Your "Blog THIS, Pal!" Motivational Moment

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September's Record You Should Own

Recently, I was e-mailed by my old high school with an interesting fund raising idea - for only $4,000, I could see the Rolling Stones from a private box in Soldier Field.

It's funny, but that frames this month's "Record You Should Own" - initially released in 1971, at the height of their creative powers, Hot Rocks is more than just a glorified greatest hits collection - it shows the precise reasons why the Stones once earned the title "World's Greatest Rock Band"....and how quickly they squandered it.

Never mind the early, blues-y tracks, or even "Satisfaction", "Brown Sugar", "Gimme Shelter" - tracks which any one hit wonder band might have written. Sonically, their mid-60s material zips with an instrumental tone between the pure pop of the Beatles, but without the R & B raucousness of the Who. Yes, Brian Jones may have spent more time playing exotic instruments than the guitar, but let's face facts - he helped shape the band's sound at a critical time. Let's face it - what band could get away with combining a sitar and polka rhythms in the same song? ("Paint it Black"). Gospel, country, blues, even a near psychedlic twang at points - the Stones had to build their reputation on something. These songs are those building blocks.

Plus, Jagger and Richards were (in this blogger's opinion) at their songwriting peak - their songs intricately tackle some then-touchy subjects, including suburban malaise ("Mother's Little Helper"), mental fragility ("19th Nervous Breakdown"), sex ("Under My Thumb", "Let's Spend the Night Together"), and even the urge to get away from it all ("Get Off Of My Cloud", or "the song they played at every high school dance when I was in high school").

So listen to Lefty Brown's # 8 Musical Guru - you can't go wrong with the Stones at the prime. Get this record. Now.

Burn THIS, Pal! CD: Director's Commentary

For those of you who chose to join in the fun in our first "official" CD exchange, here's a treat - the popular director's commentary for the disc. It's a noir-ish mix of tunes entitled "Mad, Bad, and Dangerous to Know" - consider it a soundtrack for the coolest crime film ever made.

(Please note - I have a new CD burner. If your CD is out of whack, please let me know, and I'll send a new one)

Heart of Darkness - Pere Ubu: I was tempted to conclude the disc with "Final Solution"; however, it was a bit too bleak. Even "My Dark Ages" might have been a great opener, but the dual tracked voices in the beginning, singing "Maybe you can see further than I can see/maybe you can see things differently just hit the right tone.

Run Through the Jungle - Creedence Clearwater Revival: Yes, it's the same riff as Fogerty's "Old Man Down the Road", but that opening sets the tone - you could almost see the title credits run past...

Scooby Snacks - Fun Lovin' Criminals: A few well-placed Tarantino sound bites, and a slightly Wire-ish guitar riff make this a pretty cool listen.

Bad Girl - New York Dolls: Any song with the lyrics that begin, "A new bad girl/Moved into my block/I gave her my key/I said don't bother too knock" simply screams femme fatale. Plus, Thunders' guitar rules.

Psycho - Sonics: A little bit of old-school Pacific Northwest garage rock that was very well used in this movie. Trust me on this. Plus, doesn't love drive everyone a little psycho?

Somebody Got Murdered - the Clash: Maybe a little too obvious, but it is a little mini-movie in and of itself. A slight shift in tone, but moves the concept further.

Johnny Was A Good Boy - Mystery Trend: An entry from the Nuggets compilation, this is one of those songs that should have been covered at some point in the '90s. Enjoy.

53rd and 3rd - Ramones: A quick little number about scoring heroin, male prostitution, and murder. Great couplet: "Then I took out my razor blade/Then I did what God forbade"

(Is this disc starting to sound a little depressing, or is it just me?)

DQ Blizzard - mc chris: Every crime drama has at least one night club scene; consider this one of those scenes. This song hits you like a body slam and doesn't stop.

Hash Pipe - Weezer: Best use of the Peter Gunn riff.

Before They Make Me Run - Rolling Stones: Off the Some Girls album, it's the almost stereotypical Keith song: "guns and pills" feature prominently. It has a defiance about it, and helps clean the palate for more.

Sometimes Good Guys Don't Wear White - Standells: Although mostly about class, I sometimes wonder what would have happened if Johnny Cash covered this song. Trust me, it's that good, and would fit his style.

Der Komissar - After the Fire: I like this version over Falco's version, and here comes the law - part of every noir-ish film.

Dream Police - Cheap Trick: Because it's my disc, my rules. So there.

Shot by Both Sides - Magazine: I love the riff (later reused in a Buzzcocks song), and the lyrics concern a person who's going to "worm my way to the heart of the crowd" and discusses how "they must have come/to a secret understanding." If that's not the heart of noir, I don't know what is.

Chinese Burn - Curve: a little techno number which helps break up the styles. Plus, it's like having another nightclub scene. Or even a chase scene.

Sleepwalk - Santo & Johnny: originally, I was going to have this track end it - it's a simple instrumental that's been overused. However, listen closely, and you'll honestly believe the guitar is crying.

Big Shot - Earl: Saw this band a few years ago with a pal. Love this song to death. A rockin' little country number that has a backbeat that can hammer nails into wood.

Brisbane (Security City) - Saints: A little Aussie punk is good for you. Plus, the way that guitar just snakes in and out, just creates a total mood.

Slip Away - Clarence Carter: One of the best we-shouldn't-be-doing-this songs ever written. Plus, just listen to that backbeat.

For What It's Worth - Buffalo Springfield: A calm, almost stately expression of urban turmoil. Although it's played to death on oldies stations, it has a subtle beauty and danger at the same time.

Night Rally - Elvis Costello & the Attractions: The closing song to the British edition of This Year's Model, it's an abruptly closing song that helps bring the disc to a close. Most bone chilling line, in more ways than one, "It's just the sort of catchy little melody to get you/Singing in the showers."

Down in the Tube Station At Midnight - The Jam: We end on a song about a man caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. Almost Springsteen-ish in its tone, it's a sharply written tune, and Raymond Chandler couldn't have expressed the antagonists better as people who "smelt of pubs/And Wormwood Scrubs/and too many right-wing meetings."

Their Greatest Adventure

It began in high school, when I was reading the Wolfman/Perez run on New Teen Titans. Gar Logan, aka Changeling, aka "the jerk with a heart of gold", was on a quest to "avenge" the death of his former teammates. Within months, DC released one of their dollar reprint digests, and I was hooked. Having just reviewed all five archive editions - and at risk of getting publicly stoned - I want to offer the following:

DC needs to do a Showcase edition of the Doom Patrol. Immediately.

Well, they'll probably do so in light of news of a potential film project, and the inevitable comparisons with X-Men will arise, but make no doubt - the Doom Patrol is probably one of the few Silver Age comics with a slight indie sensibility.

Much of it has to do with the writing - at a time when DC was camp, and Marvel was angsty, Arnold Drake smashed the two together - the early adventures (created for a dying anthology entitled My Greatest Adventure) have a slight moodiness to them, but eventually it got displaced by a slightly loopy sense of humor. Wisecracking, feuding between members, and flat-out surrealistic humor - this is a comic unlike no other. Drake seemed to have a damn-the-torpedos-full-steam-ahead attitude: when the comic was ending, Drake chose to break the fourth wall and show the DP giving their lives, and urging readers to vote to bring them back....which didn't happen for a long time. It's a knowing, not-quite-camp-but-not-quite serious sensibility, shared by only one other then-contemporary pop culture artifact, in my opinoin.

Even his handling of storylines had a certain loopy charm - for example, the irony of a "famous actress" (Rita Farr, aka "Elasti-Girl") being known as a "fabulous freak." The Chief is confined to a wheelchair, Negative Man wears special bandages, Robotman is a brain in a metal body, and Rita's only "freakishness" - she can grow or shrink. When Steve Dayton, aka "Mento" (neither the Jamaican musical style nor the freshmaker!) decides to "woo" Rita away, he's shown as being, well, an arrogant jerk with a crappy Jay Garrick-lite helmet. Rita doesn't just shrug off Mento's personality and instantly fall in love with him - there's a give and take, where she attempts to balance her desire for a relationship with her desire to stay in the Doom Patrol. In the mid-60's, seeing a woman trying to balance relationships and career....probably was not as prevalent. Yes, she's treated with a slight patronizing attitude (after all, a male was writing her), but such thinking about women seemed....unusual. And was trailblazing at the same time. Yes, she eventually married Mento, and began one of the first "extended families" in comics.

(This is also what made John Byrne's revamp such an abomination - denying that those stories took place and essentially starting from scratch was an insult to the characters, to the concept. Thankfully, his version didn't last too long. I liked what Johns did recently in Teen Titans - made the DP kind of creepy - but seemed to lose the loopy humor. Except, of course, for Mento's (the freshmaker!) threat to the Chief that, if he ever disrespected his family, Mento would "reduce [the Chief's] IQ to that of a chimp's".)

Two other aspects of the book insured that it would be an interesting ride - the first is the art of perenially undersung Bruno Premiani. Just thinking about seeing his art in black and white makes my fanboy heart beat a little faster. It's a very clean style, but on the early stories, there's a slight noir-ish moodiness to it. Even as the stories got loopier, there's still an expressiveness to Premiani's art - why he never got full accolades, we'll never know. He got robbed, ladies and gentlemen.

The final one - Drake chose to integrate some unusual concepts which, if you read the original stories in context of Greg's analysis, provided some great material for Grant Morrison's run on the title. Larry Trainor and "Negative Man" arguing, Robotman going into a rampage when he finds out his condition, even the Chief as manipulator...all first suggested by Drake in his storylines. Even Gar Logan, when first presented, isn't seen as the "jerk with a heart of gold", more as "mouthy jerk who is hard to like." (Eventually, we learn that Rita and Mento "adopt" Gar as a son).

Right now, in the midst of mega-crossovers and badly-written continuity-driven titles, we need a nice, little corner of the superhero universe for a group of misfits. For forty years, these characters have toiled in relative obscurity, being dusted off for various revivals, some more successful than others...but what we need now is a team whose adventures don't follow formula, but gently push against the boundaries...and can provide a welcome breath of fresh air.

And that could be the Doom Patrol's greatest adventure.

Meme's A-Poppin'

Taking today off for some well deserved rest and relaxation - here's a little something something borrowed from Polite Scott

Straight Down the Line

Yeah, I've been busy at work, so there's been no blogging. Sorry. Here's a little post about a film that does for noir what Will Eisner's Spirit did for comics - create some rules and guidelines, and created a moody, dark atmosphere, but best of all - it did it well, and nobody has even come close. Nobody.

Double Indemnity is a film with so many levels of cool, it's hard to know where to begin. It was Billy Wilder's third film, and contains much of the cynical, hard edged humor that would be found in later films like Stalag 13 and Sunset Boulevard. It was co-written by Raymond Chandler, who wrote the kind of snappy, sparkling dialogue that very few can imitate, much less duplicate, and gave the script an extra shine.

But what's especially remarkable about this film - that many noir films have often missed - is that it involves two amoral characters. Sure, we have Barbara Stanwyck as a woman who wishes to get rid of her husband, looking as stylish and evil as someone can be...but Fred McMurray shines as an amoral insurance salesman who essentially goes for the money and the woman...and gets neither in the end.

That's right - Fred MacMurray plays a villian. A guy whose career started with light comedy...and ended with My Three Sons. Why he never went further with this part of his career is a mystery...of course, he had reservations about the film. Stanwyck did as well. But MacMurray plays a guy who doesn't quite struggle with his conscience (as many noir heroes tend to do) when it comes to getting involved with Stanwyck's character...and Stanwyck's character isn't a one-note femme fatale; it took a second viewing for me to see a critical plot twist. But the show stealer has to be...Edward G. Robinson. Playing an insurance investigator with a "little man" urging him on, he's not a hotshot cop out for vengeance, nor a Columbo-ish investigator...just a guy trying to put two and two together, who knows his job, and who just wants things to fit.

And yes, believe it or not, there was a lame made-for-television remake in the 1970s - it's disc two of this set. Something Old, Nothing New (a blog you should be reading) invites you to compare for yourself.

Still to come on this blog: the "Burn THIS, Pal!" CD Director's commentary; a love letter to Mitchell Hundred; Doom Patrol goodness; September's Record You Should Own; and more cheap cracks about fellow bloggers. Enjoy!

Jamming Econo

To be honest, the Minutemen were a band I should have checked out "back in the day." They were always described in the same tones as Husker Du and The Replacements - guys who were taking music to a greater level. Of course, the former two bands had what I liked - music that was a few decibels below heavy metal and several IQ points above it. The Minutemen, however, seemed to be an anomaly - short songs, politically charged lyrics - not my cup of tea.

I would like to thank the producers of We Jam Econo for showing me the error of my ways. Culled from hours of home video, and done on a near-shoestring budget, this is one of the sharpest documentaries made about a band. The story may seem familiar, but the presentation is fresh in how it cuts from vintage footage to testimonials to present-day band members. It's a story that ends in tragedy, but there's a hard-working, no-nonsense spirit to the movie that's refreshing. As one of the band's lyrics pronounced, "this band could be your life."

(Luckily, this is a two-disc set, with disc one being the documentary - disc two contains several live concerts. Your mind will be blown - the band moves from neo-hardcore to a heady mix of other musical styles. It's also a great compliment to testimonials about the band's live power)

But again, thanks to this film, at the very least, I'll have to head out and purchase their masterpiece.

Make With the Linky

First, one more day to sign up for the CD Exchange - so please feel free to shoot me that e-mail.

As many of you are aware, there is a certain blogger who asked another blogger to "cease and desist" from linking to him. Several in the blogosphere have spun their version of it, and Blog THIS, Pal! is no exception.

My linking policy is this - do it. Please. As frequently and as often as you'd like. I don't care.

Hey, link to a post that you like - we could use the readership, which consists of these five fine young gentlemen and, according to rumor, Peter Falk. Link to a post that you disagree with, and call us out because you disagree. Let's face it, we could use the controversy, especially since I have a tendency to say things like, "Greg Land is a great artist".

Actually, I would never say anything like that about that talentless hack, er, I mean, "comics artist."

Those of us who have blogs, we do it for the attention. We want people to read. So please, no shrinking violets here - if you want to link, do it. We don't mind. Honest.

EDIT - Forgot to mention Eddie as a reader, especially since I overlooked him for Mr. Wears-a-Hairpiece-In-An-Awkward-Place. My sincere apologies to Eddie.

I'm So Honored

Why gosh golly jeepers, there's a hurricane named after me. Isn't that sweet?

Also, don't forget the disc exchange (if you're interested, e-mail me by Friday)...and one more thing that's distracting Patricia:

What's Distracting Patricia

Well, first, she's thinking about what she's going to burn in the "Burn THIS, Pal!" Disc Exchange - so why not e-mail me by Friday and join in the fun?

Other things she's distracted by:

Greg discussing very deep issues.

Lifehacker's introduction to traditional wetshaving.

Andy reminding us of the simpler things in life.

Harlan Ellison's ego run amok, turning him from cool writer to, well, cranky old coot.

The strange thoughts of Lefty Brown.

The true face of the Antichrist.

Places where you can get free e-books.

Dorian's guide to message boards.

How Redhead Fangirl will respond to this news.

But ultimately, as per Dave's meme, what's really distracting Patricia....



The man, the myth, the legend....Mike "Cheater Pants" Sterling

Nah, Today's Nothin' Special....

In all honesty, I had said what I can say about today in this post - my only follow-up comment: this past weekend, a pal and I were enjoying coffee, watching women and shooting the breeze. He asked me if I had heard the conspiracy theories that our government was behind the 9/11 attacks, and my response was, "I don't think our president's smart enough to pull something off like that."

Ok, so while you're laughing that off (and for more positive experiences), please feel free to decide how you're going to celebrate Star Trek's 40th birthday.

Also, a brief note - because this week's going to be busy for me work wise, I'm extending the deadline for signing up for the "Burn THIS, Pal!" CD exchange to Friday, September 15th. Now's the time to get in, folks.

Remix, Remodel, Remaster

Sometimes, it's hard to be a fanboy.

Take the whole issue about the "newly remastered Star Trek" - between that and fan films, you would think that other Trekkers/Trekkies would be happy, but noooooooo, in the words of John Belushi. People are chiming in, stating that redoing the special effects, remastering the film in high definition, and redoing the music somehow "denigrates the integrity" of Trek.

Well, redoing music and effects hasn't hurt Doctor Who DVD sales any, that's for sure. In fact, the only thing I see compromising the integrity of Trek is Ain't It Cool News stealing the footage from the official Trek site, stamping its logo on it, and claiming it as an exclusive. I should try that with, oh, I don't know, posts from someone else's blog, and see how far it gets me.

Uh-huh, didn't think so.

Anyway, I'm starting to feel like my fellow blogging brethren - some of us need some serious chill time. Take a breath, have a mental margarita, and realize that some things are just not worth it. (For the record, never cared for Transformers. My godson's father loves them. We get along easily. It's that simple). Quite simply - nobody expected these things to last forever, so why not give them a polish, and let the chips fall where they may. It's not important who shot first (whether it was Greedo, Han Solo, or Artemus Gordon) - all that matters is that, no matter what version you like, you'll end up spending the money for it anyway.

So, while you're contemplating that, why not consider...oh, I don't know, participating in a cd exchange? You'll thank me later.

Announcing the "Burn THIS, Pal!" CD Exchange!

You know, I was looking for a way to increase blog traffic, use my new CD/DVD burner/reader, and - of course - avoid paying real money for CDs. So, in the spirit of the unflappable Lefty Brown, I am announcing the first ever "Burn THIS, Pal!" CD exchange, where you - the blog reader - gets a chance to learn more about some cool music.

However, there's a catch - your discs have to have a "Law and Order" theme. That's right - you can focus on songs that describe law, order, and righteousness, or you can select songs that deal with criminals, crime, lowlifes, or even cheater pants. (Thanks, Lefty, for the theme idea)It's a great way to learn the inner workings of the mind of your fellow bloggers, get some great tunes, and maybe...oh, I don't know, shake your groove thang.

Participating is easy:

• Send me an e-mail with "Burn THIS Pal Exchange" in the subject line - the address is blogthispal (at) gmail (dot) com (Only replace the "at" and "dot" with appropriate symbols) - and include your mailing address
• On September 12th, I'll collect all of the addresses, and e-mail everyone who participates with a list
• Burn your discs, and have them in the mail no later than September 20th
• Additional - anyone using any cover of either "I Fought The Law" and/or "I Shot the Sheriff" will be publicly humiliated. Come on, there are tons of cool songs out there. Be creative, fer cryin' out loud.

And with the discs, your only limit is your imagination - and if you've always been curious about your fellow bloggers, jump right in - you'll be glad you did.

Putting Things in Perspective

First, as things settle down, I'll be back to regular blogging - watch this space for some news.

However, I'm posting this because I recently read on Gail Simone's blog that Lea Hernandez's house caught on fire. I'm asking that, if you read this blog, you please head on over to Ms. Simone's and click on the Pay Pal link. I plan to do it, my dad would do it, and more importantly - Jack Klugman would do it. (And please feel free to pass this news around - the blogosphere isn't full of geeks, you know).

And, like many others on the blogosphere (most notably Roar of Comics and Bloggity-Blog-Blog), I am using the Official Seal Creator (found here on Lifehacker). So, ladies and gentlemen, your Zen moment of bureaucracy:

Thanks For Everything

First, a public thanks for those who (publicly and privately) expressed their condolences for the death of my father. It's going to be a little rough for awhile - however, I know that between my friends, colleagues, and other dear ones, it's going to be OK. I have a ton of catch-up to do at work; however, things will go well.

I'll have to return in October - probably Columbus Day weekend - but I plan to make a road trip rather than fly. I could use the down time, and plus, it's been awhile since I've driven extended distances anywhere that aren't work related.

So, while I'm drinking out of a mug my father received from a government agency, and will watch his favorite detective, I thought it best to acknowledge Labor Day with a cover from a "Record You Should Own" by a band my father didn't like.

Trust me - it's appropriate.

Catching My Breath

The call came Monday morning - Mom called me on my cell phone at work, prefacing her statement by saying, "Are you driving?"

No - then Mom told me Dad passed away. My social worker looked at me and mouthed, "Is Dad gone?"

"He's gone" I silently mouthed back as Mom spoke.

It was then a blur - calling my supervisor and asking him for time off; contacting my uncle (my father's youngest brother) to inform him as only a super-macho guy like me could. Amending my Labor Day plane tickets to come and leave earlier. (I had planned to spend close to a week upon hearing of my dad's death; however, I realized that I would go insane after a certain point, so I amended it to give myself a day off to recover). Finishing off projects, packing like a madman, making arrangements for the cat....and getting to Chicago was non-stop, the only break occurring when my toiletries were confiscated for security reasons. (Yes, I know, I'm dangerous with shaving cream). As the plane laned and I went to retrieve my bag, I met my cousin at Midway Airport, selecting Dad's clothes, finalizing financial arrangements.

It wasn't until 1:45 pm yesterday - when Mom and I first saw Dad, laying in his casket - that we both broke down and cried.

Wakes and funerals are always tough, but especially so when it's a direct parent. Several people throughout the course of the evening kept asking me when I would "move back to Chicago...your mom needs you." I fought the urge, despite my better wishes, to yell at them, "Back off, I've just lost my father - give me some frickin' room and leave me the hell alone."

Or words to that effect.

Today's the funeral, and I've had to find solace in small measures - Joy Division's Closer (some read it as a suicide note; I see it as gradual acceptance of a tough situation); the "Father's Day" episode of Doctor Who (which I had to tell my cousin to let me watch, because he insisted on having a conversation).

I'm a little frazzled, but OK. Lots to do, a possible decision to make...but things will work out. They always do.