Album Review

*Since I have already introduced you to new music this year, Doctor Philosophy, I am going to review something I know you know but others in the class may not.*



I first heard about Everlast two summers ago, when my stepbrother brought two friends over and the whole lot of us were having barbequed steak on the back porch of the house in Oak Park where I lived for maybe four weeks. That's a different story, though. We were chatting about music when Tristan's friend Mike mentioned Everlast. My mother chimed in that she loved him, so I naturally wrote him off immediately. I stumbled across his name at Reckless Records about a year later, and picked up an album on a whim.

Love, War, and the Ghost of Whitey Ford opens with a fanfare. This is no less than this album deserves. It's political, angry, and raw, but developed and mature. I could describe it as rap metal, or alternative maybe, but really the only comparable thing I've ever heard is Kid Rock.

Love, War, and the Ghost of Whitey Ford opens with a fanfare. Immediately following it is a bass drum-heavy guitar combo and the words start:

I think I would, if I could, kill the Emperor
Let's stop the war, feed the poor, let's kill the Emperor
Let's stop the lies, the dead can't rise, let's silence every mother's cries...
Yo, it's like Resident Evil
The Emperor's people don't give a mad fuck about your life
They'll fuck your wife and your kids, they got people doing bids
For being slaves to the dope that they supplyin'

He continues hard-hitting lyrics and heavy, low pounding songs throughout in Kill The Emperor, Stone In My Hand, Naked, Letters Home From The Garden of Stone, but supplements them with non-political songs in Anyone, Die In Yer' Arms, Friend, Tuesday Mornin', and the first Johnny Cash cover I've heard that I responded to as much as the original. Folsom Prison Blues, the second track on the album, respects the original but is made new, modern, and equally powerful. The record as a whole tapers from big, loud, exclamatory political songs in the beginning to a gentler, more personal and emotional side.

The song you should really focus on is Naked. Starting on a low rumble that growls into a near-military drum beat, it's a very fuzzy and confused musical backdrop to the words:

The Emperor's got brand new clothes
And everybody but him knows
He's naked
But you don't say a word
The Emperor's got brand new jewels
Wake up all you silly fools,
He's naked
But you don't say a word

The rich they get richer, 
The poor they get poorer
While liberty stands naked, 
Screaming in horror
The Emperor raped her
But we just ignore her
The rich they get richer
The poor they get poorer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgoFAdw2_Uw

Also check out Die In Yer' Arms. It's synthier, but pretty cool. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_YdaSsvEs0

What Gives My Life Meaning or something of the sort

There's a bunch of music posters in here, maybe I should write about that? And I do own over 400 CD's. There's some artwork? Movie references? A surprising amount of Star Wars paraphernalia (I spelled that right the first time, be proud of me). A well stocked vanity table (which is less than shocking, let's be honest). I'm looking for inspiration and listening to old Zombies 45's. There are a lot of comic books in here. And woah! LOOK AT THOSE BOOKS. Oh man, that's my old sticker collection. Wow, that has not been cleaned in a while. I love this purse! Where did I find an Einstein bobblehead?

Just kidding, this question isn't hard. I find meaning in being so awesome for other people to experience. I mean, if there wasn't a ME, I don't know how the proverbial YOUs could go on. I find meaning in being me, because there is no alternative. What would you do if I wasn't here? My meaning is in filling other lives with my overflowing awesomeness. And what could be more honorable?

"How Do You Know What You Know?"

I'm posting this with almost no time left because this question is too complicated. How do you attack the most complex question except "Why?" in a blog post? I've been thinking about this since 6th period Philosophy yesterday, and have arrived at the conclusion that I can't. I can't tell you how I know what I know. The classic example of how-you-know-the-stove-is-hot is boring. But I guess you can't know that the stove is hot because it was last time, because it's not always hot. So you have to touch it every time or you can't be certain. But the bit of uncertainty is not generally worth the burn, so you have to assume that the same actions will produce the same results every time, but that could not be true.

I've been thinking about this since 6th period Philosophy yesterday, and suddenly understand why so many of the world's great thinkers have been reclusive or drowned themselves in alcohol.

The Unexamined Life is Not Worth Living?

It's all very noble and grand and happy to make statements such as these. It takes us to a new level of intellectualism to say things like this, right? Anything we assume that, when questioned, holds up is therefore valuable. But not worth living? That seems inaccurate.

Unexamined lives don't amount to much, true. People that work the land or the cubicle, that marry someone, have a family, maybe grow old (maybe not) and eventually become statistics, these are people that live lives worth living. These are generally happy people, even if they're not content on a day-to-day basis. But the examiners, from the first question they think, condemn themselves to lifelong frustration.

Frustration with their fellow men for accepting everything at face value, disgust with their inability to seek truth, let alone find it. Anger at everyone, that even if unvoiced remains a pest in the ear. Examiners become like Winston Smith; a single thought that forces a choice:

1. To be condemned
or
2. To live a shallow life that he can see to be shallow

...and examiners often end up like Winston Smith as well. They have no grand affect on the world. It continues to turn while they are shut down like Winston.

So the unexamined life is entirely worth living, but only possible if you have the rare ability to think about nothing at all.

"About Me"

Serena Thiel is an exceptionally beautiful person. She is always looking to help others or give a friend a confidence boost, but sometimes gets distracted looking at her own reflection in the mirror. When not doing these things, she is reading books that will make other people think she's smart or just stop creepy strangers from talking to her on public transit. She lives alone with over 400 CDs and 17 cats, and one of those pieces of information is true. (Who has CDs anymore? Spotify, HELLLOOOOOO!) While not having fantasies about being Batman, she thinks up ways to mention that her dog is from a shelter in daily conversation. Her favorite food is Kraft Mac 'n' Cheese wrapped in salami and eaten like a taco.

Other delicious tidbits for you to nibble on:
She is a reporter at the Daily Planet
She spends an unreasonable amount of time talking, thinking about, and touching her hair
She knows all the words to Will Smith's album "Lost and Found" by heart
Her favorite words include 'calm' (it's a noun, verb, and adjective), 'adjectival' (that's the adjective form of adjective, chew on that one for a while), tureen (look at it. LOOK), and icosahedronism (the quality of being a twenty-sided polyhedron).
The single greatest moment of her life so far was the day that Ringo Starr favorited one of her tweets (June 24th, 2012). When she got the notification, she said "My life has reached its pinnacle."