Sweet article on the lead singer of My Morning Jacket. Pay special attention to his mention of altered states.
The Man and The Myth
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Clipse Played Vatican City On Disney+
11 hours ago
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Perception Theory
I just bought my ticket for The Dark Knight opening on July 18th. Anticipation and expectation are high for this film for several obvious reasons. I've been looking forward to this movie since the last scene of Batman Begins foreshadowed the return of the Joker. However, with the late tragic death of Heath Ledger, the film has taken on a whole new meaning, as not only the movie as a whole will be measured, but also his last performance. Seeing him on the screen will and could only be described as ghostly. Check out this exclusive on the film from Entertainment Weekly.
Perception Theory
Get ready because I'm about to get abstract on your asses.
Monday night, I decided to call it an early night and went to bed around 1:15 a.m. My head hit the pillow, and the next thing I knew, I was outside in my backyard, where some sort of army training camp was occurring. Men dressed in black tank tops and camouflage pants were practicing hand-to-hand combat with real guns and real knives. These two soldiers were in the midst of a fight when all the sudden, the one guy flipped the other guy over onto his back and shot him in the collarbone. The drill sergeant simply responded, "Accidents happen. Get him off the field." Then, they called me over, for it was my turn to duke it out. I can't remember who I was fighting, but I know it was someone I knew. My roommate said to me, "He likes to tackle from the knees, so pre-emptive strike him." Just as had been foretold, my opponent did just that. I kicked him in the head and fake-checked him with the weapons. As I celebrated my faux-victory, the drill sergeant came over and told me I had done a fine job.
The next thing I know, I'm in my bed, in my room. Everything is the same. Nothing has changed. It's pitch-black. Then, I see a figure in a white t-shirt emerge from the hallway. It walks slowly. Or is it floating? I can't make out who it is, so I take a guess. "Jason?" It mutters, and I can't discern if it's a yes or no. The figure disappears, and my bed starts shaking uncontrollably. I feel it shaking and moving, like someone is bouncing on it. I jump out of bed and run to turn off the lights. The lights on my fan brighten, and my room is empty.
The clock shines 1:30 a.m.
The scariest part is that in this dream/nightmare context, I don't know at which point I was awake, which point I fell asleep, and which point I woke up again.
Have you ever had this kind of dream? The dream-within-a-dream? The dream that feels like reality? There are people out there that say they have, and I believe them. They'll be able to relate to my experience, but they'll never fully understand it because my perception shaped my dream. My own subjective reality shaped it.
I began wondering how this dream came about, and I feel like it was heavily influenced by this long conversation about the nature of perception, time, reality, and dreams that my friend Gladly (pseudonym) and I had engaged in only hours before I passed out.
It's funny that, although only days later, I have a harder time remembering what exactly we talked about. I know the gist of it, but a word-by-word replay would mean my own "filling in the blanks." Which leads me to two very interesting points that Gladly made:
1. Gladly states, "In my lifetime, I'll forget more things than I experience."
2. Gladly states, "All my memory files are corrupted."
Allow me to clarify:
We began by discussing a disagreement that had recently occurred in his life with someone else. Although the other person and him are the best of friends, lifemates if you will, there are some things they will never see eye to eye. Although they grew up relatively together (same town, same group of friends), their collegiate experiences have started taking them down different paths; therefore, their outlook, their perception of life is changing. As it turns out, different perceptions of the same thing start arising. To give you an example, I pointed out a helicopter to Gladly and told him, "Dude, look at this chopper. We are looking at the same chopper but because of our different experiences in life, the multi stimulants that have come across our paths and influenced us, we are going to have vastly different thoughts about it. We will never truly see the same chopper. The best we can do is compare and relate to each other, but we won't be on the same level."
Rereading that last line I typed struck me as a very lonely thought. Is the whole basis of reality an isolated experience? There are no two same, exact people on this earth. Every single person is a unique individual in their own right. That's why in all those time travel films (see: Back to the Future, Southland Tales), there's the whole time paradox that if your future self runs into your past self, a universal catastrophe will take place: no two exact souls can thrive in the same time and space.
Now, be it true, that my examples come from film, so they are not real examples. But, can't cinema be the only true time travel method we have in today's society? Time travel hasn't been proven. We haven't built a time-traveling DeLorean or created time portals or even confirmed the existence of wormholes, yet all these methods live on in celluloid form.
Not only that, but the cinematic form even manifests time travel itself. Think about it. When one watches a film, they are experiencing three different times at once: the time you watch the film, the time the film takes place, and the time in which the film was made. If you want to probe further, you can consider that film is the congregation of multiple times--the director's time, the writer's time, the producer's time, the actor's time, the PA's time, the set designer's time, etc. All these people are experiencing their own time, and the video camera is recording every moment of it. Harkening back to my chopper example, when you watch a film, you'll be interpreting it differently from someone else. One person can think that Vince Vaughn is the funniest man on the planet, another can think he's as boring as a history teacher older than the subject he's teaching. The way you spend your time is perception. The way you think about your time is through your perception.
If perception is time, and time is subjective, then perception is subjective.
Is there an objective truth? Is there any objectivity at all?
Objectivity hopefully comes about in retrospect. When you think about it "after the fact," when you are able to remove yourself from the situation and discern it from an outside perspective, the objective truth comes out. Relating to time, when the present becomes the past, objective truth becomes clearer. The present changes every single second. The minute you lose focus of the present situation, it becomes the past. When an event becomes a memory, it becomes the past, because it is no longer currently occurring. The trouble with this engagement is that with the ever-increasing bombardment of stimuli in today's modern world, it gets harder to differentiate and filter the past from the present. Slowly, selective memory works its magic, and you really only remember the things you want to remember or had more impact. Hence, Gladly's statements of forgetting more than experiencing and the corruption of memory.
Where am I going with this whole rant? Well, I guess, it comes down to acceptance of perception. Whatever someone does, whatever someone says, is all because of their perception. Their environment, their parents (the basic learning foundation), their experiences have all shaped and influence the person they have become. No two people experience the same life. Even twins, who are of the same genetics, who look alike, have the same parents, same family environment, will still have different thoughts, different perceptions. Their consciousnesses will be self-aware of only what they can see, hear, taste, touch, smell. Perception goes hand-in-hand with personality and character traits. It goes hand-in-hand with thought and emotion. If someone wrongs you, while it is still wrong and hurtful, one should understand that it was their perception to perform this action. This person may not even consider their actions wrong. It is still individual to them.
Ladies and gentlemen, I'm talking about the soul.
At least, that's my perception.
Suggested Readings:
The Psychedelic Experience by Timothy Leary
The End of Mr. Y by Scarlett Thomas
The Phenomenology of Perception by Merlou-Ponty
The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz
POSTSCRIPT: My buddy Jake messaged me an interesting thought after reading this entry, and I totally dig it. Although we are all individualistic, "The one perception I feel we should all agree on: 'And we are all as equally important as those who came before us, those who are next to us, and those that will come after us.'"
True that, dude.
Perception Theory
Get ready because I'm about to get abstract on your asses.
Monday night, I decided to call it an early night and went to bed around 1:15 a.m. My head hit the pillow, and the next thing I knew, I was outside in my backyard, where some sort of army training camp was occurring. Men dressed in black tank tops and camouflage pants were practicing hand-to-hand combat with real guns and real knives. These two soldiers were in the midst of a fight when all the sudden, the one guy flipped the other guy over onto his back and shot him in the collarbone. The drill sergeant simply responded, "Accidents happen. Get him off the field." Then, they called me over, for it was my turn to duke it out. I can't remember who I was fighting, but I know it was someone I knew. My roommate said to me, "He likes to tackle from the knees, so pre-emptive strike him." Just as had been foretold, my opponent did just that. I kicked him in the head and fake-checked him with the weapons. As I celebrated my faux-victory, the drill sergeant came over and told me I had done a fine job.
The next thing I know, I'm in my bed, in my room. Everything is the same. Nothing has changed. It's pitch-black. Then, I see a figure in a white t-shirt emerge from the hallway. It walks slowly. Or is it floating? I can't make out who it is, so I take a guess. "Jason?" It mutters, and I can't discern if it's a yes or no. The figure disappears, and my bed starts shaking uncontrollably. I feel it shaking and moving, like someone is bouncing on it. I jump out of bed and run to turn off the lights. The lights on my fan brighten, and my room is empty.
The clock shines 1:30 a.m.
The scariest part is that in this dream/nightmare context, I don't know at which point I was awake, which point I fell asleep, and which point I woke up again.
Have you ever had this kind of dream? The dream-within-a-dream? The dream that feels like reality? There are people out there that say they have, and I believe them. They'll be able to relate to my experience, but they'll never fully understand it because my perception shaped my dream. My own subjective reality shaped it.
I began wondering how this dream came about, and I feel like it was heavily influenced by this long conversation about the nature of perception, time, reality, and dreams that my friend Gladly (pseudonym) and I had engaged in only hours before I passed out.
It's funny that, although only days later, I have a harder time remembering what exactly we talked about. I know the gist of it, but a word-by-word replay would mean my own "filling in the blanks." Which leads me to two very interesting points that Gladly made:
1. Gladly states, "In my lifetime, I'll forget more things than I experience."
2. Gladly states, "All my memory files are corrupted."
Allow me to clarify:
We began by discussing a disagreement that had recently occurred in his life with someone else. Although the other person and him are the best of friends, lifemates if you will, there are some things they will never see eye to eye. Although they grew up relatively together (same town, same group of friends), their collegiate experiences have started taking them down different paths; therefore, their outlook, their perception of life is changing. As it turns out, different perceptions of the same thing start arising. To give you an example, I pointed out a helicopter to Gladly and told him, "Dude, look at this chopper. We are looking at the same chopper but because of our different experiences in life, the multi stimulants that have come across our paths and influenced us, we are going to have vastly different thoughts about it. We will never truly see the same chopper. The best we can do is compare and relate to each other, but we won't be on the same level."
Rereading that last line I typed struck me as a very lonely thought. Is the whole basis of reality an isolated experience? There are no two same, exact people on this earth. Every single person is a unique individual in their own right. That's why in all those time travel films (see: Back to the Future, Southland Tales), there's the whole time paradox that if your future self runs into your past self, a universal catastrophe will take place: no two exact souls can thrive in the same time and space.
Now, be it true, that my examples come from film, so they are not real examples. But, can't cinema be the only true time travel method we have in today's society? Time travel hasn't been proven. We haven't built a time-traveling DeLorean or created time portals or even confirmed the existence of wormholes, yet all these methods live on in celluloid form.
Not only that, but the cinematic form even manifests time travel itself. Think about it. When one watches a film, they are experiencing three different times at once: the time you watch the film, the time the film takes place, and the time in which the film was made. If you want to probe further, you can consider that film is the congregation of multiple times--the director's time, the writer's time, the producer's time, the actor's time, the PA's time, the set designer's time, etc. All these people are experiencing their own time, and the video camera is recording every moment of it. Harkening back to my chopper example, when you watch a film, you'll be interpreting it differently from someone else. One person can think that Vince Vaughn is the funniest man on the planet, another can think he's as boring as a history teacher older than the subject he's teaching. The way you spend your time is perception. The way you think about your time is through your perception.
If perception is time, and time is subjective, then perception is subjective.
Is there an objective truth? Is there any objectivity at all?
Objectivity hopefully comes about in retrospect. When you think about it "after the fact," when you are able to remove yourself from the situation and discern it from an outside perspective, the objective truth comes out. Relating to time, when the present becomes the past, objective truth becomes clearer. The present changes every single second. The minute you lose focus of the present situation, it becomes the past. When an event becomes a memory, it becomes the past, because it is no longer currently occurring. The trouble with this engagement is that with the ever-increasing bombardment of stimuli in today's modern world, it gets harder to differentiate and filter the past from the present. Slowly, selective memory works its magic, and you really only remember the things you want to remember or had more impact. Hence, Gladly's statements of forgetting more than experiencing and the corruption of memory.
Where am I going with this whole rant? Well, I guess, it comes down to acceptance of perception. Whatever someone does, whatever someone says, is all because of their perception. Their environment, their parents (the basic learning foundation), their experiences have all shaped and influence the person they have become. No two people experience the same life. Even twins, who are of the same genetics, who look alike, have the same parents, same family environment, will still have different thoughts, different perceptions. Their consciousnesses will be self-aware of only what they can see, hear, taste, touch, smell. Perception goes hand-in-hand with personality and character traits. It goes hand-in-hand with thought and emotion. If someone wrongs you, while it is still wrong and hurtful, one should understand that it was their perception to perform this action. This person may not even consider their actions wrong. It is still individual to them.
Ladies and gentlemen, I'm talking about the soul.
At least, that's my perception.
Suggested Readings:
The Psychedelic Experience by Timothy Leary
The End of Mr. Y by Scarlett Thomas
The Phenomenology of Perception by Merlou-Ponty
The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz
POSTSCRIPT: My buddy Jake messaged me an interesting thought after reading this entry, and I totally dig it. Although we are all individualistic, "The one perception I feel we should all agree on: 'And we are all as equally important as those who came before us, those who are next to us, and those that will come after us.'"
True that, dude.
Wild Weekend with Wasted, Wanted, Weirdos, and Wall-E
First, check out this short article and this one too on the Zimbabwe presidential election. This shit really pisses me off and makes me sad. Here, recently elected (that's a load of crap) President Mugabe says that the West can "go hang a thousand times" for condemning the country's disputed recent elections. Living in a free America, with the independence-celebrating holiday 4th of July quickly approaching, it still baffles me that there are countries living under totalitarian and oppressing regimes. There's another L.A. Times article that talks about countries such as China and Russia stating that they will not intervene in these issues because it is "Africa's problem." The U.S., Britain, and Australia, meanwhile, are ready to impose U.N. sanctions on the political leaders of Zimbabwe in order to have a more free and fair election. Don't take your freedom for granted, kids.
Now, instead of focusing on one topic extensively, let's try for many topics summarized:
1. Wasted (The Edison Bar)--Friday Night
This bar was built for me. I tried to go to this place a couple weeks back but they wouldn't let my friends and me in because we were not wearing the "proper attire" (we had t-shirts and sneakers, they require dress shoes and collared shirts), but just from the outside of it, I knew I had to venture back. Upon entrance with the right clothes, I discovered that The Edison actually goes downstairs to an underground level. I was stunned at how big it was. Jazz music was blasting and silent films were projected onto the walls. With its blend of 1920s artifacts and futuristic layout, I was intrigued by the merge of different times in one place. There are two bars and lots of seating available. The drink menu was unique as they present their own type of (really fucking expensive) drinks (thank God we pregamed). I ordered The Hemingway (absynthe and champagne) because I always wanted to try absynthe. It tasted like black licorice which I am definitely not a fan of. But having paid 14 bucks for it, I swallowed my pride and the rest of the drink. I later ordered a dirty martini, which was phenomenal. If a bar can get this classy drink right, it goes high in my book. So far, this is the best bar I have been to in Los Angeles. For more info, click here.
2. Wanted--Saturday Afternoon
I had originally wanted to see Wall-E, but it was sold out. I had wanted to see this Angelina Jolie-James McAvoy flick, anyway, so I figured why not. My initial reaction after walking out of the theater was "This was either the coolest movie I've seen in a while or the stupid
est one I've seen most recently this summer (this list of summer stupid flicks include Zohan, The Happening, and The Love Guru). Upon one more day of reflection, I've concluded that it was pretty ridiculous. It was like The Matrix meets Office Space meets "assassin" movie. Some of the action scenes were pretty cool (the train sequence was nuts and the first car chase was kinda badass, I guess), but there were moments that made the movie just awful. Directed by Timur Bekmambetov (of Russia's very popular Night Watch), the film tries to follow the graphic novel's depiction of stylized violence and fighting. Just like South Park, this movie had a lot of bullet shots to the head. Jolie was hot in the role, but I felt that anyone sexy could have played this part. I'll admit, for his first mainstream role, I found McAvoy very appealing. He played the loser-nobody to a humorous pitch and then actually convinced me that he could also be a no-nonsense assassin. One of his last scenes where he fights multiple assassins in a row was probably the best scene of the whole film--until his last line in the movie, where he breaks the 4th barrier and talks to the audience directly, ruined the whole thing for me.
Notable quote: "Shoot this motherfucker!"--Morgan Freeman in Wanted
3. Weirdos (Electric Daisy Carnival)--Saturday Night
Going to the Electric Daisy Carnival now ranks as #5 on the Top Five Best Nights of My Life. I don't even kn
ow where to begin. About 8 of my friend and I decided to attend this once a summer massive rave at the Coliseum with Benny Bennassi, Moby, and Paul Van Dyk headlining. I usually go to the Coliseum for USC Football games, so it was definitely a mindfuck when we got there and were welcomed by thousands and thousands of people dressed up in raver outfits and dancing like it was their last night on Earth. The whole thing felt like a giant end-of-the-world party, complete with carnival rides and alcohol! Everyo
ne was so free-spirited and unjudgmental. I donno, it just felt like everyone was on the same page, there to have a good time with great music and great people. There was a moment where we were at the top of the Coliseum and looked down at the pit during Paul Van Dyk. Everything was dark as it was 3 am, but the glow sticks created the most amazing effect I think I've ever seen. It reminded me of those glowing fish at the bottom of the ocean. People were just friendly and the genuine kindness I encountered was surprising. I'd like to give a quick shout out to Lace, who showed me how to truly enjoy the night. The only way I can describe this night is with some photos. Take a look.
4. Wall-E (Sunday Night)
I'm just going to come out and say it: This movie is fucking amazing! I was wondering whether or not this whole "robots with no dialogue" thing was going to work, and let me tell you, it did. It really did. We learned in my production class that dialogue is secondary to visuals. If you can tell a story visually, without words to rely on, then the dialogue will only complement and enhance the story, instead of carrying it. This movie did just that. Wall-E had a pitch-perfect sound design. Wall-E used humanistic characteristics and facial (robotic?) expressions that accurately and simply conveyed the characters' emotions to the audience without getting lost in transla
tion. Like every Pixar movie, the film begins on a pessimistic level, then resolving towards a happy and redemptive ending. Channeling Charlie Chaplin, Wall-E makes us laugh with his lovelorn journey to be with female robot E.V.E. Along the way, he shows off courage and strength to save a group of humans he's never even met. If you're not moved to at least near-tears by the end, you need to thaw out that frozen heart of yours. This movie was nothing short of brilliant--just look at its opening weekend (62.5 million!).
Overall, this weekend was amazing for me and the box office. Other notable things this weekend: I finished watching The Sopranos (all of it, finally, after 4 months) and watched Reality Bites, a surprisingly good movie directed by, surprisingly, Ben Stiller. Sopranos and The Wackness reviews coming soon.
Stay classy.
Now, instead of focusing on one topic extensively, let's try for many topics summarized:
1. Wasted (The Edison Bar)--Friday Night
This bar was built for me. I tried to go to this place a couple weeks back but they wouldn't let my friends and me in because we were not wearing the "proper attire" (we had t-shirts and sneakers, they require dress shoes and collared shirts), but just from the outside of it, I knew I had to venture back. Upon entrance with the right clothes, I discovered that The Edison actually goes downstairs to an underground level. I was stunned at how big it was. Jazz music was blasting and silent films were projected onto the walls. With its blend of 1920s artifacts and futuristic layout, I was intrigued by the merge of different times in one place. There are two bars and lots of seating available. The drink menu was unique as they present their own type of (really fucking expensive) drinks (thank God we pregamed). I ordered The Hemingway (absynthe and champagne) because I always wanted to try absynthe. It tasted like black licorice which I am definitely not a fan of. But having paid 14 bucks for it, I swallowed my pride and the rest of the drink. I later ordered a dirty martini, which was phenomenal. If a bar can get this classy drink right, it goes high in my book. So far, this is the best bar I have been to in Los Angeles. For more info, click here.
2. Wanted--Saturday Afternoon
I had originally wanted to see Wall-E, but it was sold out. I had wanted to see this Angelina Jolie-James McAvoy flick, anyway, so I figured why not. My initial reaction after walking out of the theater was "This was either the coolest movie I've seen in a while or the stupid
est one I've seen most recently this summer (this list of summer stupid flicks include Zohan, The Happening, and The Love Guru). Upon one more day of reflection, I've concluded that it was pretty ridiculous. It was like The Matrix meets Office Space meets "assassin" movie. Some of the action scenes were pretty cool (the train sequence was nuts and the first car chase was kinda badass, I guess), but there were moments that made the movie just awful. Directed by Timur Bekmambetov (of Russia's very popular Night Watch), the film tries to follow the graphic novel's depiction of stylized violence and fighting. Just like South Park, this movie had a lot of bullet shots to the head. Jolie was hot in the role, but I felt that anyone sexy could have played this part. I'll admit, for his first mainstream role, I found McAvoy very appealing. He played the loser-nobody to a humorous pitch and then actually convinced me that he could also be a no-nonsense assassin. One of his last scenes where he fights multiple assassins in a row was probably the best scene of the whole film--until his last line in the movie, where he breaks the 4th barrier and talks to the audience directly, ruined the whole thing for me.Notable quote: "Shoot this motherfucker!"--Morgan Freeman in Wanted
3. Weirdos (Electric Daisy Carnival)--Saturday Night
Going to the Electric Daisy Carnival now ranks as #5 on the Top Five Best Nights of My Life. I don't even kn
ow where to begin. About 8 of my friend and I decided to attend this once a summer massive rave at the Coliseum with Benny Bennassi, Moby, and Paul Van Dyk headlining. I usually go to the Coliseum for USC Football games, so it was definitely a mindfuck when we got there and were welcomed by thousands and thousands of people dressed up in raver outfits and dancing like it was their last night on Earth. The whole thing felt like a giant end-of-the-world party, complete with carnival rides and alcohol! Everyo
ne was so free-spirited and unjudgmental. I donno, it just felt like everyone was on the same page, there to have a good time with great music and great people. There was a moment where we were at the top of the Coliseum and looked down at the pit during Paul Van Dyk. Everything was dark as it was 3 am, but the glow sticks created the most amazing effect I think I've ever seen. It reminded me of those glowing fish at the bottom of the ocean. People were just friendly and the genuine kindness I encountered was surprising. I'd like to give a quick shout out to Lace, who showed me how to truly enjoy the night. The only way I can describe this night is with some photos. Take a look.
4. Wall-E (Sunday Night)
I'm just going to come out and say it: This movie is fucking amazing! I was wondering whether or not this whole "robots with no dialogue" thing was going to work, and let me tell you, it did. It really did. We learned in my production class that dialogue is secondary to visuals. If you can tell a story visually, without words to rely on, then the dialogue will only complement and enhance the story, instead of carrying it. This movie did just that. Wall-E had a pitch-perfect sound design. Wall-E used humanistic characteristics and facial (robotic?) expressions that accurately and simply conveyed the characters' emotions to the audience without getting lost in transla
tion. Like every Pixar movie, the film begins on a pessimistic level, then resolving towards a happy and redemptive ending. Channeling Charlie Chaplin, Wall-E makes us laugh with his lovelorn journey to be with female robot E.V.E. Along the way, he shows off courage and strength to save a group of humans he's never even met. If you're not moved to at least near-tears by the end, you need to thaw out that frozen heart of yours. This movie was nothing short of brilliant--just look at its opening weekend (62.5 million!).Overall, this weekend was amazing for me and the box office. Other notable things this weekend: I finished watching The Sopranos (all of it, finally, after 4 months) and watched Reality Bites, a surprisingly good movie directed by, surprisingly, Ben Stiller. Sopranos and The Wackness reviews coming soon.
Stay classy.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Viva la Coldplay!
Coldplay have long had to withstand inevitable comparisons to Radiohead. And rightfully so. Chris Martin states that Radiohead and U2 are perhaps two of his biggest influences on his band. That and Ambien, of course. Martin claims to have sleeping problems so he takes sleeping pill Ambien. However, like any great artist, the best ideas come late in the middle of the night/way early in the morning. Inspired, he starts writing down his ideas. If you stay awake on Ambien, though, well, it fucks you up.
I think Chris Martin took a lot of Ambien for his band Coldplay's latest outing Viva La Vida or Death and All of His Friends as it is their most experimental record. Although musically different, Coldplay manages to stay true to its roots and create the most unColdplay/most Coldplay album to date. Here's a track-by-track reaction response.
"Life in Technicolor"--So begins the electronic evolution of Coldplay. I thought they started going down this path on X&Y but it becomes more clear how Radiohead's Kid A and U2's Achtung Baby inspired the band. The song becomes with an electronic buzz that soon kicks up speed with some Eastern sitar. The song is solely instrumental and a great thesis statement for the album. Great background music. It could also be a really kickass ringtone.
"Cemeteries of London"--The tone changes on this one. It starts off a bit somber with a walking piano melody. Then the desperado-like guitar comes in below Chris Martin's singing "la la la." For a song about cemeteries, it makes you feel pretty happy.
"Lost!"--Excellent use of church organs and bass drums make you want to stand up and sing, "I'm not lost!" The song speaks of optimism in dark times with some political undertones, especially in the lyrics: "And you'll be lost! / Every river that you tried to cross / Every gun you ever held went off / Oh and I'm just waiting 'til the firing's stopped / Oh and I'm just waiting 'til the shine wears off."
"42"--The song starts off with old Coldplay: Martin sings somberly above a haunting piano melody. As Martin sings about death and ghosts, the slow building background buzz creates an eerie presence, as if spirits do wander. Then the song gets deadly as it turns into a progressive rock jam with piercing lead guitar hooks. All the sudden, it turns into another type of song--a happy sing along about not getting to heaven but "you made it close."
"Lovers in Japan/Reign of Love"--Here, Coldplay starts really mixing it up as they combine two songs in one, much like a concept album. The rollicking piano of "Lovers in Japan" makes me picture a montage of people running towards each other. It makes sense as the opening lyrics are "Lovers, keep on the road you're on / Runners until the race is run." The drums and piano follow in sync to keep up a lovely ambling pace. Then, Coldplay returns to balladry on "Reign" as the liquid piano brings you into a dream state. But his lyrics invoke a sense of nightmare as he sings, "I'm a prisoner in the reign of love." Prison evokes negativity and lack of control, which makes sense when one is in love, but wouldn't this be a good thing? Maybe being married to Gwyneth isn't all its cracked up to be.
"Yes/Chinese Sleep Chant"--Definitely the most experimental song on this album. The song starts with much more evidential Indian and Asian influence found in the guitar whams. Martin then does something drastically different: no more falsetto, it's baritone time! And I fuckin' dig it. Who knew Martin could sing sexy? The Indian tempo gives the song a sense of urgency and danger as Martin sings of his impending doom by the almighty fate aka God. "Chinese Sleep Chant" is another great background song for a movie montage, though, or even a movie trailer. It's a pretty epic song with swirling guitars and lots of distortion. It definitely doesn't make me sleep.
"Viva La Vida"--We've all heard this song. You've all seen the Apple commercial. This song has dominated the Hot 100 list. It's the first Coldplay song that doesn't focus on instruments but solely sounds and atmosphere. The violins here are the melody, the bass drum is the rhythm, and then it feels like an explosion of not only sound but colors, too. Coldplay have done what N.E.R.D. struggle to die: create synthesia. Looking at the lyrics, I noticed that Martin has a great knack for using alliteration, assonance, and consonance. With its Victorian lyrics, Martin almost channels Edgar Allen Poe, without all the depressing bullshit. This song took a while to grow on me, but now I can't get enough of it. I hear it and just want to start pumping my hand in the air. Damn, I wish I was as cool as Chris Martin.
"Violet Hill"--The album's first single and most aggressive cut. Chris Martin, for once, sounds angry! Who knew he even had this emotion? This song is interesting in a different way--it was offered as a free single to the fans. It's also going to be the first Coldplay song to be available on Guitar Hero and Rock Band. In a way, Coldplay, like U2, are embracing the new business model: product and technology as art. It's a merging of the creative with the business. It's not selling out, it's giving in and improving.
"Strawberry Swing"--This song is just a really happy 60s psychedelic jingle. It's a simple song with no choruses really. It just puts me in a good mood. I don't know what else to say.
"Death and All of His Friends/The Escapist"--Once again, another lovely little ditty with Martin singing lovely little lyrics about love and loss (see? I can alliterate, too.) Then, the song gets fucking awesome with the rock-out-with-your-cock-out piano and guitar bash-a-thon. The drum kicks in to create an indelible beat. I wish this part of the song was longer and they busted out into a great guitar winded solo. "No, I don't want to battle from beginning to end / I don't want a cycle of recycled revenge / I don't wanna follow Death and all of his friends." Martin invokes images of circularity, which is appropriate as the song concludes with the instrumental that the album began with.
"Lost?"--The piano version of "Lost!" A great reinterpretation by the same band.
Overall, I fucking dig this album. It's really easy listening and shows new chops by a band that I've come to grow and love. More and more, I see a distinct difference between Coldplay and Radiohead. Everyone worships Radiohead but I don't think it's fair to have Coldplay compared to them because both bands have their strengths and weaknesses (yes, even Radiohead has some weaknesses.) More so, Coldplay is unique in the sense of selling cool, selling art, selling hip. From free singles to Apple commercials to free concerts to online streaming to having their whole album previewed on KROQ without commercial interruption, they know how to distribute art to the mainstream without selling out, although this is debatable. In the end, I may rail on people who choose to make music and movies for money, but you know what? Sometimes, it's just fucking good, it's fucking good. This album encompasses many themes of contradictory states: good and evil, life and death, right and wrong. It makes sense that it should then manifest business and creative, money and art.
Viva la Coldplay!
Rescue Me!
I think for now on before I write about my topic of the moment, I'm going to recommend something for you guys to check out, whether it's a movie, article, song, or whatever, just to show what I'm into at the moment.
Here's a really interesting article I read in today's L.A. times about the world's need for superheroes (in movies) because of our saddened world state. The article states that superheroes were huge in World War II and Vietnam because people needed heroes during the troubled times. Now in our times, when there's more than just war to worry about, we need Batman, Superman, Spiderman, Hulk, and Iron Man all at once. More so, he goes on to compare this notion to Barack Obama and John McCain. Pretty insightful shit.
Superheroes in our time of need
Here's a really interesting article I read in today's L.A. times about the world's need for superheroes (in movies) because of our saddened world state. The article states that superheroes were huge in World War II and Vietnam because people needed heroes during the troubled times. Now in our times, when there's more than just war to worry about, we need Batman, Superman, Spiderman, Hulk, and Iron Man all at once. More so, he goes on to compare this notion to Barack Obama and John McCain. Pretty insightful shit.
Superheroes in our time of need
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Today's Times
I read about this in today's online version of The Los Angeles Times. This is exactly what a blog should be.
The Big Picture Blog
There was also this interesting article about a survey reporting that Californians are less religious than the rest of the nation. Relating to this blog, the article states, "California stands out for another reason. One of its signature industries and locales, Hollywood, appears to be a corrupting influence in the eyes of at least some Americans. Forty-two percent say they feel their values are threatened by "Hollywood and the entertainment industry"; 56% say they are not threatened."
Survey says Californians less religious than rest of the nation
Yes, it's true that there are movies out there that highlight many sinful activities or show no morals and whatnot. For many states not on the East or West Coast that are much more religious and moral than us, I do definitely see how we could be less religious in their eyes. I openly admit that I'm not much of a religious person even though I grew up Catholic, but I do consider myself a very spiritual person. You don't have to go to church to be a good person and lead a good life.
Los Angeles is becoming more and more postmodern every day with the latest in technology hitting us faster than the rest of the nation. Along with some other major cities in the U.S., Los Angeles is the epicenter of digital expansion and new forms of media and advertising. With our ever decreasing attention spans, people must go to outrageous and controversial lengths to keep us tuned in. However, it can all come down to the age old question of "Who's to blame: the media, the kids, or the parents?" Thankfully, there is a larger percentage of those who do not feel threatened, which shows more a conscious awareness that the negative influence kids see today is reflective of the parents. But life is not a one way street. It is also the responsibility of Hollywood to consciously show taboo subjects in a tasteful manner, with a purpose and meaning behind it.
This new era of torture porn and reality TV is sickening to me. Reality TV is the dumbing down of America. Sadly, I'll admit that I'm a huge fan of it too. It's a guilty pleasure. The Real World: Hollywood has indulged me in sin with Joey's drug problems, the random hookups, the L.A. nightlife. The Hills--well, that's a no-brainer, it's just a fucking entertaining show based on nothing! They do nothing on the show but gossip and bitch and backstab and complain and they get paid to do it! Did I also mention they are all incredibly hot? America's Best Dance Crew has the sickest dance moves! I'm constantly amazed by the execution and invention of some of the things they do. Jabbawockeez for life, bro. I could keep going with all this shit: Living Lohan, Keeping Up With The Kardashians, The Bachelor(ette), Joe Millionaire, Extreme Makeover. What the hell is our fascination with reality TV? It's not even reality because everyone becomes a characterization of their true selves on television, controlled by the editor who only chooses the parts most dramatic or entertaining. Hollywood loves it, though, because it is so cheap to make (no actor salaries, no huge production design, etc.).
Life, and especially Los Angeles, is a two-way street. You love to hate it.. You hate to love it.
Who's to take responsibility for that?
The Big Picture Blog
There was also this interesting article about a survey reporting that Californians are less religious than the rest of the nation. Relating to this blog, the article states, "California stands out for another reason. One of its signature industries and locales, Hollywood, appears to be a corrupting influence in the eyes of at least some Americans. Forty-two percent say they feel their values are threatened by "Hollywood and the entertainment industry"; 56% say they are not threatened."
Survey says Californians less religious than rest of the nation
Yes, it's true that there are movies out there that highlight many sinful activities or show no morals and whatnot. For many states not on the East or West Coast that are much more religious and moral than us, I do definitely see how we could be less religious in their eyes. I openly admit that I'm not much of a religious person even though I grew up Catholic, but I do consider myself a very spiritual person. You don't have to go to church to be a good person and lead a good life.
Los Angeles is becoming more and more postmodern every day with the latest in technology hitting us faster than the rest of the nation. Along with some other major cities in the U.S., Los Angeles is the epicenter of digital expansion and new forms of media and advertising. With our ever decreasing attention spans, people must go to outrageous and controversial lengths to keep us tuned in. However, it can all come down to the age old question of "Who's to blame: the media, the kids, or the parents?" Thankfully, there is a larger percentage of those who do not feel threatened, which shows more a conscious awareness that the negative influence kids see today is reflective of the parents. But life is not a one way street. It is also the responsibility of Hollywood to consciously show taboo subjects in a tasteful manner, with a purpose and meaning behind it.
This new era of torture porn and reality TV is sickening to me. Reality TV is the dumbing down of America. Sadly, I'll admit that I'm a huge fan of it too. It's a guilty pleasure. The Real World: Hollywood has indulged me in sin with Joey's drug problems, the random hookups, the L.A. nightlife. The Hills--well, that's a no-brainer, it's just a fucking entertaining show based on nothing! They do nothing on the show but gossip and bitch and backstab and complain and they get paid to do it! Did I also mention they are all incredibly hot? America's Best Dance Crew has the sickest dance moves! I'm constantly amazed by the execution and invention of some of the things they do. Jabbawockeez for life, bro. I could keep going with all this shit: Living Lohan, Keeping Up With The Kardashians, The Bachelor(ette), Joe Millionaire, Extreme Makeover. What the hell is our fascination with reality TV? It's not even reality because everyone becomes a characterization of their true selves on television, controlled by the editor who only chooses the parts most dramatic or entertaining. Hollywood loves it, though, because it is so cheap to make (no actor salaries, no huge production design, etc.).
Life, and especially Los Angeles, is a two-way street. You love to hate it.. You hate to love it.
Who's to take responsibility for that?
Friday, June 20, 2008
Put This In Your CD Player And Smoke It
Put This In Your CD Player And Smoke It Playlist:
1. A-Punk by Vampire Weekend
2. English House by Fleet Foxes
3. The Needle Has Landed by Neko Case
4. Let's Get It On by Marvin Gaye
5. Get Crazy by LMFAO
6. I'm So Glad by Cream
7. Creeper by Islands
8. King by Weezer
9. I'm Not Down by The Clash
10. Who's Gonna Save My Soul by Gnarls Barkley
11. Killing For Love by Jose Gonzalez
12. Free Man In Paris by Joni Mitchell
13. Time To Pretend by MGMT
14. Universal Mind Control by Common feat. Pharrell
15. Blackstar by Radiohead
16. 88 by The Cool Kids
17. When Doves Cry by Prince
18. I Want You by Bob Dylan
19. Fools by The Dodos
20. Faustz by AmpLive (Radiohead Remix)
21. Smokin' From Shootin' by My Morning Jacket
1. A-Punk by Vampire Weekend
2. English House by Fleet Foxes
3. The Needle Has Landed by Neko Case
4. Let's Get It On by Marvin Gaye
5. Get Crazy by LMFAO
6. I'm So Glad by Cream
7. Creeper by Islands
8. King by Weezer
9. I'm Not Down by The Clash
10. Who's Gonna Save My Soul by Gnarls Barkley
11. Killing For Love by Jose Gonzalez
12. Free Man In Paris by Joni Mitchell
13. Time To Pretend by MGMT
14. Universal Mind Control by Common feat. Pharrell
15. Blackstar by Radiohead
16. 88 by The Cool Kids
17. When Doves Cry by Prince
18. I Want You by Bob Dylan
19. Fools by The Dodos
20. Faustz by AmpLive (Radiohead Remix)
21. Smokin' From Shootin' by My Morning Jacket
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