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

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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