Monday, December 17, 2007
music sounds better in you in 2007
Top Music for 2007
When I inevitably go deaf from listening to too much music, I would like to at least be able to remark on what made me go deaf, and hopefully remember that I enjoyed the experience along the way. Here is my "list" of music that I liked in 2007. It's neither a list in that it's not numbered, and it certaintly isn't exhaustive - this is just the stuff I can either find on my ipod or dig out of my unsteady memory.
Rap
Abdominal
Dalek
Wu Tang
(I thought it was a pretty weak year for rap - sorry Kanye and 50 cent, neither of your releases lived up to their hype)
Metal
Insomnium
KillWhitneydead
Longing for Dawn
Honorable considerations:
Neurosis
Baroness
Earth
Nadja
Dolorian
Middian
Virgin Black
Fucking Champs
Veil of Maya
Boris with Michio Kurihara
(It's already past trendy to like metal, but it was a good year with a lot of diverse releases which the above reflects)
Pop/Rock
The National
Radiohead
The Saps
Band of Horses
Battles
Radiohead
King Khan and the Shrines
Black Moth Super Rainbow
Blitzen Trapper
Boat
Brunettes
Christian Kiefer
Chromatics
Hallelujah the Hills
Households
Jens Lekman
Joel Plaskett
Les Savy Fav
Liars
Loney Dear
Love of Diagrams
Maritime
Marnie Stern
Meneguar
Wingtip Sloat
Miracle Fortress
Nina Nastasia and Jim White
No Age
Okkervil River
Spoon
St. Vincent
Twilight Sad
Uncut
!!!
Benoit Pioulard
Jetplanes of Abraham
LCD Soundsystem
What made Milwaukee Famous
Wintersleep
(I felt like the best releases came early, but things picked up in the fall)
Electronic
Burial
Cex
Clark
Cassius
Alter Ego
Muscles
DJ Jazzy Jeff
The Field
Gouseion
Justice
Pantha Du Prince
Simian Mobile Disco
Studio
Tobias Thomas
Tough Alliance
The Tuss
Aphex Twin
Mixed Up in the Hague
Yeasayer
Dan Deacon
(a great year for electronic with some off-the-wall releases and new trends)
Out-there
Eric Copeland
Magik Markers
Stars of the Lid
Eluvium
Svarte Grenier
Phosphorescence
(I feel like there was a lot more than this, but I can't remember - these are still really good - from dissonant to etheral)
Punk/Hardcore
Lifetime
Circa Survive
Comeback Kid
Daggermouth
Ghost of a Thousand
Hot Cross
I Can Put My Arm Back On You Can’t
Wednesday Night Heroes
Crime in Stereo
(Another weak category, but these releases blew me away)
Best spring-time album - Loney, Dear - self-titled - fun and wistful like rain
Best summer-time album - Lifetime - bouncy and fun to listen to while running
Best fall-time album -The National - moody and introspective
Best winter-time album - Burial -Untrue - Haunting, dark yet luminscent
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Wednesday, October 03, 2007
Monday, October 01, 2007
False Positive
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This comic is part of an ongoing series I'm doing called "False Positive" for Eleventh Transmission - an excellent online arts and culture magazine from Kirk Ramdath.
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This month's issue includes articles on:
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Calgary Take Back the Night
Calgary Street Fashion Show
MIA's real-world music
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pitch selective
half the solved
reception preserved
awesome, in relief
several clicks of desire
staring into outliers
see, stupefied again
laterns of cognizance
alight, this link karma
anointed lightning
echo schemes silver
screens of limit
minimized this realm
dying ploys pixel
sell mortal solipsists
the tether to click physics
story as penetrator
understand the shadow
is amplifying vapours, anchors
brainchild landslide,
a good bargain backdrop
by hard grey flames
reception preserved
awesome, in relief
several clicks of desire
staring into outliers
see, stupefied again
laterns of cognizance
alight, this link karma
anointed lightning
echo schemes silver
screens of limit
minimized this realm
dying ploys pixel
sell mortal solipsists
the tether to click physics
story as penetrator
understand the shadow
is amplifying vapours, anchors
brainchild landslide,
a good bargain backdrop
by hard grey flames
Monday, September 17, 2007
Wednesday, September 05, 2007
Hello Mr. Fantasy - Week One Match Ups
Paul moderately over Bryan
Barring some kind of Wayne-like catastrophe, Paul should edge out Bryan this week through the sheer horsepower of his quarterbacks. Peyton Manning gets a minor feast in the offensively-potent, defensively-inept Saints and Brett Favre should fare okay against the Eagles as long as he remembers to throw the ball with his eyes open. While Paul’s running backs are decent, they might feel like a Hooters waitress with the stiff opposition they get in the Patriots and Bears, who can nullify the best of fantasy attacks. Peering over the wide receivers, I’d give the minor edge to Paul again as Matt Jones gets the Titans and Jerry Porter gets the Lions. Throw in Gates and the deal is sealed – Paul takes a closer than expected win.
Ryan creeps by over Dean
Consider this an early Christmas gift Ryan. I’ll give Ryan the win here only because two of my top players face the Baltimore Ravens this week. While I’m not sold on how good they’ll actually be this year, they should make enough of a dent to slow down Rudi Johnson and TJ Housh. Otherwise the quarterbacks are fairly even here – Kitna is facing the best passing defense from a year ago and Romo is facing the team he threw four picks to last year. In terms of running backs, a healthy Gore should have a better game over the Cardinals, than a somewhat healthy Henry over the Bills. I give the edge in wide receivers to myself because I think Reggie Wayne and Hines Ward will likely outperform the likes of Chambers and Horn who have nobody throwing them the ball. Ryan, takes it, but it could swing the other way, depending on a couple of key players for both teams.
Ian barely over Wayne
I’ll say it right now – I could be wrong on this one. Really, this match up is the closest of the week. Wayne and Ian’s quarterbacks are roughly equivalent – I can’t see Eli Manning bettering anything Jake Delhomme does against St. Louis. The running back situation is the same – Jackson has a favourable match up, but so does Addai. I would give a minor edge to Ian with Jones Drew playing the Titans, but depending on his playing time, this could turn the other way. Ian takes the edge on receives with Coles, Johnson and Boldin probably producing better stats than a question mark like Stallworth and an EZ-rider driving Eddie Kennison. The defenses will probably make the ultimate difference as the Patriots get to return Chad Pennington’s passes for touchdowns and the Vikings get to watch more overthrows than a South American government.
Derek convincingly over Dennis
Apparently Herman Edwards is putting the diapers back on Larry Johnson as they look to “protect” him from playing football. Despite this recent news, I still think Derek takes Dennis in a confident win. While Larry Johnson gets less carries than usual, he is playing the Texans, which means if he only gets five runs that each go for 70 yards, Derek should be fine. In a key position, Johnson and Maroney make a stronger pair than McGahee and Taylor, who turn their potential into more broken promises than a dead-beat dad. You can give or take on the quarterbacks and wide receivers since both team feature strong producers in Colston and Fitzgerald, but question-mark players in Burress and Calvin Johnson. With the Ravens and Eagles defense, Derek should have this match up in the bag.
Larry easily over Lindsay
At this point, Larry will easily win, since Lindsay hasn’t set his lineup yet. CBS has Larry by 212, but it could be worse. Once Linsday sets his lineup I can update this post to include my comments, which will no doubt be overstuffed with verbosity and wit.
Barring some kind of Wayne-like catastrophe, Paul should edge out Bryan this week through the sheer horsepower of his quarterbacks. Peyton Manning gets a minor feast in the offensively-potent, defensively-inept Saints and Brett Favre should fare okay against the Eagles as long as he remembers to throw the ball with his eyes open. While Paul’s running backs are decent, they might feel like a Hooters waitress with the stiff opposition they get in the Patriots and Bears, who can nullify the best of fantasy attacks. Peering over the wide receivers, I’d give the minor edge to Paul again as Matt Jones gets the Titans and Jerry Porter gets the Lions. Throw in Gates and the deal is sealed – Paul takes a closer than expected win.
Ryan creeps by over Dean
Consider this an early Christmas gift Ryan. I’ll give Ryan the win here only because two of my top players face the Baltimore Ravens this week. While I’m not sold on how good they’ll actually be this year, they should make enough of a dent to slow down Rudi Johnson and TJ Housh. Otherwise the quarterbacks are fairly even here – Kitna is facing the best passing defense from a year ago and Romo is facing the team he threw four picks to last year. In terms of running backs, a healthy Gore should have a better game over the Cardinals, than a somewhat healthy Henry over the Bills. I give the edge in wide receivers to myself because I think Reggie Wayne and Hines Ward will likely outperform the likes of Chambers and Horn who have nobody throwing them the ball. Ryan, takes it, but it could swing the other way, depending on a couple of key players for both teams.
Ian barely over Wayne
I’ll say it right now – I could be wrong on this one. Really, this match up is the closest of the week. Wayne and Ian’s quarterbacks are roughly equivalent – I can’t see Eli Manning bettering anything Jake Delhomme does against St. Louis. The running back situation is the same – Jackson has a favourable match up, but so does Addai. I would give a minor edge to Ian with Jones Drew playing the Titans, but depending on his playing time, this could turn the other way. Ian takes the edge on receives with Coles, Johnson and Boldin probably producing better stats than a question mark like Stallworth and an EZ-rider driving Eddie Kennison. The defenses will probably make the ultimate difference as the Patriots get to return Chad Pennington’s passes for touchdowns and the Vikings get to watch more overthrows than a South American government.
Derek convincingly over Dennis
Apparently Herman Edwards is putting the diapers back on Larry Johnson as they look to “protect” him from playing football. Despite this recent news, I still think Derek takes Dennis in a confident win. While Larry Johnson gets less carries than usual, he is playing the Texans, which means if he only gets five runs that each go for 70 yards, Derek should be fine. In a key position, Johnson and Maroney make a stronger pair than McGahee and Taylor, who turn their potential into more broken promises than a dead-beat dad. You can give or take on the quarterbacks and wide receivers since both team feature strong producers in Colston and Fitzgerald, but question-mark players in Burress and Calvin Johnson. With the Ravens and Eagles defense, Derek should have this match up in the bag.
Larry easily over Lindsay
At this point, Larry will easily win, since Lindsay hasn’t set his lineup yet. CBS has Larry by 212, but it could be worse. Once Linsday sets his lineup I can update this post to include my comments, which will no doubt be overstuffed with verbosity and wit.
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Hello Mr. Fantasy – a Preview Revue
So here we are fast approaching another significant milestone in the continuous shared journey that is our fantasy football league. It’s been an agonizingly long and tumultuous offseason with plenty of moves, arrests, free-agent signings and conversely, hold-outs. As we merrily prance up fantasy hill, we see Sunday looming in the horizon. Some of us will triumph, some of us will fail and some of us will select a third-string running back in the third round on a “hunch.”
So here is a quick review of the main players in this tragic saga. Split into two parts, let’s look at who you have and how you’ll probably do on Sunday night.
Wayne
Who you have: Your current roster is such a pitiful dog, not even Michael Vick would have the heart to strangle it Eli’s coming is a song that no longer drives fear into the hearts of fantasy competitors – he hasn’t realized the potential of his brother, but maybe one day he will – oh wait, he’s throwing to Plaxico Burress – no, no he won’t. Addai is the lone star here, which isn’t saying much. Stallworth will have approximately three minutes of a good game and then inexplicably break both his arms tying his shoelaces.
How you will do: Actually, you have drafted okay the past couple seasons, but get saddled with tough injuries. With your luck Wayne, you would pick a defense and somehow they wouldn’t start. Though the lousy luck might be some kind of vengeful karma for drafting Mike Williams and Mark Brunell last year.
So here is a quick review of the main players in this tragic saga. Split into two parts, let’s look at who you have and how you’ll probably do on Sunday night.
Wayne
Who you have: Your current roster is such a pitiful dog, not even Michael Vick would have the heart to strangle it Eli’s coming is a song that no longer drives fear into the hearts of fantasy competitors – he hasn’t realized the potential of his brother, but maybe one day he will – oh wait, he’s throwing to Plaxico Burress – no, no he won’t. Addai is the lone star here, which isn’t saying much. Stallworth will have approximately three minutes of a good game and then inexplicably break both his arms tying his shoelaces.
How you will do: Actually, you have drafted okay the past couple seasons, but get saddled with tough injuries. With your luck Wayne, you would pick a defense and somehow they wouldn’t start. Though the lousy luck might be some kind of vengeful karma for drafting Mike Williams and Mark Brunell last year.
Michael Vick expounds on the value of Wayne's current roster
Ryan
Who you have: Gore is a big potential back, who gets hurt too much. Smith is a big potential receiver, who gets hurt too much. If they made a sandwich in honor of Leftwich it would be the kind of sandwich one forgets on their car seat on a hot summer day – in other words, smelly and unappealing, but if you’re desperate, you’ll take a taste.
How you will do: Barring any drafting of 1,000 pound backs like LenDale White, you might do okay. I would stop the unhealthy fascination with all things Cleveland Browns though, we got together the other day and Ryan, we’re worried about you. Some kind of intervention might be coming, so act surprised.
Who you have: Gore is a big potential back, who gets hurt too much. Smith is a big potential receiver, who gets hurt too much. If they made a sandwich in honor of Leftwich it would be the kind of sandwich one forgets on their car seat on a hot summer day – in other words, smelly and unappealing, but if you’re desperate, you’ll take a taste.
How you will do: Barring any drafting of 1,000 pound backs like LenDale White, you might do okay. I would stop the unhealthy fascination with all things Cleveland Browns though, we got together the other day and Ryan, we’re worried about you. Some kind of intervention might be coming, so act surprised.
A Byron "Leftwich"
Dennis
Who you have: While he’s no bachelor like Jesse, Carson Palmer has proved to be a valuable commodity on the fantasy market. As for Poops McGee, his value is a little harder to place – will he show his dominant-college side or his plodding Buffalo Bills side. One can make the argument that he moves to a team with a better quarterback and line, but one would be entirely wrong – Baltimore’s line is aging and their quarterback isn’t exactly drinking from the fountain of youth. Larry Fitzgerald is pretty good though, so as Meatloaf warbled, two out of three ain’t bad.
How you will do: Your first three picks last year barely played – by all means – keep up this trend. I certainly won’t stop you from taking Drew Bledsoe-calibre players. Also, if you want, I’ll totally let you draft Ron Dayne again.
Who you have: While he’s no bachelor like Jesse, Carson Palmer has proved to be a valuable commodity on the fantasy market. As for Poops McGee, his value is a little harder to place – will he show his dominant-college side or his plodding Buffalo Bills side. One can make the argument that he moves to a team with a better quarterback and line, but one would be entirely wrong – Baltimore’s line is aging and their quarterback isn’t exactly drinking from the fountain of youth. Larry Fitzgerald is pretty good though, so as Meatloaf warbled, two out of three ain’t bad.
How you will do: Your first three picks last year barely played – by all means – keep up this trend. I certainly won’t stop you from taking Drew Bledsoe-calibre players. Also, if you want, I’ll totally let you draft Ron Dayne again.
Sometimes two out of three is bad
Derek
Who you have: It was looking dire for a second there, Larry Johnson was willing to ride the bench which would have effectively put your fantasy football team on the bench as well. Still, there’s no guarantee Johnson can take another heavy dose of running – at some point he’ll break down. Dree Brees and Marcques Colston is a great combination, provided Colston doesn’t go through some kind of Keary Colbert or Michael Clayton transformation where his fantasy value melts like Toth’s face in Raiders of the Lost Ark.
How you will do: You had an okay draft last year, but just didn’t have the keeper depth to make a move. This year could be a different song and dance since keeping only three players really doesn’t give any of us a significant advantage – plus, we get to draft real players instead cut-outs such as Corey Bradford or Chad Jackson.
Who you have: It was looking dire for a second there, Larry Johnson was willing to ride the bench which would have effectively put your fantasy football team on the bench as well. Still, there’s no guarantee Johnson can take another heavy dose of running – at some point he’ll break down. Dree Brees and Marcques Colston is a great combination, provided Colston doesn’t go through some kind of Keary Colbert or Michael Clayton transformation where his fantasy value melts like Toth’s face in Raiders of the Lost Ark.
How you will do: You had an okay draft last year, but just didn’t have the keeper depth to make a move. This year could be a different song and dance since keeping only three players really doesn’t give any of us a significant advantage – plus, we get to draft real players instead cut-outs such as Corey Bradford or Chad Jackson.
blah blah blah blah
The NFL was especially hard on Michael Clayton
Dean
Who you have: Rudi might fail, or he might do what he always seems to do – run for 1200 yards and get 13 touchdowns. I’m not positive, but I think Brady mixed up his playbook with Willis McGahee during a Buffalo/Pats game. That’s fine, he should be his usual consistent self in between impregnating any female that comes within 30 metres. Wayne is always the bridesmaid, never the bride, but this might be his year – of course I was saying that last year, and the year before and the year before.
How you will do: Here are your first three picks – Ovie Mughelli, Doug Johnson and LeRon McCoy. Are these even players? We’ll regardless, you’ll probably draft them really early and spend the rest of the draft defending, and secretly crying on the inside, about your decisions. Based on your talent, you should join the raiders as a scout – and then maybe on the side you can run a bed and breakfast with the offensive coordinator.
Who you have: Rudi might fail, or he might do what he always seems to do – run for 1200 yards and get 13 touchdowns. I’m not positive, but I think Brady mixed up his playbook with Willis McGahee during a Buffalo/Pats game. That’s fine, he should be his usual consistent self in between impregnating any female that comes within 30 metres. Wayne is always the bridesmaid, never the bride, but this might be his year – of course I was saying that last year, and the year before and the year before.
How you will do: Here are your first three picks – Ovie Mughelli, Doug Johnson and LeRon McCoy. Are these even players? We’ll regardless, you’ll probably draft them really early and spend the rest of the draft defending, and secretly crying on the inside, about your decisions. Based on your talent, you should join the raiders as a scout – and then maybe on the side you can run a bed and breakfast with the offensive coordinator.
Oakland Raiders headquarters
Ian
Who you have: Jay Culter doesn’t have a killer mustache, which should legitimately worry you. I guess this is counter-balanced by Steven Jackson magnificent serpentine dreads. As for Chad Johnson, I haven’t seen this kind of brazen self-love since Larry discovered the Internet. If Chad Johnson grows a mustache, the apocalypse will truly be upon us.
How you will do: Since you actually have draft picks this year, you should do better simply by default. Plus, you basically are drafting like you get the fifth pick, since the guy in front of you will be too busy selecting players who will be working at Sizzler in two weeks. My only word of advice? Grow a sweet mustache for the draft – it is your…destiny.
Who you have: Jay Culter doesn’t have a killer mustache, which should legitimately worry you. I guess this is counter-balanced by Steven Jackson magnificent serpentine dreads. As for Chad Johnson, I haven’t seen this kind of brazen self-love since Larry discovered the Internet. If Chad Johnson grows a mustache, the apocalypse will truly be upon us.
How you will do: Since you actually have draft picks this year, you should do better simply by default. Plus, you basically are drafting like you get the fifth pick, since the guy in front of you will be too busy selecting players who will be working at Sizzler in two weeks. My only word of advice? Grow a sweet mustache for the draft – it is your…destiny.
Jay Cutler has nothing on this guy
Bryan
Who you have: You’ve got the youth movement on your side with a trio of young players with a lot of upside – Bush, Leinart and Walker still have the potential to put up even better stats. This is the fortune bestowed upon you for inheriting a team of woe from an Irishman. He was too busy thinking about potatoes, so his picks were usually suspect. Alas, getting the first round pick is a big helper for building a solid team. I’ve been trying that strategy for years and still can’t find myself in last place.
What you will do: You are like the old man that used to give us m&m’s by the fence at my junior high – you like them young. Present history indicates you will draft rookies again, but that all depends on who falls to you. The disadvantage of doing decently is that you’re getting table scraps for the following draft.
Who you have: You’ve got the youth movement on your side with a trio of young players with a lot of upside – Bush, Leinart and Walker still have the potential to put up even better stats. This is the fortune bestowed upon you for inheriting a team of woe from an Irishman. He was too busy thinking about potatoes, so his picks were usually suspect. Alas, getting the first round pick is a big helper for building a solid team. I’ve been trying that strategy for years and still can’t find myself in last place.
What you will do: You are like the old man that used to give us m&m’s by the fence at my junior high – you like them young. Present history indicates you will draft rookies again, but that all depends on who falls to you. The disadvantage of doing decently is that you’re getting table scraps for the following draft.
Melts in your mouth, not in your hand
Larry
Who you have: Looking at your current roster is like looking into a child’s birthday giftbag – some of its good, and some of it you throw in the bushes right after the party. Marc Bulger should continue to be solid as long as he doesn’t get hurt. Terrell Owens, I’m afraid, is probably on the downslope of his career. He’ll get you solid results, but nothing spectacular. I’m still not sold on “fast” Willie Parker because he is also “small” Willie Parker and “inconsistent” Willie Parker.
What you will do: In all honesty, you probably had the best draft last year and it paid off with….third. Can you make it two great drafts in a row? Only time, and Hilda the one-eyed homeless oracle that sleeps behind my coop, will tell.
Who you have: Looking at your current roster is like looking into a child’s birthday giftbag – some of its good, and some of it you throw in the bushes right after the party. Marc Bulger should continue to be solid as long as he doesn’t get hurt. Terrell Owens, I’m afraid, is probably on the downslope of his career. He’ll get you solid results, but nothing spectacular. I’m still not sold on “fast” Willie Parker because he is also “small” Willie Parker and “inconsistent” Willie Parker.
What you will do: In all honesty, you probably had the best draft last year and it paid off with….third. Can you make it two great drafts in a row? Only time, and Hilda the one-eyed homeless oracle that sleeps behind my coop, will tell.
Hilda has forseen better days...
Lindsay
Who you have: You should know that your season went down the toilet the minute Vince Young appeared on the cover of Madden. I put a call in and asked that they add Brian Westbrook and Marvin Harrison to the background, but no dice. As Meatloaf once didn’t sing, one out of three ain’t bad. Westbrook will inevitably get hurt, but his production when he’s healthy makes up for it. Harrison is father time, he is the monolith of fantasy football, he will outlive us all and rule the cosmos with his bride fortuna as they travel from galaxy to galaxy devouring worlds.
What you will do: You will make inexplicable picks that furrow the brow of your competitors, and yet equally inexplicably, they will pan out for you. Is this keen insight or merely serendipity – your continual high ranking suggests the former. Your deductive abilities suggest that you are the Jessica Fletcher or Matlock of fantasy football.
Who you have: You should know that your season went down the toilet the minute Vince Young appeared on the cover of Madden. I put a call in and asked that they add Brian Westbrook and Marvin Harrison to the background, but no dice. As Meatloaf once didn’t sing, one out of three ain’t bad. Westbrook will inevitably get hurt, but his production when he’s healthy makes up for it. Harrison is father time, he is the monolith of fantasy football, he will outlive us all and rule the cosmos with his bride fortuna as they travel from galaxy to galaxy devouring worlds.
What you will do: You will make inexplicable picks that furrow the brow of your competitors, and yet equally inexplicably, they will pan out for you. Is this keen insight or merely serendipity – your continual high ranking suggests the former. Your deductive abilities suggest that you are the Jessica Fletcher or Matlock of fantasy football.
Lindsay didn't age well at all
Paul
Who you have: You have dominated the past couple seasons, but I think your reign may be coming to an end. No longer in possession of two dominant backs, you have settled on keeping Tomlinson. He’s an incredible back, but one day he will get legitimately injured and miss more than a game or two – when that happens, your chances of winning outright drop significantly. Having Manning and Holt doesn’t hurt you either – but they are also players yet to face major injuries. At some points the odds will even up. At least that’s what all your disturbed fantasy competitors secretly hope.
How you will do: Your draft last year was inconsistent. Your first five picks were brilliant and then you took chances later, which didn’t really pay off. I guess that’s the nature of investing in players though – you treated your draft like a banker (which makes sense since you worked in a bank). You played it safe with the big money picks and played it risky with your latter picks. It’s a decent strategy to follow and one that will probably help you immeasurably again this year. Especially with a much lighter keeper roster to rely on.
Who you have: You have dominated the past couple seasons, but I think your reign may be coming to an end. No longer in possession of two dominant backs, you have settled on keeping Tomlinson. He’s an incredible back, but one day he will get legitimately injured and miss more than a game or two – when that happens, your chances of winning outright drop significantly. Having Manning and Holt doesn’t hurt you either – but they are also players yet to face major injuries. At some points the odds will even up. At least that’s what all your disturbed fantasy competitors secretly hope.
How you will do: Your draft last year was inconsistent. Your first five picks were brilliant and then you took chances later, which didn’t really pay off. I guess that’s the nature of investing in players though – you treated your draft like a banker (which makes sense since you worked in a bank). You played it safe with the big money picks and played it risky with your latter picks. It’s a decent strategy to follow and one that will probably help you immeasurably again this year. Especially with a much lighter keeper roster to rely on.
He walks with a cane for a reason - winning has an ultimate price.
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Letters from Neo-Tokyo - Token of my Tokens
The object of my affection
Recently, Jackie and I made our way down to Eau Claire Market to mindlessly spend our extra tokens and eat at the most underrated restaurant in Calgary, the Eau Claire theatre diner. It’s not the most mature diversion for a man of 28 years, but I can’t deny how much fun I have going to the Eau Claire arcade.
Whether it’s playing the latest Japanese shooting game or a ridiculously hard drumming rhythm game or dumping token after token to win more tickets for overpriced DVD’s, we almost always have a blast. For Jackie and I, the arcade was one of those great options when there wasn’t really anything else going on in Calgary. Plus, the restaurant makes great diner food that was far better than some its pricier competitors – cough Galaxy and Avenue diners – cough.
Alas, no more. With our recent visit, we were shocked to see that the arcade/lounge/restaurant has now been closed. As we ascended the escalator, we both stood stunned at the boarded up windows and ratty paper sign. With the recent changes to the market, it appears the arcade is either being renovated, or more likely, simply removed.
Harder better faster sadder
To put it bluntly, it sucked the wind out of our night. I know it seems rash, but I was actually depressed. One of our most reliable activities was gone, in a heartbeat, and with no replacement in sight.
Unfortunately, arcades are going the way of the dinosaur – and Calgary has no other decent arcade. Well, there is the bus depot or the airport, but those hardly count – the games are the same ones I played when I was eight. The University used to have a great arcade and then it was halved and shoved into a cramped little corner in favour of a giant, useless Greek restaurant. Now the Cove arcade is no bigger than a walk in closet – not ideal conditions, unless you are a hardcore game – which Jackie and I are not. Southern Fun might still be around downtown, but I don’t have the courage to stroll through a swath of prostitutes and drug-dealers to get there. Some of the other theatres have mini-arcades, but these only serve as cursory waiting areas. They aren’t enough to keep you entertained for more than twenty minutes, unless you are really fascinated by the social experiment that is dance-dance revolution.
Arcade decay sustain release
Arcades are on the decline and the reasons are simple. Home gaming has improved exponentially both in terms of scope, cost and interactivity. One feature of recent arcade games was delivering an experience hard to replicate in the home – dance-dance revolution, guitar games, shooting games etc. That was part of the thrill – the number of unique peripherals and applications.
This is no longer an advantage. The Wii and games like Guitar Hero bring that same level of interactivity into the living room – and at approximately the same cost as a prolonged stay at an arcade. Plus, you get to own those games. In the arcade, their yours only as long as you have money to feed them.
Hail social
Still, despite the relative equality between home and arcade gaming, I feel like I’ll be missing out. Arcade games bring a unique and kinetic social experience. There’s something thrilling about sampling a wide variety of unique and clever games with the company of friends. That experience will be hard to replace – even with the dearth of interesting console games. It’s not the first time I’ve witnessed the end of a great arcade – I could easily wax nostalgic about the arcades that used to inhabit Market Mall and Chinook Mall – but Eau Claire is the hardest because it seems so final now.
Old geeks die hard, I guess.
Recently, Jackie and I made our way down to Eau Claire Market to mindlessly spend our extra tokens and eat at the most underrated restaurant in Calgary, the Eau Claire theatre diner. It’s not the most mature diversion for a man of 28 years, but I can’t deny how much fun I have going to the Eau Claire arcade.
Whether it’s playing the latest Japanese shooting game or a ridiculously hard drumming rhythm game or dumping token after token to win more tickets for overpriced DVD’s, we almost always have a blast. For Jackie and I, the arcade was one of those great options when there wasn’t really anything else going on in Calgary. Plus, the restaurant makes great diner food that was far better than some its pricier competitors – cough Galaxy and Avenue diners – cough.
Alas, no more. With our recent visit, we were shocked to see that the arcade/lounge/restaurant has now been closed. As we ascended the escalator, we both stood stunned at the boarded up windows and ratty paper sign. With the recent changes to the market, it appears the arcade is either being renovated, or more likely, simply removed.
Harder better faster sadder
To put it bluntly, it sucked the wind out of our night. I know it seems rash, but I was actually depressed. One of our most reliable activities was gone, in a heartbeat, and with no replacement in sight.
Unfortunately, arcades are going the way of the dinosaur – and Calgary has no other decent arcade. Well, there is the bus depot or the airport, but those hardly count – the games are the same ones I played when I was eight. The University used to have a great arcade and then it was halved and shoved into a cramped little corner in favour of a giant, useless Greek restaurant. Now the Cove arcade is no bigger than a walk in closet – not ideal conditions, unless you are a hardcore game – which Jackie and I are not. Southern Fun might still be around downtown, but I don’t have the courage to stroll through a swath of prostitutes and drug-dealers to get there. Some of the other theatres have mini-arcades, but these only serve as cursory waiting areas. They aren’t enough to keep you entertained for more than twenty minutes, unless you are really fascinated by the social experiment that is dance-dance revolution.
Arcade decay sustain release
Arcades are on the decline and the reasons are simple. Home gaming has improved exponentially both in terms of scope, cost and interactivity. One feature of recent arcade games was delivering an experience hard to replicate in the home – dance-dance revolution, guitar games, shooting games etc. That was part of the thrill – the number of unique peripherals and applications.
This is no longer an advantage. The Wii and games like Guitar Hero bring that same level of interactivity into the living room – and at approximately the same cost as a prolonged stay at an arcade. Plus, you get to own those games. In the arcade, their yours only as long as you have money to feed them.
Hail social
Still, despite the relative equality between home and arcade gaming, I feel like I’ll be missing out. Arcade games bring a unique and kinetic social experience. There’s something thrilling about sampling a wide variety of unique and clever games with the company of friends. That experience will be hard to replace – even with the dearth of interesting console games. It’s not the first time I’ve witnessed the end of a great arcade – I could easily wax nostalgic about the arcades that used to inhabit Market Mall and Chinook Mall – but Eau Claire is the hardest because it seems so final now.
Old geeks die hard, I guess.
Monday, August 20, 2007
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Manic for Summer Movies
Live Free or Die Hard
It’s been a long time since Bruce Willis donned this franchise and the rust shows a little bit – but surprisingly, not on Bruce. The problems inherent in Live Free or Die Hard fall more on the direction and plotting of the movie, than Willis’ gruff speaking character, who really isn’t a character at all, but simply how we all perceive the persona of Bruce Willis.
Yes, things explode and people are shot many times. Cars crash and fights ensue. The math is easy – but somewhere along the way the equation loses a little of the heart and charm of the previous movies. In the last Die Hard, Samual L. Jackson saved an otherwise lame excursion that fell somewhere between Lethal Weapon 3 and Rush Hour 3 in uselessness. In Live Free or Die Hard, the premise starts with blazing action as Willis must transport a valuable hacker into the government’s hands. This works – the banter between Willis and Justin Long is sharp and the suspense of how McClane (Willis) will outsmart a cunning ex-government hacker boils in adrenaline.
One of the joys of the Die Hard series is that it always heralded some small amount of reality, where the audience felt that McClane’s situation could be, at least slightly, plausible. Unfortunately, as the second half of this latest film rolls, the plot takes a number of missteps and the action drops into ridiculous hyperbole. Between the unnecessary bringing of McClane’s daughter into the movie and so-stupid-it-needs-to-be-seen battle between Willis and a fighter jet, Live Free or Die Hard doesn’t evoke the same spirit as its predecessors, especially the first one – which in comparison feels all the more inspired and essential.
Hairspray
Let me make one thing clear – I have an odd fondness for musicals. It’s probably due to the fact that I like music, more than I like, say, over-acting and choreography. Regardless, Hairspray is a good musical with boisterous songs, tight dance numbers and loads of sarcastic charm. One of the most appealing things about Hairspray is that it isn’t played completely straight – the lyrics are often mean-spirited while the music plays on unaware. On the opening number, “Good Morning Baltimore” a joyous chorus rings on about homelessness, town drunks and the poor – good morning Baltimore indeed.
The basic plot revolves around a dance competition and the larger racial implications of 60’s USA. The movie favours the microcosms of the characters rather than try to teach too many lessons to the audience ala Rent. For my money, this elevates Hairspray beyond a recent crop of other musicals in that it lets the characters imply the big picture, rather than hit us over the head with it, to music. I had low expectations of this movie before walking in, and arguably seeing John Travolta kissing Christopher Walken did disturb, I was pleasantly surprised with the outcome.
The Bourne Ultimatum
Another title for this movie should be – “10 steps to making a good film.” As with the Bourne Supremacy, Paul Greengrass takes the helm with his patented jittery camera-style and launches Robert Ludlum’s third novel into the filmmaking stratosphere. In this latest installment, plot development takes a backseat to pure chase. The tension of the movie isn’t watching Bourne figure out who he is; it’s watching him careen towards ever-dangerous US authorities like some kind of unstoppable missile.
There are huge spectacles of chase, explosions, crashes and fights –all done with a thoughtful lack of special effects. The realistic style is incredibly refreshing in an age of Transformers, where nothing felt real and there was no reason to invest in the action. Transformers made you watch action. Bourne’s efficacy makes you feel like you are part of it. Spy movies need a little grit. It’s nice to see a protagonist with dirt under his fingernails - it puts heart into stories usually concerned with glitzy technology and acronym-wielding intrigue.
The only negative? The movie ends! Before you know it, it’s over – like, over over. But what a ride it was. In a just world, these movies would serve as an actual ultimatum to other filmmakers to stop throwing CGI at us, and tap into something other than adrenaline.
It’s been a long time since Bruce Willis donned this franchise and the rust shows a little bit – but surprisingly, not on Bruce. The problems inherent in Live Free or Die Hard fall more on the direction and plotting of the movie, than Willis’ gruff speaking character, who really isn’t a character at all, but simply how we all perceive the persona of Bruce Willis.
Yes, things explode and people are shot many times. Cars crash and fights ensue. The math is easy – but somewhere along the way the equation loses a little of the heart and charm of the previous movies. In the last Die Hard, Samual L. Jackson saved an otherwise lame excursion that fell somewhere between Lethal Weapon 3 and Rush Hour 3 in uselessness. In Live Free or Die Hard, the premise starts with blazing action as Willis must transport a valuable hacker into the government’s hands. This works – the banter between Willis and Justin Long is sharp and the suspense of how McClane (Willis) will outsmart a cunning ex-government hacker boils in adrenaline.
One of the joys of the Die Hard series is that it always heralded some small amount of reality, where the audience felt that McClane’s situation could be, at least slightly, plausible. Unfortunately, as the second half of this latest film rolls, the plot takes a number of missteps and the action drops into ridiculous hyperbole. Between the unnecessary bringing of McClane’s daughter into the movie and so-stupid-it-needs-to-be-seen battle between Willis and a fighter jet, Live Free or Die Hard doesn’t evoke the same spirit as its predecessors, especially the first one – which in comparison feels all the more inspired and essential.
Hairspray
Let me make one thing clear – I have an odd fondness for musicals. It’s probably due to the fact that I like music, more than I like, say, over-acting and choreography. Regardless, Hairspray is a good musical with boisterous songs, tight dance numbers and loads of sarcastic charm. One of the most appealing things about Hairspray is that it isn’t played completely straight – the lyrics are often mean-spirited while the music plays on unaware. On the opening number, “Good Morning Baltimore” a joyous chorus rings on about homelessness, town drunks and the poor – good morning Baltimore indeed.
The basic plot revolves around a dance competition and the larger racial implications of 60’s USA. The movie favours the microcosms of the characters rather than try to teach too many lessons to the audience ala Rent. For my money, this elevates Hairspray beyond a recent crop of other musicals in that it lets the characters imply the big picture, rather than hit us over the head with it, to music. I had low expectations of this movie before walking in, and arguably seeing John Travolta kissing Christopher Walken did disturb, I was pleasantly surprised with the outcome.
The Bourne Ultimatum
Another title for this movie should be – “10 steps to making a good film.” As with the Bourne Supremacy, Paul Greengrass takes the helm with his patented jittery camera-style and launches Robert Ludlum’s third novel into the filmmaking stratosphere. In this latest installment, plot development takes a backseat to pure chase. The tension of the movie isn’t watching Bourne figure out who he is; it’s watching him careen towards ever-dangerous US authorities like some kind of unstoppable missile.
There are huge spectacles of chase, explosions, crashes and fights –all done with a thoughtful lack of special effects. The realistic style is incredibly refreshing in an age of Transformers, where nothing felt real and there was no reason to invest in the action. Transformers made you watch action. Bourne’s efficacy makes you feel like you are part of it. Spy movies need a little grit. It’s nice to see a protagonist with dirt under his fingernails - it puts heart into stories usually concerned with glitzy technology and acronym-wielding intrigue.
The only negative? The movie ends! Before you know it, it’s over – like, over over. But what a ride it was. In a just world, these movies would serve as an actual ultimatum to other filmmakers to stop throwing CGI at us, and tap into something other than adrenaline.
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Sunshine
SunshineMost people scoff when I say I liked Steven Soderberg’s Solaris, but there was something instinctively powerful about its story and its slow grace. Keeping in mind that I haven’t seen the original (and continue to search for it), the subtle opera called out to some higher sense than that of typical science fiction– cough cough Armageddon. What I enjoyed most about Solaris was the threat was our own weaknesses and inability to cope with the potency of our emotions, rather than say, a giant hurtling asteroid.
Well, Sunshine tries for the same austerity of say Solaris or 2001, but ultimately fails. Visually, it’s a stunner – there’s a fascinating slow boil that rises up from the dark and light interplay of the ship as it hurtles toward the sun. Directory Danny Boyle, continually presents shots of the ship’s bright orange shield, followed by the immense shade of the ship hiding behind it. As fascinated as the characters are in the brightness and immensity of the sun, Boyle also keeps us focused its devastating power and beauty.
The plot revolves around a group of astronauts, physicists and scientists aboard the fatefully titled Icarus II, which of course not only invokes the old greek tragedy but implies that there was an Icarus I. As the group moves toward the sun, tensions flare, mishaps occur and the crew is put under great stress to solve them. For the first hour, the film chugs with clockwork perfection – the focus on the drama inside and outside the ship is tight. The dialogue and scientific focus of the plot adds a great depth of believability and lets us invest in these characters.
While there are certainly some familiar touchstones of other science fiction movies, Boyle adds just enough visual flash and drama to keep it interesting. Unfortunately, this balance is upset about midway through the movie, when characters begin to act against type, clich̩s rear their ugly head and believability is sacrificed for cheap thrills. After probably the best scene in the movie, where all the characters watch Mercury drift across an ocean of fire, things go down hill. The crew find out that the Icarus I is floating somewhere near the surface of the Sun and they go to investigate Рclich̩ alert. Of course, something goes wrong and crew start dying Рdouble clich̩ alert. Unfortunately, this is the high point of the low points Рthe plot gets more muddled, as does the special effects, strangely enough. The end turns into a mish-mash of pseudo-everything that darkens all of the promise from the first half.
Too bad – it’s especially disappointing when all of the mystery and tension are released in such a confusing, yet conventional way. Watch Sunshine to understand what it could have been, not for what it is.
Friday, July 20, 2007
Summer Movie Roundup
Summer Movie Round-up:
I see a lot of movies. Well, I think I see a lot of movies – compared with most people.
You know that movie quiz that’s always floating around facebook – I think I’m somewhere in the 250’s out of around 300ish movies. I probably like movies more than I admit to myself. I’m the kind of person who, when watching Grind House and hearing about that movie’s influences, goes in search of the movies that inspired it. Right after Grind House, I quickly went looking for Last House on the Left and Vanishing Point. When I was younger, I used to wander around the video store picking up classic movies and old oscar-nominated movies just so I could watch them. Does this make me some kind of expert? No. Does this make me obsessive? Kinda.
Jackie and I always feel strange when people tell us they only see a couple of movies in a theatre a year. We probably see that many in the span of a week, or at least, a couple weeks.
With that in mind, here’s what we’ve seen since Jackie’s been back for the last two weeks.
License to Wed
This movie got drubbed by the critics, and while I can understand why they might dislike it, it’s not nearly as bad as they made it seem. It’s a typical rom-com, but certainly not any worse than most typical rom-com’s. There were some decent laughs, the characters were decently acted, with maybe the small exception being Robin Williams taking it a little too far and coming off creepy instead of the desired well-meaning. Otherwise, it was a pleasant summer movie – not deep by any means – but light and reasonably funny.
Transformers
Like the above movie, this movie is basically the same thing. A high concept movie that is incredibly light on substance. This should come as no surprise – it’s a movie about talking, transforming robots based on an old Hasbro cartoon and toy line. The action was okay, although occasionally too jumpy to the point of not being able to understand what was happening. The dialogue was occasionally self-referentially hilarious and occasionally groan-inducing cheesy. Another light summer movie where you can leave your brain at home.
Pirates of the Caribbean
It’s a long movie and it’s a convoluted movie and it’s the prototypical summer spectacle movie. The story wrapped up decently, the action and stunts were fantastic. The special effects were eye-popping. I can’t say that I felt truly satisfied by the conclusion, but I wasn’t disappointed either. Adding Chow Yun Fat was also a bonus, scoring brownie points with me – although I was a little sad inside that he didn’t have a toothpick in his mouth and two guns at any point – but perhaps that’s just me not letting go of my many-year obsession with Hard Boiled.
Knocked Up
The thing I liked most about Knocked Up was the fact that I could actually picture it. With most comedies, there’s an element of suspended disbelief so that the jokes can operate freely. With Knocked Up, the scenario, the characters and especially the dialogue never seemed out of place from my everyday reality. Judd Apatow has a knack of taking an ensemble cast and letting them simply follow the wireframe script in a way that comes across refreshingly real. Characters don’t seem like they’re aching to shoot out a funny line, but instead simply say them. The way the dialogue is so fully infused with pop-culture references while still retaining that sense of real people talking is exceptional for most movies.
When one of the kids in the movies says to her aunt “I googled murder” it’s both hilarious and realistic because it seems like something a kid would do if they had access to google. When Ben starts talking about how sometimes he wishes he could change his past actions, it’s all the more amusing and seemingly real when he uses Back to the Future first as a metaphor, which then devolves straight into bad movie quotes and impressions.
Knocked Up wasn’t as consistently funny as The 40-Year Old Virgin, but that’s more attributable to the fact that it’s a different animal entirely. Knocked Up is not as slick a movie and isn’t as driven to uncover the laughs. It’s more content in finding the humorous moments between all the stress, worry, pathos, melancholy and everyday fight of life.
For this, it might not be as visceral as The 40-Year Old Virgin when sitting in the theatre, but it sticks with you a lot longer afterward.
I see a lot of movies. Well, I think I see a lot of movies – compared with most people.
You know that movie quiz that’s always floating around facebook – I think I’m somewhere in the 250’s out of around 300ish movies. I probably like movies more than I admit to myself. I’m the kind of person who, when watching Grind House and hearing about that movie’s influences, goes in search of the movies that inspired it. Right after Grind House, I quickly went looking for Last House on the Left and Vanishing Point. When I was younger, I used to wander around the video store picking up classic movies and old oscar-nominated movies just so I could watch them. Does this make me some kind of expert? No. Does this make me obsessive? Kinda.
Jackie and I always feel strange when people tell us they only see a couple of movies in a theatre a year. We probably see that many in the span of a week, or at least, a couple weeks.
With that in mind, here’s what we’ve seen since Jackie’s been back for the last two weeks.
License to Wed
This movie got drubbed by the critics, and while I can understand why they might dislike it, it’s not nearly as bad as they made it seem. It’s a typical rom-com, but certainly not any worse than most typical rom-com’s. There were some decent laughs, the characters were decently acted, with maybe the small exception being Robin Williams taking it a little too far and coming off creepy instead of the desired well-meaning. Otherwise, it was a pleasant summer movie – not deep by any means – but light and reasonably funny.
Transformers
Like the above movie, this movie is basically the same thing. A high concept movie that is incredibly light on substance. This should come as no surprise – it’s a movie about talking, transforming robots based on an old Hasbro cartoon and toy line. The action was okay, although occasionally too jumpy to the point of not being able to understand what was happening. The dialogue was occasionally self-referentially hilarious and occasionally groan-inducing cheesy. Another light summer movie where you can leave your brain at home.
Pirates of the Caribbean
It’s a long movie and it’s a convoluted movie and it’s the prototypical summer spectacle movie. The story wrapped up decently, the action and stunts were fantastic. The special effects were eye-popping. I can’t say that I felt truly satisfied by the conclusion, but I wasn’t disappointed either. Adding Chow Yun Fat was also a bonus, scoring brownie points with me – although I was a little sad inside that he didn’t have a toothpick in his mouth and two guns at any point – but perhaps that’s just me not letting go of my many-year obsession with Hard Boiled.
Knocked Up
The thing I liked most about Knocked Up was the fact that I could actually picture it. With most comedies, there’s an element of suspended disbelief so that the jokes can operate freely. With Knocked Up, the scenario, the characters and especially the dialogue never seemed out of place from my everyday reality. Judd Apatow has a knack of taking an ensemble cast and letting them simply follow the wireframe script in a way that comes across refreshingly real. Characters don’t seem like they’re aching to shoot out a funny line, but instead simply say them. The way the dialogue is so fully infused with pop-culture references while still retaining that sense of real people talking is exceptional for most movies.
When one of the kids in the movies says to her aunt “I googled murder” it’s both hilarious and realistic because it seems like something a kid would do if they had access to google. When Ben starts talking about how sometimes he wishes he could change his past actions, it’s all the more amusing and seemingly real when he uses Back to the Future first as a metaphor, which then devolves straight into bad movie quotes and impressions.
Knocked Up wasn’t as consistently funny as The 40-Year Old Virgin, but that’s more attributable to the fact that it’s a different animal entirely. Knocked Up is not as slick a movie and isn’t as driven to uncover the laughs. It’s more content in finding the humorous moments between all the stress, worry, pathos, melancholy and everyday fight of life.
For this, it might not be as visceral as The 40-Year Old Virgin when sitting in the theatre, but it sticks with you a lot longer afterward.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Wednesday, July 04, 2007
Calgary Stampede - Good, Bad and the Ugly
The Good
Fireworks
In the quest to super-size everything into grand spectacle, the Stampede offers up nightly fireworks just to remind everyone that one more day of gong show is gone. While the sentiment’s cheap, the fireworks are pretty cool to watch from the safe distance of Scottman’s Hill. Aside from Global Fest, there aren’t too many opportunities to sit down with the family for a fireworks show in land-locked Calgary. It’s one of the more lasting Stampede traditions, and now, seems kind of classy in comparison to the rest of the junior-Vegas debauchery we host.
Free Food
Free food, even when it’s bad, is ultimately still good. Regardless whether those sausages have been evolving in the sun over an 8-hour span, they still taste as sweet and delicious as nectar from the gods for the sole reason that you did not pay for their botulism-fused goodness.
The Sky Carriage
The forbidden pleasure of spitting on tourists can hardly be matched in this entire world.
The Bad
The Coca Cola stage
If you are a musician or entertainer, and say you’re looking through the stable of shows your agent booked, and you see that you’re scheduled to play the Stampede Coca Cola stage, this means only one thing. It’s over. Whatever success you achieved, whatever heights you reached in the past, they are not coming back. The Coca Cola stage is the place where bands come to die. It’s a veritable garden of Tom Cochrane’s, Cheap Tricks, and unforgettably, Hinders. I can’t in recent memory, think of a band who played the Coca Cola stage and was better for it – Matthew Good fell Icarus-like after his show. Sloan never tasted the same success after the Stampede. If you see it on your schedule, just put your guitar down, put on that Arby’s smock and get that burger spatula ready. It’s the only way to save a little dignity.
Country Music
Country music was once good. There was Merl Haggard, Johnny Cash, Hank Williams, Loretta Lynn and Patsy Cline. Then came Billy Ray Cyrus with Achy Breaky Heart and it was bastardized forever. Let’s make one thing clear. Today’s “country music” is hardly country music. It’s generic rock music with violin. Worse still, is that country music is nearly as bad as rap music for gimmicky concepts and atrocious lyrics (uh, hello, Save a Horse Ride a Cowboy – barf!). Today’s country music is what office drones want to dance to in their one pair of embarrassing white jeans. Ever notice that cowboys on old western movies don’t wear white jeans. That’s because they would be shot. Enough said.
The Ugly
Being trapped in the Zipper with someone getting sick above you or losing your wallet on the Zipper.
Both are equally frightening. There’s nothing quite as terrifying as being stuck in the caged claustrophobia that is the Zipper, stuck facing slightly up listening to the squeaking of the badly-carnie managed ride, when all of a sudden, you hear the familiar sound of someone losing their corndog high above you. You’re stuck. There’s nowhere to go and that mesh front is hardly a defense. You shake the cracked mahogany chest pad in desperation. But it’s too late. Here it comes. No, no, noooooooooaaaaah.
The other scenario is frightening, but not as disgusting, and I actually had happen to me when I was like thirteen. When you’re thirteen, if you are a loser-kid like I was, you had a slim velcro wallet of some kind. You probably were a dumb kid, like me, and didn’t put it in your acid wash jeans and instead put it in your jacket. So the Zipper starts up and you get a swinging and whoops, there goes your wallet into the bottom of the compartment. You hope it stays there, but of course the ride starts up again and you go spinning upside down. Your wallet plummets out the loose grate and you watch it go tumbling into the crowd. Being the respectful Stampede crowd it is, your money disappears forever. Spiderman wallet, why did you forsake me?
Topless Guys and Girls
You know that sweaty shirtless guy dancing outside at concerts. He’s all drunk, swaying and yelling random crap. He pisses you off and rubs his mansweat up against you as he stumbles frantically toward the front of the stage. Well, the Stampede is where all those guys get together. It’s the shirtless douche bag convention.
Dude, I don’t need to be coated in your Ogden-flavoured manbrine. And, really, you and your beer garden breath are totally wrecking Hinder for me! You are ruining my Hinder experience.
Ladies you fare no better. If having some chain-smoking cougar flash her low-hanging milk curtains at you is a special thrill – look no further than the Stampede. If I want to see soggy flapjacks, I’ll take in a free mall breakfast.
I’m always surprised at these quality people who show up. Where do they come from? I never see them all year, until the beginning of each July. Do they all reside in some secret cave, and come July, go rolling out of it into the blazing sunlight, their fingers splayed, shading their eyes from the judgmental heavens?
Or is it some kind of Bruce Banner-like transformation, only instead of incredible superpowers, people lose half their IQ, half their walking speed and have the sudden desire to walk in a horizontal line slowly so it is impossible get around them and traverse the Stampede grounds from end-to-end in less than three days.
Why does the Stampede give regular people the excuse to be morons – do they simply think that big crowds hide stupid better? I haven’t pinpointed the exact reason, but I have my clear suspicions. It’s those damn superdogs.
Fireworks
In the quest to super-size everything into grand spectacle, the Stampede offers up nightly fireworks just to remind everyone that one more day of gong show is gone. While the sentiment’s cheap, the fireworks are pretty cool to watch from the safe distance of Scottman’s Hill. Aside from Global Fest, there aren’t too many opportunities to sit down with the family for a fireworks show in land-locked Calgary. It’s one of the more lasting Stampede traditions, and now, seems kind of classy in comparison to the rest of the junior-Vegas debauchery we host.
Free Food
Free food, even when it’s bad, is ultimately still good. Regardless whether those sausages have been evolving in the sun over an 8-hour span, they still taste as sweet and delicious as nectar from the gods for the sole reason that you did not pay for their botulism-fused goodness.
The Sky Carriage
The forbidden pleasure of spitting on tourists can hardly be matched in this entire world.
The Bad
The Coca Cola stage
If you are a musician or entertainer, and say you’re looking through the stable of shows your agent booked, and you see that you’re scheduled to play the Stampede Coca Cola stage, this means only one thing. It’s over. Whatever success you achieved, whatever heights you reached in the past, they are not coming back. The Coca Cola stage is the place where bands come to die. It’s a veritable garden of Tom Cochrane’s, Cheap Tricks, and unforgettably, Hinders. I can’t in recent memory, think of a band who played the Coca Cola stage and was better for it – Matthew Good fell Icarus-like after his show. Sloan never tasted the same success after the Stampede. If you see it on your schedule, just put your guitar down, put on that Arby’s smock and get that burger spatula ready. It’s the only way to save a little dignity.
Country Music
Country music was once good. There was Merl Haggard, Johnny Cash, Hank Williams, Loretta Lynn and Patsy Cline. Then came Billy Ray Cyrus with Achy Breaky Heart and it was bastardized forever. Let’s make one thing clear. Today’s “country music” is hardly country music. It’s generic rock music with violin. Worse still, is that country music is nearly as bad as rap music for gimmicky concepts and atrocious lyrics (uh, hello, Save a Horse Ride a Cowboy – barf!). Today’s country music is what office drones want to dance to in their one pair of embarrassing white jeans. Ever notice that cowboys on old western movies don’t wear white jeans. That’s because they would be shot. Enough said.
The Ugly
Being trapped in the Zipper with someone getting sick above you or losing your wallet on the Zipper.
Both are equally frightening. There’s nothing quite as terrifying as being stuck in the caged claustrophobia that is the Zipper, stuck facing slightly up listening to the squeaking of the badly-carnie managed ride, when all of a sudden, you hear the familiar sound of someone losing their corndog high above you. You’re stuck. There’s nowhere to go and that mesh front is hardly a defense. You shake the cracked mahogany chest pad in desperation. But it’s too late. Here it comes. No, no, noooooooooaaaaah.
The other scenario is frightening, but not as disgusting, and I actually had happen to me when I was like thirteen. When you’re thirteen, if you are a loser-kid like I was, you had a slim velcro wallet of some kind. You probably were a dumb kid, like me, and didn’t put it in your acid wash jeans and instead put it in your jacket. So the Zipper starts up and you get a swinging and whoops, there goes your wallet into the bottom of the compartment. You hope it stays there, but of course the ride starts up again and you go spinning upside down. Your wallet plummets out the loose grate and you watch it go tumbling into the crowd. Being the respectful Stampede crowd it is, your money disappears forever. Spiderman wallet, why did you forsake me?
Topless Guys and Girls
You know that sweaty shirtless guy dancing outside at concerts. He’s all drunk, swaying and yelling random crap. He pisses you off and rubs his mansweat up against you as he stumbles frantically toward the front of the stage. Well, the Stampede is where all those guys get together. It’s the shirtless douche bag convention.
Dude, I don’t need to be coated in your Ogden-flavoured manbrine. And, really, you and your beer garden breath are totally wrecking Hinder for me! You are ruining my Hinder experience.
Ladies you fare no better. If having some chain-smoking cougar flash her low-hanging milk curtains at you is a special thrill – look no further than the Stampede. If I want to see soggy flapjacks, I’ll take in a free mall breakfast.
I’m always surprised at these quality people who show up. Where do they come from? I never see them all year, until the beginning of each July. Do they all reside in some secret cave, and come July, go rolling out of it into the blazing sunlight, their fingers splayed, shading their eyes from the judgmental heavens?
Or is it some kind of Bruce Banner-like transformation, only instead of incredible superpowers, people lose half their IQ, half their walking speed and have the sudden desire to walk in a horizontal line slowly so it is impossible get around them and traverse the Stampede grounds from end-to-end in less than three days.
Why does the Stampede give regular people the excuse to be morons – do they simply think that big crowds hide stupid better? I haven’t pinpointed the exact reason, but I have my clear suspicions. It’s those damn superdogs.
Monday, June 25, 2007
the wolf thirteen
the wolf - thirteen
Another transition comic - but this time in semi-colour. Or, how Dean bought art pens and needed a reason to play with them (and blur in photoshop).
Another transition comic - but this time in semi-colour. Or, how Dean bought art pens and needed a reason to play with them (and blur in photoshop).
Monday, June 18, 2007
Monday, June 04, 2007
Ex Machina
Every time I seemingly think I’ve outgrown old staples of my childhood, they come rearing back with the unexpected force of newfound depth. At some point in my high school years, the concept of visiting the comic store lost its appeal, either in the fact that the comics I read took a turn for the worse or the fact that I’d suddenly gone from doing something every other kid was doing to something that only a few kids did and were socially marginalized for doing. Either way, my visits became less frequent and eventually I stopped buying comics regularly.
Now, a grown man, or at least as close to a grown man as I’m likely to become, I’ve gone back to the comics format – on my knees no less – weeping and pleading for forgiveness. A lot of my return can be attributed to stemming interest in cross-over comics such as Miller’s Sin City and Batman, but there have been a couple other titles that have demonstrated a uniquely adult perspective on the world, while still using familiar comic-book tropes and artistry.
On my last birthday, my girlfriend gave me two collected works for Brian K. Vaughn’s Ex Machina. Looking at the covers while we ate our steak dinners (at the 80’s timewarp restaurant known at the reef n’ beef), I really came into the comics with no expectations. I had never heard of Vaughn and had never heard anything about Ex Machina. Jackie described it as a superhero comic that involves politics and she was right, it was, and oh so much more.
Ex Machina basically follows the story of Michell Hundred, who by some accident acquires the ability to talk to machines – basically any machine that involves some level of complexity from phones, to billboards to even guns. With his newly-found powers Hundred decides to fight crime as “The Great Machine” in his home city of New York. At this point it’s pretty standard comic-book fare.
Where it gets interesting is that all these details are in the past – the story is told from the present – where Hundred has retired from crimefighting, ran for Mayor of New York and won. During Ex Machina, Vaughn weaves the current story of Hundred’s daily struggles as Mayor of New York with his recollections as a crimefighter and ultimately the day that shaped his future – September 11th.
It’s a fascinating story in that Vaughn doesn’t pull any punches about politics in New York or what makes Hundred tick – he’s by no means a superhero in personality and struggles like any normal man to wade through the myriad of back-dealing that’s involved with his job – all of this occurs as he must deal with his past, his unknown powers and new crops of dangerous people trying to harm the city, him or his family.
The timeline of the story starts sometime after September 11th and Vaughn explores a number of big-picture issues such as the war in Iraq, first-amendment rights in art, children’s education, labour issues, gay marriage, and the New York power blackout. As much as there is tense action and suspense, there is a great deal of interplay from the characters as they deal with issues that often share thematic similarities with issues from The Great Machine’s personal history. It makes for some interesting parallels to watch how Hundred treats politics in the same was as he treated crime fighting, or at times, how he treats them differently.
I’ve enjoyed this series so much that I’ve actually gone back to the comic store to buy issues now. Sometimes you really can’t appreciate something until you’ve come full-circle to see it from all the angles. I’m glad I came back to comics for this great series.
Now, a grown man, or at least as close to a grown man as I’m likely to become, I’ve gone back to the comics format – on my knees no less – weeping and pleading for forgiveness. A lot of my return can be attributed to stemming interest in cross-over comics such as Miller’s Sin City and Batman, but there have been a couple other titles that have demonstrated a uniquely adult perspective on the world, while still using familiar comic-book tropes and artistry.
On my last birthday, my girlfriend gave me two collected works for Brian K. Vaughn’s Ex Machina. Looking at the covers while we ate our steak dinners (at the 80’s timewarp restaurant known at the reef n’ beef), I really came into the comics with no expectations. I had never heard of Vaughn and had never heard anything about Ex Machina. Jackie described it as a superhero comic that involves politics and she was right, it was, and oh so much more.
Ex Machina basically follows the story of Michell Hundred, who by some accident acquires the ability to talk to machines – basically any machine that involves some level of complexity from phones, to billboards to even guns. With his newly-found powers Hundred decides to fight crime as “The Great Machine” in his home city of New York. At this point it’s pretty standard comic-book fare.
Where it gets interesting is that all these details are in the past – the story is told from the present – where Hundred has retired from crimefighting, ran for Mayor of New York and won. During Ex Machina, Vaughn weaves the current story of Hundred’s daily struggles as Mayor of New York with his recollections as a crimefighter and ultimately the day that shaped his future – September 11th.
It’s a fascinating story in that Vaughn doesn’t pull any punches about politics in New York or what makes Hundred tick – he’s by no means a superhero in personality and struggles like any normal man to wade through the myriad of back-dealing that’s involved with his job – all of this occurs as he must deal with his past, his unknown powers and new crops of dangerous people trying to harm the city, him or his family.
The timeline of the story starts sometime after September 11th and Vaughn explores a number of big-picture issues such as the war in Iraq, first-amendment rights in art, children’s education, labour issues, gay marriage, and the New York power blackout. As much as there is tense action and suspense, there is a great deal of interplay from the characters as they deal with issues that often share thematic similarities with issues from The Great Machine’s personal history. It makes for some interesting parallels to watch how Hundred treats politics in the same was as he treated crime fighting, or at times, how he treats them differently.
I’ve enjoyed this series so much that I’ve actually gone back to the comic store to buy issues now. Sometimes you really can’t appreciate something until you’ve come full-circle to see it from all the angles. I’m glad I came back to comics for this great series.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Monday, May 28, 2007
Latest Greatest
Alex Delivery – s/t
Alex Delivery sounds like the kind of band that either loves every kind of music or hates it completely. On their self-titled release, genres are set up only to be torn asunder by ADD-riddled hysterics. Call it prog, call it post-rock, call it punk or call it a rose. By any other name, it still kicks.
Dan Deacon – Spiderman of the Rings
The first song is titled “Woody Woodpecker” and perfectly amplifies both the catchy and ingratiating quality of the cartoon character’s catch-phrase. Dan Deacon has written the ideal anthem of five-year olds everywhere. The music is sweet, yet disturbing like a manic child after his or her firth bowl of sugary cereal.
Longing for Dawn – s/t
This is pretty much the anti-thesis to summer. Moody keyboards and guitars stretch black as a desolate industrial back road. Longing for Dawn play metal for unsettling mood rather than frightening thrash. Instead of horror movie flash, Longing for Dawn settles into a nebulous suspense that’s never resolved, which is wholly more satisfying. Let Longing for Dawn make your summer a rainy day.
The National – The Boxer
For me, 2005 equated to a contest between The National’s Alligator and Okkervil River’s “Black Sheep Boy” for best album. Ultimately, I’d give it to the former by a hair. The Alligator was the true definition of a grower with continually rewarding turns of phrase and enigmatic melody. With The Boxer, The National venture further down the path with an album full of obtuse songs with odd lyrical content. Whether it’s the stalker elegy of Green Gloves or downtrodden examination of adulthood on Mistaken for Strangers, The National make is all sound hauntingly natural.
Jet Planes of Abraham – s/t
I remember reading a review that this was a Canadian super-group of sorts. Sure, that could be the case, but I actually have no idea who’s in this band. What I do know is that they play an infectious blend of Broken Social Scene style big-band with the small-picture focus of a Belle and Sebastian. The mix between coimmunity sound and small band lyrical focus is winning. Whether it’s the vocal chants of “take the cash” or the blazing bright guitar on “tunnels/terminals” this is an assured debut from a great group of, uh, some people.
Alex Delivery sounds like the kind of band that either loves every kind of music or hates it completely. On their self-titled release, genres are set up only to be torn asunder by ADD-riddled hysterics. Call it prog, call it post-rock, call it punk or call it a rose. By any other name, it still kicks.
Dan Deacon – Spiderman of the Rings
The first song is titled “Woody Woodpecker” and perfectly amplifies both the catchy and ingratiating quality of the cartoon character’s catch-phrase. Dan Deacon has written the ideal anthem of five-year olds everywhere. The music is sweet, yet disturbing like a manic child after his or her firth bowl of sugary cereal.
Longing for Dawn – s/t
This is pretty much the anti-thesis to summer. Moody keyboards and guitars stretch black as a desolate industrial back road. Longing for Dawn play metal for unsettling mood rather than frightening thrash. Instead of horror movie flash, Longing for Dawn settles into a nebulous suspense that’s never resolved, which is wholly more satisfying. Let Longing for Dawn make your summer a rainy day.
The National – The Boxer
For me, 2005 equated to a contest between The National’s Alligator and Okkervil River’s “Black Sheep Boy” for best album. Ultimately, I’d give it to the former by a hair. The Alligator was the true definition of a grower with continually rewarding turns of phrase and enigmatic melody. With The Boxer, The National venture further down the path with an album full of obtuse songs with odd lyrical content. Whether it’s the stalker elegy of Green Gloves or downtrodden examination of adulthood on Mistaken for Strangers, The National make is all sound hauntingly natural.
Jet Planes of Abraham – s/t
I remember reading a review that this was a Canadian super-group of sorts. Sure, that could be the case, but I actually have no idea who’s in this band. What I do know is that they play an infectious blend of Broken Social Scene style big-band with the small-picture focus of a Belle and Sebastian. The mix between coimmunity sound and small band lyrical focus is winning. Whether it’s the vocal chants of “take the cash” or the blazing bright guitar on “tunnels/terminals” this is an assured debut from a great group of, uh, some people.
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
the wolf part nine
Sorry this one was a bit late. I was busy working on a secret comic - more secret comic information to come at a later date than today.
That bathroom panel looks suspiciously like my bathroom because I am not a bathroom savant who can just whirl up fantastic bathroom imaginings in my mind; I am human and can only reference bathrooms that are immediately on hand.
That bathroom panel looks suspiciously like my bathroom because I am not a bathroom savant who can just whirl up fantastic bathroom imaginings in my mind; I am human and can only reference bathrooms that are immediately on hand.
Monday, May 14, 2007
the wolf part eight
I like story transition comics because I can just draw straight out. I don't dislike photoshop or illustrator, but sometimes it nice to be able to just draw.
and yes I meant for the background lines to be uneven - I could have used a ruler, but I wanted an authentic feel - which in drawing speak means amatuerish and messy.
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
Saturday, May 05, 2007
the wolf part six
Here's the wolf part six - thank you to all those that offered me scanner services, including jackie (whose gave me a scanner that I somehow broke - I'm so sorry sweetie), pam and ryan (who offered me his scanner that kevin is using - I think ryan wanted me to foribly remove it from his home).
Anyway, here it is:
Anyway, here it is:
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
Recent Reviews
Apologies, the wolf comic is not ready. Some changing job issues and needing to find a new scanner issues mean it should be ready tomorrow.
In the meantime, here are some recent music reviews.
Better versions of a couple of these reviews can be found on the BeatRoute site:
http://www.beatroute.ca/view_article.php?sectionID=4&articleID=981
http://www.beatroute.ca/view_article.php?sectionID=4&articleID=980
Voxtrot
s/t
Playlouderecordings
In the meantime, here are some recent music reviews.
Better versions of a couple of these reviews can be found on the BeatRoute site:
http://www.beatroute.ca/view_article.php?sectionID=4&articleID=981
http://www.beatroute.ca/view_article.php?sectionID=4&articleID=980
Voxtrots/t
Playlouderecordings
Voxtrot are done with teasing, it’s time for the real thing. After three tantalizing, yet all too brief EP’s through 2005 and 2006, Voxtrot finally release their first self-titled record. With a larger canvas, Voxtrot break away from measured gauziness to produce songs brimming with propulsive energy and stand out hooks. The first song, “Introduction” starts familiarly enough as delicate strings and hushed guitars weave together behind singer Ramesh Srivastava’s deep voice that pays homage to Morrissey; however, by the time the second chorus ends, a white hot guitar solo erupts, signaling a change to the band’s typical sound. By the time “Firecracker” rolls around, Voxtrot plows through statacco rhythm and stop-start percussion until the song unleashes frenetic guitars and clean high-register vocals from Srivastava. Voxtrot’s first full-length is a welcome change from a band growing out of its influences into its own distinctive sound full of confident aggressive melodies.
The Locust
New Erections
Anti-
Is it possible for a band like The Locust to grow up? Inherently self-destructive, it’s a tough job to chart the sonic evolution of a band whose sound is closely tied to an annihilation aesthetic If New Erections is any indication, The Locust are making strides away from their thrashy grindcore into unnervingly focused neo-prog. Oddly enough, the band’s effort to slow down the tempo results in their most unsettling work yet. On songs like “The Unwilling led by the Unqualified…” spastic drum fills drop away revealing decaying horror movie keyboards and Bobby Bray’s blitzkrieg shrieking about our trash-worshipping culture building garbage towers to heaven. While New Erections is more chaos than control, there is definitely a politically-charged theme behind the strangled synthesizers and short-circuit riffs. While it’s hardly a lucid affair, New Erections is the closest the band has come to actual songs, without losing their raucous intensity. It’s these small steps that show The Locust’s creative leaps, and once again, put them one step ahead of the game.
Dntel
Dumb Luck
Sub Pop
Dumb Luck is a fitting title for an artist whose success was totally unexpected. While few remember now, Dntel (Jimmy Tamborello) was already an established electronic artist before he took part in the zeitgeist known as The Postal Service. Going solo for the first time since 2001’s Life is Full of Possibilities, Dntel’s newest is like his previous collection of austere electronica. Unfortunately, Dumb Luck doesn’t recapture the playful spirit of its predecessor. Instead, the record downplays hooks for tone, burying captivating synths behind wet blanket production. Sadly, it makes Dntel’s electronics unnecessary and leaves the album without a memorable foothold. Add that to the fact Tamborello’s woe-is-me lyrics dance around with two left feet, producing a few cringe-worthy stumbles. While contributions by Lali Puna and Grizzly Bear’s Edward Droste show promise, it’s drowned out by mailed-in performances from the likes of Conor Oberst and Mia Doi Todd. Too bad, Dntel’s Dumb Luck falls flat from such great heights.
Monday, April 23, 2007
the wolf part five
here is the wolf part five - I changed how I do dialogue boxes, mostly because a) it fit the minimalistic style I was going for and b) I suck at making box dialogue clouds.
Monday, April 16, 2007
Friday, April 13, 2007
Letters from Neo-Tokyo:
“Living Fast in a Viral Video World or How Idiocracy Taught Me How to Love the Bomb”
Spoiler: This is a random rant
Far back, in the summer of 2006 a little movie came out called “Idiocracy.”
It was made by Mike Judge who was made famous (or infamous) for his previous work: Beavis & Butthead, King of the Hill and Office Space.
The movie had one simple premise:
Instead of getting smarter in the future, society will get markedly dumber.
Why?
Well, the movie hinges on the premise that smart people have fewer children than dumb people.
The film shows this by illustrating that Nobel scientists are too busy furthering humanity while trailer trash has nothing to do but each chips, watch daytime television, and oh yeah, have lots of sex. So, eventually, say roughly 500 years in the future the world is so dumb that the following occurs:
- Everyone drinks Gatorade instead of water (because it has electrolytes!)
- Nearly all companies have merged into one – one ATM machine called the AT&T, Taco Bell, Goodyear, United States Government cash machine.
- The most popular TV show is called “Ow, My Balls” which consists of a half-hour of a guy getting hit in the balls.
- The Academy Award winning movie is “Ass,” which is just a farting ass for two hours.
What really struck me about Idiocracy were some of the parallels the movie made about society today, and the dystopian one pictured in the future. While I’d like to think that humanity is progressing (and don’t get me wrong, in technology and some levels of science, I think we are), there’s a nagging part of me, pulling at my shirtsleeve that says we’re also regressing.
What, with recent movie trends where films such as “The Queen” or “Last King of Scotland” barely make adequate viewers while other movies such as ‘Norbit,” “Wild Hogs” and yes even “300” (don’t even get me started on why this movie is terrible) do spectacular business. What’s stranger still is that each of these three latter movies took a critical drubbing, and frankly, should have – while they have some redeeming points, for the most part, they are poor facsimiles of better movies.
Which leads to the question why?
Is it the nature of the movie industry where viewers are left with little choice?
Or is it the nature of movie viewers themselves – have movie studios figured out something that critics haven’t – that people aren’t as interested in films that are unsettling, difficult or slower-paced. Do viewers simply want commitment-free, concentration-light entertainment?
I don’t have a concrete answer – but my hunch would be the latter.
I would say that in the past 10 years and probably the next 20, we will begin to see the full impact of the online generation. Arguably, the recent trends in movie viewing might be a bellwether for the coming cultural shift.
Having everything accessible immediately online means people are getting accustomed or attenuated to wanting information now, wanting satisfaction now and wanting entertainment now. In some ways, viral videos kind of reflect our society’s new viewing habits – we want something that entertains us to be immediate – flash bang – that quicktime video better be less that thirty seconds and make me laugh. How can this sort of mentality not make the transition over to other forms of entertainment?
So what does that mean – well, it means that we get “300” instead of “Spartacus.” We get intense visuals, outlandish special effects and overdriven language in favour of setting, tone and dialogue. Instead of “Trading Places” we get “Norbit,” both movies are comedies, but the former trades in cultural satire, razor sharp wit and decent characterization. The other, is simply full of bizarre characterizations as though that is the same thing as being funny. Maybe I’m being judgemental (I probably am), but it’s hard not to notice the shift from movies like “Airplane” which parodied/satirized cultural tropes for comedic effect to movies like “Date Movie” and “Epic Movie” that simply trot out someone dressed as a movie character and have him say “I’m Captain Jack Sparrow” and that’s supposed to be funny.
Well apparently it is; Epic Movie came in number one its first week, so that’s saying something isn’t it?
While Idiocracy’s premise is not a heart-warming one – I mean, who really wants to watch a movie that basically scolds you (or most people in the middle class) for not reading enough, for not caring enough or not volunteering enough – it doesn’t diminish the movie’s potent point.
Perhaps, we are getting culturally dumber and perhaps it’s a product of our over-commercialized and materialistic lifestyles.
The entertainment industry, for better or worse, is like a mirror – it makes its money by reflecting the cultural values we want to see. When movies don’t reflect our interests, they simply don’t do well. With that in mind, there’s a lot invested in the Norbit’s of the world – the popularity of these movies can longer be seen as aberrations, but as growing trend.
It’s a disconcerting thought (at least to me) that these films will be the new language of our cultural exchange. No doubt, Mike Judge is rolling in the inherent irony that his low-brow satire about our low-brow culture didn’t do well.
Like Private Joe Bauers, I fondly want to recall our enterainment of the past - "Reading wasn’t just for fags. And neither was writing. People wrote books and movies. Movies with stories, that made you care about whose ass it was and why it was farting."
Me? I think I’m going watch some classic movies like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Duck Soup and Yojimbo. And how will I watch them? I’ll download them of course.
Other interesting articles:
http://www.slate.com/id/2150627/
http://www.the-declaration.com/index.php?issuedate=2007-03-22&showarticle=1669
Monday, April 09, 2007
The Further Adventures of Bevan and Keen
Welcome to the Further Adventures of Bevan and Keen, a semi-real take on the lives of two guys living in Calgary, and their demented pet rheseus monkey, Ryan.
Today's episode: "Facebook is another way of saying I love you."
Recent Reviews
Fall Out Boy – Infinity on High
My inner indie cred says I should hate this, nay, it commands that I at least show a passing dislike. I wish I could, but I simply can’t. And this despite hating-on the ever-smirking Pete Wentz and knowing the album is about as deep as a half-empty kiddie pool. I’d like to look at the album, raise my nose and sniff, and then tighten my plaid scarf ever tighter, but I just can’t.
There’s simply no resisting Fall Out Boy’s dark powers, which manifest themselves in soaring choruses that are ridiculously hooky. Like any good pop culture nugget, Infinity on High revels in the nether between high and low-brow. Really who’s keeping score though – all that matters is getting the kids to dance. As I look in the mirror, I’ll tell myself over and over that Fall Out Boy is a guilty pleasure. Then, I’ll open a fresh copy of the latest Hinder record and start to cry.
Crime in Stereo – The Troubled Stateside
I guess this is the third album by this New York group – but the first to move away from a hardcore approach into something more melodic. From what I’ve read, some of their fans were a little dismayed. I’m not sure why since all punk bands become U2 eventually, unless of course, you are U2 and then you try to become more like punk bands – it’s the U2/Punk Band circle of life - it’s tragically beautiful, like a hungry lion leaping on a gazelle in the Serengeti. While it won’t give you ear-boners, The Troubled Stateside is pretty solid for its fist-pumping factor. Combine this with the rarest of animals, “I, Stateside”, a political protest song that actually feels heartfelt and we’ve got a winner here.
Angel Witch – Angel Witch
I have no idea how this found its way into my Ipod, but I’m all the luckier for it. Angel Witch is guitar porno with handlebar mustaches attached. This 1980 release hardly sounds dated, but perhaps that’s because bands like Wolfmother and Early Man are wantonly strip-mining the same mix of power metal and D&D tropes. As opposed to current trends, Metal Witch isn’t about blastbeats and cookie-monster vocals but Bruce Dickensen howls, Sabbath drones and scorching dual solos. It’s totally ridonkulous and about as subtle as a dinner theatre run of Grease, but it’ll put a smile on your face and make you wanna scream like a warlock in the night. That is, if they scream. Maybe they just chant and in that case, Angel Witch will make you wanna chant like a Warlock in the night.
My inner indie cred says I should hate this, nay, it commands that I at least show a passing dislike. I wish I could, but I simply can’t. And this despite hating-on the ever-smirking Pete Wentz and knowing the album is about as deep as a half-empty kiddie pool. I’d like to look at the album, raise my nose and sniff, and then tighten my plaid scarf ever tighter, but I just can’t.
There’s simply no resisting Fall Out Boy’s dark powers, which manifest themselves in soaring choruses that are ridiculously hooky. Like any good pop culture nugget, Infinity on High revels in the nether between high and low-brow. Really who’s keeping score though – all that matters is getting the kids to dance. As I look in the mirror, I’ll tell myself over and over that Fall Out Boy is a guilty pleasure. Then, I’ll open a fresh copy of the latest Hinder record and start to cry.
Crime in Stereo – The Troubled Stateside
I guess this is the third album by this New York group – but the first to move away from a hardcore approach into something more melodic. From what I’ve read, some of their fans were a little dismayed. I’m not sure why since all punk bands become U2 eventually, unless of course, you are U2 and then you try to become more like punk bands – it’s the U2/Punk Band circle of life - it’s tragically beautiful, like a hungry lion leaping on a gazelle in the Serengeti. While it won’t give you ear-boners, The Troubled Stateside is pretty solid for its fist-pumping factor. Combine this with the rarest of animals, “I, Stateside”, a political protest song that actually feels heartfelt and we’ve got a winner here.
Angel Witch – Angel Witch
I have no idea how this found its way into my Ipod, but I’m all the luckier for it. Angel Witch is guitar porno with handlebar mustaches attached. This 1980 release hardly sounds dated, but perhaps that’s because bands like Wolfmother and Early Man are wantonly strip-mining the same mix of power metal and D&D tropes. As opposed to current trends, Metal Witch isn’t about blastbeats and cookie-monster vocals but Bruce Dickensen howls, Sabbath drones and scorching dual solos. It’s totally ridonkulous and about as subtle as a dinner theatre run of Grease, but it’ll put a smile on your face and make you wanna scream like a warlock in the night. That is, if they scream. Maybe they just chant and in that case, Angel Witch will make you wanna chant like a Warlock in the night.
Monday, April 02, 2007
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle
Sunday night I finished reading Haruki Murakami’s “The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle.”
It’s one of those books that you come across in the bookstore by total serendipity and turns into an instant favourite. I found this book while combing through an ‘Author Recommends’ section in the bookstore. I think it was Dennis Bock who put this on his favourite’s list.
As Jackie can attest as soon as I started reading this book, I was hooked. The set up’s fairly simple, a man Tora Okadu goes in search of his missing cat Noboru Wataya. Where the story goes from there is astoundingly complex invoking a myriad of oddball characters, elements of macabre magic realism, Japanese pop-culture, pseudo-transcendentalism and historical politics circa World War II with Japan’s Manchuria campaign.
How Murakami brings these elements together is seamless, but at the same time, he’s equally adept at letting all the heterogeneous pieces fall apart just as easily; the image that comes to mind is a giant lego tower, a self-consciously unstable pop-culture artifice that could come crashing down at any time.
Where Pynchon seems willfully post-modern as though consciously attempting to deny meaning, Murakami’s writing seems totally unaware that the purpose of writing is to distill a kind of meaning. In some ways, Murakami plays each character and angle of his story as though they weren’t interrelated parts realized into a whole, but simply separate strands of stories that occasionally come together through, well, serendipity.
While I can see how some might find this unsatisfying, I found it mesmerizing and am still thinking about all the directions “The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle” went. Fortunately, for my early birthday, Jackie bought me a bunch more of his novels. A great author I’m glad I discovered.
It’s one of those books that you come across in the bookstore by total serendipity and turns into an instant favourite. I found this book while combing through an ‘Author Recommends’ section in the bookstore. I think it was Dennis Bock who put this on his favourite’s list.
As Jackie can attest as soon as I started reading this book, I was hooked. The set up’s fairly simple, a man Tora Okadu goes in search of his missing cat Noboru Wataya. Where the story goes from there is astoundingly complex invoking a myriad of oddball characters, elements of macabre magic realism, Japanese pop-culture, pseudo-transcendentalism and historical politics circa World War II with Japan’s Manchuria campaign.
How Murakami brings these elements together is seamless, but at the same time, he’s equally adept at letting all the heterogeneous pieces fall apart just as easily; the image that comes to mind is a giant lego tower, a self-consciously unstable pop-culture artifice that could come crashing down at any time.
Where Pynchon seems willfully post-modern as though consciously attempting to deny meaning, Murakami’s writing seems totally unaware that the purpose of writing is to distill a kind of meaning. In some ways, Murakami plays each character and angle of his story as though they weren’t interrelated parts realized into a whole, but simply separate strands of stories that occasionally come together through, well, serendipity.
While I can see how some might find this unsatisfying, I found it mesmerizing and am still thinking about all the directions “The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle” went. Fortunately, for my early birthday, Jackie bought me a bunch more of his novels. A great author I’m glad I discovered.
Sunday, March 18, 2007
the wolf
the wolf
This is something that I've been thinking about for a long time and finally got up the nerve to start doing. I can't promise it's going to be perfect (or even within throwing distance of perfect), but progression is something tangible too.
I've been toying with writing this as a short story while also missing the feeling of writing a comic, so I thought, why don't I do both.
Here's the first panel with plenty more to come - I promise, I will update probably weekly, with perhaps other comic ideas thrown into the mix as I drawn them.
This is something that I've been thinking about for a long time and finally got up the nerve to start doing. I can't promise it's going to be perfect (or even within throwing distance of perfect), but progression is something tangible too.
I've been toying with writing this as a short story while also missing the feeling of writing a comic, so I thought, why don't I do both.
Here's the first panel with plenty more to come - I promise, I will update probably weekly, with perhaps other comic ideas thrown into the mix as I drawn them.
Saturday, March 17, 2007
Reviews por vous...
Glad my limited learning in french came in handy somehow. I should've known that learning french (kind of) would only be useful for smart-alek titles and reading the back of cereal boxes.
Here's some recent reviews of music I've been listening to:
Here's some recent reviews of music I've been listening to:
Zozobra
Harmonic Tremors
Not quite a cobra, not quite a zombie, Zozobra is named after a fictitious bogeyman set on fire every year in
Dolorean
You Can’t Win
An organ breaks the silence, a piano coldly chimes and someone chants “you can’t win” over and over. The balance between despair and hope is delicate, and it’s the crux Dolorean deftly explores on their third release, “You Can’t Win.” Vocalist Al James digs into the psyche of paycheck-to-paycheck labourers, mining out the helpless and powerful truth of their circumstances. With Holy Sons’ guitarist Emil Amos in tow, Dolorean paints dustbowl landscapes with a restrained acoustic backdrop, distantly plaintive vocals and plenty of space for the songs to exhale. On Beachcomber Blues, James sings “I let the rising tide rinse off this dead end hotel haze” while Amos plucks through solemn minor chords. As the album closes, the tempo picks up and by the time “One Bottle Can Do” ends, Dolorean lifts itself above a sepia-soaked veil of emotional turmoil to find something more resolute, an optimism grounded in the everyman’s will for hard luck survival.
The Postmarks
s/t
If music were clothes, the Postmarks would be a slightly oversized maroon turtleneck. Approachable, yet sophisticated, The Postmarks’ debut is a nuanced blend of baroque-touched pop that’s both classy and wistful. Chanteuse Tim Yehezkely doesn’t sing so much as whisper in a small, sweet voice that sounds as though it was caught in a perpetual daydream. Multi-instrumentalists Christopher Moll and Jonathan Wilkins provide lovingly crafted backdrops that have one foot in cool French lounge and the other in Brian Wilson’s mini-concertos. While the lyrics sometimes stumble into precociousness as Yehezkely stretches her metaphors to match the album’s weather-tinged theme, she’s saved by the subtle touches of theremin, clarinets, flutes and violas in the musical accompaniment. On “Watercolour” Yehezkely’s breathy vocals, “paint my heart black and blue, in the portrait you said you’d do” come together perfectly with the stinging sincerity of a melancholy vibraphone to give this album its swooning heart. Airy, yet warm, this debut is perfect for a cloudy day.
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