By Troy Brownfield
7.07.03
|
If
you listen to one CD by a hot chick this summer...it
shouldn't be this one. And this comes from a long-time
fan. I'd rather listen to the new Jewel disc, or at
least watch the new Jewel video with the sound turned
off. *sigh* Where's Chuck
Marten when you need them?
|
What
I'm Up To...
Seems
like people are always asking me what I'm up to. Fair question.
Since you asked...
What
I'm Listening To: Despite some negative reviews, I went
ahead and picked up the new Liz Phair disc based on the strength
of the first three. As you may have guessed, I'm actually
NOT listening to it now. What I have listened to lately is
the boys of Samsell,
who managed to secure a spot in the Finals in Indianapolis's
HUGE Battle of the Bands. I know lots of people run down Battles
as popularity contests, but as a I noted in a previous installment,
Indy's BOB is different.
So now,
the boys go on to face several other bands. I invite you to
check out the Brit-inflected indie rock style of the band
yourself via the link.
In terms
of national acts, I'm digging the Velvet Revolver single,
Me First and the Gimme Gimmes (whose new disc has it out on
the Jackson 5, Prince and Lionel Richie, among others), and
Guided By Voices (who are touring again).
What
I'm Reading: Just finished two books by two terrific craftspersons.
Firstly, I read Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix.
J.K. Rowling must be commended on her willingness to not just
age, but mature her characters. Harry is fairly surly for
most of the book, displaying a believable sensability for
a powerful teen who is being kept in the dark. At points I
was reminded of the journey of Anakin Skywalker, if it weren't
for the fact that Anakin Skywalker gets terrible dialogue.
The series continues to be a tremendous achievement as Rowling
continues to establish herself as a newer Roald Dahl.
The other
"new" one I read was the reissue of Stephen King's
first "Dark Tower" novel, The Gunslinger.
Newly revised with some added material and some editorial
streamlining by the author himself, DT1 sets up the
mammoth series. You'd have to be a complete lunkhead not to
know that every novel of King's turns about the Tower. Over
the years, he's drawn the net tighter, with Tower elements
creeping into Eyes of the Dragon, Insomnia,
Hearts in Atlantis and The Black House. Now,
he's finally on the verge of completing the whole shooting
match. Part Five, Wolves of the Calla, drops in November,
to be followed in 2004 by Part Six, The Song of Susannah,
and Part Seven, The Dark Tower. We should be past the
point where King is derided by critics. The man is a powerful
storyteller who has penned at least half a dozen outright
horror classics. If you're someone who is turned off by word
of mouth or his popularity, try it yourself. If you're already
a fan, then you know.
What
I'm Watching:
Saw Finding Nemo and The Hulk recently. Enjoyed
them both. Nemo is another triumph for Pixar, and it's
already blasted past $240 million at the Box Office. The
Hulk held its massive drop-off; no doubt the people who
just wanted action went to T3. I'm sure I'll be seeing
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen soon, and scratching
my head at the unnecessary additions of Dorian Gray and Tom
Sawyer.
As for
television, I've tried to watch some WWE lately, and while
the product isn't as bad as in recent months, it's not very
exciting. RVD vs. HHH of a week ago was a GREAT match with
huge crowd involvement, but that's the rare rather than the
norm these days. I recall a match between Steve Blackman and
Ken Shamrock from a few years back that had people going apeshit;
why can't they do that with huge stars? Also, Hogan's left
again, which throws a major storyline on Smackdown for a loop.
Yeesh. At least some of the younger guys are getting play,
and Ultimo Dragon has returned.
I tried
watching a little bit of the new "Real World", and
it just hurts my head. The first few were fun because you
actually got to see people pursuing THEIR aspirations. Now
it's all packaged. They work in a casino or for a travel place
or in a strip club (wait; that'll be next year) and the whole
element that made the first couple interesting is sucked out.
You could argue that "Real World" actually spawned
the whole reality thing, which has only produced two bona
fide gems: "Survivor" and "The Amazing Race".
Compared to the landslide of crap that is that genre, we should
be lucky that we've gotten that much.
And for
the record, I know I didn't include American Idol in
the gems. Why? Because I hate the style of singing and music
that's promoted therein. Same for Making the Band.
You want to know a GREAT reality music show? VH-1s Bands
of the Run. It had bands playing orignal music, arguing,
drinking, screwing, and actually fighting. As someone who
has had more than a little interaction with music scenes,
I found it fascinating. Strangely, America would rather see
a fat guy and a skinny guy sing the same song in front of
a skinny guy, a fat guy, and a chick who vacilates between
fat and skinny and sang with cartoon rapping cats. I can't
be the only one who thinks that's wrong.
What
I'm Doing:
I'm working on a new piece for Newtype USA. I'm working on
a new piece for Nuvo. I'm managing Samsell. I'm working on
the site. I'm cleaning the house. I'm considering options.
You know, the usual.
What's
Next?: I'm
going to try an interesting writing project on the site soon.
It'll be a literal marathon of reviews. If it doesn't kill
me, you can see how it works out. Talk to you soon...
Troy Brownfield is the Editor-in-Chief of Shotgun Reviews.
Email Troy at psikotyk@aol.com
|
