FYI: Sorry this took a little long for me to get posted. I had it typed up, just didn't internet to transfer it to the website.
10. Romeo and Juliet - William Shakespeare
I actually don't mind this play, I just think it's a shame that pretty much every high school student in America is introduced to Shakespeare with this one. It's really not one of his better or interesting plays. Plus, this thing turns off every male ear in the class. Hell I think it turned off my ear the first time I read it. Shakespeares histories are more interestin. The comedies have more life to them. The tragedies are some of the highest forms of literature in history. Anything, but this one please.
9. Winter Moon - Dean Koontz
I read a lot of Dean Koontz books before I realized he wasn't a very creative or good writer. I think this one had something to do with a family caught in some cabin and there were zombies around or something. I don't really remember. I just know it wasn't good. Koontz is the poor man's Stephen King and there were only a couple of books of his that he really extended his talent and this wasn't one of them.
8. A Fairly Honourable Defeat - Iris Murdoch
This was a bizarre selection in an English Novel course I took in college. The plot dealt with a guy basically sabotaging two marriages to prove his philosophy was right. It reminded me a little of those zany British comedies without the intended humor or proposterousness. I guess it tried to prove that everyone is one or two fasle steps from unhappiness. Maybe that's true, but so is the opposite.
7. It - Stephen King
I read this one soley because it was really long and I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it. Well I did and by the end I didn't know why. It's pretty much a standard Stephen King horror book with about 400 extra pages. Tim Curry couldn't even save the made for TV movie.
6. The Wheel of Time series - Robert Jordan
The plot in this one is actually pretty good, but the problem is that it doesn't seem to ever end. I think Jordan gets paid by the word. Each book is around 1,000 pages with parts that could have easily been cut. Unlike Tolkien, Jordan devotes enormous amounts of time rehashing plot from previous books. I think he really underestimating the intelligence of his reader and their ability to remember. Sometimes less is more.
5. Le Morte' D'Arthur - Thomas Malory
This stands out more as a disappointment more than anyting else. Every semester, NIU offered a Literature Topic class. You could only take it once and the topic always changed. When I saw Arthurian Legend as the topic one semester I knew I had to take it. I'd loved the King Arthur story from the Sword and the Stone and from the great movie Excalibur.
Anyways the course just wasn't very interesting. This being the first written account of the Arthur legend took the brunt of my disappointment.
4. Otherland series - Tad Williams
This was the second Williams series I read. "Memory, Sorrow and Thorn" was a traditional fantasy that was really well done. Ths one was more of a Sci-Fi effort and I just got tired of reading it about three books in. It dealt with children getting lost in a virtual realtiy system of some sort and the people trying to find them. I guess I thought it was a little cliche.
3. Hill Like White Elephants - Ernest Hemmingway
This is another story that professors and English teachers ram down the throat of American youth. I am not real sure why other than I think they want to shock their students by bringing up abortion. Of course, most students don't even realize it's about abortion when they read. Heck, I've studied it a couple times and I am not sure I understand why it's about abortion yet.
2. Paradise Lost - John Milton
This a 10,000 line poem about bascially five lines in the Bible. Talk about reading a bit too much into something. I recognized the brillance of it and its importance in the literary world, but come on cut to the point. Plus I don't think it really translates well into modern American pshycology very well. That much bibilical symbolism only works on us if it's in a murder mystery written by Dan Brown.
1. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
This was a no-brainer for me. I'll never understand the fascination with this book. It's a paperback romance with out the taudry love scenes and written as dry as the Arizona desert. This book is like making a porno without a girl with big boobs and high heels. What's the point. A lot of titles will change on this list as I get older, I can see no way this one will ever move from the top of my list.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Snakester's Top 5 Westerns
OK, this is my little list after getting my wheels turning from my previous post on the stories of classic westerns.
5. The Shootist - This was John Wayne's last film and that alone may have signaled the end of the great American western. The film is about an old gunslinger finding out his time is about up battling cancer and how to deal with his death & legacy. Even though the movie wasn't originally intended this way, the story is almost a direct correlation with Wayne's own life and his big screen persona of The Duke. The ending of the movie is foreshadowed every well and shows maybe a harsher reality of the old west.
4. 3:10 to Yuma - I am talking about the recent remake because I think it is the only recent western where everyone involved seemed to understand the pacing of the story and the interaction between characters. Christian Bale and Russell Crowe are truly great actors. The mood and realism feels right as their situation turn into a strange kinship that builds through their own personal motives and need for respect. You eventually being to see who they really are which pulls you in so that by the end you believe the impossible could happen and want to ignore the inevitable truth.
3. True Grit - Wayne won an Oscar for playing Marshall Rooster Cogburn. While many believed it was a way to award him for his whole body of work, this performance stands on its own. Rooster is well outside the normal realm of classic western hero. But the interaction between the three heroes (Rooster, Mattie & La Beouf) on their journey brings out the best in each. There is so much growth as they each strengthen each other to overcome their overbearing faults doing what they believe is right. This is one of the only Wayne westerns where the heroes venture more towards the shade of grey rather than black and white.
2. How The West Was Won - This is truly a one of a kind movie. From the 3 camera Cinerama to the multiple directors each with their own section, anything like this epic will never be seen again. Literally everyone in Hollywood had to be in this movie as it followed an immigrant family settling the west from 1830 to 1880. The movie feels connected and whole despite all the different directions and segments. This is great storytelling at its best. The brilliant landscapes are on full display with the Cinerama despite its obvious faults of 2 distinct lines running down the screen where the separate pictures met. This is really a character study of the old west and the different personalities that made it what it was.
1. The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly - Despite being filmed in Italy, this Sergio Leone classic is the greatest western ever. Story pacing, character interaction, cinematic closeups and beautiful scenery are used amazingly. Dialogue is an after thought (figuratively and literally with the overdubbing), I still only remember one line out of the whole movie. The words didn't really matter, you could tell as they pulled into everyone's face. Their expressions, their scars told the story. The premise and events follow all the classic western themes: searching for gold, caught in the middle of the Civil War, desert landscapes, hangings, shootouts. The movie uses orchestration to its fullest especially in the final 20 minutes. Hearing the score as Tuco runs through the cemetery will always give me chills. Dramatic pause is used to its finest in the final shootout. Not only is this the best western, I would consider this in my top 5 movies of all time.
5. The Shootist - This was John Wayne's last film and that alone may have signaled the end of the great American western. The film is about an old gunslinger finding out his time is about up battling cancer and how to deal with his death & legacy. Even though the movie wasn't originally intended this way, the story is almost a direct correlation with Wayne's own life and his big screen persona of The Duke. The ending of the movie is foreshadowed every well and shows maybe a harsher reality of the old west.
4. 3:10 to Yuma - I am talking about the recent remake because I think it is the only recent western where everyone involved seemed to understand the pacing of the story and the interaction between characters. Christian Bale and Russell Crowe are truly great actors. The mood and realism feels right as their situation turn into a strange kinship that builds through their own personal motives and need for respect. You eventually being to see who they really are which pulls you in so that by the end you believe the impossible could happen and want to ignore the inevitable truth.
3. True Grit - Wayne won an Oscar for playing Marshall Rooster Cogburn. While many believed it was a way to award him for his whole body of work, this performance stands on its own. Rooster is well outside the normal realm of classic western hero. But the interaction between the three heroes (Rooster, Mattie & La Beouf) on their journey brings out the best in each. There is so much growth as they each strengthen each other to overcome their overbearing faults doing what they believe is right. This is one of the only Wayne westerns where the heroes venture more towards the shade of grey rather than black and white.
2. How The West Was Won - This is truly a one of a kind movie. From the 3 camera Cinerama to the multiple directors each with their own section, anything like this epic will never be seen again. Literally everyone in Hollywood had to be in this movie as it followed an immigrant family settling the west from 1830 to 1880. The movie feels connected and whole despite all the different directions and segments. This is great storytelling at its best. The brilliant landscapes are on full display with the Cinerama despite its obvious faults of 2 distinct lines running down the screen where the separate pictures met. This is really a character study of the old west and the different personalities that made it what it was.
1. The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly - Despite being filmed in Italy, this Sergio Leone classic is the greatest western ever. Story pacing, character interaction, cinematic closeups and beautiful scenery are used amazingly. Dialogue is an after thought (figuratively and literally with the overdubbing), I still only remember one line out of the whole movie. The words didn't really matter, you could tell as they pulled into everyone's face. Their expressions, their scars told the story. The premise and events follow all the classic western themes: searching for gold, caught in the middle of the Civil War, desert landscapes, hangings, shootouts. The movie uses orchestration to its fullest especially in the final 20 minutes. Hearing the score as Tuco runs through the cemetery will always give me chills. Dramatic pause is used to its finest in the final shootout. Not only is this the best western, I would consider this in my top 5 movies of all time.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Stories & The Classic Western
Big Red's points about being involved with a story was already in my mind as I watched The Undefeated Saturday morning. John Wayne & Rock Hudson starred in this 1969 western placed after the end of the Civil War. The story is marginal but it got me thinking about many of the other great Westerns, the stories involved and how Hollywood fails to produce the same anymore. The focus is usually on the characters involved and not necessarily what happens to them but how it happens and what gets them their. It is about their beliefs, their struggles with life, and how they interact with eachother.
The biggest point I think is pacing of their story. People always talking about the pace of a story or when doing standup pacing the jokes, how fast the action moves. There are so many movies today that are "Non Stop Action" moving at a torrid pace for 90 minutes that you either feel out ob breath watching it or confused because so much happened that you can't comprehend it all. I watch these old westerns and they seemed relaxed yet are always moving along. Their pace builds the story slowly, giving you lots of back story through character interactions. Maybe that is because they had to without all the effects and abilities of movie makers today.
It seems like audiences need that now, we have to have everything packages up without anything unnecessary and we need to be out in time to do the 1000 other things on our to-do list. Maybe we can't relate anymore to the more relaxed story telling that many of the classic westerns represented or have we just past our fascination with the Old West? I just know that no matter what genre we are talking about, Hollywood doesn't quite tell a story with the same pace and dialogue as those old westerns.
The biggest point I think is pacing of their story. People always talking about the pace of a story or when doing standup pacing the jokes, how fast the action moves. There are so many movies today that are "Non Stop Action" moving at a torrid pace for 90 minutes that you either feel out ob breath watching it or confused because so much happened that you can't comprehend it all. I watch these old westerns and they seemed relaxed yet are always moving along. Their pace builds the story slowly, giving you lots of back story through character interactions. Maybe that is because they had to without all the effects and abilities of movie makers today.
It seems like audiences need that now, we have to have everything packages up without anything unnecessary and we need to be out in time to do the 1000 other things on our to-do list. Maybe we can't relate anymore to the more relaxed story telling that many of the classic westerns represented or have we just past our fascination with the Old West? I just know that no matter what genre we are talking about, Hollywood doesn't quite tell a story with the same pace and dialogue as those old westerns.
Friday, August 22, 2008
Snakester's Worst Writings
As hard as my best list was to make, this is 10 times harder just because I tried not to read anything I thought was crap. So I preface with this understanding of the list; I did enjoy some of these books but they may have given me a negative reaction or I did not like the style or voice of the author.
10. The Natural - Bernard Malamud: This is my first experience with a movie changing the story from the book to make for a nicer ending. I think if I would have read this book before I became completely obsessed with this movie in my childhood, I think my reaction to the ending would have been very different. I already had this image in my head and Malamud's very dark tone and ending drew a very adverse reaction from me. Then as I got it into perspective, it at least made it believable that the events could have taken place since all record of Roy Hobbs was wiped from the books by the commissioner.
9. Radicalism of the American Revolution - Gordon S Wood: Your first obvious question is why the hell did you read a book like this, well I took a history class in college Pass/Fail as something to do my senior year. Wood is a highly regarded historian of revolutionary times and I think this went to his head in this work. I appreciated his points as valid as they were, but his voice & style just seemed arrogant. It was as if he was saying how stupid are you people to not realize and know this stuff. At least that is how I felt when I read it as if Gordon S Wood was sitting on the couch next to me talking down at me for not realizing how radical my country's revolution was.
8. The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald: This was an assignment for a high school class and IMO the biggest snooze fest ever written. I cannot remember being able to read more than 5 pages at a time without being completely bored or falling asleep. I still have no idea what was so great about this and why high school English teachers want us to read it. Unless it is a true test of endurance and a way to grade the resolve of a 16 year old to finish an assignment.
7. A Clockwork Orange - Anthony Burgess: I love this book and this movie, but 1 issue gets it on my list. I picked up a more recent edition at a book store with a foreword from Burgess ripping his publisher for excluding the final chapter in the American print of his book and how Stanley Kubrick basically ruined his life by ended in the movie without the story from the final chapter where Alex cleans up his life and grows out of his teenage angst. So this had me all built up for how the last chapter unfolds and changes the story. But it was crap. You can't have almost 200 some pages of a guy rebelling, doing evil things, resisting reform, etc and then in the last 7 pages all of sudden have him snap out of it and realize that is childish stuff. I guess I could see where he wanted to go, but he did a bad job with it. So I ended up agreeing with the publisher and Kubrick that it made a much better story without.
6. True Grit - Charles Portis: This is probably another byproduct of loving the movie first. But for a western, I think Portis's narrative got a little jumbled in the action. The ending got very screwing and you can get lost in it a little bit. The movie was much cleaner as is to be expected but I also think it is a better route for the story to go to be slightly more believable and understandable for why things happen.
5. Lord Jim - Joseph Conrad: I know this guy is a tough read, as reference by Big Red's list as well. But this story is so confusing and really full of homosexual innuendo, which I guess is always present when talking about sailors. Even when forced to for an assignment I couldn't barely read it once nor have the desire to reread to understand it better.
4. Who's Looking Out For You - Bill O'Reilly: I had liked some of Bill's shows that I had caught in the past so I took a chance to read this book. What crap, I guess he wasn't what I thought he was. Politics is always a sticky situation I guess, but usually books of this nature need to be at least entertaining. It is mainly Bill up on his soap box preaching the whole time.
3. Leadership Sopranos Style - Deborrah Himsel: This is a good idea and obviously will draw in fans of The Sopranos, but was very poorly executed. Deborrah worked for Mary Kay, so she is trying to relate mob boss leadership (very man dominated) into a female world. The whole thing is written in the female language (she, her, etc) and really muddles the translation. Plus when the second sentence of every paragraph or point has to disclaim that you do not support violence, harassment, murder, etc, your message tends to get very jumbled.
2. The Godfather - Mario Puzzo: I learned one thing reading this book, Mario Puzzo was a perv. There is so much sex and sexual details in this book that it really detracts from the main story. There are at least 80 - 100 pages on a side character about her quest to be a movie star and how her malformed vagina is holding her back. I was like WTF is this and why did I need to know that?
1. Billy Bud - Herman Melville: I don't know how anyone could think they could shove so much symbolism and innuendo into 70 pages. I read this 4 times then tried to write a paper and still got a D. I have no freaking clue what any of it meant and it forever tarnished me from wanting to read Moby Dick as well. Again, cruelty among high school English teachers.
10. The Natural - Bernard Malamud: This is my first experience with a movie changing the story from the book to make for a nicer ending. I think if I would have read this book before I became completely obsessed with this movie in my childhood, I think my reaction to the ending would have been very different. I already had this image in my head and Malamud's very dark tone and ending drew a very adverse reaction from me. Then as I got it into perspective, it at least made it believable that the events could have taken place since all record of Roy Hobbs was wiped from the books by the commissioner.
9. Radicalism of the American Revolution - Gordon S Wood: Your first obvious question is why the hell did you read a book like this, well I took a history class in college Pass/Fail as something to do my senior year. Wood is a highly regarded historian of revolutionary times and I think this went to his head in this work. I appreciated his points as valid as they were, but his voice & style just seemed arrogant. It was as if he was saying how stupid are you people to not realize and know this stuff. At least that is how I felt when I read it as if Gordon S Wood was sitting on the couch next to me talking down at me for not realizing how radical my country's revolution was.
8. The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald: This was an assignment for a high school class and IMO the biggest snooze fest ever written. I cannot remember being able to read more than 5 pages at a time without being completely bored or falling asleep. I still have no idea what was so great about this and why high school English teachers want us to read it. Unless it is a true test of endurance and a way to grade the resolve of a 16 year old to finish an assignment.
7. A Clockwork Orange - Anthony Burgess: I love this book and this movie, but 1 issue gets it on my list. I picked up a more recent edition at a book store with a foreword from Burgess ripping his publisher for excluding the final chapter in the American print of his book and how Stanley Kubrick basically ruined his life by ended in the movie without the story from the final chapter where Alex cleans up his life and grows out of his teenage angst. So this had me all built up for how the last chapter unfolds and changes the story. But it was crap. You can't have almost 200 some pages of a guy rebelling, doing evil things, resisting reform, etc and then in the last 7 pages all of sudden have him snap out of it and realize that is childish stuff. I guess I could see where he wanted to go, but he did a bad job with it. So I ended up agreeing with the publisher and Kubrick that it made a much better story without.
6. True Grit - Charles Portis: This is probably another byproduct of loving the movie first. But for a western, I think Portis's narrative got a little jumbled in the action. The ending got very screwing and you can get lost in it a little bit. The movie was much cleaner as is to be expected but I also think it is a better route for the story to go to be slightly more believable and understandable for why things happen.
5. Lord Jim - Joseph Conrad: I know this guy is a tough read, as reference by Big Red's list as well. But this story is so confusing and really full of homosexual innuendo, which I guess is always present when talking about sailors. Even when forced to for an assignment I couldn't barely read it once nor have the desire to reread to understand it better.
4. Who's Looking Out For You - Bill O'Reilly: I had liked some of Bill's shows that I had caught in the past so I took a chance to read this book. What crap, I guess he wasn't what I thought he was. Politics is always a sticky situation I guess, but usually books of this nature need to be at least entertaining. It is mainly Bill up on his soap box preaching the whole time.
3. Leadership Sopranos Style - Deborrah Himsel: This is a good idea and obviously will draw in fans of The Sopranos, but was very poorly executed. Deborrah worked for Mary Kay, so she is trying to relate mob boss leadership (very man dominated) into a female world. The whole thing is written in the female language (she, her, etc) and really muddles the translation. Plus when the second sentence of every paragraph or point has to disclaim that you do not support violence, harassment, murder, etc, your message tends to get very jumbled.
2. The Godfather - Mario Puzzo: I learned one thing reading this book, Mario Puzzo was a perv. There is so much sex and sexual details in this book that it really detracts from the main story. There are at least 80 - 100 pages on a side character about her quest to be a movie star and how her malformed vagina is holding her back. I was like WTF is this and why did I need to know that?
1. Billy Bud - Herman Melville: I don't know how anyone could think they could shove so much symbolism and innuendo into 70 pages. I read this 4 times then tried to write a paper and still got a D. I have no freaking clue what any of it meant and it forever tarnished me from wanting to read Moby Dick as well. Again, cruelty among high school English teachers.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Big Red's Top 10 written works
Warning: You’ll have to forgive me if this gets sort of long. I am story fanatic. I think Snake’s deepest passion has always been music and while music is important to me, my world has always revolved around stories. I love talking about them and/or writing about them. I get lost in my own head when I am thinking about them. If I am so blessed and ever become a good enough writer, I may have a few of my own before, as Roland from the Dark Tower series would put it, I find the "clearing at the end the path."
10. Brave New World – Aldous Huxley
Huxley was probably one of the first writers to confront the issue of what happens when comfort overrules sense and value in a society. The story hints that as much as man tries to limit and control the human experience that there will always be that John Savage in the mix. The unknown. The uncontrollable.
Unfortunately, that Savage, that spirit of life may also be trampled by the hideousness of the norm.
This is a must read. It’ll make you think and wonder just how far away the world is from what Huxley dreamed up quite a long time ago.
9. A Chorus of Stones – Susan Griffin
I am not really sure how to explain what this book is about other than that it involves the repercussions of WWII on the American family and that writing style is so haunted that the words seem to echo off the page.
I became enamored with the way this book was configured and written. For a time, everything I wrote was a cheap attempt at mimicking Griffin’s style. It’s an excellent example of what creative non-fiction is all about.
8. Dune series – Frank Herbert
What the Lord of the Rings is for fantasy fiction, Dune is for Science Fiction. It’s the epic start. Yet like many of Tolkien’s followers have sort of not done much but copy his lead, most of the Science Fiction world has completely lost the ideas and strengths that drove Dune.
I had a real hard getting into this story the first time or two I tried to sit down and read it. The reason being is that this really isn’t a story about good versus bad. But it’s contemporary discussion on religion, politics and the meaning of life set on an isolated and barren world.
I’ve only read the original first three or four books. I am not sure how all the offshoots that litter the shelves today written mainly by Herbert’s son stand up. There are a lot of wild ideas and interesting thoughts in the original and enough plot to keep you interested.
7. Atlas Shrugged – Ayn Rand
I am not sure I have been quite so emotionally and intelligently repulsed than I have by some of the characters in this book. This is Rand’s masterpiece on her philosophy on life. The first 2/3’s of the story revolves around trying to discover exactly "Who is John Galt?"
The last third is about whether or not the protagonists will join his plan to flee from a world being devoured by parasites of genius and ingenuity.
I think what hits home with me is that I have been in workplaces where the people in the most control of the environment weren’t the hardworking and intelligent, but the lazy and manipulative. Rand took this a step further with her vision of world ran by people trying to do anything to stay on top with out having really earned it.
6. The Lord of the Rings – J.R. Tolkien
Books in series – The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, The Return of the King
Okay what is great about this series isn’t the story or the originality that Tolkien conjured up (although both of those are unmatched). What is great is that he is able to create an entire landscape for a world, a complex plot, and full cast of characters without making it an enormously long series.
Yes, the books are relatively long, but not compared to others in the genre. He didn’t spend a lot of time looking back in the text. He continually moved the plot forward. Pick up some books today and they spend 100 pages telling you happened in the book before it. By the end of the series, you have 1,500 page books, with half of it that should have been cut.
Tolkien cuts to the point and if you don’t keep up, reread, don’t write again.
5. Heart of Darkness – Joseph Conrad
The first time I read this novella, I had no freaking clue what was going on. So much so, that after going to class and talking about it for a while, I had to go back home and read it again. I didn’t even catch the change of narrator early in the story.
The second time I got more. The third time even more. The fourth I started to really get it. I think I had to read this in no less than three classes throughout my academic career and I did so a couple times for each. It’s not even that there is that much going on in the 100 or so pages. It’s a real mind bender and you learn how good men can turn to evil and how absolute power corrupts absolutely.
This is the novel that inspired the Oliver Stone film "Apocalypse Now." They are very similar except in location and there isn’t any music from "The Doors" in the book.
4. Plainsong – Kent Haruf
If I were to compare this book to a song or musician, I think I’d pick Neil Young. It flows. It’s sad in parts. It’s a dark commentary on the American Midwest. It’s quiet and thoughtful.
The plot revolves around a few characters in a small town in Colorado. The pregnant teen girl, the elderly brother farmers, the schoolteacher, and a few others all leave their mark on the pages. I don’t know if there is a climax per se, but it’s a retelling of life through these people’s eyes. It can be chilling as to how real these characters can feel.
The follow up called Eventide was still strongly written, but seemed a little like a movie sequel that was only made because the first film was successful.
3. Sex, Drugs and Cocoa Puffs – Chuck Klosterman
Other titles in series – Fargo Rock City, Killing Yourself to Live, IV – A Decade of Curious People and Dangerous Ideas
One of the quotes at the beginning of the book is "I remember saying things, but I have no idea what was said. It was generally a friendly conversation." Klosterman credits AP reporter Jack Sullivan for saying this while trying to remember a 3 a.m. conversation the two had. Klosterman follows by saying this quote inadvertently describes the past ten years of his life. I think we all feel that sometimes.
Chuck Klosterman is a product of modern culture maybe like no other. He’s consumed millions of hours of TV, music, books and movies, and through all that has found ways for all of that to matter. I think all of his books are a must read of the pop culture lover, but Sex, Drugs and Cocoa Puffs is probably the best part to start.
It’s a series of essays on a wide variety of topics. I mean he makes you even think about the importance of "Saved By the Bell."
I got all these books at Christmas and read them all by the end of spring and I hope he keeps coming out with more.
2. Hamlet – William Shakespeare
Yeah, I was an English major. That part of me knows this actually should be at the top of this list. Most scholars put Hamlet in the top three of most important works of literature in the history of the world. Usually the Bible is number one, with Milton’s "Paradise Lost" and Homer’s "The Odyssey" also up there.
I admit I like knowing I’ve read something truly great. But if you didn’t notice those other works aren’t on my list and yes I’ve read them. (Although, I’ve never read the entire Bible from front to back. I always get lost in the lists of names in the Old Testament).
This may sound funny to some since next to no one seems to understand Shakespeare anymore, but his works hold up a lot better than most. Hamlet is a teenager going through all that crap and his father’s murder and the possibility of ruling a kingdom and his mother’s apparent incestuous leanings and so on and so forth.
I’ve read Hamlet no less than three times and there’s always something new to flesh out and think about. The nice part about Shakespeare is that we have no author’s forward or afterward to say exactly what everything means. He leaves up it to the reader or play watcher to draw their own conclusions.
1. The Dark Tower series – Stephen King
Books in series – The Gunslinger, The Drawing of Three, The Waste Lands, Wizard and Glass, Wolves of Calla, Song of Susannah, The Dark Tower
Stephen King fired on all cylinders during his 24-year journey in creating the world of Roland, a character loosely based from the Robert Browning poem "Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came."
He starts the series in motion with one of the best and simple opening lines to date – "The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed." From there nothing is simple for the character or the reader. King creates a bizarre, complex world where fictional characters jump from one reality to the next. Archetypes are bent in and mangled. And the entire seven books are driven by one question. What will Roland find at the top of Dark Tower? Then within a few lines as you climb the stairs, it becomes absolutely clear to the reader and Roland exactly what awaits behind that last door and that there is no turning back. It’s all together disturbing and wonderful.
This is King’s greatest contribution to literature. I think it’s ignored by academics mostly because King’s made his name by making a lot of money. It’s the most ambitious and focused fictional piece of work of this generation. It’s every hero, villain and spec of pop culture from the last 75 years wrapped into a story. I hope the alleged films do this justice, because it would be a shame if it were tarnished
10. Brave New World – Aldous Huxley
Huxley was probably one of the first writers to confront the issue of what happens when comfort overrules sense and value in a society. The story hints that as much as man tries to limit and control the human experience that there will always be that John Savage in the mix. The unknown. The uncontrollable.
Unfortunately, that Savage, that spirit of life may also be trampled by the hideousness of the norm.
This is a must read. It’ll make you think and wonder just how far away the world is from what Huxley dreamed up quite a long time ago.
9. A Chorus of Stones – Susan Griffin
I am not really sure how to explain what this book is about other than that it involves the repercussions of WWII on the American family and that writing style is so haunted that the words seem to echo off the page.
I became enamored with the way this book was configured and written. For a time, everything I wrote was a cheap attempt at mimicking Griffin’s style. It’s an excellent example of what creative non-fiction is all about.
8. Dune series – Frank Herbert
What the Lord of the Rings is for fantasy fiction, Dune is for Science Fiction. It’s the epic start. Yet like many of Tolkien’s followers have sort of not done much but copy his lead, most of the Science Fiction world has completely lost the ideas and strengths that drove Dune.
I had a real hard getting into this story the first time or two I tried to sit down and read it. The reason being is that this really isn’t a story about good versus bad. But it’s contemporary discussion on religion, politics and the meaning of life set on an isolated and barren world.
I’ve only read the original first three or four books. I am not sure how all the offshoots that litter the shelves today written mainly by Herbert’s son stand up. There are a lot of wild ideas and interesting thoughts in the original and enough plot to keep you interested.
7. Atlas Shrugged – Ayn Rand
I am not sure I have been quite so emotionally and intelligently repulsed than I have by some of the characters in this book. This is Rand’s masterpiece on her philosophy on life. The first 2/3’s of the story revolves around trying to discover exactly "Who is John Galt?"
The last third is about whether or not the protagonists will join his plan to flee from a world being devoured by parasites of genius and ingenuity.
I think what hits home with me is that I have been in workplaces where the people in the most control of the environment weren’t the hardworking and intelligent, but the lazy and manipulative. Rand took this a step further with her vision of world ran by people trying to do anything to stay on top with out having really earned it.
6. The Lord of the Rings – J.R. Tolkien
Books in series – The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, The Return of the King
Okay what is great about this series isn’t the story or the originality that Tolkien conjured up (although both of those are unmatched). What is great is that he is able to create an entire landscape for a world, a complex plot, and full cast of characters without making it an enormously long series.
Yes, the books are relatively long, but not compared to others in the genre. He didn’t spend a lot of time looking back in the text. He continually moved the plot forward. Pick up some books today and they spend 100 pages telling you happened in the book before it. By the end of the series, you have 1,500 page books, with half of it that should have been cut.
Tolkien cuts to the point and if you don’t keep up, reread, don’t write again.
5. Heart of Darkness – Joseph Conrad
The first time I read this novella, I had no freaking clue what was going on. So much so, that after going to class and talking about it for a while, I had to go back home and read it again. I didn’t even catch the change of narrator early in the story.
The second time I got more. The third time even more. The fourth I started to really get it. I think I had to read this in no less than three classes throughout my academic career and I did so a couple times for each. It’s not even that there is that much going on in the 100 or so pages. It’s a real mind bender and you learn how good men can turn to evil and how absolute power corrupts absolutely.
This is the novel that inspired the Oliver Stone film "Apocalypse Now." They are very similar except in location and there isn’t any music from "The Doors" in the book.
4. Plainsong – Kent Haruf
If I were to compare this book to a song or musician, I think I’d pick Neil Young. It flows. It’s sad in parts. It’s a dark commentary on the American Midwest. It’s quiet and thoughtful.
The plot revolves around a few characters in a small town in Colorado. The pregnant teen girl, the elderly brother farmers, the schoolteacher, and a few others all leave their mark on the pages. I don’t know if there is a climax per se, but it’s a retelling of life through these people’s eyes. It can be chilling as to how real these characters can feel.
The follow up called Eventide was still strongly written, but seemed a little like a movie sequel that was only made because the first film was successful.
3. Sex, Drugs and Cocoa Puffs – Chuck Klosterman
Other titles in series – Fargo Rock City, Killing Yourself to Live, IV – A Decade of Curious People and Dangerous Ideas
One of the quotes at the beginning of the book is "I remember saying things, but I have no idea what was said. It was generally a friendly conversation." Klosterman credits AP reporter Jack Sullivan for saying this while trying to remember a 3 a.m. conversation the two had. Klosterman follows by saying this quote inadvertently describes the past ten years of his life. I think we all feel that sometimes.
Chuck Klosterman is a product of modern culture maybe like no other. He’s consumed millions of hours of TV, music, books and movies, and through all that has found ways for all of that to matter. I think all of his books are a must read of the pop culture lover, but Sex, Drugs and Cocoa Puffs is probably the best part to start.
It’s a series of essays on a wide variety of topics. I mean he makes you even think about the importance of "Saved By the Bell."
I got all these books at Christmas and read them all by the end of spring and I hope he keeps coming out with more.
2. Hamlet – William Shakespeare
Yeah, I was an English major. That part of me knows this actually should be at the top of this list. Most scholars put Hamlet in the top three of most important works of literature in the history of the world. Usually the Bible is number one, with Milton’s "Paradise Lost" and Homer’s "The Odyssey" also up there.
I admit I like knowing I’ve read something truly great. But if you didn’t notice those other works aren’t on my list and yes I’ve read them. (Although, I’ve never read the entire Bible from front to back. I always get lost in the lists of names in the Old Testament).
This may sound funny to some since next to no one seems to understand Shakespeare anymore, but his works hold up a lot better than most. Hamlet is a teenager going through all that crap and his father’s murder and the possibility of ruling a kingdom and his mother’s apparent incestuous leanings and so on and so forth.
I’ve read Hamlet no less than three times and there’s always something new to flesh out and think about. The nice part about Shakespeare is that we have no author’s forward or afterward to say exactly what everything means. He leaves up it to the reader or play watcher to draw their own conclusions.
1. The Dark Tower series – Stephen King
Books in series – The Gunslinger, The Drawing of Three, The Waste Lands, Wizard and Glass, Wolves of Calla, Song of Susannah, The Dark Tower
Stephen King fired on all cylinders during his 24-year journey in creating the world of Roland, a character loosely based from the Robert Browning poem "Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came."
He starts the series in motion with one of the best and simple opening lines to date – "The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed." From there nothing is simple for the character or the reader. King creates a bizarre, complex world where fictional characters jump from one reality to the next. Archetypes are bent in and mangled. And the entire seven books are driven by one question. What will Roland find at the top of Dark Tower? Then within a few lines as you climb the stairs, it becomes absolutely clear to the reader and Roland exactly what awaits behind that last door and that there is no turning back. It’s all together disturbing and wonderful.
This is King’s greatest contribution to literature. I think it’s ignored by academics mostly because King’s made his name by making a lot of money. It’s the most ambitious and focused fictional piece of work of this generation. It’s every hero, villain and spec of pop culture from the last 75 years wrapped into a story. I hope the alleged films do this justice, because it would be a shame if it were tarnished
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Snakester's BEST Written Works
This list and the worst to follow is probably the biggest stretch for me that any list could be. I didn't read much until high school. And then I mostly read Stars Wars books cause they were the only thing that has interested me enough to spend time reading it. So my best and worst lists come from a pretty limited sampling.
10. Around the World in Eighty Days - Jules Verne: I think I read this one in junior high and became a little obsessed with Jules Verne for about a year. I read several of his books but this was by far my favorite. Maybe because it was Sci Fi at the time it was written but really still seemed realistic. I forever remember time zones and how crossing the international date line will help you gain a day from this book.
9. Gemba Kaizen - Masaaki Imai: This is my most recent read and was needed for my work. But it has been around awhile and I could easily tell where the praise came from. Very simple theories and ideas on how to improve the work place. While the books kind of focuses on manufacturing, there is easy relevance to any industry. The part I like best is how the author slams western managers throughout the whole book and is very blatant in the statement that they will teach us their ways because they know we won't follow through on them.
8. I, Jedi - Micheal Stackpole: The adventure follows Coran Horn as he learns that he poses Jedi powers and was written to coincide with another set of books that had been written years before. Unlike most Star Wars books that just follow the same characters from the movies, Stackpole had created Horn in his X Wing series and developed him through those books. This is a stand alone title but having a background of Horn definitely helps. Luke has a prominent part in the story as he trains Horn, but really the fact that it all centers around a new character makes it a fantastic story.
7. Dude, Where's My Country - Micheal Moore: I reached a phase right after college in which I was trying to decide my political views. I stumbled onto this book and enjoyed Moore's humor and the valid points he made throughout. I just remember being very entertained by the book that I read it twice.
6. Half Blood Prince/Deathly Hallows; Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling: I started out just watching the first 5 Harry Potter movies having never even cracked one of the books. But after I watched Order of the Phoenix and was caught up in the buzz of the final Potter book, I had to know what happened next. Being the age that I am, I believe this was a good time to jump into reading the books. The last 3 books/movies were far more interesting and climatic than the first 4. I am not going to give anything away but I was hooked to having to read them every night. It just kept building and getting darker the entire time. I cannot wait to see what the movies will look like.
5. Brain Droppings - George Carlin: This was a mixture of some of his classic bits and new material written out. I know I read this book several times through and carried it around quoting it for a long time. It got me in trouble one time in study hall because I could not keep myself from laughing out loud while I was reading it.
4. Have A Nice Day - Mick Foley: By far the best autobiographer I will ever read. I think this would be entertain to anyone who isn't a wrestling fan. Mick certainly has had an interesting life and his take on everything is special. He did find a gift to write stories and I am sure made the WWE plenty of money.
3. Friday Night Lights: H. G. Bissinger: I remember my mom bought this book for me. That was odd in itself but I am glad she did. Probably more than anything was the time that I read it being a high school football player myself. I could really relate to the book and some of the pressure and issues that were faced. I could feel the heartache of the player that lost his season and career to an injury. I also was very disappointed in the movie and TV series that followed.
2. Specter of the Past/Vision of the Future - Timothy Zahn: This book is written around the Hand of Thrawn, a military group setup by the deceased Grand Admiral Thrawn that was created by Zahn in an earlier trilogy. This one has a mix of characters from the Star Wars movies as well as some Zahn had developed himself. I remember being actually nervous reading through this book as to whether Luke and Mara would make it out. These two books are by far the thickest in the Star Wars library but it was a real sense of accomplishment for me once I finally finished this pair.
1. The Love You Make: An Insiders Story of the Beatles - Peter Brown & Steve Gaines: My Grandmother found this book for me in a thrift store. I had never heard of it before which shocked me. I was even more shocked by some of the stuff in the book. These guys spent some time close to the Beatles and especially Brian Epstein. This lead to a lot of deeper secrets of the book. The book outlined more than just the music and the happy times. I thought it was the most realistic view of the Beatles I still have ever read. It made them human again and showed me some of their darker and wilder sides that kind of got swept up in Beatlemania.
10. Around the World in Eighty Days - Jules Verne: I think I read this one in junior high and became a little obsessed with Jules Verne for about a year. I read several of his books but this was by far my favorite. Maybe because it was Sci Fi at the time it was written but really still seemed realistic. I forever remember time zones and how crossing the international date line will help you gain a day from this book.
9. Gemba Kaizen - Masaaki Imai: This is my most recent read and was needed for my work. But it has been around awhile and I could easily tell where the praise came from. Very simple theories and ideas on how to improve the work place. While the books kind of focuses on manufacturing, there is easy relevance to any industry. The part I like best is how the author slams western managers throughout the whole book and is very blatant in the statement that they will teach us their ways because they know we won't follow through on them.
8. I, Jedi - Micheal Stackpole: The adventure follows Coran Horn as he learns that he poses Jedi powers and was written to coincide with another set of books that had been written years before. Unlike most Star Wars books that just follow the same characters from the movies, Stackpole had created Horn in his X Wing series and developed him through those books. This is a stand alone title but having a background of Horn definitely helps. Luke has a prominent part in the story as he trains Horn, but really the fact that it all centers around a new character makes it a fantastic story.
7. Dude, Where's My Country - Micheal Moore: I reached a phase right after college in which I was trying to decide my political views. I stumbled onto this book and enjoyed Moore's humor and the valid points he made throughout. I just remember being very entertained by the book that I read it twice.
6. Half Blood Prince/Deathly Hallows; Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling: I started out just watching the first 5 Harry Potter movies having never even cracked one of the books. But after I watched Order of the Phoenix and was caught up in the buzz of the final Potter book, I had to know what happened next. Being the age that I am, I believe this was a good time to jump into reading the books. The last 3 books/movies were far more interesting and climatic than the first 4. I am not going to give anything away but I was hooked to having to read them every night. It just kept building and getting darker the entire time. I cannot wait to see what the movies will look like.
5. Brain Droppings - George Carlin: This was a mixture of some of his classic bits and new material written out. I know I read this book several times through and carried it around quoting it for a long time. It got me in trouble one time in study hall because I could not keep myself from laughing out loud while I was reading it.
4. Have A Nice Day - Mick Foley: By far the best autobiographer I will ever read. I think this would be entertain to anyone who isn't a wrestling fan. Mick certainly has had an interesting life and his take on everything is special. He did find a gift to write stories and I am sure made the WWE plenty of money.
3. Friday Night Lights: H. G. Bissinger: I remember my mom bought this book for me. That was odd in itself but I am glad she did. Probably more than anything was the time that I read it being a high school football player myself. I could really relate to the book and some of the pressure and issues that were faced. I could feel the heartache of the player that lost his season and career to an injury. I also was very disappointed in the movie and TV series that followed.
2. Specter of the Past/Vision of the Future - Timothy Zahn: This book is written around the Hand of Thrawn, a military group setup by the deceased Grand Admiral Thrawn that was created by Zahn in an earlier trilogy. This one has a mix of characters from the Star Wars movies as well as some Zahn had developed himself. I remember being actually nervous reading through this book as to whether Luke and Mara would make it out. These two books are by far the thickest in the Star Wars library but it was a real sense of accomplishment for me once I finally finished this pair.
1. The Love You Make: An Insiders Story of the Beatles - Peter Brown & Steve Gaines: My Grandmother found this book for me in a thrift store. I had never heard of it before which shocked me. I was even more shocked by some of the stuff in the book. These guys spent some time close to the Beatles and especially Brian Epstein. This lead to a lot of deeper secrets of the book. The book outlined more than just the music and the happy times. I thought it was the most realistic view of the Beatles I still have ever read. It made them human again and showed me some of their darker and wilder sides that kind of got swept up in Beatlemania.
Friday, August 15, 2008
Football/Soccer
It is Olympic time which means competition in a bunch of sports most Americans don't care or even know about. But soccer, or Football as the entire world except us call it, has always been a subject of debate. Although this time around I think I might have found some explanation, at least for myself, on why we dog the world's most popular sport so much.
Random Olympic competition during the weekend and late at night is far better than most crap on TV so I find myself flipping through the 3 channels NBC is broadcasting on. I can't remember which teams were playing but it was an opening match in pool play. I found myself compelled to see how this hard fought match would end as the tension kept building towards the 90th minute of this deadlock. Then all of a sudden someone broke away and scored. I felt it! That weird excitement and I could understand why people go crazy when a goal is scored.
I woke up the other morning before work and turned on the TV to find the US down to Nigeria with about 15 minutes left. I watched the US bring out all the big guns, shooting at the goal from every angle and all the close calls that ensued. The US lost match but the flurry of activity was thrill enough.
So even though I still don't totally understand the finer rules (like how people are offsides), I have found myself glued to each soccer...I mean football match that comes on TV. Then I realized maybe this is similar to my feelings on hockey. For me, hockey is only good to watch when it is the NHL playoffs as opposed to a regular season game. The big reason is that the teams actually play hard cause each games means something. That is why I think I will continue to enjoy Olympic football and hate the MLS. Football is a grueling endurance sport. It really takes alot of conditioning to run that much. So that would be an obvious excuse not to give it your all without good reason.
Well right now football means something. For some of these countries this is the most important thing in their world because it may be the only thing they are truly good at. Thus, we Americans in our quest to be better at more things than anyone else have sorta given up on football at times. We realized that we could never get as much dedication out of our country for one single sport as the rest of the world seems to. So instead we created our own sports, got them into the Olympics and continue to kick everyone's ass in them because no one else really cares.
Random Olympic competition during the weekend and late at night is far better than most crap on TV so I find myself flipping through the 3 channels NBC is broadcasting on. I can't remember which teams were playing but it was an opening match in pool play. I found myself compelled to see how this hard fought match would end as the tension kept building towards the 90th minute of this deadlock. Then all of a sudden someone broke away and scored. I felt it! That weird excitement and I could understand why people go crazy when a goal is scored.
I woke up the other morning before work and turned on the TV to find the US down to Nigeria with about 15 minutes left. I watched the US bring out all the big guns, shooting at the goal from every angle and all the close calls that ensued. The US lost match but the flurry of activity was thrill enough.
So even though I still don't totally understand the finer rules (like how people are offsides), I have found myself glued to each soccer...I mean football match that comes on TV. Then I realized maybe this is similar to my feelings on hockey. For me, hockey is only good to watch when it is the NHL playoffs as opposed to a regular season game. The big reason is that the teams actually play hard cause each games means something. That is why I think I will continue to enjoy Olympic football and hate the MLS. Football is a grueling endurance sport. It really takes alot of conditioning to run that much. So that would be an obvious excuse not to give it your all without good reason.
Well right now football means something. For some of these countries this is the most important thing in their world because it may be the only thing they are truly good at. Thus, we Americans in our quest to be better at more things than anyone else have sorta given up on football at times. We realized that we could never get as much dedication out of our country for one single sport as the rest of the world seems to. So instead we created our own sports, got them into the Olympics and continue to kick everyone's ass in them because no one else really cares.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Snakester's 10 Worst Album Purchases
10. Andrew W. K. - The Wolf: I really got caught in a sophomore flop on this one. I loved I Get Wet and was ready to buy any other other piece of crap Andrew could spin out. It really lacked the intensity and fun that his first one had. It has sat on the shelf since shortly after I bought it.
9. American HiFi - American HiFi: Freshmen year of college having MTV2 (back when it played just videos) egged on this purchase. I liked Flavor of the Week. Looking back, I don't think you could put a more fitting title on this band. Every other song on this disc is forgettable.
8. Rage Against The Machine - Evil Empire: I came onto Rage a little late. I really liked the new stuff at the time, Battle for Los Angeles & Renegades, as well as their first album. So I wanted to complete my collection. Outside of Bulls on Parade, I don't even think they play any of the songs off this album in their live shows. Maybe I missed something, but it never did it for me.
7. Garth Brooks - Scarecrow: I have always been a Garth supporter. I didn't fall for the Chris Gaines thing but I was ready for a return to his country swagger. I should have seen it coming when the lead single was also featured in a Dr Pepper commercial. I still listen to every other album he has put out, but this one is put in the corner. He was obviously past his prime and hurting for some money after his divorce.
6. Led Zeppelin - Coda: Another mistake that I can chalk up to my OCD complex of wanting to have every CD by an artist I like. This is a leftovers album of Led Zeppelin songs that didn't make it on other albums, although it is only 6 songs. Nothing special and nothing I ever remember. I did give it one listen and there it sits in line with all these other great Led Zeppelin albums. Kinda out of place.
5. Godsmack - Awake: There was one good song on this sophomore release. I have liked everything else they put out but for some reason this one didn't strike a chord. Maybe if I dared to listen now it would be different. But it felt like they were redoing their first album only worse.
4. Rolling Stones - Rock N Roll Circus: There is a great idea behind this album that ended up not being released until the 90's. I still don't understand how it fails except that it just wasn't that well thought out. It features The Who, John Lennon, and a finale set from the Stones. I don't think it was recorded well and seems a little strained.
3. Limp Bizkit - Significant Other: I feel into this trap. They were popular and I was in high school. I think I ended up only ever really listening to like 2 songs on this CD. Then it sat on my shelf, then somehow it disappeared. Maybe it was my subconscious doing me a favor.
2. Kid Rock - History of Rock: I bought this without hesitation because I love Devil Without A Cause and just knew I was gonna like this one. Oh to be so young and naive again. This was utter crap. Even the single was half crap. I was blinded by the greatness of his previous release. This one came out pretty quick it seems. I don't remember if it was leftovers or just something rushed together. Either way it was crap.
1. Van Halen - Women & Children First: I still remember my first listen to this album. I enjoyed everything from the Roth era. I already knew the first two songs on the CD and wanted to complete my collection. I popped it in during a longer drive. Then came this utter wave of disappointment at what I heard after track 2. It didn't sound like Van Halen and it didn't sound good either! They got really soft at the end and I still to this day don't know how the hell to describe it. I believe I took it out of the car after the trip and stuck it away on the shelf. I should have tossed it out the window.
9. American HiFi - American HiFi: Freshmen year of college having MTV2 (back when it played just videos) egged on this purchase. I liked Flavor of the Week. Looking back, I don't think you could put a more fitting title on this band. Every other song on this disc is forgettable.
8. Rage Against The Machine - Evil Empire: I came onto Rage a little late. I really liked the new stuff at the time, Battle for Los Angeles & Renegades, as well as their first album. So I wanted to complete my collection. Outside of Bulls on Parade, I don't even think they play any of the songs off this album in their live shows. Maybe I missed something, but it never did it for me.
7. Garth Brooks - Scarecrow: I have always been a Garth supporter. I didn't fall for the Chris Gaines thing but I was ready for a return to his country swagger. I should have seen it coming when the lead single was also featured in a Dr Pepper commercial. I still listen to every other album he has put out, but this one is put in the corner. He was obviously past his prime and hurting for some money after his divorce.
6. Led Zeppelin - Coda: Another mistake that I can chalk up to my OCD complex of wanting to have every CD by an artist I like. This is a leftovers album of Led Zeppelin songs that didn't make it on other albums, although it is only 6 songs. Nothing special and nothing I ever remember. I did give it one listen and there it sits in line with all these other great Led Zeppelin albums. Kinda out of place.
5. Godsmack - Awake: There was one good song on this sophomore release. I have liked everything else they put out but for some reason this one didn't strike a chord. Maybe if I dared to listen now it would be different. But it felt like they were redoing their first album only worse.
4. Rolling Stones - Rock N Roll Circus: There is a great idea behind this album that ended up not being released until the 90's. I still don't understand how it fails except that it just wasn't that well thought out. It features The Who, John Lennon, and a finale set from the Stones. I don't think it was recorded well and seems a little strained.
3. Limp Bizkit - Significant Other: I feel into this trap. They were popular and I was in high school. I think I ended up only ever really listening to like 2 songs on this CD. Then it sat on my shelf, then somehow it disappeared. Maybe it was my subconscious doing me a favor.
2. Kid Rock - History of Rock: I bought this without hesitation because I love Devil Without A Cause and just knew I was gonna like this one. Oh to be so young and naive again. This was utter crap. Even the single was half crap. I was blinded by the greatness of his previous release. This one came out pretty quick it seems. I don't remember if it was leftovers or just something rushed together. Either way it was crap.
1. Van Halen - Women & Children First: I still remember my first listen to this album. I enjoyed everything from the Roth era. I already knew the first two songs on the CD and wanted to complete my collection. I popped it in during a longer drive. Then came this utter wave of disappointment at what I heard after track 2. It didn't sound like Van Halen and it didn't sound good either! They got really soft at the end and I still to this day don't know how the hell to describe it. I believe I took it out of the car after the trip and stuck it away on the shelf. I should have tossed it out the window.
Big Red's Ten Worst Album Purchases
10. Rolling Stones – Flashpoint
I had wanted to add some Stones to my collection when I picked this one up at Best Buy, but I don’t know I never connected my with this CD. It’s a live performance with a lot of their big hits mixed in with songs from the Steel Wheels Tour. I am still trying to find a good Stones fit into my arsenal
9. Paul McCartney – All the Best
I remember mulling over this buy for quite some time and I think it didn’t give this one much of a chance. I like "Band on the Run" and "Live and Let Die," but solo McCartney in the 70s and 80s which this album features sometimes just too cute and silly for my tastes.
8. O.A.R. – 34th and 8th
I know I really like this band, but I should have known better than get a live album. I’ve enjoyed the three times I’ve seen them in concert, but even at those there were times that I get a little board with the long instrumental parts and the sometimes preachy lead singer. I mean sometimes a four minute song just needs to stay at about that length does not need another three or four minutes added to it.
7. Bon Jovi – Crossroads
I think I should have stuck to his studio albums like "Slippery When Wet" or "The Young Guns II" soundtrack. Bon Jovi is better in small doses and I rarely want to hear a whole greatest hits album worth of this guy.
6. Journey – Greatest Hits
Much like Bon Jovi, Journey has to be ingested in small amounts. I like some of their songs, but the cheesy lyrics get to you after two or three songs in a row. I think I popped like two or three of their tunes onto my MP3 player tops.
5. Don Henley – Actual Miles
I like Don Henley songs when they come on the radio, but I have very little impulse to put this album into my CD player. Inevitably this one has basically sat on my shelf since I bought it.
4. Huey Lewis and the News – Time Flies
This was completely an impulse when I got a song or two of Huey Lewis into my head shortly after high school. The problem is that I didn’t have the songs in my head much longer after I bought the album. It’s reeks of 80s and not really good 80s. Just stuff that should be played in grocery stores.
3. The Beatles – Anthology 3
I have listened to this rarely since buying this one shortly after it came out. I guess I am not one of those guys that listens to screw ups and talking after tracks enough to make it worth the money I paid. The songs are fine and it’s interesting to listen to once, but I don’t have the urge to put it in much anymore.
2. Grand Funk Railroad – Collectors Series
This is another one that I bought because I just wanted to buy something and then put in the player and wondered when in the world I would listen to it again. The songs are fine, but like a lot of other albums on this list they weren’t enough to keep me coming back.
1. Bryan Adams – So Far, So Good
I bought this for the "Summer of ‘69" not thinking you can turn on 94.3 and hear that song played four times a day. Other then that song, the rest was love songs with over melodramatic lyrics. I am happy to say this one is leaving the collection soon.
I had wanted to add some Stones to my collection when I picked this one up at Best Buy, but I don’t know I never connected my with this CD. It’s a live performance with a lot of their big hits mixed in with songs from the Steel Wheels Tour. I am still trying to find a good Stones fit into my arsenal
9. Paul McCartney – All the Best
I remember mulling over this buy for quite some time and I think it didn’t give this one much of a chance. I like "Band on the Run" and "Live and Let Die," but solo McCartney in the 70s and 80s which this album features sometimes just too cute and silly for my tastes.
8. O.A.R. – 34th and 8th
I know I really like this band, but I should have known better than get a live album. I’ve enjoyed the three times I’ve seen them in concert, but even at those there were times that I get a little board with the long instrumental parts and the sometimes preachy lead singer. I mean sometimes a four minute song just needs to stay at about that length does not need another three or four minutes added to it.
7. Bon Jovi – Crossroads
I think I should have stuck to his studio albums like "Slippery When Wet" or "The Young Guns II" soundtrack. Bon Jovi is better in small doses and I rarely want to hear a whole greatest hits album worth of this guy.
6. Journey – Greatest Hits
Much like Bon Jovi, Journey has to be ingested in small amounts. I like some of their songs, but the cheesy lyrics get to you after two or three songs in a row. I think I popped like two or three of their tunes onto my MP3 player tops.
5. Don Henley – Actual Miles
I like Don Henley songs when they come on the radio, but I have very little impulse to put this album into my CD player. Inevitably this one has basically sat on my shelf since I bought it.
4. Huey Lewis and the News – Time Flies
This was completely an impulse when I got a song or two of Huey Lewis into my head shortly after high school. The problem is that I didn’t have the songs in my head much longer after I bought the album. It’s reeks of 80s and not really good 80s. Just stuff that should be played in grocery stores.
3. The Beatles – Anthology 3
I have listened to this rarely since buying this one shortly after it came out. I guess I am not one of those guys that listens to screw ups and talking after tracks enough to make it worth the money I paid. The songs are fine and it’s interesting to listen to once, but I don’t have the urge to put it in much anymore.
2. Grand Funk Railroad – Collectors Series
This is another one that I bought because I just wanted to buy something and then put in the player and wondered when in the world I would listen to it again. The songs are fine, but like a lot of other albums on this list they weren’t enough to keep me coming back.
1. Bryan Adams – So Far, So Good
I bought this for the "Summer of ‘69" not thinking you can turn on 94.3 and hear that song played four times a day. Other then that song, the rest was love songs with over melodramatic lyrics. I am happy to say this one is leaving the collection soon.
Big Red's Ten Best Album Purchases
10. Green Day – Warning
Well this album came out when I started college. I think when people look back at Green Day they will see Warning as the bands transition from the good little trio of rockers to one of the best of its generation. It’s not as politically important or stunningly conceptual as American Idiot, but the signs of the boys growing up are there. That’s why it struck a chord with me. I started growing up a little while this one was spinning in the CD player. While the title song is very much in the vein classic Green Day with some goofy images, songs like "Macy’s Day Parade" and "Waiting" are showing signs of new complexity.
9. Snow Patrol – Eyes Open
"It’s hard to argue, when you won’t stop making sense," is the line that opens "Hands Open" the first song of this album. It’s a quick diddy, but the lyrics are powerful, which is indicative of the entire album. Everyone knows the hit "Chasing Cars" from these guys, I am glad that I decided to take a deeper look and hear what else these guys had to offer. They mix fast, toe-tapping tunes with slower melodies. Plus, the lead singer has a unique voice, which is what makes this album continually sound fresh.
8. The Eagles – Hell Freezes Over
I spent a lot of late summer nights in my bedroom as a teenager listening to this one. It’s one of the first albums I ever bought and I’ve never had one regret about it. You can put this one on and think about life or let it be background noise. Or you can listen to the storytelling in the lyrics or you can try to figure out what the "Hotel California" is really about. It has a little something of everyone. I don’t listen to this one quite as much anymore, but there’s a lot of nostalgia when I do pop it in.
7. Red Hot Chili Peppers – Californication
I am not sure I ever quite so cool or with the times than when I bought this one. This album had a string of hits that most bands only dream of. It was probably the paramount effort for this band and I am not sure they’ve released anything since with quite the same level musicianship. "Scar Tissue" is a solid song with a great guitar riff. "Otherside" has a great hook. Actually the song I like the least from this effort is the title track. It gets a little long and preachy.
6. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers – Echo
There is probably little that separates this album for other Petty works, but for whatever reason it caught my ear. The title track is somber and I guess for some reason I like listening to sad things. "Swinging" is quicker, but not real happy. "A Room at the Top" is probably my favorite off this one. I like listening to this one in the fall when summer slowly slips away to the winter.
5. Death Cab for Cutie - Plans
This is a newer one to the collection and maybe in a year or two it will fall or go up on this list, but it’s too early to tell. All I know is that I could play this one in the car every time I get in the car and not get tired of it. "I’ll follow you into the dark," is a love song with a morbid touch. Everything is delivered soft and with at times some vivid lyrics. I am interested to get a few more of there albums to see if they hold to this success.
4. Bob Dylan – Greatest Hits
This was the first CD that I ever bought, which is sort of what puts it on this list. That’s something that I’ll never forget. I also remember my teenage mind getting distracted by the not so subtle innuendo of "Rainy Day Woman" but then being blown away by the genius that followed. This particular album is actually being replaced in my collection by other Dylan CDs with more songs, but this to some degree open my mind to a lot of things going on around me.
3. Johnny Cash – American IV: The Man Comes Around
This is more or less Cash performing covers, but his delivery is like no other and the first listen of this album is like a religious experience. It’s a memorial to a life really like no other. You can hear little things in track that you didn’t notice before or things that make you think about life in another way. "Hurt" is powerful. "In My Life" is the best rendition of this often reproduced songs. "Oh, Danny Boy" and "We’ll Meet Again" are homages to another time when music itself was different.
2. The Beatles – Let It Be
I bought this one on tape before I finally updated to CD awhile back. This album is so raw with the immense production and other things that played such a big part in other Beatle projects never really getting done before the band split and gave up on this one. The great flux of emotions rushing through the greatest band in the history of world and its members during its dying days drip off every song. Could you imagine the world with "Across the Universe", or "Let It Be" or "Get Back" if this one had never been released? The less popular tunes from this one are also a nice collection featuring the songwriting ability of the group and the variable kinds of songs it could craft.
1. The Wallflowers – Bringing Down the Horse
This tops the list for a few reasons. One, I am sure its probably the most played album in my collection. When I bought it, it went in the CD player non-stop for almost a year. Two, it made want to buy every CD this band made after, which I have. Finally, I can help but think of a lot of good and not so good times from the formative time of my life when I hear this. I bought this when I was a freshman in high school and it got me through that time when I think all of us sort of steer are life with only one headlight on.
Honorable mention
Buckcherry – self-titled
Boxcar Racer – Self-titled
The Beatles – Rubber Soul
Sublime – Greatest Hits
Jackson Browne – The Next Voice You Hear
Audioslave – Out of Exile
Nirvana – Unplugged
Neil Young – Harvest
The Wallflowers – Breach
Tom Petty – Wildflowers
The Dandy Warhols – 13 Tales of Urban Bohemia
Well this album came out when I started college. I think when people look back at Green Day they will see Warning as the bands transition from the good little trio of rockers to one of the best of its generation. It’s not as politically important or stunningly conceptual as American Idiot, but the signs of the boys growing up are there. That’s why it struck a chord with me. I started growing up a little while this one was spinning in the CD player. While the title song is very much in the vein classic Green Day with some goofy images, songs like "Macy’s Day Parade" and "Waiting" are showing signs of new complexity.
9. Snow Patrol – Eyes Open
"It’s hard to argue, when you won’t stop making sense," is the line that opens "Hands Open" the first song of this album. It’s a quick diddy, but the lyrics are powerful, which is indicative of the entire album. Everyone knows the hit "Chasing Cars" from these guys, I am glad that I decided to take a deeper look and hear what else these guys had to offer. They mix fast, toe-tapping tunes with slower melodies. Plus, the lead singer has a unique voice, which is what makes this album continually sound fresh.
8. The Eagles – Hell Freezes Over
I spent a lot of late summer nights in my bedroom as a teenager listening to this one. It’s one of the first albums I ever bought and I’ve never had one regret about it. You can put this one on and think about life or let it be background noise. Or you can listen to the storytelling in the lyrics or you can try to figure out what the "Hotel California" is really about. It has a little something of everyone. I don’t listen to this one quite as much anymore, but there’s a lot of nostalgia when I do pop it in.
7. Red Hot Chili Peppers – Californication
I am not sure I ever quite so cool or with the times than when I bought this one. This album had a string of hits that most bands only dream of. It was probably the paramount effort for this band and I am not sure they’ve released anything since with quite the same level musicianship. "Scar Tissue" is a solid song with a great guitar riff. "Otherside" has a great hook. Actually the song I like the least from this effort is the title track. It gets a little long and preachy.
6. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers – Echo
There is probably little that separates this album for other Petty works, but for whatever reason it caught my ear. The title track is somber and I guess for some reason I like listening to sad things. "Swinging" is quicker, but not real happy. "A Room at the Top" is probably my favorite off this one. I like listening to this one in the fall when summer slowly slips away to the winter.
5. Death Cab for Cutie - Plans
This is a newer one to the collection and maybe in a year or two it will fall or go up on this list, but it’s too early to tell. All I know is that I could play this one in the car every time I get in the car and not get tired of it. "I’ll follow you into the dark," is a love song with a morbid touch. Everything is delivered soft and with at times some vivid lyrics. I am interested to get a few more of there albums to see if they hold to this success.
4. Bob Dylan – Greatest Hits
This was the first CD that I ever bought, which is sort of what puts it on this list. That’s something that I’ll never forget. I also remember my teenage mind getting distracted by the not so subtle innuendo of "Rainy Day Woman" but then being blown away by the genius that followed. This particular album is actually being replaced in my collection by other Dylan CDs with more songs, but this to some degree open my mind to a lot of things going on around me.
3. Johnny Cash – American IV: The Man Comes Around
This is more or less Cash performing covers, but his delivery is like no other and the first listen of this album is like a religious experience. It’s a memorial to a life really like no other. You can hear little things in track that you didn’t notice before or things that make you think about life in another way. "Hurt" is powerful. "In My Life" is the best rendition of this often reproduced songs. "Oh, Danny Boy" and "We’ll Meet Again" are homages to another time when music itself was different.
2. The Beatles – Let It Be
I bought this one on tape before I finally updated to CD awhile back. This album is so raw with the immense production and other things that played such a big part in other Beatle projects never really getting done before the band split and gave up on this one. The great flux of emotions rushing through the greatest band in the history of world and its members during its dying days drip off every song. Could you imagine the world with "Across the Universe", or "Let It Be" or "Get Back" if this one had never been released? The less popular tunes from this one are also a nice collection featuring the songwriting ability of the group and the variable kinds of songs it could craft.
1. The Wallflowers – Bringing Down the Horse
This tops the list for a few reasons. One, I am sure its probably the most played album in my collection. When I bought it, it went in the CD player non-stop for almost a year. Two, it made want to buy every CD this band made after, which I have. Finally, I can help but think of a lot of good and not so good times from the formative time of my life when I hear this. I bought this when I was a freshman in high school and it got me through that time when I think all of us sort of steer are life with only one headlight on.
Honorable mention
Buckcherry – self-titled
Boxcar Racer – Self-titled
The Beatles – Rubber Soul
Sublime – Greatest Hits
Jackson Browne – The Next Voice You Hear
Audioslave – Out of Exile
Nirvana – Unplugged
Neil Young – Harvest
The Wallflowers – Breach
Tom Petty – Wildflowers
The Dandy Warhols – 13 Tales of Urban Bohemia
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Snakester's 10 BEST Album Purchases
10. Neil Young - Harvest: I didn't really know many Neil Young songs at the time I bought this. I think I bought this CD because it had Heart of Gold on it. It is a real gem from beginning to end. This is probably the saddest, most heartfelt album I have ever heard. Man Needs A Maid can still make me well up and feel so lonely in this world.
9. Buckethead & Friends - Enter The Chicken: This was a big risk for me. I only knew Buckethead from his one performance with Axle Rose pretending to be the new GNR. This was produced by Serj Tankian (SOAD) and is a real mix from a guitar virtuoso. I would consider Buckethead to be this generation's Jeff Beck, with slightly better hair. It only took a preview of the first song to give me the gusto to buy the album. Most people probably would not find the album very accessible, but for anyone who likes the guitar, this guy can sling it.
8. Motley Crue - Too Fast For Love: I knew the popular Crue songs from their later albums but I really like the song Live Wire. So I decided to buy this album, their first. This is basically a demo tape and that is what gives it charm. I enjoy this one up and down, especially the bonus tracks on the reissue I bought. I still can not understand how Toast of the Town did not make it onto their original cut. A little grittier than their later releases with still a good sense of the showmanship Crue would become known for.
7. The Darkness - Permission To Land: I saw the video for I Believe In A Thing Called Love and I was hooked. I ran out and bought this album without really knowing anything about The Darkness. They bring back the classic styles of the 80's metal with big guitars, big hair and some really high notes. This one is a good time the whole way through. No song is too serious and no love song too sappy. Just a rebirth of the good old days hair bands.
6. Carrie Underwood - Some Hearts: Yes, this is on my list. I have watched American Idol since the 3rd season. I've like the contestants but no one ever seemed like they could make an album that would appeal to anyone other than 15 year old girls. Then came this one. I bought it cause my wife wanted it but after 1 listen I couldn't help myself. This one makes my list because we bought it before it became the hit that it is. Some Hearts is classic country with some new attitudes and an outstanding voice powering the whole thing. Even in some of my biggest rock/metal moods, I can always stop for a little country with this album.
5. Queens of the Stoneage - Songs For The Deaf: I only knew Lost Art of Keeping a Secret (which I thought was OK) by Queens when I saw this CD sitting on the new release shelf at Borders. I was just browsing so I listened to the first track and knew I had to have it. I own some of their other albums now but this is still by far their best. They use the sounds of tuning a radio and fake DJs to give the album a flow. Their dark hard rock style is different but feels familiar. It is as if I used to know this band but yet just heard them for the first time. I wore this CD out almost every day on my trips to DeKalb.
4. The Rolling Stones - Bridges to Babylon: You read this and think, how could buying a Rolling Stones CD be a risk? Well probably anything they put out after 1980 is a risk. I bought this for the single Anybody Seen My Baby and found a whole album of fresh music from the Stones, in 1997! From Flip the Switch, Low Down to Saint of Me, Gun Face & You Don't Have to Mean It, I fell in love with this album. It is a good mix of pace and voices with Keith taking the lead on a few classics. It showed me how great they really where and that maybe they had some gas left in the tank after all. Maybe they didn't just put out an album as an excuse to tour and make millions.
3. The Dandy Warhols - Thirteen Tales From Urban Bohemia: I had no idea who the Dandy Warhols were when I saw the video Bohemian Like You. I loved that song and decided I needed to buy the CD just because. Listening to the album straight through takes you on this amazing journey. All the songs are very different and yet somehow flow together. It draws heavily on classic rock influences but really spans the whole genre. They even blatant ripoff the Stones, The Beatles & The Velvet Underground at times, but yet it all seems to be in tribute. The album become a lesson in what rock is and should be. It is a great CD for a car ride, it really makes the time pass by.
2. System of a Down - Mesmerize/Hypnotize: I had been let down by SOAD in the past with Toxicity, it just didn't appeal to me. B.Y.O.B. was their lead single and made me think I needed to give them another chance. This is two halves of a double album that were released seperately about 5 months apart (good move on their part). This masterpiece is full of meaningful lyrics shouting out against war, the government and the famous. It is a wild ride with so much difference between each song in their styles and tones. Heck, you could say that just within one song. For a metal band, they harmonize extremely well and really push the limits of their music. The biggest thing is that the album sounds similar to Toxicity, which I didn't like, but is somehow much more accessible. The rage in songs like Attack, melancholy wit of B.Y.O.B., the heartfelt messages of Soldier's Side, Loneliest Day and the statements in between leave me very satisfied. These two are mainstays on my IPod.
1. Iron Maiden - A Read Dead One: This one represents a personal discovery for me. I was just getting into hard rock/metal once I hit high school. I had heard the name Iron Maiden in conversations about classic metal bands but couldn't say that I knew what they sounded like. I went to a used CD store and there was a copy of A Real Dead One. It was a complication live album of several performances across Europe in 1993. The first song was Number of the Beast. Listening to the opening with the bible verse then hearing them slam into that riff and the amazing dual guitar solo in the middle of the song, I was hooked! There is nothing overall special about this album other than it was my first Maiden experience. There are several great albums that I would recommend over this one but it will always hold a special place with me. It was a risky purchase that lead to an awakening. I know follow them very closely, own all their albums and have yet to hear something come from them that I did not enjoy.
Honorable Mention:
The Vines - Highly Evolved
Twisted Sister - Stay Hungry
The White Stripes - White Blood Cells
The Killers - Hot Fuss
9. Buckethead & Friends - Enter The Chicken: This was a big risk for me. I only knew Buckethead from his one performance with Axle Rose pretending to be the new GNR. This was produced by Serj Tankian (SOAD) and is a real mix from a guitar virtuoso. I would consider Buckethead to be this generation's Jeff Beck, with slightly better hair. It only took a preview of the first song to give me the gusto to buy the album. Most people probably would not find the album very accessible, but for anyone who likes the guitar, this guy can sling it.
8. Motley Crue - Too Fast For Love: I knew the popular Crue songs from their later albums but I really like the song Live Wire. So I decided to buy this album, their first. This is basically a demo tape and that is what gives it charm. I enjoy this one up and down, especially the bonus tracks on the reissue I bought. I still can not understand how Toast of the Town did not make it onto their original cut. A little grittier than their later releases with still a good sense of the showmanship Crue would become known for.
7. The Darkness - Permission To Land: I saw the video for I Believe In A Thing Called Love and I was hooked. I ran out and bought this album without really knowing anything about The Darkness. They bring back the classic styles of the 80's metal with big guitars, big hair and some really high notes. This one is a good time the whole way through. No song is too serious and no love song too sappy. Just a rebirth of the good old days hair bands.
6. Carrie Underwood - Some Hearts: Yes, this is on my list. I have watched American Idol since the 3rd season. I've like the contestants but no one ever seemed like they could make an album that would appeal to anyone other than 15 year old girls. Then came this one. I bought it cause my wife wanted it but after 1 listen I couldn't help myself. This one makes my list because we bought it before it became the hit that it is. Some Hearts is classic country with some new attitudes and an outstanding voice powering the whole thing. Even in some of my biggest rock/metal moods, I can always stop for a little country with this album.
5. Queens of the Stoneage - Songs For The Deaf: I only knew Lost Art of Keeping a Secret (which I thought was OK) by Queens when I saw this CD sitting on the new release shelf at Borders. I was just browsing so I listened to the first track and knew I had to have it. I own some of their other albums now but this is still by far their best. They use the sounds of tuning a radio and fake DJs to give the album a flow. Their dark hard rock style is different but feels familiar. It is as if I used to know this band but yet just heard them for the first time. I wore this CD out almost every day on my trips to DeKalb.
4. The Rolling Stones - Bridges to Babylon: You read this and think, how could buying a Rolling Stones CD be a risk? Well probably anything they put out after 1980 is a risk. I bought this for the single Anybody Seen My Baby and found a whole album of fresh music from the Stones, in 1997! From Flip the Switch, Low Down to Saint of Me, Gun Face & You Don't Have to Mean It, I fell in love with this album. It is a good mix of pace and voices with Keith taking the lead on a few classics. It showed me how great they really where and that maybe they had some gas left in the tank after all. Maybe they didn't just put out an album as an excuse to tour and make millions.
3. The Dandy Warhols - Thirteen Tales From Urban Bohemia: I had no idea who the Dandy Warhols were when I saw the video Bohemian Like You. I loved that song and decided I needed to buy the CD just because. Listening to the album straight through takes you on this amazing journey. All the songs are very different and yet somehow flow together. It draws heavily on classic rock influences but really spans the whole genre. They even blatant ripoff the Stones, The Beatles & The Velvet Underground at times, but yet it all seems to be in tribute. The album become a lesson in what rock is and should be. It is a great CD for a car ride, it really makes the time pass by.
2. System of a Down - Mesmerize/Hypnotize: I had been let down by SOAD in the past with Toxicity, it just didn't appeal to me. B.Y.O.B. was their lead single and made me think I needed to give them another chance. This is two halves of a double album that were released seperately about 5 months apart (good move on their part). This masterpiece is full of meaningful lyrics shouting out against war, the government and the famous. It is a wild ride with so much difference between each song in their styles and tones. Heck, you could say that just within one song. For a metal band, they harmonize extremely well and really push the limits of their music. The biggest thing is that the album sounds similar to Toxicity, which I didn't like, but is somehow much more accessible. The rage in songs like Attack, melancholy wit of B.Y.O.B., the heartfelt messages of Soldier's Side, Loneliest Day and the statements in between leave me very satisfied. These two are mainstays on my IPod.
1. Iron Maiden - A Read Dead One: This one represents a personal discovery for me. I was just getting into hard rock/metal once I hit high school. I had heard the name Iron Maiden in conversations about classic metal bands but couldn't say that I knew what they sounded like. I went to a used CD store and there was a copy of A Real Dead One. It was a complication live album of several performances across Europe in 1993. The first song was Number of the Beast. Listening to the opening with the bible verse then hearing them slam into that riff and the amazing dual guitar solo in the middle of the song, I was hooked! There is nothing overall special about this album other than it was my first Maiden experience. There are several great albums that I would recommend over this one but it will always hold a special place with me. It was a risky purchase that lead to an awakening. I know follow them very closely, own all their albums and have yet to hear something come from them that I did not enjoy.
Honorable Mention:
The Vines - Highly Evolved
Twisted Sister - Stay Hungry
The White Stripes - White Blood Cells
The Killers - Hot Fuss
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
My Love/Hate Relationship With Shuffle
I would not consider myself to have eclectic music tastes by any stretch. However, I do enjoy a wide variety of bands and styles. With an ever expanding music library, I try to employ shuffle as often as possible. I remember when there wasn't such a luxury, fast forwarding through all my cassette tapes or making my own mixes. Even in the early days of CDs, not every player could shuffle. Of course now on ITunes, my IPod, any CD player and even satellite radio (Super Shuffle on Sirius) everyone enjoys a little more variety.
That is except me. I seem to have become very jaded towards shuffle at times. Obviously the idea is for the selection to be random. But it is never random enough for me or sometimes too random. I was just listening to Iron Maiden and now I gotta settle down for Carrie Underwood? Sure you could say it is my fault for putting that on my IPod, but isn't this thing supposed to do the work for me? Really with all this technology, it should be able to tell what I am in the mood for and play that more often.
I have already forgotten the strife I used to go through trying to listen to a mix of music without switching a CD every time or taking a whole afternoon to make a 15 song mix. I want more and I want it exactly this way but somehow random! It is my fault, I choose Shuffle every time. So I realize I am a hypocrite but then I just hit the skip button and get over it.
That is except me. I seem to have become very jaded towards shuffle at times. Obviously the idea is for the selection to be random. But it is never random enough for me or sometimes too random. I was just listening to Iron Maiden and now I gotta settle down for Carrie Underwood? Sure you could say it is my fault for putting that on my IPod, but isn't this thing supposed to do the work for me? Really with all this technology, it should be able to tell what I am in the mood for and play that more often.
I have already forgotten the strife I used to go through trying to listen to a mix of music without switching a CD every time or taking a whole afternoon to make a 15 song mix. I want more and I want it exactly this way but somehow random! It is my fault, I choose Shuffle every time. So I realize I am a hypocrite but then I just hit the skip button and get over it.
Saturday, August 2, 2008
A Bar Somewhere in America
Okay, tonight it took two budlight brewsters at Applebees to make me a cheap date. If I were a chick in skirt, some guy could have had my panties off and back on again well before Leno started his monologue.
Six hours in 110 degree heat will do that.
Anyways I sat at the bar, drank and ate one of Applebees famous trios that turned into a duo as one of my entrees never escpaed the kitchen.
Oh well, I didn’t need more food and I was comping the meal anyhow.
Across the bar was Uncle Jesse from Dukes of Hazard about 20 year younger than he appeared on the show.
He was reading a some publication called “The New Criterion” which either means he is a religious zealot, a communist or some sort of mechanical technician.
Imagine Uncle Jesse as any. Although he did continually turn the sound up to hear the Cardinals game. I am going with communist.
Down the way there was a man that looked to be in his 70s, but had a little earring in his left ear.
This man was also reading. He had some sort of paperback book. I didn’t know reading was such a common bar drinking activity.
I felt out of place with just a beer and a plate of food.
I guess the short of this experience is that people never cease to amaze me.
Of course, I was the one that drank enough to get tipsy then went back to my hotel, wrote a story for work and then thought I should write this.
Six hours in 110 degree heat will do that.
Anyways I sat at the bar, drank and ate one of Applebees famous trios that turned into a duo as one of my entrees never escpaed the kitchen.
Oh well, I didn’t need more food and I was comping the meal anyhow.
Across the bar was Uncle Jesse from Dukes of Hazard about 20 year younger than he appeared on the show.
He was reading a some publication called “The New Criterion” which either means he is a religious zealot, a communist or some sort of mechanical technician.
Imagine Uncle Jesse as any. Although he did continually turn the sound up to hear the Cardinals game. I am going with communist.
Down the way there was a man that looked to be in his 70s, but had a little earring in his left ear.
This man was also reading. He had some sort of paperback book. I didn’t know reading was such a common bar drinking activity.
I felt out of place with just a beer and a plate of food.
I guess the short of this experience is that people never cease to amaze me.
Of course, I was the one that drank enough to get tipsy then went back to my hotel, wrote a story for work and then thought I should write this.
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