I tend to be "passionate" about many things -- so much so that it would be hard to just slap the "pop culture" label on and call it a day. Rants and raves include (but are not limited to): comics, books, movies, tv, music, art, sports, tech, food, life.
Me and the ERL went to Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, New Jersey on Saturday. Yes, we dared to go on a Saturday! We were pleasantly surprised that the park was not packed to the gills. At about 50-60% capacity -- we did not wait more than 20 minutes to get on any of the major attractions. FTW!
We made a beeline to the newest roller coaster/movie tie-in, Green Lantern. The giant lantern battery and the Green Lantern art and artifacts (including a Geoff Johns/ Ethan Van Sciver Parallax tunnel thingee in the actual ride) were nice touches. The coaster is a "stand-up" ride -- basically you are in a harness and straddle a seat. Some great loops and turns, but overall -- the ride hurt! I thought I was the only person to be in pain, but these two tiny girls were complaining about aching calves afterwards. Despite the Green Lantern branding, it ended up being our least favorite ride of the day.
Next up, we rode Kingda Ka TWICE in a row. It was insane. Feel like taking a rocket ride up a mountain? I honestly thought that the G-forces were going to strip the contacts out of my eyes. The ride was prone to breakdowns (check out the Wikipedia entry for the history and records of the ride) so there were some fits and starts in the line. But we really didn't need to be all that patient since we got to ride it twice in less than 45 minutes of wait time. Definitely one of our favorites.
Next came another repeat two-fer on Nitro. This coaster was my second favorite because your arms and upper torso are completely free for the ride. Also seemed to be the longest coaster at Great Adventure. The lap restraint is something like a giant Big Wheel handle bar that gets jammed into your crotch though.
Seriously, the lines were just incredibly short at the park. We could repeat rides and we didn't even have to get a Flash Pass (which allows you special access to rides). For an additional $50 -$100 bucks a person you can have people give you dirty looks as you go through special gates. Fortunately for us, the day we were there the Flash Passes seemed completely unnecessary and we breezed through line after line. Suckers.
As for some good deals:
We got souvenir bottles that were two for about $22 bucks. Free refills on these all day. We definitely got our money's worth since we were parched. They also had a Coke Experience station where you can get crazy permutations on Coke flavors. ERL loved the Sprite Zero Peach!
Discover Cardalso gets a 5% discount everywhere in the park (and online when getting tickets) and a special entrance at the front gate. They also have a TON of DC merchandise throughout the park. For about $30, I got cool Superman and Batman t-shirts. Sort of Ed Hardy style, but hey, when in Jersey, right?
They also sell capes for $5! I should have got the Superman one I wanted, because by the end of the day they were sold out. Weird thing is -- they had capes for Green Lantern and the Flash. Hello, Nerd Police? I'd like to report a crime. Anyways...
Another DC Comics ride was up next and was our third favorite of the day -- Bizarro (though it's the old Medusa coaster re-branded with some extras thrown in). So many cool touches in this ride! There was pyro and mist and just a ton of cool inversions, twists and turns. My major complaint is that you get boxed in the ears at a certain point (happened to me both times we rode, at the same turn). Other than that, me no like Bizarro! No fun at all!
We did manage to ride some non-coasters as well. The Congo Rapids (we got drenched) -- not worth it. The Skyline -- way faster and less relaxing than expected. The Ferris Wheel -- snoozefest, but probably more romantic at night. Both "dark ride" coasters (Skull Mountain and the Dark Knight) were short and kind of lame. ERL also played some games on the Boardwalk (but was not a winner and did not have a chicken dinner) -- funny thing to note in WB/Looney Tunes/DC Comics land, they actually had some Marvel branded prizes.
Finally, we ended the day with THREE consecutive trips on Superman: Ultimate Flight. This was our absolute favorite and we agreed to come back next year just to get on this one again. The seats on this ride might be cause for concern since you are locked in down to your ankles (which isn't good for the claustrophobic, but pretty excellent if you want to feel secure). Once you are in the seat, the floor drops out and the seat is angled in such a way that you are dangling -- without a floor or track beneath you -- but look ahead and you'll be flying like Superman! Immensely fun and the closest you'll ever get to actually flying.
All-in-all we spent about $300 bucks on our entire day out. Loads of fun and the weather was perfect. At just about two hours outside of NYC, it's worth the hassle of getting out on the road and into the Garden State for a day of screaming and whipping around. As much fun as when you remembered it as a kid? -- maybe even more.
After years of waiting, I finally got to see the Green Lantern movie. I was not disappointed. Was it the best superhero film I have ever seen? Nope. But I had such insanely high expectations for this film! Next to the Flash and Green Arrow -- Green Lantern is my absolute favorite superhero. Nothing would ever match the movie that plays in my head, but director Martin Campbell does come close. Since the film is basically an origin story, it shows a lot of promise in terms of setting up the coming sequels (there certainly will be more to come).
I do stand by my assessment that Ryan Reynolds was born to play Wally West in a Flash film, but man, he makes a fantastic Hal Jordan as well. Reynolds excels at humor and wisecracks. In the latest Entertainment Weekly Reynolds writes a tongue-in-cheek biography and describes himself as a "cocksman" -- couldn't have said it any better. His swagger, attitude, fearlessness, and moments of doubt conveyed everything I think Hal Jordan should be. When he first recites the Green Lantern Oath -- I got chills. He did a fantastic job and I'm psyched for more in years to come.
Mark Strong was an absolutely perfect choice to play Sinestro.*SPOILERS for the non-comic astute* The haughty attitude, the self-righteousness, the hero that is primed for corruption -- he nailed it. (Visually, the widow's peak, the ears, the mustache, the forehead, the crazy pink skin -- Korugarian-perfect!) *MORE SPOILERS!!!!* The scene that plays during the credits with Sinestro donning the yellow ring followed by his GL suit turning that iconic shade of yellow....I cannot wait for the Sinestro Corps War to make it to the screen in the inevitable sequel.
"Eye candy" seems to be the best way to describe the film. The CG and the 3D were done incredibly well. I loved every minute of the effects shots and the action pieces. A few minor nitpicks: Hal's mask could use some tweaking. It looks like it's upside down or the nose is wrong? I can't really put my finger on it, but it could use a little work? The Guardians were a little too...gooey for my liking. Kilowog was a bit too piggish. And Tomar-Re looked like he had scoliosis. But on the whole, the Corps looked fantastic. I was so excited to see Stel and Bzzd -- but like a Star Wars film, they appeared for a second and they were gone. Would I buy their action figures though, heck yeah! (I was Kenner trained.) I do wish there was more time spent with the Corps -- but I'm sure that's what the sequels are for.
And as for the Blake Lively question -- I remember seeing the trailer and groaned at her performance. Well, I have to say she did a great job as well. She looked absolutely gorgeous and handled Carol Ferris pretty well. I do feel she is just a touch too young for the role. I always pictured Carol as more "womanly" and Lively comes across as too girlish -- the role needed just a bit more gravitas. (Besides, I kept thinking about how Serena van der Woodsen wouldn't be caught dead in a flight suit! ... XOXO Gossip Girl....and yes, I did watch the show. I'm not handing over my geekcard though!) ** MAJOR SPOILERS for the non-comic folks** Would Lively have the acting chops (and not be campy) and be able to transition over to Star Sapphire mode in the sequel/ threequel?
Peter Sarsgaard had the unenviable task of growing a giant head to play Hector Hammond. Grotesque and creepy-- Sarsgaard had it down before he even had to put on any of the prosthetics. He is one of the few actors `that can just make your skin crawl with an expression or an off-kilter line reading. He just seemed to be...clammy and oily the entire time he was on screen. Pretty perfect, if you ask me.
As for the supporting cast, Tim Robbins and Angela Bassett were...there. They didn't have much to their characters, but it helped to move the plot along and a nice nod to DCU history (though Frenchie Davis might be a better fit to play Amanda Waller than arms-of-steel-Bassett). Tom Kalamaku was a nice addition and a brief scene of the Jordan family rounded out Hal's back story.
*MORE SPOILERS*
So, does Abin Sur (played by Jango Fett / Clone daddy - Temuera Morrison) do anything other than die? (A long running geek joke...) Not really, but he makes the most of his time on screen. He gets to battle Parallax for a hot minute, travels to Earth, gives Hal the ring, and croaks. He does serve as a good plot device of bringing a piece of Parallax to Earth (comic purists take note -- Parallax isn't the bug we've come to know and fear) and helps to tie Hector Hammond into the cosmic stuff. It would have been nice to get to see more of Abin Sur in action (as we comic nerds have all wondered), but that may be seen in flashbacks in sequels or at least in the Flashpoint comics.
Final thoughts: I loved it. I wanted more more and more. I'm glad that we've gotten the origin story out of the way so the sequels can focus more on the Corps and the outer space stuff (which was the real highlight). Will we see Guy Gardner, John Stewart, or Kyle Rayner in the future (And Mogo MUST make an appearance before the franchise is done)? Who knows? But if the sequels follow in fashion - there may be a recruitment drive needed. Sign me up.
GeekOmnivore SCORE: GREEN is great!
*images sourced from the Internet. No copyright shall escape my sight!*
I walked right past Matt Stone on the street yesterday afternoon. (Right around Baruch college. I'm sure he was in town post-Tonys -- after winning for The Book of Mormon. I'm guessing he might have been at the People's Improv Theater for some reason. Tall dude.)
I didn't stop him. I didn't say hi. I did not effusively praise him for producing years of one of my favorite shows of all time: South Park. All I did really was mumble: "Hey, that was Matt Stone. Cool."
But why didn't I totally geek out? Was it because I was coming from Walgreen's with a multi-pack of toilet paper? Was I cranky because the check out guy was a bit of a d-bag? Or was it something else? Was I... Could I be...a jaded geek?
In 2005, I went to an animation panel that was part of the annual New Yorker Festival -- Matt Stone and Trey Parker were there, as were Brad Bird (The Incredibles), and Matt Maiellaro and Dave Willis (Aqua Teen Hunger Force). It was great discussion and totally worth the time to go and check it out. I would have killed to have a minute to talk to the Matt and Trey back then.
Fast forward several years later and I have been to numerous comic conventions, I've worked on projects that had celebrities attached (more on that some other day), met some of my favorite rock stars (for one reason or another) and now one of my college buddies is a big time actor -- James Kyson Lee. And, well... maybe I have gotten a bit less starstruck in my years. BUT...
Yes, we've all heard that celebrities are people too. That they have lives and deserve to carry on without being harassed by the sweaty masses. But what about the flip side? We supergeeks who spend our time absorbed in deep contemplation about pop-culture...sometimes we need a day off from our self-proclaimed empires of nerdiosity. Sometimes, we just want to get our Coke Zero and Chex Mix and Mead Envelopes without having to deal with the hassle of running into a famous person!
You know, I've learned something today -- it's not essential to my geekdom that I actually geek out ALL THE TIME. It's ok for me to acknowledge the fact that hey, that was friggin' Matt Stone! in my head and have that just be enough as it is. A pure thought. A dragonfly alighting on a lily pad.
A lot of us fanboys have the mentality that we MUST get that autograph or that picture with the object of our geekdom (believe me, I have and probably will again) -- but sometimes it's just ok to have a moment and let that be it. (And yet, here I am blogging about it and making a big deal about how it wasn't a big deal! AND I did it in the style of how a South Park episode ends with a lesson! -- did you catch how meta that was? -- Oh, the irony! Wait, is that ironic? Someone check with Alanis...)
So, Matt Stone (and Trey Parker) I appreciate the brilliance that is South Park's highbrow/lowbrow social commentary/fart jokes. I will forever admire the cinematic genius of Bigger, Longer, and Uncut,Team America, and yes, even BASEketball. And I will unleash my inner drama nerd/a capella dork when I finally get to see the Book of Mormon. Perhaps if my hands were not full with sundry items that day, I may have doffed my cap and said "Hello. I hope you had a good time in NYC. Congrats on the Tonys. You are one step closer to an EGOT!" And I would have totally taken a picture with you on my cell phone.
Sigh... I AM a nerd...and I'm big-boned.
*images sourced from around the Internet. Professor Chaos rules.
Joe Madureira is back this November doing interiors for an on-going series: Avenging Spider-Man!
And it's going to be a Spidey book focusing on superheroics (not so much with the super soap opera / personal life stuff) with the Avengers. Pretty much like a revamp of the classic Marvel Team-Up books I loved so much as a kid.
A little more background on why this news gets me so excited:
I love Spidey as much as the next guy, but with the reboot in the "One More Day" / "Brand New Day" storylines (basically, reverting years of Marvel history and undoing Peter Parker's marriage to Mary Jane Watson among other important events), I got a little lost.
Many readers jumped onboard during the controversial (but often times great) "new status quo". I checked it out a few times (mostly because I love writer Dan Slott's previous work on She-Hulk and other titles), but for the most part, I had way too many other comics to read, to add on a stack of Spideys.
The bottomline: I love team books. I always feel that they are more bang-for-the-buck because you get more of your favorite characters in the same comic each month. Hence, Spidey as a member of the Avengers and the FF (Fantastic Four is now the Future Foundation....*SPOILER* Human Torch died and Spidey's on the team now) is simply awesome.
Now, there was a very, very short period in time when I gave up on comics. It was a year or two tops. When high school and being cool (mostly, it was for girls) was more important than getting my stack of four-color happiness. I missed out on some of the late 80s and early 90s storylines (No great loss, right! HA! Nerd joke.) But I absolutely credit a handful of artists for bringing me back from the brink.Their work was so dynamic and different that I was compelled to come back to my first love and haven't given up a week since. (Ok, let's name a few: Jim Lee definitely kicked it off, J. Scott Campbell, Todd McFarlane, Chris Bachalo, the Kubert brothers, Brett Booth, Tony Daniel, Marc Silvestri, and R.I.P. Michael Turner and Mike Wieringo.)
Joe Madureira's work on X-Men, especially on the "Age of Apocalypse" storyline, was one of the seminal works that cemented my lifelong comic fanboy status. The anime/videogame style that he excelled at, was something fresh and earth-shaking. It was a style that I initially didn't think would work, but ultimately became one of my favorites. As long as comics were as good as this. I would never give them up. (Not even for girls! *I love you, ERL.*)
Joe Maduriera actually took an extended hiatus from comic books and focused on working on video games. Fans always appreciated an image here and there (for Wizard magazine, tribute/guest shots, etc.), but it was never enough. We wanted more of Joe Mad's art -- whether it was his creator-owned Battle Chasers or something for Marvel or DC -- we were being deprived!
For almost a decade, we hadn't seen any interior art done by Joe Mad -- until Ultimates 3 in 2008. I was not disappointed. As with most of the Ultimates storylines, this one was extremely intense. Lots of twists and turns, courtesy of Jeph Loeb, but it was really the art that did it for me and had me chomping at the bit for each issue.
Since the end of the series, we haven't heard much from Joe except for the occasional cover. Guess he was working on the new Spidey book! I can't wait to see it. Looking forward to new Joe!
*images sourced from around the Web. Thank you, Internet! Thanks Marvel and Joe Mad!*
How much of my hard earned money has gone to Best Buy in the past decade? How many geektastic things have I bought from them throughout the years?
Best Buy absolutely know their bread and butter -- GEEKS! -- namely, males from the ages of 13-49 with disposable income. In many ways, Best Buy is our best friend, and when times are tight -- possibly our worst enemy. They tempt us with the latest and greatest in media, tech -- all the things we drool after. They even name their computer tech service the Geek Squad! They love us, they ARE us. They would not survive without us and vice versa.
Ok, enough with the Best Buy love. Truth be told, I do most of my shopping online at Amazon or Hastings nowadays. But every once in a while, I have a hankering to walk down the aisles of a brick-and-mortar and lookfeeltouchBUYNOW.
The latest Memorial Day/Father's Day/Independence Day sales may or may not get me off my tuchas and into the fluorescent-lit wonderland that is my local Best Buy, but their latest ad makes me laugh and I am somewhat compelled to give them my money.
Check it out here:
Why does this commercial work for me? Let's dissect it in typical geek fashion:
1. (0:01) Best Buy Geek Girl is vaguely cute and approachable (also, redhead/brunette-with-ponytail is shorthand for geekgoddess). The actress is Wendy McColm and she's a comedian with a few funny videos floating around the web and even a fan site (with an awesome name)!
Could she be the next Felicia Day or Nicki Clyne or Jewel Staite or (my favorite nerd crush) Kari Byron? (Um, if you don't recognize any of those names -- why the heck are you reading this blog? Please go check out anything by Joss Whedon: ie. Firefly, Dr. Horrible's Sing-A-Long Blog, Dollhouse, Buffy, etc., Battlestar Galactica, and Mythbusters. Seriously, bro, get on Netflix ASAP. You can thank me later.)
If you stand any of these ladies next to a Victoria's Secret model or Maxim cover girl-- for the greater male population, there is no contest. But to us geeks, these are our muses and objects of desire -- mainly because we think they can fix an FTL drive or join us on a quest for an Elvish sword -- we value them for their brains as much as their busts. We would want to hang out with them because maybe they would want to hang out with us.
(**Ok, back to the commercial...)
2. (0:02)Paintball is awesome. The fact that BBGG is in the midst of the action and overtly flinching is pretty hilarious (the CG projectiles aren't half bad either). Also makes us geeks think about the latest FPS games, especially CoD:MW3 -- coming out in November!
3. (0:09)Wish fulfillment.If only we got cell phones to appease us when we misbehaved! Mooooom!
4. (0:13)Good acting.Give it up for BBGG for getting drenched and hanging in there. Chalk this one up to some ol' fashioned can-do. Funny. Brava, Ms. McColm, brava.
5. (0:16)Inflames our tech lust.I don't have an iPad yet, but me wants it. Me wantsssssss it badly! That air guitar app looks pretty frakkin' cool and it looks like BBGG has no shame in trying to rock out. Always commendable.
6. (0:23)High-pitched screaming still makes us laugh. Add fart sounds and this might have been the perfect commercial.
7. It's a commercial about summer, that doesn't make us feel bad for being geeks.It's not putting the emphasis on getting a tan, tossing a frisbee, and showing off a beach-ready body. It's saying: it's ok to be fat, pasty, and completely engrossed with your gadgets. There's nothing wrong with that, buddy. You can get some fresh air and still be the best nerd you can be.
And for all these reasons: I love you, Best Buy. Here's my credit card.
GeekOmnivore Score:I get Reward Zone points for this, right?
If you ask any comic book geek worth his or her salt -- they've usually got an "if I wrote a storyline, it would be about ..." idea in their back pocket. We nerds usually fantasize about what we would want to read/see in our preferred medium (print, digital, film, TV, etc.). But, when it comes down to it, often times it's better to sit back and enjoy than actually be tasked with creating something in an industry that we love so much.
Currently, I have absolutely no aspirations to write or edit a comic book. I don't think I would want to mix the pleasure and enjoyment I get from my weekly pull with the necessity of producing a paycheck. (Now, working in another capacity for a comic book company -- that I would do in a heartbeat!) Well, if you ask me again in a few years, I might change my mind...but I'd rather see what Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Neil Gaiman, Brian K. Vaughn, Joe Hill, Brian Michael Bendis, Gail Simone,Mark Millar, Jonathan Hickman, Matt Fraction, Ed Brubaker and a slew of others I read regularly, would create.
With DC's recent announcement that they are making some serious changes and nearly starting over from scratch -- there is a lot of excitement in the air and a ton of possibilities. I'm not sure how much of DCU history will remain, but the primary essence of these characters are timeless. Who they are, their motivations, their iconic status -- the pure seeds of what makes them heroes will always be there. So, "what would I ask my favorite comic book writer to write about?" -- here's an idea for DC Comics:
1. A real exploration of DC Comics "Trinity" or their "other Trinity"
(**First off -- I'm not sure any idea will ever be 100% original, there will always be bits and pieces that have been done before. But what I would love to see follows the philosophy of "more of a good thing" and "new and improved." )
DC Comics have been producing weekly/bi-weekly comic book series for the past few years, nearly all of which I have thoroughly enjoyed (52, Brightest Day,and Justice League: Generation Lost,being among my favorites). But I did think that theTrinityseries missed the mark. A weekly comic series about Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman and their dynamic -- that sounds like something I would love to read! Unfortunately, the Big Three were largely missing in the series and instead it focused on what might happen in their absence.
I felt that the series definitely had some promise, but it spun out of control with each passing issue. The storyline got more complex, new characters or obscure characters played major roles, and in the end -- it left me wishing it was something else entirely -- namely, an actual series about Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman.
Batman's ultimate human perseverance formed from his damaged, fear-driven psyche + Superman's alien, physical perfection coupled with his overtly altruistic qualities + Wonder Woman's royal lineage and paradoxical mission of peace through war -- all with the added complexity of gender politics. Throw the three of them together, mix, and enjoy.
In the past decade or so, we've seen some really well-written stories that featured these three: in Grant Morrison'sJLA,Brad Meltzer'sJustice League of America,Matt Wagner's Trinity, and in Bruce Timm-produced episodes of DCU Animated series -- but a monthly or weekly title focusing on the ultimate triumvirate? Done well? I'm waiting with a fistful of cold-hard cash. (**OK, the Batman/Superman comic series had a few story lines that were classic, but I always felt that you needed Diana in the mix on a consistent basis to make things really interesting.)
Alternately, I'd love to see a series about DC's next-tier characters who have a significant amount of history, the "other Trinity": The Flash, Green Lantern, and Green Arrow.
I give credit to Mark Waid's limited series The Brave and the Bold, old school Denny O'Neil / Neal Adams goodness in Green Lantern / Green Arrow, and Kevin Smith / Brad Meltzer's run on Green Arrow for exploring the complicated friendship between Oliver Queen, Hal Jordan, and Barry Allen.
Green Arrow's hot headed, righteous indignation + Green Lantern's space cop with a cocksure attitude + The Flash's crime lab scientist who ultimately needs balance in all aspects = yesmoreplease.
Of course, each of these characters is well-deserving of their own title that explore their rogues galleries (The Flash's being one of the best in all of comic history) and supporting cast--but I think the dynamic between the three heroes is what would make for great storytelling: team-ups conflict, bromance moments!
I cannot wait to see what DC has in store with all the new #1 issues coming out starting this summer. Will any of my geeky desires be fulfilled?
Next time: my other idea that I'd love for DC Comics to pursue.
*images sourced from around the Web. Thank you, Internet! I love you, DC Comics! Drawing the line at $2.99!*
One of my biggest fears (for myself and my loved ones) is the dreaded "slicing a bagel in half and cutting your finger" scenario. Of course, after watching (and yelling at) my little brother unsafely cut his bagel while grasping it in his hand, I slice my thumb doing it the "safe way" (cutting it on a plate). *In my defense, my mom happened to cough really loudly while I was cutting my Jalapeno Cheddar bagel. THANKS, MOM!
So, while I scowled at my bagel as it toasted, I had to stop the bleeding.The gash was about an inch long, but not too deep. Surprisingly, this cut was a bit of a gusher and it took a few mummy-worthy twirls of gauze to get the bleeding to slow.
The blood-soaked bandage was enough to call for drastic measures: super glue.
Yup, this stuff was supposedly used during the Vietnam War and a lot of athletes use it in it's antibacterial for-medical-use form, but all we had was good ol' crazy super glue.
And it worked. I heard how cyanoacrylate could be used in a pinch and it certainly did the trick. Literally, 5 seconds after it was applied, the bleeding pretty much stopped.
By all means, do not do this if you can stop the bleeding from small cuts in more traditional ways. Heck, get stitches if you really need to. But it is always a good option to have around just in case you cannot get to the doctor.
So, why does it seem that most geeks love electronic music? Lots of "cool" folks love electronica, but why do so many of us? Do scores of nerds like to go to clubs undercover of moonlight and bust out sweet dance moves? Probably not (unless we are talking about Comic Con or Anime parties).
What is it about blippy-bloopy synthesizer-driven music that strikes a chord (punny) with geeks? If you think about it, it's pretty obvious:
1. Synthesizers = science. Loops and beats are just repeated algorithms! 2. Anime, comic books, and science fiction have perpetuated a dystopian future where electronica is the inevitable soundtrack. Are robots/androids/artificial intelligence the norm in your preferred fictional world? What does robotic music sound like? 3.8-bit video game music were our lullabies. A whole generation of us--well into our 30s and 40s now--grew up playing NES titles (with repetitive theme songs) for hours on end...at least until we passed out on top of our cartridges. 4.It's all part of the techie demographic, stupid. Got a subscription to WIRED? Early adopter? Got a few game consoles at home? Watch Attack of the Show? Wait on line for new Apple products? You probably like electronic music. 5.Electronic artists are geeks, too.Yeah, they may be rockstars and play clubs and festivals--but they tend to be pastyfaced gamers and nerds just like us. 6.We are all drawn to the dark side. Much electronic music tends to be played in dark spaces or piped through oversized headphones. It just takes us back to our Goth days. 7. For us, it's one step towards being a little cooler. Maybe, just maybe, our non-geek friends have heard a song that we actually like too? (Well, in a car commercial, but still.)
A few examples:
Nine Inch Nails / Trent Reznor -- The mouth piece for a whole generation of disaffected youth has an Oscar now. Still angry? Still dark? In recent years, Trent's taken to the gym and pumped up, but he's still the master of ambiance. But hey, we'll always have prettyhatemachine. (See also: Skinny Puppy, Ministry, KMFDM, God Lives Underwater, etc.)
The trailer to David Fincher's version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo takes on an air of menace and intensity that only Trent Reznor (and Yeah Yeah Yeah's Karen O-- doing a muscular version of Led Zeppelin's"Immigrant Song") can bring. Soundtrack awesomeness is a given. (Also see contributions to soundtracks like The Social Network,Lost Highway, Natural Born Killers, and The Crow--all movies that geeks adore.)
The Faint -- one of my fave bands. They actually have a song called "The Geeks Were Right". 'Nuff said!
Daft Punk -- These dudes never show their faces (um, cosplay much?) and did a whole anime film/concept album with anime legend Leiji Matsumoto. They also scored Tron: Legacy. Come on! Q.E.D.!
LCD Soundsystem -- They've got a song called "Daft Punk Is Playing at My House" -- geeks name dropping geeks! James Murphy is an undeniable badass and a genius. Even celebrities couldn't get tickets to LCD's last shows and yet, Murphy looks like someone you would see in line at your local comic book store. Geeks win! GEEKS WIN.
Does It Offend You, Yeah? -- You probably know them from their song "We Are Rockstars"which was used in commercials and movie trailers. But the best evidence of geek-ery is their song "Dawn of the Dead" -- the fan made video uses footage from George A Romero's...Dawn of the Dead.
Deadmau5 -- just look at that modded foam mouse head. This guy just knows his DIY tech. He makes millions now and rocks it out nightly, but haters are still gonna hate.
Crystal Castles -- probably the best example. The name comes from the old school video game and they absolutely use samples from 8-bit games in their music. Check out "Xxzxcuzx Me" :
Lead singer Alice Glass is a pixie-ish, gothpunk, cutie (also see Olivia Wilde in Tron: Legacy, Charlize Theron in Aeon Flux, etc.) as evidenced in the below live performance of "Crimewave" Some serious vocoder action in this one (pretty geeky, pretty cool, pretty girl):
Alice Glass rocking out. Check out their live performance at Reading 2009 for some fierceness:
And of course, I'm not leaving out one of my all time faves:
Depeche Mode: how many of us read Aldous Huxley or Philip K. Dick while listening to Black Celebration or Music for the Masses? Am I the only one? The synths and the nasally English accents and the black leather and the alabaster pale skin... just a perfect score to our winters of discontent. (See also: New Order, OMD, Erasure, Pet Shop Boys, Yaz, etc.)
For old times sake, here's "Stripped":
(The only reason Dave Gahan went through his long hair, tatts, and heroin 90s phase was because he was tired of being a geek. We're glad to have him back, healthy, and alive. We still need him.)
NOT GOOD!
MUCH BETTER!
Of course, these are just a few examples. I'm not going to even get into genres and sub-genres (though that would be pretty geeky) but believe me: drum n' bass, trip hop, garage, two-step, ambient, new wave, and beyond--if there is a Korg, a Moog, or an 808 plugged in -- there is someone nerding out and loving it.
Finally, a bit of my own electronic geekery. Check out my songs (featuring some knob-twiddling and serious beats):
Just finished reading Tina Fey's Bossypants. And indeed, her pants are bossy and hilarious. I can understand why the book was marketed as a major Mother's Day gift and targeted women, but did she really not expect any men to pick up the book? Any geek worth his salt appreciates Tina Fey for her intelligence, wit, pop culture references, irreverent -liberal- yet-somewhat-conflicted/traditional-outlook, and nerdy-foxiness.
When she first started doing Weekend Update on SNL, I remember thinking that she 1. had a bad haircut, 2. seemed really smart, 3. was pretty funny. (1= much improved. 2 and 3 = still true.) Over the years, I've come to count on her for consistentency. What I refer to as the "highbrow/lowbrow 1-2" -- revealing what geeks tend to revel in: we pride ourselves on our encyclopedic knowledge of _____ and all the minutiae that entails, but in the end we are all a bit socially awkward and prone to embarrassing moments related to bodily functions and/or excessive hair and/or fat.
It's all about the glasses
Tina Fey gives us (men, women) something to aspire to. She represents how with hard work, perseverance, and luck (and ok, looking like a certain political figure) -- we can achieve our ultimate personal and professional Nerd-vana. Bossypants confirms what 30 Rock often seems to reflect: small town girl with a penchant for theatricality and lack of social grace does good.
On 30 Rock, Liz Lemon tries so hard to do the right thing by her show, her boss, her colleagues, her friends -- and often fails. But we fall in love (or pity) her because of her pluckiness, her willingness (or utter avoidance) of doing the unthinkable--the path of most embarrassment.
Bossypants is everything you expect and more. The account of how she made it to SNL, how 30 Rock got off the ground, and that whole Sarah Palin thing. What I didn't expect was the true moments of vulnerability-- despite (or in spite of) the jokes, Fey's youth and her current conflict between workaholic mania and motherhood, make you empathize with her. And then she makes a joke about telling someone to go "s**k a bag of d**ks".
Tina Fey does exhibit a filthy mouth in the book. (Which makes me think: is it ok for women to use the "c-word"? Is it "empowering" or what? I mean is it ok for me (a big Asian dude) to use "the Asian c-word"? Regardless, the Brits seem to use the "lady c-word" like no one else. No one should use the Asian "c-word" unless you are describing weaknesses in your suit of armor.)
She does address her scar right off the bat--she was a victim of a random attack when she was in kindergarten. Crazy. She does state pretty honestly that she was made to feel extraordinary through out her life because of the attention she got, but she realized that it was because it was to compensate for being slashed. But in true Fey fashion: "I guess what I am saying is, this has all been a wonderful misunderstanding. And I shall keep these Golden Globes, every last one!"
That quote seems to summarize the whole book to me. Tina Fey seems humble and despite all the awards and attention, she still seems amazed. But she will always emphasize hard work, gumption, and the people that support her in her life and career over anything else.
I do expect her to write a follow-up to the book. I'm sure she's got plenty of stories about her SNL days, working on films like Mean Girls and Baby Mama, and 30 Rock. More, please. I want to go to there!
Finally, I'll relay my brief brush with Fey-ness: My little brother J was a child actor (he won a McDonald's talent search and was in a few commercial spots, etc.) and in April of 2005, we took him to an audition at 30 Rockefeller Plaza. We had been on dozens of these, mostly in nondescript office buildings. Going to 30 Rock was a real experience--the lights, the glamour! (Ok, not really, but it was cool to be in the building where SNL and Conan were taped). We ended up at NBC casting and waited for J to be called in. Outside, there were monitors and we watched Cameron Diaz practicing a sketch for SNL. Pretty cool.
Soon after J was done (he didn't get the part), we went to get the elevator to leave. While we were waiting we soon realized that we had been standing for five minutes next to Rachel Dratch, Maya Rudolph,...and Tina Fey.
We crowd into the elevator and I smile at Rachel Dratch and she smiles back (I would later see her two more times outside my old office building. Strange!) and just like that--they exit. I noticed that they were all shorter than I thought they would be and Tina Fey was very, very pasty white. But regardless, I remember screaming in my head "I LOVE YOU TINA FEY!" ... and I still do.
You've done us proud, geek mama.
GeekOmnivore SCORE: Fey-tastic!
*images sourced from around the Web. Thank you, Internet!*
Another DC Comics ride was up next and was our third favorite of the day -- Bizarro (though it's the old Medusa coaster re-branded with some extras thrown in). So many cool touches in this ride! There was pyro and mist and just a ton of cool inversions, twists and turns. My major complaint is that you get boxed in the ears at a certain point (happened to me both times we rode, at the same turn). Other than that, me no like Bizarro! No fun at all!
