Music and Movies

Earlier this week I saw the Lynyrd Skynyrd band at the Delaware State Fair.  Much is written about the differences between the generations.  Monday night in Skynyrd Nation I saw as many fifty something fans, as I saw twenty something fans, all have a great time together, as was validated by my 19 year old daughter who joined me, and told me how much she really enjoyed the concert.

The Lynyrd Skynyrd band has survived many personal tragedies since it began in 1964. A plane crash in a Mississippi swamp in 1977, took the lives of three band members, and severely injured many others. Strangely enough the title of the album just released was Street Survivor. It would take many years for the emotional and physical injuries of the band to heal.

In 1987, Johnny Van Zant stepped into the role of lead singer that was vacated by the death of his older brother founding member Ronnie Van Zant, and the band lived on.

Back in the 1970's singer songwriter Mac Davis wrote the song "I believe in Music."  While I remember the song well, It was not one of Mac's biggest hits.  That's a shame for a song that proclaimed "Music is the universal language."  As someone who studies music and philosophy, I often see comments on the differences in generations, and how these differences are often marked by differences in music. Many years ago I did a work shop for a social services agency with people from very diverse backgrounds. I used music as way to start conversations, and find common interests.

In recent years other members of Lynyrd Skynyrd have passed away for a variety of reasons, but as I have just experienced, the music lives on. While these comments are in praise of a southern rock band, the message goes far beyond music.  The Lynyrd Skynyrd band is a tribute to the American Spirit and not what divides us, but what brings us together.

As I am about to add a discussion of classic movies at the Philosophyguru web site my information gathering has dug up information on the remakes and sequels as well.

News has it that the great sci-fi classic Forbidden Planet could be coming back as a joint venture between director James Cameron (Avatar) and writer J. Michael Straczynski (Babylon 5).

My first reaction to that news, is "Why?"

After I give some time to gathering more data, and digesting it, I hold out hope.  As I reflect, I realize the two new movies that I have enjoyed the most over the last two years have been a Batman movie, and a Star Trek movie.

The realization that not all movie remakes are bad.

While I can cite numerous examples of horrible remakes and sequels, with Batman: The Dark Knight (2008) and Star Trek (2009) both movies took characters we were well familiar with, and put them in new stories that enhanced what we already new about these characters, rather than destroyed it.

With the 2009 Star Trek movie, I held on to hope, and reserved judgment until I saw the finished product, and I was pleasantly surprised. The next version of Forbidden Planet is in the development stages, which means it is at least two years away. Until then, I will hold on to the hope that the next version of Forbidden Planet will be pleasantly surprising.

First, some good news... [UPDATE] Bret Michaels announces May 28 return

NEW YORK (AP) — Bret Michaels is set to return to the stage a little more than a month after suffering a brain hemorrhage. His representative announced Friday that the rocker and reality star would perform at the Hard Rock Live in Biloxi, Mississippi, on May 28.

Was checking out some of Bret's solo acoustic work on Napster over the weekend, also listened to his new tune with Mylie Cyrus. Not sure how they became a duet, at first pass the song sounds a bit like a father-daughter duo, but when you listen closely to the words, it is a love song between two people. Kind of creepy when you think about the song in that context.

Bret, Great News you're recovering from your illnesses. Keep rockin'! But the love song duets with teenagers are just too creepy!

Now for some new explorations... fresh Meat Loaf

Over the top bombastic rocker Meat Loaf, aka Marvin Lee Aday, has recently released "Hang Cool Teddy Bear." Not sure what the name of the album means, but after listening to it on Napster, it's not bad. Probably one of his best outside of the Bat Out of Hell series. Nothing jumps out and strikes me about it as "wow" but it does seem to capture the life and vigor that was missing from many Meat Loaf albums of the past.

I love the writing of Jim Steinman, and the Bat Out of Hell series volumes 1 and 2 really rocked, but volume 3 released a few years ago did not offer anything new, as it was a rehash of many old Steinman songs. To make matters worse there was a bitter legal fight between Jim Steinman and Meat Loaf as a result of the album.

If you are not already a Meat Loaf fan, I seriously doubt "Hang Cool Teddy Bear" is something you are going to run out and buy. If you are a Meat Load fan, in withdrawal because he hasn't done anything really new in recent years, this will probably make you happy. Not up to the standard set by the Bat Out of Hell series, but the best Non-Steinman album to date. Not too shabby for an old fart of 62 years old!

Another Sunday night, and another journey down the musical path, and finishing a thought started in a musical exploration a few weeks back.

Queensryche, while often categorized with the traditional head bangers, is not your typical metal band. Leaning more towards the progressive metal side of music, and putting out albums that tell stories, the album "American Soldier" is one that clearly defines progressive metal power ballads. I normally do not follow, or listen to heavy metal stations, which is why I did not discover this album when it was first released.

Just as Queensryche is not your typical metal band, American Soldier is not your typical anti war political album. It expresses the deep emotions of the soldier from the soldiers point of view. It tells stories, it doesn't make statements. Many of the songs, include the words and voices of the soldier.

If I Were King was the first single released from the album American Soldier over a year ago. I did not discover it myself until over the holidays, but this song in particular quickly became one of my all time favorite ballads. The song is a very powerful ballad describing the loss of a fallen comrade. The song was written based on an interview lead vocalist and song writer Geoff Tate conducted with a veteran of U.S. conflicts in Somalia and Kosovo.

While there are other powerful and emotional songs on this album, such as "Home Again," the story of a father and daughter separated by war, "If I Were King" is one of those songs that has struck a nerve for me, like so very few songs have. Powerful words, great music.


Continue reading to watch the music video ...

Continue reading "Finishing a musical exploration" »

Saturday mornings are my time of technology detox, a time to do something that I enjoy. A Saturday ritual for me is to log into Napster, and listen to a few tunes, and maybe download a few for a new music mix, or perhaps jot down the name of an album or two for my wish list.

I am a bit saddened by some news in the music world, as the news reads that Poison band member Bret Michaels is in critical condition this weekend after a recent string of health issues. One of songs I have downloaded is the acoustic version of Unskinny Bop by Poison.

I know I have this blog entry listed under music, but this is one case where the life of the musician can draw attention to a problem for the benefit of others.

I am sure that life on the road as a rock star can make living healthy a challenge. But being a diabetic, as Bret Bret Michaels is, is an extra burden to bear. I have the experience of seeing my father battle diabetes for the last 20 years of his life, to know how diabetes can severely impact a persons life. Whether you like Bret as a musician, or a person, even with a rock star lifestyle, 47 years old is much too young an age to call it a career.

Bret Michaels has lived with type 1 diabetes since he was 6 years old, is competing this season on Celebrity Apprentice to benefit people with diabetes. In the season's first episode, Michaels brought in $100,000 for the American Diabetes Association. In the April 11 episode, Michaels found out that his 9-year-old daughter, Raine, had diabetes symptoms, including weight loss and frequent urination, and was being tested for the disease.

On my to do list for today, 1) add the acoustic version of Unskinny Bop by Poison to my Sync system in the car so I can listen to it often this week, 2) say a little prayer for the recovery of Bret Michaels, 3) make a donation to the American Diabetes Association.

OK, as you can see from a blog remark a few months ago, I think the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is a joke. But here is a comment from a local newspaper than is just as ridiculous...

"Any year now, bands from the hair-metal era will start going into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

It’s inevitable, because the well is running dry on new eligible mainstream acts, and most of the decent older acts that could possibly be considered are already in."


WHAT??? WTF??? "most of the decent older acts that could possibly be considered are already in." The author was making the case for heavy metal / hair band Cinderella. Part of the reasoning was that Cinderella, a Philly based band, is local to the area, and the guy was a fan of Cinderella.

I did something I normally stay away from, that is, making comments on a newspapers blog. But I just couldn't resist, and added my remarks ...

I like Cinderella and I could add a few progressive metal bands as well (like Queensryche) but groups like Jethro Tull, Chicago, Moody Blues, Bon Jovi, Journey, Foreigner, E.L.O. and Steve Miller Band are way more mainstream rock, and have done far more in rock music than Cinderella.

After my initial post, I did a little research, and I was actually surprised to find that Cinderella had 3 platinum albums, and 5 top 40 tunes. Guess I never realized they drifted that far into the "main stream"

In my haste, and passion, to reply back to the original post, forgot two more of my all time favorite groups, and while I was at it, looked up their numbers to see how they stack up against Cinderella...

38 Special has 4 platinum albums, 8 top 40 tunes.

Kansas has 5 platinum albums, 7 top 40 tunes.

Oh by the way, I might mention that one group that is really over looked is Chicago, how does Cinderella compare to them....

According to Billboard, Chicago was the leading U.S. singles charting group during the 1970s, They have sold over 120 million albums worldwide, scoring 22 Gold, 18 Platinum, and 8 Multi-Platinum albums. Over the course of their career they have charted five No. 1 albums, and have had twenty-one top ten hits.

It's about time to follow up on a thought that started over the holidays. With music such a subjective topic, it is easy to see how we sometimes limit ourselves to different genres of music, which keeps us from discovering new groups, new songs, and new sounds.

I love music, all types of music. The definition of good music is very personal. Not only is music a very personal thing, is it something that can also change with our moods, and surroundings. When I am driving with the windows down on a hot summer day, only the loudest of hard rock will do. Winding down thinking about the tasks at hand, a little smooth jazz does the trick.

With the internet, and services like Napster, I can quickly research artists, and sample new songs with every passing personal whim. Likewise, while driving, I can easily explore genres that I usually ignore, with services such as XM Radio. Over the holidays I began some new musical explorations.

While listening to the excessively flamboyant Christmas arrangements of Trans-Siberian Orchestra (TSO), I was curious to know the roots of the band. I found that writer and producer Paul O'Neill and long time musical partner Jon Oliva began their musical collaboration with the group Savatage many years earlier. In fact many of TSO's recent work are simply remakes of earlier Savatage songs, such is the case of their over hyped song "Believe."

The sweet spot of my personal tastes in music lies within the genre known as Progressive Rock. For those of you not into the definitions, this would be groups like Jethro Tull, Electric Light Orchestra, Yes, and Kansas. Progressive Rock usually has more complex music than traditional rock and often uses concept albums to tell stories.

Savatage, has many of the complex and intricate instrumental elements of progressive rock, with the powerful, guitar-driven sound of metal. And yes, there is a name for that genre, progressive metal. I like TSO, but sometimes they are too orchestrated and over produced. Savatage has the rage and emotion, without all the over the top theatrics. Savatage is no longer a band, as they have "evolved" into TSO. So I began an exploration and discovery of progressive metal.

True Progressive Metal seems to get a bit lost in the shuffle. Not necessarily the wild head banging style of traditional heavy metal, but just a bit too wild for the usual Progressive Rock crowd.

The other prog metal I have re-discovered is Queensryche. I have listened to Queensryche occasionally over the years, but really have not followed them. They have recently released some new stuff that is on the top of my current play list, and that will be the topic of my next musical journey.

A few years ago I signed up for the online music service Rhapsody. I dumped Rhapsody, but after a few months absence from online music tried the Napster online music service when I purchased an XM Radio. Spending my whole life in technology I sometime get frustrated that I work in the field, but I don't spend enough time enjoying technology myself. The one area that I do try to indulge in as much as I can, is using modern technology like XM Radio, and Napster, in the exploration of music.

Listening to XM Radio stations like Deep Tracks, (XM 40) I am learning more and more every day about artists I enjoyed back many years ago. Listening to some of the other classic rock stations, songs that were distant memories, are revived and refreshed in my consciousness.

I have a few stacks of old vinyl albums that I am slowly but surely going through and converting to digital formats. But everyday I am rediscovering artists that I only vaguely knew from back in the 60's, 70's, and 80's. Napster's library of songs is pretty amazing, it has grown quite a bit over the years. What's equally amazing, is not only how many of the classic rock tunes are available, but how many are being digitally remastered. The tunes sound great on the Sync system in the car. I would have never would have believed it a few years ago if you told me that I was going to buy a car with a "Powered by Microsoft" logo inside of it.

Maybe I am the exception to the norm, but the digital age has caused me to buy more music legitimately, not less. I'm sure many of these artists have already made their millions on these tunes, but out of respect to the musicians, I legitimately download the songs from Napster, through my monthly download allowance with my subscription. In some cases I'll use Napster to download a few tracks of an artist for my own mix of select classics. In a few cases, where I want more than a few tracks, I will search for the CD's to purchase.

Feels good to actually relax and get some enjoyment from technology. This entry was not meant to be a commercial for XM Radio, or Napster, but the preface to more ramblings and rants to come, as I have been spending some time on my musical explorations lately.

Good stuff!

So after watching the Winter Classic hockey game on News Years Day, the next show on NBC starts. Not one to go out of way to watch ice skating, Brian Boitano's Skating Spectacular is coming on, but being a bit tired and dozing off in the living room, what the heck, I leave it on. The music group Chicago is playing live on a stage next to the ice, to accompany the skating.

I've enjoyed the music of Chicago over the years. As some of the members of the band speak between songs, I'm thinking, wow, this is pretty cool, these guys are still together after all these years. Chicago is one of the few major rock groups that have never broken up or even taken an extended hiatus. Dating back to 1967, four of the six surviving founding members, Lamm, Pankow, Loughnane and Parazaider are still with the band. How cool is that!

So I started thinking about some news I heard not all that log ago, that ABBA was recently named to the class of 2010 of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Hmm, so I started thinking, and reading, and researching, what exactly is the point of this so called Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. According to their website the annual induction is to "to recognize the contributions of those who have had a significant impact on the evolution, development and perpetuation of rock and roll."

I agree that Chicago, also known as "The Big Thing" and "The Chicago Transit Authority" was lot different, and more orginal in the 60's and 70's. But the core of the band is still together after 40 years! Chicago, in the late 1960's through the 1970's were at the top of their game, and introduced a new breed of rock and roll. As far as the perpetuation of rock and roll, it would seem that a group that has survived over 40 years together in the music business is in a small group of bands that have helped to perpetuate rock and roll as a genre of music.

Two other groups that are my personal favorites, that I would put in the same class of Chicago, for the same reasons, would be The Moody Blues, and Jethro Tull. All three of these groups were innovative in their day, had a significant impact on the evolution of rock music, and their longevity and fan base that has spanned generations has helped to perpetuate rock and roll as a genre of music.

In recent years "Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five" and "Run-D.M.C." have been elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as well. When we start electing in groups like ABBA, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five and Run-D.M.C. to the so called Rock Hall of Fame, but neglect the likes of Chicago, The Moody Blues, and Jethro Tull, it does make you wonder what is the motivation for the voting. Many of the criticisms I've read of the Rock Hall is that the nomination process is controlled by a few individuals who are not musicians. Not only are they not musicians, they don't seem to have an understanding of their own goals.

When I think of the Adventure Fantasy genre, The Lord of the Rings trilogy stands out in my mind as the true master, an epic adventure bringing new worlds to life.

Peter Jackson paid a tremendous amount of attention to detail in the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, as many will say Cameron did with Avatar. Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King was over 200 minutes long, and while watching the movie, I never once thought about the time, I felt engaged with the characters, I felt like I was part of the journey. The eye candy of Avatar is impressive, but I never felt part of a journey, I felt more like I was watching a documentary on Pandora, and at times found myself wondering about when the movie would be over.

Weta Digital, was the specials effects lab for Lord of the Rings, as it was for Avatar. Could it be that's why the epic battle scenes did not look all that new and awe inspiring to me?

What I remember most about the characters of Avatar, was not as much who they were, but the stereotypes they represent. I clearly rememeber the use of phrases like "shock and awe" and "treehuggers" in this movie, and that is what the stands out as the prevailing theme of the plot, the evil capitalist agressors versus the sympathetic enviromentalists. The characters never became real, they remained images of the stereotypes they represent, the crazy colonel, the greedy corporate figurehead, the environmentalist scientist.

I was never a big fan of Star Wars, as it was more about the special effects, and less about the characters and the story. For the same reasons, I am not all that excited about Avatar.