Scott Weiland

This long-overdue entry is in honor of one of my favorite rock musicians, who sadly passed away at the beginning of this month: Scott Weiland.

Scott Weiland was the lead singer of Stone Temple Pilots, one of the most popular rock bands of the early to mid-1990s.

Rising to prominence at the tail end of the "grunge" era, Stone Temple Pilots sometimes got labelled grunge and sometimes "post-grunge." I have never been fans of either term. "Grunge" mostly describes a cultural movement, bound by time (early to mid 1990s) and geography (based in Seattle), whereas "post-grunge" describes the bands that were influenced by this initial movement and went on to take the style and sound of grunge bands and make it more "mainstream." So "grunge" usually refers to bands such as the so-called "Big Four" of the Seattle scene: Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, and Alice in Chains. Post-grunge usually refers to bands that came a bit later and weren't necessarily from Seattle, such as Foo Fighters, Silverchair, Live, Bush, and Fuel. Personally, I am a fan of all of these bands, and chances are I will cover others of them on this blog at some point.

But this entry is about Scott Weiland. So I'll start by talking about STP and what their music means to me.

My first exposure to STP's music was their big hits that were played on KROQ 106.7, particularly "Plush" and "Interstate Love Song." The first STP album I listened to was Core, which in addition to "Plush" also had other hits such as "Sex Type Thing", "Wicked Garden", and "Creep" (not to be confused with the Radiohead song). "Sex Type Thing" was one of the first songs I learned to play on guitar. "Wicked Garden" has long been one of my favorite songs of theirs, ever since I first heard it in a car commercial. Even today, I still picture an SUV crashing through glass when I hear Weiland shout out, "Burn! Burn burn! Burn your wicked garden down!" Core was a great album, but at the time of its release it apparently got a lot of flack from critics. They accused STP of ripping off the sound of other bands such as Pearl Jam and Nirvana. Rolling Stone magazine voted them Worst New Band in 1994 in the very same issue that the reader poll rated them as Best New Band. To be fair, judging from their early videos, they really were aping the macho, aggressive, dark persona that a lot of rock bands were doing at the time.

STP started to lighten up on their second album Purple, which also happens to be my favorite album of theirs. Classic songs like "Interstate Love Song" (another of my favorite songs to play on guitar), "Big Empty" and "Vaseline" are found on this great record.

Their third album, Tiny Music: Songs from the Vatican Gift Shop, was about as weird as its title suggests. Here was the band really trying to set themselves apart. Its a good album overall, with some great songs like "Tripping On a Hole In a Paper Heart" (which has my favorite STP guitar solo) and "Big Bang Baby" as well as some . . . weird songs like "Art School Girl."

As I understand it, the band went on a bit of a hiatus between their third and fourth albums, largely due to Scott Weiland's drug problems. They finally put out the aptly titled No. 4 in 1999, which was the year that I first started becoming a serious fan of rock music. I remember the music video for "Sour Girl" playing on MTV, with Sarah Michelle Gellar as some sort of weird angel of death, making out with Scott Weiland in some kind of nightmarish landscape populated by mutant Teletubby creatures. Yeah . . . While some of the songs on No. 4 are a little over the top grunge-metal, as if the band were trying to recapture their hard rock cred, overall it is still an excellent album.

The same can't quite be said for their two remaining albums. Shangri-La-De-Da was their fifth album, and the last before their first breakup. I remember being disappointed in the album, but even more disappointed that they broke up before I got to see them.

Scott Weiland went on to join some of the members of Guns N' Roses to form the supergroup known as Velvet Revolver. I actually liked them quite a lot, and went to see them in concert twice. Once they were the sole headliner, with Hoobastank opening for them (not the best pairing . . . apparently they did not get along and Doug Robb from Hoobastank wrote the song "If I Were You" as a critique of Scott Weiland's attitude). The other time I saw them, they were co-headlining with the newly reformed Alice in Chains.

After VR broke up, STP got back together and I finally got to see them live. It was a great show down at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego. However, I never got around to buying their comeback self-titled album. The reviews had been mixed, and by that time I had become very selective about the albums I purchased. I have listened to it though, and some of the songs are quite good.

For me, STP's music will always represent my days in high school, learning to play the guitar and exploring the world of rock music that had just recently opened up to me. My love of their music gave me something in common with another kid in my English class, who went on to become one of my best friends. I recently reconnected with this friend, having been inspired to reach out to him after I heard the news of Scott Weiland's death. Just last night, I attended this friend's wedding. 

Something about STP's music really spoke to me during a formative time of my life, and I will forever consider myself a fan. The music world has lost one of the greats of his generation.

RIP Scott Weiland! 

 

"Marvel's Daredevil": Season 1

I was late to board the Netflix train, but now that my new roommate has it I have definitely fallen under its spell. This is largely due to my first Netflix original series, "Daredevil."

First of all, I am pleased that the show has rescued the Daredevil character from the low point that the 2003 movie starring Ben Affleck had left it. Now, to be honest, I was not one of those who thought that movie was terrible. I'd place it in the middle ground of Marvel movies: not as good as the first two "Spider-Man" entries, most "X-Men" movies and pretty much all of the "Avengers" movies, but much better than its spin-off "Elektra" or the abysmal "Ghost Rider." I especially enjoyed Colin Ferrell's (admitted hammy) performance as the assassin Bullseye.

"Daredevil" the series, however, blows that film completely out of the water. No hit-of-the-week nu-metal bands to be heard, no cheesy overblown special effects, and no overuse of gratuitous slow-mo. Instead, you have a well-crafted, brilliantly acted, and marvelously choreographed thirteen episodes that are an inspired addition to the ever-expanding Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).



One thing that "Daredevil" does remarkably well: deliver multi-dimensional, interesting characters. I can't think of a single weak link in the cast. Charlie Cox is great as Matt Murdock, the blind attorney who moonlights as a masked vigilante, desperately trying to save his neighborhood of Hell's Kitchen from those who would destroy it. Deborah Ann Woll and Elden Henson are equally effective as Matt's friends and coworkers, Karen Page and Foggy Nelson. Foggy is his best friend and partner at their law firm, while Karen is an early client who becomes their secretary and friend. Together, the three make a very believable group of friends and coworkers that have their ups and downs but always are there for each other in the end. Vondie Curtis-Hall plays Ben Ulrich, a newspaper reporter ally of the trio who brings pathos of his own to the story.

Of course, every effective hero story should have a strong villain, and this is where the series' most well-known actor, Vincent D'Onofrio, comes in. His portrayal of Wilson Fisk, aka The Kingpin, is terrifying and memorable. An interesting facet of the series: the most prominent love story we see is not that of the hero, but of the villain. Over the course of the season we see Fisk go on awkward first dates with the beautiful Vanessa (Ayelet Zurer) and gradually build his relationship with her. In fact, after a few episodes of Fisk being a never-seen, barely named boogie man, we first meet him during his first meeting with Vanessa. The season is just as much Fisk's story as it is Murdoch's.



The show does a great job of building tension, raising stakes, and offering up surprises. Even minor characters that you expect to just be passing through can end up being crucial players in the deadly game of cat and mouse between our heroes and the antagonists. There are also plenty of Easter Eggs for perceptive viewers, both those that are fans of the other films and TV shows in the MCU and those who are die-hard enthusiasts of the original comic book source material.

Thinking back to the origins of these characters, it's amazing that they have come so far. That goes for Marvel Comics in general. It's little wonder that Stan Lee has a cameo in practically every Marvel movie or TV show (he's not present in the flesh in "Daredevil," but eagle-eyed viewers might spot his photo on the wall in the police station). These characters all started out as nothing more than ideas in the imaginations of several remarkable men. Now, new generations of creatives are able to give their own spins to them, retelling their stories in new mediums of which the original creators would not have even dreamed.

The recent superhero trend, which started in the movies and has moved to television, is still going strong with no sign of slowing. As long as we are still given material of the high quality of "Daredevil," I don't see it slowing anytime soon.

Super Mario Maker

Today's post is about a very recent release: Super Mario Maker for the Nintendo Wii U.

First, a bit about the Wii U. It has admittedly not been Nintendo's greatest accomplishment. While the tablet controller was an interesting concept, it was nowhere near as revolutionary as the Wii's motion controls. Giving the system the name they did was probably the biggest mistake, as many people thought that it was nothing more than an add-on for the Wii.

Despite the system's failings however, Nintendo's first party software is still second to none, and is the most compelling reason to own the system. Unfortunately, new games in the Star Fox and Legend of Zelda franchises have been delayed until 2016. Which leaves Super Mario Maker as the company's major offering for 2015.

Super Mario Maker is not your typical video game. In fact, I would hesitate to even call it a game. It is more of a tool. A tool to create your own Mario levels, and a tool to explore the levels created by others around the world.

The game has gotten some flack for having a sub-par searching system, which makes finding the best levels a challenge. Let's face it -- the majority of levels that have been uploaded are pretty bad. Then, even among the ones that are well-designed, you have to sort through dozens of so-called "automatic" levels that are set up in such a way that they play themselves, and other musical levels whose gameplay is secondary to recreations of theme songs from other games.



With help from the internet and YouTube, however, you can find some gems. It is amazing how some people have found unique ways to use the Mario characters, obstacles, and mechanics to do a variety of things.  Some people recreate levels from classic games such as Mega Man. Some levels contain a narrative of sorts, telling a story. Others are straight-forward Mario levels meant to challenge the player. I've seen Mario-ized versions of Alice in Wonderland, the classic arcade game Space Invaders, and even Disney's Twilight Zone Tower of Terror ride. The sky's the limit, which is one thing I love about the game.

Super Mario Maker is not the first game that has brought the tools of basic game design into the home. When I was a kid, I messed around a bit with a game called Klik and Play on the computer, which was a lot of fun. It would allow you to create simple games and institute logic in them. While Super Mario Maker does not have an explicit logic function that allows you to program events into your levels, many creative minds have found ways to use the tools the game does provide to attain similar results. For instance, a Thwomp placed on a conveyor belt may activate a "P" switch at the proper moment, thereby opening the way forward by turning a previously impassable wall of blocks into collectible coins. That's the best thing about a sandbox-style game like Super Mario Maker: chances are the players will discover ways to do things that the makers of the game didn't even think of.

Being a sucker for creativity (hence this blog), I was captivated by the premise of Super Mario Maker from the first time I heard of it. It definitely takes a bit of patience to enjoy it, but for creative types it is a rewarding experience.

Impro Theatre

Ever since high school, I have been a fan of improvisational comedy. Back then, I would watch "Whose Line is it Anyway?" and think it was the funniest thing I had ever seen. Well, this entry is not for "Whose Line" (though a future one might be!) With this entry, I would like to write about one of my favorite improv troupes: Impro Theatre.

Impro Theatre is based in Los Angeles. Their home-base is a small theater space in Los Feliz, but many of their shows are performed all over the area. I have seen them perform at the Acme Theater in Hollywood, the Falcon Theater in Burbank, at UC Irvine, and various other places.

Unlike "Whose Line," which focuses on short form (games and scenes that last about 5 minutes or so), Impro specializes in long form improv. In long form, games are usually not utilized and scenes can go on for an extended period of time. In particular, Impro specializes in narrative long form. Basically, they improvise plays. Not only that, but they do it in the style of various famous genres, authors, or playwrights. Some of their shows include Western Unscripted, Jane Austin Unscripted, Chekov Unscripted, and Fairy Tale Unscripted. Personally my two favorite things that they do are Twilight Zone Unscripted and Sondheim Unscripted.

For their Twilight Zone show, Impro gets a simple suggestion and then creates an original "episode" of the Twilight Zone, complete with the theme song, a cold open scene, and an introductory monologue. It is amazing the things that they come up with. I have seen them do that show at least five times now, and it never gets old. A typical performance has them creating three to four individual episodes.

Sondheim Unscripted, on the other hand, takes one suggestion and turns it into a two hour performance, with an intermission in the middle. For this show, a live pianist improvises along with the performers. When he starts playing, the actors bust out into song. The show is absolutely incredible. I do improv myself, and having taken a class in musical improv I can tell you, it's not easy. Not only does Impro pull it off, they pull it off WELL. AND attempt to sing in the style of a Sondheim musical at the same time, complete with complex melodies and harmonies.

Basically, whether you are an improviser or not, if you appreciate creativity and live performance you owe it to yourself to check out Impro Theatre. I was so inspired by them that I signed up to take several classes with them. Through the classes and the number of shows I have attended, I've gotten to know several of the troupe members including the artistic director Dan O'Conner, Lisa Frederickson, Brian Jones, Ryan Smith and Nick Massouh. They are all wonderful, nice people. If you live in the LA area their show is a must see, and if you've been thinking of taking improv classes I'd highly recommend them.

Homestar Runner

I'm back after a lengthy hiatus. That's what moving into a new apartment and a little bit of international travel will do!

Recently I was reminded by one of my favorite websites to visit during my college years: Homestar Runner.

The creation of brothers Mike and Matt Chapman, aka "The Brothers Chaps," Homestar Runner began as a side project while Mike was in college. The character of Homestar Runner debuted in a picture book that Mike made with a friend and was later brought to life by the brothers in an animated short they created using, of all things, the Super Nintendo game Mario Paint. Eventually the brothers learned how to use Flash and brought Homestar Runner and a colorful cast of supporting characters to the internet. Mike did the animation, and Matt did the voices (with his girlfriend providing the voice of the sole female, Marzipan).


The colorful cast of Homestar Runner.

Though Homestar Runner himself is a funny, memorable character, the most popular character of the site is arguably his nemesis, Strong Bad. Looking a bit like lucha libre wrestler, Strong Bad's snarky, mischievous nature contrasts with Homestar's naive good-naturedness. The site's tent pole feature was Strong Bad Email, a collection of shorts revolving around Strong Bad answering questions from fans. Full of (sometimes obscure) pop culture references and riddled with hidden Easter eggs, the Strong Bad emails were the source of many an inside joke between me and my college buddies.

One of the greatest parts of the email shorts is that often one-off, seemingly throw-away gags would evolve into recurring sketches of their own. From the GI Joe parody "Cheat Commandos" to the faux-comic "Teen Girl Squad," a visit to Homestarrunner.com would always surprise and delight.



In recent years updates to the site had slowed to a crawl. Finally over the last couple of years updates have begun again. From what I have read on handy dandy Wikipedia, both Chaps have largely moved on to other projects.  Matt is a writer and director for the TV show "Yo Gabba Gabba," and Mike has also written for the show.

While the days of Homestar Runner being a normal part of my routine are over, I still have a fondness in my heart for the website. It is great example of two guys expressing their creativity and becoming successful because of it. From the modest beginnings of animating using Mario Paint to having one of the most successful Flash cartoon websites ever, their story is an inspiration and a great example of how the internet has created opportunities for creativity that did not exist before.

Eternal Darkness

When it comes to video games, I have spent most of my life as a Nintendo fan boy. The only non-Nintendo video game systems I ever owned were the Sega Genesis (just for Sonic) and the Xbox 360 (mostly just for Halo, but that one I actually did play other things). Nintendo is mostly known for their exclusives such as Mario, The Legend of Zelda, Metroid, Star Fox and all the others. Once in a while, though, Nintendo will release an exclusive game by a third party publisher. It doesn't happen so often these days, as it seems like most third parties have shunned Nintendo's current console, the Wii U, but at times in the past there's been some amazing third party Nintendo games. Resident Evil 4, which is largely considered a classic and one of the best games ever, started out as a Gamecube exclusive before it was ported to other systems. The software developer Rare used to make amazing games strictly for Nintendo systems, before they were bought by Microsoft and started ruining their franchises with games like Perfect Dark Zero and Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts.

There is one third party Nintendo exclusive that will always stick out in my mind: Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem.



A survival horror game that has gone on to become somewhat of a cult classic, Eternal Darkness stood out with several creative elements that cemented it as one of my favorite games of all time. Have you ever seen a movie that you loved so much, that you declared yourself a fan of the director and started seeking out other movies he or she made? That's how I felt about the game's publisher, Silicon Knights, at least at first. When I heard they were involved in the Gamecube remake of Metal Gear Solid (which was given the subtitle "The Twin Snakes") I snatched it up. Unfortunately, Silicon Knights would go on to misfire with their Xbox 360 game Too Human, and after that the company basically imploded. It's quite an interesting story, I'd suggest googling Silicon Knights and reading about the company's fate.

But this entry isn't about Silicon Knights! It's about their brilliant game, Eternal Darkness. Time to break down what made this game so special.

1. It has an ensemble cast.



When done well, an ensemble drama can be a magnificent thing to behold. "Lost" is my favorite TV show of all time, largely for the way it pulled off its enormous cast of characters. Eternal Darkness is one of the few games I'm familiar with that puts you in the shoes of multiple characters. In addition, each character's segment of the game takes place during a different period of history. Not only does this add variety to the game, it also creates excitement as you never quite know who you'll be next. It greatly adds to the epic feel of the game.

2. It borrows from the master of cosmic horror to create a compelling story line.

H.P. Lovecraft is the father of the so-called cosmic horror genre. In the prototypical Lovecraft story, an average person encounters otherworldly forces that make humanity look about as significant as a guppy in the Pacific Ocean. Often such forces are so horribly beyond human comprehension that any person who manages to survive a direct encounter is driven insane. Other-dimensional entities, cults, dark rituals, mysterious books, and ancient, ruined cities make frequent appearances, and the stories are typically set in New England. Eternal Darkness has all of these Lovecraftian tropes and more.



The story centers on Alexandra Roivas (which is "Savior" spelled backwards, incidentally), who is investigating her grandfather's death in his New England mansion. She stumbles upon the Tome of Eternal Darkness, an ancient book (and stand-in for Lovecraft staple, the Necronomicon), which recounts the tales of numerous people throughout history who have battled "the Ancients" (similar to Lovecraft's "Old Ones"), otherworldly creatures of unspeakable evil who are determined to return to Earth and lay waste to all life. Soon enough Alex is swept into the battle, as it turns out each person referenced in the Tome has made some small contribution (often at the cost of their own lives), and it's up to her to finish the fight.

The mythology of the game is so well-realized, I had an immediate hankering to delve into the works of Lovecraft. That, in my book, is the sign of a game that truly captures the creative spirit: it inspires you to want to learn more about something.

3. It introduced a ground-breaking (and fourth wall-breaking) mechanic

The most famous feature of Eternal Darkness is, by far, the "sanity effects." Basically, in addition to the usual health and magic meters found in many games, you also have a green "sanity meter." The meter is depleted every time you are spotted by a monster. When the meter runs low, things start to get . . . weird. The camera angles become askew. Whispers, crying, and screams are heard coming from everywhere and nowhere. And the best part . . . hallucinations.

The hallucinations are where the game creators really mess with you. Some of them are confined to the game world. You might see a room full of monsters that turn out to be imaginary. Or your character's head might explode, or the character might start sinking into the floor. These hallucinations usually last for several seconds before the character shouts, "This isn't happpening!" and reality is restored in a flash. The best and most memorable hallucinations, however, are the ones that break the fourth-wall and start messing with you, the player. You might see a fly crawl across the TV screen. The volume might go down, with a corresponding green volume meter on the side of the screen. Or you might get a message saying your memory card has been corrupted, or your game file has been deleted.


Oh no! I'm surrounded by monsters and my controller's not working! Oh wait . . . it's just insanity.

These tricks could have been a cheap gimmick in a lesser game. But as part of the already creepy package of Eternal Darkness, they are quite brilliant. They add to the feeling of unease that permeates the game.

In order to get the best ending, you have to beat the game three times. With some games I'd balk at this requirement, but not Eternal Darkness. The game is subtly different each time, depending on a choice you make at the beginning. There are three evil Ancients, and one of them is designated as the primary "Big Bad" at the beginning. Only by playing through the three possible scenarios can you truly save humanity.

The ambition and creativity behind Eternal Darkness made it a true classic and one of the Gamecube's best games. H.P. Lovecraft's influence can be felt in many different movies, TV shows, and video games, and I credit Eternal Darkness with being the first to introduce me to his work.

If you own a Nintendo Gamecube and have never played it, I would recommend seeking out the nearest copy! Do it for your sanity . . .