I recently had the pleasure to watch a film that has been recommended to many a multitude of times. I only finished yesterday, however, I’m obsessed. The symbolism, the writing, the characters, and the plot. It’s all so perfect. The film I’m talking about is Meeting Joe Black.
I’m not the best at avoiding spoilers, so if you haven’t seen it, I advise that you stop now and watch it. This is a movie worth going into blind. I unfortunately had a small part spoiled by my roommate, and I think it took away a small aspect that would have made it all the better.
So, I’m warning you now, that I will be going over spoilers.

Meeting joe black is a movie about how death takes human form. From context and dialogue, we can tell that death has been very lonely. He said himself, that if we were to take our understanding of time, multiply millinea by infinity, and take it to the deepest depths, we would only see a glimpse of how long he has been around. Death wants to—for lack of a better word— take a tour of life. He wants to experience whimsy and wonder. After millenia (times infinity) he wants to explore the world the the body of a mortal.

To do this, he confronts a man who’s soon to depart from the world. Bill.
Bill is an extremely wealthy man soon to reach his 65th birthday. Death confronts him, telling Bill that he would extend his time on earth to however long Bill could keep him entertained. Death sticks by Bill for most parts of the movie, side by side. Bill introduces Death to his family. Not as death, but as Joe Black. No further information is given, and he keeps himself very secretive from the group. 

Death takes many likings to being a mortal, one specifically that I found the most humorous was how much Joe liked peanut butter. Throughout the three-hour movie, in random scenes, he’ll be eating a spoonful of peanut butter. I thought it played fairly similar to how Ryuk from Death Note liked apples. Anyways, Joe Black seems to take an interest in Bill’s daughter Susan. Susan is a Doctor, and that plays a very interesting part throughout the movie. 

When Joe wishes to see Susan, he goes to the Hospital where she works. There is SO MUCH symbolism in this scene. Joe is dressed in all black, while the doctors are in white. Death commonly being associated with black, and life with white. Joe stands dressed in a slim black suit, and white doctors push their way past him wearing white.  The irony of Death standing amidst people who save lives. I don’t know, I just thought that made such an interesting scene.

Joe goes on to fall in love with Susan, and Susan with him. There’s something almost poetic about how Death falls in love with a doctor. I think it shows a unique and interesting balance that 

Can only be found in very few movies.

Joe falls so deeply in love that he tells Bill he’s taking Susan with him when he leaves. Which I assumed meant to take her life with him. However, this contradicts the deal that Bill and Joe made with one another. If Bill willingly complies and works with Death, he wouldn’t harm his family. Death seems to have no morals in his word. He tells Bill it doesn’t matter, and he’ll take Susan regardless. I love this next part

Joe Black: I don’t care Bill. I love her.

William Parrish: How perfect for you – to take whatever you want because it pleases you. That’s not love.

Joe Black: Then what is it?

William Parrish: Some aimless infatuation which, for the moment, you feel like indulging – it’s missing everything that matters.

Joe Black: Which is what?

William Parrish: Trust, responsibility, taking the weight for your choices and feelings, and spending the rest of your life living up to them. And above all, not hurting the object of your love.

Joe Black: So that’s what love is according to William Parrish?

William Parrish: Multiply it by infinity, and take it to the depth of forever, and you will still have barely a glimpse of what I’m talking about.

Joe Black: Those were my words.

William Parrish: They’re mine now.

I love how Bill turns Joe’s own words against him. I had to have rewatched that scene nearly six times out of sheer appreciation.

In conclusion, this movie has made me take another look at Life and Death. This movie made death seem so much more beautiful than our books and movies tend to. I think anyone in their right mind should give this film a chance. And yes, it was rather lengthy, However, It didn’t take away from the experience, at least not for me. 

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. 

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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. 

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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. 

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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. 

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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.

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 – 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.