflated Agent Brody and Inspector Sheridan.

Finally, I was asked what was meant by the Power of Three: for me, the Power of Three means that the sum is greater than its parts. However powerful the three sisters are individually, together they are quite formidable. Let that be a lesson.

[Scott]

Well, the DVD Company did select a quote that appears on Forever Charmed, the mix of fan/writer/director/producer/cast interviews with respect to Charmed. I hope you enjoy it. The quote was not what I expected to be included. However, it flows marvelously in the entire presentation. For a geriatric hippie, not bad! Not bad!

[laiste]

8-)oh Oh I saw you!!!! I missed it the first time, but the second time i saw you! ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

[vandergraafk]

Too professorial, I suspect.

[vandergraafk]

In the Charmed Cafe, Elder posed this strange, but interesting question.

Hey guys, I'm not sure if this is an issue or not but it is something that I have been tossing around for a few years.


When you watch reruns (or DVDs) for the early seasons, do you believe what you are watching is a TV series or do you believe you are in fact watching the lives of real people?
Did you ever watch the show as if you were prying in on the lives of the Halliwell family?

I always thought the series lost its oomph when they started to treat the Halliwells as a TV family (and thus appeal to the fans) as opposed to what is supposed to be a real-life family.

I think the best way to write a series is to treat the characters as if they were real people and not give in to what the fans may or may not want or say.
Doing the "giving in to the fans" thing just cheapens the show since it takes away the realism of what is shown.

Having thought about this question for quite some time, I responded as follows:

The question seems a bit odd. Any TV show is fiction. Even so-called reality TV is carefully scripted. I suppose your question really is about how credible these TV lives were. Obviously, from a demonic standpoint, it is a total fantasy. We may have demons plaguing us, but these are often times personal demons, though I can think of several demonic politicians and CEOs. How we respond to these demons is very telling. How the Halliwells respond to their demons is equally telling. Indeed, it is the very real response to many of these demonic threats that made Charmed so successful.

Start with the show's premise. Three sisters discover a secret about their family history. Gee, that could happen in lots of familhy. Knowledge of this history puts them in extreme danger. How will they cope? Prue engages in denial. Piper is scared that she and her sisters will be as scarred as her presumably damned ancestors were. Phoebe, on the other hand, eagerly embraces the family's past and present.

Though each responds differently, they learn to respond together as sisters. The bonding that they shared growing up was strong, but not strong enough to hold the family together after their last remaining grandparent passed away. Knowledge of a family secret brought them together. Their shared fate helped them bond much more tightly than they ever had experienced as children.

Still, each sister has a separate life to lead, such as it is. Prue is the eager beaver overachiever who seemingly could only be stopped by a premature coronary. Her complex character was rendered quite nicely by the three clones of Prue. We learned the extent to which the business oriented Prue was suppressing her alter egos. She even allowed this persona to overwhelm her private life.

Piper, on the other hand, is the quintessial smart student who puts pleasing others ahead of her own needs. She elects to work as a bank teller, a job that demanded far less than she was capable of, in order to provide health insurance for her grandmother. (How anachronistic in this age of cutbacks in medical benefits!) She accepts the burden of running a restaurant rather than insist that she become the chef that she auditioned for because that's what she does. Piper is not a rebel who will file a law suit to get her way. Again and again, Piper sacrifices her own happiness to please others.

Only with the death of Prue is Piper forced to become more assertive. Initially, that almost proves disastrous as she wantonly reaches out to exact revenge for Prue's death. The depths to which Piper could sink by not getting beyiond the anger stagge of grief can be seen in Centennial Charmed where she has transformed herself into La Femme Nikita in order to carry out her thirst for revenge.

That Piper is a Gemini, capable of demonstrating two clompletely different personality traits, is so obvious it needs no commentary. Of course, the writers muddled this a bit by suggesting a different date of birth that would give her a different astrological sign. But, we all know this stuff is bunk, right?

Phoebe is the classic rebel without a cause. When she discovers that her own rebellious nature coincides with her family's dark history, well she just leaps at the opportunity. She, more than anyone else, propels the sisters to embrace their family legacy until business minded Prue gradually reasserts control as the eldest and perhaps most practical minded.

Notice that I have not mentioned the word witch until now. In fact, you don't even need to consider the sisters as witches to understand the powerful story described here. It is not accidental that Constance Burge desired to write a TV show about three sisters.

Yes, demonic forces loomed large. The appearance of Cole divided the sisters as Phoebe kept secrets from her sisters about Cole's dark side. This distrust of Cole continued with the absorption of Paige into the family. Understandably, it led to strong differences of opinion.

The integration of Paige into the Halliwell family was masterfully done. The tension between an independent minded and fairly stubborn Paige to come to grips with sisters whom she had never met or known about was carefully crafted. When Piper and Phoebe attempt to pressure Paige to move in in order to replace Prue, Paige resists because she would be moving in for all of the wrong reasons. The destruction of her apartment compels Paige, however, to give but not to submit to her sisters. Paige insists on keeping her own space. She insists that Glenn be allowed to sleep over, even though Piper is adamant in her resistance to this idea.

What truly bonds the new threesome together is their shared destruction at the hands of Zankou. Until then, Paige still maintained a close, but distant stance to the sisters. She was closer to Phoebe, especially after the Cole debacle proved Paige right. Piper grudgingly grew to respect Paige with her prowess as a miracle worker, even though she felt that Paige took too many unnecessary risks. The threat of imminent death at the hands of Zankou removed all doubt and made Paige an equal partner in the Halliwell history.

Again, let me repeat. I've not spoken of witches, demons, supernatural powers or anything fantastic to describe essentially all that transpired in seasons 1 through 7 in Charmed. It is the power of the stories that illustrate their responses to societal challenges, interpersonal interactions, and personal demons that makes this show stand out. Yes, I too wish the series were more realistic with respect to finances. Most clubs go under fairly quickly. P3 didn't. Why not? True, we observe some of the difficulties in running a nightclub, but not really. Piper always seems to find good help (yeah, right) with the possible exception of Abbie, although she was good at the bar. Even the dramatic change of P3 to the Spot was well done. Paige, of course, said it best. Any club that tries to be too cool isn't really cool. How many places flame out in a short amount of time.

Phoebe's experience in journalism is quite contrary to what the world witnesses every day in the news media. What newspaper corporation would put up with Phoebe's antics: coming in late, sleeping with her boss, recycling her columns. None would of course. She would have been canned a long time ago.

Paige is the odd one who has a job, one with potential. She can move up to social worker. She likes helping people, especially those in need. Yet, because of the peculiar circumstances of her family situation, she gives this up and satisfies herself temporarily with odd jobs to help her family out. Her clothers initially are nothing to brag about. Later, she becomes more fashion conscious, presumably as a result of associating too closely with Phoebe, a slave to fashion.

I mentioned earlier that Season 8 is a bit odd. The first part starts out okay. The sisters have to recover from a traumatic event that forces them into hiding. They have to adopt new identities and are befriended by a stranger (Billie). This friendship goes sadly awry when her help is no longer needed, as the sisters need to go into hiding is made moot. Worse: Billie also has a family history that will bring her into close conflict with her new found friends. She will be forced to choose between family loyalty and allegiance to her new friends. Not a difficult choice and not one that can be made easily.

In short, that's the charm of Charmed. In a way, I am sort of glad that's the essence of what was excerpted from my hour long interview for the Season 8 DVD. It hits the nail on the head. As I live at quite a distance from my own family and find myself confronting my own demons - personal and societal, I take great comfort in the Halliwell story. I hope that one day I shall be able to say that I too am a survivor. I am a Halliwell. We are all Halliwells.

[Reality Bites]

I never read this thread, until now, so I am JUST now realizing that Scott and vandergraafk are one in the same! Before I thought you were two separate individuals, with one being more active than the other! Hahaha...

[vandergraafk]

I've been outed. Does this have anything to do with the fact that I am a borderline Gemini? Taurus cusp line!!!!

[Reality Bites]

lol! It would appear so!

[vandergraafk]

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