Vote or Die for Adaptations!

Wow, P Diddy had it to the extreme.  

No rappers or political candidates here though.  Just an opportunity for you to voice your opinion while I finish up the next entry.

What do you think about movie adaptations?  Do you think they are treasure that illustrate an author's voice?  Perhaps they tarnish the work of art known as literature.  

There's no specific adaptation.  I'm talking as a whole.  Graphic novels, time tested literary classics, comics, high school novels, even modern day works.

Just to kick things off here, here's a list of three that I liked and three that...well...pretty much sucked.

Black Hole List:

1. The Rainmaker - Perhaps my favorite John Grisham novel, Francis Ford Coppola's adaptation lacked substance that made the novel that much more enjoyable.  Rudy Baylor, the protagonist, really develops in the first half, as Grisham is able to develop a backstory on Baylor.  It ain't there in the movie.
2. Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown's thriller involving the Church was a great read.  I had difficulty putting it down to conduct my golf clinic.  But watching the movie was basically going through the motions.  I had a hard time being sold on the "What's going to happen next?" moment.  I doubt it was because I had read the book, but again, the movie just lacked.
3. Last of the Mohicans - Anyone who reads my blog knows that I love this movie; I wrote about it a while back.  The movie is good, but as an adaptation, it sucked.  It didn't have James Fennimore Cooper's touch in description.  I hate to add it to the Black Hole List, but...

Glaringly Good:

1. 300 - Did you see the movie?  Did you read the graphic novel?  Where did one end the other begin?  Exactly.  One of the most brilliant adaptions I have seen.  Frank Miller should be proud.
2. The Greatest Game Ever Played - Mark Frost's account of the 1908 US Open, as the game of golf was basically getting started.  The humble upstart Francis Ouiment earns his title in this riveting must-read/see for any golf fan.  The movie takes few liberties but keeps the substance that makes this story that much more memorable.
3. Holes - One of the first books I read during my first year teaching, the movie was nearly an identical transition to film.  Many don't like the story (it's geared towards teens), but that doesn't take away from the creative story of standing up for others and doing what's right.

So now is your chance.  Vote while you can, and leave comments.  Think these few are wrong?  Want to point the finger at more offensive offenders?  Do it!  Now!  Or die!  Okay, you won't die just because you didn't vote.  But it couldn't hurt right?

On a closing note, I take Last of the Mohicans off the list.  Sorry.  Too bad.

Final quote: Having your book turned into a movie is like seeing your oxen turned into bouillon cubes.  ~John LeCarre

Epilogue:  Ahh...the voting is over.  Most voted that adaptations are okay, but they aren't the same as books.  One commented that movies are treated as separate entitites (I like the idea!).   I doubt we can ever reach a true concensus, and that's okay.  It's makes for some interesting conversations.  Thanks for all that voted!  Keep visiting!  Oh, and yes, Last of the Mohicans is still one of my favorite movies.  That's not changing anytime soon.

Playing Soldiers No More

I'm not a soldier.  I have the utmost respect for armed forces members.  At least most of the time I do, considering the sacrifices they make during times of war.

With that said, I like my video games.  Sports are always a welcome addition.  Racing is pure ecstasy.  Platformers aren't quite passe, but they are close.  Music and rhythm games are family favorites as well.  First-person shooters (FPS) aren't the top of my list, but my brother has gotten me involved with SOCOM; I reciprocated with Army of Two.  I like the camaraderie that can build during an intense gaming session, but I'm sure it doesn't compare to real-life.  I like having to rely on my team-mates to get out of a firefight; but no matter the game's outcome, I get to go home intact (ego not withstanding).

Six Days in Fallujah was a game slated to be published by Konami.  It is based on a battle during Operation: Iraqi Freedom, obviously in Fallujah.  The game was announced a few days ago, but in an interesting interview with GamePro magazine, Atomic Games president Peter Tamte explains the history:

One of the divisions in our company was developing training tools for the United States Marine Corps, and they assigned some Marines from Third Battalion First Marines to help us out. However, a few months into development, Third Battalion, First Marines was deployed in Iraq and participated in the Battle of Fallujah... When they came back from Fallujah, they asked us to create a videogame about their experiences there, and it seemed like the right thing to do.

Obviously, this story is skewed in that it's the presdent of the company wanting the company to be portrayed as, literally, an ally to the soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice during this battle.  What does that mean for us?  Well...

If you're a hard-core gamer, it means the possible loss of a seemingly well-made game based upon actual experiences with input from people who (no disrespect intended) lived through the expeience.

If you're against war and all that it entails, you may count this as a victory against the tyranny that perpetuates war and all that make people think war is cool.

Reading more of the interview, I found myself compelled by Tamte's excuse that "[the soldiers] wanted us to make a video game about [it]".  I can see that happening, but I don't know if it represents the whole, if it is/was something that the entire group would like to see happen.  For all the war movies I've seen, it's been just that movies.  I had a friend when I worked in Houston who showed me photos of his experience during the Gulf War.  I saw (before embedded journalists) of burned corpses, bullet-riddled bodies of enemies (luckily for my memories, no allies were photographed), and bombed out tanks and trucks.  

There are some things that perhaps shouldn't be experienced, as best as possible.  War is a horrible and tragic thing; we will never be rid of it, at least in my life time.  I don't mind pretending to be a soldier in a somewhat fictiticious game, but a game based upon real events where real soldiers lost lives?  Were I the family of said soldiers, I may take issue with it.  Obviously, many did.  Asahi, a news network servicing Asia, reports that Konami is pulling the game.

I think in the end, it's the right choice.  Yes, it looked to be a great game, but not at the cost it took to truly develop that realism.  This one was just too close to home...

Closing quote: Our God and soldiers we alike adore ev'n at the brink of danger, not before; After deliverance, both alike requited, Our God's forgotten, and our soldiers slighted. - Francis Quarles

The Buffet of Music is Closing...

We actually touched on the subject of digital sampling a few posts ago, but for those of you that missed it, check it out here.

I grew up listening to awesome hair bands and new wave in the 80's, tranisitioning to alt rock and gansta rap of the 90's.  One guilty pleasure I still share with my sometime collaborator is an affinity, well maybe not affinity, but likened pleasure towards new wave bands.  Depeche Mode and Erasure were tops, but Pet Shop Boys, Information Society and others were equally nice. 

 Gangsta rap was right around the corner, and one typical attribute for rap songs that time were to have long drawn out  introductions, along with small interludes between tracks on the CD.  One stand out was Warren G's "Regulators".  I don't know how many times we quoted, "You gotta be handy with the steel, you know what I mean? Earn your keep."

Now what does new wave and gansta rap have in common?  Not a whole lot, except for...

Sampling.  Yes, that's right.  A veritable splendor of specimens to further enhance and contrive the backbone of a song.  Growing up, I heard it used aplenty in my new wave music, but didn't think much of it; I was a kid.  As my peers began to listen to rap, so did I.  I remember those early songs with the long intros, but also hearing a quote from a movie or commercial or something just vaguely familiar.  MC Hammer's "U Can't Touch This" was a sample ofRick 

James' (of "Cocaine's a hell of a drug" fame) "Superfreak".  Many argue that even further back, "Werewolves of London" was ripped off for "Sweet Home Alabama".  I wouldn't know.  I do know that Kid Rock probably ripped both off for his "All Summer Long".

So what does this mean?  Well for starters, creativity isn't quite what it used to be.  It's not like to are paying homage to your inspiration; perhaps you're taking their work and saying "Oh, let me change a few words and then it'll be a new song...Yeah!".  Not trying to be flippant, but how far off is that?

Now in all fairness, many rappers/DJs/artists use the turntable in an artform called mixing.  One memorable line from a long forgotten rap song is "Two turntables and a microphone".  There's something to be said about using a fifteen-second hook and rhyming on the fly.  Live and in front of an audience.  Not just recording and dubbed.  Different, but still doesn't counter my prior argument.

In the end, artists are tired of losing revenue to sampling.  Yes, there are a TON of hooks out there, but the artists themselves don't want to lose that revenue because they couldn't come up with a decent hook.  Most recently, Kanye West's 808s and Heartbreak lacked sampling.  A big deal in today's hip hop world.  Young Jeezy and T.I. both used four or less samples in their most recent albums.  SPIN Magazine wrote a great article about this and can be viewed here.

I think in the end, sampling won't die.  And it shouldn't.  But artists shouldn't be afraid to create something new.  Music is infintismimally limited; it isn't.  And as such, artists shouldn't be either.  You don't need to pull out a somewhat popular song to make your mediocre song sound better.  But what do I know?  I sample some poor schmo's quote at the end of each of my posts.

At least I give credit, if nothing else.

Your closing sample: Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower. - Steven Jobs

The Message Changes Us

On my way to work this morning, I saw a marquee for a local church that read: We don't change the message; the message changes us.

I thought about that long and hard this morning.  I considered the messages that we are bombarded with every single waking moment of our lives.  Even my sons can quote various advertisements and annoyingly catchy jingles to me.

Do we acknowledge that what we read changes us? 

Sometimes, what we read makes us happy.  We get that fuzzy warm feeling, we treat others with a greater respect.  We simply become nicer persons.

Sometimes we read things that anger us.  We get frustrated and vent out words filled with rage, we flame out to lowly dissenters.  We become meaner people.

Not sometimes, but often, I see others doing things for appearances' sake.  Acting, responding in a way that belies their true take on life, individuals and groups alike often act in a anticipated "cool way".  As a teacher and parent I see these instances first-hand; it's even more embarassing when adults (myself included) do these things.

I guess that as this new week begins, as April is about to turn into May, hopefully we can look for any and all the positives in our lives that are there.  

Maybe someone will read this and...well, I can be hopeful at least.

Final quote: If you don't like something change it; if you can't change it, change the way you think about it.  - Mary Engelbreit

YOU! Choose the topic...

Perhaps this is a way of garnering some readers, but I've got a few ideas that I'm developing. 

As those develop, I thought "Why not ask the readers what they want?"  I"m quite sure that the nine of you won't all say something, but I figure whoever gives that one idea that just sparks will have his/her article written out.

What will it be about?  You decide.  Want something risque?  A movie reviewed? Music critiqued?  How about some commentary on how the clouds haven't been quite as blue as in the past?  

You have the chance here to make it happen.  I guarantee you a full effort on the post.  Nothing shammed together to appease the cheap initiative; no, you will receive the full undivided attention for the post.

And now, I leave you with hopefully some motivating and inspiring words:

"Opportunity knocks at the strangest times, It's not the time that matters But how you answer the door." - Steve Gray

Guilty Pleasure: Cover Songs

I was never the biggest fan of Nine Inch Nails, but...

I really love me some cover songs.  I can't say that

 they are better than the originals, but more so the "new" artist's take on a song we are probably familiar with.  This past fall, I discovered Emerson Nogueira.  He is a cover artist extraordinaire. What is absolutley amazing is that here's this Brazilian musician with a very thick accent selling over 1 million records covering English songs.

Is he good?  That's the crux of the entire cover song argument.  There are those that contend that a cover song is never as good as the original.  In a recent SPIN magazine article, Oasis member Noel Gallagher stated that "Ryan Adam's version [of "Wonderwall"] is so much better than ours, but we can't exactly go around sing his version can we?"  I think that caputures the idea behind covers.  They can be done out of respect for the artist covered.  Garth Brooks covered Billy Joel's "Shameless" and they both made a ton of money.  But is one better than the other?  

A few covers that I absolutely love:

1. Hallelujah - Leonard Cohen wrote this song for his 1984 album, but it wasn't until I heard this song covered by Jeff Buckley during a season ending episode of West Wing did I fall in love with it.  Buckley rearranged a few of the lyrics, but the meaning and the emotion behind his version just stuck with me.  Cohen's version, again the original, is quite nice, but comes across brighter than Buckley's; it's due to Cohen's voice.  Not bad or in any ways negative, just my preference.
2. Across the Universe - A beautiful song.  Period.  Having said that, this is the song that help me fall in love with Emerson Nogueira.  Nogueira's version does not even compare to The Beatles, but there is something homey and comforting about a thick Brazilian accent singing those Sanskrit lyrics.  
3. Message in a Bottle - Sting at some of his finest, this 1979 song by The Police is simply a classic one for me.  Stuart Copeland really struts his stuff and shows he does have serious chops on this track.  It's a bit of an agressive song filled with a passion, but John Mayer covered it a few years back during an acoustic set.  I actually got it by accident and fell in love.  Mayer does the song justice with his fingerwork and and singing.
4. Whiskey in the Jar - Apparently, this goes back than even I realized.  Made popular in the 1960s by the Dubliners, I was first introduced to this song through Thin Lizzy.  Didn't care much for the intro solo, but the song was/is good.  Of course, I got my rock fix and permantly have a copy of Metallica's version on hand.  James Hetfield really makes the lyrics work.  Maybe that's why they won a Grammy, but that doesn't mean too much.  The video is pretty kick ass as well.

So, even with this short list of covers, you can see that a great many artists do their inspiration justice.  That's not to say that there are covers that just plain suck.  Period.  Fleetwood Mac had a great song titled "Landslide".  A few years ago, the Dixie Chicks decided to cover it.  Women crooned about how good the song was.  Didn't do jack for me; I hated it.  Keith Whitley has a song titled "When You Say Nothing at All".  Great song, worked with Whitley's timbre.  Alison Krauss covered it a few years, and as her voice lacks a male voices depth, she never quite did it for me (at least with that song).  The Randy Rogers Band released a song a while back titled, "Sombody Take Me Home".  Kenny Chesney covered the song.  Chesney's version is good (his voice really works and the arrangement is quite nice), but something about it lacks when you've listened to the original.

In the end, I think that cover songs are a valuable commodity.  They offer an outlet for artists to pay homage to their inspirations, a way to voice somthing that perhaps was done well already, and simply a way to expand to other genres.  It's kind of like any other industry:  there are good things about it and bad things as well.  Musically, covers are a good thing.  There are those covers that just plain suck, but it doesn't cast a shadow on those covers that are well done and still hold a ton of meaning.

Closing quote?  Something a bit lighter...

"I'll play along with the charade.  That doesn't seem to be a reason to change.  You know I feel so dirty when they start talking cute, I wanna tell her that I love her but the point is probably moot." - as sung by Frickin' A (originally by Rick Springfield)

Playing Guitar: Barre None

It's been about six months since I starting taking playing guitar as a serious hobby, with the intent of learning to play proficiently.  

As my teacher has been adamant about, Tom set me on a course to learn some basic chords (GCD and ADE mainly) and the addition of some other easy ones that make their way into songs.

Probably a few months ago, we broached the subject of barre chords a while back, it wasn't until about five or six weeks ago that Tom actually worked out and game me the chords for a really sexy number by Keith Urban titled Raining on Sunday.  I haven't mastered it yet (about 50% or so) but it's given me some new life right before you hit that proverbial rut when you're

 learning something.

Of the many performances that drives someone to learn guitar, one that I remember vividly was by a performing troupe I was privy to watch during a lunch break while attending Our Lady of the Lake University (my alma mater!).  They were performing that week, along with visiting with students and such.  This particular day, they were in the cafeteria on the small stage (actually just an area cleared out really).  Two acted out the scene, but it was basically a really cool acoustic version of Jessie's Girl.  It was the mannerisms of it all; for whatever reason, the singer nailed it with the facial expressions and the enthusiasm as he played his role in the whole acting out.

As I've been working on the barre chords, I've discovered the way of power chords as well.  This has allowed me to really tap into a great many power chords and those kick ass riffs that you can recognize from ten years ago.  Licks from Heart, Pat Benatar, Rick Springfield, Weezer and more are working their way into my little repertoire.  

I'm definitely still learning and taking inspiration from many places.  Almost daily, I hear about the haters on video game forums about "ditch the plastic guitar and learn a real one."  Well, I did that.  But only after feeling elated for doing well on the plastic one.  If music inspires you, go with it.

Just like Andrés Segovia said, "Lean your body forwad slightly to support he guitar against your chest, for the poetry of the music should resound in your heart."

Irish Texans Unite!

Okay, I'm gonna be a shill, but a nice one at least.

If you have an Irish heritage, Irish friends, Irish beer, or just like potatoes (I love me some potatoes!), then check out my buddy's website, Austin Celtic News.

Really good news, and more so, good writing about Celtic happenings in Austin (That's 512 for all you plugged in folks).

Check it out, subscribe, leave comments.  You know...all that good stuff.

So Good It Hurts

How often is it that one is so good at one's job, that it creates certain situations that one would despise?

I can't say that this is me, per se.  There are times I feel that maybe certain successes breeds instances where you just would have been better off having failed.

I remember really liking a particular baseball player in the mid-90's, as he was one I felt was decent and worked hard.  For all his success, he didn't really give back to the fans.  Let me clarify:  he hated/despised/abhored signing autographs.  It was once described to me that he "[used] his son like a shield when he would leave the stadium".  That really burst my bubble, but at the same time, I understand that his success on the field created problems for him once the 

game was done.  

I guess fame is a bitch, but that's not something that bothers me.

Don't get me wrong; this isn't about me being famous.  I am quite far from that.  In fact, I just recently made a huge decision that affects a great many people, in effect removing me from a certain amount of fame.

Do I have any regrets?  Absolutely not.  I put my complete self into the work I did.  Unfortunately two things happened:  1) I got burned out by another's selfishness; and, 2) I got my priorities in order.  This decision was a long time coming, but now was the time to make the commitment to my family.

I've looked forward to this decisision for some time, but even now, I'll miss that little extra duty that I did.  I'll miss the interaction with the people.  But for all that, nothing can replace being able to spend that extra time with my two boys and my beautiful wife.

Without regrets doesn't mean you can't reminisce.  But don't forget to realize where you're going.

The closing quote?  Well...

"When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us." - Alexander Graham Bell