#even if most of the dc member’s thoughts on their genre is ‘well it’s unique so we don’t want to stop’ as opposed to any real interest

[ujuro]

It took four fuckin minis but xdinary heroes finally found the right balance of pop/rock to not sound super phony congrats to those boys

[doomedandstoned]

Chattanooga’s Dope Skum Drop Gritty First Spin

~Doomed & Stoned Debuts~

By Billy Goate

Stompin' southern stoner riffs and great big beats collide with punkish vocals in 'Tanasi' (2021). It's the debut EP from Chattanooga's DOPE SKUM. These guys know it's about to get hot as we transition from winter to spring and on into summer, too. Oh those muggy days in Tennessee! What I miss most about spending time in the Deep South are the cicada at sunset, the smell of honeysuckle during evening strolls, and those damned thunderstorms -- the kind that loom large and loud and'll put the fear of Zeus right in ya.

So new that they're not yet in the oft-referenced Encyclopaedia Metallum, Dope Skum attracted my attention earlier this month when we met on Instagram -- a platform I avoided for years, but have finally come to embrace, if for no better reason than these kinds of spontaneous encounters. They're another child born of the Great Lockdown, a two-piecer with Cody Landress-Gibson on guitar and voice and James Silber on drums. Like many of the duos we've visited recently in this humble rag, Dope Skum bring impressive heft that could easily fool the common bystander into believing they're dang near twice the size.

Cody Landress-Gibson of Dope Skum

Drawn together by their affinity for punk rock and the heaviest of metal, Dope Skum have a distinctive, if eccentric sound that kinda reminds me of Portland's LáGoon, at least in the crooning department. If you look at the history of sludge metal, bands of this kind typically start out as lo-fi punk or thrash and just get slower, meaner, deeper, and heavier over time (I'm thinking of an outfit just one state over, NC's Buzzov*en).

Dope Skum describe their sound as "nastier than an old timer's moonshine mash," which made me wince. Standing on a "rock-solid foundation of sludgy stoner metal with a notable punky inflection" the band is influenced by the likes of Weedeater, Iron Monkey, Eyehategod, and Toke. This is rude, crude, raucous terrain we're entering, people. And I'm sure the guys are just itching like an ankle full of chiggers to take the act to the stage, if they haven't gotten busted for an illegal house show by now.

James Silber of Dope Skum

'Tanasi' (2021) is their 5-track debut, and while trying to look up the meaning of the word -- temporarily mistaking it for the Japanese "Tansai" (which I thought might be a reference to some to some "lightly colored" strain of weed) -- it finally hit me that Tanasi might be referring how folks generations deep in Chattanooga pronounce Tennessee, with characteristic Southern drawl. As if the state-shaped logo on the album cover wasn't clue enough. Truth be told, Tanasi is actually the Native American/Cherokee word that Tennessee is derived from.

Dope Skum are only happy to let the unique character of their surroundings and its fascinating, tangled history leak into the songcraft too, which the guys quip, "recalls simplistic fiddle tunes of yore." They go on describe their first opus to us:

Exuding a gritty DIY ethos and an anti-establishment attitude, 'Tanasi' is deliberately rough around the edges, and doesn’t play by any particular set of rules. There is no ulterior motive, no grand artistic vision. Dope Skum simply play engaging music that appeals to their interests and their roots.

I can definitely get behind that. If you like riffs that can really rumble, honest lyrics delivered with vocals that sting like an onary hornet's nest, and rhythms that swing wide and heavy with stomping Southern swagger, you'll be saying Tanasi in no time! "We wanted to try and create something that was southern, punky, and sludgy," the band concludes. "I think we accomplished that."

Look for the EP to drop this weekend in digital format. I'm sure if you guys dig it, 'twill find its way to a suitable label for a physical release in the near future. I'm currently stuck on a loop between "Anxiety" and "Chickamauga" as my tracks of choice. Doomed & Stoned is pleased to give you a first listen to Dope Skum's Tanasi and let you find a few favs of your own.

Give ear...

Tanasi EP by Dope Skum

Dope Skum Take Us On Tour Of 'Tanasi'

How did Dope Skum become a thing and what tools did you use to create 'Tanasi' (2021)?

Dope Skum started in late-2020 with myself, Cody Landress-Gibson, on guitar and James Silber on drums. Our gear really isn't anything to write home about. On the EP, I played a Harley Benton DC Junior with a single P90 pickup running through a Rat ProCo, Orange Fur Coat Fuzz, and EarthQuaker Devices Ghost Echo at times into a Marshall MG50CFX. James plays a Yamaha drum set with PA Meinl Classics cymbals. It's pretty "working class" gear, nothing too fancy.

What's the story behind the new record?

James and I started jamming and both had a pretty solid idea of the sound we were going for. We wanted something in the same vein as Weedeater, but maintain the ability to throw in elements of different influences we have. I had already written some riffs, and we threw them together to what became the EP. We recorded, mixed, and mastered everything ourselves at my house/garage in Chattanooga.

We'd love a guided tour through the new EP. Can you give us insight into the themes explored in these five monster tracks?

Feast of Snakes: The title was inspired by a Harry Crews novel, but the song doesn't pull from the novel at all. It's essentially an anti-authoritarian song. Politicians, kings, people in power tend to be snakes in the grass. There are also some religious metaphors used, as well, throughout the song.

Anxiety: The idea behind this one lyrically and musically was to try and put that emotion/feeling into a musical context. It's why the lyrics don't start until the second time into the verse riff. You're waiting, and you know you need to act, but something is just holding you back -- you just feel kind of stuck.

Chickamauga: This one is all instrumental. I had written the main riff that is throughout the song one night and brought it to James at a practice. We really didn't know where to go with it, so for the EP we recorded it live and just let whatever came up get included on the EP. I named it "Chickamauga" after the second bloodiest battle in the Civil War that took place just south of Chattanooga. With the build-up in the song, it's kind of like a soldier waiting for the battle to take place, then the chaos, then silence either from surviving the melee or dying. It's probably one of the tracks that will stick out the most because it doesn't really fit the "genre."

The Levee: I wrote this song with the thought of losing someone you love, the death of a close partner or family member. That one person you feel like you can't live without. I also love the riffs in this song. They groove well and the ending riff is super fun to play.

Mountain Cur: The final track on the EP is essentially about a lone wolf or stray dog that roams the mountains and hills. The intention was to use it as a metaphor for loneliness. This dog is all alone and has no one. He's committing these acts of violence as cry out for help and companionship. Don't know if it comes across this way, but that was the intention! Also, at the beginning is audio from a scene in Lawless (2012), which is a film about the Bondurant brothers who were outlaws moonshiners in rural Virginia in the '20s during Prohibition.

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[howaminotinthestrokesyet]

Behind The Album: Appetite For Destruction

In July 1987, Guns N’ Roses released their debut album, Appetite For Destruction. The album would go on to become the biggest selling debut record in music history. Furthermore, it would be the 11th highest selling album of all time in the United States. The strange thing was that the record did not actually achieve this immediate success after its release. Its popularity was a very gradual growth that needed the help of singles, a tour, and music videos including their only number one hit “Sweet Child O’ Mine.” The record company, Geffen, did not do much in the way of promotion for the band, Critics at the time did not think very much of the album at first, but now they all agree that Appetite For Destruction now represents a classic album that changed music.

The recording sessions began in January 1987 as the band had signed with Geffen Records six months prior. They could have signed with Chrysalis Records for twice the money, but they would not give them complete artistic freedom. For their part, Geffen Records did not have very much faith in the album anyway pushing the band to release the EP Live ?!*@ Like A Suicide the previous December. The executives did not feel that GNR had enough material to make a full album, but they did not want to miss out on the buzz that was building about their live shows. Most of the tracks for the album had been written while playing their club shows primarily in LA from 1985-1986. As stated previously, they produced a wealth of material that actually went on their other albums, G N’ R Lies and Use Your Illusion I and II. For example, “November Rain” was seriously considered for this album, but they only wanted one ballad on there, which became “Sweet Child O’ Mine,” a love letter to Axl’s girlfriend Erin Everly. The band considered several producers to record the album including Paul Stanley of Kiss and Mutt Lang, who had produced Def Leppard. The rejection of Lang really came down to the producer being too expensive. The first producer they worked with, Spencer Proffer, actually recorded nine tracks with the band, but he was ultimately rejected. They finally chose Mike Clink, who had produced several records by the band,Triumph. The album would be mostly recorded at Rumbo Studios in the San Fernando Valley. One of the reasons for this decision represented the fact that the location was away from Los Angeles, which meant the band members could focus a lot more on the music. The distractions of sex and drugs were problematic from the very beginning. The record company from the time they were signed began to fear that the band would not be around long enough to record any album because one of them was probably going to die very soon. Recording was slow at first because Slash needed to work on perfecting the guitar sound for the album. Once he got that down, the album still took quite a bit of time because Axl Rose demanded that his vocals only be recorded one line at a time. Steven Adler would later say that his drum tracks only took six days. As Axl gradually recorded his vocals, the rest of the band stayed completely away from the studio to let him work. A good number of the tracks for the album had actually been written when band members were in other groups. “Rocket Queen” had been a song written by Duff McKagan, Slash, and Stephen Adler when they had the group, The Road Crew. The song “Anything Goes” had been a Hollywood Rose tune. The lyrics reflected personal experiences of the band members. The song, “Welcome to the Jungle” came from Axl hitchhiking to New York. A homeless stranger came up to him upon arrival and said, “Welcome to the jungle you’re gonna die, man.” The song, “Out To Get Me” had been based on Rose’s troubles with the police that essentially forced him to leave Lafayette, Indiana to avoid prosecution. The song, “Mr. Brownstone was a direct reference to their seemingly full-time pastime of doing heroin. The song” “Paradise City” was written just after a disastrous trip to Seattle for one of their first tours. They had been left stranded on the way there needing to ditch much of their equipment just to make the tour. Paradise City emerged as a reference to Los Angeles upon their return.

GNR needed to battle the record company over the original cover art for the album. They had wanted an image of a robotic rapist being punished by a metal avenger, but record stores said they would not sell the album. Band members would later say that the robotic rapist was a symbol for the industrial system polluting our environment. Sometimes when it comes to Guns N’ Roses, you simply could not make this stuff up. A compromise was finally reached to allow the image to be included on the insert. The cover of the album, which is now iconic actually originated from a tattoo Rose had gotten the year before. Along with his tattoo artist, the singer would receive most of the credit for that logo. A little known fact emerges in that the knot symbol in the cross on the logo was actually a reference to Thin Lizzy. Another creative difference that most people may not realize was that the record did not have an A and B side, but a G and R side. The G side represented songs that took on darker themes like drugs and violence, while the R side were the ones about love, sex, and relationships. Originally, Axl had wanted to have a picture of the Challenger space shuttle exploding as the cover of the album, but the record company refused because it would have been in extremely poor taste.

At first, nobody noticed that the album had even been released. For example, in August 1987 Appetite For Destruction was number 182 on the charts, but exactly one year later the album was number one. Author Stephen Davis said that competition from other groups like Aerosmith and Def Leppard at the time hindered the group's ability to effectively promote the album. Slash would recall, "We thought we'd made a record that might do as well as, say, Motörhead, it was totally uncommercial. It took a year for it to even get on the charts. No one wanted to know about it." Another thing that must be noted that absolutely helped the success of Appetite For Destruction was the music video for “Welcome To The Jungle.” MTV had refused to play the video until David Geffen from the record company requested that the channel play it. The video aired for the first time at 4 AM on a Sunday, but some people saw it that lead to a tremendous number of requests for the video. Surprisingly looking back now, but critics absolutely hated the album at first. Dave Ling of Metal Hammer said the band simply copied other groups like Aerosmith, Hanoi Rocks, and AC/DC, and not very well at that. Other critics believed that the band’s popularity could be wholly attributed to their embrace of sex and drugs in their lyrics. They felt the group was glorifying it at a time when America was suffering from the AIDS epidemic and the war on drugs. Now in retrospect, critics undoubtedly keep lavishing praise upon the album being a turning point as rock and roll turned away from hair metal and glam metal to hard rock. Many agree that it represented the best metal record of the late 1980’s, if not the entire decade. Ann Powers of Rolling Stone would write, it “produced a unique mix of different rock values, speed and musicianship, flash and dirt,” that "changed hard rock's sensibilities at the time." Christa Titus of Billboard also noted that overall Appetite For Destruction embraced multiple other sub genres besides what would become hard rock. The album had, “metal's forceful playing, punk rock's rebellious themes, glam metal's aesthetic, and bluesy guitar riffs that appealed to purists." As other critics brought up that the record was more in line with The Rolling Stones and Aerosmith in the 1970’s, rather than any current band. In 1999, Axl Rose with all new members of Guns N’ Roses re-recorded the entire album. His reasoning had been to utilize new recording technology to improve upon the master. This new version was never released to the public, except for the second half of the song, Sweet Child O’ Mine which can be heard in the credits for the film, Big Daddy. In 2018, the band released a deluxe version of the album including early demos recorded at Sound City, Live ?!*@ Like a Suicide remastered, and early versions of the tracks that would eventually land in some form on Use Your Illusion I and II.

[garrettsthings]

My Predictions About the Gameplay for Rocksteady’s Suicide Squad Game

Hey friends! It’s been a while since I posted a long word-vomit about something hasn’t it? Well what can I say, I felt inspired today after seeing Rocksteady’s reveal of an upcoming Suicide Squad game, with more info promised at the DC FanDome on the 22nd. However, since I can’t wait that long, I thought it would be fun to share my four theories on what the gameplay would be like in order of least to most likely (in my opinion). Bear in mind, this is just what I would do if I were designing a Suicide Squad game. This is based on absolutely zero official information.

1. An Arkham Style Game

I said from least to most likely, but I consider this one to be not at all likely. I’m mostly just including because I feel obligated to mention Rocksteady’s other big superhero franchise. As cool as it would be, I highly doubt that an open-world game full of side-missions, collectibles, and easter eggs (though hopefully there are plenty of those) with stealth mechanics would be a good fit for the Suicide Squad. Though I’ve been wrong before.

2. A Platinum Style Character Action Game

When I was thinking about how a Suicide Squad game would even work, this was my first thought. If this is the style the game ultimately uses, I imagine that the game would be split up into missions, and for each one you get to select your character (some missions may have different pools of characters to select from like War for Cybertron) and you partake in insane, over-the-top brawls in locked rooms where you’re graded after each fight. As a huge Platinum fan, I would love this, but I can’t see this style of gameplay working for some members of the Squad like Deadshot (though that didn’t stop them from putting him into a fighting game for some reason).

3. A Genre-Mixing Game

As much as I love the idea of my second prediction, it runs the pretty heavy risk of forcing each unique member of the Suicide Squad to play roughly the same. This idea offers a bit more freedom and variety. In this style, the story would be broken up into missions, but each mission would be played by a different character, with each one bringing his or her own style of gameplay that suited his or her abilities. I’m thinking something similar to the X-Men 3 movie game, except actually good. For example, Deadshot would play like an FPS, Harley and King Shark would play like the above-mentioned character action games, Black Spider would be more like a stealth game, etc.

4. An X-Com Style Turn-Based Strategy Game

So I’m 90% sure I would be the only one to be excited about this, but the more I thought about it, the more I thought this would be the best way to bring all the members of the Squad into play without forcing players to only stick with their favourites. A game like this would give players the experience of managing a team with so many different abilities and skillsets. Not to mention, if the game is X-Com hard, it will definitely give you the feeling of managing a team of disposable Z-list villains in missions they are barely expected to succeed in. That’s right. It would be a Suicide Squad game where you play the role of Amanda Waller. Plus, if it has a huge cast of characters, that increases the chances of Kite Man, so... hell yeah.

What kind of game are you hoping the game will turn out to be? And what kind of characters are you hoping to see show up (I mean aside from the obvious choice of Condiment King)? Sound off in the replies or reblogs!

[that-shamrock-vibe]

Superhero Spotlight: #SaveLucifer (Spoilers)

One of the biggest shocks of 2018 so far is the announcement made at the end of last week that Fox have cancelled Lucifer after 3 seasons. Not only was this a shock for fans but also to the cast including star Tom Ellis who started the #SaveLucifer campaign. So I thought I would offer my reasons as to why the cancellation is a mistake and also offer my suggestions to Fox for where they can take the show going forward.

Also as a disclaimer, this post will have spoilers for the entirety of the show so if you haven’t see the series finale of Lucifer, don’t read on.

Reasons to #SaveLucifer:

#1. Tom Ellis is Fantastic in the Role

Like many Brits who have watched this show, I knew of Tom Ellis in British TV roles prior to this such as EastEnders, Merlin and most notably Miranda. So prior to becoming the devil, he was diverse in both comedy and drama, however nothing to this level.

Lucifer as a character is charismatic, charming, hilarious and relatable as someone who is a genuinely honest person and essentially a fish out of water as of course he is used to either Heaven or Hell. All of that is obviously partly down to the writers but mostly down to Tom Ellis’ acting as he is almost unrecognizable in this role compared to those previously mentioned roles.

I think the difference is with roles like EastEnders and Miranda, he is playing the typical “nice guy” and with Merlin he was a stereotypical “arc villain”, but as Lucifer Morningstar, he is a fully-rounded, complex character and that, I feel, is why the show works at its core, because of Tom Ellis’ acting.

#2. A Different Type of Comic-Book TV Show

Believe it or not, Lucifer is based on DC Comics! Officially the Vertigo imprint of DC Comics but Lucifer Morningstar is a supporting character of The Sandman, who is a creation of Neil Gaiman. Now yes, Lucifer in the comics is blonde, Gothic and has different adventures to what he has in the show, but the very fact Lucifer is officially based on a comic-book property makes it a very different type of comic-book show compared to the likes of the Arrowverse shows or even the Marvel Netflix shows.

Because of this it is in a unique space of being a relief to both fans and non-fans of comic-book shows that may be finding the genre saturated at this point with the same type of show.

The only powers featured in Lucifer are divine powers which are either the effects of heavenly weapons or flight. Also the show is in that unique position of not needing special effects or powers because that isn’t what the primary focus of the series is.

#3. A Lovable Cast

Aside from Tom Ellis, this show has one of the best supporting cast in any show currently out there. I would list my MVPs but I do really like them all; I didn’t care much for Kevin Ranklin as Malcolm Graham in the first season but other than that I have loved watching all of these characters and obviously the acting is a huge part of that.

My two favourites aside from Tom Ellis are Lesley-Ann Brandt and Rachel Harris as both were just so compelling to watch whether with Mazikeen’s bad-ass nature or the journey of Linda discovering Lucifer’s true identity.

Also Scarlett Estevez who portrayed Dan and Chloe’s daughter Trix was fantastic, for a child actor (she was seven at the start of the series so by now she must be 9/10) to steal a fair few amount of scenes without diminishing the roles of the other actors is a gift, this girl I see a great future for if she pursues this as a career.

#4. Equality for Both Genders

There is a slight imbalance in genders as there has been one more female main cast member than male, but that’s not to say they push a feminist agenda or even make it about girl power like Supergirl. In fact the cast is very well-balanced both in terms of gender roles and ethnic diversity.

Also the victims and culprits every week or story have an equal mixture in both male and female showing that anyone can be a murder victim and anyone can be a murderer if given the right motive.

#5. Inventive and Creative Plots

So yes it is essentially a police drama with a divine twist but that is not to say that every episode has that formulaic “murderer of the week” angle, in fact while a lot of the cases are a simple murder investigation plot, the story around said plot is what becomes inventive and creative.

For example, in Season 2 there is one episode where Azrael’s blade is the murder weapon, Azrael’s blade is a divine weapon originally owned by the Angel of Death which forms the Flaming Sword when combined with a medallion and a key that Amenadiel always wears around his neck. In its debut episode, “The Sword of Death” is wielded by mere mortals which brings their inner anger to the surface and causes a mass stabathon.

This was inventive because it was the first and really only time that a weapon of the divine had been used by mortals without anyone aside from the divine realizing what the weapon was.

Which brings me on nicely to the series-long plot of Lucifer’s true identity, this was a very creative plot because...he was completely honest about who he was from the very first episode. Every opportunity Lucifer had to refer to himself as “the devil” he took it, even some random prostitute calling him “the devil” and him going “you have no idea”. The greatest part of this entire plot was that it took 3 seasons and 55 episodes for Chloe Dekker, who was the secondary protagonist and Lucifer’s main love interest, to finally realise that Lucifer was in fact the devil. How was this revealed? His devil face finally returned after a season-long arc of losing said face and Chloe finally saw it.

Honestly, and no disrespect to blondes, but Dekker is the definition of a stereotypical dumb blonde because while she was brilliant as a detective, the woman had literally every other episode with Lucifer telling her who he is and yet, a lot like Linda used to do, she compartmentalized that into Lucifer using metaphors.

It has been a fantastic long-running plot because, again, with traditional comic-book superhero shows it’s all about protecting the hero’s identity, like on Arrow this season, yet here Lucifer makes no secret as to who he is it’s just a question of no one actually believing him.

#6. Responsible for Bringing Tom Welling Back

This point was a personal bonus addition for me because I grew up in the noughties watching Smallville, which was the origins of Clark Kent becoming Superman, which starred Tom Welling in the main role of Clark Kent.

I was very happy when he was announced as a main character for the third season and hoped he would have a bigger role outside of just being Dekker and Dan’s lieutenant and fortunately he was. Not only was he the criminal known as the Sinnerman but also in a mid-season twist he was revealed to be Cain from the bible.

It has been great because to see Welling go from playing one of fiction’s greatest superheroes to supposedly the world’s first murderer shows a good range in acting from Welling despite the fact his two best-known TV roles are both with DC Comics.

Ideas for Future Seasons: 

Alright so I have said why the series is so good, now I’m going to say why I think the series should come back with some suggestions for future plots.

#1. Introduce God

We’ve met Lucifer, we’ve met Amenadiel, we’ve met their mum who I am going to call Goddess and we’ve met one of their other siblings Uriel, but where the hell is God himself. i’ll admit that I am an Atheist/inactive pagan so believing in a higher power or deity for me only applies to the Greek/Roman/Egyptian mythologies but in a show that deals with angels and demons I do want to see the king of angels as I have seen the king of demons.

Introducing God I did always feel would be an endgame for the series of the build up he has had but even if they brought the series back for a final season just to give the fans a feel of closure then to bring in God for that final season would be a great idea.

#2. Crossover With Other DC Shows

Even though I know it is ending, I would really like Lucifer to crossover with the likes of Gotham because both shows have the same type of genre and both do not usually go so far into the comic-book genre that it becomes fantastical.

Failing that I would love Lucifer and Mazikeen to meet Constantine because Constantine is all about banishing demons and the next season of Legends of Tomorrow does seem to be a demon hunt so why not bring Mazikeen in for that?

#3. Crossover With Shadowhunters

This is a personal favoured choice of mine but again much like Constantine, the Shadowhunters are all about destroying demons and with that in mind I would to see a full on fight between Mazikeen and Isabelle. I also think both Lucifer and Dan’s egos vs. Jace and Alec’s egos would be a fun battle to witness within itself. Think Star-Lord and Thor in Avengers: Infinity War.

Now I know people are probably going to say “What are you talking about? Shadowhunters is on a completely different network to Fox!” Yes well because Fox has dumped Lucifer, it makes sense for it to be picked up by another network, now with Shadowhunters I think being broadcast on ABC in America (If I am wrong correct me please) but being broadcast by Netflix worldwide, it does make sense just to move Lucifer from Amazon to Netflix.

Also in regards to the different networks, the Supernatural boys just had a comic-book crossover with Scooby Doo, I think this is doable.

#4. Show Heaven

Quite simple for this one, we have seen Hell and purgatory but we have yet to actually see Heaven. Amenadiel took Charlotte to Heaven when she died in the penultimate episode but we never actually saw them go there, even just to have see them fly up towards it and see the golden gates or something would have at least maybe given us a tease for something potentially to come.

Also visiting Heaven would hopefully introduce God as I stated before but also allow for returning characters like Amenadiel and Charlotte but also, now that Chloe believes all this Heaven and Hell stuff, if Lucifer was to somehow take her there then she may be reunited with her dad which would make for a great dramatic and emotional scene.

#5. A War for the Earth

Alright so this one is kind of a follow-on from the last one but also a throwback to the very first episode. Right at the end of the first episode in a conversation between Lucifer and Amenadiel about how Lucifer defying both their father and Amenadiel would start a war, something Amenadiel was okay with.

Now while Amenadiel is currently on side with Lucifer, that doesn’t mean God will start a war either with Lucifer, Earth or Hell to get what he wants, and that could be the main story-arc of Season 4...a war either between Heaven and Hell or a War for the Earth. After all, god supposedly created the Earth so logically he can also destroy it.

This doesn’t even have to be a series-long war like Arrow has been known for, it can simply be a villain of the week or couple of weeks and then God interjected at random moments in the season until the big confrontation at the end. Wars don’t just have to be physical they can also be intellectual.

Overall I think I have made some rather good arguments as to why Lucifer is a fantastic show, why it should remain and what the potential storylines could be. There are still talks about the show trying to find a new home so hopefully we will see it back. #SaveLucifer

So that’s my Superhero Spotlight on the current state of Lucifer and the possibility of it going forward, what do you guys think? Post your comments and check out more Superhero and Supervillain Spotlights as well as other posts.

[snow-barryrules-blog]

Titans 01×01 Review

SPOILER WARNING!!!

 I was so excited when I first heard DC was making a live-action Teen Titans tv show. All my excitement kind of went away when I saw the leaked set photos for the show bc all the characters looked so weird and too different from the version I’m more familiar with. When the show premiered, I checked out a couple of reviews on it and there were some good reviews which made me a little curious so I decided to check out the pilot and it completely changed my mind and now I see the show in a completely new light and I want to share my thoughts on it.

 The main thing about this show that got me hooked was the storyline. The entire show feels like a crossover event. When the show started, none of the main characters were in the same city, they had to slowly come together and so far, only Dick and Raven have interacted with each other. This show has been compared to Daredevil bc of its dark tone but I don't think it's anything like Daredevil, its really unique and that makes it exciting. Titans maybe a DC Show but it lacks the vibrance of the CW DC shows and is has a crazy storyline that completely sets it apart from the Marvel Netflix tv shows.

Titans also seems extremely character driven. With the exception of Beast Boy, we get to spend a lot of time with each of the main characters before they either meet each other or set off on their way to do so. This form of storytelling justifies the 50 minutes run time of the episode and ensures that screen time is properly utilized. As a result of this format, I was able to form an opinion on each main character by the end of the episode. This is why I had to give my thoughts on each main character separately in the order in which they were introduced in this episode:

  Raven/Rachel Roth

 Raven was the first member of the team we're introduced to and I don't really like this version of her. The only thing really interesting about her is her sort of split personality coz there's a more demonic version of her that's a lot more stern and self-aware. I have this strong feeling that when Raven gets more control over her powers, her personality will no longer be split and she will be a lot less emotional which will make her a little more like the Raven from the animated show so I'm more excited about that. I love the fact that they really tried to show off how demonic Raven's powers really are. That felt like a right move for the character so I'm really glad they went there. I also love the fact that they didn't even introduce Raven's real mom yet. I can't wait to see the look on Raven's face when she finds out who her father really is.

  Robin/Dick Grayson

 Seeing Robin fight and beat those guys so violently was very jarring. When he got to the very last dude and was just beating him with his stick after jamming his head on broken glass I actually had to look away. This version of Dick Grayson is extremely angry and really hates Batman bc he's a killer. He even leaves him bc he's becoming too much like him. I actually like what they're trying to do with this version of Dick Grayson, the main problem is they're not off to a good start. I feel his fight scene was just big wasted opportunity to showcase how much Dick wants to change and take the high road when it comes to brutalizing criminals. I would've preferred to see Dick trying to find a less bloody way to take down those guys and then when this method doesn't work, he'll be forced to rely on violence and then get really frustrated while he wonders if it's even possible to fight crime without going too far when it comes to violence. I feel like if the writers had taken Dick's storyline in this direction, his struggles would be more relatable. I just hope the writers do a better job as the story progresses.

Starfire/Kory Anders

 Starfire's entire storyline is a big mystery and this makes her character a lot more interesting, especially when you remember you can't look to the comics for any explanation. The audience learns more about her as she learns more about herself and its a little frustrating bc we barely learn anything in this episode. The best thing about Starfire's scenes is the way she composes herself throughout the entire ordeal - she doesn't know who she is or why she's where she is and yet nothing fazes her, she even laughs in the face of danger when she doesn't even know her full power set. Another thing that was so captivating about this version of Starfire is the utter glee that overcomes her everytime she discovers a new ability bc it makes her fun to watch. I just love the fact that her search for Raven will bring her closer to the rest of the Titans. Starfire literally had the brightest scene in the entire episode. Watching Starfire turn orange while her fire was on full blast made me aware of the writer's intention to incorporate the features of Starfire we all know well into this new version of the character. This shows how creative the writers can be. They're really going out of their way to give us a fresh take on the character.

  Beast Boy/Garfield Logan

 Beast Boy is only in this episode for a few seconds. The most interesting thing about Beast Boy's transformation is that whenever he turns back into a human he has no clothes on. This completely crushes the cliche transformation scenes in other movies and tv shows where characters magically have clothes on afterwards. While I really love the fact that the Titans tv show isn't using this trope, a new problem has arisen - will he always have to scramble for clothes after every transformation? I feel like some situations might not always allow this to go smoothly. I guess the simple fix is he could just remain an animal until he's ready to get dressed but I still feel like this could be a problem sooner than later and I'm really curious about how the writers will find a way around this as the story progresses.

Titans - The Highs and Lows of Being Different

Titans presents all it's characters in a manner that is extremely different from the way they are in the source material and that has been a good thing and a bad thing. Imho, I think the good outweighs the bad in this situation. There are so many superhero movies and tv shows, so many of them use the same themes and formula. Every new entry into the superhero genre must do it's best to stand out otherwise it'll be forced into oblivion sooner rather than later. When it comes to the movies, DC is seeking a full rebranding and introducing us to the elseworlds through the upcoming Joker movie while Marvel is finding a new way to tell an origin story in the Captain Marvel movie. Experimenting and keeping things fresh is the only way to ensure the audience remains interested in the superhero genre for many more years to come. Titans has already shown it's ability to experiment even at the expense of alienating part of the fan base of the teen titans. The real problem the show is bound to face is yet to come. The real issue with changing so much in order to make a new story lies in maintaining this new story. The writing and story structure of this show will forever be under heavy scrutiny. Every single misstep along the line will be constantly scrutinized. The only way the writers can truly justify the existence of their own interpretation of the teen titans is by giving us a story that is plot-hole free and after awhile, they could get more people on board with their version of the teen titans.

[thevalkyriesonline]

Nine Worlds; One Valkyries Trip To London’s Inclusive Fan Convention

Conventions appeal to different fans for different reasons, whether it be comic con, a game expo, YouTube/Blogger convention or whatever the medium but one common factor in all of these conventions is the possibility to meet other like-minded fans! As well as hopefully getting the chance to meet your idols! 

There is a Con though that really thrives on fans, it is called Nine Worlds (London’s Inclusive Fan Culture Convention). A Con with a difference – the difference being it is made by fans for fans to meet other fans and just enjoy and celebrate their fandom in all it’s crazy geekiness.

It has been going since 2013 when it was first set up but I only heard about it last summer (2017) when I discovered that one talk held there was titled “It’s research! Or Why it is ok to play over 100 hours of Dragon Age when you really should be writing.” This, as a huge Dragon Age fan since discovering Inquisition, spoke to me on a level that none of my immediate friends understood or appreciated. Unfortunately I was unable to attend Nine Worlds in 2017, but the fact that there was a time and place to have such a discussion on such a unique fan-based topic inspired me to endeavor to attend in 2018. So as soon as the Early Bird Tickets became available I put my money where my heart wanted me to and I began to plan and save for a big solo adventure to London for Nine Worlds 2018.

I also made another bold and brave and foolish decision to sign up as a Content Provider for Nine Worlds 2018!

Why? – because why not? I have been a mega reader, hoarder and fan of all fiction featuring, adapting or retelling Norse Mythology for years and Nine Worlds provided me with the ideal and probably only platform where I could take the chance to share my enthusiasm and passion for the genre of Norse Fantasy. The Nine Worlds Team accepted my proposal, so, on top of saving for the hotel room on-site and booking train travel I also had to plan a lecture/talk – I was both really nervous and really excited! The months, weeks and days soon dwindled down to departure day and then I was off down to London for what I hoped would be a fun and busy weekend.

Now on to the fun bit – the various sessions and events and panel discussions! These were the ones I attended but over 50 were held each day of the convention so this is just a small sample of what fandom and genres were covered.

Session One – LARP (Live Action Role Play). Speakers; Penny Jackson, Adam Dinwoodie, Mx RA Madgwick and Haplocke Spence

As I am attending my first ever LARP event, set in the world of Dragon Age in November this was a must for me! The panel was made up of experienced and new-ish LARP players and they gave a great insight into how LARP’ing works, the various types and systems involved, clothing and equipment, rules for both play and player protection and more.

Session Two – The Only Toilet in Thedas. Speakers; Sarah Gordon, Phil Dyson, Angela Cleland

Now who couldn’t resist that title? Especially when you are a Dragon age fan. This panel discussion was the most interesting because it covered not just the world of games but also of books, TV and Film. It made me realize how much in Fantasy the practical matters of hygiene from toilets to sewers to bathing are just not address yet in Sci-Fi it’s more visible. The panel discussed whether it was a taboo or simply a matter of too much detail on a very personal and private matter – for instance do you want to know how long the hero, heroine, villain or indeed any character takes on the toilet? If they wash their hands or not? – but then again social, religious and cultural practices exist even within the bathroom and so perhaps it should be represented more?

Session Three – Know Thy Enemy. Speakers; Adrian Tchaikovsky, Jeanette Ng, Ms Anna Stephens

This was a panel debate all about the nature and representation of Villains. I found it fascinating to discuss Villains and their nature, one panel member made the very good point on how it is wrong to see the Villain as the champion of Chaos and the Hero of Order for it is in fact the other way around. In many scenarios across all mediums it is the Villain that has established some type of order whether through politics, society, culturally or religious or just geographically or financially but it is the Hero who emerges to disrupt that form of order and thus bring about chaos. This made me instantly think of Katniss in the Hunger Games, she is rebelling against the ruling society and its cultural practice of the Games and thus brings war to the capital city and thus chaos. Another issue discussed was whether the viewer/reader must be sympathetic towards Villains. The panel debated hard on this topic and in the end agreed that sympathy isn’t necessary for a Villain to be a true villain or a good villain but what is necessary is that the viewer/reader gets a sense of the Villain’s journey to their villainy – they must see where, how and why the character has become the Villain, whether for good or bad, and so enjoy the Villain’s redemption or come-uppance by the hero.

Session Four – D&D (Dungeons and Dragons) for Young People. Speaker; Elizabeth Prais

In my day job as a college Librarian I had recently learned of a lunch-time Dungeons and Dragons group being set up by a teacher after some students expressed an interest. So, I was eager to learn more tips and tricks to either host such a group in the Library or pass on to my colleague. The lady who hosted this session hailed from America and was very open about how she ran her local residential D&D group for her daughter and some local children. She gave some great recommendations and advice on timing, kit, planning, preparation and how to adjust and adapt the large and complex set of rules for a younger more impatient audience.

Session Five – Philosophy and Mass Effect. Speaker; Michael Duxbury, Emily Marlow

Now this was the first session I wasn’t entirely clued up on as I myself am still stuck half way through playing Mass Effect 2 by Bioware so a lot of the moral/ethical dilemmas they talked about I hadn’t actually experienced yet, or I couldn’t remember what I chose in the ones I was familiar with. Yet it was interesting and food for thought on how the scenarios were portrayed, and the fixed set of options provided resulted in the moral and ethics becoming such a personal dilemma for players. It wasn’t always a case of choosing the lesser of two evils but how the player and indeed the character depending on their Renegade to Hero balance would pick. Some panel members and indeed people in the audience felt that more choices would improve and increase the dilemma levels instead of just A or B. The panel also discussed how often, at least amongst themselves, they would pick based on the benefit or not long term, not the short term and play with a view of working towards achieving success or a goal.

Session Six – Beyond Marvel and DC – What comics you should be reading. Speakers; Angie Wenham, Stephen Lacey, Kate Barton, Ram V

The panel mentioned a great many titles, artists, apps and webcomics that they recommended as alternatives to Marvel/DC and then invited the audience to contribute. I recommended Nimona* by Noelle Stevenson  and I Hate Fairy Land by Skottie Young.

* Interested in Nimona? Check out our review! 

I Hate FairyLand

Nimona

Session Seven – Disney Sing-A-Long

This was the true highlight for me as an eternal child thanks to the magic of Disney. I wasn’t the only adult in the room, it was a very popular event and there were children of all ages and their parents and even a few Disney cosplayers too. We were all able to sing-a-long via screen projecting the words, or handouts or follow a link online. A whole range of songs was sung and Frozen ‘Let It Go’ proved to be a major popular one with a member of Con Staff leading a friendly stage invasion and then everyone proudly showed off all the right moves to the lyrics. I honestly was in tears with joy as some of the most powerful songs were sung by young and old alike.

The final event I will review was the FABULOUS MMORPG SHOW. Speaker; Misha Anker, Paul Flannery

Which was a blend of audience power and D&D – we basically had the Game Master who set up a story, invited some members of the audience to join him on stage and fill in character sheets but they had to be as unconventional as possible and then he would invite the audience to provide character names, objects, powers etc. to the story narrative and the players would roll a giant D20 (20-sided dice) to determine the outcome. This was a whole lot of fun and silliness and the story involved a Bee with a Human Leg, a Swarm of Wasps and a Wizard whose greatest spell was making Jam, they had to find the Cheese Board for the Duck of Doom! You had to be there to believe the story and it was amazingly resolved within the 1 hour and a half session.

Norse Fantasy, My own presentation! 

Was scheduled bright and early on a Saturday morning the night after the first big disco (alas Becky did not go dancing due to a very painful wisdom tooth spoiling things) and yet the room quickly filled up much to my delight. Despite not having the colorful presentation I spent hours on, due to not having my own laptop to plug into the screen, I was still able to explain, explore and introduce so many of my favourite authors and titles to a new audience. Some of the audience also proved to be fellow fans of many of them and a good number took photographs of my favourite title list to go away with to look at later and thanked me for the session, which was an awesome feeling. I was even complimented on my choice of t-shirt for the session – my own Valkyrie t-shirt from Redbubble. It says, “Valkyrie of Odin – Midgard Original – Since 793”. If you are interested in my presentation, I am planning on doing a written version of it for the Valkyries Blog so stay tuned!

Last but not least was the fab mini Geek Market that was on all weekend and as it was also my birthday, I indulged myself in another t-shirt from Genki Gear, some D&D themed tea, tea strainer and mug, two new bookmarks, some funky acrylic necklaces featuring a book and a fox in a bin, some super cute little clay keyrings of Flynn Rider, Thor and Pizza and of course BOOKS! Each attendee got a surprise free book in their bag, but I got two based on libraries and books, The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman and Bookworm by Christopher Nuttall – expect a review on here once I have got around to enjoying them.

Now the managing team have recently stepped down to consult with attendees and invite new members, as they are reviewing their constitution to try and make it more inclusive and representative of those who attend. Although from what I witnessed their inclusive and equality practices were out of this world compared to other cons I’ve been too. I do hope the new organizers can continue what has already been established and continue to make improvements where they feel it is needed. I for one enjoyed it all – despite my wisdom tooth being a very literal pain throughout – for I definitely would attend again.

Did you attend Nine Worlds? What did you think? What was your favourite presentation?

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A Valkyrie at Nineworlds! @london_geekfest #nineworlds Nine Worlds; One Valkyries Trip To London's Inclusive Fan Convention Conventions appeal to different fans for different reasons, whether it be comic con, a game expo, YouTube/Blogger convention or whatever the medium but one common factor in all of these conventions is the possibility to meet other like-minded fans!

[dccomicsnews]

DC’s animated film line is one that I almost always look forward to seeing what is released next.  They have been able to adapt some of my favorite storylines from the comics, bringing them to life in a way I never thought would happen.  So, when I heard that they were gearing up to release a new, original film inspired by the world of anime, I was definitely intrigued.  Now, what you need to realize is that I’m not a huge anime fan.  I’ve seen a few of the older anime films, like Akira, Project A-ko, Vampire Hunter D, etc., but never really got into it as a genre. However, once I saw the trailer for Batman Ninja, I was sold.  It looked amazing, from the intricate details to the fantastically unique character designs, and the story seemed interesting.  So, once I got my copy, I was ready to give this baby a whirl.

Before watching the film, I had heard some very mixed reviews from friends and fellow DCN members, which worried me a little.  Being someone who isn’t really into anime, I was afraid I would end up absolutely hating this movie.  Luckily, that was not the case; however, I didn’t love it either.  Batman Ninja is a very intriguing piece of cinema, and, had a few things been done differently, it could have been a great film.  But I’ll get more into that later.

Batman Ninja takes a journey across the ages as Gorilla Grodd’s time displacement machine transports many of Batman’s worst enemies to feudal Japan – along with the Dark Knight and a few of his allies. The villains take over the forms of the feudal lords that rule the divided land, with the Joker taking the lead among the warring factions. As his traditional high-tech weaponry is exhausted almost immediately, Batman must rely on his intellect and his allies – including Catwoman and the extended Bat-family – to restore order to the land, and return to present-day Gotham City.

From the opening narration and the first scene with Gorilla Grodd, you know right away that this isn’t going to be your average Batman story, as Catwoman says so herself.  Right away we are whisked away through time to Feudal Japan, but things are nowhere near the same as history has dictated to us.  Several villains have taken over, with the Joker, of course, holding the most power.  As I said before, the character designs in this film are great, especially the Joker.  And his legion of samurai Jokers was so badass.  However, even though the Clown Prince of Crime is sporting a cool, unique look, his voice was not as enjoyable.  Voiced by Tony Hale, I found the Joker to be somewhat annoying at times.  It was almost like he was trying too hard to do a Joker voice.  It didn’t feel or sound genuine.  I actually liked the version from the original Japanese audio much more, as he had more of a dark, sinister sound.  Though, it was great hearing Tara Strong reprise her role as Harley Quinn.

The overall story seemed like it was going to be interesting, and it would have been had they not decided to have giant castles that transform into robots fight one another.  I would have much rather seen all the clans fight with armies of soldiers, giving us a chance to see some awesome hand-to-hand fight scenes.  Then they could have joined forces under the mind control of the Joker and had a colossal army of warriors take on Grodd’s monkey soldiers and the Bat clan.  It would have been EPIC!  But instead, we got a giant robot, a giant monkey samurai, and a giant Golden Age Batman.  It was ridiculous, even though I did love that they used the Golden Age version of Batman.

Also, how did the Joker get the materials to build these giant mech castles?  Grodd says that he provided the tech for the castles, but said nothing about the actual materials.  I just don’t buy that it would have been possible, which is another reason why I wish they hadn’t gone this route.  Throughout the film, there are several strange dialogue and overall scripting choices made.  It boggles my mind why certain things like this were done.  This story had so much potential, but instead it was wasted on big, unnecessary set pieces.  And maybe it’s because I’m not an anime fan, but to me a good story is a good story, and sadly, this isn’t one.

The one main thing I did really enjoy was the animation of this film.  It has a great style, with impeccable details, but that is all tossed out the window in the one scene with Red Hood finding Joker and Harley on the farm.  I hated the animation of that scene.  I don’t understand why it needed to be different.  I don’t think it added anything to the story; in fact, I think it hurt the film but having this awkwardly different animation in the middle of it.

Another thing that bothers me is during the end fight between Catwoman and Harley, Catwoman tosses Harley and she lands face first within an explosion with no actual armor.  She should have been incinerated, yet she only had a few scratches.  And how the hell did Batman burst into a swarm of bats???  It makes NO SENSE!!!  This entire film is full of odd choices that may be normal for anime, but just seem idiotic in terms of a normal film.  And he doesn’t even become Batman Ninja until the very end!!!

  SPECIAL FEATURES

As this is a Blu-ray review, it is necessary that I talk about the special features as well as the film.  Now, Batman Ninja doesn’t have a ton of these, but what it does have is pretty spectacular.  For those who are interested in seeing the film in its original Japanese audio, that option is here for you, which I a really cool feature, in my opinion.

Other than that, there are three featurettes to dive into.  The first one is called “East/West Batman”.  This short documentary featurette goes into the collaboration between the U.S. and Japan to make this film happen.  You get some great insight into the design and story of the film from those who worked directly on it, including the screenwriter, Kazuki Nakashima, and the director, Jumpei Mizusaki.  Watching it actually gave me a better appreciation for the film.

The next is “Batman: Made in Japan”, which talks about the beautiful character designs and overall visual style of this film.  The character designer, Takashi “Bob” Okazaki (well known for his work on Afro Samurai), talks about his influences and how he mixed the Japanese style with the Western style of animation.  This was my favorite part of this film and so it was wonderful to watch this featurette and learn more about his amazing vision for this visually stunning film.

The last featurette is the Batman Ninja panel from New York Comic Con 2017 titled “New York Comic Con Presents Batman Ninja“.  Here we meet the talented filmmakers behind Batman Ninja as they discuss their inspirations and challenges in bringing an anime version of Batman to life.  Moderated by Gary Miereanu from WBHE, we get the chance to hear from the Japanese filmmakers who led this film, including Jumpei Mizusake, Takashi “Bob” Okazaki, and Kazuki Nakashima, as well as the English-language screenwriters, Leo Chu and Eric Garcia.

As a film, this was a bit of a disappointing watch for me, as I was actually really looking forward to it, though I did really enjoy the special features that were included on the Blu-ray.  If you are really into anime, you may actually love this film, but as someone who isn’t, this one just wasn’t quite for me.

  Film Score:  2/5

Special Features Score: 4.5/5

  Overall Blu-ray Score:

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Review: Batman Ninja DC’s animated film line is one that I almost always look forward to seeing what is released next. 

[fyeah-chanyeol]

The Celebrity Magazine; Fall 2017 Issue Chanyeol’s Interview

Question: You have a very strong image of optimism. Haven’t you ever wanted to break from that? Chanyeol: When i was younger i thought my bright and optimistic image would create certain preconceptions for the music i wanted to compose, so i wanted to break away from the image, but these days i compose without thinking about that kind of thing. Because there is bound to be someone who enjoys that kind of music too. I’m living comfortably with that thought. Question: I’ve heard that you got in trouble from your mother when you told her you wanted to raise a mouse that got caught in a mouse trap. Do you like animals? Chanyeol: Animals are like family to me. I’ve always had animals with me since i was a child. These days i have no time to raise a pet because i’m busy, but i play with the dog at my parents’ place whenever i visit. Unfortunately i’ve developed a cat fur allergy which i didn’t have when i was younger, so i have to be careful. Question: Your low voice is so nice to listen to. I’m curious about which songs you enjoy singing. Chanyeol: I like singing. I sing Jung Jun Il sunbae-nim’s “Hug Me” a lot. I’ve even uploaded myself singing it in my own style. There are people who are surprised when i sing because they only know me as a rapper. Before i wanted to gain recognition for my singing, but these days i don’t feel that it’s necessary to worry myself like that. Question: Not feeling the need to worry yourself can be seen as a sign of maturity. Was there a moment that caused it? Chanyeol: My personality is rather impatient. I feel the need to do things immediately and feel anxious when i don’t. When i look at it i think the moment that helped me was all the bowling i did when i found myself with time to spare. I got impatient that i couldn’t control the bowl properly so clung to it for two months bowling until early morning, but i actually bowled better after a two month break when i went back with an easier mind. I control myself with the thought of ‘If i get it it’s good and if i don’t get it i’ll make it eventually’. Maybe it’s because personalities don’t change but i’m still impatient. Question: Any songs that you find touching? Chanyeol: I couldn’t understand them when i was younger but these days i really love songs by Black Skirt and Lee Sora sunbaenim. I was looking up their songs and suddenly found myself overcome with emotion, almost as though something was flowing into me. Question: I’m curious about your current playlist. Chanyeol: Amy Winehouse, Migos, Aerosmith, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, AC/DC and more. There are also songs from the OST of the animation <Your Name>, which i watched recently. Question: What did you like about <Your Name>? Chanyeol: I like the subtle emotions that you find in Japanese films. I think i get pulled in very easily by the hooks Shinkai Makoto sets up. Of course the visuals are beautiful, but i really enjoyed the introduction of fantasy elements in a still realistic setting. The fact that the main protagonist went through a great deal of events but couldn’t remember any of it was sad. Question: You debuted in 2012. Do you have any aspirations for your music as an idol of 5 years? Chanyeol: EXO has always shown a new, trendy and constantly changing side of us in our own unique colours. You could see each member growing obviously for each album. I have faith in the company, so i believe that we will continue to grow in the future. I have a lot of passion for music personally too. At the moment i just want to enjoy myself with the music as it comes, without feeling as though i have to do something. It isn’t a greed from impatience, i could call it more of a greed to do better. Question: Is there anything that influences your music? Chanyeol: My surroundings. When i see someone who’s talented in music i want to be talented like them. I get the same desire when i meet an artist i respect or see a good performance. These days i pray alot before composing too. Praying helps me go into composing by letting me collect my thoughts and putting me in a calmer state. Question: I’m curious about the artists you like. Chanyeol: I’m a fan of Jamie Cullum. I like his voice and the way he plays the piano. I’m also a fan of pianist Yoon Suk Chul’s works. He’s so talented to the point where i think ‘he must be the god of piano’. I learn a lot from composing with him. I listen to a variety of genres but jazz and rock are my constants. Question: You contributed in writing the lyrics of a song in your 4th official album. Is it an autobiographical story? Chanyeol: No. ‘Sweet Lies’ is a story very far from me. I thought alot about what i would be like if i was a bad boy, but the style doesn’t really fit with me so it was a little difficult (laughs). G. Soul composed and wrote the lyrics for the frame of the song and when i first heard the melody i thought that kind of story would suit it. Question: You’ve been called a ‘face prodigy’. What do you think when you look into the mirror. Chanyeol: I admit it (laughs) I feel proud occasionally when i look in the mirror. I usually wear black clothing without accessorising very much. I started off thinking ‘I’ll be okay even though i’m wearing this’ but i stick to it now because it’s so comfortable. Comfort is the most important for going to the studio and bowling alley, home and so on. So i don’t really have much of an interest for appearances but when there’s a schedule and i look in the mirror with makeup i think ‘as expected’ (both laugh) Question: You were wearing the so-called three-lined slippers at London, you’re even wearing them now. Chanyeol: That’s right. These are the shoes and pants i wore then. I wore them because they were comfortable but even the London people were surprised. I told them it was outerwear clothes. Question: As an artist, there are people who don’t hesitate on stage but are shy in front of a camera. Conversely, there are people who shine both on stage and enjoy themselves as a celebrity on variety shows or dramas. Which side do you lean towards? Chanyeol: The former. There are lots of people that think i don't talk when i go on variety shows and on top of that i’m very shy so it takes me a while to get comfortable. I still try though. I like seeing new sides of me so i always like a new challenge. Question: I’m curious on how you feel about Seoul as someone who’s travelled all over the world. Chanyeol: Even though i don’t feel particularly different when i’m overseas, the first thought i have when i come to Seoul is ‘Oh! I’m home’. When i come to Incheon airport and take my phone off airport mode, it’s convenient that the wifi works well. I don’t go around very much overseas. Question: Last question. What gives you inspiration these days? Chanyeol: Myself. Not because i’m particularly special but because i’m thinking a lot about myself. In the end i think all things conclude with yourself. So i find myself gaining inspiration for the types of music i really want to do. Translation by fyeah-chanyeol (Please take out with full credits)

[aion-rsa]

Jupiter’s Legacy: Matt Lanter on Becoming Skyfox

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This article is presented by:

Failing to win the Manhunt: The Search for America’s Most Gorgeous Male Model reality show competition in 2004 may have been the best thing that could have happened to Matt Lanter, because between that year and 2006 he had recurring or starring roles in the series Point Pleasant, Commander in Chief, Heroes, and Shark. Besides guest roles, he’d star in a number of films, voiced the character of Aquaman in a variety of animated productions from Warner Bros/DC Comics and was a series regular on the cult favorite Timeless.

All of that was eclipsed, however, by his voicing the character of Anakin Skywalker on the animated Star Wars: The Clone Wars, which he began doing in 2008 and continues to do periodically. Now he is taking on the role of George Hutchence, aka Skyfox, on Netflix’s Jupiter’s Legacy, which will elevate him even higher insofar as genre fans are concerned. That possibility, as well as his view of Hutchence as a character, are among the things discussed in the following exclusive interview. 

Who is Skyfox?

NAME: George Hutchence

ALTER EGO: Skyfox

POWERS AND ABILITIES: Flight; super strength; can survive a mile above Earth; uses engineering skills to create tech to use against villains

NEED TO KNOW: Another founding member of The Union and Sheldon’s former best friend before they had a falling out. Now considered the greatest supervillain in the world, George hasn’t been seen for years—his whereabouts and loyalties remain a mystery.

Den of Geek: What appealed to you about George?

Matt Lanter: I remember seeing a bit of Robert Downey, Jr. as Tony Stark in that character. I also kind of saw a little bit of flair, like a Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean. 

I also wanted a bit of Paul Newman, who’s one of my favorites. Paul Newman to me always looks like he has a secret just in every movie. If you go back and watch, you’ll see what I’m talking about. He just always feels like he has a secret and I really love that about him. I think it makes him interesting… It felt like I could be a part of something really huge that could be just loved by a lot of fans here in the next several years and just had a chance to be a part of an epic superhero show. Of course, to put on a superhero costume is not something that many of us get a chance to do. So, here I am.

This question would have come later, but I might as well ask it now since you brought it up. What is it like to be strutting around in a superhero costume?

It’s amazing…. but the stylization of our suits are a little different. They’re angular, a lot of straight lines versus kind of rounded pecs. But yeah, the suits are incredible. Lizz Wolf, the costume designer, did just an amazing job. There’s been so much thought and so much detail put into these suits. It’s really a wild thing to see and I think fans are really going to have a heyday with this because each costume has individual characteristics. The costumes have so much intricate detail in them. Every costume is made of different materials, different fabrics, different stitching… It’s a really cool thing so kudos to the design of the suits. They are the highest of quality… they definitely did not shortchange us in that area at all. 

You can’t ignore the fact that you put the thing on and you’re a superhero. It’s meant to accentuate the physique that we’ve already been training to build at the gym, and it’s very empowering. It’s just a really cool experience that I feel so honored to be doing.

How do you view George as a person? I know the show jumps in and out of the past and present, but how would you chart his evolution through the course of this first season?

The course of the first season is really different from the overall arc that we see in the graphic novels. We don’t hang with George very much in the “present day” of the first season [but] we see a lot of him during the origin.

George is such an interesting guy. He is sort of our Batman in a way. He’s kind of our Bruce Wayne. He’s this multimillionaire playboy. He appears to have everything. He’s great with women, he’s got tons of money in his pocket, he’s got everything in the world.

But I think very quickly, we see as an audience that George is very empty inside. I think he’s dealt with a lot of pain and loss in his life. I think because of that, George sees Sheldon [Sampson, the Utopian] and even maybe Walter [Sampson, Brainwave]  as his family. They were buddies growing up.  George’s loyalty is probably, I believe, one of his strongest assets. He’s a great friend and family member. So in an emotional respect, I think that Sheldon and Walter and the acceptance into the Sampson family is everything to George. 

I think it’s also fun to play him because everything is big and grand and a performance for George, because why not? What else does he have to do? There’s a lot of layers there and I love that he has fun and he’s sharp-tongued and quick-witted, but I think he feels deeply.

Given your success with The Clone Wars, you’ve had a taste of the scrutiny that fandom can put you under. Is that tough to cope with or have you gotten used to it at this point?

Well, it’s funny you’re asking that, because just a couple of days ago, I did a panel with my Clone Wars pals and I actually talked about the level of scrutiny I did not realize that came with the job when I had originally booked the job of Anakin, but that’s one of the things that I’ve enjoyed most. Mostly, I feel like it’s been positive from the fans on my portrayal of Anakin, so I’ve not really been hammered too hard, but there is a scrutiny there. I think, as long as you keep in check in your own head that scrutiny, whether it be positive or obviously negative, comes from a place of passion with the fans and it comes from a place of things wanting to be good. I mean, of course, you’re going to have a couple of trolls here and there for anything you might do.

But I think sci-fi audiences are really, really smart. I think they want good storytelling. They want characters with depth, so that’s going to come I think with whatever you’re doing. But I can tell you, this is a character driven show first and foremost, and it’s a relationship driven show and they happen to be superheroes with incredible powers. I think when your characters are there and your relationships are solid and established and you understand why people are doing what they’re doing, I think it really helps the story overall. 

This is such a great time for fans of superheroes, with the Justice League, Avengers, The Boys, and now, Jupiter’s Legacy, and they’re all so unique.

They are, and I think in a few years people are going to realize how big this actually is in terms of being the first show that’s opening up “Millarworld.” People are going to realize that it’s DC, Marvel, and Millarworld, and it’s exciting to be a part of that.How cool is it that I get to be the first guy to ever play George Hutchence, Skyfox? There’s so much to fanboy about. 

This show focuses on the relationship between the parents and their kids and the journeys they all go on.

Which is what makes this story so unique. We’ve seen the guy in the suit and he’s saving the world, but this multi-generational family dynamic is so interesting that Mark Millar has created. And it’s such a basic idea, in a way. What if Superman had a kid and he’s a jerk and can’t live up to being Superman? And the world Millar’s built has the kids of these six superheroes signing contracts with big companies like modern day influencers. 

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

It’s just a wild, cool idea. It’s something that seems so grounded. I think I heard Mark say this, that these guys can have everything and they can do everything and everything’s perfect in their world if they want it to be, except for matters of the heart. It’s just an extra level of detail on these characters that I don’t think we’ve ever seen before in other shows or movies.

Jupiter’s Legacy premieres on Netflix on May 7. Read more about the series in our special edition magazine!

The post Jupiter’s Legacy: Matt Lanter on Becoming Skyfox appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/3sTEqyv

[onestowatch]

Q&A: Meet Moving Castle, The Collective Internet-Born That Is Making Waves IRL

The internet is a place teeming with possibility. Whether it be a constantly evolving meme culture, hours upon hours wasted on social media, or Youtube tutorials on anything imaginable, the internet is truly what one makes of it. And for a group of young adults originally spread out on on the east coast, the internet served as the birthplace and testing grounds for Moving Castle. The collective of like-minded Soundcloud artists create luscious, digitally-infused music that is never strictly limited to one genre. Under normal circumstances, the group of artists who constitute Moving Castle likely never would have come together nor continued to make music together four years after the collective’s original inception, but such is the transformative power of these newfound digital collectives. 

Traditional barriers such as location, time zones, or a label head fretting over a sense of cohesion and what is believed to sell are seemingly a thing of the past for the artists belonging to Moving Castle. Instead, Moving Castle is filled with a unique brand of creative energy that permeates throughout every one of its members and releases. For instance, take the newest single from Moving Castle founding member AObeats, “The Wave.” Featuring fellow collective members, SATICA and SAKIMA, “The Wave” is a lush and tantalizing gem of a track that blends together everything from impeccable electronic production to R&B and pop-style vocals.

The collective’s history and talent for churning out such gems have resulted in them racking up over millions of plays on Soundcloud alone, with releases that span across a range of genres from jersey house, future bass, pop, to R&B. Thus, Moving Castle is hardly a well-kept secret anymore amongst electronic music’s biggest tastemakers and Soundcloud aficionados. Bridging the gap between digital collective and real-world influencers, Moving Castle has recently seen their online popularity manifest real, tangible results. With the collective readying themselves to launch their inaugural music festival January 27 at The Fonda in Los Angeles and sightings of Skrillex repping the collective’s branded long-sleeves, Moving Castle has evolved from mere online buzz to leaving what is sure to be a lasting and noticeable indentation on the electronic music landscape. So, we sat down with two of the founding members of Moving Castle, Robokid and AObeats, to talk about everything from the earliest days of the collective to internet time vampires. 

OTW: When and how did Moving Castle first come together?

AObeats: Robo and I went to the same College but didn’t actually meet there. We went to UMass Amherst. I first met Chris, Manila Killa, through a mutual friend who I did an internship with in New York.

Robokid: We were actually reading the messages from four years ago, and it was pretty funny and cringey. So, AObeats hit me up Soundcloud and we started talking about each other’s music and eventually met up. It was a year after till we started talking about making some sort of collective, which was us, Manilla Killa, and Hunt For The Breeze in the beginning.

AO: I think I have somewhere these cringey texts of me one night after a show saying, “You, me, and Manila should start something,” and then Chris met Hunt For The Breeze through BLAISE who had these studio sessions in the DC area. The original crew was a bunch of people who we kind of knew online like Dirty Chocolate, Vices, Jailo, and Kappa Kavi.

Robo: Yeah, just a bunch of random kids online who we liked, were friends with, and started doing compilations with.

OTW: So were you two studying music at Amherst?

Robo: I wasn’t. I was studying psychology and didn’t end up finishing.

AO: I was studying media and film. I more so just liked making music for fun.

OTW: When did each of you first become involved with music then and what eventually led you down the path of electronic music?

Robo: I started making electronic music in high school, so it was like 2009 when I first really started making music. I had a band with my friends and we figured out how to use Fruity Loops. We were terrible. In college, I got really into EDM and going to festivals and shows. So, I started making more EDM type stuff then.

AO: For me, I started making hip-hop beats in high school, freshman or sophomore year. I just made rap beats for a while and didn’t know anything about electronic music. And then in college, when EDM was first blowing up in America with Skrillex and Ed Banger, that got me more into doing electronic music. I tried to make dubstep for six months and it just wasn’t for me, and eventually, I found stuff that I liked.

OTW: What drew all of you to an artists’ collective as opposed to traditional label route?

Robo: The main concept was just because we were all seeing a lot of other people doing it like Team Supreme and M|O|D. We were inspired by these kinds of collectives to make our own that was just our sound, because we knew our sound was different than what other people were doing.

AO: I think at the time the whole SoundCloud world hadn’t yet become what it is like now. It was a lot smaller. I felt like we didn’t really know how anything worked really, so we saw it as a way to help and support each other. We all kind of had these little followings, but if we all did stuff together, it would help foister that up.

Robo: Also, I think we weren’t really looking to start a label nor were we really looking for a label the time. I don’t think any of us were ready for that. We were all just experimenting on SoundCloud with production, and it just snowballed pretty quickly when we started working together.

OTW: How did the name Moving Castle come about?

AO: Me, Chris, and a few friends were working on this song that was later on MOVING CASTLE VOL. 002, called “Food Diaries,” and we were talking about what to call it. I had watched some movie recently and we started talking about Miyazaki. It’s funny actually, the guy who came up with the name hadn’t seen any of the Miyazaki movies and at the time didn’t know anything about Howl’s Moving Castle. He just googled all of the Miyazaki movies and picked the name he liked the most. We just liked the way it sounded and just went from there.

OTW: Is Moving Castle not your guys’ favorite Ghibli film then?

AO: It’s not mine. Mine is Princess Mononoke.

Robo: It’s not my favorite either. Mine’s Princess Mononoke or My Neighbor Totoro. I think that’s something that’s a misconception because of the name, and even in the beginning, I knew it would get associated with it, but I didn’t know Moving Castle would keep growing to be what it is now.

AO: Yeah, I don’t think we were putting too much thought into it, and things organically just kind of grew.

Robo: But I do remember being like, “Oh shit is this legal?”

OTW: A large part of your aesthetic draws from Japanese culture, from your name to your logo, how did that aspect come to be symbolic alongside the Moving Castle brand?

AO: That was actually because we thought of the logo first. My dad actually checked to make sure it was accurate, and there was a typo on the sleeves of our first shirts.

Robo: I think for everyone it’s kind of different too. For AO, he has family in Japan and has grown up visiting Japan. And even for me growing up in America, there’s so much Japanese culture on TV, movies, and even stuff I didn’t even know growing up was from Japan like Power Rangers. musically, I used to listen to J-pop, so I think that’s part of where it comes from.

AO: I think it’s the same for me too, even with hip-hop and fashion. I feel like there’s a cycle where a lot of times something will become popular in hip-hop and then it’ll become popular in Japan, then they take it and put their own twists on it, and then it comes back to American rappers. For instance, I feel like early on Pharrell was a big influence on all that stuff with Teriyaki Boyz and all the early BAPE, and that era influenced a lot of my production and what I liked style-wise.

Robo: Yeah, I used to think it was so cool and different from what else was going on. I didn’t ever see the distinction until later.

AO: I don’t think any of us ever consciously thought we were a Japanese-influenced collective. The name came and we just ran with it.

OTW: Being an artist collective with so many varying unique sounds, is a sense of cohesion ever a concern?

Robo: For me, it’s like genres as a whole have kind of been breaking down. I think growing up in the 2000s and now music is so blended. I like cohesion, but I’m pretty much down with everything. I’d be down to put out a country song if it was the right one.

AO: I think in the beginning, just because of what our tastes were, we had a similar feel but even then Vices had this heavier jersey-club sound and I had the more bluesy, hip-hop and funk sound. All of our sounds too have evolved and changed over time, because all of us have started listening to different things and begun trying to carve out our own ways as artists. At the same time, it’s cool that we’ve been able to remain friends and work on music together. It created this friend group of people that are all still working together even though we all separately make pretty different music.

OTW: So, if Moving Castle doesn’t worry all too much about a rigid sense of cohesion, what about a track or artist makes you think that you want it to be a Moving Castle release or member?

Robo: I think in the beginning we more so just want to click with the person, be friends, and make sure they had no bad intentions. So, we were just kind of looking at artists whose music we liked.

AO: At this point, there isn’t really a specific set of guidelines or criteria. I think it’s more so if we just like the music, think it can go somewhere, and we believe in it. I don’t think there’s a specific style or checklist. As long as it’s cool, fresh, new, and we like it, that’s it.

OTW: Do you recall there being a particular track where you first started seeing everything taking off, where you had the thought that you could possibly just make music from here on out?

Robo: Honestly, I don’t know if I’ve even had that feeling yet. For me, it’s always a constant battle. I think when things really started to take off was around the time of “Helix 2.0.” We were gaining a lot of comments and traction on Soundcloud, agents were hitting us up, and we ended up touring. I think that was maybe a feeling of okay this could be something worthwhile.

AO: It’s hard to pinpoint a specific song or moment.  I remember we did one of our very first shows in LA, and it was crazy for me to see a lot of people come out to a show that I didn’t have mutual friends with. On the internet, it’s really easy to see numbers go up, and everyone does something now that could be viral, but I think for me it was when we first started seeing people wearing the shirts and coming to shows that were just random people who liked the music. There are even a few people who have tattoos. I think all of that just felt so much more real.

OTW: What would each of you say has been the craziest moment for each of you as a part of Moving Castle so far?

Robo: Just when we had the first show in LA and sold out all our shirts immediately and Skrillex wore our shirt. I just thought it was so cool. I feel like it’s just the newness of it all.

AO: I never would have dreamed that we’d be doing this Moving Castle World event at The Fonda. If you asked me four years ago, are you going to be doing a festival? I would have never in a million years thought we’d be doing that. We’re both from Massachusetts. I don’t think either of us thought four years ago when we started this that we would be living in Los Angeles doing music. At the end of the day, as long as I can make a living doing this, that in itself is crazy to me.

OTW: Speaking of your first ever festival, Moving Castle World, taking place at The Fonda in Los Angeles on January 27. What can people expect from it?

Robo: A lot of new acts that people haven’t seen play like Rulers and exes. They’re getting a lot of attention, but I feel like the Moving Castle fans are still new to them.

AO: We’re working on some stage design stuff to make it all look dope too. And just a good a time. We missed throwing events that we used to do, because it was just a lot of fun for us too, and I feel like anytime we have these things it feels like a little family reunion. A lot of us live in different places or are on tour a lot, so we don’t get to see everyone as much as we did in the very beginning. It’s going to be a really fun night with a lot of new music.

OTW: Robokid, you’ve been transitioning from primarily making instrumental tracks to singing on your own tracks, as seen on your forthcoming debut EP Apart, dropping January 19. What was it like making that transition?

Robo: It’s been really fun but hard at the same time. When I first started making music, it was with my best friend and we wanted a singer, but I was like I suck, you have to be the singer. As I got more into EDM, I lost my way with that side of music. It’s cool going back to that and having the confidence to now sing myself. It’s what I’ve always wanted to do, and I’ve been able to use all my experience from production. It just gets me excited about the future of my project and other projects I may work on. It’s a starting point, this EP.

OTW: AObeats, any hints as to the friends you’ll be bringing with you?

AO: I don’t want to say any names, but people I’ve worked with recently, people who I’m still working with, and people I’ve worked with in the past. Quite literally a bunch of my close friends. It’s going to be dope.

OTW: As a collective born on the Internet, what do think has been the biggest time vampire, internet-wise, for the two of you?

Robo: Facebook. It’s so embarrassing and the worst answer. Social media in general, it’s bad. I wish I didn’t.

AO: Similar. I think that’s probably what anyone our age would say.

Robo: It’s definitely a waste of time.

AO: On one hand, I would say dumb YouTube videos, but also I feel like I learned a lot from YouTube.

Robo: Yeah, also the other thing I could say is social media, but that‘s where I met 90% of my friends.

AO: WIthout Facebook, Moving Castle wouldn’t exist. We did all our business over Facebook group chat, which we later realized was probably not the most efficient way to get things done. It’s very easy to get sidetracked.

OTW: You both collaborate with one another on a number of tracks. What’s the process like working together; is most of it done online or in person?

Robo: At first it was all online, pretty much. Now, it’s pretty much all in person. I’d rather just go hang out and work on shit then try and send stuff back and forth. It’s easier to come to an agreement on something when you’re in the same room.

AO: There’s been certain songs we’ve gone back and forth over email and couldn’t figure out a certain thing, or people would have different opinions on certain parts of the song. It would take forever. Then we get in the room in person, and in less than an hour, we figure out all of that. It’s so much easier to communicate certain things and get the point across. Definitely, in the beginning, it was all over the internet, but now we’re lucky enough to have a lot of us live within close proximity. So, we just happen to make music while hanging out. It’s great.

OTW: Were there any songs that struck a particular chord with you growing up?

AO: “In Da Club” by 50 Cent and “Get Busy” by Sean Paul.

Robo: That’s a really hard question for me, but lately I’ve been relistening to old music that I really liked, like Incubus and Circa Survive. I really liked stuff that was indie and electronic too like Postal Service. There’s just too many.

OTW: Who are your Ones To Watch?

AO: Sakima, Satica, exes. Those are my first off the top of my head. BLAISE.

Robo: Definitely Mark Johns, because I know she has a million songs that are amazing. She’s going to go far. I want to not say only our friends too, but it’s hard not to be excited for them because we know what they have coming. They’re going to be dropping some crazy stuff.

[thebandcampdiaries]

Gliffo (featuring Benny Hiller) introducing a new single release “Saide.”

Gliffo is an artist and music producer with a passion for creating music that blurs the lines between different styles and categories. Genre definitions do not matter much for him because he wants to make beautiful music regardless of the usual clichés and constraints. From AC/DC to Leonard Cohen, Gliffo is inspired by so many different artists and his music reflects his eclectic artistic upbringing. His most recent studio release is a beautiful single titled “Saide.” This is a quintessential ballad and a sad song, which also features a contribution from talented fellow artist Benny Hiller. The latter managed to give this song a very special twist, and complement the producer’s unique style and approach to songwriting and composition. One of the most impressive elements in this release is the fact that the string arrangement is actually performed by a real ensemble. In fact, it features a performance from members of the famous Berlin "Konzerthausorchester." The string section actually consists of nine string players, which have been multi-tracked with different performances, in order to create a vast arrangement that replicates the scale of a much bigger strings orchestra. In addition to the amazing sense of size and depth that the strings bring to the song, the vocal performance by Benny is truly amazing. This talented singer boasts a huge vocal range with four full octaves - many singers cannot even get two octaves that easily! Together, Benny and the orchestra complement each other very well. There are so much work and passion that went into the making of this song, and it's easy to see that every person involved in this process gave it their full heart and commitment.

Ultimately, I would definitely recommend this release to any fan of emotional music that has great production aesthetics and a unique concept. What I love about this song is that it combines such a wide range of different influences. There are some references to pop, but it is also a rock ballad. However, there are many beautiful classical influences as well, giving the song a very timeless charm. From layering all the orchestral elements, to coming up with beautiful melodies and vocal arrangements I really appreciated the complexity of this production. There are so many different nuances to the song, but at the same time, it is still a very simple and emotional ballad that is quite easy to relate to for people of all walks of life. In fact, I would definitely say that one of the most endearing qualities of this song is the balance that it has between complexity and simplicity. On one hand, the arrangement in the production are very sophisticated and thoughtful while on the other, the song itself has a very instinctive and memorable Melody that's easy to latch on to.

Find out more about Gliffo and listen to “Saide,” which is now available on the web.

https://open.spotify.com/track/5iphDPHUbJ8DS14jCLIIlh

https://song.link/i/1490483202

[thisaintascenereviews]

Album Review by Bradley Christensen Foreigner – 4 Record Label: Atlantic Release Date: July 2 1981

Foreigner, the British-American hard-rock band, was popular in the 70s and 80s, but they’re one of those bands that you don’t hear too much anymore, even though they have some very popular, successful, and timeless songs. I used to be really into this band years ago, back when I first got into “classic rock,” but I’ve never heard a full album from them. I totally forgot that I came across a copy of their fourth album, 1981’s aptly titled 4, at Barnes And Noble awhile ago, and now that I’m getting into that stuff, I thought it would be worth a listen. I needed to see the tracklisting again, too, and this LP features a handful of my favorite songs from them, so I was very excited to give it a listen. I’ve been spending some time with this LP over the last week, especially off and on, but I can safely say that I really like it. Foreigner isn’t one of my favorite bands, or anything like that, and I’ll talk about why in a minute, but 4 is a great album. If anything, though, it’s great for what it is. This is one of those albums that’s great for the kind of album that it is, and in this album’s case, it’s an 80s hard-rock album. Most people have an idea of what to expect when it comes to this style of music, but this band isn’t quite in the same vein as Van Halen, Guns N’ Roses, or AC/DC, because they have a more accessible and “cleaner” sound to them. They aren’t as gritty, raucous, or loud, but they have that hard-rock sound and instrumentation. The guitars are the focus of their sound, and they have a rather straightforward sound, nonetheless. The band actually had to bring some session musicians onto this LP, because a couple of original members that also played other instruments left, so they were left as a more bare bones group.

This LP is a really good one, though, and the thing is, you’d probably like it more if you’re into this kind of music. If you’re a hard-rock fan, or a classic rock fan, I think you’d like it.I’m not going to say that this album is amazing, though, because it’s not. It’s great for what it is, and that’s sometimes all you need. This band is really solid, though, because they have a great balance between being harder-edged and accessible. Vocalist Lou Gramm has an incredible voice, and one of the best things about this LP is within its hooks. “Juke Box Hero,” “Night Life,” “Urgent,” and “Woman In Black” just a name a few have some slick hooks, as well as the slower songs, such as “Waiting For A Girl Like You” are really catchy, too. The vocals alone, as well as the hooks, definitely make for a good listen, but the instrumentation is solid, too. There are a lot of interesting guitar lines, and some well-done solos here and there, but it’s nothing too interesting, unique, or insane. That’s why Foreigner’s never been one of my favorite bands, because their sound is awfully generic. They have a great vocalist, and that definitely elevates them up in the ranks of hard-rock bands in the 80s, but at the same time, their sound isn’t that revolutionary. It’s done well, but that’s about it, so that’s why this LP isn’t quite one that I’ve been coming back to a whole lot. I really enjoy it, though, and I’d even go as far as to say that I love it, but it’s great for what it is. I love it for what the album is trying to be, a hard-rock album. Nothing on this thing is really amazing, although I don’t mind any element here. The lyrics are pretty good, too, especially for what they’re trying to do, but the only thing that stands out are the vocals.

If you want some awesome hard-rock vocals, definitely check out this LP, or even this band. A couple of my favorite songs from the band are here, as well as a couple of their biggest singles, so there’s another reason to check this out, but if you’re not a hard-rock fan, I can’t say that you’re missing a whole lot, honestly. That’s not a slight against the album, because it’s a great hard-rock record, but there were more interesting bands and albums that came out during the same time. I can’t say that you’re not going to enjoy this, too, because it’s a fun, quick, and energetic album (even the slower tracks are good, though, which is rare for me, since I don’t enjoy slow burners all that much), only around 43 minutes. It’s a pretty standard length for an album, especially one like this, and for what it is, it’s a solid LP. Hard-rock is not my favorite genre, but I’ll admit that I do enjoy a lot more 70s and 80s hard-rock, because of how energetic, interesting, and more well-done it was, versus being clichéd, boring, and forgettable, but Foreigner, like I said, is armed with a great vocalist. Seriously, folks, Gramm has a fantastic voice and I forgot how much I enjoy it. His voice is really nice, and it does add an accessible and mainstream-friendly flair that other bands didn’t quite have. I mean, other bands had great vocalists, but he’s got a very clean, accessible, and easy to get into voice, especially when they’re on a ballad, or slower track, so they aren’t as abrasive or loud. I wouldn’t say that 4 (kind of wish they would have titled it “Foureigner,” though, but that would have been a pretty bad pun for the 1980s) is a masterpiece of an album that all music fans should listen to, but if you’re into classic rock or hard-rock, I’d give it a listen, because you might a song or two that you really like.

[anamedblog]

‘NUOVO CINEMA ANAMED’

by Susanna Cereda, ANAMED PhD Fellow (2018–2019)

Poster of the documentary ‘Tohum’

It’s Monday, and I’m starting to write this blog post after coming back from one of our usual movie nights. 

This time it was the turn of ‘Kynodontas’ by Yorgos Lanthimos, a movie that had a powerful impact on everybody. When the screening was over, a lively discussion started in the room and kept us for twenty more minutes glued to our seats. While coming back to my room, I continued thinking about it and about how fond I grew of these weekly appointments, and so I decided that I would use them as a starting point to talk a little about my personal ANAMED experience.

I love movies, I always did. I consider cinema the art form I can relate to the most. It was just a matter of time before I would talk about it also with the other fellows here and find a way to make of this passion a communal event (after all, who doesn’t like movies?!). The moment came almost immediately, right after we arrived here in September. I simply spoke to Nebojša, who told me he had recently had an interesting “cineforum” experience while he was a Junior Fellow at Dumbarton Oaks, in Washington DC. And that was it! We decided to have our own film-club, to watch movies together once a week, and since then we have been holding regular screenings every Monday (with only a few interruptions during the winter break).

The system is simple: everybody, taking turns, suggests a title (there are no pre-established themes or genres, though some might say that there is a predilection for artsy movies :P) and this gets announced on our Whatsapp group, so that who is interested just shows up at the established hour. Thanks to this rotation scheme I got to discover movies and directors I had never heard of before, or that I always wanted to watch but for some reason I never did. I guess that one of the most stimulating aspects for me is that (also in this non-academic setting) we get to learn from each other and that we push ourselves out of our comfort zone to get exposed to something new and thought-provoking. Indeed, in some cases the choice of the movie was rather controversial and triggered strong reactions (even leaving the room!).

Beside our in-door cinema, Istanbul is a city that offers many opportunities to cinephiles. Since I arrived, I watched movies at the “International Crime and Punishment Film Festival,” which took place in November; in the same month, I visited with Julien the Italian Cultural Institute, that was hosting the “24th Istanbul International Short Film Festival” (and I think we found our personal winner that day, right Julien?); a couple of weekends ago I went with Aslıhan to the Pera Museum, for an afternoon screening of Sergei Parajanov’s short movies, as part of the exhibition dedicated to the artist. And of course, I cannot forget to make a special reference to the premiere of two documentaries in which two of our friends and fellows had a direct involvement: the first, ‘Tohum (Seeds)’, tells the story of the journey of wheat from Anatolia to Europe, and was realized under the scientific supervision of Burhan Ulaş. The second, ‘Kadın Olmanın Günahı (The Sin of Being a Woman)’, sees the participation of Müge Özbek, who explores the life and work of Nezihe Muhiddin, one of Turkey's earliest feminists. (Well done guys, we’re really proud of you!!)

Poster of the two documentary ‘Kadın Olmanın Günahı’

Cinema was a major topic of discussion also with Pelin, another film enthusiast, and one of the three girls I used to live with when I came to spend two months in Istanbul, by the end of 2014. At the time, I was writing my Master thesis and I used to go every day to the NIT library, located in this same building where I am sitting right now. I remember that during those few weeks I met the ANAMED fellows from that academic year, who very kindly invited me to participate to their academic life (seminars and lectures) and introduced me to this stimulating environment. So, already back then I was enthralled with the atmosphere of Istanbul, the ANAMED center and its community, and I promised myself that I would do my best to get the chance to come back and experience this fellowship firsthand.

Many things have changed since those two months: I left Italy, lived in two different countries, had various life experiences and embarked on a PhD adventure…but after several years, I eventually managed to achieve that goal and I’m in Istanbul again! During my stay here, I have a challenge to face: writing my dissertation. The task is not an easy one (as everybody who’s going through the same process, or did it in the past, knows well), but I consider myself privileged because of all the benefits and the supportive community that I found here, which make every step a bit easier.

Maybe it’s because we’re already approaching the end of this unique experience, but a wave of shameless sentimentality takes over me when I think about the baggage of memories that I will carry when I’ll leave Istanbul and ANAMED…then a music starts playing in my head and, as a cliché, I remember a very iconic and heart-tugging movie scene, the ending sequence of ‘Nuovo Cinema Paradiso’.

What can I say, I have a sweet tooth!

Sources:

Fig.1: https://www.avrupa.info.tr/tr/eu-and-member-states/tohum-belgeselidunya-gida-gunu-munasebetiyle-venedik-sarayinda-duzenlenen

Fig.2: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9381432/mediaviewer/rm4077942272

[kuwaiti-kid]

Interview: Erik Fellows Talks ‘Purgatory, ‘The Bay’ and More

Erik Fellows is a man of many talents. He was born in Silver Spring, Maryland, and grew up an only child in an Italian-Swedish-English household.

His first passion was basketball. He dedicated himself to the sport and eventually became the starting point guard on his varsity high school basketball team.

At the beginning of his senior year, he sustained an injury that put his basketball career on hold, but it led him into the entertainment industry. Fellows was introduced to modeling through an agency in Georgetown, DC, and began working as a model for ads and catalogs throughout the Mid-Atlantic region.

Fellows relocated to New York City and began booking print work and commercials for designers and companies like Macy's, GQ Magainze, and Cosmopolitan Magazine. From there he moved his career to Los Angeles where he landed huge commercial campaigns with Verizon Wireless, Gilette, and Pom Wonderful.

You might recognize Fellows from his roles as the love interest in Jennifer Lopez's “Me Haces Falta,” Katharine Mcphee's “Love Story,” Lindsay Lohan's “Rumors,” and Dido's “Sand in My Shoes“.

Over the years, he has appeared in several TV shows including CSI: NY, NCIS: Los Angeles, and in a recurring role in Days of Our Lives. You can currently catch him in the Amazon Prime series The Bay, the upcoming series Purgatory, and in the new film Starf*cker.

Credit: Baker Photography

Maggie Lovitt (ML): Have you been working on anything during quarantine?

Erik Fellows (EF): Yes, I've been working on a new series called “Purgatory.” We were shooting season one and season two in Armenia when the virus started to expand, and we filmed until about March 20, and then we were sent back to the states. I still have to go back to Armenia to finish a few episodes for the second season. Once I got back to Los Angeles to keep myself busy, I have two other projects in preproduction, and I'm getting ready to start the sixth season of my Amazon prime show, “The Bay” series.

ML: There's so many new series on streaming services, have you binged anything lately? 

EF: Well, let's see I've binge-watched “Ozark,” “The Last Dance” on ESPN, “Tiger King” on Netflix, and “Upload” on Amazon Prime. Those are just a few of them, but there were many.

ML: Have you worked on learning any new hobbies or skills during quarantine? 

EF: I sure did. I learned how to adapt to seven people living in a home with four cats and a dog. LOL!

ML: I love getting the chance to talk to another actor who got their start in the Mid-Atlantic. How did you get your start in acting?

EF: It’s sort of random. My girlfriend at the time was babysitting a six-year-old boy for a friend. When the mother came to pick her son up, she came inside for a few minutes, and I was getting ready to head home. The mother stopped me as I was leaving and asked if I had ever thought about modeling and acting. She mentioned that she has her son was in acting and youth modeling for big companies like Tommy Hilfiger and Ralph Lauren, etc. She asked me if I wanted to give it a try because she thought I had a great look and an outgoing personality. I initially was hesitant, to be honest, I hated drama class in high school and quit. All I really cared about basketball. So as far as modeling goes, my friends would have teased me.

She said, ” Well, let's hear them tease you when you're making a great living as a model with that face and maybe one day become a TV/ movie star! ” I laughed and never thought that was ever even a possibility. She said, well, I'm going to introduce you to a modeling agency in Georgetown, DC, as a possible back up plan for you, and hey, you never know where it could lead! I ended up signing a contract and started work as a model doing ads and catalogue in the local area.

This wasn't my first dream, and I wasn't sure if it was something I was fully interested in at all. But it was something to pay the bills, and I was making some extra cash while trying to figure out my life. I eventually started to gather more of an interest in it, and I relocated to New York City. I seemed to have a knack for this industry, so let's give this modeling and acting thing a shot.

ML: As a fellow SAG-AFTRA member, I love hearing about how actors got their SAG vouchers. What job landed you in the guild? 

EF: I got my vouchers when I was still living in the Washington DC area, and I was standing for a show called the District and then boom three vouchers!

ML: You starred in Days of Our Lives for three years, with filming schedules on soaps being so tight, what was that experience like?

EF: When you first come onto a soap, you hear all the stories of how much page content you shoot per day. Sometimes we used to shoot one or two episodes in one day; it's something you have to get used to! I have major respect for soap actors and those who started in a soap; it prepares you to be prepared, is the best way to put it. It's easy to get stuck in the soap idea of the soap way of how they shoot daytime. The fast pace and not being able to venture outside the box as much as you'd like to like on film productions or even primetime TV.

ML: Do you prefer the more fast-paced nature of soaps, or do you enjoy having more time with a script like on a film?

EF: I have gotten to a point where I can break a script down pretty fast because of being on soaps for as long as I was. But, of course, I think any actor would like to have more time with the script and be able to endure the character and bring the character through them as authentic as they possibly can!

ML: What can we expect from this season of The Bay?

EF: The only thing I can tell you is that the storylines will be solely based on COVID-19 and Black Lives Matter. That's all I'm allowed to give out.

ML: I noticed that the filming location for Purgatory was Armenia. What was it like to film overseas? 

EF: It was a great time for me in Armenia. It was quite a beautiful country. It was snowing when we first got there, so it's really pretty in the mountains; the scenery was just gorgeous so aesthetically. It was gorgeous to film!

ML: What can you tell us about your character, Bobby, in Purgatory? 

EF: Well, Bobby is quite the bad guy. He's actually a pretty bad, bad, bad guy. He's an ex-con murderer that isn't too polite to people, and he demands his way!! The best way I can describe him is a charismatic, charming, sinister, evil, delightful, exciting, sociopathic, and oddly sensitive guy with a twist. Quite a different character, I must say. I'm very excited for people to see the series and get to meet Bobby!

Erik Fellows as “Bobby” in Purgatory

ML: Starf*ckerseems to be an incredibly relevant film, with so much that's come out about the dark side of Hollywood. What can you tell us about your character Jimmy? 

EF: Yes, “Starf*cker” is a very time-sensitive and also relatable dark comedy about Hollywood and the underbelly of the twisted dark understandings of the City of Angels they haven't shown on TV or movies, maybe bits, and pieces. Still, we unveiled a lot of what's not shown in a comedic way! It is based on the #metoo movement, the manipulation, the power of the sex, drugs, and how it can lead darkness and or death in the end! I play the role of Jimmy Starr. The story follows the life of Jimmy, the quintessential actor that will do whatever takes to make it.

He has his crossroads in his life. People sort of know who he is. He's not reached the top at this point. Still, there's a wall where it seems if he doesn't start taking advantage of the Hollywood understanding and manipulating its way to the top from what we hear of how many to do it, he'll never achieve greatness. Hence, if he was the life of an actor who struggles with the darkness, rejection, and loss, there's a major conflict in the film that is unleashed and throws a twist into it, but I can't give it away right now. But yeah, the movie was shot uniquely.

It covers breaking the fourth wall as his character/ alter ego / is also driven in his POV. It's an interesting character study on the type of person that either becomes or is a narcissist or has addictions and the things that they go through in this downward spiral down this dark path and are given ultimatums in the end! I hope people see this movie and understand there are lessons to be learned from it. It's funny, sad, crazy, dark, over the top, and offensive. We didn't hold back.

ML: Your resume seems to cover almost every genre — is there any type of film or TV series you're dying to be part of?

EF: As of late, I've been getting roles that have always interested me, like playing the nemesis or just a bad guy. Lately, I've been playing to the extremes of both, so to be honest, I am not sure. Maybe if I were to play a character with some special needs, that would be something for me that's different to tap into that I have not done yet.

To challenge the understanding of life and the brain of someone that goes through some sort of syndrome, the average person isn't capable of understanding what they go through daily! So that's something I would want to dig into, and then learn more about. That's definitely a challenge for any actor to comprehend. I wish to be tested on that level!

ML: What draws you to the roles you audition for? 

EF: Do you look for roles that challenge you? As I answered my last question, absolutely. I like to play against my look from what someone would typically cast me as. A sports type, physical parents, race, gender, but yeah, I know I typically look for a role that can challenge me. That I get to play within my head and in really understand.

Where I can relate to this character and make me my own thing, many actors always think you're playing into an idea of something. Still, the audience is watching me / Erik Fellows, so I want to give them whatever I've created within myself to betray that character being Erik Fellows the most authentic way I can live and delivering Erik Fellows within that character.

ML: Do you have any aspirations to write and direct? 

EF: I'm not saying that I would never have the interest to write or direct. But I think for now I'm really enjoying creating as an actor in front of the camera. But you never know if one day I get the itch to dabble on that of the camera.

ML: What is something you always have to have in your trailer?

EF: Red Vines, Sour Patch Kids, bottled water, and Coca Cola.

ML: I have always joked that I got into acting because I love set catering. What's the best meal you've had on the set? 

EF: Man, let me tell you, this one time we were treated like kings and queens. They had everything imaginable. They fed us Filet Mignon and garlic mashed potatoes with an amazing salad and grilled garlic shrimp with this amazing sauce, including any and every dessert you can imagine.

ML: What do you always have to grab at crafty on set? 

EF: Fruit snacks, Red Vines, bananas, trail mix, honestly pretty much everything.

ML: La Croix, Bubbly, or non-sparkling water? 

EF: Non-sparkling.

ML: What is something you always have to make sure you have with you on set? 

EF: Backpack with all my little essential needs; chapstick, eye drops, deodorant, and phone charger.

You can follow Erik's career on IMDb, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

The post Interview: Erik Fellows Talks ‘Purgatory, ‘The Bay’ and More appeared first on Your Money Geek.

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[markgottliebliteraryagent]

Award-Winning Science-Fiction Author Christopher Hinz

Christopher Hinz won the Compton Crook award for best first novel and was nominated for the John W. Campbell award for best new writer for Liege-Killer. From a forested realm near Reading, PA, he crafts stories in a range of media: screenplay adaptations, short stories, graphic novels, comics for DC and Marvel. His seventh prose novel, Starship Alchemon, launches in November. 

How did you first come to writing?

I fell in love with science fiction at an early age and wrote my first “book” – four pages in a school notepad – somewhere around age eight. Teens and early twenties featured subsequent efforts but it wasn’t until around age 28 or 29 that I developed enough self-discipline to get serious about the craft.

What do you feel the SFF genre affords writers?

Primarily a sense of openness toward new or revitalized ideas. No other form of fiction kick-starts the imagination into exploring its most exotic frontiers, and none offers such an unlimited canvas on which to create. The trick, of course, is seeking balance between the macroscopic and the microscopic: tempering SFF’s cosmic freedoms with equally vigorous probes into the depths of the human heart.

Any other new and exciting books we can expect to be forthcoming from you?

Besides Starship Alchemon in November, Duchamp Versus Einstein, a novelette co-written with Etan Ilfeld, arrives Oct. 8th. Also released earlier this year was Liege-Killer The Graphic Novel, making 2019 an unusually fertile period on the publishing front – sort of an authorial version of a rare planetary conjunction. With 2020 foresight, I predict another new novel for later in the new year.      

In your book Starship Alchemon, we see an atmosphere of escalating paranoia and multiplying dangers, where the crew must penetrate the nest of secrets to stop an evil presence from reaching Earth. Can you tell us more?

I’ve always been drawn to stories where character development corresponds to the three-part lattice at the core of the human animal. In other words, we might be said to possess an operational consciousness incorporating physical, emotional and intellectual selves. Ideally, our three selves act in concert, yet in practice they’re often at odds. Most of the “drama” in our personal lives and throughout the social sphere emanates from the underlying neurological conflicts among this tripartite structure.

In Starship Alchemon, the crew faces a being whose evolution led to a fourth state of consciousness, which grants it unusual and dangerous abilities. The best novels heighten suspense by bombarding the characters with inescapable troubles until survival seems impossible, and that’s all too true aboard the Alchemon. Each crew member must deal with the presence of this exceptional being while navigating the unique aspects of their own latticed selves. The novel’s net effect upon readers, I hope, will be a thematic afterglow, the special satisfaction arising from having one’s perceptions about what is possible altered and enriched.     

Any interesting writing habits or writing rituals you could share?

Playing three or four swift games of FreeCell prior to every writing session. I rationalize the habit as a perfect way to warm up the prefrontal cortex for creative endeavors. But maybe it’s rooted in a more evolutionarily ancient region of the brain, where I just want the gut satisfaction of beating a competitor.     

What was it like when you first received nominations for the John W. Campbell Award and Compton Crook Award?

I was surprised and honored when my first novel, Liege-Killer, earned such acclaim, particularly when it won the Compton Crook award. Being somewhat of an autodidact – no formal training for authorhood – and having spent at least 18 months in the isolating frenzy of the creative cocoon – the joy and bane of every writer – the nominations and strong reviews served as confidence amplifiers.    

What’s it like working with Angry Robot Books?

After many years jumping from publisher to publisher, it’s been great putting down roots. Angry Robot has been incredibly supportive of my work and has paired me with thoughtful editors. By its nature, the writer-editor relationship exists in a state of tension, each side tugging on a story to bring it closer to their mindset. A.R. has a solid understanding of the dynamics of this relationship, aware that if both sides approach a book with open minds and a willingness to compromise, the ultimate work can’t help but be improved.     

How did you find your way to your current literary agency Trident Media Group?

Like many writers in the profession for a number of years, I’ve had more than one agent. Some were good, some not so good and some… well, the less said the better. Connecting with Mark at Trident has been rewarding on a number of levels, and being represented by such a powerhouse agency lessens having to worry about the business side of the equation. Knowing that negotiations and contractual matters are in the hands of seasoned pros means I can concentrate on the writing.       

Do you have any advice for hopeful writers looking to become published authors?

Wish I could offer something original but the classic three Ps – passion, practice and persistence – can’t be beat. Learn to love the writing experience at its most fundamental, ass-to-chair level, where the crafting of sentence/paragraph/chapter becomes its own reward. Become a ruthless self-editor; rewrite or even discard a previous day’s efforts should that ephemeral critic that lurks in your creative firmament – and which will grow stronger with exercise – fails to spark. And if you’re truly serious about wanting to be published, adopt the hardcore attitude that you won’t give up the dream until they pry your cold dead fingers from the keyboard.         

Can you finish this sentence? “I love writing because…”

“I love writing!”