9.25.2013

Playing Catch Up

First and foremost, just last week, the right Reverend Philip Tucker came to town for some job thing and I ended up tagging along to help him inform college students at Adelphi about studying abroad in Spanish speaking countries.
After watching him do it a few times, I was a natural and only mentioned starting a Machete Fight Club twice.
It helped that Philip knew virtually nothing about what he was talking about either. We were, hands down, the most attractive men in the room.
Did NOT manage to get any hot, college pussow though.
Maybe next time.
During his time here, I finally sat that swarthy fuck down and interviewed him for my podcast (quite a romp) and showed him the glory that is Telltale's Walking Dead game while eating 25 samosas.
Chris and I will be heading to Massachusetts in a week or so to hang out on HIS turf with his lovely wife and demonic fox dog, Simon.
And, perhaps, to play another game of Werewolf: The Apocalypse...

As I near the end of my first month of being a full time actor, things are still going pretty strong, booking VO stuff continuously and scoring my second on screen gig in a month thanks to my casting director friend, Tom, the same guy who cast me as Newton, the Death Metal Golfer for an MTV/Rock Band 2 spot several years ago. This time around, I played a "really tall guy".
You will not believe the nuance I bring.
I am happy to report that I am STILL not a jaded dick actor when it comes to being on set, as I still massively appreciate the free food and whatnot, although I am sad to report that not even MTV's best hair and make up people were able to improve upon the shimmering, shattering perfection that is me.

Some other acting victories include sitting in a posh studio, eating some of the best food I've ever had while listening to They Might be Giants' Nanobots on said studio's 7.1 because the client was taking a stupidly long time to give final approval on a spot we had just tweaked.
But I did not complain.
No.
Then there was the CSX session just this morning which was supposed to take three and a half hours, but which I wrapped up in bout twenty five minutes.
Because I am very, very good.

Along with the jobs people are paying me for are a few that I'm doing on my own, including a web series I'm developing with some friends and a music video I'll be directing for Adam Rivera.
More on those soon.

NOW, enough personal bullshit.
Let's talk media consumption.

I was worried that not having a set time to be at work every day would result in some kind of media freak out: shutting down and watching movies and TV while chewing through that stack of game I'd been amassing for the past several months. I am happy to say that has not happened exactly.
Sort of.

Thanks, once again, to Graham Skipper, I took in Guillermo del Toro's first film, a quirky horror movie called Cronos. It's features one of the most interesting vampire rule sets I've ever seen, sort of combining the vampire with the zombie. Ron Perlman is in it and has begun to look more like Hellboy than Ron Perlman to me.
I love Tito.
And, if you ever see this movie, you will too.

In the same vein* as the above, Chris and I checked out The Skin I Live In, which Chris said had blown her mind to the point where, when she saw it in the theater, she actually turned to the person she was with and said, out loud, "What the fuck?!"
I was less astonished.
At its heart, this is a revenge flick. Perhaps a revenge flick that goes further and gets darker than any revenge flick I've ever seen, but a revenge flick nonetheless.
Also (MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD), was anyone NOT surprised when Vera killed Robert the first chance she got?
Come on.

As Chris and I have decided to finally have a Twin Peaks themed Halloween party, we have been carving our way through the series. We just found out who killed Laura Palmer and now have only the 15 or so shitty, meandering episodes to look forward to.
It's not all bad though, we get to see David Duchovny in one of my favorite roles of his, as well as....uh....
Once the viewer discovers the secret of Laura's demise, they can watch Fire Walk With Me, a Lynch film that came out a year or so after the series that details the days leading up to Laura's death.
It also stars David Bowie and might or might not have him turn into a talking monkey.
I...am not kidding...
"I don't wanna talk...about Judy..."
While this seems to "explain" more about the Black Lodge**, it also seems to muddy the waters even more.
God damn it,
I love the concept of the Black Lodge, but everything is just so unclear...argh.
It's annoying to not have things spelled out for oneself from time to time, especially when I want them spelled out.
I also forgot that Kiefer Sutherland is in FWWM.
Good times.

Before launching into Twin Peaks, however, I'd had a hankering to rewatch Lost Highway and did so. That is still a great Lynch film, my favorite, in fact.
I used to think I had a handle on what was going on, and I did...until the last fifteen minutes or so.
See, I had thought that, if you just accept some basic truths about Pullman and Getty's characters and the nature of time that everything makes total sense.
I was wrong.
You win this one as well, David...
Henry Rollins nails it once again.

Did I mention that I finished Alphas?
Yeah.
You know, I knew, going in, that the series ended on a cliffhanger, but, come on guys, shit.

On September 12th, I watched all of Derek, the new Ricky Gervais show.
While I'm happy he's not rehashing The Office or Extras or Life's Too Short, I feel like the show was a bit too intentional. Yes, it was emotional and heartfelt and all that, but it felt too well planned.
Here's where the viewer will get weepy and here's where we make the tears fall. Now, a joke fro the gross, comic relief guy, now BANG more tears!
Can an argument be made that all shows go for the same effect? Sure, but, knowing Gervais' history and how smart he is, I felt his hand too heavily on Derek.
Major props to Karl Pilkington for utterly nailing this though. I'm glad Gervais stopped torturing the poor guy, although, I can't help feel that Gervais turned to him at one point and said something like, "You are my Derek."

AND SPEAKING OF NETFLIX ORIGINAL SERIES, Chris and I took in Hemlock Grove.
If Twilight is vampires and werewolves for idiot tweens and True Blood is vampires and werewolves for horny twenty somethings, Hemlock Grove is vampires and werewolves for faggy, art house junkies.
Who like funny accents.
I'm interested in seeing where this goes, although I feel that, while trying to walk that thin line between giving too much away and not explaining enough by the end of their first season that they sort of ended up on the latter side.
Whoooole lot of questions up in this bee hatch.
And a lot of dead folks.

BREAKING BAD.
I'd seen the whole show up to that hellish break in the final season and held off watching anything until yesterday, during which I watched the first five or so episodes of the final, final season.
God...the evolution...
One thing...even though they're doing some really great stuff, I'm hoping the cat and mouse game between those two people who are having a cat and mouse game ends soon.
The last episode I saw ended with an all out firefight between some folks*** and if everyone walks away from that unscathed I'll...well, I'll probably not care and scream until I've seen the whole show.
Man did shit gets fucked up or what...
What is television going to do after this show ends?

And, finally, I just finished watched the first episode of Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Pretty happy with it so far. A solid start.
My only problem is with Chloe Bennet, who plays Elisha Dushku-spore, "Skye".
In fact, I actually thought she was Dushku until, oh, four days ago?
It's my opinion that Dushku ruined Dollhouse (along with the fucks at Fox), and that Bennet is going to ruin this.
But.
Apparently, a lot of people are loving her, so, knowing Whedon, she's either going to die or be made legitimately cool.
As for Coulson and what he really is, I heard something somewhere that he would make a great Vision in the next Avengers movie and I think that is more than feasible.
What I want from this show is to further expand the universe of the films and this is a perfect opportunity to introduce and explain things without having to take up all that valuable big screen time doing so.
And also some Ultron teases.
So far, they're on track; bringing Extremis back, but revealing that someone has taken it and altered it. Nice.
As long as they stick with basing stuff on the comics/film universe and not going too crazy with totally original content that no one really cares about, I'm happy.
I would also like to see some of the characters from the movies, although, yes, money, I know.
But, is it too naive of me to hope that their commitment to their characters and their love and respect and gratitude to the fans who spent over a billion dollars on their movies deserve oh of course not.
The money.
Well, even without the biggies, I suppose there's more than enough to keep us geeks happy...although a S.H.I.E.L.D. show without Hawkeye, Black Widow and Fury is kind of dumb.

Anyway.

Yes.

Be sure to subscribe to my podcast**** and visit my web site***** and come to me with anything creative stuff you're interested in.
I'm still turgid with creativity and up for most anything.





* HA HA HA HA.

** As much as any David Lynch movie "explains" anything about anything

*** Some folks with astonishingly bad aim...like Empire clones without eyes bad.

**** See *

***** See ****

9.02.2013

End of the Month Music Bitchfest - August 2013

Nine Inch Nails

The Nine Inch Nails 2013 festival tour has ended (depending on whether I post this Sunday the 1st or Monday the 2nd) and the new album is out (for everyone who has a computer, fingers and the cold, black heart of a thief).
At the time of writing, it is only the 6th of August and I have seen and heard all three Nine Inch Nails shows to date (well, saw the live streams of Fuji and Lollapalooza, heard the pretty solid boot of Ansan, South Korea). If my assumptions are wrong, you will never read this sentence, because it will be erased in a flood of grateful tears....but, if I am right...then, aside from the switching out of a song or two...we've seen everything there is is see on this tour.
Have there been surprises? Yes, namely the reconstruction of "Sanctified" and the debut of three new songs from Hesitation Marks.
But, getting down to brass tacks, there has not been much else to take my breath away.*

The following still remain true about Nine Inch Nails live:
  • The first third of the show features "March of the Pigs"
  • "The Frail / The Wretched" OR "Reptile"
  • "Gave Up" segueing into the "quiet part"
  • The "quiet part" ending with one of Nine Inch Nails' handful of "Songs That Start Quiet But Then End Loud"...
  • ...being followed by "Wish"**
  • Last three songs are some combination of "The Hand That Feeds", "Head Like A Hole" and "Hurt".
Now, yes, I understand that this is not the "real" tour and that that starts at the end of September, and that this is a festival tour and therefore has to function as both a reminder that Nine Inch Nails is still important and necessary and as a "best of" for those people who don't know more than four songs by Nine Inch Nails.
That. Is. Fine.
For the silly ass obsessed fans like myself, there have been enough changes to satisfy (barely) my fanboy fervor; new songs, a reinvention and reintroduction of a song they haven't played since 1996, and a few tweaks to old standards, but.
When that tour starts in September...I want to freak...out.
I want my fucking jaw to drop right off my god damn face.
Eight times.
If you're going to play "Terrible Lie", "March of the Pigs", "Closer", "The Hand That Feeds", "Head Like A Hole" and "Wish", you go for it, but you do something different.
Whether it's something completely insane, like in the case of "Sanctified", or something subtle, like the addition made to "Hurt", it does not matter.
Reznor says they've rehearsed about forty songs, so far (again, it's August 6th right now) we've heard twenty seven. If these last thirteen are meant for the festival tour, awesome, I will shut the shitting fuck up, but, if these last thirteen are included in the "real" NIN tour starting in September and ending in 2014?
Well, that's an issue.
Of those thirteen, I'd guess...what...six are new tracks? Not all of them working live?
That leaves seven.
Who wants to bet...I don't know..."Somewhat Damaged" or "Home" or "Echoplex"? Maybe "The Day The World Went Away" or "The Fragile"?
Let's say they only pick two.
That leaves five (or so) spaces for Nine Inch Nails to blow my mind.
I don't doubt that they can do it ("The Perfect Drug", "Mantra", "Zoo Station", "And All That Could Have Been", "Demon Seed"), I doubt that they will do it.

Or.

Maybe you'll never read this.
Maybe they'll whip out all thirteen for the remainder of this festival tour.
Or...maybe...maybe just once...I'll...get...what's coming to me.
Oh God!!!!
What's coming to meee!

Sorry.

Here is where I'd originally constructed two "ideal set lists", but, as I consider these the equivalent of sweaty, teenage fan fiction or wearing a Nine Inch Nails shirt to a Nine Inch Nails cover band show or Nine Inch Nails DVD screening party, I will not post them.

Now...onto Hesitation Marks...

Some early thoughts and impressions.

"Eater of Dreams" is an amazing track and should be four minutes longer. While there is nothing else on the album even vaguely related to the nightmares of H.P. Lovecraft, I still think the noises contained within this track would be at home coming from the inside of a Great Old One.

"Copy Of A" while it's grown on me, I still don't feel that there is a lot here. Also, I'm still bummed it isn't "Copy Of A (ay and not uh)" as I think that would have been more interesting subject matter (clones, the future etc.).

"Came Back Haunted" remains a strong single, but, if not handled correctly it could become a "Hand That Feeds". Moving on.

I dug "Find My Way" a lot the first time I heard it played on the Fuji live stream (and thought that it sounded a bit like something by Depeche Mode), and the studio version has so much more to offer. The background chants and drifting voices are chilling and add that touch of spiritual yearning addressed in the lyrics. I wish there were more stuff like this on the album.

"All Time Low" is the first song on the album that I don't like (as of right now, August 26th, it might grow on me). I don't hate it, and there are a lot of cool sounds in it, but there's just some stuff about it I don't dig. One thing that comes to mind are the lyrics that seem a bit remedial ("Hey! / Everything is not okay!" Really, Trent?). Something about it reminds me of "God Given" (another track I've never really liked). The second half, however, I love. I love the changes and the vocals and everything about it. Very divisive. I hope it grows on me.

"Disappointed" is really solid, but Reznor just sounds...I don't know...tired? I like all the instrumentation; the dancy beat, the plucked strings and the erhu melody but those last two minutes where nothing really happens are kind of confusing. Reznor mentioned during some interview about how he was worried that some of these songs might sound unfinished, like demos. While nothing else really feels this way, those barren beats at the end definitely seem to be missing something.

I like "Everything". I like it a lot. It's positive but rough, which is believable coming from Reznor at this point in his life. It isn't about how great "everything" is, it's about how, after "everything" he is, somehow still standing, shaking and shaken, but whole. I also like the nod to his earlier works and tour with the bright multi-part harmony of "wave goodbye". The song soars and makes me soar with it.

"Satellite" sounds like a track from Strobe Light and I kind of love that. It's a dark dance track that might feel at home as the "edgy" track on the new Justin Timberlake album. The subject matter is pretty on the nose as far as current events and the lyrics are, indeed, a bit silly, but your ass is shaking too hard to notice. The build at the end is nice too.

At the moment, "Various Methods of Escape" is one of my favorite tracks on Hesitation Marks. The quality and content of Reznor's vocals in the verses are something I've never heard before. The sonic textures stand out as well. I'm hoping this makes its way into their live set. I want to be swallowed by this song.

"Running" is another one I'm not crazy about. It feels...too sparse? And Reznor's voice doesn't go where I want it to...which is a ridiculous comment to make, I know, but, you asked, right? The little stabbing guitar line is abrasive, but not in an interesting way. It just sounds abrasive. Again, I'm not 100% sure I hate this; there are good moments. More time is required. The whole thing is just annoying me now.

THAT ^^^ was what I had originally thought, but, now, only a few days later, I'm digging it. It's all working.

"I Would For You" starts off with a beat sounding like something from Niggy Tardust, then rises from the cloggy synth mud to a cresting chorus, to one of the only times on the album where Reznor actually raises his voice to scream. Something about the chorus reminds me of "A Stranger In Moscow" by Michael Jackson...which is a weird god damn thing to say while reviewing a Nine Inch Nails album. This is another favorite for me.

My jury is still out on "In Two". There's so much happening here and I don't know if I like it or not. The sound is so hard it becomes unfocused at times, that along with the the robot (?!) vocals and then the high, chanting falsetto, then, just as I'm catching my breath and getting into it, everything drops out and things begin to build again from scratch...
Gah.
I need some more time with this.

I have a problem with judging books by their covers. Also with judging the quality and tone of Nine Inch Nails songs by their placement on an album. Case in point: "While I'm Still Here". I thought this was going to be the "In This Twilight", "Beside You In Time" or "The Downward Spiral" of Hesitation Marks.*** It is not. I do not like it. Reznor's vocals, both the flat, toneless, almost-shouting and the repetition of "ticking time is running out"**** just kill me. I'm trying to think of another Nine Inch Nails song I've disliked this much on early listens, but I'm coming up dry. Again, hoping this grows on me. What it is is beautiful, but not its execution.

And then, "Black Noise" swarms up and swallows everything. I'll admit, I wanted this to be cooler, longer, more apocalyptic and not just dark guitar noise...maybe an evolution of "Eater of Dreams"? Oh well. Maybe next time.

So.
Hesitation Marks doesn't sound anything like any Nine Inch Nails album I've ever heard (although some elements remind me of Depeche Mode, Michael Jackson, Justin Timberlake and Talking Heads, respectively).
It's difficult and I'm going to need a lot more time with it.
After hearing the first few singles from the album plus "Disappointed" and "Find My Way" from the live shows, I was a bit worried about just how sparse the album would be. I dig sparse, but, come on, if Reznor is back on his "one new album every five years" cycle, then I'm going to need something more... I was also ready to be let down about the incongruous nature of the visuals (the amazing, amazing visuals by Russell Mills) and the sounds I was hearing; everything I'd heard was too clean to be paired with these gritty, blood-smeared images. Did you see the art for "Everything"? I was worried that the art would just be something cool that reminded us of The Downward Spiral so Reznor could further impart that Hesitation Marks was related to it. After hearing the whole thing, however, my fears have been assuaged.

I think I really like this album, even though it lacks a certain softness I've come to enjoy and look forward to on Nine Inch Nails albums, but, then again, it's all about being surprised, isn't it?


They Might Be Giants

August 10th's Celebrate Brooklyn show might have been the best TMBG concert I have attended in quite a while. Yes, they do tend to blur together sometimes, but this one stands out.
The negatives first: usually, there are a handful of songs that I...I won't say suffer through, but, you know, I've heard them a lot and would rather have a different song or some banter twixt the John or, I don't know, completely silence in their place. One of those songs is "Damn Good Times". Even though it's not a bad song and they always rock it out and it's only, what, three minutes, even with the blistering solo from Dan? I feel as if I have been hearing it for a decade now and I am ready for it to go away.
Far away.
And never return until the 2030's when the band starts doing "Spine Shows".
Then we have "Mr. Me".
If you are seeing They Might Be Giants and they have the Tricerachops Horns with them, chances are you're going to hear "Mr. Me".
I would rather not.
Then there's "The Mesopotamians" and "Doctor Worm" BUT the former is always fun and, at least with the horns, the latter is rife with pogoing opportunities, so I'm not bitching too hard.
At least they didn't play "Drink!".
Other than those slightly less bright spots...the set was amazing. I hadn't heard "New York City" in a while and it sounded just as perfect as ever, and segueing from the last note of NYC into "Ana Ng"?
Well played, gentlemen.
All the new Nanobots tracks sounded great, especially the "fast" version of "Black Ops"***** and "Icky", plus, it was awesome to have just John and John for "Istanbul" as I sometimes feel too much time is dedicated to it when you have the Dan Miller intro and the two false endings, especially when the horns are on the prowl.
Other highlights included "The Guitar" (haven't heard this in a while either), "When Will You Die?" (even more  biting with horns), "I'll Sink Manhattan" (ditto), "Call You Mom" and "Hey, Mr. DJ, I Thought You Said We Had A Deal" (HORNSHORNSHORNSHORNS)******.
The only other negative I could think of was that the show felt a bit short, but that's probably only because it was so awesome and I didn't want it to end.
All in all, a fantastic, fantastic show. They've STILL still got it after three decades of doing this.
And, yes, I have already purchased my tickets for their November 2nd Terminal 5 show, where they will be performing their first album in its entirety.
At the moment, I have an extra...anyone down?


Beck

Less than a week before TMBG, I saw Beck (wit his full band) for the first time since they toured with Guero back in...Jesus...2005?!
Whatever the case, Beck is still the second funkiest white man alive and while it was a great show, the lack of anything from Midnite Vultures kind of bummed me out a bit.
The two songs they performed from Song Reader just made me want them to fucking record Song Reader even more.
No mention of a new album, just Beck and Co. rocking the shit out of Brooklyn.
The highlights included "Where It's At" (with its ridiculously long and sexy break down which involved Beck, crawling on his hands and knees, asking that New York City let him in because he was "lonely tonight"), "E-Pro" and the quiet stuff from Sea Change.
On the whole, the show really just sort of salted my wounds regarding his lack of productivity lately...
And whose fault is that?
Nobody's Fault But Beck's Own.
Yeah.
Repurposing.


And, thanks to a recommend from fiery starlet, Graham Skipper, I checked out Apes & Androids one and only album, Blood Moon.

Here is the sentence I have constructed to describe it:
Prince, Beck (impersonating Gary Wilson), Har Mar Superstar, Oingo Boingo, Queen and Mindless Self Indulgence singing into a computer in a church that has been converted into a hot funked up club.

Also, there is sex.

Thank you , Mr. Skipper.

Finally, on September 27th, I'm going to see Atoms For Peace at Barclay's...if I can stop listening to Hesitation Marks long enough to brush up on The Eraser and AMOK.
Which will probably not happen.





* Sonically; visually, this tour was, if a little scattered at times, amazing.

** They broke this tradition recently, starting with Live With Teeth, but have, sadly, hence returned to it.

*** As in the powerful, penultimate climax followed by the slow and beautiful denouement of "Zero Sum" or "Right Where It Belongs" or "Hurt".

**** Okay. I will happily admit that a lot of Reznor's lyrics sound like bad, teenage angst poetry, but both his delivery (his passion, aggression, longing, whatever etc.) and the sonic framework in which they are set ameliorate their brooding, overdramatic nature. Usually.

***** Which will hopefully be included on the upcoming rarities and b-sides collection for Nanobots.

****** That's "horns", not "shorn".