THERE IS NOTHING LEFT TO LOSE (RCA, 1999) occupies a PIVOTAL moment in the FOO FIGHTERS CAREER. 

going back, famously their debut FOO FIGHTERS (CAPITOL, 1995) was a SECRET AFFAIR and for-all-intents-and-purposes a GLORIFIED SOLO PROJECT that re-acclimated FORMER NIRVANA DRUMMER DAVE GROHL with the idea of making MUSIC again in the wake of the TRAGIC PASSING of his FRIEND and BANDMATE KURT COBAIN.  the group name itself was plural as a ploy so that friends and family wouldnt think it was just him, but an ACTUAL band.  he discovered in tracking that ALBUM by himself with the help of FRIEND and PRODUCER BARRETT JONES that MUSIC was the very VEHICLE for his RECOVERY from such a DEEP and very public EMOTIONAL BLOW.  the follow-up THE COLOUR AND THE SHAPE (CAPITOL, 1997) was a more DRAWN-OUT and TUMULTUOUS AFFAIR with ACCLAIMED PRODUCER and NOTORIOUS TASKMASTER and PERFECTIONIST GIL NORTON (PIXIES, BELLY, THROWING MUSES, CATHERINE WHEEL).  by this point the FOO FIGHTERS were an actual unit, with the ICONIC PUNK ROCK GERMS / NIRVANA GUITARIST PAT SMEAR on board as well as the rhythm section of the recently DISBANDED POST-HARDCORE standouts SUNNY DAY REAL ESTATE in BASSIST NATE MENDEL and DRUMMER WILLIAM GOLDSMITH.  ultimately GROHL replayed all of GOLDSMITH's parts on the RECORDING, which understandably crushed his will to be in the band and he soon exited on band terms.  he was replaced by ALANIS MORISSETTE's DRUMMER TAYLOR HAWKINS and there was a bit of MUSICAL CHAIRS going at guitar with SMEAR leaving and FORMER SCREAM GUITARIST FRANZ STAHL stepping in, then leaving.  by the time you get to the third ALBUM THERE IS NOTHING LEFT TO LOSE, the band was down to three members in GROHL, MENDEL and HAWKINS.

with all the TURMOIL in the lineup caused by an overly EXTENSIVE TOURING SCHEDULE schedule (SMEAR) and CHEMISTRY ISSUES exacerbated by the INTENSE RECORDING and SONGWRITING PROCESS (GOLDSMITH and STAHL), GROHL decided this go around to quietly reconvene back in the COMFORTABLE confines of his home state of VIRGINIA and setup shop in his ALEXANDRIA basement and self-record there with the technical help of PRODUCER ADAM KASPER at a slow MANAGEABLE pace.  and you can definitely pick up on that laid-back vibe in tracks like "NEXT YEAR," "AIN'T IT THE LIFE" and the standout "AURORA."  the first two FOO FIGHTERS RECORDS are ICONIC ALTERNATIVE ROCK ALBUMS with mostly AGGRESSIVE songs that are DISSONANT yet MELODIC and consciously influenced by everything from BIG BLACK, HUSKER DU and PIXIES to MELVINS and the BAD BRAINS.  GROHL has stated in interviews that for THERE IS NOTHING LEFT TO LOSE he was going for more of the consciously POP and overtly MELODIC MUSIC that was on the AM RADIO in his MOTHER's car throughout his 1970s SUBURBAN VIRGINIA youth.  specifically AM GOLD / YACHT ROCK ARTISTS like ANDREW GOLD, GERRY RAFFERTY, PHOEBE SNOW, 10cc, HELEN REDDY, CARLY SIMON, ANDY GIBB and the BEE GEES.  so yeah, this ALBUM was a total DIFFERENT VIBE.   

especially "AURORA" which might be the most BEAUTIFUL SONG GROHL ever wrote.  maybe.  its at least up there.

but that is not to say the band totally abandoned their SOUND.  TRACKS like "STACKED ACTORS" (reportedly an UNSUBTLE takedown of LONGTIME FRENEMY COURTNEY LOVE), "BREAKOUT" and "GENERATOR" all pair nicely with the more AGGRESSIVE NUMBERS from the first two records, but are largely not as MEMORABLE.  "LEARN TO FLY" is the departure that marries the aforementioned MELODIC and LAIDBACK VIBE with the DISSONANT ALTERNATIVE ROCK that one would expect from GROHL, but the SWEEPING MELODIES are what make it transcend such.  this was the FOO FIGHTERS SONG that as much as i wanted to hate it, just couldnt because it was so well constructed and executed.  it is just a classic ROCK AND ROLL song that melodically soars and one doesnt need to imagine very hard such being a successful SING-A-LONG NUMBER at a packed arena.  i wouldnt know FIRSTHAND since the last time i saw FOO FIGHTERS play was back in 2000 at a RANDOM CONCERT in RHODE ISLAND when they were on tour for the SECOND ALBUM with the RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS, who themselves were promoting their CLASSIC CALIFORNICATION (WARNER BROS, 1999) ALBUM at the time with GUITARIST JOHN FRUSCIANTE back in tow.  GREAT SHOW by the way.

THERE IS NOTHING LEFT TO LOSE is by no means my FAVORITE FOO FIGHTERS album, such is a tie between THE COLOUR AND THE SHAPE and the much later WASTING LIGHT (RCA, 2011), but within the CONTEXT of their GREATER CATALOGUE, it showcases a band artistically succeeding when internally they felt like they had their backs against the wall.  sadly there would be more ADVERSITY in the future, but i feel that will to persevere and fight is baked into their DNA as a group at this point.  part of the reason their fans are so DIEHARD and LOYAL.  they know that GROHL and company authentically live through their CRAFT.  gotta respect that.

when the SEMINAL IRISH ROCK AND ROLL band U2 played its last show on THE JOSHUA TREE TOUR in CORK in late 1987, the group found itself at the physically EXHAUSTED and spiritually DEPLETED end of a CREATIVE STREAK that had lasted and sustained them since their founding more than a decade earlier in 1976 as SCHOOLCHILDREN.  after six albums released over seven years that in totality spread a HUMANISTIC MESSAGE of SOCIO-POLITICAL UNITY, PEACE and HOPE that was informed by their INTIMATE APPRECIATION as IRISHMEN of the PERILS OF WAR and CIVIL UNREST, and found the band touring the UNITED STATES to ever-increasing crowds to the point of filling stadiums, the band had come to a CROSSROADS.  

in essence they were sick of THEMSELVES.

their COLLECTIVE PUBLIC PERSONA throughout that first phase of their career was EARNEST, POLEMIC, RIGHTEOUS and STRIDENT to an EXTREME.  counter to the personalities their FRIENDS, FAMILY and CLOSE ASSOCIATES knew intimately, the band came off as HUMORLESS as well.  by the time they embarked on their RATTLE AND HUM (ISLAND, 1988) FILM PROJECT that saw them encounter and explore AMERICAN ROOTS MUSIC, (i.e. BLUES, GOSPEL, ROCKABILLY and the like), the band on stage had turned into a BLOATED PRODUCTION of MULTIPLE BACKUP SINGERS and CRINGY white bread takes on the AMERICAN SONGBOOK STANDARDS that was a world away from the LEAN, SPRITELY, ECONOMICAL POST-PUNK SOUND and MINIMALIST AESTHETIC of their youth.

what makes the FROM THE SKY DOWN (UMG, 2011) DOCUMENTARY about the PROCESS behind the GENESIS of the CELEBRATED ACHTUNG BABY (ISLAND, 1991) album so COMPELLING is that it showcases a band in TRANSITION.  not just CREATIVELY but INTERPERSONALLY as well.  in order to push ahead LOGICALLY one must leave something behind in the PROCESS and that ALBUM represented a CONSCIOUS shedding of one's PUBLIC PERSONA in the most striking of terms.  rather than point the proverbial finger at the ILLS of society, this RECORD found them pointing such at THEMSELVES.  especially MAIN SONGWRITERS BONO and THE EDGE.  both became enamored with the then-CURRENT MADCHESTER scene and its particular brand of ACID HOUSE and DANCE MUSIC that was at the forefront of INDIE ROCK CULTURE at the time, as well as rediscovering more EXPERIMENTAL FAIR in the KRAUTROCK of their youth with bands like KRAFTWERK, NEU! and CAN. there was also a keen interest in the related UNDERGROUND INDUSTRIAL scene at the time best exemplified in the work of EINSTURZENDE NEUBAUTEN, DIE KRUPPS and KMFDM.  this HEADY mix of INFLUENCES was a world away SONICALLY and PHILOSOPHICALLY from the PUNK ROCK that first prompted the MEMBERS to start a band.  PUNK was about being ACCOUNTABLE and attacking the problem of society's ILLS, whereas ACID HOUSE and DANCE CULTURE was more about ESCAPISM, KRAUTROCK a new MUSICAL VOCABULARY and TRADITiON for a GERMAN POST-WAR GENERATION not interested in their PARENTS' (i.e. NAZIs) experience and INDUSTRIAL MUSIC the EFFECTIVE ERADICATION of the HUMAN ELEMENT from ART entirely.  all of which offered U2 a path forward.

with SONGS like "ONE" and "THE FLY," the band was able to find a SPIRITUAL IDENTITY in the NEW MATERIAL.  this did not happen without much PERSONAL CONSTERNATION, INTERPERSONAL STRUGGLE, and ARTISTIC TREPIDATION.  the band famously went to HANSA STUDIOS in BERLIN with RETURNING PRODUCERS DANIEL LANOIS and BRIAN ENO.  the later of which was involved in DAVID BOWIE's LOW (RCA, 1977) and HEROES (RCA, 1977) RECORDINGS as well as IGGY POP's LUST FOR LIFE (RCA, 1977) ALBUM, which were all recorded at the site.  the CONCEPT was that the change in scenery and focus on the ALBUM would help initiate their next step by OSMOSIS.  this didnt happen.  the SONGS came together through DETERMINATION and much EFFORT, but the result was SPECTACULAR.  gone were the sermons and instead where more IMPRESSIONISTIC and ALLEGORICAL MUSINGS on POST-MODERN LIVING, especially in this NEW AGE of 24/7 cable television.  BONO for one on TRACKS like "EVEN BETTER THAN THE REAL THING" and "ZOO STATION" feels LIBERATED and REINVIGORATED by channeling this DISAFFECTED LOU REED-inspired NEW CHARACTER to play against type and very much intelligently deconstruct his own previous HOLIER-THAN-THOU PUBLIC PERSONA with HUMOR and GUSTO. for me the highlight of the ALBUM was "LOVE IS BLINDNESS," which THE EDGE wrote in SULLEN ANTICIPATION of his IMPENDING DIVORCE.  it is one of the most startling BLEAK SONGS ever written and is contrary to everything the band stood for pre-ACHTUNG BABY in TONE and SUBSTANCE.  there is no RESPITE or HOPE, just the BRUTAL COLD REALITY that LOVE has ended and nothing is there to adequately fill that PAINFUL chasm.  NO OPTIMISM, NO MORAL VICTORIES, just DEATH. 

it is such a REAL SONG.  everyone has been there.  everyone is familiar with that FEELING.

what comes out of that ALBUM for the band is a RENEWED bond of AFFECTION for one another built on MUTUAL RESPECT and TRUST.  it is arguably the BIGGEST left turn of their career and no one was PHYSICALLY or CREATIVELY LEFT BEHIND.  the fact that the band didnt break up, but instead authentically reinvented THEMSELVES for the second phase of their INIMITABLE career is beyond REMARKABLE and the REAL ACHIEVEMENT documented with a deep well of COMPASSION and LOVE in this documentary which is required viewing for any U2 fan.

back when i was teaching my FAVORITE GENRE to cover in a class was no doubt MAGICAL REALISM.  there is just this SUSPENSION OF DISBELIEF that happens when you shut off that part of your brain that detects things at FACE VALUE like AUTHENTICITY and FIDELITY to EXPERIENCED REALITY and you just focus on what SUBJECTIVE and FIGURATIVE INFORMATION the AUTHOR is presenting to you.  HYPERBOLE and all.

in this IMMERSIVE yet OPAQUE graphic novel INTERPRETATION of HOW TO TO TALK TO GIRLS AT PARTIES (DARK HORSE, 2016), a previously PUBLISHED NEIL GAIMAN (THE SANDMAN) SHORT STORY illustrated by BRAZILIAN ARTISTS FÁBIO MOON and GABRIEL BÁ, that MYSTERY and WONDER is channeled as two ENGLISH teenage ADOLESCENT BOYS in the 1970s enter the WRONG party at a LONDON flat and try to pickup OLDER WOMEN. 

whats INTRIGUING about the NARRATIVE is that NO CONTEXT is ever fully given to who these women are, where they are from, or what they are all doing at this residence other than dancing amongst themselves while listening to MELANCHOLIC NEIL YOUNG SONGS.  the AWKWARDNESS of the conversations that the more TIMID of the two BOYS, ENN, has with three WOMEN is only matched by the LACK OF LOGICAL COHESION in the conversation itself.  is such a DISCONNECT caused by the FOREIGN LACK OF COMMAND of the ENGLISH language of these WOMEN or the INABILITY to listen and hold ATTENTION of ENN himself.  VIC, the more classically HANDSOME and CONFIDENT of the two BOYS, finds himself presumably hooking up with the WOMAN that answered the door, only to drag both them out in an abrupt HURRIED FASHION back onto the street for UNKNOWN REASONS.  all we know is the UNBRIDLED RAGE eminating from the WOMAN as she DEATH-STARES him while walking down the stairs.  again, NO CONTEXT or EXPLANATION provided.  its all INTERESTING because ENN was in the midst of listening to a poem from another YOUNG WOMAN in a language he DIDNT UNDERSTAND but was wholly ENTRANCED by nonetheless, as if he was saw the FUTURE and the PURPOSE OF THE UNIVERSE in just the sound of it.

thats as GREAT an EXPLANATION of the PROFOUND MYSTERY between the sexes as any ive come across.  what is the CAUSE of ATTRACTION between two people (regardless of GENDER, GENDER EXPRESSION or GENDER IDENTITY).  defies LOGIC, LANGUAGE, TIME, SPACE, GEOGRAPHY, CONTEXT or HUMAN COMPREHENSION.  if anything, BASE CONSTRUCTIONS like WORDS and MEANING dilute such in the PROCESS.

makes sense to me.

ive recently been on a RED DWARF (BBC2, 1988-1999) kick.  was introduced to this zany BRITISH SCI-FI-themed SITCOM back when i was in middle school through my FATHER.  havent the FOGGIEST how he learned of it.  regardless, my family had a PAL series of videotapes we got in ENGLAND one summer.  the CONCEIT of the SERIES centers around a LOWLY MINING SPACESHIP TECHNICIAN named DAVE LISTER (CRAIG CHARLES) who mistakenly gets put in SUSPENDED ANIMATION for three million years, only to awake learning he is the last human alive and that the only other "BEINGS" with him onboard are a HOLOGRAM of his annoyingly JOYLESS, GUTLESS and DELUSIONAL former BUNKMATE ARNOLD RIMMER (CHRIS BARRIE), a DROID named KRYTEN (DAVID ROSS) and the exceedingly VAIN HUMANOID descendent of his former PET CAT named CAT (DANNY JOHN-JULES).

what shines in this SERIES beyond the PERFORMANCES is the quality of the WRITING, which like MONTY PYTHON adroitly oscillates between LOW BROW and HIGH BROW COMEDY in a typically DROLL MANNER that only the BRITISH can seemingly pull off.  LISTER is an EFFECTIVE EVERYMAN put in beyond RIDICULOUS SITUATIONS and finds the HUMOR, not horror, of the opportunity of his UNIQUE PREDICAMENT.  RIMMER is the REAL STAR of the SHOW with his BOTTOMLESS NARCISSISM and quirky PERENNIAL INABILITY to see beyond his own SELFISH INTERESTS, NEEDS and DESIRES for STATUS and RESPECT, achieving neither.  again, sounds like the basis for a terrorizing PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER but instead its the basis for one of the truly TRANSCENDENT SCRIPTED COMEDIES of all-time.  not only that, but the SCI-FI CONCEITS of INDIVIDUAL EPISODES were rooted in LEGITIMATE and then-CURRENT UNDERSTANDINGS of THEORETICAL PHYSICS and the manner in which TIME, SPACE and REALITY play out in an EXPANDING UNIVERSE governed by GENERAL RELATIVITY.  the fact that one minute the PLOT demands that its viewers grasp the CONCEPT of SPACE-TIME while seamlessly transitioning such into an EXTENDED JOKE about CONSTIPATION is basically my reasoning for returning to RED DWARF again and again.  for better or worse the BRITISH, unlike their AMERICAN COUSINS, assume some modicum of INTELLIGENCE in their audience. 

definitely worth checking out to the UNINITIATED.  guarantee you will not be disappointed.

back when i my family lived in SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA during my preteen years i was a bit of a JOCK.  given my height and frame i was on the traveling teams in SOCCER, BASEBALL, TRACK and BASKETBALL but the later was my TRUE PASSION.  to date i love watching BASKETBALL and dissecting OFFENSIVE and DEFENSIVE SCHEMES and STRATEGIES like a FOOTBALL FANATIC would evaluate a team's IMPLEMENTATION of a west coast offense.  part of the RITUAL of going to a game or meet in the GREATER LOS ANGELES / SAN DIEGO area was a SOUNDTRACK built around JIMI HENDRIX, specifically "VOODOO CHILE (SLIGHT RETURN)."  that line where he sings 'well i stand up next to a mountain / and i chop it down with the edge of my hand' was practically my PERSONAL MANTRA entering a COMPETITION.   it always got me pumped up.  later on in college when writing term papers that track served a similar PURPOSE in boosting my CONFIDENCE before what would prove to be a mentally TAXING ACTIVITY.

and that was always my relationship to the MUSIC of HENDRIX in general, one of transforming my MINDSET and CONSCIOUSNESS as i was always by nature more TIMID and INTERIOR despite my PHYSICAL STATURE or INTELLECT.  and i feel thematically that his final album with THE EXPERIENCE in ELECTRIC LADYLAND (POLYDOR, 1968) is very much about that DEEP-SEATED, MYSTERIOUS, almost spiritually TRANSFIGURING POTENTIAL that comes with emotionally aligning with MUSIC.  when i list to tracks like "BURNING OF THE MIDNIGHT LAMP," "RAINY DAY, DREAM AWAY" "GYPSY EYES," and especially his EPIC BOB DYLAN cover "ALL ALONG THE WATCHTOWER" it is not even about the CHORDS, PRODUCTION, RHYTHM or even the SUNG MELODY, instead it feels like HENDRIX was about connecting to HUMANITY at large on a HIGHER PSYCHIC PLANE.  one in which a VIBE or feeling bypassed the INTELLECT into something much deeper.  like an EVOLUTION in being at balance with one's EMOTIONAL EXPERIENCE.  to me such is the state of play with TRULY PSYCHEDELIC ROCK.

and its FUNNY that my relationship to his MUSIC was based on such at an early age, long before i investigated his TROUBLED BIOGRAPHY and FRAILTY as a mere MORTAL HUMAN.  to me such INANE DETAILS are SECONDARY to the MUSIC and its CAPACITY to expand CONSCIOUSNESS and EMOTIONAL AVAILABILITY.  ELECTRIC LADYLAND to me, along with AXIS: BOLD AS LOVE (POLYDOR, 1967) seem to be the releases where he truly spread his CREATIVE WINGS in the studio and let his ABSTRACT LYRICS fully intertwine with LUSH and revolutionarily CREATIVE SOUNDSCAPES that still serve as the SOUNDTRACK to SELF-DISCOVERY generations later.  i feel that same sense of LIMITLESS interior PSYCHIC EXPLORATION when listening to the work of APHEX TWIN, J DILLA, THELONIOUS MONK or GUSTAV MAHLER.

a LEGENDARY album by an AMERICAN ARTISTIC JUGGERNAUT for the ages.  absolutely ESSENTIAL and well worth checking out and revisiting on the regular.

MINIMALIST, ANGULAR BASS GUITAR STABS stabs over SYNTH-HEAVY BEATS with STOIC, DISAFFECTED VOCALS is basically hitting me right in the SWEET SPOT, which is why ive totally taken to the LOS ANGELES POST PUNK-influenced INDIE ROCK three-piece AUTOMATIC.  given that their DRUMMER LOLA DOMPE is the daughter of POST PUNK ROYALTY KEVIN HASKINS of BAUHAUS / TONES ON TAIL / LOVE AND ROCKETS FAME, i probably shouldnt be quite that surprised.  the group, which also includes KEYBOARDIST IZZY GLAUDINI and BASSIST HALLE SAXON, have a UNIQUE triumvirate situation with regard to VOCALS, which results in some particularly LUSH HARMONIES that juxtapose nicely over their more FORMAL and RIGID RHYTHMIC CHOICES.  at times its all very EVOCATIVE in STYLE and PRESENTATION to that DEVO, one of my favorite bands.

it also goes without saying that their MUSIC VIDEOS that are very CLEVER and are seemingly EVOCATIVE and REFERENTIAL of past TACTILE and ANALOG AESTHETICS from a long-passed generation of FILM CULTURE. its all very  much appreciated.  given that they are on the ever-IMAGE CONSCIOUS STONES THROW RECORDS, this should likewise come as no surprise.  AUTOMATIC is definitely a band worth checking out and keeping a future eye on.

parodies & text by nacrowe

the SLANDER against COURTNEY LOVE is one of those things ive been confused about since CHILDHOOD.  i first came to know about HOLE via their LIVE THROUGH THIS (DGC, 1994) release back when i was still in elementary school.  even at that age i could detect that with this particular SINGER there was a FIERCE INTENSITY and NO BULLSHIT DIRECTNESS that cut through everything i was hearing on the radio, namely the ALTERNATIVE ROCK CULTURAL BEHEMOTH KROQ 106.7FM transmitting out of NEARBY LOS ANGELES.  to me LOVE was and always will be a ROCK STAR of the first order just based on those FOUNDATIONAL AURAL EXPERIENCES i had.

and i was BEYOND NAIVE back then.  again, i was in elementary school during a pre-internet age.

it was only later that i learned she was the WIDOW of KURT COBAIN, how they had a child, how she survived ADDICTIONS and a CHAOTIC and PERIPATETIC UPBRINGING, her early stint with FAITH NO MORE, and how her TALENT was only matched by her ability to shit stir and alienate PEERS, ALLIES and ENEMIES alike.  take away her GENDER and much of this is pretty PEDESTRIAN stuff related to what degenerates like OZZY OSBOURNE (DRUGS, ANIMAL CRUELTY, DOMESTIC VIOLENCE) and MOTLEY CRUE  (DRUGS, VEHICULAR MANSLAUGHTER and DOMESTIC VIOLENCE) did back in the 1980s.  and i think that is kind of the point.  there is aN INHERENT MISOGYNY to the greater press narrative of LOVE that is rooted in some PURITANICAL DOUBLE-STANDARD of what constitutes FEMININITY in AMERICA and that being a REVOLUTIONARY and culturally TRANSGRESSIVE ROCK N ROLL ICON does not fit such an UNREALISTIC and WARPED IDEAL.

and it goes further.

id argue that LOVE is one of the BETTER LYRICISTS of her generation.  put her lyrics to "VIOLET" next to anything COBAIN or TRENT REZNOR wrote in the 1990s and youll see what i mean.  its not even close in terms POETICISM and INTELLIGENCE.  yet she often gets pegged as being the coattail rider of first COBAIN and later BILLY CORGAN on CELEBRITY SKIN (DGC, 1998), as if she didnt write her own songs on those two GENERATION-DEFINING albums.  read COBAIN's LYRICS pre-and-post LOVE, which is basically NEVERMIND (DGC, 1991) versus IN UTERO (DGC, 1993) and youll see the UNMISTAKABLE INFLUENCE of her over his music on a PURELY LYRICAL LEVEL.

regardless, youd think that in 2024 with all the GENERATION Z-ERS reevaluating past CULTURAL MILESTONES by everyone from EMINEM and the RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS to GREEN DAY, MADONNA and even METALLICA that there would be a RE-EVALUATION of LOVE at some point. 

but no.

hasnt happened yet.  it should though.  she is a SINGULAR ICON of the 1990s, on par with her LATE HUSBAND, REZNOR, CORGAN, THOM YORKE, BECK, PJ HARVEY, RIVERS CUOMO, SHIRLEY MANSON, EDDIE VEDDER and DAVE GROHL, and yet she is still severely UNDERRATED in my opinion.  i have a feeling, no, i know for a fact that if she was a MAN and not a WIDOWED MOTHER that none of this BULLSHIT would have ever have been thrown her way.

embedded below is a recent DEER GOD RADIO episode on nonprofit internet radio station MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC that includes a playlist celebrating all things COURTNEY LOVE.  enjoy!

THE GREAT ESCAPE (FOOD, 1995) represented the end of a certain MODE OF SONGWRITING for the BRITPOP ICONS in BLUR, one in which FRONTMAN DAMON ALBARN wrote through CHARACTERS that represented aspects of BRITISH SOCIETY that he had a CONTENTION with.  a RECURRING OBSESSION was the loss of COMMUNITY and the literal PHYSICAL TRANSFORMATION of the BRITISH SUBURBAN LANDSCAPE and COUNTRYSIDE with the PROLIFERATION of AMERICAN-style CORPORATE RETAIL OUTLETS throughout the 1990s that pushed out mom-and-pop SMALL BUSINESSES that had previously given each town their UNIQUE IDENTITY.  on PARKLIFE (FOOD, 1994) this LYRICAL and THEMATIC PERSUASION was NOVEL, but by THE GREAT ESCAPE it had turned to something of a crutch.  same with the MUSICAL APPROACH which had become BLOATED with MASSIVE ORCHESTRAL ARRANGEMENTS that pushed the limits of CREDULITY for this once tight four-piece.  change was in need all around.

for me BLUR (FOOD, 1997) is the album where ALBARN somewhat abandoned COY and CLEVER CHARACTER-BASED OBSERVATIONS of BRITISH society as a SONGWRITING VEHICLE (in the great TRADITION of RAY DAVIES, PAUL MCCARTNEY and DAVID BOWIE) and turned inward at himself and got REFLECTIVE and PERSONAL.  in particular INSPIRED tracks like "BEETLEBUM" and "DEATH OF A PARTY" seemed to be MOURNFUL CODAS or ELEGIES on a BRITPOP scene that had run its course but was now in decline as a CULTURAL MOVEMENT.  there was a new found DIRECTNESS and MUSCULARITY to the SOUND, courtesy of GUITARIST and fellow SONGWRITER GRAHAM COXON whose INTEREST in the LO-FI, DISCORDANT and EXPERIMENTAL end of AMERICAN INDIE ROCK (bands like PAVEMENT, SONIC YOUTH and MISSION OF BURMA) came to forefront on BLUR on largely IMPROVISATIONAL tracks like "CHINESE BOMBS," "M.O.R." and most memorably, "SONG 2." 

COXON around this period also stepped out as a COMPETENT LYRICIST and VOCALIST in his own right with the AMBIGUOUS "YOU'RE SO GREAT," which could have been about love just as much as it could have been about ALCOHOL, since during this period he was well into the depths of his ADDICTION.  this tact would continue and be mined on the likewise STELLAR and SIMILARLY-THEMED track "COFFEE & TV" from the follow-up album 13 (FOOD, 1999).  in fact, the use of controlled substances as a SONGWRITING VEHICLE is also found on "BEETLEBUM," which some have interpreted as potentially also being also about the LASTING DAMAGE and loss of WILL and SELF-IDENTITY that comes with PROLONGED HEROIN ADDICTION.  in the late 90s, it was common knowledge that many a BRITPOP band and their entourage had fallen VICTIM to NARCOTICS at the expense of their CAREER, LIVELIHOOD and POTENCY as ARTISTS.  seems all CULTURAL MOVEMENTS eventually hit that CLICHE OPIATE STAGE when everything begins to dismantle and become ENTROPIC.

i always find it INTRIGUING that a record which found its origins in abandoning what worked before and wholesale embracing UNCERTAINTY through PERSONAL LYRICAL THEMES and EXPERIMENTAL DISCORDANT SOUNDSCAPES turned out to be one of the most artistically SATISFYING albums of their CAREER.  not only that, but the ONE-OFF, RANDOM, THROWAWAY lark of a track "SONG 2" is identifiably the BLUR song of ALL-TIME, being used as a CODED SIGNAL for UNBRIDLED CELEBRATION at sporting events the world over at times of SUDDEN VICTORY.  for me the UNDISPUTED HIGHLIGHT is "BEETLEBUM," not just for the AMBIGUOUS LYRICS, but that HAUNTING GUITAR LEAD at the end which seems to distill all that BUBBLING UNCERTAINTY and PAIN into a severely MEMORABLE MUSICAL REFRAIN.  its arguably the most INTENSE and EMOTIONALLY-WROUGHT moment on any BLUR recording.  it was also the moment i saw COXON as an EXPRESSIVE GUITARIST on par with my other BRITISH GUITAR HEROES in JOHNNY MARR, DANIEL ASH, ROBERT SMITH, ROBERT FRIPP and JOHNNY GREENWOOD.

goes without saying that BLUR is a MEMORABLE and absolutely ESSENTIAL album well worth checking out.

im kind of fascinated by this movie.  even just the fact that it exists.

on one level the shamelessly UNAPOLOGETIC PRODUCT PLACEMENT HAGIOGRAPHY that is AIR (AMAZON MGM, 2023) is basically the ultimate UNDERDOG STORY of how an UNDERPERFORMING (and patently UNCOOL) NIKE BRAND successfully REPOSITIONED itself against COMPETITORS CONVERSE and ADIDAS in the mid 1980s.   NIKE was a BASIC RUNNING SHOE company POPULAR at colleges that through the UNLIKELY PURSUANCE of a MAJOR SHOE DEAL with newly drafted ROOKIE BASKETBALL PLAYER MICHAEL JORDAN utterly transformed itself and the FUNDAMENTAL TRAJECTORY of SPORTS HISTORY, including its INTERPLAY with COMMERCE and CULTURE to date.  it is not hyperbole to state that this SPECIFIC DEAL made NIKE an absolute BEHEMOTH in the ATHLETIC FOOTWEAR and APPAREL MARKET, effectively dominating the CONVERSATION and influencing how ATHLETES are deified in the BROADER CULTURE for decades.  so i get that WHOLE PERSPECTIVE.

but on another level this film is more about LABOR EXPLOITATION and how the SHOE and APPAREL INDUSTRY caved in to the CONTRACT DEMANDS JORDAN out of sheer GREED, whose MOTHER DELORIS fought for him to get a PERCENTAGE of all future GLOBAL SALES of anything produced by NIKE with his name on it.  such was a TRANSFORMATIONAL AGREEMENT was an ABSOLUTE GAME-CHANGER that all SUBSEQUENT ATHLETES have benefited from.  in fact, witnessing the process that the JORDAN family went through when being courted by firms is one of the more INTRIGUING ASPECTS of the film, especially regarding CONVERSE who at the time had sponsored both LARRY BIRD and MAGIC JOHNSON.  they essentially viewed JORDAN as being on that tier of ATHLETICISM such that he was WORTHY of wearing their SHOES.  NIKE in turn had a PITCH that JORDAN was a SINGULAR ATHLETE destined for GREATNESS and that his PERSONALIZED LINE of PERFORMANCE BASKETBALL SHOES, the AIR JORDAN MODEL, should reflect such.  they were SPECIAL because he wore them, not the other way around as had been the PITCH from CONVERSE and ADIDAS.  that REALIGNMENT of the RELATIONSHIP, both in STYLE and SUBSTANCE, can be seen in the personalized SIGNATURE SNEAKERS of COUNTLESS BASKETBALL PLAYERS in the intervening years since on various BRANDS, such as KOBE BRYANT (NIKE / ADIDAS), LEBRON JAMES (NIKE), ALLEN IVERSON (REEBOK), LAMELO BALL (PUMA), DAMIAN LILLARD (ADIDAS), CHRIS PAUL (JORDAN BRAND), STEPHEN CURRY (UNDER ARMOUR), GRANT HILL (FILA), KAWHI LEONARD (NEW BALANCE), JA MORANT (NIKE), DWAYNE WADE (JORDAN BRAND / LI-NING), DERRICK ROSE (ADIDAS), AARON GORDON (361 DEGREES), CHARLES BARKLEY (NIKE), JAYSON TATUM (JORDAN BRAND), SHAQUILLE O'NEIL (REEBOK), SCOOT HENDERSON (PUMA), KLAY THOMPSON (ANTA), ZION WILLIAMSON (JORDAN BRAND), DONOVAN MITCHELL (ADIDAS), KYRIE IRVING (NIKE / ANTA), RUSSELL WESTBROOK (JORDAN BRAND), KEVIN DURANT (NIKE), ATHONY EDWARDS (ADIDAS), PAUL GEORGE (NIKE), SPENCER DINWIDDIE (361 DEGREES), JAMES HARDEN (ADIDAS), SHAWN KEMP (REEBOK), GORDON HAYWARD (ANTA), DEVIN BOOKER (NIKE), TRAE YOUNG (ADIDAS), LUCA DONCIC (JORDAN BRAND) and GIANNIS ANTETOKOUNMPO (NIKE) among others.  and that is before even mentioning the HUGE EXPANSION into SPONSORED ENTERTAINERS in the intervening years including PHARRELL WILLIAMS (ADIDAS / LOUS VUITTON), KANYE WEST (NIKE / ADIDAS), RIHANNA (PUMA), KENDRICK LAMAR (CONVERSE), TRAVIS SCOTT (NIKE), CARDI B (REEBOK), DONALD GLOBER (NEW BALANCE), MEGAN THEE STALLION (NIKE), SELENA GOMEZ (PUMA), BILLIE EILISH (NIKE), J BALVIN (JORDAN BRAND), TYLER THE CREATOR (CONVERSE), BEYONCE (ADIDAS), GIGI HADID (REEBOK), BAD BUNNY (ADIDAS), DUA LIPA (PUMA), PUSHA T (ADIDAS) and DRAKE (NIKE).

the film is supposedly based on NIKE CO-FOUNDER PHIL KNIGHT's memoir SHOE DOG (SCRIBNER, 2016), which is INTERESTING since such was explicitly about his pre-JORDAN EXPERIENCE with the company, building it up gradually from a REGIONAL ASICS IMPORTER and DISTRIBUTOR for their ONITSUKA BRAND called BLUE RIBBON SPORTS to a PRIVATE, then PUBLICLY-TRADED company that specialized in RUNNING SHOES and APPAREL.  the book recounts how FRAUGHT those early years were, both from a LEGAL and a FINANCIAL PERSPECTIVE.  the doubling down, tripling down, quadrupling down on DEBT in order for the firm to SURVIVE just showcases how IMPERFECT a PROCESS it is building a company to even a NOMINAL PRESENCE in a COMPETITIVE INDUSTRY and how UNSTEADY and PRECARIOUS such as a POSITION is.  it really is amazing that this "adaptation" of sorts addresses the one thing that is omitted from SHOE DOG, which is the JORDAN DEAL and the financial windfall that came with it.  obviously that NARRATIVE centers around the efforts of his MARKETING EXECUTIVES, namely SONNY VACCARO, and not KNIGHT himself, who was a MINOR (if not highly CONSEQUENTIAL) PARTICIPANT.  given the ELEVATED STATUS of the AIR JORDAN and many of its later ITERATIONS in POPULAR CULTURE, where such is commonly fetishized as a LUXURY item INDEPENDENT of its former function as an OUTDATED PERFORMANCE BASKETBALL SNEAKER, it makes total sense why the book was optioned to speak on an ISSUE it never addressed in print.

which is CRAZY.  entertaining film from both a CINEMATIC and a strictly BUSINESS PERSPECTIVE.  i wonder how much of it is actually TRUE.

for whatever reason i am attracted to these largely EXPLOITATIVE ALTERNATIVE ROCK BIOGRAPHIES published by ST. MARTIN'S GRIFFIN in the mid-to-late 1990s.  bands like SOUNDGARDEN, NIRVANA and the like.  what i find INTRIGUING about them is that you get a somewhat CONTEMPORANEOUS sense of their PERSONAL NARRATIVE and ARTISTIC TRAJECTORY, not a RETROSPECTIVE ACCOUNT filtered through the HAZY and often INACCURATE GAUZE of TIME and INEVITABLE critical DISAPPOINTMENT.  these books were written and published in short order with the TIME-SENSITIVE OBJECTIVE of taking advantage of their SUBJECT's POPULARITY at its RELATIVE peak.

for MARTIN HUXLEY's unimaginatively titled NINE INCH NAILS (ST. MARTIN'S GRIFFIN, 1997) BIOGRAPHY of TRENT REZNOR, what comes across is the COMPELLING PORTRAIT of a VISIONARY and deeply AMBITIOUS and INNOVATIVE SONGWRITER who attempts to find CATHARSIS in his CRAFT but ends up amassing INNER-CONFLICT and TURMOIL in the process.  born and raised in RURAL WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA, the PERSONAL NARRATIVE of REZNOR is one defined by BOREDOM.   for some the countryside is a PASTORAL IDYLL of TRANQUILITY that promotes a ROOTED BALANCE with NATURE.  for REZNOR there is a RESTLESS QUALITY that came with being out of reach of MAINSTREAM CULTURE.  its not surprising that he left college early to pursue MUSIC and life in a bigger city, of which he chose NEARBY CLEVELAND.  there he found a SMALL but FRACTURED and INTERNECINE COMMUNITY of MUSICIANS, many of which were STRUGGLING by playing bars in cover bands and the like.  its not like OHIO was a CULTURAL NEXUS on par with LOS ANGELES or NEW YORK CITY, but the ISOLATION worked in his favor as he was able to find work as an ASSISTANT in a STUDIO and basically work for RECORDING TIME while subsisting on BASIC NUTRITION.

the BOOK deconstructs the PERSONA of REZNOR as this MYSTERIOUS and UNDERGROUND AVENGING ANGEL of INDUSTRIAL MUSIC and all things ALTERNATIVE, instead rooting his success in his SONGWRITING GIFTS, CREATIVITY and PRETERNATURAL ABILITY to dissect and RECONSTITUTE a version of himself on wax.  i tend to agree with that ASSESSMENT since what separated his MUSIC from PREDECESSORS in DEPECHE MODE, KMFDM, SKINNY PUPPY, MINISTRY and so on was the INTERIOR NATURE of his LYRICS.  those SLASHING DISSONANT GUITARS, ARPEGGIATED ELECTRONIC KEYBOARD RUNS and PROGRAMMED POLYRHYTHMS were but an INGENIOUS SOUNDSCAPE to buttress LYRICS that entirely exposed his INSECURITIES and deep-seated EMOTIONAL VULNERABILITIES.  somehow these UNCONVENTIONAL mechanized and INORGANIC AURAL ELEMENTS made these INTIMATE ADMISSIONS hit that much HARDER.  over time when finding some semblance of footing as an EFFECTIVE LIVE DRAW, especially in HIGH PROFILE TOURS / GIGS like LOLLAPALOOZA, WOODSTOCK 94 and an opening slot for DAVID BOWIE, REZNOR adroitly understood how his PUBLIC PERSONA had shifted. 

and for me that RELATIONSHIP between him and his PERSONA is the real crux of his CAREER circa THE DOWNWARD SPIRAL (INTERSCOPE, 1994) ERA and beyond.  witnessing and being culpable in your own PUBLIC PERSONA becoming a wildly DISTORTED CARICATURE of yourself.  the BOOK ends during this CONSEQUENTIAL PERIOD and hints at FUTURE PROJECTS.  of course we all know about the EXTENDED SABBATICAL REZNOR took thereafter to get a grip on himself, his CAREER and his life.  these early BELOVED YEARS of his CAREER provided his fans with an EFFECTIVE SOUNDTRACK to exorcise PAST TRAUMA and PAIN, but at the expense of his MENTAL HEALTH.  i appreciate that REZNOR had the FRAME-OF-MIND to look after and consolidate himself and return all the STRONGER YEARS later with a match DEEP FOCUS and MOTIVATION to create MEANINGFUL ART, albeit from a PERSPECTIVE that doesnt feed off SELF-LOATHING and SELF-DEFEATING IMPULSES.  for his sake and that of his FANS.

NINE INCH NAILS is a perfectly PEDESTRIAN quick read with some INTERESTING TIDBITS thrown in enough to satiate COMPLETISTS and REZNOR FANATICS.  im sure once REZNOR gets around to writing an AUTOBIOGRAPHY or participating in a SANCTIONED BIOGRAPHY that a more COMPLETE PICTURE will flesh out his PAST CHOICES.  until then this INESSENTIAL BOOK will somewhat suffice.  NOT TERRIBLE, but NOT GROUNDBREAKING either.  only HARDCORE FANS need apply.

my FAMILY left the UNITED STATES for NIGERIA in late 1995 and there were a few summers that i spent around that time time visiting a RELATIVE in ENGLAND.  this of course corresponded with the rise of MANCHESTER UNITED RIGHT WINGER DAVID BECKHAM as a SPORTS HERO and a CULTURAL ICON and it was IMPOSSIBLE to not be aware of such both in EUROPE and in WEST AFRICA.  there as in much of the non-UNITED STATES world, FUTBOL is an ABSOLUTE RELIGION with ICONIC 1990s CONTEMPORARIES of BECKHAM like ALAN SHEARER, ERIC CANTONA, ZINEDINE ZIDANE, ROBERTO BAGGIO and RONALDO their HIGH PRIESTS.  BECKHAM (NETFLIX, 2023) is an estate AUTHORIZED four-part NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY SERIES about BECKHAM's massively SUCCESSFUL career on-and-off the pitch.

given that this DOCU-SERIES is largely from the PERSPECTIVE of BECKHAM and his FAMILY, it goes without saying that much of the more SORDID details of his personal life have been rounded for MASS CONSUMPTION.  that should not come as a SURPRISE, as the NARRATIVE undoubtedly is tied around the TWIN poles of his OBSESSION with FUTBOL and his continuing love affair with his WIFE VICTORIA ADAMS.  having been discovered and swept up by none other than SIR ALEX FERGUSON, the LEGENDARY MANAGER of MANCHESTER UNITED, as a child, it is not hyperbole to say that his PURPOSE, LIFE OBJECTIVE and SELF-IDENTITY was to develop and become an ELITE STRIKER for the LEGENDARY club.  this meant he spent those early years at an academy that developed his SKILLSET and challenged him until his first PREMIERE LEAGUE game at 17.  this DOCU-SERIES decisively examines the mindset of an ELITE ATHLETE brought to COMPLETION in this type of harsh development program.  in many ways his life was PREORDAINED and SAFEGUARDED by the club, who saw women as a DISTRACTION from the main OBJECTIVE of winning games. 

thus when BECKHAM initiated his RELATIONSHIP with ADAMS at twenty-two, such was viewed through such a prism and this UNCOMFORTABLE story of DUAL LOYALITIES was initiated.  of course the world is aware that twenty-five years of marriage and four children later, such was not a fling.  what is INTRIGUING is how they both saw their WORKING CLASS VALUES and LOVE OF FAMILY as a thread that brought them together.  this LOYALTY and cherishing of the FAMILY UNIT is part of the push-and-pull of their RELATIONSHIP as BECKHAM switched teams and moved across continents throughout his career with some ADMITTED FRICTION and CONSTERNATION from ADAMS.  their ability to survive such time apart and the ABSOLUTE ONSLAUGHT of NEGATIVE press coverage, mostly of the TRANSGRESSIVE and seemingly VIOLENT variety by the BRITISH TABLOIDS, tested and affected their will to push forward.  once their young son was aware of such you cant help but empathize with them on a human level, despite their STATUS, PRIVILEGE and WEALTH.  for instance, when BECKHAM got red-carded while playing for ENGLAND in the 1998 WORLD CUP, the BLOWBACK was so UNRELENTING and HOSTILE that it proved physically DANGEROUS as the press whipped up the population into a FRENZY blaming him for their second round loss to ARGENTINA.  CURSING, SPITTING, THREATS of VIOLENCE and such affected his MENTAL HEALTH to the point that he was  CLINICALLY DEPRESSED for months.  it was in this moment that the WELCOMING bosom of MANCHESTER UNITED, their PLAYERS and their FANS brought him back into the fold and those STRICT PROCEDURES that he previously bristled at provided him with MUCH-NEEDED SECURITY from the ENGLISH MOBS that were encircling him.  intriguingly, during this same period BECKHAM would seek REFUGE with the SPICE GIRLS, of which ADAMS was famously POSH SPICE, and their ENTOURAGE on tour.  being with them and ADAMS during their COURTSHIP was NATURAL and brought him COMFORT and piece of mind as he was being vilified and eviscerated in the ENGLISH PUBLIC SQUARE.

all of the details about his SUBSEQUENT PLAYING STINTS with REAL MADRID, LOS ANGELES GALAXY, AC MILAN, PARIS SAINT GERMAIN and co-ownership of the INTER MIAMI CF is INTERESTING on some level, but the REAL STORY is how his RELATIONSHIPS with his PARENTS, WIFE and CHILDREN allowed for such to materialize.  its COMPELLING to learn that one of the most FAMOUS and MARKETABLE faces on the planet is pretty UNCOMFORTABLE and AWKWARD speaking in public.  as a KID he was singularly focused on FUTBOL to the detriment of his SOCIAL ABILITIES, which despite his PUBLIC PERSONA, was never one of being particularly SUAVE or CHARISMATIC off-field.  despite omissions regarding BAD CHOICES, i still feel its pretty REMARKABLE that the public is given this level of access to BECKHAM and his many PEERS and CONTEMPORARIES to contextualize a GLOBAL POPULAR CULTURE ICON.

definitely worth checking out.

i should start by stating that EAST BAY PUNK ROCK icons RANCID have never put out a disappointing album.  not once.  the band in all of its incarnations has been on a VERITABLE hot streak for decades now and their 8th studio album and second with FORMER THE USED DRUMMER BRANDEN STEINECKERT ...HONOR IS ALL WE KNOW (HELLCAT, 2014) is no different.  the band seemingly goes through SONGWRITING phases were some records are relatively more HARDCORE-indebted, like RANCID (EPITAPH, 1993), RANCID 5 (HELLCAT, 2000) and LET'S GO (EPITAPH, 1994)  while others incorporate more SKA and ROOTS REGGAE influences, such as ...AND OUT COME THE WOLVES (EPITAPH, 1995), LIFE WON'T WAIT (EPITAPH, 1998) and INDESTRUCTIBLE (HELLCAT, 2003).  that is not to say that there isnt any crossover, but the general VIBE of those records seems to be somewhat aligned to those two poles, which makes sense given the fact that RANCID was formed in the wake of the LEGENDARY short-lived SKA PUNK project OPERATION IVY.

what is COOL about the later half of their career is how those two IDENTITIES get sorted out and revisited constantly throughout each album.  and for my money ...HONOR IS ALL WE KNOW has some of the STRONGEST tracks this side of their CLASSIC 1990s MATERIAL with MEMORABLE songs like "COLLISION COURSE," "EVIL'S MY FRIEND," "EVERYBODY'S SUFFERIN'," "BACK WHERE I BELONG," "MALFUNCTION," "RAISE YOUR FIST" and of course the title track "HONOR IS ALL WE KNOW."  it goes without saying that the band had dealt with some SERIOUS BLOWS over the previous few years and past two releases, with TIM ARMSTRONG's DIVORCE and the AMICABLE RETIREMENT of FOUNDING DRUMMER BRETT REED.  the band's STRENGTH has always been their INTERNAL CHEMISTRY and ARMSTRONG'S storyteller-style of SONGWRITING, but you get the sense on ...HONOR IS ALL WE KNOW that the band is back at full strength with songs that seem about projecting OPTIMISM towards the future, rather than reflecting on their status as PUNK ROCK ELDER-STATESMEN or PERSONAL SETBACKS. 

i listen to this album and it just feels like a group of GREAT MUSICIANS and FRIENDS that truly love playing together.  it just sounds like the feeling of JOY.  PUNK ROCK at its core is about FREEDOM and LIBERATION through music and RANCID at the peak of their powers exemplify such.  they sound like they are having FUN and its hard not to feel stoked by that CONTAGIOUS ENERGY.

is ...HONOR IS ALL WE KNOW their GREATEST album?  no.  but it is a return to form for a LEGACY PUNK act that is still firing on all cylinders decades into their career with no signs of slowing down.  dare i say its an ESSENTIAL release in their CATALOGUE that is most definitely worth checking out.

its always a breath of fresh air to come across NEW BANDS that just CRUSH.  in the past couple of years for me that included GROUPS like BRUTUS, FULL OF HELL, AMYL & THE SNIFFERS, CRYSTAL LAKE and KNOCKED LOOSE.  an equally LYRICALLY and SONICALLY TRANSGRESSIVE BAND that i recently came across that should be a welcome addition to such a list is the MEXICAN QUEERCORE / POST-PUNK / NOISE ROCK BAND HETEROFOBIA.  i know that they are an unapologetically and stridently POLITICAL UNIT with an aggressively DISSONANT and oh so wonderfully CHAOTIC SOUND that immediately caught my attention.  cant even imagine what that must be like being part of the LGBTQIA+ community in MACHISMO-obsessed LATIN AMERICA, but jesus does their ENERGY translate beyond language.

most definitely a BAND worth checking out.

photo & text by nacrowe

i was always a sucker for a GREAT MELODY.

maybe that comes from being a SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA kid of the 1990s raised being inundated and effectively indoctrinated on 1960s NOSTALGIA and REVERENCE for past LOCAL ACTS like the BEACH BOYS, THE BYRDS, THE MAMAS AND THE PAPAS and THE DOORS.  i think it was just part of the chemical makeup of that region, that affinity for MELODIC (mostly) GUITAR-BASED HOOKS and WELL-CONSTRUCTED and executed VOCAL HARMONIES.

when i was introduced to PUNK ROCK via THE SEX PISTOLS, RAMONES, THE STRANGLERS, THE DAMNED and THE CLASH, it never really occurred to me the REAL SONIC DIVERSITY that was apparent straight from the jump.  namely im talking about PUNK BANDS like BUZZCOCKS, STIFF LITTLE FINGERS or THE SAINTS that had a definite TRADITIONAL POP SENSIBILITY with RECOGNIZABLE MELODIC HOOKS.  i have to say i didnt know much about that LINEAGE when BLINK-182 released ENEMA OF THE STATE (MCA, 1999) during my freshman year of high school.  i thought they were just a GOOD ALTERNATIVE ROCK band in an ADJACENT, albeit LYRICALLY JUVENILE and STUNTED, VEIN of THE OFFSPRING, MXPX, PENNYWISE, BAD RELIGION or especially GREEN DAY, who truth be told had been trending downwards as of late at the time pre-AMERICAN IDIOT ().  i honestly viewed BLINK-182 in the VEIN of those aforementioned MELODICALLY RICH SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA BANDS of yore and less so with MODERN PUNK ROCK.

i didnt know any better.

through BLINK-182 i was introduced to DESCENDENTS, NOFX, THE VANDALS, LAGWAGON, GOLDFINGER and a whole slew of MELODIC PUNK BANDS that brought their stream-lined COMMERCIAL SOUND into CONTEXT.   GREEN DAY, BLINK-182 and the POP PUNK branch of the PUNK ROCK FAMILY TREE that they popularized (BANDS like NEW FOUND GLORY, FALL OUT BOY, SUM 41, YELLOWCARD, GOOD CHARLOTTE and PARAMORE) often get tagged as ABOMINATIONS by CONCEITED PURISTS and SELF-APPOINTED PUNK ROCK ZEALOTS, but really the LINEAGE is there.  goes all the way back to OG bands like RAMONES and BUZZCOCKS in the late 70s.  the whole CONVERSATION regarding TAGS and CATEGORIES is pretty TIRED and ANTIQUATED anyway.  the benefit of BLINK-182 on POPULAR CULTURE in my opinion is that they paved the way and created the space for BANDS i adore like THE GET UP KIDS, JIMMY EAT WORLD, A DAY TO REMEMBER and SOMETHING CORPORATE to get their INITIAL foot in the door and gain VITAL TRACTION and EXPOSURE.  like everything, CONSEQUENTIAL BANDS have UNINTENDED RIPPLE EFFECTS and for BLINK-182 one such MANIFESTATION of their IMPACT was the RENEWED VALUE of great MEMORABLE melodies to slip there way back into AGGRESSIVE ROCK N ROLL once again.

and for that i am eternally GRATEFUL.

embedded below is a recent DEER GOD RADIO episode on nonprofit internet radio station MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC that includes a playlist celebrating the iconic SAN DIEGO POP PUNK BAND BLINK-182 and all their iterations (BOX CAR RACER, +44, ANGELS AND AIRWAVES).  enjoy!

as i wrote about before, my INITIAL RECOLLECTION of hearing FLORIDA POST-GRUNGE band CREED when i came across their debut MY OWN PRISON (WIND-UP, 1997) as an underclassman in my high school was that they had an ABOVE AVERAGE RHYTHM SECTION with an UNFORTUNATE JIM MORRISON-clone SINGER prone to overt CHRISTIAN IMAGERY and MOTIFS in his LYRICS.  thing was, i gave it all a pass since the SONG-CRAFT itself (courtesy of MULTI-TALENTED GUITARIST MARK TREMONTI) was pretty on point.

such was sadly not the case with the mega-commercially SUCCESSFUL follow-up HUMAN CLAY (WIND-UP, 1999) which saw SINGER SCOTT STAPP really step forward and adopt an overt MESSIAH COMPLEX in his LYRICS and in CREED's music videos.  i thought that they lost the script and any LUKEWARM feelings i had toward the band was pretty much eviscerated on the spot of hearing the singles "WITH ARMS WIDE OPEN," "WHAT IF," "ARE YOU READY?" and especially "HIGHER."  the whole thing went beyond being a letdown, it was an EMBARRASSMENT.  like i actually felt embarrassed for myself that i ever held the SAD, NAIVE NOTION that CREED was a DECENT band when hearing HUMAN CLAY.  this opinion was somewhat tempered and resolved years later with the EMERGENCE of post-CREED, MILES KENNEDY-fronted outfit ALTER BRIDGE for the RHYTHM SECTION, which although i never took to them or their, respected as a WORTHWHILE CREATIVE UNIT.

my read of the culture at the time pre-9/11 was that the SEATTLE ALTERNATIVE ROCK scene was such a powerful and unique phenomenon that such was difficult to follow-up for the bands that came after.  bands like SOUNDGARDEN, MUDHONEY, ALICE IN CHAINS, MOTHERLOVEBONE / PEARL JAM, SCREAMING TREES and THE MELVINS had marinated amongst themselves in the ISOLATION of a mutually supportive PRE-INTERNET scene that saw the groups play with HARDCORE PUNK, METAL and CLASSIC ROCK influences.  the DIVERSITY of SOUNDS they came up with were SINGULAR and UNIQUE unto themselves and highly INFLUENTIAL.  lyrically there was a premium put on AUTHENTICITY and SELF-EXAMINATION.  to my ears the POST-GRUNGE bands that mimicked their sound, of which i include CREED, had a shared sense of COMPOSITIONAL DYNAMICS in their SONG-CRAFT but none of the ATTITUDE or need for HONESTY in their LYRICS.  it was almost as if this new cohort of bands were attempting to bring LEVITY or FUN into the mix, and thus you get this BIZARRE JUXTAPOSITION of SONICS and LYRICS that is outright JARRING in comparison.  its almost like HAIR METAL had the ULTIMATE say or laugh on ALTERNATIVE ROCK with LIGHTWEIGHT bands like NICKELBACK, SEETHER, PUDDLE OF MUDD, STAIND and BREAKING BENJAMIN making a MOCKERY of the SOUND and AESTHETIC.  or in CREED's case, a truly HEINOUS, LAME WORSHIP version of ALTERNATIVE ROCK that lyrically completely missed the point.

i have respect for TREMONTI as a SONGWRITER and a MUSICIAN, but HUMAN CLAY is EMBLEMATIC of a series of releases by bands that had no place having a record deal or polluting the airwaves in the late 1990s and early 2000s.  it was the SOUND of MAINSTREAM ROCK N ROLL becoming absolutely stale and an UNFORTUNATE pale IMITATION of itself.  plus the album artwork is truly ATROCIOUS.  i would steer listeners away from CREED and redirect them towards ALICE IN CHAINS instead.

EMINEM is a VERITABLE AMERICAN CULTURAL ICON that has reached a zenith of fame, much like that of ELVIS PRESLEY, PRINCE, JIMI HENDRIX, MICHAEL JACKSON, ROBERT JOHNSON or KURT COBAIN before him, so much so that his PERSONAL NARRATIVE is effectively as an APOCRYPHAL MYTHOLOGY all unto itself.  in essence MARSHALL MATHERS the person functions as a FOLK HERO in the BROADER CULTURE, well beyond the PROVINCIAL confines of HIP HOP.

but that NARRATIVE is a CONSTRUCTION based on the POETRY and ARTISTRY that MATHERS so attentively presents on record.  the UNSANCTIONED and UNOFFICIAL EMINEM AKA (XENON, 2004) documentary presents his early life and rise to glory from the particular vantage point of FAMILY MEMBERS, FORMER MANAGERS, BODYGUARDS, FRIENDS, RECORD STORE OWNERS and MEMBERS of the DETROIT COMMUNITY that witnessed his early STRUGGLES and his INEXORABLE grind.  this film is by no means a HAGIOGRAPHY and presents a very real portrait of a deeply TROUBLED but preternaturally TALENTED ARTIST who fought his way through CHILDHOOD ABANDONMENT, TRAUMA and NEGLECT to achieve his goal of INDUSTRY RESPECT and the ability to provide for his DAUGHTER.

and that BACKSTORY isnt entirely IRRELEVANT either.  you learn about the impact of GENERATIONAL CYCLES OF POVERTY, DOMESTIC VIOLENCE and SUBSTANCE ABUSE, not only on MATHERS as a CHILD, but that endured by his MOTHER and MATERNAL GRANDMOTHER.  UNEDUCATED with few prospects when becoming PREGNANT in their early teens with DEADBEAT PARTNERS, that SIMILAR EXPERIENCE among his MATERNAL LINE provides CONTEXT into how MATHERS consciously chose to break the cycle.  you also learn about the extent to which MATHERS was BRUTALLY BULLIED as a GRADE SCHOOLER, at one point being PUNCHED so FORCEFULLY in a bathroom that he went into a COMA for ten days and had to relearn BASIC motor functions upon waking out of such.  you begin to understand that when his UNCLE RONNIE (whom he was very close in age) introduced him to HIP HOP, specifically ICE-T, that his WORLD was transformed and that he had finally found an APT VEHICLE to bury his PAIN and FRUSTRATIONS, as well as his CREATIVITY, into as an outlet.  having moved over twenty times throughout his upbringing with various SURROGATE FATHER FIGURES (his REAL one ditched his MOTHER shortly after his birth), MATHERS was the PERENNIAL NEW KID at school and was isolated in the EXTREME.  this info helps CONTEXTUALIZE both his FURY and INSPIRATION for picking up a microphone, as well as his DETERMINATION and RESILIENCE in reaching his goals.  he was literally all he had.

the FIGURE of KIM is an INTRIGUING one, given that she was a FOSTER KID that lived temporarily at their home.  their RELATIONSHIP transitioned from that of a SURROGATE SIBLING dynamic to a more INTIMATE one down the line, always with such being VOLATILE and PASSIONATE.  KIM served as a MUSE of sorts as well as a PUNCHING BAG, but in her there was an understanding that she knew and understood him pre-FAME.  there is a sense that their RELATIONSHIP grounded him even as it led him to create some of his most EXTREME CONTENT under his SLIM SHADY PERSONA.  that CHARACTER and the depths of DEPRAVITY it allowed him to plumb was a REVELATION and the point of DIFFERENTIATION for him as a NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED RAPPER and HIP HOP ICON.  forget about being THIN-SKINNED in a RAP battle, this dude savagely insults his GIRLFRIEND and his own MOTHER relentlessly with NO REMORSE on record.  just a different breed entirely.

obviously it would be cool to have EMINEM CONTEXTUALIZE his own CATALOGUE and LIFE'S NARRATIVE up until that point, but back in the early 2000s he was already well underway writing and touring THE EMINEM SHOW (INTERSCOPE, 2002) which thematically seemed focused in how his seeming SURREAL LIFE had become an EFFECTIVE REALITY SHOW at that point.  his NUMEROUS COURT CASES, much publicized ON-AGAIN-OFF-AGAIN RELATIONSHIP with his WIFE and the very REAL LITIGATION against him by his own MOTHER made his LIFE something of an ENTERTAINMENT source for many.  being a part of this film was likely not a priority.  twenty years later he is still as METICULOUS with his PUBLIC IMAGE and consciously OPAQUE as any SUPERSTAR before him for good reason.  all you need to know about him is what he lets you know about him, especially on RECORD.  still looking forward to the day he decides to explain his half of the STORY.

until then, this MAKESHIFT effort will have to suffice.  EMINEM AKA is not an ESSENTIAL release but somewhat INTERESTING nonetheless.  id recommend it to only the most HARDCORE of EMINEM FANS.  otherwise there are other better opinons out there.

CHARLES BURNS is pretty far out there.

his highly STYLIZED work seems to find the common ground between FILM AUTEURS like DAVID LYNCH and DAVID CRONENBERG, meaning that his NARRATIVES and ILLUSTRATIONS are often concerned with unraveling and revealing the SUBTERRANEAN, VIOLENT dimensions lurking in both our individual PSYCHES and collective BEHAVIORS as BASE HUMAN ANIMALS.  there is often a SURREALISTIC, SCI-FI vibe to his work but the INHERENT AUTHENTICITY of the reactions of his subjects grounds such in EMOTIONAL REALISM, much like LYNCH and CRONENBERG.

X'ED OUT (PANTHEON, 2010) is the first in a trilogy of GRAPHIC NOVELS by REVERED SURREALIST CARTOONIST and ILLUSTRATOR BURNS, all of which eventually came out in his LAST LOOK (PANTHEON, 2016) volume.   BURNS of course is NOTORIOUS for his ICONIC early ILLUSTRATIVE work with SUB POP RECORDS and his AWARDED previous volume release, BLACK HOLE (PANTHEON, 2005).  like most BURNS faire,  X'ED OUT introduces its audience to a world that seemingly transpires in-between various states of MEMORY, CONSCIOUSNESS and projected EXPECTATION.  the subject seems to be slipping in and out of various MIND-STATES to the point that one is not sure which PROJECTED SELF is living and experiencing a TRUE REALITY and which is merely inhabiting a fantastically RECONSTRUCTED ALTERNATIVE state a la THE WIZARD OF OZ (MGM, 1939) film where DOROTHY's AUNTS and UNCLES make up all the DREAM CHARACTERS.  its a dizzyingly KALEIDOSCOPIC EXPERIENCE attempting to parse out all the BURNS, but ultimately one just succumbs to the FLUID and highly MALLEABLE NATURE of CONSCIOUSNESS, SELF-IDENTITY and REALITY as presented by BURNS. 

​the MAIN CHARACTER, who we presume is a TEENAGER, seems subconsciously attracted to DANGER and the LURID aspects of HUMAN SEXUALITY.  such makes sense given that at such a stage in life, ADULT REALITIES and RELATIONSHIPS in particular are all a deep well of UNKNOWN entities and POSSIBLE DEAD-ENDS that corner one into REAL-LIFE CONSEQUENCES related to particular LIFESTYLES choices.  i knew a few YOUNG COUPLES during my high school years that managed to get PREGNANT unexpectedly and the PSYCHOLOGICAL and EMOTIONAL REPERCUSSIONS of such a POWERFUL EXPERIENCE were LONG-LASTING and TRAUMATIC for all involved.  so i get the QUEASY feeling of UNEASE that comes with INCOMPLETE KNOWLEDGE about the world and oneself that BURNS mines in X'ED OUT about the TEENAGE EXPERIENCE.

the NARRATIVE presented in X'ED OUT makes little sense, but i dont believe it is SURREALISTIC for SURREALISM sake.  i feel like there is an ALLEGORY there that is just beginning to be revealed.  hopefully in the next installment in THE HIVE (PANTHEON, 2012), more answers will be forthcoming.  knowing BURNS though, such is WISHFUL THINKING.  if anything itll promised to be more COMPLEX, THOUGHT-PROVOKING and utterly CONFUSING with the amount of SHIFTING PERSPECTIVES, TIME-TRAVEL and DISGUISED FUGUE STATES rendered for our COLLECTIVE AMUSEMENT. 

and im looking forward to it. 

RECEIVER (NFL FILMS, 2024) is the second installation of an PEYTON MANNING-produced ONGOING NETFLIX SERIES that documents the seasons of PROMINENT NFL PLAYERS at a PARTICULAR SKILL POSITION.  last season such followed NOTABLE QUARTERBACKS in the like-wise, STRAIGHT-TO-THE-POINT entitled QUARTERBACK (NFL FILMS, 2023) SERIES.  what makes RECEIVER COMPELLING is how it showcases in its eight episodes a full NFL season of INTERACTIONS RECEIVERS go through with FAMILY , TEAMMATES, TRAINERS, PHYSICIANS, COACHES and the FRONT OFFCE, and how they prepare and persevere through ADVERSITY in the form of INJURIES, TEAM COMPETITION, CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS and EVER-SHIFTING PLAYER/COACHING PERSONNEL.  given that RECEIVERS as a POSITION are uniquely DEPENDENT on QUARTERBACKS for OPPORTUNITIES to shine, their ACTIVATION on the field is the end result of a SERIES of SUCCESSFUL ACTIONS by the OFFENSIVE LINE, QUARTERBACK and even other RECEIVERS acting in SYNCHRONIZED UNITY.  they are the literal cherry on top of a TOTAL TEAM EFFORT.  thus their SUCCESS is indicative of greater STRATEGIC and OPERATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS.  the HIGHLIGHTED PLAYERS include MARQUEE WIDE RECEIVERS JUSTIN JEFFERSON (MINNESOTA VIKINGS), DAVANTE ADAMS (LAS VEGAS RAIDERS), AMON-RA ST. BROWN (DETROIT LIONS), DEEBO SAMUEL (SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS) and TIGHT END GEORGE KITTLE (SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS) throughout the 2023-2024 season.

what i found INTERESTING about this SERIES is the DIVERSITY of BACKGROUNDS and APPROACHES to things like PREPARATION and maintaining a COMPETITIVE MINDSET.  KITTLE utilizes pre-game POSITIVE AFFIRMATIONS, MEDITATION and speaking SUCCESS into existence both as a means of conquering LINGERING PAIN from past hits over the course of a season as well as maintaining an EDGE on the field.  such an approach differs from JEFFERSON and ADAMS who both carry an air of SUPREME CONFIDENCE and TOTAL COMMITMENT to their craft that is APPARENT to all as they enter the playing field.  no hyping up needed.  they know they are PREPARED and able to PERFORM.  ST. BROWN as a YOUNG WIDE RECEIVER still has much to prove and is on the ascent as an ELITE PLAYER in the LEAGUE and utilizes every MOTIVATIONAL TRICK in the book to maintain a COMPETITIVE EDGE, search for any PERCEIVED SLIGHTS or CRITICISM as fuel to his fire.  what unites all of these RECEIVERS is that their FAMILIES and SIGNIFICANT OTHERS play into their pregame rituals, a reminder of what they are literally risking their PHYSICAL BODIES and FUTURE HEALTH for: GENERATIONAL WEALTH from a second (or even third) multi-year contract.  such makes those DANGEROUS crossing routes somewhat more ACCEPTABLE in context. 

my only REAL question concerned SAMUEL, whose SIGNIFICANT OTHER is not identified as a WIFE or GIRLFRIEND, but the MOTHER OF HIS CHILD.  yet she is constantly with him at his home and on game day, with and without their INFANT SON.  i dont care about his PERSONAL LIFE but the NFL through this access is attempting to showcase the FAMILIAL SUPPORT STRUCTURE that these PLAYERS rely on and her AMBIGUOUS RELATIONSHIP STATUS makes such DIFFICULT to comprehend.  just seemed AWKWARD at the very least, but maybe such is just me.

RECEIVER is an INTRIGUING behind-the-scenes LOOK at the NFL, but there was nothing presented that was particularly RIVETING.  if anything, it all came off a bit VANILLA and what you would expect from a LEAGUE trying to humanize the ON-FIELD BRUTALITY and VIOLENCE it literally trades on.  such is AMERICA.  apparently we love a good BLOODSPORT.

the fourth 311 album TRANSISTOR (CAPRICORN, 1997) was a HUGE RECORD for me back in middle school when it came out.  at the time i was living with my family and attending school in NIGERIA, and basically became enamored with the ALTERNATIVE ROCK BANDS of the period (such as THE SMASHING PUMPKINS, ALICE IN CHAINS, RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE, TOOL and FAITH NO MORE) as well as VARIOUS HIP HOP ACTS (like CYPRESS HILL, TUPAC SHAKUR and the BEASTIE BOYS) through OLDER PEERS and CLASSMATES.  in a sense, seeking out this MUSIC of the era made me feel a CONNECTION to my HOME CULTURE that in earnest felt a WORLD away.  you have to remember that the internet was in its INFANCY and long-distance phone calls were prohibitively EXPENSIVE.  as INCREDIBLE and FASCINATING as my middle school years in WEST AFRICA were, in some manner i felt like i was isolated on an ISLAND.  or a DISTANT PLANET.

TRANSISTOR was of course the follow-up to the massively SUCCESSFUL self-titled 311 (CAPRICORN, 1995) album, which itself was a STREAMLINED and SONG-ORIENTED reframing of their more JAZZ, REGGAE and EXPERIMENTAL INDIE ROCK TENDENCIES from their first two major label releases.  with TRANSISTOR the BAND consciously sought to squeeze as much MUSIC onto the compact disc as possible, utilizing the studio to create EXPANDED COMPOSITIONS that creatively widened the SONIC PALETTE of 311.  this meant a deep dive into the bouncy SOUNDSCAPES of DUB REGGAE and the ENDLESS, CAVERNOUS aural EXPANSIONISM of SPACE ROCK.  the distinctively INTERSTELLAR VIBE of TRANSISTOR definitely triggered something buried within me on DEEP CUTS like "INNER LIGHT SPECTRUM," "USE OF TIME," "LIGHT YEARS," "RUB A DUB," "COLOR," "THE CONTINUOUS LIFE," "LIGHT YEARS" and especially "STEALING HAPPY HOURS" that still stays with me.  it brought a CONTEXT and a FAMILIARITY to what was an INTENSE period of my life, both in terms of things like puberty, but also witnessing firsthand the PERNICIOUS SOCIETAL CONSEQUENCES of living, functioning and surviving in a highly DYSFUNCTIONAL and REPRESSIVE MILITARY DICTATORSHIP.  somehow those SONGS brought COMFORT to me when i needed it at a TENDER age and for that i am always GRATEFUL to the BAND.  it is like that IMMORTAL set of MORRISSEY lines on the THE SMITHS' "RUBBER RING" TRACK where he sings but don't forget the songs that made you cry / and the songs that saved your life / yes, you're older now and you're a clever swine / but they were the only ones who ever stood by you.  thats how i feel about TRANSISTOR.

some consider TRANSISTOR a bit UNFOCUSED with a lack of THEMATIC and LYRICAL COHESION, which is a CRITICISM i understand to a point.  for me that UNBRIDLED ECLECTICISM and the SELF-ORDAINED FREEDOM to just let it all hang out is what makes the ALBUM SPECIAL, in the same vein of something akin to THE BEATLES' THE BEATLES [WHITE ALBUM] (APPLE, 1968).  the ALBUM itself was concocted as a gift to their FANS, both NEW and OLD, who supported the BAND and their UNLIKELY rise from NEBRASKA to COMMERCIAL DOMINANCE.  in an ALTERNATIVE UNIVERSE its probably likely that there is a VARIANT 311 that made more songs that had the EXPECTED, STRAIGHT-AHEAD ALTERNATIVE ROCK radio SOUND of SINGLES like "TRANSISTOR," "PRISONER" and "BEAUTIFUL DISASTER," which are all QUALITY TRACKS that stand up more than favorably within their EXTENSIVE CATALOGUE both live and on wax.  the fact that they gave each other PERMISSION when under the most INDUSTRY PRESSURE to perform and create what is basically the most SONICALLY EXPRESSIVE and EXPERIMENTAL RECORD of their CAREER is a testament to their DRIVE, FOCUS, CHEMISTRY and COMMITMENT to each other.

for me though, this RECORD is SPECIAL because of where it found me and what it helped get me through.  so i am not even remotely OBJECTIVE when it comes to TRANSISTOR.  to me it is and always will be the ESSENTIAL 311 ALBUM.  no question.

ive been a pretty MASSIVE CHARLI XCX FANBOY for a while now, ever since discovering TRUE ROMANCE (ATLANTIC, 2013) back in the early 2010s.  part of what makes her such a COMPELLING POP FIGURE is her DEFT choice of COLLABORATORS, which often come from more UNDERGROUND ELECTRONIC and DANCE worlds.  whether its ESTABLISHED ARTISTS like RITA ORA, TOVE LO, IGGY AZALEA, CHRISTINE AND THE QUEENS and CARLY RAE JEPSEN or UPCOMING ACTS like RINA SAWAYANA, MURA MASA and AUSTRALIA-by-way-of-SOUTH AFRICA SINGER-SONGWRITER TROYE SIVAN, her ability to suss out POP TALENT is truly MESMERIZING.

and that brings me to SIVAN who is a UNIQUE discovery in that his music and visual just seem completely FEARLESS.  maybe its because im an OLDER MILLENNIAL who remembers a time when LGBT FRIENDS of mine (and for that matter MAJOR CULTURAL FIGURES) had to express themselves in CODED LANGUAGE with FEAR of being OUTED and OSTRACIZED.  the OUTSPOKEN and UNAPOLOGETIC manner in which expressing your SEXUALITY and GENDER IDENTITY for this latest generation is as NORMAL, EXPECTED and even BORING as any other marker of SELF-IDENTITY.  it just took me a moment to watch SIVAN videos like "ONE OF YOUR GIRLS," "ANGEL BABY" and "BLOOM" and realize that society really has turned a page in terms of CULTURE.  just made me PROUD since ive witnessed FRIENDS growing up hide and sequester a part of themselves growing up for FEAR of the SEVERE CONSEQUENCES at the hands of PARENTS, TEACHERS, RELIGIOUS AUTHORITIES and the BROADER COMMUNITY.

its pretty INCREDIBLE.  and i should also mention SIVAN is quite a GIFTED SINGER-SONGWRITER as well!  definitely worth checking out.