No new entry yet, but check this out in the meantime. Funniest SNL Digital Short since "I Ran".
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7766683.stm
So apparently, Joe Satriani is suing Coldplay for the similarities found between the songs "If I Could Fly" and Coldplay's smash-hit single "Viva La Vida".
This lawsuit is pathetic. Like it actually angers me... and I can deal with fantastic musicians making stupid lawsuits (after all, I am a Prince fan) but this is just a low blow to Satriani's credibility as a person. It seems like he saw the youtube comparison and felt like he wanted to cash in on this coincidence.
The chord progression for both songs is incredibly common. Most musicians are aware of this would not make a big fuss out of it. The only two parties dumb enough to accuse Chris Martin of ripping them off are an unknown basement band and a musician whose ego is even greater than his abilities as a guitarist.
If you listen to the comparison, not only will you find that both songs are transposed to be in different keys in the video and that the similarity only lasts after... like 3 notes. It's nothing more than a passing similarity and I really doubt that Coldplay did this intentionally or had even listened to a random and obscure Satch track.
We'll see how this case ends up... I'm hoping it'll be deservedly thrown out of court.
Lately I've just felt so insignificant and small. I'm hoping that these feelings will go away, like when I saw a scary film as a child and it stayed on my mind for days but one day I wasn't even afraid of it anymore.
I will find myself going "back to normal" for a few hours every day before sinking back into total negativity. Yesterday it was so bad that I wondered if I should go to therapy. However, now I'm not sure what I should do. Hope things get better soon.
A few minutes ago, I watched Napoleon Dynamite. For the first time in years, actually. The last time I watched this movie was when I was 15 or so. This movie has become infinitely better since then. There are so many intricate details I picked up on now that I missed when I watched this movie before.
Throughout the film, what at first feels alien to us (Napoleon's personality) becomes clearer and much more relatable by the end. The character of Uncle Rico is my pick for most pathetic, tragic man to ever set foot in a film. His unflinching desire to go back in time is a testament to how an unfulfilled life can be full to the brim with regret.
There is so much you can examine about each character in this film. They all hold up to extreme scrutiny. I could write a paper on each character. (Why is Kip the way he is, par exampla) When this film starts, you might catch yourself thinking these characters are quirky just for the sake of being quirky and characters like Kip are just there for a funny, silly line and nothing else.
But as the film progresses these characters grow. By the end of the film, Kip (once an overgrown manchild of 32) finally moves out of his grandmother's home and goes to live with his "soulmate" "Lawfonduh". After being tormented through the whole film by Uncle Rico, Napoleon finally stands up to him and tells him to leave. These topics are dealt with with just the right touch of realism and comedy.
The plot devices are demonstrated without oversaturating the film itself. Rex Kwan Do's buddy system, Napoleon and Deb's semi-romance, and each character's unconfidence and the way they were so seperate from the "normal" or "popular" kids.
This movie is very drab and depressing until about 3/4 of the way through when things get very uplifting. It's a very calm, subdued movie, but it takes my emotions on a trip to a desolate, unknown small town. By the end of the movie, I feel like maybe it's possible for everyone to break through the crap that's flung at them and lead a truly happy existence.
This movie's hype was deserved, but ultimately led to its downfall. Blockbuster hype killed a humble, well-made, funny film. By everyone and their mom quoting this film, they drained the life out of it. I feel like it is actually a quite great film and one that will be more appreciated in the coming years or so.
And when that year comes, I will finally be able to make my sequel for the film.
"Bow to your sensei. BOW TO YOUR SENSEI!"
- Rex
So, apparently at the Thanksgiving Day parade, they decided it would be really funny to "Rick Roll" everyone and have "Never Gonna Give You Up" start playing as the ageless Rick Astley walked out of the float and lip-synched to that song is only famous for being so fucking bad.
The joke is officially dead and buried now folks. Nothing to see here. Never again will a link on youtube seem too good to be true and then lead us to that familiar electronic drum intro.
It's just like the Chinpokomon South Park episode where the parents start playing with the chinpokomon toys and then the kids don't like them anymore because of how lame their parents made it look. Although Rick-Rolling was always lame. What happened here was not epic or funny at all.
God, I hate when old out of touch people learn about internet memes. "Have you seen that Chocolate Rain video? It made me LOL"
After everything you've no doubt heard about this record, the first piece of advice I can give you is to approach it with an open mind. No, Kanye is not rapping all over this shit. He only really raps twice by my count. This is also not even close to party music. It's not a very fun album. Kanye etches morbid on several tracks on this album, and even the positive tracks are slower, sappier, and more emotionally revealing than any of his other work.
Kanye used the vocoder on every track on here. It sounds good at first, but after so many minutes of listening to it, it quickly becomes a hinderance and makes this much less enjoyable than it could have been.
But is it bad? No. Once again, as long as you keep an open mind, you'll be sure to find something to enjoy... just don't expect rapping. This cd has subdued beats and moody strings and keys. Not something to get down to at the clubs.
Approach this CD ready for anything and you will be ready to enjoy strange, but finely crafted songs like "Say You Will", the downbeat, depressing opener or the lastest single "Heartless". "Love Lockdown" is ultra-hypnotic and its vocal line stays inside you long after you listen to it. "Paranoid" features the kicking rhythm section and peppy synths that made "American Boy" a hit and it's the only song where Vokanye does not grate on my eardrums.
But the greatest song on here is track 2, "Welcome To Heartbreak" which features Kid Cudi singing, as opposed to Vokanye (what I will now call Kanye on this album since all he does is sing through the vocoder) The chorus is an infectious cry for help ("and my head keeps spinning/I can't stop having these visions/I gotta get wid' it") that meshes perfectly with the verses, which have Kanye spewing out regret after regret over a driving beat. It's during this kind of experimentation that the album thrives.
But all the experimentation in the world can't save the filler that plagues this disk. "Robocop" is shmaltzy, silly, and embarassing. "Amazing" is anything but what the title implies. "See You in my Knightmares" has potential, but is ruined by a terrible guest rap by Lil Wayne.
This whole album was pretty much a hastily put together experiment. Sure there are moments of brilliance, but they are cancelled out by the fillerish tracks and some of the annoying vocals. I would reccomend downloading "Say You Will", "Paranoid", "Welcome To Heartbreak", "Love Lockdown" and "Bad News" which closes the album as effectively as "Say You Will" opens it.
C+
It's another Tuesday without school and tomorrow is my last day of the week before Thanksgiving break. I don't get why they bother calling it a "break" instead of a 4 day weekend.
I look at Thanksgiving like this: Thanksgiving is like pregaming before a big party (the big party in this example being Christmas, of course). It's not nearly as exciting as the party you're all amped about it, but it's something fun to do in the meantime.
Since I'm still trying to lose plenty of weight in time for my holiday party, I will not pig out on Thanksgiving when everyone else is. Doesn't that kinda go against the spirit of the holiday? This happened to me in 2005, too. It makes you feel pretty good when you can restrain yourself in the midst of an "eat all you want" holiday such as this.
I like Thanksgiving. Especially since it gives me a break from my community college (which feels less like a community every day). I will be seeing two of my best friends this weekend and I just can't wait. I also can't wait to see my family and get a chance to catch up with them. You know it's been a while since you've seen your crazy family when you actually start to miss them. I kid, I kid.
Wish me luck, this Thanksgiving weekend. I'll have a cool album review tomorrow. Hint: It's from one of the biggest names in rap... well, maybe not. Catch ya then.
MY 30 FAVORITE ALBUMS OF ALL-TIME
The way I made this list was that I wanted to choose albums that I not only felt had no bad songs, but also albums which have provided a huge deal of influence on me since I listened to them. For example: "Diorama" was a recent discovery, but it has totally changed my vocal approach and how I listen to string arrangements.
My other major goal was trying not to repeat myself too much. I made sure to try as hard as I could to avoid putting the same artist twice and if I did, well they would be incredibly far away from each other.
These are some albums that I just can't stop listening to and (with a few exceptions) have not stopped listening to for years.
1. Prince - Lovesexy
2. Muse - Origin of Symmetry
3. Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here
4. The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds
5. Stevie Wonder - Songs in the Key of Life
6. Tenacious D - Tenacious D
7. The Mars Volta - De-Loused in the Comatorium
8. Silverchair - Diorama
9. David Bowie - The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust...
10. Radiohead - OK Computer
11. Mew - ...And The Glass Handed Kites
12. Yes - Close To The Edge
13. Dream Theater - Images & Words
14. Metallica - Master of Puppets
15. The Olivia Tremor Control - Black Foliage
16. Pain of Salvation - The Perfect Element
17. Of Montreal - The Gay Parade
18. The Cure - Disintegration
19. Mercyful Fate - Melissa
20. Keane - Hopes & Fears
21. Oasis - Definitely Maybe
22. Weezer - Pinkerton
23. The Beatles - Abbey Road
24. Muse - Absolution
25. Meat Loaf - Bat Out of Hell
26.Smashing Pumpkins - Melon Collie and the Infinite Sadness
27. Led Zeppelin - II
28. Billy Joel - The Stranger
29. Queen - A Night at the Opera
30. Prince - Parade
If you need an explanation for any pick, feel free to ask me.
[TV:] Initial Thoughts on The Office and Always Sunny 11/20/08
0 comments Posted by Michael Rowland at 1:25 PMWhat a great night for TV.
After watching last week's episode again, I changed my tune about it and would give it an A. It was definitely the best the show has been since season 03. Michael's ending emotional rant to Wallace brought me to tears and could be my favorite scene in The Office history. It was great, and it made me very curious as to whether or not they could keep the quality up for this week's episode.
This episode was another great one. So many laugh out loud moments. The only attempt at humor that flatlined was Dwight's stupid rant at the end.
The return of Toby! He seemed a lot more like classic Toby than the creep he was when he left last season. Michael trying to frame Toby for drug posession was over the line, but they brought back his humanity by having him trying to "save" him and admitting that the "drugs" were his.
It was much funnier this week, although the Jim and Pam plot made me sick. I really hated how fake Pam's reaction was. So sick of these two characters interacting together, although Jim is really funny in the office. AS IF Pam would actually like that shithole house.
B+ (not as good as last week, but makes me excited for the upcoming episodes and ESPECIALLY the Christmas episode)
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia - The Nightman Cometh
The controversial, but highly anticipated musical episode of Sunny aired last night... as the season finale. The stakes were high. Very high. Did they hit this one out of the park or did it bomb?
They hit this one out of several parks. Probably a football field. This was possibly one of the best episodes of the season and a highlight of the series. Everyone nailed their roles, the songs were fanatstic, Mac as the "cat-eyed" Nightman was the best and the Dayman reprisal at the end of the episode was amazing and gave me fond memories of this blog's namesake (Dennis and Charlie's band.
It has all of the elements of a great Sunny episode. Unintentional sex jokes, homo-eroticism, mentioning Charlie's illiteracy and love of the waitress, and Mac doing karate moves.
A definite A. Gives me hope for season 5. You know why this episode was good? The 3 creators wrote it.
I love this place with a passion more than I have loved any living thing and I am only half joking. But let's get serious: this is really my favorite restaurant ever right now.
Why? The Macaroni & Cheese there is some of the best food I have ever ordered. It's filling, delicious, and actually makes me feel better after I've had it. It's like my perfect drug (next to Dr Pepper). Admittedly I do need to try some of their other items but that'll come the day I get tired of their Macaroni & Cheese... so maybe never.
They also have such a nice looking establishment that the atmosphere makes me feel right at home, except it's better than my home. It's like if my home got awesome rays from the awesome star and became way more awesome. Or if it was rennovated, possibly.
One other perk (which will make me sound like a creeper) is there are almost always plenty of hottie mcdotties getting food there. While I have not used the old "Hey, what are you getting?" icebreaker on them, that's only because whoever is with me is cramping my style.
Last but not least, their fountain soda is amazing. No, I'm serious. The Dr Peppers are especially good at Noodles & Company. It could be placebo or something but they real do taste better to me.
If someone got me a Noodles & Company Mac & Cheese for Christmas that would probably be one of my favorite gifts I recieve this year.
Anyone remember the week they tuned in for a new episode of their favorite show and all they had to offer was a repeat? Or reading on the official WGA blog to see so many projected dates for when new TV shows would be back on the air? I sure do.
I speak of the famous 2007 strike of writers. The days where writers decided that they deserved more money for their work that was streamed on the internet and posted on iTunes. They decided that they had been oppressed long enough and decided to do a little oppressing of their own.
Well, the writer's strike oppressed me because it destroyed 3 seasons of my favorite shows. Too dramatic? Naw. Not only did the quality in writing seem to disappear, but plotlines were terribly rushed because the writers knew that they only had a matter of time before production would cease.
Was any show victorious in managing to create a great season during this time? I can't think of one, aside from Tim & Eric Awesome Show... but that doesn't count. Scrubs suffered quite a bit in this season: rushed plot points, cheap gags, and pointless episodes. Yes, pointless. In what was intended to be its final season, the show was going to have an episode where JD tries to memorize everyone in the hospital's name or where JD and Turk wrestle for the remote (My Manhood may have been the show's most cartoonish episode yet, but God was it hilarious).
Sure, Scrubs may have turned out 6 pretty great episodes, but the 5 that aren't in that list are probably the worst the show has ever been. Yes, even worse than season 6. Thankfully, Bill Lawrence has silenced all my fears for season 8 by going over what the show did wrong in these past two years and what it will be doing to be more like season 1 - 3.
Even with its problems, I still liked, sometimes loved watching season 7 of Scrubs. It was a very enjoyable show. The Office became so terrible I got very frustrated. Jim and Pam became incredibly boring and concieted, Michael became someone who I actually could logically assume was mentally retarded, and THE HOUR LONG EPISODES. HOLY CRAP. Not only were they hour longs, they were boring as fuck! They chose plotlines that were actually made worse by the episode being an hour. Horrible, horrible. Even "Goodbye Toby" and "Did I Stutter" weren't enough to save this season for me.
It's Always Sunny in- what? You don't think Sunny was affected by the strike because they went into production after the strike? You'd be wrong there, my friend. The 3 creators write the season THEN film it. It's very different than any other TV show out there. Anyways, it's a lot of work so they need a lot of time. The writer's strike ate months of their writing period up, so this season had a lot more of their hired writers' help and much less episodes written by them. It showed. Though the show was still funny, a lot of it was very forced and the characters became even greater charicatures than before. While this show has never been about the rich character development shit, at a certain point if we can't see these characters as real people, it becomes way less funny. Just my two wooden teeth on the matter.
Thankfully, The Office is back on form this season (the last episode they aired was the best since season 3), only good things have been said about Scrubs season 8 (which should premiere in January, God willing) and the Always Sunny guys have plenty of time to craft another season of masterpieces. Let's never let this happen again, okay writers?
1. Money
I don't care what any druggie/environmental freak (same title, different name) says, this is the greatest green stuff on earth. I hate to be "that guy" and tell his relatives that all he wants is money this year, but it's pretty true this year. I just don't want as much anymore now that I can download any music I want to onli- I mean, what? Also, with enough of this, I would be able to get the below items.
2. Muse - Hullabaloo
My favorite band playing a concert before they became the biggest most awesome band in the world? Sign me up. Featuring only cuts from Origin of Symmetry and Showbiz, this is a no frills fantastic rock show. This DVD also includes loads of bonus features like a documentary on the tour this show was taken from.
3. Tenacious D The Complete Masterworks Volume 2
The newest entry in the Masterworks series by the comedy-rocksauce duo. Includes a documentary that covers the making of the soundtrack and movie The Pick of Destiny (most underappreciated movie ever. saw it twice in theaters), as well as an in-depth look at the supporting tour. Oh yeah, and an entire concert with the most expensive and elaborate "D" stage show ever. This will help make waiting for the next album more bearable.
4. It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia Season 1 - 2
My pick for funniest TV show ever. I've watched the episodes to an alarming degree on my computer and I think it's time to make the jump to officially owning two seasons of what I think is the funniest show on TV at the moment.
5. Scrubs Season Two
This is my current favorite season of the best TV show fucking ever made FUCK. Sorry, I get so excited about Scrubs, it gets hard for me to form rational, coherent sentences. This is the season that perfectly sums up how great the show is. The emotion, the comedy, the character development, the comedy, the musical numbers, oh yeah and the comedy. I would love to place this next to my season 3 & 5 dvds with pride.
6. Tim & Eric Awesome Show Great Job! Season One
This show is amazing, subversive, and hysterical. Although I enjoy season two more, I would love if my mem-mem or pep-pep got me this so I could watch it with my rascal.
7. BKE Cologne
This stuff seriously smells so good. Don't judge me. I got this stuff two years ago and when I wore it the chicks came flocking to me with only one thing on their mind: friendship. But really it smelled amazing and was a very good icebreaker. Would love to get some again this year.
8. Prince - 21 Nights
This book is so fucking nice looking but at the same time I do not desire it enough to actually spend like 30$ on it. Apparently, all it is is Prince prancing about like a fairy and looking pretty for the camera. While I have no problems with this, it doesn't seem like something I would spend my own hard-earned money on. It does come with a live cd, but the tracklisting is very "meh" considering the shows that Prince put on in the Indigo.
[Music:] Three Albums You Need to Hear & My Top 10 Favorite Songwriters
10 comments Posted by Michael Rowland at 3:27 PM
Silverchair - Diorama
A CD with so much emotional depth, you can't help but drown in it. Honest yet over the top, this cd feels like an open letter from Daniel Johns to the listener. He snarls on "One Way Mule", croons on "Across The Night" and stews in depression in the epic drama of "Tuna In The Brine". The orchestral and symphonic embellishments serve only to enhance. Definitely accesible enough for anyone to listen to without compromising artistic vision. I've been listening to this for about two months now. Thanks Rick!
Muse - Origin of Symmetry
Pure unadulterated (space) dementia. This album begins with the paranoia of New Born and ends with the cynical, apocalypticism of Megalomania, a song with a backbeat and horribly morbid organ that feels more like a funeral dirge for the planet Earth than the closing to a rock album. Honestly, the sheer brilliance of every track on here is astounding. The frantic piano, the distorted basslines, the pulsating drums, and of course the hypnotically disturbed guitar riffs. The whole album feels cold and robotic enough to disorient while it screams at you of its humanity. It's enough to overwhelm at times, but if you're willing to take the trip, you will not be disappointed. One of my favorite albums of all time.
Mew - And The Glass Handed Kites
Probably the most confusing but ultimately beautiful album on this list. The album begins in a confused mishmash of guitar and drum hits before the beat finally drops and from there on out, the album flows like a stream of conciousness piece created on the spot. With all the whimsy, fear, and chaos of our own dreams, the whole thing comes to a head with the trance-inducingly haunting "Special", with the most epic and destructively harmonious chorus I've ever heard. Johan sings mostly with a very high head voice and is positively angelic in his delivery. The band creates one recognizable, powerful sound perfectly. Not for everyone and it may take a few listens to "get" this record... but when you get it you'll thank the lucky stars you listened to it. Haven't stopped listening to this since June.
- - -
My Top 10 Favorite Songwriters
1. Prince
2. Matt Bellamy (Muse)
3. David Gilmour (Pink Floyd)
4. James Hetfield/Lars Ulrich (Metallica)
5. Brian Wilson (The Beach Boys)
6. Billy Joel
7. Daniel Gildenlow (Pain of Salvation)
8. Imogen Heap
9. David Bowie
10. Daniel Johns (Silverchair)
Honorable Mentions:
George Harrison (The Beatles)
John Petrucci (Dream Theater)
Okay, I fucking hate the new iTunes. Jesus. It doesn't even let you browse by song name anymore and as if that wasn't enough, it presents artists and albums in a confusing looking collection of their album covers. Just ridiculous.
I am home alone for the weekend and even though I have tons of homework to do I love this. Can't wait to stay up late and have some pizza rolls... and then do some damn homework.
Will have a cool music-based entry coming up tonight.
[TV:]Initial Thoughts on The Office & Always Sunny 11/13/08 (SPOILERS)
3 comments Posted by Michael Rowland at 6:49 PM
Tonight, in what could have been the show's most depressing episode yet, Michael is sent on a business trip to Winnipeg. This is done courtesy of David Wallace in an attempt to make amends with Michael after sending Holly to another branch.
Tonight's episode had 3 plotlines and it handled each one with an amazing amount of tact considering it only had 20 minutes to work with. Seeing Ryan and Kelly back together at the end of the episode is truly hilarious. Also, Oscar and Andy's interactions have led more credibility to my theory that Andy is going to come out this season and that is how Andy and Angela's wedding will be canceled.
But the best scene of the night was a moment that was not based in humor at all. Michael finally emotionally breaks down and stands up to Wallace, saying that the trip sucked and him getting rid of Holly was a really horrible thing to do to him. It was the best scene of the season for me.
Even Jim and Pam were good! They had a nice scene together near the end of the episode that almost made me feel like I used to with them.
I will have to watch this episode again but for now I will give it a solid B. Everything came together at the end and was resolved very nicely.
It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia - The Gang Gets Extreme: Home Makeover Edition
The gang decides that in order to get what they want, they must help others. Unfortunately they go about this the totally wrong way. They attempt to be like the Home Makeover show, but instead end up tormenting a Mexican family that does not speak any English.
It was a hilarious episode. From Dennis and Charlie comparing shorts to Charlie becoming very emotional because someone dared slander Sears- er, the Home Makeover show to the montage of them kidnapping the family.
While it remains to be seen how the musical episode fares? It's nice to see one more classic episode of Sunny before the season draws to a close next week. I'd say this gets a B, too.
I did not draw the above image, although I wish I did.
So poetry classes suck. Who is with me?
I happen to be very interested in poetry and its construction and I would consider myself a "moderate" fan of the stuff. But I swear, the poetry class I am enrolled in can be frustratingly boring sometimes. I really don't care about most of the stuff we learn about and the fact that we learn that no poem is objectively bad while our poetry is being graded- well, it just doesn't add up.
That's not even mentioning all the boring history of poetry stuff we've learned about. It's not all Emily Dickinson and Robert Frost, people. For the most part, poetry is done by people whose stories are about as interesting to listen to as a radio on mute. No disrespect to these poets; I just don't feel like their backstory is half as interesting as their work.
Well, not all poetry is interesting. I'm sure people write poetry with good intentions, hoping to make it personal enough to them while also making it vague enough so that anyone could connect to it. The problem I've found with poetry class is that some of it is TOO VAGUE. I doubt most poetry offers even feel anything when they look back on some of their old poems, ridden with metaphors as if it was a verbal plague.
And that's not the worst part. The worst part is I am actually struggling on the quizzes and tests. I mean, I pass them, but not by a respectable margin. I have to learn tons of terms and also write more than two pages on an essay question that I can barely write a comprehendible paragraph based on.
The poetry class I am taking now HAS definitely improved my writing, that is for sure. It's made me appreciate and enjoy the craft of elegant writing to a much higher degree. But with all the conflicting messages in that class, I never feel good about any of my own poetry unless it is so mind-blowingly personal that I never want it to see the light of day. Also, it has had someone who's gotten a poetry book published come in and speak and that was really fun. Very cool, down to earth guy who wrote some interesting stuff.
And my professor is also very cool and humble. This is no slight on him and I can respect his passion for this form of art. I just wish I didn't find it so laborous and boring. I appreciate the class for helping me with my prose, I really do. I do enjoy reading and writing poems much more now. But the tests and lectures in that class- well, I just can't dig it, daddy-o.
[Deep Shit:] Do I feel any older than I did when I was 16?
0 comments Posted by Michael Rowland at 11:31 AM
The above picture is of me when I was 16. Not only does it serve as a hilarious reminder of my emo pics on myspace, but it makes me remember how my life was when I was that young and idealistic.
Which is the perfect transition into what I'm writing about today. Aaron Isaacs asked me if I felt the same way that I did when I was 16-17 now that I am 19.
My knee-jerk reaction was "no." But then I started wondering: why not? I mean, so much of my life is still the same as it was back then. I still have the same dog, I have the same style of hair, I still live at home, and I still look like I'm in high school (some people say I look 12 years old actually. Makes me feel pretty and young). I mean, what's to say that this new outlook on life wasn't imposed on me by society? We are taught that when you are 18 you become an adult and when you become an adult you are supposed to be a mature. Isn't that just a self-fulfilling prophecy?
Well, maybe for some people. I never TRY to feel older. I still laugh at immature shit and joke around way too much with friends. But over the past year I became so more emotionally stable and intelligent. Before I was insecure, needy, volatile, and just a dick to some of my friends.
This all caught up to me at the end of my last year of high school. After realizing what a gigantic low my senior year had been. I treated people like garbage because I felt like shit because I was fat because I kept eating because I was depressed etc. After my graduation I resolved to treat people better, stop being so emotionally unstable and insecure, and man the fuck up. And I did.
Right now I am the happiest I have ever been. I love myself, my friends, and my life. I do not resent people and treat them badly, I am not short with people, and am obviously more humble since I just wrote a blog entry all about myself.
[Rant:] "Selling Out" is not the worst thing a band can do...
2 comments Posted by Michael Rowland at 3:03 PM
"Phoning it in" is the practice of releasing an album full of uninspired music with songs that are treading over familiar ground. It's what AC/DC's made a career out of. It's at this point that music has become a force of habit to the artist and they have lost any passion for the artform they used to live for. I'd much rather see Muse endorse a Chevrolet in order to pay for studio time then hear a directionless, been-there done that record from them.
And that's one of the two salvageable songs on the record. The next song, Pork & Beans is the single and it is the ultimate anti-anthem for all of society's misfits. While it attempts to identify with the unique, instead it panders, speaking down to them. As Rivers croaks the "uplifting" chorus which speaks of being different and not changing who you are to appease anybody, a sad irony dawns over the song which perfectly explains the problem with current Weezer: In the old days Weezer evoked this message perfectly without even writing about it. Now Rivers screams this at anyone willing to listen and leaves no room for any subtlety or power in their music and lyrics.
"The Red Album" somehow manages to be pompous, overproduced, and pretentious while mantaining a feeling that the people behind the controls, as well as the songwriters themselves, have no idea what they're doing. When they're not ripping themselves off, they're ripping off The Red Hot Chili Peppers and making sappy, emotionless ballads.
[Intro post:] "Hello and welcome to 'Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!'"
3 comments Posted by Michael Rowland at 2:40 AM
And by that I mean, of course, welcome to my new blog which I resolve to keep running for more than a coupla months. And it's not even New Year's Eve yet!
So I went to bed at 10:30 it's almost 5 am. I am continuing my confusing, retarded, but ultimately rewarding sleep pattern.
I don't know why, but I love going to bed and waking up with a couple hours to relax, get ready for school, talk to my mom before she goes to work, and maybe watch some awesome TV episodes.
Wait, of course I know why. That's fucking awesome.
Today at school I am going to seek atonement from Gordy for skipping his class two times in a row. He's a really nice guy so I hope he cuts me some slack but honestly, I understand if he doesn't. Thankfully, I didn't miss much at all and I don't think we had any homework.
Man, sometimes Normandale can be pretty lonely. I have friends there, but no really close friends yet and oftentimes I find myself eating lunch alone. Luckily, I am definitely not alone in that department as most people in that dwarfing cafeteria are eating all by their lonesome.
Yesterday I had dinner with Becca at Perkins(!). I actually didn't expect it to be as fun as it was (mostly because I was super-tired because of my aformentioned sleep schedule) but it was a total blast. I am reminded of why I enjoy hanging out with her so. My mouth hurt from laughing (or maybe from eating so fucking much). God, I have awesome friends.
I need to calm down about my holiday party but I am so excited. x3
I hope I get my check soon.
Before I sign off on this post and get ready for the day (translation: watch an episode of always sunny), I just want to mention how brilliant Tim and Eric of "Tim And Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!" are. Specifically their facial expressions. I don't think any other people make me laugh as much as they do without saying a word.
np: Mew - Special
