In Defense of Metal Music.

I am a person of varied taste. I will like most things because I think that a lot of things have a lot to give a person. I have a philosophy on life that art should not be discriminated against for the most part unless it causes negativity. Art should be there for a person to see beauty in whatever form, for it to enrich life and make your existence extend beyond the need to survive...innit. It is through my eclecticism that I have heard and enjoyed many different types of music, but there is one genre which I wish to write about on this post...metal.
To most people that openly say that they don't understand metal music, the argument against the genre is that it is very ugly sounding and at times, through looking at the lyrics, it seems self destructive and morbid. Some Christian groups even say that metal or rock music in general makes youths unruly and rebellious...which is true but youths act like that anyway...but Evangelical Christians have always been whining about everything that makes life fun.
Many of my friends share my tastes. I have been to a few metal gigs and festivals and have seen the fans of the music. These people all seem very passionate. It seems that metal music attracts many passionate people. When the musicians come on there are cheers that rise and can be heard all around, people make the famous horned cornu sign with their hands, jumping up. When the music starts people are jumping about exhilerated, excited and joyful about life. People literally want to become part of the music. The music is played amazingly...most of the time.
Metal and rock music uses the good old skillful solo very well. In the old days there was a type of musician, the guitar wielding maniac, using the instrument as a weapon to awaken the world from slumber. There were also amazing drummers like Keith Moon and John Bonham who were well known for being absolute maniacs. Rock and metal is a safe and fun way to indulge in a controlled chaos, a way to unleash the animal within so to speak, the great beast that has to stay dormant for a lot of the time...stress relieving and fun. In life you are expected most of the time to be calm and collected...metal gives you the opportunity to have a good old freak out or as most people say, to rock out.
It is believed also that metal music is the sound for the misfit or the outsider. Many metal fans say that some bands that sign with major labels have 'sold out' because they have gone mainstream. Many people want metal to be underground, this is an opinion that is very much apart of the extreme metal subgenre, where there is a great distaste for the mainstream. In my opinion the mainstream is fine...some good things some bad just like everything else in life.
I have recently read an article which says that many intelligent, talented people turn to metal music in order to cope with being 'special.' I shall put a link at the end of this blog post. Metal isn't the music of thugs and so called Neanderthals. The fans are intelligent, creative and passionate for the most part.
So what about the morbid, scary lyrics? Well just as you get different genres of books you must also get different types of musical tastes. Life isn't all hippy, happy and so forth. You have to take the rough with the smooth and music reflects this just as any other art. You can't dislike some art because it 'appears' to be ugly. If you just focus on art that people think is pretty or beautiful then to me it shows a certain shallowness...not that I think that metal is ugly, it isn't.
Metal is also very theatrical. During the funeral of the famous singer Dio's funeral certain Christian groups protested while many of his fans came to pay respect to him. They thought that Dio was some sort of devilish figure. What they don't seem to understand is Dio was an absolute top bloke if they had the courtesy to research about him and see his interview, the so called devilish persona of Dio is an act that he put on. Take Alice Cooper for example. His stage persona is an evil badass that likes to be evil...when in fact his actual name is Vincent Furnier and he is a dedicated Christian...let's see those Christian protestors protest against old Alice Cooper ha ha.

I shall end this blog post with a great philosophical quote from Jack Black in the film, 'School of Rock';

"Dude, that is so Punk."


Here is a good article just in case you want to read.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/3352230/Heavy-metal-a-comfort-for-the-bright-child.html



"Optimism - the doctrine or belief that everything is beautiful, including what is ugly."
Ambrose Bierce.

Over and Out.
ED

CD Review.

I have bought two CD's recently and I wish to share my opinions on them because I think they are gooduns. Shall I began?...what?...no I won't stop typing!

1.
The album 'Catching a Tiger' by Lissie Maurus is the first album that I wish to review. When you listen to the songs you feel as though you are in a field full of corn while it is sunny or you think you are driving in a car with the top down on a long stretch of road.
You can listen to what she was influenced by just by what you hear in the songs; blues, country, rock and roll and popular music. She has a gravelly voice that suits the style of her music perfectly. It is a free spirited march into a new sound that at the same time sounds traditonal. I heard that Lenny Kravitz and the filmaker David Lynch are great fans of Lissie as well as other celebrities who have got behind her banner of country sounding awesomeness. I'm a fan. It's honest and good and I think everyone should listen. My favourite songs are 'Cuckoo' and 'Look Away'.

2.
Here is the long awaited fourth album of the New York based band, Interpol. I have been into these fellahs for ages, they just sound different and I love the voice of the lead singer Paul Banks...I like to think that his voice sounds like a sarcastic, gravelly Michael Stripe from R.E.M. They are the very embodiment of New York.
It is sad for me to say that after the making of the album the bassist Carlos Dengler left because he didn't like the touring...which is a shame...that said the music is as atmospheric as ever, with the signature Interpol sound. My favourite songs are 'Lights' and 'Barricade'. Paul Banks, as always means everything that he says, it all comes from the heart, just like Lissie Maurus.

So there you are, the two albums that I have recently bought. Go check them out if thou wilt. I hope ye won't be disappointed.

Over and Out.
ED

The Good Old Films of Yesteryear.

A few days ago my the adaptor for my computer went completely wacky and died on me. This meant I could no longer do any of my writing at my house, neither was I able to catch up on the Shaytard vlogs on youtube or look at guitar and drums cover videos. This lead me with a conundrum. I had the choice to read but that was a daily ritual anyway so I decided to delve into my film collection to see a film to watch.
I did not look long. I was in the mood for something simple, charming and entertaining but with a dark twist. It lead me to pick up my Hammer Horror Box set. I took the film 'Dracula, Prince of Darkness' starring Christopher Lee and shoved it in the DVD tray thingymabob.
I relaxed into the film like a duck out of water. Oh you beautiful monstrous dark creatures of past films, I missed you so very much. Most people who are not under the sway of the annoying, bratty, pretty boy vampires of the present...this is what you should be watching. Noble, unflinching, bloodshot eyes and a handsome, noble face. People seem to forget what vampires are like. What about Bela Lugosi? What about Christopher Lee? These Gentlemen Beasts are the Truth! Dark outsiders who prey on humans seductively in order to bring the world into darkness. Dracula is the Prince of Darkness for a reason and will survive in the public consciousness longer than any of these modern sick parodies of the old ways of the creatures of the night.
Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing are my favourite actors. They are not only charmingly English but they are also jolly nice chaps (or was in the case of Peter Cushing 'was' a nice chap).
Vincent Price is a goodun as well. In fact here is an excellent video of Price reciting the famous Edgar Allen Poe poem, The Raven. Absolutely beautiful and atmospheric.



Over and Out.
ED

Pictures of Ed in his school days.

Ah memories on the hardrive, ye canny beat it. I happened to be looking through computer memory and came across some pictures from a few years ago between being 16- 18 years old. I think I look quite different. It was the days in which I gelled my hair into a comb over for some reason. Anyway here are the pictures...


This picture was in France when we went on holiday. I think I was sixteen and had just done my GCSE's. I think that this was one of the last pictures taken of me wearing short sleave shirts...come to think of it I don't even wear t- shirts anymore. I only wear shirts with buttons and collars in a relaxed manner...which is information that no one gives a hoot about but I'll leave in this blog anyway.



Yeah I know...the comb over. The person I am lunging at is my old mate Paddy who I met over the summer and hadn't seen since sixth form. Funnily enough he has short hair now...he's still ginger sadly.



My friend Dave did this ages ago on his computer. Me levitating...which I can do in reality...but only when nobody is looking.



This is a good memory. My friends and I always used to stay the night at my mate, Munchy's house(who you may or may not know from previous blogs). When it got dark and Munchy's parents had gone to bed we used to sneak out and walk around the village. It was literally deserted. In the picture we are sitting and talking in the middle of the road because there was no cars on the road at all. The parents probably wouldn't have minded if they found but we enjoyed the idea of doing something sneaky. That is all really. I shall end this with the last few pictures that I found...






Over and Out
Ed.

Wandering the roads back to Derby... like a gypsy.

I have been living back in Derby for few days and all is as it was when I left it some months back. The first thing that I did was hug the bookcase in my room where I had left most of my books and film collection and all of my graphic novels and most of my manga. I love my collections; my big book collection, my film collection (including cool B Movies and Universal Studio films from the 1930's) my graphic novels, my comics, my manga and my CD's (my Cd's are at home...if you wanted to know). My taste is somewhat eclectic. I don't discriminate on good art (notice I said good art...(maybe the last statement was a bit hypocritical on some level but who cares). I left my X Box and games back home because that is where they live...I'll just have to buy Halo Reach when I can and play it when I get back.

Anyway I missed Derby. I missed the smallness of it compared to most cities (aka Leeds where my sister resides. It's too big...but beautiul nonetheless).
Here is some funny stuff that have happened to me since I got back.

1. I was carrying my bags from the bus station to my house, butterflies in my stomach for some reason because I was back in this city. When I got off the bus I walked out of the station and was passed by a man dressed in a suit who gave the impression that he was going to work after a lunch break.
"Alright mate. How's it going?" said he.
"Fine thanks." I replied.
Oh Derby, how I missed your inhabitants saying things to me on the street for no other reason except to say hello. (I assume he didn't say hi to me because he was drunk...because he was wearing a suit. Therefore it may have just been a nice gesture.)

2. The first time I had to go to the uni was to partake in commitee training (because I am the scribe/secretary of the storytelling society...and we are an amazing society. After the first day of commitee training I bought some food at the Sainsburys that I pass on my way from Derby to the house. I bought what I wanted, payed for it and just as I was being handed the change the cashier said this,

"Sod it darling."

Hmmmmmm thought I. I smiled to her, said thankyou and left with my stuff. As I was walking back I realised that what she said in actuality was,

"Here yar darling."

I love Derby

I love back home.

I love jippos (apparently there is no gypsy blood on my mother's side...but my Nan spoke about being aware of gypsies around her where she lives). I still consider myself a gypsy though and WILL buy a wooden gypsy caravan sometime in the future.

Over and Out
ED

TwistyFest in Wales!!!

At the moment I am sitting on my bed with a cup of tea, with an unbelievable urge to impose my life experiences on people...not that I'm forcing people to read this at all. Lose all blah all ye who enter here.

Last Saturday my Mum, Dad and brother travelled to Wales to the location of the brother of me mother (I made that last bit sound like a rhyme on purpose.) This place is in the middle of the countryside, surrounded by mountains that go up one thousand feet into the sky. A few years ago we travelled to the top of one of these mountains and when we were at the top some sort of jet flew past just a few metres over us. In fact here is a picture of the very same mountain that I was talking about...


Now this was not a family event exactly. This was something else a little different...this was TwistyFest. Twistybach is the name of the old farm house residence that my uncle resides and what was taking part in Twistybach was a festival...hence TwistyFest.

About twenty or thirty people came altogether, most of them camping out in the field or going into the house opposite the other house. One of the houses is being changed or renovated if that is the right word and the other house was made by my uncle.

Now that I have given details of the TwsityFest here is a picture of some guns...



A shooting range was set up with balloons, bottles and anything else that could be used as a target. A few enthusiasts had arrived and really knew what they were talking about, reenactment people and so forth. It is always fun to watch people jump out of their skin every time a shot was fired.
We went for a walk just about a mile or so up the pathway until we got to an old ruin of a cottage. It was overgrown with nettles and was surrounded by sheep. You could really write a story about this part of Wales. It's really wild and the lack of civilisation only makes it better.

The night time was the best part of TwistyFest. There are no street lights for miles and so if you looked up at the sky you could see the stars. The icing on the cake was that people gt their instruments out; guitars, violins, their voices and so on and had a sing along.
I went to bed with my father about one in the morning (my mum and brother had already gone to bed) and fell asleep. I woke up during the night and turned over and saw the window. All I saw was stars. We should have taken a picture of the sky and the people singing and playing instruments. The grub was nice as well.

Here ends the tale of the TwistyFest.
Over and Out.
ED

Ed has one more summer occupation...lumberjack (with pictures.)

Here is one more thing that I have done over the summer. On the driveway of the family house we have this massive tree that has never been lopped or cut by anyone since I can remember. Over the years the tree had got a bit cheeky, the roots sneaking underground to next door and sucking on some of next doors water supply. It also shed it's leaves over next door. This tree had to know who was boss. So with a saw, an axe and one more saw we went out to kick some tree butt and give it the hair cut of it's life. Observe as you travel through our journey through massive tree to the finished result of the cutting and the chopping.





As you can see from the pictures, this was a beast of a tree. Also on the left of the picture you might be able to see the windows that I painted.




Here is my brother, my mum et moi standing in the chaotic mass of leaves and branches of our own creation. Two things that I wish to point out here. 1. I am wearing my hat. 2. My brother is wearing his glasses below his googles. 3. You wouldn't know this but as the picture was being taken the tree was shouting insults to us because of what we were doing. As you can see from our happy faces we were doing well at ignoring the tree.




Here is my brother up the tree, sawing another branch off, wearing goggles and glasses at the same time ('Oi, six eyes). You can't see this in the picture but on a roof a pigeon is writing an angry worded letter to the government complaining about the unauthorised destruction of his home.



"Hey Mother! Stop bothering that horse! You should be using that rope to pull down branches!"...I am so funny.



An upper story view of the battlefield.

It was done. We had chopped the heck out of the tree, gone through the fire of sawing stuff and now it was all over. We felt like gorillas or chimps in the forest, surrounded by branches (well I did anyway)and all that was left was to clear away everything to the tip. It took two cars and four journeys for each car to clear everything from the front. Below is a picture of what everything was like when all was finished.



To commemorate this day it was decided that we would take one piece of cut off branch and get someone to carve something. It was thought that the best thing to do was to carve the face of a wizard.

That is it really. It is not long before Autumn, it is the first day of the fall on the 23rd September. CRIKEY!!!

Over and Out.
ED