Vacation Fragments

I'm on vacation now for about a month.

CUE HAPPINESS

Got my no shave-almost-kinda-beard going for about a week now. I don't know how long that will last.

In theory this should mean I have time to post more on the blog but it won't really matter. I will be lucky to get done with 2-3 more posts before 2014 hits.

My office is so cold at work (so cold I am forced to occasionally use a little space heater in the summer time). I brought the littler heater home on the break so I could warm my feet up as I work on the kids' project at night in the kitchen. The kitchen floor at night is like an ice-rink. Today, it came upon me that the heater made me realize how cold I pretty much always am and have always been. All this is to say I feel like an Old Lady all day long.  FIRST WORLD PROBLEMS.

Goals this Winter Break:
Finish Girl's Project (for Xmas)
Research Peru trip (fill in the details for Sacred Valley free day, and Puno activities)
Think about revamping my intro class
Oil Change
Hair cut
3-6 Blog posts

Before the lame "War on Christmas" started I used to say "Merry Christmas" - now I only say "Happy Holidays" to strangers. TAKE THAT FOX NEWS. 

In the spirit of the season, MINI PIC DUMP

 

Well, then that just about settles it. It's hell for me.

Sikh Center Fragments

I visited our local Sikh gurdwara (called a "Sikh Center") here in town about a month ago.

Here are the fragments:

I had called about two weeks prior to inquire about the best worship time to come to. It was an awkward phone call but I didn't let it dissuade me from coming. Most Sikhs I have met have all been friendly folks.

Besides, I was looking to expand my checklist.

 Here are the significant religious places/events I have experienced in life thus far:

• Buddhist Monastery - Chanting Service & Meal (Monks were from Thailand)
• Buddhist Meditation Center - Meditation Open House (a Shambala Center)
• Hindu Temple (Vaishnavism)
• Mosque (Islam, for those that don't know, Sunni for those scoring at home)
• Eid al-Fitr Celebration Dinner  (End of Islamic Ramadan - Turkish Cultural Center)
• Reformed Synagogue (however, I was not there for a worship service)

I arrived early for the two-hour service as I was meeting a few students there for an assignment they had to complete. It was a group six of us and we stood around in the parking lot for a few minutes waiting to see if any additional students would join us (they never did). As usual, I had forced myself into this situation. We all felt awkward but I had to be the leader and pretend I didn't.

This is the Khanda, the symbol of Sikhism. I think it's pretty obvious that Sikhism has the best symbol out of all the religions. It looks like something off of Star Wars. (Runner-up: Yin-Yang)

 
We arrived inside the lobby and took our shoes off. There was chanting going on in what seemed like the large open room right in front of us. I led us inside to find....just a women sitting on the floor alone. I realized we were listening to a speaker we had entered the "langar" the common area around the kitchen for eating after the service.

I approached the woman and found out her name was Regina and she wasn't a Sikh at all - but married to a Sikh that had immigrated here to the states from India. She came to the gurdwara every Sunday with her family (including her in-laws). She told us it was best if we covered our heads while inside the gurdwara as a sign of respect. I felt a little stupid for not knowing that ahead of time, but ya know, it all worked out. She led us to a drawer full of head coverings for men and scarfs for women. I chose a blue one and felt like a pirate. Turns out blue and orange are preferred colors for Sikhs.

She invited us to grab a bite to eat (some corn-bread-like stuffing cake stuff and some other Indian goodies). We were waiting for the 11:00 service to start but it was already 11:00 and about 20 people came out of the worship area into the room we were in. More people started filing in, old people, women with their beautiful saris and groups of kids, running around being kids.

It surprised me when I saw that about a third of the men didn't have a turban or beard.

Love the sense of humor of this t-shirt. I would wear it if I was from India, South Asia or the Middle East.

I had previously thought all Sikh men had to have beards. I knew all about the 5 K's (look it up, I'm too lazy to type it out for you).  It turns out a Sikh male is only required to follow the 5 K's (which includes not cutting hair and keeping your facial hair) only after baptism. Baptism is a choice and only when the believer is ready. So, there were some men even in their late 50's at the gurdwara that had not been baptized.

A little after 11:00 AM rolled around, we strolled into the worship hall, which was divided by gender.  It is similar to a mosque in that everyone sat on the floor. However, at the front of the room was a short stage where three musicians chanted and sung.  More importantly, at the center was a stage like area where the scared book of Sikhism the Guru Granth Sahib was presented. The entire service an older Sikh would wave a feather over the book (ya know, to keep it cool).

Yeah, like this, except imagine the dude fanning the book with a feather (of course, it's hot under all those blankets). Also, this is (obviously?) not my photo. I don't have the gall to take photos of people when they are in their sacred areas. It just feels wrong and awkward. And I usually I feel awkward enough as it is.

 
The only other male student in my group and I went straight to the back where most believers were seated at. At this point, they were all older men over the age of 65.  We found a spot against the wall, as that's what most of the early-birds were doing - getting the early bird seating. So, old people are all the same, no matter the culture.  Indeed, it was the most comfortable spot and that's a good thing because we were sitting there for over two hours.

The first 30 minutes was just one long song. Like one of those praise-and-worship songs that just goes on and on and on. Making it more difficult was the fact that I had no idea what was being sung.

Turns out the mind wanders when the entire service is in Punjabi.

I noticed a young couple that sat in the back together on the female side, breaking the division of gender in the room. No one seemed to mind but it seemed audacious to me all the same. I was like, yeah, man, I would be that Rebel Sikh guy, too. Fight the POWER. He was a baptized believer and his girlfriend/wife/partner was Anglo. I was going to talk with them later but felt a little too eager to talk with them and then it made me feel silly and maybe even a little racist as I felt like talking to them only because he had a Anglo girlfriend/wife/partner. So, I was lame and didn't.

One of the musicians spoke for a few minutes and then another long half hour song began.  Some parishioners seemed to quietly sing along, but the music was so loud I couldn't tell how many were singing along.

Finally, there was a sermon. I was left guessing what was being said. Mostly, to my foreign ears it sounded like rhetorical question after rhetorical question, with the accompanying pauses and the occasional eye-brow raising. He seemed like a seasoned pro - even watching him was a little entertaining. He got a few pleasant but authentic guffaws from his congregation from time to time.



So, the Sikh Center here in town is in a non-descript building but this the Golden Temple in Punjab. Why am I posting a picture of it? Because I can't do a whole post on Sikhism and not show a picture of this amazing building. It would be a internet sin.  This is definitely on my bucket list. It's also close to Dharamsala as well, which would be cool to check out. AHH - I gotta get to India-Nepal sometime in the next decade somehow.


Later, it was explained to us that the sermon was about loving God and all of God's creations, including our fellow man. To love others is to express one's love in God and for God. A pretty nice thought.

After the sermon, you guessed it, another SONG (which thankfully only ran for 15-20 minutes). This final song was followed by a prayer in which we all stood up. Standing up felt great after being on the ground for about 2 hours.  The prayer was issued and I prayed myself, hoping God was listening to the Sikhs around me. As you may or may not know, I am not one of those strict, mean old Christians but this got me thinking about the nature of God, prayer, the purpose of prayer and the importance of prayer on the believer.

Finally, after the prayer, a part of the service happened that was in English! Three children read from short essays they wrote about their "camp" experienced from a youth event they recently attended.  Good introductory Sikh stories that I actually already knew. We were formally welcomed and our names were read out loud and we stood up as they called our name. Then another prayer was said and sweet bread was passed around to all. It felt a little like communion.

The congregation was dismissed but a group of young Sikhs were quickly around us to welcome us and answer any questions we had. They were pretty cool and they helped answer the question I had about facial hair. I was also encouraged to hear that they hadn't really experienced any direct or explicit discrimination here in town.  I was pleased to hear that a group of Christians came by after the terrible shooting in Wisconsin to offer their support. I wished I had thought about doing that too.

It was then time to eat, while we were having our questions answered the congregation filed into the langar (or what Christians might call the "fellowship hall") for lunch. The Sikh tradition includes lunch after service for all. Everyone sat on the ground and servers came around with buckets of food.

Okay, this is from a gurdwara in Dubai but yeah, it looked like this. The only thing kinda weird was the bare feet so close to your plate. That sounds more gross than it was, it didn't bother me.

It was Indian vegetarian fare. Not bad. Lentils were very good, the other stuff was okay. However, when you get free food, everything tastes a little better.  The students that stuck around for lunch were (honestly) a little boring. I ended up walking over to Regina and talking with her and it got very interesting as she considers herself a Christian but still attends here every Sunday. She talked about feeling the Holy Spirit among the believers and wondered if I thought it could be possible. I couldn't complete my thought as her in-laws came by, as did her husband. It seemed like this conversation was for more Christian "insiders" than the whole fam from the look on Regina's face. After a short conversation it seemed like it was "time to go" (and much of the congregation was making for the exits). I hope to meet her again next semester, but my answer is yes, I think it's possible.

It was an interesting experience I was happy to participate in.  For me, I love "hands on" experiences with other religions and cultures. I look forward to another visit in the coming months.

Quote of the Day: Coates on Human Complication

"If you begin from the premise that all humans are complicated then there really is no dissonance to be had. Dissonance is what we are."

-  Ta-Nehisi Coates (one of my favorite columnists)

(in his own comment section, no less)

Fragments, Ya Know?

I asked my little E today (age 5) what her favorite boogers were, "Crusters" or "Snotters"? These categories should be easy enough for you to figure out.  She thought for a second and said, "Bloody". I howled while laughing.

For the record, Crusters is the correct answer (in case you were afraid to ask). 

Another cute story that I don't think I have told on the blog. This was from a few years back when our oldest, C was in kinder.  "Military Appreciation Day" or some other militaristic propaganda day was approaching and the students were encouraged to dress in "Camo" that Friday. We're not really a "Camo" family, so I told my daughter that she would not be able to participate.  She told me without skipping a beat, "Well, I'll just wear a white shirt Dad." "Why's that C?" "Because the walls are white".  Just another reminder that we had smart one on our hands.

C won a character award at school a few months back and we "won" discounted Spurs tickets. We did this last year, so we made it a date again this year. We had a ton of fun and this year we had a great game (last year we attended the Spurs' blowout of the 76ers). Timmy was apparently feeling good and had his best game of the year thus far, scoring over 20 and pulling down 21 boards  -- the oldest player in NBA history to accomplish that feat. It was pretty sweet to see Timmy maybe for the last time personally perform at such a high level. Then to top it off, with the score tied at 100 and 4.7 seconds left on the clock, he knocked down the winning shot, leaving .4 on the clock for the Hawks to work with (of course they didn't score)



And the crowd went wild including my kid and I.  I had all those classic dad moments of explaining the game to her. I hope the experience made for some good memories for C!

So, this is the internet....here's the video for the kids who missed the highlights:




Crazily, I have attended well over 30-40 Spurs games in my life and this is the first Spurs "buzzer beater" we made "for the good guys".

I attended this little gem of a game when we were on the opposite end of the buzzer:

Of course we ended up winning the title that year (that was Game 1 of the 2003 playoffs). So, watching it now is no problem.  At the time, it drove me a little batty (double batty for being off a missed free throw).

SIDENOTE:  Courtesy of my friend, Phil (hi, Phil!!), I enjoyed a great seat, so I was in the background of a huge picture in the paper the next day. MY 2 SECONDS OF FAME.

ADDITIONAL BITTER SIDENOTE OF ANGER: it occurs to me that if TD made 80% of his free throws in the playoffs for his career, it's likely we have at least one more title. Hell, if the team averaged 76% (we had some terrible FT shooting teams back in the day), it would have made the difference, as well. The last two years, we have been fine and TD has been better.


Just bought and finished my first comic purchase (the  Infinity Gauntlet limited series from 91) on the Kindle. It was a new experience but overall I enjoyed it. On the positive note it really stopped me from reading or sneaking a peek ahead. Whenever I buy old comics, I usually thumb through it first, just as a habit. With the Kindle, I found myself reading the comic panel by panel (you can do pages but the text is just a teensy too small for my taste and comfort level).  This made the story much more dramatic and surprising from a typical read. Usually, there is good drama or surprises in a comic but  if that plot point is on same page you end up spoiling for yourself because you can't not force your eyes over on the remaining panels on a page or the facing page. Also, it was nice I could read at night in bed with the lights off. On the downside, I love reading old comic books with ads and the "Bullpen Bulletins" (I am a Marvel guy). I love the smell of old books. I'm weird that way.

I really wanted to see 12 Years A Slave. Ya know, I am fascinated by race and slavery and I have MA in history so it's kinda "my bag". But...I haven't gotten around to it and now the 2nd Hobbit is coming out. Yikes. Hate to say it, but Hobbit is more of a "movie experience" plus, I have a few friends in town who are pumped about it.

I am a LAZY MAN.  I have my Sikh Center blog post almost done just wanted to remember my booger story and Spurs memory with this post.

Until the next time, peace, love and waffles!

Fragments of Thanks

Even today when I hear sirens, I hear the beginning of the Inspector Gadget theme song. I hope I never grow up.



Unseen Villains are the best. Also, what kind of wine does Claw drink anyhoo?
My guess: sparkling red wine that runs about 8 bucks retail.

Thanksgiving came and went. My mother-in-law asked everyone at the table what they were thankful for. I hate that kinda stuff although I am sure I will do it when I am a grandfather. I feel like I am thankful for most everything except broccoli, people blocking lanes when they are in the wrong lane and take it out on the rest of us, physical pain, roaches, cancer and death. That about sums it up right there. In case your wondering my answer was "Everything but physical pain".

My inner guru says this, "It is good to poop. It is better to poop at home." Meditate upon that for awhile. It's true in the literal and metaphorical sense.

You know what I want for Christmas more than anything? Just the time off. That's the best part.

I gave my oldest daughter some of my old "Choose Your Own Adventure" books. I thumbed through one of them and one of the endings has you end up at the "fat kid's camp". How 'bout those 1980's. Ruthless, I tell ya. 

This book scared the poo out of me as a kid. The premise is basic enough, you are stuck on a spaceship when a "Space Vampire" invades your ship - trapped with no where to go and no help coming.  Terrifying for a 10-year-old. I would stare at this picture, horrified and yet intrigued enough that I couldn't look away.  Sometime when I was reading the book I had the worst nightmare of my life - this very vampire pictured chasing me everywhere I went, including a disembodied head mocking me.  Just looking at it today is still a little creepy. I left this one up in the attic. In time, it's possible the children will be brave enough to face up to the Space Vampire, until then, it waits, biding its time ever so patiently.

Just finished HG Wells' The Time Machine. Not too shabby. Two thumbs up as it's like the first Sci-Fi novel ever, it's quaint but actually not too shabby. Gets pretty cool at the end.

Working on a big project for my two girls for Christmas. Should finish up my inks this week and can begin coloring it soon after. I hope to be finished with the project a little after finals is over with.

The Peru trip is looking more likely, we need 3 more apps to make it official this week, and I think we'll get there.

Starting working on a series watch of Star Trek: Voyager. After 6 episodes, I am happy enough to keep watching. I would rate one as "Excellent", 4 or so as "Good to Very Good" and 1-2 as "Eh, Ok, I see the ending coming from a mile away but it's Star Trek and it's not so bad".

My favorite breakfast tacos are: bean and cheese, potato and bacon and potato and egg and cheese.

I gotta run must clean up house with visitors coming over for lunch tomorrow. Until then, LIVE STRONG but don't take drugs or wear silly wrist bands.  Or lie. Or generally be a douche like Lance Armstrong.  So generally, just ignore that I typed that out.

There and Back Again: The Beatitudes, Part I

When I started blogging back in April of 2010, one of my ideas was to write some biblical commentary. I had started a blog at some point in 2009 centered on my amateur efforts at biblical commentary. However, I got busy with life and I was quickly interested in other projects along the way. That failure gave me the idea of a "blog of lowered expectations". I would create a blog without a theme; it would be a repository of ideas, new and old, finished or unfinished. Hence the "fragments".  This post brings me back full circle. I'm finally getting around to posting some of my commentary.

This first (?!?!) series will be on the Beatitudes. My original idea was to post what I had saved on my PC with some minor edits and additions but I just can't operate that way. For example, I had an actual introduction to the Beatitudes but I re-wrote 95% of it. Present Neil is never happy with Past Neil and Future Neil just giggles at the both of them. So, go figure. I have no timetable to getting this done, it may come and go or if I get on a roll, I may just start popping them out rather quickly. Time will tell.

Introducing the Beatitudes 
Matthew’s fifth chapter begins Jesus’ "Sermon on the Mount". It is the centerpiece of Jesus' ethical revelation and contains many of Jesus’ most well known sayings. It has been debated, dissected and generally misunderstood over the centuries. The sermon delivers a radical vision of what the Kingdom of God is like. If you're a believer you can't help but feel a little uncomfortable reading the text. It is uncompromising in it's ethical and moral standards.

More importantly, the sermon sets Jesus apart from other wandering Jewish teachers. There is no doubt that Jesus' teaching established something different than what came before. Whether or not he intended to create a whole new religion, I'll set aside for another time. In the sermon, Jesus tells us that the conventional wisdom of the ages is worthless. The Kingdom of God runs counter to the Kingdom of Man. It shouldn't be a surprise to find out the Greek word used for "Kingdom" is the same word that is used to describe "Empire" when people referred to the "Roman Empire".

The sermon begins with the Beatitudes. The Beatitudes are series of eight (more like eight and a half) formula statements on who is "blessed". The word beatitude comes from a Latin term meaning "happy", "fortunate" or "blissful" (Wikipedia, man). The key phrase in the Beatitudes is "blessed" so it's important to explore what the term in Greek really meant. Most translations go with "blessed" but others chose "happy", "fortunate" or even the phrase "God blesses".

I'm not a big fan of translating the word "happy". It might have some value in revealing some of the original word in Greek - but I don't think it encompasses all the meanings in my understanding of the concept.

Something I will keep in mind for the commentary is the fact that we have two versions of the beatitudes. The first comes from Matthew 5 and the other from the so-called "Sermon on the Plain" as recorded in Luke. Luke's version only has four beatitudes (along with corresponding "woes"). I am no scholar so this brings up important questions I have about the hypothetical "Q" source that served source material for Matthew and Luke (the material that Matthew and Luke share that is not shared by Mark). As we discuss each beatitude, I will tackle both versions (or lack thereof) into account.

Here's an overview of the people who are "blessed" (the Luke version is in parenthesis)

• The poor in spirit ("the poor")
• Those who mourn ("those who weep now")
• The meek
• Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness ("those who hunger now")
• The merciful
• The pure in heart
• The peacemakers
• Those persecuted for righteousness sake ( Luke records "when people hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man").

According to conventional wisdom, most of the characteristics on this list wouldn't be considered "happy", "fortunate" or "blessed". Rather, just the opposite. Where the world sees failure and rejection, Jesus sees blessings. As I unpack each of these beatitudes we'll see just how they act as a positive on a believer.

Just reading the list reminds me of how "other-worldly" being a Christian is supposed to be like and how "unChristian" I am.

I don't want to be poor or be sad. I'm more shy than meek and I don't hunger enough for righteousness. I am merciful only when it's convenient for myself or those I love. I'm more self-interested than pure of heart and I am only a peacemaker because I don't like conflict.

The truth is, I'm a work in progress.

This reminds me of the fact that I am too afraid to pray for wisdom because I'm too afraid of how God will teach it to me. All the same, I look forward to the challenge of wrestling with these Kingdom Characteristics. Maybe it will help my journey towards being who I want to become.

Fragments Here, There and Way, Way, Way Over Thre

Sometimes students drive me crazy.

On Monday in my World Cultures class I asked for ideas, thoughts, images or anything that came to mind when I said the word "Islam" and/or "Muslims".

....Silence......

After a few rephrasing of my question an older student finally said, "bin Laden". Okay, good talking point. I am happy for someone to start us off with something a little controversial. So I write "bin Laden" on the whiteboard, hoping for more.  Still there was more "silence"...I decided to call on a student by name, "Chris, what do you think of when you hear the word 'Islam'?" Silence and then he shrugs. I write "shrugs" on the board. Ok, I'll try another. "Simon, what do you think when you hear the world 'Islam'"? "Uh..I don't know." So, I write that on the board as well. 

PEOPLE. WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE?????

Yes, I finally started getting some feedback after that response.

Today in the same class, I walk in and I feel the energy level of the room. It was a "Sleepy Sunday Afternoon After Lunch Close to Nap-time Level" . I asked if they would like to do jumping jacks or walk around the building. I actually got a few smiles on that one. VICTORY.

This is part of the semester where you really start disliking classes as a whole. No, not all the students just the class itself. I actually really like a few of the students as individuals in that class. But as a whole, something is just off. Likely, it's all me (no, I don't really believe that).  I have two of my five like that. However, the other three are great (really) so that's a good thing - thankfully, I always end each day with a good groups of students.

Saturday we were in Costco near the meat. There was a huge meat thing (no idea what it was but it was about 3 feet long). I looked at my four-year-old and held it up,  "Hey, E, look, human leg!" E, looking concerned, "Really?". "No, we don't eat humans. Would you want to eat a person?" Without missing a beat, "A dead person."  Five second pause, "...if I was an animal."  My weird little girl!! So proud. :)

Stuck in my head all day long. So, so good. Basically what I want my rock music to be:




Last night I read through Book 67 (on women and marriage) of the Sahih al-Bukhari.

And I have three words to say:

HOLY CORN DOG.

I will have more, much more to say on this doozie collection of hadiths. I have to say most Muslims I have meet are either living with a horrible case of repression, disconnection or ignorance (or they actually believe this stuff).

Before you read the excerpt take this short quiz.

Muhammad is about to describe who he saw in hell as "the majority of its dwellers". Guess which of the following were roasting the most?

A) Rich People
B) Women
C) Hypocrites
D) Disbelievers 

Your answer.....

He said, "I saw Paradise (or Paradise was shown to me), and I stretched my hand to pluck a bunch (of grapes), and had I plucked it, you would have eaten of it as long as this world exists. Then I saw the (Hell) Fire, and I have never before, seen such a horrible sight as that, and I saw that the majority of its dwellers were women." The people asked, "O Allah's Messenger ()! What is the reason for that?" He replied, "Because of their ungratefulness." It was said. "Do they disbelieve in Allah (are they ungrateful to Allah)?" He replied, "They are not thankful to their husbands and are ungrateful for the favors done to them. Even if you do good to one of them all your life, when she seems some harshness from you, she will say, "I have never seen any good from you.' "

Now this tradition is mentioned 2-3 additional times in the hadith from different witnesses.  In my understanding, this confirms that the saying is more reliable and deemed more authentic as compared to a source that is only recorded once in the collection or by one witness.

I got to watch some TV to relax -- I've been online for TOO long tonight. Best wishes, eat well and don't forget to always turn your blinkers on when changing lanes.

Goodnight sweet internet.

Quote of the Day

I called my wife on the way out the door at work to let her know I was leaving. The brief phone call ended abruptly with this closer:

"I have poop on my hands I have to go."

Thought of the Day

If you are the parent of small children and aren't tired, you're not doing it right.

Rainy Night Fragments

It's a rainy evening in the fall....wish it could be just a tad cooler.

The other day my in-laws texted a large chunk of the family  to let us know my wife's grandmother had slipped and fell and that she was going to get medical attention soon. I was in class and the students were working on something so I all I did was check who it was, and put my phone back in my pocket. Later I found out a "draft" was ready to be sent with my reply. Thankfully, it didn't send as the message read:

"Vegetable Elephant"



 

Internet, how I love thee.
 

I will be starting a series of commentary on the Beatitudes. I know, PURE EXCITEMENT.  I hope it will be a productive series for me.  I am writing it for a few reasons (listed below)

A) Much of it is already written
B) The gospels are my favorite part of the Bible
C) I want to challenge myself

TV Update: Watching Golden Girls on YouTube. It's awesome.

Other Important Facts to Know:

Pizza is good
Looking forward to cooler weather
Still sad about what happened in the NBA Finals
Waiting for Netflix to add Matlock, Life would be better
Study Abroad efforts are eating my life
My kids drive me crazy but are really pretty awesome


Time for a MINI PIC DUMP -- WHOO RAY............

 

Yes, I feel that way sumtimz

 

If I could, I would give this person a cupcake......

 

 

That's all folks, stay real and don't forget to keep your pets spayed and neutered.

Poem Post: Little Poetry Journal

On my 25th birthday, my soon-to-be wife gave me a leather notebook for me to write in (mainly for poetry). By this time in my life, my interest in poetry was waning but what ended up being written in the journal was bad, even by my standards. Here are two decent ones from the little book:

I am a sound wave
I travel according to the vibrations in the air.
I bounce off walls and into your ears
but the primordial question still persists...
if no one ever hears me...
did I ever exist?

night of mist
after the lights are out
no-where in  no-town
out-side
moon-rise
the birds have all flown back their nests
I'll fight in a double-blind in a run-away loop
I'll slip-out escape - so-what?
good-bye.

Lies, Damned Lies and Comic Books

No one likes being lied to. We generally want people to tell us the truth but we reconize there are a few honest exceptions.

A) When we ask a loved one what they think (when we're really asking for approval)
B) Advertising

I mean, we expect it.

I hate Burger King. About 8 years ago I swore I would never eat it again. Then I was stuck at an oil change place about a year ago and the free Wi-Fi at the next door Burger King enticed me.  I got a drink and then I was hungry and I decided how bad could fried processed chicken be? It was awful, never again!!!!!

As long as the exaggeration is not egregious, I'm cool with it. It could be pointed out that the above example would be "egregious" but no one goes to fast food not knowing what they are getting into.  I know they are trying to sell their crap, they exaggerate, no biggie.

I was shopping for a used car several years ago and the ad that was placed said the interior was in "perfect condition". I thought, "Well, maybe they are really trying to say, 'it's really well maintained'". So I  test drive the thing only to find the back seat completely ripped up (from the looks of it, from a fountain pen). I mean the car sucked anyway, but it made me a little angry. BECAUSE HE LIED.

This all brings me back to comic books, and really, what doesn't bring you back to comic books anyway??

With a few exceptions I don't really read new comic books. I pretty much collect mid 70's to very early 90's. However, I doubt anything has really changed. In the summer I bought a stash of comics and noticed a trend. There were a lot of misrepresented covers on these particular comics.

As anyone will tell you the MOST important thing about the comic is the cover. A good cover and the comic will sell itself without anyone even cracking it open. I've bought many a comic that had an amazing cover but the story sucked. So, the temptation is there, you know, to let us say, fib just a little on what actually happens inside the comic. Ya know, just a teensy bit. So, let us explore some examples:

Example # 1 Marvel Fanfare # 2 (1982)

 



This is such a cool cover (it's a wrap-around actually). It's colorful, it's action packed and it's actually honest. I mean these dudes fight the X-Men for a few pages. Pretty much sets up who the heroes and villains are in the story and reveals one of the major plot points. 

 

I  picked up this for a two bucks at the used bookstore. This is such a classic comic: wonderful art, a colorful rehashing of the previous storyline, lots of exposition (that works) and of course the action,  and finally a cliffhanger ending. The thing I hate about new comics is the emphasis on art. They have these wonderful scenes but it takes all of 5 minutes to read the damn thing that costs 4 bucks! Makes no sense. In earlier eras, they packed action but also lots of conversations and exposition. Maybe I just like old stuff.  The comic has a nice 10 page Hawkeye story too.  

 

Honesty Level: FOUR STARS (out of four stars)

 

Example # 2 Shogun Warriors # 2 (1978)

 



Let's get this out of the way. This is a stupid comic. I have a high tolerance for dumb comics and this one blew away all of my expectations. There was one cool part where the old "Mr. Miyagi" guy reveals an underground training tunnel but that just leads to a boring and totally unnecessary scene, in which the new robot bodies can show off their "powers" by destroying training equipment. 

Anyway, back to the topic at hand - the battle portrayed above DOES NOT HAPPEN. In fact, as indicated above, not much of anything happens except a huge set-up for a battle that DOES NOT HAPPEN.

Apparently only one of the huge "robots" had seen any "action" the issue before and the other two were introduced in this issue (remember, in all-important, under-ground cave training action). So the "leader" of the Shogun Warriors (that's the big dumb robot-looking things) goes to fight some huge, generic MUD MAN (that he already faced last issue). He fires one shot at the MUD DUDE, saves a train that was going to fall off the bridge that the MUD GIANT had demolished. Then, the MUD FIEND splits into three giants:  FIRE MONSTER, WATER-GIANT-TROLL and still, the huge MUD THING. Other two "good guys" show up, and.....ISSUE OVER.

Honesty Rating: 1 STAR (out of 4 Stars). 

One star because the comic actually did introduce new characters as portrayed on cover and technically, they did join the battle -- but it just didn't start yet.

Example # 3 Web of Spider-Man #16 (1986)

Okay, this cover looks intriguing. You got a scary dude with a hat on and a reaper-thingy. Then a buff white dude with a pitchfork with SPIDEY'S MASK ON IT!?!? Looks like maybe a serial-killing red-neck cult is involved. Wait a sec ---DOES SPIDER-MAN DIE!?!?!  Also, note not ONE but two HUGE promotional boxes. This is a warning sign. The more boxes, the crappier the storyline inside the comic.

Inside the boxes,  it's a pure hyperbole - otherwise known as lies. These are evil lies told to children to rip the 75 cents from their little stubby fingers. The lie is so good but your eyes might not be - so here's the content of the box at the bottom of the cover:

"If you buy only ONE comic this month, face it, True Believer -- THIS is IT!"

 

 

I know, I know, this is a set-up storyline (as the other promotional thing tells us it's the first in a series of a new storyline). And no one, not even a 7 year-old is going to think they are going to kill Spider-Man. But still.... 

 

The spooky red-neck guys do chase down a mother and child (the cover seems to show two adults) but there is NO SPIDER-MAN to be seen. This all happens in the first two pages. Then the huge set-up begins -  Peter Parker getting crapped on for a few pages (of course) and then Parker and another reporter (Joy Mercado) go out on location to an small Appalachian town where some weird stuff is going on. The locals don't like the reporters, Peter and Joy fights off a gang of dudes and then they hide, they are quickly discovered, get captured, and then are led to an underground secret hide-out. Peter escapes, changes to his Spidey uni, beats up a couple of guards in four panels and on the last page (full-page reveal) some dude named Magma is behind it all. That's it. Pretty boring. 

 

No scary encounter with spooky red-necks.

 

Spider-Man doesn't lose his mask, nor is he in any real danger.

 

Finally, the plot is pretty garden-variety for comics (the whole small-town gone weird or small town population missing thing is a common trope).

 

Honesty Rating: 0 STARS (out of 4 stars).

 

I know the editor was in a quandary as there is nothing in the plot that was really that exciting. At all. However, using a generic cover could have worked (just Spidey flying through the air or something cool like that). However, the hype of the boxes on the cover are just inexcusable.

 

So, there ya have it. One more reason not to trust anyone attempting to sell you something.

 

I could go on and on with a few more examples but then I would get bored and not be writing at my top level and I wouldn't want to disappoint you and lie about something now would I? 

Cancer Fragments

I had cancer once.

Here are the fragments:

I was diagnosed with melanoma in the summer of 2004.

If it was somehow determined by an evil genie that you would be getting cancer but that you would be able to select the type of cancer, skin cancer would be the way to go. Typically, melanoma is slow growing and pretty curable. This is to say I recognize I am a lucky duck and I had it pretty easy.

I am, by all accounts, white. As in really pale. So pale, occasionally someone will ask me if I am sick and I reply, "No, I'm just really pale." When I take my shirt off at the pool I feel like I am a beautiful pale-glowing ember. Actually I feel like people are thinking, "God, that guy is white."

I also have a fair amount of moles and freckles. When my wife was pregnant with our first child I would joke that the baby would come out as one big mole baby. My wife didn't think that was as funny as I did.

As a child, my Mom and Dad did a pretty good job of brainwashing me to lather on the "sun screen".  I can recall about 2-3 really bad burns, once at the beach when I was around 10 on my back and later at a water park when I was 13-14. I think there was another bad burn in the teen years, but I didn't like the several minor sunburns I had...so by college I was pretty careful. Basically I don't tan. My forearms are the tannest part of my body. Everything else, Pale City, USA.

It all began with a big ol' mole on my face. My Mom actually noticed that the mole was getting bigger, but I dismissed her concerns as she was my Mom, and moms are notoriously worrisome (especially my Mom). I was going through some pictures from earlier in the year and I realized she was right.

I had the mole removed and per standard procedure, the doctor's office sent it in for a biopsy. I honestly didn't give it a second thought. I had had moles removed before and they never called me back. However, about 4 weeks later I received a strange call from the doctor's office.

Of course they wanted me to come down to the office to discuss the biopsy.  When I pressed them, they refused to tell me what exactly the problem was. I remember being exasperated saying something like, "Look, I know it's bad news, so just go ahead and tell me!" I was 26 going on 27 and I was in stage one of denial, quickly moving into angry stage.

The doctor had the bedside manner of a door knob. He actually said something like, "I should tell you that this could be fatal.......but, you'll probably be fine." The literature read that I had a 90% survival rate. I mean the doctor should have said something like, "Look, you're going to be fine - there's a 90% survival rate; you might be worried about that 10% but GET OUT OF HERE, that's the CRAZY talking,  you're young and strong, you're gonna be just fine." That's what I would have liked at least.




Yeah, the doctor treating me was pretty much a scientist first, a doctor second.

 

They had sent my biopsy to two different labs as it was pretty rare for someone my age (at the time 26) to get melanoma. I was thrilled to hear the news that I was a medical anomaly.

Having cancer on my face was a bit disconcerting as you know it's close THE BRAIN. Intellectually, I knew I was likely to be fine, but there was a few times I was a little spooked scared. It turns out skin cancer on the neck has a better chance of spreading to the brain than on the face (I didn't know that at the time though).

Because the mole was on my face, I had Mohs surgery. This would ensure the scarring would be minimal on my beautiful, pale face. If it was on my back, they would have taken just a big chunk out of me. Basically, they take tiny layers off your face, biopsy them in the office and keep cutting layers until the cancer is all gone.

The took one level off, we went to lunch, went to the used bookstore, hung out and...I was called back for second layer to be removed. After this removal, I was just waiting what felt like forever. This was one of those moments when I got a little scared. How deep did this damned cancer go? I had a dreadful thought of deep surgery, chemo and then, ultimately, death. Thankfully, that second round got it all. I was clear and cancer free.

I see my dermatologist every six months and check my blood annually. I lather up on sun block when I know I will be out more than 20 minutes. I assume skin cancer will be back someday though. It might even be the thing that gets me in the end. My mom had breast cancer, my dad has a bad heart,  one of my grandfathers died of ALS, so my genes aren't exactly winning any awards any time soon. As someone wise once remarked about life, "I don't think any of us are getting out of here alive."

Friday Fragments (Lonely Edition)

My wife is judging a music event tonight, our two daughters are spending the night at a friend's house so I am home alone with only one child. I am spending the time on the internet.What else ya gonna do?
 
I was thinking tonight about why there aren't more dinosaur themed sport mascots.  I know there are the Raptors in Toronto but they don't help matters because they have sucked for 90% of their existence. I think it comes down to the dinosaur names - they don't translate real well for team names; triceratops, pterosaurs or stegoceas....(maybe Talons would work okay)....

Stegoceas is my ALL TIME FAVORITE dinosaur. Yes, because I had to do a report on them in school in 11th grade. The report included my amazing free-hand picture of a stegoceas.

Places I would like to visit before I die: Peru (ha ha), India & Nepal, The Holy Land, Athens, Egypt (the Pyramids), Most places in Africa besides the whole Gobi desert section,  Most of Europe, Most of South America, New Zealand, Japan, Easter Island, and back to China again...basically, everywhere as much as I would like (well, when in wish-land, why not?) 

Tonight, after dropping the girls off, the baby boy and I decided to grab a six-pack of beer at the grocery store. That's it, just a little beer run on a Friday night.  I was headed back to the check-out when I saw my parents going into the 10 items or less line (the very line I was headed for). They live like 5 minutes away, so we run into them at the grocery store a few times a year. I turned back around to hide. My parents never drank when I was growing up and basically made me so paranoid of drinking, I only had a few sips of alcohol until my 21st birthday. While I am certain they have seen the beer and wine in our fridge, I just couldn't deal with the fact that I came to the store JUST FOR THE BEER.  I know I am an adult and all that jazz but I was in no mood for feelin' the JUDGEMENT from my Mom's eyes.

My reading has been way off this year due to real life interfering. Here's where it's at, most of the stuff I never even finished, please don't make me feel bad about that, I have three kids, ya know. 

Ha Jin - Under the Red Flag (short stories from the Cultural Revolution) - all but two stories. Excellent but sad stuff.

Klaus Klostermaier - Hinduism - Beginning Guide - read as a warm up to my church class, not much I didn't already know. Good refresher though...most of the stuff I had read was from practicing Hindus, so a Western perspective was interesting.

Fawn Brodie - No Man Knows My History (Joseph Smith Biography) - Mind blowingly good. Highly recommended if you're interested in Mormonism or American history for that matter. 

Lonely Planet - Peru (sections only) - almost finished a general "introductory" Peru book from the school library too.

How to Break a Terrorist (only the first 40 pages - I will have to come back to this at some point, because it was excellent that far in)

Re-read Evans' Philosophy of Religion - excellent Christian perspective but really that's all it is - an upfront perspective that's open minded.  Good stuff.

Sections of Bloomberg's Jesus and the Gospels (sections) - Bloomberg is a little too much of an apologist but he is fair-minded. Nice review of stuff I have learned in the past but good to reference again.  

Mallory's Experiencing World Religions (about 6-7 chapters of a college introductory textbook) - again, nice to review this stuff, so much I had forgotten about.

Lots and lots of old Marvel comics, especially lately as I like light reading before bed instead of the heavy stuff I read all day. 

Klosterman' Sex, Drugs and Coco Puffs - disappointing. kinda sucked.

Currently: Gandhi: An Autobiography (eh) and Dirty Wars (Scahill) - good stuff

Lots of research online for Peru, my world religions class at church in the summer and now for my Eastern Cultures class at school this fall. That keep me a busy boy.

Pretty sure I am forgetting a book in there. Oh vell.

Here's an awesome little ditty to make you feel good about life.





That's all for now, stay safe, buckle your safety belts and don't forget to call your mom on her birthday!

Strange Dream from 2006

I was digging through some old files and I found a document from 2006 in which I had started to record my dreams. Alas, I am lazy....and I only wrote down two of them. One of them involved me milking dogs. (!!!)

This was the other dream:


The dream began simple enough. I was at home and had to go to the bathroom. I walked into the bathroom but when I walked in, something was amiss. It sounded like someone was behind the curtain. Surprisingly, I was undaunted and I quickly pulled back the curtain and....there was a little boy standing in my bathtub. I asked him why he was there and as we chat he transforms into a cat and it slowly dawns on me that he is actually a talking cat. I am thrilled. I quickly go out to tell someone about this amazing event (suddenly, my home bathroom is now in a public space). I see my colleague Terry from work and tell him I have just talked with a cat. I go back to get the cat and now he is a blot. Yes, a blot. I pick "him" up and hold "him" in my pocket. I show Terry the blot and Terry tells me he has seen this happen before and that he can help me. Very strange...

Strange indeed.

How Weezer Never Ruled the 90's But Totally Should Have or: Oh, How Much I Love the Blue Album

Rivers Cuomo's songwriting between the years of 1991-1998 is only bested by the output of the Beatles from 1965-1970.

There, I said it.

Music critics and well, normal people might think I am under the influence, stupid and/or ignorant. Maybe they're half right.  Yes, I know you all love Bob Dylan, Pink Floyd, radiohead, the Beach Boys, blah, blah, blah....but one day, not too long ago, the question dawned on me: why didn't Weezer rule the 90's? 

Their singles were crazy catchy, their first two videos were smash hits and their first two albums are near pop perfection. Is it because they were too cute or that they were viewed  as "sell-outs"?  Was Rivers too weird and reclusive? Were they marketed wrong or not enough? Were people's minds warped from the grunge scene to listen to Weezer with an open set of ears?

I know there are people that hate Weezer and maybe you're one of them. Don't let the current incarnation of Weezer ruin old Weezer for you. Some people think Weezer is like a bad joke but I think they basically prove the cliché that "the truth is stranger than fiction".  Besides, in all the years since 1994, I have never met anyone in person, no, not a one that didn't like The Blue Album. That has to mean something....right?

I know we all have our subjective opinions.  The best we can hope for is peace, love and understanding. So, "if you've come this far, maybe you're willing to come a little further."
  

Anytime you can add a Shawshank Redemption reference, you do it. That's in my blog's bylaws.

Besides, I started to write about the Red Album and it just depressed me, I ended up riffing on how great early Weezer was and it just kinda morphed into this crazy post. 

There were cultural reasons why Weezer would never take over the world in 1994 like they should have. If you're like Brian Greene, and believe in infinite multiple universes, and parallel earths, then there is a universe where Rivers and Co. ruled the 90's and never looked back. On one of those alternate earths, the Blue Album sold 12 million copies, Pinkerton was a critical smash, Rivers released a sweet "country" solo album (Homie) followed by two more classic albums by the time the mid-00's were around. After that, they probably start churning out crap in that universe too.

Hey, I am a realist after all. 

Let's get back to the universe we do inhabit though....

If you were old enough, you might forget just how different Weezer was back in early 1994.  "Alternative Rock" in the mid-90's was serious, serious stuff. Kurt had just committed suicide and  bands that had even a scent of contrivance was going to be seen as "sell outs". Authenticity, real or imagined was a huge factor in what was deemed worthy of critical acclaim or "respect".  Yes, there were exceptions: Mellow Gold had been released just two months prior to Blue and the RHCP always had that "wacky" sense of humor.  At my high school at least, all everyone cared about were "serious" bands: Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Nine Inch Nails, Smashing Pumpkins, Rage Against the Machine, Alice in Chains, Soundgarden...all bands with zero sense of humor and little "fun" presented in the music itself.




I thought about putting a screen shot of Eddie Vedder earnestly screaming but you know, Billy Corgan is such a prick.  I like the Smashing Pumpkins alright but Billy is a guy who probably stays up late at night thinking about how deep and meaningful  his music is.

The first time most of the public was introduced to Weezer was the video for "Undone - The Sweater Song" or at least the incessant MTV commercial for it as a "Buzz Worthy" video. From the start, you could tell these guys are different.  I remember thinking they looked a little "too nerdy" to be real. I figured maybe they were trying a little too hard to work the "alternative" scene. In fact, I was a bit humorless myself to "get" Weezer or artists like Beck at the time.  All I knew is that as much as I felt they were contrived, that damn song was stuck in my head...It took awhile for me to admit it, but once properly introduced to the album, I loved it.



Pat was bringing it on the "Undone" video. Probably the most memorable part of the video for me is this section of the video. When I was showing my kids Weezer's Video Capture Device DVD videos, not surprisingly, they loved Pat for his silliness the most of all.

The album isn't a revolutionary album, it's one of those albums that accomplishes what it sets to be and that's actually, a pretty rare feat. There's not a bad song on the album; they all rock and you are guaranteed to be humming these songs later in the day.

The truth be told, The Blue Album is a pop masterpiece. When I think back to my peer group (class of 1995) I can't think of another album that had such universal likeability. It might make more sense if you know I'm a white guy, who hung out with mainly white males.  I also didn't hang out with many music snobs. In my groups of friends, I was the one with "indie" taste, and I wasn't even knowledgeable enough or cool enough to qualify as any group's music snob.



This band is called "The Blue Album Group" that's all they play...well, technically they haven't had a show since 2010 but the fact that they just played the album from front to finish and  that they actually existed at all is a testament to the lasting power of this album. I guess the whole "Memories" tour ended their thang.

While the album "sounds" like a 90's album - it's got an innocence and vibe that is timeless. The Blue Album songs are like vignettes from young American adulthood: the jealously, alienation, disappointment, anger, and even joy (especially heard in the guitar solos). If the album is about any one "thing", it's about growing up (as much as the Red Album is about growing old). When I first heard this album I was a senior in high school, so I could relate to the lyrics. As much as I loved Nirvana, I had no clue what Kurt was singing about most of the time. It felt like rock stars lived on the moon, but it felt like the guys in Weezer lived down the street. Some critics think simplistic lyrics indicate poor songwriting, but I've always felt the TBA (along side Pinkerton) are authentic because they aren't trying to be something they're not.

Some where down the line we got the idea that if we don't understand the lyrics (re: Dylan, Beatles, Nirvana) they are somehow "deep".  Cobain would be the first to admit his lyrics were made up on the spot. According to the great rock bio, Come As You Are, Cobain stated he wrote the Bleach lyrics in the car on the way to the studio. Later, on Nevermind, some lyrics were made up right before they recorded ("On a Plain" being the example that comes to mind).

The fact that critics thought the TBA was a joke or novelty album frustrated Rivers to no end. Critics thought the band was ironic or goofy but Rivers was earnestly writing from his heart. Much like my own attempts at art, the results are child-like, awkward and a little goofy (I mean that in the best possible of ways).

The album isn't perfect though. One problem might be that the album is a little too  uniform....it's all so....relentlessly crunchy.  I can understand how some might think it all blends together a little too well.  I get it....if you are listening to the album from start to finish, that first minute and a half of "Say it Ain't So" is a relief on the ears. Although the acoustic picking and the occasional harmonica help, the songs don't deviate too far from the formula.  The other weakness is the above-mentioned lyrical missteps. I think this is a little over-stated and compared to later Weezer lyrics, TBA at times can seem down-right sophisticated.


I'm not a music critic and I don't have the knowledge or vocabulary to discuss the music properly. So, in fragment-like form, this is what the album got right:

the drum sound, the crunch of the geetars, HARMONICA, the acoustic picking (thanks Cropper!!), the amazing harmonies (see the end of "The World Has Turned And Left Me Here" and "Holiday" as my favorite examples), guitar solos that go somewhere and act not as technical know-how but as musical narrative, wonderful bridges and the creative endings to many songs. Finally, it's just good solid pop writing.


By my count there are 8 songs I would rate from great to excellent songs (including what might be the best rock song of all time, "Say it Ain't So") and 2 great to good songs. No fillers here. The album is so economic, the only song that could be called indulgent is "Only in Dreams" but again, the music serves the song, not the other way around. The weakest of the bunch has to be "Surfwax America"  so it's likely to get skipped, but that's usually because I want to get to "Say it Ain't So" and/or "In the Garage". Finally, the album flows well. It's not a concept album but there's a story in there if you're an imaginative listener. 

So if the album is so great, why didn't it "rule the world"?

Besides sounding different from other bands, I think people thought Weezer made it look a little too easy. They weren't an underground band that built a fan base over many years as they struggled to make it. They came out of no where, landed a major label deal and suddenly "Undone" was a MTV "Buzz Worthy" video and moderate "alternative rock" hit and then the next thing everyone knows....

Whatever one thinks of Weezer, Spike Jonze is a genius. Sounds corny but once when the video was on, I ran downstairs and had my parents turn on the video so they could check it out. 

Any hope of being an "indie cred" band died with the "Buddy Holly" video. Mainstream success did come but only at the expense of underground and critical acceptance. Maybe that's a little too neat but it sure seemed that way at the time. If you weren't considered a serious "artist" (and Weezer was too quirky to be considered "rock art") then you were deemed inconsequential.

This was before the internet had hit it big, so reviews and articles in Rolling Stone mattered.  I remember in the late 90's when bands like The Vines (or The Hives) were on magazine covers - they were sold as "authentic" up-and-coming talents. The truth was most of the bands (especially The Vines) sucked and were utterly redundant in the marketplace of ideas.  Compare that with the music press' treatment of Weezer. It was dismissive or even worse....Critics reactions to the Blue Album was generally fair to lukewarm while the special level of scorn was reserved for Pinkerton. Both deserved better. Had Rolling Stone and the Alternative Press selected Weezer as their "break-out" band, I have no doubt, this would have allowed many college-aged consumers to deem them as "acceptable" and enter the world of "bands that I am supposed to like because someone said their album was meaningful and deep". 

Today it seems more acceptable to be a "fun" pop band. Layer distorted guitars over songs and have a "rock" band perform them and suddenly it's supposed to be "art". Meanwhile music classified as "pop" is graded on a curve. I mean, let's be honest, it's a criminal act that most people don't know who Fountains of Wayne are. That's pop music at it's best.

Even  DJ's at radio stations mattered (wow, remember that?). Weezer was a 'tweener. The music was in- between the formats of "Rock Stations" and "Alternative Stations" (whatever "Alternative" meant). Nirvana, Pearl Jam, STP, Rage, etc.  were all able to were able to "double dip" at the wells of both kind of formats. The "rock" station in my city simply didn't play Weezer. Any Weezer, except on their "Alternative Show" on Sunday nights from 10:00-12:00...and actually, I only remember hearing them once on that show. Surprisingly, in 2001 Hash Pipe" broke into the station's rotation.  Then a few years later I would occasionally hear "Say it Ain't So" and "Undone" late at night. The band was not held in high esteem by the "shock jock"/macho rock DJ's and this hurt the band's sales and impact. The "geek shtick" helped market the band as different but it ultimately hurt them.

Take for example the video treatment for "Say it Ain't So". A normal band, rocking out in the garage. It didn't work (not a bad performance video, but not a great concept either). It didn't help that the band (other than Matt) looked like a totally different band from either of their previous two videos as well).  As amazing as the song is, the band was already "pegged" and the video and single were only moderate hits.



Exhibit A in my evidence that many albums in the 90's now feel and sound dated. I loved the first five songs off this album at the time but about five years ago I realized I hadn't listened to "Core" in years, so I popped it in my stereo and well....it just sucked.  I couldn't even get two songs through it.  Many radio stations treated this as "serious rock music" when in reality, it was just stupid, testosterone-driven schlock. The lyrics were stupid and it droned on and on and on. Yes, it did rock, but it was a thoroughly un-enjoyable slog.

Furthermore, with the smash hit of the video of "Buddy Holly" people viewed Weezer as sell-outs as the video was put on the Windows 95 disc.  The video seemed to have all the markings of a one-hit wonder and a novelty. Many thought the video carried the song and band further than they deserved.   It was hard to take a band seriously if all the videos were so slick and seemed a little silly. Yes, I do think they were punished for making cool videos. I read numerous times that Weezer were a 90's alt-rock version of the Monkees. Cute and packaged rock music for the kiddies. After all, the guys on the cover of The Blue Album looked like fresh-faced, clean-cut kids. Not the sad-sack, disgruntled, ugly, unshaven, rebellious rock-stars they could have been. The Weezer backlash had begun before Weezer knew what hit them.  



 I would have hated them at the time and I know they didn't write their hits but WOAH some of their stuff is severely underrated.

The band's success even got into the band's head. Were they successful because of the videos or because the music was good?  This question fueled the most ambitious song-writing era for Rivers as he wanted to be taken seriously as a song writer. When Pinkerton flopped two years later (critically and commercially) it seemed like Weezer was destined to be one of those "one-album wonders". They were supposed to know their place and go away quietly into the oblivion of pop history.

But a funny thing happened on the way to the bargain bin. The fans stuck around. Notably, with myself and others on the Weezer newsgroup.  People cared about the music because it resonated in their lives. We salivated over any scrap of music or information we could get our hands on.  Weezer was this huge mystery after the Pinkerton tour was over. There was a hunger for more....and in that time, there was a new appreciation for the albums by the public at large.  Other artists openly praised Weezer and many noted how influential the albums were. A new narrative was appearing about Weezer and their 90's legacy continues to grow to this day. Today, most people think the Blue Album is one of the 90's best albums. It's seen as a genuinely influential album and has been re-reviewed over the years to show that it is a great album. I know, I know....



Yeah, my whole post can kinda be summed up that way.

It's likely I have over-stated my case. Maybe Weezer could have never ruled the 90's under any circumstances.  Maybe the truth is, I am just a fan-boy. Maybe there is just a limited number of people who would like Weezer's music. It might be that Weezer was never as good as I thought. They over-achieved and were lucky because the "Buddy Holly" video was so awesome. Or maybe not....

One could argue that Pinkerton and Rivers' released and unreleased demos in the 90's disproves the idea that Weezer didn't create great music.  If rock stations would have pushed Weezer a little more, if music critics would have reviewed the music instead of how the band looked, if the public would have allowed a band to have a sense of humor and not pegged them as "that silly band"...maybe, just maybe....Weezer could have ruled the 90's. Then again, it's all for the better that it never happened....