Confederate Metal

Here’s a relaxingly short blog entry for a change.  Spanning a continuum from country & western (C&W), then southern rock, eventually we reach something I’d call “Confederate metal” – it’s definitely southern in style but too heavy to be called rock.

 First off, here are the “southern rock” bands:  Lynyrd Skynyrd (of course), Molly Hatchet, Marshall Tucker, .38 Special, Blackfoot, Allman Brothers.  None of these quite reach the point of being metal, though metal fans often enjoy these bands.  These bands below are considerably heavier.

 DOWN – a side project with Phil Anselmo of Pantera and Pepper Keenan of Corrosion of Conformity.  Definitely metal, without a doubt, but also having a strong Southern tinge to them.

 Dixie Witch – a power trio from Austin, Texas.  They covered Skynyrd’s “On The Hunt” pretty well on a compilation album.  They also tour with the Suplecs.

 Raging Slab – actually from New York City (!!) but they definitely qualify.  When the first album came out back in 1990, they were hailed as “a cross between Lynyrd Skynyrd and Metallica”.  They have a female slide guitarist, Elise Steinman.  The first album, Raging Slab, is the best; subsequent albums tend to vary in quality.  The most recent is Pronounced Eat Shit, clearly a tribute to Skynyrd and their first album.

 Suplecs – from New Orleans.  One of the heavier ones, also qualifying as stoner rock.  They’re big Saints fans.  Check out “Cities of the Dead”, one of their better songs.  They also covered the Beatles’ “She’s So Heavy” (from Abbey Road) even better than Type O Negative.

 Pride & Glory -  Zakk Wylde’s one album side project before he started Black Label Society (which could also qualify under this category).  Given that he’s from New Jersey, I suppose he’s a Yankneck (redneck from north of the Mason-Dixon Line).  I’m the opposite – here in Virginia (CSA country) bleeding Union dark blue. 

 I say “Confederate”, but none of these bands actively advocate abolishing the 13^th Amendment, seceding from the Union, or racism in general.  “Southern metal” could be another word, but it’s not as cool or interesting as “Confederate”. 

Intolerance

D.W. Griffith, the silent film maker, is most known for "Birth of a Nation" (1915), a Civil War epic which portrayed the Ku Klux Klan as valiant knights defending the dignity of white women from the ravages of wild, savage blacks – so much so that it single-handedly spawned the rebirth of the Klan in the United States, which at that time had been dormant. A year later, he brought a completely different epic, "Intolerance."

 After years of searching for this, I finally managed to find it from Netflix. It has 4 separate story lines, of which only one is original: (1) Ancient Babylon, (2) Jesus’ crucifixion; (3) the Huguenot massacre in France in 1572; and (4) a contemporary story.

 In each story the theme is intolerance. In ancient Babylon, Babylon falls because the High Priest of Marduk is jealous of the worship of Ishtar and betrays the city to the Persians, led by Cyrus. In Jesus’ case, it’s the high priests of the Jewish faith who arrange to have Jesus crucified, intolerant of his radical views. The French example is obvious: intolerance of the Protestants by the Catholics. And in the modern (1916) story, the intolerance is somewhat attenuated: the hero of the story is unfairly convicted of a murder, but the main "intolerance" is of the temperance movement which institutes prohibition and confiscates a woman’s baby – Child Protective Services circa 1916. Griffith cynically points out that the women behind the reform movement are ugly old ladies who can no longer attract men, so their goal is to prevent any of the younger people from having any fun; no booze, no dancing, no brothels.

 The film bounces around from the 4 stories, and does not equally focus on each one. It’s 50% Babylon, 30% modern, then 15% French and 5% Jesus. The Babylonian scenes are by far the most impressive, including the massive siege of Babylon by the Persians: huge assault towers, ladders, battering rams, catapults, immense walls, even a primitive fire-breathing "tank", and literally an army of extras (over 16,000). The special effects are bizarre: you’ll see a warrior’s head literally explode (clearly camera stopped and live actor switched out for a dummy with a paper mache head).

 Interestingly, the Babylonian segment has a modern parallel. We have "intolerance" of the Sunnis and Shi’ites: (analogous to Marduk vs. Ishtar) and Iran (Persians) have some role in screwing things up in Iraq (Babylon).

 It’s also somewhat bizarre that the same man who brought us "history written in lightning" (as Woodrow Wilson famously described ‘Birth of a Nation") – probably the best case of intolerance you could possibly imagine – also brought us this surprisingly liberal and progressive work just one year later. Indeed, he made this movie as a deliberate answer to critics of "Birth of a Nation".

 There is also a surprising amount of nudity (!!!) in the Babylonian story. Not outright full nudity, but certainly skimpy outfits and see-through clothing on many of the women. I suppose it "flew" at the time because it was historical and artistic; the modern story (and the Jesus and France stories) have nothing close to nudity.

 Finally, another bizarre thought – as articulated by Calvin (Calvin & Hobbs)’s father: these old movies aren’t black & white because of the film technology available at the time; they’re in black & white because there really was NO color at that time in real life. The grainy, jerky, overly fast unnatural motions of people were the real way things were. Similarly, France in the late 19^th century was in color, but with the colors blended and melted into each other (Impressionist). Seurat was simply portraying the dotted view that was reality.

Neil Peart - Drummer & Author

RUSH – a Canadian rock trio who have been around for over 30 years. They started out as Led Zeppelin clones – so much so, that when their first single, "Working Man", came out, listeners called the radio station asking about the "new Led Zeppelin song" – but quickly developed their own style, with impressively intellectual lyrics inspired partly by Ayn Rand. By the 80s, they cast aside their swords & sorcery for the slick, skinny tie quasi-techno stuff guaranteed to get more airtime and sell more records. The newer material is all well-produced and technically proficient, but lacks the energy and force of the earlier material.

 By now the drummer, Neil Peart, has established a reputation as one of the top drummers on the planet, though it’s a distinction which he’d challenge out of sheer modesty. Given that drummers (as he notes) are basically guys who "hit things with sticks", i.e. the least intelligent and sophisticated member of any band (Exhibit A, John Bonham; Exhibit B, Keith Moon) it’s remarkable that he writes the band’s lyrics.

But he also writes books. I suppose it’s common sense that a lyricist – who makes his money by writing words for public consumption in the form of lyrics – should also write, but it didn’t occur to Peart until fairly late in his career. Here, as of 2007, is his "library". It’s all non-fiction, quasi-autobiographical, and written in the first person.

 1. The Masked Rider: Cycling In West Africa. He took a bicycle tour in Africa, through Cameroon, with a group of similarly inane (but non-celebrity) riders. As you can imagine, cycling through a Third World country is quite an adventure. His commentary is extremely interesting. I have zero desire to bicycle through Africa, and after reading this book, I have even less (if that’s possible). But reading this book I got the sensation of being along with him, vicariously. Neil went there so I didn’t have to. Thanks!

 2. Ghost Rider: Travels Along the Healing Road. In 1997, his daughter Selena died in a car accident on her way to college for the first year – a complete shock and surprise. One moment they’re waving goodbye to her, the next, a policeman is at their doorstep with the terrible news. His wife, Jackie, took it particularly hard; she never overcame the grief and sorrow, lost the will to live, and within a year she was dead too, leaving Neil all alone.

 To deal with this without likewise withering away or going insane, he took a break from the band and travelled across the United States on motorcycle, losing himself like a ghost among the roads and towns of America. He describes his travels, his feelings, his anger and grief. As with Masked Rider, he succeeds at "bringing us along" with him in spirit, so we share in his grief and heal with him. An excellent book.

 3. Travelling Music: The Soundtrack Of My Life And Times. This book focuses more on music, per se, and not on his travels, but the source is the music which he listens to as he travels (by car, motorcycle or bicycle). He describes his childhood in St Catherine’s, Ontario (on Lake Ontario’s southern shore, due west of Buffalo); his early musical development and influences; and the circumstances of his joining Rush in 1974. Rush itself doesn’t occupy much space in this book in terms of pages or importance. We do get a good glimpse into the music he likes – notably Jeff Buckley and Frank Sinatra. He also loves The Who, the Rolling Stones (big fan of Charlie Watts), and the Grateful Dead. I always find it interesting to hear musicians go into detail about other musicians, even if it’s music I don’t care about or if I don’t agree with their opinions.

 4. Roadshow: Landscape With Drums, A Concert Tour By Motorcycle. By 2004 they had been together for 30 years, so they put out an album of covers, called Feedback, and toured – the so-called R30 tour (we saw them at the Nissan Pavilion on this tour, a show he mentions...without mentioning us! What’s the deal, man?). Finally, with book #4 we get a book which focuses on his work in Rush, and Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee, who are incidental characters in the prior three books, take their rightful roles as major characters here. He decided to go from city to city by motorcycle (in the US, Canada and Europe), travelling separately from Alex and Geddy and scheduling his independent trips so as to arrive at each venue in time for the show – and didn’t miss ANY concerts. None of this business like Ace Frehley missing his flights!

 If you’re a Rush fan, you owe it to yourself to read these books. Even if you’re not, they’re great stories. He has alot to say and an interesting way of saying it. If they ever decided to make these into "books on tape", I strongly recommend that they get John O’Hurley, aka "J. Peterman" from "Seinfeld", to read them. I don’t even listen to Rush that much anymore (certainly not the ZZZ newer material) but still found his books impossible to put down.

Love At First Hate

Maggie Gyllenhaal sneers "TAXMAN!!!" at Will Ferrell...as Howard Crick, in the movie "Stranger Than Fiction". Yet by the end of the film they’re very good friends. Yet again, Hollywood gives us "love at first hate": the romantic couple start off hating each other, gradually get to know each other, and eventually fall in love. Great story, huh? How many different times have we heard it? Here are just a few:

 "Stranger Than Fiction" - Will Ferrell (IRS Agent) and Maggie Gyllenhaal (socialist-anarchist baker). He’s sent to audit her – and ends up giving her tax advice in bed

 "Cars" – Sally Carrera (Bonnie Hunt) and Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson). Ok, they’re cartoons. Do they still count?

 "The Sound of Music" – as mentioned earlier. Initial mutual disagreement between Fraulein Maria (Julie Andrews) and Captain Von Trapp (Christopher Plummer) turns to love. Awww....

 "Star Wars" - Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) and Han Solo (Harrison Ford); from bickering in the ice tunnels on Hoth to kissing on the Falcon...in the same movie ("The Empire Strikes Back").

 "When Harry Met Sally" – Harry (Billy Crystal) and Sally (Meg Ryan); it takes 10 years but they hook up! "I’ll have what she’s having."

 "Gone With the Wind" – Rhett Butler (Clark Gable) and Scarlett O’Hara (Vivien Leigh). Actually, the animosity here is one-way; when Butler takes an immediate shine to Scarlett but she can’t stand him. Oddly, he’s the one who leaves her! "Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn!"

 "The Goodbye Girl" – Marsha Mason and Richard Dreyfus. Dreyfus crashes in her house and eventually her heart.

 "You’ve Got Mail" – Meg Ryan AGAIN. Maybe it needs to be updated: "You’ve got SMS!"

 "Moonlighting" - David Addison (Bruce Willis) and Maddie Hayes (Cybill Shepherd) initially spar off against each other as private detectives but eventually wind up together. 

 And we can go all the way back and blame Shakespeare for this: "Much Ado About Nothing", with Benedick & Beatrice as the quarreling couple who eventually fall in love with each other. But in the same play, Claudio and Hero fall in love at first sight. Even here it’s balanced by another opposite dynamic. This is well illustrated in the movie version from 1993, with Kenneth Branagh as Benedick and Emma Thompson (aka Karen Eiffel in "Stranger Than Fiction") as Beatrice – also featuring Keanu "WHOAAA" Reeves, Denzel Washington, Michael Keaton, and Kate Beckinsale.

 With every woman I’ve been romantically involved with, the first reaction was always positive – "love at first sight" has happened to me; "love at first hate"? Uhh, no – not yet. The one girl with whom I have a Benedick & Beatrice relationship, now, is still miles apart from me romantically and geographically [I can't remember who she is]. I never did hook up with the prior girl (Heather) with whom I sparred like that. It’s tempting to try to perceive some sort of passion and love under the mutual antipathy, but for all the mysteries, lies, inconsistencies and illusions associated with love and romance, sometimes the truth is staring us right in the face: mutual antipathy is, in fact....mutual antipathy, not love. Underneath the shit is – more shit.

 And that holds true for everyone else I’ve known. "Love at first sight" appears to be far more common in real life than "love at first hate", which is what we’re given over and over again in the movies. My guess is that "love at first sight" makes for a much more direct and less interesting plot than "love at first hate", which is why more movies focus on the latter than the former. We love to see the ice melt, the contempt fade away, and also appreciate this idea of "damn, I hate that [woman/man], but why can’t I stop thinking about [her/him]?" "I love you, despite myself!" "I hate myself for loving you," etc. It’s a powerful, passionate dynamic, and hard to resist using. I’ll admit it’s interesting, even if it is much less realistic.

 Keep this in mind next time you think someone who hates you actually loves you. Chances are they really do hate you.

Words of Wisdom

Amazing what you can find when your eyes and mind are open: I found this passage in the liner notes from a King Crimson album, Lizard. It's described as "found in old Saint Paul's Church, Baltimore, dated 1692". It's actually a poem, Desiderata, by Max Ehrmann, written in 1927.

 Go placidly amid the noise & haste & remember, what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible without surrender be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly & clearly; and listen to others, even the dull & ignorant; they too have their story.

 Avoid loud & aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain & bitter; for always there will be greater & lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.

 Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time. Exercise caution in your business affairs; for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals; and everywhere life is full of heroism.

 Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity & disenchantment it is as perennial as the grass.

 Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue & loneliness. Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself.

 You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees & the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

 Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you consider Him to be, and whatever your labors & aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.

 With all its sham, drudgery & broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy.

 Somewhat more inspiring than the album reviews which make up 80% of the liner notes! Enjoy!

Fairfax County Death Star 2.0

Another chapter in the oddball reflections on Star Wars themes.

 The main judicial center building of the Fairfax County courts, housing the General District Court and Circuit Court, has been under construction for some time. It’s in an L shape, and the addition will close it with another L, creating a box with an internal courtyard. The existing court is still in full operation while the addition is being built.

 What it reminds me of is the second Death Star in "Return of the Jedi" – especially the part where the Emperor arrogantly chuckles to Luke Skywalker, now a full Jedi Knight, that this new Death Star is "fully operational" – which you would never know looking at its half-built structure still open to space. And of course the Rebels are clueless and don’t know the thing is up and running (though they find out soon enough).

 Hmm. Never mind the United States, or the Commonwealth of Virginia: imagine Fairfax County with its OWN Death Star. Your county tax dollars at work. Fairfax County is by far the largest and richest of the counties in Virginia, while much of the rest of the state is still rural areas with primer-colored pickups and Confederate flags. Imagine the legitimate uses a county government might have for a Death Star: shaking down competing counties. "Arlington, you’re going down!!!" "Prince William [Woodbridge and Manassas...home of the Bobbitt trial!], you’re late on your payments. You wouldn’t want an ‘accident’ to happen, would you?" "Henrico [north of Richmond], you fucked with the wrong highly urbanized and affluent Northern Virginia county!" Or perhaps better enforcement of real estate taxes – late on your payment, say goodbye to your whole house. Cut back on the Fairfax County Stormtroopers, errr Police Dept. Who needs cops when you have a Death Star? The possiblities are endless.

 Back when the dude who shot the CIA people in Langley was up for trial, the powers that be decided that some extra protection was necessary to defend the Fairfax County court complex from a possible terrorist attack. We can imagine Al Qaeda targeting the Pentagon or the World Trade Center – they already have. But a county court building? Is Fairfax County going to be the Great Satan of the Middle East? Fatwas issued to assassinate various Circuit Court judges? Suicide bombs against the jail? Jihad against Fairfax County? See, THIS is why Fairfax County needs its own Death Star. The Nike anti-aircraft missiles stationed in Fairfax County in the 50s are long gone.

 Other fun facts about Fairfax County (from its website...the comments are mine)

 1. 395 square miles and 252,828 acres of land. It used to include what is now Loudoun and Arlington counties and the cities of Alexandria and Falls Church. The Death Star will be useful when Fairfax decides to take back this area...

 2. Population in 2002: 991,000. It has more residents than 7 states: Alaska (duh!), Delaware, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont and Wyoming.

 3. One of only 24 counties in the US to have a triple A rating on its bonds (come in handy financing that Death Star. They aren’t cheap! Imagine that bond issue on the ballot: "Do you vote YES or NO to Fairfax County building its own Death Star?")

 4. It was established in 1742 (no Death Stars back then).

 5. In 1861, the county voted 1231 to 289 for Virginia to secede from the Union. Given how liberal the county is these days, chances are that vote wouldn’t be repeated today. Then again, given how liberal it is, maybe it would build a Peace Star instead of a Death Star. Somehow a Death Star is much cooler.

 6. The NRA is located in Fairfax County. They can help rewrite the 2^nd Amendment: "...the right of counties to keep and bear Death Stars shall not be infringed..."

 7. Speaking of international scope - and terrorism: the Fairfax County International Urban Search & Rescue resource, sponsored by the Fairfax County, Virginia Fire and Rescue Department, has handled emergencies across the US and overseas. The list of their missions is pretty impressive:

 Domestic: Oklahoma City bombing (1995); The Pentagon (9/11/01); Hurricane Isabel, east coast (2003); Hurricane Charley, FL (2004), Hurricane Katrina, LA (2005); Hurricane Rita, TX (2005), Hurrican Ernesto, FL (2006).

 Overseas: Earthquake, Armenia (1988); earthquake, Phillipines (1990); Nairobi Embassy Bombing (1998); earthquake, Turkey (1999); earthquake, Taiwan (1999), earthquake, Turkey (1999); Danube river flooding, Czech Republic (2002); earthquake, Iran (2003); earthquake, Morocco (2004); tsunami, Indonesia (2005); and earthquake, Pakistan (2005).

 NOTE: No alcohol or drugs were consumed in the writing of this blog entry. I reside in Fairfax County and blame it for my overactive imagination.

Sleazy Lawyers, Part II

[This is the last of the Myspace blog entries switched over here to Yahoo 360.]

 Plea Bargains = Corruption? Every day, in courts across the US, defendants go to court for various offenses. Traffic infractions such as speeding; minor misdemeanors such as drunk in public or disorderly conduct; all the way up to serious felonies. Very few will actually go to trial. In most cases, a privately retained attorney, a court-appointed attorney, a public defender, or even the defendant himself, will work some deal with the prosecutor and plead guilty to some lesser offense in exchange for a lesser sentence. Is this corruption?

 Ideally, every criminal case should be zealously prosecuted by the state and defended by the defendant – and that means going to trial. As a practical matter, doing so would bring the court system to a grinding halt. There is no way the courts could handle the load if every single case was tried.

 The truth of the matter is that most defendants are guilty and know they are guilty. The police in my area are all well-trained professionals who went to academies and take their jobs seriously. The prosecutors are selectively hired, know what they’re doing, and do not bring charges where no evidence supports them. To be fair to my clients, although they are guilty, they know they are, and don’t expect miracles or acquittals – only that I will do my best to assure that they end up with an outcome they can live with.

 This is the crucial difference between a cop taking a payoff and a prosecutor and defense counsel taking a plea bargain. The cop taking a payoff represents "the people" yet is selling them short; any money received goes into his own pocket – maybe shared with the other cops at the station. Contrast this with the prosecutor and defense counsel.

 The prosecutor also represents "the people" but his motivation in accepting a plea is not to save his own neck – which is not in any danger in a courthouse – or to make any money, but to see to it that "justice is done", recognizing that his own case may be imperfect. No prosecutor will allow an obviously guilty defendant to walk away completely. The prosecutor wants to see that some reasonable punishment is inflicted, even if that is not jail, or if it means a completely suspended sentence which will allow the defendant to walk out of court free of handcuffs and not go to jail (right away). If a fine is assessed, it goes to the court, not into the prosecutor’s pocket.

 And for my part, defense counsel is in direct communication with the client. I will not accept a plea without the client’s consent. And I only advise doing so if I honestly believe it’s in the client’s best interest. Sometimes a plea is not, and we go to trial. No one – not the state nor the defendant – is being cheated, swindled, or defrauded by a plea bargain. Nor is the purpose of the law perverted. The system does work, as surprising as that may sound. Maybe I’m just an optimist, not cynical enough for my own good.

 Then there’s the other side: the client who tries to spin you. The guy comes into my office, with a criminal case coming up soon in court. He claims he’s innocent, he was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and spins some sad saga. Uhh, yeah. So we go to court, I repeat his saga to the Commonwealth’s Attorney, who smiles and replies, "that’s not what I heard..." He tells a very different story, which if true, means my guy is guilty as hell. But he’s not such a bad prosecutor, so he offers me a guilty plea with suspended jail time and a small fine. I go back to my client and repeat what the CA told me – and the client looks very embarassed. Moreover, Mr. "I’m Completely Innocent!" grabs the plea bargain in a heartbeat. Experienced defense attorneys warn that you’ll have to meet with your client a few times – and each time more of the truth comes out and more of the lies disappear. You won’t get the full story until you show up in court and the prosecution tells you all the juicy stuff your client wouldn’t tell you.

 Finally, this is not really about sleazy lawyers – more like a transition from the discussion on defense clients. Sometime the client is the victim, pressing criminal charges against the aggressor. And they ask me to represent them at court - on the criminal matter. I have to explain, "no, that’s the prosecutor’s job, I’m a private attorney. You can hire me, I can go with you, but I’d simply be watching while the prosecutor did all the work. There’s no sense in having me there for that." I’m not about to do the prosecutor’s work – or second guess the prosecutor’s competence.

 Suffice to say that criminal defense work has its interesting and intriguing moments....