got a kick out of this clip...

chinese democracy

"We were in the jungle, there were too many of us, we had access to too much money, too much equipment, and little by little we went insane." - Francis Ford Coppola.

This was Francis Ford Coppola talking about making Apocalypse Now. This could have just as easily come from Axl Rose when talking about Chinese Democracy. An album so long delayed and anticipated that it has become legendary. And now that the wait is over the only question to ask is "was it worth the wait". The simple answer is yes. This is a very balls out rock record. The songs are catchy and it's good to hear Axl's trademark voice. On the other hand the album is over produced and disjointed. The disjointed is easy to understand. He's worked over a decade on this list with enough musicians to populate a small country. Added to that Axl's own cultural sequestering it is no surprise there are times where he disappears up his own ass. As far as the overproduction... I don't mind when bands like Muse or My Chemical Romance does it, so why was it off putting on this album? Axl doesn't need all the bells and whistles . Appetite For Destruction was as straight ahead as records get. it was bare bones, hit you in the teeth and remains one of the best rock albums of all time. I'd like to hear what Axl could come up with if he didn't feel he had to hide behind all this musical clutter. Luckily though, the songs shine through that clutter and Chinese Democracy is an energizing album.

brilliant monologue

From Spike Lee's 25th Hour

if all goes wrong

Billy Corgan. Billy, Billy, Billy. What are we going to do with you? You reform your band (with new members)and get people all excited. You play residencies in San Francisco and North Carolina. But then play no old material. And then you bitch and moan about how nobody understands you and how fans should be willing and eager to hear your progression as an artists. Then you make a documentary all about an artist trying to stay relevant in today's world. You know what? You were relevant as an artist back in the 90s because you wrote songs that connected with the moment in popular culture. Sure culture changes, and to stay relevant is to keep giving those fans what they connected with in the first place. Give them the classics and they will accept the new.

wise up

I know that a lot of people found this scene cheesy, but I loved it. And I loved this movie...

torchwood

It's a shame American TV can't get away with some of the things the Brits can. Then more of our shows would be as good as Torchwood. The pansexuality of the characters just wouldn't fly on network tv here. And it's not like it has that much effect on the story lines... Beyond that. The writing is solid and dramatic. It seems like there are mini apocalypses in every episode that will probably make at least someone watching the show cry. I have a suspicion that there are people who watch this show that normally hate sci-fi..

the high places

The two things I've been listening to lately are Johnny Cash and cds of radio transmissions form Thailand. So, in a way, world music has been spending a lot of time on my ipod recently. Then I put the High Places cd in my computer.. A tantalizing mix of dreamy ethereal crooning and layered world rhythms. Sure this is all the rage right now among the hipster elite, but don't let that scare you away..

i miss

The smashing pumpkins when they were this good...

rip

Michael Crichton. He never got that much respect as a writer, but I did learn a lot from reading him. He was one of the few republicans i respect. I'll actually miss his "airport bookstore" novels...

who watches the watchmen?

It pays to be on DC Comics mailing list. Today in the mail I received the new hardcover edition of Watchmen. This is really a landmark in literature. Along with Frank Miller's Dark Knight Returns and Art Spiegelman's Maus, Watchmen forced evolution on the entire medium. Sequential storytelling was no longer kids stuff. It was literature. Although the story takes place in the 80s and deals with a lot of cold war issues it has remained pretty timeless. I'm often asked "what graphic novel would recommend to someone who doesn't read comics?" My answer is always "Watchmen". This is the dark, seething underbelly of the human condition dealt to the reader with enough pathos and gravitas to make them forget they are reading about superheroes. This stuff too mean and cynical for you? There's always Archie. Or John Grisham. Trust me. This is every bit as dense and complex as Russian literature.