Stuck in My Head 9.16.2015 - Two-Headed Dog

Epic. Truly.


Two-Headed Dog
by Roky Erickson
Two-headed dog, two headed dog
I've been working in the Kremlin
With a two-headed dog

Two-headed dog, two headed dog
I've been working in the Kremlin
With a two-headed dog

Peace brought back, bought back
Relaxed be nyet brought back
Did you dry her out
Wind her out like jerky?
To me she's healed, don't attack

Two-headed dog, two headed dog
I've been working in the Kremlin
With a two-headed dog

Two-headed dog, two headed dog
I've been working in the Kremlin
With a two-headed dog

Children nailed to the cross
Pain does not look our hell
Certainly is not a spell
Sweet waste from a well

Two-headed dog, two headed dog
I've been working in the Kremlin
With a two-headed dog

Two-headed dog, two headed dog
I've been working in the Kremlin
With a two-headed dog

Winds quiet in the night
Her body just blows messiah
Sickening sweet sight left and right
Is all right does not please my appetite

Two-headed dog, two headed dog
I've been working in the Kremlin
With a two-headed dog

Two-headed dog, two headed dog
I've been working in the Kremlin
With a two-headed dog

Two-headed dog, two headed dog
I've been working in the Kremlin
With a two-headed dog

Two-headed dog, two headed dog
I've been working in the Kremlin
With a two-headed dog

More Hayoth and Other Musical Digressions

Light & Shade is done, and damn if I'm not pretty happy with it. I'm even - shocker - kind of OK with how I sing on it. I know, and have always known, that I wasn't going to be Plant, but the process of figuring out how to be the best vocalist I can be continues. I don't have the greatest range, but I am figuring out how to use what I have.

Which isn't to say that I still don't harbor the fantasy that a REALLY good vocalist, who also somehow magically happens to be a person I can get along with, might drop into my world, and I can re-record a whole pile of this Hayoth stuff. I kind of long to hear how, say, Getting Dollars Back or Warp might sound with a really confident vocal attack. Even on the tracks where I am...relatively...happy with the vocals, I am not confident about what I'm doing, and that's a big difference.

I also managed to write an entire song on Sunday. I'm calling it Tallahassee Bridge, at this point, but that may change out of deference to Bobbie Gentry and Billy Joe. It's a acoustic-based story song, and, like most of the stuff I write quickly (Uptown, after a lot of consternation, came really quickly), I think it's pretty strong. I'm hoping to get a good start on recording this week. I have a base acoustic guitar rhythm done, and was working on percussion last night.

Riff, or whatever the hell it becomes, is ready musically, but I need to figure out lyrics.

Now, outside of what I've been working on, what have I been listening to?

Beck, Bogert, Appice by Beck, Bogert, Appice

An oldie, but a goodie that I finally downloaded recently. The 1984 collaboration of Jeff Beck (guitar), Tim Bogert (bass & vocals) and Carmine Appice (percussion) is a solid slab of blues rock. I'm particularly taken with their run at Stevie Wonder's Superstition. Yeah, Bogert's vocals aren't the greatest, but when the musicianship is this good, it's a minor annoyance, at most.

High Country by The Sword

I had hoped for a little more from this. It's a truly good record, in terms of technical recording, it may be their best, and it's really great to have a modern "metal" band that seems intent on evolution. This promised another return to a more "classic hard rock" sound, which, I feel, dominated their best album, so far, 2010's Warp Riders. The disk is certainly a turn in that direction, but more in the frame of psychadelic rock (it's so, so drug influenced) than Thin Lizzy-esque hard rock. It's not a bad thing, and I have been listening to this record a lot. It's full of terrific riffing and jams. I just had pretty high hopes.

Sol Invictus by Faith No More

Just isn't grabbing me. Superhero is a great track, but I seem to consistently peter out shortly after. I know they're an important band, I know they're great musicians, I know this is a really good album, but I haven't been struck with it yet. I'm sure it will hit me, at some point.

Meliora by Ghost B.C.

I am not the biggest fan of this band, the theatricality sometimes gets in the way of the music for me. I often can't tell if the whole thing is a joke, or not. I'm also fully aware that it may be a joke, and not a joke, all at the same time, but I get tired of trying to parse it out. All that said, I am consistently struck by at least a couple of songs on each one of their albums. In this case, From the Pinnacle to the Pit and Majesty are both just terrific tracks. They've anchored an album I've been listening to far more than any of their others.

The Book of Souls by Iron Maiden

Look, it's a new Maiden album, you pretty much know what you're gonna get. Thing is, I like what I'm going to get a whole lot. It's another really good record, but, despite anything Nicko McBrain says, it's not as good as their classic records, and I don't even think, as a whole, it's as good as The Final Frontier from five years ago. That said, The Red and the Black is an instant classic song for me, as good as anything they've put out since their 80's heyday. The record also starts out VERY strong with If Eternity Should Fail. I am a little tired about the constant comments about Empire of the Clouds being eighteen minutes long. So, it's long, big deal, there are better songs on the album, and other bands have crafted songs of this length that are better.

The Story of Sonny Boy Slim by Gary Clark Jr.

There were so many Stevie Ray Vauhan clones that erupted out of Austin after the great man was killed. So many blues guitarists who were supposed to be the "next big thing," so when I heard about Clark, I was dubious, and, while I marked him as someone to check out, I wasn't rushing to do it. After seeing him play in a film called Chef, and in Dave Grohl's Sonic Highways TV series, I got excited enough to pick up his first full-length Blak & Blu. I'm a big fan of how Clark melds traditional electric blues with hip-hop influences, and this album provides more of the same. The guy can play the guitar, but I don't feel like it's as in your face as with other artists he's been compared to. The guitar doesn't feel like the centerpiece of the song...the SONG feels like the centerpiece of the song. It's really refreshing and exciting. Sonny Boy Slim provides more of the same, and frankly, I also think his songwriting has improved. This is "total package" material, and I love it.

I've also been listening to a lot of the prog supergroup, Flying Colors. They have a new live disk due in a couple of months, and it inspired me to revisit their two albums, Flying Colors and Second Nature. Truly top-notch melodic, technical rock and roll. I also enjoy their 2014 Live in Europe set.

4:18 of Zen

Brothers, man.


I love that.

Gary Clark Jr.

I admit it, I was skeptical. I always am about "new guitar heroes," especially out of Austin.

But, oh man...this is the shit.

A Philosophy for Life

Springsteen has a song for every mood I've ever had. Sadness, joy, fear, anger...there is a tune in the catalog that speaks to me. That said there is one track that, the first time I ever heard it, lifted me up and spoke to me. It whispered in my ear. "you can be of worth, and still not give yourself up."

I often think...ah, hell...I know that I am a fake. I struggle to stand apart, and to put myself forward as a person of worth, a person of quality, a person of creative energy....

I hid in the clouded wrath of the crowd, but when they said, "Sit down," I stood u

Someone who can be counted upon, who will come through when the chips are down. Who would take the opportunites given to myself and run with them, yet...I haven't always.

I hid in the clouded wrath of the crowd, but when they said, "Come down," I threw up

But what this song reminds me of is that life is about finding the balance that gives you the room to reach, the space to dream, and the mind and soul to harness all that effectively.

In my mind it is his masterpiece, and this is the best recorded version of it, in my mind.


Growin' Up
by Bruce Springsteen

I stood stone-like at midnight, suspended in my masquerade
I combed my hair till it was just right and commanded the night brigade
I was open to pain and crossed by the rain and I walked on a crooked crutch
I strolled all alone through a fallout zone and come out with my soul untouched
I hid in the clouded wrath of the crowd, but when they said, "Sit down," I stood up
Ooh... growin' up

The flag of piracy flew from my mast, my sails were set wing to wing
I had a jukebox graduate for first mate, she couldn't sail but she sure could sing
I pushed B-52 and bombed them with the blues with my gear set stubborn on standing
I broke all the rules, strafed my old high school, never once gave thought to landing
I hid in the clouded wrath of the crowd, but when they said, "Come down," I threw up
Ooh... growin' up

I took month-long vacations in the stratosphere, and you know it's really hard to hold your breath
I swear I lost everything I ever loved or feared, I was the cosmic kid in full costume dress
Well, my feet they finally took root in the earth, but I got me a nice little place in the stars
And I swear I found the key to the universe in the engine of an old parked car
I hid in the mother breast of the crowd, but when they said, "Pull down," I pulled up
Ooh... growin' up
Ooh... growin' up

Joe Walsh: Goddamn National Treasure

Rough times in my head these days.

Made some bad decisions (nothing dangerous, or anything, just...depressing), and I am in a pretty deep funk. Kind of thrashing around trying to find an way to chart a course that makes sense, in the face of being...well...stuck with something I am not happy about.

In. A. Funk.

It's at a time like this, I remember that Joe Walsh is still out there, making music.



Sometimes, people ask me why I like "old music."

It's pretty simple. These guys are real. Even if they cultivated a persona that was a false face at one point, or another, they have grown to a point where they realize there's no point to it anymore.

Usually, these same people are stroking themselves over the David Bowie exhibit at the MCA, too...so, take that as you will.


Hell, I think he sings that better than Henley.

The Place on Thorndale Recommends - Grinder Blues

dUg Pinnick has a new side project. Which in and of itself isn't terribly big news, he seems to release a new side project every six months. I have liked most of these, but I really long for more King's X. Of course, with drummer Jerry Gaskill's current heath situation...that may be a long time coming.

Grinder Blues is Pinnick's latest jam, and I am quite impressed. As the title alludes, the emphasis in on blues forms, progressions, and lyrical tropes. Lest anybody think this is some sort of throwback, nostalgia trip, the project does re-evaluate the form through a hard rock, even metallic, lens. It's good stuff, and Pinnick has found good collaborators in drummer Scot Little Bihlman and guitarist Jabo Bihlman, a brother act known for TV work, as I understand it. The trio plays well together, and the spirit is loose, with a solid groove.

Of course, as with most of Pinnick's side projects, I do hear more than a little King's X in it. However, I don't think it's quite as direct and obvious a comparison as from the KXM material earlier this year that paired him with George Lynch (Lynch Mob, ex-Dokken) and Ray Luzier (Korn). Yet, it's not as distinctive as the Pinnick Gales Prigden records with Eric Gales and Thomas Pridgen.

I think , however, that we can be clear that Pinnick enjoys the trio format.

as to if you will like it, the first single, Burn the Bridge  (see the video below), is pretty indicative of the project and the direction. Although my favorite track is probably the last on the album, TX to CA. I'm loving it with only a couple of plays, you might too.

For My Money...

The best version of this song, ever.


Magic Bus
by The Who

Every day I get in the queue
(Too much, the Magic Bus)
To get on the bus that takes me to you
(Too much, the Magic Bus)
I'm so nervous, I just sit and smile
(Too much, the Magic Bus)
Your house is only another mile
(Too much, the Magic Bus)
Thank you, driver, for getting me here
(Too much, the Magic Bus)
You'll be an inspector, have no fear
(Too much, the Magic Bus)
I don't want to cause no fuss
(Too much, the Magic Bus)
But can I buy your Magic Bus?
(Too much, the Magic Bus)
Nooooooooo!
I don't care how much I pay
(Too much, the Magic Bus)
I wanna drive my bus to my baby each day
(Too much, the Magic Bus)
 
Give me a hundred
(Magic Bus)
I won't take under
(Magic Bus)
Goes like thunder
(Magic Bus)
It's a four-stage wonder
(Magic Bus)
Magic Bus, Magic Bus, Magic Bus, Magic Bus
I want it, I want it, I want it...
(You can't have it!)
Think how much you'll save...
(You can't have it!)

I want it, I want it, I want it, I want it ...
(You can't have it!)
Thruppence and sixpence every day
Just to drive to my baby
Thruppence and sixpence each day
'Cause I drive my baby every way
Magic Bus, Magic Bus, Magic Bus, Magic Bus, Magic Bus...
I want the Magic Bus, I want the Magic Bus, I want the Magic Bus...
I said, now I've got my Magic Bus
(Too much, the Magic Bus)
I said, now I've got my Magic Bus
(Too much, the Magic Bus)
I drive my baby every way
(Too much, the Magic Bus)
Each time I go a different way
(Too much, the Magic Bus)
 
I want it, i want it, I want it, I want it ...
Every day you'll see the dust
(Too much, the Magic Bus)
As I drive my baby in my Magic Bus
(Too much, the Magic Bus)

RIP Lou Reed

I've always found it hilarious that, while I can take or leave Lou Reed (except "Walk on the Wild Side" - EVERYBODY loves that song), I believe the first album (cassette, really) I bought with my own money was his 1989 New York album.

Which, now that I type that, makes it absolutely impossible that it was the first album I bought. It was my Senior year of high school. By that point, I'd been heavily into The Beatles, and had sought out that entire catalog, at the very least. I guess I should look at it as my first "what the hell is this?" purchase. Funny how the mind makes that into a much larger deal.

Lou Reed was not mainstream, no matter how often classic rock radio plays "Walk on the Wild Side." He lived in a shadowy world that was near the mainstream, but refused to play to it's rules. Obscure and challenging seemed to be built into the man's DNA. I was always sort of flabbergasted by the mainstream critical reaction to Lulu, for example, because it really does feel part-and-parcel of the Reed catalog. It's obscure, only flirts with melody, and generally challenging to the listener. The metal community was never going to get it, that was a given, determined to judge it as a Metallica album, when it was absolutely not.

But I digress.

After hearing of Reed's passing, I flashed immediately to the point where I could honestly say I LOVED the man's music, and that was New York.

Honestly, I'm not enough of a scholar of Reed's work to really put the album into any sort of
perspective, but I can describe the experience I had with it. The memory I have is being on some sort of trip with my parents, one of those long road trips where were were going somewhere, and the destination seemed to never get any closer. It just felt like unending hours in an uncomfortable back seat of a car (I had hit 6'3" by the time), with small towns a farmland going by.

But I had my Walkman, and a few tapes. I had New York, and I found myself listening to it over and over again. I was particularly taken with track 3, "Dirty Blvd," but the whole album, with it's dour sense of America and rampant pessimism, was compelling in ways that were brand new to me. Music was about melody and catchy hooks, for me. Still is, honestly, but Reed, with his almost-monotone delivery, evoked something that other music had not. Something that felt utterly unpolished, and utterly real. He was evoking his New York, and it was pretty alien to a kid from Colorado.

Plus, he swore a lot. That was cool, and it didn't feel like shock tactic, like the rap and hair metal bands were doing. This felt like a glimpse into Reed's world, where saying, "stick a fork in their ass and turn 'em over, they're done" was just how one expressed themselves. It was poetry, and I think my immediate and unceasing love for David Mamet probably had it's seeds there, as well.

It was also probably the first overtly political album I owned. With pointed comments about "the statue of bigotry," the plight of Native Americans and the natural world. The Beatles dealt in hopes, "all you need is love," Reed talked about the way things really were, and how frightfully shitty that is.

No, I can't say that I'm a "Lou Reed fan," but I am a fan of New York, and it opened music up, for me, in a big way.

Metallica: Through the Never

I think Metallica takes WAY too much crap.

I certainly don't love everything they do, and, yes, they're thirty years, and multiple millions of dollars, from the greasy-faced kids that cranked out Kill 'Em All in 1983. You can read multiple online rants about how they've lost the "fire" that drove their early work. That's probably true, but, folks, you can't be 20 years old forever, and if you try to, you end up a giant act of fakery like David Lee Roth.

The trick is to find a new kind of fire.

They aren't those kids, nor should they be. Too many years, deaths, arguments and dollars have passed. One can mock and criticize them for standing up to illegal downloading, making a documentary about their group therapy sessions, the resulting chaotic, ugly album, or creating art-house rock with Lou Reed. To be clear, much of the criticism would have valid points, but I would also ask how many major, world-renowned music acts would do those things? Would take those risks? Very, very few, and frankly, the vehemence and unreasonable nature of the criticism the band has endured probably has more to do with fans who can't get past not being who they were in 1983, rather than a band who's run out of ideas.

I am nowhere near the rabid fan I was for many years, but I will always be interested in what Hetfield, Ulrich, Hammett and Trujillo do. They've given me enough enjoyment, excitement, and straight-ahead anger management that I figure I owe it to them to give a fair listen to what's turning them on, rather than just demanding they hew to my vision of what "Metallica" should be.

I don't have to like everything, and I haven't, but I get it. I get the desire to create, and not be placed in a box, forbidden from exploring anything outside of a rigid fan's desire.

So, Metallica put up a bunch of their own money, and made a movie. Metallica: Through the Never. It's been playing in IMAX 3D at select locations, and will go wide tomorrow, October 4th. I managed to make it to the Navy Pier IMAX last night to check it out (frankly, I didn't know it was playing there until Monday - somebody at Navy Pier needs to get their stuff on Fandango, something).

For the most part, Through the Never is a pretty straight-ahead concert film. There is a "narrative," of sorts that plays out as the concert goes on. With Dane DeHann playing Trip, a Metallica roadie sent into a nightmare city of revolution and violence to procure, and return, a special item needed by the band. Really, this whole element of the film is complete hooey, and I mean that not as a criticism.

The band didn't want to just do a concert film, citing Led Zeppelin's The Song Remains the Same, with it's fantasy sequences starring each member of the band. Metallica, probably wisely, based on the Zeppelin example, felt they should not be directly part of these sequences. Trip travels through a series of surreal episodes tied to each song the band plays, as well as the concert staging, giving the entire enterprise the feel of a giant music video. Sometimes this works perfectly, the sequence around Cyanide, from 2008's Death Magnetic, is legitimately creepy and disturbing, not just for the surreal landscape of hanging bodies Trip walks through, but the video imagery of people finding themselves sealed alive into coffins that surrounds the band as they play.

It's these moments when the narrative really works, even if it makes not a lick of sense. Trip's journey is illogical, with the character apparently dying at least twice during the film. However, Director Nimrod Antal effectively sets up the entire world he's operating in as wildly dreamlike and surreal, even before Trip leaves the arena. The introduction of each band member, as Trip first sees them, play as weird jokes (My favorite being Hammett conferring with a tech about a damaged guitar that is gushing blood).

So, yeah the entire narrative is silly and rife with heavy metal horror movie cliche'. Never bothered me, because the film knows what it is up to. It's more than happy to poke fun, as with the "first in, last out" screaming uber-fan who opens the film. When the film, and filmmakers know that this is all sizzle for the steak, I can roll with that.

Because the steak is so good. Antal's cameras are everywhere in the arena as the band plays. At several points you see the crews dodging flashpots, and band members, on the stage to get up close. When the advertising says that you'll best seat in the house, it's not hyperbole, the cameras are literally inches from the band members, and the audience.

It's also a really effective use of both the IMAX format, and 3D. As with most of my favorite 3D films, the effect isn't Count Floyd poking something at you moaning, "sacry, scary," but a sense of depth and actually being in the arena. Frankly having a wall of people behind the band in nearly every shot really helps. Not to mention that the IMAX format makes all those people, and the silly things people do at concerts, very, very clear.

The spectacle of the whole thing is also tied to the truly amazing stage set the band had constructed for these shows. Featuring props and gimmicks from throughout their career. It was kind of amusing to see things like "Doris" the lady justice statue from the ...And Justice For All tour constructed and destroyed just like the old days. Each new prop and bit brought back memories for me.

As pure spectacle, the film is well worth the money. If you want to hear the band sound spectacular in full surround sound, it's worth the money.

It's worth the money.

Retro Review: Queen + Paul Rogers: Return of the Champions

I recently found a used copy of this 2-disk set, Return of the Champions, and picked it up. I'd always wanted a copy, but even digital it was fairly pricey. For five bucks, I couldn't pass it up.

Replacing band members is this sort of weird thing. Sometimes, it heralds a change in tone and direction that reinvigorates a band (look at the 2500 versions of Deep Purple that have existed). Sometimes, nobody notices (Anthrax gets a new lead guitarist quite regularly, in the grand scheme). Then there's the times when you really can't imagine how anybody could think that a band member could ever be replaced. When their personality is so central to the chemistry of the group, you just can't see how it can go on.

Such was Freddie Mercury and Queen.

Now, what really sucks about this is, often the remaining members would like to, y'know, continue their careers, and don't want to take the Joy Division-into-New Order route of starting a new band. I get that. Brian May and Roger Taylor wrote those songs, too. They played all those shows, and the thing that was "Queen" was just as much theirs as it was Freddie's.

It's just that Freddie was such a HUGE personality.

So, when I heard they were going to go on tour with Paul Rodgers, I was a little perplexed, but then I saw a bit of genius in it. Now, look, I personally think Paul Rodgers is, give or take, the best voice in rock and roll. His voice is pretty much what I love in a frontman, a full, powerful, bluesy kind of sound. When I sing, I wish I could sound like Paul Rodgers.

But that's nothing like the soaring, cabaret vibe of Freddie Mercury. Which is honestly why I dig this album, and, to an extent, the studio disk they put out in 2008. First, they don't pretend it's "Queen," it's "Queen + Paul Rodgers," and, while of course there's a musical connection, because it's the same guitarist and drummer, they let Paul be Paul.

Which is why I can accept this pairing, and yet I feel like the shows they did with Adam Lambert were just painful, sellout moves. Why? It's clear that May and Taylor drooled over Lambert because he was a flamboyant, gay rock singer...that whole escapade REEKED of desperation and lack of imagination. A desire to simply try to re-create what they had before.

Paul Rodgers, on the other hand, was established. They were peers deciding to try to work together. It was new and different, and, to my ears, exciting. It felt like moving on, and moving forward. Did Rodgers sing The Show Must Go On like Freddie? No, he sang it like Paul Rodgers, and taken as that....it's pretty goddamn awesome.

I an say that about a number of tracks here, Tie Your Mother Down, I Want to Break Free, Fat Bottomed Girls. Yeah, they keep Rodgers to more of the rocking end of the Queen catalog, but that makes a lot of sense. May and Taylor also take lead vocals on a number of Freddie's songs. The bottom line is that it works because Rodgers simply isn't having anything to do with A) pretending to be Freddie, or B) worrying about not being Freddie. Frankly, with his career, he has every right to that.

My only real complaint is that, of all the numbers they do from Rodger's career, they don't pull out Radioactive by The Firm, which I think May and Taylor could've KILLED on.

Freddie Mercury was the only lead singer for Queen, but Queen + Paul Rodgers was it's own animal, and it worked pretty damn well.

Check Out This Album: Walking Papers

When I FINALLY dived into the digital music realm, I found myself discovering a lot of new stuff. I'll concede that, with physical record stores all but a thing of the past, and those that do exist not really catering to an old hessian like myself, it's nice to hear about a band like, say, Kadaver, and be able to just quickly download an album.

Of course, this damn digital "revolution," the the devaluation of music attached to it, is why there's a fraction of the record stores around from when I was a kid. That, however, is another rant.

Last week, I was surfing the web, and came across a interview with Duff McKagan, of Guns 'N Roses fame, taking about a new project called Walking Papers. A project sprung from McKagan's Seattle roots, featuring former Screaming Trees drummer Barrett Martin, Jeff Angell (guitars and vocals) and Benjamin Anderson (keys), both from The Missionary Position (a band I confess I've never heard of). Mike McCreedy from Pearl Jam also guests on a couple of tracks for lead guitar work. I was curious simply because I've been interested in McKagan, and his various projects, since reading his autobiography.

So, out of curiosity, I listened to the album a bit on Spotify Friday at work. I couldn't blast it, being in a work environment (far, far from it), but I was struck by the rhythmic choices, and the snippets of lyrics I caught. It was basically underscore to my day's activities, but I found my toe tapping quite often. So, Saturday morning I downloaded the deluxe edition of the album (with 3 live tracks), and listened to it most of the weekend. It's catchy, and rocking without being "in your face" guitars and drums. The tone shifts from a Seattle grunge feel, to a very Rolling Stones sort of vibe, to tracks I would've sworn were Tom Waits covers.

It's simply one of those records that treads a lot of ground, sonically. I get excited with almost every track. There's just a ton of balls here, and this albums has quickly risen to one of my favorites, if not THE favorite record of the year. It's not often that I think everyone should check out a band...I mean, I really love The Sword and Mastodon, but their appeal is very much in the "metal" mode. Walking Papers is definitely rock, but I think with a very wide appeal.

This is great rock and roll. Take my advice and check it out.

Favorite Tracks:

- Two Tickets and a Room *(Favorite)*
- The Whole World's Watching
- Your Secret's Safe With Me
- The Butcher
- Capital T

Music Update: Haunting, Sammy Hagar and Rival Sons

After yesterday's micro-mini update, I thought I should expand a bit.

Deliverance is done, well, close enough. I reserve the right to go back and tweak all of this stuff for a final mix before I start running off disks. Frankly, while I'm kind of agog with how much I just like the five completed tracks, the only ones that feel "finished" are MonkeySex and The Rain Came Down. The rest sound good, but I think another pass on mixing, effects, and just a bit of re-recording can make them pop a bit more, I hope. Just trying to make something I am (surprisingly) quite happy with sound even better. However, I consider that all "final mixing," and I want to have the tracks set before we go there.

So, I've started on a new track, Haunting, which was a bit of a discovery for me. It was something I had literally forgotten about. I had done a run on it with my 8-track, just me on an acoustic, and it just popped up on my iPod one day. I really think it's some of my best lyrics, and an incredibly simple number. I think the whole acoustic version is Em, that's it, just one chord.

I want to expand that, of course. What I've worked out is kind of a pseudo-"bucket blues" thing, the melody line still works, with some added changes so it's not so, literally, one-note. There's no chorus, per-se, and I still have to work out exactly what I was doing in the bridge section. Even with that, I'm feeling energized and excited about it. The riff is simple but sounds perfect, and , like I said, I think it's some of my best lyrics.

After that, I have 2 more numbers that are "done," in that I know exactly how they work, musically. I need to tweak and edit the lyrics, but they're in good shape. That'll bring me to 8 tracks, and my goal is 10-12. I have some riffs and stuff that I'll start mining at that point. After this stuff that's "set," my plan is to stop worrying about complexity, or if something is "too simple." I'll play, and let it be what it is. Clearly, the amount of time I've spent on this set is way too long, and it's allowed me to over-think everything, over and over again. That needs to stop. Time to go with the gut. Especially since I'm aiming for rockers to finish out the set.

Haunting has helped me see how effective that can be. The recording I found is just me pounding on the guitar and growling, essentially, and it might be the most exciting thing I have on tap.

In other musical thoughts, went with CByrd, Sean H and Kim L to see Sammy Hagar for my birthday on Friday the 23rd. The tour is in celebration of his 40 years in the music biz.

Great show. Starting off with a selection of Montrose numbers, then into solo hits, and Van Halen tracks. I was a little disappointed there was no Chickenfoot represented, despite Michael Anthony being on hand (I mean Sammy and Mike represent half of that era Van Halen AND Chickenfoot). Oh well, guess I have to hope for another 'Foot tour (I skipped the last, just because Kenny Aronoff, who is still a MONSTER drummer, is no Chad Smith, who was the highlight of the Chickenfoot show I saw a few years ago).

What's obvious is that Sammy has a good time, and it's infectious. I really try to stay out of the whole Dave/Sammy Van Halen thing. I love all eras of that band, but the fact of the matter is that Sammy, as a vocalist, is miles beyond Roth (as a frontman, you can debate), and Sammy has managed to keep his voice in tremendous shape. I was blown away by his energy and the sheer power of what his voice can do. Yeah, a huge chunk of his stage antics are fairly rote stuff, but, like I said, Sammy is obviously having a good time, and it's shared with the crowd. That, the undeniable talent on display, and a really strong catalog of material trump just about anything.

I had a blast, and screamed my ass off.

- Space Station #5 (Montrose)
- Rock Candy (Montrose)
- Bad Motor Scooter (Montrose)
- Red
- I Can't Drive 55
- There's Only One Way to Rock
- I'll Fall in Love Again
- Your Love Is Driving Me Crazy
- Three Lock Box
- Right Now (Van Halen)
- Why Can't This Be Love (Van Halen)
-  Best of Both Worlds (Van Halen)
-  Top of the World (Van Halen)
- When It's Love (Van Halen)
- Finish What Ya Started (Van Halen)
- Heavy Metal
- Mas Tequilla
- Knockdown Dragout

Encore:
- Winding Down
- Eagles Fly

The other story about that evening was the opening act Rival Sons. The mix wasn't the greatest for them, but I was liking enough of the show to check out their latest, Head Down.

All I can say is, wow.

Great band, I'm enjoying the hell out of them on Spotify even as I type this. They have a solid blues-based sound, in many ways what I'd like Hayoth to sound like, ultimately. There's a ton of Zeppelin influence visible in their live show, but they don't sound like a copy. Sean hit the nail on the head when he said they sound influenced by a lot of things, but unique. I'm looking forward to digging into more of their back catalog.

A Bit of Obscure Springsteen Genius

One of Bruce's best songs, only appearing on the Tracks rarities collection.....


Thundercrack
by Bruce Springsteen

Well her brains they rattle
and her bones they shake,
Oh
She's an angel from the inner lake

Thundercrack
Baby's back
This time she'll tell me how she really feels
Bring me down to her lightning shack
You can watch my partner reelin'

She moves up, she moves back
Out on the floor there just is no one cleaner
She does this thing she calls the "Jump Back Jack"
She's got the heart of a ballerina

She's straight from the Bronx
Hung off the line
She slips, she slides, she shops, she bops, she bumps, she grinds
Even them dance hall hacks
From the west side of the tracks
Move in close to catch her timing

She moves up, she moves back
Out on the floor there just is no one cleaner
She does this thing she calls the "Jump Back Jack"
She's got the heart of a ballerina

She ain't no little girl, she aint got no curls
Her hair ain't brown and her eyes ain't either
Round and round and round and round

My heart's wood, she's a carpenter
She's an angel in the night, what she does is alright
Dance with me partner
Dance with me partner
Dance with me partner

Thundercrack, baby's back
This time she'll tell me how she really feels
Bring me down to her lightning shack
You can watch my partner reelin'

She moves up, she moves back
Out on the floor there just is no one cleaner
She does this thing she calls the "Jump Back Jack"
She's got the heart of a ballerina

She ain't no little girl, she ain't got no curls
Her hair ain't brown and her eyes ain't either
Round and round and round and round

My heart's wood, she's a carpenter
She's an angel in the night, what she does is alright
Dance with me partner
Dance with me partner
Dance with me partner

The Video That Never Fails to Reaffirm My Faith In, Well....Everything

Zep No More?

I started trying to lay down vocals for Zep over the weekend. There's temp bass and a temp guitar solo. The former because I'm still wanting Pauly C to lay down bass for me, and the latter because I, flat out, can do better.

Ultimately, I think I have to change the name of the song. While the inspiration is still very much Zeppelin, it's strongly apparent that I will not be able to pull off a Robert Plant-style vocal line. I feel no shame over this, I mean, there are very, very few people who can sing anything like Robert Plant. I also simply can't play drums like Bonzo, and, yet again, few can. The track also simply doesn't have the improvisational feel of most Zeppelin stuff. That's just the nature of how I'm recording...I have to plan out arrangements and structure.

The influence is still felt. I had lyrics jotted down to work from, and as I worked with them, I felt that I had fallen into the same trap I often do. Too literal. Not in terms of content, so much as that I tend to approach lyrics in a much too linear way. I want to tell a story, I want each line to lead logically to the next. Which I find starts nudging me closer and closer to "moon, june, croon" bullshit.

Zeppelin had a wonderful sense of imagery over story, and I've been re-working the verses, pushing more in that direction. The chorus already seems to work, and it's almost literally nonsense words. Of course, I'm so hook-oriented when it comes to a chorus. Into how the rhythm of the words falls off the tongue, more than anything else, I've always had an easier time saying, "makes no sense - screw it, it's catchy."

All that aside, the material is proceeding well. A pattern is forming, where I lay in the drums, then get paranoid that they're "off," then, as I start putting the other material over what's there, the whole thing tightens up. It's exciting, honestly. The drumming is rudimentary, at best, but I love the "human" element of it. There's no doubt in my mind that moving on from the drum machine has been the single best decision I've made, in regards to long-term creativity, as far as music goes.

I am so excited to move on to the next few tracks, which are more straight-ahead rockers. Shorter, less forethought required. I'm hoping I can put them to bed quickly. The tally stands at 3 completed tracks, one "in process" (but closer to done than not), and 4 more or less written, and ready to go. That gives me 8 tracks total, I usually aim for 12, but I may cut back. I'd rather put out something shorter than pull 4 tracks out of my ass. There was a lot of that on Where Have All the Heroes Gone? and I think it was pretty obvious. That said, I have a couple of riffs I've been messing with that could evolve in time to be included. We'll see what shakes out.

In other music talk, I downloaded the debut, self-titled album from The Winery Dogs. Another in the recent spate of "supergroups," it features Mike Portnoy (ex-Dream Theatre, Flying Colors) on drums, Billy Sheehan (Mr. Big, ex-David Lee Roth Band)on bass, and Richie Kotzen (who, in addition to his solo career, had brief runs as a replacement guitarist in both Mr. Big and Poison) on guitar and vocals.

The cops on display are monstrous. All of these guys are top, top flight players. The album is, without a doubt, a bit of a shredfest, and I can dig that. As a player, I love listening and watching players who are simply some of the best in the world. However, I'm also acutely aware that great playing does not make a great song. All the notes in the world, no matter how fast you play them, can't make a great song without feel and melody.

I was prepared for the shred on The Winery Dogs, what was pleasantly surprising is how catchy and tuneful this deeply blues-based set is. I was a little worried while listening to the opening seconds of the first track, Elevate, which is good, but busy. It brushes right up against overdoing it, but when you hit the incredibly catchy chorus, all feels well.

It's definitely a hard-rock, blues-based album. If you're not into that, I'd pass by, but there is tons of great stuff here if you are. With tracks that are just on fire with musicianship, and others that lay back and allow texture and feel to win the day. Kotzen's voice is also compelling, reminding me a lot of Chris Cornell. As I listened, I couldn't help but think that The Winery Dogs is, fairly effortlessly, what Black Country Communion expended a lot of effort to reach.

If what I've written makes you curious, I'd recommend checking the album out on Spotify. You may dig it. 

Et Tu, Loverboy?

Even when I was 20-*cough*, and dead certain of my infallible taste and critical acumen, I thought some of the unending bitching about music "credibility" was silly.

Now, it just seems pathetic.

I mean, seriously, seriously pathetic. I mean, I stumble onto this website with an article by Tim McMahan, who, writing about a wholly unrelated event/artist, offers this:

Well, my plan was to go to Camera Obscura at The Slowdown tonight after the Memorial Park wankfest featuring Loverboy and Pat Benatar. Seeing as I live a few blocks from the park, I feel obligated to be there if only to protect my home from potential looters.

I won't link, I don't wanna drive traffic to him. Although, he did give a positive review to my brother-in-law's band's show, so...that's a brownie point. He makes a few more snarky comments, but who cares?

I read that paragraph over 3 times, just to try to decide if  Tim McMahan is really just that scared of mullets, or if he's just that insecure in talking about what he does like, that he has to frame it in what he doesn't. It seems (reading between the lines) he's required to see this Loverboy/Pat Benetar show, and feels gypped that he has to miss Camera Obscura. OK, fine, of course, he just can't say "I'm required to see this show for my job," which, I guess, would seem deeply uncool and non-"indie." Nope, let's turn it into a wisecrack about Loverboy and the people who would want to see them.

How pathetic.

Now, please be aware, I could give two shits about Loverboy. Really. I'm sure I love a ton, I mean a metric ton (he doesn't seem the Rush or Springsteen type) of music that McMahan reviles, but I just have no opinion on this particular group of Canucks. I do have a warm spot for Working For the Weekend, as it was huge (the high point of their career, frankly) when I was in FIFTH GRADE. Which would lead me to guess, that Mr. McMahan probably wasn't even alive (or too young) when they were a household, or as close as they ever got, name. It's a catchy, fun, non-challenging song that you can dance to, as almost every "hit" single known to man.

It's dumb, no argument. Fun? Yeah, I think so. It reminds me of riding bikes and being stupid as a 10 year old. I'm sure for folks a little older than me, it reminds them of cruising around in the Summer, being stupid and looking for someone to buy beer.

Every generation should have that, will have it, and there's nothing wrong with it. Do I own any Loverboy? No. Do I intend to buy any Loverboy? No. Do I tap my toe and hum along to Working For the Weekend when i hear it? Oh hell yes.

I bet McMahan has a similar reaction to Gin Blossom's Hey Jealousy, or Urge Overkill's Sister Havana. The point being, most of the people at that show aren't there because they are HUGE Loverboy fans, or that the band is genius, but because they're going to play songs that remind them of a simpler, easier time in their lives when they could like a song because it was, flat out, catchy.

We won't even get into Benetar, who I do own music by...because she's pretty awesome.

I guess I just find it ridiculous that this guy still feels the need to prove his "indie cred" by taking a shot a Loverboy, for God's sake. A band that hasn't charted an album since 1987 (that would be more than a quarter of a century ago), and most people wouldn't even know was still together if they didn't frequent State Fairs. Let me put it this way, the last time Loverboy had any sort of, non-nostalgic, impact on popular culture, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, and Tim Burton's Batman were still 2 years away from release.

I mean, One Direction or Justin Bieber, at least they represent the middlebrow rock of RIGHT NOW, rather than of THIRTY YEARS ago.

Often, when I find myself in a discussion about music, and a band like Loverboy comes up, I get a lot of the word "credibility." Which just makes me laugh, hard. Mainly because many of the acts that I'm told are "credible," are anything but. Jack White, for instance. All anybody has to do is watch It Might Get Loud, and the fact that that dude is a ginormous poseur is obvious. Connor Oberst (drawing from McMahan's neck of the woods)? I know something about the privileged, entitled upbringing he enjoyed...now he sells himself as some sort of street poet.

Loverboy? They sell themselves as a bunch of guys who wanted to be in a rock band, so they started one, and wrote some songs you might like. Come down and have a good time.

Which seems more credible, to me, than 90% of the bands you could name.

My 2012 Wrap-Up

Movies

As I usually point out, movies are my bread-and butter. My love of film is what started me making lists like this. This year's surprise, for me, was that I fell so in love with so many "mainstream" films. I am a fan of blockbuster filmmaking, but I can't remember a year where I had both the top two box office draws in my "Best of" list.

Of course, I also have the biggest box office loser of the year, as well.

The Best:

10- Lincoln
A prestige production through-and-through, but one that defied a few expectations by not simply being a biopic, but exploring a very specific period of time near the end of the Civil War. That being Lincoln's political gamesmanship that led to the ratification of the 13th Amendment, outlawing slavery. The film is more slight than it feels, mainly due to Daniel Day-Lewis' truly astounding performance as Lincoln, and Steven Spielberg's restrained direction. However, one must also point out that Tony Kushner's script is full of wit and insights about the man.

9- Skyfall
I didn't really think there would ever be a James Bond movie I liked more than Casino Royale, which managed the feat of totally re-inventing the concept of a Bond movie as something a bit more realistic (just a bit), without stumbling. The fact it managed to pull it off (as opposed to the similar designs when Timothy Dalton took the role in the mid-80's), was exciting. Then to turn around, two films later (after a minor mis-step with Quantum of Solace, no less) and create something that not only honored that re-invention, but also re-introduced many of the series traditional tropes, AND felt like a fitting celebration of 50 years of Bond on film...is kind of astonishing.

8- Bernie
If this movie doesn't make you love Jack Black, nothing will. It's a small film, anchored by really strong performances by Black, Shirley MacClane and Matthew McConaughey, tells the true story of a murder in a small Texas town. A murder with a suspect so beloved, and a victim so hated, that the trial had to be moved so that the prosecution would get a fair hearing. Director Richard Linklater has crafted a wonderful little film about small-town life, and the colorful characters who live it.

7- Marvel's The Avengers
This movie is a miracle. A miracle in that, in so many, many ways, it should be terrible. Yet, Joss Whedon somehow took this mess of back stories and egos, and squeezed a coherent, fun movie out of it. It's almost impossible to even critique the thing. It just grabs you, and shoves you through the adventure. There's no time to stop and think about anything other than how much fun you're having. Which I suppose makes it a quite faithful adaptation of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's comics.

6- Goon
A romantic comedy my wife would likely hate. The film is steeped in the brutality of the world of small-time, professional hockey, but also embraces a sweetness and positive energy that was absolutely irresistible. The praise for that, and I'm shocked to say this, falls on the shoulders of Seann William Scott, an actor I have never been able to warm up to. Out of nowhere, however, he gives the performance of his career in this film. Compelling, warm, sweet, brutal, and funny. His Doug Glatt is a character I won't easily forget.

5- John Carter
I'll start off by saying...Anybody who put this film on a "worst of" list is an asshole. It's sheep mentality, "it lost so much money, it must suck." It doesn't, at all. The hatred and venom that have been spewed toward this film simply makes me angry. It's a walloping good adventure yarn with winning performances, and, hands down the best "Disney Princess" in years. Yes, it moves quickly. Yes, it's drowning in Edgar Rice Burrough's pulp-ficton tropes and shenanigans, but I hardly found it confusing. Director Andrew Stanton and his screenwriters (notably novelist Michael Chabon) have crafted a love letter to pulp adventure, and it's so worth seeing. One last note; screw you, Disney, for fucking the marketing on this so badly.

4- The Dark Knight Rises
The second time I saw this film, I went with CByrd. I cried my way through the final reel, and then we went to the car. Where I proceeded to break down completely, sobbing, for about five minutes. This movie struck me, and my love and connection to the mythic figure of Batman, deeply. The fanboy jerkoff complaints about "Batman wouldn't do that" are irrelevant, THIS Batman, Christopher Nolan's Batman, would. Nolan earned every choice he made here, by connecting them directly to the choices he made in the prior two films. Elevating the entire series to, not only the best Batman films we will likely ever see, but an important meditation on the nature of heroism and sacrifice.

3- The Grey
I didn't really know what I was getting into with this film. I suppose that was part of the overall problem, the trailer traded hard on "Liam Neeson punching wolves," when the film is much, much more than that. Some audiences felt betrayed, but I was knocked out by this film. It's a meditation on survival and manhood, and, in my humble opinion, the best film of it's kind since Deliverance. Neeson's Ottway is a man without desire to live, who, though the crucible of this horrifying situation, finds the spirit and will to fight to his dying breath. It's powerful, and anchored by a really outstanding performance by Neeson.

2- The Silver Linings Playbook
This film made me so happy. I mean, just overjoyed. It's a film that's completely life-affirming and warm-hearted. Sure, it's a little cliche and predictable, but what David O. Russell understands is that, by binding us emotionally to Pat (Bradley Cooper) and Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence), all cliche is forgiven. It helps that the unbalanced emotional states of these two characters make every situation a bit fraught with possible disaster. It's also nice that the stakes are relatively small-scale, remaining within the family. I also almost let out a whoop of joy when the real Robert DeNiro, elder statesman actor, returned from that Fockers hell he'd been in, and stole the show with one line.

1- Argo
Ben Affleck has been on his way to this for a while now. With Gone Baby Gone and The Town he established himself as a thriller director to watch. With Argo, he steps out and becomes one of our preeminent upcoming film artists. The man has a command of pace and tension that is masterful, and with this story of the rescue of Embassy workers trapped in Iran during the Hostage Crisis, he's found the story that really made people sit up and realize how good he is. The film has the sweep and scope of an epic, and the intimate moments that give that epic meaning. There's room for great actors (Alan Arkin, John Goodman) to chew into great roles, and Affleck, himself, to show how compelling a leading man he can be. Hands down, my favorite film of the year.


Biggest Disappointment (Tie):

I don't do "worst" lists, because I refuse to see films that are terrible (Maybe on Netflix after the fact), but I will point out movies that should've been better.

Prometheus
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

I wonder if, in years to come, "the prequel curse" will be invoked. In both cases we have revered filmmakers returning to properties they rose to prominence with. Ridley Scott with the Alien universe, and Peter Jackson with Middle Earth. Please bear in mind, neither of these films are unwatchable, and both have things to recommend. The simple truth is that they both don't work all that well, as a whole. Scott's film is hampered by trying to be an Alien prequel, and at the same time not really wanting to be. While Jackson buries the wonderful little tale of Bilbo Baggins under miles and miles of foreshadowing and exposition for films we've already seen. Painful.

Best Actor

Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln
Biggest "well, duh" on my list. No matter how one might feel about the film, as a whole, there's absolutely no denying the amazing nature of what Day-Lewis has done...again. I felt like I'd spent two hours with Abraham Lincoln, not an actor playing him. The unerring way in which Day-Lewis seems to be able to embrace and internalize the characters he chooses is nothing but astonishing, and the fact that he's never failed to do so (in my memory) is almost inhuman. I think it's really time to revisit the notion of the "greatest actor of all time." Oliver? Brando? Day-Lewis has reached that level, and, at 55, every role seems miles from any other he has played, and  he has yet to show any signs of the sort of laziness or excess the others fell prone to (to a lesser or greater extent).

Best Actress 

Jennifer Lawrence in The Silver Linings Playbook
For such a young actress, I was impressed with how adroitly Jennifer Lawrence navigated the waters of a difficult character. Tiffany is angry and defensive, yet we must also fall in love with her as Pat (Bradley Cooper) does, AND see why Pat's father (DeNiro) grows attached to her, as well. It helps that she's never looked sexier on film, I'll grant. Still, Lawrence handles all of these challenges and creates a singular character that charmed me, while still making clear she doesn't give a crap if you're charmed, or not.




Best Director

Ben Affleck for Argo
Honestly, just read what I wrote about Argo. Affleck is the real deal, and I cannot wait to see what he does next. Whatever it is, I'll be there opening night.








Music

The Best:

10- Afterglow - Black Country Communion
This is a band that has, for me, gotten stronger and stronger. I was not a huge fan of their self-titled debut, but stuck around because of the talent involved. They finally make an album I liked start-to-finish, and it looks like it may be their last.

9- Everybody's Talkin' - Tedeschi Trucks Band
A terrific live set from the band fronted by the first couple of the blues, Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks. This is a brilliant document of a live show I'd wish I'd made the time to check out.

8- King Animal - Soundgarden
Much like the return of Alice in Chains, I was unprepared for how much I would enjoy Soundgarden's reunion. King Animal sounds effortlessly like a band who broke up because they felt it was the right thing, at that moment, and regrouped for the exact same reason. If more bands returned like this, the world would be better.

7- Apocalyptic Love - Slash with Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators
Good, old-fashioned rock and roll, with one of my favorite guitarists teamed with one of my favorite vocalists. Nothing revelatory, but tight and well-played. Honestly, in a world full of Glee and One Direction, that's enough for me.

6- 3 Pears - Dwight Yoakam
I had really forgotten how much I liked Dwight Yoakam. Like, completely. I'd have missed this record if I hadn't seen it on a year-end best-of list. I am so glad I took the chance, because this is a really fine set of tunes. Yoakam is in fine voice, and the band sounds great. Good stuff. "Waterfalls" just cracks me up.

5- Flying Colors - Flying Colors
A prog supergroup, in the grandest sense. The Guitarist and bassist from the Dixie Dregs, the keyboarist from Spock's Beard, and the former drummer from Dream Theatre. I was a little surprised how poppy the ultimate result was, but it was in heavy rotation for me for quite a while. I have no idea if the band is actually continuing past this project, but I'll enjoy what I have.

4- Wrecking Ball - Bruce Springsteen
I'll admit, this one had to grow on me, but when it did...wow. Tracks I wasn't all that fond of because favorites, and the tracks I loved just became more and more powerful to me. A true protest album, full of anger and calls to action. I'm always sort of in awe of Springsteen when he gets riled up, and this is a good example of why. "Swallowed Up (In the Belly of a Whale)" is still pretty awful, however.

3- Clockwork Angels - Rush
Rush gets back in the concept album game, and comes up with their best album in years (not that they've ever put out a bad album, in my opinion). Powerful, tight playing and grand themes with precise lyrics. I cannot love this band more, and, even as "elder statesmen," they are at the top of their form. Still chasing something new years after other "classic" bands have fallen back to the umteenth variation on their biggest hits.

2- Apocryphon - The Sword
How much do I love this band? A whole freakin' lot. With a new drummer in tow, they've come back to a more "metal" sound (as opposed to the more classic rock of Warp Riders). Yet, as CByrd remarked after we saw them this Fall, so many other bands (including their openers) just try to sound like Metallica, but The Sword sound like themselves. I'm a fan.

1- Celebration Day - Led Zeppelin
I. Can't. Stop. Playing. It. The Golden Gods return and just nail a one-night-only show at the O2 arena in London. Everybody sounds great, with Robert Plant's voice seemingly getting stronger as the night goes on, and Jason Bonham finally truly filling his father's shoes. I'm actually glad they didn't try to continue on, but I'm also glad, even after a five year wait, they let us hear how much they nailed it.




Missed in 2011:

What does that mean? These are albums I discovered in 2012 that would've been on my best of 2012, if they hadn't been released in 2011. Both of these come with my highest recommendations.

Don't Explain - Joe Bonamassa & Beth Hart
Worth it just for "I'd Rather Go Blind," which is about the single best song I've heard all year.







 

Three Mountains - Tres Mts.
Dug Pinnick (King's X) teams up with Jeff Ahmet (Pearl Jam) for an album that is, in turns, rocking, soulful, and funky.









Overrated/Biggest Disappointment:

A Different Kind of Truth - Van Halen
I'm sorry. I know a ton of people think it's great. I wanted to think it's great. However the combination of David Lee Roth and, as I mentioned above, "songs that sound like re-writes of the hits," just makes it hard for me to get behind. Yes, Ed is playing terrifically, but I just don't feel like the songs are there, and Dave....he's shot, folks. It's not TERRIBLE, but it's also not that great. All that said, "Big River" fuckin' rocks.



Books

Favorite Book Read in 2012:

Conversations with Clint: Paul Nelson's Lost Interviews with Clint Eastwood, 1979-1983
Edited by Kevin Avery

I ate this book up. The Way Eastwood opens up to Nelson. Nelson's deep understanding of Eastwood's filmography and craft, and the fact that these interviews were conducted during one of Eastwood's most fruitful periods. It's a perfect storm of elements to make a deeply interesting book. I highlighted and took notes on more quotes from this book than any I have ever read. It's a gold mine for Eastwood's philosophy on acting and filmmaking. Terrific.

Biggest Disappointment:

Not a book, but my own inability with time management.

I have not yet finished Telegraph Avenue by Michael Chabon.

I am the WORST FAN EVER. I have had this book since it's release date, but I am only now about half way through it. I can offer a litany of excuses, I've been extremely busy with shows, etc, but the fact is, I haven't found the time to finish the damn book.

I certainly love every bit of it that I have read so far. Sorry, Mr. Chabon.

Comics

Best Ongoing Series:

Daredevil
If you'd have told me even two years ago that I would solidly view a Marvel book as the best on the market, I'd have told you that you were insane. However, I just can't get over how much fun Mark Waid has brought into my reading with his Daredevil run. Waid and the various artists who come and gone on the book have succeeded in making Matt Murdock vital, fun, and all without "rebooting" their way out of the various "darker and darker" stories that have happened in the last decade, or so. Waid also gets best clifhanger of the year with the sequence of Matt trying to escape Latveria, while all of the senses he relies on (being blind, for those not in the know), are stripped from him. With a final splash of him being dragged back to Castle Doom, completely stripped of all his senses, smiling...believing he had escaped. Awesome moment.

Best Mini-Series:

Punk Rock Jesus by Sean Murphy
Tony Donley, an artist friend of mine, told me at SDCC this year, "you need to pick up Punk Rock Jesus!" I'm not one to run around picking up new books at Comic-Con, monthlies are just easier to get at home. To my shame, I didn't act on his advice for several months. I spotted the book on the shelf, and, remembering Tony's recommendation, I grabbed all the issues up to that point. Tony, you were so right. Punk Rock Jesus represents the best sort of political/social commentary, in that it's wrapped in a compelling story with  characters you can relate to. It's also the kind of story that comics, being a mass media that actually serves a niche market, can tell best. I may be wrong, but Murphy's ideas, incendiary as they are, makes me doubt any major studios have optioned this book. So worth your time.

Best Graphic novel:

Parker: The Score by Darwyn Cooke - based on the novel by Richard Stark
Honestly, I can't imagine this category going to anyone else as long as Darwyn Cooke continues to adapt Richard Stark's Parker novels.  This is the third hardcover volume, and the quality has not slipped. Cooke's, stylized, retro artwork is perfect for Parker's world, this, combined with Cooke's love of the era, and absolute mastery of the noir form, makes every one of these books an event. I cannot wait for the next one, or, honestly, anything Cooke wants to do.





Best Writers: 

Mark Waid and Scott Snyder

Hats off to these two gentlemen, who've really just shown what great writing, not deconstruction, or non-linear storytelling (Looking at you, Grant Morrison), can do. Waid and Snyder write good stories, understand the characters they're writing, and always give you enough to make each issue feel worthwhile.
Comics needs more writers like these men.

Best Artists:

Darwyn Cooke and Amanda Conner
Perennial favorites, I admit, but Mark Bagley and John Romita Jr, my other favorites, have been a little uninspired this year. Very different artists, but they came together for Before Watchmen: Silk Specter, and made it the best book in that line. Cooke, as mentioned above, has a very retro feel, while Conner embraces a anime-influenced style. Both are brilliant.

The Good Idea/Bad Idea Award:

DC Comic's Before Watchmen event
Everybody predicted disaster. It should've been a disaster, but I don't think that people considered the level of talent being thrown at this thing. Now, granted, it's not like it's on the tip of everyone's tongue. I don't think you can call it an unqualified success, but the joys of Minutemen, Silk Specter and The Comedian make me glad that DC at least tried it. Even if stuff that should've worked, Brian Azzarello writing Rorschach, for instance, never quite gelled.  

Silk Specter wins best of line, hands down. Cooke and Conner really brought somethign special there, that added to what we'd seen in the original mini-series. Plus, Conner's costume re-design was an absolute winner.

I don't think you can call the project a "hit," but I don't think you can call it an embarrassment, either. We got terrific and terrible books out of it. Alan Moore's gonna be pissed either way, so....