Movie Buff

Okay,I'm not particularly buff and I don't watch that many movies, but if you do I highly recommend the blog A Noble Experiment: Like Prohibition or "The Village". You don't have to enjoy movies either, just have a penchant for dry dark humor with a touch of irony. The author, Gretchzilla ((as in the high end musical instrument manufacturer) or Zilla for short), has a Manga Monday, Theatre Thursday, and numerous observations about life, work, and college in between. So check it out.

R.

MS&T I

For a long time while I was trying to get through school I have wanted to re-read Tad Williams' Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn trilogy. These are great books that take common fantasy concepts and smash them with a smithy's hammer. For those of you that are reading Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series, he claims that it was MS&T that renewed the belief that good adult fiction could be written today. I am going to try to post the occasional thought, quote, or insight from these books as I read them. I should have started doing this when I first cracked open volume I, The Dragonbone Chair, but I didn't, so you will get a couple of ideas crammed into one post. But who am I kidding - that is probably the way all of these posts will be.

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My first thought will be regarding the main protagonist, Simon. He is a dislikable young man. That is how I have been thinking of him. But then I asked myself, "Self, what is your issue with young Simon?" I realized that he is just too real for comfort. He thinks things, says things, does things like everyone I know did when they were young (I was trying there to avoid using myself for the example, but I think it is true based on my observations). His foolishness creates a sense of discomfort and embarrassment as I remembered doing similarly ridiculous things.

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The thing that impresses me about this tale is that even though Simon is the "hero," he doesn't get the help that are the mainstay of much fantasy. No one is looking out to protect his secret heritage (ala the Belgariad) or pushing him into a quest (ala the Shannara series) or hunted because of his special powers (ala Wheel of Time). On the whole the only consideration he gets is from Doctor Morgenes who had a fondness for his deceased parents, everyone else is fairly apathetic to his existence and what he does with his time. He does end up with the guide in the form of Binibak the troll, but since Binibak doesn't know what is going on either I don't put that on the level with Gandalf, Allanon, Belgaroth, or many others who are filled with secret knowledge and power. In TDC the guides don't hide information and speak cryptically because the are supposed to be mysterious, they simply don't have any answers. The major events of this book that will have repercussions through the series are all results of his own decisions, at least at 2/3's way through. It has been a long time since I read these last, so I will try not to say too many things that are wrong because I've forgotten what happens later.

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Now for a little quote from Tiamak the Wrannaman, who is pondering the gods and his unbountiful hunt that leaves him eating root soup: "As he climbed the long ladder from his moored boat to the little house perched in the banyan tree, Tiamak vowed to be content with soup and a biscuit. Gluttony was an obstacle, he reminded himself, an impediment between the soul and the realms of truth. As he reeled the ladder up onto the porch he thought of She Who Birthed Mankind, who had not even had a nice bowl of root soup, but had subsisted entirely on rocks and dirt and swamp water until they combined in her stomach and she whelped a litter of clay men, the first humans."

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So what does that make the humans? Tiamak doesn't say, but Williams has given us a good hint, has he not? Oh, the irony. I didn't know that was considered whelping.

Twenty-Five Albums - Take Them or Leave Them (Hint: Take Them)

This was going to be a list of my favorite ten albums. I found that to be impossible. So here is my eclectic list of twenty-five albums I think everyone should listen to twice for their own sake as well as for everyone around them. My disclaimer is this: these are all good albums on the whole, ie there may be albums with better songs that also contain filler, intentional or otherwise, and I only allowed myself one album per band/artist (not an easy thing to do for me with some of these). Outside of the top five they are in no particular order. I wrote it in Word with a neat list which did not copy into the Blogger. I've done the best I know how to make the format presentable.

Metallica - . . . And Justice for All – I have addressed the problem, as I see it, with Metallica here. I can recall being an underclassman hanging out at the convenience store next to the high school during lunch, and occasionally at other times. I had borrowed Master of Puppets at an earlier time and while appreciating the aural pummeling it gave me, I was otherwise unmoved. One day a hoodlum pulled up the gas station in a little hatchback with the back filled with speakers blasting Eye of the Beholder. The impact that it had caused me to re-evaluate my opinion of their material and even now they remain one of my favorite bands.

John Mayer Trio – Try – Forget “Your Body is a Wonderland.” This live album is power-trio blues-rock in the tradition of the Jimi Hendrix Experience or Cream, and is a strong album for any musician with interests in the blues or incredible live performances.

Dream Theater – Scenes from a Memory – This is my favorite of their albums, a concept album as it were with an interesting story and their usual amazing musicianship. I chose this one over all of their others on account of LaBrie’s voice: operatic singers tend to leave me annoyed, and LaBrie falls squarely in that camp, and on this album he annoyed me less than on the others. On the “Fatal Tragedy” solo there is a point where Petrucci plays the same basic melody once legato (with hammer-ons and pull-offs) and then again tremolo picked (picking every note). It is beautiful and one of my favorite moments in music.

Candlebox – Lucy – This was a great rock band around the mid-nineties, overlooked because they weren’t grungy enough for the grungers nor glam-metal enough for the butt-rockers. Kevin Martin has a haunting voice and Lucy is filled with great songs without any of those pesky f-bombs that made the self-titled album require so much editing around the kids. I really like the way that they bring a little jazz into their rock, my favorite example is “Rain” from the self-titled album, so I guess you will have to risk those waters if you care to hear it.

Nickel Creek – Nickel Creek – This is great acoustic music from a bluegrass trio who have been playing together since they were little kids. All three sing and are amazing at their respective instruments. I saw them a couple of summers ago, and they are fantastic live as well as on the record. On the first instrumental track mandolinist Chris Thyle does a long legato run that is an amazing accomplishment on an acoustic instrument.

Shadows Fall – War Within – Many years ago I thought that I was a metal fan. Two or three years ago I started listening to music on Launchcast with its music filtering options, and I set my preferences accordingly. What I learned was that it wasn’t that I was a metal fan, but that I am a rock fan has some favorite bands that happen to play metal. Shadows Fall is one of the metal bands I was introduced to that I didn’t hate. As a matter of fact this album really brings together a lot of things that I like about other bands in one place: tightness like Megadeth, Slipnotish vocals, pounding riffs like Black Label Society, and a sense of melody like Iron Maiden.

Seether – Disclaimer – To me Shaun Morgan’s voice is the best of Kurt Cobain mixed with Aaron Lewis. There are some intense songs on this album, and even if you have the edited WalMart version you won’t want to play this one straight through with kids around. “Fine Again” is a powerful song about wrestling with one’s inner demons and Seether really put together all of the best aspects of nineties music into this album.

Bon Jovi – New Jersey – Cheesy? Perhaps. I remember as lads someone gave Zilla and I a VHS with videos recorded on it (from those days when MTV played music) and we watched “Bad Medicine” over and over again. This really is a great record, good from beginning to end and featuring some of Richie Sambora’s best guitar work.

Led Zeppelin – Led Zeppelin II – I think this is their best album. Although many of my favorite songs are spread across their albums, this is one that showcases the best of everyone in the band and I can listen to from beginning to end. John Paul Jones is my favorite bass player of all time.

Cross Canadian Ragweed – Cross Canadian Ragweed – The darlings of alt-country (or at least they should be) this is the first major-label release from a working band that would probably be considered a rock band if not for Cody Canada’s Oklahoma drawl. This album should be in the Good Songwriting 101 required listening.

Default – The Fallout – This one made it on the list on account of every song being a gem. That is pretty much it. Great rock n’ roll.

Jerry Cantrell – Degradation Trip – This stuff is pretty incredible. If it is not enough that it is Jerry Cantrell (half, or arguably more, of the brain and brawn behind Alice in Chains) then I will point out that Robert Trijullo, who played with Suicidal Tendencies, Ozzy Osbourne, Black Label Society, and currently Metallica, laid down the bass tracks for this double album.

Lacuna Coil – Karma Code – This band was doing female/male dual vocals in a hard rock format long before “Bring Me to Life” awakened the possibility to America. They are Italian and this album is incredible on every level.

Nirvana – In Utero – Cobain’s sonic scream and less of the post-production polish that made Nevermind such a hit with the masses. It is a great amalgamation of punk-indie rock and catchy hooks. Jani Lane must have rolled over in his apartment when he heard this affront to over-production in all genres.

Pearl Jam – Pearl Jam – This is a great album with excellent musicianship and strong songs. It is more intense than Vs and they make good use of their triple guitar approach in the textures of their songs.

Queensryche – Empire – This is my favorite album by these guys with the most unique sound. The songs are great and the band plays brilliantly.

Radiohead – The Bends – This is one of the best alternative albums ever. I’ve been in bands that covered songs off of this album and it is just fun to listen to and to play. Good all around stuff.

Stone Sour – Come Whatever May – This one is no good for the kids, but I have never heard a better cross of metal and alternative, as illusory as Ing has pointed the idea to be. Corey Taylor may have the coolest voice in rock and roll, and the music is beautiful. It is the closest to what I would want to make if I were a rock star. But I’m not. I just rock on when I can, and write on the rest of the time.

Stone Temple Pilots – Tiny Music – Their earlier albums left them labeled as Pearl Jam imitators by people who know enough about music to hear two guys singing in the baritone range and decide that means one band must be a bunch of charlatans. Tiny Music is an album that really showcases some of the best of STP’s work as musicians. It is also the only album they have done that is great from beginning to end, but don’t let that stop you from enjoying the single-coiled rock from this great band.

Toad the Wet Sprocket – In Light Syrup – This is an album of songs that did not make it onto their other albums. I find that there is something pure in the demo-style recording in which most of the album was done. Songs like “All in All” and “All Right” have amazing grooves, while “All She Said” should move anyone who is in touch with their feelings. Several of the songs, maybe more, start out slow or even flat weak, but every one of the is a diamond by the end.

U2 – The Joshua Tree – I didn’t put this on the list because of “With or Without You,” but in spite of it. Actually I think that is a powerful song and I have always been impressed with the Edge’s ebow work on it. Songs like “Red Hill Mining Town,” “In God’s Country,” and “Bullet the Blue Sky” are ingenious socio-political commentaries in a format that really rocks, or pops at the very least (although I think it would take somebody pretty hardcore to deny that the driving bass line in Bullet makes that song a bulldozer of sound).

Veruca Salt – American Thighs – I like to think of VS as a female AIC with the chilling vocal harmonies of Nina Gordan and Louis Post over a raw, aggressive musical background. There are many who can’t stand this album. I say listen to it. Then listen to it again.

Alice in Chains – Nothing Safe – Speaking of AIC, I could never pick one of their albums and so I have lamely put their best of collection here. Layne Staley and Jerry Cantrell had something awesome when they sang together, and Jerry’s guitar work suggests that if the grunge movement had failed to catch on that they would have been fine in the butt-rocker society that was in place.

Gin Blossoms – New Miserable Experience – This one is on the list because of its sing-a-long value. Nothing mind boggling in the realm of musicianship or talent, except the ability to write meaningful songs with good hooks.

Slaughter – Stick It To Ya – This album is actually not that cool. It is on here because it is the best mixed album I have ever heard. The frequencies everyone was playing in, the room(s) it was recorded in, the way they did their post-production—something was magic here, something that Slaughter never got back on any of their later albums. There are some cool riffs, and “Fly to the Angels” is still awesome. I saw them live twice back in the day, and they were better live than in the studio. Blas Elias played the second show I saw with a broken nose because he was being a fool before it started. He stuffed tissue in his nostrils and rocked all night. After the encore Mark Slaughter told the crowd what had happened and that they were taking him to the hospital. If he hadn’t said anything I would have never noticed.

Perhaps you noticed that it is almost in alphabetical order, but not quite. I will let you come to your own conclusions regarding that. So there is my list. If you don’t agree, hopefully you at least listened to them twice like I asked you to, nay, implored you to, for your own sake and that of the world around you.
R.

Favorite Sword Slinger Poll

To the right I have put up a little poll. There were supposed to be more than five options. At least it kept letting me add them on. But there are five showing. I don't know what happened. I probably did something wrong. Or google is still working the bugs out. Either way, if you are so inclined to take the poll, please comment here and tell us why you chose the warrior that you did. If your preferred person is not there, vote for a runner up and say in your comment who you would have voted for if they had been there (which they might have been, before I gave the go ahead on publishing the poll). You can choose from books or movies. I'm easy like that. Vote on.

R.

Label System Added

I have taken a few minutes to label the posts in my archive. I noticed that it is getting pretty big and I thought it might make it easier for anyone who wants to re-read (or hasn't been reading since the beginning) to be able to find posts that might interest them. I also thought that checking the label of new posts could help with knowing what it is you are getting into by reading. On the right side of the screen under my linked websites I now have a Labels menu. Clicking on one of the labels (like Book Reviews) will pull up all the posts that I have labeled thusly. Some posts have more than one label, but that's what happens when you meander freely like a river on a silt-covered flood plain. So give it a try and let me know if it is helpful. Write on.

R.

Yeah . . . Right

So Blogger has FORCED me to switch to the new format. I think it sucks. They must think I will be thrilled to enter my damned full e-mail address just to make a comment on blogs I frequent. Well, I'm not feelin' it.

Can you hear me Google? We know you are the Man, and I'm not talking about the good one. We're on to you.

R.

PS I loaded the map because I am considering a crusade against the new Blogger.

Do I have A Blog or Not

Hello? Blog? Can you hear me? Is there anybody listening, like in that song by Queensryche? Come back, little bloggy.

R.

Raised Awareness

If there is one thing that I have gained from my blogging experience it is acute sense of isolation. At first it was liberating to say what I wanted without having to look at the blank stares of rejection of incomprehension, but now I feel like I am in space, sending out signal that may or may not be received in my lifetime. Is there life out there? I don't know.

R.