The Dichotomy of Quality Crapola

Ah, the strange place that is my mind.

I sometimes do actually wonder if there isn’t something wrong with me. Maybe it’s because I was a Preemie (2 months early. Had I known what was waiting for me, I’d have stayed the full 9), maybe a few too many blows to the head, my midichlorian count is off, I don’t know.

I’m talking mostly (mostly) about my tastes in films this time. My tastes (such as they are) in music has been documented, and in all probability still require Government funding for further research. No, this time I’m gonna just touch a bit on the films that I like. My tastes are fairly varied, and I do try to maintain a balance. But sometimes I just gotta have me some cheese. To elaborate, let me give you a small sampling of the films that I hold dear. The movies that I, your humble Stevezilla (1961), love and never ever tire of.

Citizen Kane

So I Married An Axe Murderer

The Godfather

Apollo 13

Caveman

Invasion Of Astro-Monster

The Blob (original)

Killer Klowns From Outer Space

Gojira

Enter The Dragon

Them!

Well, I could go on and on and on and on, ad nauseum, but suffice it to say there are very well-known pieces of freaking ART with a capital A in that list. And some well-known pieces of freaking CRAP with a capital C, as well.

I can’t explain it. Heck I have been known to like a “Chick Flick” or two (usually the ones with Tom Hanks or Billy Crystal).

I mean, does this make a well-rounded person? Or does it make me kinda like Charlie Brown, a bit wishy-washy? Shouldn’t I plant my freak flag in a genre and STAY THERE?

I don’t know the answer. Maybe I’m not meant to know. Perhaps I’m just to like what I like, and not look too much into it.

Here’s an example: Tonight I watched a Korean CrapFest called A*P*E, from 1976 starring JoAnna Kerns. It is SO BAD, yet I couldn’t NOT finish it. Would I recommend it to anyone?

(A certain Few, heck YEAH!) 🙂

It’s like a badly made Student Film wanting to be King Kong. I’ll save the review for my other Page, but let’s just say this film can hurt you if you let it.

Come on Baby, make it hurt so good. Sometimes Love don’t feel like it should, you make it, hurt so good.

And with that, a picture:

Good Night Gentle Friends. I’m afraid I have, as they say on my favorite TV show,…..

MOVIE SIGN!!!!

Smells Like Old Spice, I Feel Stupid And Contagious

(With all apologies to Nirvana)

Ah, backache, how I’ve missed you, said Nobody Ever.

I’ve been experiencing severe back spasm now for several days. To say it sucks demeans the definition of the word “suck”. I’ve been doing the heat & cold treatments, Ibuprofen, Acetaminophen, Magnesium (Isn’t that a Nirvana song, too? Oh. That would be “Lithium”. Sorry. Carry on) and now after having seen the Nurse Practitioner, am on a muscle relaxant called Cyclobenzaprine. (Flexeril).

So please forgive me if I appear a bit more incoherent than usual..

As you can tell, I’m listening to some Nirvana. Great stuff. Tragic. Powerful.

I have had various back pains most of my life. Even had surgery waaay back in 91. But my back tends to spasm from time to time for no good damn reason that I can think of.

Silly rabbit. Trix are for kids.

But I am enduring. Not calling in to work. Gotta make a de money honey.

Dang this stuff makes me sleepy. Oh cool! Unplugged Nirvana!!

(see what I mean. Rambling guy)

I wouldn’t wish this pain on anyone. Well, there ARE a few…..

But I’m gonna count my blessings. Because I know how blessed I am.

Oh. I’m planning on starting a separate Blog for Reviews. Whatcha think about that?

And to end this one for the night, here’s a random pic:

 

Gigantor, The Space Age Babysitter

That’s right. The 1960’s Japanese Giant Robot cartoon series. I went there. Hell, I was there!

(Not in Japan. Just glued to the TV set when I was a kid)

Gigantor was (is) one of my favorite cartoon series. I loved it. Still do. As a matter of fact, I’m writing this now while taking a break from ‘bingeing’ on the series on Hulu-Plus. This, along with Speed Racer, Ultraman, Johnny Sokko & His Amazing Robot, Godzilla, Gamera, heck, a plethora of various and sundry Japanese television and movies have shaped and molded me into the Geek I am.

“Bigger than big! Taller than tall! Quicker than quick! Stronger than strong! Ready to fight for Right! Against Wrong!”

(And the rumors are true. I have a Godzilla tattoo. I’ll post a pic sometime)

Tonight I’m just kinda wading in the pool of Nostalgia, re-living happier, simpler times. But not to worry, gentle Reader, I will not stay there. Too much going on to do that.

I feel better tonight. Virus bugaboo is leaving the building.

So why the ‘Babysitter’ in the title? I’ll admit my titles are sometimes kind of odd, to say the least. But this time, I’ll explain. TV was kind of my babysitter when I was growing up. A lot of people my age are in this same boat.

(Just hope the boat ain’t named Titanic)

ANYway…..

Here’s another pic while I sort out my thoughts:

Yes, that’s an actual Gigantor statue. Awesome, innit?

Okay, I guess I have meandered enough in the so-called ‘Blogosphere’ for the time being. Just know I am getting a bit healthier everyday, and I still try to be a kid at heart (despite the 2 stents in it)

In all things,

Love and Chocolate

Stevezilla1961

 

Coming through the Foghat

My heart is troubled tonight.

I’m not going to go into graphic detail, but my 14 year old son is causing me some heartache that I’m not entirely sure how to deal with. I wanna emulate my Lord, Jesus. He has been oh so very very VERY patient with me, so I want to be patient with my son. But I want to make sure that he somehow ‘gets’ what I want to tell him, and that it sticks.

I’m sure my own father felt this way about me. Especially at around this age. He and I fought a lot, and he hurt me in many ways that I still feel the sting from. I don’t wanna be ‘that’ guy.

I’ve been going through a lot of emotions lately, not many of them ‘good’. (as most people define Good.) I’m coming through it all, and I want to be there for him, for my wife, for my family, for my friends, all personal and Internet.

I wanna be “THAT” Guy. One that people can kinda count on.

With God’s help and your patience, I can do it.

I so very much want to. I truly despise the self-centered asshole I feel like I have become.

Now, to lighten things up, here’s another picture:

 

A Learning Curve can still be dangerous if you drive too fast

Still trying to get the hang of this job. There are aspects to it I guess I don’t fully ‘get’ yet. Being the Late Night Shift, I don’t deal with a lot (at least until around 5 or 6 in the morning.) Some of it because I don’t fool with it much still eludes me somewhat. I’m just hoping they don’t feel like they’ve made a mistake in hiring me, and let me go. I do like it here. It’s kinda peaceful in a way, and not too taxing physically.

Just what the doctor ordered.

I’ve never added a picture before, so here is my attempt: This is our Guinea Pig, named Lassiter.

Not Sure Where I’m Going

*Note: This was written while listening to a mix of various Genesis songs. Your mileage may vary*

Well, I’m adapting to being a Night Auditor, and not a Nurse anymore. Do I miss it? Being a Nurse, I mean?

Yeah, maybe a little. I was pretty good at it. Really! Minus the character flaws, I did a good job. (Or so I was told by several people throughout the years.) I most certainly do not miss the sometimes over-whelming responsibility that came with the crisp white uniform.

And The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway.

I do kinda miss helping people like I did. But that’s all past now. Now I work in a Hotel Motel Holiday Inn, if yer girl starts acting up, then you take her friend.

(Not a Genesis song, I know. Still, it fit, didn’t it?)

And it really is a pretty cool job. Not too physically demanding (other than working the Night Shift), and while it doesn’t pay as well as being an LPN did, still, it has it’s advantages. No one’s life or health is in my sweaty meaty hands. I work by myself, so no attitudinal Aides to deal with.

*Abacab*

So all in all, I gotta say I’m pretty content right now. And that in and of itself is a bit of a minor miracle. For me, anyway.

God has directed me to this place in my life right now. And I am one thankful geeky child!

 

 

Referring to Genesis…the band, not the book

Thought I’d wax on (wax off) or maybe even wax eloquent (HA!) about the band known as GENESIS.

Yeah, I’m talking about Peter Gabriel, Phil Collins, Mike Rutherford, Tony Banks, and Steve Hackett. Well, it eventually became a 4 piece, then down to 3, then became a memory.

(I’m not including the Congo album. Just better for everyone if’n I don’t)

I first heard Genesis from some records that one of my cousins got in a box at a yard sale. Several of their albums: From Genesis to Revelation, Trespass, Nursery Cryme, Live, and Foxtrot. I picked the Live one to start with, as I figured it was a collection of their best. So, the very first song of theirs I heard was Watcher Of The Skies.

I was hooked. Immediately.

Now, I had no idea at the time that Peter Gabriel had by this time left the group, they functioned as a four piece for a few albums, When I got around to actually buying my first Genesis album, the newest one at that time was And Then There Were Three…

(I had also bought a live album Seconds Out which was on sale.)

I know the Genesis fandom is divided between the Gabriel years and the Collins years. But not me. I appreciate them as a whole for the entire body of work they have created. From Prog to Pop and weaving around the genres, I like it all.

I had a friend named Brent who loved The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway album. He had good taste. It is a great album.

So, during the years of Duke, Abacab, Genesis, and Invisible Touch, some of my fellow Rock fans dismissed the band as having gone “Pop” or “Soft” or “abandoned their Prog roots”. I didn’t see it that way. For them to have continued on in that vein after Gabriel and Hackett left would have been a parody, a joke of what they once were. Heck, The Beatles didn’t stay The FAB FOUR wanting to hold your hand towards their latter years. Instead, Genesis evolved into something that will stand the test of time. And with the solo work of Phil Collins and Mike + The Mechanics, it has endured and will continue to do so.

Yeah, I like Genesis.

 

Those Certain Celebrities….

People come and people go. It’s a fact of life. And death. And when the losses are close to us, they affect us in as many ways as there are people. When we hear about groups of people dying, it affects us hard. Or, at least it should. Unless you’re bitter, cynical, or kinda dead inside yourself.

But why do celebrity deaths affect us? It’s not like we know these folks personally. Why do we care? Why do some of us even cry, or reach a level of depression usually reserved for relatives or job losses?

There has been only a handful of celebrities/Artists that have affected me deeply upon their passing. The first one I can recall was when Jim Croce died in the early 70’s. I really enjoyed his music, and loved watching him on television. I couldn’t explain to anyone WHY I cried. When Ronnie Van Zant and other members of Lynyrd Skynyrd died in a plane crash, it affected me. December 1980. I was already upset over John Bonham of Led Zeppelin’s passing. Then I heard the news that day, oh boy. John Lennon. That one shook me up HARD. Still messes with me from time to time. Phil Hartman .Keith Moon.  Bruce Lee’s passing hurt me too. I had JUST gotten into him from ENTER THE DRAGON,and then BAM! He was ripped away.

There’s been a few others. But like apparently so many others, Robin Williams’ death has affected me. But I may have a clue as to how come this time.

He made me laugh. He made me think.

My Personal Connection to Classic 70’s Punk Rock (Or, why I wish just once I Could have went to CBGB’s)

I discovered Punk Rock purely by accident. It was a combination of some of the ad’s I read in Rolling Stone magazine, and finding an 8-Track tape of the Ramone’s first album in a car late one night while me and my criminal friends were boosting tapes and stuff while traversing the small town of Moberly late at night. We ‘found’ several tapes, but no one was interested in this one by The Ramones. I had remembered seeing an ad or an article on them in RS, so I figured “why not?”

They immediately reminded me of why I liked Iggy & The Stooges a few years before, when I lived in Chicago. I had heard “Raw Power” and loved it. I knew it was different and dangerous. They weren’t played on the radio (except for an occasional playing of “Gimme Danger” on some funky FM station whose call letters I don’t recall), and were rawer than my usual Rock fare at the time of Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, and Led Zeppelin.

Anyway, back to Joey, Johnny, Dee Dee, and Tommy.

I’ll admit I didn’t completely understand what all the songs were about, but the energy was infectious, and the sound was appealing to my ears, if no one else’s at the time. (Remember, this is the heart of the Midwest, where Kansas and REO Speedwagon reigned supreme)

Later, I would discover the Sex Pistols, Dead Boys, the ‘Live At CBGB’s’ album, Television, Richard Hell & The Voidoids, Blondie, The B-52’s, Pretenders, Tuff Darts, and several more that flamed on for a short time. And of course, The Talking Heads and The Clash. It was an exciting time that I just haven’t heard repeated for a while. It’s like, : 50’s explosion of Rock’n’Roll, 60’s British Invasion, 70’s Punk, and then….what? Disco. New Romantics/New Wave. Safer and more melodic, to be sure. But no attitude. Not really. And I wasn’t a fan to the point of fashion (no safety pins for this fat boy!) And my favorite band of them all?

The Ramones. Then and now. ROCKET TO RUSSIA is still my favorite album, the first one still has it’s place in my heart, and I really liked ROCK’N’ ROLL HIGH SCHOOL.

(How else was I gonna see these guys?) Again, this is Moberly, MISSOURI.

So I think tonight I’m gonna watch this CBGB movie from last year. The fictionalized account of Hilly Kristal and his club that propelled a lot of my favorite stars.

Review to follow. Stay tuned. Mileage may vary.

When Your Muse Gets On Your Nerves….

Sometimes my self-loathing takes odd turns.

It will manifest itself into a distrust/disgust of the very things I like/love. The things that make me the Geek that I am. I will, for a brief moment in time, turn on those things and want to be rid of them in some vain attempt to possibly change who and what I am. Now, nobody is asking me to change. It just feels sometimes like the thing I feel I need to do to maybe somehow “improve” who I am. Even when no one is complaining. Except me, of course.

This feeling passes, and I gently waft back into the Steve that I am used to. A few times, possessions have bore the brunt of my bilious attacks on myself. Not many, but a few.

Here are a few of the things about me that get on my nerves:

Taste in music. Sometimes I just get so fed up with the usual suspects that I throw away some great CD’s.

General Geekiness: It occurs to me at times that a 53 year old man should NOT get all excited over Godzilla movies, Marvel super-heroes, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Ultraman, Monty Python, or somesuch variant of the zeitgeist. Shouldn’t I be a more mature adult, I mean COME ON!

But I tend to cool out, relax, and realize some people may actually like me for the Weirdo that I am.