I haven't really discussed any sort of politics on here. There's a reason for that though. My entire idea here is laughter and somewhat of a means of catharsis for me. I skirt around the idea of talking about politics, policy, and Washington here because it's a touchy subject and I feel I'm not equipped to write about it without horrendously offending people into never coming back here, and frankly I don't have enough notoriety to let that happen.
I think that so far I've been pretty ambiguous as to what my political affiliation is, but let it be known that officially I label myself as an independent with liberal leanings, which to the rest of the world would equal democrat. I never come out and say democrat because I feel that would pigeon hole me into one party. Even though I strongly disagree with the republican party ninety percent of the time, there's still that ten percent where I do swing to the right, thus I am not a devout democrat and therefore label myself independent.
I am extremely liberal though. Chances are when I finally decide to register to vote I'll be registering as a democrat, and if that's the case, what the hell am I saying? I must have party commitment problems. I need a like party/member marriage consoling or something. Where's Dr. Phil for that huh?
Shit, sorry, I digress.
On this note of political affiliation, I support Barock Obama. Had I been able to vote in last year's election it would've been for him. Sadly, I didn't turn 18 until May of 2009, so that was one vote he didn't get (not that he needed it).
I've agreed with everything he's done in office so far. I do believe he will be the one to guide us out of the recession, and well as improve living quality for everyone, and aid in the restoration of our environment. He was the perfect choice for the country to remodel itself in the eyes of the world post-Bush so every other country doesn't think we're this fat, impotent, fear obsessed, culturally vapid, terror-mongering, Muslim-hating statehood of idiots.
But with this he's crazy.
The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act goes into effect today. The law now gives the FDA the power to regulate the tobacco industry. The FDA is setting out to, at least in their mind make it so no one but the scum of society smokes cigarettes. The first actions under the new law is to make warning labels cover fifty percent of a tobacco package, completely end advertising of tobacco to minors, and regulate what is in a tobacco product, which effective today, means no more "flavored" cigarettes, including clove cigarettes.
Remember that whole 'I'm a democrat blah blah' speech I gave earlier? This is that ten percent of the time where I'm right winged. I believe this is the government exercising too much control regulating how Americans live their lives.
The law's goal seems to be keeping tobacco out of the hands of young people. I'm all for that. Kids shouldn't smoke, hell, no one should smoke really.
Just we do anyway.
Why we do is a tricky subject. Either because it relaxes us, makes us look awesome, or the people who smoke strictly because it's bad, as well as a variety of other reasons.
Overall the people who do smoke do it because it makes them happy. Remember the Declaration of Independence proclaimed that our God-given unalienable rights are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness? This is happiness for some people. I doubt someone would smoke for any other reason besides the fact that it makes them happy. There would be no point in jumping through these the back-asswards hoops and stigmas American society has set up for smokers to do it unless it made them happy.
Abolishing advertising to minors seems a little redundant to me. Cigarette companies don't advertise to kids. Cigarette companies hardly have a place to advertise in the first place. You don't see cigarettes on television, in commercials, movies, videogames, internet ads, children's books, or in most major magazines. That happened almost twenty years ago when I was a kid. We all joked about how there was a joint funeral for the Malboro Man and Joe Camel remember? I haven't seen an ad for cigarettes in a magazine other than Playboy (and what minor is allowed to read that?), and no one smokes in movies since John McClane. There is no more cigarette advertising to begin with, so why bother with this in the law? There is no purpose, it's just there to drill in a fact.
I have had a problem with how the United States government handles smoking with minors forever now. I think I have perfect reason to complain, as I am a product of that system and the kids I've grown up with are the results of it just like me. I've seen where it works and where it fails, and its success isn't enough to make up for the failures.
At the age of six American children are exposed to the Drug Abuse Resistance and Education, or DARE. Our young minds get bombarded with anti-drug-smoking-drinking facts and propaganda through merchandising and classroom lectures. Police officers come into the classroom and tell kids that smoking a single cigarette will eventually kill you and rape your mother. They make first graders afraid and scared in order to coerce them into making drug-free pledges so they can report the program works.
DARE has a constant presence in elementary schools until the sixth grade. From here the program is dropped completely and we're left on our own. No further education, just you, your friends, that fucking DARE pencil that never sharpened evenly, and a bullshit drug-free oath you took in first grade. You end up becoming so sickened and annoyed with everything you've been told that you decide to pick up a cigarette and see what the hype was all about. You smoke it, your friends smoke it, and there, now you're a regular smoker, the pariah of health and every single hour of DARE education is thrown out the window.
Maybe a reform in education is in order instead of blaming it on the tobacco industry and everything else under the sun. Maybe the reason we teach DARE to from first to fifth grade is because those kids are more malleable and more easily influenced than older kids. They're easier to get an immediate response from so we can claim the program works. Younger children don't question and won't question things older ones will, so it makes life a whole lot easier to teach when it's a second grader who picks his nose and rubs it on the carpet, rather than the seventh grader who may ask you the horribly difficult yet important question of 'what the immediate effects of smoking will do to me'. Kids who start smoking, at least in my experience have done it for one of two reasons; One, they get sick of the spin that is consistently put on smoking and decide to use their developing minds to try it for themselves, or two, they see older kids smoking, and at a time (sixth, seventh, up to high school) where an adolescent friends become more than just ones in their grade, but become more immersed in other age groups and people, they decide to try it too.
An educational reform wouldn't hurt new generations of kids. Bump up the drugs are bad speech for a few years instead of killing it when kids arguably need to hear it the most. Let first graders be first graders and not worry about shit that doesn't concern them yet. Let them bathe in their own ignorance and innocence for once. That way by the time children are actually confronted with the choice of smoking, they'll be taught the education and won't be sick of it, and therefor, won't decide to reject it. You could save many more potential smokers, drug users, and drinkers that way if you utilized DARE in those years where they would be the most effective.
Of course, some kids are going to smoke anyway because it all goes back to the liberty of being able to do it, and the endless pursuit of happiness.
This all sounds like babble from a voracious smoker doesn't it? Truth be told I do smoke, but not a lot. Hell, I probably smoke less than the president does. I chose not to smoke until earlier this year. It wasn't to look cool, or to do something that was bad or anything, it was simply because I enjoyed it. I lived 18 years of my life under not smoking and realized I should try it before I condemn it. I don't smoke cigarettes though. I prefer pipe tobacco. I smoke a wood pipe as well as Black & Milds about four times a week, typically on the weekends. I'm not a heavy smoker, or even a pro-smoker. I'm simply pro-happiness, which is what this boils down to in my mind.
This pretty much started off as a eulogy to the clove cigarettes I'm going to miss so much. Why the FDA chose to ban cloves is a different story for a different day though.
I wasn't funny tonight. I was just pissed. This probably isn't me at my best, but again, this is catharsis.
Quote Dr. Denis Leary, "This is your captain speaking, um, light 'em up! Because we're going down."
Monday, September 21, 2009
Friday, September 18, 2009
Supergroups
I had so many jumping points in my head earlier. I had everything musical on my mind. I wanted to do something either about genres, music formats, or Kanye West, which by now is so played out who the hell would want to listen to my take on that. On top of that, it's late and I feel like taking the easy way out.
So tonight I bitch about supergroups in music.
There's really nothing I hate more than a supergroup. I always found them to be nothing but an easy way to capitalize off multiple band's fame in order to fuck over a wider spectrum of fans with generally the same shit they play in their original bands. You would think that if four or five genius minds from various bands collaborated they would...you know...try something new right? Maybe diversify a bit and try and turn their respective genre on its ass?
No?
Usually you get the same exact product you would from all four of their bands, just in a diluted. seemingly money driven, muddled result that you piss away $15 dollars on (who am I kidding here, no one pays for music anymore) and ends up on the bottom of your cd rack for an eternity as the supergroup dissolves and the members go back to where the they belong.
Example time;
Ok, so that's a really big list of bad. I understand that music is as diverse as the people who speak its language. Just like in life, musicians work together to create new things. It's inevitable, and I get that, but for the love of god make something dynamic, make something new, make something that merits your pairing with three other famous douchebags so you get more of my money to roll around in.
Now I know there is going to be someone who says there are good supergroups out there, and for that asshole, I'm going to now steal their spotlight.
Temple of the Dog, the 90's grunge-child of guys from both Soundgarden and Pearl Jam created an album that somehow mixed the sheer raw intensity of Pearl Jam with the eloquence that is Soundgarden. Awesome.
Lagwagon, NoFX, Swingin' Utters, and No Use for a Name gave us Me First and the Gimmie Gimmies. A supergroup cover band that played punk rock covers of virtually everything.
Multiple figures from the Post-hardcore (whatever that means) scene got together to create The Sound of Animals Fighting, and you know what? It sounds odd and great.
Speaking of odd and great, no one does avant-garde metal quite like Faith No More's Mike Patton. Him, the singer from The Melvins, and the drummer from Slayer formed (aguably) the best avant-garde metal band ever with the Fantômas.
Look at that, four amazing supergroups. Compare that to nine bad groups above. Bad groups double the amount of good in this scenario.
But I could be wrong here, of you could simply have a dissenting opinion. If you do comment this so we can argue into the night.
Oh, and I saved my last example for last. Example number ten is the Psychopathic Records, Insane Clown Posse loving Dark Lotus.
Enjoy.
So tonight I bitch about supergroups in music.
There's really nothing I hate more than a supergroup. I always found them to be nothing but an easy way to capitalize off multiple band's fame in order to fuck over a wider spectrum of fans with generally the same shit they play in their original bands. You would think that if four or five genius minds from various bands collaborated they would...you know...try something new right? Maybe diversify a bit and try and turn their respective genre on its ass?
No?
Usually you get the same exact product you would from all four of their bands, just in a diluted. seemingly money driven, muddled result that you piss away $15 dollars on (who am I kidding here, no one pays for music anymore) and ends up on the bottom of your cd rack for an eternity as the supergroup dissolves and the members go back to where the they belong.
Example time;
- The Glove - Brain child of goth mopes Steven Severin (Siouxsie and the Banshees) and Robert Smith (The Cure), they proceed to collaborate and make...more depressing goth music with no redeemable value. I love Disintegration and I love Kaleidoscope, so what the hell happened here?
- The Traveling Wilburys - George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, and two other guys who wrote Beatles-esque songs for Bob Dylan to mutter to. No Paul, no John, no deal.
- Damn Yankees - A guy from Styxx, a guy from Night Ranger, and Ted Nugent. I'm stopping there.
- A Perfect Circle - Trent Reznor, the singer from Tool, and other 90's alt-rock gods making the same gloomy shit, and this is coming from somebody who is one of the biggest Trent Reznor marks out there. Those who really know me know I don't worship anything as closely as I do him (maybe William Gibson), and I still think this sucked.
- Tapeworm - See above. It was the same idea and just as bad
- The Transplants - Rancid + Blink 182 = musical-dysentery. It's a fact, Google it.
- Velvet Revolver - Guns 'n Roses minus Axel. 21st century 80's cock-rock. Slash has sweet hair though.
- Damnocracy - While they have the most clever band name in music history, I'll let the VH1 show explain the rest of this.
- Chickenfoot - Really? Just look at the name? And it's got Sammy Hagar. If you need an explanation for this go fuck yourself with barbed wire.
Ok, so that's a really big list of bad. I understand that music is as diverse as the people who speak its language. Just like in life, musicians work together to create new things. It's inevitable, and I get that, but for the love of god make something dynamic, make something new, make something that merits your pairing with three other famous douchebags so you get more of my money to roll around in.
Now I know there is going to be someone who says there are good supergroups out there, and for that asshole, I'm going to now steal their spotlight.
Temple of the Dog, the 90's grunge-child of guys from both Soundgarden and Pearl Jam created an album that somehow mixed the sheer raw intensity of Pearl Jam with the eloquence that is Soundgarden. Awesome.
Lagwagon, NoFX, Swingin' Utters, and No Use for a Name gave us Me First and the Gimmie Gimmies. A supergroup cover band that played punk rock covers of virtually everything.
Multiple figures from the Post-hardcore (whatever that means) scene got together to create The Sound of Animals Fighting, and you know what? It sounds odd and great.
Speaking of odd and great, no one does avant-garde metal quite like Faith No More's Mike Patton. Him, the singer from The Melvins, and the drummer from Slayer formed (aguably) the best avant-garde metal band ever with the Fantômas.
Look at that, four amazing supergroups. Compare that to nine bad groups above. Bad groups double the amount of good in this scenario.
But I could be wrong here, of you could simply have a dissenting opinion. If you do comment this so we can argue into the night.
Oh, and I saved my last example for last. Example number ten is the Psychopathic Records, Insane Clown Posse loving Dark Lotus.
Enjoy.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Battle of the Brow: Low vs High
I've added a site counter to the blog, so those of you who tell me you read the blog and like it, I'll be able to tell which of you are full of shit.
I'm beginning to think no one is reading because I'm too highbrow. Aside from calling out Lil Wayne yesterday, the blog hasn't had many controversial statements.
Autism is bullshit.
Ok, there's another one. I may or may not actually mean that, but it's sure to piss someone off and at least that's something. The same thing worked for Denis Leary when his book came out last year. He said the exact same thing and ended up on the front page of Amazon.com. Here's to hoping for the same success.
Maybe I need to dumb the quality down a bit here. Perhaps I've gotten too highbrow for a blogging audience. It's not fucking likely, but I'm running low on reasons.
Yeah, I need to TMZ-ify this shit up. Start responding to Angelina Jolie nip-slips, and start rumors that Miley Cyrus was caught snorting coke with Nick Jonas on a donkey in their hotel room.
Aiming low is really the way to go. You go for the legs and bring down anyone with senses. I'm beginning to learn that the hard way. It's the most effective form of spreading your product. You aim low, and the people who are actually lowbrow soak it up and enjoy, while simultaneously higher brow people view it and laugh because they perceive themselves to be above it.
But that's the key. They view it. You capture 100% of your market that way.
The same isn't true for highbrow media. Appealing to the...although I use the word loosely here, intellectual, is much more difficult. Even if your product is lightyears better than what Mr. Lowbrow is offering, you won't sell as much of it because his market is bigger than yours.
The smarter you get, the more niche you get, the less of you there are. That explains why Entertainment Weekly outsells National Geographic even if the National Geographic magazine is better written, has better photos, and is presented better than Entertainment Weekly. Even though National Geographic is clearly the superior publication, their audience is smaller because of their subject matter, therefore they're not as profitable.
Lowbrow media is probably easier to come up with anyway. I live day to day trying to come up with discussion topics and witty things to say and get no feedback from anyone, while Perez Hilton opens a picture of Chris Brown on MS Paint, draws a penis on it, puts it up on his website, and proceeds to get 10,000 hits. I would like to think I put more thought into my work.
People watch Family Guy, which is nothing but fart jokes and 80's references in drones, but refuse to watch 30 Rock on Thursday nights.
You all love Dane Cook, but no one knows who the fuck Bill Hicks was.
You listen to Katy Perry!
Ugh.
This has certainly been an ulcer-inducing update, however, I'm left at a crossroads now. Sell my soul and turn out mindless, bottom-scraping, monkeyfeed to the adoration of millions (I call it the Twilight Option), or truck on with whatever the hell I feel like trying to retain some form of intellect, integrity, and the soul-crushing fact that I'll probably be doomed to obscurity.
Alright, fuck integrity. I want an Absolut commercial. Lucifer come take thy soul.
Check back tomorrow. I'll have pictures of Megan Fox's ass in a thong I swear.
I'm beginning to think no one is reading because I'm too highbrow. Aside from calling out Lil Wayne yesterday, the blog hasn't had many controversial statements.
Autism is bullshit.
Ok, there's another one. I may or may not actually mean that, but it's sure to piss someone off and at least that's something. The same thing worked for Denis Leary when his book came out last year. He said the exact same thing and ended up on the front page of Amazon.com. Here's to hoping for the same success.
Maybe I need to dumb the quality down a bit here. Perhaps I've gotten too highbrow for a blogging audience. It's not fucking likely, but I'm running low on reasons.
Yeah, I need to TMZ-ify this shit up. Start responding to Angelina Jolie nip-slips, and start rumors that Miley Cyrus was caught snorting coke with Nick Jonas on a donkey in their hotel room.
Aiming low is really the way to go. You go for the legs and bring down anyone with senses. I'm beginning to learn that the hard way. It's the most effective form of spreading your product. You aim low, and the people who are actually lowbrow soak it up and enjoy, while simultaneously higher brow people view it and laugh because they perceive themselves to be above it.
But that's the key. They view it. You capture 100% of your market that way.
The same isn't true for highbrow media. Appealing to the...although I use the word loosely here, intellectual, is much more difficult. Even if your product is lightyears better than what Mr. Lowbrow is offering, you won't sell as much of it because his market is bigger than yours.
The smarter you get, the more niche you get, the less of you there are. That explains why Entertainment Weekly outsells National Geographic even if the National Geographic magazine is better written, has better photos, and is presented better than Entertainment Weekly. Even though National Geographic is clearly the superior publication, their audience is smaller because of their subject matter, therefore they're not as profitable.
Lowbrow media is probably easier to come up with anyway. I live day to day trying to come up with discussion topics and witty things to say and get no feedback from anyone, while Perez Hilton opens a picture of Chris Brown on MS Paint, draws a penis on it, puts it up on his website, and proceeds to get 10,000 hits. I would like to think I put more thought into my work.
People watch Family Guy, which is nothing but fart jokes and 80's references in drones, but refuse to watch 30 Rock on Thursday nights.
You all love Dane Cook, but no one knows who the fuck Bill Hicks was.
You listen to Katy Perry!
Ugh.
This has certainly been an ulcer-inducing update, however, I'm left at a crossroads now. Sell my soul and turn out mindless, bottom-scraping, monkeyfeed to the adoration of millions (I call it the Twilight Option), or truck on with whatever the hell I feel like trying to retain some form of intellect, integrity, and the soul-crushing fact that I'll probably be doomed to obscurity.
Alright, fuck integrity. I want an Absolut commercial. Lucifer come take thy soul.
Check back tomorrow. I'll have pictures of Megan Fox's ass in a thong I swear.
Lil Wayne
Remember around spring break this year when MTV had coverage in Tampa and they had the boys from The Lonely Island do the intro to shows in obscure 80's-like fashion complete with DayGlo lettering and vomit inducing synthesizer tracks? They were kind of like the VJs of yesteryear. It was good even if it was only for a week.
Lil Wayne was there performing the single from his upcoming rock album Rebirth too. Remember that? Thank god you don't, it's probably for the best.
The album was supposed to come out around April, but got pushed back for some reason. I once read it was so it didn't distract sales from Eminem's comeback album, Relapse. Why you would push an album due in April back so it doesn't compete with an album that came out in May is beyond me. I really hope Lil Wayne and the fine business people at Cash Money Records didn't think Rebirth would be selling like water after a nuclear fallout. Mr. Wayne can't be that egotistical can he? Maybe it's a rap month-turf war kind of deal. May must be Slim Shady's month, kind of like it is for George Lucas.
Regardless of the cause the album will be released in November, which gives me just enough time to rally a campaign against it. It'll be the Wayne Crusades, or Waynades if you prefer.
Everyone is probably asking me why Lil Wayne, and what did he do to me. The answer is absolutely nothing. I'm just tired of seeing his face around. For someone who lacks any discernible talent it'll be difficult for me to see him permeate 104.5 and 94.1 with his genera-brand of rap-rock music. He's already ruined what could be casual listening to The Wired for me.
Article 1 in my defense is the first single off the album. Behold as I give you The Prom Queen.
I wish I knew what Mr. Wayne was thinking when he decided on embarking on this musical journey. Vanilla Ice tried it in 1998, and it didn't work, hell, he's still trying to make it work and it's not. Maybe Vanilla Ice is working as Lil Wayne's agent to make a few extra bucks in-between Surreal Life spin-offs or something. I can only imagine how the recession has hit him, what with people not having money to spare on 'Ice Ice Baby' ringtones.
I could be wrong though. This could be album of the decade material. A quick peek at the Rebirth Wikipedia page shows that he's recruited Fall Out Boy for a song. I know the kids love Fall Out Boy. I only see Pete Wentz on the cover of Non-Threatening Boys Weekly all the time, so that may be good. He's paying homage to the Beastie Boys too. I'm not exactly sure how, but I'm sure MCA and Ad-Rock will be thrilled. Top that off with a tune he's describing as 'Viva La Vida' with a rap. Grammy material indeed.
Don't go thinking I hate rap or rappers either. I'm listening to The Chronic as I type this, I'm just against auto-tuned lyric-abysses that have plagued rap since the start of the century or so.
Lil John I'm looking directly at you.
What pisses me off is that I know this is going to sell like crazy, while I sit every day struggling to find an audience. Fuck you Lil Wayne. We're in a war at words at this point unless you remix this entry into a song and feature the Ying Yang Twins and The Alchemist on it.
East side fo life bitches.
Lil Wayne was there performing the single from his upcoming rock album Rebirth too. Remember that? Thank god you don't, it's probably for the best.
The album was supposed to come out around April, but got pushed back for some reason. I once read it was so it didn't distract sales from Eminem's comeback album, Relapse. Why you would push an album due in April back so it doesn't compete with an album that came out in May is beyond me. I really hope Lil Wayne and the fine business people at Cash Money Records didn't think Rebirth would be selling like water after a nuclear fallout. Mr. Wayne can't be that egotistical can he? Maybe it's a rap month-turf war kind of deal. May must be Slim Shady's month, kind of like it is for George Lucas.
Regardless of the cause the album will be released in November, which gives me just enough time to rally a campaign against it. It'll be the Wayne Crusades, or Waynades if you prefer.
Everyone is probably asking me why Lil Wayne, and what did he do to me. The answer is absolutely nothing. I'm just tired of seeing his face around. For someone who lacks any discernible talent it'll be difficult for me to see him permeate 104.5 and 94.1 with his genera-brand of rap-rock music. He's already ruined what could be casual listening to The Wired for me.
Article 1 in my defense is the first single off the album. Behold as I give you The Prom Queen.
I wish I knew what Mr. Wayne was thinking when he decided on embarking on this musical journey. Vanilla Ice tried it in 1998, and it didn't work, hell, he's still trying to make it work and it's not. Maybe Vanilla Ice is working as Lil Wayne's agent to make a few extra bucks in-between Surreal Life spin-offs or something. I can only imagine how the recession has hit him, what with people not having money to spare on 'Ice Ice Baby' ringtones.
I could be wrong though. This could be album of the decade material. A quick peek at the Rebirth Wikipedia page shows that he's recruited Fall Out Boy for a song. I know the kids love Fall Out Boy. I only see Pete Wentz on the cover of Non-Threatening Boys Weekly all the time, so that may be good. He's paying homage to the Beastie Boys too. I'm not exactly sure how, but I'm sure MCA and Ad-Rock will be thrilled. Top that off with a tune he's describing as 'Viva La Vida' with a rap. Grammy material indeed.
Don't go thinking I hate rap or rappers either. I'm listening to The Chronic as I type this, I'm just against auto-tuned lyric-abysses that have plagued rap since the start of the century or so.
Lil John I'm looking directly at you.
What pisses me off is that I know this is going to sell like crazy, while I sit every day struggling to find an audience. Fuck you Lil Wayne. We're in a war at words at this point unless you remix this entry into a song and feature the Ying Yang Twins and The Alchemist on it.
East side fo life bitches.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Nothing is Original (A Letter to J.K. Rowling)
The last post was way too Livejournal. I got too personal, no one wants that. This is going to be my attempt to make up for that, and simultaneously make it seem like these two entries were companion pieces all along.
That last bit was very autobiographical, which would be cool if I was important or if someone gave a shit. I had a point to it though. I was trying to show how everything sort of came together for me as an aspiring writer. Almost like I'm writing my own author bio on the back of the imaginary paperback novel I have published (in my head).
I mentioned Jhonen Vasquez as a major influence on me. While he wasn't the only person who has shaped myself or my writing, he was definitely the one person I always vividly remember. There are more too. Throughout the years dozens of artists, musicians, authors, and whoever have come into my life and influenced me in a way that I've put into my own works that in turn, influence nobody.
That's just the way it works. Nobody can claim that their artistic expression is 100% their own creation. If they do, they're lying fucks and I'll be the first person to tell them that. An example here would be J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter novels, which, as time progresses, I'm starting to hate more and more. She names Stephen King as a primary influence on her writing. One of King's biggest influences was William Faulkner, who was influenced by Dostoyevsky. Dostoyevsky was a fan of Dickens, who himself was influenced by Victor Hugo. Hugo's writings contain allegories to the philosophical work of the French political and religious visionary Voltaire. Voltaire's writings (which I'll get around to reading one day) were heavily influenced by Isaac Newton.
I just took you through a time warp there. In a way Rowling's work has influences that go all the way back to the guy who discovered the concept of gravity. The modern day celebrated by thousands as the literary equivalent to Jesus author hasn't really published anything original. Not many of us do, rather, we expand upon the ideas we've absorbed from our experiences and mix them together with other ideas and influences and create Frankenfucks of art we pawn off as our own legit original work. It's a fluxing give-and-take as we paint other people's ideas onto our own canvas to update the concepts for a new audience. That audience absorbs the work, and then uses it for their own artistic purposes, silently (and maybe unknowingly) passing new combinations of thoughts to the next generation. That's why you watch any love story and it has some connection to Romeo and Juliet, we usually call them clichés. There's only so many original stories to be told. Most authors just update them. It's a subconscious system that has been in place forever. That's the whole idea of art. I have no complaints about the system, more the people who think they're not a part of it, or in J.K. Rowling's case, the fans that think it doesn't apply to her.
I'm stopping here. I'm afraid if I don't this will turn into a long drawn out rant about how much I hate the Harry Potter franchise, which will piss off a decent amount of you and you'll stop reading. I don't want that.
I'm more than sure writing about how no one, including myself, writes original work will surely get me a book deal. Here's to hoping Random House has a spot for me on the Del Ray roster.
That last bit was very autobiographical, which would be cool if I was important or if someone gave a shit. I had a point to it though. I was trying to show how everything sort of came together for me as an aspiring writer. Almost like I'm writing my own author bio on the back of the imaginary paperback novel I have published (in my head).
I mentioned Jhonen Vasquez as a major influence on me. While he wasn't the only person who has shaped myself or my writing, he was definitely the one person I always vividly remember. There are more too. Throughout the years dozens of artists, musicians, authors, and whoever have come into my life and influenced me in a way that I've put into my own works that in turn, influence nobody.
That's just the way it works. Nobody can claim that their artistic expression is 100% their own creation. If they do, they're lying fucks and I'll be the first person to tell them that. An example here would be J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter novels, which, as time progresses, I'm starting to hate more and more. She names Stephen King as a primary influence on her writing. One of King's biggest influences was William Faulkner, who was influenced by Dostoyevsky. Dostoyevsky was a fan of Dickens, who himself was influenced by Victor Hugo. Hugo's writings contain allegories to the philosophical work of the French political and religious visionary Voltaire. Voltaire's writings (which I'll get around to reading one day) were heavily influenced by Isaac Newton.
I just took you through a time warp there. In a way Rowling's work has influences that go all the way back to the guy who discovered the concept of gravity. The modern day celebrated by thousands as the literary equivalent to Jesus author hasn't really published anything original. Not many of us do, rather, we expand upon the ideas we've absorbed from our experiences and mix them together with other ideas and influences and create Frankenfucks of art we pawn off as our own legit original work. It's a fluxing give-and-take as we paint other people's ideas onto our own canvas to update the concepts for a new audience. That audience absorbs the work, and then uses it for their own artistic purposes, silently (and maybe unknowingly) passing new combinations of thoughts to the next generation. That's why you watch any love story and it has some connection to Romeo and Juliet, we usually call them clichés. There's only so many original stories to be told. Most authors just update them. It's a subconscious system that has been in place forever. That's the whole idea of art. I have no complaints about the system, more the people who think they're not a part of it, or in J.K. Rowling's case, the fans that think it doesn't apply to her.
I'm stopping here. I'm afraid if I don't this will turn into a long drawn out rant about how much I hate the Harry Potter franchise, which will piss off a decent amount of you and you'll stop reading. I don't want that.
I'm more than sure writing about how no one, including myself, writes original work will surely get me a book deal. Here's to hoping Random House has a spot for me on the Del Ray roster.
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