You are currently browsing the monthly archive for February, 2007.
I work part time at a video store. Last night, not a lot of customers. We (meaning the employees) were discussing the Departed with a pair of customers. One of my co-workers states what an awesome movie the Departed is. My other co-worker makes a comment about (dramatic moment towards the end of the film). The co-worker who called the movie awesome freaked. She has not watched the ending yet (in spite of renting it twice).
Seriously, if everyone involved is talking like they saw the movie, and you do not mention you have not finished it yet… can you really be mad if someone blows the ending for you?
Actually…quite thoughtfully. It’s interesting that recently, the magazine Christianity Today-specifically their movie reviewing team- has come under fire from a particular director and radio talk show host for having an “Anti-Evangelical Bias”. That’s what inspired this editorial by Jeffrey Overstreet.
What is this world wide obsession with cartoon contests that are about hating people?! First there was that contest in Iran for holocaust/anti-semitic cartoons. Now there is this.
Presented to the second contest with its stated task to demonstrate ‘the amorality and inadmissibility of the gay-culture in a normal society’ were over 80 cartoons, many of them combining humor with social and religious pathos.
Take note there…this is the second time they have had this contest. Apparently the first one was a rousing success.
Seriously, if you want to just hate people? Get a blog like the rest of us. Don’t drag poor cartoons into the fray.
A live action Dilbert movie?
This quote from the Black Creators in Comics panel both amused and intrigued me.
Chuck “Jigsaw” Creekmur of AllHipHop.com stated that he co-founded his website due to his love of music, hip-hop, and comics. He is currently developing a comic/cartoon titled “Ill Seed,” which he described as in the same vein as comic strips like The Boondocks or Dilbert.
I never noticed a connection between those two comic strips (other than maybe clean linework).
Well, I did not actually attend the New York Con. Frankly, I resent all those that could afford the time off from work and had the money to go on such a trip. Mainly, because I am jealous. You know how I spent my weekend? Shoveling snow. Well, ok, I used a snow blower. But that was a lot of snow.
Anyways…I am scouring reports on the con for interesting things to discuss…There is this interview with Brian K. Vaughan. BKV has been kind of a “love em or hate em” guy in my experience. People either seem to dig most of his work or ver little of it. I feel sorry for you people can’t enjoy his work. You are clearly “Entertainment Impaired.” Okay. I kid.
Or there is this, where Frank Cho tells us that Lynda Carter made him a man. Seriously. I do know that she is one of the earliest memories I have of thinking a woman is really gorgeous and desireable. I assume Cho is thinking along those lines.
I am really intrgued to read this article on the panels…but it seems to just stop mid sentence.
I plan to keep searching all week. Someone must have said something that will piss fandom off.
Congratulations, Mr. Scorcese!
I must admit…I was never a big Star Trek fan. I mean, I watched it, but I can take or leave the majority of Treks. My favorite was Deep Space Nine. You know, the one where they didn’t actually trek anywhere because they were on a space station.
I do tend to see each of the movies, which range from great (Wrath of Kahn, First Contact) to fun (Voyage Home) to boring (Motion Picture, Search for Spock) to absolutely horrid (The Final Frontier, Insurrection). It’s been announced that J.J. Abrams is directing the next film.
Sounds exciting right? The creator of Alias, one of the creators of Lost, director of the best of the M:I films. But then there is the subject. It’s not a Next Gen movie. So what are we getting? Maybe a Deep Space 9 movie? Nope. Voyager? Nope. Enterprise? Not quite. It’s annoying enough they felt the need to jump back instead of forward for that.
But now we are jumping back to the original crew…kind of. It’s about Kirk and Spock in Star Fleet Academy. Now, I never got the impression that they were academy buds. I got the impression that the crew of the Enterprise met on the enterprise. But I am not a Trekkie. So hashing out the possible historical innacuracies should be left to people who know what they are talking about.
Frankly, Paramount just needs to get their inevitable disrespect of their cash cow to the logical total lack of creativity point they are moving towards. Star Trek Babies. Believe it.
So, apparently, we are looking at near two feet of snow. It’s been falling heavy and contunuously since about eleven A.M. I guess my parents picked the right time to go to Mexico.
I participated in Lefty Brown’s Mixed Bag CD circle this month. If you are wondering exactly what this is…a group of participants is assembled. Each person makes their own mix CD and then sends a copy to everyone else in the group. You can have a theme or just make it a bunch of songs you like.
I chose a “quasi-theme.” The artwork that the Mixed Bag group is going to see is rough sketches for a comic book idea I have been working on. I chose mostly songs to reflect the storyline of the comic, but not directly speaking to events. More just the “spirit” of the story. Some of the songs are just there because I like them. I am unsure about saying more about the comic at this time (because, lets face it, a large number of comic themed bloggers are aspiring artists).
But here are the songs:
What Do I Care:Juliana Hatfield (Made In China)
This sums up the early attitude of the main character. Not wanting to give a damn.
Seven Times Hotter Than Fire:T-Bone Burnett (The True False Identity)
I just like this track. It’s kind of raw.
Nobody Loved You:Manic Street Preachers (This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours)
Again, peering into the life of the lead character, and in a way, all of the cast.
Endless Maze:Flynn Atkins (Burnt Out)
This song is the one hip hop track on the disc, but it describes the frustration of an undirected life.
Undertow:Leonard Cohen (Dear Heather)
I just like this tune. It’s mellow, haunting and pretty.
Empty Glass:Peter Welle (The Silent Era)
I really like this songs. It’s a prayer, a request, so to speak. It definitely speaks to various desires of the characters in the comic to have deeper meaning to their lives.
You Little Victim:Jeff Elbel + Ping (The Eleventh Hour Storybook)
This song pokes fun at the attitude of those who seem to be perpetual victims. Nothing that happens in their life is ever their fault. They find someone else to blame. This speaks of the character arc of the lead character in the comic.
How I Remember:David Bazan (Fewer Moving Pieces)
I like how rough around the edges this song is.
Don`t Cry Out:Shiny Toy Guns (We Are Pilots)
I just kind of like this tune. I am not sure it has any relevance to the comic…yet.
In My Time:Matthew Sweet (Living Things)
I just like Matthew Sweet.
Get Ready For Love:Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds (Abattoir Blues)
I chose this because it is loud, bombastic and aggressive
Could Be a Lot Worse:Vigilantes Of Love (Audible Sigh)
Yet another track that directly addresses the lead character. He knows that as bad as things may seem, there are worse situations.
Waiting For My Real Life To Begin:Colin Hay (Man @ Work)
And again, this directly relates to the the lead character’s laziness towards his life direction, sitting back and waiting.
I’m Gonna Fly Someday :Bruce Cockburn (In The Falling Dark)
This is one of those hopeful songs every lead character needs.
Halloween, 1997:Peter Welle (The Silent Era)
It’s gentle, Eels type of song, that faces themes of loneliness and alienation.
Wonderful Life:Gwen Stefani (The Sweet Escape)
An upbeat ballad followup, infused with an 80’s vibe.
Day Is Done:Nick Drake (Five Leaves Left)
A song to signal an end is near. It’s a gentle tune, intentionally set up against the 80’s flavored pop of the Stefani tune.
Ten Little Kids:The Jayhawks (Tomorrow The Green Grass)
Just a fun and energetic tune. Meant to bring the spirit up after the Nick Drake tune.
Wanna Die With A Smile On My Face:Chris Thomas (Cry Of The Prophets)
“I don’t want to live in fear no more…”
The funny thing is, this really makes it seem like the comic book is really dramatic, yet it is more of a comedy. Oh well. I hope all the participants enjoyed the disc!
Is absolute stupidity.
Seriously, what is the problem here?! Of course, it was from California, and we all know from TV that California is loaded with crazy people. But really, does the victim being a stripper make this acceptable?!
Apparently, Warner Bros has commissioned a script for a Justice League movie.
Last night on the local news the weather man mentioned that snow was possible. But when asked if we would see snow here in Minnesota the response was…”We won’t know until it’s here.”
I wish my job could play it that fast and loose.
Okay…Heidi over at the Beat is a bit less paranoid than I.
And I have been thinking…it is really unfair for me to assume this means the worst. He may approach the magazine with a different attitude from FHM(btw, FHM is closing up shop in the U.S.).
Part of me wonders if a letter to the editor expressing concerns about the magazine might be a better approach.
My friend Lefty Brown created this Meme. Normally, I do not really participate in Meme’s, not out of a dislike, but just a lack of commitment they sometimes require. It’s not unlike my attitude towards having kids of my own. Anyways, this one was real simply. Put the iPod at radom and as each song plays, fill in the blank, creating the “Soundtrack of Your Life”. So I did.
Opening credits: False Identity-Lifesavors (Dream Life)
Waking up: Train Long-Suffering-Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds (First Born Is Dead)
First day of school: Don’t Make Me Cry-4.4.1. (Sacrifice)
Falling in love: The Way- Klank (Sweet Family Music: A Tribute to Stryper)
First song: Alanson, Crooked River-Sufjan Stevens (Greetings From Michigan)
Breaking up: God’s Home Number-Mojo Monkeys (Hang)
Prom: I Would Die For You-Cush (Spirituals Vol 1)
Life: I Fought In a War-Belle & Sebastian (Fold Your Hands Child…)
Mental Breakdown: Havalina-the Pixies (Bassanova)
Driving: Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me-the Smiths (Strangeways Here We Come)
Flashback: Love Comes Tumbling-U2 (B-Sides 1980-1990)
Getting back together: Something That You Said-the Beautiful South (0898)
Wedding: Last Girl On Earth-The Presidents of the United States of America (Freaked Out and Small)
Birth of Child: Brown Eyed Handsome Man-Johnny Cash [With Carl Perkins] (Unearthed II)
Final Battle: The Man Who Sold the World-Nirvana (MTV Unplugged In New York)
Death Scene: One Fine Day-the Offspring (Conspiracy of One)
Funeral song: Smells Like Nirvana-Weird Al Yankovic (Off the Deep End)
End Credits: Souljacker Part II-Eels (Souljacker)
This ought to fill people with hope. Wizard announced their new editor in chief. He’s come from FHM Magazine (and apparently he is also a former Wizard staffer).
I thought I would point to this interview with Brian K. Vaughan. Vaughan is one of my favorite writers. He is about to end his forty some issue run on Runaways. The interview is a nice read(and no references to dead neighbors-YAY!).
And in the “harsh, but needed to be said” dept…
I stumbled onto this interesting little web page which explores John Byrne’s treatment of women in his comics.
Okay. To those who don’t read comics and are unfamiliar with Wizard…Wizard is a comic book focused magazine that started in the 90’s. It is the only survivor of a small glut of magazines that took the heavy focus on the main stream (though it staked it’s claim on Image in it’s early days) comic industry during the “hayday of the 90’s”. they have a habit of making frat humor look sophisticated. In the most recent issue, I counted ten sexual references to female actresses and comic characters. That’s not including any references within articles, just captions next to images. It’s embarrassing to flip through Wizard. Especially when they do crap like this or this.
Over @ Guy LeCharles Gonzalez’s Comic Book Commentary, I saw they were still looking for a new Editor In Chief. I flippantly posted that they have been rejecting my resume. But it got me thinking. What would I do?
Well, aside from run it into the ground? Here is the Wizard magazine I propose. I get that to succeed there has to be a focus on the big two (DC and Marvel). But I would require a minimum of two articles on a smaller press project (Example, you can’t totally ignore Civil War, but this way, we also would get articles about stuff like Fun Home and American Born Chinese).
There would be a 1 cover year rule to all actors and actresses. Wizard can put Alba on the cover ONCE a year. So make it count-like the same month the new FF movie opens? Covers featuring someone other than the big two’s (From here on out MarDC) characters.
Guest Editorials. Every month I would include an editorial from one of the many talented columnists/bloggers out there (Yeah, these means I would be looking to get editorials from many of the folks in my link list).
I would also institute a one page article that has a focus on a new creator (writer or artist) who is not being given work by MarDC. This is not meant as a way to get them work, but rather to help gain them exposure they are not currently getting.
No more stupid frat humor. No more cheesecake shots. No more stupid “sexy” jokes. No more “humorous” moments like “Match the Butt”.
This might surprise some people. I am not a big fan of Michael Moore. Don’t get me wrong, he is very talented and makes entertaining movies. I just don’t see much of a point in going to Michael for the facts. His films are hacked and slashed in a way that misleads the viewer(just note how he brings two seperate speeches from Charlton Heston from almost a full year apart into having the appearance of being one speech in Bowling For Columbine). For some they don’t mind being mislead. They are not interested in investigating whether Moore is being fair or not. He says what they already want to believe. Others just assume because his films are called documentaries, it must be true. Afterall, documentarians would never lie, right?
Apparently, I am not alone. Fellow Minnesotan, Michael Wilson, is apparently in the same boat. Wilson travelled the country, trying to get an interview with Michael Moore (unsuccessfully). The end result?
Michael Moore Hates America. I remember hearing about this film awhile ago. And along with the incendiary title, I was a bit put off by a very stumbling interview by Wilson on Scarborough Country. But you know, the film presents that interview-noting how bad it went. Wilson only blames himself.
The movie is actually playing in Moore’s playground. A somewhat crass title (this title is along the lines of Al Franken’s Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot) and an attempt to get a response from a specific person-not to mention ambush interviews.
The film questions if Michael Moore distorts the facts to sell his opinion. Wilson is hardly the first to ask this. Many have written on Moore “version of the facts” (such as this, this, this or lastly these guys).
One of the things that really helps is the interview subjects. The interviewees include Penn Gillette, Dinesh D’Souza, Albert Maysles and Andrew Breitbart. But some of the strongest interviews come from people who have appeared in Moore’s Bowling for Columbine and Fahrenheit 9/11(apparently a sequel is in the works). One is a soldier who Moore never interviewed, but showed news footage of from NBC as proof of people Bush was leaving behind. It’s rather interesting to watch a man missing both arms declaring not only is he doing great, but that the military was the best thing for him. Wilson also interviews residents of Flint, Michigan to see how they are doing since 1992’s Roger & Me.
There Mike Wilson speaks a gentleman who opened his own deli and an advertising guy who left NY and a six figure income to start a small independent paper that showcased the arts of the town of Flint. You would think this was a major metro area with the hipster liberal working at this paper.
What makes the film work is that it never feels like a right wing hit job. Wilson even notes a feeling of discomfort as he interviews writer David Horowitz and the shrillness he felt Horowitz projected. But the film apes Moore’s style quite well overall, and I suspect the only people who will really hate the film (outside of those put off by the title) are the staunchest of Michael Moore supporters. And they might be the people who need to watch this film the most.
I watched Jesus Camp today. Throughout the film, I could not help but think that the people in that film would think I was not a Christian…or at least that I am a terrible one.
I’ve now rejoined the ranks of the two job class. I am working at a video store now. One of the perks? Renting next week’s new releases. This Tuesday? My recommendation is the Prestige. What a fine film. Not a tremendous shock, as Christopher Nolan makes good movies. And he has (along with the screenwriters) taken a great story by Christopher Priest (not the extremely gifted writer of comic books, though) and filled it so full of beautiful twists, that even when you think you have it all worked out, you have surprises that you had not anticipated. Although, if you pay extreme attention to every word spoken, then you might be able to predict the film.
I really cannot say much otherwise I am giving stuff away. I will say that Nolan handles the theme of the story (the dangers of obsessive competition and vengeance) very well. It’s a nicely told morality tale that entertains. This is in no small part due to an excellent cast. As rival magicians, Christian Bale (the determined Alfred Borden) and Hugh Jackman (the less talented, but better showman Robert Angier) are spectacular and full of life. Michael Caine portrays Cutter, who helps magicians pull off their illusions. This is really one of those stock Michael Caine type roles. The wise mentor. And yet, he plays the role so well everytime. The Prestige is no exception.
Scarlett Johansson is the lovely young assistant to Angier who becomes a pawn in the two scheming magicians attempts to humiliate and destroy each other. I won’t really gripe that her outfits play up her appearance, as magician assistant outfits often do just that(in the film, Cutter even notes that a great form of deception on stage is to have a lovely assistant to steal the attention of the men in the audience-thus distracting them while you perform tricks that will amaze).I’ve always seen Johansson as the more talented version of Jessica Alba, so I am not shocked that the director wants to cash in on her being “hot”. And as I said, at least the reasons are plausible.
Sriously, the Prestige is a fantastic and inspired little bit of film making. Gets me psyched for Nolan’s next Batfilm, actually.
Or “Kara, you ignorant slut” (Thanks, SNL)
I was contemplating the potential ways to tell the story of rebellious teen that might have worked better. And then I read this, and it got me thinking…
Kara is a teen from another culture. And I am thinking (mind you, I am going from the assumption that DC management says: Give us a rebellious Super G) it might have worked to have Kara entering the world, and being sucked in by the allure of all this “new”. She isn’t even consciously trying to be rebellious, but simply is excited by all this “new” that surrounds her. When “family” (Superman, the Kents, etc) try and explain that maybe she should rein it in, and try to nudge her towards the path of hero again.
That’s where she gets annoyed with the adults trying to tell her what to do. And she starts to take an attitude of “I’ll show you!” She wants to show them she can do the hero thing without help-and without changing her attitude and ways. This is not an unheard of phenomenon. I’ve known families who watched their teen get pulled into the culture of their adopted country, because it seemed to different and exciting and fresh.
As people learn in life, sometimes you do have to sacrifice what you want to help people around you. Kara starts to realize that maybe the Kents are not trying to ruin her fun, they just want to see her be the hero they believe she can be and deep down is. She starts to pay attention to the adult heroes and sees that maybe she does wantto emulate her cousin a bit moer. Heck, maybe she even spends a few months living with Clark and Lois.
It might have worked to have Kara going this route, to lead her back to the heroic path. Let her become the hero people want her to be. Let her “lift the veil” of this exciting new world to see that she is needed as something more than just another teen having fun. And that she needs to stand for something. And that maybe her cousin is on to something. Maybe her icons are fighting for something that is worth joining the fight for. I don’t know…I am kind of wandering in my thoughts here.
And maybe Kara should not have an extended torso.
Huh.
It should be noted…jerking off to Frank Cho drawings of Spider-Woman does not count as “experience.”
I want to like this show. I am not sure why. But I really do.
Wait, I know why. Patrick Warburton, Megyn Price and David Spade. Warburton is genius. I can’t recall a role where he didn’t make me laugh. Megyn Price is just plain funny, and makes a great straight woman-but capable of getting as many laughs as her male leads (she gets the often thankless role of long suffering wife). Top it off with the fact that I have had a bit of a crush on her since Grounded For Life…well, right there, we have a winning combination. I also like Spakes snarky persona. He is basically a scummier, more low life version of Barney (Neil Patrick Harris) from How I Met Your Mother.
So, why am I not flat out loving this show? Because it comes to a dead halt when the viewer is left alone with the newly engaged Adam (Oliver Hudson) and Jennifer(Bianca Kajlich). The minute Warburton, Price or Spade leave the screen it just isn’t funny. It’s just two attractive people having typical sit-com banter. The rest of the show may have “typical sit-com banter”, but Warburton, Price and Spade all rise above the material to make it still seem quite funny. I laugh out loud with pretty much any scene with one of (or all of) those three in it. I anxiously await for their return when it’s just Hudson and Kajlich. I am willing to give them time to try and catch up with their co-stars, it may simply be they lack the experience of the other three.
So, i am going to continue to give the show time, out of respect for my admiration of Patrick, Megyn and David. But I have a feeling they will not get past the first season.
I actually wrote this back in 2005, but hey, it’s Valentines Day. Rather than come up with something new, why not steal from myself? And begin lazy Valentines Post in 5…4…3…2…
So…it’s St. Valentine’s Day. It’s the romantic holiday for lovers. And it’s the bane of many desperate singles’ existence. I could go the bitter route and whine about how it’s a commercial holiday created by Hallmark. And sure, to an extent it is. And it’s rather silly to set aside this one day to remind us how we should treat a significant other the entire year. If you need a holiday to remind you that your wife, husband, boyfriend or girlfriend is a significant part of your life, you have issues.
Romeo and Juliet
Antony and Cleopatra
Adam and Eve
Would have been much better off
If you had left them all alone
-Voice of the Beehive
But to become twisted and bitter at the holiday seems ridiculous. “I don’t have someone, therefore I must hate it!” That seems like a tragic waste of a day.
Was I meant to be yours?
The Will of Christ above?
Do you believe true love is blind
Cause I don’t know
-The Choir
I remember in my late teens and early twenties how badly I tried to find “the one”. You know…that girl who God or fate had lined up special for me that would make life better. The girl I would be unable to deny as my destiny and the road to family. I know many people who wait on this one person. It’s the person you know was specially created just for you and nobody else but you.
And hey, let’s face it, our culture has fed this mentality a long time. From books, to songs to movies and TV, it is slipped into our sub conscious. Think about it, our pop music from before the birth of rock to the present has praised this magical unending love…mostly sung by people who have been married multiple times, had numerous short term relationships…and yet they keep trying. Movies have told the tales of blissful love with character declaring their undying love for each other after 24 hours together. Love is a lot of hard work. You’d never know it from the movies.
When I see her on the street
You know she makes my life complete
-The Ramones
And it reflects in a culture where when the times get tough, and the sweet feelings don’t last, we assume that means the love is dead and it’s time to leave. How can so many soul mates sour? And yet, the Soul Mate theory continues on.
For Christians, it’s funny that this takes such a hold in our community (and, not too shockingly, our divorce rate rivals those outside of the Church body…apparently the Soul Mate theory is not so effective here either). It is interesting how persistent The One is with so many Christians (though admittedly, it is primarily younger Christians). I mean, when you read Paul’s writings…he never seems to think this way. Heck, his idea of a good reason to get married is to avoid sex out of marriage. It’s better to marry than to burn with lust doesn’t really sound like a guy who believes in “The One”.
As I have grown older, I have shed the concept of the one. I get the magical appeal, but I also grew to realize that there is more than just one out there. Chandler on Friends brought up the grand dilemma of “The One”. He asked, “What if I already met the one and dumped her because she pronounced it ‘supposebly’ instead of ‘supposedly’?” I can think of a couple women I could probably have had a great marriage with. Sure, they ended up with other guys, but hey, the point is? There is not just one.
Aching like I do
For a love to last forever
Baby, please come home
-The Gravity Show
Even though I left that behind, the desperation of having someone…the fear that I could grow old alone was still present. I know I was not alone in those fears. I have friends who are so scared of “alone”, they will settle for a person who is less than they deserve. They convince themselves the warning signs aren’t a big deal. You overlook a multitude of dangers when you fear being alone. As if being single for a season (or even a lifetime) were “bad”. It’s heartbreaking to me that fear of alone will make us accept counterfeits of love. I hate to see people that I care about choose cut rate relationships. It’s a fear I get, and it’s one that cuts very deeply to the heart of many.
So often, people fear the concept of being alone because they think marriage will provide things that it doesn’t. Marriage doesn’t provide support, security, love and so on. The people involved. A selfish alcoholic, for instance, is not magically transformed into a loving, supportive significant other merely because they are in a committed relationship. Marriage only provides what two people bring to it. Just like it’s a bad reason to have a baby just so you can have something that will love you unconditionally, it’s a bad reason to date or marry a person just because you think having a relationship will provide love and support.
Of course, sometimes people change, but most of the time it’s the opposite. Unless a person knows their relationship killing flaws (addictions, jealousy, anger, etc) and is seeking to remedy them, the future is bleak. They will only be able to con you so long before the true colors come out. Me? I’ll take singleness over someone who might eventually come around to making a change for the better.
Love is not easy to define. But I know it isn’t the giddy butterflies. Love is all about what you can offer, not what you can get. Love will look at the other person’s needs and perform accordingly. If the person tells you that they need space and you truly love them? You will step back. If you truly love them, you will be willing to let them go, no matter how much it hurts. You want to know if someone loves you? See how they behave when the times are tough and the relationship is strained. If they freak out, don’t trust you and try and smother you? Love isn’t the right word. Possession might be…but that is not anything resembling a pure and true love. Love sacrifices, it doesn’t coerce and manipulate. And love isn’t always easy…just because you aren’t feeling romantic towards the person at this time doesn’t mean the love has died. It’s often in transition and when you get farther down the road, you will find yourself amazed that you ever doubted.
Am I in love with being a failure?
Or just a Failure at being a lover?
Sometimes I Just wonder
-Luxury
After the last person I fell for, I suddenly realized that singleness was okay. I am not sure that it was anything specific to her. But singleness wasn’t a curse, a little unpleasant at times, maybe. Certainly, there are times that can seem extra lonely. But then, the irony is that there are many people in relationships that are just as lonely, because they settled for a substitute for love. Not having a significant other isn’t a failure. And it’s not a reason to be bitter at life. Sure, we can take that route if we want. But I would rather find the hope available to me now. The joy in my friendships. The joy in being with my family.
I don’t want the Hollywood picture of love. I want the love that endures. The love that grows beyond the butterflies. Love. Marriage. Friendship. Joy. To those with a loved one? Celebrate them.
Romeo and Juliet
Louis and Miss Antoinette
Napoleon and Josephine
Mickey and the Rodent Queen
Antony and Cleopatra
Nicholas and Alexandra
Ken and Barbie, Dick and Jane
Superman and Lois Lane
Impressed
I am not impressed
I love you the best
I am not impressed
It’s a bunch of losers
A lot of fools
A list of victims
Not all that cool
And we’ve got nothing in this world
To live up toI’ll never kill you this I swear
Then kill myself just to be fair
I’ll never need another queen
We’ll never face the guillotine
Because love is gentle
Love is kind
Doesn’t poison baby’s wine
Isn’t jealous or provoked
Doesn’t quit or give up hope
I am not impressed
Forget all the rest
It’s just a bunch of losers
A lot of fools
A long list of victims
Not all that cool
And it’s got nothing to do with me and you
-Tonio K
Lyrics from Shooting Cupid, © 1991 Virgin Music (PUBS) (music by Tracey Belland & Melissa Belland/lyrics by Tracey Belland)
Lyrics from About Love, © 1990 Never Say Never Songs/Word Music/ASCAP (music by Derri Daugherty and Steve Hindalong/lyrics by Steve Hindalong)
Lyrics from She’s the One, © 1978 WB Music Corp (ASCAP), Taco Tunes Inc. (ASCAP), Bleu Disque Music Co. Inc. (ASCAP) (Jeffrey Hyman / John Cummings / Douglas Colvin / Thomas Erdelyi)
Lyrics from Aching, © 2002 Honeyblushing Songs (ASCAP) & Northern Records Music Publishing (BMI) (music and lyrics by Rev Emrae)
Lyrics from Not So Grand, © 1997 Spinning Audio Vortex Music (BMI) (music and lyrics by Luxury)
Lyrics from Impressed, © 1986 N.Y.M. ASCAP/Bibo Music ASCAP/Enchanted Dance ASCAP (music by Bob Wilson and Tonio K./lyrics by Tonio K.)
This. Well, maybe Dick Cheney has not expressed an opinion yet. Or the Dixie Chicks.
Wow. I have found that while they can cross over, the audience that loves anime and manga are not automatically the same crowd that likes American comics. Manga is often treated as a seperate creature from “comic books.” And I must say, in one fell swoop, DC manages to suggest the comic audience and the anime/manga audience are just horny teens who cannot get dates.
Seriously, out of all of those? Only one is not completely creepy. That would be the Batgirl figure, that borders on pretty cool-but the breasts kind of keep it from crossing the line into “totally cool.”
It’s already been asked as to why Powergirl has oven mits on (She’s a powerhouse in the kitchen, boys!). And this figurine actually makes Powergirl’s breasts seem reasonable in the regular comics. And yeah, all those complaints about Supergirls tiny skirt? Not made better by this model which features an even shorter skirt and top.
Thanks a lot DC.
Well, the one thing, apparently. This is really old news, but I feel there has been a lot of misunderstanding about the problems that Peter’s shadowed genitals cause. People think it’s a double standard, since afterall, we get half-shot and shilouettes of bare breasts in mainstream youth oriented comics and have for decades.
But this is not the case. The reason that there is a danger of showing Parker’s boy bits is quite simple. First, we all know that the majority of comic book readers are men. And one thing you women need to understand is that we men walk a very precarious sexual identity tightrope.
The very sight of a penis not our own? Could send us spiralling out of our safe heterosexual identities. We could suddenly find ourselves going GAY. It could totally undermine our hetero-ness, even if it is in shadows and a drawing on paper. In fact, that is why I do not have a copy of the offending image on my blog here. And this is why comics are filled with scantily clad overly endowed female characters. It is a public service!
I am even a bit worried that merely talking about it could adversely impact male readers. So here is an Adam Hughes drawing:
And Fank Cho:
And there, I have done my part to keep the heterosexual male reader on their heterosexual track for the time being. *Whew* It was close for a minute there.
A pink virtual hedgehog named Quenelope…ain’t she cute?
SHAZAM! The Monster Society of Evil
Written & Illstrated by: Jeff Smith
Colors by: Steve Hamaker
Publisher: DC
This one has been on the excitement list a long time now. And let me say, right off the bat, the only comic to be as pure fun to read as this one in the last few months was the Darwyn Cooke’s return of the Spirit.
In DC’s dark days this is a ray of light. Smith brings the fun feel of his Bone work to a character who clearly benefits from his touch. In the first issue, we get a quick re-introduction to Billy Batson. In Smith’s version, he is a hard headed, but good orphan who would rather live on the streets than a foster home. He is friends with an elderly homeless man named Talky (Who tries to get Billy to reconsider going to a shelter for kids) and is trying to avoid a rough thug who is after Batson’s spending money. One night, a mysterious stranger leads Billy into the subways, where he meets the old wizard Shazam. Shazam’s time is short, and he determines Billy is just the right kid to pass his powers on to.
He tells Billy to announce the word Shazam-on doing so, Billy is transformed into Captain Marvel. Billy initially uses the power to protect himself from the Thug, and then is brought by Captain Marvel to the beginning of Time to meet the waizard Shazam once again. Any more would be telling.
There is a wonderful playfulness, and interestingly, Smith treats Marvel as a different entity than Billy Batson. Captain Marvel speaks of Billy as an “other”. He has his own personality, though he is linked by the Wizard to Billy, and he clearly sees himself as there to help Billy as well as fight against the tide of evil.
The art is superb. Captain Marvel, with his strong jaw and physique make an ideal fit for Smith’s cartoonish style. Every page is filled with exciting images. The colors by Hamaker enhance the story as the best colors do in a comic book. I am excited to read the next three issues and heartily recommend people pick this one up.
The advice for this one is real simple. Avoid it.
Okay, you won’t listen? You say you want to include religion for a bit of “real world” flavor?
Fine. If you refuse to accept my initial sage advice, here you go. You can always use these fine points for writing comics with religion.
1. Keep It Vague: See, you can have a character believe in God. But do not really show them going to Church. And don’t make it clear what denomination they might be. If you do, that might require research and then, you might even have to contemplate how to portray the character’s lifestyle. It’s much simpler to give them jewelry that “indicates” they are religious. A cross, for instance(If your character is a Christian). That will tell your audience this person has religious beliefs. No need to show more, that covers religion. Do not, however, burden your audience with specific types of iconigraphic jewelry that might explain what denomination of faith they adhere to. This also applies to a character being Jewish. It’s a little different for Muslims. Still avoid suggestions that they go to Mosque. But you can show them doing things like reading the Koran and praying. It shows you are culturally aware.
2. Villains: Villains are the big exception to # 1. See, your villain can be excessively religious and talk about God all the time. Religion is a great shorthand to tell your readers,”This person is an evil and hate filled bigot!” This is particularly effective if you are writing an X-Book for Marvel.
3. Uptight!: This is important. Portray your religious characters as conservative. And really uptight. Afterall, we all know that, for example, all christians are uptight prudes, terrified of sex and change. A note to artists, a couple options for portraying the religious: Really hot. This primarily pertains to young female characters (especially who might “cast off” their prudishness for the hero). Another choice is to portray them as withered and ugly. We all know religious people hate fun, it should show how repression has made them ugly. And finally, all your religious men, especially preachers/priests, should be lecherous. The should be secretly (or blatantly) after getting into someones-anyones-pants. This all leads to # 4.
4. Satire: Satire is your catch all so that if someone is offended, you can just say, “What-you don’t get satire?” This way, you make them look stupid.
5. Flip Flop: Go for Polemic Gestault. What is that? Basically, it’s the inversion of things traditionally considered good or evil. Say for instance, you want to do a comic book about people who face off against supernatural forces. Now, all our lives we are told God and angels are good. So shake things up. Make God a selfish bastard without any concern for his creation. Make the Angels jerks and cowardly losers. Or make the angels downright evil. Make Satan or other demons sympathetic and just outright “misunderstood”. Not only will you trip your audience out with something they have never seen before in the history of comics…you can make an entire critically acclaimed career off of it!
There you are, the best and most sensical approach to religion in comic books.
And the thing that Cable News lives for… dead celebrities.
I always found her rather annoying…but I still feel bad when these trainwreck lives end long before they ever get things together. I don’t fully know why it strikes me as so sad. Plenty of people would shrug and move on. But when it’s being thrust in our face on the news like this? I can’t help but feel like we are in some twisted zoo.
Okay…the title doesn’t mean anything other than I was trying to come up with a clever way to work “Girl Wonder” into the Subject line. I have been thinking about commenting on sites on my link list. Just as kind of Random thing. Maybe explain why they are there. I decided to start with Girl-Wonder.
I was first introduced to Girl-Wonder through Karen Healy’s Girls Read Comics column. And my initial reaction was not kind. It felt to angry to me at first. Yeah, it had “And they Are Pissed” in the title…who would have thought that was serious?! And part of it is, when you have things like a “Male Privelage” list can intially make you feel defensive. But then I started to really read the column a few months later. And a lot of Karen’s points made sense. Not to mention the sarcasm. Loved the sarcasm. I started to dip my feet into the pool of their message board.
I’ve stuck around, ever since, making almost daily visits, because I have found the people there to be overwhelmingly friendly and respectful. Even the people who I might not totally agree with. Unlike other message boards, I never get a sense of “here we go again”. It’s a nice feeling to not post something and wonder if you are going to return to find someone totally trashing you. It’s an all around good place and it keeps me thinking about culture, social concerns and how I view my fellow human beings. To the folks at Girl-Wonder, I say, “You are a credit to your race.” (Sorry, I just watched Woody Allen’s Scoop last night before Lost)
So, I saw an ad on TV for “Vermont Bears” or something. They are plush Valentine’s Day dolls. And, if I am to believe the ad on TV? These plush bears will make women putty in the hands of men.
Apparently, women are unable to control their sexual urges when given one of these bears. The ad is peoppered with women cooing and suggestively talking about repaying their man for getting them these little teddy bears.
All you morons buying roses and having a candle lit dinner aren’t going to enjoy Valentines as much as the men who buy their sweethearts one of these bears. Nope. You won’t. While she might think that your roses are sweet, the guy who gave the bear is going to see his sweetheart turn into a naughty sex kitten. Really. The ad says so.
I am going to buy several women these “Vermont Bears” this Valentines just to try my luck. Boy, is my Valentines day going to be exciting! Uh, all in the interesti of testing the truthiness of the ads. Yeah. That’s it.
No, Frank…not breasts. Geez…
Dark characters. Either good heroes gone bad or alternate universe “Dark Reflections” of good heroes. Can we ever have enough of that? Really?
Where would we be without Dark Pheonix? In fact, we really need another Dark Pheonix Storyline, don’t you think? Joey Q, get on that, stat!
Heck, White Tiger is up to, what, issue three or four… isn’t it about time we get Dark White Tiger? Just a suggestion Tamora and Tim. Just… a… suggestion.
Thankfully, Spidey is back in black, so somebody is clearly listening. Let’s get to it. The fans are demanding it. The writers want to write it. More “Dark Characters!” Face it, we’ve lost so much of what made comics great in the 90’s already. Lets not blink and realize this one is gone after it’s to late!
This is the scariest news I have seen in a long time.
Do NOT read this if you have a weak heart.
This may very likely scar you for life.
How can the Beat so cruely repeat such a horror to us?!
Do you dare check this out?
Anyone ever rent a movie or get dragged by friends to the theater only to walk out of a movie surprised that you actually enjoyed it? Two films that did that for me were Into the Blue and Mean Girls.
Stop laughing.
When I saw the ads, I wrote this one off. Then a friend said they thought it was actually pretty good. And so after it became available on the Hollywood Video MVP plan, I rented it (at least if I hated it, I would not have been out a few dollars).
And while there were things that bugged me, I still enjoyed the overall film. Part of the generosity probably came from the fact that the film spent a lot of time underwater, and I am fascinated by the oceans. If I had more courage, I would likely have gone into marine biology. Most of my favorite JamesBond moments are the undersea moments.
And the film has a mildly compelling plot. Young treasure hunters in a tropical location stumble on a crashed plane filled with drugs on the bottom of the ocean. While two of the characters (Jared played by Paul Walker and Sam played by Jessica Alba) are quick to believe they need to alert the authorities, their friends ( Bryce played by Scott Caan and Amanda played by Ashley Scott) are more grey and suggest not reporting it. They tempt Jared and Sam away by noting that the bits of undersea treasure they may have found may lead to bigger bounty, and that will never happen once they report it to the police. Bryce (a big city lawyer) convinces both Jared and Sam to wait until they can find a ship and then report it after they stake their claim.
Bryce and Amanda are far more tempted by riches, while Jared wants the better life for him and Sam…and Sam just likes being with Jared(she doesn’t need to be rich to be happy-though Bryce works hard to undermine this truth in Jared, trying to convince him that Sam won’t love him poor forever). In an attempt to get money for the equipment they need in their treasure hunt, Bryce tries to move some of the drugs they have found, which leads them to extreme hot water with the local drug lords. Mayhem ensues.
The ethical questions the film raises are simple, but good ones. The film definitely takes advantage of it’s location to show as much of both Alba and Ashley Scott as possible. Though most of the men spend the entire film shirtless as well. But the director lingers longingly on it’s female leads far more than is necessary, and takes away from what could have been a more serious film.On the other hand, Alba is no helpless victim. She does not sit by idly waiting for Walker to storm in and save her, she fights back. And does so with skill.
Again, this film surprised me, presenting an understandable moral quandary. I wascaught off guard that there was any depth to it at all. The film also never asks the actors to go beyond their range. So you don’t suddenly find yourself cringing at wooden deliveries.
I am just going to reprint what I wrote from 2004 when I went to a preview of the film.
I got an invite to a viewing of Mean Girls followed by a Q&A with the director (Mark Waters) and writer(Tina Fey-I have friends who will be jealous that I was a mere twenty feet or so from her ). I was a bit nervous, because I expected bad things…the previews are indistinguishable from the *last* Lindsey Lohan flick (Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen). It looked like a bad teen film.
The trailers do NOT do this film justice at all. This is a fun film with a great sense of humor. It got some nice “poignant” moments and avoids falling into it’s cliches. It uses those points to it’s advantage. It’s closer in tone to Heathers then say, Confessions. It’s a bit dark humored at times. It’s also I think, a bit over the heads of kids…more aimed at teens and adults. There some political messages about the sexualization of young girls by television and movies, though it’s a tad lost when you see every major girl role (Lohan, Rachel McAdams, Lacey Chabert and Amanda Seyfried) except one (Lizzy Caplan as the arty girl who befriends Lohan) are often outfitted it tight cleavage accentuating tops. The story and humor rule the film though, at least for me. And the language is pretty safe, there was no nudity and the film was not a raunchy teen film (according to Fey, the author of the book made that one request-and apparently she was satisfied with the end result). What’s surprising is that it’s based on a book…that has no storyline. It’s an advice book, Fey created all the characters.
Fey mentioned that it was hard to write a feature, because when it comes to writing for SNL, and sketch comedy in general…story is the enemy. Fey was asked about writing dialog for teen girls, and she admitted she would have just screwed up the slang, so she made it up (there is a running joke in which Chabert’s character tries to get the word “fetch” to catch on as school slang). The Q&A was pretty interesting as well. Hope I get to see more of these screenings. It was noted that Mark Waters (the director of Mean Girls, as well as the director of the Jamie Lee Curtis version Freaky Friday) is the brother of the guy who wrote Heathers.
——————-
So, what are movies that surprised you?
I am not going anywhere today.
So, Joss Whedon has announced he is no longer part of the plans to make a Wonder Woman movie.
I see my threatening letters to Mr. Whedon worked. This, of course, is part of my long term plan. I was recently approached by myself from the future. He explained that I needed to make sure Mr. Whedon was removed from the Wonder Woman project.
The unfortunate result for you fans hoping to see this film soon is, it’s another fifteen years away now. It will sit in developement hell until I am given the job in 2019, after proving myself by writing and drawing the entire line of DC comics for three years, along with writing and directing a fifth sequel to the Y:the Last Man Movie Franchise(the one that gets it back on line after Schumacher screwed the previous two up) and Superman Begins (finally rebooting the Superman Franchise after 20 films). The critical and fan acclaim will be amazing. Comics will enter a new era. So the studio will be confident that I am the person for the job. Three years later it will hit theaters. Wonder Woman will be an unbelievable hit, causing people demand I run for president in 2024. I do, and win in a landslide, by the way. My first act is to finally bring an end to the Iraq war and Marvel comic’s Civil War.
Would you believe I have not been drunk or high a single day in my life?
Now, lets talk about writing “race” for comics. As the comic book audience becomes more diverse, we see a greater call for a similair diversity in our comic books. It used to be that you could get away with just showing a black man on the street. But as with previous columns, I want to help you find way to tap that growing audience.
1.Names:First and formost, you want to make sure your ethnic superhero has a name that let’s people know he or she means business right off the bat. Try and make sure their name includes their ethnicities. In some cases, this is real easy. For an African American hero just put “Black” at the front of their name. Black Thunder, Black Lightning, Black Goliath. For Native Americans, it’s still pretty easy, but trickier. Use names that sound tribal. Apache Chief, Comanche, Broadbow. Or you can draw from religious and nature themes. Examples of this are American Eagle, Moonstalker, Puma and Tall Tree. Asian superheroes are extremely simple. Pretty much any word from any nation perceived as Asian will do. Examples are Bushido, Tsunami, Katana and Karma. You can also use referenses to sun (Sunfire) and warrior terms (Silver Samurai).
Please note, most Green Lanterns are not actually green. Otherwise this holds pretty true.
2. Death: Always make sure, if you are going to kill a character (whether writing a major crossover or a special dramatic issue), it should be a minority character. This should show your empathy with the historical struggles of minorities. For example, say you are writing a massive crossover that pits hero against hero (total hypothetical here)…and say you want to re-introduce a a caracter in a new and exciting way. Why, a shocking death would do that. But who to choose? Now, obviously, you don’t want to kill off a long standing character, and you want to avoid killing a popular b-lister who may get their own series. Choose a minority. Always bet on black I say!
3. Stereo-uh-Observe People!:Stick to what people know. I mean, who has heard of an Asian guy who is bad at math, science or electronics? And then there is the sexy, but dangerous Asian woman! This is a winner for audiences. And we all know, every asian man and woman knows some form of martial arts, right? Don’t confound your audience with false attempts at diversity like a black Republican. Keep it real! Thugs! Bling Bling! Angry Activists!
Remember, you will get bonus points for such authentic portrayals.
4.Educate!: Use ham fisted dialog about race that oversimplifies things, so your audience doesn’t miss your point. Remember, subtly is for real books. If a comic book reader could grasp a subtle reference to racism, they wouldn’t need all those pictures, right? Your hero should pontificate often about their struggles as a minority as much as possible, often shaming their white counterparts. Make their heroics all about helping their own race. This will show how you understand the struggles of the common minority. Sure, they can help in galaxy spanning crossovers, but your minority audience will not appreciate if their favorite minority hero is front in center in saving the universe. Leave that to the white superheroes who apparently do not care enough about the non-white citizens of their earth enough to be helping them on the ground, instead going off to fight Superboy Prime or Thanos.
5. Economize!: Sure, you could have a woman, a character of non-white descent and a gay character. Or you could combine them into one powerhouse minority hero…triple threat!!! Another trick is to have your character’s ethnic background be ambiguous. Is he or she black? Latino? Asian? Middle Eastern? Who knows…you can keep your audience guessing for months!
6. Undead!: You can also go the route of the undead. You can get away with having your character be pale and undisctinctive, deformed or simply horribly scarred. Let everyone know what race they once were, and you don’t ever have to be bogged down by racial politics! What do the dead care about racism or bigotry???
And there you are, a primer on writing comics that feature a minority. This kind of diversity will get you talked about in the blog-o-sphere and have you adored by many.
So, Colleen Doran brought up this news item on her blog. I had planned to talk about this, but I admit, my attitude was a lot more flippant before reading Colleen’s thoughts on this. So now I am left torn.
Now clearly, this was a really bad idea. A poor marketing plan along the lines of making Supergirl dress like a hooker. What were the marketers thinking? It was a bad idea to make little electronic devices and plaster them around the city. And it probably would have been a great idea to notify the city you were going to do it.
On the other hand, the medi response has been way over the top. CNN and news papers have been calling it a hoax. The problem there is, the word “hoax” plants the idea that this was the goal. They wanted us to think these were bombs. I have not seen any evidence of that. This, at least so far, appears to be a clear case of a bad marketing scheme gone…well…”badder.”
But Fox News Channel took it a step further this morning. On their morning show, Fox & Friends, the three hosts could not help but expound on theories and then state them as fact, but with question marks at the end. “You don’t think…maybe they (the marketers) called this in to 911…do you? Hmmmmm.” And suddenly, minutes later it’s, “They may have called this in themselves!” Sure, the police haven’t suggested this yet. But Fox News really doesn’t need facts when they get a witch hunt going, do they?
And, fans of Fox being rabid conspiracy theorists they are called in to take it a step further. One woman claimed she believed Ted Turner meant for this to happen, because he would do anything to make America look bad. It was all an anti-American plot to make us look bad to the world! Led by Ted Turner, that cunning villain! I bet he is sitting in his office right now, twirling his moustache laughing at Boston and America for the panic he caused. BWahahahahahahahahaha…. Mwhahahahahahaha…Mwhahahaha-(cough) sorry. Where was I?
Oh yeah. Some people are over reacting and concocting bizarre conspiracies. At least that’s what Ted Turner told me to say, and he has my parents tied up and has guns to their heads. So that’s my story: Bad Marketing plan, Media is over reacting.
Now, I mentioned awhile back, Christian Music. A lot of people do not know any bands beyond Stryper, Switchfoot and Amy Grant. There have been many controversies in Christian music over the years. Once, the Prayer Chain and the 77’s were facing protests for a tour that benefited the Pediatric AID’s foundation. Yes, there were people upset that they were trying to raise money to help kids. In the same time, artist Steve Camp was watching people walk out as he talked about the AID’s crisis facing our nation. So, here I present what I consider to be the top ten Christian music song controversies.
Hide the Beer, The Pastor’s Here by the Swirling Eddies: Now, controversy is nothing new to the Eddies. They produced a CD called Sacred Cows which performed popular Christian music tunes in…less than reverent styles. And example, a song called Big, Big House (originally by Audio Adrenaline) was performed with the vocal inflection of Droopy the Dog. But back in the early 90’s they released the Outdoor Elvis CD to confusion and excitement. In the controversial song they addressed the hypocrisy of “Sin Restrictions” on Christian campuses. It was (and is) extremely common to prohibit things like consumption of alcohol. The song wonders about rules against sins less obvious to the named eye. “The hate in your heart/You’re hiding it well/But the booze on your breath/Is easy to Smell” went the lyrics. But the real controversy came because they named colleges in the song(”Suspection’s the buzz/Down at Wheaton”). And at the end of the song, in an homage to the Beach Boys, they named off a ton of Christian Colleges, several of whom threatened law suits.
I Blew Up the Clinic Real Good by Steve Taylor: Taylor was often a lightning rod, because he was one of the first artists in Christian music to make sarcastic observations about culture. In the 90’s clinic bombings had been becoming more and more prevelant. Taylor opted to criticize the poor logic and general evil of clinic bombings in song. The problem is, most people didn’t get the joke. Some, not familiar with his work, thought Steve was endorsing the bombing of clinics. Others were upset by the tone of the song. It just was not well received.
Love Cocoon by the Vigilantes of Love: Ah yes. When it came to sex in the Christian music arena, all but two songs took the expected “Don’t Do It, True Love Waits!” Approach. Charlie Peacock’s Kiss Me Like a Woman and this little ditty. Both were controversial, although VOL’s Love Cocoon slid under the radar for years. Mainly because it was on an indie CD. It was a pro-sex within marriage song(As was the Charlie Peacock tune). VOL reworked it for their Slow Dark Train CD. And boy did people complain. It was the metaphors. “I’ll be your Gunslinger”, “I Wanna Look for your Fruits and put my hands on em” and “I want to uncover your swimmin’ hole and dive right in.” Not very subtle. Needless to say, some people were not keen on the idea of a song suggesting Christians like sex, even inside of marriage.
Fever by the Violet Burning: They went from well received to dangerous Christian icons in the span between two CDs. Their second album, Strength was a critical favorite. Then demos started to leak for their follow-up Lipstick and Dynamite. Right away the rumors started. Why? Because the song Fever contained the F-Bomb. At one point in the song, lead singer Michael Pritzl belts out, “Break your fuckin’ heart”. And this sent the Christian alternative music world aflutter. Some were excited by how “edgy” it was. Some had decided this meant the band walked away from God. Even the name of the CD was making people squirm. In the end, it was much ado about nothing. Pritzl thought about the fact that his young cousins listen to his CD, and he was not thrilled with the word being in the song. I ultimately cut the offending word (replacing it with distortion/feedback). The record label went a step further and renamed the CD The Violet Burning.
Rocket and A Bomb by the Aunt Bettys: Okay…technically, this is not a “Christian Rock Song”. The Aunt Bettys were always meant for the mainstream. But the band was made up of Christian Alt Rock royalty. Michael Knott, Brian Doidge and Chuck Cummings all played in various Christian rock bands. Michael had been part of the early Christian surf punk act Lifesavors, turning it into the L.S.U. (Lifesavers Underground). So, fans were shocked when they got the CD and it was full of songs about crazy vets with sex dolls, guys willing to mutilate themselves to get a lesbian to date them, crazy drunk chicks, suicidal girls and their imaginary friends, crazy girls who believed they were half alien and the Rolling Stones. But that wasn’t that “bad” part. But the song that really got the controversy howling was a little track called “Rocket and A Bomb”. The song seemed to be a lament about failed dreams and faith. Which was not the problem, in and of itself. It was the fact that the word “shit” appeared in the song. And not once…but about 30 times. Towards the end of the song, Knott just starts belting it out. This and the subject matter (which Knott tended to grab from the people he met living near the seedier parts of hollywood) caused the CD to lose it’s distribution to Christian stores, and really, forced Michael Knott to pursue the indie world of music.
Baby, Baby by Amy Grant: Amy had courted controversy before this song (and since). But this was the first major controversy. I worked in a Christian bookstore when the Heart In Motion CD came out. The ersponse was…over th top. But the song in question really did it. See, the song, according to the artist was all about her newborn child. How sweet. But it was one of those vague lyrics Christians hate (some Christians do not like lyrics that are not very simple and explicit). Songs that could be about God or a special someone were routinely criticized. This song could certainly be seen as being about a baby. And then the video came out on VH1 and MTV. Oh. My. Goodness. She was on TV, singing Baby, Baby to a grown man, and a hunky one at that. Fans were thrown into a tizzy. This lead to all sorts of rumors and arguments. Ignore the fact that it was a very tame video, even by the standards of the day. Ignore that it was a wholesome song no matter who she was singing it to. She’s in the video and it’s some guy who is not her husband (some Christians have a hard time with the “music videos are not real examples of the singer’s personal life” thing) and that is bad.
Pray Naked by the 77’s: Word Records deemed the title unsuitable for the CD (making this the second album by the 77’s to be titled “The 77’s” after 1986’s Island Records release). But to make matters worse, they blanked the song title out with a little bar on the back of the CD. Seriously. The song was about going before God without pretense and completely open…naked. Apparently, such a metaphor is too racy for the Christian buying public.
There She Goes by Sixpence None the Richer: Yeah, you were sick of it quick, weren’t you? Almost as much as you were sick of Kiss Me, the other big hit from these guys. This one got the controversy started when Christians discovered rumors about the meaning of the original track by the La’s. Rumors about the song included that it was really about drug abuse, which made for some unsavory implications for the band. Plus, there was concern about this whole idea that sweet Leigh Nash was singing a song called There SHE Goes. Shrug.
Forgone Conclusions by Pedro the Lion: Dave Bazan always skirted controversy…until the Control CD when he started to ruffle feathers in interviews. But this song really was the one that bugged some listeners. The song details a still small voice talking to a mouthy Christian who is witnessing. The still small voice begs the speaker to “Shut the Fuck Up!” And the speaker doesn’t heed the call, afterall, God wouldn’t talk that way. The controversy was pretty minimal, actually, as by this point, Bazan and Pedro the Lion has not really been a part of the CCM monster.
This last one is a cheat…
Human Sacrifice by Veangence Rising: As I said…this is a cheat. The band’s whole run was mired in controversy. People complained that the vocals could not be understood (incredibly strong musical work on the first two CDs though). It was loud. It was fast. It was thrash/death metal people. ROOOOOOWR!!!! And the CD cover was a gory close up of a crucified hand. What was bizarre was following the band’s history. At the start, Roger martinez (the lead vocalist) was a pastor for a California church community. After two CDs, the entire band quit amid squabbles, leaving Martinez to rebuild. So he did, for a couple more albums (which just were not as good) and then closed up shop. He resurfaced shortly after with an all knew Vengeance Rising. See, he had become a Satanist (Seriously). Talk about your shocks. He had released tapes of sermons back when he was a pastor, and now he was going to release a tape per sermon to counter all the damage he’d done as a Christian. Yes, he was a metal satanic missionary. Wild stuff.