when the ICONIC NEW JERSEY METALCORE outfit THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN and their legendarily VOLATILE and UNPREDICTABLE live show decided to call it officially quits in 2017, pretty much everyone in the broader METAL scene was awaiting to hear what new projects followed suit shortly thereafter for the FORMER MEMBERS.  somewhat expectedly, GUITARIST BEN WEINMAN joined LONG BEACH CROSSOVER THRASH veterans SUICIDAL TENDENCIES, BASSIST LIAM WILSON joined the SWEDISH MELODIC DEATH METAL band IN FLAMES, and DRUMMER BILLY RYMER joined fellow NEW JERSEY PUNK RAP duo HO99O9.

against type and arguably most intriguingly, BALTIMORE-based FORMER THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN VOCALIST GREG PUCIATO joined forces with NEW ORLEANS-based MULTI-INSTRUMENTALIST, COMPOSER, PROGRAMMER and all around ELECTRONIC MUSIC WIZARD JOSH EUSTIS (TELEFON TEL AVIV, NINE INCH NAILS, PUSCIFER, BLACK LIGHT BURNS) to form the LOS ANGELES-based SYTHWAVE project THE BLACK QUEEN.  this project provides a new UNFAMILIAR SONIC CONTEXT and set expectations surrounding PUCIATO's EMOTIVE range as a SINGER.  whereas THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN found him matching and even force multiplying the CHAOTIC and MANIC nature of their SKITTISH and abrasively EVER-SHIFTING COMPOSITIONS, THE BLACK QUEEN presents a more DELIBERATE and somewhat TRADITIONAL attempt at MELODY over a LUSH bed of truly CAPTIVATING aural SOUNDSCAPES comprised of SYNTH PADS and other ELECTRONIC SONIC MANIPULATIONS. 

its truly COMPELLING to witness such a VOICE presented in an UNEXPECTED new light which makes THE BLACK QUEEN very much worth checking out.

parody by nacrowe

outside the genre and the TRUE BELIEVERS, METAL doesnt really get much respect.  thats probably due to the more CARTOONISH ASPECTS of some of its adherents and the THEATRICAL SHOCK TACTICS that the GENRE is stereotypically aligned with.  never mind that the same can be more or less be said about most GENRES from CLASSIC RHYTHM & BLUES (SCREAMIN' JAY HAWKINS) to FUNK (PARLIAMENT), CLASSIC ROCK (ALICE COOPER, KISS), PROGRESSIVE ROCK (GENESIS), PUNK ROCK (THE MISFITS) and POP PUNK (GREEN DAY, MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE).  for whatever reason, METAL gets lumped in as a GENRE not worthy of admiration or further investigation.  dont believe me, think of all the METAL bands not in the ROCK N ROLL HALL OF FAME who meet the basic criteria (albeit i acknowledge that this SAD institution is a PATHETIC last gasp for CULTURAL RELEVANCE by JANN WENNER and his OUTMODED ROLLING STONE publication).  here i'll help you out: MOTORHEAD, THIN LIZZY, SLAYER, WHITE ZOMBIE, RONNIE JAMES DIO, PANTERA, MOTLEY CRUE, SOUNDGARDEN, ANTHRAX, MEGADETH and IRON MAIDEN.

to my ears, POST METAL is very much about exploring the EMOTIVE POTENTIAL and EXTREME DYNAMICS embedded in the GENRE.  normally VOCALS are either NONEXISTENT or function more as another INSTRUMENT, almost embedded in the mix and not the central focus as found in TRADITIONAL ROCK N ROLL.  its cousin in POST ROCK is likewise unconcerned with SONGWRITING CLICHES or audience expectation and is more an INTROSPECTIVE, purely SONIC JOURNEY.  its INTRIGUING because i came to learn about POST METAL when seeing ISIS open for TOOL more than a decade ago with my brother.  TOOL is almost a GATEWAY DRUG band to the GENRE as they have play in CHALLENGING POLYRHYTHMIC TEMPOS with ODD KEY CHANGES and NONTRADITIONAL SONG STRUCTURES.  but at the end of the day they do write SONGS, just very SOPHISTICATED and highly IDIOSYNCRATIC ones.  bands like PELICAN, OLD MAN GLOOM, ISIS, A STORM OF LIGHT and RUSSIAN CIRCLES act more as GUIDES along a HARROWING and BRUTAL INSTRUMENTAL JOURNEY that is one step more OBLIQUE and obtusely CINEMATIC than TOOL, just in how the VOCALS function as COMMUNICATORS of PAIN and INTENSE emotion, not concepts.

i think for people, i call them IDIOTS, that dont appreciate the GENRE in general POST METAL provides another CONTEXT to appreciate the AURAL POWER, AGGRESSION and PSYCHO-EMOTIVE POTENTIAL of this UNIQUE EVOLUTION of ROCK N ROLL.  and i wouldnt have it any other way.

embedded below is a recent DEER GOD RADIO episode on nonprofit internet radio station MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC that includes a playlist celebrating POST METAL.  enjoy!

its an ABSOLUTE fool's errand to attempt to summarize the immense LASTING IMPACT that the LEGENDARY JAZZ singer BILLIE HOLIDAY has had on AMERICAN CULTURE writ large.  she is almost a FOLK HERO at this point, like PAUL BUNYAN, MOLLY PITCHER, DAVEY CROCKETT or JOHNNY APPLESEED, exemplifying both the strengths of our CULTURE and the DEEP FAULT-LINES of our COLLECTIVE IDENTITY as members of the BROADER AMERICAN COMMUNITY.  her INTENSE SUFFERING related to CHILDHOOD TRAUMA, SUBSTANCE ABUSE and SEXUAL VIOLENCE mirrors that of our own generationally UNCHECKED LEGACY regarding such TERRORS. 

arguably no record in her catalogue best represents the DAMAGE done by a HARD-FOUGHT and HARD-LIVED life full of STRUGGLE, PAIN and ultimately SURVIVAL than her PENULTIMATE recording session and FINAL release LADY IN SATIN (COLUMBIA, 1958).  on tracks such as "I GET ALONG WITHOUT YOU VERY WELL," "YOU'VE CHANGED" and "I'M A FOOL TO WANT YOU" you can hear how WITHERED and HOARSE her VOICE has been rendered, yet there is a STAGGERING BEAUTY and CONFIDENCE that shines through.  never a classically PURE VOICE with PERFECT ELOCUTION along the lines of contemporaries like ELLA FITZGERALD or SARAH VAUGHAN, with HOLIDAY her INSTRUMENT was more of an INTUITIVE INTERPRETER of song who could squeeze out every drop of EMOTION, and not in a forced PERFORMATIVE manner, but one informed by REAL PAIN and a sense of PERSONAL STRUGGLE.  she somehow INHABITED the songs and effectively TRANSFORMED them to her WILL, not just merely PERFORMING them. 

such was her GIFT and on LADY IN SATIN you very much feel in your bones that EXCRUCIATING FRICTION that her DIMINUTIVE frame was attempting to extract more from that DEEP well of PASSION, LIVED-EXPERIENCE and SHEER TALENT to increasingly DIMINISHING returns.  listening to that record you sense that you are witnessing an EXISTENTIAL BATTLE between one's SOUL and their BODY.  the closest analogue i can think of regarding this UNIQUE dynamic are the later HARRY NILSSON recordings like the JOHN LENNON collaboration PUSSY CATS (RCA, 1974) in which the former's VOICE is completely shot from years of ALCOHOL ABUSE.  his performance is likewise a showcase for the PHYSICAL TOLL HARD LIVING had ravaged on NILSSON's VOICE and ART, but not his INDOMITABLE SPIRIT.

i find LADY IN SATIN DIFFICULT to listen to because of how BEAUTIFUL it is and how COURAGEOUS she was to put herself out there, even in such a HAGGARD and DEBILITATED STATE.  its beyond TRAGIC that HOLIDAY only made it to 44.  i'd consider this album, like much of her catalogue, required listening and well worth checking out for the UNINITIATED and INITIATED alike.

photo manipulation & text by nacrowe

RENOWNED artist MAX GIMBLETT is an INTRIGUING NEW YORK CITY transplant from NEW ZEALAND who relies on INSTINCT and GESTURAL TECHNIQUE to create his highly EVOCATIVE, MINIMALIST, ABSTRACT PAINTINGS.  influenced by TRADITIONAL JAPANESE CALLIGRAPHY and ZEN BUDDHIST PRECEPTS, his work and more importantly his CREATIVE PROCESS is the result of BEING PRESENT in the CURRENT MOMENT and not being influenced by CONSCIOUS THOUGHT.  COMPOSITIONS are not random, but instead just arise from the ether onto the canvas as he quickly grunts and GESTURES his way through his PROCESS. 

from a WESTERN PERSPECTIVE it all appears a bit PERFORMATIVE and CONTRIVED, but given FOUNDATIONAL BUDDHIST CONCEPTS of NON-SELF and NON-ATTACHMENT, this EARNEST attempt at diminishing the role of the CONSCIOUS MIND in the PROCESS OF CREATION is WELL-GROUNDED.  the INTELLECT is something that humans trip over all the time, searching and positing meaning where none exists.  this is especially the case with ART and the critical appreciation of such.  with GIMBLETT his ART has no INTERNAL agenda or HIDDEN meaning, it just EXISTS.  its PROCESS of BEING was IMMEDIATE and its COMPOSITION the result of INSTINCTUAL, PRECONSCIOUS GESTURE yet its end result feels PERMANENT and SOLID.  its quite the contradiction. 

similar to that of MARK ROTHKO or FRANZ KLINE, his is art that is also meant to be experienced in person. both known for his TRADITIONAL sumi ink PAINTINGS and MULTI-COLORED MANDALAS as well as MULTI-LAYERED PALIMPSESTS on various canvas shapes, INTERNATIONAL recognition for GIMBLETT's work came after being part of an exhibit on the MODERN influence of ASIAN ART on AMERICAN ART at the GUGGENHEIM in 2009.

i found this BRIEF documentary, MAX GIMBLETT: ORIGINAL MIND (SPIRIT BOX, 2017), to be pretty REFRESHING as GIMBLETT's CREATIVE PROCESS makes sense on its own terms, yet confronts and undercuts that of the much considered and often OVERLY-INTELLECTUALIZED WESTERN TRADITION we are all indoctrinated under.  his WORK and PROCESS seems to harken back to a PURER STATE OF BEING where one just reacted IN-THE-MOMENT and created with UNADULTERATED INTENTION with no PRECONCIEVED GOAL or OUTCOME outside of TRUE EXPRESSION.  it makes me consider the similar INSTINCTUAL PROCESSES of ORNETTE COLEMAN and JACK KEROUAC who just went for it sans GUIDING PRINCIPLES or clear COMPOSITIONAL ELEMENTS.  ART just emerged.  definitely a COMPELLING conversation.

long the PROTOTYPICAL AFRICAN NOVEL included in COUNTLESS required stateside underclassman WORLD LITERATURE courses, THINGS FALL APART (WILLIAM HEINEMANN LTD, 1958) by the ICONIC NIGERIAN author CHINUA ACHEBE is a CLASSIC unto itself.  the PLOT revolves around the rise and fall of the FICTIONAL figure of OKONKWO, a preternaturally GIFTED, LOCAL clan leader in PRECOLONIAL IGBOLAND.

for those UNFAMILIAR with the WEST AFRICAN nation of NIGERIA, the BRITISH colonized such in the late 19th century after effectively seizing such by agreement from the PORTUGUESE who had been in the area dating back to the mid-15th century.  both sought the area for its RESOURCES in terms of PALM OIL, TIN, COTTON, COCOA and SLAVES.  NIGERIA gained its independence from the UNITED KINGDOM in 1960, two years after the publication of THINGS FALL APART.  in true BRITISH fashion, the departing colonizers combined three historically COMPETING tribes (YORUBA, HAUSA, IGBO) against each other in the VOLATILE formation of the nation which quickly resulted in the especially BLOODY BIAFRAN WAR after the IGBOs attempted secession in 1967.  the IGBOs ANCESTRAL HOMELAND is that of the SOUTHEASTERN COASTAL REGION of the country with BOUNTIFUL PETROLEUM RESERVES that have resulted NIGERIA with becoming a textbook example of the RESOURCE CURSE of developing nations with an economy dominated by a EFFECTIVE MONOCULTURE or reliance on a SINGLE COMMODITY.

all that being said, what made THINGS FALL APART an INTRIGUING NOVEL worthy of inclusion in the canon of WORLD LITERATURE was due to its structure.  ACHEBE was raised by PROTESTANT parents and thus was given a TRADITIONAL ANGLICAN education regarding the bible as well as the classics.  THINGS FALL APART is NOTABLE in that it combines the ORAL FOLK TRADITIONS of the IGBOs with the NARRATIVE STRUCTURE surrounding the TRAGIC HERO first provided by the ANCIENT GREEKS.  it is a STORY regarding COLONIZATION and the DESTRUCTIVE effects of such on SELF-IDENTITY told through the MEDIUM and NARRATIVE STRUCTURE of that very oppressor.  its pretty ingenious to criticize and take on those who formally subjugated you by taking on their PERSPECTIVE and TRADITIONS as the vehicle for such BARBED critiques.

back in my teaching days i would utilize this TEXT after presenting various GREEK plays as well as a SHAKESPEARE TRAGEDY or two (OTHELLO, HAMLET, MACBETH, etc.) for context and familiarity surrounding with the TRAGIC HERO FORM.  then THINGS FALL APART was where id complicate such.  i always felt it was a COMPELLING TEXT in that sense, especially when doing so overseas where my students were similarly caught between two or more cultures simultaneously.  NIGERIA itself is a nation of competing interests and peoples, a COMPLICATED and VOLATILE CONSTRUCT that only exists because the BRITISH created such pitting peoples against one another so that theyd be easier to manipulate from a far post-COLONIZATION (like with INDIA/PAKISTAN, ISRAEL/PALESTINE and so forth).  the short novel spurred debates and inspired discussions every time. 

i miss teaching THINGS FALL APART.  an INSPIRED NOVEL that is well-worth checking out and revisiting.  still RELEVANT as ever.

ive had the PRIVILEGED opportunity most of my life to be in circumstances that allowed me to experience UNIQUE CULTURES and witness RITUALS, PERSPECTIVES, HISTORIES, UNDERSTANDINGS and CUISINES ALIEN to my own.   i consider it one of the great blessings of my life and for much of it i had a camera.

when i was an INTERNATIONAL teacher often tasked with providing an elective, PHOTOGRAPHY was often at the top of my list followed by journalism.  in both instances i really enjoyed introducing my secondary STUDENTS to NOTABLE PHOTOGRAPHERS from around the WORLD and the VISIONS they introduced.

lately ive been revisiting the work of RENOWNED MEXICAN PHOTOGRAPHERS GRACIELA ITURBIDE and her often POETIC yet unblinkingly RAW DEPICTIONS of her NATIVE HOMELAND and its DIVERSE INHABITANTS.  there is a DISTINCT SENSITIVITY to her ARTISTIC AESTHETIC which often showcases the hardships of the daily lives of the DISPOSSESSED and the UNDERSERVED with a sense of COMPASSION and EMPATHY.  for these PEOPLE ILLNESS, HUNGER, POVERTY, FATIGUE and DEATH are COMMON companions and their PORTRAITS reveal such INTIMACY in a DIRECT MANNER.  when i look at ITURBIDE's PHOTOGRAPHS, especially those of REGULAR PEOPLE in UNASSUMING locales where they live, i recognize and access memories of PAST PEOPLE i met along the way who likewise lead DIFFICULT lives in seemingly insurmountably IMPOSSIBLE circumstances.  whether that be support STAFF at my former school in RURAL EASTERN VENEZUELA as the country was being decimated by hyperinflation or my FORMER LANDLORD in the COLD HINTERLANDS of NORTHERN ALBANIA, a POLICEMAN with an ADMIRABLE code of ethics in a CORRUPT region with anything but. 

in ITURBIDE's PHOTOGRAPHS i see a certain HUMBLE DIGNITY that can only arise from those whose FORGOTTEN, UNDERVALUED existences are lived and experienced at the edge of GLOBAL SOCIETY and at the BOTTOM END OF MATERIAL SUPPLY CHAINS.  i just find myself becoming transfixed and fascinated anew with who these PEOPLE are and how they go about their daily lives with opportunities and HARDSHIPS so DIFFERENT than my own.  to me that portal through the VEHICLE of PHOTOGRAPHY is the very essence of the MAGIC of that MEDIUM. 

and that was what i tried to instill in my FORMER STUDENTS.  an APPRECIATION for PERSPECTIVE outside of my own and that of my CULTURE.  its a process and a road i have been traveling down ever since.

of all the UNDERGROUND ROCK N ROLL bands that have made the IMPROBABLE jump to MAINSTREAM COMMERCIAL SUCCESS over the past few decades, arguably none has had more of a STYLISTIC evolution than that of AFI.  and that is not some disguised slight or passive aggressively barbed way of saying that somehow they are inauthentic or chasing trends, because THAT IS NOT THEM.  i feel strongly that their TRANSITION through HARDCORE, POST PUNK, GOTH ROCK, POWER POP, NEW WAVE and the like are just various aspects of their ARTISTIC AMBITIONS and COMPLEX identity as FOREMOST MUSIC FANS and AFICIONADOS. DIFFERENT EXPRESSIONS of the same truth if you will.  and each record they have seemed to grow in CONFIDENCE and a willingness to alienate their fanbase with further EXPLORATIONS outside their own comfort zone and/or audience expectations.  at this point in their career almost three decades in, the EXPECTATION now is a TRANSFORMED and uniquely REINVIGORATED SOUND each cycle.

but in the pre-BLACK SALES IN THE SUNSET (NITRO, 1999) era of the band, that is to say back when they were on DEXTER HOLLAND's (of OFFSPRING fame) indie label NITRO RECORDS and guitarist JADE PUGET was not an auxiliary studio PRESENCE and not yet a member, the band went through some GROWING PAINS.  in fact, those three early series of albums recorded for NITRO when the band were in their late teens and early 20s showcase a PASSIONATE band with their STRAIGHTFORWARD HARDCORE roots playing to their influences and not necessarily expanding much from them.  none more so than on their third record SHUT YOUR MOUTH AND OPEN YOUR EYES (NITRO, 1997), which suffers from a lack of DIVERSITY in SONGWRITING and INSPIRATION.  what it does have in spades on tracks like "THREE REASONS," "A SINGLE SECOND," "LOWER YOUR HEAD AND TAKE IT IN THE BODY," and "THE DEVIL LOVES YOU" is an UNCEASING PASSION via DYNAMIC frontman DAVEY HAVOK and rolling PUNK ROCK rhythms that would be familiar to anyone with even a PASSING KNOWLEDGE of NOFX, BAD RELIGION, SNAPCASE, REFUSED and so on.  it is a perfectly ADEQUATE HARDCORE-inspired album for the period and its DERIVATIVENESS is part of the APPEAL. 

once PUGET became a full-time band member and, more critically, the second half of an INSPIRED SONGWRITING partnership with HAVOK, the band would pay immediate dividends on its subsequent release BLACK SALES IN THE SUNSET and its likeminded follow-ups THE ART OF DROWNING (NITRO, 2000), SING THE SORROW (NITRO, 2003) and DECEMBERUNDERGROUND (INTERSCOPE, 2006).  those records set the template for the rest of a career UNDAUNTED by EXPERIMENTATION and genre-hopping that showcased their LOVE of all things THE CURE, BAUHAUS, THE SISTERS OF MERCY and JOY DIVISION amongst so much more.

would i recommend the SHUT YOUR MOUTH AND OPEN YOUR EYES album? probably not, but i have nothing against those early records.  to me they are just a CURIOSITY regarding the early DEVELOPMENTAL efforts of what would become a truly PROMINENT CULTURAL FORCE that had not as of yet found its NICHE or GROOVE yet.  it is the sound of a band still searching, which can be INTRIGUING but not something i necessarily return to very often.

as happens a fair amount on this website, i discovered a NEW BAND via the ongoing series of DEER GOD RADIO programs dedicated to specific INFLUENTIAL record labels.  in this case being the BROOKLYN-based INDIE ROCK BAND CAVEMAN on the INDEPENDENT FAT POSSUM label.  what immediately struck me about the BAND was the LAIDBACK SONGWRITING AESTHETIC and WARM VOCALS of one MATTHEW IWANUSA.  sometimes these sunny UPBEAT INDIE POP songs were buttressed by EMOTIVE SYNTH PADS and other times supported with TASTEFULLY-HARMONIZED BACKUP VOCALS a la THE BEACH BOYS, either way their songs are WELL-CRAFTED and benefit from repeat listens.

in short, the BRIEF CAVEMAN catalogue is most definitely worth checking out.

photo & text by nacrowe

in business school i recently became aware of the TELECOMMUNICATIONS ACT OF 1996 that effectively lowered (if not eviscerated) the barriers of entry for corporate consolidation of RADIO STATIONS across the country.  beforehand owners were limited by REGION and the NUMBER (6) of STATIONS that they were allowed to own and operate.  post-legislation, CLEAR CHANNEL (now rebranded as IHEARTMEDIA) and CUMULUS own the majority of STATIONS and control their PLAYLISTS at a NATIONAL level.  pre-legislation there were by design numerous REGIONAL PROGRAM DIRECTORS that were incentivized to seek out NEW SOUNDS by THEN-UNKNOWN ARTISTS that would excite their audience.  doing so raised the prestige of the STATION as a RELEVANT CULTURAL MOVER.

all of this is to say that those INDIE ROCK bands of the early 2000s that were involved in what was deemed at the time a ROCK REVIVAL were the first ROCK N ROLL CULTURAL MOVEMENT (i feel HIP HOP had long since done such first) to bypass COMMERCIAL RADIO entirely.  yes THE STROKES, VAMPIRE WEEKEND, THE YEAH YEAH YEAHS, MGMT, THE WHITE STRIPES, FRANZ FERDINAND and INTERPOL made it onto the regular rotation of LEGACY ALTERNATIVE ROCK stations at the time, but most of the more EXPERIMENTAL ACTS like TV ON THE RADIO, THE LIBERTINES, GRIZZLY BEAR, ANIMAL COLLECTIVE, LCD SOUNDSYSTEM, ARCADE FIRE, LIARS and THE ARCTIC MONKEYS were creatures of the INTERNET.  in fact, all of these BANDS got their break via the NEW GATEKEEPERS in town, i.e. INDEPENDENT JOURNALISTS and CRITICS at then RECENTLY-ESTABLISHED MUSIC WEBSITES like PITCHFORK, THE FADER, BROOKLYN VEGAN and STEREOGUM.

the fact that i am the last generation to remember a time when the radio was a FRUITFUL vehicle for discovering NEW SOUNDS still confounds me.  at this point almost thirty years after the TELECOMMUNICATIONS ACT OF 1996, i have not listened to TERRESTRIAL RADIO in more than a decade.  even when i am driving, INDIVIDUALIZED SPOTIFY PLAYLISTS and SPECIALIZED PODCASTS have taken the place of FM STATIONS.  even NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO has their major shows posted concurrently on STREAMING PLATFORMS.  the RADIO is a DEADER THAN DEAD MEDIUM and when i think of QUIRKY and UNIQUE BANDS like THE WHITE STRIPES and THE YEAH YEAH YEAHS that somehow, however UNLIKELY, made an impact on the MAINSTREAM CULTURE, i think of the INCREDIBLE POWER and INFLUENCE of the INTERNET, not the RADIO.

you cant help but wonder what the landscape of TERRESTRIAL RADUI would have looked like had consolidation never occurred.  all those REGIONAL PROGRAM DIRECTORS fighting a FIERCE but ultimately COLLEGIAL battle for POWER and INFLUENCE by discovering and promoting promising EMERGING ARTISTS were effectively replaced by one SUIT in NYC.  had that system survived my guess is that the NEW INTERNET VANGUARD may have been a welcome partner in that hunt for NEW SOUNDS and NEW ARTISTS.  the whole ECOSYSTEM may have provided more opportunity at a SMALLER, albeit more SUSTAINABLE but less financially ADVANTAGEOUS scale.

instead corporate profits won.  as listeners we lost.  as consumers we lost.  CAPITALISM WON.

embedded below is a recent DEER GOD RADIO episode on nonprofit internet radio station MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC that includes a playlist celebrating the so-called ROCK REVIVAL bands of the early 2000s.  enjoy!

CYPRESS HILL's sophomore release BLACK SUNDAY (COLUMBIA, 1993) was a MASSIVE record for me and my friends during my middle school years living in NIGERIA during what was effectively a VIOLENT MILITARY DICTATORSHIP.  while it dealt with similar SOCIAL ISSUES surrounding URBAN GANG LIFE and INNER-CITY WARFARE, which made sense given that their frontman B-REAL was a FORMER CRIP, this record expanded their public ON-STAGE ADVOCACY to include CANNABIS LEGALIZATION.  this SPECIFIC CAUSE in time would become wholly SYNONYMOUS with and CENTRAL to the group's PUBLIC PERSONA, much like BOB MARLEY and WILLIE NELSON before them.  along with TEMPLES OF BOOM (COLUMBIA, 1995) to a lesser extent, BLACK SUNDAY is my all-time FAVORITE CYPRESS HILL release given the HERCULEAN step forward in terms of PRODUCTION by DJ MUGGS, who created an IMPRESSIONISTIC and ATMOSPHERIC yet HARD-HITTING SONIC AESTHETIC that was incredibly INNOVATIVE at the time, as well as the much IMPROVED LYRICAL SOPHISTICATION and VOCAL INTERPLAY between both B-REAL and SEN DOG who even opted for LEVITY and HUMOR at times of PEAK BLEAKNESS on BLACK SUNDAY.

not surprisingly, my FAVORITE tracks are the HIGH-ENERGY ones dealing with GANG LIFE like "LICK A SHOT," "A TO THE K," "I AIN'T GOIN' OUT LIKE THAT," "BREAK 'EM OFF SOME," "COCK THE HAMMER" and of course the crowd favorite "INSANE IN THE BRAIN."  those tracks all have a DISTINCT sense of MELODY and PUNCHY PERCUSSION that just snaps with such conviction that is married seamlessly with the B-REAL's higher register tales of SURVIVAL while SEN DOG and his BARITONE deliver brings it all back to STREET-LEVEL.  CYPRESS HILL never sounded as DYNAMIC and COMPELLING as on these handful of tracks in my estimation.  they are the SINGULAR reason i fell in love with the group as a teenager.  this leaves the more sonically SUBDUED but no less IMPASSIONED paeans to MARIJUANA in "LEGALIZE IT," "HITS FROM THE BONG" and "I WANNA GET HIGH." 

funny thing is that back in middle school i had a LEBANESE friend that played "HITS FROM THE BONG" so often at school, in his car and at home that it is the first RAP SONG i memorized in its entirety, irregardless of the fact that i did not SMOKE WEED then or now.  just saying.  CATCHY song no doubt.  with NATIONWIDE LEGALIZATION efforts over the last couple of years blunting (pun intended) the once HARSH PUBLIC PERCEPTION concerning RECREATIONAL DRUG USE of THC and its associated NON-PSYCHOACTIVE CBD compound, it may be harder to understand what a STRIDENT POLITICAL STATEMENT this was back in 1993.  especially with regards to CALIFORNIA's three strike laws and the THEN-ONGOING WAR ON DRUGS, which was really a WAR on MINORITIES, THE DISPOSSESSED and the POLITICALLY UNCONNECTED.  time would prove CYPRESS HILL absolutely correct regarding this issue of CANNABIS LEGALIZATION.

and thank god for them taking a stand and being part of the CULTURAL VANGUARD set squarely against the SENSELESS INCARCERATION of urban MINORITY YOUTH over several generations.  i know CLUELESS WHITE PEOPLE that took ADVOCACY as a joke, but it was absolutely deadly SERIOUS.  still very much is an ACTIVE ISSUE with the way the SUPREME COURT is currently constituted and the IMMINENT and likely EXISTENTIAL THREAT of a TRUMP second term on the horizon.

regardless, BLACK SUNDAY is an ESSENTIAL HIP HOP record.  end stop.

for DETROIT LIONS FANS there has always been a SORE point of CONTENTION with how BARRY SANDERS ended his career at his peak, retiring seemingly out of nowhere by fax before what would have been his 11th season and 1,457 yards short of the ALL-TIME CAREER RUSHING RECORD to FOOTBALL icon WALTER PAYTON.  SOFT-SPOKEN and MILD-MANNERED to a fault, SANDERS always let his playing do the talking.  and what comes across in spades in the recent BYE BYE BARRY (AMAZON PRIME, 2023) documentary, is the SUPREME IRONY that the ULTIMATE team player, who cared so little for padding PERSONAL STATS or INDIVIDUAL ACCOLADES, was granted none of that same COMMITMENT or RECIPROCATED TRUST from his team superiors who arguably mismanaged and wasted the career of one of the GREATEST RUNNING BACKS of his or any generation.

​from his youth SANDERS had a MILD TEMPERAMENT with an absolutely UNBRIDLED COMPETITIVE STREAK.  in the film you are led to believe that such was due to his BRAGGADOCIOS FATHER WILLIAM who seemingly had an OVERWHELMING and DOMINATING PRESENCE, always with an a SELF-CONGRATULATING quip that somehow was more about himself than his SON.  but that first impression was a red herring in that WILLIAM absolutely adored his SON as well as his nine other CHILDREN and relished that the TRANSMISSION of his WORKING-CLASS, HARD-WORKING ETHICS found FERTILE ground in that of SANDERS.  for that his SON effectively idolized him.  you get the feeling that throughout his FOOTBALL career the MASS ADORATION never phased SANDERS or altered his PERSPECTIVE or BEHAVIOR since deep down he knew that the LOVE of his PARENTS and FAMILY was UNCONDITIONAL and resolutely bedrock to his sense of IDENTITY. 

thus he didnt CELEBRATE after TOUCHDOWNS and SUPERHUMAN feats of AGILITY making LINEBACKERS and SAFETIES look SILLY in the process.  he just handed the ball to the referee.  NO DANCING.  NO SHENANIGANS.  NO BULLSHIT.

it means that he was embarrassed to receive the HEISMAN TROPHY his junior year with one of the ALL-TIME GREAT RUSHING SEASONS while at OKLAHOMA STATE.  it means that when he was done playing he was done playing and there would be NO FANFARE OR GRAND GESTURES.  he came from his FAMILY in KANSAS and to his FAMILY he would return.

it is entirely REFRESHING to revisit the figure of BARRY SANDERS and his impact on the city of DETROIT, which is somewhat on the upswing in recent years with the RESURGENT RELEVANCE of the LIONS under current head coach DAN CAMPBELL.  like SANDERS, that team is not FLASHY but built on a combination of BRUTE ATHLETICISM, SKILL and GRACE.  SANDERS gave everything during his time with the LIONS and it is nice to see this chapter closed as the team realistically seeks its first championship since 1957.  by opening up you get the feeling that SANDERS is finally letting the LIONS RABID FANBASE into the fold of what is effectively his EXTENDED FAMILY.  his LOYALTY and DEDICATION the people of DETROIT recognize and aspire to in themselves.

you get the feeling that some LEGACIES built on CHARACTER and LOYALTY stretch far beyond RECORDS or TITLES.  here is assuming that when the LIONS finally do clinch a chip SANDERS GREATNESS and place in DETROIT LORE will not be diminished one iota.  he is their very EMBODIEMENT.

INTERPLANETARY COLONIES, NURSE CLONES and SPACE PIRATES?  QUEENS cartoonist KATIE SKELLY in her debut offering NURSE NURSE (SPARKPLUG, 2012) seemingly has all that covered and more in an OPAQUE but thoroughly ENTERTAINING SCIENCE FICTION NARRATIVE about an INQUISITIVE, WELL-INTENTIONED and SELF-SACRIFICING NURSE named GEMMA who is thrown into a MAD ADVENTURE as she INNOCENTLY goes about her duties on VENUS battling a MYSTERIOUS SPACE VIRUS. 

right off the jump this GRAPHIC NOVEL had MAJOR BARBARELLA (PARAMOUNT, 1968) vibes with its EPISODIC PLOT STRUCTURE and LOVABLE INCOHERENCE.  it very much felt like SKELLY intentioned us to enjoy the ride and admire the PSYCHEDELIC DEPICTIONS of FAR-OUT, FUTURE worlds, space travel and INTERPLANETARY COLONIES than get to mired down in the PLOT or deeper meanings.  GEMMA, a NURSE straight out of school, is thrown into a vortex of CHARACTERS and SITUATIONS that confront and challenge her sense of SELF-IDENTITY and PURPOSE, but ultimately when such gets too HEAVY she outsmarts her adversaries and finds DELIGHT in being in the moment. 

no TRAUMA.  no deep-seated MOTIVATION.  no WISDOM gained.

its almost like an EPISODE of SEINFELD (NBC, 1989-1998) or IT'S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA (FXP, 2005-present) in the sense that the EPISODIC nature of SITCOM TELEVISION PROGRAMS has each segment a SELF-CONTAINED NARRATIVE world unto itself.  this way they can be scheduled interchangeably with no CONFUSION to the viewer.  i almost feel like GEMMA and her ADVENTURES functioned in a SIMILAR fashion.  yes the space pirates reoccur a few times, but their reoccurrence doesnt elicit any DEEP-SEATED FEAR, ANGER or TRAUMA in GEMMA, more as a  PLAUSIBLE VEHICLE or PLOT DEVICE to alter the SETTING.

my FAVORITE thing about this GRAPHIC NOVEL are the EMOTIVE, SIMPLY DRAWN ILLUSTRATIONS that to my eyes had a DISTINCT PETER MAX feel to them.  in that sense there is an almost CHILD-LIKE AMORALITY to them, as if GEMMA's EXPERIENCES are almost DREAM-LIKE and SURREAL, which is not far from the VAGUENESS and IMPRESSIONISTIC manner in which the NARRATIVE unfolds and concludes.

i definitely enjoyed the INVENTIVE RIDICULOUSNESS that was NURSE NURSE and look forward to seeking out other SKELLY titles in the FUTURE.  definitely worth checking out.

ive long been fascinated by SKATEBOARDS on an AESTHETIC level.  just the look, feel and sheer diversity of the GRAPHICS and the COMMUNITIES they REPRESENT and SERVICE.  now that i am in BUSINESS SCHOOL ive also taken in an interest in the form just on purely MARKETING level, in which companies are basically manufacturing and selling a PRODUCT that is easily substituted in terms of FUNCTIONALITY but differentiate such based on ARTWORK.

CREATURE SKATEBOARDS is a product line of NHS, INC., a CALIFORNIA-based company that DEVELOPS, MANUFACTURES, MARKETS and DISTRIBUTES several lines related to ACTION SPORTS (i.e. SKATEBOARDING, SNOWBOARDING and MOUNTAIN BIKING) including the ICONIC sibling BRAND SANTA CRUZ SKATEBOARDS.  what differentiates the BRANDS from each other is largely the MARKETING and the ARTWORK, as the PRODUCTS themselves are virtually IDENTICAL in terms of SPEC and FUNCTIONAL UTILITY.  SANTA CRUZ is consciously geared more towards a MARKET SEGMENT that appreciates the LAIDBACK, SUNNY CALIFORNIA lifestyle with the CLASSIC GRAPHICS by the likes of the draftsman-trained and wildly IMAGINATIVE JIM PHILLIPS leading the way.  CREATURE on the other hand is more geared towards the HESHER CROWD with GNARLY and VIVID DEPICTIONS of all things GORY, HORROR-BASED, DEBAUCHED, GOTHIC and UNSEEMLY by a whole host of ARTISTS over the years.

in their ongoing YOUTUBE series CREATURE PRESENTS, CREATURE goes behind-the-scenes regarding their ARTISTS who double in real-life as GRAPHIC DESIGNERS, PAINTERS, TATTOO ARTISTS and COMIC BOOK ILLUSTRATORS.  past episodes have focused on the CREATIVE WORK of JAY HOWELL, BEN VENOM, MAX SHERMAN, FLORIAN BERTMER, DYLAN GOLDBERGER, GEORGE CAMPIS, HENRY LEWIS, SPACE BAT KILLER and JOHNNY MATEU.  the variety of CREATIVE PROCESSES and INSPIRATION is quite STUNNING with each ARTIST taking the overall AESTHETIC of the BRAND in vastly different directions.  and yet it all feels COHESIVE from a MARKETING PERSPECTIVE in that you can immediately identify a CREATURE SKATEBOARD on a wall despite the diversity of subjects on display.  that sort of BRAND MANAGEMENT is something i think about in school constantly and NHS is one of those companies that come to mind who have been able to do such with seeming COMMERCIAL and ARTISTIC SUCCESS.

much like with other STELLAR 90s ALTERNATIVE ROCK acts like FAILURE, ELEVEN and MASTERS OF REALITY, the ILLINOIS band HUM was completely off my radar back when they were a CURRENT ENTITY.  i was in elementary school in SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA at the time of its release and the album was a half-year old by the time my family packed up and moved to NIGERIA.  i have zero memory of ever hearing them on the local highly-INFLUENTIAL radio station 106.7FM KROQ out of NEARBY LOS ANGELES during that time.

their COMMERCIAL APEX was the SINGLE "STARS" off of their third RELEASE and MAJOR LABEL DEBUT YOU'D PREFER AN ASTRONAUT (RCA, 1995).  undoubtedly this POST-HARDCORE ACT benefitted, like many other INDIE bands of the period, from the success of SEATTLE BANDS from earlier in the decade.  whereas many of those BANDS SOUND like DERIVATIVE clones of the usual suspects (NIRVANA, ALICE IN CHAINS, SOUNDGARDEN, MUDHONEY, PEARL JAM), HUM has both an EXPANSIVE and MUSCULAR SOUND that is arguably more informed by IMPRESSIONISTIC SHOEGAZE and DREAM POP BANDS than ALTERNATIVE ROCK.  in this context it makes absolute sense that the similarly SONICALLY-INDEBTED DEFTONES see HUM as a KEY INFLUENCE.

learning about HUM in the 2000s was INTRIGUING because there were such a host of PROMINENT BANDS at that point that utilized SPACE and DISSONANT TONES for emotively RICH TEXTURES and FUZZED-OUT bliss.  beyond DEFTONES there were EXPRESSIVE ACTS like GLASSJAW, INCUBUS, AT THE DRIVE-IN, CIRCA SURVIVE, BRING ME THE HORIZON, CAVE-IN and FAILURE that all shared a similar MUSICAL DNA that made YOU'D PREFER AN ASTRONAUT sound wholly CONTEMPORARY beyond ALTERNATIVE ROCK in POST-HARDCORE and even METALCORE contexts.

the UNFORTUNATE thing about this RECORD is that it is a bit of a CURIOSITY lost to TIME and SPACE.  it was only through the reflection of other later INDEBTED and more commercially SUCCESSFUL BANDS that i even knew of its very existence until long after the fact.  doesnt change the fact that is a FORMIDABLE release with strong DYNAMICALLY-CONSTRUCTED TRACKS beyond  "STARS" with the likes of "THE POD," "LITTLE DIPPER" and "I'D LIKE YOUR HAIR LONG" to boot. definitely worth checking out.

there is something about FOLK MUSIC that feels like a HIGH-WIRE ACT to me in that the MINIMAL FORMAT, being solely GUITAR and VOCALS, requires its participants to provide LYRICAL CONTENT that is worthy of its SPARSE ORCHESTRATION.  and it doesnt always pan out, with some looking FOOLISH and PEDANTIC, or worse, PATRONIZING.  what i love about the AUSTRALIAN SINGER-SONGWRITER ANGUS JOHN STONE, a.k.a. DOPE LEMON, is that his SOULFUL, CREATIVE OUTPUT is more about MOOD and VIBE then CLEVER lyrics.  i literally just play his STUFF in the car and just drift away, almost like listening to the RELAXED MELODIES of BEN HARPER or JACK JOHNSON rather than the more CONTENTIOUS SOCIAL and POLITICAL SCREEDS of BILLY BRAGG, PETE SEEGER or TOM MORELLO (of which all have their time and place).

i find DOPE LEMON to be a CAPTIVATING ACHIEVEMENT in how SIMPLE MELODIES and CHORD CHANGES have the POWER to transport us away from our current situation, like being stuck in traffic.  his MUSIC is definitely worth checking out.

parodies by nacrowe

im pretty AMBIVALENT towards PEARL JAM.

i was at work the other day and a coworker just went off on how much he HATED the group, which was really ODD to me since i never thought of them as the type of band to get particularly EXCITED about, positively or negatively.  they just kind meander there right in the doldrums of BORING ACCEPTABILITY.  my assumption was that this coworker wasnt enthused by their POLITICS (as ive heard a SIMILAR line of INSULTS hurled at BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN in the past) more than their MUSIC but i wasnt interested in diving deeper and learning anymore.  so you HATE PEARL JAM, huh?!  whats the next objective on the boss' docket for today...

my AMBIVALENCE is more COMPLICATED.  i was literally raised on PEARL JAM.  as ive mentioned before a few times, the first two RECORDS i ever received were SOUNDGARDEN's SUPERUNKNOWN (A&M, 1994) and PEARL JAM's VITALOGY (EPIC, 1993) sometime back in grade school in the mid-1990s not long after each came out.  as such, i adore those two RELEASES to this day.  not coincidentally, VITALOGY is my FAVORITE PEARL JAM RELEASE.  in retrospect it is an ODD album, arguably their most EXPERIMENTAL, that demarcates when EDDIE VEDDER's ASCENDENT POWER within the group reached something of an apex.  to me it still stands out for this reason apart from its NOSTALGIC hold on me.  my PROBLEM with most of their DISCOGRAPHY since is that it is all very expected.  nothing really stands out and to tell you the TRUTH i havent paid much attention to their OUTPUT post-BINAURAL (EPIC, 2000), pretty much FORMER SOUNDGARDEN drummer MATT CAMERON's entire run with the band over the past two plus decades.

i mean i get it.  most bands cant be THE FLAMING LIPS where shit gets WEIRDER and more AVANT-GARDE the longer it goes.  i just think RESPECTABILITY and DEPENDABILITY are ANATAHEMA to the SPIRIT of ROCK N ROLL.  or maybe that is the real goal, to see yourself amass a DIEHARD GRATEFUL DEAD-like cult following that will hang on your every word and gesture ad infinitum.  PEARL JAM in this sense just feels SAFE and plays literally to its audience.  while their peers have more or less come and gone, with the exception of MUDHONEY, MELVINS and ALICE IN CHAINS (kinda), they are the last of a generation of SIGNIFICANT SEATTLE ALTERNATIVE ROCK bands. 

im GLAD PEARL JAM are still around, dont get me wrong, i just dont think i'll ever see them in concert.  probably try to check out 311 instead if they are touring this summer, since they are perennially branching out and moving forward with their SOUND.  not stuck in what amounts to a CREATIVE RUT that their fans effectively demand of them.

embedded below is a recent DEER GOD RADIO episode on nonprofit internet radio station MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC that includes a playlist celebrating PEARL JAM.  enjoy!

the ROSS ROBINSON (KORN, GLASSJAW, THE CURE, AT THE DRIVE-IN, SLIPKNOT) produced ROOTS (ROADRUNNER, 1996) album by BRAZILIAN METAL icons SEPULTURA is one of those small handful of truly TRANSFORMATIONAL releases that permanently shifted SONIC EXPECTATIONS surrounding METAL thereafter.  it also marked the ABRUPT final collaboration between LONG-TIME SINGER-SONGWRITER MAX CAVALERA and the rest of the group, a PROLIFIC relationship that lasted twelve years and six studio albums.  despite all of its OUTLANDISH lyrical obsessions and somewhat BRUTISH RITUALS and PRESENTATION that attest to the contrary, sonically METAL in general is a rather CONSERVATIVE genre that PARTICIPANTS and AUDIENCES alike dont appreciate much EXPERIMENTATION or DEVIANCE from the ESTABLISHED FORMULA.  to my ears, ROOTS represents the (TEMPORARY) breakdown of those EXPECTATIONS and allowed for the introduction of truly OUTSIDE influences into the MIX.

SEPULTURA up until ROOTS was a rather traditional THRASH METAL band.  arguably what differentiated them from the crowd was MAX's INIMITABLE VOCALS which were DEEP, PASSIONATE and uncompromisingly BRUTAL, especially when buttressed by SPEED METAL guitars courtesy of ANDREAS KISSER and the UNRELENTING pummeling of a wall of TOM DRUMS by his preternaturally GIFTED brother, IGOR CAVALERA.  at their THRASH METAL peak, SEPULTURA on releases like CHAOS A.D. (ROADRUNNER, 1993), ARISE (ROADRUNNER, 1991) and BENEATH THE REMAINS (ROADRUNNER, 1989), arguably gave icons like SLAYER, EXODUS, MEGADETH, TESTAMENT and METALLICA a run for their money at the apex of their POWERS.  to understand the influence of ROOTS, is to comprehend what a REMARKABLE shift it was stylistically away from its preceding catalogue.

now people often point to KORN's eponymous debut album KORN (EPIC, 1994) as the harbinger of change in MODERN METAL, having sonically introduced and popularized SLOWER TEMPOS with more EXPERIMENTAL and heavily MODULATED DISSONANT TEXTURES, as well as a HIP HOP-influenced sense of GROOVE into the mix.  there is a case for such, plus ROSS ROBINSON produced both KORN and ROOTS and KORN frontman JONATHAN DAVIS guests on the later SEPULTURA track "LOOKAWAY."  i dont want to diminish the pioneering efforts of KORN, but SEPULTURA's record is on another level.  part of it is the incorporation of LATIN GROOVES and TEMPOS to the point that PERCUSSION is a DEFINING feature of the sound, not just the timekeeper for the guitars.  alongside the PROMINENT PERCUSSION are the COMMUNAL chants of the INDIGENOUS XAVANTE TRIBE from the BRAZILIAN interior that the band did field recordings with over a few days.  this overall TRIBAL AESTHETIC blended with METAL to form a new DYNAMIC and incredibly exciting HYBRID sound.  these group chants that coalesce into a mighty wall of SYNCOPATED RHYTHM encouraged new levels of AUDIENCE INTERACTION and GENERAL CRAZINESS in the pit.  around this period GROOVE METAL bands like WHITE ZOMBIE and PANTERA seemingly bridged such an AESTHETIC with that of TRADITIONAL THRASH METAL MUSICIANSHIP to create another much CELEBRATED sound for the ages.  ROOTS undoubtedly is in the MIX with all of that INNOVATION and as such is still heralded decades later as a SEMINAL record by a once MIGHTY band that seemingly imploded just as they were really getting started.

when SEPULTURA continued on sans-MAX, it did so along its previous TRADITIONAL THRASH METAL trajectory with MEDIOCRE commercial and critical success at best.  to my ears they sadly morphed into a sorry cover band of themselves.  for his part, MAX started SOULFLY which carries on the spirit of EXPERIMENTATION at the heart of ROOTS and has maintained his spot as an ICONIC elder statesman in the METAL COMMUNITY not unlike LEMMY KILMISTER, ROB HALFORD, RONNIE JAMES DIO and OZZY OSBOURNE before him.

for my part, my family moved to AFRICA in late 1995 when i was still in grade school and at spring break in 1996 we took a vacation to ITALY where between us, my brother and i acquired FAITH NO MORE's ANGEL DUST (REPRISE, 1992), RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE's EVIL EMPIRE (EPIC, 1996), TOOL's UNDERTOW (ZOO, 1993) and SEPULTURA's CHAOS A.D. and ROOTS albums on compact disc.  it remains one of the most CONSEQUENTIAL record hauls of my life since i remain very much a DEDICATED fan of all those bands well into adulthood.  when i think of ROME to this day, i can distinctly hear the key tracks "STRAIGHTHATE," "RATTAMAHATTA," "CUTHROAT," "ATTITUDE" and of course "ROOTS BLOOD ROOTS" as i was taking in all the history.  the two are INDISTINGUISHABLE from one another.  just such a VISCERAL, BRUTAL album with so much SWING and GROOVE. i was so looking forward to the follow-up and was just DEVASTATE when MAX left.  luckily his next project picked up the pieces and delivered according.

​ROOTS is an absolute ESSENTIAL METAL record.  required listening in my estimation.

i remember being at the recording studio with my cousin and these two RAPPERS from OZONE PARK in QUEENS when word got out that the EMERGING and CONTROVERSIAL SOUTH FLORIDA SOUNDCLOUD RAPPER XXXTENTACION had been SHOT and KILLED at nearby a motorcycle dealership that afternoon.  my cousin, who is a RECORDING ENGINEER, and i ran this studio in NEW YORK CITY and were on a break from a session when these two IDIOTS decided it was a bright idea to repost GRAPHIC footage they found online of the LATE RAPPER's CORPSE laying idle in his car seat.  promptly thereafter their INSTAGRAM account was suspended for OBVIOUS reasons, at least to most people.  the rest of my night was hearing them complain about not having access to their FOLLOWERS.

i knew who XXXTENTACION was but was not a fan of his MUSIC, nor most of the UP-AND-COMING so-called SOUNDCLOUD RAPPERS, who utilized the free music-sharing platform that had emerged a few years prior, including POST MALONE, LIL YACHTY, DENZEL CURRY, LIL UZI VERT, PLAYBOI CARTI, JUICE WRLD, 21 SAVAGE, LIL PUMP, TEKASHI 69, SMOKEPURRP, TRIPPIE REDD, SKI MASK THE SLUM GOD and  LIL PEEP.  all of these ARTSTS got their primary INITIAL EXPOSURE via SOUNDCLOUD before getting signed, much like a previous generation utilized MYSPACE or cassette tape demos another generation even prior.  what DIFFERENTIATED XXXTENTACION from the pack in the late 2010s was his NOTORIETY, having picked up multiple charges related to AGGRAVATED BATTERY OF A PREGNANT WOMAN, DOMESTIC BATTERY BY STRANGULATION, FALSE IMPRISONMENT and WITNESS TAMPERING while still in his teens.  at the time of his MURDER he was awaiting court appearances related to said charges.

the RECENT DOCUMENTARY LOOK AT ME: XXXTENTACION (FADER, 2022) is an effort by his FAMILY to provide a NUANCED, CLEAR-EYED, WARTS-AND-ALL portrayal of JAHSEH ONFROY.  to do so they involved all RELEVANT FAMILY MEMBERS, FRIENDS, ASSOCIATES, PRODUCERS, MANAGERS, ASSISTANTS and most importantly his FORMER GIRLFRIEND JENESIS SANCHEZ, who no doubt had her life SEVERELY negatively impacted by ONFROY.  the narrative itself is unsparingly BRUTAL, but you get the very REAL sense that the focus of the FILM is not in creating a hagiography of a BELOVED DECEASED MUSICIAN, but something HONEST that will begin the HEALING PROCESS for all involved and place his LEGACY on an AUTHENTIC footing here on forward.  the FILM also serves as an OUTREACH EFFORT for people in need of help to seek such out via PROFESSIONAL CHANNELS such as the NATIONAL DOMESTIC VIOLENCE HOTLINE (1-800-799 SAFE) and the NATIONAL ALLIANCE ON MENTAL ILLNESS (1-800-950-NAMI), and showcases said information multiple times throughout.

ONFROY was undoubtedly a TROUBLED kid.  and he was a child.  again, he DIED at age 20.  in the age of SOCIAL MEDIA he was able to adroitly market himself and his MUSIC through SHEER CHARISMA, TALENT, SHOCKING facial tattoos and a PROPENSITY for seemingly RANDOM VIOLENCE.  he saw his PERSONA as that of a VILLAIN and through the INSTAGRAM STORIES feature, was able to livestream INTENSE STREET FIGHTS and SAVAGE BEATINGS of supposed enemies live for his FANBASE.  he was part of a whole generation of YOUNG ARTISTS that came up as NATIVE USERS during the SOCIAL MEDIA era that went to EXTREME lengths to drive ATTENTION, any ATTENTION, in their direction.  as a supremely TALENTED, SELF-TAUGHT SONGWRITER who crossed genres at ease and organically developed a HARDCORE FANBASE that was admired from afar by the likes of everyone from A$AP ROCKY and KANYE WEST to J COLE and DIPLO.  it seems apparent that he drew from the PAIN and TRAUMA of a TROUBLED childhood with no DISCERNIBLE FATHER FIGURE, marked by his inability to CONTROL his emotions and having to literally fend for himself physically from an early age.  for ONFROY, his sense of MASCULINITY was unfortunately inextricably linked to his ability to INTIMIDATE and DOMINATE those around him, especially WOMEN. 

post-charges he finally received court ordered MUCH-NEEDED COUNSELING in the last year of his life and was on the beginning track of CORRECTING those THOUGHT PATTERNS and BEHAVIOR based on SEVERE TRAUMA and NEGLECT.  this did not include reconciling or admitting GUILT with how he treated SANCHEZ, his FORMER GIRLFRIEND, whom he mercilessly trolled and sicced his ONLINE FOLLOWERS on to the detriment of her PHYSICAL and MENTAL HEALTH.  one gets the feeling that would eventually come had he survived, or maybe such is WISHFUL THINKING.  at least on the part of the ONFROY FAMILY, this FILM in itself is an embrace of her story and her TRUTH and SUPPORT for her RECOVERY.  the whole narrative surrounding ONFROY is so SENSELESS and SELF-DEFEATING, even before his RANDOM DEATH which was prompted by him naively broadcasting his whereabouts on SOCIAL MEDIA sans security, which was exploited by OPPORTUNISTS.  you get the feeling that ONFROY was a BROKEN soul who made a continual series of POOR decision-making based on a deeply felt PAIN and irredeemable sense of SHAME.  it was this PURITY OF INTENTION and WELL OF EMPATHY through his MUSIC that ironically that connected him with his FORMER GIRLFRIEND as well as his extended audience.  the underbelly of such was also the root of his FURY and RAGE.

you also sense that had his time not run out and been given the OPPORTUNITY to enjoy being a father and supporting his new FAMILY, that his RECOVERY was part of that potential offering.  that he would be able to turn the page and MATURE as an INDIVIDUAL and become a deeply FLAWED yet RESPONSIBLE beacon of DIGNITY and REDEMPTION to his FANS.

just such a SAD, TRAGIC story for everyone involved.  but kudos to the ONFROY FAMILY and SANCHEZ for gifting the public their TRUTH.  such provides society the basis for any future debate regarding and XXXTENTACION his COMPLICATED CULTURAL LEGACY.

as musician MEMOIRS go, THE WOMEN IN ME (GALLERY, 2023) by AMERICAN POP CULTURE icon BRITNEY SPEARS has to be one of the most gut-wrenchingly BRUTAL SELF-NARRATIVE ACCOUNTS i have ever encountered.  it recounts a seemingly BOUNDLESS CAREER trajectory of global proportions from relative obscurity in RURAL LOUISIANA that is unthinkably matched in kind by a diabolically inverted LOSS over time of PERSONAL AGENCY and BODILY AUTONOMY.  at its core, this MEMOIR is about TRAUMA and what SPEARS went through to survive such.  it is all about AMERICA's ODD national OBSESSION with WOMEN'S BODIES and the PERVERSE need to control such.

and make no mistake it is an outright HARROWING ACCOUNT.

not that it matters, but i would like to be forthright with the fact that i am no fan of SPEARS' MUSIC or PUBLIC IMAGE.  when BUBBLEGUM POP took over in the late 1990s that was right when i was in high school and just loathed her and all her clones as CULTURAL and MUSICAL LIGHTWEIGHTS.  with SPEARS in particular i was always got the feeling in interviews that she was pretty NAIVE and at heart a PASSIVE people pleaser, unlike a peer like say MADONNA, MARIAH CAREY, PINK, BEYONCE or CHRISTINA AGUILERA, or much later LADY GAGA, RIHANNA, ARIANA GRANDE, HALSEY, TAYLOR SWIFT, MILEY CYRUS, DUA LIPA, KATY PERRY or CHARLI XCX who all seemed more in control of their ART and IMAGE.  all that being said, this BOOK presents a WARPED picture where the PASSIVE FRAILTIES of her PERSONALITY where used against her in an almost DEBAUCHED, CARNIVALESQUE manner by her FAMILY and handlers.  she has my COMPASSION and SYMPATHY despite the fact that i cant stand her MUSIC or what her RETROGRADE FEMINISM (as showcased in her MUSIC VIDEOS, LIVE PERFORMANCES, etc.) teaches YOUNG WOMEN about playing NICE with the BOYS and being OBSEQUIOUS to their rules.

and it all starts with her upbringing.

SPEARS sought out MUSIC and DANCE as an EXPRESSIVE means of channeling out the CONSTANT CHAOS in her house, being the DAUGHTER of a chronically OUT-OF-WORK ALCOHOLIC who was ABUSIVE to her MOTHER.  upon gaining traction in her early CAREER, both on BROADWAY and on TELEVISION, SPEARS was able to bridge this divide between worlds that appreciated her TALENTS and a FATHER that conditioned his LOVE and AFFECTION based on her ability to be a BREADWINNER.  the connections between her WARPED FAMILY DYNAMICS as a child actor and that of MICHAEL JACKSON are UNCANNY and just as TRAGIC.  eventually FAME and FORTUNE allowed her to pay off her father's debts back in LOUISIANA and provided houses, vehicles and a lifestyle hitherto UNATTAINABLE. 

in the process the FAMILY DYNAMIC shifted and this is the source of her later issues as the moment SPEARS showed PUBLIC WEAKNESS, her FAMILY basically leveraged PUBLIC OPINION and imprisoned her in a CONSERVATORSHIP that allowed them quite literally to PROFIT off her PAIN and SUFFERING for 13 long years.  the moment of WEAKNESS was her apparent ERRATIC behavior in response to POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION, being stalked by paparazzi 24-7 for years on end and the then-ongoing contested custody dispute with her EX-HUSBAND over her two young SONS. 

also that and the PUBLIC SHAMING she took by FORMER BOYFRIEND JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE who grossly and unfairly SLUT-SHAMED her with his debut hit "CRY ME A RIVER" and its SLANDEROUS associated MUSIC VIDEO.  aside from her FATHER, this MEMOIR really provides a NEW PERSPECTIVE on TIMBERLAKE and the MISOGYNY that is at the basis of his CAREER (the book doesnt even mention his IMPOTENT inability to chivalrously defend FORMER SUPER BOWL HALFTIME SHOW collaborator JANET JACKSON and her wardrobe malfunction EMBARRASSMENT).  tellingly, TIMBERLAKE has kept mum in the wake of the release of THE WOMEN IN ME. 

regardless, these pressures found her infamously lunging at a paparazzi's car with an umbrella with a SHAVED head (a sign of SELF-NEGATION and SELF-ERADICATION), acting out of SHEER DESPERATION.  i remember CONAN O'BRIEN bringing up that incident on his late night TALK SHOW and stating that there was nothing HUMOROUS about it, that this HUMAN BEING was obviously in a state of DEEP PAIN and DISTRESS and accordingly deserved our COLLECTIVE COMPASSION and SYMPATHY, not mockery (this example is one of the reasons i respect O'BRIEN).  as aforementioned, her FATHER utilized that change in her PUBLIC PERSONA to quarter her in a CONSERVATORSHIP that allowed him to profit off her labor for more than a decade.  he bugged her phone, her house, knew her whereabouts at all times, chose what she ate, when she worked out, when she went to the bathroom (literally), enforced 9PM bedtimes and had bodyguards monitoring her every move 24-7.  its almost STOCKHOLM SYNDROME-esque how SPEARS acquiesced to this situation for thirteen years, her justification in the book is that attentive OBEDIANCE to the status quo gained her access to her CHILDREN.  its just so SAD and SICKENING to think that her CHILDREN were used deliberately as leverage to exploit her LABOR.  by her FAMILY.  the closest ive seen to this level of INFANTILIZATION has been RONNE SPECTOR's absolutely INHUMANE and CRUEL TREATMENT at the hands of her PARANOID and DEMENTED EX-HUSBAND PHIL SPECTOR as detailed in BE MY BABY: HOW I SURVIVED MASCARA, MINISKIRTS AND MADNESS, OR MY LIFE AS A FABULOUS RONNETTE (HARMONY, 1990), in which she couldnt leave their LOS ANGELES mansion without supervision, but SPEARS' account is something else entirely.  it is practically straight out of MARGARET ATWOOD's RENOWNED DYSTOPIAN novel THE HANDMAID'S TALE (MCLELLAND AND STEWART, 1985). 

and i think this is the CENTRAL point.  there is something sadly uniquely AMERICAN about the PATRONIZING need to DOMINATE WOMEN'S BODIES.  SPEARS is literally the CASH COW being squeezed of every last drop of PROFIT from her PHYSICAL BODY through NEVER-ENDING TOURS and LAS VEGAS RESIDENCIES in which she has no CREATIVE or ARTISTIC CONTROL.  she is purely a DANCING MONKEY that her FAMILY trotted out to supplement their income in the most DEBASED and WRETCHED scheme i have ever heard of.  the idea that JUDICIAL SYSTEM sanctioned this ongoing situation for years on end is beyond APPALLING and TELLING of how as a SOCIETY we truly see WOMEN.  once their BODIES literally become UNAPPEALING to the MALE GAZE, their INNATE VALUE diminishes.  SPEARS saw this firsthand with her FAMILY when she went BALD, which only cemented the SUPERFICIAL conditionality of their LOVE and AFFECTION towards her.

just BRUTAL.  absolutely BRUTAL.  this MEMOIR is an INDICTMENT not only against the LITERAL PATRIARCHY (i.e. the MEN in her life who repeatedly traumatized her, from her FATHER, JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE, KEVIN FEDERLINE and so on), but also a SOCIETY that let this arrangement happen in the first place, snuffing out not only her VOICE but her BODILY AUTONOMY in the process.

i think everyone should read this MEMOIR.  THE WOMEN IN ME was unexpectedly one of the most POIGNANT and IMPACTFUL BOOKS i have read in recent years.

parody by nacrowe

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