second acts in ROCK AND ROLL are BRUTAL.

its a pretty SHORT LIST of BANDS that were able to overcome the LOSS or UNEXPECTED DEPARTURE of an ICONIC VOCALIST.  GROUPS that come immediately to mind include AC/DC, IRON MAIDEN, FAITH NO MORE, ALICE IN CHAINS, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE, PINK FLOYD, CANNIBAL CORPSE, BLACK SABBATH and THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN.  but for every one of those there are a WHOLE HORDE of BANDS that either DISSIPATED or became SHELLS of their FORMER SELVES like VAN HALEN, SEPULTURA, ANTHRAX or the STONE TEMPLE PILOTS.  there is just something about that ALCHEMY of FACTORS that play into a BAND's CHEMISTRY and how such is perceived by the GENERAL PUBLIC.

its no SECRET that FROM ZERO (WARNER, 2024) by LINKIN PARK comes some seven years and three months since the UNTIMELY PASSING of LEGENDARY FRONTMAN CHESTER BENNINGTON.  for some, me included, he was LINKIN PARK.  i am fully aware of CO-VOCALOST MIKE SHINODA's IMMENSE SONGWRITING and PRODUCTION CONTRIBUTIONS to the BAND and the fact that BENNINGTON was the last to join LINKIN PARK, then called XERO.  but it is a total FALLACY to intimate that the APPEAL of the GROUP was anything other than BENNINGTON's SINGULAR VOCAL TALENTS and PERSONAL CHARISMA that gave the GROUP an EDGE and differentiated it from the CONSIDERABLE NU METAL field at the turn of the millennium.  the fact that those INNER DEMONS and DEEP-ROOTED TRAUMA from childhood that both drove him and ultimately devoured him is still very much a TRAGEDY for so many FANS to this day.

i am pretty AMBIVALENT about the BAND and this ALBUM, i'll be HONEST.  regrouping with a NEW SINGER is such a DICEY MANEUVER.  i wonder aloud whether or not this NEW EFFORT from most of the REMAINING MEMBERS (SHINODA, DJ JOE HAHN, GUITARIST BRAD DELSON, BASSIST DAVE "PHOENIX" FARRELL) would have better presented under a NEW MONIKER, because FROM ZERO (a REFERENCE to their ORIGINAL BAND NAME and a STATEMENT OF FACT that this is in fact a NEW BEGINNING) feels like LINKIN PARK BY-THE-NUMBERS with them consciously chasing the SOUND of now DECADES-OLD RELEASES HYBRID THEORY (WARNER BROS, 2000) and METEORA (WARNER BROS, 2003).  which is UNFORTUNATE.  this is APPARENT on MEDIOCRE TRACKS like "THE EMPTINESS MACHINE," "HEAVY IS THE CROWN," "TWO FACED," "OVER EACH OTHER" and "IGYEIH" where it feels like more BLUSTER than SUBSTANCE.  when i think back to COMEBACK ALBUMS like AC/DC's BACK IN BLACK (ATLANTIC, 1980) or ALICE IN CHAINS' BLACK GIVES WAY TO BLUE (VIRGIN, 2009) which came after the DEATH of a FORMER SINGER, there seemed to be a sense of CATHARSIS from the OVERT ACKNOWLEDGEMENT of the LOSS that had been sustained by the BAND and by extension their FANS.  that sense of PARTICIPATION in the GRIEVING PROCESS is all but gone from FROM ZERO as it literally feels like a REBOOT LINKIN PARK 2.0 sans any mention i can parse out RELATED to BENNINGTON.  which is UNFORTUNATE because their FABASE a decade later is still grieving his PASSING.

and then there is the PROBLEMATIC ROLLOUT surrounding EMILY ARMSTRONG, the NEW LINKIN PARK VOCALIST and MEMBER of the DERIVATIVE LOS ANGELES-based ALTERNATIVE ROCK BAND DEAD SARA.  i think VOCALLY she is SERVICEABLE enough, but it is what she represents in the CONTEXT of LINKIN PARK that is quite DISTURBING.  now BENNINGTON was a VOCAL ADVOCATE of MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES throughout his CAREER.  his LONG-TIME WORK with ORGANIZATIONS like MUSICARES was a PROFOUND and GENUINE EXTENSION of his IDENTITY as SOMEONE who benefited from THERAPY and PROFESSIONAL CARE.  if anything, a SIGNIFICANT PART of his ENDURING LEGACY apart from his COLOSSAL MUSICAL TALENT was his ADVOCACY to reduce the TABOO surrounding MENTAL ILLNESS and seeking out PROFESSIONAL HELP.  the amount of COURAGE that took place in stepping out PUBLICLY and presenting himself as a thoroughly FALLIBLE, VULNERABLE INDIVIDUAL needing of ASSISTANCE no doubt helped many PEOPLE he will never know.  so its CURIOUS that LINKIN PARK chose ARMSTRONG, an actively INVOLVED and LIFE-LONG SCIENTOLOGIST with CONTRARY BELIEFS regarding MENTAL ILLNESS and PSYCHIATRY writ large as an INSTITUTION is CALLOUS and OPPORTUNISTIC on the part of LINKIN PARK.  maybe they just thought their FANS wouldnt care.  i dont know.  its been widely acknowledged and reported that after the first ALBUM BENNINGTON was personally offered the OPTION by WARNER BROS of ditching LINKIN PARK and effectively initiating a SOLO CAREER, of which he rejected outright as a TESTAMENT to his LOYALTY and BOND with his BANDMATES.  the fact that it has come out more recently via BENNINGTON's MOTHER that the BAND didnt much share such LOYALTY concerning him, even throwing out the POSSIBILITY long before his DEATH of replacing him with a FEMALE SINGER just makes this recent move to ARMSTRONG feel like something of a SELF-FULFILLING PROPHECY.  to date the BAND has been pretty MUM on ARMSTRONG's BELIEFS as well as her STEADFAST past support for FELLOW SCIENTOLOGIST and CONVICTED SERIAL RAPIST DANNY MASTERSON. 

its just all a HUGE CLUSTERFUCK that was absolutely FORESEEABLE and totally PREVENTABLE by the BAND.  but i have no doubt there is a SUBSTANTIAL pent-up DEMAND for LIVE PERFORMANCES by anything under the LINKIN PARK BANNER so more than likely the DROVES of FANS will accept this status quo and move forward out of PURE NOSTALGIA and long-sunk EMOTIONAL COSTS regarding the BAND. so welcome to MODERN ALTERNATIVE METAL with FROM ZERO as the most blatantly SHAMELESS example of SOULLESS CORPORATE ROCK.

they really should have just changed the ​BAND NAME.  BENNINGTON deserved better.

i am a CHILD of the 90s. 

i came of age when the SEATTLE ALTERNATIVE ROCK EXPLOSION was already in FULL SWING.  in fact, i remember getting into MUSIC outside of my PARENTS' BRITISH INVASION and PUNK ROCK RECORDS (everything from THE WHO, THE BEATLES, THE ANIMALS and THE KINKS to THE SEX PISTOLS, RAMONES and THE STRANGLERS) in elementary school after memorably being gifted SOUNDGARDEN's SUPERUNKNOWN (A&M, 1994) and PEARL JAM's VITALOGY (EPIC, 1994) by them on my birthday.  so for better or worse, my FOUNDATION as a LISTENER is arguably ALTERNATIVE ROCK from that PERIOD which means whenever i hear SOMETHING REMINISCENT of such i am immediately taken by it.

to my ears, the BROOKLYN OUTFIT SUPERBLOOM is like a PERFECT MARRIAGE of the SONIC DYNAMICS and SONG-CRAFT of NIRVANA with the BOMBAST and GLORIOUS, FUZZED-OUT AURAL ASSAULT of the SMASHING PUMPKINS.  some might say that they are a little DERIVATIVE or even NOSTALGIC, but that is pretty REDUCTIVE since you can say that pretty much about any ROCK AND ROLL BAND post-LITTLE RICHARD and CHUCK BERRY.

i find this BAND's SOUND to be a WELCOME REINTRODUCTION to a SONIC AESTHETIC that really should never have gone anywhere.  the fact that they take these ELEMENTS and create such a COHESIVE SONIC PRESENTATION is beyond HEART-WARMING.  i am looking forward to their FUTURE CREATIVE OUTPUT.  if their very RECENT RELEASE of TRACKS like "I LOVED EVERYONE" and "ENJOY" are any HARBINGER of the FUTURE, this GROUP may be HUGE.  at the very least, SUPERBLOOM is definitely a BAND worth checking out.

parodies & text by nacrowe

on some level MUSIC should be a TRANSFORMATIVE EXPERIENCE.  i know when i listen to COMPOSITIONS by PHILIP GLASS, MASSIVE ATTACK, PETER GABRIEL, BJORK, APHEX TWIN, NEUROSIS or GUSTAV MAHLER i have the EXPERIENCE of being PSYCHICALLY transported to an ELEVATED CONSCIOUSNESS apart from my PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT and CORPORAL SENSE OF SELF.  its almost like i am floating weightlessly in a SONIC COCOON.  its probably the closest i get to being fully enveloped in an EXTENDED MEDITATION SESSION.

with BELLE & SEBASTIAN, the CELEBRATED SCOTTISH INDIE POP COLLECTIVE, the WHOLE SONIC and LYRICAL AESTHETIC is a WORLD unto itself.  much like THE SMITHS, there is an INTERIORITY to that EXPERIENCE that is singular to itself.  IDIOSYNCRATIC NARRATIVES of LONG-DISTANCE RUNNERS and LIBRARIES and the MUNDANE INANITY of CORPORATE OFFICE LIFE that make MODERNITY so WEIRD and EXCITING in its BLAND DULLNESS.  the CLOSEST ANALOGUE i can point to is the PRECISE VISUAL AESTHETIC of a LUIS BUÑUEL or WES ANDERSON film where you can identify such immediately from a SINGLE STILL FRAME.  its a WORLD unto itself that is neither a FANTASTICAL PROJECTION or a REFLECTION of SOCIETY, but an INTERIOR PERSPECTIVE by the AUTEUR him or herself. 

with BELLE & SEBASTIAN, such is MAIN SONGWRITER STUART MURDOCH, who has to be one of the more UNDERRATED COMPOSERS of his generation.  when i listen to his SONGS, especially "THE BOY WITH THE ARAB STRAP," "I FOUGHT IN A WAR," "ANOTHER SUNNY DAY," and "THE STATE I AM IN" there is a COMPLICATED EMOTIONAL CELEBRATION of feeling ISOLATED and apart from SOCIETY that i find both ENDEARING and REASSURING.  its as if that sense of INTERIORITY that comes with SECLUDED PURSUITS like absorbing FILMS, BOOKS, MUSIC and ART are FULFILLING in and of themselves without need for OUTSIDE VALIDATION.  i dont feel MURDOCH's MUSIC wallows in SOCIAL SOLITUDE as JACK BLACK's SELF-IMPORATANT RECORD STORE CLERK CHARACTER in HIGH FIDELITY (TOUCHSTONE, 2000) famously intimates with GLEEFUL MOCKERY, rather it presents a REASSURANCE that OTHERS like you have SIMILAR TASTES and INTERESTS.  its very similar to that of the INTERIOR LANDSCAPE of MORRISSEY's LYRICS which likewise present a MINDSET whereby IDIOSYNCRATIC NODS to OSCAR WILDE, SHELAGH DELANEY, JAMES DEAN, BILLY FURY, A.E. HOUSMAN and THE NEW YORK DOLLS reign SUPREME and FRONT-OF-MIND.

when i find MYSELF BORED with CONTEMPORARY MUSIC BELLE & SEBASTIAN is like an OLD, WARM, COMFORTABLE AURAL BLANKET that takes me back to a REASSURING FRAME-OF-MIND that consoles and presents an ALTERNATIVE CONCEPTION of MASCULINITY than SOCIETY deems necessary from the TIRED, overly CONFRONTATIONAL DOG-EAT-DOG VARIETY. 

for whatever it means, i feel at HOME.  and ive never stepped foot in SCOTLAND, much less GLASGOW.

embedded below is a past DEER GOD RADIO episode on nonprofit internet radio station MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC that includes a playlist celebrating the REVERED SCOTTISH INDIE ROCK BAND BELLE & SEBASTIAN.  enjoy!

the FREEDOM an ALTER EGO presents to an ARTIST or SONGWRITER is one of lifting them from the ARTISTIC CONSTRAINTS of being THEMSELVES.  look no further than DAVID BOWIE, arguably one of the more EXTREME CASE STUDIES of such in POP MUSIC, and the DRAMATIC SHIFTS in PRODUCTION, GENRE, STYLE and INTENT that his MAJOR TOM, THIN WHITE DUKE, HALLOWEEN JACK, ALADDIN SANE, ZIGGY STARDUST and THE BLIND PROPHET CHARACTERS afforded him throughout his STORIED CAREER.  one wonders if the AUDIENCE would have bought into and followed these SHIFTS had not BOWIE thrown HIMSELF so COMPLETELY into these THEATRICAL ROLES.  its FUNNY, even BOWIE was a PERSONA that emancipated DAVID JONES from being HIMSELF.

its ARGUABLE that no other POP ARTIST has extracted so much VALUE from a CHARACTER than CELEBRATED DETROIT RAPPER EMINEM and his SLIM SHADY ALTER EGO.  pre-SLIM SHADY, EMINEM was a DEFTLY LYRICAL but STRUGGLING MC that was more in the CONSCIOUS RAPPER MOLD of TALIB KWELI or COMMON, diving deep into his STRUGGLES of staying FINANCIALLY and EMOTIONALLY AFLOAT while attempting to raise his YOUNG DAUGHTER.  what SLIM SHADY afforded EMINEM was the ability to shed any SEMBLANCE of PROPRIETY and fully act out his ID in a PUBLIC MANNER that was FEARLESS and UNDAUNTED to call out ANYONE and EVERYONE without any PRETENSE for for niceties like HUMAN DIGNITY or SELF-PRESERVATION.  it made him into a LYRICAL KAMIKAZE PILOT barreling into all of AMERICA's SACRED COWS in manner not dissimilar than that of his INDUSTRIAL METAL PEER in FORMER FLORIDIAN MUSIC JOURNALIST BRIAN WARNER, a.k.a. MARILYN MANSON.  in essence SLIM SHADY made the CAREER of EMINEM possible and for some the two are SYNONYMOUS given his NOTORIETY and VAUNTED STATUS within MODERN HIP HOP CULTURE.

so how do DIVORCE YOURSELF from your own ALTER EGO.  your own CREATION.

for EMINEM that has proven to be quite TRICKY throughout his CAREER.  once he gained his SOBRIETY in 2008 he made a DELIBERATE ARTISTIC DECISION to play down the SHOCK TACTICS considerably, shelve his SLIM SHADY ALTER EGO and regroup back to a still CAUSTIC but more PERSONAL LYRICAL PERSPECTIVE that thoughtfully analyzed and addressed TOPICS and SOCIETAL ISSUES he was PASSIONATE about, from FAMILY and ADDICTION to WHITE PRIVILEGE and the ever-shifting INTERNAL POLITICS of HIP HOP.  this was the RELAPSE (INTERSCOPE, 2009) and RECOVERY (INTERSCOPE, 2010) ERA of his CAREER.  its INTRIGUING because these more MATURE EFFORTS where he experimented LYRICALLY with the FORM and further developed his PRODUCTION TECHNIQUE and STYLE were some of the least FINANCIALLY SUCCESSFUL RELEASES of his CAREER.  not that i think he cared much about that since he was on a SINGULAR TRAJECTORY being a culturally RELEVANT MC well into middle age.  at some point he outgrew SLIM SHADY, a CREATIVE and USEFUL ANACHRONISM from his YOUTH, that didnt sit well with him decades later in a DIFFERENT CULTURAL ENVIRONMENT in which RIGHTEOUS ADVOCACY for AT-RISK DEMOGRAPHICS grew in PREVALENCE. years later in a post-#BLACKLIVESMATTER / post-#METOO WORLD in which INGRAINED SYSTEMATIC RACISM and SEXUAL ASSAULT AGAINST WOMEN was taken more seriously, the SLIM SHADY character felt like even more of an ALBATROSS he needed to address, especially with a NEW GENERATION of SIDE-EYED GEN-Z TIKTOK INFLUENCERS attempting to cancel EMINEM, CONFUSING SLIM SHADY for HIMSELF.  embedded in there as well is the SORRY FACT that the MAGA CROWD was perverting the INTENT of the CHARACTER to be one of AIR COVER for their own SICK, REVANCHIST FANTASIES of CHRISTIAN NATIONALISTIC WHITE MALE DOMINATION.

a view i know MARSHALL MATHERS didnt share.

all of this is to say that THE DEATH OF SLIM SHADY (COUP DE GRÂCE) (INTERSCOPE, 2024) is EMINEM's INVENTIVE WAY of putting to bed this SIGNIFICANT ASPECT of his CAREER while addressing and defining the LEGACY of the CHARACTER in the PROCESS.  in my ESTIMATION its a SINGULAR ACHIEVEMENT because the SLIM SHADY ALTER EGO is just as QUICK-WITTED, WARPED and TRANSGRESSIVE as ever, not being ADULTERATED or DILUTED in the least, while EMINEM is able to literally battle such and put the MUCH-MALIGNED and REVERED CHARACTER into CONTEXT.  the tracks "HOUDINI" and "GUILTY CONSCIOUS 2" are the NARRATIVE FOCAL POINT of the ALBUM in that regard, DEFTLY illustrating the DIFFERENCE between EMINEM and SLIM SHADY for POSTERITY.  this ALBUM also has MIDCAREER-like INTROSPECTIVE MOMENTS addressing the PERSONAL LIFE of MATHERS as it pertains to his RELATIONSHIP with his CLOSELY-GUARDED FAMILY on "SOMEBODY SAVE ME" and "TEMPORARY." it has been hinted at that THE DEATH OF SLIM SHADY (COUP DE GRÂCE) may be the FINAL EMINEM ALBUM as MATHERS is now past 50 (and a GRANDFATHER-to-be), so such a SOBER REFLECTION on his MORTALITY in RELATION to his CHILDREN (and by EXTENSION his CAREER) seems WARRANTED.  my FAVORITE TRACKS bar none are "HABITS" with an absolutely DEVASTATING CHORUS by BRONX-based SINGER WHITE GOLD and "FUEL" with the feature by the EMERGING ATLANTA WORDSMITH and DREAMVILLE SCION JID.  twelve ALBUMS into his CATALOGUE and EMINEM is still bringing STELLAR new TALENT from the bench into the SPOTLIGHT. 

cant hate on that.

again, i found THE DEATH OF SLIM SHADY (COUP DE GRÂCE) to be quite an ACHIEVEMENT.  by no means has EMINEM WATERED-DOWN or DULLED his notoriously NIHILISTIC ALTER EGO, but somehow was able to find a BALANCE that took HIMSELF to task for his own PAST LYRICAL TRANSGRESSIONS with MESSAGES that did REAL DAMAGE to certain EMBATTLED COMMUNITIES in earlier decades.  it was a TIGHTROPE WALK that he deftly completed and fittingly brought his CHARACTER, and maybe CAREER, to a SATISFYING CLOSE.  in terms of INTRICATE WORDPLAY, MIND-BENDING INTERNAL RHYME SCHEMES, NARRATIVE COHESION, DICTION, FLOW, DARK HUMOR and OVERALL PRODUCTION, MATHERS has never been in BETTER FORM.  even at the half century mark he is still very much a SINGULAR CULTURAL FORCE that has kept up with the J COLEs and KENDRICK LAMARs of the WORLD, just like he did with NAS, JAY-Z and ANDRE 3000 a GENERATION before. 

​THE DEATH OF SLIM SHADY (COUP DE GRÂCE) is definitely a RELASE for the AGES that is well worth checking out.  plus that 'R-A-P-E-R' LINE about P DIDDY on "FUEL" is one of the most BRUTAL and DEVASTATING CHARACTER ASSASSINATIONS ive witnessed in RECENT MEMORY.  DUDE hasnt lost his EDGE one iota.

i know, DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE (DISNEY, 2024) has been out for months.  why write about it now?  the ANSWER is that it just came on DISNEY+ and there was absolutely no way i was ever going to spend MONEY at an ACTUAL THEATER on a MARVEL FILM.

which brings me to what made the first two DEADPOOL FILMS,  DEADPOOL (20TH CENTURY FOX, 2016) and DEADPOOL 2 (20TH CENTURY FOX, 2018) an INTERESTING EXPERIENCE, which was their SELF-REFLEXIVE POSTURE / FOURTH-WALL BREAKING SEND-UPS of all the BEHIND-THE-SCENES GOINGS-ON with the ACTORS' FILMOGRAPHIES, intra-STUDIO POLITICS, PAST BOX OFFICE RETURNS and so on.  that ABILITY to talk DIRECTLY to the AUDIENCE and make essentially IN-JOKES about all these INTERNECINE DETAILS that was not GERMANE to the PLOT at hand was DIFFERENT and a NEW TWIST on what is essentially a STAID SUPERHERO GENRE that has been CORPORATIZED beyond BELIEF with the once INNOVATIVE and now completely OVERBLOWN extended MARVEL UNIVERSE.  for all of its SELF-KNOWING ANTICS, those two films in the SERIES were motivated by a CHARACTER dealing with REAL TRAUMA and attempting reclaim a SENSE of FAMILY and ROMANTIC INTIMACY through OUTLANDISH BEHAVIOR and being an UNRELENTING CLOWN as a means of displacing SHAME and moderating an EMOTIONAL DISTANCE from the OUTSIDE WORLD.  one that is inherently VOLATILE and prone to perpetuate further TRAUMA.  in a sense these FILMS are TRADITIONALLY-STRUCTURED with CLASSIC CHARACTER MOTIVATIONS revolving around a quest to resurrect a FALSE SENSE of SECURITY based in the PAST.

in DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE, this is all discarded in favor of what amounts to a BUDDY FILM with two budding NARCISSISTIC SOCIOPATHS bent on HEROISM as a means of, yes, resurrecting a FALSE SENSE of PAST SECURITY.  and the MOTIVATION here is a bit MUDDLED and UNIMPRESSIVE as the TRUE BENT of this FILM are the ACTION SEQUENCES which have upped the GORE, BRUTALITY and the CORPORAL SPECIFICITY of the VIOLENCE quite significantly.  so much so that i started wondering mid-FILM who the DEMOGRAPHIC for this RATED R PROJECT was.  my ASSUMPTION is MEN under 40 as the CRASSNESS of the JOKES likewise seemed to have INTENSIFIED noticeably.  ACTION MOVIES are not my thing and make me BORED pretty easily since everything is a SETUP to another EXTENDED FIGHT SEQUENCE rather than anything with REAL NARRATIVE VALUE or EMOTIONAL WEIGHT to it.

for me this MOVIE felt like it ABANDONED what made the first two FILMS so ENTERTAINING, which were its LIGHT-HEARTED, SELF-REFERENTIAL NATURE and IDENTIFIABLE MOTIVATIONS that provided a RELATABLE FOUNDATION for the STAKES that spurred the ACTION ONSCREEN.  also every MARVEL FILM has a SENSE of INTERTEXTUALITY to it, which each bringing ANOTHER WRINKLE to an EXTENDED NARRATIVE NETWORK in a SIMILAR MANNER brought over by decades of COMIC BOOKS.  this FILM as such felt like a one-off in that respect.  a THROWAWAY.  with the OVERPLAYED MULT-VERSE / TVA-indebted PLOT DEVIDE utilized yet again, quite literally this CINEMATIC EXPERIENCE is very much a SOLO ADVENTURE divorced from any LARGER CONTEXT, which is a SHAME because even the WORSE MARVEL FILM makes such CLUES part of the INTERACTIVE FAN EXPERIENCE despite what else is happening.

so yeah, im pretty much UNIMPRESSED with the MINDLESS VULGARITY and COPIOUS ​VIOLENCE of DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE.  felt like a MOVIE made for the KNUCKLE-DRAGGING TRUMP CROWD quite honestly.  im resigned to the fact that i guess i should expect more OVER-CAFFEINATED DRIVEL like this moving forward.

growing up i never was a FAN of COMIC BOOKS dealing with the FANTASTICAL EXPLOITS of SUPERHERO CHARACTERS with their ABSURD POWERS and RESPONSIBILITIES the mostly i found i couldnt relate to the PREMISE.  seemed RIDICULOUS and a bit UNREALISTIC.  and i dont meant the FANCIFUL FLYING, TELEPATHIC, TIME-MANIPULATING, SPACE-BENDING or REALITY-WARPING ASPECTS of it all, but the UNDERLYING SUGGESTION that such PRETERNATURAL ABILITIES would be utilized with an equal measure of CALM RESTRAINT just didnt seam BELIEVABLE.

which is why i find THE DEATH-RAY (DRAWN & QUARTERLY, 2004) by DANIEL CLOWES such a COMPELLING GRAPHIC NOVEL.  originally a part of his EIGHTBALL (FANTAGRAPHICS, 1989-2004) series of COMIC BOOKS, this now STAND-ALONE NARRATIVE is based on the RELATABLE PREMISE that the ORPHANED, UNWANTED, TWICE-DIVORCED UNDERDOG who has been gifted EXTRAORDINARY ABILITIES of STRENGTH and even an HONEST-TO-GOD DEATH RAY GUN that only he can use does not have BENEVOLENCE in his heart for HUMANITY but a DEEP-SEATED RESENTMENT and almost SOCIOPATHIC COMPULSION to selectively ERADICATE those that make him ANGRY.  or at the very least he is a MISANTHROPE with pronounced NARCISSISTIC TENDENCIES.  gaining his INCREDIBLE POWERS in his late teens, its difficult not to read his TRANSFORMATION ALLEGORICALLY about that CONSEQUENTIAL TRANSITiON from ADOLESCENT to YOUNG ADULT and the PHYSICAL, EMOTIONAL and PSYCHOLOGICAL RESPONSIBILITIES that come with such that largely define one for the rest of their lives.  to me at least it makes sense that despite wanting to shield SOCIETY from his POTENTIAL WRATH, the ITCH ultimately becomes to much and he falls into the TEMPTATION of wreaking VENGEANCE on the WORLD for his TRAUMATIC CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES.

you really wonder why most SUPERHERO COMICS hardly have CHARACTERS that continually fail to measure up the INHERENT RESPONSIBILITIES of their SUPERNATURAL ABILITIES.  ADOLESCENCE is an especially BRUTAL PERIOD in an INDIVIDUAL's DEVELOPMENT and DIFFICULT if not IMPOSSIBLE to transcend as an ADULT, especially regarding TRAUMATIC EVENTS.  it is not even CLEAR within the WORLD presented in THE DEATH-RAY whether ANDY, the MAIN CHARACTER, is definitively a PROTAGONIST or ANTAGONIST.  CLOWES left it deliberately AMBIGUOUS.  its literally up to the READER to decide whether SOCIETY is better off sans BULLIES, DRUG DEALERS, ADULTERERS and the like that ANDY flawlessly zapped out of EXISTENCE without a trace.  the GRAPHIC NOVEL ends with a CHOOSE-YOUR-OWN-ADVENTURE STYLE ending with MULTIPLE SCENARIOS to choose from, each not particularly SATISFYING no matter how you view ANDY as a CHARACTER.

in SUMMATION, that UNRESOLVED AMBIGUITY seems to suggest that LIFE is COMPLEX.  we are all simultaneously the VICTIM and the AGGRESSOR.  we harness DEEPLY-FELT EMOTIONS based on PERSONAL EXPERIENCE and GRIEVANCES therein while also individually perpetuating SYSTEMS that promote ETHNIC, RACIAL, GENDER and ECONOMIC DISPARITIES with REAL WORLD IMPLICATIONS for SOCIETY at large.  INEQUITY and INEQUALITY is just a part of LIFE and EVISCERATING PEOPLE, including ONESELF, out of EXISTENCE doesnt change that DYNAMIC one iota.  and it is definitely not a VIABLE SOLUTION.

​such is HUMANITY.

i could honestly listen to MATT PINFIELD read a PHONEBOOK.  dude is pretty much the ULTIMATE RECORD INDUSTRY INSIDER regarding ROCK N ROLL writ large over the past 30+ years going back to his many FORMER GIGS as a LOCAL NEW JERSEY RADIO DJ, COLUMBIA RECORDS A&R GUY, MTV VJ and HOST of the INFLUENTIAL ALTERNATIVE ROCK INTERVIEW STAPLE 120 MINUTES.  what comes through no matter the CONTEXT is his PALPABLE ENTHUSIASM and PASSION for MUSIC and the BROADER COMMUNITY involved with such.  lately he's dabbled with PODCASTS, but undeniably his CURRENT RADIO PROGRAM NEW AND APPROVED WITH MATT PINFIELD on 95.5 KLOS in LOS ANGELES is the CROWN JEWEL of the bunch.

he is completely at ease and it shows with the RELAXED DEMEANOR of the MUSICIANS being interviewed, who seem to enjoy his COMPANY and view him as AUTHENTIC and OLD ALLY in a LIFE-LONG CAMPAIGN of spreading the GOOD WORD about their MUSIC and the PERSONAL EXPERIENCES and CULTURAL CONTEXT that surrounds such.  i feel like when i am watching these INTERVIEWS that an ORAL HISTORY is being recorded for POSTERITY, whether or not the CURRENT GENERATION or MEDIA LANDSCAPE values the FORMAT of LONG-FORM CONVERSATIONS with the likes of everyone from KIRST NOVOSELIC (NIRVANA), DEAN DELEO (STONE TEMPLE PILOTS), MATT CAMERON (SOUNDGARDEN), SHAVO ODADJIAN (SYSTEM OF A DOWN), JOHN DOE (X), JUSTIN CHANCELLOR (TOOL), RICHARD PATRICK (FILTER), JACK BLACK & KYLE GASS (TENACIOUS D), MIKE NESS (SOCIAL DISTORTION), MIKE CAMPBELL (TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS), STONE GOSSARD (PEARL JAM) and JOHN 5 (MARILYN MANSON, ROB ZOMBIE) among many other NOTABLE MUSICIANS.

NEW AND APPROVED WITH MATT PINFIELD is definitely worth checking out for ANYONE interested in ROCK N ROLL and all its VARIATIONS.  plus i am always excited to see a FELLOW RUTGERS ALUMNUS making a POSITIVE IMPACT in the WORLD.

like many other GROUPS from the same ERA such as FAILURE, JELLYFISH and HUM, i missed the boat when it comes to the PSYCHEDELIC ALTERNATIVE ROCK BAND TRIPPING DAISY out of DALLAS.  outside of their LONE RADIO HIT "I GOT A GIRL" off of their second FULL-LENGTH, MAJOR-LABEL DEBUT I AM AN ELASTIC FIRECRACKER (ISLAND, 1995) of which i have a FAINT RECOLLECTION of being on KROQ 106.7FM out of LOS ANGELES during my youth, this BAND made basically ZERO IMPACT on me during the 1990s.  in fact, i only learned about them long after the fact through VOCALIST TIM DELAUGHTER's extraordinarily ECCENTRIC (and CULT-LIKE), SYMPHONIC-CHORAL OUTFIT THE POLYPHONIC SPREE.  that was my CONNECTION, that was my in from which i discovered TRIPPING DAISY.

which in RETROSPECT surprises me, because this ALBUM is quite STRONG from a SONGWRITING and PRODUCTION PERSPECTIVE.  TRACKS such "PIRANHA," "TRIP ALONG" and the AFOREMENTIONED "I GOT A GIRL" are MEMORABLE with MELODIC HOOKS and VOCALS that were as COMPELLING as anything else on the RADIO at the time.  it makes me wonder what the POLITICS on RADIO were at the time when seemingly everything during that mid-90s PERIOD was dominated by SEATTLE and all other CONTENDERS from across the country like STONE TEMPLE PILOTS (SAN DIEGO), THE FLAMING LIPS (OKLAHOMA CITY), 311 (OMAHA), EVERCLEAR (PORTLAND), SPONGE (DETROIT), THE BUTTHOLE SURFERS (SAN ANTONIO) and MERCURY REV (BUFFALO) among countless others from LOS ANGELES (TOOL, FAILURE, BLIND MELON), NEW YORK CITY (HELMET, NADA SURF, SPACEHOG) and CHICAGO (SMASHING PUMPKINS, URGE OVERKILL, VERUCA SALT) who where COLLECTIVELY LOST in the SHUFFLE, unable to differentiate effectively from that PHENOMENAL CULTURAL WAVE. 

when i consider TRIPPING DAISY, their sound wasnt nearly as aggressively CONFLICTED or SELF-LACERATING as an ALICE IN CHAINS, NIRVANA or SOUNDGARDEN.  rather they were almost UPBEAT in TONE and defiantly SURREALISTIC with their LYRICAL CONTENT which provided a decidedly OBTUSE and even PSYCHEDELIC PRESENTATION of their SOUND.  when i think about specific QUALITY BANDS that got lost in the shuffle during that period, they all almost certainly didnt fit the mold in terms of TONE, DEMEANOR and PRESENTATION such as FAILURE and HUM (who both incorporated PRONOUNCED SPACE ROCK ELEMENTS).  even ODD GROUPS like SPACEHOG (who had a CLASSIC GLAM ROCK SOUND) who had a brief MOMENT in the SPOTLIGHT, did so because of how much they went against the TONE and FEEL of the time, but then were consequently and inevitably OVERSHADOWED and effectively DEFINED in OPPOSITION of such.

thinking about TRIPPING DAISY and their I AM AN ELASTIC FIRECRACKER RELEASE makes me reconsider what i was being fed in the 1990s and the very REAL INFLUENCE of those RADIO STATION PLAYLISTS.  what other ALTERNATIVE ROCK and INDIE ROCK BANDS from the PERIOD am i still UNAWARE of that are worthy of CRITICAL CONSIDERATION and WIDER EXPOSURE? 

​just gotta keep digging i guess.

the LOS ANGELES-based EXTREME METAL BAND BRUJERIA is practically a CULTURAL INSTIUTION at this point and needs no promotion by this BLOG by any means.  i just wanted to pay HOMAGE to what has to be one of the most POLITICALLY OUTSPOKEN GROUPS i can think of post-HARDCORE and post BANDS like DEAD KENNEDYS and SEPULTURA with blistering GRINDCORE / DEATH METAL-influenced SONGS about everything from RELIGION, IMMIGRATION and DRUG TRAFFICKING to RELATED ISSUES that profoundly effect the EXTENDED HISPANIC COMMUNITY.  in a GENRE afflicted with MASS CONFORMITY, RIGID unspoken RULES and a mostly CLOSE-MINDED AUDIENCE BASE who are unwilling to deviate from TRADITIONAL SONIC PRESENTATIONS, its reassuring to know that there are still some stridently HONEST VOICES still in the MIX.

such has been the case for so long that the amount of MUSICIANS that have joined the likes of BRUJERIA include PROMINENT MEMBERS of NAPALM DEATH, FAITH NO MORE, CARCASS, AT THE GATES, FEAR FACTORY, CRADLE OF FILTH, DIMMU BORGIR and yes, even DEAD KENNEDYS.

definitely a BAND worth checking out.

obviously the STATE of the UNITED STATES in the wake of DONALD TRUMP's SUCCESSFUL PRESIDENTIAL RE-ELECTION bid has been top-of-mind for two weeks now.  a COMMON THREAD through a bunch of past BLOG POSTS has been my YEARS-LONG APPREHENSION and FEAR concerning what the CONSEQUENCES of such an ABHORRED OUTCOME might be.

well now we are here.  in a little over a month such will be a LIVING REALITY.

having lived abroad for several years in places with NOMINAL RELATIONS if not scarce RESEMBLANCE to DEMOCRATIC NORMS and FEALTY to the RULE OF LAW, i unfortunately have EXPERIENCE living under MILITARY DICTATORSHIPS, MONARCHIES and STRUGGLING / FAILED DEMOCRACIES from NIGERIA, MYANMAR and ALBANIA to KUWAIT and VENEZUELA.  it is quite SAD and TRAGIC that the UNITED STATES is about to me in such COMPANY, but with all due respect, i dont believe that my AMERICAN COUNTERPARTS truly have any IDEA what it is like to live a DAY-TO-DAY EXISTENCE in a FLUID SITUATION where the RULES are in CONSTANT FLUX, CORRUPTION is a NORMAL PART of DAILY LIFE and ultimately the IMPULSIVE WHIMS of an EMIR or DICTATOR literally determine the LAW OF THE LAND.  the grating of such on your very PSYCHE.

an EMPOWERING RESOURCE i find myself constantly thinking back to as i attempt to MENTALLY and EMOTIONALLY navigate this VOLATILE TERRAIN is an immensely READABLE BOOK i reviewed more than four years ago by a YALE HISTORY PROFESSOR named TIMOTHY SNYDER called ON TYRANNY: TWENTY LESSONS FROM THE TWENTIETH CENTURY (TIM DUGGAN BOOKS, 2017), which recalls ways to resist AUTOCRACY based on EXAMPLES from the past century.  this BOOK was written in the WAKE of TRUMP's FIRST ELECTION TO THE PRESIDENCY and its much-ANTICIPATED DEMOCRATIC BACKSLIDING with the erosion of GOVERNMENT INSTITUTIONS in the DOGGED PURSUIT of AUTOCRATIC RULE. 

unfortunately, reading through his TWENTY LESSONS it is more than APPARENT how many of these WARNINGS have unfortunately already come to pass.  just take a look.

1. do not obey in advance
2. defend institutions
3. beware the one-party state
4. take responsibility for the face of the world
5. remember professional ethics
6. be wary of paramilitaries
7. be reflective if you must be armed
8. stand out
9. be kind to our language
10. believe in truth
11. investigate
12. make eye contact and small talk
13. practice corporeal politics
14. establish a private life
15. contribute to good causes
16. learn from peers in other countries
17. listen for dangerous words
18. be calm when the unthinkable arrives
19. be a patriot
20. be as courageous as you can

my HOPE is that i am being overly DISHEARTENED and DISCOURAGED by the CURRENT STATE OF AFFAIRS and that by TRUMP's own INCOMPETENCE our country will be spared most of the UNSPARING PAIN and ANGUISH that has been PROMISED for months on the campaign trail.  but watching MAJOR NEWSPAPERS and WATCHDOG MEDIA MEMBERS already bend the knee in advance makes me feel that this is an altogether different SCENARIO. 

one that nobody is prepared for.

my thought is that the way out of this, like SNYDER prescribes, is through our LOCAL COMMUNITY.  stay WATCHFUL, stay VIGILANT and stay CONNECTED to each other.  if you are UNFAMILIAR with ON TYRANNY, definitely read it.  it is SHORT and meant to be easily read and understood and in my OPINION provides a GUIDE to EMPOWERING OURSELVES, empowering each other and empowering our COMMUNITIES during what will definitely be a TRYING PERIOD in AMERICAN HISTORY.

attempting to describe any MASSIVE ATTACK ALBUM is a bit of a fool's errand given that their SOUND shifts song-to-song and is a UNIQUE AMALGAMATION of everything carried under the TRIP HOP flag, from DUB REGGAE and SYNTH POP to R&B, HIP HOP and ELECTRONICA.  their second full-length EFFORT PROTECTION (WILD BUNCH, 1994) is every bit a CONSCIOUS EXTENSION of their DEBUT BLUE LINES (WILD BUNCH, 1991) with RETURNING MEMBERS (ADRIAN "TRICKY" THAWS and GRANT "DADDY G" MARSHALL) and GUESTS (notably TRACY THORN of EVERYTHING BUT THE GIRL, HORACE ANDY and NICOLETTE) added to the party with downright INTOXICATING RESULTS.

the SONGWRITING BRAIN TRUST of ANDREW "MUSHROOM" VOWLES and ROBERT "3D" DEL NAJA, especially on EMOTIVE TRACKS like "SLY" and "EUROCHILD," where creatively on fire and present SINGULAR, CINEMATIC SOUNDSCAPES that effortlessly emote a CREATIVE ENERGY and hint at a LUSH, VIBRANT, INTERIOR WORLD of seemingly BOUNDLESS IMAGINATION.  in college, along with APHEX TWIN's more DOWN-TEMPO AMBIENT MOMENTS, i would habitually write term papers to this ALBUM and its likewise TRANSFORMATIVE SUCCESSOR MEZZANINE (VIRGIN, 1998), as if by osmosis i could possibly harness some of that CREATIVE VIBE in my own WRITTEN WORK.  i like to think it helped.

when i think about the ARC of MASSIVE ATTACK's CATALOGUE, PROTECTION is a bit of a TRANSITIONAL RECORD.  its SEAMLESS UTILIZATION of OUTSIDE COLLABORATORS, especially GUEST VOCALISTS, is a feature that will continue on SUBSEQUENT RELEASES.  while the PRODUCTION here can be quite LUSH and SURREAL at times, it still feels a bit RUDIMENTARY and less FLUID and COHESIVE when considering later RELEASES like MEZZANINE and 100TH WINDOW (VIRGIN, 2003).  to my ears, MEZZANINE is the turning point in their OVERALL CATALOGUE and PROTECTION is in essence a more sonically SOPHISTICATED VERSION of BLUE LINES.  i dont feel i am going out on a limb here as the ARTWORK of PROTECTION references directly that of its PREDECESSOR. 

my EXPERIENCE with MASSIVE ATTACK is that i discovered all of their RECORDS, along with those of PORTISHEAD and TRICKY, when i relocated to SACRAMENTO from KUWAIT in the IMMEDIATE AFTERMATH of 9/11.  it was a HEADY, CONFUSING and DIZZYING TIME and discovering TRIP HOP in general felt like an ORGANIC EXPRESSION of that LIVED EXPERIENCE, especially SONGS like "KARMACOMA" and the TITLE TRACK "PROTECTION," which both showcased sonically and lyrically a PERSPECTIVE of being at SUPREME UNEASE in your own ENVIRONMENT.  which i no doubt was during that PERIOD.  emotionally, the AFOREMENTIONED TRACKS "SLY" and "EUROCHILD" off PROTECTION really made an IMPRESSION and confronted me with NEW EXPECTATIONS for the CREATIVE POTENTIAL for EXPERIMENTAL MUSIC and HYBRID SOUNDS that brilliantly and flawlessly BLENDED GENRES.  it was an INTRODUCTION to a world of MUSIC i have yet to deviate from in the 20+ years since.

so yeah, PROTECTION is definitely worth checking out.

when the SOUTH AFRICAN ALTERNATIVE HIP HOP GROUP DIE ANTWOORD came to PROMINENCE in the late 2000s with their WARPED and outright TRANSGRESSIVE VISUAL AESTHETIC, PROVINCIAL ARIKAAN-inflected VERBIAGE and CONKED-OUT MUSIC that ingeniously blended the BOMBAST and DRIVE of RAVE and DANCE CULTURES with that of HIP HOP, it felt like a WHOLE MOVEMENT emerged overnight out of thin air.  and i wasnt alone in that FEELING.

in the RECENT DOCUMENTARY ZEF: THE STORY OF DIE ANTWOORD (PRESSURE COOKER, 2024),  the DUO of NINJA and YOLANDI, as well as their DAUGHTER SIXTEEN JONES, PRODUCER DJ HI-TEK and PHOTOGRAPHER ROGER BALLEN flesh out the details on what is one of the most UNLIKELY success stories that no doubt was indebted to the GLOBAL DOMINANCE of MODERN INTERNET CULTURE.  not surprisingly, whole swathes of this FILM are dominated by GNARLY and STRIKING IMAGERY of MANGLED and DISTORTED BODIES, COPIOUS NUDITY, ANGULAR HAIRCUTS and truly ODD ANIMAL CAMEOS that is no doubt meant to distract the VIEWER from the PLOT at hand and give the group an AURA of being EXOTIC and 'OTHER.'

for me the most COMPELLING COMPONENT of this ECCENTRIC DOCUMENTARY is the RELATIONSHIP between NINJA and YOLANDI and how DIE ANTWOORD evolved from such.  the look of the GROUP, inspired by ZEF CULTURE out of the DOWNTRODDEN and economically IMPOVERISHED POPULATIONS within URBAN SOUTH AFRICA. i believe most OUTSIDERS do not realize just how DANGEROUS the country is, especially MAJOR CITIES like DURBAN, PRETORIA, JOHANNESBURG, PIETERMARITZBURG, CAPE TOWN and PORT ELIZABETH, which all ranked higher in the 2024 CRIME INDEX than LAGOS, the NOTORIOUS NIGERIAN PORT CITY and MEGAPOLIS where i spent my middle school years in the 1990s with ARMED GUARDS on constant standby.  it is no joke out there and SOUTH AFRICA is one of the WORLD's GREAT MELTING POTS of CULTURE due to its COMPLEX DUTCH, BRITISH and AFRIKANER COLONIAL HISTORY and LONGSTANDING GEOGRAPHIC POSITIONING as a PROMINENT TRADE HUB between EUROPE and ASIA.  the fact that DIE ANTWOORD broke through the NOISE ONLINE and presented this SINGULAR CULTURE of their NATIVE UNDERCLASS from a FORGOTTEN part of the GLOBE is quite REMARKABLE. 

and UNEXPECTED.

the FILM makes clear that INTERNATIONAL FAME and SUCCESS was DIFFICULT for NINJA and YOLANDI and ultimately ESTRANGED them from each other in the PROCESS.  relocating to LOS ANGELES and being ingratiated and courted by fellow celebrities in SEN DOG (CYPRESS HILL), MARILYN MANSON, CARLA DELEVINGNE, FLEA (RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS),  DITA VON TEESE, GHOSTFACE KILLAH (WU-TANG CLAN), JACK BLACK and the like given their PROVINCIAL and UNASSUMING ROOTS must have been such a MINDS-CREW.  despite all the CRAZY VISUALS that perpetuate this DOCUMENTARY, its heartening to learn that the SEPARATION of the two MAIN MEMBERS from each other was what brought the GROUP to a CREATIVE STALL.  this FILM serves as a PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT of sorts that their TRIAL BY FIRE is over and that DIE ANTWOORD is back in action and STRONGER than ever. 

which is GREAT because HIP HOP and MODERN CULTURE is in a RUT at the MOMENT.  everything POPULAR seems rather INAUTHENTIC, PREFABRICATED and GROUP-TESTED to death, especially HIP HOP where there is a dearth of GENUINE MATERIAL.  DIE ANTWOORD offer a SINGULAR PERSPECTIVE, albeit a DARK and TWISTED one that is more worthy of INVESTIGATION than the MAJORITY of PRETENDERS currently filling up my NEWSFEED and INSTAGRAM STORIES.  ZEF: THE STORY OF DIE ANTWOORD is an INTRIGUING INTRODUCTION to the GROUP, albeit one that is a little LIGHT on SPECIFICS and saturated with STAGGERING VISUALS.

regardless it is well worth checking out.

who knew that this ENDURING, nearly 125 year-old ICON of AMERICAN CHILDREN'S LITERATURE would prove to be such a PRESCIENT, UNNERVING and UNEXPECTED ALLEGORY of our COLLECTIVE FAITH in SECULAR FALSE PROPHETS that MANIPULATE us with the SEDUCTIVE POWER of so-called TECHNOLOGICAL PROGRESS.  every time in BUSINESS SCHOOL i hear a PROFESSOR preach yet again chapter and verse about the ACUMEN and INGENUITY of MODERN-DAY AMERICAN TECH OLIGARCHS like JEFF BEZOS, MARK ZUCKERBERG and ELON MUSK i THROW UP A BIT IN MY MOUTH and think back to the EPOCHAL LITERARY FIGURE of the WIZARD from L. FRANK BAUM's THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ (GEORGE M. HILL COMPANY, 1900).  just that very IDEA that, like DOROTHY, all HOPE and FEAR will be ailed with BLIND SERVITUDE to TECHNOLOGY and those that consciously EXPLOIT such for POWER, PRESTIGE and ECONOMIC GAIN.  such was the case with the WIZARD and his ASYMMETRICAL ACCESS to TRANSFORMATIVE TECHNOLOGY up until his eventual exposure as a CHARLATAN.

it feels like we are collectively in an OVERWHELMING ERA of CHARLATANS.

i could quite possibly be wildly OFF-BASE and ABSURD with this take, but it feels like to me that this chase to find and secure an IDENTITY for OURSELVES based not in our LOCAL COMMUNITY, but through TECHNOLOGY, has found us more ALIENATED from one another and PSYCHOLOGICALLY ISOLATED.  in the LAND OF OZ, DOROTHY is unknowingly guided by NEW FRIENDS she meets along the way that SYMBOLIZE quite literally VARIOUS ASPECTS of HERSELF and her BOND with her FAMILY back in KANSAS.  these FAMILY TIES are thus UNBREAKABLE in NATURE and effectively DEFINE us through DEEP-SEATED VALUES, CULTURAL MORES and LONG-STANDING TRADITIONS we inherit.  as much as we try to escape or transcend such, it is very much ultimately FUTILE given that such is the BASIS of our VALUE SYSTEM.  one we can count on and return to during PERIODS of IMMENSE STRAIN and CONSTERNATION, such as DOROTHY's EXPERIENCE in a FANTASTICAL, UNFAMILIAR and ultimately PERILOUS novel ENVIRONMENT.  the WIZARD was never her SALVATION in this EXTENDED PARABLE, her FAMILY was.

i keep wondering where as a NATION we will return to after this second go around with DONALD TRUMP and his NIHILISTIC returning ADMINISTRATION.  what is the COMMUNAL POINT of CONNECTION that we all recognize as BEDROCK these days?  the BILL OF RIGHTS?  the UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION?  it feels like such is being frittered away and left to DECAY in favor of an AUTHORITARIAN STATE that promises ECONOMIC PROSPERITY and security straight from the HACKNEYED PLOT of a POORLY-CONCEIVED and BADLY-WRITTEN DYSTOPIAN THRILLER.  i dont know what we will return to and when.  instead we are cocooned in our ALGORITHMICALLY-ENABLED INFORMATION SILOS online and avoid DIFFICULT, HONEST and vitally NECESSARY PERSON-TO-PERSON, EYE-TO-EYE FRANK DISCUSSIONS and INTERACTIONS with one another.  we are LOST in a LAND OF OZ of our own CREATION being manipulated by POWERFUL TECHNOLOGY implemented by a CONSORTIUM of CRAVEN, SELF-SERVING TECH CLOWNS and we are all rendered lesser for such.  my FEAR is that the COMMUNAL BONDS that once DEFINED us will be UNRECOGNIZABLE in short order once this debilitatingly VOLATILE and PERNICIOUS ADMINISTRATION grinds our sense of COLLECTIVE WILL and RESOLVE into dust.

cant always return home to KANSAS.  sorry.

parodies by nacrowe

check out HERE this recent streaming video episode of DEER GOD RADIO celebrating the RIDICULOUS and much MALIGNED (deservedly so) HAIR METAL scene of the 1980s.
​
​​past episodes of DEER GOD RADIO are available here at the DEER GOD website as well as in the MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC archives.

and if you haven't done so already get the FREE PHONE APP for IOS/ANDROID and enjoy listening to MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC 24/7 at your convenience!

along with THE GERMS and THE ADOLESCENTS, one of the more long-term CONSEQUENTIAL BANDS i learned about when visiting a CHILDHOOD FRIEND in SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA in 2001 was FEAR.  at that point in my life i had STINTS living in NIGERIA and KUWAIT as well as BOARDING SCHOOL in MASSACHUSETTS since leaving ORANGE COUNTY at the beginning of sixth grade.  the summer before my senior year of HIGH SCHOOL i went back and visited my FRIEND who by this point was a HARDCORE PUNK ROCK OBSESSIVE who schooled me on all things CALIFORNIA PUNK ROCK, from FIRST WAVE GROUPS like THE BAGS, X, THE WEIRDOS, AGENT ORANGE and THE GUN CLUB to RICH KIDS ON LSD, TRUE SOUNDS OF LIBERTY, BATTALION OF SAINTS, WASTED YOUTH and DR. KNOW.  

but LEE VING and his band FEAR was another matter entirely. 

the FRONTMAN and MAIN SONGWRITER had this CONFRONTATIONAL PERSONA whereby he went FULL-BORE ARCH CONSERVATIVE with seemingly pro-REAGAN PRONOUNCEMENTS regarding everything from MILITARY ADVENTURISM, ECONOMIC and CLASS WARFARE to FEMINISM, IMMIGRATION and the NUCLEAR FAMILY.  VING's shtick was so purposefully VULGAR and OVER-THE-TOP that he was given the title of the "DON RICKLES of PUNK ROCK."  it was bordering on PARODY in the same way that COMEDIAN STEPHEN COLBERT's FORMER CHARACTER of the same NAME likewise lambasted that a PARTICULAR MINDSET by embodying such to the point of HYPERBOLE.  or at least i believe that is the CASE because with VING i never really know what is REAL or PERFORMANCE ART.

what's COOL is that on that 2001 visit to ORANGE COUNTY i was able to see both FEAR and THE ADOLESCENTS play (at SEPARATE shows), literally days after becoming FAMILIAR with their respective LANDMARK DEBUT ALBUMS, FEAR's THE RECORD (SLASH, 1982) and THE ADOLESCENTS' ADOLESCENTS (FRONTIER, 1981).  and VING, whom i saw in VENTURA at a WARPED TOUR stop, lived up to his billing with aggressively MISOGYNISTIC and BELLIGERENT  BETWEEN-SONG BANTER before ripping into CLASSIC TRACKS like "I LOVE LIVING IN THE CITY," "LET'S START A WAR," "I DON'T CARE ABOUT YOU," and "NEW YORK'S ALL RIGHT IF YOU LIKE SAXOPHONES."  its a FULL-FRONTAL SONIC EXPERIENCE that is a bit OVERWHELMING and the SONGS's LYRICS are so RIDICULOUS that they becoming indelibly registered in your MEMORY, almost as JOKES.  i know FEAR is a MUCH-BELOVED PUNK ROCK INSTITUTION, but to me THE RECORD is almost like a WEEN or THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS release in terms of its COMEDIC LYRICAL PREMISE.  it feels like SOMEONE attempting to write the most CATCHY and OFFENSIVE ALBUM from the PERSPECTIVE of the most extremely RECALCITRANT and REVANCHIST REPUBLICAN ever conceived. 

at least pre-TRUMP.  like all things the TRUMPOCALYPSE rendered even 40+ year-old ARTISTIC EXPRESSIONS like this to not hit as HARD as the current DIRE POLITICAL SITUATION is beyond SATIRE or CARICATURE, just unimaginably TRAGIC. 

sigh...

but yeah, THE RECORD is a CLASSIC PUNK ROCK ALBUM worthy of checking out for the UNINITIATED.  definitely worth a listen along with RELEASES by their CONTEMPORARIES in X, THE GERMS, AGENT ORANGE, SOCIAL DISTORTION and THE GUN CLUB.  in totality you get a sense of what a DIVERSE ARRAY of ARTISTS that FIRST WAVE out of LOS ANGELES actually was.

JAPAN is a WILD place.  to the CASUAL OBSERVER the CULTURE seems very REFINED and AUSTERE, with ACCEPTED CODES of BEHAVIOR that are both COURTEOUS and WIDESPREAD.  little things that INDIVIDUALS do to make EVERYONE's day more ENJOYABLE and SAFE like VOLUNTARY mask-wearing when you are SICK, keeping your VOICE down in PUBLIC SPACES, minimizing direct eye contact and acknowledging the right-of-way of OTHERS when entering or exiting BUILDINGS.  while i found life in YOKOHAMA a bit ISOLATING, at no point did i feel my NEIGHBORS and COWORKERS where RUDE, IMPOSING or CONFRONTATIONAL in the slightest. 

its a CULTURAL THING.

but make no mistake, what makes JAPANESE CULTURE so INTRIGUING are those RARE MOMENTS when they step out of this MODE.  this can be seen with those not infrequent late night SIGHTINGS of WILD PUBLIC DRUNKENNESS by BUSINESSMEN on PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION or SPECIFIC DISTRICTS (i'm looking at you KABUKICHO) where anything goes and especially the MYRIAD of ODDLY-THEMED BARS and CAFES throughout TOKYO, including EATING / DRINKING ESTABLISHMENTS with access to CERTAIN ANIMALS like OWLS, HEDGEHOGS, PENGUINS, CATS, PIGS, CAPYBARAS, SNAKES, CHINCHILLAS, PARROTS, CHAMELEONS and so on. then there are the HOSTESS BARS run mostly by the YAKUZA that MALE and FEMALE WORKERS provide COMPANIONSHIP (and usually FINANCIALLY EXPLOIT) to LONELY PATRONS.  less SEEDY but no doubt PECULIAR are the NOTORIOUS MAID CAFES where YOUNG WOMEN dress as VICTORIAN MAIDS [i've personally never been] for whatever reason. 

i always felt like in AMERICAN CULTURE we allow for some GRACE in terms of expressing ones INDIVIDUALITY and/or SEXUALITY to a point, but in JAPAN that latitude is relatively NARROW, meaning that when they go outside of such, they really go outside the bounds of GOOD TASTE and DECENCY.  which is beyond INTERESTING.

JAPAN already has an LONG-STANDING ASYMMETRY when it comes to GENDER HIERARCHY and so the ICONOGRAPHY of MAIDS is no doubt playing into that CULTURAL SWEET SPOT.  which brings me to the SIMILARLY-ATTIRED METAL OUTFIT BAND-MAID that finds a GROUP of YOUNG FEMALE MUSICIANS absolutely slaying with their CRUSHING POWER METAL-inflected SOUND.  its such a HEAD-SCRATCHER because those MAID OUTFITS play into GENDER BIASES yet the SOUND is so POWERFUL and UNRELENTING and in JAPANESE terms anything but PASSIVE or SUBMISSIVE.  the fact that this BAND totally SUBVERTED the ICONOGRAPHY associated with their GENDER and its BIASED PRESCRIPTIONS is pretty AMAZING to witness.

at the very least BAND-MAID is most definitely worth checking out.

parodies & text by nacrowe

im deeply CONFLICTED about THE SMITHS.

or rather i should say ive been quite AMBIVALENT about MORRISSEY for some time now.  his DRAMATIC, SUDDEN and UNPRECEDENTED FALL FROM GRACE from REVERED INDIE ROCK ELDER-STATESMAN into just another REPULSIVE BLOWHARD in the crowded, UNSAVORY world of REVANCHIST, CONSERVATIVE BRITISH POLITICS and VOCAL ADVOCATES of WHITE NATIONALISM during and since BREXIT has been something that is quite DIFFICULT to come to terms with.  such being because the MUSIC, IMAGERY and LYRICAL UNIVERSE of THE SMITHS was such a BEAUTIFUL, INCLUSIVE thing that seemed geared towards a COMMUNITY of the DOWNTRODDEN and UNSUNG.  the very IDEA that such could be WARPED, BASTARDIZED and effectively folded into a WORLDVIEW that is so VILE and CRUEL just seems ANTITHETICAL to what their CELEBRATED CULTURAL LEGACY once was.  which lets be FRANK, THE SMITHS are the GREATEST BAND ever with ARGUABLE COMPETITION only from the likewise MUCH-BELOVED, STUDIED and MIMICKED BRITISH INVASION CULTURAL ICONS THE BEATLES.

i continually thing back to the SONG 'I KNOW IT'S OVER' off of THE QUEEN IS DEAD (ROUGH TRADE, 1986) and the SPECIFIC LYRICS "it's so easy to laugh, it's so easy to hate / it takes strength to be gentle and kind" and wonder aloud where that REPRESENTATION of MASCULINITY that championed EMPATHY and COMPASSION went astray with MORRISSEY?  it is truly BIZARRE and downright DISAPPOINTING, as if his whole career was some VENAL DISPLAY of COSPLAY or at worst an INSINCERE PERFORMANCE.  i find it hard to listen to THE SMITHS now which is UNFORTUNATE because along with DEVO and JANE'S ADDICTION, they were my FAVORITE BAND since childhood, end stop.

i should state that SMITHS GUITARIST and CO-SONGWRITER JOHNNY MARR has in comparison aged with DIGNITY and GRACE both in his many COLLABORATIONS over the years (THE THE, BILLY BRAGG, ELECTRONIC, BECK, THE PRETENDERS, MODEST MOUSE, NOEL GALLAGHER, TALKING HEADS, KIRSTY MACCOLL, PET SHOP BOYS, HANS ZIMMER, THE CRIBS, BRYAN FERRY) and his PRODUCTIVE solo career.  you really get the sense with MARR and that he takes everything in STRIDE and remains OPEN, TEACHABLE and RECEPTIVE to the WORLD, rather than close it off as he reaches his later years.  i suppose not EVERYONE has that blessing of aging GRACEFULLY.  MARR has, MORRISSEY has not and their LEGACY well no doubt be irrevocably TARNISHED by the later.

embedded below is a past DEER GOD RADIO episode on nonprofit internet radio station MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC that includes a playlist celebrating the SEMINAL BRITISH INDIE ROCK BAND THE SMITHS.  enjoy!

the UNLIKELY LOS ANGELES-by-way-of-OMAHA HYBRID ALTERNATIVE ROCK BAND 311 was nothing if not a DEDICATED TOURING UNIT who by the time they released their THIRD ALBUM and COMMERCIAL BREAKTHROUGH, the SELF-TITLED 311 (CAPRICORN, 1995) RECORD, had amassed a RABID FOLLOWING through near constant STATESIDE EXCURSIONS and shared the STAGE with EVERYONE from FUGAZI, KMFDM, RANCID, WEEZER, THE CRAMPS and NO DOUBT to THE SMASHING PUMPKINS, CATHERINE WHEEL, THE URGE, KORN and OINGO BOINGO.  although peppered with some UPTEMPO TRACKS, 311's first two RECORDS MUSIC (CAPRICORN, 1993) and GRASSROOTS (CAPRICORN, 1994) were more a SHOWCASE of their more ECLECTIC and SOPHISTICATED JAZZ-inflected SONGWRITING ROOTS that dated back to their high school days in music class back in NEBRASKA.

such is why 311 is a decidedly more UPTEMPO AFFAIR with more AGGRESSIVE SONGS consciously meant to translate well in a LIVE SETTING.  as such it is a little less VARIED than most of its ECLECTIC CATALOGUE, but on CLASSIC TRACKS like "RANDOM," "DON'T STAY HOME," "LOCO," "DLMD," "ALL MIXED UP," "HIVE" and "DOWN" the ENERGY is FIERCE and absolutely CONTAGIOUS.  which is why i was SMITTEN with this ALBUM after hearing it from a CLASSMATE in sixth grade shortly after moving to NIGERIA in late 1995. 

​unlike other ALTERNATIVE ROCK BANDS of that period who mixed genres, 311 maintained a GENUINE SENSE of POSITIVE FUN and a PENCHANT for RIGHTEOUS GROOVES in their RECORDS.  their COLLECTIVE AFFINITY for DUB and ROOTS REGGAE is seen throughout 311 , especially on "PURPOSE" and "SWEET," with its TASTEFUL yet undeniably FUNKY and HEAVILY SYNCOPATED BASS-LINES courtesy of BASSIST AARON 'P-NUT' WILLS, which intertwines SEAMLESSLY with DRUMMER CHAD SEXTON's SWING FEEL which is a longtime SIGNATURE of his PLAYING STYLE.  the result is a RHTHYM SECTION that glides, swings and propels the MUSIC with a FORWARD MOMENTUM unlike any of their PEERS (RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE, KORN, INCUBUS and FISHBONE) who were more ANGULAR, JAGGED and DRASTIC in approach.  i would even go as to say that P-NUT and SEXTON dominate 311 as the GROOVE ELEMENT is so PRONOUNCED and the more JAZZ-indebted and JERRY GARCIA-influenced GUITAR PASSAGES courtesy of GUITARISTS TIM MAHONEY and NICK HEXUM (a part of their SOUND i very much enjoy and look forward to throughout their CATALOGUE) is not as much a FEATURE here.

which is COOL.

VARIETY is not a BAD thing and this BAND is so TALENTED and COHESIVE as a CREATIVE UNIT, based on MUSICAL CHEMISTRY and MUTUAL RESPECT that stems from LONGSTANDING FRIENDSHIPS, that them focusing their SONGWRITING EFFORTS on a COLLECTION OF SONGS that are more DIRECT and less overtly ARTY is not necessarily a terrible idea. 

in retrospect is 311 my FAVORITE ALBUM of theirs? no. 

my personal preference is a tie between the SOPHISTICATED JAZZ-inflected CHORD VOICINGS of GRASSROOTS and the decidedly DUB-heavy SONIC EXCURSIONS of the LATER TRANSISTOR (CAPRICORN, 1997) RECORD, with HONORABLE MENTION to SOUNDSYSTEM (CAPRICORN, 1999), FROM CHAOS (VOLCANO, 1997) and even the very RECENT FULL BLOOM (SKP, 2024).  but its DIRECTNESS is its calling card and exerts a STRONG NOSTALGIA in me for a truly TRANSFORMATIONAL TIME in my LIFE being immersed overseas for the first time in a MAGICAL PLACE like LAGOS when i discovered the BAND along with other soon-to-be long-time FAVORITE GROUPS like FAITH NO MORE, SEPULTURA, TOOL and CYPRESS HILL.

however, if there is one 311 RECORD to recommend to a NEW LISTENER, this arguably may be it.  so i cant knock it.  definitely an ALBUM worthy of revisiting constantly, even well beyond the SINGLES.  plus i totally agree that "GUNS (ARE FOR PUSSIES)."

immediately after college i worked part-time at a local NOW-DEFUNCT, CORPORATE, BIG-BOX RETAILER of all-things BOOKS, DVDs, CDs and OVERPRICED COFFEE and i had this coworker that was just the BIGGEST MUSIC SNOB ive ever met.  its FUNNY to me because i had a RADIO SHOW in college and knew PEOPLE that were very PASSIONATE about the ARTS, but the VIBE there was always one of wanting to share and learn about MUSIC.  it was like a SHARED OBSESSION.  but this DUDE was different.  it was my first REAL INTERACTION with SOMEONE that saw MUSIC as a CUDGEL that divided them from OTHERS. and the INDEPENDENT OTHER MUSIC RECORD SHOP in the EAST VILLAGE was his MECCA.  just thinking about the BANDS he championed are a VERITABLE WHOS-WHO of the ACTS promoted at OTHER MUSIC through the years such as STEREOLAB, ANIMAL COLLECTIVE, BROADCAST, APHEX TWIN, THE FLAMING LIPS, GALAXIE 500, FENNEZS, THE MAGNETIC FIELDS, CORNELIUS, NEUTRAL MILK HOTEL and so on.

now id visited OTHER MUSIC back in the day, especially when i was en route to the LEGENDARY VIDEO DESTINATION of KIM'S UNDERGROUND in nearby ST MARKS PLACE (which i had no idea was where the OTHER MUSIC OWNERS originally worked).  now i went to middle school in NIGERIA and have been FAMILIAR with some NOTABLE ACTS like FELA KUTI (along with his SONS FEMI and SEAN), LAGBAJA and KING SUNNY ADÉ, but i remember going in there and talking to a CLERK who was KNOWLEDGABLE on the SUBJECT and led me to an OBSCURE AFROBEAT COMPILATION that i still have.  i didnt find them PRETENTIOUS or SNOOTY in the least, just ridiculously WELL-INFORMED and PASSIONATE about sharing their OBSESSION, sort of like my PEERS at the RADIO STATION.

what is INTERESTING to me about the OTHER MUSIC (FACTORY 25, 2019) DOCUMENTARY, which highlights the SIGNIFICANT cultural influence the SHOP maintained within the GREATER NEW YORK CITY ARTS COMMUNITY and the VOID left by its closing in 2016, is that sense of FACE-TO-FACE, TACTILE INTERACTION and INTERPERSONAL CONNECTION that has been lost in our DIGITAL ECONOMY.  ONLINE CHATROOMS and REDDIT FORUMS have taken the place of ACTUAL CONVERSATION that used to take place at BRICK AND MORTER VENUES such as small INDEPENDENT BOOK STORES, RECORD STORES and the like.  you can see that now in the ESTRANGEMENT and ISOLATION the UNITED STATES faces as ALGORITHMICALLY-ENABLED SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS have completely dominated the public space for DISCUSSION about a myriad of issues, from ARTS and CULTURE to POLITICS.  the loss of OTHER MUSIC to the changing SPENDING HABITS of MUSIC CONSUMERS very much equates to the loss of a COMMUNITY.  and that CAUSAL OUTCOME is on full display in this DOCUMENTARY as attested by the throng of CELEBRATED MUSICIANS that participated in INTERVIEWS for this FILM, namely including the likes of  COMPOSER WILLIAM BASINSKI and CONTEMPORARY MUSICIANS KEIGO OYAMADA (CORNELIUS), JD SAMSON (LE TIGRE), JAMES CHANCE (THE CONTORTIONS), TUNDE ADEBIMPE (TV ON THE RADIO), MARTIN GORE (DEPECHE MODE), STUART BRAITHWAITE (MOGWAI), DEAN WAREHAM (GALAXIE 500), BRIAN CHASE (THE YEAH YEAH YEAHS), EZRA KOENIG (VAMPIRE WEEKEND), DANIEL KESSLER (INTERPOL), MATT BERNINGER (THE NATIONAL), REGINA SPEKTOR and DAVE PORTNER, NOAH LENNOX and BRIAN WEITZ of ANIMAL COLLECTIVE, as well as ACTORS JASON SCHWARTZMAN and BENICIO DEL TORO.

MATT BERNINGER of THE NATIONAL has a particularly POIGNANT QUIP in the DOCUMENTARY when he states that "when art gets dumber, when movies get dumber, when tv gets dumber, i think we all get dumber and meaner and shittier."  AMEN TO THAT.  the OWNERS of OTHER MUSIC wanted to be the CONSCIOUS ALTERNATIVE to TOWER RECORDS (who were literally across the street), VIRGIN MEGASTORE, CIRCUIT CITY, J&R MUSIC WORLD, SAM GOODY, BEST BUY and all the other MAJOR PLAYERS in RETAIL at the time, specializing in UNDERGROUND and ESOTERIC MUSIC.  that point of DIFFERENTIATION was their BUSINESS PLAN, their VALUE PROPOSITION, their very REASON for BEING.  and the COMMUNITY that embraced such, which yeah it included ASSHOLES like my FORMER COWORKER, molded itself in their MODEL.  i never personally felt from EXPERIENCE the PEOPLE who worked there were ELITIST.  just PASSIONATE, CURIOUS and beyond KNOWLEDGABLE.  OTHER MUSIC was basically a PUBLIC RESOURCE.  it was like a CULTURAL INSTITUTION that embodied a body of KNOWLEDGE that once dissipated into the ether after its closing was not REPLACABLE.  i remember returning from a two-year PEACE CORPS stint in ALBANIA to find that the store was gone.

still a BUMMER.  but such is CAPITALISM.

i read JON KRAKAUER's INTO THIN AIR: A PERSONAL ACCOUNT OF THE MT. EVEREST DISASTER (VILLARD, 1997) BOOK as part of a BUSINESS SCHOOL COURSE dealing with ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR, specifically the COMPLEX, INTERPERSONAL DYNAMICS related to LEADERSHIP and the DECISION-MAKING PROCESS on behalf of a GROUP.  the HUBRIS and BOTCHED PROCESS that tragically resulted in eight DEATHS in 1996 on MT. EVEREST by two EXPEDITION COMPANIES (ADVENTURE CONSULTANTS and MOUNTAIN MADNESS) led respectively by ROB HALL and SCOTT FISCHER (both who likewise PERISHED) was an EXTREME CASE STUDY for similar HIERARCHAL DECISION-MAKING SCENARIOS revolving around EXECUTIVES in the CORPORATE WORLD and the PSYCHOLOGICAL HOLD such have over their CONSTITUENTS.

the STORY is TRAGIC, but those INTERPERSONAL DYNAMICS are a FASCINATING TOPIC that is RELEVANT to COUNTLESS WORKPLACE SITUATIONS with ASYMMETRICAL POWER DYNAMICS. the SUMMIT OF MT. EVEREST is TREACHEROUS with DRAMATIC, UNEXPECTED WEATHER SHIFTS leaving CLIMBERS VULNERABLE nearly at all times throughout the trek.  so being with a KNOWLEDGABLE GUIDE who understands the RISKS involved and when turning back is the CORRECT CALL is literally a matter of LIFE and DEATH in this EXTREME ENVIRONMENT.  with the COMPANIES headed by HALL and FISCHER there were ACTUAL GUARANTEES of making it to the top with a customer-base that was no physically up to snuff.  their CONFIDENCE being so HIGH, they didnt bring the ADEQUATE EQUIPMENT that would drive up COSTS as well as add more WEIGHT to the haul.  you can probably see where this is going.  anything can happen at the SUMMIT and those EXTRA THINGS like OXYGEN TANKS, PROPER CLOTHING and LONG-RAGE WALKIE TALKIES are what will increase the chance of SURVIVAL should you be stuck up there near the SUMMIT for an UNANTICIPATED, EXTENDED PERIOD of time.  HALL and FISCHER basically pushed the ISSUE, as they had done with SUCCESS on PREVIOUS OUTINGS with their RESPECTIVE COMPANIES, and ultimate PAID THE PRICE along with those entrusted in their care.  both were in essence blinded by their PAST SUCCESS and naively UNPREPARED for possible CONTINGENCIES that they openly DISREGARDED, an UNFORTUNATE and TRAGIC HUBRIS to say the least.

where is the RESPONSIBILITY?  does any of it lie with the CONSUMERS of HALL and FISCHER who were sold an UNREALISTIC EXPECTATION of traversing the SUMMIT OF MT. EVEREST despite not being in PHYSICAL FIT SHAPE or armed with the PROPER SURVIVAL KNOW-HOW of most EXPERIENCED MOUNTAIN CLIMBERS?  should they have known better?  its DIFFICULT to assess BLAME because it feels like all involved are CULPABLE.  and the UNWILLINGNESS to question AUTHORITY based on an ASYMMETRY of EXPERIENCE, HIERARCHY, KNOWLEDGE and being FINANCIALLY, PERSONALLY and PROFESSIONALLY tied to a certain UNREALISTIC OUTCOME IMPERILED and even DOOMED many in that expedition. 

the PARALLELS to an EVERYDAY WORKING ENVIRONMENT where the RISKS are much less EXTREME, but no less DEAR nonetheless in terms of FINANCIAL CONSEQUENCES, are OBVIOUS.  refusing to say something when you see something puts EVERYONE, even the LEADERSHIP, at RISK.  and business is a STRUCTURE  or ORGANIZATION created in a sense to manage RISK.  and if the CULTURE does not permit INFORMATION traveling in a BOTTOM-UP DIRECTION then pushing the ISSUE so to speak is even more IMPERATIVE and CRITICAL.  KRAKAUER was a member of the expedition and saw people raise issues with HALL and FISCHER only to be rebuffed outright.  that information if properly handled could have saved lives.

like i said before, its an INTRIGUING set of CIRCUMSTANCES from an ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR PERSPECTIVE.  i find myself thinking of these ISSUES every time i go to work or think about my former teaching career and questioning my own CULPABILITY in ultimately acquiescing to TERRIBLE PLANS made by ADMINISTRATIONS that negatively affected STUDENT OUTCOMES.  no doubt i had a LEARNED HELPLESSNESS based on many of the same FACTORS (HIERARCHY, EXPERIENCE, KNOWLEDGE, FINANCES, etc) that affect my BEHAVIOR.  what i could have done differently is SOMETHING i still think about long after with no EASY ANSWERS, even in retrospect.

INTO THIN AIR is a CONSEQUENTIAL BOOK that goes well beyond its IMMEDIATE SUBJECT MATTER in MOUNTAINEERING and deep dives into the PSYCHOLOGY of GROUP DYNAMICS and how such lead us to our own PERIL despite our better COLLECTIVE INTENTIONS.  most definitely a BOOK worth checking out.