Grab Bag Wednesday-The Most Ridiculous Books To Ban or Proving the Point of Banned Books Week

     Welcome to my least favorite week of the year.  It is Banned Books Week.  I love Books.  I read  Books.  The reason I hate this week is because it exists.  We humans have walked into the 21st century firmly grasping the tradition that we are allowed to force our will on other people in the name of the common good. 

     It is that very thinking that led to Witch Burnings, the Holocaust, the Crusades, and the

Spanish Inquisition.  It was all just one or two assholes who believed that what they wanted, and how they wanted to live would be best for everyone, and they didn't care how much blood needed to be spilled in order to reach that goal.

     I'm not saying that Book Banners are out for blood, but they do want to choke off Information.  If you look at the reasonings behind why books are banned or challenged, you would laugh, and then vomit.

Over this recent past decade, 5,099* challenges were reported to the Office for Intellectual Freedom.
1,577 challenges due to "sexually explicit" material;
1,291 challenges due to "offensive language";
989 challenges due to materials deemed "unsuited to age group";
619 challenged due to "violence"' and
361 challenges due to "homosexuality."

Further, 274 materials were challenged due to "occult" or "Satanic" themes, an additional 291 were challenged due to their "religious viewpoint," and 119 because they were "anti-family."

Please note that the number of challenges and the number of reasons for those challenges do not match, because works are often challenged on more than one ground.

1,639 of these challenges were in school libraries; 1,811 were in classrooms; 1,217 took place in public libraries. There were 114 challenges to materials used in college classes; and 30 to academic libraries. There are isolated cases of challenges to library materials made available in or by prisons, special libraries, community groups, and students. The vast majority of challenges were initiated by parents (2,535), with patrons and administrators to follow (516 and 489 respectively).

     It seems to me that most of those reasons are designed to wrap a kid in bubble wrap and protect him from the big bad world.  Preventing anyone from reading anything fosters ignorance.  I believe it is wrong to limit anyone from seeking out and absorbing information.  I also think it is wrong for everyone to be forced to think inside of a particular provided box.

     If you have conviction enough to stand up and say "I don't want my kid reading such things."  I can't stop that.  That conviction should be strong enough for your kid to receive a failing grade because you wouldn't let them read the material.

Now lets explore some ridiculous things.
Stranger in a Strange Land, Robert A. Heinlein, 1961
The book was actually retained after a 2003 challenge in Mercedes, TX to the book’s adult themes. However, parents were subsequently given more control over what their child was assigned to read in class, a common school board response to a challenge.

To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee, 1960
Harper Lee’s great American tome stands as proof positive that the censorious impulse is alive and well in our country, even today. For some educators, the Pulitzer-prize winning book is one of the greatest texts teens can study in an American literature class. Others have called it a degrading, profane and racist work that “promotes white supremacy.”

Howl, Allen Ginsberg, 1956
Following in the footsteps of another “Shaping America” book Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman, Allen Ginsberg’s boundary-pushing poetic works were challenged because of descriptions of homosexual acts.

Invisible Man, Ralph Ellison, 1952
Ellison’s book won the 1953 National Book Award for Fiction because it expertly dealt with issues of black nationalism, Marxism and identity in the twentieth century. Considered to be too expert in its ruminations for some high schools, the book was banned from high school reading lists and schools in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Washington state.(banned for being too smart)
The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger, 1951
Young Holden, favorite child of the censor. Frequently removed from classrooms and school libraries because it is “unacceptable,” “obscene,” “blasphemous,” “negative,” “foul,” “filthy,” and “undermines morality.” And to think Holden always thought “people never notice anything.”

Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury, 1953
Rather than ban the book about book-banning outright, Venado Middle school in Irvine, CA utilized an expurgated version of the text in which all the “hells” and “damns” were blacked out. Other complaints have said the book went against objectors religious beliefs.(oh,the irony)

The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky

Reasons: drugs/alcohol/smoking, homosexuality, offensive language, sexually explicit, unsuited for age group. Additional reasons: “date rape and masturbation”

Books for kids that have been banned or questioned
The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein

When: 1988Why: Everyone’s favorite childhood book was banned from a public library in Colorado because it was considered “sexist.” It was also challenged by several schools because it “criminalized the foresting agency.”

Winnie-the-Pooh by A. A. Milne

When: 2006Why: Talking animals are somehow considered an “insult to god,” resulting in this book’s banning throughout random parts of the United States. Several institutions in Turkey and the UK have also banned the book, claiming that the character of Piglet is offensive to Muslims. Other institutions claim that the book revolves around Nazism.

Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

When: 2010Why: Forget anti-semitism; the 50th Anniversary “Definitive Edition’” was instead banned by a Virginia school because of its “sexual content and homosexual themes.” Additionally, the book was previously banned by several schools in the United States because it was “too depressing.” Most recently, in May of 2013, a Michigan mom tried to get the book banned due to its “pornographic tendencies.”

Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
When: 1996Why: The book was banned from several classrooms in Pennsylvania on accounts of “profanity, disrespect for adults, and an elaborate fantasy world that might lead to confusion.” The book has also been banned by other schools for its use of the phrases “Oh Lord” and “Lord.”

Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White

When: 2006Why: Similar to Winnie-the-Pooh, this book was banned in Kansas because talking animals are considered an “insult to god.”

Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
When: 1900Why: Apparently there are references to sexual fantasies and masturbation in this book, resulting in its ban from classrooms in New Hampshire. Since this original banning, the book has been challenged by thousands of other institutions, most famously in the 1960s in fear that it would promote drug use to children.

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

When: 1963Why: The book was primarily banned in most southern states immediately following its publication, and it has since been challenged due to the fact that it promotes “witchcraft and supernatural events.”

The Lorax by Dr. Seuss
When: 1989Why: A California school district banned the book and claimed that it “criminalized the foresting industry” and would thus persuade children against logging.

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum

When: 1928Why: All public libraries in Chicago banned the book because of its “ungodly” influence “for depicting women in strong leadership roles.” In 1957, the Detroit Public Library banned the book for having “no value for children of today.

”

What is the difference between a challenge or banning?
A challenge is an attempt to remove or restrict materials, based upon the objections of a person or group. A banning is the removal of those materials. Challenges do not simply involve a person expressing a point of view; rather, they are an attempt to remove material from the curriculum or library, thereby restricting the access of others. Due to the commitment of librarians, teachers, parents, students and other concerned citizens, most challenges are unsuccessful and most materials are retained in the school curriculum or library collection.

Classic books that have been banned or challenged
1. The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald
2. The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger
3. The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck
4. To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
5. The Color Purple, by Alice Walker
6. Ulysses, by James Joyce
7. Beloved, by Toni Morrison
8. The Lord of the Flies, by William Golding
9. 1984, by George Orwell
11. Lolita, by Vladmir Nabokov
12. Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck
15. Catch-22, by Joseph Heller
16. Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley
17. Animal Farm, by George Orwell
18. The Sun Also Rises, by Ernest Hemingway
19. As I Lay Dying, by William Faulkner
20. A Farewell to Arms, by Ernest Hemingway
23. Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Zora Neale Hurston
24. Invisible Man, by Ralph Ellison
25. Song of Solomon, by Toni Morrison
26. Gone with the Wind, by Margaret Mitchell
27. Native Son, by Richard Wright
28. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, by Ken Kesey
29. Slaughterhouse-Five, by Kurt Vonnegut
30. For Whom the Bell Tolls, by Ernest Hemingway
33. The Call of the Wild, by Jack London
36. Go Tell it on the Mountain, by James Baldwin
38. All the King's Men, by Robert Penn Warren
40. The Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkien
45. The Jungle, by Upton Sinclair
48. Lady Chatterley's Lover, by D.H. Lawrence
49. A Clockwork Orange, by Anthony Burgess
50. The Awakening, by Kate Chopin
53. In Cold Blood, by Truman Capote
55. The Satanic Verses, by Salman Rushdie
57. Sophie's Choice, by William Styron
64. Sons and Lovers, by D.H. Lawrence
66. Cat's Cradle, by Kurt Vonnegut
67. A Separate Peace, by John Knowles
73. Naked Lunch, by William S. Burroughs
74. Brideshead Revisited, by Evelyn Waugh
75. Women in Love, by D.H. Lawrence
80. The Naked and the Dead, by Norman Mailer
84. Tropic of Cancer, by Henry Miller
88. An American Tragedy, by Theodore Dreiser
97. Rabbit, Run, by John Updike

Superhero Tuesday: Omega the Unknown and Steve Gerber, the underappreciated

Steve Gerber
Comic Book Writer
Stephen Ross "Steve" Gerber was an American comic book writer best known as co-creator of the satiric Marvel Comics character Howard the Duck. Wikipedia

Born: September 20, 1947, St. Louis, MO
Died: February 10, 2008, Las Vegas, NV
Movies and TV shows: Howard the Duck, Thundarr the Barbarian, Man-Thing
Education: Saint Louis University, University of Missouri
Awards: Inkpot Award, Will Eisner Award Hall of Fame

 Steve Gerber is a personal Hero.  The man created Howard the Duck to poke fun at society.  Using a wicked sense of humor, Steve Gerber parodied and satirized social trends and even took shot at his own industry.

Howard the Duck even ran for President, and with all the people running this time around, I think we need him now more than ever.

Gerber also brought us the< hysterically titled (if you are a 12 year old boy) Man-Thing. A title with a misunderstood  monster as the hero.  Man-Thing attacked real world issues of corruption and narrow-mindedness.


I appreciate all of these things, but Steve Gerber's unsung masterpiece was the short-lived series called "Omega, The Unknown."

Omega was ahead of its time in several ways.  Although it contained many adventures, the stories were linked into  one core tale.  The story was really about a real kid, not a sidekick or comic relief.  The setting was more real than in other comics that came before it.

Steve Gerber was, in the 1970's, one of a handful of writers who tried to elevate the comic book art form in to something more relevant, meaningful, and impacting.

The following is the stuff I usually steal from the Wikipedia.  I admit that it is a lot of info, but Omega was just that important that you need to know everything.

Omega the Unknown was an American comic book published by Marvel Comics from 1976 to 1977, featuring the eponymous fictional character. The series, written by Steve Gerberand Mary Skrenes and illustrated by Jim Mooney, ran for 10 issues before cancellation for low sales. Despite its short run, it has remained as a cult classic due to its intriguing characters and unusual storytelling. A 10-issue series revamping the character was published from 2007 to 2008, written by novelist Jonathan Lethem and illustrated by Farel Dalrymple.

Creation and concept

Unlike many other superhero titles, the main focus of Omega the Unknown is not on the super-powered person in an iconic costume and cape. Instead the story largely deals with an unusually mature 12-year-old boy named James-Michael Starling.Through the 10-issue run of the original comic book series it is made clear that there is a connection between the laconic superhero Omega and the strangely analytical child James-Michael, with most issues adding to the mysterious nature of their relationship. Interviewed in 2005 after the sequel to the original series was announced, co-creator Steve Gerber stated that he "wanted to do a series about a real kid who was nobody's sidekick, facing real problems in what today would be called a 'grim 'n gritty' setting." The series was cancelled in 1977, but Steve Gerber promised to wrap up its unfinished plotlines in The Defenders, which he was also writing at the time.  However, Gerber was fired by Marvel Comics in 1978 and never completed the storyline. In 2010, Comics Bulletin ranked Gerber and Mooney's run on Omega the Unknown tenth on its list of the "Top 10 1970s Marvels".

In late 1978, Al Milgrom, the editor of The Defenders, assigned writer Steven Grant to complete the story, the conclusion of which was still being sought after in fan correspondence. Grant did this in two issues of The Defenders in 1979,  at the end of which most of the original series's characters were killed.  While Gerber seemed unhappy with Grant's conclusion, it nevertheless tied up the loose ends of the comic series, and is considered "canon" by Marvel. Grant later wrote that the character held no interest for him, but he had tried to approach writing the story in the way that he felt that Gerber would have, had he been allowed to complete it himself.

Plot synopsis

In the premiere issue, the character of Omega is shown as the last surviving member of an unnamed alien race. He escapes the mechanical beings who have devastated his planet in a ship headed to Earth. The story then cuts to James-Michael waking up in bed having dreamed the events that just occurred with Omega.

In his waking world, James-Michael and his parents are moving to New York City from the mountains so he can improve his socialization skills after years of home-schooling. En route to New York the Starlings' car is driven off the road and both of James-Michael's parents are killed, but not before the boy discovers that both of them were robots. James-Michael collapses into a coma and awakens a month later in a private hospital exhibiting an eerie lack of emotional response to his parents' deaths. The hospital is later attacked by one of the mechanical beings that destroyed Omega's home world, and Omega himself appears to defend James-Michael. The superhero and the android fight but the conflict ends when James-Michael himself destroys the alien mechanism with energy bursts from his hands (an effect used by Omega in James-Michael's dreams).

After this beginning, the story follows James-Michael's life as he is fostered to two young women in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of New York City. The series explores the problems he encounters in a strange new place, and his trials and friendships in a New York City public school. Issues of racism and bullying are addressed, although the stories' focus is on how the reserved and detached James-Michael relates to the world around him.

Meanwhile Omega the Unknown becomes a superhero figure in New York City, tending to fight only second-string super-villains (though he did once confront the Incredible Hulk)  with a variety of outcomes. Otherwise, Omega tends to appear when James-Michael is in danger and then takes a more proactive role. As the series progresses Omega and James-Michael eventually meet and interact, although the nature of their relationship remains unclear.

Omega himself is killed in the 10th (and final) issue, leaving the mysteries of the story unresolved.Fictional character biography

Omega the Unknown is a humanoid being of superhuman power bio-engineered by an extraterrestrial mechanoid race named the Protar, from the planet Protaris in the Regreb System in the Milky Way Galaxy. The Protar, foreseeing its own extinction, decided to create an ideal race of true humanoids as their legacy to the cosmos. Their penultimate model, later called Omega, was placed on the planet Srenesk (an anagram of series co-writer [Mary] "Skrenes") to learn. He commandeered a Protar starship and fled to Earth after inadvertently destroying the world on which he was placed. The Earth was the home of the final "model" in his series, the artificially created boy James-Michael Starling, whom Omega sought to protect from the Protar.


Omega was finally shot dead in Las Vegas by the Las Vegas Police while battling Ruby Thursday; the police thought Omega was assaulting Ruby. James-Michael Starling, who had inherited Omega's power, learned the true origin of himself and Omega but refused to accept the truth. He threatened to use the power of Earth's biosphere against the Defenders. However, seeing the error of his decision, he committed suicide when he turned the power inward and self-destructed.

Powers and abilities

Omega was created through Protariana technology, and has superhuman strength. He has limited psychokinetic abilities, and has a psionic rapport with other Protar organic creations.

Omega was educated as a warrior on the planet Srenesk, trained in the fighting skills of a Srenesk warrior. The extraterrestrial Sreneskian endowed him with the ability to draw upon the psionic energy of the biosphere to project energy bolts from his hands and fly. Using biospheric energy beyond a certain level could result in global destruction, however.

2007 series

In 2005, novelist Jonathan Lethem announced that he was planning to revive the character of Omega the Unknown, in collaboration with artist Farel Dalrymple, in a ten-issue limited series to be published in 2006. Lethem was a childhood fan of the first Omega series, and referenced the character in his 2003 novel The Fortress of Solitude. When asked about Omega's appeal, Lethem stated,


When Marvel invited me into their vault of iconography, I simply leapt at the icon that resonated most deeply with me. It didn't hurt that Omega had been laying in neglect for so long, I might have had trouble trying to utilize a character who'd been put through so many paces as Spider-Man or the Hulk, say. Omega seemed a resource of thwarted possibility, open to speculation, not plumbed-out.

After hearing of Lethem's plans to revive Omega, the character's co-creator Steve Gerber expressed personal outrage over the use of the character without his participation, though he and Mary Skrenes later discussed the project with Lethem and admitted that he had "misjudged" him.[2] The first issue of the revamped Omega the Unknown was published in October 2007, and Marvel released another issue each month until the tenth was published in July 2008. All ten issues have been collected and reprinted in a single volume.

The series was nominated in the "Best Limited Series" and "Best Lettering" categories in the 2009 Eisner Awards.An excerpt was selected by Neil Gaiman to be anthologized in The Best American Comics 2010.

Super Villain Monday: The Plight of Baron Mordo

Among all the inconsistencies in the Marvel Universe is the lameness of the super villains that are supposed to be the archenemies of the heroes.  If Dr. Strange is the Master of the Mystic Arts or even the Sorcerer Supreme, shouldn't his best villain be just as cool, classy, and powerful.

Baron Amadeus Mordo stands as the greatest threat in the human magical realm, and yet he just sits there like an unformed lump of thuggish clay that's hell bent on petty revenge.  This does not make for a cool arch-villain.

Doc Strange has faced down inter-dimensional demonic overlords, he's beaten down multiple incarnations of the devil.  On a good day he's even put a dream demon in his place, but the ultimate threat to humanity is a jealous Transylvanian thug who is pissed because he wasn't daddy's favorite.

The saddest part is that the fault doesn't lay in the character conception, but rather in the application.  Mordo should be one of the most feared men on the planet.  This dude studied the Mystic Arts with Doc Strange.  They basically went to school together.  Mordo wasn't bad at Magic.  He was just second best.

The second best practitioner of the Mystic Arts also has no moral compass and questionable ethics.  This dude should be a badass and a half.  Instead he's a cross between a low level thug and a two bit Voldemort.

With all the talk of the Dr. Strange film, fans like me have taken to offering sacrifices to Aganotto that some super cool script writer can correct the errors of the past.  It only takes a decent script and some clever casting.  Baron Mordo can rise to his place of prominence and be the villain a hero really deserves.

Universe
Marvel Universe

Real Name
Karl Amadeus Mordo

Aliases
Unrevealed

Identity
Secret

Citizenship
Transylvania

Place of Birth
Varf Mandra, Transylvania

First Appearance
Strange Tales #111 (1963)

Origin
Strange Tales #115 (1963); Doctor Strange: Sorcerer Supreme #6-8 (1989)

More on Marvel.com: http://marvel.com/universe/Baron_Mordo_(Karl_Mordo)#ixzz3n2lSg3HI

Baron Mordo has vast magical abilities derived from his years of studying black magic and the mystic arts. He can manipulate magical forces for a variety of effects, including hypnotism, mesmerism, thought-casting, and illusion casting. He can separate his astral form from his body, allowing him to become intangible and invisible to most beings. He can project deadly force blasts using magic, can teleport inter-dimensionally, and can manipulate many forms of magical energy. He can tap extra-dimensional energy by invoking entities or objects of power existing in dimensions tangential to Earth's through the recitation of spells. He can also summon demons, but often does not have enough power to force them to do what he wants them to do.

Baron Mordo has some knowledge of a karate-like martial art form, and has an extensive knowledge of magical lore.

Obscure Super Team Sunday-The Impossibles

In the fragile firmament that was the formative years of my childhood, back in the deep dark of things I almost remember is The Impossible.  It may have been in reruns on some UHF station, sharing the spotlight with Frankenstein JR.  The Impossible combined the two things My pre-teen brain loved most, Rock Music and Super Heroes.

I know it sees like odd things to nail together, but the trend to put music in animation infected many classics of the medium.  Scooby-Doo had musical chases.  The Archies made it into the top 40.  The Partridge Family had their own cartoon show.  Josie and the Pussy Cats rocked us out on Saturday mornings.  All that was cool, but none of those guys had super powers or mad puns when they fought the bad guys.  The Impossibles wee the best adventure you could get in under 10 minutes.

The Wikipedia Stuff
The Impossibles were a trio of rock and roll musicians. When contacted by "Big D" (voiced by Paul Frees) about criminal activities in Empire City, they became superheroes. Like the Monkees, the group’s appearance (in their musician form) was based on 1960s pop star stereotypes, which included somewhat long hair, brightly colored (and matching) outfits, high-heeled boots, screaming female fans and, unlike the Monkees, no percussion or bass instruments. Nothing is known about their personal lives, although Fluid-Man once mentioned having an Aunt Tilly. They seemed to have secret identities though even a little child would have no trouble connecting the singing Impossibles to the hero Impossibles on appearance alone. They also seemed to change to their "secret identities" in front of the crowds they were playing to when given a mission.
The Impossibles

Posing as a trio of young rock 'n roll musicians, the Impossibles were in reality super-powered crime fighters dedicated to battling evil supervillains of all shapes and sizes. When performing for their adoring fans (usually star-struck, screaming teeny boppers) the lads would play their mod, futuristic-looking guitars atop an equally futuristic bandstand (emblazoned with their "Impossibles" logo on the side, a la Ringo Starr's drumkit) that could convert into a car (the "Impossi-Mobile"), or a jet (the "Impossi-Jet"), a speedboat, or even a submarine. Their standard catch cry when called into action was "Rally ho!"

Their humorous dialogue was typically peppered with puns. As with many Hanna-Barbera characters, The Impossibles were topical and inspired by their times, in this case resembling the rock 'n roll groups of the mid-Sixties.
The Heroes

Each member of the Impossibles had a specific, and very visual superpower:
Coil-Man (voiced by Hal Smith) - Short, barrel-chested and sporting a mod haircut, blond "Coily" could transform his arms and legs into impossibly stretchable or coiled springs, allowing him to bounce to avoid attacks, deliver long-range punches, or drill through walls. Coil-Man usually drove the Impossi-jet, and his guitar contained a small TV receiver through which "Big D" (voiced by Paul Frees, who also served as the voice over Narrator in almost every episode) could contact the group and deliver orders (Big D used Multi Man's guitar in "The Fiendish Dr Futuro," "Beamatron," and "The Diabolical Dauber"). Because of his presumably metal coils, Coily could be held in place by a super magnet, but could also conduct heat or electricity with his coils. He also hid in a closet disguised as a wire coat hanger, further implying that he was at least partially made of metal. Coil-Man's costume was purple and blue and included a purple mask and a cowl crested by a triangular fin.

Fluid-Man (voiced by Paul Frees) - Dark-haired Fluid-Man, aka "Fluey", could morph parts (or all) of his body into a liquid form, a talent perfect for sneaking up on an enemy though a water faucet. He could also vaporize himself into a cloud or storm, but he could also be soaked up and trapped by a sponge ("Televisatron" and "Return of the Spinner"), or frozen solid inside a block of ice ("Not So Nice Mr. Ice"). Fluid-Man's costume resembled a lime green wetsuit complete with diver's mask and swimfins. Fluey's speaking style indicated that he was the beatnik of the group.
Multi-Man (voiced by Don Messick) - Multi could create infinite duplicates of himself which were often destroyed, leaving only the original behind. His duplicates rarely, if ever, functioned independently, and were often used as camouflage, a bluff, for extra strength or transportation (he could fly by continuously creating replicas above himself). When duplicating himself, he could push tons of rocks out of the way or crack the block of solid concrete he and the others were entombed. The character had shaggy, orange hair that covered his eyes (his eyes, in fact, are never seen) and he usually held a shield for what seems decorative reasons. Multi showed the ability to repel bullets with his bare hand ("Fero, the Fiendish Fiddler"); (it is possible the artist may have accidentally left the shield undrawn). Multi-Man's angular, red and black costume resembled an stylized 'M', and included a short, triangular red cape. Favorite saying: "You got them all except the original." Multi bore a resemblance to the identical members of the singing group "The Way Outs" from The Flintstones.

Apparently I'm not alone in my love for these classic and almost forgotten pioneers of animated Rock Music.  During my research I discovered other devotees of this piece of animated amazement.  The fanaticism took on some artistic twists ans expressed in the following artistic renderings of the Impossibles.

Apparently there is some sort of secret cult dedicated to the Impossibles.  Maybe because they were relate-able.  It may have been the first time that Rockers weren't expressed as counter cultural or long haired weirdos.  The Impossibles connected with a youth audience.  The cartoon world had accepted their culture in the wackiest way possible.  That may be The Impossibles Greatest super achievement.

Saturday Jukebox:The Talking Heads

Among the things that saved my life during my high school existence was music.  I always had my music. It saved my life from depression on many occasions.  I still see it as something that brings joy, even when I am at my lowest.  It can't be all that bad if I can still get lost in lyrics, or a groove, and a bitchin' bass line.

In the vast wasteland of pop music when I was a kid, there were bright spots.  Moments when the wave of cool in the Universe was kind and handed me something other than the radio slush which was the soundtrack of my youth.  The crap that I love as a guilty pleasure,  One day they came to me as a vision, a dream of sound (am I being too dramatic, I apologize)  The Talking Heads.

More than New Wave, Punk, or Pop.  The Talking Heads put art and fun back into music, but with a dash of quirk and geek chic.  They made it okay to be weird, and that may be what saved me.

If you don't know The Talking Heads, grab a listen to the playlist posted in this blog.  Yes I know that there are a lot of repitions.  This Must Be The Place (Naive Medley) is on there three  seperate time with three different versions.  I have included clips from the film True Stories along with the recorded versions by The Talking Heads.  I think I covered most of the good stuff, at least the stuff that rates highly with me.

Take some time, get to know the Talking Heads  

Artist Biography by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

At the start of their career, Talking Heads were all nervous energy, detached emotion, and subdued minimalism. When they released their last album about 12 years later, the band had recorded everything from art-funk to polyrhythmic worldbeat explorations and simple, melodic guitar pop. Between their first album in 1977 and their last in 1988, Talking Heads became one of the most critically acclaimed bands of the '80s, while managing to earn several pop hits. While some of their music can seem too self-consciously experimental, clever, and intellectual for its own good, at their best Talking Heads represent everything good about art-school punks.

Film Fan Friday: Beginning the Halloween countdown

Edward Scissorhands (1990)

PG-13  |  105 min  |  Drama, Fantasy, Romance  | 14 December 1990 (USA)

A gentle man, with scissors for hands, is brought into a new community after living in isolation.



Director: Tim Burton

Writers: Tim Burton (story), Caroline Thompson (story), 1 more credit »




When it comes to monster movies. I like films where you are not really sure if who the monster is.  I have always been a bit of an outsider trapped in the world created by the supposed "cool kids".  In the High School analogy of Hyenas & Wildebeests, I am most certainly a Wildebeest.

Being a Wildebeest skews your view of the world.  Edward Scissorhands is a Wildebeest movie.  It exposes and mocks the habits of the Hyenas.  The scariest part of this film is in the people who surround Edward.  It's in the simple suburbanite mentality that both celebrates and vilifies the odd or strange.  Hyenas are funny that way.

It appears everybody is happiest when they can manipulate Edward to their own ends.  You can see the damn Hyenas circling the lone Wildebeest preparing to strike it down as a source of sustenance.

It isn't until Edward tries to follow his own heart that the suburbanite culture turns on him, until the herd mentality strikes him down.

The problem with this analogy is that a herd of stampeding Wildebeest is the most dangerous thing in  jungle.  A herd of stampeding outsiders is the most dangerous thing in life.  When the disenfranchised get together for a common goal, they ae very dangerous.

Maybe that's wy the Hyenas try to strike us down when we stand alone.  Maybe it's why Wildebeest are sooooooo cynical.  Maybe I'm the only guy who can get this analogy from Edward Scissorhands.  The monster in this film is the narrow mindedness of the general populace, and that's what really frightens the bejeezus out of me.

TV Retro Crash Thursday: The Twilight Zone Legacy

I don't like the modern concept of horror movie.  I like some of the camp.  The Evil Dead Trilogy and 8 Legged Freaks are classics in my book.  I am a fan of Arachnophobia.  I don't like Freddy/Jason/Chucky/ubiquitous slasher man.  I have a soft spot for the first Halloween film.

I was raised on the Universal Monsters and the Anthology Sci-fi/Horror of the Twilight Zone.  Rod Serling has jaded me forever, Not just on socially relevant horror, but on television in general.

Rod Serling was the sneakiest man in Television.  He decided that the only way to get anything of Social Relevance on Television was to disguise it as fantasy.  Some people thingk that his secon series Night Gallery,was scarier, but Serling was not the writer of any of those tales, merely the host.  My money has always been on the thinking man's version of scary/creepy/strange or whatever you want to call it.  I'm a Twilight Zone guy, and sometimes it really feels like I'm on my own when the bullet hits the bone. 

The Twilight Zone is an American television anthology series created by Rod Serling. It is a series of unrelated stories containing drama,psychological thriller, fantasy, science fiction, suspense, and/or horror, often concluding with a macabre or unexpected twist. A popular and critical success, it introduced many Americans to common science fiction and fantasy tropes. The program followed in the tradition of earlier shows such as Tales of Tomorrow (1951–53), which also dramatized the short story "What You Need", and Science Fiction Theatre (1955–57), and radio programs such as The Weird Circle, Dimension X, and X Minus One, and the radio work of one of Serling's inspirations, Norman Corwin. The success of the series led to a feature film, a radio series, a comic book, a magazine, and various other spin-offs that spanned five decades, including two "revival" television series. The first ran on CBS and in syndication in the 1980s, the second ran on UPN from 2002 to 2003. In 2013, TV Guide ranked it #4 in its list of the 60 Greatest Dramas of All Time.^[

 My favorite Twilight Zone is one of the more obscure episodes from the final season.  It was not written by Serling but what can I do.

"The Self-Improvement of Salvadore Ross" 

Salvadore Ross is a brash, insensitive, ambitious 26-year-old man who craves a lovely young social worker named Leah Maitland. Leah is attracted to Ross, but could never marry a man so lacking in compassion. Telling him that the relationship is finished, Leah slams her door in his face, and Ross slams his fist into the door, breaking his hand and necessitating a trip to the hospital. Ross' roommate is an elderly man with a respiratory infection. Ross sarcastically suggests that he'd like to trade ailments with the old man, who jokingly accepts the trade. The next morning, as if by magic, the old man has a broken hand, while Ross has a cold.

Ross comes to realize that he has a supernatural power to make magical trades with other people. In exchange for a large amount of cash and a penthouse apartment, Ross sells his youth to an elderly millionaire. As a result, Ross is now very rich but old. He finds an easy way to regain his youth: he offers a large number of young men (beginning with a hotel bellboy) a small amount of cash for just one year of their lives. The boys accept the money, thinking Ross is just crazy (and since none of them feels any different after aging just one year, none thinks anything has really happened). In short order, Ross is young again, and still rich.

With his new-found wealth, he attempts to win Leah's hand again, and again, she refuses. She wants a man with a heart, who is as generous and compassionate as her father. Frustrated, Ross approaches Mr. Maitland, who likes him but does not think he would be a good husband for his daughter. Ross offers to make him financially secure for the rest of his life. When the father skeptically asks how, Ross says hesitantly, "Well, it's kind of hard to explain..."

Sometime later, we see that Ross has become a warm, compassionate fellow who has won Leah's heart. Ross, in consideration of Mr. Maitland's feelings, meets with him in private and asks his assent to the marriage, but Mr. Maitland refuses. He implores the older man, "Don't you have any compassion?" Maitland coldly replies, "I sold that to you yesterday", and shoots Ross dead.

Some of my other favorites are (in no particular order)

What You Need

Five Characters In Search of An Exit

Night of the Meek

A Stop At Willoughby

Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up

To Serve Man

One For the Angels

There have been many Anthology Series that have tried to recapture the flavor of The Twilight Zone, but most of them concentrated either too much on the light and fluffy or relied to much on shock and not enough on Awe.  I'm not even going to get into the camp.  The Only Successor to the Twilight Zone that was not a direct descendant was the brilliant and short lived (remember my curse, shows I like get canceled early) Darkroom.

Darkroom is an American television thriller anthology produced by Universal Television which aired on ABC from November 27, 1981 to January 15, 1982. As an anthology horror/thriller series it was similar in style to Rod Serling's Night Gallery. Each 60-minute episode featured two or more stories of varying length with a new story and a new cast, but each of the episode wraparound segments was hosted by James Coburn. Among the performers who appeared on the series were Steve Allen, Esther Rolle, Helen Hunt, Claude Akins, Richard Anderson,Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs, Carole Cook, David Carradine, Billy Crystal, Pat Buttram, Brian Dennehy, Lawrence Pressman, Dub Taylor, Rue McClanahan, Lloyd Bochner, Ronny Cox, R. G. Armstrong, and June Lockhart.

"You're in a house. Maybe your own...maybe one you've never seen before. You feel it. Something evil. You run, but there's no escape...nowhere to turn. You feel something beckoning you...drawing you into the terror that awaits you in the Darkroom!"




my favorite darkroom moment was an episode called "Make Up". Billy Crystal plays a down on his luck actor. He finds an old make up case and it magically transforms him into the character he is made up as.

Grab Bag Wednesday: Happy Birthday Peter David

I realize that I've been away for a few days.  I was off being all poetic and shit.  I apologize if you feel neglected.  That being said, Welcome Back To Neo-Retro-Crash.  Today is Grab Bag Wednesday.  It's the day I can write about anything I want.

Today i want to write about Peter David.  I've gushed about writers before.  I've talked about Jack Cole and John Ostrander.  People who know me well will talk of my annoying habit of calling Jack Kirby "Uncle Jack" or just referring to Neil Gaiman as "My buddy Neil"

My Fan Boy Worship of Peter David is different.  Peter David is the Writer of Stuff, The man who saved the Incredible Hulk The defender of films like John Carter of Mars. He is the historian of Atlantis and the most entertaining extender of Arthurian Legend.

I


don't remember when I was first introduced to Peter David's work and I don't think it matters.  He has been the writer and creator of many of my favorite things.

In many ways he achieved the impossible.  He made an indifferent world care about Aquaman.  He had to rebuild the legend from the ground up to do it by rewriting the history of Atlantis.  The Atlantis Chronicles is still among my favorite limited series comics and stand out as one of the high points in all of comicdom.

The Man is credited with reinventing the Hulk, I believe that. more than reinventing, he course corrected the Hul by putting the Jekyll and Hyde aspect back into the book.

The Hulk went from being a rampaging Monster and turned into a real character with real problems.  The psychological battle between the many parts of a person turned against themselves was peppered with intelligence, wit, and humor.

Intelligence, Wit. and Humor became what one could expect from anything written by Peter David.  He raised the bar in comic writing by making characters likable or at least sympathetic.  There was always something about the character with which you could connect.

I buy comic books lke i buy regular books.  Sometimes it's because I like a character or a story sounds interesting, Mostly I buy a book based on the author.

Following Peter David has led me to Supergirl and Young Justice.  Here he made me care ab out characters that were second stringers and sidekicks.

I believe it's the man's true gift to take characters that were meant to be one shots or throw aways or have the "cool power" and make them more human.  He delves into their psychooogy.  He's done it at DC, he's done it at Marvel, he's even done it for Star Trek.

Maybe he just likes the Tabula Rasa of creating the back stories on blank canvas.  His masterpiece in my eyes will always be X-Factor.  Guido, Madrox, Layla Miller and M, will forever be some of my favorite characters in the Marvel Universe, and in the earliest forms I found them a little hokey and conceptually contrived.

I was in all my fan boy glory when i got to tell Mr. David that I loved the way her wrote Layla Miller.  Apparently he had taken much grief from fans for including her in the book, but he made us care about her.

If all this wasn't enough for you.  Peter David was the only writer to be able to bring back a lost Marvel concept without making the readers feel as if they were tricked or cheated.

The resurrection of the concept of Captain Marvel and the treatment of how when survives when they have the Cosmic Awareness was spectacular.

So...My big recommendation is that if you see the name Peter David on the cover of something.  buy that thing and read it.  It may just make you happy, it should, at least entertain you.  It might make you laugh.  It ight save your life.  I'm n ot making any promises.

If you dont want to be seen reading comic books, that's okay.  Some folks aren't that secure.  I suggest you start here

but I offer no more hints.  the rest of the journey must be yours.

So...In parting...I say Happy Birthday, Peter David

Film fan Friday: St. Vincent

I don't get to see too many new films until they make it to DVD.  Mostly because newer movies are pretty insulting and, to a lesser extent, because movie trailers are deceiving.  it will probably become a theme in this blog.  I hate movie trailers.  Movie trailers that looked stupid or completely misrepresented the movie are like a knife in my heart.

St. Vincent is a fantastic film featuring the extremely brilliant acting talents of Bill Murray.  I highly recommend it.  I didn't see it earlier because the trailer led me to believe that it was another stupid comedy and that Bill Murray had returned to his sarcastic wiseass persona.

Two things made me put this film into my Netflix cue.  The lesser reason was Melissa McCarthy.  I've been a fan since the Gilmore Girls.  I like her character on Mike & Molly.  Her choice of films have not done their best to highlight her talents.  She is an Amazing character actress, but this alone could not convince me.

What did convince me is Bill Murray.   Bill Murray who refused to do Ghostbusters III because he wanted to be able to act and not just be part of a special effects extravaganza.  Bill Murray who starred in Lost In Translation and Rushmore, Bill Murray who had a smaller role in The Royal Tennenbaums and nailed it.  Bill Murray who starred opposite an Elephant in Larger Than Life and made me tear up by the ending.

I decided to put my faith in Bill, and Bill did no disappoint.  He again made me cry by the end of a film. 

I don't like to give too much away when I write these things, all I'm gonna say is watch St. Vincent.

St. Vincent is a 2014 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Theodore Melfi, making his "theatrical feature film debut. The film stars Bill Murray as the title character and features Jaeden Lieberher, Melissa McCarthy, Chris O'Dowd, and Naomi Watts.

The film had its world premiere at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival where it was voted second runner-up as "People's Choice Award for Best Film.  It received a limited theatrical release on October 10, 2014, and expanded to a wide release on October 24.  The same day, it was released on Netflix in France.

A young boy whose parents have just divorced finds an unlikely friend and mentor in the misanthropic, bawdy, hedonistic war veteran who lives next door.