See who made it in - and who didn't.
Some rant about Bon Jovi not making it in. I laugh.
A preservation of my history and occasional insights into the present
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Jon Favreau off of "Iron Man 3" - Orlando Comic Books | Examiner.com
It’s official: Jon Favreau will not be directing Iron Man 3.
Kind of a shame, too. Favreau was definitely a big part of making the first two movies as fun as they were.
And if the Marvel (movie) Universe is really this confused and cheap, this whole thing could be in trouble.
Kind of a shame, too. Favreau was definitely a big part of making the first two movies as fun as they were.
And if the Marvel (movie) Universe is really this confused and cheap, this whole thing could be in trouble.
Monday, December 13, 2010
Friday, December 10, 2010
"Thor" trailer premieres - Orlando Comic Books | Examiner.com
Marvel Studios and Paramount Pictures release the first official trailer for "Thor"
And, I have to say, it's more impressive than I thought it would be. I'm actually excited about this now.
And, I have to say, it's more impressive than I thought it would be. I'm actually excited about this now.
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Show Review: Roger Waters, Bank Atlantic Center, Sunrise, FL - 11.13.10
There are several reviews of Roger Waters’s live staging of The Wall already populating the web. Some can’t stop fawning over
None of them seem to get what’s actually happening at all.
It’s very easy for many journalists to not see what’s happening right under their noses. Many of them can’t be blamed, really. When confronted with a show of this magnitude - such as on November 13, the first of a two-night stand in Sunrise, FL at the Bank Atlantic Center - it’s difficult to see the forest for the trees. The show even starts without many people realizing it - there’s a “homeless” man out in the audience. Shopping cart and all. With a sign reading, “No thought control.” His “belongings” consist of a big, pink doll. One that looks a lot like the representation of the main character, Pink, during “The Trial”.
There are several reviews of Roger Waters’s live staging of The Wall already populating the web. Some can’t stop fawning over
None of them seem to get what’s actually happening at all.
But that’s fast-forwarding a great deal. The lights go out and the opening number, “In The Flesh?”, starts out with full pyro regalia. Right then and there, the sensory overload machine has taken off, ready to take the audience on one hell of a ride.
For 67 years old, Waters seemed spry and ready for action himself. He was also much more jovial than die-hard fans would expect. For a man who has given the finger to fans and (especially) journalists alike, Waters was in great spirits during the show. Almost like he was hiding a little secret. The same one that many have missed in writing about the show, but again, that’s fast-forwarding.
Still, for a performer in a terrific mood, he was still flipping the bird to anyone who noticed. Like during “Hey You”, when the audience saw a single graphic projected on to the styrofoam wall built during Act One that now completely hid the performers themselves. Save for the bare minimum amount of animation during the center of the song, the audience still cheered for the fact that the band could have been in the back drinking for all they knew.
There were several moments and moves that could be read that way. The band didn’t start playing in front of the Wall - where they could be seen - until the reprise of “In The Flesh”. More than halfway through Act Two - and more than three-quarters of the way through the entire show. In addition, at the end of that song, Waters played along with the machine gun sounds at the end of the track by taking out a prop machine gun and shooting the audience. Yet another middle finger delivered.
Even if those were deliberate gesture, the main thing to take away here is that it could all be forgiven for what Waters and company presented. When the show was first staged thirty years ago, it was seen as a blow-away presentation, and that was way before technology could catch up with Waters put together for this tour. There was the trademark projection screen behind Waters and the band but, as intimated before, the entire Wall was now being used as a projection screen as well. Never once overlapping or out-of-sync with which portions of the Wall had been built up to any given point, the projections not only fit perfectly, but looked great.
The greatest example of this was during “Bring The Boys Back Home”. Originally an outburst of longing for a father - and many others - lost during World War II (in the context of the album’s story), the song became arguably the best anti-war message that’s ever been delivered on stage. Among images of impoverished, injured, and murdered children all over the world, a quote showed on the screen from Dwight D Eisenhower:
Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and not clothed.
After that, the song title: Bring The Boys Back Home.
Not a dry eye was left in the house.
And that’s just an example of how expertly the show was played and staged. The inflatable puppets of the Teacher and the Wife were now six-story-tall animatronics. The graphics were crystal clear and updated for today’s times (including symbols of a Cross and the Star of David mixed with logos for Shell and BMW during “Goodbye Blue Sky”). Each and every aspect of the show was not only a technical marvel, but used to maximum emotional impact, just as the album did for millions of listeners did upon its release despite having one of the most confusing stories for a concept album in history.
Aside from the production wizardry, the band played their parts well. Singer Robbie Wyckoff, used as a stand-in for David Gilmour’s vocal parts, kept up with not only Waters, but the entire production. The band knew their parts as well as the James Brown Revue and performed them equally as well.
Everything about the show was expertly staged. Instead of re-treading what had come before (despite how many people had not seen it), many of the album’s themes were seemlessly brought in to modern times, updating The Wall for a modern audience without losing a shred of anything that made the album great to begin with. It was a perfect reading of an album presented in such a way that the audience left shell-shocked and thoroughly pleased - something many Broadway shows and multi-million dollar films can’t seem to accomplish.
And that is what many reviewers and journalists seem to have missed. In looking to make some grand statement about Waters’s career, the themes that have permeated his work, the greatness of Pink Floyd that many younger audiences missed out on, or even the cynicism of seeing this “old dinosaur” of a piece brought out to the masses in such dramatic fashion, many have missed a very obvious possibility.
Roger Waters is 67 years old. The rumors of this being his last run have been mentioned, but glossed over in favor of political ramblings or attempts at shrewd observations. The rumors of this being his last run may need to be given more credence, because there may never be another stage show that tops what Waters has accomplished with the 2010 tour of The Wall. And really, why should he try? He has no reason to.
It would make perfect sense that, as slyly as he has picked and chose his shots at journalists and audiences over a career that has lasted over 40 years, that an effort like this would be his last grand statement. The amazing music, political statements and thematic cohesiveness that have made The Wall what it is have always been a part of the equation, and they were all given equal attention not only in Sunrise, but on this entire tour. They’ve all come together in one final act by Waters to leave the game on top of his game. No other rock extravaganza will top what Waters has accomplished with this show, and Waters knows it. That accomplishment, while overlooked by many, could very well be what Waters had in mind when he decided to re-build the Wall and tear it down again, perhaps for the final time.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
2011 Crossovers Preview - Orlando Comic Books | Examiner.com
The Christmas season has barely started for 2010, and the Big Two of the comics industry already have some big plans for 2011.
I'm most curious about "Flashpoint". "The Trial of Barry Allen" is what got me in to comics in the first place and I'm glad to have him back.
I'm most curious about "Flashpoint". "The Trial of Barry Allen" is what got me in to comics in the first place and I'm glad to have him back.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Show Review: Roger Waters, Bank Atlantic Center, Sunrise, FL - 11.13.10 - Orlando rock music | Examiner.com
It would make perfect sense that an effort like this would be his last grand statement.
Meanwhile, Bono and The Edge are looking at the stage show, taking notes and going, "Dammit~! How're we gonna beat THIS?!"
Meanwhile, Bono and The Edge are looking at the stage show, taking notes and going, "Dammit~! How're we gonna beat THIS?!"
Monday, November 29, 2010
Exclusive preview of Sci-Fried’s upcoming album "Future Tense" - Orlando rock music | Examiner.com
An exclusive early look at geek rock's Next Big Thing...
Seriously, what I've heard from this so far ROCKS. Can't wait for the album!
Seriously, what I've heard from this so far ROCKS. Can't wait for the album!
Friday, November 19, 2010
Apple and Apple make peace as The Beatles come to iTunes - Orlando rock music | Examiner.com
Digital music fans everywhere have seen the nearly impossible has come to pass.
In other news, hell froze over earlier this week...
In other news, hell froze over earlier this week...
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Orlando MegaCon 2011 takes shape - Orlando Comic Books | Examiner.com
Stan Lee and William Shatner are coming to the Southeast's biggest comic convention...
I would TOTALLY love to go to this...but seeing as how it's my wedding anniversary weekend, I kinda doubt it. If anyone IS going, feel free to hit me up with a report to let me know how cool it was!
I would TOTALLY love to go to this...but seeing as how it's my wedding anniversary weekend, I kinda doubt it. If anyone IS going, feel free to hit me up with a report to let me know how cool it was!
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Rejection of Regurgitation, Part 05
Awright, let's wrap this puppy up...
Just like anything else, remakes can be solid business - and solid works - if done right. Regardless of what the last four parts of this series would tell you, not every remake ever is terrible. Or a terrible idea. Hell, one remake spawned a film franchise so big it's become the cultural touchstone of our generation.
Okay, we'll get this out of the way as to avoid confusion as well as any arguments from those who have spent their lives analyzing every detail calling me out -Episode IV: A New Hope the very first Star Wars is not a proper remake. George Lucas actually borrowed from several sources - Flash Gordon, Buck Rogers, "Dune", and several other classic science-fiction stories influenced Lucas's first movie. However, the plot itself owed much more to Akira Kurosawa's The Hidden Fortress - so much so that Lucas considered buying the rights to that movie in order to make a more faithful version of it. In space.
We all know how that turned out.
So many other remakes - be they good, bad, or indifferent, could be discussed but it comes down to a simple point. Put in a little time, a little imagination, and give the public either another angle to the story or a different version of it altogether, and a remake can be very viable. It doesn't always take as radical of a departure as a Star Wars; merely something new brought to the table and maybe a little actual work in making sure the project is worth the ticket-buying public's time and effort.
What's not working anymore is a misleading sense of thinking people will buy a carbon copy just because it looks newer. People fell for that trick at first, but they're starting to see through the facades. The hardest facts of all - the numbers - are starting to prove that you can repackage an polish a can of Spam all you want to, but it's still a disgusting by-product that the public no longer sees as fit for consumption.
And that goes double for The Crow (you know, what started all this in the first place?) and The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
Just like anything else, remakes can be solid business - and solid works - if done right. Regardless of what the last four parts of this series would tell you, not every remake ever is terrible. Or a terrible idea. Hell, one remake spawned a film franchise so big it's become the cultural touchstone of our generation.
Okay, we'll get this out of the way as to avoid confusion as well as any arguments from those who have spent their lives analyzing every detail calling me out -
We all know how that turned out.
So many other remakes - be they good, bad, or indifferent, could be discussed but it comes down to a simple point. Put in a little time, a little imagination, and give the public either another angle to the story or a different version of it altogether, and a remake can be very viable. It doesn't always take as radical of a departure as a Star Wars; merely something new brought to the table and maybe a little actual work in making sure the project is worth the ticket-buying public's time and effort.
What's not working anymore is a misleading sense of thinking people will buy a carbon copy just because it looks newer. People fell for that trick at first, but they're starting to see through the facades. The hardest facts of all - the numbers - are starting to prove that you can repackage an polish a can of Spam all you want to, but it's still a disgusting by-product that the public no longer sees as fit for consumption.
And that goes double for The Crow (you know, what started all this in the first place?) and The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Rejection of Regurgitation, Part 04
Now then, where were we? Oh, right, right - how the remake craze started felling apart.
Strike one: Studios tend to discount (or outright ignore) the initial impact of the original movie. That may sound strange, considering why they would bother to remake anything, then, if it wasn't that successful in the first place. But this isn't about success - what they're ignoring is initial reactions and why they were what they were. Using the aforementioned Nightmare as an example, the fact is that the first time around, it was original enough that it caught people off-guard. Second time around? People knew what was coming. They wanted to see more than just a re-hashing.
Rob Zombie was able to do that with Halloween. When John Carpenter unleashed the original, the slasher genre was pretty much virgin territory that he exploited. In doing so, he gave us a memorable (pro-?) antagonist in Michael Myers. What he didn't do, however, was tell how any why Myers became what he did. Seeing a need to fill for horror fans and having a means to do so, Zombie explored Myers's beginnings and added to the original story. Some would claim it's unnecessary as it could be questioned whether or not knowing Myers's origins makes him any scarier, sure. However, Zombie not only gave his version of Halloween a viable reason to exist by telling a version of Myers's background, but he also made an anomaly.
Most '80s horror films - such as Nightmare and Friday the 13th (another box-office victim the second time around) made the mark they did because they were ideas that moviegoers had not yet seen at that time. Seeing or hearing anything a second time, no matter how well-loved, loses a little of its luster because it's no longer new. Kinda like sex.
Strike two: You want to "reintroduce a classic to a new generation"? Show 'em the bloody original!
Strike three: Some movies are kitschy cult favorites because of how they look or feel. Another remake rumored to plague the land is The Rocky Horror Picture Show (I wish I were making that up.)
What use a remake will serve that movie I really have no idea. The idea is to update and add a modern sheen to a musical homage to old "B"-horror movies? It's supposed to look campy! A CGI-saturated update with a cast that simply won't get what that movie what it was for an audience that'll have to be educated on 65% of the references will make that remake a success how, exactly?
Strike one: Studios tend to discount (or outright ignore) the initial impact of the original movie. That may sound strange, considering why they would bother to remake anything, then, if it wasn't that successful in the first place. But this isn't about success - what they're ignoring is initial reactions and why they were what they were. Using the aforementioned Nightmare as an example, the fact is that the first time around, it was original enough that it caught people off-guard. Second time around? People knew what was coming. They wanted to see more than just a re-hashing.
Rob Zombie was able to do that with Halloween. When John Carpenter unleashed the original, the slasher genre was pretty much virgin territory that he exploited. In doing so, he gave us a memorable (pro-?) antagonist in Michael Myers. What he didn't do, however, was tell how any why Myers became what he did. Seeing a need to fill for horror fans and having a means to do so, Zombie explored Myers's beginnings and added to the original story. Some would claim it's unnecessary as it could be questioned whether or not knowing Myers's origins makes him any scarier, sure. However, Zombie not only gave his version of Halloween a viable reason to exist by telling a version of Myers's background, but he also made an anomaly.
Most '80s horror films - such as Nightmare and Friday the 13th (another box-office victim the second time around) made the mark they did because they were ideas that moviegoers had not yet seen at that time. Seeing or hearing anything a second time, no matter how well-loved, loses a little of its luster because it's no longer new. Kinda like sex.
Strike two: You want to "reintroduce a classic to a new generation"? Show 'em the bloody original!
Strike three: Some movies are kitschy cult favorites because of how they look or feel. Another remake rumored to plague the land is The Rocky Horror Picture Show (I wish I were making that up.)
What use a remake will serve that movie I really have no idea. The idea is to update and add a modern sheen to a musical homage to old "B"-horror movies? It's supposed to look campy! A CGI-saturated update with a cast that simply won't get what that movie what it was for an audience that'll have to be educated on 65% of the references will make that remake a success how, exactly?
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Rejection of Regurgitation, Part 03
When the mass-remake craze started, the money came rolling in. How, however, not so much. Remakes have become old hat at best, and an obvious show of studio/producer laziness at worst. Why bother coming up with an original idea when there's some obscure (cult) classic out there waiting to be raped, pillaged, and run through the CGI grinder? A simple formula for success, in the eyes of the film industry, has become one that's run its course and possibly even doomed to failure because of a glaring oversight.
In many instances, filmmakers and executives pass off their dreaminess for cash as intention to re-tell "a classic story". Being real careful with that definition would serve some of these self-serving executives well lest they look like fools (or are we a little late?). A "classic story" is one so ingrained in to the public consciousness because it retains universal elements that allow people of all races, creeds, and ages to identify with it, allowing numerous versions and re-tellings without the story losing its luster. There are really only a relative handful of stories that fit this criteria - A Christmas Carol, Grimm's Fairy Tales, most of Shakespeare's output...things like that could fit.
Neither The Crow or Nightmare on Elm Street are "classic stories". Nor is Charlie and the Chocolate Factory or so many other examples that have been mined. That doesn't mean they can't be retold, sure, but it takes more than a slick face lift to give it any life or a valid reason that people will want to go see it. Of course, that brings out another excuse for updating movies - the desire to use new technology on them, thereby dragging them in to the new millennium by the hair like a caveman scoring a mate. The added bonus in doing so is the tired adage of "introducing a classic to a new generation." By lumping all these excuses together, movie studios give themselves a built-in justification for remaking virtually anything they want.
Wrong.
And we'll get in to why next time.
In many instances, filmmakers and executives pass off their dreaminess for cash as intention to re-tell "a classic story". Being real careful with that definition would serve some of these self-serving executives well lest they look like fools (or are we a little late?). A "classic story" is one so ingrained in to the public consciousness because it retains universal elements that allow people of all races, creeds, and ages to identify with it, allowing numerous versions and re-tellings without the story losing its luster. There are really only a relative handful of stories that fit this criteria - A Christmas Carol, Grimm's Fairy Tales, most of Shakespeare's output...things like that could fit.
Neither The Crow or Nightmare on Elm Street are "classic stories". Nor is Charlie and the Chocolate Factory or so many other examples that have been mined. That doesn't mean they can't be retold, sure, but it takes more than a slick face lift to give it any life or a valid reason that people will want to go see it. Of course, that brings out another excuse for updating movies - the desire to use new technology on them, thereby dragging them in to the new millennium by the hair like a caveman scoring a mate. The added bonus in doing so is the tired adage of "introducing a classic to a new generation." By lumping all these excuses together, movie studios give themselves a built-in justification for remaking virtually anything they want.
Wrong.
And we'll get in to why next time.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Rejection of Regurgitation, Part 02
Last time we got on this, it was brought up how the re-makers of The Crow were using the excuse of bringing about a "more faithful adaptation" of the original work to reboot a movie that doesn't have to be remade.
Of course, there are plenty of excuses. Most of them have to do with new technology and filling out a story (that, oftentimes, doesn't have to be) and other flimsy, transparent see-thru justifications. Bigger budget! Bigger stars! If Hollywood makes EVERYTHING BIGGER, then people will pay to go see it, right?
Not so fast. There are quite a few prime examples of this reasoning going south - a handful of them happening very recently. Nightmare on Elm Street was recentlyregurgitated re-envisioned, only to fall flat on its face. The budget was there, the CGI was definitely there, a star name was in place (Jack Earle Haley, coming off a dominant turn as Watchmen's "Rorschach")...and it died a second-week death that Freddie Kruger himself would have been proud of. And had a cooler one-liner for than I could even dream of.
I haven't seen it myself (I have no reason to, as you can tell by having written something like this series in the first place), but I heard all about it. Some pf what I read and heard pointed out how confusing or over-stylized it was. The one common thread I saw/heard was how soulless the new Nightmare turned out to be. If box-office numbers are any indication, audiences certainly felt the same way...
...and that's a subject we'll get to next time...
Of course, there are plenty of excuses. Most of them have to do with new technology and filling out a story (that, oftentimes, doesn't have to be) and other flimsy, transparent see-thru justifications. Bigger budget! Bigger stars! If Hollywood makes EVERYTHING BIGGER, then people will pay to go see it, right?
Not so fast. There are quite a few prime examples of this reasoning going south - a handful of them happening very recently. Nightmare on Elm Street was recently
I haven't seen it myself (I have no reason to, as you can tell by having written something like this series in the first place), but I heard all about it. Some pf what I read and heard pointed out how confusing or over-stylized it was. The one common thread I saw/heard was how soulless the new Nightmare turned out to be. If box-office numbers are any indication, audiences certainly felt the same way...
...and that's a subject we'll get to next time...
Notable New Books - 10.27.10 - Orlando Comic Books | Examiner.com
Superman: Earth One and Death comes to Action Comics this week...
Now, on to Rejection of Regurgitation, Part 02...
Now, on to Rejection of Regurgitation, Part 02...
Monday, October 25, 2010
Rejection of Regurgitation, Part 01
Word out of Hollywood recently is Edward R Pressman is producing, Nick Cave is writing, and Mark Wahlberg could very well be starring in a remake of The Crow.
While we could discuss the individual merits of those contributions, the idea of “rebooting” The Crow should probably be discussed first.
The answer is, “No.”
There is absolutely no reason or excuse for this film to be remade. The excuse that’s been given is that they want to make a movie that’s more faithful to James O’Barr’s original graphic novel - or is it? Director Stephen Norrington has already been kicked off the project because someone didn’t like the “more faithful” screenplay he and Cave drafted. Be that as it may, let’s take them at their word just for a second. For the sake of argument, shall we?
The problem with that argument is that, save the exclusion of the Skull Cowboy and other factors (due to budgetary constraints), the original was already as faithful to the original as it could get. A bigger budget and improved technology, theoretically, would allow for a faithful adaptation--
--and no soul whatsoever. And therein lies one of - if not THE - main reason that remaking The Crow would be a worse idea than having Mel Gibson narrate a documentary about the Holocaust. The original work of The Crow was a man unleashing his anguish over the loss of his true. It wasn’t meant to be a cool series, or even the start of a franchise. The first film - and the tragedy that surrounded it - captured that emotion in a way that can not be duplicated. The Crow wasn’t a cinematic masterpiece or a technical marvel by any means, but every aspect of it came together to create a mood that certainly won’t be replicated by a bigger budget, more CGI, or any other excuse that Relativity Media can conjure up to justify this.
You know, there are 5 1/2 handwritten pages that this was culled from. Rather than let all that work go to waste, I’ve decided to break that down in to a series in and of itself. You just read Part 01. Feel free to keep coming back the next few days while we deconstruct the idea of “remakes” and “reboots” from stem to stern.
While we could discuss the individual merits of those contributions, the idea of “rebooting” The Crow should probably be discussed first.
The answer is, “No.”
There is absolutely no reason or excuse for this film to be remade. The excuse that’s been given is that they want to make a movie that’s more faithful to James O’Barr’s original graphic novel - or is it? Director Stephen Norrington has already been kicked off the project because someone didn’t like the “more faithful” screenplay he and Cave drafted. Be that as it may, let’s take them at their word just for a second. For the sake of argument, shall we?
The problem with that argument is that, save the exclusion of the Skull Cowboy and other factors (due to budgetary constraints), the original was already as faithful to the original as it could get. A bigger budget and improved technology, theoretically, would allow for a faithful adaptation--
--and no soul whatsoever. And therein lies one of - if not THE - main reason that remaking The Crow would be a worse idea than having Mel Gibson narrate a documentary about the Holocaust. The original work of The Crow was a man unleashing his anguish over the loss of his true. It wasn’t meant to be a cool series, or even the start of a franchise. The first film - and the tragedy that surrounded it - captured that emotion in a way that can not be duplicated. The Crow wasn’t a cinematic masterpiece or a technical marvel by any means, but every aspect of it came together to create a mood that certainly won’t be replicated by a bigger budget, more CGI, or any other excuse that Relativity Media can conjure up to justify this.
You know, there are 5 1/2 handwritten pages that this was culled from. Rather than let all that work go to waste, I’ve decided to break that down in to a series in and of itself. You just read Part 01. Feel free to keep coming back the next few days while we deconstruct the idea of “remakes” and “reboots” from stem to stern.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Music Review: Ice Cube - I Am The West
And to complete the Hip-Hop reprint 1-2...
Article first published on BlogCritics as Music Review: Ice Cube - I Am The West
I Am The West seems an awfully cocky...hell, outright arrogant title from the same guy that starred in “Are We There Yet”. It would be effortless to think that Cube went soft since his NWA (and first few solo album) days. War and Peace damn near put the nail in that coffin, and Laugh Now, Cry Later and Raw Footage didn’t do a whole lot to disparage that.
Quietly, however, Cube has stood by and stuck to the business savvy that caused him to realize that something was rotten in the NWA camp to begin with. Laugh at all the kiddie movies you want, but Cube (along with a handful of other OGs like Ice-T) have used their talent and street smarts to escape the abyss of the ghetto - and its stereotypical mentality - and built his own small empire.
In a musical sense, Cube has done it without modern Urban FM Radio, which has passed by all but the newest acts. I Am The West shows that Cube may be a dinosaur to some, but he still has a lot of roar left in him.
The best way to explain Ice Cube’s mentality going in to I Am The West is to let him do it himself:
For 7 or 8 years now the West Coast has been trying to do music that appeals to the South and Mid-West. The words, "too West Coast" would be heard throughout the industry whenever our music was played. Even by our own dj's. Left coast MC's were now trying to change their sound to cater to all the followers. We lost our way. Thank God for b-boys like Snoop, The Game & WC for keeping the West alive, but we were all guilty of over reaching. No more. At least not from me. I do it how I feel it; not how I think it should be done. Radio fucked us up. I hate the politics at radio. I don't know who to pay to get my shit played. Having a hot song is not enough. Ridiculous.
The record takes a minute or two to really get in to the groove. The intro “A Boy Was Conceived” gives way to the proper opening track “Soul On Ice”, which is more call-and-response hooks than actual content. The latter track is Cube warming up, for “Life In California” is where he really digs in to the current state of the art:
If Jay-Z can rap about the NYC
Why can’t I talk about the shit I see?
Without Alicia Keys, without going R&B
This ain’t Mowtown, this is R-A-P
...California swagger - fuck record sales
Industry outlaw like Josey Wales
As stated above, Cube is no position to even want to cater to the industry modus operandi. Having acquired the wealth he has (yes, even starring in family fare), he’s also in a position that he doesn’t even have to. Having that kind of freedom allows Cube to do it how he feels it.
Oddly enough, the beats Cube feels sound a lot like the Southern type. Some of the classic Funk of the West Coast sound (pioneered by Dr. Dre, who almost appeared on the album) is present. “Drink The Kool Aid” could have come from The Chronic if Dre and Cube were on speaking terms back then. However, a lot of the jerkier rhythms of the South style stand out like a sore thumb as well.
No matter the beat, Ice Cube is in form. “No Country For Young Men” is four-and-a-quarter minutes of old-school Cube at his finest. When Cube is on, focused, and alone, this is one of his best efforts in years. However, it takes eight tracks in to hit that momentum, as much of what comes before (like “Soul On Ice”) is rather sparse in content save for soundbites and tired tricks.
Part of the issue is that Cube, admirably, lets others have the spotlight on his record at times to mixed effect. OMG and Doughboy, his two sons, take turns on “You Know Who I Am”. WC and Maylay are also on the track and stick around for “Too West Coast”. Cube’s sons are dismissed in a move that almost suggests that it’s time for the adults to get serious, as “Too West Coast” rails against the dismissal of the West Coast sound and attitude by the mainstream.
Were it more focused and free of some of the guest stars, I Am The West could have been THE comeback for Ice Cube. Even though there is quite a bit of the worn-out, eye-rolling same-as-it-ever-was that pollutes Hip-Hop today, Cube shows he’s able to rise above that and deliver some of the best songs in the genre to this day. If only he could commit to something like that over an entire record, he’d be back to being unstoppable in music.
Article first published on BlogCritics as Music Review: Ice Cube - I Am The West
I Am The West seems an awfully cocky...hell, outright arrogant title from the same guy that starred in “Are We There Yet”. It would be effortless to think that Cube went soft since his NWA (and first few solo album) days. War and Peace damn near put the nail in that coffin, and Laugh Now, Cry Later and Raw Footage didn’t do a whole lot to disparage that.
Quietly, however, Cube has stood by and stuck to the business savvy that caused him to realize that something was rotten in the NWA camp to begin with. Laugh at all the kiddie movies you want, but Cube (along with a handful of other OGs like Ice-T) have used their talent and street smarts to escape the abyss of the ghetto - and its stereotypical mentality - and built his own small empire.
In a musical sense, Cube has done it without modern Urban FM Radio, which has passed by all but the newest acts. I Am The West shows that Cube may be a dinosaur to some, but he still has a lot of roar left in him.
The best way to explain Ice Cube’s mentality going in to I Am The West is to let him do it himself:
For 7 or 8 years now the West Coast has been trying to do music that appeals to the South and Mid-West. The words, "too West Coast" would be heard throughout the industry whenever our music was played. Even by our own dj's. Left coast MC's were now trying to change their sound to cater to all the followers. We lost our way. Thank God for b-boys like Snoop, The Game & WC for keeping the West alive, but we were all guilty of over reaching. No more. At least not from me. I do it how I feel it; not how I think it should be done. Radio fucked us up. I hate the politics at radio. I don't know who to pay to get my shit played. Having a hot song is not enough. Ridiculous.
The record takes a minute or two to really get in to the groove. The intro “A Boy Was Conceived” gives way to the proper opening track “Soul On Ice”, which is more call-and-response hooks than actual content. The latter track is Cube warming up, for “Life In California” is where he really digs in to the current state of the art:
If Jay-Z can rap about the NYC
Why can’t I talk about the shit I see?
Without Alicia Keys, without going R&B
This ain’t Mowtown, this is R-A-P
...California swagger - fuck record sales
Industry outlaw like Josey Wales
As stated above, Cube is no position to even want to cater to the industry modus operandi. Having acquired the wealth he has (yes, even starring in family fare), he’s also in a position that he doesn’t even have to. Having that kind of freedom allows Cube to do it how he feels it.
Oddly enough, the beats Cube feels sound a lot like the Southern type. Some of the classic Funk of the West Coast sound (pioneered by Dr. Dre, who almost appeared on the album) is present. “Drink The Kool Aid” could have come from The Chronic if Dre and Cube were on speaking terms back then. However, a lot of the jerkier rhythms of the South style stand out like a sore thumb as well.
No matter the beat, Ice Cube is in form. “No Country For Young Men” is four-and-a-quarter minutes of old-school Cube at his finest. When Cube is on, focused, and alone, this is one of his best efforts in years. However, it takes eight tracks in to hit that momentum, as much of what comes before (like “Soul On Ice”) is rather sparse in content save for soundbites and tired tricks.
Part of the issue is that Cube, admirably, lets others have the spotlight on his record at times to mixed effect. OMG and Doughboy, his two sons, take turns on “You Know Who I Am”. WC and Maylay are also on the track and stick around for “Too West Coast”. Cube’s sons are dismissed in a move that almost suggests that it’s time for the adults to get serious, as “Too West Coast” rails against the dismissal of the West Coast sound and attitude by the mainstream.
Were it more focused and free of some of the guest stars, I Am The West could have been THE comeback for Ice Cube. Even though there is quite a bit of the worn-out, eye-rolling same-as-it-ever-was that pollutes Hip-Hop today, Cube shows he’s able to rise above that and deliver some of the best songs in the genre to this day. If only he could commit to something like that over an entire record, he’d be back to being unstoppable in music.
Say It Like It Really Is: An Interview With Chuck D
Getting a little catching up done here...
Article first published on BlogCritics as Say It Like It Really Is: An Interview With Chuck D
Chuck D rapped over 20 years ago about being a “Rebel Without A Pause”. In 2010, at age 50, he still means it.
Smartly staying out of the public eye and relying on a “do-it-yourself” ethic that has become more the rule rather than the exception, Chuck D has been Remixing The Industry for more than a decade. After splitting with Def Jam Records in 1999, Public Enemy took to the internet to continue building their legacy. That legacy is set to be on display in all its revolutionary glory on October 15 with the release of Bring The Noise, The Hits, Vids, and Docs Box: Greatest Sites and Sounds (Chapter 2 1999-2009) box set. Spanning the entirety of the group’s post-Def Jam output, the box set will feature 3 CDs and 3 DVDs of Public Enemy tracks, videos, live performances, and a lot more.
Chuck has also compiled many of his solo songs and side projects in to Don’t Rhyme For The Sake of Riddlin’, his first solo release in 14 years. The band is also currently on the fifth leg of their “Tour of a Black Planet”, which is set to wrap on September 17 before heading to Europe in late October.
Known as fair and square throughout his years, he still growls at the livin’ foul. When we had a chance to talk on the phone on September 7, Chuck was as gracious as a host could be. But he’s still every bit the Rebel...and there’s no slowing down any time soon, much less taking a Pause.
Michael Melchor: You’ve recently released your first solo record in 14 years, Don’t Rhyme For The Sake of Riddlin’. What led to putting out another solo album? And it’s only available at digital outlets, is that correct?
Chuck D: Don’t Rhyme For The Sake of Riddlin’ isn’t so much a solo album, per se, as it is a solo project. A lot of projects like Confrontation Camp and Fine Arts Militia are included in this, as well as a lot of other work I’ve done in the last 10 years. I’ve recorded songs for ESPN [”Get Used To Me”, for a Muhammad Ali tribute] and done several others throughout the last 10 years; Don’t Rhyme For The Sake of Riddlin’ collects all that together. If this were to be a physical release, I probably wouldn’t have done it. We’re in an age where we can deliver now without the hindrance of the business side of things. As it is now, I tend to make songs one at a time. The album concept was beautiful back then, but music has been a singles-driven medium for the last 10 years. I see something happening in the world, I can write a song about it and have it out there almost instantly.
MM: Is the recent song you released about the Arizona Immigration Law, “Tear Down That Wall”, on it as well?
Chuck D: “Tear Down That Wall” is on it, as well as the remix done by Johnny Juice, an excellent DJ out of Atlanta.
MM: Excellent. What outlets can you get Don’t Rhyme For The Sake of Riddlin’ at?
Chuck D: You can get Don’t Rhyme For The Sake of Riddlin’ on iTunes and Amazon, as well as on the Urban Aggregator on TuneCore. We’ve always taken pride in paving new digital roads for distribution, as well as everything else. It started with PublicEnemy.com in 1998 and with our label, Slam Jamz, which was founded in 2001. Of course, there’s iTunes, Amazon, and things like that, as well as HipHopGods.com.
MM: I was actually going to ask you about the impetus behind that site and what led to its formation...
Chuck D: HipHopGods.com - where Classic Rap lives on to the break of dawn. We actually used Classic Rock radio as our model. It used to be - or still is - that you hear newer stuff on the radio, but there are still places you could hear your Meatloafs, your Bostons, Cheap Trick, artists like that. We took that format, gave Classic Rap a home, and turned that in to our own industry. For Hip-Hop, HipHopGods.com is now that medium where you can hear the classics. Programmers now won’t put a Salt & Pepa or Dana Dane next to, you know, Waka Flocka. So we created a place for that. We also now have SheMovement.com, which is a home for Classic female artists. That sort of thing is necessary for the existence of Rap. To make albums, songs, or videos, artists need a platform to be heard, and the internet is now that platform.
MM: I was going to bring that up as well; you talked about going online back in 1999 and talked even then like you knew this sort of thing was coming. Well, I have to say, you were right. [Laughs]
Chuck D: Well, audio and video files were inevitable. I don’t really take any credit for that, I just happened to pay attention to where the business was going. When I have a song or an album I want to get out there, there has to be a way to release it. I won’t beg anybody to put it out, so I had to figure out an avenue to release it myself. In figuring that out, we paved new roads. Of course, we kind of had to pave the road while were driving on it. [Laughs] But we’re at a point now where artists can record, distribute, and get paid from their bedrooms. You have to have a sense of what’s going on now to be able to do that. It’s an instant process; if somebody says something one day, you can write, record, and release an answer to it the next. This is the sort of thing that Bob Dylan would be proud of. [Laughs]
MM: Exactly. Now, as far as physical releases, there’s a Public Enemy box set about to be released as well, correct?
Chuck D: Yes, the box set is due on October 15; we’re taking pre-orders for it now. There will also be a digital component available later on that month as an add-on. The new video from it, ”Say It Like It Really Is”, is out now.
MM: And, on top of all that, you’re also currently on tour.
Chuck D: We’re going in to the fourth leg of our tour, which is the Southern part of the US. The fifth leg will cover parts of Europe, the sixth will be in South Africa, the seventh in Australia, and for the eighth, we’ll be hitting the West Coast of the US. We’ll probably hit over in Asia sometime next year, maybe in to 2012.
MM: Man, so you’re headed all over the world, basically.
Chuck D: Well, places like South Africa, we’re only hitting a few spots. We’re one of the few artists who understand how to rout the world on a tour like this. If the powers that be in the US would pay attention to something like that, that’s great. Otherwise, they become too shortsighted, thinking artists can just sit home and collect their money.
MM: You also now have a backing band with you, is that correct?
Chuck D: Yeah, we do - in fact, that’s their name - The baNNed. They consist of Brian Hardgroove on bass, Khari on guitar, and Mike on the drums. All of them, along with DJ Lord, comprise our rhythm section. We got the idea from playing with The Roots in Japan back in ‘99. We thought we needed some flexibility. Public Enemy is still myself, Flavor [Flav], Professor Griff and the S1Ws. With all of those components, we’re able to put on a unique show that stands up to - and even surpasses - what we did years ago. You can’t always do the same thing the same way you always did. It gets too restrictive. You have to move beyond just having a rapper and a DJ. We wouldn’t be on world tours now if this idea didn’t work out. [Laughs] We wouldn’t still be viable if we were still doing the same stuff we did 15 years ago. We’re not an “oldies” act - there’s nothing wrong with that, but we always covered new territory by having new ideas.
MM: The baNNed is also working on an album of of re-interpretations of the Nation of Millions album, is that correct?
Chuck D: Yeah, their record, It's Back to a Million of Us to Hold a Nation, is in the final stages now. We liked the idea of them taking something like that and making it new. The model works so well in the sense that it doesn’t have to work immediately. There’s no need to sell a million copies overnight, which is what a lot of cats get caught up in. If you can come to the people with your music and let them get it, they will.
MM: No need for the instant gratification that many feel they need and get gouged for, which is what a lot of our culture has turned in to.
Chuck D: Right. What’s the building you have there in Orlando? Isn’t that the Amway Arena?
MM: For the time being, yeah. They’re actually opening a brand new one - the Amway Center - real soon. I think it’s around the beginning of October it’s set to open.
Chuck D: Yeah, you pay $150 for a ticket to see somebody there, chances are you’re paying for the building. Big Daddy Kane, Run-DMC and guys like that, back then, charged $10 and when you came to see them perform, they gave you all they got. More artists now are stuck in an offstage “reality” and now giving much of a performance where it matters. You look at reality TV. Flavor Flav had his, sure, but at the end of the day, he’s still a musician. What does Kim Kardashian do? Sure, she’s on TV and she has an ass, but aside from that, what exactly does she do? The concept of people being famous just for being famous, I don’t get that at all.
MM: Well, now there’s been a pattern recently of artists getting booed off the stage - at least that happened to Smashing Pumpkins. They got off light, though; Tila Tequila and Guns N’ Roses had stuff thrown at them...
Chuck D: Didn’t Tila Tequila have shit thrown at her? Like, real, human shit?
MM: Yeah, she did. You bring up the idea of offstage reality and performers not delivering where it counts, I’m really starting to wonder if we’re seeing a backlash to that idea now.
Chuck D: With an economic recession and crazy ticket prices, PR now is at an all-time high. There’s no negotiation with the fans from any artists. When a fan says an artist is lazy, it’s just like in sports. It’s not like people can do better than what they see on the field, but people get mad at seeing an athlete or a performer just being lazy. It’s that laziness that pisses people off. Something has to differentiate the artist from the spectator. If you take the “awe” - and I know this is the incorrect spelling, but in a case like this, it has to be spelled this way - take the “awe” out of the audience and something has to give. The effort has to be put forth by the artist. Hip-Hop, at its core, is a performance art. That’s how it got started is people rapping for a crowd; all else came afterward. Once that effort is gone, what else is left? Public Enemy, in our shows, we plan on bringing the performance aspect to the front. We’ve never competed with any other artists or anything; our biggest competition is ourselves. We always say on the road, it’s “us against us”. Either you do the songs or the songs do you. [Laughs]
You can follow Chuck D on Twitter at MrChuckD (“I’ve recently become a ‘Twittidiot’ thanks to Johnny Juice,” Chuck laughs) and also e-mail him at chuckd@publicenemy.com. Be sure to visit PublicEnemy.com and the Slam Jamz label for all the latest on Public Enemy.
Article first published on BlogCritics as Say It Like It Really Is: An Interview With Chuck D
Chuck D rapped over 20 years ago about being a “Rebel Without A Pause”. In 2010, at age 50, he still means it.
Smartly staying out of the public eye and relying on a “do-it-yourself” ethic that has become more the rule rather than the exception, Chuck D has been Remixing The Industry for more than a decade. After splitting with Def Jam Records in 1999, Public Enemy took to the internet to continue building their legacy. That legacy is set to be on display in all its revolutionary glory on October 15 with the release of Bring The Noise, The Hits, Vids, and Docs Box: Greatest Sites and Sounds (Chapter 2 1999-2009) box set. Spanning the entirety of the group’s post-Def Jam output, the box set will feature 3 CDs and 3 DVDs of Public Enemy tracks, videos, live performances, and a lot more.
Chuck has also compiled many of his solo songs and side projects in to Don’t Rhyme For The Sake of Riddlin’, his first solo release in 14 years. The band is also currently on the fifth leg of their “Tour of a Black Planet”, which is set to wrap on September 17 before heading to Europe in late October.
Known as fair and square throughout his years, he still growls at the livin’ foul. When we had a chance to talk on the phone on September 7, Chuck was as gracious as a host could be. But he’s still every bit the Rebel...and there’s no slowing down any time soon, much less taking a Pause.
Michael Melchor: You’ve recently released your first solo record in 14 years, Don’t Rhyme For The Sake of Riddlin’. What led to putting out another solo album? And it’s only available at digital outlets, is that correct?
Chuck D: Don’t Rhyme For The Sake of Riddlin’ isn’t so much a solo album, per se, as it is a solo project. A lot of projects like Confrontation Camp and Fine Arts Militia are included in this, as well as a lot of other work I’ve done in the last 10 years. I’ve recorded songs for ESPN [”Get Used To Me”, for a Muhammad Ali tribute] and done several others throughout the last 10 years; Don’t Rhyme For The Sake of Riddlin’ collects all that together. If this were to be a physical release, I probably wouldn’t have done it. We’re in an age where we can deliver now without the hindrance of the business side of things. As it is now, I tend to make songs one at a time. The album concept was beautiful back then, but music has been a singles-driven medium for the last 10 years. I see something happening in the world, I can write a song about it and have it out there almost instantly.MM: Is the recent song you released about the Arizona Immigration Law, “Tear Down That Wall”, on it as well?
Chuck D: “Tear Down That Wall” is on it, as well as the remix done by Johnny Juice, an excellent DJ out of Atlanta.
MM: Excellent. What outlets can you get Don’t Rhyme For The Sake of Riddlin’ at?
Chuck D: You can get Don’t Rhyme For The Sake of Riddlin’ on iTunes and Amazon, as well as on the Urban Aggregator on TuneCore. We’ve always taken pride in paving new digital roads for distribution, as well as everything else. It started with PublicEnemy.com in 1998 and with our label, Slam Jamz, which was founded in 2001. Of course, there’s iTunes, Amazon, and things like that, as well as HipHopGods.com.
MM: I was actually going to ask you about the impetus behind that site and what led to its formation...
Chuck D: HipHopGods.com - where Classic Rap lives on to the break of dawn. We actually used Classic Rock radio as our model. It used to be - or still is - that you hear newer stuff on the radio, but there are still places you could hear your Meatloafs, your Bostons, Cheap Trick, artists like that. We took that format, gave Classic Rap a home, and turned that in to our own industry. For Hip-Hop, HipHopGods.com is now that medium where you can hear the classics. Programmers now won’t put a Salt & Pepa or Dana Dane next to, you know, Waka Flocka. So we created a place for that. We also now have SheMovement.com, which is a home for Classic female artists. That sort of thing is necessary for the existence of Rap. To make albums, songs, or videos, artists need a platform to be heard, and the internet is now that platform.
MM: I was going to bring that up as well; you talked about going online back in 1999 and talked even then like you knew this sort of thing was coming. Well, I have to say, you were right. [Laughs]
Chuck D: Well, audio and video files were inevitable. I don’t really take any credit for that, I just happened to pay attention to where the business was going. When I have a song or an album I want to get out there, there has to be a way to release it. I won’t beg anybody to put it out, so I had to figure out an avenue to release it myself. In figuring that out, we paved new roads. Of course, we kind of had to pave the road while were driving on it. [Laughs] But we’re at a point now where artists can record, distribute, and get paid from their bedrooms. You have to have a sense of what’s going on now to be able to do that. It’s an instant process; if somebody says something one day, you can write, record, and release an answer to it the next. This is the sort of thing that Bob Dylan would be proud of. [Laughs]
MM: Exactly. Now, as far as physical releases, there’s a Public Enemy box set about to be released as well, correct?
Chuck D: Yes, the box set is due on October 15; we’re taking pre-orders for it now. There will also be a digital component available later on that month as an add-on. The new video from it, ”Say It Like It Really Is”, is out now.
MM: And, on top of all that, you’re also currently on tour.
Chuck D: We’re going in to the fourth leg of our tour, which is the Southern part of the US. The fifth leg will cover parts of Europe, the sixth will be in South Africa, the seventh in Australia, and for the eighth, we’ll be hitting the West Coast of the US. We’ll probably hit over in Asia sometime next year, maybe in to 2012. MM: Man, so you’re headed all over the world, basically.
Chuck D: Well, places like South Africa, we’re only hitting a few spots. We’re one of the few artists who understand how to rout the world on a tour like this. If the powers that be in the US would pay attention to something like that, that’s great. Otherwise, they become too shortsighted, thinking artists can just sit home and collect their money.
MM: You also now have a backing band with you, is that correct?
Chuck D: Yeah, we do - in fact, that’s their name - The baNNed. They consist of Brian Hardgroove on bass, Khari on guitar, and Mike on the drums. All of them, along with DJ Lord, comprise our rhythm section. We got the idea from playing with The Roots in Japan back in ‘99. We thought we needed some flexibility. Public Enemy is still myself, Flavor [Flav], Professor Griff and the S1Ws. With all of those components, we’re able to put on a unique show that stands up to - and even surpasses - what we did years ago. You can’t always do the same thing the same way you always did. It gets too restrictive. You have to move beyond just having a rapper and a DJ. We wouldn’t be on world tours now if this idea didn’t work out. [Laughs] We wouldn’t still be viable if we were still doing the same stuff we did 15 years ago. We’re not an “oldies” act - there’s nothing wrong with that, but we always covered new territory by having new ideas.
MM: The baNNed is also working on an album of of re-interpretations of the Nation of Millions album, is that correct?
Chuck D: Yeah, their record, It's Back to a Million of Us to Hold a Nation, is in the final stages now. We liked the idea of them taking something like that and making it new. The model works so well in the sense that it doesn’t have to work immediately. There’s no need to sell a million copies overnight, which is what a lot of cats get caught up in. If you can come to the people with your music and let them get it, they will.
MM: No need for the instant gratification that many feel they need and get gouged for, which is what a lot of our culture has turned in to.
Chuck D: Right. What’s the building you have there in Orlando? Isn’t that the Amway Arena?
MM: For the time being, yeah. They’re actually opening a brand new one - the Amway Center - real soon. I think it’s around the beginning of October it’s set to open.
Chuck D: Yeah, you pay $150 for a ticket to see somebody there, chances are you’re paying for the building. Big Daddy Kane, Run-DMC and guys like that, back then, charged $10 and when you came to see them perform, they gave you all they got. More artists now are stuck in an offstage “reality” and now giving much of a performance where it matters. You look at reality TV. Flavor Flav had his, sure, but at the end of the day, he’s still a musician. What does Kim Kardashian do? Sure, she’s on TV and she has an ass, but aside from that, what exactly does she do? The concept of people being famous just for being famous, I don’t get that at all.
MM: Well, now there’s been a pattern recently of artists getting booed off the stage - at least that happened to Smashing Pumpkins. They got off light, though; Tila Tequila and Guns N’ Roses had stuff thrown at them...
Chuck D: Didn’t Tila Tequila have shit thrown at her? Like, real, human shit?
MM: Yeah, she did. You bring up the idea of offstage reality and performers not delivering where it counts, I’m really starting to wonder if we’re seeing a backlash to that idea now.
Chuck D: With an economic recession and crazy ticket prices, PR now is at an all-time high. There’s no negotiation with the fans from any artists. When a fan says an artist is lazy, it’s just like in sports. It’s not like people can do better than what they see on the field, but people get mad at seeing an athlete or a performer just being lazy. It’s that laziness that pisses people off. Something has to differentiate the artist from the spectator. If you take the “awe” - and I know this is the incorrect spelling, but in a case like this, it has to be spelled this way - take the “awe” out of the audience and something has to give. The effort has to be put forth by the artist. Hip-Hop, at its core, is a performance art. That’s how it got started is people rapping for a crowd; all else came afterward. Once that effort is gone, what else is left? Public Enemy, in our shows, we plan on bringing the performance aspect to the front. We’ve never competed with any other artists or anything; our biggest competition is ourselves. We always say on the road, it’s “us against us”. Either you do the songs or the songs do you. [Laughs]
You can follow Chuck D on Twitter at MrChuckD (“I’ve recently become a ‘Twittidiot’ thanks to Johnny Juice,” Chuck laughs) and also e-mail him at chuckd@publicenemy.com. Be sure to visit PublicEnemy.com and the Slam Jamz label for all the latest on Public Enemy.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Examining Anthrax: An interview with Charlie Benante - Orlando rock music | Examiner.com
Anthrax drummer Charlie Benante discusses the band’s turbulent past few years as well as their triumphant return. Plus: exclusive photos from the band's October 2 Orlando show!
...and a great time was had by all. (At least, while they played...)
...and a great time was had by all. (At least, while they played...)
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Michael Oeming takes on Left 4 Dead - Orlando Comic Books | Examiner.com
The artist of "Powers" and "The Mice Templar" goes after the Infected.
Having a BLAST with this Comic Book Examiner gig, I'm not gonna lie.
Oh, and that Facebook reorganization thing? Hit a snag, to say the least. I can't change the name of the page unless I delete it. Like a virgin on prom night, Facebook...thanks for nothing.
In the meantime, I at least updated the bio and still decided to make the page what I wanted - a landing pad for ALL my writings. (Or as many as I remember to post, anyway.) So, feel free to go enjoy. And thanks a million once again.
Having a BLAST with this Comic Book Examiner gig, I'm not gonna lie.
Oh, and that Facebook reorganization thing? Hit a snag, to say the least. I can't change the name of the page unless I delete it. Like a virgin on prom night, Facebook...thanks for nothing.
In the meantime, I at least updated the bio and still decided to make the page what I wanted - a landing pad for ALL my writings. (Or as many as I remember to post, anyway.) So, feel free to go enjoy. And thanks a million once again.
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