8675309: A Formality

Another 24th of December and still I am a semester behind in my studies. A lot of my time has been spent as if it were credit, mostly on learning what it is I am actually learning. Apparently it's not how the causal factors of gradient wind forces effect upper atmosphere, or how the forces play a role in cumulus cloud formations one kilometer above the surface. Perhaps if I were to overlay the narrative structure and devices of the poem Sir Gawain and The Green Knight over my biographical experience of this past semester it would become clear that both the conclusion of the poem (Gawain feels that he has failed/The Green Knight says he has preformed the best) and the conclusion of the semester (Getting an F in Geography/Being told I did poorly due lack of time) then both outcomes exhibit a similar result. Jenni, please call.

short rambling

One thing I have noticed over the summer is that I have seemed to forgotten how to be a student. This poses a problem as I am returning to the role. I suppose the serving job I acquired over the summer should give me better acting skills for an easier transition this time around.

Post Script; I also seemed to have developed something called restraint. Not exactly sure if that makes me more or less like me.

Sexcapades on Ice tag line.

Question yourself everyday. Re-evaluate your values. Establish your morality. How far would you go?

Reading List

Currently I am reading The Rules of Attraction. The characters are annoying, the narrators are unreliable, and the story mirrors real life a little too closely. All-in-all, it is pretty good so far.

Also reading Madness: The Invention of an Idea by Michel Foucault. This one seems much more applicable to my studies, so it is also highly enjoyable.

Best writing advice ever!

Writing is not hard. It is simply personal. Depending on how open you are wanting to be, and how much fiction you want to mix into a story will affect how well a story is received by an audience. The best advice a writer could ever give is this: Live cheap and write for yourself.

Stumble Upon PSA.

Today I got bored and decided I was in need to jerk off. Thank god for the internet. After slipping my pants around my ankles, the next thing to do was find some erotica on the net; not the easiest thing to do. This is the problem with the internet, it is flooded with way too much porn. After six or seven minutes of searching for just the right material to shoot a load into a sock, I accidentally clicked on the Stumble Upon icon.

This lead me to youtube. The video was Katy Perry's E.T. album version. Of all the pop stars around these days, she is my least favorite, not to mention I absolutely cannot stand E.T. This accident led me to forget what I was doing on the internet in the first place, and inevitably led me to watch more youtube (the Ghostbusters theme, Whatchamacallit commercial from the 1980s, etc) with my pants off.

This is A. Warren Johnson reminding you that accidents happen, be prepared.

Hard Core, I mean Rock--

Five Favorite Ellis Quotes

I have been reading a lot of Bret Easton Ellis lately, if you haven't, then you should. Here is five of the best Ellis quotes I have come across:

1. "I never liked anyone and I'm afraid of people." - Imperial Bedrooms

2. "Maggots already writhe across the human sausage, the drool pouring from my lips dribbles over them, and still I can't tell if I'm cooking any of this correctly, because I am crying too hard and I have never really cooked anything before." - American Psycho

3. "Disappear Here. The syringe fills with blood. You're a beautiful boy and that's all that matters. Wonder if he's for sale. People are afraid to merge. To merge." - Less Than Zero

4. "You do an awfully good impression of yourself." - Lunar Park

5. "All the trees were dead. There were dead skunks and dogs and even an occasional deer by the sides of the roads, their blood staining the snow." - The Rules of Attraction

What Did I Learn?

Students are an interesting sort of people. Regardless of age, race, or nationality they attend post-secondary with the goal of learning. However, most students never think about what it is they are actually learning.

This is interesting to me because I find myself in a very interesting position within the post-secondary career track. I am twenty-seven, I (at the most basic level) remember the eighties, and tend to internalize my experiences for later connections.

Most of the students I have had the pleasure (and displeasure in one particular case) are either older or younger than I am. This places me in a very strange place in my academic life, as I get older references made by older instructors, yet find myself understanding the younger crowds interpretations of what learning is supposed to be.

I have no idea what I will major in (either English or Psychology), however I do know what I am learning. Something the younger crowd seems to not understand. Examples of certain things that are being learned are as follows:

1) When a presentation is supposed to be made to the class by a student, it is to build confidence, and teach a student that talking to thirty other people who are facing you is just like having a conversation, only you are having this conversation with thirty other people.

2) Showing up to class teaches students how to be punctual. If you are unreliable in something you are paying for, how can you possibly be successful in something which you will make money in?

3) Socialization is something that should be developed already, however, many students miss this point in Elementary and High schools. Being enrolled in post-secondary is simply a reinforcement of these skills, however they are slightly more professional than say working in a kitchen.

4) English classes are a good thing. People outside of English Majors tend to view English majors as "useless". Guess what, working in any country that is pre-dominantly English speaking (and yes, this includes Hard Science Majors as well), you will have to know the difference between "then" and "than". Furthermore, English teaches you how to edit written work (whether academic or otherwise), make connections through analysis, and how to communicate ideas on paper.

5) How to budget money. This comes as a learning lesson from the Government, not post-secondary, as they seem to never give you enough cash for a semester.

A Work in Progress

Course/Section and Title	Grade	Credits	CEUs	Repeat	Term
CSC-105 C01 Intro. to Computers & Program.					2011S
ENGL-202 C01 English Literature 1744-1900					2011S
ENGL-214 C01 Short Fiction II					2011S
ENGL-218 C01 Women & Men in Literature II					2011S
PSYC-207 C01 Intro to Abnormal Behaviour					2011S
ENGL-104 C06 Intro to Lit. & Composition	C	3.00			2010S
ENGL-106 C01 Film Studies	A-	3.00			2010S
ENGL-206 C01 Creative Writing II	A+	3.00			2010S
PSYC-102 C01 Introduction to Psychology II	C	3.00			2010S
ENGL-101 C02 Literature & Composition I	A	3.00			2009F
ENGL-103 C02 Composition & Style	B+	3.00			2009F
PHIL-102 C01 Theory of Knowledge	B-	3.00			2009F
PSYC-101 C06 Introduction to Psychology I	B-	3.00			2009F

---

Total Earned Credits	24.00
Total Grade Points	74.01
Cumulative GPA	3.084

Go, go New Democratic Rangers

Today around four-ish a few friends and I had a conversation about having a ridiculous cosplay event for the NDP. It would be a spoof campaign of the highly popular kids show "Power Rangers". In this little spoof there would be four rangers-- Black, Green, Orange and White (NDP colors)-- fighting Stephen Harper and his cabinet ministers.

While this probably wouldn't get the votes in for the NDP, it would be fun to put on. This is the reason I could never be a politician.

Jazzersize Writing

Oddly enough, things happen. The why and how are not important, just the now. If you feel this post is talking (reading) above you, don't worry, you are not alone. The reasoning behind this post is simple: there is no point. Just a bunch of words strung together to create broken syntax and uncomfortable sentences.

If you feel this post is silly, well yes, it is. And again, there is no point to it. However, if you are still reading by this point, then you either like the style in which it was written, or you are holding out hope that there will eventually be a point. If the latter is correct, then you are wrong, and I state once more, there is no point to this post.

I felt the need to post this for the simple reason that I wanted to write. If this bothers you, then take comfort in the fact that it has probably bothered more people too. If you feel you could write something better, then do it. Writing anything is useful, even when it is useless.

As a cowboy in a bathtub once said, "If you have to shoot, then shoot. Don't just stand there talking about it." The same goes for writing, hence this post with no point. It is simply a writing exercise for myself.

I hope you have found this post (as useless as it is) at least entertaining. And now for something completely different--

How to Spot a Pretentious C____sucker

23 March at 16:55

Hey, So [Capitalization of first word after a comma for no purpose] I am not sure what you are so butt hurt [Use of unpopular, or unknown slang to sound edgy] about... [Lazy use of ellipsis] is it because I absolutely refuted [Attempt at sounding profound] your concept of a BFA being more presitigus [Unable to spell phonetic words] than a BA? [Presumes an issue without facts] Either way I have my opinion and you have yours and [Use of repetition] you can continue to be immature about it all you want [Run-on sentences, without punctuation] but if you are going to continue to post negative [Unable to take constructive criticism of work, or inability to comprehend dead pan humor] comments on my page when I am trying to be funny with my fellow friends [Insertion of poetic device in a formal letter] ... [Repeating lazy use of ellipsis] then you can remove yourself from the group. Thanks [Missing comma]

[Lack of signature]

10 Books you should read

10. Man's Search for Meaning: This book is interesting because it is a book about framing events (regardless of how horrific) into a context that is humorous and prescribes meaning for the individual. The second half of the book deals with Logo Therapy.

9. The Name of The Wind: While a fantasy novel, it is the first in the "Kingkiller Chronicles" and compares the idea of myth with truth. An idea which will presumably be kept up in the rest of the trilogy.

8. Invisible Monsters: In true Palahniuk fashion, this book will make the reader wonder why they are reading it, only to discover that all along the protagonist is simply seeking a change. Something most people can easily relate to.

7. American Psycho: Set in the eighties, this book (while having grotesque depictions of serial tortures and slayings) has more to do with deconstructing the myths of what is socially acceptable and what defines normality.

6. American Whiskey Bar: A behind the scenes look at a film notorious for being talked about, but never seen. A darkly fun piece of hyper-reality fiction.

5. Kate Carlo: No seriously, who is Kate Carlo?

4. Monster: This book is a fun and fast-paced read that examines how mundane life can be when magic and the supernatural are involved.

3. The Lucid View: Not a very fast read, however it does contain interesting insights and thoughts about religion, politics and literature. Good book, just be patient.

2. Side Effects: Short and funny anecdotes by Woody Allen on a variety of topics.

1. Heaven is Small: An interesting look at Heaven and stream-line consciousness contained primarily to the protagonist's desk.

Growing Up

Life. One moment you are young, vigorously fully of good intentions: nature. Youth, with it’s unbiased, wise and loving arms reach out, and as you grow, the more you notice that something is just . . . not . . . right.

Suddenly you are ten, twelve, fifteen! You begin to realize that thnigs are not as claer cut as you frist imangied. Sixteen, eighteen, twenty. You look around, the more you matrue, the more thnigs shfit out of plcae. The mroe you see, the more you wnat to set free. The rasicst you thuoght was firednly (on the bus), the whroe you wnated to be your spuose. Eevn the emlpoyer you wokred for the past dceade. All of them twsited and compelx.

Twenty-four, twntey-six, twntey-eight. The desrie for fredeom bunrs in deep. Deeepr and deeepr you attepmt to dare futrher into yuor mnid, but by tihs time you bgein to dobut eevn yuor own mnid. And then, a few thnigs fall . .. Into.. . place. And the tide, just for a moment, gently breaks . . .

It is a dark lull of sleep, exhaustion. It washes over you, calms you; at least some of the time you can make sense of the broken images inside your head; even if they are only dreams--

Sveen am! It is back on the go. Thrity, you braek dwon. How have you come this far and not made snese of a snigle damn thnig? Desparetly you try to meet a gaol, any gaol! It is olny a matetr of time beofre you are forty and thnigs make less snese tahn tehy did beofre!

Mairred and wanting nohtnig more than antoher attpemt to do smothnig; put away the starnge ueslses bilefs, laguh more (as oppsoed too benig offneded), raed intnetoins much more claerly, eevn smothnig as trvial as wihsnig ... upon . .. a . . . star.

You treid tihs and it wokred for a whlie. You attmepted it agian, and agian, and agian, but-- it, the notoin, neevr reutrns. And as you darw yuor lsat bretah, nothnig but yousrlef can forgvie you.

Last Saturday Night

The idea of setting free is an interesting notion. Being let go (fired) from a job is a fitting analogy for such a theme. On one hand (probably the left) it can be victimizing as a vital life line is cut off, however on the other hand (this would naturally be the right) it grants one freedom, of sorts, for a shot period of time. Which by the way is probably the worst thing an employer could possibly give a disgruntled employee: time.

I came across this problem last week. It was a Saturday (in all honesty it was probably the best day of the week to get fired), in a busy and over-crowded kitchen. The spitting of the fryers and constant tapping and cutting of knives, as well as every foul word being spoken quite loudly. These are-- were my friends. I suppose they still are, however it is much easier to keep friends when you cannot avoid them.

Around five-thirty two post meridiem, I began expressing my concerns about management. Sure, I may have been a little too loud about it, and may have used a few “suggestive” descriptors for important emphasis, although I believe that the fearless leader of a manager could have handled the situation in a more professional manner. After being sent home (and to add to an already wonderful evening) the hero left me with a poem he had wrote while he spoke entitled, “Don’t come back.” Oddly enough, that was the whole poem. He was a pretty witty guy.

Most people may have viewed this as one of those situations that could be considered a crisis, but for whatever reason I did not. The most mopping I did was spending fifty dollars on beer at the near by pub and explained my situation to anyone within earshot, to which no one cared. I then made my way home to watch some internet reviewers primarily Brad Jones, however some other reviewers made their way into the rest of my evening’s viewing.

The next day I went to the film festival. In my fifty dollar splurge on beer, I missed one of the films I had intended on seeing: Trigger by Bruce McDonald, so I settled to see Incendies. It was a heart warming film about teen who has to give up her child, and is reunited with her child in a political prison. She is once again pregnant, gives birth to twins and migrates to Canada. After this I returned home, began searching for work and wrote a few essays.

The first essay focused on the gender norms in the film “Kramer vs. Kramer”, the second on how Coleridge’s “Christabel” was told through the dead mother’s point of view and how its narration was very similar to the third structure of Personal Myth theory I had been working on for the past three years. It wasn’t until two-thirty four (I was about two-thirds of the way though my second essay) that I realized something; if I was still at the restaurant I used to work at, I would not have been able to do all these mundane, yet enjoyable things! I was free, at least for a little while.

-A. Warren Johnson

Celebrity Email: Ida Chong

Dear Ida Chong,

I loved you in Resident Evil! With this in mind, I would hope that you would keep in mind all the students in British Columbia this consumerist, pseudo holiday.

The first great reason to do such a thing is naturally me! I am amazing. Secondly (ironically more important than the first), as people in a legislative position retire and/or (yes I realize how awkward this sentence sounds already) move on in life, then it is the students that are currently enrolled in classes who will fill said positions.

The third most important reason is also one you may have not considered; if you were to raise tuition instead of lowering them, then come election time (specifically the campaign for Prime Minister position, but really any provincial or federal election) the very same students you have sentenced to debt will probably be more inclined to vote for another candidate. Not really that it would make a difference as the primary focus of our elections are simply to give the illusion that we (excluding people in positions of power, such as yourself) actually have a say in what goes on in this chunk of land referred to as Canada. However, it would be nice to see your name on a ballot slip for P.M.

Finally, this brings me to probably the best reason to keep the students in mind during Valentine's Day: You won't have people thing you are a character from a video game! Educating people leads them to make informed decisions, this is a good thing, utilize this universal truth to establish a change! Don't fall into the social-political game of "it's all down hill form here", be the example; the beacon of hope that students so desperately require right now!

Sincerely,

A. Warren Johnson

PS- I'm glad you are safe, you know, after the whole Raccoon City fiasco.

Zeitgeist & Internet Reviewer Addiction

Good morning dear reader,

I am sitting in front of my computer, attempting to read, but having no luck. I'm just easily distracted. I suppose I should inform you about the new Zeitgeist film which was released yesterday. It was nice to see a third installment to the series, although I have not been able to finish it quite yet. This is due in part to my studies, and in part to my new found addiction of internet reviewers.

-A. Warren Johnson

Adaptations: Hard Core Logo

Click to Play

A. Warren Johnson reviews the book written by Michael Turner, as well as the film from 1996 by Bruce McDonald. Audio fluctuates, apologies in advance.

ഹോനെസ്റ്ലി, ലിഎ ക്ലോസര്‍

ഗുഡ് എവെനിംഗ് ഡിയര്‍ രീടെര്‍,

എ ഫെവ് സ്ട്രങ്ങെ എവെന്റ്സ് ഹാവ് ബീന്‍ ഹപ്പെനിംഗ് വിത്ത്‌ മി ലറെലി; ഐ ഹാവ് ടെസിടെദ് ടോ ബി ബ്രുടല്ലി ഹോനെസ്റ്റ് വിത്ത്‌ പീപ്പിള്‍, ആന്‍ഡ്‌ ഹാവ് നോടിസിദ് ദി ഡബിള്‍ സ്ടണ്ടാര്‍ദ്സ് ബെഗിന്‍ ടോ ക്രുംബ്ലെ അറ്റ്‌ മൈ പ്ലസ് ഓഫ് എമ്പ്ലോയ്മെന്റ്. സിമ്പ്ലി ഫസ്സിനടിംഗ്.

ഇന്‍ രേഗുര്‍ദ്സ് ടോ ദി ഹോനെസ്ടി, പീപ്പിള്‍ ഹാവ് ബീന്‍ എ ലിട്ട്ലെ മോര്‍ രേലുച്ടന്റ്റ് ടോ ആസ്ക്‌ മൈ ഒപിനിഒന്സ ഓണ്‍ മറ്റെര്സ് (വിച്ച് ഈസ്‌ പെര്‍ഫെക്റ്റ്‌ ഫോര്‍ മി, ആസ് ഐ ദോ നോട ലൈക്‌ ഗിവിംഗ് അട്വിസ്). വ്ഹിലെ ദിസ്‌ മെയ്‌ സീം ലൈക്‌ എ ഹര്‍ഷ് റിയാലിറ്റി ഫോര്‍ സോമേ, ഐ അം രീളിഴിംഗ് ദാറ്റ്‌ വ്തെന്‍ യു തമ്പേര്‍ വിത്ത്‌ ദി സോഷ്യല്‍ നോര്‍മ്സ്, യു ആരെ ഗെനുഇനെല്യ മകിംഗ് എ ദിഫ്ഫെരെന്‍സ് ഇന്‍ പീപ്പിള്‍'സ ലിവേസ്. ഐ ഹാവ് ആള്‍സോ നോടിസിദ് സോമെതിംഗ് ഖുഇറെ ഇന്റെരെസ്റിംഗ്, ദി ക്ലോസര്‍ വെ ഗെറ്റ് ടോ പീപ്പിള്‍, ദി മോര്‍ വെ ആരെ കംപെല്ലെദ് ടോ ലിഎ ടോ തേം. വാട്ട്‌ ആന്‍ അട്വന്സിദ് രചെ വെ ആരെ.

അന്യ്വായ്‌, ഐ ഹോപേ യു ഹാവ് എ വോന്ടെര്ഫുല്‍ നൈറ്റ്‌, ആന്‍ഡ്‌ ഐ ഹോപേ ദിസ്‌ ഹാസ്‌ ഇന്സ്പിരെദ് യു ടോ പോന്ടെര്‍ സുച് മറ്റെര്സ് ഫോര്‍ യൌര്സെല്ഫ.

-എ. വാര്രെന്‍ ജോണ്‍സന്‍

Passing Thoughts on Immortality

The concept of immortality is one which is flawed. While the idea is a comforting thought, it is one closely entwined with the afterlife. After all, no one can cheat death, and sum it up "On a long enough time line, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero" (Fight Club, Palahniuk).

So what then are we to make of the concept of immortality? Could there be a different avenue of surviving physical death? Let's take for instance the great written work's of authors long dead. Certainly their words have carried on through out centuries, but how is it that they still exist with us today? Surely one could argue that they started many dialogues which have been continued throughout numerous generations, but does this count as immortality? Would it truly be such a stretch to believe that written works could be considered a form of immortality by way of legacy?

Yes, it would be presumptuous to believe such a fallacy, if only for the fact that one day everything will exist to be, as will the concept of immortality.

However, all hope is not lost in such a statement. There is still the matter of spiritual immortality, and there must be some value in the idea of an afterlife! Why would we have such a vested interest in such a subject if there wasn't? Although, this would naturally exclude any notion of Purgatory, Nirvana, and Limbo. And I suppose it would be better to exist in Eternal Damnation, rather than a state of nothingness. And surely if there was a Shangri-la, Heaven, or Eternal Bliss, that would be preferable to perdition.

This then brings into question, what would it take to exist in life after death? Just live your life? Let the chips fall where they might? Certainly it would not be left up to chance. And the Almighty up high must have already chosen those who are heading to the perfect kingdom and leaving the rest to burn. But does this not contradict the God-given gift of free will? And if not, would God truly leave his most fragile creations make his decisions for him in this matter? It seems like a little more thought would have been put into such a damaging or rewarding plan, would it not?

Well dear reader, it seems that our synecdoche hand has landed into the metaphorical concrete on the matter of immortality, and I am not afraid, concerned, nor bothered by the idea of such a question being answered. Take comfort in the fact that you will die, and also take solace in the fact that you will be remembered, loved and cherished by those closest to you. After all, isn't that what immortality is all about?

-A. Warren Johnson

Adaptations Update

Good evening dear reader,

Adaptations is underway! I am finishing the first episode sometime this week, and will hopefully be able to continue to update one episode a week. Hopefully this little trailer will be enough to hold you over until my first video is complete!

The rating system on the show is as follows:

25% Story (Does the film genuinely attempt to follow the narrative of the original source material?)

20% Character Development (Are the characters as well developed as the source material?)

15% Atmosphere (Does the film generate the same feeling as the source material?)

15% Technique (Does the film's direction/visual/editing and/or audio serve/take away from the narrative of the source material?)

10% Nuance (Does the film include the little nuances that enhanced/distracted from the source material?)

All adapted films will be rated out of 85%, and every film will be given a 15% discrepancy. This means that no film will below 15%, as some creative differences must be compensated for when it comes to adaptations.

Look forward to your comments, criticisms and correspondence!

-A. Warren Johnson

Adaptations: Hard Core Logo

Published in 1993, Hard Core Logo by Michael Turner has witnessed three editions and has spawned two films. Hard Core Logo (1996) and Hard Core Logo 2 (2010). What makes this book great is the writing. It is not a conventional story. For the most part, it unfolds in real-time, and is supplemented by song lyrics, pictures and invoices, all of which serve to further the narrative.

The story revolves around a Canadian punk rock band called, you guessed it, Hard Core Logo. They first hit the music scene in the late 1970s, broke up numerous times and have been contacted by Laura Cromartie for a benefit show. Joe Dick is our protagonist. Joe gets a hold of Billy Talent (yes, this is where the band got their name, no Michael Turner does not know them), Pipefitter and John.
H.C.L. preforms the show they were contacted about and this gives Joe an idea: A reunion tour. Six shows (Calgary, Regina, Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Edmonton and Vancouver), in seven days. On top of this gruelling schedule, Joe has decided that H.C.L. Should also preform these shows as acoustic sets (rather than their heavily distorted act for which they are known), and has even wrote a few songs about a Native Canadian human rights activist.

As the tour goes on, the reader is treated to an interesting way of developing the four main characters, Joe Dick is usually the front man of the story, and most of his development comes from his dialogue. Billy Talent is developed much the same, although his dialogue is usually through conversations. Pipefitter is developed through his inner thoughts, and he primarily is the one who comments on any changes (good or bad) that develop in the plot. John has probably the most interesting character development. John’s journal entries, while rare, serve to give a comparison to how things were, too how things are currently going. I found this structure made the book much more enjoyable, and kept it interesting.

The band makes a detour to visit Bucky Haight, Joe’s primary influence. Bucky tells them a story from when he was a young rocker. He had recorded an album with a few buskers he met in a day, then spent the night partying with them, spending a lot of the money he received to record the album. The next day when Bucky woke up, he found that all the band equipment, the rest of the money and the album was missing. He concludes his story by telling the group that he has Hepatitis from using a dirty needle.

By the end of the tour Billy Talent reveals that he is planning on leaving H.C.L. to pursue his career further with another band. Joe Dick finds out about this and declares that not only is this the last show for Hard Core Logo, but also the end of Billy Talents life, then preform one of their older songs, “Something’s Going to Die Tonight”. After the show the band is informed that they cannot be paid because the club owner’s wife robbed the till.
The book concludes with Billy catching a flight to Seattle, and the rest of the band heading back to Vancouver. John tells Joe that he is stuck in the glory days, and that him, Pipefitter and Billy have outgrown Joe’s shenanigans. Pipefitter then replies to John and tells his that he is a hypocrite, then goes on to explain that he knew he would be in for a bad time right from the hop. After all is said and done, the band (minus Billy) is back in Vancouver. Joe Dick takes out an ad in a paper looking for a new band.

Although Hard Core Logo has a page count of 205, most of the text is set up very much like poetry, rather than prose. However, this does not mean that it is an easy read, due to the multiple layers and symbolism, Hard Core Logo is a very tightly packed, busy book.

Since this (and other reviews in the Adaptation series) is a comparative review, let’s take a look at the movie.
In 1996 Hard Core Logo was adapted to film by Bruce McDonald. The synopsis I have given of the book is almost exactly what happens in the film, with a few major differences.

The first difference is Hard Core Logo’s sound. In the book, they are preforming almost everything acoustic, while in the film they mimic their original sound of heavy distortion. This I found to be interesting because the way H.C.L. sounds seems to imitate bands like Nirvana, and other garage bands that were big at the time (yes I am well aware that Kurt Cobain was dead by this point).

Next, the film also had one additional character, this was Bruce, the camera man who was filming the “documentary’ about Hard Core Logo. This was by far the most interesting change made to the source material, as the band and other supporting characters actually acknowledged him as part of the film. Bruce even had a few lines in the Bucky Haight detour, in which they sacrifice a goat after dropping acid. This part of the film was also altered in a big way from the book.

While Bucky implied that he did not like to be used in the book, he actually tells Joe Dick point blank that he does not like to be used, and to never come and see him again. The reason for this is something I didn’t explain in the synopsis, but probably should have. Joe Dick announces at the benefit show that Bucky Haight has lost his legs, and that is why they agreed to do the gig in the first place, this was not altered in the adaptation. After this Joe announces that Bucky Haight has died in both the source material and the film adaptation. However, when Joe makes this comment, he means it poetically, and not literally, which was lost on fans in the film.

The third and the most shocking change to the film from the book comes at the tail end of the movie. When Joe announces that it is the last day of Billy Talents life, Joe attacks Billy and they have a fist fight in the middle of their last show. As fans begin to leave, John gets on Joe’s mike and says a few poetic lines, then begins chanting, “In the end, it’s love”. Once Billy and Joe’s fight is broken up, Billy leaves and Joe is outside on the front step of the club. Bruce and Joe exchange a little bit of small talk, then Joe reaches into his jacket to grab a gun, then shoots himself in the head. I am not sure why the end was changed. It is (as I said) the most shocking change to the source material, but it was also the most altered part of the entire film.

While most adaptations generally only keep around 68% of the source material around, Hard Core Logo did a great job at bringing the story of a Canadian band on their last tour together. The interesting way Michael Turner developed the characters in the book was preserved as much as possible, and the concluding message (while presented much more shockingly in the film) was kept the same. Which is a lot more then can be said about most adaptations (yes I will get to those-- eventually).

2011

Happy 2011 Dear Reader!

I look forward to your continued readership.

-A. Warren Johnson