Blogcritics

Announcement: Short-content feeds

Phillip Winn — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 12:00:00 EDT

Sunday, August 26, 2007, marks the switch of all Blogcritics.org article feeds from full-content to short-content. This is the result of several converging factors, and is unfortunately a permanent decision (as permanent as any decision can be on the web, that is). We are aware of all of the reasons that this is a Bad Idea, and we are aware that some of you will be quite upset about having to click on something to read the free content, and we're sorry. Unfortunately, despite great effort, full-content feeds are not currently economically viable. Two other factors are involved: full-content feeds have resulted in an unprecedented level of content theft, with BC content appearing on many websites, usually spam sites, without attribution or permission. This duplicate content causes a cascading set of problems, not the least of which is that search engines generally aren't favorable to duplicate content, and don't always guess correctly. Finally, our RSS advertising partner is strongly in favor of short-content feeds. We hope that you'll continue to subscribe to BC via RSS, and when an article grabs your eye, it's only a click away, still free on the BC website. Thank you for your understanding.

BC of the Month, May 2007: Matt Paprocki

Lisa McKay — Thu, 10 May 2007 11:05:13 EDT

This month's profiled writer belongs to a very exclusive club -- writers who have over 1000 articles to their credit here at BC. Matt Paprocki has been on board since November, 2003, and as of this writing has 1059 articles under his belt, the majority of them in the Gaming and Film sections. Possessed of a video game collection that would put most anyone else's to shame, Matt contributes reviews, news, and opinion to the Gaming section on a regular basis and is a contributor to the Xbox Live Arcade feature. BC Gaming editor Ken Edwards says, "When Matt is not playing video games he is watching movies, and when he is not watching movies he is playing video games (when does he have time to write?). Matt has vast knowledge in both fields, and is a great asset to BC Magazine." As film editor, I can only concur -- Matt's regular contributions are a mainstay of the film section. Matt can be counted on for weekly DVD reviews that go the extra mile by discussing the technical aspects of the releases. He rates films not only on their story content, but on their technical quality and the appeal of the bonus material as well. Matt's detailed descriptions of the audio and video presentation of the films he reviews will satisfy the needs of anyone who wants to know whether their viewing experience will take advantage of all that their home theater set-up has to offer. Matt is also now reviewing HD DVD releases as well, keeping up with current trends in format. If a film's technical specs aren't up to snuff, you'll learn about it in one of Matt's reviews.If you want to know how Matt's passion for all things video developed, read on:I can remember first picking up a game controller when I was five. That’s pretty much going to be the pattern here. Born, raised, and still sitting here in Toledo, Ohio, a whole lot of my 26 years have been spent in front of the TV with some form of controller in my hand. Out of a private Catholic school (yuck) and into a public high school, I had full plans to find a career in computer graphics. I took each and every art class available. I had what could only be considered one of the best art teachers I could have asked for.Hitting college, I realized rather quickly that computer graphics require this thing called “math.” That’s not my thing. Ever. I was lucky to graduate high school my math is so off. I briefly majored in drawing, but there’s no decent career that I would enjoy in that beyond teaching, and I’m not a kid person.I decided there had to be another way into the game industry (or at least get close to it), and that was journalism. I majored about a year and half in Bowling Green University’s program before I completely lost interest. I didn’t quite see the logic in learning (and paying for the privilege) about ancient eastern civilizations when all I wanted to do was write. Taught myself most of what I know. It’s more fun that way.I started up my own cheap and horribly put together fanzine called Gaming Source around that time, and when the cost far outweighed the benefits, I was lucky enough to find the website, Digital Press, through a Christmas gift (their price guide for video games) and settled in there. This also spurred a huge video game collecting bug that has been referred to as a variety of things from sick, sad, cool, insane, or the greatest thing ever. I was promoted by default to reviews editor since, well, a rather large portion of the content was mine anyway.I’ve worked retail jobs in various capacities for a little over ten years, and recently found some actual paying work as a freelance journalist for local papers and a few other media companies. I keep the retail jobs because, well, I’m a freelance journalist. That leads us to today, where I spend free time playing games, writing about them simply because I enjoy it, watching loads of movies, and taking care of countless pets including two lizards, three ferrets, some fish, a mouse, and two dogs. That’s down a bit from a typically larger roster which in the past has included an alligator, snakes, and frogs, amongst others.Q&A: The Serious StuffYou're in that very exclusive club of writers who've written over 1000 articles here at BC. Where do you find the time to watch the movies, play the video games, and write the reviews, and how does this all fit in with what you do in your "real" life?Wait… we’re allowed to have “lives?” The sad part is, I don’t have the time. My shelves are full of movies I’ve bought and never watched (some not even opened). Games are everywhere that I never even put into the system. I’m also the reviews editor for Digital Press, which takes even more of my time. I’ve found myself not reviewing things I planned to when time doesn’t permit. I need to balance the running time of the movie, the amount of extras, and how long it will take me to write it up. An average movie review takes me around 45 minutes. A game review is generally shorter and takes about 20. That’s always in the back of my mind before I sit down to watch/play something. Rushing leads to sloppy reviews, or disinterest, which is even worse. If you look through my reviews, you can definitely tell when I was bored out of my mind writing about something (a review for Lake Placid 2 being the latest victim of this issue). I simply enjoy doing it for the most part though. I’m a freelance writer and work retail, so even work revolves around games and movies generally. It’s just a hobby in the end I guess. I love home media, and writing about it seems like a natural extension of that.In your DVD reviews, you go into the technical (i.e. audio/visual) aspects of the discs in great detail. How did you come by your technical background? Does paying attention to that stuff ever distract you from the fact that you're watching a story unfold, or do you watch twice? What's your home set-up like?On the technical side, I’ve taught myself everything. It’s not necessarily difficult to pick out flaws in the video if you’re looking for them. There’s not a lot of training needed when you’re watching something and scratches are all over the place. That’s simply a lazy/cheap effort by the studio who didn’t want to spend the money to restore said movie. Stuff like compression is easily found once you’ve spent the few minutes it takes to learn what to look for.On the audio side, it’s even easier. Does the sound follow the action on screen? Are actions happening on the left come from the left speaker? True die-hards will dive deeper and get into compression rates and such. I don’t have the money to spend on some massive home theater to pick up on things like that, and the space allowed really wouldn’t make a difference anyway even if I could. It’s not a special talent or anything to critique things like this. Most people either won’t care or don’t see a need to learn, and there’s nothing wrong with that. For nit pickers like myself, the information is there.I generally try to pick out video and audio flaws early so I can get into the film during critical parts. Sadly, not all of the problems will occur early on, so it’s always in the back of my mind to watch for technical problems. The worst cases are foreign movies in their original language with subtitles. I always take notes as I’m watching to make sure I don’t forget to include things in the review, and fumbling around a dimly lit room with pen and pad while trying to read is not easy. Generally, the rewind button is my friend in those cases, but to watch the movie over again, well, there’s no time for that.It’s actually more difficult when a DVD is really well made. You need to really dig deep to make sure there’s nothing wrong and that nothing is being overlooked.My set-up is on the low end compared to most home theater enthusiasts. However, there’s a thing called overkill and a lot of people end up there. Is a $20,000 audio receiver better than a $500 one? Of course. Would most people know the difference, at least one significant enough to alter their viewing experience? Not a chance. I’m not even sure the people who do spend that much know the difference.I have a 37" 1080p LCD by Westinghouse which is a perfect fit for the room. My receiver is a Panasonic 6.1 system, complete with middle of the road JBL speakers. That will need to be upgraded relatively soon as the new HD formats are bringing in new audio types and my receiver doesn’t support them. That’s still a way off until prices come down though.You've been very vocal about censorship in video games, calling for parents to do more parenting in that regard instead of relying on the game manufacturers to protect their kids. Do you have any practical suggestions for parents who want to monitor the games their kids play? Are the ratings really useful (I ask that in particular because when I was raising my son I never felt the MPAA ratings were useful at all for picking appropriate movies)? Are there any other resources, short of actually buying and playing the game, that parents can use to help them make good judgments?It’s not so much a censorship issue as it is that this has been going on for 15 years now. I was 12 when this started. Since then, I’ve graduated from high school, spent some time in college, and we’re still at the same dead standstill. Some vocal critics still use games that came out in 1992 to strengthen their arguments, which only makes them look foolish. The same arguments have been pushed all this time, and even when disproved or being flat out wrong in the first place, people still use them against the industry. This ridiculous debate hasn’t evolved in the least.Parents should have no issue monitoring their kids. The ESRB has the rating on the front and the back, and every game has descriptors. Is it that hard to read a bold letter on a box? Contrary to popular belief, they’re very accurate and careful about ratings assignments.That’s not to say they’re perfect, but certainly better at policing themselves than the MPAA. Neither the ESRB nor MPAA are backed by any federal law, as this would be against first amendment rights. When you read something in the paper about the game industry fighting against video game bills that would prevent kids from purchasing M-rated games, keep in mind the MPAA has nothing in place to keep kids from buying R-rated videos, and they never have. It’s voluntary based on the retailer. The ESRB isn’t some evil corporation hell-bent on selling your child violence or porn as certain people (*cough Jack Thompson cough*) would lead you to believe.Look at the MPAA and how it’s run. A movie is released in theaters with a PG-13. A parent thinks it’s okay, and their kid loves the movie. Well, when it comes to DVD, it’s a super violent director’s cut without a rating anywhere to be found. Said parent buys it because they found it appropriate in theaters. If the ESRB let something similar happen (say, a game is re-released in a violent edition without a rating), I can’t imagine the backlash the industry would receive.The game industry isn’t completely for kids anymore. That’s something missed by all violent game critics. Parents can check out the ESRB website before buying a game for their kid, or, as shocking as it may be, be with them when they’re choosing a game to buy. What is your child doing out alone with $50 in the first place if you’re not there? Getting some of the basics of game playing isn’t hard either and enjoying the medium with your child is a must regardless of the situation. Peeking into their room once in a while to see what’s on screen isn’t a bad idea either at a bare minimum, but personal responsibility seems to be a premium these days.Where do you see your writing career taking you a few years down the road? Any plans you'd like to share with us?I want to write. That’s the basic response. The long winded response is that I’d love to be able to push gaming journalism in a different direction. As it stands, it’s unprofessional, riddled with cheap jokes, and leading to many believing this is an industry for kids, as I mentioned above. It’s filled with hype that tends to overtake the important things.To put this into perspective, many gaming magazines don’t have a single article on the current legislation being brought against the industry, yet they find room for a full-page, single screen shot of an upcoming game with potential promise. The website GamePolitics manages to find multiple stories per day. Why can’t the magazines find one per month?That’s not to say there’s no place for fun (it is an entertainment medium after all), but if you flip through older game magazines and current ones, the standards haven’t evolved at all with the audience growing up from the days of the NES. Where did this go wrong? Only two magazines (not including those outside the US such as Edge) have ever tried a full journalistic approach: Electronic Games and Next Generation. They’re no longer around. The gaming audience isn’t used to a true source, and have been pushed into reading hyperbole that leads to junk like the “console wars.”Do I make cheap jokes here on Blogcritics? Sure, the subhead is a potential goldmine. However, the reviews should be clean and to the point. If there’s some history to the game or if it’s a sequel, that’s relevant information that many professional writers seem scared to tackle. I don’t understand the reasoning behind this, possibly because many may not even know the history or don’t care to do the research. I can’t think of any reasons beyond that. The audience needs to be educated on things like this, and the journalists have the ability to do just that. It’s a fast moving medium, and many fans have only recently jumped on board. Why not let them know there’s more out there than the latest thing? That’s what I want to do.Thanks for the opportunity to speak my mind and keep it as long winded as I did!Q&A: The Fun StuffWhat book/CD/DVD do you have more than one copy of, in case something happens to the original one?I don’t necessarily own more than one copy of anything because I’m worried about damage (though with three ferrets, I probably should be), but because I’m a sucker for fancy boxes and special features. I think I own Terminator 2 five times on various formats because they each offer something unique. That’s just the beginning of the multiple discs I own, and I won’t even get into the games.If you had to pick one sense to do without, which of your five senses would it be?Smell seems kinda/sorta useless in many situations. It would drop my taste too, but I know how bacon tastes. That’s all that matters.What do you wish they'd do a series about on TV?A serious, in-depth, and professionally produced video game show. No cheap comedy, no dumbing down to attract other viewers, etc. There’s a reason the industry is under attack from politicians and other figures. TV still presents the hobby like it’s aimed at three-year-olds.If you could, would you swap sexes for a week?The number of “joystick” jokes available here is far too easy. I’ll go with no.What do you think you'd learn if you could swap to the opposite sex?That they don’t have joysticks… err, yeah. That was unavoidable.What sports team will you love until the day you die?Chicago Bulls (NBA), Chicago Bears (NFL), Chicago Blackhawks (NHL), Seattle Mariners (MLB). The latter one sticks out, but keep in mind Nintendo owns them. That should explain a lot.What's one sign that you're a total nerd?I only get one? Let’s go with this one.What's the first book you recall reading?How to Win at Nintendo Games #2 by Jeff Rovin. I remember a Monster in My Closet book and The Little Engine that Could, but those were read TO me, not necessarily read by me.What magazines do you subscribe to?EGM, Game Pro, Nintendo Power, PSM, Games for Windows, Game Informer, Official Xbox Magazine, Tips and Tricks, Hardcore Gamer, TV Guide, G-Fan, and likely more I can’t think of.Who is your favorite writer?Michael Crichton, a man whose name I have never spelled right without looking at one of his books on my shelf. What the hell are the “ch” in there for?Who is your least favorite writer?That guy who tried to argue with me on that parenting book and anti-game loony... err, lawyer, Jack Thompson, who amazingly got a publishing deal on a book that failed miserably. I’m happy to see it ranked down at 602,000 in Amazon’s book sales rankings.Do you have a favorite Blogcritic?Chris Beaumont. Our tastes are eerily similar and we tend to agree on everything. Anyone with a higher post count deserves credit, too. If you have less of a life than me, congratulations. That’s some dedication. There’s that gaming editor guy, too. Ken something or other.What do you think is the best part of Blogcritics?The number and variety of people I know are reading what I write. Before joining, I had no idea how many (actually, if any) eyes were looking.Side note: If we ever do a cheap TV commercial, I could hear some terrible actor reading that line off like they do in those “I made $50,000 in one week!” ads.What song is stuck in your head right now?"State Your Peace", Hootie and the Blowfish. It’s always Hootie.What do you have set as the home page in your browser?Digital Press. Has been for probably close to eight years.Who was your idol as you were growing up?Tougher question than you would think. The easy out is Michael Jordan like it would be for just about any early ‘90s kid. I’ll go with that.What are three items you would need to have on a desert island?Electricity, an Xbox 360, and some of that food stuff. Of course, without games, the 360 is kind of useless. Drop the food, add in a game. I’ll make do.What's the best place to get a meal in your neck of the woods?Spaghetti Warehouse. No one else I know likes it, so everyone gets dragged there once a year on my birthday. Double bonus is that I don’t have to pay for it then, either.If you could change one thing about the world, what would it be?Another one of those questions that’s tough because I only get one. Probably ignorance. That covers a lot, from people who complain about things without knowing the full story, racists, agenda pushers who refuse to acknowledge the other side of a debate, those who believe animals have no feelings, etc. If I keep going, we’ll be here for a while. Human stupidity comes in at a very close second, if not a deadlocked tie.Matt Picks MattWe asked Matt to choose his favorites from among his huge collection of BC articles, and these were the ones he selected. Check them out, and be sure to visit Matt's writer's page to see what else he's been up to.Oh, come one. Everyone knows the bad ones are far more entertaining! But, I siphoned through my posts and found these:Phone Booth DVD ReviewNot really special, but simply picked because it’s my first Blogcritics post, first movie review, and first DVD review all in one package.Book Review: Parents are Being Played Like a Video GameBeyond the fact that the book is one of the most miserable things I’ve ever read, this post is special because of the comments to follow by the author himself. He finally gives up when he fails to come up with enough information to repel my arguments, debunking everything by saying the debate was childish even though he wrote a book on the topic.Region 3 DVD Review: Return of GodzillaThis is one of my all time favorite movies, both because it was the first Godzilla movie I ever saw in a theater and one of the best in the franchise. I picked it because of my love for the movie and it’s the second longest review I’ve ever written (the first being a 2,300+ word monstrosity to this movie's sequel, Godzilla vs. Biollante).Xbox 360 Review: Madden NFL 07Another mundane entry in this football franchise and the review is roughly on the same level. The lukewarm score and review however actually led to a death threat from a reader when he contacted me on Xbox Live. Fun times.

Lisa McKay is the Executive Editor at Blogcritics, where she can often be found hanging out in the Film section. In her spare time, she writes, makes art, watches movies, listens to music, and reads. She is now in the "experience is better than things" stage of her life and almost never passes up the opportunity to go to a good concert.

BC of the Month, March 2007: Jon Sobel

Lisa McKay — Mon, 5 Mar 2007 13:23:08 EST

The purpose of this monthly series is to highlight an outstanding contributor to the site as chosen by the editorial staff. This designation is meant to recognize and celebrate those writers who not only shine by virtue of their talent, but whose ongoing participation gives all of us a reason to tune in each and every day. As new readers are continually discovering BC Magazine, we also hope to introduce these fine writers to a new audience.Fans of the independent music scene who visit BC regularly already know that Jon Sobel is the go-to guy for up-to-date news on indie releases. Publisher Eric Olsen opines that Jon “…combines a musician's knowledge of the subtleties and intricacies of music and the music industry with a lifelong fan's passion and a gift for very fine writing. Jon has long been the indie artist's best friend on Blogcritics and his more recent forays into theater have been exceptional as well!”A BC contributor since January of 2004, New York-based Jon is equally at home writing theater reviews and the occasional piece of political or social commentary, and indeed the quality of his writing has made him a favorite with readers and editors alike. Assistant music editor DJRadiohead offers this: “Jon Sobel is a fabulous writer and a key contributor to our music section. His writing has a literary quality to it and his work is imbued with a rare dignity and intelligence. Jon is better able to translate sound to word in his description than just about anyone I know. He's just a damn pleasure to read and edit.” Music editor Connie Phillips agrees that “Jon brings so much to the Music section with his reviews and round-ups of what's going on in the world of independent artists and recordings. He writes with a lot of knowledge, a little humor, and consistently in top-notch form.”Jon doesn't just talk the talk when it comes to writing about music. In addition to holding down a day job as an IT professional and writing for BC, Jon is a working musician who fronts a band called Whisperado. You can hear some of their music on their Myspace page.Before we get to the heart of the matter, a little background on Jon:I have three lives. As an IT professional, I mind machines during the day. As a musician and songwriter, I lead the roots-rock/alt-country band Whisperado, run blues shows in New York City, and, when time allows, play bass as a sideman with other bands. As a writer, I review music, theater, and the occasional book or movie; once in a while I write something political, funny, or extra-stupid.I’m fortunate to have been raised in a humanist family, immersed in music, literature and science. The family has included both writers and musicians. Grandpa Martin never finished high school but published a raft of self-help books, a few novels, and regular book reviews in The Jewish Post. He was also a published songwriter back in the days of sheet music. Grandma Pauline was a novelist and poet and also wrote for confessional magazines. My parents have both authored textbooks, and my mother is the only person I know to have earned a weekly paycheck for writing verse (funny story, that…).I grew up in the Long Island suburbs, outside New York City, and then spent four years at Harvard studying English poetry - everything from Beowulf to Yeats. After college I toiled in a toy factory, worked as a substitute teacher, drove a wheelchair van, and made a semi-living as a working musician, before settling into the computer career that has supported me and my creative endeavors ever since. Since 1994 I’ve lived in Brooklyn.Q & A: The Serious StuffA person could get tired just looking at your resume -- writer, working musician, songwriter, musical entrepreneur -- and all of this on top of the job that pays the bills. First of all, where do you find the time, and secondly, was this part of your life's plan, or are you making this up as you go along? And which of those varied personae do you find the most satisfying?I’m mostly making it up as I go along. Writing is the one thing I always wanted to do, but I didn’t figure out what KIND of writing was my strong point until I started doing reviews, and that didn’t really happen until the age of the Web, when there were a lot more opportunities. At online publications you could actually get some readers without having to battle for a rare spot in an “old media” publication - I never really had the stomach for that, so I never made a serious go at trying to be a professional writer.What I find interesting is that what really prepares you to write critical pieces is exactly what we always complained about in school – writing book reports and term papers. You think, “When am I ever going to need to do anything like this in real life?” And for most people it’s true – they don’t. But writers do, especially writers of short essays on current events, music, art, literature, sports etc. Those are basically book reports and term papers! So it seems that the one thing school DID prepare me to be was a writer.Most of what I do I had some preparation for, but, at a higher level, picked up as I went along. I always found computers interesting – writing little BASIC programs back in junior high in the ‘70s, playing with those rinky-dink Commodore PET personal computers that we had in high school, and such – but I never thought I’d make a living working with computers. My Dad gave me summer jobs doing computer programming, which turned out to be very valuable, but for “real life” I assumed I’d be doing something liberal-artsy like writing – which ended up being true – just not for a living. At least not at this point.How do I find the time? Good question. Two main factors. One: I’m a messy, scatterbrained person. I can only concentrate on something for a short period of time. This forces me to be extremely productive in small periods. For example, I’m writing these answers during a few spare minutes here, a few minutes there, spread out over several days during lunch hours, in between checking emails and cooking and rehearsing music and working out, etc. Even if I didn’t have a job, if I had all day to write and play music, I’d still do things like this in pieces, because that’s how I am. So I have to make the most of each piece of time.Two: I don’t watch too much television. I watch some. I like TV. But it requires a lot of sitting still, which isn’t my strong point, and it’s also pretty much the opposite of productive. Keep your TV watching to a minimum and you’ll be a far more productive person.The different things I do are satisfying in different ways. Playing music makes me happy acutely and immediately. Writing criticism is satisfying in two calmer ways: it exercises the brain, and it (sometimes) helps others. The blues shows, which I run once or twice a month, are part of the same subsystem for me – I can make people happy by a) giving performance opportunities to struggling musicians and b) presenting blues to blues-lovers in a city that’s sorely lacking in blues venues. (The blues scene in the suburbs is much more lively than in the city, where it’s practically non-existent these days – I don’t know why.) All that is probably a substitute for not having kids – I don’t know, do your own psychoanalysis.In addition to paying the bills and providing structure (which, as a scatterbrained person, I need), my computer job lets me work with nice people and play with computers, both of which I like.I listened to some Whisperado tracks on your Myspace page -- you guys are good! You've recently celebrated your fourth anniversary; how did the whole band thing get started?Thanks. Well, for most of my musical life I was pretty content to play in other people’s bands. It’s a satisfying thing to get good enough at your instrument (bass guitar, and I also play some piano and acoustic guitar) to be sought after by other bands and singer-songwriters. I wrote songs over the years, but they mostly weren’t very good – I certainly never had enough strong material for an act of my own. And I also never learned to sing. But then I started to write some songs I thought were stronger, and I wanted to have an outlet for them, and to get my ass out in front of a band and see what that was like.Also, I had been writing a lot of reviews and I started to think that if I was going to be telling other people their music sucked, or they were bad singers or had crappy songs, I really ought to know something about what it was like from their perspective. Put my money where my mouth was. So I got a band together and took voice lessons. And here we are.David, our drummer, is an old friend from bands of decades past – I met him in the very first band I joined after moving back to New York after college. He also played with me in an early version of my ex-wife Halley’s band. Patrick, our guitarist, is a well-known blogger – he runs the blog Making Light with his wife, Theresa. The two of them are well-known science fiction and fantasy editors with a combined IQ of 471 (I measured once when they weren’t looking). I knew Patrick from when we worked together backing up a singer-songwriter friend. He’s so far written only one song for Whisperado, but that’s okay – at this rate, after a mere 40 years together, we’ll have enough Patrick Nielsen Hayden songs for a whole set. He also spells me by singing lead on some cover tunes, and the sound of the band is defined in a big way by his Telecaster playing.A lot of BC writers tend to stick to one section of the site or another, but your BC contributions, while leaning somewhat in the direction of music, are almost as varied in scope as your personal life, ranging from book and theater reviews to the occasional political piece. Is there any one part of the site that you consider to be "home" more so than the others?Not really. I write more about music than anything else, so in that sense that’s my “home base,” but I probably have spent more time in the Politics section because that’s where you can get into (sometimes) fun arguments. Less lately, since I just haven’t had the time – also political arguments tend to make me angry, and who needs that? I also visit the Culture section pretty often. As far as music, most of my friends are musicians, and we talk about music all the time, so I don’t really need Blogcritics for musical companionship – I have that in the meat world. I do READ the Music section whenever I have a chance – I like to get other writers’ perspectives on things I think about a lot myself.More recently, I’ve been pretty excited about doing more theater reviews. I’m not at the level of getting invited to review Broadway shows yet, but it seems that at the off- and off-off-Broadway level, reviews are more important to the producers. Broadway reviewers are much less powerful than they used to be – it’s the audience – mostly tourists -- that decides what shows are successful. Only tourists can afford Broadway prices anyway – they’re people who have budgeted a big block of money for their New York City vacation, and a Broadway show is part of that. But smaller shows need all the promotional help they can get. Even very small-scale shows include a publicist in their budget because it’s that important to them, and those publicists are happy to invite reviewers like me in to cover their productions. Plus when you’re a theater reviewer you always get the best seats.Also, reviewing theater you feel more of a personal connection with the production and the performers than you do with strangers who’ve sent you music they’ve recorded in a studio. I don’t mean you meet them – quite the opposite, you want to avoid that. I don’t like to meet anybody from the productions I review except the publicist. What I mean is it gives me a really good feeling to talk up an excellent play by a new playwright or a fantastic performance by a young or unknown actor. I really feel I might be making a significant difference for them.Of course there are plenty of bad productions too, but I’ve gotten better at sensing in advance which ones are going to be worth seeing.Another good thing about theater reviewing is that it’s forced me to develop the skill of writing fast. I can sit for weeks listening to a CD, but these plays usually only run for a month or so. So I feel it’s important to get my review published the very next day after I’ve seen the preview, so that if it’s a good review it can have the most helpful effect for them.Your Indie Round-Up columns are a great place to go to find things that might normally fly under the radar of the average music lover. How do you find and pick the records you write about there?Some of them come from Blogcritics postings. Some come directly from publicists who know me and send me CDs unsolicited, all of which I listen to and some of which I review. To some degree, they’ve gotten to know my tastes and interests, so I don’t get too badly flooded. Others come straight from artists, who are doing their own P.R. and have heard about me somewhere or read my reviews. I try to review everything that I like. Sometimes I also write about recordings that I don’t like but that get me thinking for one reason or another, or that I expected to like but was disappointed in. Sometimes that’ll happen with a CD I’ve requested through Blogcritics, in which case, since I’m “obligated” write about it anyway, I’ll give it a piece of my mind. Very little time for that, though – I don’t request things unless I’m almost sure they’ll be good. So most of my reviews – probably 80% or so, maybe even more - are positive. You're a real (as opposed to a transplanted) New Yorker. How has growing up under the cultural influence of the city shaped your work?I think living in and around the big city tends to expand your range of interests. That seems to be reflected in my writing.When I was deciding on where to go to college, I had a chance to go to Swarthmore, which is one of the most selective small liberal arts schools in the country. Swarthmore has a really beautiful campus, and it’s not too far from Philadelphia, but I elected to go to Harvard instead and one major reason was that it was right in Cambridge/Boston. I’d grown up in the Long Island suburbs under the influence of New York City and when I left home I couldn’t wait to live in the thick of a city, so that’s what I did.More so than Boston, New York is so huge it’s like a whole universe in itself. You could never possibly know every corner of even one of the five boroughs. By population, Brooklyn (where I live) would be the fourth largest city in the US if it were its own city (which it was until 1898). Queens is the most culturally diverse county in the country. (That’s what they say, anyway – I’m not sure how that claim is arrived at, but spend some time traveling around Queens and you’ll believe it.) Manhattan is Manhattan – still the center of the world in some ways, in spite of the spreading mall-ification and Disneyfication. The Bronx, too, would be a large city all on its own, and I know so little about it that it’s like another country to me. Staten Island has forts, open spaces, nature – and Republicans, talk about diversity!Making your way as a New Yorker is challenging but extremely rewarding. No matter how active or successful you are, you’re still going to be a tiny fish in a big pond. But there are more interesting fish swimming around than you could possibly ever get to know. Just staying a healthy fish and avoiding the pond scum feels like a huge accomplishment. It’s hard to feel bad about your life when you live in a place like this and are out in the midst of it doing a bunch of stuff you like and not hiding quivering in a dark corner with a blanket over your head.Living in the city exposes you to lots of different cultures and subcultures. Not only does that expand your interests and your curiosity, but it makes you have a larger sense of community. This is a broad generalization, but I think people in small towns feel more of a sense of community centered in their town, and in their family, but less of a sense of community with all of humankind. Maybe that explains why there are so many liberals and progressives in big cities.Q&A: The Fun StuffWhat book/CD/DVD do you have more than one copy of, in case something happens to the original one?That’s a more complicated question than it would have been back in the analog age. I don’t really have double copies of things, physically, but I’m in the process of copying my most valued CDs onto the computer (uncompressed, which takes up a lot of hard drive space). So that, in a sense, is my “more than one copy.” Anyway, since it’s impossible for me to pick a single CD as my absolute favorite, I’ll answer the question with a book and a DVD. The book would be the complete works of W. B. Yeats - mostly for the poems, and secondarily for the plays. Unless you go back to Shakespeare and Milton, the English language really doesn’t get any better than Yeats. My two-copy DVD would be the movie Tremors. It’s the most perfect movie ever made. In fact I believe it’s the movie Yeats would have made, if he had made movies instead of written poems. Yeats died on my birthday, did you know that? Twenty-four years (exactly one generation) to the day before I was born. “Six Degrees of Fred Ward.”If you had to pick one sense to do without, which of your five senses would it be?That’s easy: sight. I have bad eyes anyway, so I’d be mentally more prepared to go blind than to go deaf or lose any other sense. Hearing - because of music (and certain people’s voices) - is too important as a source of pleasure. Touch, smell, and taste are also major pleasure senses. Hearing and smell are also really important for survival. I’d miss seeing beautiful sights and watching movies, but there are plenty of movies in my brain. I could definitely handle that better than losing any of the other senses. Might not be the most convenient for the people who’d have to help me around, but this interview is all about me, right?What do you wish they'd do a series about on TV?A girl who runs around in skimpy outfits killing vampires. Since that’s completely absurd, I’ll have to think of something else. Seriously, I had a tough time with this question because there’s way too much on TV already. Even the 5% of TV that’s worth watching is way too much – you could do nothing but watch TV all day. So I’m going to wish for a TV series about what happens when suddenly all TVs stop working. Think about it.If you could, would you swap sexes for a week?Sure, I’m fem-curious. Oh, wait a second – would I be having my period?What do you think you'd learn if you could swap to the opposite sex?I’d want to learn how much of my knowledge of women, painstakingly acquired over a lifetime, is right and how much is bullcrap. Also I’d learn how women really see me. ‘Cause this interview is all about me, after all. And rightly so, if I do say so myself. And I do say so. And rightly so.What sports team will you love until the day you die?The Mets. Dad was a Brooklyn Dodgers fan, and so the family loyalty of course switched to the Mets, who were born the year before I was. I don’t think that had anything to do with Yeats, incidentally. I found out, though, that my mom, who grew up in Manhattan and The Bronx, was - to the extent that she was a baseball fan - a Yankees fan. I didn’t learn that until well into my adulthood, but it still meant years and years of therapy before I could finally reconcile this bizarre bifurcation of the spirit.What's one sign that you're a total nerd?Oh, there are so many to choose from! I have a t-shirt with a picture of a Borg cube (from Star Trek) on it. Even my nerdy girlfriend won’t let me wear that one.What's the first book you recall reading?Hard to really remember, but I think the children’s book I remember most clearly is Maurice Sendak’s Pierre, about the boy who gets eaten by a lion. That was supercool. Of course I read a lot of other kids’ books before that - I know I read The Wizard of Oz because I still have the copy my parents got me when I was three, with my crayon drawings all over it. Come to think of it, that has a lion too. As for “grown-up” books, I’d say it was The Lord of the Rings. My Dad read The Hobbit to me over many nights as a bedtime story, and I liked it so much I insisted on going on to read the trilogy myself. I was seven years old, but the story’s pretty easy to follow even for a kid. And one thing The Lord of the Rings doesn’t have is child-confusing sex scenes. Or lions, for some reason.What magazines do you subscribe to?The New Yorker, Time Out New York, Wired, Macworld. Also a bunch of techie I.T. publications I get at work - exciting stuff like CIO Decisions, Infoworld, Mactech, and my favorite title, Disaster Recovery Journal.Who is your favorite writer?Among contemporary prose writers, I’d say T. C. Boyle. From earlier times, Thomas Hardy. One of my favorite nonfiction writers is John Lahr, who writes theater criticism for the New Yorker. He’s the son of Bert Lahr, who played the Cowardly Lion in the movie The Wizard of Oz. See how it all connects?Who is your least favorite writer?Michael Crichton. When I was a kid I read tons of science fiction - anything I could get my hands on - and the only book I can recall actually not finishing was The Andromeda Strain, in spite of what seemed like it should have been a really interesting and scary story. I guess even as a child I had some kind of instinctive feel for bad writing. Since then, I’ve actually read a couple of his other books. He definitely comes up with some good stories. Unfortunately he writes like Jennifer Lopez sings.Do you have a favorite Blogcritic?I’d say Duke de Mondo – he’s the only individual Blogcritics writer I subscribe to the RSS feed for - but it seems a little unfair to pick someone who doesn’t post frequently. Among the more prolific writers, I really like reading Nik Dirga’s good solid music criticism.What do you think is the best part of Blogcritics?The community aspect – it’s like we’re all on one big team. Support and recognition from fellow writers is hard to find in other places.What song is stuck in your head right now?“Smile” by Lily Allen, because I happened to hear it just now.What do you have set as the home page in your browser?My Gmail login page. I use Gmail only for personal emails from actual friends and co-conspirators - not for list stuff. So any message I get at that address is almost always something I actually want to read. If I didn’t have any webmail, I’d probably have the BBC News as my home page. Blogcritics wouldn’t be a bad choice either - except that then I’d never get any work done.Who was your idol as you were growing up?Isaac Asimov. I wanted to be a science fiction writer so badly, and he was The Man - an endless fountain of amazing ideas. Also the exaggerated egotism in the introductions he wrote was very amusing to me - I was a kid who’d been taught not to toot his own horn.What are three items you would need to have on a desert island?Assuming people don’t count as items, I’d start with an iPod. I don’t actually own one, but if sentenced to a desert island I’d get one of those damn things and fill it up with my favorite music. It would be a solar-powered iPod, of course, and it would have a built-in shortwave radio receiver. I think if O. Henry or Rod Serling were around today, they’d write a story about the last man on Earth, who’s a huge music fan and is perfectly content to live the rest of his life just listening to music on his solar-powered iPod - but then he loses his headphones (which were also the last headphones on Earth).My second item would be a seat of the proper height to sit on for meditating, because if left to my own devices without any distractions or human contact I rapidly go insane and meditating tends to help with that. Third, a bottomless pint of Guinness, like in that leprechaun joke. That’s because meditating and listening to music by myself could get old real fast. That’s assuming there’s plenty of food on the island - I don’t want to have to waste one of my three items on a Star Trek food replicator. I will if I have to, though.What's the best place to get a meal in your neck of the woods?Calexico. It’s a really good, inexpensive Mexican restaurant around the corner from my house. Spicy, filling, cheap comfort food with big portions.If you could change one thing about the world, what would it be?Make churches pay property taxes. Then we’ll see who’s really “godly.” I mean it. If churches had to pay taxes, they’d have to charge their members really big dues. Then people wouldn’t just join a church because their parents did, or out of peer pressure. And maybe people would start to see through the cloud of indoctrination and myth that prevents them from making sensible decisions and making up their own minds about things. (Also take away the “no parking in front of churches” rule. Make those ministers drive around looking for a parking space just like everyone else. Stupid ministers.) Anyway, with all the money we get from the churches’ taxes, we can exempt delicious Mexican restaurants instead.Sobel on SobelWe asked Jon to pick his favorites from among his articles, and this is his list. Check these out, and if you’re not a fan of Jon’s yet, check out the rest of his archive and find out what you’ve been missing.Two of my favorites are among my more personal essays: All I Really Need to Know I Learned from John Hiatt Lyrics and Indie-Cision 2006: An American In Nashville. They were both a lot of fun to do. Mel Call! got a lot of positive response and reminded me that I could be funny. Getting back to music: Rock’s Greatest Bass Riffs was fun. Nothing like publishing a “best ever” list to generate controversy. Leaving out John Entwistle caused a bit of a scandal. My interview with the band Controlling the Famous was a nice opportunity to stretch out as a writer, even if the band hasn’t (yet) become as big as I imagined they might. Come on, guys! And getting to write up Rosanne Cash’s CD release show was a blast, especially when the CD turned out to be so amazingly good.For analysis, I think I did a pretty good job on Janis Joplin. My favorite book review is the one of Steel Drivin' Man: John Henry - The Untold Story of an American Legend. For me it was history, music, and personal experience all rolled into one article.

BC of the Month, February 2007: Tom Johnson

Lisa McKay — Mon, 5 Feb 2007 08:40:29 EST

The purpose of this monthly series is to highlight an outstanding contributor to the site as chosen by the editorial staff. This designation is meant to recognize and celebrate those writers who not only shine by virtue of their talent, but whose ongoing participation gives all of us a reason to tune in each and every day. As new readers are continually discovering BC Magazine, we also hope to introduce these fine writers to a new audience. If you're a frequent visitor to the music section here at BC, Tom Johnson's name will be familiar to you. A contributor for the past four years, Tom brings to his work a winning combination of passion, encyclopedic knowledge, and humor, all presented in his down-to-earth style. All of these qualities work in concert to make Tom a must-read for anyone who takes their music seriously (or just enjoys a good read). His regular column, Overlooked Alternatives, is a great place to find those hidden gems that might otherwise escape your notice. BC publisher Eric Olsen offered this insight about Tom: "Tom Johnson has an intimate and passionate relationship with a wide, eclectic array of music that has generated some of the most important and enduring music writing on the site. We missed him terribly when he was away having babies and whatnot."The folks who run the music section waxed eloquent when asked to describe Tom. According to music editor Connie Phillips, "Tom Johnson's articles add so much to the music section. Whether he's giving us a peek at something obscure in his Overlooked Alternatives feature, giving us a more in-depth look at a specific album in a music review, or telling us the latest tidbit in music news, he does so with a candid honesty and an enjoyable style." Assistant music editor DJRadiohead said, "Tom is unquestionably one of the best reads BC Magazine's music section has to offer. There are some music critics who seem as though they don't like music at all. Tom's style is refreshing in that he brings the knowledge of a student, sans the stuffiness, and the passion of a fan, but with some objectivity and insight. He writes like an everyman, but makes us seem a whole lot smarter (even if he does like John Mayer)."Tom's fellow music writer Mark Saleski put it this way:One of the things that drove me to write about music was passion. To me, music is not just another form of entertainment, it's food. That may seem like a crazy statement, but to some of us, music is just as important as food, drink, and love. Heck, sometimes it's all of those things.Tom Johnson has always felt like a kindred spirit in this. His passion for music is evident in his writing. Whether it be "his band" (Rush), "shocking" pop music choices (John Mayer), or the crazed angularity of modern improvised music (Nels Cline), it obvious that this stuff is important to Tom. His writing never fails to put that sense of the wonder of discovery on full display -- a sense that most people lose as they move into adulthood. The world needs more of these kinds of voices: free of cynicism and driven by the desire for new sounds.Stick around to learn about what makes this writer tick, but first a bit of biographical background from Tom himself:I have come to the conclusion that while a lot of people come to Phoenix to visit or to live here, or leave Phoenix for other cities, not a lot of people seem to be born here and just stay. That's me, however – I'm here to stay. I grew up here, I went to school here, I went to ASU where I studied both creative writing and then studio art. And ASU is where I met my future wife (funny enough, I actually had to “meet” her through a mailing list for Rush – but it was only because we both went to ASU that I met her, otherwise it would have never happened). We were married in March 1999 and have an amazing, beautiful 17-month-old daughter who entertains us all the time with very creative dances, sometimes to sounds that aren't even music.I try and put my art skills to good use at work everyday – I still have a job, so I guess that's working out okay. As for the writing, I hopefully use my skills for good and not evil at my sites, known johnson and lookout for hope (the former for “regular stuff” and the latter for music/movies/TV – you know, anything less personal.) Come on by to both – if you only read one site, you're missing half the story!Q&A: The Serious StuffYou write about it like a man possessed, which is the way I think all good music writers do it. Where does the passion come from, and when did you decide to take up the pen (metaphorically speaking)? Are you a musician yourself?I simply can't help myself. I love pointing people to new music, I love trying to get the word out, and love keeping people interested. There are few things more satisfying than turning someone on to some band or album that they've never heard before. I still get very excited about new releases, in a very geeky way – which is why I keep tabs on release dates and such and why Overlooked Alternatives exists, really. That's just me talking to myself about why something is exciting. I began writing a blog back in 2001 when I had a bunch of free time – I had just gotten laid off from a job and filled the time and my site with what I knew: talking about music. But I've always written, apparently, evidenced by going through old papers that my parents have kept since my elementary school days. This is primarily how I communicate, I guess. I don't find myself a particularly good speaker, my brain stumbles over words and thoughts, but on paper and screen I can get things out in a more reasonable manner. Given the opportunity, I will write a lot. Just ask anyone I've ever emailed. They're never short, simple affairs. My love of music is my dad's fault. I'm going to blame it on him, at least. It was he who told me, when I was very young and confronted him with the question of whether I should buy a model kit I wanted to build or some cassette of some band I can't recall now, that the model I'd simply build and put away or end up destroying some day (this is true) while the music was something that would last forever. He couldn't have been more right about the latter.I've tried my hand at being a musician – I spent a few years on piano as a kid, then tried bass and guitar a few times when I was older, and even the unusual touchstyle instrument, the Chapman Stick (and its variant the Warr Guitar.) Nothing stuck. Truthfully, I was too impatient to really sit down and learn – too many ideas in my head simply wanted to leap out right onto the fretboard and found themselves hobbled by fingers that couldn't figure out what to do and I just gave up too soon. Something deep in my brain keeps whispering “try drums – that's what you really want to play” so maybe someday I'll get brave and give 'em a shot.Overlooked Alternatives is a column in which you shine some light on music releases that are flying under the radar. How do you keep tabs on what's going on in the music world, and what's your take on how the whole music scene has changed with the collapse of radio (in any meaningful sense) and the rise of the Internet?I get asked this a lot, actually. I've never really found it all that hard to find new music, so I find it surprising when I hear people say that they can't find new music. It feels to me like it's all out there, just waiting for you to simply stumble upon it, because that's what happens for me. I look up one band and see them compared to another, so I look up that one and wind up finding not only that band but several others that they're tied to. And yet I feel like I know so little – there's so much music I've missed out on. A key point in Chuck Klosterman's Fargo Rock City was made when he mentioned how metal-heads in the '80s did what they could to ignore popular music and popular radio stations, and therefore missed out on a lot of music. I really identified with that – that was me. I lived metal in high school in that same time period and MTV was only good for Headbanger's Ball. Z-Rock was my station, if I listened to the radio at all – some weird little station out of Texas, I believe, that for some reason was carried in other states and they played all these weird little hair-rock and metal bands that few even remember today. I mean, who is talking about the band T-Ride today? Exactly. But that was my little world for a couple of years. While I often find myself amused at the struggles of radio and radio artists today, thinking back in this respect, I find it a little disturbing that there won't be these little oddball stations like this, that everything will be just what XM and Sirius decides to include as channels. Stations like Z-Rock were all about variety and exposure, even if a bunch of what they played really did suck. At least we got to hear some really unusual stuff. I don't think that's so possible anymore. At this very moment, I think small bands have it good – they still have some access to radio and TV, but in the future, what are we looking at? When the music industry collapses, because in some fashion it's going to wind up collapsing under its own weight, and bands are out on their own, how will they get exposure? It's fine for the Pearl Jams of the world to be on their own because they can still get distribution deals through the majors, but what about bands like my little King's X who are struggling to make it from album to album? Some people don't even know they still exist, and yet they continue to turn out great music and do so not knowing if they're even going to turn a profit. If an established band like King's X is struggling now, how will some unknown band even get beyond local clubs? I don't foresee XM and Sirius being anything but “pay to play” venues for artists in the future, because it makes sense – I know few who seem to be tuning in right now to find new music. They're checking out satellite radio because it plays the old stuff they're used to and want to hear over and over again. But I do think there's a lot of freedom for artists in the future, away from the constraints of radio play and major labels, but I think there's going to be a lot of struggle for them to get some attention, too.Man does not live by music (or Arrested Development) alone. What tidbits would you like to share with our readers that aren't apparent from your body of work here?I fought hard for Arrested Development. That was tough to take, watching a great show like that slowly sink. It was, and still is, one of the greatest shows on TV, but luckily The Office (NBC's, I mean) has somehow managed to come along and divorce itself from the incredible original British show, so I'm now certain that it's more of a Fox-related issue that Arrested Development failed than the fact that it wasn't getting watched. If The Office can make it and be as mean and uncompromising as it is, then AD should have, too. Fox screwed that show – and many others that I also fell in love with. So, screw Fox.It's probably not well known that I'm not a writer but actually a graphic artist by profession. I guess I just have to have some kind of highly creative output in my life. I've done one or the other my entire life. I actually started out in college as a creative writing major but changed gears all of a sudden and went for studio art, and now I work with educational multimedia.This month will mark your four-year anniversary here at BC. What drew you here in the first place, and more importantly, what keeps you here? What's your perspective on the evolution of the site over the past four years? Do you have any visions about where your writing might take you in the future, or are you in it for the here-and-now enjoyment of it all?Jeez, four years... I honestly don't remember the specifics of what brought me to Blogcritics' doorstep. I think I simply was looking for somewhere to stick my music writing that might get some exposure, stumbled upon BC, and Eric was kind enough to have me. And I've gotten to watch the site grow from the humble little thing that it was to the behemoth that it is today. It's really fascinating to have been a part of it from nearly the beginning.I have always had visions of writing as a profession -- someday -- but for the moment I'm just enjoying what I can do when I have the free time to do it. For as much writing as I do on both of my sites, I have to admit to an amount of self-confidence that is lacking to commit to writing something personal and fictional. The “great American novel” is in my head somewhere. One of these days, I'm going to do it. That's a promise to myself.Q&A: The Fun StuffWhat book/CD/DVD do you have more than one copy of, in case something happens to the original one?You know, it's funny, I don't really think like that. I don't really keep backups of stuff. I have “extras” of things in odd ways, such as the fact that I have two copies each of Rush's Signals, Moving Pictures, and 2112. Not because they're all my favorites (although Signals actually is one of my personal faves) but because I have both the standard CD version that you can find in most stores as well as the high-falutin' Mobile Fidelity gold-CD versions that are long out of print now. And I have dual copies of the remasters of their four more recent albums on Atlantic simply because the original booklets are far superior printings (the remasters are very cheap looking scans of the originals.) But this is the only occasion where I've doubled up and kept them. And this brings up kind of a funny story of having two copies of the same thing – Rush-related again. Back when Roll The Bones came out, I picked it up after whatever classes I was taking at ASU were over and headed to a friend's apartment to listen. Not more than three songs in, the power went out and stayed out until I had to leave, hoping that it would come back on and I could continue listening. It was not to be, and my brand new, unlistened-to Rush CD was bound to be stuck in the CD player hours. There was obviously only one option. I headed right back to the store and bought another copy to listen to until I got back to her place to pick it up a few days later! I have boring things like a copy of 2001: A Space Odyssey (my favorite movie) on both VHS and DVD, but that's more because VHS is virtually worthless now so why not keep it?If you had to pick one sense to do without, which of your five senses would it be?Oh, this is far too easy. Smell. Half the time my nose is so plugged up I can't smell that much anyway, and the other half someone's likely burned something or it's just my daughter's diaper needing to be changed. I can live without that.If you really want to make this painful to answer, change it to “would you rather give up sight or hearing?” Now that's a tough call. What do you wish they'd do a series about on TV?I think it would probably be impossible, but since it seems like makeover shows were all the rage, I've had this urge to see a music collection makeover show. You know, someone nominates supposed friends because they have horrid tastes in music and someone with “far superior” tastes in music comes along and helps the unwittingly lost soul find his or her way. But it can't be mean – they wouldn't just foist a bunch of hipster crap on them, the experts would actually have to listen to victim's music and understand their needs and expectations from music and then would have to use their own expertise to find the right music to suit them. This is spawned from the tendency I have seen of people “growing up” and getting bored with the music they used to listen to – because it seems like most people I know pretty much abandoned new music as soon as they got out of college simply because the marketing machine stopped pointing at them. For most people, it seems that they stop experimenting and stop really listening, and music just becomes background noise to them. I find that really sad.If you could, would you swap sexes for a week? Sometimes I wonder if I already have – my wife and I seem to be on the opposite team. She's the one who watches the sports, I'm the one who cooks. Well, I should say “cooks” because it's really only the loosest use of the term. I really prefer to say “heat stuff up.” Regardless, there was once a time when every girl I knew in high school said, “You're going to be the best boyfriend/husband” simply because I didn't spend my free time on sports. Alas, I married that one rare woman who loves sports.But, to answer the question, without a doubt. There are the obvious lewd connotations any guy can make from a sex-switch, and I'll just skip over those, so this is going to sound terribly PC, but I think it would be fascinating to see how life operates from a woman's perspective. I don't think anyone, no matter how compassionate and understanding, can understand the opposite sex, and I think it would be really good to know what things we men do that we think is perfectly normal and acceptable that really grate on women. I know that becoming a parent has really opened my eyes to things I never could have imagined before, so I imagine that seeing the world through the opposite sex would be equally enlightening.What do you think you'd learn if you could swap to the opposite sex? Well, for one, I hear that sometimes women's restrooms have couches and special rooms that you can just go rest in. That just fascinates me. You just can't have things like this in men's rooms. I won't go into details.What sports team will you love until the day you die? Sports. Very funny. Although if those bizarre strong-man competitions are on ESPN when I'm flipping channels, I am powerless to stop and watch for however long they are on.What's one sign that you're a total nerd?I'd guess pretty much all of the above, but I'm guessing if you asked my wife, she'd point out the fact that whenever I put a CD back in its case, I have to have it lined up so the label is straight. It just drives me nuts if it's crooked. That's just wrong, man!What's the first book you recall reading? I don't recall the very first one, but I know I had a long period where I was fascinated with the Tom Swift series, and I particularly remember the cover of what I now find is titled Terror On The Moons Of Jupiter. This is probably what fueled a long interest in sci-fi.What magazines do you subscribe to?I think we just subscribed to Parents magazine, but we haven't even begun getting our magazines yet, that's how new it is. It was $5 for a year because we bought for Christmas for our daughter a toy drum that they stick their name on. Why not? That's like 42 cents an issue, and if it has funny pictures that I can cut out and hang up in weird places, well that practically pays for itself right there. Other than that, however, no subscriptions other than the daily newspaper.Who is your favorite writer?That's pretty tough. I don't read as much as I should – I have a pile of books to read, but I'm very slow at getting to them. I don't really have any “go to” writers anymore. Years ago, I'd easily have said Arthur C. Clarke because I just devoured his books for years and re-read many of them. And I do from time to time re-read a few of his, which is an extreme rarity for me. Once I'm done with a book, I'm done. But not ol' Art. I don't know how many times I've read 2001 and the Rama series, especially the first one. So, I guess in a way, it's Clarke, but I've branched out a lot since then – I rarely read sci-fi, period, and have found a lot to like in people like Nick Hornby, Chuck Palanhiuk, and Dave Eggers. Basically, I said, “Hmm, well I've done sci-fi, how about I just go the complete opposite direction and find people who just ramble on and on about nothing?”Who is your least favorite writer?I guess I'd say John Grisham, or any of those lawyer type books. I seriously can't handle that kind of thing, but especially his brand of it. And pretty much anyone writing self-helps books, because it seems like all those things do is just tell the reader right up front what to do and then reiterate the point for as many pages as possible in as many different ways as the writer can come up with. Especially anything that starts talking about the “nature of the spirit” or any other such crap. “Your soul is made of light.” Oh, really? How do you know that? Did you study that somewhere? You just “know” it. Mmm-hmm. Oh, and maybe Frank Herbert, because I tried reading Dune about 18 times and couldn't make it more than 60 pages in. I've decided that anything I need a dictionary full of made-up words to decipher no longer qualifies as interesting reading material anymore.Do you have a favorite Blogcritic?That's easy – Mark Saleski. I feel like he's been a constant guide for years for to me and, in general, a source of great stories every week. I think I've learned a lot from him without really asking him anything, just by absorbing through osmosis as he spins his many stories in the Friday Morning Listen. Not only that, but he's got the biggest ears around – literally nothing is off-limits to him, and that's just an amazing thing. I've never seen anyone as open-minded as him.What do you think is the best part of Blogcritics?The community, without a doubt. What's made it the most fun for me is not just having a place to get some exposure but having some place where there were others like me who wanted to banter about stuff. What song is stuck in your head right now?Neil Finn's “Try Whistling This” mixed with “She Will Have Her Way,” plus bits of Andrew Bird's “Sovay.” I have no idea why, but they just keep weaving back and forth into each other. My own mental mash-up.What do you have set as the home page in your browser? I wish I could give you some really obscure, interesting answer, but it's Yahoo. I just like having the news headlines right there, plus right now the Geek Squad is offering to “match me up to the perfect Windows Vista PC!” (No thanks! I've heard enough about Vista to keep me away for a long time!)Who was your idol as you were growing up?I'm not copping out, honestly, but I don't really recall having an idol as such. I just didn't. I always got asked this in school, too, and I never really had a real answer but I had to offer something so I always wound up giving a really dorky sounding one, which is Robert Ballard, the man who found Titanic. Yeah – see? What are three items you would need to have on a desert island?Aw, jeez, not this... I'm notoriously bad at these kinds of questions. I suffer from option anxiety, plus I am simply unable to break from reality enough to get the point of questions like this. So I'm just going to toss these out there, and not simply choose the easy way out like “an airplane, a pilot, and some peanuts for the flight home”: a Leatherman, a wind-up flash-light, and an endless supply of pencils and paper. If I'm stuck on an island, I might as well make use of the time and writer and draw.What's the best place to get a meal in your neck of the woods?I'm not a foodie by any means. I'm picky, very, very picky, but I don't particularly love food. I'm as likely to go to Wendy's as anywhere else. So you probably don't want my recommendation – I eat everything plain anyway, so my recs are completely skewed. But if I'm feeling adventurous, I'll get the house chicken from Pick Up Stix, a chain of Chinese restaurants. And that, literally, is about as adventurous as I get. Wild, I know.If you could change one thing about the world, what would it be?Let's all just appreciate things more.Tom Picks TomWe asked Tom to choose his favorites from among his posts. Do take the time to check these out, and don't forget to visit Tom's writer's page for links to his entire BC catalog.My love for Iron Maiden, like many of their fans, goes back to my teenage years and those days stuck wandering around town trying to find something to do. What started out as merely a heads-up about their newest album wound up being a trip down memory lane for me as I went back to my first encounter with a band that became a part of my own personal soundtrack.One little post meant to poke some fun at a much-overplayed Ford commercial featuring then-current it-boy, American Idol winner Taylor Hicks, erupts into one of the funniest displays of blind fan devotion outside of the hilarious responses to the post that Marty Dodge wrote about Insane Clown Posse.In September 2004 I was an unwitting witness to part of the downfall of one of the greatest comedians of our time, Mitch Hedberg. This piece received a lot of traffic both on Blogcritics and my own site and, in turn, it garnered a lot of criticism from those not wanting to believe this very funny man could be so flawed.I am never, ever going to let up on my insistence that Charles In Charge needs to be reinvigorated with a reunion movie. Ever.Swallowing my pride, I had to admit that, for a little while at least, I let overwhelming public negativity affect my interest in Metallica. Ultimately, I let the music speak for itself and convince me that the public was wrong.I wouldn't feel right if I didn't mention Bill Frisell, my favorite guitarist, and this review of the album that really got me started on jazz, the genre of music that really seems to keep me interested in music today.

BC of the Month, January 2007: Chris Beaumont

Lisa McKay — Fri, 5 Jan 2007 19:29:11 EST

The purpose of this monthly series is to highlight an outstanding contributor to the site as chosen by the editorial staff. This designation is meant to recognize and celebrate those writers who not only shine by virtue of their talent, but whose ongoing participation gives all of us a reason to tune in each and every day. As new readers are continually discovering BC Magazine, we also hope to introduce these fine writers to a new audience.Please join me in a virtual round of applause for this month’s honoree, Chris Beaumont! Chris Beaumont's name is well known to regular BC readers. One of the most prolific film and DVD reviewers here (or anywhere!), Chris brings reviews of current films, DVD releases, CDs, and live concerts to BC's readers on an almost daily basis. In addition to his reviews, Chris is a regular columnist in the film section, contributing a weekly box office update (in which he also gamely makes predictions for the week to come), a weekly pick from the current crop of DVD releases, and a rundown of the week's theatrical releases, all with his personal take on what to expect. BC's publisher Eric Olsen had this to say: "Chris combines deep knowledge and palpable love of film, TV, and rock music with insight, an ease of communication, a winning personality, and the most astonishing work ethic we have ever come across." That work ethic is evidenced by the fact that since joining BC in July, 2004, Chris has written over 1200 articles, primarily in the film and music sections. His taste in movies runs the gamut from action to art house and includes everything in between, and he's one of BC's resident metal-heads when it comes the music scene. While he always looks for the positive in the material he reviews, his honest take on everything he writes about ensures that his readers get an objective opinion every time. This month we'll have an opportunity to meet the man behind all those reviews. Before we get to the Q&A, a bit of background on Chris in own words: Christopher Beaumont was born in the year 1975. That same year, Steven Spielberg helped usher in the age of the summer blockbuster with Jaws, plus a couple of the greatest comedies of all time were released, Young Frankenstein and Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Queen, Kiss, Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin were at the top of the rock charts. Among the television shows that took up my parents' time were The Munsters, The Monkees, and M*A*S*H. I wonder if any of those things had anything to do with the way I am today? Anyway, I was born in Virginia, but quickly moved to Vermont, and then to New York where I still reside today. I graduated from Our Lady of Lourdes High School in 1993 and from Marist College in 1998, currently working in the software industry while secretly wishing I could find a job writing. I spend much of my time watching movies, television, and listening to music. There isn’t much to say about me -- I live a quiet life, working and writing and taking in the occasional movie. While Chris's reviews tell us plenty about what he likes (and doesn't like) in entertainment, here's our opportunity to get to know the man behind the computer screen. Q&A: The Serious Stuff The breadth of your movie-going experience is impressive. You review pretty much everything from the major blockbusters to the art house and everything in between. When did your passion for the movies develop? Do you have a favorite genre or a favorite filmmaker? Do you have any formal background in film? I’ve always been a fan of movies, but my desire to do anything related to the industry didn’t fully ignite until I was a few years into college. I was really late getting into the entertainment game in general. It wasn’t until I hit high school that I really got into music. The late 1980’s saw me using the burgeoning world of hair metal as my gateway drug to music, which also led me to want to play the guitar. So I did try my hand at guitar, taking lessons for a couple of years, along with a friend who was learning the drums. I soon learned that I didn’t have what it took to take it to the next level (my friend, on the other hand did, and he is now a member of the hardcore band Hatebreed). So, my performance career was short-lived, but my love of music grew. When I reached college, I thought my path was leading me towards math and science, hence I went into engineering. After nearly flunking out, I deemed it necessary to look for another major. While flipping through the course book I came across the communications programs with audio and video concentrations. At this point, I was still more of a music guy, so I dove into the audio program. I was still a little unsure of myself so I took both audio and video classes. Here it turned out I was a little bit better at the video and my focus shifted more towards the movie side. Anyway, I graduated with my degree in Communications: TV and Film Production, but was unable to get a job. I blame that on not taking an internship. Well, a couple more years passed by and my working knowledge of making a movie has greatly diminished, but my enjoyment of viewing has been ever increasing. It was a few years ago that my desire to write was reignited. I tried writing back in the late 1990s, the first time I tried to have a website. Needless to say, my writing was horrendous, I barely scratched out a couple of paragraphs (I should dig these out as a warning of how not to write a review). But ever since I started to write, I have found my viewing to be rather insatiable. Frankly, I love movies. Good movies, bad movies, and everything in between, I don’t discriminate and I don’t regret. Everything that I see adds to my experience and gives me something to write about or think about for future experiences. The important thing to remember is to be a fan of movies, try not to let the snobbish attitudes of some critics seep into your own perceptions. Not every movie has to have a message or speak to some human condition, and not every movie needs to be looked at in those terms. And if you follow my writings, I am much more than movies; I've always wondered if that fact has hurt my development. I have my television and music addictions as well, so the thought of spreading myself too thin has always festered a little. I tend to not think of it and to just write as much as I can. As far as genres go, I will always be a science fiction and horror fan at heart. I am always willing to give anything a shot, I don’t discriminate, but I will always lean towards those two genres. They offer some of the biggest opportunities for visual development, plus I love futuristic action, and am always a sucker for free-flowing blood. The problem is that all too often films are either hailed for their visual flourishes or for their story and acting; it is not often that the two areas come together, so I always like to see filmmakers take chances with their work and try to bring visual style and storytelling together. As for favorite directors, I cannot say that I have a favorite, but there are a few that when I hear they have something new coming out, I tend to perk up a bit. Those that catch my eye include Quentin Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez, Darren Aronofsky, M. Night Shyamalan (despite my disappointments in his last couple), Bryan Singer, Christophe Gans, Luc Besson... the list goes on. I am always interested to see what names get attached to which projects, and it is fun to watch some directors develop. Guys like Zack Snyder, Eli Roth, Lucky McKee, Rian Johnson, and Alexandre Aja have bright futures ahead of them. Your contributions to BC are all down to business; you write reviews, but you stay away from the more personal stuff. With the exception of the very moving tribute that you wrote to your late grandfather, we don't get to see much of the real Chris in there. What would you like your readers to know about you that might not be immediately apparent from your writing? You know, I didn’t get into writing to share much in the way of personal stuff, although there are always times when I do take a dip into the personal pool, most notably with the tribute you mentioned. As much as that goes, I never really liked being called a blogger, or having my reviews called blogs. I cannot say exactly why, but I want to be called a writer or a critic. I look at my writing as a way to share my views on entertainment, that was always my primary focus. You say that you don’t see much of the real Chris in there, and I think that you are wrong in that respect. Reviews are a very personal thing, they aren’t based on what others say or think, nor are they there for the benefit of others -- they can be seen as an extension of the person doing the writing. If you read enough of someone’s work, I think you can get a good idea of the person at the other end of the keyboard. As for knowing something about me that you may not already know? Well, I am very easy to get along with. Sure, I have my moments where no one should be anywhere in the vicinity of me. I can be goofy and sarcastic, and I can be the most comforting person you know. If nothing else, you will get honesty from me, and if you like to talk about entertainment, we’ll be friends for life. I know, not terribly hard-hitting, no exposing of hidden skeletons. I am a pretty simple guy to know. The sheer number of film and DVD reviews you write boggle the mind. Where do you find the time to watch all this stuff? How does all this work fit in with the rest of your life? Well, the first thing you need to do is stop thinking of it as work. This is fun to me, I love to take in a film or watch a show, or whatever. I will be honest and say that the music is little easier to fit in as I use my drive time to and from the day job to listen to a lot and I also am able to listen to music while I do that day job. I do a lot of multitasking, watching something while I write about it, or watching things while checking email or whatnot. The biggest thing, again, is to not consider it work. If you enjoy something enough, you just find a way to make everything work. Although there have been times when I feel overwhelmed and have to dig my way back out from under a pile of shrink-wrapped media, I always find a way out. With all that I write, I find that there is never enough time to write all that I want to. For as many pieces as I turn out, there is probably an equal number of concepts that have passed through my mind that I never even got to start. Even considering that, I am often amazed at how much I turn out, but then again, a writer never stops refining his craft. I’ve never had any formal training as a writer, so I figure the more I write the better I can potentially become, despite how inconsistent my quality is. There are a lot of film writers on the Internet -- how hard is it to stand out? What are your plans for the future with regard to your writing? How has BC helped you further your development as a writer? Standing out is something I do not think I do, but I truly do not have a lot of confidence in my perceived skills as a writer. There is nothing that hits that confidence harder than reading other reviews. At these times I feel that if I stopped writing right now, I would not be missed, not even register as a blip on the radar. There are so many people doing what I do, and the vast majority of those people are doing it better than I am, at least in my eyes. Sure, I am not writing for them, or anyone, but it is hard for me not to get a little down on myself when I read all of these fantastic writers out there, many right here at BC. The best thing that I can try to do is to develop my own skills and continue trying to find my voice as I write. I have to keep writing more and more and perhaps that will be enough. I really do not know how to make myself stand out any more than by keeping my name in people’s minds as I keep producing more columns. For the future, I plan to keep writing for myself, updating my site as often as I can, and continuing with my wonderful relationship with BC. I also am considering submitting some samples to local newspapers, see if I can open up any other avenues of exposure. I also look to other sites to work with as well, expanding my online footprint. I stumbled on BC about two and a half years ago, and I have loved being a part of this site. I have seen it grow and evolve over that time becoming a larger and larger presence, gaining more and more notoriety and truly become a great destination for opinion on all manner of topics. I feel truly honored to be allowed to add whatever little value I can offer. In return BC really has helped me improve my skills. First and foremost, without BC I really doubt that I would still be writing today. If not for the wonderful community and support group, I probably would have been discouraged and abandoned my blog a long time ago. That alone is a big reason for me to love the site and its writers, but it is more than that. Since the inception of the editorial staff (I love you guys and gals!) I cannot help but think that my skills are improving; I have to be pretty good and accurate in what I put down to get past the staff and up on the site. I have been surprised at how few times I have needed any major revisions or clarifications to my submissions. I am always sure that I have something very much out of whack that will be sent back in a heartbeat. Occasionally this has happened, and I commend all of the editors I have worked with. Every piece that I have published is a credit to BC and the impact they have had on me as a writer. I look forward to my continued contribution to the BC landscape for the future to come and I thank you very much for this honor. It is something that I never would have expected. Q&A: The Fun Stuff What book/CD/DVD do you have more than one copy of, in case something happens to the original one? Surprisingly, I don’t keep any extra copies, although there have been a couple that I have had to buy more than once. One of those was Pantera’s Far Beyond Driven. I accidentally left the cassette (yes, there was a time I bought cassettes) on the seat of my car and it melted beyond recognition. I replaced that with a CD. Generally speaking, I am rather careful when it comes to taking care of my entertainment media. Though, with the way some things go out of print, I should probably take care of my harder-to-find favorites! If you had to pick one sense to do without, which of your five senses would it be? This is a tough one. I love film and TV (obviously), so I cannot do without my sight. I love my music, so hearing has to stay. Then there are the various culinary delights that I like to consume, so I need my taste. Touch is a necessity, else I wouldn’t be able to properly grasp my remote control or my popcorn. Smell is essential to taste, but I think I would have to go with smell. Since I would most likely be a shut-in at this point, I wouldn’t have to worry about offending anyone with the aroma that I am unable to detect. So, smell it is. What do you wish they'd do a series about on TV? Hmmm, never really gave that much thought. I guess I always hope they’ll just show me something interesting, and cut back on all of that reality TV. If there is one thing I cannot stand, it’s all the reality junk they keep throwing up on the screen. There is one good thing about it, it does cut down on the shows I find myself enthralled with each week. I guess I would like to see an in-depth, yet entertaining, look into the making of television programs and films. I know there is already a lot of material like this available on DVDs and such, and for all I know there already is a show like this. It wouldn’t necessarily be about any particular show or film or even genre, just a series that takes a look at the various jobs that people do, with a consistent set of on-screen talent to take us through the processes. Maybe something like the existing entertainment television magazines like Extra or Entertainment Tonight, only less gossipy and more informative. If you could, would you swap sexes for a week? This is actually pretty easy -- no. I have a hard enough time just being me. It would take me a lot longer than a week to get used to living in someone else’s skin that has little in common with my own. Besides, the owner probably wouldn’t like what I do to it while I’m in town. What do you think you'd learn if you could swap to the opposite sex? That would definitely be the high cost of maintenance! What sports team will you love until the day you die? The New York Mets! Through the good times and bad, I will always be there for them. Growing up in an extended family of Yankee fans, you’d think that would be my team, but fortunately for me, my interest picked up during the magical season of 1986 when the Mets were winning everything and playing exciting ball. I haven’t looked back since, from the dynasty that never happened, to the long years of the mid-1990s and to their once again climbing talent pool. Now, if only they would do something about their starting pitching for next season… What's one sign that you're a total nerd? Besides perking up at the first notice of a movie or television discussion? Probably my willingness to talk about the various ‘universes’ that have been created. You know, thinks like Star Wars, Star Trek, comic franchises, Farscape, Battlestar Galactica, the typical genre-related topics. It isn’t often that my inner geek has an opportunity to make himself known. What's the first book you recall reading? Charlotte’s Web. I read that book cover to cover countless times. It had some sort of strange control over me, to this day I cannot explain it. That was the first book I can recall reading, and it still holds a special place in my heart, although it carries much less prominence outside of it being the first. What magazines do you subscribe to? None; who has time to read? I am way too busy writing. Although, from time to time I will pick up an issue of something to read. Generally, I will pick up some movie- or music-related mag to read, things like Cinescape, Rolling Stone, Fangoria, Premiere, or something along those lines. I have also been known to check out issues of Maxim. Who is your favorite writer? I don’t read as much as I used to, actually, I cannot remember the last time that I read an entire book. Despite the time that has passed since my last attack on a novel, I still have a couple of favorites. First is the late Isaac Asimov. His Foundation series opened my eyes to what great science fiction is. Then there is the master of the macabre, Stephen King. The Stand is my favorite book, one which I have read a good dozen times. These two are always at the top of my recommended writers list. Who is your least favorite writer? None really come to mind. To be honest, there are few writers whose names I keep track of; if the book is bad I tend not to remember who was behind the train wreck. Quite a different story from my movie watching. Do you have a favorite Blogcritic? I don’t read nearly as much as I would like to, and I avoid the politics section altogether (that just is not for me). There are a couple who I have enjoyed over the years. I always like something new from Matt Paprocki, his dedication to Sci-Fi Channel Originals is astounding! Also, Eric Berlin has provided some good reading, especially when he was doing his Cathode Ray Fray column. Iloc Zoz has a great style; I’ve enjoyed reading his reviews. Recently I’ve started reading Marty Dodge’s music column and he does a great job of getting straight to the point, and Neil Miller has a good voice for his film reviews. I really need to dedicate some more time to reading my fellow writers, there is so much great stuff being contributed every day. What do you think is the best part of Blogcritics? Where to begin? I first stumbled upon the site a few years back and saw it as another venue to get my writing to a bigger audience. I guess I would have to go with the larger audience it provides me for my work. Still don’t know if anyone actually reads it, but a guy can hope! What song is stuck in your head right now? There have been parts of a couple cycling through my gray matter. There is “Rocket” by Def Leppard, “The Blister Exists” by Slipknot, “A Bid Farewell” by Killswitch Engage, and “Perfect Lineage” by the now defunct local band Frail. What do you have set as the home page in your browser? I never changed the defaults, I use both Internet Explorer and Firefox on my two PCs for a couple of different reasons. IE is set to MSN and Firefox goes right to Google. I do have a few sites that I visit before getting down to real business, including IMdB, Intervocative.com, Ain't It Cool.com, WrestlingHeadlines.com, The Digital Bits, and Home Theater Forum. That is, besides BC, of course! Who was your idol as you were growing up? I went through a couple of phases. The first phase was sports and I had chosen Howard Johnson and Kevin McReynolds as my favorite players. Then I moved into my "desire to play the guitar" phase where I looked to guys like Steve Vai for my inspiration. Through it all, there was always my Dad giving a great example of how to be a good person, and continuing to do so to this day. What are three items you would need to have on a desert island? Never been much of the outdoors type. I wouldn’t mind having a little company, does that count as an item? If not, I think I would need a lighter, or something to create a fire, a knife or some sort of weapon, and a well powered entertainment system/library. I know, the last choice is a cheat, but I’ve never given much thought to the scenario, but perhaps I should. What's the best place to get a meal in your neck of the woods? Not much of a restaurant guy, but there are a couple of very good Chinese takeout joints within a couple of miles. There is also a fine assortment of chain restaurants that can provide a fine meal. If you could change one thing about the world, what would it be? Change the world... it would be easy to say world peace, or feed the hungry, or shelter the homeless, but I don’t think that would solve the bigger issues. The thing I would like to change is people’s stupidity. It’s not that I am the brightest guy in the world, but I see so much stupidity around the world that it makes me sick. So let’s get rid of stupidity, then maybe we can move forward. Chris Picks Chris We asked Chris to select a few of his favorites from among his many articles. We suggest these as a good starting point if you've yet to become acquainted with Chris's work, and be sure to check out his writer's page to see what other good stuff you may have missed. With over 1200 columns published on BC, it is tough to go through all of them to uncover my favorites. I have had a habit of avoiding my work once I have unleashed it on the masses; I have never had an easy time reading my own work post-publication. Still, there are a few that have stuck with me, some are recent, and some go back to my early days. Here are a few of those that have lingered inside my brain: In Memoriam: Edwin Bell (1924-2006) This is the most personal article I have ever written. My Papa’s passing is something that has affected me deeply and will for a long time. This was the least I could do to honor his memory. He will be greatly missed, but his memory will live on, and others will be able to get a little taste of what he was like. The Misadventures of a Budding Critic This one was a lot of fun to write. I had been hoping to get around to writing something of my online history, and what better way to do it than to commemorate my 1000th post on BC by giving a touch of the past that led me to be here. DVD Review: Cannibal Holocaust This was a difficult piece to write. After watching the film, I wanted nothing more than to be rid of it. The problem was that it stuck in my head, haunting me, and I found I had to write about it to get out of my head. The end result is something I am actually rather proud of. Concert Review: Bob Dylan & Willie Nelson I always liked how this one turned out. This was from way back in the early days of my writing resurgence, this was also my 21st post to BC. It was a concert that I went to with my father and just had an amazing time. I hope that came through in the review. I, Review: I, Robot This is another review that goes back to my early days, back in 2004. I always liked how this one came out. It pointed me in the direction that I had more to say on movies that fell in the middle of the ratings pool, rather than at either end of the spectrum. CD Review: Killswitch Engage - The End of Heartache This is not my best written CD review, but it is for an album that opened my eyes to a band which has become one of my favorites. It was a review written by a gushing fanboy for an album that ignited a fire inside of me. I cannot quite put my finger on it, but the album took me by surprise, and I think the review shows that.