Music Monday: Apocalypse

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16 July 2012

I watched a storm out my window recently as two songs played in succession. These are the songs I bring to you today.

“The Daikaiju Who Loved Me” by Daikaiju [Nevermind the video as it was all I could find for the song.]

“Rat Race” by The Specials

Look at a quickly gathering storm, the blue sky swallowed quickly by the speeding darkness. The rain splattering. The wind bending trees to the breaking point. Gaze at inevitable destruction as the music blasts in your ears. “Working for the rat race.” What was it all for? Why did you waste so much time when the winds of earth will wipe you off as if you never were born?

-JPR

A day without music

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9 July 2012

This weekend, GF and I moved in to our new apartment in Salt Lake City, UT. We live above a restaurant called Hot Dog On A Stick. Perfection.

We have no internet connection at the moment, so I write this from a Barnes & Noble that will close in 15 minutes.

Thus, I will post no Music Monday today.

But, I will say that my friends are the greatest group of people ever assembled on the planet. They are amazing and blow my mind and leave me speechless and make me cry and laugh and are just fuck awesome.

-JPR

Music Monday: Ringleader of the Tormentors

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2 July 2012

Four days from now, I will turn 31 years old. At various points in my life I have been an evangelical Christian, a graduate student, an actor, a comic, a wimp stuck in unenjoyable relationships, a man in love, a musician, a shoe salesperson, a teacher, a deputy director and an apartment cleaner.

Where I am and where I come from collide in today’s Music Monday selection.

Morrissey’s Ringleader of the Tormentors arrived in 2006. I bought it on the day it was released in the United States. I immediately took it to my girlfriend’s apartment, put it in my computer, plugged in my headphones and consumed the album. At that point, it was the most beautiful thing I had heard and it remains a pivotal album for me. It is deep. It looks back without anger, but with perspective. It is depressed and hopeful. It is contented, but not content. The narrators of this album could die knowing they had done their best. They had glimpsed the lows and the highs and could be ready to go at anytime. They looked back and saw sadness, but also saw an ability never to compromise in the face of stupidity and the constant, crushing pressure of conformity.

This is one of the most adult albums I know.

A few days ago, I waited for GF in the parking lot of her building as she finished up work. I let track seven (“Life is a Pigsty”) of Ringleader of the Tormentors wash over me. It is my favourite Morrissey track to date and fills me with such love and wonder and hope that I feel my entire body will explode. Perhaps I’ve missed the point of the song.

When you listen to this album, please listen to it on headphones or as loudly as possible.

-JPR

Comic Book Dads

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17 June 2012

Today is Father’s Day. Did you know that comic book kids also give gifts to their comic book dads? Well, I tweeted what those gifts were this year. In case you missed it (which you would not have if you were following @mentalmacguyver on Twitter), here is the list in its entirety.

Father’s Day 2012 in the world of comics

9:55 am – .@nfcomics @MimiCruzC Do you think Wolverine would be sad if X-23 got him a beard trimmer for #FathersDay?

9:58 am – Cyclops gave Corsair a new Tommy Hilfiger sash. #FathersDay #ComicBookFathers

10:00 am – Ellen and the kids gave Buddy Baker the popular @neontrees single “Animal.” #FathersDay #ComicBookDads

10:01 am – Damian Wayne gave Bruce a new tie – made of kevlar. #FathersDay #ComicBookDads

10:04 am – Loki and Thor got together to give Odin a popular Asgard body spray, Double-Bladed Axe. #FathersDay #ComicBookDads

10:05 am – Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch got together to give Magneto a new computer. He has already erased the hard drive. #FathersDay #ComicBookDads

10:06 am – Cable gave Cyclops a sweet new pair of Ray Bans. #FathersDay #ComicBookDads

10:07 am – Booster Gold gave Rip Hunter a new Timex and a day planner. #FathersDay #ComicBookDads

10:09 am – Blackheart gave Mephisto a copy of The Devil Wears Prada just to be spiteful. #FathersDay #ComicBookDads

10:31 am – Archangel gave Apocalypse the anniversary DVD of Wings and a Paul McCartney solo album. #FathersDay #ComicBookDads

10:33 am – Rose Wilson gave Slade Wilson a golfing video so he can work on his (death)stroke. #FathersDay #ComicBookDads

10:34 am – Connor Hawke gave Oliver Queen a new Bowflex. #FathersDay #ComicBookDads

10:36 am – Aqualad gave Aquaman the latest Phish concert DVD. #FathersDay #ComicBookDads

10:38 am – Franklin and Valeria Richards gave Reed Richards a back scrubber so he could get hard-to-reach places. They tried. #FathersDay #ComicBookDads

10:50 am – Harry Osborn just left a tasteful pumpkin on Norman’s grave. #FathersDay #ComicBookDads

10:51 am – Wonder Woman went about her business as usual. #FathersDay #ComicBookDads

10:53 am – Thank you for tuning into our special #FathersDay #ComicBookDads tweets.

Music Monday – Green Day

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11 June 2011

Today’s Music Monday recommendation is Green Day. Really? Yes.

After American Idiot I was skeptical of anything they were putting out. But it turns out that their next studio album, 21st Century Breakdown, is beautifully epic and high-energy offering. The first five tracks could be an album all their own.

So check out 21st Century Breakdown. 

-JPR