#he is truly a big hetfield fan

[jessybarnes]

Al Min Kærlighed

Fandom - Metallica

Chapter One - Fade to Black

Pairing - Single!Lars Ulrich x Reader

Other Characters - James Hetfield, Kirk Hammett, and Robert Trujillo

Tags - DOMESTIC VIOLENCE!, Blood, Language, Crying, Broken Bones, Arguing, Anxiety, Angst, and I think that's it.

Word Count - 1,400 +

Beta - Just Grammarly

Fic Aesthetic - Yours Truly

A/N: This is a series that I've been working on for a long time now. I have quite a few chapters written, but it's not quite finished yet. I'm a huge Metallica fan, and James and Lars are my favorite members. :) Anyway, I hope you enjoy this!

“Shit! Is it really that late?!”

You said as you glanced at the clock on your work desk. Your boss asked you to stay after work and finish one of the daily reports. This was becoming a regular thing, and your boyfriend didn't like it. Not at all. Sure you were thrilled that your boss chose you to stay out of everyone else. For one, the overtime was something you used to your advantage, and two you didn't really want to go home... Not with him there.

Sighing and grabbing your purse you switched the desk light off and headed for the main entrance to finish locking up. You had been with Essential Graphics for two years, and for about a year now Jace, your boss, had asked you to stay later than usual to do various things. You happily obliged and put the overtime you earned into your savings. Something only you knew about which was probably for the best.

After making sure the doors were securely locked you made your way to your car. Checking your phone you noticed you had ten missed calls and three voicemails.

“Great...” You muttered in annoyance. “Here's to hoping he'd be asleep.”

You buried your head in your hands and hunched over the steering wheel trying to calm your breathing. You had been saving your overtime for a year now. So close to your end goal, you could taste it. You only had to save two hundred more dollars, and you would be on your way to California, and more specifically away from your current boyfriend.

Cole wasn't the angel everyone perceived him to be. Not in the slightest. You had been to hell and back with him, and you had the bruises to prove it. You did your best to cover them up, but foundation and powder only go so far. Sure people noticed, but you would always make some believable excuse to deter the conversation elsewhere.

“Maybe I'll get lucky enough and he will be passed out drunk.” You said as you started your car and maneuvered out of the parking lot.

You drove in silence the whole fifteen minutes it took to get home. Closing your eyes, you mentally prepared your mind and body for what you inevitably were going to endure as soon as you crossed the threshold of your house. Your knuckles were white as you gripped the door handle to your 2008 Pontiac and you tried to calm your racing heart. He didn't like when you showed fear. It was fuel to the fire. Quickly and quietly you approached the front door and strained to listen. Trying to listen to see if Cole was awake.

Sliding the key into the lock and turning it shouldn't sound so loud, but it did then. You slowly opened the door and the smell of alcohol hit you like a freight train. Your heart thudded in your chest as you grasped the chain on your purse to keep it from making noise and toed your tennis shoes off. As you walked past the living room things felt eerily quiet. When you got to the hall big, strong hands grabbed you and shoved you hard against the wall knocking the pictures onto the floor.

“Where the fuck have you been?!”

“Jesus Cole! You scared me! Jace asked me to stay late again. I had to finish the daily report. I'm sorry I was so late.”

“It's fucking ten thirty, Y/N. Who is he?! Who the FUCK is he??!”

“There is no he, Cole. There is only you.” 

A moment later, his hand collided with the right side of your face. You tasted copper a clear indication that your lip was split open. Tears threatened to escape your eyes, but you wouldn't let him have that satisfaction.

“Don't you EVER lie to me, Y/N. You're mine and I won't let anyone else have you. If I can't have you, no one else can. You can't win and you can't escape. There's no way out, baby.”

He gave you a look of pure menace as he flung you to the floor. You instinctively put your hands out to catch yourself and winced as pain shot up your right arm. You knew it was probably broken, but you couldn't think about that right now. You had to get out of there. Putting as much force behind your foot as you could you kicked him in the shin sending him to the floor on the opposite side of the hall. You held your throbbing wrist to your chest as you hobbled as fast as you could to grab your keys and purse.

Getting away would have been too easy. You knew that. Cole was on you in a matter of seconds. He gripped your hair hard, sending pain rocketing through your skull.

“You'll pay for that, bitch. Good for nothing that's what you are.”

You tried to kick, hit, punch, anything to get him to loosen his grip. Nothing seemed to work. You heard the telltale sound of him flipping open his switchblade. You couldn't help it, you let the tears fall this time. Pleading him, begging him to stop.

“Please, Cole! Please....don't.... you don't want to do this... We can work this out. Just let me go, and we can talk.”

“Oh, sweetheart, we are way past the talking stage.”

He firmly pressed it to your throat, not realizing he was giving you a way out. You had to do this fast if you were going to get away. Tucking your chin to your chest you bit down on his wrist as hard as you could. He yelped in pain and dropped the knife, but not before it cut you. You grabbed your purse and dashed out the front door to your car. Barely making it inside, you jammed the key in the ignition and squealed the tires as you backed out of the driveway onto to the main road.

Finally able to calm your breathing and let the adrenaline die down you let the tears flow. You pulled into an alleyway and parked to keep yourself from getting into an accident. Your cries soon became sobs and you hunched over the steering wheel in pain from the events that just took place. You barely even noticed the loud music coming from the club or the dozens of people going in and out of the back entrance.

Your vision became blurry and you suddenly felt light-headed. Moving your left hand up to your neck you felt the wetness there. Pulling it back to see you noticed that Cole must have nicked you pretty bad, and you needed to get to a hospital fast before you succumbed to unconsciousness.

You kept your left hand on your neck to apply pressure and awkwardly reached for the door handle with your right hand. Biting back the urge to scream from the immense pain you felt, you opened the driver’s door and staggered out of the car. You began to move toward the noise of the band and found your way in through the back exit. Looking for someone, anyone, to help you. You heard muffled voices and made your way towards them. Praying you didn't pass out before you got there.

A deep voice filled your ears along with an accented one. You couldn't quite put your finger on where the other man was from, but that wasn't at the top of your list of concerns right now. As you got closer to the door you could hear their conversation clearly now.

“C'mon James we always open with Creeping Death. It's tradition, man! We can play Fade to Black later on in the set list.”

“Don't you think it's time for a change, Lars? I mean we've played the same opener for years!”

“Ugh... James... don't push it. Maybe the next show we will switch things up, but for now, let's just stick to--”

You cut their moment off as you fell through the door. You couldn't speak. You could hardly breathe. You just laid there shock taking over you as you saw them scramble toward you.

“JESUS! FUCK! James!! Call a doctor! Shit! Hey, hey sweetheart. It's okay. I've got you. Just hang in there, and we will get you some help. Shhh. Just stay with me.”

You heard shouting and a soothing voice, but you couldn't make out anything they were saying. You were cradled in the shorter one’s arms and the last thing you remembered before darkness overcame you were beautiful, frightened green eyes.

[daddy-ul]

The one thing i love more than 'fanboying Lars' is 'fanboying over his bandmates Lars'.

“I’m just happy to have heard James sing [Blind Man]”

-Lars

[daddy-ul]

FixXXxer: now you know why... it shouldn't happen again.

... would be the title if i were a youtuber in need of views. seeing that i absolutely am not and i am posting this on tumblr, i will do the socialmedia appropriate thing for this platform and put

MY NOTES ABT THE XL ANNIVERSARY FIRST NIGHT

under the cut

(dont worry, i'm not gonna bash over metallica fdkjfsd i liked this birthday party, i just like to ponder over the manner of things)

First of all, no this isnt a bashing of the night, it's not a negative review or something like that, but there will be Thoughts(TM) and not only keysmashing fjdsfsjfsk

-Nope, this is not the XXX anniversary and I kinda gathered that way back so I did not pump my hopes up and I schooled my mind not to think abt 'how will they beat the madness of the xxx anniversary 4 nights batshit metal extravaganza?'. They dont have to... and they didnt!

-I am always, ALWAYS the kind of person who arrives painfully early BUT NOT TODAY! I went to bed at 2.30 am and I forgot to put an alarm, but my brain woke up screaming at 6.25 and I quickly got on the stream, so I lost the first 3 songs (but at the end of the stream i was quick enough to rewind it and see what i slept through)

how they reacted to Jason when he came on screen <333 like, i heard the enthusiasm in the crowd --and that was my only moment of weakness bc i hoped that he would come on stage, but then orion came in and i was 'oh ok, so tonight is Cliff's song and tomorrow Jason's song'... gotta say that i am such an optimistic person that i STILL HOPE fjdfhsjfhsd but i am fine whatever will happen.

K and J exchanging that big happy smile during Orion <3333

ppppp-please camerappl, could you... maybe? maybe. film Rob's--the bass yknow-- during the bass' shredding moments? (they did.. but for just one moment and i was like. sob)

"we were created to do this" James Hetfield. (funny that my italian poor keyboard corrected this into "we were created to-do list" hhdshf)

ohhhhhh! i like the lil papa H crest on that white explorer. v cool design, i dont remember noticing it b4, but i am not a 'jamyz primary oriented person', so i dont have all his guitars memorized fhdjhfsk dear mutuals, feel free to correct me

really i would love to talk to ppl in the audience bc... looking it from home... like, the audience feels so calm? no one is going crazy?? there were already some absolute BANGERS and i expect the ppl there to be BIG tallica fans, not casual ones, so even more energetic?? but maybe it was only an impression that i gathered by the cameras bc...

it was not filmed in a truly metallica fashion. Listen, listen: I may sound nerdy and fussy (which i am), but truly!!! Everyone agrees that what makes metallica concerts METALLICA BANGER CONCERTS is especially the audience! the ppl!!! and the dynamic between the ppl on stage and the ppl off the stage. Here on this stream they didnt absolutely show that except for... sad but true and like just 2 other songs :/// to me it kinda made the show somewhat less engaging and energetic.

One was a bit less explosive than usual, like, you know that most of the time it's fuken WARTIME SLAPPING YOUR EARS, BOOM MFUCKER! And maybe it's my headphones' faults but it felt like 'pew pew' and then the song

on that note, at one point during One, Rob made this HELLUVA back vocal that 👌👌👌 straight A, man

"I'm starting to like that song. It grows on you" -jhet, with his usual brand of humor, proceeding to fake not knowing the date of the song, saying numbers (thank your gods that Lars didnt have a mic, you know how he gets abt numbers hfjdshfjks)

"You having fun? Knock it off."

THE BEGINNING OF SAD BUT TRUE. DUDERZZZZZZ. FUCKKKK. THAT SONG MANNNN. Such a good sound, and the ENERGY

in that moment I noticed rob's baseball cap and I started to yearn for it.

really.... the audience feels so fucking quiet... and i dont believe for a second that it's bc they are quiet. Like, there isnt some mics pointed in their directions??? i wanna hearrrr. but at least finally they are filming them!

James' voice feels good! He is singing well, but to my eyes he seems less 'theatric' than usual? in the use of his voice? you know that usually he does all those tricks, little voices etc, idk how to call them in eng sorry dfhjfhdksj but yknow what i mean!

now that i think abt it, Lars feels less theatrical (in his movements) too. But that is probably bc they give him him less 'screen time' than what I am used to, and most is from his shoulder angle fjsfhk bc if you look when he is in the background he is doing his usual faces and routines fhsdjfsk so... a victory for those who cant stand Lars wiggling drumming and tongue! hjdfhskjfhks cheers for you! (i swear i am not sarcastic, i know that some ppl find it irritating so, this is for you fellas)

i laughed out loud bc there is nothing funnier and more talliconcert than Kirk and Rob on screen singing intensely in their mics and... absolutely no sound coming out fhjsdhfjsk like, plz, someone turn up their mics fjdfkjf rest in pasta. i am sure they where banger back vocals

LOAD!!!!! FUCK YEAH. KING NOTHINGGGGGG

wait, why isnt everyone losing their shit???? ppl?????? i know that load isnt the fan favourite but cmon!! it's a rare song to get live!

see? that's what i meant with 'less theatric': the whole piece in King Nothing abt the star --i love those lines-- they were sang 'normal', he didnt do his evil voice. Uh.

but i loved it when at the end he did the 'absoluteleeeeeey nothing'

OHHH THIS VIDEO EDIT. KRK. 'IT'S ALL CARE' ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ MR. HAMMETT SIR. I LOVE U.

CAZZO FIXXXER ANZI FIXXXXER LA MADONNA <<< in italian bc only my first language chan explain the chain of emotions that went through me that moment

here is the point that made me think abt the clickbait title: from MY pov, it sounded like James was struggling to sing this song, he ate basically every first word of every line, and the moment I realized this my mind went back to my first tallica concert, it was winter and it was in the middle of the european tour. Basically, his voice wasn't 100% even tho he sang pretty good but towards the end was struggling a bit. And the things about italians... we can be LOUD, so we were singing, screaming and at the end of the song James said "thank you, you helped me, you help a lot". And... that's what I thought in that moment, in my bed, xxxx km away from that show. I thought, dont worry James, we got you, if you cant, we'll sing it. we'll catch the words not coming out of you, everyone is doing this, we'll help you. we got this

why am i bringing this up? I am not trying to sell anyone the magical power of friendship metfam fhdjsfhsdkf what I wanted to go to was that... he seemed like he was doing the song but... just for doing it and not bc he enjoyed doing it. May it be bc of the lyrics, the themes, the emotional involvment that such a song requires, or just the music...so i'm super glad they did fixxxer, i'm thankful that they wanted to give this to the fans (bc, again, this totally wasn't for themselves) but let's not do this again."

first time... now you know why" yeah, and know i hope you know why for me it shouldnt be a second time (if things dont change)

THAT SAID: WHAT A FUCKING MOMENTTTTTTTT

"here comes the pins"

THE BASS 👌🏼👌🏼👌🏼

DUDE WITH THE WHITE SHIRT BEHIND J, YOU ARE ME, ONLY VALID DUDE RIGHT HERE RIGHT NOW (he was rocking hard, singing and completely engulfed by the song.)

[betterdaysareatoenailaway]

RANDOM REVIEW #2: ANY GIVEN SUNDAY (1999)

“This game has got to be about more than winning. You’re part of something.”  Any Given Sunday (1999), directed by Oliver Stone and featuring Jamie Foxx, Dennis Quaid, Cameron Diaz, Al Pacino, LL Cool J, James Woods, and Matthew Modine, is my favourite sports movie of all time. Of all time.

I’m not betraying my favourite sport by saying this. The Mighty Ducks is a kid’s movie. It’s okay, but it’s not a timeless classic. I don’t like the Slap Shot series, Sudden Death is fun but silly, and the Goon movies were a missed opportunity. The only truly good scene in Goon is the diner scene where Liev Schreiber tells Seann William Scott: “Don’t go trying to be a hockey player. You’ll get your heart ripped out.”

  Such is the sad circumstance of the hockey enforcer. They all want to play, not just fight. Here’s a link to a video in which the most feared fighter in the history of the NHL, Bob Probert, explains that he wanted to be “an offensive threat...like Bobby Orr,” not a fighter: https://youtu.be/4sbxejbMH4g?t=118 Heartbreaking. But not unusual.

Donald Brashear, Marty McSorley, Tie Domi, Stu “The Grim Reaper” Grimson, Frazer McLaren: they all had hockey skills. But they were told they had to fight to remain on the roster, so they fought. As Schreiber says in the film: “You know they just want you to bleed, right?”  If the players don’t bleed, they don’t get to stay on the team. So they fight, and they pay dearly for it later. Many former fighters have CTE or other head injuries that make day-to-day life difficult. The makers of Goon should have taken that scene and run with it. I was so disappointed they didn’t, especially given what happened right around the time the film came out, with the tragic suicides of Wade Belak, Derek Boogaard, and Rick Rypien, all enforcers, all dead in a single summer. So Hollywood hasn’t even made a good hockey movie, let alone a great one. Baseball has a shitload of good films, probably because the slower pace of play makes it easier to film. Moneyball has a terrific home run scene, Rookie of the Year does too. Angels in the Outfield was a big favourite of mine when I was a kid, plus all the Major League films, and Bull Durham. 

Football has two good movies: The Program (1993) and Rudy (1993).    

And football has one masterpiece. The one I am writing about today.

A young Oliver Stone trying not to die in Vietnam. ^ Now, I know Stone is laughed at these days, given his nutty conspiracy theories and shitty behaviour and the marked decline in the quality of his films (although 2012’s Savages was underrated). I know Stone is about as subtle as a sledgehammer, but do you want a football movie to be subtle? Baseball, sure. It’s a game of fine distinctions, but football? Football is war. And war is about steamrolling the enemy, distinctions be damned, which is why Any Given Sunday is such an amazing sports film. I love the way it shows the dark side of football. In fact, the film is so dark that the NFL withdrew their support and cooperation, forcing Stone to create a fictitious league and team to portray what he wanted to portray.

This is not to say the movie is fresh or original. Quite the opposite. Any Given Sunday has every single sports film cliché you can think of. But precisely because it tries to stuff every single cliché into its runtime, the finished product is not a cliched mess so much as a rich tapestry, a dense cinema verite depiction of the dizzying highs and depressing lows of a professional sports team as it wins, loses, parties, and staggers its way through a difficult season.  Cliché #1: The aging quarterback playing his final year, trying to win one last championship. (Dennis Quaid) 

Sample dialog: Dennis Quaid (lying in a hospital bed severely injured): Don’t give up on me coach. Al Pacino: You’re like a son to me. I’ll never give up on you. ^ I know this sounds awful. But it’s actually fuckin’ great. Cliché #2: The arrogant upstart new player who likes hip hop and won’t respect the old regime. (Jamie Foxx) 

Cliché #3: The walking wounded veteran who could die if he gets hit one more time. Coincidentally, he needs just one more tackle to make his million-dollar bonus for the season. (Lawrence Taylor) 

Cliché #4: The female executive in a man’s world who must assert herself aggressively in order to win the grudging respect of her knuckle-dragging male colleagues (Cameron Diaz). Diaz is fantastic in the role, though she should have had more screen time, given that the main conflict in the film is very much about the new generation, as represented by her and Jamie Foxx, trying to replace the old generation, represented by Al Pacino, Dennis Quaid, Jim Brown, and Lawrence Taylor. Some people think Diaz’s character is too calculating, but here’s the thing: she’s right. Too many sports GMs shell out millions for the player an individual used to be, not the player he presently is. “I am not resigning a 39-year old QB, no matter how good he was,” she tells Pacino’s coach character, and you know what? She’s right. The Leafs’ David Clarkson signing is proof positive of the perils of signing a player based on past performance, not current capability. Diaz’s character is the living embodiment of the question: do you want to win, or do you want to be loyal? Cuz sometimes you can’t do both.

Cliché #5: The team doctor who won’t sacrifice his ethics for the good of the team (Matthew Modine).

Cliché #6: The team doctor who will sacrifice his ethics for the good of the team (James Woods) 

Cliché #7: The grizzled, thrice-divorced coach who has sacrificed everything for his football team, to the detriment of his social and familial life, who must give a stirring speech at some point in the film (Al Pacino…who goes out there and gives the all-time greatest sports movie “we must win this game” speech) 

Cliché #8: The assistant or associate coach who takes a parental interest in his players, playing the good cop to the head coach’s bad cop (former NFL star Jim Brown). 

Best quote: “Who wants to be thinking about blitzes and crossblocks when you’re holding your grandkids in your arms? That’s why I wanna coach high school. Kids don’t know nothing. They just wanna play.” 

Cliché #9: The player who can’t stop doing drugs (L.L. Cool J).

Okay, so the first thing that needs to be talked about is Al Pacino’s legendary locker room speech.  Now, it’s the coach’s job to rile up and inspire the players. But eloquence alone won’t do it. If you use certain big words, you lose them (remember Brian Burke being endlessly mocked by the Toronto media for using the word “truculent?”). The coach must deliver the message in a language the players understand, while still making victory sound lofty and aspirational. This is not an easy thing to accomplish. One of my favourite inspirational lines was spoken by “Iron” Mike Keenan to the New York Rangers before Game 7 against the Vancouver Canucks in 1994. “Win tonight, and we’ll walk together forever.” Oooh that’s gorgeous. But Pacino’s speech is right up there with it. 

“You know, when you get old in life…things get taken from you. That’s parta life. But you only learn that when you start losin’ stuff. You find out…life’s this game of inches. So’s football. In either game – life or football – the margin for error is so small. I mean…one half a step too late or too early and you don’t quite make it…one half second too slow, too fast, you don’t quite catch it. The inches we need are everywhere around us. They’re in every break of the game, every minute, every second. On this team, we fight for that inch. We claw with our fingernails for that inch. Because we know when we add up all those inches that’s gonna make the fuckin difference between winnin’ and losin’! Between livin’ and dyin’!” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_iKg7nutNY  Somehow, against all odds, Any Given Sunday succeeds. It is the Cinderella run of sports movies. You root for the film as you watch it. The dressing room scenes are incredible…the Black players listen to the newest hip hop while a trio of lunkhead white dudes headbang and scream “Hetfield is God.” There is a shower scene where a linebacker, tired of being teased about the size of his penis, tosses his pet alligator into the showers where it terrorizes his tormentors. There is a scene where a halfback has horrible diarrhea, but he’s hooked up to an IV so the doctor (Matthew Modine) has to follow him into the toilet cubicle, crinkling his nose as the player evacuates his bowels. There is a scene where someone loses an eye (the only scene in the film where Stone’s over-the-top approach misses the mark). There are scenes that discuss concussions (which is why the NFL refused to cooperate for the film), where Lawrence Taylor has to sign a waiver absolving the team of responsibility if he is hurt or paralyzed or killed. I wonder how purists and old school football fans reacted to the news that Oliver Stone was making a football film. If they even knew who he was (not totally unlikely…Stone made a string of jingoistic war movies in the 1980s) they probably thought the heavy hands of Oliver would ruin the film, take the poetry out of every play. But the actual football is filmed perfectly. The camera gets nice and low for the tackles. It flies the arcs of perfect spiral passes. It shows the chaos of a defensive line barreling down the field. When Al Pacino asked quarterback Dan Marino (fresh off his own Hollywood experience acting in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective) what it was like to be an NFL QB, Marino said: “Imagine standing on a highway with traffic roaring at you while trying to read Hamlet.” A great explanation. Shoulda made the movie. So the football itself is fabulously done. Much better than what Cameron Crowe did in the few football scenes in Jerry Maguire. The Program had some great football, as did Rudy, but neither come close to the heights of Any Given Sunday. In one of the film’s best scenes, Jamie Foxx insists that his white coaches have routinely placed him in situations where he was doomed to fail or prone to injury, and we believe him because white coaches have been doing that to Black players for decades. Quarterback Doug Williams, who led his Washington Redskins team to a Superbowl victory in 1987, was frequently referred to by even liberal media outlets as a “Black quarterback,” instead of just “quarterback,” as if his skin colour necessitated a qualification. Even now, in 2021, the majority of quarterbacks are white, although the gap is gradually closing. The 2020 season saw the highest number of starting Black quarterbacks, with 10 out of a possible 32.  Quarterback is the most cerebral position on the field, and for a long time there was a racist belief that Black men couldn’t do the job. Foxx’s character is a composite of many of the different Black quarterbacks who came of age in the 1990s, fighting for playing time against white QBs beloved by their fan base, fawned over in hagiographic Sports Illustrated profiles, and protected by the good ol’ boys club of team executives and coaching staff. Foxx’s character isn’t demoted because he can’t play the game. He wins several crucial games for his team en route to the playoffs. He’s demoted because he listens to hip hop in the dressing room, because he recorded a rap song and shot a video for it, and because he’s cocky. Yes, the scene where he asks out Cameron Diaz is sexist, as if her power only comes from her sexuality, not her intelligence and business acumen, but it’s meant to show how overly confident Foxx is, not that he’s a sexist prick. Any Given Sunday isn’t a single issue film. It’s basically an omni-protest piece. It gleefully shows football’s dark side, and there is no director better than Oliver Stone for muck-raking. He’s in full-on investigative journalist mode in Any Given Sunday, showing how and why players play through serious brain injuries. How because they are given opiates, often leading to debilitating addictions (this happens in all contact sports...Colorado Avalanche player Marek Svatos overdosed on heroin a few years after retiring from injuries). As to why, Stone gives two reasons. One, team doctors are paid by the team, not the players, therefore their decisions will benefit the team, not the players. And two, the players themselves are encouraged to underreport injuries and play through them because stats are incentivized. James Woods unethical doctor argues with Modine’s idealistic one because an MRI the latter called for a player to have costs the team $20k. But the player in question, Lawrence Taylor, plays anyway because his contract is stat incentivized and if he makes on more tackle he gets a million dollars. Incentivizing stats leads to players playing hurt. And although I loathe this term, a lazy go-to for film critics, Stone really does give an unflinching account of how this shit happens and why. When Williams is inevitably hurt and lying prone on the field, he woozily warns the paramedics who are placing him on a stretcher to “be careful…I’m worth a million dollars.” It’s tragic, yet you’re happy for him. The film really makes you care about these guys.  Thanks to the smartly written script, the viewer knows that Williams has four kids, and you’re pleased he made his bonus because, in all likelihood, after he retires, his injuries will prevent him from any kind of gainful employment (naturally, they give the TV analyst jobs to retired white players, unless Williams can somehow land the coveted token Black guy gig). Stone is not above fan service, a populist at heart, and he stuffs the film with former and then-current NFL players, a miraculous stunt given the fact that the NFL revoked their cooperation. Personally, I think this was a good thing because it meant Stone didn’t have to compromise (the league wanted editorial say on all issues pertaining to the league…meaning they would have cut the best storyline, which is the playing hurt one). It also meant that they had to rename the team and the league. While I’m sure this took away from the realism for some fans, I’m cool with it. It also allowed the moviemakers to name the team the Sharks, a perfect name for this roving band of predatory capitalist sports executives. In another example of fan service, the call-girl Pacino’s quintessential lonely workaholic character rents a girlfriend experience from is none other than Elizabeth Berkley of Showgirls, who had been unfairly blacklisted after the titular Verhoven/Esterhaz venture, a movie my wife showed me one day while I was dopesick, which I became so transfixed and mesmerized by that I forgot I was. As mentioned above, the only misstep in the film is one of the offshoots of the Playing Hurt arc, where a player loses an eye on the field. Not because he gets poked, but because he gets hit so hard his eye simply falls out. A medic runs onto the field and puts the white globe on ice. Stone cast a player with a glass eye in order to achieve this effect. No CGI! Still, the scene is unconvincing, a tad too over-the-top. But this is Oliver Stone. At least Any Given Sunday’s sole over-the-top moment is a throwaway scene lasting all of thirty seconds. It easily could have been a secondary plot-line in which government officials try to sneak a Cuban football prodigy out of Castro’s communist stronghold but the player is brutally murdered the morning the officials arrive at his apartment to escort him to the private plane. Or else the team GM is revealed to be a massive international cocaine dealer. Or the tight end is one half of a serial killer couple. The film follows its own advice, focusing more on the players growth, particularly Beamon’s (Foxx). The anonymity of the title, Any Given Sunday, elevates the game, not the players. Thank God, the movie doesn’t force Beamon to assimilate into Pacino’s mold. He buys into the team-first philosophy without renouncing his idiosyncratic POV or his fierce individuality. This is a triumph. One of my biggest problems with sports is the flattening effect it can have on creative individuals. Players take media training in order to sound as alike as possible during media interviews, a long row of stoic giants spouting cliches. It’s boring. Which is why media latch onto a loudmouth, even while they scold him for it. All sports are dying for an intelligent mouthpiece who can explain his motivations in a succinct, sound-bite-friendly, manner. Sports are entertainment. As much as I love Sidney Crosby, in my heart I have to go with Alexander Ovechkin because Ovechkin is far more thrilling, both on and off the ice. Unlike almost every other NHL star before him, all of whom were forced to kneel and kiss Don Cherry’s Rock Em Sock Em ring, Ovechkin defiantly told the media he simply did not care about Cherry or Cherry’s disgusting parental reaction to one of Ovie’s more creative goal celebrations (called a “celly” in the biz). On the play in question, Ovechkin scored the goal, then dropped his stick and mimed warming his hands over it, as if his stick were on fire. As cheesy as the celebration appeared to the naked eye, it’s both a funny and accurate notion. Ovechkin was the hottest scorer in the league for many years and his stick was on fire, metaphorically speaking. The only celly I can think of that matches up in terms of creativity and entertainment value came from Teemu Selanne in 1993, who scored a beauty of a goal, threw one of his gloves straight up into the air, then pumped his stick like a shotgun while “shooting” his glove. Of course, Cherry took exception to it. Cherry’s favourite goal celebration features Bobby Orr putting his head down and refraining from raising his hands over his head. Cherry’s idea of an appropriate goal celly is no celly at all. This from a man who claims “we’ve got to sell our game.” But when an arrogant player shows up and he’s not white, he’s in for a shitload of bad press. Foxx’s Beamon illustrates this beautifully when he yells at Pacino after Pacino cuts him for an older QB who has lost four games this season. “Don’t play that racism card with me,” Pacino warns. “Okay…okay…” Foxx nods, “Maybe it’s not racism. Maybe it’s ‘placism’…as in…a brother got to know his place.”

Here is the original theatrical trailer, featuring Garbage’s classic “Push It.”

Above Lawrence Taylor begs Matthew Modine for Cortazone.  There’s also a great scene where Pacino is trying to figure out where he has gone wrong and Diaz just looks at him. “You got old,” she says simply. No enterprise is more cruel to an aging human being than sports. And this movie makes football a big giant corporate machine that chews players up and spits them out, injured and drug addicted, after four or five years. Those who play for a decade are lucky. This is still how the NFL works. And the NHL is increasingly becoming a young man’s game. Experience matters less and less.

When I started watching hockey in the 90s, players regularly competed into their late 30s. Not so anymore. Players peak at 23-24 now, and are often out of the league by age 35. Thornton and Chelois are exceptions, not the rule. After more than two hours, Any Given Sunday finally lurches across the finish line, bravely refusing to give its viewers a traditional happy ending, in the great tradition of underdog sports films like Rocky and Rudy. The bombshell dropped by Pacino’s character at the end feels less surprising than inevitable, but by now the movie has explored so much of professional sports' seedy underbelly that you're glad it's over. The film is great but exhausting. Stone seems to be advancing the notion that the sport itself is pure, but the people in it are corrupt. If money weren’t involved, the game would be played for its own sake.

I agree with this. People playing pond hockey are engaging in wholesome fun, not necessarily practicing to make a professional league. Commerce corrupts the purity of the game, and the extent to which it corrupts is directly proportional to how badly the individual in question needs the commerce. Of course, the sport is highly racialized, with people in positions of authority white, and those being told what to do with their bodies Black.

Any Given Sunday is an important film, but it never sacrifices entertainment for the sake of moralizing. That it pulls off such a strong moralistic stance is a testament to the actors, who are all incredible, and the material, which is among the strongest of Stone’s career.

He never really made a great movie after this one. So check it out sometime.

[fuckyeahevile]

Matt’s statement:

“This is an incredibly difficult statement to write, but I have to announce that I am stepping down as the frontman of Evile and leaving the world of live music. I want to make sure I explain this decision fully and effectively, as fans of the band, especially the people who have followed Evile from the beginning, deserve so much more than just a slapped together, generic, easily press digestible ‘band member leaves band’ paragraph. Evile has been a very large part of my life, something I have given a huge amount of energy and time to, and this is a decision which I have agonised over for a long time as it’s something I care about deeply, but it’s a decision I have to make. So, please allow me to explain it as best I can. There are two main reasons for this decision, firstly there is family. Since starting Evile, I had very few commitments, allowing me to sink as much time as possible into the band, but in the past several years that has changed. I became a stepfather to two young girls around a very traumatic time for them, and very shortly after became a father to my own daughter. The time that I have had available to pursue music has been vastly cut down, and considering the future when live music becomes possible again, the demands of a touring band lifestyle are not as viable and realistic for me anymore, as my duties as a father to three children outweigh anything else. I don’t want to be away from my family for large amounts of time, and outside of my full time employment I don’t want to divide 50% effort and time to the band and 50% to my family as I feel like I would be giving each side half of the time they really deserve, and if I have to choose which one I want to give priority and 100% to, it is my family. I don’t want to go out as a frontman who is only half prepared, half practised and half ready, as Evile and its wonderful followers deserve better than that - and on the other side of that, I don’t want to be away from home for long periods of time and not be around to help my children grow up, they deserve better than that, and I don’t want to miss out on any part of their lives. The other reason is my health. I’ve always said that I would do Evile for as long as possible, either until I’m dead or until I can physically no longer manage performing on stage. I have come close to the former, but the latter is now where things are (when compared to the former, a relief). Over the past couple of years I have had a non-stop run of health problems, mostly chest related, including costochondritis, several chest infections, a spontaneous collapsed lung (which I stupidly thought was another chest infection) and then kidney stones and a few other health detours. This all relates to singing, which is something that is nowhere near a natural ability or talent of mine, it’s something that I have had to work incredibly hard on to get to where I managed, which let’s face it, isn’t exactly anywhere spectacular, I’m never going to end up on anybody’s favourite vocalist list (although there is one thing I’ll mention later). But, the amount of upkeep it takes to maintain what vocal range/power/lung capacity I have/had to a usable standard is ridiculous, and my annoying health issues make that obstacle ever harder to overcome, made even more difficult by my limited available time to do so, it comes down to me accepting that I can’t do everything and I certainly can’t do everything and stay healthy. A singing voice is a muscle and I always had the time to spend training it so I could keep it in a decent place for getting through a tour. Now, my health issues of late have destroyed what singing voice I had, and in the past several months of starting vocal training all over again, getting somewhere, getting ill, starting all over again, getting ill, starting all over again, and so on - I have come to realise that I just don’t enjoy singing anymore and I’ve had to be very harsh with myself to realise that truth. I was never the best frontman, or the best singer, and Evile deserve to have a frontman who can give 100% to that craft, and I am fully confident that person is out there and can help take them to that next level where I hope and believe they can go, nothing would make me happier than to see the band be a real success. For twenty years I have had the great pleasure of writing and performing music with my brother Ol, Ben, Mike, Joel and Piers in Evile. It has taken us to places I never imagined, locations I never thought I would get to visit, let alone go to these places to play music for people who were willing to hear it. I’m proud of the band’s achievements so far, touring with some incredible bands such as Megadeth, Exodus, Kreator, Overkill, Voivod, Sepultura, Three Inches of Blood, Entombed, Forbidden, Machine Head, Amon Amarth, Satyricon, Gama Bomb, Warbringer, Dr. Living Dead, Lightning Swords of Death, Sanctity, Mutant, Pitiful Reign, Seregon, Onslaught and more, then getting to see pretty much all of America, Canada and a vast majority of Europe, living in Copenhagen for a month recording a debut album with Flemming Rasmussen and using some of the same gear used to record Lightning/Puppets, recording three albums with Russ Russell, releasing four albums with Earache Records, having songs featured on Rock Band, having a song in a Neil Jordan film (Ondine), getting into the UK charts, having original album artwork created by Michael Whelan (did you know the band members are hidden on that cover?), being on the front cover of Terrorizer magazine, playing at some amazing festivals and meeting some incredible people from all walks of life. There are plenty more to mention, plus all the brilliant things I’m grateful to have seen, which I wouldn’t have if I wasn’t in the band, like a small ‘up close and personal’ acoustic Skunk Anansie set in the press tent at Sonisphere (Paranoid and Sunburnt is one of my desert island discs, I had the chance to chat to them after their set but completely bottled it and will forever regret it), but I want to mention just a couple of other things while I have chance to do so. I’m proud of my contributions to Evile’s music, whether it’s riffs or sections here and there, or entire songs (Burned Alive, Plague to End All Plagues, Long Live New Flesh, The Naked Sun) but i’m proudest of the lyrics and vocal lines I contributed, which is roughly half of Enter the Grave, most of Nations, most of Five Serpent’s Teeth (for those two records however, Ol and Russ deserve a lot of credit for guiding me through parts I intended to sing, telling me it was nonsense after I tried it, and helping me find the correct choices, that was invaluable in making the albums as good as they could be) and nearly all of Skull - which is where I want to point back to what I mentioned about singing earlier, as while I acknowledge it isn’t a natural ability and I’m not the strongest or even that impressive of a vocalist, I will always be glad that my performance of Tomb exists on that album, it was a hugely personal thing to perform and record and I’ll be forever proud that I got to do that and do it as well as I possibly could, that is my favourite album of the four I got to be part of. I also want to quickly mention that I’m proud of being connected to Jackson Guitars for so many years, it’s an honour to have been in their catalogue too, I’ve played Jacksons for as long as I’ve been playing guitar, so I would like to thank them for being so kind to me for the 14 years I’ve been associated with them. This is a lot to read, but I want to get all of this written down as I’m trying to process my twenty years of experiences and thoughts on so many things connected to playing music, into several paragraphs, there’s a lot I would love to say, but I’m not one to outstay my welcome. I want to finish with a couple of things, one of them being a big regret I will have about leaving the band, that I never got to play a show with Metallica, that was my biggest personal goal in playing live music, not fame or anything material, I just wanted to play a show with the band that changed my life. Even just meeting James Hetfield would have been enough for me, but I guess that’s one personal goal I’ll have to live with missing the chance on. More important than the personal things I’ve just written about though, is one of my main areas of pride, and that is Evile’s fans, I’ve always been so proud to be able to say that Evile has such wonderful and dedicated fans, it has been a pleasure to meet so many of you, to stand on a stage and play music for you, to see and hear you singing lyrics and vocal lines that I’ve written, to see all that headbanging madness, I will truly miss getting on a stage to play those songs, so I would like to say a real thank you to everyone who has spent time listening to these first four albums and come to shows to see us play live while I got the chance to do it, I will miss your headbanging and energy like you wouldn’t believe, but I will never forget it. Lastly, and very importantly, I want to mention Mike. A person I wouldn’t have known if it wasn’t for being part of this band, one of the most wonderful people I’ve ever met, a true heavy metal soul and a gentleman. This is one of the biggest things I’ve struggled with in my decision, I’m so sorry to him, that I can’t do my bit in continuing his legacy as a part it anymore. It breaks my heart to leave something that he was such a big part of, and that I was a part of with him, something that he was doing when we lost him. My hope is that, as a father himself, he would understand the decision I’m making. I’m taking all of my memories of Mike with me, and every year will always have a glass ready to raise on the day he entered this world, and on the day he left it. Thank you to everyone for reading this, hopefully I’ve written it well enough so you understand my reasoning. Please continue to support Evile as much as you ever have done, I wish the band all the success possible on their future journey, it’s been twenty years of extreme highs and lows, and everything in-between, I’m proud to be able to say I was part of it and I’ll be following where it goes from here with great interest, as a lifelong fan. My intention is to still play the Enter the Grave/Mike Alexander tribute show, whenever that may happen, as it would mean a tremendous amount to me to be able to pay tribute to Mike in a proper way, by playing the album he contributed the most to. But as of now, I am no longer part of the band. Please can I ask that people do not message me directly, I won’t be able to respond. Instead, please leave a comment below if you wish to say anything, positive or negative. The only thing I ask with that, is that you please remain respectful, whatever you want to say, good or bad, as the world has enough problems at the moment, and one of the things it needs is for people to think about what they say and care about how they say it. Thank you all again for your time in reading this, and thank you all for your time and energy given to Evile while I’ve been part of it. For the penultimate time (the last time will be the Enter the Grave/Mike show)... I salute you all.”

[orionsangel86]

13x01 - Episode Review Part 1

In which Dean just about held it together... and I did not. 

This review will be in several parts. I have separated it into several sections that I wish to talk about because hot damn. What an episode! This Part 1 focuses on Dean’s grief and Destiel and saying goodbye to Castiel. 

Firstly, an introduction

As I sit here, surrounded by three friends who I met on tumblr, BECAUSE of this show, I am amazed at how far I have come. I did not think that when I joined this fandom I would ever get to this moment, but my gosh what an amazing feeling this is. To all of you out there – reach out to people, you really won’t regret what you find. 

I adored this episode. I screamed, I even shed a single man tear whilst holding on to @amwritingmeta quite tightly… sorry Annelie if I hurt you at all. @tinkdw, @margarittet and @amwritingmeta you guys are wonderful and I am so glad that I have been able to flail and scream along to this awesome episode with you. Thank you for sharing this crazy obsession with me.

Part 1 - Love, Grief and Saying Goodbye

THEY USED METALLICA’S NOTHING ELSE MATTERS AS THE OPENING SONG! We were two seconds in and @margarittet had to pause because we all collectively SCREAMED that they chose to use this as the open song AS WELL! @tinkdw said that she wanted to try and guess what the opening song was this season but I don’t think ANY OF US considered that they would reuse “Nothing Else Matters” because its just so on the nose isn’t it? Nothing else matters? Nothing else matters than what exactly?

Well once again the “Then” sequence ends on Dean kneeling over Cas’s body.

The answer is Castiel. Nothing else matters than CASTIEL. This is repeated CONSTANTLY throughout the episode. You are not allowed to forget about him for a SINGLE SECOND and this opening song drums that home. Seriously if there are any Cas fans out there still bitter about Cas I dunno what show you are watching because it certainly ISN’T the show I watched yesterday.

It hurts to think about. What even was this episode? From the opening song “Nothing Else Matters” to the “Goodbye Cas” at the funeral pyre, this episode was chocablock full of moments that prove unequivocally that for Dean, Cas truly is his guiding light, his hope. Even if you don’t see their relationship as romantic you cannot possibly deny after 13x01 that Dean and Cas have an extraordinary connection and a deep and profound love that has now transferred to an even deeper excruciating grief in Dean.

Choosing to use this song as the season opener though? The season opener always reflects the tones of the season, the main themes. To have THIS song as the season opening? Wow. Just wow. This is a song that comes up first if you google “Metallica Love Song” by the way. In case you were wondering if it was indeed a love song. Because it is. James Hetfield confirmed it was written for a girlfriend. Interestingly though it has been debated over the years as the lyrics themselves are not conventionally romantic lyrics. Nevertheless, this is now fact: Supernatural used a Love Song called “Nothing Else Matters” to set the tone and theme of season 13, lingering over shots of Dean looking down at Castiel’s dead body. This isn’t even arguable. This is where we are.

(and what a wonderful place to be my friends)

Dean’s grief was beautifully portrayed by the superb acting skills of Jensen Ackles. In my season 13 wishlist I said this:

“It probably goes without saying but MAN PAIN OVER CAS – I mean, I reckon we are gonna get a good helping of this. Maybe not immediate tears but its gonna be pretty damn angsty – if the promo’s are anything to go by. I basically want it to be UNDENIABLE in canon that CAS is the reason that Dean is so broken up and that BOTH brothers are seriously struggling with his death. It has to be OBVIOUS how important Cas was to them and how his death has affected them”

I think we can tick this one off. :)

Continues under the cut.

The grief was so intense, it left me with a constant ache in my heart that still hasn’t shifted as I write this. From the first moment, Dean’s face in this episode brought me both intense pain and also intense joy. Bless Jensen for being such an amazing actor.

LOOK AT THIS FACE

There was a lot of speculation over the summer that Dean would just snap, pull out his gun, and go to shoot Jack once it sunk in that Cas was actually dead, and that is EXACTLY what he does. But that isn’t what broke me, what broke me is just how OFTEN the audience is reminded that ultimately, even though others died as well, for Dean, it is ALL ABOUT CAS. (Nothing Else Matters after all).

In the now famous sneak peek car scene Dean can’t even say the words when it comes to Cas SPECIFICALLY. He can admit that Crowley is dead, that Kelly is Dead and that mom is gone, but Cas? Nope. He chokes on his words:

(x)

Sam IS able to say the words. He can ask “Is Cas really dead?” Dean just growls “you know he is” and drives on. It is HEARTBREAKING.

The next moment we get that textualises the huge difference between Cas’s death and the other deaths for Dean is the moment during the fight with Miriam the angel when this wonderful exchange takes place:

(x)

Now we don’t actually know what was going through Dean’s head at this moment, but Miriam calls him out on it anyway - whether or not she was able to read his mind or she just went for the obvious assumption we don’t know. But Miriam doesn’t mention Mary, she doesn’t mention Crowley. She only mentions Castiel. This is in contrast to Sam’s discussion with Jack about reopening the portal, which is easily interpreted as Sam thinking of ways to use Jack to get Mary back, because we can understand that OF COURSE that would be Sam’s primary motivation right now. Sam still has hope. Dean doesn’t - except for the split second in this scene when he does. He falls for Miriam’s words, and it makes her “Oh sweety” so much worse.

The angels are usually exposition for Cas’s feelings for Dean, but in this scene, in a somewhat similar way to the scene in 8x19 with Naomi, they are exposition of Dean’s feelings for Cas, in a theme that is constantly running throughout this episode.

Finally once all the action is over and the boys head back to the cottage with Jack we get ten minutes of the emotional, poignant and touching moments that this show has ever given us. Enough that once I started sobbing, I couldn’t stop. 

I love Sam’s careful questioning to Dean:

“Are you sure about this Dean? I mean its Cas. Ya know? Maybe we can bring him back? Like you said?”

“No we Cant”

“Chuck did, um God did, remember that? So maybe if, I dunno, if we prayed to him or…”

“You don’t think I’ve tried that?”

Before I even get into the beauty of Dean’s prayer, THIS right here is ONCE AGAIN proving HOW differently the brothers view Cas. Sam is asking these questions, rather than telling Dean. Because he know that Dean is the authority on all things Cas. He knows that whatever Dean decides, he is going to go along with it. We have had this same theme running throughout seasons 11 and 12. Sam always accepts Dean’s decision when it comes to Cas. Always.

And yet we still don’t textually have a reason for this. Dean continues to refer to Cas like his and Sam’s third brother. So why are the two not treated equally? Yet again we have been shown the difference between the brotherly love between Sam and Cas and the ??? love between Dean and Cas. One is not the same as the other.

DEAN’S PRAYER

This is where I started to tear up. Honestly…

FULL PRAYER: “Ok Chuck. Or God or whatever. I, I need your help. You see you left us. You left us. You went off… You said, you said the earth would be fine because it had me and it had Sam but it’s not.  And we’re not. We’ve lost everything. And now you’re gonna bring him back. You’re gonna bring back Cas, you’re gonna bring back mum your gonna bring em all back. All of em. Even Crowley. Because after everything that you’ve done you owe us you son of a bitch so you get your ass down here and you make this right. Right here. And Right now.”

“Please. Please help us.”

Now, see this is where I squeal because he said “We’ve lost Everything. And now you’re gonna bring him back.” Because this CLEARLY reads as Dean saying that Cas is EVERYTHING (which fits in nicely with the theme of “Nothing Else Matters” to Dean) and I know there has been some debate over whether it was actually “him” or whether it was “em” that he said, but since the official CW subtitles caption it as “him” I’m gonna assume they are correct. And anyway, it says a lot when the official PR team use this specific interpretation – almost like they wanted to make sure we knew exactly what Dean was saying. Hmmmm… I wonder why.

The fact that we then get the pause where he turns away from the camera, waiting for a sign, anything, and it feels almost like we are interfering. Dean is hiding from the camera in his moment of anguish, and we are made to feel hopeless in light of his pain.

To then see Dean smash up the sign on the door (which I will talk about more in my Signs, Symbols, Ships and Handprints part of the review), and just finally show the extent of his emotional anguish and grief is again so fantastic for anyone still doubting Dean’s absolute love and adoration for Castiel:

(x)

This is a man who only prays in the most DIRE situations. Look at the desperation on his face. REVEL IN IT!

Moving on and honestly I didn’t think the episode could get more emotional than that prayer BUT I WAS WRONG. (Oh how much I underestimated Dabb when writing my wishlist!)

The way that Dean stands in that room, the high angle shot and the cinematography/lighting which makes it gloomy and almost sepia toned like all the colour has been drained out of Dean’s world. The way he looks both too small and too big for the room. Its sombre. Its silent. The atmosphere is drenched in sorrow. Its beautifully done.

(x)

The way he removes the shroud and takes one last look. His own private way of saying goodbye. Its Dean’s micro expressions both here and throughout the episode that I ADORE because you can tell so easily that he IS fighting back tears almost constantly. It’s the jaw clenching, the swallowing down his pain, I was half expecting a Darcy hand clench to appear.

(x)

His pain is so raw, so real, and so fucking heartbreaking. This is pain and grief for someone you deeply love on a whole other level. This is the pain of a lost spouse. Words can not describe how beautifully Jensen delivered these scenes. I don’t think I will ever be over just how intense this was to watch. I don’t think I will ever be able to watch it without crying.

We talked at our premier party about the significance of Dean wrapping Cas’s body. About how this is the first time such a thing has ever been shown (usually the show just cuts straight to the pyre). It’s a mark of serious respect to Castiel, as a beloved character on the show, and also, a nod to traditional ceremony’s in Jewish and Islamic cultures of the closest family members to the deceased preparing the body for burial. The fact that Dean does this on his own, without Sam, is also to highlight the difference in their relationships.

I stress again that Sam DOES see Cas as his brother. Because regardless of ridiculous arguments that try to state otherwise, Sam is not an asshole and made it clear last season that he too loved Cas deeply. So why is Dean doing all the work? Because Dean is not Cas’s brother. He is his freaking husband. He’s acting like a widow throughout this entire episode.  He is playing the dutiful spouse. In deep mourning, fighting back tears whilst he says goodbye to the love of his life.

(I’m crying again FYI)

But then even all THAT isn’t enough for Andrew Dabb. Oh no. He had to hit us with even FURTHER angst with the pyre scene and Sam’s heart breaking speech of goodbye:

“Thank you. You say thank you. And you say you’re sorry. You hope they’re somewhere without sadness and pain. You hope they’re somewhere better. You say goodbye.”

(x)

And in that moment Sam Winchester stomped all over my already beaten heart

Because this really was a send of to Cas. Yes Sam was talking about all of them, and we lost A LOT of great characters in season 12, and this was the writers way of paying respect to all those characters, but ultimately, like how he was at the forefront of Dean’s mind the entire episode, he was so very present throughout all of this, and the respect and love shown to Cas in this episode by the characters, the writers, the show creators... I’m in utter awe. It’s so much more than I could ever have asked for.

(x)

“Goodbye Cas”

And Dean just put in the final blow.

Once again though Cas is at the forefront of Dean’s mind. He comes first. That makes three times in this episode that Dean has listed out their fallen family. Every time though, Cas is separated from the others. Cas’s loss is on a different level to Mary and Crowley and Kelly.

Kelly was a victim, but her loss wouldn’t gravely hurt Dean

Crowley was an ally/nemesis who was sometimes something more. His loss gave Dean conflicted feelings.

Mary was their mother and that one would have hurt deeply. But Mary’s death was already an old wound, a new person in their lives who they didn’t really know. They were only starting to know her. Their grief over her will be strong indeed, but its not the same.

Cas was the loss that buried deep. Cas’s loss has broken Dean. Dabb has made it absolutely undeniably clear that Cas’s death is the focus of this episode, even when not directly mentioned (more on that later). And that Dean’s love for Cas is the very central theme of this entire season. Nothing Else Matters after all. Not for Dean. Not any more.

Thanks for reading! In part 2 I will explore the introduction of Jack and the narrative mirrors surrounding him in the premier. Watch this space.

[nightmareonfilmstreet]

Metallica’s James Hetfield Joins EXTREMELY WICKED, SHOCKINGLY EVIL AND VILE

Director Joe Berlinger (Paradise Lost) and Metallica front-man James Hetfield have shocked everyone with the recent announcement that The Het is the latest addition to the cast of Berlinger’s Ted Bundy drama.

Anyone who’s seen Metallica: Some Kind of Monster or has read Metallica: This Monster Lives know it is obvious that Berlinger is huge Metallica fan. The documentary film-maker’s love letter to the legendary heavy metal band documented their struggle to replace bassist Jason Newsted, work on a new album, and deal with their internal issues. His work left audiences seeing the band and it’s members in a very real and very raw light.

Berlinger is currently doing what he does best, making films revolving around true stories, with his upcoming drama Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile focusing on infamous serial killer, Ted Bundy. The film will star Zac Efron (Paperboy) as Bundy and Lily Collins (The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones) as his longtime girlfriend, Elizabeth Kloepfer. It seems that Berlinger is reviving his little Metallica love fest by enlisting one of his “musical heroes”, Hetfield, to play the role of the officer who accidentally crosses paths with Bundy and ultimately arrests him.

I thought the rest of the supporting cast including Haley Joel Osment (The Sixth Sense), John Malkovich (Burn After Reading), Dylan Baker (Trick ‘r Treat), and Jim Parsons (The Big Bang Theory) was impressive before, but the addition of James Hetfield as Officer Bob Hayward has been the biggest, sweetest cherry on top of of this project. This will be Hetfield’s first dramatic role debut, but based on the picture below posted by both Berlinger and Metallica’s social media accounts he seems to fit the part of serious actor very well.

Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile will chronicle Bundy’s budding relationship with Kloepfer while he leaves a trail of brutalized female victims over seven states in the 1970’s. The film’s story will be told in Kloepfer’s main point of view which will provide a unique and alternative take on one of the most horrific and notorious men in national history.

So far no release date has been confirmed for Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, but with the amount of stills being released on Berlinger and Efron’s instagrams within the past few weeks it seems like production is moving right along. Hetfield joining this film now truly gives meaning to the title word ‘wicked‘. All horns to heaven!

The post Metallica’s James Hetfield Joins EXTREMELY WICKED, SHOCKINGLY EVIL AND VILE appeared first on Nightmare on Film Street - Horror Movie Podcast, News and Reviews.

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[smocatoff]

Music Retrospective #1: Metallica

In 1981, Danish drummer Lars Ulrich put out an ad in a magazine known as The Recycler for a jamming buddy. The man who answered that add? James Hetfield. Lars then asked Metal Blade records founder Brian Slagel if he could record a song for their compilation album Metal Massacre. Slagel gave them the okay, and the rest they say is history.

Officially forming in October of that year, Metallica would go on to influence the next 30 years of hard rock and heavy metal. And in this review/retrospective of their staggering discography, I intend to give you my critical thoughts and personal take on one of the finest metal bands of all time, and one of the bands that inspired me to become a musician.

Ground rules before we get going: No live albums and no compilations. So no S&M, no Live Shit, no Garage Inc., you get the idea. First album up!

Kill ‘Em All

Starting out with bassist Ron Mcgoveny and shred master himself Dave Mustaine, Metallica enjoyed a fair amount of success on the club scene, and recorded some demos for Metal Blade Records, but due to drug problems and all around shitty behaviour, James and Lars gave Davey boy a bus ticket and told him to get out of the band, with McGovney leaving soon after. The line up that would grace the debut record Kill ‘Em All would be James, Lars, and new guitarist Kirk Hammet and bassist Cliff Burton. Oh boy, what a debut album it was.

Firing on all cylinders with scorching riffs and solos, this album provides you with some of the best 80s thrash metal that you can find. Kirk Hammett and James Hetfield provide blistering thrash metal guitar work, with some of the heaviest riffs and firey solos you can find. Further, the mastery of Cliff Burton’s bass work is on full display, most notably on the incredible solo known as “Anesthesia (Pulling Teeth)”. My personal favourite song would have to be the 7 minute biblical head banger, which Dave Mustaine would later perform on in its original incarnation on Killing is my Business (We’ll talk about that band another time), “The Four Horseman”. While a great album, it is certainly not a perfect one.

Kirk had been told to emulate Dave’s playing as much as possible during the recording of this album, and while stellar, it would pale in comparison to the unique style Hammett would eventually adopt later on. Moreover, I was never a big fan of lower quality, 80s thrash production style, so I was not the biggest fan of hearing James’ voice caked in reverb and the playing not as tightly knit as on later albums. Plus, the weakest song on the album has to be “Phantom Lord”. I’m sorry, but this is some weak ass, generic thrashy bullshit. Nothing memorable about that song.

Overall, an essential album for metal fans, and Metallica fans especially.

8.5 out of 10

Ride the Lightning

With thrash metal beginning to flourish in the early 80s with the likes of Slayer and Anthrax gaining prominence, as well as bands like Exodus and Sodom starting to form and get noticed, Metallica maintained its foothold atop the mountain and did so with 1984’s “Ride the Lightning”. Becoming more technical and pristine in their playing and production, Metallica evolved into the band we know and love on this album. Incorporating acoustic guitars, more complex arrangements, slower tempos, and providing some of the grandest sounding metal I have ever heard, Ride the Lightining is a treasure. From brooding ballads such as Fade to Black, the magnificent title track, the Hemmingway inspired anthem For Whom the Bell Tolls, this album features Metallica venturing into more morose and serious lyrical content, resulting in some of their best material ever. My personal favourite song, a little gem of a diddy known as “Escape”.

I doubt you could find a song you didn’t like on this album. Highly recommended. With Metallica getting this great, I don’t know how we’re going to top this album. But oh boy, do they ever top this album.

9.5 out of 10

Master of Puppets

In the year Nineteen hundred and eighty six of the common era, the gods bestowed upon us MASTER OF FUCKING PUPPETS. Good god. This. Fucking. Album. Easily Metallica’s most pristinely produced, tightly performed, and expertly written album. Evolving to combine the more progressive, grand arrangements of “Ride the Lightning” with the more straightforward, blistering thrash of Kill ‘Em All. Kirk Hammet and James Hetfield’s guitar work raging through with precision and soul, and Lars ripping out some of the most blistering drum work he has ever done, with Flemming Rassmusen and the band conjuring the most pristine and polished sound they could. There is a reason why this is regularly cited as one of the finest albums in metal history. Not a single bad song can be found on this album. Personal Favourite? Jesus god, throw a dart. But if I had to choose, I have always had a soft spot for the heavy as hell “The Thing That Should Not Be”.

This was the first Metallica album I heard, but even if you shed the nostalgia goggles and look at the album with critical eyes, you still find a towering classic of the genre. Unabashedly recommended, buy it yesterday. 

10 out of 10

...And Justice for All

Metallica has reached an all time high...but tragedy would strike, and take the band to a very personal low, as bassist Cliff Burton would pass away due to a bus accident on September 27th, 1986. With the tragic passing of Cliff Burton, Metallica was short a bassist. Enter Flotsam and Jetsam member Jason Newstead *cut to interview regarding Jason joining Metallica* With Newstead entering the picture, Metallica would then release the follow-up to the staggering Master of Puppets known as And Justice for All. Look, this is great album in its own right, but this album had to follow Master of Puppets. This album could not live up to such hype. But despite personal tragedy and a insurmountable challenge of trying to match, or even top, a bonafide masterpiece, Metallica managed to pump out a highly respectable album.

Continuing down the grander and more progressive road they had been travelling since Ride the Lightning, they also incorporated much darker and more brooding lyrics and guitar tones. This is no more exemplified by the song which resulted in Metallica’s first music video, the number one music video on MTV when it was introduced, and their first American hit on the Billboard Top 100, “One”.

While a very good album, Justice falls flat in certain respects. Firstly, while there aren’t necessarily bad songs on this album, some of the songs like “The Shortest Straw” and “Frayed Ends of Sanity” are a tad on the weaker side. Also, there’s the whole bass thing...so for whatever reason, whether it be as a form of hazing, or because of feelings regarding Cliff,  Lars told the album’s mixer, Steve Thompson, to lower the volume on the bass, and despite questioning this, he was made to do it anyways...Okay...

Really? Are you serious? Just because you’re “hazing the new guy”, or you miss your friend, or are just the self absorbed putz even Metallica fans know you to be, it doesn’t give you the right to pull childish bullshit like purposefully messing with the mix of a widely released album. Now, the other hazing bullshit, I don’t care about that. Pulling a rib on the boys can be light hearted fun, but when personal shit like that bleeds into your work and you leave an album without bass lines to properly fill it out, you officially become a prick. Despite me standing by his side for Napster (I’ll explain that thing another time), this is just juvenile. Luckily, a fan mix called “And Justice for Jason” remedied that, and allowed people to hear what Justice would have sounded like if it were properly mixed. Hell, despite Lars being a primadonna and taking certain things a bit too personally, Newstead has always remained fairly chill about the situation.

Overall, despite the bullshit with the bass mixing and some weak cuts, ...And Justice for All is a solid follow up to the towering classic that is Master of Puppets, and is definitely worthy of your collection. Recommended.

8.5 out of 10

Metallica (The Black Album)

With Newsted established as the band’s new bassist, and with song ideas brewing during their tour for Justice, Metallica hopped back into the studio with brand new producer Bob Rock, and popped out the highest selling record the band would ever produce, the self titled album commonly referred to as The Black Album. Lauded by many music publications, with 4s and 5s being thrown at it like Shibata throws out stiff kicks, everyone seemed to love it. However, does it truly live up to that acclaim? My answer: not quite.

Do not get me wrong, this is one of Metallica’s first five albums, so it’s a great fucking record. Pounding, groove laden metal riffs coupled with more melodic songwriting, it was a clear departure from the progressive, grandiose thrash metal of their previous 3 records, yet it still retained Metallica’s style and seminal songwriting. There are some superb cuts, with headbanging anthems like “Sad but True” and the smash hit “Enter Sandman” as well as my personal favourite hidden gem “Holier than Thou”, but there are some weaker, dare I say filler level cuts such as “Through the Never”.  Yeah, call me when your case of the word vomit ends guys. But overall, this is a stellar record and it is a very important benchmark for Metallica, as well as 90s metal. Moving on!

8 out of 10 

Load

Short haircuts? Check. New sound and experimentation with genres that alienates even the most steadfast of fan? Check. Trying even fucking harder this time for mainstream attention? Check. Yup, Metallica’s gone full fucking 90s on us. Load is for sure a weaker album than the Black Album, and it is full of hard rock snoozers like “Bleeding Me” and “Poor Twisted Me”, but when this album turns it up and actually goes, good god does it go. Hard rocking headbangers like “Ain’t My Bitch” and “Wasting my Hate” as well as more melodic, downpaced rock such as my personal favourite track “The House That Jack Built”, While the music may have mellowed out, Kirk and James’s guitar playing has not and they rip out some killer riffs on this record. Hell, even the really far out there experiments work very well, such as the pop-y sounding “Hero of the Day” and one of the best fucking modern, mainstream country songs ever “Mama Said”. Like, that is a sad statement on the genre when fucking Metallica outdoes the sorry excuses for country acts that were starting to permeate the genre in the 90s, and we are talking dick cheese such as Billy Ray Cyrus, Kenny Chesney, and all that shit.

Metallica’s “Load” is not for everyone, but if you look past and ignore all the 1st degree filler that is on this record, there are some superb cuts that rank among Metallica’s best work in my opinion.

6.5 out of 10

Reload

Metallica went into the studio to record Load and actually had enough material to fill a double album. Metallica decided to delay the release of a majority of this material in order to perfect it, and the result of this was 1997’s “Reload”. Continuing down the more commercial hard rock path they had started travelling, Reload offers, in my opinion, a more consistent and sonically pleasing offering than its predecessor. With alot of the grader experimentation from Load being scrapped, Metallica decided to unleash some pure fucking rock and roll, with James and Kirk throwing down headbanging riffs and Lars producing some memorable drum beats. With powerful hard rock beatdowns like “Fuel” and “Attitude”, as well as slower, more melodic and groove laden songs like “Devil’s Dance”, “Unforgiven 2” and “Where the Wild Things Are”. While this album is better than Load, it does have its share of filler like “Bad Seed” and “Slither”. My personal favourite song though has to be the somber ballad “Low Man’s Lyric”. While Reload is certainly not a return to form for the band, it is a more consistent and better offering than Load and certainly worth a listen.

Metallica wouldn’t release a proper studio album for another six years, releasing other offerings in the meantime, such as the cover album Garage Inc., as well as S&M, a live show Metallica did with a full symphony orchestra.  This period would also prove to be one of the most tumultuous times in the band’s career, which is expertly shown in the documentary “Some Kind of Monster”. During this harrowing period, bassist Jason Newsted left the band, citing creative and personal differences, including Jason’s want to do other projects. There was also...Napster...welp, we had to do it. Let’s talk about Napster 

Okay, so basic rundown of the issue. Metallica records a song entitled “I, Disappear” for the soundtrack of Mission Impossible 2. However, a demo of the song was leaked, and ended up getting radio airplay. The band was able to trace this leak back to a file found on Napster, which led them to also find out that all their shit was on Napster. Lars then filed a lawsuit, and after a whole giant legal battle involving Metallica and a ton of other artists, Napster was forced to file Bankruptcy and was shut down for good. People...did not like this. With people staging mass destructions of Metallica CDs, and many media outlets just roasting the fuck out of the band. It was not a pleasant time for the boys. Here’s the thing though. Amidst all the media hoopla and everyone jumping on the “fuck Metallica” bandwagon...the band was in the right. Firstly, Music is a business like any other, and while these artists do for the most part love what they do, they are in this to make a living out of it, i.e. MAKE MONEY. Piracy of music, while admittedly not a big blow to the artists, is still a blow to their profits. Could you blame someone for trying to take down something that was giving away their product for free without their permission? Secondly, a fucking DEMO was leaked. Meaning the song was in the rough stages of its production. It was like that unfinished version of X-Men Origins, or that trailer of The Mummy without all the sound effects. It doesn’t look good on the band, so you should obviously shut that down and shut it down fast. In summary, Metallica did nothing wrong and took down a program full of stolen shit, and people had a hissy fit about it because “muh free music!” Fuck those morons for not understanding how business works.

After the turbulent tides of this period had begun to subside, with James getting clean after a year of rehab, a new bassist being found in Rob Trujillo, and being honored on MTV Icons, Metallica would drop their next studio album and it would prove to be a return to form...sort of...not really.

7 out of 10

St. Anger

This album is one of the most reviled things in music history. Every fan, every critic pretty much hate this record and think it’s an abomination. But, and you’re probably gonna stop reading for this (you probably stopped after the Napster thing), I don’t think it deserves the shit it gets. Don’t get me wrong, 2003’s “St. Anger” is a flawed record for sure. From the odd production, guitar tones, drum sounds, and some of the most tedious songwriting Metallica has ever engaged in, this album is far from a masterpiece. But, that does not mean this is not devoid of highlights. Despite its repetitious nature, there are some gems on this record, and some great riffage from James and Kirk, plus Lars puts on an incredibly underrated drum performance. My personal favourite song has to be the badassery of a diddy known as “Shoot me Again”. This is not a great record, do not get me wrong. It’s arguably the weakest thing Metallica has ever done. but if you give it a chance, there are some solid gems on this record. With Metallica reformed, they would hold off another 5 years on a new record, but we did not expect the course correction that came.

6 out of 10

Death Magnetic

Welcome back, Metallica! With the band parting ways from Elektra records, Metallica was in need of a record label for their new album. Enter the legend known as Rick Rubin. Signing with Warner Brothers and hiring on Rubin as a producer (I use that term liberally by the way because Rubin doesn’t do much producing these days and leaves it up to his underlings), Metallica popped out the staggering comeback known as Death Magnetic. Released in 2008, this album proved to be Metallica’s best record since the Black Album, nixing the repetitive nature of St. Anger and returning to the more grandiose, progressive and technical thrash metal style that made them the legends they are. The guitar work on this album is superb, with James and Kirk laying down some excellent riffs and incredible guitar harmonies. This also proved to be a return to form for Lars Ulrich, laying down some of the most precise drum work he has ever done. My personal favourite song would have to be the insanely heavy instrumental, something that Metallica hasn’t done since Justice, the song known as “Suicide and Redemption”, which like “Call of Chuthlu” and “Orion” before it, served to show off the technical side of their bass player, and Rob Trujillo lays down some killer bass licks in this song. 

While this is arguably their best songwriting in many years, the production leaves a little to be desired, and that’s putting it nicely. The major culprit in all of this? Those fucking guitar tones. Like, what the fuck did you do? It sounds like a two chainsaws grinding against each other, and it splits your fucking ears. Like, listen to that album with good headphones and at a fairly high volume, it’s painful. But, see, here’s the thing. Slayer (A band we will be talking about in the near future), also had Rubin and his crew as producers for World Painted Blood, and it worked for Slayer because that suits their sound. This does not suit Metallica, and it fucking kills an otherwise excellent record. Despite the pitfalls in the production, Metallica’s “Death Magnetic” is a fantastic return to form, and will kick your ass. Buy this record.

With Metallica back on the rise, what new projects would await them? *Listens to Lulu*...DONE!

7.5 out of 10

Lulu

This album...is SHIIIIT. 2011’s collaboration with, of all fucking people, Lou Reed entitled “Lulu” is a failed experiment. Combining the styles of two artists, namely, the experimental, 60s and 70s rock music of someone like Lou Reed and the thrash metal headbanging of Metallica, they did not fit together at all. And listen here folks, collaborations between odd pairings of artists can work. Korn’s team up with various dubstep artists on The Path to Totality album generally was a solid effort by that band; David Bowie, being the musical chameleon he is, fit like a glove when Nine Inch Nails and him worked on remixing “I’m Afraid of Americans”; when Weezer and Lil Wayne teamed up to do “Can’t Stop Partying”...ok, point taken. But still, odd pairings in music can work. But this just didn’t. From the sloppy songwriting put forward by Metallica, to Lou Reed’s rambling street preacher vocal style which only works on certain songs, this album sounds like Lou Reed decided to just rant over a bunch of b-sides Metallica had left over and had no idea what to do with. I suppose if I had to pick a highlight from this album, it would have to be the 2nd last song “Dragon”, a heavy offering that actually manages to marry the styles of these bands quite effectively. But overall, just avoid this record, outside of hearing a couple songs. It’s not for Lou Reed fans, it’s not for Metallica fans, i’ts for no one. Say it with me homeboys, MOVING ON!

3 out of 10

Hardwired to Self Destruct

With the dogshit that is Lulu behind them, Metallica embarked on a few years of touring, playing pretty much nothing but old shit, playing for the first time with the big four, as well as doing fan requested setlists, it was time to head back into the studio and make some kick ass music. The result of this was last year’s Hardwired to Self Destruct. This album is both stronger and weaker than Death Magnetic. It is stronger in that it is much more tightly produced, with those chainsaw guitars being replaced with a more crisp sounding tone more in line with their previous output. With the band getting up there in age, they however show no signs of slowing down, with James’ voice not showing an instance of faltering since blowing it out all those years ago. Further, the guitar work on this album is superb, and Lars lays down some tight and precise drumming. However, this album isn’t the tightest in terms of songwriting, and begins to falter around the end of disc one and by disc two they let out some grade A filler like “Man-Unkind”. Yeah, this song sounds like they’re trying to hearken back to the days of Load with this one, and those days are gone and should stay gone. But this album is not devoid of highlights, with my personal favourite track being the cybernetic dystopian fury of the closing song “Spit Out The Bone”. Hell, the first disc on this album fucking slays, with tracks like “Moth Into Flame” and the grandiose, almost Maiden-esque “Atlas Rise.” Overall, a solid album full of really heavy songs, but the band’s age is showing, and the idea well is starting to run dry. It might be time to hang it up. But we’ll see.

7 out of 10

Well, I thank you for reading this tirade about one of my favourite bands of all time, the incomparable Metallica. Hope you have a good day.

[everythinghardcoremusic]

Rock legends Metallica have cancelled their upcoming stadium tour of Australia and New Zealand just weeks before it was due to begin.

In an emotional note to their Aussie fans, the remaining band members have revealed that frontman James Hetfield has entered rehab for his ongoing addiction issues, forcing the cancellation of the tour that was due to start on October 17.

The band’s Australian tour promoter Live Nation say that, while all tickets will be refunded, they are working with Metallica to secure new tour dates.

Metallica singer James Hetfield. Picture: GettySource:Getty Images

The cancellation came with a personal note from three of Metallica’s four members, explaining the reason for the abrupt move:

“A note from Lars, Kirk, and Rob:

We are truly sorry to inform our fans and friends that we must postpone our upcoming tour of Australia and New Zealand.

A Note from Lars, Kirk, and Rob We are truly sorry to inform our fans and friends that we must postpone our upcoming tour of Australia and New Zealand.

As most of you probably know, our brother James has been struggling with addiction on and off for many years. He has now, unfortunately, had to re-enter a treatment program to work on his recovery again.

We fully intend to make our way to your part of the world as soon as health and schedule permit. We’ll let you know as soon as we can.

Once again, we are devastated that we have inconvenienced so many of you, especially our most loyal fans who often travel great distances to experience our shows. We appreciate your understanding and support for James and, as always, thank you for being a part of our Metallica family.”

Metallica fans will have to wait a little longer to see them.Source:Supplied

Hetfield’s past addiction issues were well-documented in the band’s warts-and-all 2004 documentary Some Kind of Monster. In a 2017 interview, the rocker discussed being 15 years sober, saying “fear” had been a big motivator in giving up drugs and alcohol.

“Losing my family, that was the thing that scared me so much, that was the bottom I hit, that my family is going to go away because of my behaviors that I brought home from the road,” he said.

During that same interview, Hetfield, who has three children with wife of 22 years Francesca Tomasi, said he’d found entering a treatment facility to be incredibly beneficial.

“What worked for me was 7 weeks someplace, like basically tearing you down to bones, ripping your life apart, anything you thought about yourself or what it was, anything you thought you had, your family, your career, anything, gone. Strip you down to just, you’re born. Here’s how you were when you were born, you were okay, you were a good person, let’s get back to that again, then they slowly rebuild you.”

The band’s Aussie fans have flooded social media with comments after the shock announcement — and while they’re sad they won’t be seeing the band as planned, there is an outpouring of support for Hetfield.

“Sad to miss out on seeing Metallica but wishing James all the best for his recovery journey,” wrote one fan.

“Sign of a real man; seeing a problem and actually working on it. People may be pissed about $300 but the band is missing out on millions, so maybe put that into perspective if you’re a bit ticked. Rock on James,” wrote another on Facebook.

“Get well soon James. Don’t be too hard on yourself, you’re human, mistakes happen. You’ll be back when you’re ready,” tweeted another fan.

Thanks to our friends @ www.news.com.au for the update!!

[entergamingxp]

Let your mind wander with 40 of our best reads • Eurogamer.net

We’ve been lucky enough to publish some wonderful work on Eurogamer over the years, written by some wonderful writers, and we thought pulling some of it together at a time like this would be a nice thing to do.

If you see something you like, scroll down to the bottom of the piece and click on the author’s name to see what else they’ve written. There are some real treats I haven’t been able to include here – it’s a long enough list as it is!

Thank you everyone who contributes to Eurogamer and helps make it what it is, and thank you for reading it. Have a nice Easter weekend.

How Age of Empires 2 got some Scottish kids into RTS – Here’s a question: How do you get a bunch of disillusioned kids in the arse end of Scotland into real-time strategy games? Sam Greer remembers the 90s in Scotland and an unlikely gaming champion.

Petscop, the internet’s favourite haunted video game – Last March, a YouTube channel titled Petscop began releasing Let’s Play-style videos of what appeared to be a bargain-bin Playstation One game designed to entice undiscerning children. But things quickly took a darker turn, as Sara Elsam finds out.

An ode to video game doors – It’s easy to underestimate doors, Andreas Inderwildi writes, and yet they are also imbued with a kind of magic. If you’ve ever wanted to see a lot of lovely video game doors, now’s your chance.

After half my life, Ace Attorney’s re-release brought me full circle – Some games can have profound influences on our lives. Jay Castello grew up with the Ace Attorney series and wanted to be a lawyer – but life doesn’t always go the way it was planned.

I went Christmas carolling in Rust with a real piano, and got shot a hell of a lot – When Emma Kent heard that craftable pianos were coming to Rust (with MIDI support) and she could plug a microphone in too, there was only one thing she wanted to do. But would her fellow Rust players share in her festive spirit?

The story behind the Oblivion mod Terry Pratchett worked on – Imagine one day getting an email thanking you for the companion you made for Oblivion, signed by someone claiming to be author Terry Pratchett. Then imagine discovering, many letters later, it really was him. Cian Maher tells an unlikely story of friendship and collaboration.

The Lords of Midnight: on the legacy of a truly epic wargame – Even now, there’s little else remotely like it. Jennifer Allen remembers a cruel but magical adventure for Commodore 64. And thanks to devoted fans, there is now a way to play it.

Red Dead Redemption 2 and XCOM 2 have one crucial thing in common – companionship – From perishable squad mates to tales around a camp fire, Vivek Gohil digs into what makes companions in Red Dead Redemption 2 and XCOM 2 so special.

I was in Football Manager and I don’t know how to feel about it – Imagine our surprise when writer Chris Tapsell turns around and announces he was once in a Football Manager game, a series he loves – but as a football player. If it weren’t for a shoulder injury he may well have been a professional footballer today. But something always bothered him about his FM representation: his stats weren’t right. His height, his birthday, his eccentricity. This is the story of him getting to the bottom of it.

Roleplaying across the internet – It doesn’t have to be people sitting around a table. In its purest form, roleplaying is when a person says, “Let me tell you a story,” and the other person says, “Me too.” Giada Zavarise takes into the world of forum roleplaying.

If Ubisoft wants to cling on to Clancy, it’s time to talk politics – Tom Clancy relished a political drama so why does Ubisoft try to avoid it in his name? Is such a thing even possible? Edwin Evans-Thirlwell takes a closer look at Clancy and the legacy he left behind.

I owe everything I am to Buck Rogers: Countdown to Doomsday – You’re in a game shop in the mid-1990s and you have £15 to spend, and that’s a lot – you’re a kid and you’re poor. Jennifer Allen had a choice on her hands. What to choose? Pele? Streets of Rage? Or how about this box with the hero and the aliens on…?

Kazunori’s War: the world of Gran Turismo’s creator – He keeps a selection of pre-packed bags by his desk so he can leave at a moment’s notice. He’s an occasional racing driver. And he spun out a car at 200km/h as a very naughty youth. He is Kazunori Yamauchi, creator of Gran Turismo, and Martin Robinson travels to Japan to meet him.

It’s not easy being green: a brief history of orcs in video games – Who invented orcs, how did they get their green colour, and when did they start being more than dumb enemies? Nic Reuben seeks answers.

Why did ancient Egypt spend 3000 years playing a game nobody else liked? – Here’s a game responsible for one of the first ever instances of trash talk, a game played by pharaohs, but even after 3000 years of play, Senet went the way of the disonaur. Christian Donlan tries to find out what happened.

The boy who stole Half-Life 2 – In May 2004, a German boy wakes to find his bed surrounded by armed police officers. Seven months earlier, the source code to the in-development-and-late Half-Life 2 leaks onto the internet. Simon Parkin tells the story of a global hacker hunt, from both sides.

The six-year story of GTA Online’s long-vacant casino – When GTA Online launched, the Vinewood Casino was there. It wasn’t open but it was “opening soon”, according to a sign on the door. One year later, still closed; two years later, still closed. Nearly six years later, still closed. Why did it take so long? Jordan Oloman digs into a troubled development.

The cult of Hideo Kojima – What is it about Hideo Kojima that has crowds turn out in their hundreds to meet him? Khee Hoon Chan waits among one such crowd in Singapore, and then all of a sudden, spotlight on, Kojima is there.

Hearts and minds – Tom Bramwell puts on his best suit for the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony, and it leaves him wondering why there aren’t more heroes in games.

The US town ruled by an AI storyteller – Great storytellers talk about creative partnerships with all kinds of things, from drugs to religion to half-awake states of mind. Can artificial intelligence now be added to the list? Emily Gera shines a light on a fascinating storytelling experiment.

The God who Peter Molyneux forgot – Do you remember Curiosity and the promise of a life-changing prize for whoever tapped the last block? Brayn Henderson does – he tapped it. But did it change his life? Wesley Yin-Poole travels to Scotland to find out.

The Wind Waker inspired me to build a boat – Ever decided to build a boat because you really liked a game about sailing around? No of course not. Nor, I bet, have you ever bought an ocarina instrument because of a game, or fashioned your hair to look like Nathan Drake. Or have you? Omar Hafeez-Bore ponders the influence of games.

Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp and the feud that keeps on running – This time he’s demanding a single coconut. Philippa Warr tells the a hilarious story of two lifelong friends falling out over a valentine.

Brando and Bowie: The amazing stories of a man you’ve never heard about – He alone witnessed Marlon Brando’s last ever performance, and David Bowie kissed him on the lips. He held high positions in the video game world and directed big games for big companies. And yet, he never quite found success as we know it. Or did he? Bertie tells a long story.

Why can’t video games get shoulders right? What an inspired question! And it turns out it’s all in the shoulder blades. Alan Wen investigates.

Viva Piñata places a brutal lens on late-stage capitalism – Don’t be fooled by its cutesy looks. Viva Piñata is, as Hazel Southwell tells us, maybe the only game where the kind of business psychopathy preached on Huel-based wellness retreats outside San Francisco will actually work.

The promise of a game world you can touch – James Holland puts his hands in front of him and as the on-screen bubbles start to pop, he feels them popping on his skin, on his bare skin – he’s not wearing gloves or equipment of any kind. Is this the tech of the future?

Inside Tomb of Horrors, the hardest D&D module ever made – Just getting inside can be an ordeal, as two of the entrances lead to certain death, and losing a character level 10 or higher – all that time invested – really hurts. Why would someone make something like that? Malindy Hetfield takes a closer look.

PS2: The Insiders’ Story – The PlayStation 2 is still the best-selling console in the world. It was a landmark machine and its success made Sony feel invincible. Ellie Gibson takes us back to a time of David Lynch adverts and wild parties.

VR has already taken people with dementia to the seaside, and now video games are exploring neurological disease itself – Watching a participant literally cry with happiness as they remove the headset is not a sight writer Luke Kemp will soon forget.

Decoding Shenzhen: The Chinese city that makes the world’s tech – Known as the mecca of manufacturing, Shenzhen is a fishing city turned megatropolis, where an idea can be made a reality and sold in a market stall in two weeks. Arshiya Khullar investigates.

The human cost of Red Dead Redemption 2 – In October 2018, Red Dead Redemption set a new benchmark for the kind of production values a video game could reach. Technically, it was a marvel. But at what cost?

The folklore roots of Sekiro’s anus-ball snatching enemies – Why does an enemy in Sekiro grab a pale fleshy thing from your behind, hold it up like a trophy, then devour it in its own behind? It’s all to do with some disturbing monsters in Japanese folklore, as Ewan Wilson finds out.

Why I play video games – Dr Omar Hafeez-Bore believes a good part of why he chose to pursue medicine was because of video games, and not for the reasons you may think.

Stories with dice: the thrill of old-school D&D – Even 40 years on, video games have a lot to learn from Dungeons & Dragons. Oli Welsh discovers the joy of pen-and-paper role-playing games.

A horse named Gizmondo: The inside story of the world’s greatest failed console – It’s like it never existed now, but for a while Gizmondo – a handheld gaming machine – was going to conquer the world. The 2005 launch party even featured Pharrell Williams and Sting. But less than a year later, the company behind Gizmondo collapsed into bankruptcy. Ellie Gibson hears the whole shady story from the people who were there.

Passing on the gift of games – Have you ever passed the gift of gaming on and watched someone come to terms with it like you once did? Oh the tantrums I used to throw playing Street Fighter! Emad Ahmed has a niece and nephew to pass the gift onto, with surprising effects.

After I stepped into Yakuza’s world, Yakuza’s world seeped into mine – Wish you were there, in Japan? Well, there are few games better than the Yakuza series for taking you there. They helped Malindy remember happy years studying there, and overcome a painful memory.

The quest for Shadow of the Colossus’ last big secret – What if everything in Fumito Ueda’s renowned game had not been found? Could there be a 17th colossi hidden somewhere, waiting to be discovered? Craig Owens takes us into a world of unsolved mysteries and secret hunters.

The secrets of Dark Souls lore explained and explored – It’s not easy to get at the story in Dark Souls because unlike in other games, it’s scattered and hidden away. Richard Stanton connects the dots for us.

from EnterGamingXP https://entergamingxp.com/2020/04/let-your-mind-wander-with-40-of-our-best-reads-%e2%80%a2-eurogamer-net/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=let-your-mind-wander-with-40-of-our-best-reads-%25e2%2580%25a2-eurogamer-net

[placetobenation]

Woodstock 50, despite having not a single ticket sold or available forty days out from its supposed date, is still set to happen in August 2019. Ever since the original iconic Woodstock festival in 1969, concert promoters have been trying to recapture its cultural importance and legacy, along with making stacks and stacks of cash in the process. As evidenced by the current push and struggle for a 50th anniversary, it hasn’t been easy. The 1979 and 1989 seemed to be fine events that only lacked the scope of the original. Woodstock 1999 was a complete disaster. The 1994 incarnation may have come closest to matching the scope of the original and distilling a particular time in rock culture into a weekend-long event.

I’ll opt for the PPV.

In 1994, the American music festival scene wasn’t the well oiled machine it is today, where huge festivals go on around the country every year without a hitch. Like the original ‘69 event it was honoring, Woodstock ’94 had its share of logistic struggles. Despite less than 200,000 tickets being sold at $135 a pop, security couldn’t keep up with the extra few hundred thousand who just decided to hop the chain link fence around the grounds, along with any forbidden supplies in tow. Rainy weather infamously turned the festival grounds into muddy slop, so sleeping in tents and relying on Porta- Johns proved to be a harrowing experience for many attendees. Still, aside from the typical problems that happen when you put hundreds of thousands of people in a muddy field with constant live music, the event went about as smooth as possible. One attendee summed it up well in a Washington Post breakdown: “The rain sucked, but it was worth being there.”

The illegal online feed of ’94.

The big sloppy mess was treated like a massive cultural event, too. Since there weren’t the numerous annual events like Bonnaroo or Coachella that exist today, it was treated as a once-in-a-lifetime happening. Newspaper writers offered their extensive critiques and think pieces about how Woodstock had sold out to corporations. MTV provided constant updates and snippets of performances live from the event. The entire event was filmed and the footage was shot in 16:9 widescreen and HD (in 1994!). In maybe the most 1994 part of the whole thing, if you decided you didn’t feel like sleeping in a mass of filth and buying overpriced Pepsi, you could order the whole event on Pay-Per-View for $50. Woodstock ’94 seems like the perfect illegal black descrambler box program. You could just have it on in the background all weekend and pop in for your favorite acts. Or catch (and tape) any shenanigans that might (and did) go down without spending a dime. It is the perfect time capsule of mid-90s alternative culture with some grizzled rock veterans thrown in for good measure. And since it was so well documented, there’s a ton of footage still available. So here are some observations:

The Headliners

Given this was the mid 90s, the promoters knew they needed some alt-rock superstars to draw people into a big field in the middle of nowhere. Maybe symbolic of the transition of the rock landscape after Kurt Cobain’s death, the lineup is missing any big grunge bands.

By 1994, the Red Hot Chili Peppers were established stars. Unfortunately, that success pushed away fan favorite guitarist John Frusciante, and this is actually the Peppers debut of guitarist Dave Navarro. They come out with the famous lightbulb outfits that are quickly ditched because they are uncomfortable as hell. The performance is about what you’d expect from the band around this time. Anthony Kiedis has Alanis Morrisette-like hair, Flea shouts gibberish, and everyone is shirtless (a common characteristic of nearly every band).

After the insane success of their self titled album earlier in the decade, Metallica were well versed in playing massive festival and stadium crowds, and it showed in this performance, which was complete with heavy pyro. They kept the energy up, especially considering it was well into the night. James Hetfield was going with the heavy trucker look, with a ratty mullet and handlebar mustache combo.

Nine Inch Nails are widely considered to have put on the standout performance of the entire festival, even earning a Grammy for their troubles. Electronic based music normally works well at festivals, and the band, who were completely covered mud, did some characteristic angry theatrics, throwing instruments and instruments around. NIN were the most (or at least most notable) angsty 90s band on the show, which I’m sure was what many attendees were pining for.

Conversely, Aerosmith seems a little out of place on this show. They haven’t been around long enough to truly fit in with the 60s throwback acts, and they obviously aren’t an “alternative” band by any stretch. But they were hot at this time, riding high off some popular albums and the iconic early 90s Alicia Silverstone trilogy of videos. So they were still given top billing, closing out the second night in the wee morning hours with an awesome performance. They did a great job winning over a crowd that was likely skeptical, and they embraced the wild atmosphere of playing in a rainstorm. With such a vast catalog of hits, they can put together a 90 minute set of almost nothing but hits, so you can still get into it without being a huge fan. 

The Rising Stars

Obviously, not every band on the bill were quite as established as the headliners. Blind Melon, who might now be considered sort of a one hit wonder, put on a solid performance. Everyone remembers frontman Shannon Hoon performing in his girlfriends dress on LSD, but his, and the band’s, actual performance was very good. He has a unique voice and interesting showmanship. The Cranberries were a fun band to see in this setting, too. Dolores O’Riordan really seemed to soar in the open air.

Even if they weren’t megastars yet, Green Day were certainly riding high off of Dookie. This performance, one of the more iconic ones of the fest, pushed them into the stratosphere. By the time they took the stage on the final day, the festival grounds had completely deteriorated. The weary crowd began to throw mud on stage, but rather than chastise them (like Primus’ Les Claypool during their set), the band egged them on, threw mud back, and generally embraced the wild atmosphere as fans jumped on stage. Things devolved pretty quickly and the set was cut short, but their propulsive music mixed with the chaos was a highlight of the event. 

The Elder Statesmen

Besides the obvious focus on alternative rock, the promoters wanted to bring in numerous acts who either performed at Woodstock ‘69 or had some connection to it. Joe Cocker was at ’69 and was brought back in ‘94. You might wonder how this crowd might react, but he had them in the palm of his hand. His voice is so commanding, you can’t blame them. You can feel the genuine joy in his singing. He even tells the crowd, “See you in 2019!”

Bob Dylan somehow didn’t play the original Woodstock, but he made up for it here. Playing as the sun set behind the stage, Dylan gives an absolutely killer performance. You don’t often see Bob tearing out lead guitar licks like he does on “Highway 61 Revisited” here. I’m sure the Woodstock crowd wasn’t all Lollapalooza hardcore alt-rock fans who turned their noses at older music, though I’m sure it was a huge chunk. They really responded to the older acts in a time when that wasn’t necessarily a given.

The 1994 Factor

This show is undeniably 90s. There are a ton of band members in baggy shorts with boots (Kevin Martin of Candlebox looks nearly identical to Jay from the View Askewniverse in his). There’s an announcement on the PA that there will be a screening of a new film “Clerks” on the festival grounds.  There are flowing flowery button downs. Every other member of the crowd seems to have cut off jean shorts. You even get some 90s hippie revival fashion going on. You get a nice sampling of the musical landscape of the time. Thanks to Pay-Per-View, the mighty VCR, and people’s personal VHS archives, we can relive it any time we want. 

[flauntpage]

Still Not Good Enough – Observations from Celtics 112, Sixers 109

Talk about blowing an opportunity.

The Sixers had a nice little run going, with big moves at the trade deadline followed by a quality win against Denver and a national television drubbing of Los Angeles on Sunday afternoon. They were 7-4 through their last 11 games, a gauntlet that included Golden State, Toronto, and multiple playoff teams over multiple weeks.

But instead of finishing on a high note, they stumbled again to Boston, this time at home. They blew another opportunity against another top Eastern Conference team, falling to 1-7 this season against the Celtics, Bucks, and Raptors. Most importantly, they took all of the goodwill built up over the last few days and deposited it right into the trash can.

We’re right back at square one, which is this:

“The Sixers can’t beat the Celtics.”

Truly, it’s opening night and Christmas evening all over again. It’s like Groundhog Day without the overgrown rat from Western Pennsylvania.

As Metallica once said, “Nothing Else Matters,” and you know what? James Hetfield was right. Lars Ulrich was right. Nothing else matters besides beating the Celtics. That’s all anybody is talking about, and they’re justified in doing so. You can go out and beat the Knicks by 40 tonight and fans would not and should not care, because it’s not about beating the Knicks or Hornets or Hawks by 40, it’s about beating Boston by any amount of points at all.

The Sixers were not horrible last night. We are, after all, talking about a three-point loss. But the myriad issues throughout the game were similar to what we’ve seen before. They cobbled together too many mistakes to really get into a shooting or defensive rhythm throughout.

They only shot 71% from the foul line, which is way down from a 77% season average. The turnovers, 14, were manageable, but Boston only coughed it up six times, so that’s another loss. The three-point shooting was below average, the shot selection was junky and poor in the first half, and they just looked tight to start. Boston looked loose and played within themselves. The Sixers played like they knew they’ve only beaten this team twice in the last two years.

Defensive miscues

Late in the fourth quarter, Boston was just seeking out mismatches over and over again. There was a chunk of plays around the five minute mark, I believe, where they just went after JJ Redick on every single play and the Sixers did a really lackluster job of addressing it. There were other situations where Redick and T.J. McConnell were on the floor together and having trouble on the defensive end.

Said Brett Brown post game:

There’s a physicality that you have to play with to beat them and you’re reminded of that. They do a really good job of going at mismatches, we could all see the difficulty at times that we had guarding some of the physicality of them trying to post us with different mismatches, those types of things I think are. There’s a physicality that you learn from… To Rich’s [Hofmann’s] point, they go at mismatches hard, they duck in, they’re physical with that philosophy.

They seek out mismatches pretty much every time down the floor in crunch time situations.

Case in point:

Those plays are killers, because when Marcus Smart can post up JJ Redick and drive the lane, the rest of the defense collapses, the Celtics swing the ball around the perimeter while the Sixers scramble to recover, and Jayson Tatum eventually knocks down a wide open three.

More Brown:

I think you have to find some level of better ball pressure; you have to find some level of better resistance, sort of staggered steps, there’s some technique things that we can do better and I think most importantly that at times you can’t overreact. If tough twos for a while are the palatable shot and, admittedly, you can’t live like that, but periods of the game you can, then we have to be disciplined to do that. To start running around the gym and getting into scramble mode, isn’t in my interest, our interest either.

Yes, if you’re going to leave JJ on the floor, make it harder for them to pick on him. Deny that entry pass into the post. Re-evaluate how you switch if they put him in a pick and roll. Maybe you have to blitz or throw a second guy into the equation, or maybe Redick just cannotbe on the floor in these situations. Maybe you play Jimmy Butler as a two-guard and bring in James Ennis or Jonathon Simmons to close out games instead.

Joel Embiid on this:

We need to do a better job of denying the ball and pressuring the ball. At the end of the day, it comes down to guarding your own man and that’s what we have to do. These guys, they take advantage of when we do help, and they move the ball pretty well. So, we just need to do a better job of guarding our own man.

Boston just kept hunting all throughout the 4th quarter, and the Sixers weren’t able to get enough stops to build any kind of respectable lead or keep pace when it really mattered.

Joel’s night

He struggles against Al Horford, who defends him better than anybody in the league.

Embiid was asked what the veteran center is doing to frustrate him:

He’s not doing anything, it’s just on me. I was sleepwalking for three quarters and that’s on me. Like I said, that’s on me. It has nothing to do with anybody.

I’m not a big fan of that answer. Sure, you can put it on you and take responsibility for your performance, but Horford is not “not doing anything.” His resistance points are sound, he does a good job of keeping his arms down, and he stands Joel up right on the low block in a position where Embiid is too far to power through him for a layup but too far for a comfortable turn around or floater. It’s a weird middle area between Embiid’s catch point and the rim, and for whatever reason, Joel just comes up short when he’s 1v1 with Horford. The Celtics are doing anything special. They’re not doubling or digging, they’re just letting Horford use low leverage and solid technique to defend a bigger guy.

I think Gordon Hayward actually did a decent job of explaining it after the game:

Al’s a smart defender, so I think he’s able to use spacing and angles and really kind of knows when to gap him, when to get up to him. He’s also just a tough defender, like taking bumps, able to not get backed all the way down and then still being long enough to contest his jump shots. Embiid’s a monster, so for Al to play like that is really encouraging. We’ve seen him do it in the past too. That was a good job by Al.

It was a really nice job, and in these cases Joel just has to keep going at Horford until he wears him down. He’s a bigger guy, he’s younger, and he’s always going to win a four-quarter war of attrition. Horford finished with five fouls last night, and if Joel is down there working him throughout the game instead of taking an inexplicable eight three-point tries, then maybe the result is different.

There’s just no reason your 7’2″ center should ever take eight three-pointers in a game. Redick and Tobias Harris are the only players who should be taking that many three-pointers.

Joel was also complaining about the no-call vs. Horford at the end of the game, and he’ll get fined for saying “the refs fucking sucked” at his press conference. Here’s the play:

Embiid No Call pic.twitter.com/YuYaDrTpZV

— The Render (@TheRenderNBA) February 13, 2019

Yes, it’s probably a foul, but Joel is playing for contact there. He’s not using his body to drive Horford back and he’s leaning into him. Joel is going to get cheap rip-through contact fouls against JaVale McGee and Jarrett Allen in the first quarter of meaningless games, but he’s not getting them against Al Horford in the fourth quarter, not after Horford does a solid job against him for the first three quarters. Either way, that no-call isn’t why they lost the game. It was just one play.

Embiid came out tight, he played another lackluster game against the Celtics before finally showing up in the fourth quarter, and then came across as fairly petty and maybe just outright immature in his press conference.

Ben Simmons

Same thing as always.

Boston does a nice job sealing off his transition movement by sliding a second guy to the elbow and meeting him right at the top of the foul line. Ben picks up his dribble, kicks the ball back out, and the Sixers are then playing half court offense.

Sure, there were some blown assignments by Boston, and Ben got free a couple of times. That huge dunk was one play, and he did finish 7 of his 9 looks last night, so he was really efficient when he did get to his spots. The two misses were actually ugly jump shots, so if you take those away, he had an excellent 7-7 night from his preferable range:

More important than his individual shooting, it felt like he just couldn’t get the rest of the offense into a rhythm throughout. He only finished with five assists vs. three turnovers, and said this after the game:

I don’t think we were putting the ball to the rim. I think we slowed down a lot in transition and tried to call a few too many sets, which we got a little bit of a flow. But that’s just how the game went.

They slowed down in transition because Boston did the slowing, which is one of their strengths. The Sixers scored only 12 fast break points last night against a season average of 15.7, and those first quarter baskets, the ones where Ben is pushing and everybody is running the floor, those get them loosened up as much as anything.

When Boston sits back and plays for the transition denial, you’re running your half-court base and whatever other sets, which is not what the Sixers would prefer to do coming out of the gates. They did turn that into some successful isolation and pick and roll for Jimmy Butler late in the game, and Butler is a huge help in those situations, when the rest of the team is stuck and they need somebody to create in other ways. If these teams meet again in the playoffs, Butler really could have a big series. He scored 22 points on 12 shots last night, it was just those missed free throws at the end that were a killer.

One more note about Ben – his defense on Jayson Tatum was good. Tatum was at his best when Boston was getting switches and moving the ball around, but in 1v1 situations with Ben, he wasn’t great, shooting just 3-9 against him:

Good job right there.

Tobias Harris

Bad shooting night. If he’s even slightly better than 4-14 and 0-6 from three, then the Sixers probably win by 4-5 points.

Tobias post game:

I thought that in the first half we really never got to our pace of how we kind of wanted to play. Usually that comes from being able to take the ball out, a majority of the time. So we weren’t really able to get out in transition as we wanted. They got on the glass, got a lot of second-chance points. But I just thought overall in the game, it was tough for us to get to our type of flow and our type of rhythm out there, which is going to happen. But I think it’s something that we have to identify early on and try to get some things ready for us. Overall, I still thought that we gave ourselves a legitimate chance to win that game, but it just went the other way.

11 second chance points for the Celtics last night on the strength of four Horford offensive rebounds.

That’s not a ton, but it’s disappointing when you think about the fact they’re getting second chance opportunities while also getting enough bodies back to defend in transition. A lot of teams will simply punt the offensive board to drop multiple players into defense, so in the course of a game you’re usually limiting fast break points at the expense of hitting the offensive glass. Boston was able to wriggle in there and get some offensive boards they had no business getting last night.

Rotation stuff

Jonathon Simmons was first off the bench while James Ennis and Jonah Bolden were DNPs, and I have no idea why. Brown again linked Simmons and Harris’ minutes together with Boban Marjanovic, giving us a grouping that looked like this:

B. Simmons

J. Simmons

Furkan Korkmaz

Harris

Boban

And then we saw a little bit of the same unit beyond that: Joel Embiid, Mike Scott, Jimmy Butler, JJ Redick, and T.J. McConnell. So the splits from the Laker game were more or less similar last night. There was also a point in the game where we got a Ben/JJ/Simmons/Mike Scott/Boban lineup, which played a pretty ineffective chunk of minutes.

But this was a Jonah Bolden game. When you have bigs like Al Horford and Daniel Theis who can space the floor and shoot from the perimeter, then Bolden as the first five off the bench makes more sense than Boban, in my mind. Boban is gonna have to be a situational guy moving into the playoffs.

Other notes:

The early Horford foul leading to the technical… I dunno. He played pretty good D there but might have been a little handsy right before the whistle was blown.

I swear I saw a Spain pick and roll at the beginning of the second half. I forgot to DVR the game, so I’m gonna have to go look back and see if I can find it.

Boban’s size results in some totally bizarre and usually hilarious on-court optics. There was a point in the 1st quarter, around the 5:00 mark, where he reached up and snagged a weakside rebound without even leaving his feet. In the 3rd quarter, he had a post up on Horford where he didn’t even move his feet or back him down, he simply just turned and flicked the ball over his head for a bucket.

It felt like Hayward was wide open on every single shot he took last night.

When Embiid got the and-1 bucket against Horford late in the 4th quarter, it was the loudest I’d heard the WFC this season.

Butler has been doing a great job lately of getting to the line. He was fouled twice last night on three point attempts.

The Celtics are probably better without Kyrie Irving. Same thing as last season. When he’s on the floor, they need to hide his defensive shortcomings, but last night, as you’ve seen before, Terry Rozier and Marcus Smart are defensive upgrades that present more matchup issues for the Sixers, more than if Kyrie was out there.

People will complain and say I didn’t criticize Brett Brown enough, but obviously the head coach plays a role in addressing all of the things I just wrote about, does he not?

The post Still Not Good Enough – Observations from Celtics 112, Sixers 109 appeared first on Crossing Broad.

Still Not Good Enough – Observations from Celtics 112, Sixers 109 published first on https://footballhighlightseurope.tumblr.com/

[maryseward666]

METALLICA's LARS ULRICH Defends '...And Justice For All' Production: 'It Wasn't Planned That Way'

RARE BLACK METAL COLLECTIBLES

METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich has defended the sound of the band's "...And Justice For All" album, saying that it was "the result of instinctive choices that were made along the way to make it work." While "...And Justice For All" is considered one of METALLICA's classics, it has been criticized almost since the day it was released in 1988 for the lack of any bass guitar on the record. Jason Newsted's playing is virtually buried in the mix — and many fans feel that Ulrich, who had very specific ideas for how he wanted his drums to sound, is to blame. To promote the 30th-anniversary box-set reissue of "...And Justice For All", the four members of METALLICA took part in a nearly 90-minute interview in Pittsburgh with longtime rock journalist and Rolling Stone senior editor David Fricke, who was responsible for writing METALLICA's first feature in the magazine in 1989. Speaking about the slightly one-dimensional and tinny production of "...And Justice For All", Ulrich said (see video below): "It all about balances. So we found a way to get — I guess primarily James [Hetfield, guitar/vocals] and I — to have our voices in the writing, in the parts, in the sonics. And it was not necessarily about the big picture, but it was about the way that it could all coexist without anybody having to take a backstep, or it was like we were all chained together. And so we would move forward. This was the way it worked. "It was, like, 'Why do the kick drums sound like that?' Well, part of the reason the kick drums sound like that is because there was no other place for the kick drums to sort of come through," he explained. "Because James's guitar was sort of here, so the kick drum would live up there or a little bit down here. So there was a reason for a lot of this stuff. Nobody sat there and said, 'We're gonna have a record that's gonna be mixed this way.' We weren't capable of thinking at that level. So a lot of it was a result of what I think were sort of balancing points along the way to just make it all work for the big picture. "I think it's important to say that it wasn't planned that way," Lars reiterated. "We didn't sit there and go, 'A year from now, we're gonna have a record that sounds this particular way.' I don't know if the word 'accidental' [applies], but it's just the result of instinctive choices that were made along the way to make it work, to keep people at bay — all that kind of shit. 'This is our thing. Nobody's gonna fuck with it. Nobody's gonna touch it. Nobody's gonna get involved. We're the gatekeepers. Fuck you!' That was kind of my recollection of that whole year." "...And Justice For All" was Newsted's first full-length album with METALLICA after he replaced late bassist Cliff Burton in 1986. Asked by Fricke about Jason's apparent struggle to find his place within the METALLICA camp and the band's overall sound, James said: "I think it had to be extremely bittersweet for him. Like a dream come true, but 'I'm stepping into someone's shoes who can never be filled.' It must have been very difficult — for him and for us, it was difficult; it just truly was. And Psych 101 will tell you that all our anger, our grief and sadness got directed at him — not all of it, but quite a bit of it. He was an easy target. And I think there were a couple of things about Jason, his personality… He was goofy enough to take it, which was a positive for him. I think he was such a fan, and we hated that — we hated that part. We wanted to 'unfan' him and become as hard as we were. So trying to beat the fan out of him. Trying to also get him to play something different, like Cliff would. He played with a pick and he would follow whatever I would do. And I remember there were times where I'd be playing, and I'd just turn around so he couldn't see what I was playing so he couldn't follow me. It's, like, 'Do whatever you wanna do.' But, obviously, live, he fit right in — he was a great force. And you heard the bass live. And he wasn't afraid to step up to the mic and bark whenever he felt like it. And he would sweat — he would really sweat — and he put a lot into the live show. So that gained a lot of respect, at least I think for us, once we started touring with him." Added guitarist Kirk Hammett: "Jason tried to balance things out by kind of, like, really being prominent on those songs when they were played live. I mean, he played the shit out of those songs. And you can tell that he was giving it his all. And I think some of that was because he was trying to compensate for not being heard on the album. And that was his way for his parts to be heard — in a live situation. And so I think there was a bit of that." "...And Justice For All" was the first METALLICA album to sell more than a million copies and featured the band's first radio hit, "One", which was also the basis of the group's first music video. The record was nominated for the first-ever Grammy for "Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance", but infamously lost to JETHRO TULL's "Crest Of A Knave". In a 2015 interview with Ultimate-Guitar.com, one of the "...And Justice For All" album mixers, Steve Thompson, revealed that Ulrich was the culprit for the lack of any bass guitar on the record. Ulrich apparently wanted his drums to sound a certain way — even if it meant cutting out the bass. Thompson explained: "We had to get the drum sound up the way he had it. I wasn't a fan of it. So now he goes, 'See the bass guitar?' and I said, 'Yeah, great part, man. [Newsted] killed it.' He said, 'I want you to bring down the bass where you can barely, audibly hear it in the mix.' I said, 'You're kidding. Right?' He said, 'No. Bring it down.' I bring it down to that level and he says, 'Now drop it down another 5 dB.' I turned around and looked at Hetfield and said, 'He's serious?' It just blew me away." Thompson added that a terrific performance by Newsted was wasted due to Ulrich's meddling, saying: "My only regret is that we didn't have enough time to at least mix it the way we heard it… It was all there but I think they were looking for more garagey-type sound without bass. And the bass was great; it was perfect." Thompson said that he spoke out because he was tired of being blamed for the lack of bass. He remarked: "They flew us out [to METALLICA's Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction in 2009] and I'm sitting with Lars. He goes, 'Hey, what happened to the bass in 'Justice'?' He actually asked me that. I wanted to cold cock him right there. It was a shame because I'm the one getting the shit for the lack of bass." Ulrich told The Pulse Of Radio a while back that fans were extremely vocal about the sound of the album at the time of its release. "I mean, it was unbelievable, you know, '...And Justice For All', " he said. "People were saying, 'That's the worst-sounding record, where's the bass, and it sounds like it was recorded in a garage, and...' But, you know, listen, you do the best you can in the moment and then you move on."

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Megadeth Deliver Thrash Filled and Heartfelt Performance in Boston

Dave Mustaine & Megadeth – House of Blues – Boston, MA – June 25, 2017

Megadeth’s and Metallica’s DNA will forever be intertwined as both bands helped define the thrash and speed metal genre that emerged on both coasts of the United States in the early to mid 1980’s.

There’s also the other obvious connection between Megadeth and Metallica as anyone reading this article is likely more than familiar with the pair’s shared history.  

However, it would be short sighted to fixate on the personal history between the two metal titans, as it’s each of these bands’ impact and influence within the world of heavy metal that matters far more.

Hetfield, Ulrich, and Mustaine took the genre of music that Black Sabbath cooked up back in 1970 and added the elements of thrash and speed.  In doing so they simultaneously laid down the foundation for aggressive metal to have its place in music for generations to come.

And let’s be honest here, Mustaine likely long ago came to the conclusion that he’ll never be able to completely shake the shadow that Metallica cast over him since his unceremonious ousting from the group and his formation of Megadeth in the aftermath.   

Perhaps the Big Four shows a few years back, as well as winning a Grammy after being nominated for the eleventh time this past February for 2016’s Dystopia, finally laid to rest any ill will Mustaine once harbored for his former band. 

A peculiar thing though has happened over the course of the last thirty plus years regarding the gap between Metallica and Megadeth in terms of their stature within the metal community amongst the hard line faithful.  

There are more than a few old school metal fans that view Metallica as a legacy thrash and speed act that long since abandoned the genre for the riches and global popularity mainstream success have provided them. 

Additionally, there could be a valid argument to be made that although Metallica’s first three records could go down as three of the most important albums in heavy metal history, Megadeth’s body of recorded material may very well be superior in overall quality when comparing each bands’ complete discography.

This alteration in the perception of each band could also be attributed in part to the fact that Metallica willfully chose to abandon traditional metal with the release of the self-titled Metallica, otherwise known as the “Black” album, in 1991. 

In doing so they opened the door for bands like Megadeth, Slayer and Anthrax to further endear themselves to the hard core thrash audience they were choosing to leave behind.  

This condition may be best explained by simply describing how truly divergent the Metallica and Megadeth concert experiences are these days.  Although Metallica may play to tens of thousands on any given night, their live shows are at times as much about spectacle and the opportunity to take in a one of a kind visual experience, than they are about the actual music.

Conversely attending a Megadeth concert, such as the show the band recently played to an at capacity House of Blues in Boston, can make one feel as though they’ve been transported back to the thrash heyday of the 1980’s.

Mustaine, long time bandmate and bassist David Ellefson, as well as new comers guitarist Kiko Loureiro and drummer Dirk Verbeuren, delivered a performance in Boston that was not only fiery in every sense of the word, it was also one that came across as deeply sincere and even playful at times.

When Mustaine and company played Megadeth classics such as show opener “Hanger 18”, “Tornado of Souls,” “Peace Sells” and set closer “Holy Wars…. The Punishment Due” the energy inside the venue percolated to an almost voltaic level of intensity.

More than a few circle pits would materialize out of nowhere throughout the course of the evening, while the more sedentary fans would go on to engage in several impromptu sing-a-longs with Mustaine as Megadeth’s post-apocalyptic imagery played behind the band throughout the duration of the performance.

Megadeth’s official mascot Vic Rattlehead even chose to make a few appearances on the night. Rising from out of the shadows initially during Dystopia track “Conquer or Dire” and then again during “Peace Sells.”

The band’s talisman evilly pandered about the stage attempting to engage in mortal combat with band members one moment, while menacingly taunting random fans in the audience the next.

It wouldn’t be a Megadeth show if the irascible Mustaine didn’t engage the crowd in some sort of humorous banter.  This time around the front man’s ire would be directed towards a muscle bound head banger that kept interrupting him as he was attempting to tell a story.  

At one point the lead singer directly called out the pumped up audience member stating, “I’m waiting for you to shut the fuck up so I can tell a story bro.  Go fucking shoot some steroids outside, I don’t care. You don’t have to be quiet, just don’t be a dick.”

Mustaine then went on to spin a yarn about how he and Ellefson had played a show in Northern Ireland a long time ago and that during the concert he apparently at one point had said to the audience before slugging down a Guinness, “Give Ireland back to the Irish, this one is for the cause.”  

The “cause” of course being a reference to the ideology of Irish Repulicanism, a topic that most Irish residents don’t take all too lightly today, let alone back in the much more volatile and active IRA days of the 1980’s.  

The “cause” is also a deeply personal Irish issue as it cuts across political, religious, and even ancestral lines in Ireland. In other words it’s subject matter that may be best left to those in Ireland to debate, or even toast, versus the lead singer of a thrash metal band from across the pond.  

Well apparently Mustaine’s political and semi-quasi religious musings didn’t go over too well as the following morning he was informed by Ellefson that they had to be escorted out of the city in a bullet proof van the night previous because of his ramblings.

According to Mustaine the incident inspired him to pen one of Megadeth’s most revered songs the very next day, “Holy Wars,” which the band would go on to play next and the track that would also serve as the concert’s swan song.

It should be noted that the newer Megadeth material played on the evening, which included songs such as “Fatal Illusion,” Poisonous Shadows” and “Dystopia,” all fit in nicely with the classics.  

These more recent tracks seamlessly blended into the overall pacing of the set quite nicely while also giving fans reasons to believe that Megadeth has more than a few resplendent records up their sleeves before they may call it quits someday.

It’s also worth mentioning the rejuvenated vigor in which Megadeth seem to be playing with on this current tour cycle.  Perhaps this resurgence can be attributed to somewhat of a return to form in terms of the band’s recorded material. 

2016’s Dystopia is a more aphotic and heavier record with the album aligning more sonically with Megadeth staples such as “So Far, So Good…. So What!” and “Rust in Peace.”

Additionally, new band members Louriero and Verbeuren, both of whom were brought into the fold by Mustaine following the unexpected departures of both guitarist Chris Broderick and drummer and Shawn Drover back in 2014, have breathed new life into the band’s live shows. 

Louriero is not your typical snarl in place, look evil and play killer riffs type of metal axe slinger. Instead the Brazilian guitarist is a whirling dervish of riff ferocity and hyper activity.  

Louriero as it turns out is the perfect foil for the more stoic Mustaine, as his Tasmanian Devil guitar stylings are not only technically jaw dropping, his energy on stage draws the audience that much further into Megadeth’s evil sonic web.

Drummer Dirk Verbeuren, primarily known for his time in Swedish death metal stalwarts Soilwork, is as entertaining as any metal drummer out there touring day and much like every player in Megadeth, the Belgian’s level of musicianship is beyond reproach.

There’s just something about Verbeuren’s play style, mechanics and sound that seem reminiscent of classic Megadeth era drummer Nick Menza. Perhaps this a figment of on an overworked imagination or maybe Verbeuren’s just the right fit for Megadeth on numerous levels, similarly to the way Brooks Wackerman seemed destined to become Avenged Sevenfold’s new drummer.  

Even long time Megadeth bassist Ellefson, as well as Mustaine himself, seem to both be playing with an amped up, almost youthful enthusiasm on this current tour run.  And really how could the pair not be excited right now?  

Dystopia was critically well received by the music industry and the fans, the Recording Academy recognized the album via awarding it the Grammy for Best Metal Performance this past year and fans are also still coming out in droves to see Megadeth perform live.  

All of this could lead some to conclude that Megadeth may actually be morphing into a more positive, more accessible and dare I say, more affable band.  Oh the horror.  

Should this sentiment actually hold true it may be wise to never let Mustaine in on the secret. A metal world without an at least sometimes acerbic Mustaine would likely be one none of us would want to live in.

The biggest takeaways from Megadeth’s performance in Boston this past weekend may be rooted in the simplistic. The connections fans made with one another, with the band onstage and ultimately with the music itself are the exact elements that combine to make the heavy metal community’s bonds with one another so concrete and so ever lasting.  

And that right there may be the essence of what separates a band like Megadeth from a band like Metallica as both bands approach their 40th year in existence.

Megadeth’s live performances still have this uncanny ability to make those in attendance feel like the angst riddled teenagers that would steal ten dollars from their mom’s purse to buy a cassette copy of Killing Is My Business… And Business is Good from their local Strawberries or Tape World.

The band’s concerts also continue to bond friends, family and strangers in ways that we all seemed to be able to do more effortlessly before mortgages, ISIS and other real world impediments became barriers to our being able to do something as trivial as banging our heads to evil riffs.  

I suppose at the end of the day is there any greater gift that music bestows upon the world than providing its inhabitants with the opportunity to make them feel like kids again?

Hats off to Megadeth for reminding everyone in Boston that it’s still okay for adults to crash and bang into one another while singing songs about end times, corporate greed and social anarchy. Long live Megadeth, long live Dave Mustaine and love live the once and future kings of thrash.

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Megadeth Deliver Thrash Filled and Heartfelt Performance in Boston was originally published on RockRevolt Mag

[tempi-dispari]

New Post has been published on http://www.tempi-dispari.it/2017/04/21/spoil-engine-we-dont-feel-that-music-should-be-competition/

Spoil Engine, "We don’t feel that music should be a competition"

Interwiev by Carmine Rubicco and Benedetta Lattanzi

Spoil Engine are a Belgian metal band known for their technical thrash and groove oriented material. The story of Spoil Engine’s recent singer switch is common knowledge by now. Less commonly known perhaps is the fact that Spoil Engine celebrated Iris Goessens’ arrival with a rock solid EP. ‘Stormsleeper’ was launched in December of last year and if there were any doubts as to the new material or the new frontwoman, they were quickly put to bed. The 2016 incarnation of Spoil engine sounds different than before: while the ghosts of Killswitch Engage and In Flames are still present, they have been complemented with more melodic parts and clean vocals. Surprisingly, this doesn’t detract from the overall aggressiveness of the music. Iris Goessens’ excellent clean vocals on ‘Singing Sirens’ and ‘Weightless’ also open up exciting new perspectives for the band and this is something the likes of Arch Enemy have been considering for years.

1 – Could you introduce the band to the who doesn’t know you yet?

We’re a Belgian/Dutch metal combo called Spoil Engine. We’ve been around for 12 years, but we’re breathing a second life into the band since we’ve chosen Iris as our new singer. We’ve also broadened our musical pallet from pure melodic thrash to – what we like to call – modern metal. We played “Graspop” – the biggest Belgian metal festival – 4 times now. We did Pukkelpop 2 times and we did support for some of the biggest bands out there, for example: Motörhead, Megadeth, Fear Factory, Killswitch Engage, Arch Enemy, etc…

2- Your album includes contemporary solid death metal with hardcore influences. What are the bands that inspired you?

The guitar players in Spoil Engine are the main songwriters in the band. Everybody in de the band leaves his or her mark. But i believe the main musical influences are coming from us. ‘Gaze’ is a huge fan of bands like Carcass, Arch Enemy, Soilwork and some oldschool thrash bands like Slayer and Exodus. He was also founder of the legendary Belgian hardcore band ‘Deformity’. So the fast thrash parts and dual guitar harmonies are definitely his cup of tea. Although i’m also a huge fan of the oldschool stuff, i was totally in the nu-metal scene when i was a teenager, loving bands like Slipknot en KoRn. I’m also very into new modern metal acts like Architects, BMTH, While She Sleeps… so there are definitely some influences coming from those formentioned bands.

3 – Aren’t you afraid that your music can get lost among many similar proposals? 

We truly believe that this is our best production ever. So we hope to make a markable difference when people hear our music for the first time. This is really the first time we have this massive sound. We’ve put a hell lot of work in this album. Everything single chord, drum hit, bass note was turned upside down. We also have a lot of layers going on, mostly in the choruses. Sometimes they’re not really audible, but we’ve added a lot of synths and other soundscapes to create a ‘thick and broad’ sound. Everything was mixed and mastered by Fredrik Nördström and Henrik Udd at Studio Fredman in Sweden. A couple bandmembers flew to Göteborg during the process. So we were ‘hands on’ with every detail of the production. We truly believe we’re playing a different ballpark now with this production and result.

4 – Why should a listener choose your album and not the one of another band? 

We don’t feel that music should be a competition. People can listen to whatever they want! It’s all about personal taste. Some people think we’re too poppy… other listeners say we’re too heavy. But the songs we’ve made now are really something we’ve made from our hearts and if people appreciate what we do, we’re extremely happy with that! It’s all about getting your music to the right people, so we’re hoping that our label Arising Empire/Nuclear Blast can push our album to a wide spectrum of people, so that our fanbase can grow in Europe. Everybody knows our band in Belgium, but in Europe, there’s a lot of work to do!

5 – In Italy we usually think that live performances overseas are easier because there are more possibilities. Do you agree?

I think there are a lot of possibilities over here, but you have to get the right team behind your band to get the job done. We arranged the main part of our gigs by ourselves up till now, but it’s always difficult to convince organizers and festivals all by yourself. A dedicated booker, who believes in you, is necessary to get you on the bill at places you couldn’t have fixed by yourself. We do see that there’s always less room for metalbands. It’s a shame. Young metalbands have to fight to get their asses on a small stage, probably for no money and maybe some warm beers. We’ve never played overseas, but i think the problem as a beginning band is the same over there.

6 – Is the audience in your country aware of the bands that produce original music?

Yeah, there’s a lot of sharing going on and with all those facebooks adds nowadays a lot of bands are getting exposure that way. And honestly, i think that real quality will always surface. People in the scene talk a lot about new music or upcoming bands. Some bands just hit the right spot and have the right ‘momentum’ . Oathbreaker for example is a really original, hardworking Belgian band with an unique mix of black metal and post-hardcore and they’re growing really fast now. So there you go… original stuff is still appreciated and supported!

7 – How is the metal scene in your country? 

There have been better times, i think. I see a lot of frustration in our metal community. There’s not really a lot of ‘metal’ airplay on our national radio. There’s a ‘heaviest list’ every year on the biggest rock station ‘Studio Brussels’, and then you’ll see a huge tsunami of promotion going on from a shitload of bands to get their song played. Musicians are really desperate to get their music to the masses. If you’re playing Graspop, it’s so much easier to get other gigs booked. But places for Belgian metalbands on the Graspop bill are very very limited, so you have to be very lucky to get the spot. But we do appreciate the efforts they’re doing. The main bill is spread from friday till sunday, but now there’s a pre-festival-day at thursday where Belgian bands get a chance to play Graspop Metal Meeting. There are also some other heavy festivals in Belgium, but there you see the same trend. A lot of international bands, and maybe, just maybe, there’s a spot for some Belgian metalband. It’s a sad evolution.

8 – What is the country in which you had best remarks? 

We haven’t played or released music in other countries besides Belgium and The Netherlands, so we’re looking forward to seeing reactions from Germany, UK, Ireland, Spain, Portugal, etc… when we’re on tour in the summer/autumn of 2017, or when we’re reading reviews in local magazines!

9 – Do you make a living with the work of musicians? If you can’t, would you like it to? 

Of course we would want to, but we have to be realistic. Nobody is buying cd’s anymore. Vinyl is trending right now, but we have to be fair… there’s no big money involved when you’re bringing out your music. The biggest source of income is merch. But to get your merch to the people you have to tour. And when a relative new band like us has to tour, it costs a lot of money. So it’s a difficult trade-off in how much you want to invest without getting your band bankrupt.

10 – A band for which you would like to be guest? 

Hmz, personally i’m a huge Machine Head fan. I would love to support them. In Flames or Gojira would be crazy too! And when it gets really utopian… how sick would it be to open up for Metallica. They had a support act contest for their run in Denmark. Local bands got the opportunity to play with hem. That’s awesome! Hatesphere got the gig. That must have been beyond imagination for them. Too bad we’re on tour when they’re playing Belgium! Hahaha!

11 – This one is a “Tempi-Dispari Question”: If you were to interview any artist or band, who would you like to interview and what would you ask?

I think that would be James Hetfield. I really have no clue if he knows something about musical theory. I’m a self-taught guitarplayer. Those guys really wrote some masterpieces. If they’ve done that without any knowledge of musical theory, my admiration for what they’ve done would be even bigger. And maybe i would ask him all the details about the backstage action back in the days. Nowadays, everything is within seconds on youtube or facebook. In that time, there were no cameras or other fly-on-the-wall go pro’s, so i’m sure they have a lot of tasty stories about their backstage time. Maybe we’ll be inspired to set some lifegoals for the upcoming tour!

[flauntpage]

Still Not Good Enough – Observations from Celtics 112, Sixers 109

Talk about blowing an opportunity.

The Sixers had a nice little run going, with big moves at the trade deadline followed by a quality win against Denver and a national television drubbing of Los Angeles on Sunday afternoon. They were 7-4 through their last 11 games, a gauntlet that included Golden State, Toronto, and multiple playoff teams over multiple weeks.

But instead of finishing on a high note, they stumbled again to Boston, this time at home. They blew another opportunity against another top Eastern Conference team, falling to 1-7 this season against the Celtics, Bucks, and Raptors. Most importantly, they took all of the goodwill built up over the last few days and deposited it right into the trash can.

We’re right back at square one, which is this:

“The Sixers can’t beat the Celtics.”

Truly, it’s opening night and Christmas evening all over again. It’s like Groundhog Day without the overgrown rat from Western Pennsylvania.

As Metallica once said, “Nothing Else Matters,” and you know what? James Hetfield was right. Lars Ulrich was right. Nothing else matters besides beating the Celtics. That’s all anybody is talking about, and they’re justified in doing so. You can go out and beat the Knicks by 40 tonight and fans would not and should not care, because it’s not about beating the Knicks or Hornets or Hawks by 40, it’s about beating Boston by any amount of points at all.

The Sixers were not horrible last night. We are, after all, talking about a three-point loss. But the myriad issues throughout the game were similar to what we’ve seen before. They cobbled together too many mistakes to really get into a shooting or defensive rhythm throughout.

They only shot 71% from the foul line, which is way down from a 77% season average. The turnovers, 14, were manageable, but Boston only coughed it up six times, so that’s another loss. The three-point shooting was below average, the shot selection was junky and poor in the first half, and they just looked tight to start. Boston looked loose and played within themselves. The Sixers played like they knew they’ve only beaten this team twice in the last two years.

Defensive miscues

Late in the fourth quarter, Boston was just seeking out mismatches over and over again. There was a chunk of plays around the five minute mark, I believe, where they just went after JJ Redick on every single play and the Sixers did a really lackluster job of addressing it. There were other situations where Redick and T.J. McConnell were on the floor together and having trouble on the defensive end.

Said Brett Brown post game:

There’s a physicality that you have to play with to beat them and you’re reminded of that. They do a really good job of going at mismatches, we could all see the difficulty at times that we had guarding some of the physicality of them trying to post us with different mismatches, those types of things I think are. There’s a physicality that you learn from… To Rich’s [Hofmann’s] point, they go at mismatches hard, they duck in, they’re physical with that philosophy.

They seek out mismatches pretty much every time down the floor in crunch time situations.

Case in point:

Those plays are killers, because when Marcus Smart can post up JJ Redick and drive the lane, the rest of the defense collapses, the Celtics swing the ball around the perimeter while the Sixers scramble to recover, and Jayson Tatum eventually knocks down a wide open three.

More Brown:

I think you have to find some level of better ball pressure; you have to find some level of better resistance, sort of staggered steps, there’s some technique things that we can do better and I think most importantly that at times you can’t overreact. If tough twos for a while are the palatable shot and, admittedly, you can’t live like that, but periods of the game you can, then we have to be disciplined to do that. To start running around the gym and getting into scramble mode, isn’t in my interest, our interest either.

Yes, if you’re going to leave JJ on the floor, make it harder for them to pick on him. Deny that entry pass into the post. Re-evaluate how you switch if they put him in a pick and roll. Maybe you have to blitz or throw a second guy into the equation, or maybe Redick just cannotbe on the floor in these situations. Maybe you play Jimmy Butler as a two-guard and bring in James Ennis or Jonathon Simmons to close out games instead.

Joel Embiid on this:

We need to do a better job of denying the ball and pressuring the ball. At the end of the day, it comes down to guarding your own man and that’s what we have to do. These guys, they take advantage of when we do help, and they move the ball pretty well. So, we just need to do a better job of guarding our own man.

Boston just kept hunting all throughout the 4th quarter, and the Sixers weren’t able to get enough stops to build any kind of respectable lead or keep pace when it really mattered.

Joel’s night

He struggles against Al Horford, who defends him better than anybody in the league.

Embiid was asked what the veteran center is doing to frustrate him:

He’s not doing anything, it’s just on me. I was sleepwalking for three quarters and that’s on me. Like I said, that’s on me. It has nothing to do with anybody.

I’m not a big fan of that answer. Sure, you can put it on you and take responsibility for your performance, but Horford is not “not doing anything.” His resistance points are sound, he does a good job of keeping his arms down, and he stands Joel up right on the low block in a position where Embiid is too far to power through him for a layup but too far for a comfortable turn around or floater. It’s a weird middle area between Embiid’s catch point and the rim, and for whatever reason, Joel just comes up short when he’s 1v1 with Horford. The Celtics are doing anything special. They’re not doubling or digging, they’re just letting Horford use low leverage and solid technique to defend a bigger guy.

I think Gordon Hayward actually did a decent job of explaining it after the game:

Al’s a smart defender, so I think he’s able to use spacing and angles and really kind of knows when to gap him, when to get up to him. He’s also just a tough defender, like taking bumps, able to not get backed all the way down and then still being long enough to contest his jump shots. Embiid’s a monster, so for Al to play like that is really encouraging. We’ve seen him do it in the past too. That was a good job by Al.

It was a really nice job, and in these cases Joel just has to keep going at Horford until he wears him down. He’s a bigger guy, he’s younger, and he’s always going to win a four-quarter war of attrition. Horford finished with five fouls last night, and if Joel is down there working him throughout the game instead of taking an inexplicable eight three-point tries, then maybe the result is different.

There’s just no reason your 7’2″ center should ever take eight three-pointers in a game. Redick and Tobias Harris are the only players who should be taking that many three-pointers.

Joel was also complaining about the no-call vs. Horford at the end of the game, and he’ll get fined for saying “the refs fucking sucked” at his press conference. Here’s the play:

Embiid No Call pic.twitter.com/YuYaDrTpZV

— The Render (@TheRenderNBA) February 13, 2019

Yes, it’s probably a foul, but Joel is playing for contact there. He’s not using his body to drive Horford back and he’s leaning into him. Joel is going to get cheap rip-through contact fouls against JaVale McGee and Jarrett Allen in the first quarter of meaningless games, but he’s not getting them against Al Horford in the fourth quarter, not after Horford does a solid job against him for the first three quarters. Either way, that no-call isn’t why they lost the game. It was just one play.

Embiid came out tight, he played another lackluster game against the Celtics before finally showing up in the fourth quarter, and then came across as fairly petty and maybe just outright immature in his press conference.

Ben Simmons

Same thing as always.

Boston does a nice job sealing off his transition movement by sliding a second guy to the elbow and meeting him right at the top of the foul line. Ben picks up his dribble, kicks the ball back out, and the Sixers are then playing half court offense.

Sure, there were some blown assignments by Boston, and Ben got free a couple of times. That huge dunk was one play, and he did finish 7 of his 9 looks last night, so he was really efficient when he did get to his spots. The two misses were actually ugly jump shots, so if you take those away, he had an excellent 7-7 night from his preferable range:

More important than his individual shooting, it felt like he just couldn’t get the rest of the offense into a rhythm throughout. He only finished with five assists vs. three turnovers, and said this after the game:

I don’t think we were putting the ball to the rim. I think we slowed down a lot in transition and tried to call a few too many sets, which we got a little bit of a flow. But that’s just how the game went.

They slowed down in transition because Boston did the slowing, which is one of their strengths. The Sixers scored only 12 fast break points last night against a season average of 15.7, and those first quarter baskets, the ones where Ben is pushing and everybody is running the floor, those get them loosened up as much as anything.

When Boston sits back and plays for the transition denial, you’re running your half-court base and whatever other sets, which is not what the Sixers would prefer to do coming out of the gates. They did turn that into some successful isolation and pick and roll for Jimmy Butler late in the game, and Butler is a huge help in those situations, when the rest of the team is stuck and they need somebody to create in other ways. If these teams meet again in the playoffs, Butler really could have a big series. He scored 22 points on 12 shots last night, it was just those missed free throws at the end that were a killer.

One more note about Ben – his defense on Jayson Tatum was good. Tatum was at his best when Boston was getting switches and moving the ball around, but in 1v1 situations with Ben, he wasn’t great, shooting just 3-9 against him:

Good job right there.

Tobias Harris

Bad shooting night. If he’s even slightly better than 4-14 and 0-6 from three, then the Sixers probably win by 4-5 points.

Tobias post game:

I thought that in the first half we really never got to our pace of how we kind of wanted to play. Usually that comes from being able to take the ball out, a majority of the time. So we weren’t really able to get out in transition as we wanted. They got on the glass, got a lot of second-chance points. But I just thought overall in the game, it was tough for us to get to our type of flow and our type of rhythm out there, which is going to happen. But I think it’s something that we have to identify early on and try to get some things ready for us. Overall, I still thought that we gave ourselves a legitimate chance to win that game, but it just went the other way.

11 second chance points for the Celtics last night on the strength of four Horford offensive rebounds.

That’s not a ton, but it’s disappointing when you think about the fact they’re getting second chance opportunities while also getting enough bodies back to defend in transition. A lot of teams will simply punt the offensive board to drop multiple players into defense, so in the course of a game you’re usually limiting fast break points at the expense of hitting the offensive glass. Boston was able to wriggle in there and get some offensive boards they had no business getting last night.

Rotation stuff

Jonathon Simmons was first off the bench while James Ennis and Jonah Bolden were DNPs, and I have no idea why. Brown again linked Simmons and Harris’ minutes together with Boban Marjanovic, giving us a grouping that looked like this:

B. Simmons

J. Simmons

Furkan Korkmaz

Harris

Boban

And then we saw a little bit of the same unit beyond that: Joel Embiid, Mike Scott, Jimmy Butler, JJ Redick, and T.J. McConnell. So the splits from the Laker game were more or less similar last night. There was also a point in the game where we got a Ben/JJ/Simmons/Mike Scott/Boban lineup, which played a pretty ineffective chunk of minutes.

But this was a Jonah Bolden game. When you have bigs like Al Horford and Daniel Theis who can space the floor and shoot from the perimeter, then Bolden as the first five off the bench makes more sense than Boban, in my mind. Boban is gonna have to be a situational guy moving into the playoffs.

Other notes:

The early Horford foul leading to the technical… I dunno. He played pretty good D there but might have been a little handsy right before the whistle was blown.

I swear I saw a Spain pick and roll at the beginning of the second half. I forgot to DVR the game, so I’m gonna have to go look back and see if I can find it.

Boban’s size results in some totally bizarre and usually hilarious on-court optics. There was a point in the 1st quarter, around the 5:00 mark, where he reached up and snagged a weakside rebound without even leaving his feet. In the 3rd quarter, he had a post up on Horford where he didn’t even move his feet or back him down, he simply just turned and flicked the ball over his head for a bucket.

It felt like Hayward was wide open on every single shot he took last night.

When Embiid got the and-1 bucket against Horford late in the 4th quarter, it was the loudest I’d heard the WFC this season.

Butler has been doing a great job lately of getting to the line. He was fouled twice last night on three point attempts.

The Celtics are probably better without Kyrie Irving. Same thing as last season. When he’s on the floor, they need to hide his defensive shortcomings, but last night, as you’ve seen before, Terry Rozier and Marcus Smart are defensive upgrades that present more matchup issues for the Sixers, more than if Kyrie was out there.

People will complain and say I didn’t criticize Brett Brown enough, but obviously the head coach plays a role in addressing all of the things I just wrote about, does he not?

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