Anti-Tolkien : an article about Moorcock

It's Friday!!

Thirsty, you have the same issue with blacks dropping n-bombs like they're flying over Dresden?

I find emo more offensive.

"kiss on the mouth and everything" is my favorite sound bite of 2015 so far. It's like you're talking to a kid afraid of cooties, I love it.

My take, apple, is that while it probably sounds fine and non-offensive when you use it in vocal conversation, it sort of has a record-scratch effect when you're reading an internet forum.

Anyway, I don't know how we got on the subject of gays when we should just be focusing on Moorcock.

I do have the same issue, even worse on a forum.

How the fuck you gonna stop racism if you personally use an n-bomb every other word? I get all the 'take control of our language' jive but it still makes zero sense if you are actually concerned about racism/sexism.

Of course, it's a lot worse on internet forums. Even if I agreed with the whole language thing, how the fuck do I know if you're gay, black, whatever by reading your posts??

I am a fan of both Tolkien and Moorcock; more so the former -- I reread LOTR about every other year or so. But I agree with Moorcock's criticism of Tolkien.

(Which is here: Epic Pooh .)

In short, Tolkien's tone and themes are meant to comfort and tell you that everything is all right. I think that falls far short of the best literature, and why Tolkien will always be a second-stringer compared to the great writers.

That said, while Tolkien is only very good literature, it is excellent myth, and more importantly, I like being comforted more than I like being challenged. Hence why I return.

Give me Fritz Leiber any day.

Leiber's stories about Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser were great until he hit his dirty old man phase with he final book. It was still enjoyable, but in more of a porno way. Still, Leiber was another writer who was a significant influence on D&D. Along with the adventures of Cugel the Clever (by the excellent Jack Vance), the thieves of Lankhmar inspired the Thief character class in D&D. And both Fafhrd and the Mouser were excellent examples of multi-class characters. Fafhrd was clearly a barbarian but also arguably a bard and maybe a thief. Mouser was definitely a thief and a fighter, but also dabbled in some magic at first, enough to be considered a low-level wizard.