After The Thriller Is Gone

I, just like most of you, am getting pretty tired of hearing about Michael Jackson. Thankfully, his tragic passing does not seem to be attracting the media hullabaloo as Anna Nicole Smith's death, and she didn't even contribute anything to society. I mean, FOX News, you know, the most trusted news source, spent more time covering her death that week than they did covering the war in Iraq. However, the flipside to that proverbial coin is that his death should obtain more attention than it has. Allow me to explain.

Michael Jackson's landmark record Thriller, released on November 30th, 1982 respectively, had 7 singles, won 8 Grammy's in three different categories at the 1984 Grammy Awards. It has been and still remains the best-selling record of all time. And this was an album that his record company, Epic, did not expect to do well (Epic seems to not have much faith in their bands, or at least that's what I have noticed over time). This was his sixth album.

Naturally, he is easier to be remembered for his recent activities than his past work and legacy left behind in the world of music. Currently I can rattle off over a dozen jokes about him, just off the top of my head. Yet, I could not at the same moment think of the titles of over a dozen of his songs. That is something to be said about society's twisted and macabre way of finding humor where there should be sympathy, caring more for scandal than success, and proving once and for all that the world is going to hell at a much higher speed than a basket is capable of producing (if any).

My point is that yes, he was accused of child molestation. Yes, he was accused twice. Yes, his behavior near the end of his life became quite obscure (which could be said about almost any celebrity with his legacy of success). Neverland Ranch was a little weird. He did try to build a giant robot of himself and let it wonder the Strip in Las Vegas while shooting fake lasers at people. And if I remember correctly, he was black (not to intend that in a negative way). But none of that should belittle or distort his contribution to the arts.

He was a great artist, a great performer, and there will never, in many ways, be another Michael Jackson. Some say that's good, some say bad. Either way, he accomplished more by the age of 10 than any of you reading this ever will, especially me. So go ahead and make your jokes, your viral video parodies, or whatever it is that will help you get over the fact that you will never be 1% as successful as Michael Jackson. So show some God Damn respect.

-B
break up the concrete

Chaos Theory

The Butterfly Effect. No, not that crappy Ashton Kutcher movie, but Chaos Theory, specifically the work of mathematician Edward Norton Lorenz. Before I get into how this is relevant to what I am about to discuss, allow me to provide a simple explanation of the Butterfly Effect (and Chaos Theory, or a small part of it at least) for those who are unfamiliar with the terms or what they truly mean;

A Tornado plows through Kansas. A butterfly flaps its wings. The Butterfly Effect simply states that although the butterfly flapping its wings did not create the tornado, it possibly could have changed its course, or caused a large chain of events that could have caused small alterations in the tornado's behavior. The kinetic energy of a tornado is far too powerful to be stopped, or even created by a butterfly flapping its wings, but it is mathematically impossible for it to have absolutely no affect on the tornado. It is nature meets math, and although impossible to predict, there is always a cause-and-effect.

The reason I bring this up is simple; how did I get to where I currently am? How did you? Life is essentially Chaos Theory every second of every day, and every second a butterfly flaps its wings (even if only in our brains, and the effect is our reasoning), and life takes us where ever its kinetic energy chooses. Surely we are our own tornado's, and the way we spin towards our own path of destruction (read: live life) is mostly up to us, but sometimes a butterfly flaps its wings without our knowledge, and causes a chain of events that sets us on a whole new path. This would eventually lead into the argument over Free Will, but I do not want to make my head or yours explode. Just wanted to let out some thoughts that have been rolling around in my brain lately. And don't watch that stupid movie, it is horrible and will only destroy your mind and possibly your soul.

-B
can anybody tell me why God won't speak to me

Technorati : butterfly effect, chaos theory

Where Is My Mind?

It is currently 7 am and I have slept maybe 12 hours in the past 4 days. I think I am losing my mind. I cannot stop playing Monopoly. The pieces are talking to me. The Racecar is telling me to "drive it like I stole it" while the little white rabbit living in the Top Hat is telling me to kill the Thimble or he will "make me an offer I can't refuse". I don't actually know if their is a rabbit living in the Top Hat; it might just be Frank the bunny from Donnie Darko. I can't qiute tell yet. Also, I think the Racecar is having conjugal visits with the Thimble when he goes to jail and doesn't get to pass Go. Hey, it's possible; the Racecar is shaped like a penis and the Thimble is a hollow tube with an end at some point. Sounds like a vagina to me. I think the Iron flattens and tailors all the other pieces' clothing to support his crack habit that he buys on Baltic Avenue. I mean let's face it; Baltic Avenue may as well have been Brooklyn during the 70's. It's like the projects only with green crack houses and red hourly-rate hotels. And all the Wheelbarrow does is drug-mule or dispose of the dead bodies that "take a trip" to the Boardwalk. And the Community Chest? Corrupt political mustache guy that looks like a sophisticated Ron Jeremy. Chance cards are obviously the IRS, no doubt about it. And Free Parking? Not in this country my friend. I think the Dog piece is actually a cursed piece of treasure minted after that stupid fucking dog in those Pirate movies. Sea turtles my ass, he got turned into lunch and some random drunk pirate melted a bullet in effigy of him, as if he was the patron saint of Monopoly. Fuck Monopoly...God I need sleep.

-B
saw a werewolf with a Chinese menu in his hand, walking through the streets of Soho in the rain

Technorati : darko, donnie, monopoly

Swingin' Party

Now that I am actually posting my "Monday Weekly Recommendations" on a Monday, after this week I am going to switch it to Sunday since I have Sundays off. And seeing as how the first 2 began with my top 2 movies, it's only fitting that the next three end my top 5 list of movies, and then be prepared for some change-ups, curve-balls, spittin' tobaccy or whatever the hell baseball terms people use as euphemisms. Here we go:

Movie: Jaws
You had to see this one coming. As anyone who has ever taken even so much as an introduction to film class can tell you, this film is the ultimate example of how music enhances film. Watch the opening shark attack scene with the girl in the water, turn it on mute once she starts swimming, and see how fulfilling of an experience it is. This film also stars two actors from my top two movie; Robert Shaw in The Sting and Roy Scheider from The French Connection. Both highly under-rated actors, especially Shaw who was an exceptional writer in his own right as well. Even if you have seen this movie (and you have) watch it one more time for me.

Music: The Replacements - Tim
There are few records that can be called perfect, and we can argue about those some other time, but Tim is perfect. Start to finish, you can't skip a track. Most casual music fans may know of the song "Bastards of Young", which of course is a great song, but the ballads are the real shining moments. "Here Comes a Regular" and my own personal favorite, "Swingin' Party". The Replacements helped build the hardcore scene before they became a platform for Paul Westerberg's solo career, but there's no going wrong with this record. It's almost impossible to not like at least one track off this record.

Book: Carl Sagan - The Demon-Haunted World
Subtitled as "Science as a Candle in the Dark", this is an amazing book written by the man who wrote Cosmos and the Pulitzer Prize winning The Dragons of Eden. He also wrote one fiction book that was turned into a movie, Contact. The Demon-Haunted World is the perfect book for any type of skeptic. Sagan doesn't try and prove that God doesn't exist, he just asks you to ask questions on both sides of the question. He delves into UFO's, aliens, witchcraft, religion, and the decline of scientific study in our public school system. This book is a requirement for any fan of science, philosophy, skepticism, astronomy, wicthcraft, religion, or anything unexplained and buried within the unknown world.

-B
if being afraid is a crime, we hang side by side

Technorati : carl, cosmos, jaws, replacements, sagan

Into The Ocean

Ok, it's a day late, get off me. I'm tired. So this Monday's (read: Tuesday) list of books, film, and music you must watch, listen to, and read. Did I get that right? Whatever, I blame the drugs.

Movie: The French Connection
One of the greatest films ever made, it revolves around two cops trying to intercept a shipment of heroin from France. It is perhaps Gene Hackman's best performance to date, and was also the first R-rated movie to win the Academy Award for Best Picture. As with the movie Bullitt, the movie is famous for one of the best car chase scenes ever filmed, so that alone should make it worth watching. Based on the true story of the real "French Connection", this movie ranks at #2 as my all time top 5, and I highly recommend it.

Music: Teenage Fanclub - Grand prix
The only song you may have heard from these Brit's is "Don't Look Back", but don't let that crime against music fool you. Teenage Fanclub is one of those band's that has never released a bad record, and this is definitely their best. One of those records that you can listen to from start to finish without skipping a track; it's just plain good rock. Not too heavy, not too light, but Goldilocks would have found it just right (If she wasn't, you know, eaten by bears).

Book: Oscar Wilde - The Picture of Dorian Gray
Oscar Wilde's only published novel is perhaps one of the literary world's greatest story of how a man can turn from a loving, caring person to a heartless, soulless shadow of the man he once was. Much like Faust, it is about sacrificing one's soul or sanity in order to quench their thirst for ultimate knowledge, or in Dorian Gray's case, beauty. We see Gray turn from a much adored man of wealth and beauty to a careless soul who feels almost nothing at all. The ending of the novel is one of my favorite endings I have ever read, and I know it may be a little hard to get past Wilde's constant use of descriptive writing of every object in every setting of the book, but trust me, it is worth it. Plus, the book has one of my favorite lines ever: "What manner of human endeavor is not morally ambiguous".

-B
I'm reaching for the life within me

Technorati : french connection, grand, oscar wilde, prix, teenage fanclub

My Slow Decent Into Alcoholism

I want to be the subject of Michael Bay movie. It would be called Tea 2: This Time It's Herbal. He could do close-up shots of me drinking tea with a serious life-hanging-in-the-balance look on my face while the music from The Rock plays loudly in the background, building up the suspense of my herbal test of will. Then I could say some famous one-liners like "This shit just got decaf" or maybe something a little romantic like "I may not be good with words and I know I just shot the gay guy at Starbucks because he put sweetener in my tea, but girl I mean it when I say this shit is real. I'm yours if you want me. You had me at 'iced or hot'". And then of course there would have to be the chase scene, like in Bullitt only with a 2004 Mustang six-cylinder with expired tags and loud, screeching brakes that can do 0-60 in a week and a half. I could chase through the Arden mall parking lot looking for a parking spot to get to the tea store before the mall closes. And naturally the bad guys are the people from Snapple who want the world to drink their fructose-filled cough syrup they pass off as tea in order to take over the world. I know, it needs a little work and maybe some script dialogue from Quentin Tarantino to make it more hip, but hell, it's gotta be better than Bad Boys.

-B
my slow decent, into alcoholism it went

Technorati : bullitt

Walking Is Still Honest

A friend of mine recently suggested to me that I should make a weekly list of movies, music, and books that I would think people would enjoy. So while she was babbling about shoes or some sale at Macy's or something, I came up with a good idea to write a weekly post about movies, music, and books that I think people would enjoy. These will normally appear on Monday's, but since I have nothing else important to do today except search my house for snakes (God's PVC pipes gone wrong), here is this weeks list, a little late. Blame the snakes.

Movie: The Sting

I figured we should start with my all-time favorite movie, The Sting. Starring Paul Newman, Robert Redford, and Robert Shaw, this cinematic masterpiece revolves around the retribution of the death of a fellow con man by a gang of grifters led by Newman and Redford. Shaw, as always, is amazing as mob boss Doyle Lonnegan. The story is told as a play with 4 parts; The Set-up, The Hook, The Tale, and The Sting. I don't want to ruin the plot for you, but The Sting is a must-see for any film buff.

Music: Supergrass - Diamond Hoo Ha

For those of you who don't remember Supergrass, they sang the nineties hit "Pumping On Your Stereo", and have never released a bad record. Diamond Hoo Ha is their latest release, and it opens with the "Diamond Hoo Ha Man" (insert your own translation), and blistering riff reminiscent on the White Stripes only, you know, good. There isn't a single moment lacking rollicking guitars and hard-hitting drums, so no having to worry about any tear-jerkers here. I highly recommend it.

Book: Kurt Vonnegut - Mother Night

My favorite Vonnegut book, Mother Night is told as the diary of a Nazi war prisoner about to be executed for war crimes. There is a twist, but it would ruin the whole book so I won't even begin to tell you the synopsis or even provide a link to it. Just read the damn book.

-B
Can anybody tell me why God won't speak to me

Technorati : mother night, supergrass, the sting, vonnegut