Introducing... Wizard Rock!
VANCOUVER (CUP) — When most people read the Harry Potter books, they come out fans of Harry, Ron or Hermione. Few think to dress up as Barty Crouch or Nearly Headless Nick for Halloween. And yet, a growing number of individuals across the world are joining a network of Potter fans in making music — with a magical kick.
Julie Webster, a Vancouver resident, is, in her own words, “on some small level, a musical star in the Harry Potter world.” She parodies popular songs by making them about Harry Potter — called “filks” — and has performed at dances, on podcasts, and elsewhere on the Internet. She even has the distinction of being a searchable result on YouTube.
But the fandom doesn't stop there. In 2007, she attempted to go live in London, England. Her goals for her time abroad included seeing the Order of the Phoenix film in London; attending Sectus, an unofficial Harry Potter conference; and securing a private room at said conference to enjoy the seventh book in the series, spoiler-free.
Julie is simply a wonderfully approachable example of a hardcore Harry Potter fanatic. One of an apparent nation of millions, fan fiction authors, collectors, and performers of Wizard Rock.
Wizard Rock, or as it is sometimes known on the Internet, WRock, is a sub-genre of rock and roll that focuses primarily on Hogwarts-style witchcraft and wizardry. Note that it can indeed be called a genre, as there are seriously enough bands playing this music that it qualifies as such. Even more remarkably, there are enough people listening to it that these bands can do regular-band things, like release albums and go on tour.
The most famous Wizard Rock outfit, Harry and the Potters, are largely credited with pioneering the whole WRock movement. After recording their first full-length album — they have three — the band started touring outside of their home state of Massachusetts in 2004. Since then, they've been all over. And with their rising fame, other acts have followed suit. Harry and the Potters, Draco and the Malfoys, and The Whomping Willows have all enjoyed what could be considered generous success in North America.
And, like their fictional counterparts, these Wizard Rockers and their fans are nearer to us than we may think. The second-annual Vancouver Yule Ball was held on Dec. 27 in East Vancouver, and was attended by over 200 people.
Elektra Torgersen-Williams, 22, was one of the four organizers of the ball, and is an employee of the wizard-themed Imagine That clothing shop in Vancouver. Also a hopeful Wizard Rock front-woman, she called organization of the Yule Ball “tedious and complex,” but said that it pays off.
“The attendees were absolutely delightful,” she said. “They were respectful of each other, cleaned up after themselves and participated in games and contests with humility and good sportsmanship. We also had a great bar staff, serving up non-alcoholic concoctions such as Butterbeer and Voldemortinis.
“We were actually able to make double the profit this year that we made last year, a total of $2600.” said Kate Streifel, another of the Yule Ball's promoters, and owner of an online “sorting” forum, where users can fill out a questionnaire and be sorted into one of Hogwarts' four houses.
The ball offered an opportunity for Vancouver's most fanatical Harry Potter fans to soberly dance, amongst their own, to the sweet, soothing sounds of local Wizard Rockers Charlie and the Dragon Tamers.
The lack of judgment could very well be the main appeal of Wizard Rock. Sure, it's easy to get behind the politics — pro-magic, pro-literacy — but what's more valuable is the sense of community. As with other cultish phenomena, the appeal lies in belonging to something bigger. Just as full-on communities have developed around fan fiction, cosplaying and punk rock, a full-on community has evolved here. Which sort of makes sense, as Wizard Rock is more or less a combination of those three things.
Like Harry Potter and his fictional chums exist in their own secret world, parallel but isolated from the Muggle public, Wizard Rock has become a niche form of expression in an already seemingly segregated cultural world. Except that instead of verging on experimental or outspoken, Wizard Rock simply verges on nerdy.
Incredibly nerdy. So much so that Harry Potter nerdiness isn't necessarily understood or condoned by the outside world.
“There has been the odd negative comment towards us and our event,” Streifel said. “Mainly that it is 'lame.' But for the most part, the only people who respond are Potter fans, and they tend to be very excited. People would see me reading one of the books and they felt compelled to insult me by asking, 'why are you reading that? It's a kid's book.' I always felt bad for them because they're the kind of people who choose stories not based on their interests, but based on another's opinion.”
It's hard to say, then, what exactly about Harry Potter — and other multi-million dollar earning fantasies — inspires such obsession on behalf of such sensible adults.
It could be that children's literature, by nature, encourages a sort of rebellion against reality. Or that books like Harry Potter offer an escape from a world that is cold, unforgiving, and seemingly irreparable.
“I know the reason Harry Potter fascinates me,” Streifel said. “(It's) for the same reason stories such as The Last Unicorn, The Neverending Story and Legend interest me. It's the belief and hope that this world isn't as mundane and boring as it actually is. Maybe I'll never get to be witness to it, but 'knowing' that mermaids swim around in the oceans, fairies flit around the forests, and wizards and witches are performing magic just makes me feel a little better.”
That small belief pervades the consciousness of all of these people, and there's no reason that they shouldn't come together because of it. Yule Balls and bands are certainly valid expressions of community, and, at their best, of art. Speaking of WRocking out, Elektra put it best: “Music connects people, and stories like Harry Potter touch the hearts of people of all ages and walks of life. So to take a story as powerful as this one, and set it to life through music, creates a powerful emotional connection shared by people of all age groups and lifestyles that might otherwise never have touched paths at all. The result is magical.”
It’s true. I can’t even think of a joke.
CCSS Nexus promo