it is not hyperbole that discovering APHEX TWIN's debut album SELECTED AMBIENT WORKS: 85-92 (R&S, 1992) was a SINGULAR and TRANSFORMATIVE experience that basically ALTERED and RE-CONTEXTUALIZED my EXPECTATIONS regarding music in general.  i believe for the longest time i was stuck in a rut of always expecting the TRADITIONAL SONG STRUCTURES and FAMILIAR SOUNDS a la BLUES-based ROCK N ROLL and all of its myriad of DERIVATIONS therein that i grew up on as a child, as EXEMPLIFIED by THE BEACH BOYS, BUDDY HOLLY and THE BEATLES.  living abroad in NIGERIA during my middle school years i discovered both FELA KUTI and HIP HOP, which was arguably the first crack in that wall.  then in high school i came across SONICALLY ADVENTUROUS TRIP HOP groups like MASSIVE ATTACK and PORTISHEAD as well as EXPERIMENTAL SHOEGAZE bands like SLOWDIVE, MY BLOODY VALENTINE and THE JESUS AND MARY CHAIN, which further EXPANDED my CONCEPTION of what music could be.  but i consider the dam fully being dismantled in college when i came across APHEX TWIN and specifically this early compilation.

that is not to say that APHEX TWIN came out of nowhere.  there is a proud TRADITION of AMBIENT MUSIC that utilizes DISCORDANT DRONING and NONTRADITIONAL SONG STRUCTURES going back to BRIAN ENO and postwar KRAUTROCK bands like HARMONIA, TANGERINE DREAM, CLUSTER and KRAFTWERK, and early 20th century FRENCH DADAIST COMPOSERS like ERIK SATIE.  but what caught my ear was just that OTHERWORLDLINESS of the those ALIEN SOUNDSCAPES immediately apparent on tracks like "XTAL," "THA," "AGEISPOLIS," "PULSWIDTH" and "HELIOSPHAN."  it was like being transported to another DIMENSION, but not in any CORNY, PSYCHEDELIC sort of manner.  more like the impossibly ANTISEPTIC CLEANLINESS of an EXTRATERRESTRIAL vessel with a REFINED future PLAYLIST instituted onboard that seemingly draws no PARALLELS or REFERENCES to anything remotely ORGANIC or EARTH-BASED.  i can remember in college getting so worked up over having to write term papers that i needed a way to ESCAPE myself and all that TENSION and ANXIETY i carried.  i found it particularly HELPFUL to just listen to SELECTED AMBIENT WORKS: 85-92 and completely zone out and REFRAME my EMOTIONAL HEADSPACE.  listening to that record helped me push away my SUPEREGO and just focus on writing and executing my IDEAS sans that NEVER-ENDING INNER-DIALOGUE and CONSTANT SELF-CRITICISM going on in my head.  on that level alone this record is MEANINGFUL and completely NOSTALGIC for me.

and i bring that up because sometimes when you hear FAMILIAR-SOUNDING music, your CONSCIOUS MIND cannot help but immediately parse out the PROCESS OF PRODUCTION involved in the manufacture of such.  at least i do when i hear a KILLER GUITAR RIFF or DRUM PATTERN.  but when you come across something completely ALIEN for the first time, like a COMPLEX FELA KUTI POLYRHYTHMIC GROOVE or a WARPED SOUL SAMPLE MORPHED and SKEWED beyond RECOGNITION on a MASSIVE ATTACK or THREE 6 MAFIA record, you entertain said COMPOSITION on a DIFFERENT level.  i'd argue an EMOTIONAL one.  that is what was so COMPELLING about APHEX TWIN for me, i literally had no clue how RICHARD DAVID JAMES came up with such intoxicatingly EXPANSIVE and distinctly UNFAMILIAR SOUNDSCAPES.  it was an experience where i explored a part of my PSYCHE that i didnt even know existed.  just REVELATORY and a complete REORDERING of my EXPECTATIONS regarding the EMOTIONAL CAPACITY and POTENTIAL of ELECTRONIC MUSIC in general.  some have compared APHEX TWIN to JIMI HENDRIX and i understand such on a VISCERAL level, just that THRILL of initially EXPERIENCING the UNKNOWN.

for me that is the legacy of APHEX TWIN and specifically their debut SELECTED AMBIENT WORKS: 85-92, which is an absolutely ESSENTIAL record for anyone interested in QUALITY music sans consideration of GENRE.  its just GREAT music.

in HIP HOP there is an absolute premium put on the VALUE of AUTHENTICITY.  arguably such is a DEFINING facet of what makes the GENRE and its POWERFUL POLITICAL and CULTURAL INTENT what it is.  but most of the time that pressure to COME CORRECT is about REPRESENTATION and how you relate to a COMMUNITY, not necessarily yourself.  its an absolutely INTRIGUING loophole that HIP HOP ARTISTS are expected to remain GENUINE in light of their HOOD, BLOCK, PROJECT, STREET, REGION or BORROUGH, but not necessarily to themselves as INDIVIDUALS.

the argument being made in the RECENT A MAN NAMED SCOTT (AMAZON MGM, 2021) documentary about the INFLUENTIAL CLEVELAND RAPPER SCOTT MESCUDI, a.k.a. KID CUDI, is that his MODES of EXPRESSION which are deeply PERSONAL and IDIOSYNCRATIC and represent a sort of GENRE-LESS PERSPECTIVE, has freed the genre from the emotionally and psychologically LIMITED box it constructed for itself.  rather than relying purely on BRAVADO and SWAGGER, his work is more concerned with his INTRINSIC HUMANNESS and the SELF-DOUBT and VULNERABILITY he feels beyond the CREATIVE PROCESS and into daily life.  almost to the point of SELF-MARTYRDOM.

and i think this film really excels when it focuses on the trajectory of his career and how such parlayed its way into his SENSE OF SELF and altered his INTIMATE relationships with COLLABORATORS, SIGNIFICANT OTHERS and FAMILY alike.  the fact that he turned to SELF-MEDICATION at certain points in his career and the DEEP SHAME and GUILT he felt which only exacerbated his sense of ISOLATION and DEPRESSION.  failing his FAMILY.  his FRIENDS.  his LABEL.  his COLLABORATORS.  his AUDIENCE.  when the film focuses on that it makes the albums and singles i associate with him make more EMOTIONAL sense, with their PSYCHEDELIC IMAGES and SOUNDSCAPES related to space exploration and the INFINITE void that is a metaphor for the UNKNOWABILITY of our own PSYCHE.

where this film lost me completely was in a lot of these PARTICIPANT INTERVIEWS.  not all of them, but it was a deeply FLAWED MISTAKE on the part of the director to allow JADEN and WILLOW SMITH opine about the NATURE of art and the responsibility of ARTISTS to their CRAFT.  nobody wants to hear that from them.  at all.  same with the choice to include KANYE WEST waxing poetic about BOXED-IN MINDSETS and that politics is the next frontier for artists to expand the public's CONSCIOUSNESS thereof.  to say that such was CRINGE-INDUCING is a severe understatement.  he seemed to be speaking more about himself than the subject of the documentary, which should surprise nobody as he is a MALIGNANT NARCISSIST.  i felt embarrassed for KID CUDI in spite of his OBVIOUS RELEVANCE to his professional career and their numerous MUTUAL COLLABORATIONS theyve maintained over the years.  people need to stop enabling that CONFIRMED ANTISEMITE and NAZI SYMPATHIZER with a platform.  this film included.  full stop.

not all of these PARTICIPANT INTERVIEWS were a waste however, with CONTEMPORARY PEERS like RAPPERS A$AP ROCKY, POLO G, LIL YACHTY and SCHOOLBOY Q adroitly attesting to the COURAGEOUSNESS and BOLDNESS of KID CUDI's artistic choices over the years, notwithstanding his influence on their own creative output.  LONG-TIME COLLABORATORS in PRODUCERS like DOT DA GENIUS, EMILE HAYNIE, PATRICK "PLAIN PAT" REYNOLDS, JEFF BHASKER and PHARRELL WILLIAMS attest to his IMPROVISATIONAL CREATIVE PROCESS which includes organically interacting and creating MELODIES on-the-spot with STILL-DEVELOPING RHYTHMS and CHORD CHANGES arising essentially from scratch.  even MANAGERS, EXECUTIVES, and ENTERTAINMENT PERSONALITIES like SYLVIA RHONE, DENNIS CUMMINGS,  NOAH CALLAHAN-BEVER and JOE LAPUMA provide INSIGHT into the sheer RADICAL NATURE of KID CUDI in a BROADER CULTURAL CONTEXT, both within and outside of HIP HOP.  other CREATIVES like ACTORS SHIA LEBEOUF and TIMOTHEE CHALAMET, as well as DESIGNER DON C elaborate on how his FEARLESS music positively shaped their own CREATIVE PROCESSES and expanded their EXPECTATIONS of HIP HOP in general.

for all of its HEAVY STYLIZATION and INEXPLICABLE, ARTISTIC VISUAL REPRESENTATION of KID CUDI's interviews utilizing dance choreography, THEATRICAL staging and JADEN SMITH (which came off hopelessly POMPOUS), this film was in bad need of SEVERE EDITING.  i dont know what kind of pressure the DIRECTOR was under to create something PROFOUND, but much of this documentary was OVER-BEARING and laughably SELF-IMPORTANT.  had nothing to do with KID CUDI as a subject or any of the points being made, but the PRESENTATION was unnecessarily GRANDIOSE and OSTENTATIOUS for such a discussion so intimately focuses on DELICATE issues surrounding the EMOTIONAL and PSYCHOLOGICAL PITFALLS of creating HONEST moments of TRUE INSULARITY and admitted lack of SELF-CONFIDENCE and broadcasting such VULNERABILITY to the WORLD. 

the TONE was completely off.

not sure if id recommend this film to anyone other than HARDCORE fans of KID CUDI who can wade through the FILLER, OVER-STYLIZATION and empty calories throughout this thoroughly COMPROMISED effort.

its DIFFICULT to verbalize the PROPER CONTEXT of the BEAT WRITER JACK KEROUAC's STREAM-OF-CONSCIOUSNESS COUNTERCULTURE NOVEL ON THE ROAD (VIKING, 1957) and its MASSIVE CULTURAL IMPACT on the COLLECTIVE AMERICAN PSYCHE and related sense of POSTWAR SELF-IDENTITY.  its ENDURING LEGACY far outweighs its LOOSE, SEMI-AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL NARRATIVE centered around two FICTIONAL BEATNIKS, SAL PARADISE and DEAN MORIARTY (based on KEROUAC himself and friend NEAL CASSADY), running around the CONTINENTAL UNITED STATES and their experiences therein.

in my opinion ON THE ROAD taps into this 19th century MINDSET of seeming LIMITLESS WESTWARD EXPANSION and MANIFEST DESTINY.  when it was written in 1951 the INTERSTATE HIGHWAY SYSTEM was not a thing and traveling nationwide by automobile meant going on MAKESHIFT roads through SMALL towns.  looking back there is a certain romance in this set of CIRCUMSTANCES since it offered the potential for random interactions along the way.  the UNITED STATES is so geographically vast and such a COLOSSAL piece of real estate that its easy to feel overwhelmed and even alienated by such.  there is no one AMERICA but lots of INTERRELATED regions with their own UNIQUE RITUALS, MORES, CUISINES, HISTORIES, VALUES and FOLKWAYS. 

​with ON THE ROAD, KEROUAC tapped into the urge to just venture out and experience the country in all of its COMPLEXITY and SPLENDOR with no plan or objective.  in fact, the NARRATIVE is DISTINCTIVE in that CHARACTERS come and go with no LASTING IMPACT or concocted MEANING or MORAL to their inclusion like RANDOM PASSENGERS on a JOURNEY that we, as READERS, are all likewise on as a CAPTIVE AUDIENCE.  and to me that sense of ARBITRARY INTERACTIONS and FLUIDITY is part and parcel to the experience of being ALIVE.  things just happen.  some of the CHARACTERS are based on FAMOUS BEAT WRITERS, like CARLO MARX (ALLEN GINSBERG) and OLD BULL LEE (WILLIAM S. BURROUGHS), but most arent. 

KEROUAC filled MULTIPLE JOURNALS of his travels around the country and apocryphally wrote the NOVEL in one sitting on one extended scroll (on a typewriter).  that (likely FALSE) STORY plays into the legend of the PURE AUTHENTICITY of the AUTHOR's SINGULAR VISION, where LITERARY NICETIES like THREE-PART NARRATIVE STRUCTURES, FORESHADOWING and ALLEGORY are done away with in order to just get the STORY out in all of its INCIDENTAL and UNPLANNED detail.  i am aware that some view this NOVEL, just based on its CONSTRUCTION as a COMPLETE ABOMINATION in much need of MAJOR EDITING and SERIOUS RETHINKING regarding MEANDERING PLOT LINES and NONESSENTIAL CHARACTERS. but arguably that is the point, its deviations from expectations surrounding FORM and GENRE allow it to function as a stand-in for REALITY, almost like a CINEMA VERITE film. 

LIFE doesnt follow LITERARY RULES, but often time MEMORY does.  i believe KEROUAC was attempting to bypass MEMORY and re-experience his travels as he did when he was actually living them out in REAL LIFE.  that is the experience of reading ON THE ROAD, and for generations of READERS since then, that OPEN "anything goes" MINDSET is how they envision their own SELF-NARRATIVE in CONTEXT. 

dont think.  just go.  experience LIFE.  such is what makes you truly MODERN and TRULY AMERICAN.  or so that is the LEGACY of this IDIOSYNCRATIC book.

kinda WEIRD to consider that such a journey would not have been remotely possible for AMERICANS of other RACES or GENDER back in the early 1950s.  goes to show the PERNICIOUS POWER of PRIVILEGE and PREJUDICE in how CULTURE is developed, defined, related and propagated in LITERATURE.

QUARTERBACK (NFL FILMS, 20023) is the first in an ongoing PEYTON MANNING-produced multi-episode NETFLIX miniseries franchise that follows a few NOTABLE NFL PLAYERS at a particular position throughout a SEASON, dealing with ADVERSITY in the form of ON-FIELD COMPETITION, INJURIES, industry EXPECTATIONS, FITNESS regimens, playbooks, CONDENSED schedules, diets and so on.  this inaugural SEASON followed three STARTING QUARTERBACKS in KIRK COUSINS (MINNESOTA VIKINGS), MARCUS MARIOTA (ATLANTA FALCONS) and PATRICK MAHOMES (KANSAS CITY CHIEFS) throughout the 2022-2023 SEASON. 

what is REMARKABLE is how different these three PLAYERS are, both in terms of LEADERSHIP and PERFORMANCE.  MAHOMES is an ABSOLUTE ALPHA DOG that speaks to his TEAMMATES, COACHING STAFF and COMPETITORS alike through his on-field CREATIVE INSTINCTS, INDOMITABLE WORK ETHIC and ABILITY TO FIGHT effectively through PAIN.  he is the type of TEAMMATE that you can see others willing to run through a brick wall for, just based on his ENERGY and COMMITMENT alone.  in comparison, COUSINS and MARIOTA are both more MILD-MANNERED, DELIBERATE and less OUTSPOKEN in their LEADERSHIP style.  as a QUARTERBACK, you are the de facto LEADER and its INTRIGUING how much BODY LANGUAGE during times of IMMENSE ADVERSITY on-field find the team  mimicking that of their QUARTERBACK.  during bad games with POOR PERFORMANCES, you can feel the DIMINISHED ENERGY and WITHDRAWN, BLANK faces of COUSINS' and MARIOTA's MINNESOTA and ATLANTA TEAMMATES respectively.  not so with MAHOMES, where his intense self-confidence leaves out hope even when the likeliness of such manifesting on-field is of an ever more REMOTE mathematical POSSIBILITY.

not all the INFORMATION presented about these ATHLETES is POSITIVE.  i could have gone without knowing how much of an EVANGELICAL CHRISTIAN COUSINS was, same with learning about MARIOTA's seeming UNFORTUNATE ADDICTION to the MCDONALD'S UNHEALTHY breakfast menu.  when he gets replaced by a ROOKIE midway through the SEASON, you cant help but consider that maybe his POOR diet was part of his issue (along with a seeming lack of COMPETITIVE DRIVE).  i feel like people are so used to ATHLETES like MICHAEL JORDAN and KOBE BRYANT who sought absolutely no stone unturned in seeking out a COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE that when you see a GIFTED ATHLETE that doesnt do such and admit it, such feels rather ODD and UNBECOMING in comparison. 

its like, what is the point? 

and that is when you sense that for some of these ATHLETES WINNING is the only OBJECTIVE and for others that are a little less COMMITTED, GENERATIONAL WEALTH is the MAIN MOTIVATOR.  when you see MAHOMES writhing in AGONY after INJURING HIS ANKLE repeatedly in MULTIPLE playoff games, only to lie and force his way back onto the field to win a SUPER BOWL do you get sense of the true PHYSICAL SACRIFICE needed to ensure VICTORY in the MODERN BLOODSPORT that is the NFL.  in MARIOTA and to a lesser degree COUSINS, you are witness to far less FANATICAL ADHERENTS to that FIERCE WARRIOR CODE.  despite what they say, they both seem satisfied in not WINNING, which is arguably a MATURE, BALANCED PERSPECTIVE to carry as a FUNCTIONING ADULT.  but FOOTBALL SUCCESS has nothing to with MATURITY and PROPER PERSPECTIVES, instead requiring a SINGULAR FOCUS and a MINDSET of WINNING at all cost, no matter the HARDSHIP, SACRIFICE or PHYSICAL TOLL. 

​MAHOMES embodies such, the other two not so much.  this is evidenced by the fact that MARIOTA lasted in PHILADELPHIA as a BACKUP QUARTERBACK for one SEASON, now he is with WASHINGTON.  likewise COUSINS is now in ATLANTA where the team  hedged their bets on a FIRST-ROUND QUARTERBACK should he falter.  only MAHOMES is still established as the face of the league coming off yet another SUPER BOWL championship, an HISTORIC third in five years.

BUSH were never exactly CULTURAL INNOVATORS, having been part of the POST-GRUNGE wave of ROCK N ROLL bands in the immediate aftermath of the SEATTLE ALTERNATIVE ROCK PHENOMENON.  in fact, their debut SIXTEEN STONE (INTERSCOPE, 1994) was so CONVINCING that it often gets confused for the REAL MCCOY in retrospect.  but in essence as often as they cited THE FALL, PIXIES and BIG BLACK as KEY INFLUENCES, it was obvious to everyone that NIRVANA was the template to their SOUND.  not that there is anything necessarily wrong with that, its just a statement of fact.

what is INTRIGUING is that by the time of their third release THE SCIENCE OF THINGS (INTERSCOPE, 1999), ALTERNATIVE ROCK had petered out and a new crop of more EXPERIMENTAL ROCK N ROLL bands had sprouted up in the interim.  ARTISTS like BJORK and TRICKY and groups like GARBAGE, SNEAKER PIMPS, REPUBLICA, THE PRODIGY and even RADIOHEAD had found differing means of incorporating distinctly ELECTRONIC ELEMENTS into an integrated MASSIVE HYBRID SOUND that acknowledged previous INNOVATIONS in HIP HOP, BIG BEAT, SHOEGAZE and TRIP HOP PRODUCTION. 

not to be OUTMODED, THE SCIENCE OF THINGS is BUSH's attempt at sounding MODERN by ditching the INDIE and ALTERNATIVE ROCK TEMPLATE of past efforts in SIXTEEN STONE and the STEVE ALBINI-produced RAZORBLADE SUITCASE (INTERSCOPE, 1996) and found them diving head first into blending ELECTRONICA ELEMENTS and TEXTURES into their SOUND.  probably the two most PROMINENT examples of such EXPERIMENTATION are the singles "THE CHEMICALS BETWEEN US" and "LET THE CABLES SLEEP" which utilize such as a sonic adornment and not necessarily a core STRUCTURAL ELEMENT for the COMPOSITION itself.  for both such feel SUPERFLUOUS whereas on a GARBAGE track like "PUSH IT" off of VERSION 2.0 (MUSHROOM, 1998), such are the meat and potatoes of the song itself.  with BUSH there was always a level of RAW CYNICISM and UNADULTERATED OPPORTUNISM with their approach that often got in the way of FRONTMAN GAVIN ROSSDALE's ABOVE-AVERAGE SONGWRITING chops.  the dude definitely knew his way around a hook no doubt.  but the manner in which BUSH continually hopped trends in order to stay culturally RELEVANT made them repeatedly come off as INAUTHENTIC and DESPERATE, and THE SCIENCE OF THINGS did nothing to combat that CRITICISM.  in fact, it only further confirmed such.

while in retrospect two decades later i would never state that this album, or any of their other releases, are ESSENTIAL, i would say that it is a perfectly presentable ELECTRONIC-minded ALTERNATIVE ROCK album from the late 90s.  a notch or two below some of its PEERS, but it is SERVICEABLE enough to be a harbinger of where the CULTURE was headed at the time of the millennium, presaging the WIDESPREAD EDM EXPLOSION that came just a few short years later.

as ive mentioned before, i was stuck in a suburb of SACRAMENTO with a RELATIVE my senior year of high school after being hastily relocated from my FAMILY (who were stationed in KUWAIT at the time) in the immediate aftermath of 9/11.  it was RIDICULOUS time.  i was totally convinced upon spending that time near SACRAMENTO that nothing of CULTURAL CONSEQUENCE ever came from that area, the lone exception being the DEFTONES (and perhaps CAKE... maybe).

and i was wrong.

in the intervening decades its become apparent that there was a hotbed of local TALENT of the EXPERIMENTAL and INNOVATIVE variety bubbling up during that exact period.  ARTISTS like CHELSEA WOLFE and BANDS like TERA MELOS, DEATH GRIPS and especially HELLA.

HELLA is a MATH ROCK band centered around GUITARIST SPENCER SEIM and DRUMMER ZACH HILL.  there have been various EXPANDED iterations of their lineup over the years, but SEIM and HILL are the CORE MEMBERS.  their music is so dizzyingly and mesmerizingly COMPLEX and AGILE with RAPID-FIRE TIME SIGNATURE changes, ODD PHRASING and IDIOSYNCRATIC SONG STRUCTURES that i almost liken it more to highly IMPROVISATIONAL, AVANT-GARDE JAZZ than anything else.  HILL in particular is arguably the GREATEST DRUMMER on the planet, as evidenced by any INCENDIARY video of their past LEGENDARY performances.  currently he is also a member of the likewise EXPERIMENTAL DEATH GRIPS and THE I.L.Y.'s.

definitely check out HELLA.  in advance, youre welcome.

parodies & text by nacrowe

i remember being in VENTURA back in the summer of 2001 with a CHILDHOOD FRIEND of mine going to WARPED TOUR with an absolutely LOADED ROSTER that included RANCID, THE VANDALS, FEAR, 311, PENNYWISE, AFI, NEW FOUND GLORY and THE BOUNCING SOULS.  at the time i had just finished my junior year of high school, which was TUMULTOUS to say the least given that such was my first full year in KUWAIT.  being at a music festival in SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA felt like an ABSOLUTE CULTURE SHOCK to me, just with the level of UNENCUMBERED EXPRESSION emanating both from the BANDS and CROWD alike.  it was a STARK contrast from my EXPERIENCES studying and living in THE MIDDLE EAST where i was always GUARDED and extra CAREFUL with my SPOKEN OPINIONS should such EXPRESSION reach the wrong set of ears.  there is a certain conditioning that happens over time in such a HOSTILE environment.

which is to say that my introduction to THE DISTILLERS that day and the modern PUNK ROCK CULTURAL FIGURE that was AUSTRALIAN SINGER-SONGWRITER BRODY DALLE had quite the impact.  being utterly NAIVE and not knowing her BAND, her record label, her-then marriage to RANCID FRONTMAN TIM ARMSTRONG, just going on that PERFORMANCE alone at WARPED TOUR i felt for the first time that i was in the PRESENCE of a ROCK GOD.  like whatever "IT" is, she had IT.  and this was BEYOND SEXUALITY as there was a certain CHARISMA, a POINT-OF-VIEW, a PERSONALITY and COMFORTABILITY of BEING that just emanated from this FERAL BEING who sang all RASPY and GNARLY like she was gargling RAZOR BLADES.  i remember thinking that this is what it must have been like for an AUDIENCE MEMBER to have first encountered KURT COBAIN back in the day.  like there are tons of PRETENDERS, but this SHIT right here right now is the REAL DEAL.  and i cant think of another example of such, other than i remember laughing at my first sight of SLIPKNOT performing on their INAUGURAL national tour as part of the OZZFEST 99 festival, but that was because i thought they were RIDICULOUS with an ULTRA-AGGRESSIVE SOUND and STAGE SHOW that i was sure would catch on with the masses. 

and it did.

but BRODY DALLE was just a FORCE OF NATURE.  over the years i grew to appreciate that she put the time into her CRAFT, with each SUCCESSIVE project and solo recording showing an ARTISTIC penchant for EVOLUTION and integrating new TEXTURES and SONIC ELEMENTS into her no bullshit MUSICAL, VISUAL and LYRICAL AESTHETIC.  i always look forward to her new projects, irregardless of the years between releases, since she hasnt disappointed yet and has a SOLID track record in choosing COLLABORATORS that bring out different aspects of her SONGWRITING.  she is still every bit the ROCK GOD i recognized more than twenty years ago in VENTURA.

embedded below is a recent DEER GOD RADIO episode on nonprofit internet radio station MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC that includes a playlist celebrating the TALENTED AUSTRALIAN SINGER-SONGWRITER BRODY DALLE.  enjoy!

it took me a moment to come around to EMINEM.  when his second album and major label debut THE SLIM SHADY LP (INTERSCOPE, 1999) was released i was a high school freshman at a boarding school in NEW ENGLAND and largely ignored it.  to put it plainly, the OLDER STUDENTS that HAZED, HARASSED and made my daily life MISERABLE listened to EMINEM.  for me it was the music of BULLIES and JOCKS.  this of course is IRONIC for anyone who knows anything about the biography of MARSHALL MATHERS and his incredibly ROUGH and often PERIPATETIC upbringing.  besides moving around all the time, the dude was hit so hard in elementary school by a MERCILESS BULLY that he went into a 10-day coma.  so yeah, for better or worse, when the fanfare around THE SLIM SHADY LP was a PRESENT CONCERN, I consciously focused on other HIP HOP acts that provided me a SELF-AFFIRMING sense of POWER, WILL and DETERMINATION in the face of what i was dealing with alone and away from FAMILY, namely CYPRESS HILL, A TRIBE CALLED QUEST, BEASTIE BOYS and WU-TANG CLAN. 

and of course such was a MISTAKE.

but it goes to show the POWER of peer groups to positive or negatively affect one's PERCEPTION of the WORLD.  it didnt help at all that the equally ABUSIVE, RACIST and MISOGYNIST STUDENTS that i encountered my junior year studying in KUWAIT, where my family relocated from NIGERIA, likewise took to EMINEM.  for me at the time it was just further CONFIRMATION that his music was the soundtrack for ASSHOLES.  it wasn't until THE EMINEM SHOW (INTERSCOPE, 2002) came out years later and i was on a KUWAIT-bound flight from GERMANY to visit my FAMILY that i got around to actively listening to much of his discography in earnest.

what i realized very quickly was his SINGULAR ABILITY to BEND LANGUAGE.  all that VERBAL DEXTERITY to EXTEND or COLLAPSE VOWELS, introduce COMPLEX MULTI-SYLLABIC INTERNAL RHYME SCHEMES, the CADENCE and DICTION to make such PERCEIVABLE and lastly his HUMOR.  the whole package was so REMARKABLE across those first three INTERSCOPE records that i became immediately FAMILIAR with on that flight.

the CONFRONTATIONAL and intentionally TRANSGRESSIVE NATURE of some of his LYRICS, to me at least, seemed so THEATRICAL and HYPERBOLIC as to establish the WARPED MINDSET of his NARRATIONS and the fact that this SLIM SHADY CHARACTER was maybe not that RELIABLE.  the much cited VIOLENCE, MISOGYNY and the like were highly PERFORMATIVE in my opinion and seemed to reflect an inability to positively affect his personal life than anything else.  such BRUTAL scenarios related to his WIFE and MOTHER were WILD IDEATIONS and FANTASTICAL PROJECTIONS that his UNENCUMBERED and UNREPENTANT IMAGINATION constructed in order to control that which he couldnt.  its like that PERVASIVE TROPE in NOIR FILMS were the NARRATOR speaks about a FEMME FATALE who ruined their life but attempts to control how their interpreted through the IMPOTENT act of VOICE-OVER-NARRATION itself.  thats how i viewed such.

for me by far the STANDOUT track is "ROLE MODEL."  that SIMPLE yet EFFECTIVE GUITAR REFRAIN that projects such a SINISTER, GOTHIC VIBE a la DR. DRE / MEL-MAN PRODUCTION is such a KILLER BEAT that perfectly introduces the debauched and DERANGED WORLD of SLIM SHADY CHARACTER to a tee.  the song finds EMINEM comically confronting those who take his word on wax too literally and seeing his DEMENTED example as a VALID path worth pursuing to its EXAGGERATED conclusion by providing some CHOICE scenarios.  what comes across is both the TECHNICAL CRAFTSMANSHIP of his WORDPLAY, RHYME SCHEMES and ELOCUTION and the downright VICIOUS WORLDVIEW of his SLIM SHADY CHARACTER who savagely conveys the DARKER aspects of the HUMAN PSYCHE with all manner of EXTREME EMOTIONS ranging from PARANOIA, MALICE, PSYCHOSIS, INDIGNATION and REVULSION in response to the WORLD.  in fact, this CHARACTER was intentionally constructed as a VEHICLE to confront his audience with such BRUTAL VISIONS in a manner never seen or heard before in the history of HIP HOP.  INFINITE (WEB ENTERTAINMENT, 1996), EMINEM's pre-DR. DRE INDEPENDENT debut record was more TRADITIONAL in SCOPE and PRESENTATION with RELATABLE tales of his efforts to support his FAMILY while working THANKLESS regular day jobs.  that thematically HONEST, AUTHENTIC and almost "CONSCIOUS RAPPER" approach didn't garner any public attention and the record flopped. 

on the follow-up his SLIM SHADY CHARACTER would change all that.

there are still mentions of his FAMILY, as the WORLD was introduced to his then-INFANT DAUGHTER HAILIE on "'97 BONNIE AND CLYDE" and the HOMOCIDE scenario that explains the GRIZZLY cover art to THE SLIM SHADY LP.  he would go on to use the AFFECTION, RESPONSIBILITY and GUARDIANSHIP he felt for his  REAL-LIFE DAUGHTER as a CLEVER means of juxtaposing that of his SOURED relationship with his PARTNER KIM and his ESTRANGED MOTHER DEBBIE throughout his career.  you get the PALPABLE sense that with EMINEM, FAMILY is a COMPLICATED concept not because of his failings, but that of others around him who didnt seem to have his best interests at heart.  outside of SLIM SHADY, this PRESENTATION of KIM is arguably the next most IMPORTANT CHARACTER in his ENTIRE ouevre.  its INTERESTING, but singles like the highly REFERENTIAL "MY NAME IS," the GROTESQUE DR. DRE collaboration "GUILTY CONSCIOUS" and the MANIC "JUST DON'T GIVE A FUCK" never really hit with me.  i recognize, like everything EMINEM-related (even at this early stage in his career), that there is CRAFT and INTENTION to these performances, but for my money "ROLE MODEL" was the essential BLEAK moment on an exceptionally GRIM record.

THE SLIM SHADY LP is one of many CLASSIC EMINEM records and absolutely ESSENTIAL to anyone remotely interested in HIP HOP.

it is absolutely not hyperbole to state emphatically that the career narrative of LEGENDARY METAL SINGER RONNIE JAMES DIO (ELF, RAINBOW, BLACK SABBATH, DIO, HEAVEN & HELL) was beyond IMPROBABLE and that the TRANSFORMATIVE power of ROCK N ROLL changed his life.  raised in UPSTATE NEW YORK in the small rural town of CORTLAND, the YOUNG RONALD JAMES PADAVONA was forced to play trumpet for multiple hours a day throughout his childhood by an OVERBEARING father.  this was during the BIG BAND era and over time PADAVONA realized that his VOICE could effectively mimic the range of his trumpet, which thus began the start of his SINGING career.

at the time, which was pre-BEATLES and pre-ROCK N ROLL, PADAVONA sang in a series of JAZZ-inflected VOCAL GROUPS (THE REDCAPS, THE PROPHETS) with his friends.  even at this TENDER stage, his RANGE and DICTION is IMPECCABLE.  always a quick study with an INDOMITABLE WORK ETHIC to boot, PADAVONA took his musical efforts seriously.  taking his cue from the BRITISH INVASION bands that rose to prominence in the early 1960s, he likewise transitioned to ROCK N ROLL with his friends by recommitting themselves as the BLUES ROCK band THE ELECTRIC ELVES and toured locally around the NORTHEAST.  by this time PADAVONA now went by the stage name DIO (after the NOTORIOUS MAFIA FIGURE). it was during this period that a DRUNK DRIVER hit their tour bus, KILLING one of his BANDMATES and severely injuring DIO in the process.  having good grades and admittance to PHARMACY SCHOOL in the bag, his recovery from his head wounds found DIO doubling down on his unlikely music career. 

and he never looked back. 

THE ELECTRIC ELVES became ELF, who gained attention from INCESSANT touring and had their major debut ELF (EPIC, 1972) produced by members of DEEP PURPLE, whom they idolized.  this led to multiple tours with DEEP PURPLE as openers and for DIO, a sense of camaraderie with their SINGER GLENN HUGHES and their ENIGMATIC and IMPULSIVE GUITARIST RICHIE BLACKMORE.  when DEEP PURPLE started writing more FUNK-inflected songs in the mid-1970s to keep up with the POPULAR trends, BLACKMORE departed the group and started the more CLASSICALLY-INDEBTED band RAINBOW with DIO on VOCALS.  this was a GREAT fit as DIO was prone to DRAMATIC LYRICS steeped in IMAGERY borrowed from the MEDIEVAL worlds of FANTASY NOVELISTS.  eventually after two records BLACKMORE wanted to steer RAINBOW in a more POP direction and dropped DIO.  it should be said that RISING (POLYDOR, 1976) is an absolute CLASSIC METAL RECORDING that sadly never got a proper follow-up.  around this period DIO joined BLACK SABBATH after that band famously sacked their much-beloved ORIGINAL SINGER OZZY OSBOURNE.  DIO revived that band's prospects with the HEAVEN & HELL (VERTIGO, 1980) and MOB RULES (VERTIGO, 1981) ALBUMS before departing due to EGO BULLSHIT on account of TONY IOMMI and the rest of the band being drugged out of their COLLECTIVE MINDS.  DIO in comparison was a not a DRUG USER so such friction feels in retrospect pretty INEVITABLE.

so now having been a formerly part of two massively SUCCESSFUL bands, DIO self-funded his own creative effort at starting a NAMESAKE group DIO by recruiting FORMER BLACK SABBATH BANDMATE VINNY APPICE on DRUMS, former RAINBOW BANDMATE JIMMY BAIN on BASS and most famously a YOUNG VIVIAN CAMPBELL (then of SWEET SAVATAGE, later of DEF LEPPARD) on GUITAR.  their debut HOLY DIVER (WARNER BROS, 1983) is a METAL CLASSIC for the ages, with DIO's REMARKABLE, OPERATIC VOCALS taking center stage.  commercially this was the apex of his career. 

CAMPBELL became an INTERNAL issue after leveraging for more money during the recording of the third album, after being promised such by DIO and his MANAGER WIFE WENDY years earlier during his recruitment.  in what is the most UNCOMFORTABLE and HEAD-SCRATCHING moment in the documentary, which largely promotes the NARRATIVE of DIO as a FOCUSED (maybe NAIVE) ARTIST who was screwed over repeatedly by the business efforts of FORMER COLLABORATORS, here was an example of DIO now taking the mantle of IOMMI and BLACKMORE.  he fired CAMPBELL in essence because DIO was his band that he could do what he wanted with, personnel included.  WENDY in the film SMUGLY asserts this line, but even she had to know that such bit into the relatively AMIABLE, GRACIOUS and altogether ALTRUISTIC PUBLIC PERSONA of DIO.  even in retrospect its hard not to side with CAMPBELL.  seems a bit like karma that the follow-up releases never lived up to the quality and/or commercial success of HOLY DIVER.  it may not have mattered in the end since once the 1990s hit with the arrival of NIRVANA and the SEATTLE ALTERNATIVE ROCK explosion, everything else was effectively carried away with it, not just HAIR METAL but METAL in general. 

​DIO included.

it was only later in the 2000s when UNFORESEEN acts like the JACK BLACK-fronted MUSICAL COMEDY duo TENACIOUS D began earnestly singing his praises that RONNIE JAMES DIO became a VIABLE CULTURAL ENTITY again.  even BLACK SABBATH reformed as HEAVEN & HELL with the ORIGINAL VINNY APPICE lineup for an album and tour before DIO passed on from a bout with STOMACHE CANCER.  it feels like DIO was on the verge of reestablishing his LEGACY when he unexpectedly passed on, which may be the purpose of this AUTHORIZED documentary that his widow largely oversaw.  given his stature in the METAL community, it is a little DISAPPOINTING that more HEAVYWEIGHT FIGURES (and OUTSPOKEN DIO FANS like SCOTT IAN, JAMES HETFIELD, GEOFF TATE, COREY TAYLOR, MATT HEAFY and so on) were not included in the mix.  DIO deserved better, especially given that there was a somewhat recent STAR-STUDDED (including METALLICA, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE, SCORPIONS and ANTHRAX) tribute album released in his MEMORY.  instead there is an UNFORTUNATE over-reliance on INDUSTRY HACK EDDIE TRUNK for historical context and perspective, which was more than a bit GRATING, but it was at least nice to see VETERAN WRITER MICK WALL thrown in the mix as well.  PARTICIPATING MUSICIANS included ROB HALFORD (JUDAS PRIEST), SEBASTIAN BACH (SKID ROW), DAN LILKER (ANTHRAX, S.O.D.), LITA FORD (THE RUNAWAYS), DON DOKKEN (DOKKEN), JACK BLACK (TENACIOUS D), GLEN HUGHES & ROGER GLOVER (DEEP PURPLE) and surviving FORMER MEMBERS of DIO (VINNY APPICE, RUDY SARZO, DOUG ALDRICH, JEFF PILSON and CRAIG GOLDY) and BLACK SABBATH (TONY IOMMI, GEEZER BUTLER and BILL WARD).

so much of what makes up RONNIE JAMES DIO's legacy to me is centered around his OPTIMISM, DECENCY and CHARITY and how he communicated such humanity with that SINGULAR instrument of his: that VOICE.  i think further generations that discover his music will likewise fall in love with the POSITIVE INTENT and MAJESTY of his LYRICS and the TRANSFORMATIONAL POWER of his VOICE, which is the very embodiment of ROCK N ROLL.

BEAUTIFUL DARKNESS (DRAWN & QUARTERLY, 2009) is a FRENCH GRAPHIC NOVEL that is absolutely TWISTED in a decidedly ABSURDIST manner that i did not anticipate entering into this FANTASY narrative.  written by MARIE POMMEPUY & FABIEN VEHLMANN and lovingly illustrated by KERASCOËT, the namesake of COLLABORATIVE HUSBAND-AND-WIFE team POMMEPUY and SEBASTIAN COSSET, BEAUTIFUL DARKNESS  is very much a CASE STUDY in STARK contrasts with seemingly ENCHANTING ILLUSTRATIONS of DIMINUTIVE DWELLERS in a LUSH forest acting out a BRUTAL NARRATIVE that is as NIHILISTIC as it is CHAOTIC and ANARCHISTIC.  it should be stated the particular STYLE of these ALLURING ILLUSTRATIONS seem ripped straight from that INNOCENT MODE of CLASSIC children's LITERATURE read and presented and preschools and kindergartens the world over.

the only difference is that these PIXIES and SPRITES inhabit a world of RANDOM DEATH and WANTON CRUELTY that they seem OBLIVIOUS and UNPREPARED for in terms of IMAGINATION and basic COMPREHENSION.  seeking food and shelter the take advantage of the ROTTING CORPSE of a YOUNG CHILD inexplicably lying PROSTRATE on the ground from some UNREVEALED ailment or condition that led to her untimely passing.  these woodland figures seek refuge in her eye socket and opportunisticly steal from her lunch pack as they go about their day.  death follows everyone, where some are eaten by TOADS or a COLONY OF ANTS or even harassed by BIRDS and passing INSECTS.  NATURE in this context is an equal opportunity destroyer.  that being said, the plot feels very LORD OF THE FLIES (FABER AND FABER, 1954) with these NAIVE INHABITANTS being subject to the RUTHLESS DARWINIAN CODE OF NATURE in a HOSTILE ENVIRONMENT, both INTERNALLY as a social community and EXTERNALLY against the UNFORGIVING elements.

my sense is that BEAUTIFUL DARKNESS is attempting to present a WORLDVIEW that is weary of APPEARANCES, which are UNREPRESENTATIVE and consciously deceiving us of the TRUE NATURE OF REALITY.  such could also be said about much of what we take for granted about our own EXISTENCE and LIMITED sense of SELF-IDENTITY, which may be rooted in bedrock that is looser and less defined then we'd hoped or imagined.  especially now given that BASIC concepts of EQUALITY, FAIR PLAY and even DEMOCRACY seem up for grabs in a world run by those with a REGRESSIVE and REDUCTIVE ZERO-SUM MENTALITY.

better to be on guard and CONSCIOUS of said THREATS.  not get lulled into APPEARANCES as is the case with BEAUTIFUL DARKNESS, whose WHIMSICAL ILLUSTRATIONS belie the true intent of the NARRATIVE and its DARK take on EXPERIENCED REALITY. 

finally got around recently to watching the EPIC ten-part THE LAST DANCE (ESPN FILMS, 2020) DOCUMENTARY that basically contextualizes the 1997-98 season that capstoned the CHICAGO BULLS SINGULAR ACHIEVEMENT of a repeat three-peat run of NBA CHAMPIONSHIPS in the 1990s, amounting to six in eight years.  all ten episodes provide VARYING TESTIMONIALS to the STRATEGY, LUCK, GRIT and SACRIFICE that it took to maintain such COMPETITIVE DOMINANCE and the GLOBAL CULTURAL IMPACT that such had in the elevation of BASKETBALL to a WORLDWIDE phenomenon, as evidenced decades later in the PREPONDERANCE of TOP TALENT now flooding the NBA in CONTEMPORARY ELITE PLAYERS like GIANNIS ANTETOKOUNMPO (GREECE), NIKOLA JOKIC (SERBIA), JOEL EMBID (CAMEROON), LUKA DONCIC (SLOVENIA), OG ANUNOBY (NIGERIA), KRISTAPS PORZINGIS (LATVIA), PASCAL SIAKIM (CAMEROON), LAURI MARKKANEN (FINLAND), AL HORFORD (DOMINCAN REPUBLIC), RUDY GOLBERT (FRANCE), BOJAN BOGDANOVIC (BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA), SHAI GILGEOUS-ALEXANDER (CANADA) and VICTOR WEMBANYAMA (FRANCE).  by focusing on that FINAL effort as an organizing STRUCTURAL MECHANISM and CENTRAL FOCUS, with all of the KREMLINOLOGY, trades, signings, draft decisions and an UNVARNISHED LOOK into the COMPLEX INTERNAL DYNAMICS between TEAMMATES, COACHES, FRONT OFFCE and OWNERSHIP; you really get an INTIMATE UNDERSTANDING of the DETERMINATION, TALENT, CHARISMA and INDOMITABLE WORK ETHIC that made MICHAEL JORDAN into such a TRANSFORMATIONAL global SPORTS ICON / CULTURAL FOLK HERO for the ages.

and that is part of some PEOPLE's CRITIQUE.

some consider THE LAST DANCE a HAGIOGRAPHY of the highest order, anointing JORDAN as a FORCE OF NATURE with all other CONSIDERATIONS to his success secondary and even tertiary concerns.  ROBIN to his BATMAN and a fellow HALL OF FAMER in his own right, SCOTTIE PIPPEN, has felt that way in retrospect and renounces his own involvement in the PROJECT.  but i dont think thats entirely fair, nor is the critique of this SERIES being UNCRITICAL.  it presents a FIGURE in JORDAN with a MEGALOMANIACAL COMPETITIVE WILL to win at any cost, bearing any SACRIFICE and alienating whoever and whenever if such would increase his chances.  he also listened to advice and learned to rely on those around him that he trusted, people like his IMMEDIATE FAMILY (especially his FATHER JAMES), his SECURITY DETAIL, PHIL JACKSON, TEX WINTER, SCOTTIE PIPPEN, JOHN PAXSON, STEVE KERR, HORACE GRANT and yes, even DENNIS RODMAN.  what is absolutely INTRIGUING is how the TRUST in the relationship between JORDAN and GENERAL MANAGER JERRY KRAUSE, who architected the BULLS' DYNASTY, was inexorably eviscerated early in his career, when the later limited his playing time, even when such put a playoff birth in jeopardy which VIOLATED the former's COMPETITIVE CODE OF ETHICS.  the fact that KRAUSE is presented as such a foil to JORDAN throughout this SERIES has led to his WIDOW being booed at MODERN BULLS GAMES, which is not right.  at the very least, KRAUSE is undoubtedly a LEGENDARY FRONT OFFICE FIGURE whose PERSONALITY and EGO ALIENATED those he helped elevate and seemingly ultimately OVERSHADOWED such ACHIEVEMENTS.

this SERIES has so much SCOPE and DEPTH that there is no way of doing ADEQUATE justice suffice to say that it will likely be the DEFINITIVE statement on the BULLS' DYNASTY and all of the UNANSWERED questions about why such ended in the ABRUPT manner in which it did.  or for that matter why SUCCESSFUL TEAMS, COMPANIES, CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS or POLITICAL SYSTEMS wither, fall and ultimately disappear into the annals of HISTORY.  seems the SACRIFICE needed to keep the MACHINERY moving becomes SISYPHEAN in NATURE and that boulder must ultimately roll back inevitably, leaving new opportunities to arise for NEWCOMERS.  for me that was the PRISM i saw THE LAST DANCE through, as evidenced by the deep dive that was this EPIC ten-part SERIES into the PARADOXICAL NATURE of SUCCESSFUL TEAM/CULTURE DEVELOPMENT and the highly EGOCENTRIC MENTALITY OF WINNING.

in summation, THE LAST DANCE is a SINGULAR ACHIEVEMENT that is absolutely required viewing for any SPORTS FAN. 

NEVER was a fan of LENNY KRAVITZ. 

always considered him a LAZY SONGWRITER who repetitively milked MEDIOCRE CHORUSES to death and was a case study in STYLE over SUBSTANCE.  a few years back i saw him play live as an surprised (to me at least) opener for GUNS N' ROSES at METLIFE STADIUM on their REUNION TOUR and was UNDERWHELMED.  initially i thought that a LIVE SETTING my be where he stood out given that ive seen tons of bands at FESTIVALS that i admittedly wasnt a fan of, but thought they put on KILLER LIVE PERFORMANCES (such as BABYMETAL, PAPA ROACH, GOOD CHARLOTTE, COHEED & CAMBRIA, HELLYYEAH, SICK OF IT ALL, REEL BIG FISH, GODSMACK, LESS THAN JAKE, H20, DISTURBED, FLOGGING MOLLY, P.O.D., HATEBREED, STREETLIGHT MANIFESTO, DROWNING POOL, HED PE and PARAMORE).  but no.  KRAVITZ' SONGS sounded even more REPETITIVE and REDUNDANT and all the POMP and CIRCUMSTANCE of a MASSIVE STADIUM STAGE didnt help matters.

when 5 (VIRGIN, 1998) came out i was a freshman in high school and the SONG "FLY AWAY" was seemingly INESCAPABLE.  on ALTERNATIVE ROCK radio, which was still a thing back then.  on MTV, which was still a thing back then.  even during TRANSITIONAL segments on LIVE SPORTING EVENTS.  just that OPENING GROOVE that gets RECYCLED again, again and again.  KRAVITZ has always played by that AEROSMITH school of SONGWRITING exemplified by the maxim 'dont bore us, get to the CHORUS' and heard on TIRED mid-career tracks like "JANIE'S GOT A GUN," "DUDE LOOKS LIKE A LADY" and "LOVE IN AN ELEVATOR."  on "FLY AWAY" you can tell KRAVITZ is really feeling the GROOVE but there is NO SENSE of SONIC DYNAMICS at play, or even depth of EMOTION or any semblance of AUTHENTICITY.  its just BLAND, UNIMAGINATIVE ESCAPISM.  same with his TRITE COVER of GUESS WHO's "AMERICAN WOMAN," which was originally on the AUSTIN POWERS: THE SPY WHO SHAGGED ME (MAVERICK, 1999) soundtrack before being re-released on a year-old 5 album as well.  why it was included on 5 makes zero ARTISTIC sense (but complete business sense), so there you go.

the one SHINING beacon of HOPE on an otherwise UNREMARKABLE record is the affective "THINKING OF YOU," where KRAVITZ croons with CHARISMA and an IMPRESSIVE FALSETTO about his MOTHER, ACTRESS ROXIE ROKER, who had recently PASSED AWAY from breast cancer.  in both TONE and SUBSTANCE this song feels like a one off, but it remains one of the few SONGS he has in his canon that is UNDENIABLE.

all in all, KRAVITZ' 5 is a thoroughly MEDIOCRE outing and not WORTHY of further investigation, outside of "THINKING OF YOU."  to me KRAVITZ is not ROCK N ROLL in SPIRIT or SUBSTANCE but an INDUSTRY PLANT of LUKEWARM TALENT who gets by based on TERTIARY concerns like STYLE and PRESENTATION.  i know there is an audience for that because this album did well commercially (double platinum stateside), but its not for me.

photo manipulation & text by nacrowe

years ago i remember witnessing the most MIND-BENDING music video id ever seen of a camera rolling back (in a single take RUSSIAN ARK STYLE)in a warehouse with all of these increasingly INTRICATE staged scenes taking place in a TRANCE-LIKE RHTHYM.  it was only recently that i rediscovered such and learned that the song "PURSUIT" was by an INNOVATIVE FRENCH DJ / PRODUCER MIKE LEVY that went by the PLAYFUL MONIKER GESAFFELSTEIN, a play on the name ALBERT EINSTEIN and the GERMAN TERM for TOTAL ARTWORK.

this may very well be the most REVOLUTIONARY ELECTRONIC MUSIC FIGURE ive discovered since APHEX TWIN in college and DAFT PUNK way back in high school.  there is both an OUTRIGHT FUNKINESS and a STOIC AESTHETIC about GESAFFELSTEIN that is both UNNERVING and completely ENGAGING, like some FASCIST ALIEN commanding you from above to get down on your BAD SELF.  just WEIRD and absolutely worth checking out.

parodies & text by nacrowe

PROGRESSIVE MUSIC in general gets a bad rap at times for being SELF-INDULGENT and artistically UNINSPIRED, where TECHNIQUE and VIRTUOSITY inhibit SPONTANEITY and INTERPERSONAL CHEMISTRY.  and when it comes to whole swaths of PROGRESSIVE ROCK from the 1970s and MODERN PROGRESSIVE METAL, that is a FAIR CRITICISM in my opinion.  there are times where i feel like i know they are proud of this COMPLICATED AURAL COMPOSITIONS they concocted, but do i really have to listen to it?  seems it was never really intended to be enjoyed, just sorted over by other LIKEMINDED and highly technically PROFICIENT MUSICIANS.

but thats not always the case.

i see CONTEMPORARY PROGRESSIVE METAL bands like MASTODON, GOJIRA, VOLA, STRAPPING YOUNG LAD, TOOL, MESHUGGAH, DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN and INTRONAUT, all bands with chops and INTIMATE FAMILIARITY with ODD TIME SIGNATURES to spare, and they all pass the RAMONES test.  such being that there is an URGENCY and a SINGULAR AURAL EXPERIENCE being communicated and transmitted with the LISTENER firmly in mind, albeit with a more than slightly EXPANDED MUSICAL VOCABULARY.  nothing is SUPERFLUOUS or mere window dressing, it all serves a purpose within the GREAT COMPOSITION.  for me the maintaining of that BALANCE is the ARBITER of what constitutes a GREAT band, PROGRESSIVE or not.  what makes PROGRESSIVE METAL COOL when done well is that the EXTENDED LEXICON of sonic material makes the music more IMMERSIVE and ENJOYABLE to the LISTENER, as if one was reading an INSPIRED NOVEL rather than a CHILDREN'S STORY.  the PLOT is the same but the PRESENTATION and depth of ARTISTRY is assisted by the more COMPLEX STRUCTURES and SHEER VARIETY of BASIC BUILDING BLOCKS utilized in its CONSTRUCTION.  when i listen to those AFOREMENTIONED bands there is a depth of EMOTIONAL CONTENT as well, which only intensifies the LYRICAL CONTENT it is meant to undergird, flesh out and translate.
 
all this as opposed to DREAM THEATER or PERIPHERY whose music i cant stand.  just COMPLEXITY for COMPLEXITY's sake.  i listen to them and come away feeling that they cant outplay a lack of depth or INSPIRATION.  to me there is no audience CONSIDERATION in what they play, so its not really ROCK N ROLL, which is based on that ELEMENTAL CONNECTION.  what they do are DRESSED-UP clinics at BEST and GRANDIOSE recitals at worst.  i'd rather see a less COMPLEX but more RELATABLE acts like MODERN PUNK ROCK VETERANS in NOFX, DESCENDENTS, RANCID, AFI, THE BOUNCING SOULS, LAGWAGON, A DAY TO REMEMBER, PROPAGHANDI, THE VANDALS, ALKALINE TRIO or BAD RELIGION than most any PROGRESSIVE METAL bands any day of the week (aforementioned list not withstanding).

but thats just me.

BRAZILIAN METAL ICON and former FRONTMAN of the LEGENDARY SEPULTURA, MAX CAVALERA was in a world of PAIN and CONFUSION when he went about creating the eponymous DEBUT SOULFLY record SOULFLY (ROADRUNNER, 1998).  his aforementioned former band basically imploded over PASSIONATE DISAGREEMENTS concerning CAVALERA's WIFE and LONG-TIME MANAGER GLORIA firing. 

from the band's PERSPECTIVE, after the release and touring of the phenomenally SUCCESSFUL ROOTS (ROADRUNNER, 1996), they had climbed a few rungs in the METAL HIERARCHY and therein had outgrown her.  according to CAVALERA's memoir MY BLOODY ROOTS: FROM SEPULTURA TO SOULFLY AND BEYOND (JAWBONE PRESS, 2022), moving on from her MANAGEMENT was not necessarily a problem (as she primarily focused on them to the DETRIMENT of others on her ROSTER of bands) but the timing could not have been WORSE, she was en route along with CAVALERA to the FUNERAL of her SON, DANA, who had been SHOCKINGLY MURDERED in ARIZONA while the band was touring in ENGLAND.  that they then collectively and callously chose to terminate her contract created a PERMANENT wedge between CAVALERA and the GROUP that was never addressed or mended and remains a BITTER point of CONTENTION between all parties involved decades later.

SEPULTURA went on to a MEDIOCRE career where they functioned in the SHADOW of their FORMER GREATNESS, while SOULFLY effectively carried the SPIRITUAL TORCH of the band at their CULTURAL PEAK for twelve albums and more than twenty-five years to date.  and that SECOND JOURNEY began with SOULFLY, which was a bit of a GROUP EFFORT, given that CAVALERA invited everyone from FELLOW COUNTRYMAN JORGE BEN to CHINO MORENO (DEFTONES), DINO CAZARES  & BURTON C. BELL (FEAR FACTORY), BENJI WEBBE (DUB WAR) and DJ LETHAL & FRED DURST (LIMP BIZKIT),  to join in on this record.  part of that was since CAVALERA and his FAMILY were still very much in the throes of MOURNING over DANA during this period and his FRIENDS and PEERS wanted to show SUPPORT, never mind their MUTUAL RESPECT and AWE towards his RENOWNED work in SEPULTURA.  the name of the band and album came from LYRICS he contributed to the DEFTONES' SONG "HEAD UP" off of their muc-CELEBRATED second album AROUND THE FUR (MAVERICK, 1997).  it should be mentioned that the quick follow-up PRIMITIVE (ROADRUNNER, 2000) was likewise another GUEST HEAVY CELEBRATION of DANA with contributions by COREY TAYLOR (SLIPKNOT), TOM ARAYA (SLAYER), SEAN LENNON and, again, LONG-TIME FRIEND CHINO MORENO (DEFTONES).  i'd even go so far as viewing the two as a SPIRITUAL PAIR.  arguably the band took on a real IDENTITY once the third album 3 (ROADRUNNER, 2002) came out and CAVALERA leaned into taking the project into a LIFELONG JOURNEY throughout his LOVE of all things GLOBAL MUSIC and UNDERGROUND METAL.

my experience hearing this album was through an OLDER STUDENT in my dorm when i was attending a boarding school in NEW ENGLAND.  somehow this FILIPINO FOREIGN EXCHANGE STUDENT two years ahead of me had snuck in two POWERFUL speaker cabinets that he ran through his computer's compact disc player.  i was long FAMILIAR with SEPULTURA at that point but hadnt heard CAVALERA's new project.  that ended when this DUDE down the hall began blasting "EYE FOR AN EYE," "TRIBE" and "BLEED" moments after study hall ended at absolutely DEAFENING levels.  those SONGS just exploded with ENERGY and a deep sense of GROOVE.  it felt like ROOTS taken to the next level of INTENSITY with an understandably ENRAGED and emotionally RAW CAVALERA addressing the INTERNAL cudgeling that came with coming to terms with the SENSELESS MURDER of his BELOVED STEPSON.  i still find that album AFFECTING and emotively POWERFUL and i am glad that the METAL COMMUNITY was there for him during this period.  not only those on record, but those that also took him on tour such as SHARON and OZZY OSBOURNE with the OZZFEST vehicle that proved VITAL in breaking SOULFLY to the MASSES.

in retrospect SOULFLY as well as PRIMITIVE are probably weighed down artistically in comparison to ROOTS due to the all the GUEST APPEARANCES, but as i said before, those additions served a DIFFERENT PURPOSE.  it was a gathering of the TRIBES in SOLIDARITY behind CAVALERA, both as an artist and a man.  from there on out he has never looked back and continued his career UNABATED as one of the SINGULAR VOICES in METAL along with and on par all of the other post STORIED ICONS (i.e. OZZY OSBOURNE, LEMMY KILMISTER, ROB HALFORD, JAMES HETFIELD, DIMEBAG DARRELL, TONY IOMMI, KING DIAMOND, RANDY RHOADS, CHUCK SCHULDINER, RONNIE JAMES DIO, CLIFF BURTON and so on).  SEPULTURA just sort of hung around and folded into our COLLECTIVE MEMORY of its FORMER GLORY.  no doubt one of the most CONFOUNDING, COUNTER-PRODUCTIVE and downright IDIOTIC lineup changes in ROCK N ROLL HISTORY.  but such is LIFE and it provided an OPPORTUNITY for CAVALERA to continue without INTERNAL OBSTRUCTIONS or DISTRACTIONS from seemingly UNWORTHY COLLABORATORS.

while i wouldn't put SOULFLY on the TOP-TIER of CAVALERA releases, which in my estimation are the SEPULTURA releases ROOTS, CHAOS A.D. (ROADRUNNER, 1993), ARISE (ROADRUNNER, 1991) and BENEATH THE REMAINS (ROADRUNNER, 1989) and the SOULFLY efforts PROPHECY (ROADRUNNER, 2004), DARK AGES (ROADRUNNER, 2005) and SAVAGES (NUCLEAR BLAST, 2013), i still feel it is very much worth investigating and checking out for anyone interested in METAL writ large.  "EYE FOR AN EYE" to date is absolutely a UNIVERSAL banger in my opinion.

the recent biopic OPPENHEIMER (UNIVERSAL, 2023) by CELEBRATED BRITISH film auteur CHRISTOPHER NOLAN about the CONTROVERSIAL AMERICAN THEORETICAL PHYSICIST has an ENGROSSING NARRATIVE that is every bit the COMPLEX MORALITY PLAY one would expect of a subject that in essence marshaled in the ATOMIC AGE.  J. ROBERT OPPENHEIMER, of course, is one of the most CONSEQUENTIAL figures of the 20th century, having oversaw the MANHATTAN PROJECT at LOS ALAMOS LABORATORIES and the COLLECTIVE effort designing and developing the ATOMIC BOMB during WORLD WAR II. 

the figure that NOLAN presents is a COMPLICATED INDIVIDUAL, whose INTENSE scientific curiosity and PEERLESS INTELLECTUAL LIFE was in direct juxtaposition with his rather ENFEEBLED and decidedly IMMATURE PERSONAL LIFE.  his LEFTIST leanings during a PRE-WAR DEPRESSION ERA period, like many of his PEERS, saw him playing around with SOCIALIST ideations, as CAPITALISM was quite frankly in a free fall at the time.  for a man of OPPENHEIMER's intellect, he never saw new ideas as something to be afraid of, rather instruments to be inspected and analyzed for POSSIBLE UTILITY.  it is DOUBTFUL he ever saw such INTELLECTUAL dalliances as possible FUTURE LIABILITIES.  but they were both during the start HOSTILITIES during WORLD WAR II and the POST-WAR period in which he was harangued and publicly ridiculed by a NEW anti-COMMUNIST political establishment in WASHINGTON.

it should be noted that in spite of such supposed PERSONAL FAILINGS, OPPENHEIMER did not deter in handing THE ALLIES a DECISIVE MILITARISTIC COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE at their most DIRE hour of need.  for that he should have been eternally CELEBRATED instead of pilloried by OPPORTUNISTS that subsequently saw an opening with his POLITICS.  but that is one of the CENTRAL themes of the film which is the FICKLE NATURE of POWER.  much like in a previous NOLAN film THE DARK KNIGHT (WARNER BROS, 2008) where the HARVEY DENT character memorably states that "you either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain," there is a similar continuing thread with OPPENHEIMER that with regards to POWER, once your usefulness to such has expired, you are in effect exposed.  

especially if you question said AUTHORITY.  after the implementation of the ATOMIC BOMB on HIROSHIMA and NAGASAKI ended WORLD WAR II and the COLD WAR ERA began in EARNEST, the whims of POWER shifted to upping the ante with more than an order or two sizably LARGER HYDROGEN BOMB to supposedly keep up with the RUSSIANS.  OPPENHEIMER publicly opposed the development of such and questioned the RATIONALE behind such, instead promoting BILATERAL NUCLEAR PROLIFERATION discussions.  in such a politically fraught environment, such was seen as UNPATRIOTIC and even TREASONOUS, which provided an opportunity for his UNSEEN RIVALS to dredge up his SOCIALIST past to use against him.  the fact that OPPENHEIMER allowed such to happen sans a FIGHT and naively didnt see such coming is one of the great mysteries about the MAN.  for someone who was BRILLIANT enough to see a world past his in the REALM of QUANTUM PHYSICS but unable or unwilling to see the REALITY of HUMAN NATURE is an INTRIGUING BLINDSPOT of TRAGIC HERO proportions.

i think its INTERESTING that this film came out in the CURRENT post-TRUMP era (?) when AMERICA likewise has a decision to make regarding how such GEOPOLITICAL moves going forward.  one route is through COMMUNITY-BUILDING, reinforcing ECONOMIC ties and striving for HUMANISTIC VALUES surrounding DEMOCRACY as a GLOBAL AMBASSADOR and LEADER of such while the other is a SELF-CANNIBALIZING, SCORCHED EARTH, ISOLATIONIST and TRANSACTIONAL HELLSCAPE that will lower our standing to that of a COMMON PARIAH STATE like NORTH KOREA, IRAN, UZBEKISTAN or RUSSIA.  like the FEVERED PARANOIA that defined the COLD WAR period featured in OPPENHEIMER, we are now entering in essence a WAR within ourselves.  our ENEMY is our own SELF-DEFEATING IMPULSES regarding building support for AUTHORITARIANISM and HOME-GROWN FASCISM. 

this film makes the claim that we all have our say and that we are all CULPABLE for our involvement in the PROCESS.  even someone like OPPENHEIMER who undoubtedly saved the lives of hundreds of thousands of AMERICAN SOLDIERS through the INSTANTANEOUS INCINERATION and delayed onset DEATHS of roughly 110,000 JAPANESE CIVILIANS in HIROSHIMA and NAGASAKI.  even UTILITARIAN PHILOSOPHERS must halt for a moment and head scratch at that level of IMMEDIATE, INDISCRIMINATE CARNAGE.  but such is the FICKLE NATURE of WAR, of POWER, of HUMAN NATURE.

i was a sophomore at a boarding school in NEW ENGLAND when i basically devoured and too to heart the stridently POLITICAL LOS ANGELES ALTERNATIVE METAL BAND SYSTEM OF A DOWN's lyrically and sonically INCENDIARY eponymous debut album SYSTEM OF A DOWN (AMERICAN, 1998), so much so that as part of a WORLD HISTORY class assignment tasked with us researching an UNDERREPORTED CULTURAL EVENT, i wrote about the ARMENIAN GENOCIDE.  looking back it was a POWERFUL EXPERIENCE writing that essay, because some TURKISH EXCHANGE STUDENTS caught wind of my topic and repeatedly, albeit somewhat respectfully, argued forcefully and passionately that such was the stuff of FANTASY, inherently NONFACTUAL and at worst a RACIST lie against TURKS perpetuated by THE WEST.  so of course i included that whole series of exchanges in the paper itself to state how such was still very much a real, living concern and point of EXTREME GEOPOLITICAL CONTROVERSY some 80+ years after its occurrence.

and its occurrence, despite AMERICAN FOREIGN POLICY to the contrary up through BIDEN ending such in 2021, was and still is an historical fact.

i mention this because SERJ TANKIAN, the ARMENIAN-AMERICAN SONGWRITER / COMPOSER / ACTIVIST and CELEBRATED VOCALIST of SYSTEM OF A DOWN, in his RECENT memoir DOWN WITH THE SYSTEM (HACHETTE, 2024), makes clear the depths of how his MUSIC and POLITICAL ACTIVISM are not separate entities, but INTERTWINED EXPRESSIONS for combatting that are rooted in a self-image that is defined by the GENERATIONAL TRAUMA incurred by his family and the goal of UNIVERSAL RECOGNITION of said PAIN and ANGUISH.  i am almost certain that for most readers of this book, i.e. OBSESSED METALHEADS, there will no doubt be much DISAPPOINTMENT at the amount of ARMENIAN HISTORY imparted at the expense of TRADITIONAL ROCK N ROLL fair about the INTERNAL DYNAMICS of the BAND, their origins and HIDDEN meanings behind FAMOUS tracks.  that is all there but its not the FOCUS in the least.  in fact, his role as an ARTIST is largely an outgrowth of his ACTIVISM, which he has been involved with since his teens in LOS ANGELES as an IMMIGRANT from BEIRUT, where he was born and lived til age seven. 

i feel like for the longest time, especially in the many years since SYSTEM OF A DOWN became a DORMANT entity in favor of ever more UNCOMMERCIAL and AVANT-GARDE releases by TANKIAN, there has been a dearth of information regarding the indefinite hiatus to the fanbase.  there are plenty of examples of prominent CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS starting side projects that scratch an ARTISTIC itch, but such is usually communicated as such to the public.  such MUSICIANS include MAYNARD JAMES KEENAN (TOOL, A PERFECT CIRCLE, PUSCIFER), PHIL ANSELMO (PANTERA, DOWN, SUPERJOINT RITUAL), DAVE GROHL (FOO FIGHTERS, THEM CROOKED VULTURES), CHINO MORENO (DEFTONES, CROSSES, PALMS), TOM MORELLO (RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE, AUDIOSLAVE, THE NIGHTWATCHMAN, STREET SWEEPER SOCIAL CLUB), MAX CAVALERA (SOULFLY, KILLER BE KILLED, CAVALERA CONSIRACY), DAMON ALBARN (BLUR, GORILLAZ), SLASH (GUNS N ROSES, THE CONSPIRATORS), THOM YORKE (RADIOHEAD, ATOMS FOR PEACE), JACK WHITE (THE WHITE STRIPES, THE RACONTEURS, THE DEAD WEATHER) and COREY TAYLOR (SLIPKNOT, STONE SOUR).  in those cases the main thing remained the main thing.  with SYSTEM OF A DOWN there was much interest, but no information, just a bunch of random SELF-INVOLVED EXPERIMENTAL albums by TANKIAN and the SCARS ON BROADWAY vehicle for GUITARIST and SONGWRITER DARON MALAKIAN.

what is learned through this memoir is how truly COMPLICATED the INTERNAL DYNAMICS of SYSTEM OF A DOWN truly were, even at the peak of their creative powers in the first half of the 2000s.  most of this was between TANKIAN and MALAKIAN, who each vied for CREATIVE CONTROL of the BAND.  MALAKIAN (and the rest of the band) effectively wanted an UNAMBIGUOUS DELINEATION OF LABOR whereby he wrote the MUSIC and TANKIAN wrote the LYRICS, with some MINIMAL overlap.  over time TANKIAN wanted more CONTROL over the MUSIC, ground MALAKIAN was UNWILLING to cede.  publishing splits also entered the picture but really ARTISTIC CONTROL is what caused TANKIAN to step away from the BAND blaze his own INDEPENDENT path.  in one of the most POTENT admissions in the book TANKIAN accepts that the STRIDENT manner in which he put himself out there politically belied a more INTIMATE INABILITY to effectively confront his own friends in the BAND regarding PROBLEMS he (alone) saw in their CREATIVE PROCESS and DECISION-MAKING PATTERNS.  his subsequent solo career and MYRIAD of outside collaborations thus worked as a means of reclaiming that PROCESS.  that CONTROL.  and thus almost twenty years after the release of MEZMERIZE (AMERICAN, 2005) and HYPNOTIZE (AMERICAN, 2005) there has not been a new SYSTEM OF A DOWN album.  this memoir in part is his explanation of such, as well as introduction to his POLITICS and ACTIVISM for the uninitiated, to a still RABID fanbase waiting for NEW MUSIC.

i get the feeling that the wait will continue UNABATED since TANKIAN is likely to hold the BAND and his audience HOSTAGE indefinitely, EXPLANATIONS notwithstanding.  its not that i dont understand his RATIONALE, its just that BANDS are inherently not DEMOCRACIES, so its CONFUSING and a bit ANNOYING how NAIVE he comes across aspire for SYSTEM OF A DOWN to be one.  BANDS are more than not usually dominated by KEY MEMBERS vying for POWER and RECOGNITION (and often publishing).  see NOTORIOUS examples like OASIS, VAN HALEN, METALLICA, THE SMITHS, FLEETWOOD MAC, GUNS N' ROSES, THE POLICE, BLINK-182, NEW ORDER, PANTERA, THE KINKS, SONIC YOUTH, CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL, THE EAGLES, SMASHING PUMPKINS and even THE BEATLES.  not everyone can be SENSIBLE and COMPASSIONATE like U2, RADIOHEAD, COLDPLAY, REM and RUSH who share royalties evenly.  the norm is the quite the OPPOSITE.  they are the exception.  SYSTEM OF A DOWN is a SINGULAR BAND with a UNIQUE aesthetic and their fans have long suffered through DYSFUNCTION, INACTIVITY and a dearth of NEW MATERIAL.  they lose in the end as they are stuck with these SELF-INDULGENT TANKIAN side trips that arent particularly COMPELLING. 

​just get the BAND back together already.

parodies by nacrowe

check out HERE this recent streaming video episode of DEER GOD RADIO celebrating the TRANSGRESSIVE NYC INDUSTRIAL / ELECTROPUNK / METAL / HIP HOP band MINDLESS SELF INDULGENCE!
​
​​past episodes of DEER GOD RADIO are available here at the DEER GOD website as well as in the MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC archives.

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ive never been a fan of ALANIS MORISSETTE.  i should just state that outright from the jump.  and it has nothing to do with the QUALITY of her SINGING, which includes a particularly IDIOSYNCRATIC STYLE where RANDOM pitched INTERVALS are shifted around during OVER-ENUNCIATED VOWELS, or her LYRICS, which often tended to be PSEUDO-INTELLECTUAL and EMBARRASSING (see her IRONIC misuse and misunderstanding of IRONY on "IRONIC" from her MAVERICK debut).  my quibble was always this OVERBEARING sense of INTENTION from her WORK that i interpreted as being PRESUMPTUOUS to the point of ARROGANCE.  on SUPPOSED FORMER INFATUATION JUNKIE (MAVERICK, 1998), this GENERAL IMPRESSION was not countered but rather reinforced.

i should just say that i have been to INDIA.  i was privileged enough to attend a boarding school in NEW ENGLAND for my first two years of high school and during that time was required to take a COMPARATIVE RELIGION CLASS as a foundational requirement of the curriculum.  all this to say i was somewhat familiar with the FUNDAMENTAL PRECEPTS and CORE BELIEF STRUCTURES of BUDDHISM, JAINISM, SIKHISM and HINDUISM as a 16 year-old when my family visited NEW DEHLI, AGRA and JAIPUR on a trip to NORTHERN INDIA.  visiting INDIA is a TRANSFORMATIVE experience, even for a JADED THIRD CULTURE KID like myself who spent my middle school years in NIGERIA.  i thought i had witnessed HUMAN SUFFERING up close in its UNADORNED state.  INDIA was another level of experiencing HUMANITY, just the sheer volume of everything thrown at you.  it was completely OVERWHELMING, the SMELLS, the POVERTY, the VISUALS, the CHAOS.  but within all that there was an UNMISTAKEABLE BEAUTY.  all of this to say that i completely empathize and understand how a trip to INDIA would prompt someone to write about the experience a la MORISSETTE on SUPPOSED FORMER INFATUATION JUNKIE.

such doesnt mean it still doesnt come off GRATING and more than a little CRINGE-INDUCING.

on a track like "THANK U" there is a CLEAR INTENTION of presenting a state of GRATITUDE, whereby MORISSETTE lists all the things that she is THANKFUL for, including said experience in INDIA.  being in a state of GRATITUDE is meant as a vehicle for confronting our own INGRAINED SELFISHNESS and endless cycle of EPHEMERAL DESIRES.  by being THANKFUL for what you have been provided, you are limiting your ability to seek or want more than is required which is a manifestation of SPIRITUAL MATURITY.  during this period such EASTERN PHILOSOPHICAL ideas based in BUDDHISM were not completely ALIEN, suffice to say that MCA of the BEASTIE BOYS (who was a TIBETAN BUDDHIST convert) channeled such in their song "GRATITUDE" off CHECK YOUR HEAD (CAPITOL, 1992), as well as the thematically related "BODDHISATTVA VOW" on ILL COMMUNICATION (CAPITOL, 1994).  but still, out of context having a song about being THANKFUL where you list stuff comes off to the listener as a bit OVERBEARING and SELF-INVOLVED.  i dont think MORISSETTE or her CO-WRITER GLEN BALLARD (of PAULA ABDUL, GOO GOO DOLLS, DAVE MATTHEWS BAND and KATY PERRY fame) necessarily meant such, but it definitely came off that way to me.  and i intrinsically knew what her PERSPECTIVE and INTENTION was, even during that period of its release.

honestly outside of "THANK U," not much else stood out on SUPPOSED FORMER INFATUATION JUNKIE including follow-up singles "SO PURE," "UNSENT" and "THAT I WOULD BE GOOD."  the only other track that caught my attention at the time was the ALTERNATIVE-by-the-numbers "JOINING YOU" which has a MEMORABLE enough WORK, but in a POST-GRUNGE era where there was no shortage of options, MORRISETTE by this point in her career felt a bit STALE, CONTRIVED and more than a bit INAUTHENTIC.  the SPIRITUAL TIP she was on definitely did not help in that regard, made her seem ever the more UNAPPROACHABLE and out of the loop, which is a DEATH SPIRAL in music as audiences seek to project their lives and experiences unto your LYRICS and MELODIES.

im not saying that this is the worst thing that was released in 1998, but man there were some way better options that didnt get nearly the same industry push as the decidedly MEDIOCRE SUPPOSED FORMER INFATUATION JUNKIE.  specifically artistically SUPERIOR albums like MASSIVE ATTACK's MEZZANINE (VIRGIN, 1998), CAT POWER's MOON PIX (MATADOR, 1998), BLACK STAR's MOS DEF & TALIB KWELI ARE BLACK STAR (RAWKUS, 1998), BOARD OF CANADA's MUSIC HAS THE RIGHT TO CHILDREN (WARP, 1998), BIG PUN's CAPITAL PUNISHMENT (LOUD, 1998), AIR's MOON SAFARI (VIRGIN, 1998), REFUSED's  THE SHAPE OF PUNK TO COME (BURNING HEART, 1998), ELLIOTT SMITH's XO (DREAMWORKS, 1998) and NEUTRAL MILK HOTEL's IN THE AEROPLANE OVER THE SEA (MERGE, 1998), PULP's THIS IS HARDCORE (ISLAND, 1998) and so on.  id point you in the direction of any of those records instead, none of which include BALLARD's CORNY ass.

yeah i went there. 

got introduced to the VIRGINIA-based HUMOROUS SINGER-SONGWRITER / PRODUCER HOVEY BENJAMIN years ago by our RECORDING ENGINEER when the DEER GOD studio was still in operation pre-pandemic.  his songs make liberal use of auto-tune in PSEUDO HIP HOP-by-way-of-R&B tracks that are in a similar COMEDIC vein to that of SPINAL TAP, THE LONEY ISLAND, STEEL PANTHER, MAC SABBATH, FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS and the OG of NOVELTY PARODY MUSIC himself, "WEIRD AL" YANKOVIC.  there is this decidedly HANDMADE quality and feel to his songs and videos that makes them beyond ENTERTAINING.  the HUMOR is far too IDIOSYNCRATIC in his choice of topics and VISUALS to be created by committee and undoubtedly his videos "IF YOU KILL ME," "BAG DAD" and "LIVE LAUGH LOVE" served as an immediate inspiration that helped convince me that i could in fact pull off editing a music video.   

which i did.

so i really should be thanking the guy.  if you are UNFAMILIAR with his work, definitely check out the VIDEOS embedded below.  always looking forward to new material from this dude.