Author: William Hillman

⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ 𝖀𝖑𝖙𝖗𝖆 𝕽𝖔𝖘𝖆 𝖘𝖚𝖕𝖗𝖊𝖒𝖆𝖈𝖞 ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠿⠛⢿⣿⣿⣿⠿⠟⠛⠉⠉⠀⠙⠿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡿⠛⢩⡿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡿⠛⠉⠁⠉⠁⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠠⣤⣀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣠⠽⠛⠛⠁⠀⠀⠀⠈⢻⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣶⣶⡆⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢶⣿⣿⣿⠆⠀⠀⠀⠀⢠⣷⣦⣤⣄⣀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣀⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣆⠀⠀⠀⠀⣤⣾⣿⣿⡿⠒⠀⠀⠀⠀⣼⣿⣿⣿⣿⡿⠀⠀⠀⠀⢹⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡇⠀⠀⠀⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡦⠀⠀⠀⠈⢻⣿⣿⣿⣿⣧⡄⠀⠀⣠⣾⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠃⠁⠀⠀⣼⣿⣿⣿⣿⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀⢸⣿⣿⣿⣿⡿⠂⠀⢀⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠟⠀⠀⠀⠰⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣅⠀⠀⠀⠀⢨⣿⣿⣿⣿⡷⠂⠀⣼⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣷⡀⠀⠀⠀⢿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠄⠀⠀⠀⣾⣿⣿⣿⣿⣧⠀⠀⠉⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣷⠀⠀⠀⠘⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠀⠀⠀⠀⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣧⠀⢀⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡆⠀⠀⠀⣸⣿⣿⣿⣿⣀⠀⠀⠀⠸⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡇⠀⠀⠹⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠇⠀⠀⢾⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣇⠀⠀⠀⣤⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠀⠀⣼⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡄⠀⠀⢸⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠟⠀⠀⢀⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠀⠀⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣧⠀⠀⠀⣼⣿⣿⣿⡿⠀⠀⠀⣾⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡿⠀⠀⢻⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡟⠋⠀⠀⣰⣿⣿⣿⣿⠁⠀⠀⢠⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡇⠀⠀⣼⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡀⠀⠀⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣆⠀⠀⢸⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡄⠀⠀⣽⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣍⠀⠀⢿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡟⠂⠀⢸⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠏⠀⠐⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣏⠀⠀⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠀⠀⢾⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣷⠀⠀⠐⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡄⠀⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠀⠀⢼⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡧⠀⣰⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣧⠀⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠀⠀⢈⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡇⣼⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡀⣹⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡄⠀⢸⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣇⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣧⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠀⢸⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡏⠀⣾⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣧⣼⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿

The Beauty of John Merrick, That is to say, “The Elephant Man”

John Merrick, known under another name, “The Elephant Man” is the starring protagonist in many a media today. As of now, there is a Broadway play (That David Bowie starred in??), a book, and a movie. In this post, I’ll be talking about the movie.

There are so many things I’d love to talk about in this movie. I only just watched it the other day but I’m already obsessed. It expands upon so many hidden issues. Hidden is an ironic word in this case, given John Merrick’s condition.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
A quick synopsis:

The Elephant Man is an unfortunate story about a man born with “Proteus syndrome”
A rare condition that affects the growth of tissue, bones, organs, and skin. It enlarges them abnormally. It can cause extreme pain. It can also disfigure the face, like John Merrick’s

One man, The Circus man, takes interest in his appearance and uses him in his “Freak Show” for the circus.
Not only was he not paid, but he was also forced to live in awful living conditions.
A Doctor of Anatomy, Dr Fredrick Treeves, takes him away to the hospital. In the hospital, he’s given food, water, a warm bed, and much more.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

One thing that kept coming to mind as I watched the movie, was how… no matter what environment he was in, John Merrick was always being observed. From the circus to the ending scenes where he was being applauded, he was always the center of attention, which he most definitely did not want.

In the beginning, he was observed in the circus and onlookers who found his appearance strange and frightening.

Then he was displayed in front of scholars and doctors. Doctor Treeves, as hospitable as he might have been, was still only doing what the circus man did. Just in a different lighting. |

The security guard in the hospital would often sneak those who paid enough into the hospital to take a look at John. This eventually led to the circus man coming back and kidnapping John from his new home. In the picture below, he is being held against his will and displayed to people outside the window.
This scene was very traumatic, It was hard to tell if John was limp from shock, or maybe, as a defense mechanism, he just tuned everything out, trying to wait for it to pass. The scene gets more graphic as they force John and one of the women to kiss.

(I hate this security guard with a burning hell fire passion.)

Near the end of the movie, John and his friends go to a play, he was absolutely in love with it. But at the end, his actor friend came out and claimed to dedicate the show to him. This did nothing but put him in front of the audience again. He was once again displayed in front of everyone. Only under different light.

What hurts, is that he only stood because the Doctor told him too. from the looks of it, he didn’t like being the center of attention, even positive attention.
Throughout the movie, it seems like he has been nothing but a tool for attention. Whether to make money off of it or to put nobles in a better light for being in his company. And yes, they do treat him well, but It feels more like an exchange, rather than goodwill at times.

The Beautiful thing about John Merrick though, is that… throughout the movie, he found beauty all around him. He found so much beauty in the world and showed so much appreciation and wonder. When invited to the doctor’s house for tea, he saw the pictures over the mantle piece and was absolutely star-struck at the beauty of not only how it was arranged, but also of the pictures of the beautiful children and relatives.

In the beginning, Doctor Treeves tries to prepare John for an interview. He tries to get John to memorize a Psalm from the Bible. At this point in the movie, it was assumed that John Merrick was unintelligible and illerat. This was excruciatingly false. Doctor Treeves brought in his director, who would be the one conducting the interview. John had been very nervous and stumbled over his words that he already had trouble enunciating.

The Director politely leaves, talking to the Doctor outside. He had seen through the facade. However, John started reciting more than what he was taught from behind the door. It caught the attention of the Docter, “I hadn’t taught him that part” He said. When asked how he knew the rest of the Pslam, John said that it was his favorite and that he thought it was very beautiful.

Near the end of the movie, an actress comes to his room, giving him a framed photo of herself John takes it, saying he needs to set it in a place of honor. He places it right next to a framed photo of his missing mother that lies on his bedside.

The point of what I’m saying is… Even in a world that looks upon him as if he is a monster, John Merrick finds the beauty in everything, and appreciates everything. I think one scene in this movie could sum up every moral that it told throughout the two-hour film.

—–

Throughout the entire film, after he is brought to the hospital, we watch as John builds a cathedral out of boxes and other materials. He uses the cathedral out of his window as a reference. However, he can only see the very top, so he has to imagine the rest.

THIS PART DUDE!!!

HE CAN ONLY SEE THE SURFACE, THE VERY TIP OF THE ICEBERG IF YOU WILL, BUT HE DOESN’T STOP OR JUDGE IT, HE WANT’S TO LEARN MORE ABOUT IT AND EXPLORE IT, AND GUHH!!!

This part sums up that we shouldn’t look at the tip of the iceberg and think we know everything. We shouldn’t call it quits and think we have the whole idea from just looking at the surface. We need to have an unbiased curiosity. A genuine intrest in people.

I love this movie so much, I would strongly encourage everyone to watch it. Yes it’s filmed in black and white, but I think that helps with the atmosphere and time of the film. The story is filled with such detail and so much depth that I can’t help but watch it again.

(p.s)
I just wanted to add a small bit about my favorite scene. After being kidnapped by the circus man, he escapes and runs away with the help of his friends who had also been titled “Freaks.”

He rides a boat and eventually finds himself at a train station. Where a series of events leads to him being chased into the men’s bathroom. Where he is crowded and surrounded by everyone, where he is once again on display for everyone to see. In the most desperate voice, that almost made me cry, he shouted,

Heres the Link to a Youtube Clip

“NO!”
“I AM NOT AN ANIMAL”
“I AM NOT AN ANIMAL”
“I AM A HUMAN BEING”

With shocked faces, the men look amongst themselves, then John faints, eventually taken by the police, and returned back to the hospital.

Thank you for reading! I hope this interests you enough to watch the film, it’s really a masterpiece.

Beneath The Bridge of Aberdeen

The 90s was an incredible decade for music. Dozens of albums were made that will certainly outlast the test of time. Grace, Adrenaline, In Utero, The Color And The Shape, The Bends, OK Computer, Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness, Siamese Dream, Either/Or, In The Aeroplane Over The Sea, and countless others. All these magnificent albums were made within the span of a few years, each one sure to outlast all of us through the course of time and musical history. The most amazing part about these albums is that even though they were made over two decades ago, generations from then and now can both relate to them. Newer generations are falling in love with music that their parents fell in love with. It shows that bonding over music can’t be held to the laws of time. For instance, Nirvana is now a disbanded group after the tragic death of Kurt Cobain. Even now, decades after their last tour, they still have millions of monthly listeners from both newer and older generations.

_______________________________________________

Nirvana quickly took the world by storm. With their debut album BLEACH, released in 1989. BLEACH is one of Nirvana’s lesser-known albums. It shows more of their hard-rock side. With more grungy and distorted songs.

Most people know Dave Grohl to be Nirvana’s drummer, however, this was not case for this album. Throughout Nirvana’s earlier years, they had a hard time keeping one drummer. Bob McFadden, their first drummer, only played for about a month. Then Aaron Burkhard, then their most regrettable, Chad Channing.

Kurt had said that Chad Channing had severe anger issues. He was hot-headed and just didn’t fit in with the other members.

Nevermind was recorded in 1991 with the help of Butch Vig as the producer.
Butch Vig has been a major help for famous artists like The Smashing Pumpkins and Sonic Youth. From interviews and articles, it is easy to tell he’s a master at his craft. Although Butch wasn’t the biggest fan of Kurt’s perfectionism, they appreciated each other’s hard work.

On September 24th, 1991, Nirvana released their sophomore album Nevermind. One of the most successful albums ever released. A severe lack of stock caused the album to be held in high demand. You would be lucky if you even found a copy months after its release. Everyone wanted it.

The Album held thirteen total tracks, one of which, was “Something In The Way” one of Nirvana’s slowest and softest songs. “Something In The Way” contains a quiet guitar, slow vocals, deep yet soft drums, and most surprising of all, a cello. The hit grunge band had shown that their talent far exceeded anyone’s expectations and proved they couldn’t be held to just one standard.

The lyrics behind this song talk about a boy, who lives beneath a bridge, traps animals, tames them, and makes them his pets. It talks about how he lives off the drippings from his ceiling and the grass that surrounds him. It also mentions that “It’s okay to eat fish, ‘cause they don’t have any feelings.” which could be assumed to mean that this boy might be against eating other kinds of animals.

Conflicting rumors have said that this song takes inspiration from Kurt Cobain’s personal life as
a young adult. He was kicked out of his house in 1983 for quitting high school two weeks before his graduation and wanting to pursue his passion for music. Contrary to what the rumors say, on multiple accounts, it’s been said that he often stayed with his friends, sleeping on their couches. It wasn’t until three years later, in 1986, that he got his first apartment.

During the recording of “Something In The Way” Kurt Cobain had been adamant about making this song perfect. Butch Vig said,

“‘Something In The Way’ was definitely the hardest track to record on Nevermind. After three or four takes on trying to cut it live in the main room, it just wasn’t happening. Kurt came into the control room out of frustration, sat on the couch and basically said it needed to sound like this. He laid on his back, he played his guitar, and he was barely singing. It was coming out at almost a whisper.”

He stopped Kurt, turned off all the fans in the room, put a microphone in front of him, and told him to just do what he had to do, and after three takes, they had the base of the song. Kurt had wanted a cello’ in the song. However, it was the last day that they rented the studio. They began calling friends, asking if anyone could play the cello. Thankfully, one of their friends, Kirk Canning, who lived in LA at the time, was able to help them produce the last parts of the song. Contrary to how Butch felt, Kurt talked about how thankful he was for how easy the recording of “Something In The Way” had been. He compared it to Dominos, everything just fell into place.
Despite their personal beliefs and differences, they came together and created one of history’s most successful albums of all time. Forever to be remembered.

Jeff Buckley

Jeff Buckley: The Son Also Rises

Who was Jeff Buckley?

Jeffery Scott Buckley, A pioneer in the Alternative rock genre. Most people either know him for his immensely famous cover of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah or his most popular song “Lover, You Should’ve Comer Over” who has written over 230 total songs. His most popular album, Grace (1994) was his debut record album. He had previously released recordings of his performances at Sin-é. Sin-é Was a cafe that Jeff had worked in for some years, a cafe in which he also played in frequently.

Tim Buckley Dead at 28
Tim Buckley – Jeff Buckley’s Father.

Right after his shift, he would take off his apron, pick up his guitar, and play a multitude of songs. Mostly covers, however he would sometimes play his own songs on stage. He released these recordings as an album called “Live at Sin-é” This album was actually one of the first accepted by my hometown radio station. As thanks, Jeff sent a signed poster to one of my managers where I work now, who ran the radio station in the 90’s.

Shortly after Jeff Buckley’s release of Grace (1994) Jeff Buckley got to work on his sophomore album, My Sweetheart The Drunk (1998). This album, in my personal opinion, had a different personality. It was more explicit, yet filled with the same passion. It was still Jeff Buckley but in a different font. However, this album was released posthumously. Jeff Buckley had written the majority of the album, but his life was tragically cut short.

How Did Jeff Buckley Die?

On May 29th, 1997 Jeff Buckley was waiting for his gig, he decided to swim into the Wolf river in Memphis TN, and Go for a swim fully clothed. With his boots on… There was only one person who witnessed the events of what happened Keith Foti. They found Jeff’s body on June 4th, his hands and face mangled by water. Only identifiable by the golden ring on his belly button.

It was labeled an “Accidental Death” He had been known to disappear for short amounts of time, so his friends weren’t all that worried about him missing for a few days. Until they heard that they had found his body in the river. Keith Foti was with him before he died, he said that he had heard Jeff Singing “Whole Lotta Love” By Led Zepplin.

What Did Jeff Buckley Accomplish?

Jeff Buckley was a pioneer in the field of alternative rock. His vocal range and guitar skills far outmatched a lot of others at the time. To many, he was known for his outstanding cover of Hallelujah. He brought an entirely different perspective to the song with his vocals alone. Over Jeff Buckley’s entire career, he released one studio album. Which was Grace. He died before he could finish his next album, sketches for My Sweetheart the Drunk. But even still, with only one album, he made an immense impact on the world.He won dozens of awards and nominations. I put a list below with the website that posted the list. Most of which are from RollingStone for his album Grace being as outstanding as it was.

2023: Rolling Stone’s 200 Greatest Singers of All Time: #131 Jeff Buckley

2022: Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time: #147 Jeff Buckley, ‘Grace’

2022: Rolling Stone 100 Best Debut Albums of All Time: #67 Jeff Buckley, ‘Grace’

2021: Rolling Stone Australia – The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time: #394 Jeff Buckley, ‘Grace’

2021: Rolling Stone 40 Greatest One-Album Wonders: #4 Jeff Buckley, ‘Grace’

2020: #147 on Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time

2016: Consequence of Sound listed Jeff Buckley as #26 of the 100 Greatest Singers Of All Time

2014: Jeff Buckley’s masterful version of Hallelujah was inducted into the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry as a culturally, historically and aesthetically significant recording

2014: Listed as one of ’20 Artists Eligible for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Next.’ Jeff became officially eligible in 2019.

2014: #4 on Rolling Stone’s list of “1994: The 40 Best Records From Mainstream Alternative’s Greatest Year”

2013: Rolling Stone listed Grace as #43 of the 100 Best Debut Albums of All Time.

2012: Rolling Stone listed Grace as #304 of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

2011: Rolling Stone names Grace #22 of 100 Best Albums of the 90’s.

2011: Rolling Stone named Jeff Buckley’s version of Hallelujah #264 of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

2010: #39 Rolling Stone 100 greatest singers of all time.

NME lists Mystery White Boy as #22 of the 50 Greatest Live Albums Ever.

2010: Morrissey listed Grace as one of his 13 favorite albums of all time.

2010: Buckley’s Live at Siné was listed as #37 on Spin Magazine’s list of 100 Moments that Rocked Our World.

2009: On the Triple J Radio (UK) Hottest 100 of All Time, Buckley’s version of “Hallelujah” was voted in 3rd place, “Last Goodbye” was 7th, “Lover, You Should’ve Come Over” was 56th and “Grace” came in 69th.

2008: Rolling Stone Magazine ranked Buckley #39 in its list: The 100 Greatest Singers of All Time.

2004: Buckley’s cover of “Hallelujah” was ranked #259 of the 500 Greatest Songs by Rolling Stone Magazine

2004: Mojo Magazine Ranked Buckley #71 on its list of Icons: The Greatest Music Stars of All Time

2003: “Grace” was ranked #303 of the Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Albums by Rolling Stone Magazine

1998: Grammy Award nomination for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance for “Everybody Here Wants You”

1995: Triple J Radio (UK) Hottest 100 awarded #14 best song of the year in the world’s largest voting competition for “Last Goodbye”

1995: Rolling Stone Magazine nomination for Best New Artist

1995: MTV Video Music Award nomination for Best New Artist in a Video for “Last Goodbye”

1995: L’Académie Charles Cros awarded Buckley the “Grand Prix International Du Disque” on April 13, 1995 in honor of his debut album Grace

1994: Rolling Stone Magazine Ranked Jeff Buckley #49 on its list: Generation Next: The Future Of Rock

https://jeffbuckley.com/awards-and-nominations/

And with that, this blog has come to an abrupt close. I don’t think any blog could sum up my love for Scottie my beloved, and how much he’s done in my life. But I hope this sliver of information does justice.

Smiling Friends…

So, season 2 of Smiling Friends just dropped, and I wanted to share how I just recently got into the show. I don’t remember where or when I first heard of it, but I do remember it being introduced to me by my roommate. It was one of the first shows we watched all the way through. (Without him watching ahead.)

At first, the show put me off. The interesting yet disturbing animation, the use of 3d models as well as 2d. the pace and ideas for episodes. It all nudged me in the wrong direction. But it quickly became one of my favorite shows the more I watched. I really like the dynamic between Charlie and Pim. And the conversation/dialogue between all the characters feels real and genuine.

I really like Charlie, I love his melancholic attitude toward everything. I like how he’s the most cool-headed of the group, and that he’s kind of just…. there. I also really like his character style. I also think he’s the funniest character personally. His voice is really funny.

I find Pim’s character really interesting as well. The colors really mix together and his attitude is really up beat and exciting. I always love the 100 vs 0 personality tropes. Pim always trying to keep things bright, while Charlie is more of a realist.

He kind of just really freaks me out. At first, when my roommate was showing me this show, I thought it was a meatcanyon video, by the way this character acted and talked. Yeah, I’d rather keep talking about him a little short.

Other than Charlie, Allan Red is my other favorite character. I really like the way he acts and goes about his job. I’m glad he finally got some more screen time in season 2 of the show.

Little green guy. He’s so small and awesome. I like that he speaks gibberish too and that everyone else can understand him. And I forgot to mention, but there was a scene in season 2 where they showed all his information and it basically proved that the show was set in the year like, 300.

Anyway, that’s all. I can’t wait for the next few episodes to drop. I really enjoy them so far.

Try not to give your child this name. (Difficulty – Hard)

So, if you ever plan on having kids, this is The best…. seven names that you should give to that rodent of a child. These names have been hand picked by me, and if I ever have a kid, I’m definitely naming it one of these seven.

#7 – Beetlejuice

Easily in the top seven. I mean, Imagine your raising your kid, and you call his name. And your mind instantly thinks of Michael Keaton in the hit movie Beetlejuice. And any bully is going to think twice before calling him out three times.

#6 – Hemlock

I mean, being named after a Shakespearean poison has to be pretty cool.
It also rolls off the tongue easily. “Hemlock! Time for dinner!” Imagine, that. Pretty satisfying.

#5 – Waxed Lightly Weathered Cut Copper Stairs

Come on, being named after Minecraft’s longest block has to be pretty impressive. And imagine calling out their entire name when their in trouble.
“Waxed Lightly Weathered Cut Copper Stairs Jr, get your butt in here.”
It’s a bit of a tongue twister.

#4 – Ender Dragon

Another Minecraft reference, but who doesn’t like Minecraft?
For short, you could call them ED. Also, this name kind of just strikes fear into the heart of your enemies.

#3 – Willem Dafoe

Let’s be so for real. Who doesn’t want to be named after the green goblin.
Dafoe also sounds like a really good street name. Or nick name.
“Hey, what’s up Dafoe.”

#2 – Cooper Brumfield

(No image found)

This name sounds familiar but I can’t place my finger on it.
But this would be a good name. Especially if you add a middle name like, Wolowitz. “Cooper Wolowitz Brumfield! you’re in trouble mister!”
It strikes as a very Victorian name to me.

#1 – Yellow Sharpie Marker

I don’t know, this name just rolls of the tongue. I think it’s a winner.
I mean, how many times do you hear someone say, “I need a Yellow Sharpie Marker” Just like, offer your kid. Easy.

Well, this has been a wonderful experience. If any of you have kids, and not one is named after one of these, I’ll be genuinely offended fr.

ATLA: Which Element is the strongest?

Controversial Topic, but… I want to explore it.
In Avatar: The Last Air Bender, for those who aren’t familiar with it, you can be born to control either nothing, or one of the four elements. The elements being Earth, Water, Fire, and air. I want to explore the benefits of these elements.

And to keep things simple, I’m going to be talking about people that have master the element, so like… blood bending, metal bending, literally stealing the air from your lungs, and lightning bending too.

#4 Earth

Don’t get me wrong, I know that this is a powerful element to be able to use. But like, I think its also the most conditional out of the rest.
Fire and Air benders can literally just bend whenever they want, they don’t need to meet a condition. Water benders can take their own sweat, or literally any form of hydration. Water is still technically conditional, but I would say less so.
I know that master earth benders can move entire mountain, but like, how often are you going to need to move a mountain??

And this is completely unbiased too, Toph is like, my favorite fictional character. I love her attitude and behavior, and her character and background are really unique too. But considering the prior statements, I would have to say that Earth might be coming in last for this.

#3 Fire

So, The ONLY reason that the fire nation got control of most of the world, was because they were a literally army. Or at least they functioned as one. Air benders were peace nomads, Water benders were more of a tribal community. And Eart was close. But they had no military force, they just lived in peace because that’s how everyone literally thought the world would be.

And how did literally no one see that the fire nation was making all these battle ships, warriors, Armour and not get suspicious??
Not to mention they’re the only bending element that can be nerfed depending on whether or not the sun is shining. Seems weird.
And lets not talk about how in LOK they’re “Master ability” Lighting bending, was used for powering a light bulb.

#2 Air

Air could have dominated with their agility. Ang held his own throughout the show using barely any offense. He was dogging left and right. Imagine if he was as aggressive as a fire bender. Also, imagine being able to just, take the breath out from your opponent. Breathing under water, flying. I think Air is one of the more underrated elements in my opinion.

Blood Bending, Easy. Unless you’re the avatar and can just apparently say no, you’re done for.

This is not an album recommendation

I am actually so stoked. After four long years of waiting, Oolong has finally released another album. I did an entire blog about them near the beginning of the year, which I’m slightly revisiting now.

It’s actually really funny how I stumbled upon this album. I was scrolling around on Twitter (yes, I still call it twitter cause what are you supposed to say ” I just made an X” no lol) Anyways, I was scrolling through twitter when I found Oolong’s page, I was surprised they even had one, and even more surprised that they had a large number of followers. But I was scrolling through their recent posts and found a “tweet” saying that they had just released a new album That day.

I looked through it, and it looked promising with a whopping 21 songs. I was absolutely excited to listen to it.

However, it is with complete sorrow that I say not all these songs were bangers.
The instrumentals were amazing in all of them; however, the lyrics / vocals didn’t feel the same in most of the songs. I was halfway thought album expecting it to get better. It seemed like they were more focused on the delivery of the vocals they didn’t care much whether the lyrics themselves were the best.

But I still have hope, I genuinely believe that this might be a huge steppingstone into more oncoming albums. I just hope they’ll revisit a style more like their first original album.

Out of all the 21 songs, I think I could only recommend like, five.
Although I wasn’t a big fan of most of these songs on their album, I can’t recommend the band enough. (although I’d start with their “Imaginary friends” album first)
Their second to last song on the album was really good. “F*** it, Lego hands” It’s definitely a hit or miss, But I liked it a lot.
Anyways, thanks for letting me waste your time on Oolong once again.

My Favorite Albums: Dog Themed.

So for this week, I wanted to write more about music and albums. And I wanted to revisit the post I made week before last. I thought it would be neat to show you guys my favorite albums in themes of the covers. And this will start least to greatest in favor.

I don’t know where to even start. This album was introduced to me by Cooper, and I think its one of my favorites. The slow music, the soft vocals. I want to have this on vinyl so badly. This just seems like the perfect album to slowly drift away to as you fall asleep. If you’ve had bad day and you just need to be somewhere else for a moment, this album takes you there.
I really like the cover as well. Albums with Dog covers always have a special place in my heart, this one especially.

I really like this album. I think it’s really unique. It combines instrumentals and vocals I’ve never seen before. The vocals themselves are especially unique. I’ve always been a fan for vocals that put everything in their work. The Lyrics are really heartbreaking in some areas too. I would highly recommend this album if your ever getting out of a nasty relationship.

I’ve liked Alex G for a long time without even realizing it. I liked these songs but never really put the name to the songs. So When I found out who wrote them, I immediately went through Alex G’s albums race and treehouse. I knew about treehouse back in like… 2020 I think. Anyways the vocals in this our interesting, I don’t think I could put a label on them, but the instrumentals are really good. However, if your looking to get into Alex G, I would recommend his album “Race” first.

I was introduced to this album recently by Erin, It quickly reached one of my top favorite albums. Technically the mascot is a dog so…. I’m counting it.
I really enjoy this album, the Lyrics, vocals, and instruments all come together to make this beautiful cacophony of music. I’ve been slowly going through Car Seat Headrest’s albums, And I’ve had a general liking for the most part. I think one or two of the songs are like 14 minutes, which I can find hard to pay attention to for long. However, I can still appreciate the hard work that goes into them.

One of my favorite albums of all time. It’s a short 3 song album however, I love each and every song. “Change your name” Has been a long time favorite of mine. I don’t even remember how I came upon this album. I just remember it always kind of being there. The vocals are really heavy, and the instruments are really neat. I would highly recommend this album to anyone who likes rock.

Anyways, those are my favorite Dog Themed albums. Thanks for reading this far! I don’t know what I’m doing for next week’s post, but I’m thinking more themed albums like this one.

The New Movie Monkey Man

I really didn’t have much of a plan when it came to this weeks blog. Even though we had so much time to do so. Anyways, as a last minute idea, I wanted to share my opinion on the new movie Monkey Man.

First off, Dev Patel is basically running this whole operation. He is the director, star, co-writer, and a few other things. I think his acting really made the movie.
He was also the star is Slum dog millionaire, so he has had some experience in acting. However, this is the first movie he’s ever directed. And for a first movie, it’s incredible.

A lot of people are calling this a rip-off of John Wick. But honestly, I feel like this story far surpasses John Wick. That might be an unpopular opinion, but I stand by it. In John Wick, the whole movie is about revenge over a dog. I get it, they needed an inciting force, but I really don’t think an Ex-assassin would go to war with a bunch of criminals over a dog.

But the plot of Monkey man is WAY more believable. I don’t want to give any spoilers, but the inciting force is very believable, and it deals with more than just personal grudge and hate. Its revenge, heritage, and other things. Also, I think the budget for this movie was less than 20 million, which is a lot of money, but for a theatrically released movie that’s pretty low.

Action wise, there were many amazing stunts. I’d say equal to if not better than those of John Wick. The choreography in the fight scenes was outstanding. the tools he would use to fight were just as interesting too. They used a lot of different types of camera angels. Some got a little repetitive. Like, they used the Dutch angle for 5 shots without a break, but they were very diverse in the camera angels overall.

So I Highly recommend this film if your into action movies. I hope I’ll be able to see more of Dev Patels films in the future. I think he has promising talent and can be a great director if he’s given the chance.
If you haven’t seen Slumdog millionaire, I would also recommend checking that movie out as well. I don’t think it’s as good as Monkey man, but it can also be an entertaining watch.

So In conclusion….

Monkey Man > John Wick

Oscar Worthy Scenes…

This week, I want to share some Oscar-worthy scenes, from movies/plays

In specific order. Some of these have a spoiler warning before hand.

#3 -Stronger “I can’t!”

also have a link to the scenes on YouTube. I would recommend watching them if you’re interested, I Don’t think the text can quite deliver the amount of emotion they put into each of these monologues.

This scene is crazy. From start to finish. The movie overall is a must see and not to mention a true story. (minor spoiler alert) in this scene. Jake Gyllenhaal’s character is scared because he’s basically being told he’s going to be a father.
But he had recently lost both his legs in an explosion, so he’s scared that he won’t be the father that his girlfriend expects him to be.

#2 Manchester By The Sea “Please…”

(Trigger warning – attempted suicide.)

Manchester by the sea is one of the best movies I think I have ever seen. The writing, characters, plot, and pace are all amazing. I’ve seen it at least three times.
This scene depicts the main character realizing he’s free to go after making a horrible mistake, and as if to try and justify that mistake, he takes matters into his own hands. It’s very emotional, and very strong. Every time I’ve showed someone the movie, they always cry. This movie was nominated for 4 Oscars, and won two… Best original Screenplay, and best leading actor which were both extremely deserved.

#1 – Prodigal Son –
“Someone Saw me…”

I dont even know where to start with this scene. Timothy Chalamet has genuine talent. The emotion and body language he expresses in this scene is unmatched. In the video, you can even tell that the audience recognized his talent. At first, when the teacher was talking, they were laughing. But once Timothy’s part came, everyone was quiet. This scene talks about the double standard of respect. How authorities are often times demandant of it from the start, while those under them have to “earn it”.

Anyways, those are the three Oscar Worthy scenes that I wanted to share. If you haven’t seen any of the movies (and one play), I would recommend watching all of them immediately.