Reality Shows

"I piss on my generation, I piss on my fucking generation.
All I see are little MTV babies playing their little MTV game
That ain't the fuckin real world I was forced to live in
That ain't the real world at all!!"
- Blood for Blood, "Ain't Like You", Outlaw Anthems, 2002


I really can't take these fucking reality shows anymore. I could honestly say that I do not watch any - and I never have. Exclude the ones like No Reservations, Iron Chef, Most Evil... but maybe they count. But I am not talking about those types. Those are exploratory, curious, challenging and educational. I have been watching Iron Chef Japan since 2000. But, as I do now, I have always changed the channel before they announce the winner. I don't care about the announcement of the winner. In fact - and especially with ICA, I can barely sit through the pretentious spatterings of the arrogant judges *(except Bonecrusher…he was the man). I like to see how the meals are presented. And that show carries the air of friendly competition; for the sake of creating fun extravagant dishes that incite the audience's culinary yearnings.
Iron Chef brings out friendly competition, like a good sport. I see nothing wrong with that. It is healthy human nature. I can sit in the back yard and throw a ball or go to the park and shoot hoops for the fun of the game. That, however, does not however automatically make me give a toss about the MLB or NBA. And those are games I understand. But these fuckin reality shows are rash with petty sycophants and opportunistic leeches. There is nothing in them involving the growth of being pushed by a quality peer. These shows dangle a miniscule effigy of the proverbial carrot to extract and expose those ugliest, most savage aspects of these already hollow, disgusting creatures.
I would not want to watch these people decorate baby’s cribs in a cancer ward or give out food to the homeless in the midst of a bitter Minnesota snowstorm. I wouldn’t want to watch the 3 second flash of genuine generous intention they may get on there deathbed, never mind the lifetime (or 15 minutes we are privy to) of plotting and greed that exhale with every thought. I see a moment or two of these shows, and I am appalled. I wonder what kind of person could sit and tolerate the opening credits, never mind watch, absorb, discuss and actually enjoy this trash. Then, I hear people – people that I respect and like – talk about them.

"I tell you, man, i ain't no jiver - i never saw an episode of Survivor.
Is there any hope for me; in global, corporate society?"
- Smut Peddlers, "Playstation Generation", ISM

So, take that and look at top chef. Hey - established chefs, not world renowned to IC level, but respected in their field. These chefs are already established and proficient Executive Chefs, Sous-Chefs and Caterers. And as soon as you promise some fleeting moment of recognition in front of them, they are stabbing their santoku into the next chef’s back. I mean, at least, they get $100,000. Not that money can excuse these deplorable actions; but, that is a substantial amount that could be a down payment on a restaurant, which is difficult to produce. So, I understand that if can bloom competitive inclinations, but not the trite soap opera drama they spew.
However, most other reality shows are just highlighting people’s weaknesses. And the prizes are just airtime and an empty one-month relationship post-wrap. Like, what’s that Brett Micheals shit? Some over-the-hill rocker - who even in his prime was a horrible disgrace to rock and roll and metal – who now feels empty and lost, as he has never found true love. Awwww. So, some producers gather x amount of pole-dancing skanks to battle out to win his affection. I love that some of these women are in their 20’s. I am surprised that this douche is still relevant to people like me who can actually remember his putrid existence; never mind people born 15 years after his last album. And, of course, how do you get this germ farms to prove their ‘love’ to you? Well, via motorcross races and lingerie mud football, of course! Then, when he can’t decide, who won a single exercise, he dates three of them at once. The camera then intercuts shots of three vile beings slobbering over him; while the losers swim in rejection, wallowing off in a mansion. So, if this was the way to determine marriage material, I find it funny that once you whittled down these poets laureate to the finest single example of femininity and poise, that this prick needs to come back for three additional seasons. Three Seasons?!?! What a surprise? This scientific method somehow was flawed. Imagine.

While, I manage to evade most of this cultural pollution, some of this shit manages to pervade my protected ramparts. These shows, this culture of these shows, invade my attempt to watch television, my trip to the grocery store, my visit to the book store, and, of course, my attempts at vapid discourse with the humans in public. This ubiquitous trash is suffocating my hope for any intelligent triumph of our society.

"In this world of competition, the compassion is gone.
Yet, we ignore the needy and we keep pushing on."
- Bad Religion, "Punk Rock Song", The Gray Race, 1996


So, they take even a good thing – like Top Chef or even Survivor, they infect it. Survivor – because it was one of the first, I will hone in on here. They take a good concept of gather some city folk, mix them with strangers, and isolate them on an uninhabited island. Ok, here is a chance to promote trust, cooperation, teamwork, resourcefulness, intuition, discipline, and unity. But, of course, since hideous, selfish people want to “win” or be noticed on television – they absolutely rape the essence of it and conspire, connive, cheat, plot and gossip until this is an amalgamation of people’s worst traits. It then drives them to portray the most repulsive sides of our society.
There are also shows based on business (The Trump/Apprentice thing), music (Puffy one/Am Idol), dance (bunch), sports, etc. Something for each interest; beckoning all who profess an aptitude in said niche. While not something I would care to watch or participate in; still, as a foundation, yet another chance to produce something positive. All the aforementioned niches are industries usually rife with networking. So, if someone does not have a “my dad golfs with a guy who’s wife’s cousin is a…”, this can be an appropriate venue. And people want to waste their weeknight staying in the house melting their brain cells, cool. As I said, I like the Iron Chef. So I get it in a way.
However, this altruistic, benevolent pith revolving around healthy competition disintegrates instantly when handled by gluttonous producers and attention starved 15 minute seekers. These ‘contestants’ resort to the basest of instincts and egos to pursue menial goals and monetary prizes. I guess American Idol prizing a record deal is substantial, but otherwise they often fight for simple petty screen time. The abhorrent barrage of shows that have come to molest the airwaves after some found success is overwhelming. In the truest sense, it is overwhelming. There is too much. And I feel a breakdown coming on.
I could go on about the disgusting dregs that compose these terrible shows, but I am more concerned with the effects it has on our society (“won’t someone please think of the children?”). I will assume that people are aware of this mess – but I am taking about the ones on MTV (which I have never ‘seen’), VH1, and even, yes, Bravo. All the Kardashian/Paris/Girls Next Door/TopModel/Flavor/Rock of Love, etc. And then what really makes me vomit is that these no-talent vile creatures lose on one show, but happen to stir enough chaos, that they then get their own show. And the rejects of those shows get shows. Then, they create a show of select people from various shows to become one more contest of a show. The deluge of absolute shit landing on and fertilizing the minds of our youth is disturbing.
I fret fervently figuring the future being established from these spiritually caustic shows. I can see the priorities being instilled in our relatives as these shows’ lessons permeate in our friends’ and children’s brains. The sediment from these exhibitions of human desperation fermenting in our youths’ brains frightens the fuck out of me. I fear that too watch these shows – over and over – has to have an effect. I hear my peers ignorantly dismiss the viewings as ‘fun’. They think that the indulgent trips into the idiotbox that they can comeback unscathed. I disagree.
I think that the din of these people arguing and bragging and nagging and spouting their spite has to leave an imprint. Then, our children put these aspirations as personality traits. They will believe that attention, fashion, winning, destroying, fighting, and money are the most valuable aspects of life. They will adopt the notion of degrading yourself and putting yourself in harm’s way, and that lying, cheating, stealing, deceiving, conspiring are necessary actions to getting the fame and money needed to be important in life. These shows lead one to believe that getting heard or getting noticed is what counts in life. Basically, we will believe that the paramount destination of this existence is on the HDTV posted on our walls.

“Reality TV be reality for who?!??”
- Jean Grae on Wyclef Jean’s “Next Generation”

As opposed to our parents’ peers who watched soap operas to escape into the lifestyles of the rich and famous, this generation are watching “real” people. The first abomination of this concept is the setting. The generation watching these shows concocts unrealistic goals of where we should live; what kind of ‘crib’ we should be chillin in. size of These mansions, the towns, are plastered with nothing that resembles art – yet, cost millions of dollars. Gold framed mirrors hang in the bedroom to show us all the flaws that we project to the world. So then, we have to buy all these name brand facial creams and moisturizers. We have to pummel our flesh with the latest chemical concoction just to look 20. Because then at 30, we should be consulting the top plastic surgeon in our area. The bookshelves are littered with the latest fad diet book an US Weeklys. We have to rummage through our apartment of a closet to take out the newest clothes of exuberantly priced gaudy, over-decorated crap. I won’t even start on the fucking cars.

Again, to compare to the prior generation’s soap operas, at least those shows were ‘created’. And they understood as such. We watch these ridiculous abstractions of financial Faxanadus and imagine them as realistically attainable. We make ‘celebrities’ out of people that do not deserve to be known. We take these Frankensteins; adorned with garish jewelry and adored by no-esteem pathetic peons, and make them think that they actually matter. The cyclical masturbatory celebration of the newest reject of one of these shows, spawns a thousand wannabes. So, then they each jump up to get noticed. Ten of them do garnish an unwarranted 15 seconds on TV; and then, my friend’s kid mimics his asinine actions. And everyone is so entrenched in all of this raucous filth; that we think this behavior is standard. And no one bats an eye. No one pauses for a second thought. And no slap in the face could ameliorate this quagmire. We stomp through the laugh track in a zombie daze in this cultural void.

I could go on forever. And I would repeat myself on some ideas and elaborate on angles of this I only graze upon here. I guess my point is that harmless fun can be had. If you are staunch in your constitution, delve into whatever human stained episodes you like. But please be aware of what message it sends; to people that produced it (“MORE, Please!!!”) to kid next to you on the couch (“That was cool!”). Turn off your fucking TV. Tell them we want better. We demand better.


“Beauty is the god of our times and celebrity is our most noble virtue, the opiate that keeps the zombies blind and in line and hypnotized in worship of the pantheon of sex and shine. but now I've seen the light... It's time to light the fuse. Violence is better than the CULT OF SILENCE in which the open-eyed hide. into the abyss... I refuse to suck at the tit of distraction, and I refuse to worship the human face.”

- Ramallah. “Kill A Celebrity”, Kill A Celebrity, 2005

Victims "Killer" review

VICTIMS "Killer" Deathwish, inc.

So, Deathwish, inc is releasing this. Good. They deserve it. This album is 'killer'. (Zing!) I am realizing too, that i omitted it in my "best of '08" list. There is one reason alone for that. I am a moron with no memory. Anyway - now this can be in both lists. I picked up this CD last year (about 11 months ago) when Victims and Coliseum came around together. Holy Shit. Incredible. I have loved Victims since their split with From Ashes Rise. I have loved their following two albums. So when i got a chance to see these Swedes absolutely crush and obliterate Providence in a small club, with less then 100 fools to absorb their ferocity and volume, on some March Tuesday night, I was up front like a pedophile at cheerleader tryouts. I picked up a shirt, this CD; and thanked them for visting our homeland. So, by the time of this writing, this was recorded 16 months ago - released last spring on Combat Rock Industry (Finland). I do not know what people said or how much distro it got; but i re-played it again and again in my closed world. THEN, i see that Deathwish is releasing it. Fuckin' A, Bubba! That rules. I hope it gets them more exposure and some coin to tour more. If people missed their Havoc releases, or this then gets to surprise attack Converge and Blacklisted fans, i raise a glass. Exceptional Choice DW! The music: again, "killer"! just incredible. This release sees our heroes slightly less in the drop-D/Tragedy/FromAshesRise mode - again, only slightly less so....Wait, as i am writing this, the song "The Burning Fire" is on and it sounds just like Tragedy, exceptionally executed. Tracks like "Fade Away" and We're Fucked!" have a more punk sound - maybe the whole side A; with its - heavy punk, but still i could do the pizza maker or pick-up-change dance in place to it... a splash of Poison Idea, with a definite majority of Motorhead and Discharge controlling the aural attack. "Ett Svart Ar" is playing now - with its pummeling force, NYHC bassline. I feel i am all over the place in talking about this. With good reason, i suppose. There are an amalgam of creative influences - ignited by a true Hardcore spirit fueled from necessity to scream at this "Fucked" world. A plea to pay attention, and hey, the squeeky wheel, or in this case, the loud, angry, brutal, chaos-controlling Swedish Band, gets heard. Please listen to this album. Please buy it. If you like Black Flag, Poison Idea, Motorhead, Discharge, Tragedy, The Bones, Wisdom in Chains; or wish Inhuman and GBH and Slang would have a kid and dress him in a Social D shirt....this is for you. Again - Side A is a touch more catchy, not at all, slower - but 'punkier' - while side B carries the same torch as their previous output. The production is tight - good allowance of distortion and speed and a little dirty 'ungh' to it - but accents the highlights of this record very well.

Carpathian "Isolation" review

Carpathian – “Isolation” – Deathwish, inc

I loved their first cd – a good (Indecision) Throwdown/Down My Throat authoritative sound, with spots of Madball and others of 100 Demons. These Aussies have stepped off that vibe and gone more 'contemporary'. What you’d expect from DW hardcore. Worshipping at the altar of the latest Blacklisted, also like Verse and MLIW. Strewn out. elongated generic Bane attempts. Medium Paced stomp, pizza making style to faster heavier parts. Dark. The sound is that ominous atmosphere - where the songs string together intense brutal riffs to slowed down, panting breaks; meant for you to absorb the sonic beating you just took. There are some moments of brilliant guitar work and "building" moments of songs, but they dissipate into the general anaesthetic of mediocrity too often. However, there are some nuanced tweaks that make this a better record, i think due to great production. It is a little repetitive - and those great riffs, just make me want more of that toughness and aggression. *I will say the lyrics are pretty fuckin great though. Straight and to the point. And as bitter as ESB. I wish these dudes continued on their original path, but if you like this style - this is a great example of it.

Evacuate debut Review; i.e., "Splitting Hairs"

Evacuate - (s/t) - TAANG! Records - 01/2009.

Ah, the dreaded "ex-Members of..." stamp. A blessing and a curse. i appreciate each group for what they are. In the wake of a new Sepultura Album just released, we are forced to examine what's in a name. So, when our beloved groups do don a new moniker, we must keep this in mind. Joe Coffee is not Sheer Terror 2. Sam Hain was not The Misfits. But, would i have even heard of Evacuate, if i was not looking for whatever Mike Virus was up to these days? Probably not so soon. So, boasting members of "The Virus, Cheap Sex, and The Lab Rats' - despite being a 'new' band, i think we can bet the deed to the house into which aural parameters this venture will squeeze.

Now, while The Virus was one my favorite punk bands (ever!), due to their 'heaviosity'. Cheap Sex carried that banner, too; but, somehow felt short of what i loved so much. I got the three Cheap Sex albums. I liked them. I loved certain standout songs.

So - here we go with Evacuate. Well, the inaguaral bass line from track 1 kicks off straight from a late '80s NYHC song. Friggin' awesome. All the spikes and leather and studs, certainly predict that this band will have a UK82 sound. Heavy. Fast. And while their roots are well versed in this genre, i hear more Warzone (DFTS), Slapshot (SDO and 16VH), The Business (Truth...) sped up, Poison Idea (FTD). Songs 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9 all pummell your ear canal and today's youths' notion of 'punk'. Fast, distorted riffs; laced with solo note excursions. There is a metal influence here, but never overpowering. Track 4, "Conveinence Killed Mankind", is the only 'slower' song - a good Motorhead type opening. It is still punk as fuck, but a touch catchier - with a 'sung' chorus. It stands as one of my favorites. Tracks 5, 10, 11 are all on the punkier, pogo paced side and would still get you going in the pit.

LYRICS and CONTENT - i loved Mike Virus 2 previous bands so much because of there brash political lyrics. Evacuates layout of the album have newspaper clippings re: war and famine and social ills. But when going through the songs, there is no starkly overt political (like, Cheap Sex's "Dick Cheney") - these tunes are more social, than political. But the all are awesome and definitely address many problems that plague this world, and more so, this country. They address the mechination and digitization of this country. The difference between our ideals and the tangible world we are forced into, and how that differential silences our soul. But, as i claim the movement of this album closer to 'hardcore' than 'punk', there are songs that leave the political and have the standard themes; "One Sided Friend", "What Happened to Hardcore", "This is Our Night".

One specific song i would like to isolate, that approaches a specific issue is, "Bulemic Girl". It is unusual to hear a song address this. I would guess because we in the punk world would like to think that none of our ilk would have this issue; as they should not be guided by image and others' opinion. Also, punk and HC is extremely male-centric. So, this would not be something frequently thought of. It is definitely an issue - a disgusting reaction to a sad root problem; a physically destructive course of action stemming from a nadir of self-image. Something we in the punk community should care about and address. Big ups, guys.

Anyway - looking back at my review, it is all splitting hairs. This is a hardcore punk album. An incredible, fast, blistering riot that i have been enjoying since i bought it on its release date. Mike Virus' standard snar will always rile me up to fight against this sickening world that mainlines greed and impulse instead of attending to the needs of its main inhabitants. The music created here matches the idignant lyrics with aggression and ferocity. Buy it Blare it.

so yesterday at work i watched "Deliver Us from Evil" documentary and "Jesus Camp" documentary. And i thought that i would spew some rant about them but i just can't. I can't organize my thoughts enough to clearly write anything out, because i am in a quagmire of fury and indignation. So, then i wanted to laugh, so i watched some Woody Allen - except that it was 'Crimes and Misdemeanors"...which ended up being all too apropos. more later...