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By Thus Spoke
Bereft of a lyric sheet or any promotional explanation, I’m unsure why SYK chose to spell the title of their fourth album like they have. eartHFlesh draws attention with more than its unusual spelling though, with a dark, provocative cover, and the fact that it marks the band’s signing with Season of Mist. The Italian collective have been steadily building on a groovy, quirky brand of progressive death metal, distinguished largely by the cleans of now ex-vocalist Dalila Kayros. With her gone, and the group pivoting to primarily unclean growls, and a further turn, if slight, towards the more extreme corners of the genre, a new form of SYK emerges for the first time. eartHFlesh is a critical turning point.
Describing this album’s sound is tricky, and even when putting it into the most accurate words I can find, still sounds wrong. Imagine Meshuggah but more fluid and progressive, more dynamic. Imagine Hath, but meaner, less beautiful, chuggier. Lamb of God, but, well, good. It sounds simultaneously familiar and totally new. And it’s because of this paradoxical quality that eartHFlesh can be quite exciting to listen to; somewhat intriguing, but not off-puttingly wacky. It’s groovy, heavy, and stompy, but it’s not brainless, and its forays into the atmospheric offset its concrete chords and jackhammmer percussion with alluring depth. Fronting the snarling, growled vocals of Stefano Ferrian has also been a massive leap in the right direction, fitting the dense, chunky death metal instrumentation far better than the cleans ever did. SYK sound like they mean business.
In this new evolution, SYK manage to reach a level of compelling they have, up until now, fallen short of. It’s in the way they build and layer elements while folding in atmosphere that sells it. With an intro of creeping chords and soft female vocals rising into a cry that brings in the flurrying blastbeats and urgent guitar like a storm call, opener “I Am the Beast” starts things off thrillingly. Forcefully minor melodies spill out from ringing notes and sudden ascents of soloing guitar with bursts of insistent gravity and maybe beauty (“I Am…,” “The Sermon,” “The Cross”). A cascading, offset, sometimes even jerky, approach to guitar parts, and their place recurs across the album (“Where I Am Going There Is No Light,” “I’ll Haunt You in Your Dreams,” “For To Themselves I Left Them”), bringing a constant sense of shifting energies. Rhythm itself is manipulated in brilliant ways, with jerky, jaunty tempos and drum patterns providing a weird, weirdly enjoyable groove to proceedings (“I Am…” “The Sermon,” “The Cross”). And SYK like to play with the way they synchronize (or don’t) the vocals, guitars, and percussion patterns, giving hypnotic emphasis in some places (“The Sermon,” “For To Themselves…,” “”The Passing”) and tension-building excitement in others (“I’ll Haunt You…,” “The Passing”). The drums are magnificent, and it’s a blessing they’re so clear. The backbone for all the twisting and undulating tempos, they’re at their best when united with the rest for rolling circular stretches, if not when filling and rolling like a riled-up octopus.
Given how intense and groovy eartHFlesh is, it’s thus a surprise it doesn’t make much of an impression overall. But it…doesn’t. As one whole piece, songs lose their individuality and blur together homogeneously. This is exacerbated by the fact that SYK can’t seem to keep the momentum going all the way through. The group make several puzzling compositional decisions that stop the train right in its tracks, often extending the repetition of particularly grating instrumental or vocal patterns (“I’ll Haunt You…,” title track), dipping into cleans (“For To Themselves…”), or trying to make disso-death out of djent (“The Passing”). And as sorry as I am to say it, another massive factor in derailing the album’s vibe are the clean vocals. While the female singing is haunting and beautiful in certain, dramatic cases (“I Am…”), they become cringe-inducing in others (“For to Themselves…” “The Passing”)—out of key and downright whiny. But the compositions can, in other places, be so compelling and slick, that it’s maddening experiencing these moments every time I listen.
Focusing purely on the good would allow me to bestow high praise on eartHFlesh. The parts of it that are good, are indeed, very good, and represent leagues of evolution beyond their earlier forms. They sound tighter, meaner, and far more polished. But eartHFlesh is a little too indistinct, a little too unsteady, overall, to come with a glowing recommendation. SYK have done enough to get noticed, however, and with their capacity for evolution, I’m sure they’ve got a monster in the works.
Rating: Mixed
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Season of Mist
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook
Releases Worldwide: May 10th, 2024#25 #2024 #BlackMetal #BlackenedDeathMetal #DeathMetal #eartHFlesh #Hath #May24 #Meshuggah #ProgressiveDeathMetal #ProgressiveMetal #Review #Reviews #SeasonOfMist #syk
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By Dolphin Whisperer
As I gazed upon the purple-toned maze—which, does not appear to be a very well-designed maze in its hissing sculpture—and heard the early, shimmering notes of what Civerous brought to the table for this sophomore release, Maze Envy, my mind raced. This Los Angeles-based act’s 2021 full-length debut, Decrepit Flesh Felic, filled a snarling, buzzing diSEMBOWELMENT-shaped niche of pounding, shifting death metal that supplies ample kicks to the seat. Though Civerous never turned quite as doom-laden and tortured as that Australian novelty, 1 they pushed into the bounds of long-form tumble in their cavernous lane with a proud stomp. But a few years older, and a few shades brighter, does Maze Envy promise the exploration at which their debut hinted?
Guitars trading between stomp, surge, and swing and rhythms finding a matching march or pummel—many elements remain the same from their adventurously death metal 2021 debut Decrepit Flesh Relic. If you’re unfamiliar with the kind of churning slow-down to percussive madness that many Incantation-admiring bands summon, Civerous’ debut stands just a bit higher in the pack of young festering hopefuls. Vocalist Lord Foul (Aylwin) helps in particular with a croak that thrashes with sibilant character and tunneled prowess that throws already hefty breakdowns into feral arm-throwing frenzies (“Shrouded in Crystals,” “Levitation Tomb”). Enhancing further these barks and bellows, guitarists Alonso Santana and Daniel Salinas (Aylwin) have chosen a less crusty, more ripping tone which helps spread the hum and grime of an early Pestilence throughout this hazy outing.
Though the twisted, cavernous brutality of Civerous’ trudging death metal persists, Maze Envy takes this act’s atmospheric aspirations and fine-tunes them. With a couple band member’s shared experience in atmoblack project Aylwin serving a little bleedover into this venture, it feels natural to hear the melodic, post-black breakaways flutter about the corners of this labyrinth. Oddly, no sole member receives credit for the emulated violin and synth work,2 but these creeping and searing additions play an integral role in the horror movie introduction (“The Azure Eye”) and in recalling those moods throughout various points of Maze Envy. Concluding with the Convocation-esque closer “Geryon (The Plummet),” Civerous feels more comfortable than ever allowing a funereal-adjacent pace and melodrama to steer the path about a crushing identity.
On many of these longer tracks, the riff work quality and transition don’t distribute weight evenly. In part, some of this uneven trample results from the lack of dynamics within the heavier sections of songs. Maze Envy finds breath well in a tense intro and dreamy interlude (“Endless Symmetry”). And in its most explosive numbers (“Labyrinth Charm,” “Maze Envy”), Civerous breaks the tension with textural shifts that soar with a cutting and soaring post-gazey crescendo. And while some of those same shades exist in other songs, the compressed assault can be tiring with hardcore-leaning chug-shuffles guiding excursions providing more of a plod despite Civerous also showing proficiency with jagged-tinged death twists.
In speaking of this brand of brutish metal that approaches its attack from trudging paces that erupt into spurts of mania as its krux, beauty should be fleeting but apparent, interwoven but off-center. The search for that glimmer is the function and draw of its ugly tones and warping character. Civerous seems to believe in this end goal as well, finding a sound among contemporaries like labelmates Worm and the recently successful Spectral Voice. In turn, Maze Envy succeeds a good deal more than it stumbles. It’s final track alludes to a character from Dante’s Inferno—Geryon, the beast of fraud—who acts as a sinister guide to the eighth circle of hell. I’m not sure Civerous crackles quite as I would hope for a venture of this depth, but I am excited to see whether their next journey takes us even deeper.
Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 63 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: 20 Buck Spin | Bandcamp
Websites: civerous.bandcamp.com | instagram.com/civerous_disease
Releases Worldwide: March 22nd, 2024#20BuckSpin #2024 #30 #AmericanMetal #AtmosphericDeathMetal #Aylwin #Civerous #DeathDoom #DeathMetal #diSEMBOWELMENT #Incantation #Mar24 #MazeEnvy #Pestilence #Review #Reviews #SpectralVoice #Worm
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By Dolphin Whisperer
As I gazed upon the purple-toned maze—which, does not appear to be a very well-designed maze in its hissing sculpture—and heard the early, shimmering notes of what Civerous brought to the table for this sophomore release, Maze Envy, my mind raced. This Los Angeles-based act’s 2021 full-length debut, Decrepit Flesh Felic, filled a snarling, buzzing diSEMBOWELMENT-shaped niche of pounding, shifting death metal that supplies ample kicks to the seat. Though Civerous never turned quite as doom-laden and tortured as that Australian novelty, 1 they pushed into the bounds of long-form tumble in their cavernous lane with a proud stomp. But a few years older, and a few shades brighter, does Maze Envy promise the exploration at which their debut hinted?
Guitars trading between stomp, surge, and swing and rhythms finding a matching march or pummel—many elements remain the same from their adventurously death metal 2021 debut Decrepit Flesh Relic. If you’re unfamiliar with the kind of churning slow-down to percussive madness that many Incantation-admiring bands summon, Civerous’ debut stands just a bit higher in the pack of young festering hopefuls. Vocalist Lord Foul (Aylwin) helps in particular with a croak that thrashes with sibilant character and tunneled prowess that throws already hefty breakdowns into feral arm-throwing frenzies (“Shrouded in Crystals,” “Levitation Tomb”). Enhancing further these barks and bellows, guitarists Alonso Santana and Daniel Salinas (Aylwin) have chosen a less crusty, more ripping tone which helps spread the hum and grime of an early Pestilence throughout this hazy outing.
Though the twisted, cavernous brutality of Civerous’ trudging death metal persists, Maze Envy takes this act’s atmospheric aspirations and fine-tunes them. With a couple band member’s shared experience in atmoblack project Aylwin serving a little bleedover into this venture, it feels natural to hear the melodic, post-black breakaways flutter about the corners of this labyrinth. Oddly, no sole member receives credit for the emulated violin and synth work,2 but these creeping and searing additions play an integral role in the horror movie introduction (“The Azure Eye”) and in recalling those moods throughout various points of Maze Envy. Concluding with the Convocation-esque closer “Geryon (The Plummet),” Civerous feels more comfortable than ever allowing a funereal-adjacent pace and melodrama to steer the path about a crushing identity.
On many of these longer tracks, the riff work quality and transition don’t distribute weight evenly. In part, some of this uneven trample results from the lack of dynamics within the heavier sections of songs. Maze Envy finds breath well in a tense intro and dreamy interlude (“Endless Symmetry”). And in its most explosive numbers (“Labyrinth Charm,” “Maze Envy”), Civerous breaks the tension with textural shifts that soar with a cutting and soaring post-gazey crescendo. And while some of those same shades exist in other songs, the compressed assault can be tiring with hardcore-leaning chug-shuffles guiding excursions providing more of a plod despite Civerous also showing proficiency with jagged-tinged death twists.
In speaking of this brand of brutish metal that approaches its attack from trudging paces that erupt into spurts of mania as its krux, beauty should be fleeting but apparent, interwoven but off-center. The search for that glimmer is the function and draw of its ugly tones and warping character. Civerous seems to believe in this end goal as well, finding a sound among contemporaries like labelmates Worm and the recently successful Spectral Voice. In turn, Maze Envy succeeds a good deal more than it stumbles. It’s final track alludes to a character from Dante’s Inferno—Geryon, the beast of fraud—who acts as a sinister guide to the eighth circle of hell. I’m not sure Civerous crackles quite as I would hope for a venture of this depth, but I am excited to see whether their next journey takes us even deeper.
Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 63 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: 20 Buck Spin | Bandcamp
Websites: civerous.bandcamp.com | instagram.com/civerous_disease
Releases Worldwide: March 22nd, 2024#20BuckSpin #2024 #30 #AmericanMetal #AtmosphericDeathMetal #Aylwin #Civerous #DeathDoom #DeathMetal #diSEMBOWELMENT #Incantation #Mar24 #MazeEnvy #Pestilence #Review #Reviews #SpectralVoice #Worm
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By Dolphin Whisperer
As I gazed upon the purple-toned maze—which, does not appear to be a very well-designed maze in its hissing sculpture—and heard the early, shimmering notes of what Civerous brought to the table for this sophomore release, Maze Envy, my mind raced. This Los Angeles-based act’s 2021 full-length debut, Decrepit Flesh Felic, filled a snarling, buzzing diSEMBOWELMENT-shaped niche of pounding, shifting death metal that supplies ample kicks to the seat. Though Civerous never turned quite as doom-laden and tortured as that Australian novelty, 1 they pushed into the bounds of long-form tumble in their cavernous lane with a proud stomp. But a few years older, and a few shades brighter, does Maze Envy promise the exploration at which their debut hinted?
Guitars trading between stomp, surge, and swing and rhythms finding a matching march or pummel—many elements remain the same from their adventurously death metal 2021 debut Decrepit Flesh Relic. If you’re unfamiliar with the kind of churning slow-down to percussive madness that many Incantation-admiring bands summon, Civerous’ debut stands just a bit higher in the pack of young festering hopefuls. Vocalist Lord Foul (Aylwin) helps in particular with a croak that thrashes with sibilant character and tunneled prowess that throws already hefty breakdowns into feral arm-throwing frenzies (“Shrouded in Crystals,” “Levitation Tomb”). Enhancing further these barks and bellows, guitarists Alonso Santana and Daniel Salinas (Aylwin) have chosen a less crusty, more ripping tone which helps spread the hum and grime of an early Pestilence throughout this hazy outing.
Though the twisted, cavernous brutality of Civerous’ trudging death metal persists, Maze Envy takes this act’s atmospheric aspirations and fine-tunes them. With a couple band member’s shared experience in atmoblack project Aylwin serving a little bleedover into this venture, it feels natural to hear the melodic, post-black breakaways flutter about the corners of this labyrinth. Oddly, no sole member receives credit for the emulated violin and synth work,2 but these creeping and searing additions play an integral role in the horror movie introduction (“The Azure Eye”) and in recalling those moods throughout various points of Maze Envy. Concluding with the Convocation-esque closer “Geryon (The Plummet),” Civerous feels more comfortable than ever allowing a funereal-adjacent pace and melodrama to steer the path about a crushing identity.
On many of these longer tracks, the riff work quality and transition don’t distribute weight evenly. In part, some of this uneven trample results from the lack of dynamics within the heavier sections of songs. Maze Envy finds breath well in a tense intro and dreamy interlude (“Endless Symmetry”). And in its most explosive numbers (“Labyrinth Charm,” “Maze Envy”), Civerous breaks the tension with textural shifts that soar with a cutting and soaring post-gazey crescendo. And while some of those same shades exist in other songs, the compressed assault can be tiring with hardcore-leaning chug-shuffles guiding excursions providing more of a plod despite Civerous also showing proficiency with jagged-tinged death twists.
In speaking of this brand of brutish metal that approaches its attack from trudging paces that erupt into spurts of mania as its krux, beauty should be fleeting but apparent, interwoven but off-center. The search for that glimmer is the function and draw of its ugly tones and warping character. Civerous seems to believe in this end goal as well, finding a sound among contemporaries like labelmates Worm and the recently successful Spectral Voice. In turn, Maze Envy succeeds a good deal more than it stumbles. It’s final track alludes to a character from Dante’s Inferno—Geryon, the beast of fraud—who acts as a sinister guide to the eighth circle of hell. I’m not sure Civerous crackles quite as I would hope for a venture of this depth, but I am excited to see whether their next journey takes us even deeper.
Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 63 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: 20 Buck Spin | Bandcamp
Websites: civerous.bandcamp.com | instagram.com/civerous_disease
Releases Worldwide: March 22nd, 2024#20BuckSpin #2024 #30 #AmericanMetal #AtmosphericDeathMetal #Aylwin #Civerous #DeathDoom #DeathMetal #diSEMBOWELMENT #Incantation #Mar24 #MazeEnvy #Pestilence #Review #Reviews #SpectralVoice #Worm
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The 1970s in the United States, as seen through the innocent, yet perceptive eyes of a child, was a period marked by profound cultural, political, and religious shifts. The 1970s were a decade where the vibrant promises of the 60s’ counterculture movements began to clash with the realities of ongoing political strife and societal change. The Vietnam War lingered in the background, its echoes felt in living rooms across the nation, while the Watergate scandal shook the foundations of public trust in government. Amidst this backdrop, the civil rights movement, women’s liberation, and a burgeoning environmental consciousness were reshaping the American social landscape.
In homes where conversations often revolved around these turbulent topics, children witnessed an era grappling with identity. The religious landscape was no less complex, with traditional beliefs beginning to be questioned or redefined, creating a toxic concoction of both spiritual seeking and skepticism. It was a time when the pillars of society — politics, culture, and religion — were under scrutiny and often in a state of flux.
For many children, television became a sanctuary from this overwhelming tidal mass of change and uncertainty. It offered an escape into worlds where laughter and simplicity reigned, a stark contrast to the often confusing and somber realities outside their windows. Television shows of the 70s, crafted by visionaries like Garry Marshall, Sherwood Schwartz, Glen A. Larson, and Bernard Slade, provided not just entertainment but a respite, a place where young minds could find solace and distraction from the pressing issues of the day.
These shows were more than mere diversions; they were windows into alternate realities where problems could be solved in thirty-minute increments, where families, though sometimes unconventional, were places of unconditional love and support, and where adventures and mysteries offered a sense of wonder and excitement. In a world that seemed increasingly complex and at times, repressive, television became a realm of liberation and imaginative freedom for the children of the 1970s, subtly shaping their perceptions, values, and dreams in an era of relentless transformation.
The 1970s were a decade vividly etched in cultural memory, not just for its seismic social shifts but for its indelible imprint on the landscape of television. In this crucible of creativity, four maestros — Garry Marshall, Sherwood Schwartz, Glen A. Larson, and Bernard Slade — wove narratives that shaped not only entertainment but the moral fabric of a generation.
Garry Marshall
Garry Marshall, born in the Bronx, New York, as Garry Kent Maschiarelli, emerged as an important figure in television and film. His journey in entertainment began in the 1960s as a joke writer for comedians and a writer for shows like “The Dick Van Dyke Show.” Marshall’s major breakthrough came with the creation of “The Odd Couple,” followed by iconic 70s sitcoms such as “Happy Days,” “Laverne & Shirley,” and “Mork & Mindy,” blending humor with relatable, character-driven stories. He transitioned into film directing with hits like “Pretty Woman” and “The Princess Diaries,” showcasing his knack for heartwarming narratives. Known for his mentorship and warm nature, Marshall passed away in 2016, leaving behind a legacy as a beloved storyteller and cultural influencer.
“Happy Days” (1974-1984)
The Heart of the Show: Ah, Garry Marshall’s “Happy Days,” a delightful time capsule to the 50s and 60s. With the Fonz and the Cunninghams, it felt like stepping into a world where problems could be solved over a milkshake at Arnold’s.What It Gave Us: More than nostalgia, “Happy Days” gave us a sense of continuity during the ever-changing 70s. It was a reminder of simpler times, sure, but also a beacon of enduring values like friendship, respect, and standing up for what’s right.
“Laverne & Shirley” (1976-1983)
The Lowdown: Spun off from “Happy Days,” this was Garry Marshall’s toast to female empowerment. Laverne and Shirley were not just characters; they were symbols of independence, resilience, and the enduring power of friendship.Why It Shone: In an era where women were finding their voice, this show was a rallying cry in sitcom form. It showed us that women could be funny, strong, and unapologetically themselves.
“Mork & Mindy” (1978-1982)
The Quirky Bits: Trust Garry Marshall to bring an alien into our living rooms and make us love him! “Mork & Mindy” was a masterstroke in using humor to talk about… well, everything! From human nature to social issues, all through the eyes of a lovable extraterrestrial.
The Impact: Robin Williams, as Mork, wasn’t just a comedian; he was a teacher of sorts. Through laughter, he made us think and, more importantly, made us feel. It was a show that celebrated differences and embraced the oddballs in all of us.Sherwood Schwartz
Sherwood Schwartz, born in Passaic, New Jersey, rose to prominence in television with a career that started as a radio writer in the 1940s. After serving in the U.S. Army during World War II and contributing to shows like “The Red Skelton Show” and “I Love Lucy,” Schwartz created two of the most iconic TV series of the 20th century: “Gilligan’s Island” and “The Brady Bunch.” These shows, known for their humor and unique characters, became cultural touchstones, reflecting and influencing American society’s changing dynamics. Schwartz’s simple yet impactful storytelling style left a lasting imprint on television, and his legacy continued until his passing in 2011.
“The Brady Bunch” (1969-1974)
What’s the Story?: Created by the ever-imaginative Sherwood Schwartz, “The Brady Bunch” was about as close as you could get to a patchwork quilt in sitcom form. A blended family with six kids! It was like watching a lovable circus act that somehow managed to get along under one roof.
Why It Mattered: This show was more than just fluff. It gently nudged the idea of what a ‘normal’ family could look like, weaving a narrative where love wasn’t limited by bloodlines. In a way, it whispered to us that change was okay, and family was what you made of it.“Gilligan’s Island” (1964-1967)
The Gist of It: Another gem from Schwartz’s treasure chest, “Gilligan’s Island” was the ultimate escape – seven castaways, each a caricature of society, stuck on an island. It was like a social experiment wrapped in coconut shells and slapstick comedy.
Its Echoes: Amidst its laughter, the show was a microcosm of society. It taught us, in its own goofy way, about the beauty of differences and the strength found in coming together. It was a lesson in teamwork, dressed up in tropical shirts and silly antics.Glen A. Larson
Glen A. Larson, born in Long Beach, California, was a defining figure in television, especially known for his work in the 1970s and 1980s. Larson’s career transitioned from music to television writing, where he contributed to shows like “The Fugitive.” He created several iconic series, including the cult classic “Battlestar Galactica” and the action-packed “Knight Rider,” blending science fiction with contemporary issues. His other works like “Magnum, P.I.” and “The Fall Guy” showcased his versatility across genres. Known for integrating cutting-edge technology and special effects in his storytelling, Larson’s influential work continued to inspire and entertain until his passing in 2014.
“Knight Rider” (1982-1986)
What Was It About?: Glen A. Larson’s “Knight Rider” was like a love letter to the future. A talking car, KITT, paired with a crime-fighting heartthrob. It was action-packed, sure, but there was something more…
Why It Stood Out: This show made technology cool and approachable. It whispered promises of a future where gadgets weren’t just tools but partners in making the world a better place. It was a heady mix of adventure and a glimpse into a future that seemed as exciting as it was possible.Bernard Slade
Bernard Slade, a Canadian-born writer and playwright, began his career in entertainment as an actor before shifting to television writing. He contributed to popular 1960s shows like “Bewitched” and “The Flying Nun” before creating the iconic “The Partridge Family” and the groundbreaking “Bridget Loves Bernie,” known for their humor and exploration of family dynamics and societal issues. Slade also achieved success on Broadway with plays like “Same Time, Next Year,” earning critical acclaim for his emotionally rich and humorous storytelling. His work, characterized by a focus on human relationships and family, left a lasting impact on both television and theater until his passing in 2019
“The Partridge Family” (1970-1974)
The Beat of the Show: Bernard Slade struck a chord with “The Partridge Family,” a show that was like a warm, melodic breeze. It followed the adventures of a widowed mother and her kids who form a pop band. Not your everyday family dynamic, but that was the charm!
Why It Sang to Us: This wasn’t just a show about catchy tunes and groovy outfits. It was about family sticking together through thick and thin, about chasing dreams and the power of music to bring people together. In a time of changing family values, “The Partridge Family” was like a reassuring pat on the back, telling us that families come in all shapes and tunes.“Bridget Loves Bernie” (1972-1973)
The Heart of the Matter: Now, “Bridget Loves Bernie” was a bit of a comet – bright, beautiful, and gone too soon. This show took on the bold theme of an interfaith marriage, a topic that was pretty daring for its time.
Its Lasting Whisper: Though it had a brief run, the impact of “Bridget Loves Bernie” was significant. It opened up conversations about religious tolerance, love, and understanding. It was like a gentle nudge to look beyond our differences and find common ground in love and respect. A true trailblazer, that show was.Bernard Slade, with his keen eye for the complexities of human relationships and a heart big enough to embrace them all, gave us shows that were not just entertaining but enlightening. They added depth to the colorful canvas of 70s television, offering stories that resonated with sincerity and warmth. In a decade known for its shifts and swings, Slade’s creations were like a comforting arm around the shoulder, reminding us of the enduring power of love, music, and understanding.
The Lasting Impact
These shows, in their varied hues, did more than entertain. They educated, enlightened, and shaped the moral expectations of their viewers. Through laughter, drama, and familial warmth, they offered a mirror to society, reflecting its complexities and simplicities alike.
This was television not just as a pastime, but as a potent medium of social commentary and moral shaping. As someone who grew up basking in the glow of their stories, I can attest to their profound impact. They weren’t just shows; they were the moral compasses of a generation, guiding, challenging, and nurturing us into a future that they had, in part, helped to mold.
This was television as a compass for the soul, guiding a child through the perplexing labyrinth of their era and equipping them with the moral fortitude for the century ahead. In a time when the world outside seemed embroiled in conflict and contradiction, these shows illuminated paths of understanding, empathy, and resilience. They taught lessons of love transcending familial norms in “The Brady Bunch,” championed the spirit of perseverance and friendship in the face of adversity in “Gilligan’s Island,” and offered glimpses of a future where technology and humanity could coexist harmoniously in “Knight Rider.”
Thus, as these children stepped into the burgeoning light of the new century, they carried with them more than just fond memories of television shows. They bore the imprints of lessons learned in those formative years – ideals of justice, equality, environmental stewardship, and an unyielding belief in the power of human goodness. In the laughter, the adventures, the drama, and the simplicity of 1970s television, there lay the foundational stones for living a life of moral rectitude in an ever-evolving world. As they navigated the complexities of the new millennium, the echoes of these shows whispered continuously, a gentle reminder of a time when television was not just a pastime, but a profound teacher of life’s greatest virtues.
Each of these shows were a chapter in the great American storybook of the 70s. They weren’t just killing time between commercials; they were shaping hearts and minds. They taught us about family, about acceptance, about dreaming big and laughing often. In a world that seemed to be spinning a bit too fast, these shows were like a comfy couch we could plop onto and find a moment’s peace. They were more than entertainment; they were companions in our journey, guiding us, in their own unique ways, towards a future filled with hope, understanding, and a generous sprinkle of laughter.
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#1970 #bernardSlade #garryMarshall #gilligansIsland #glenALarson #happyDays #partridgeFamily #sherwoodSchwartz #television #theFallGuy
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The 1970s in the United States, as seen through the innocent, yet perceptive eyes of a child, was a period marked by profound cultural, political, and religious shifts. The 1970s were a decade where the vibrant promises of the 60s’ counterculture movements began to clash with the realities of ongoing political strife and societal change. The Vietnam War lingered in the background, its echoes felt in living rooms across the nation, while the Watergate scandal shook the foundations of public trust in government. Amidst this backdrop, the civil rights movement, women’s liberation, and a burgeoning environmental consciousness were reshaping the American social landscape.
In homes where conversations often revolved around these turbulent topics, children witnessed an era grappling with identity. The religious landscape was no less complex, with traditional beliefs beginning to be questioned or redefined, creating a toxic concoction of both spiritual seeking and skepticism. It was a time when the pillars of society — politics, culture, and religion — were under scrutiny and often in a state of flux.
For many children, television became a sanctuary from this overwhelming tidal mass of change and uncertainty. It offered an escape into worlds where laughter and simplicity reigned, a stark contrast to the often confusing and somber realities outside their windows. Television shows of the 70s, crafted by visionaries like Garry Marshall, Sherwood Schwartz, Glen A. Larson, and Bernard Slade, provided not just entertainment but a respite, a place where young minds could find solace and distraction from the pressing issues of the day.
These shows were more than mere diversions; they were windows into alternate realities where problems could be solved in thirty-minute increments, where families, though sometimes unconventional, were places of unconditional love and support, and where adventures and mysteries offered a sense of wonder and excitement. In a world that seemed increasingly complex and at times, repressive, television became a realm of liberation and imaginative freedom for the children of the 1970s, subtly shaping their perceptions, values, and dreams in an era of relentless transformation.
The 1970s were a decade vividly etched in cultural memory, not just for its seismic social shifts but for its indelible imprint on the landscape of television. In this crucible of creativity, four maestros — Garry Marshall, Sherwood Schwartz, Glen A. Larson, and Bernard Slade — wove narratives that shaped not only entertainment but the moral fabric of a generation.
Garry Marshall
Garry Marshall, born in the Bronx, New York, as Garry Kent Maschiarelli, emerged as an important figure in television and film. His journey in entertainment began in the 1960s as a joke writer for comedians and a writer for shows like “The Dick Van Dyke Show.” Marshall’s major breakthrough came with the creation of “The Odd Couple,” followed by iconic 70s sitcoms such as “Happy Days,” “Laverne & Shirley,” and “Mork & Mindy,” blending humor with relatable, character-driven stories. He transitioned into film directing with hits like “Pretty Woman” and “The Princess Diaries,” showcasing his knack for heartwarming narratives. Known for his mentorship and warm nature, Marshall passed away in 2016, leaving behind a legacy as a beloved storyteller and cultural influencer.
“Happy Days” (1974-1984)
The Heart of the Show: Ah, Garry Marshall’s “Happy Days,” a delightful time capsule to the 50s and 60s. With the Fonz and the Cunninghams, it felt like stepping into a world where problems could be solved over a milkshake at Arnold’s.What It Gave Us: More than nostalgia, “Happy Days” gave us a sense of continuity during the ever-changing 70s. It was a reminder of simpler times, sure, but also a beacon of enduring values like friendship, respect, and standing up for what’s right.
“Laverne & Shirley” (1976-1983)
The Lowdown: Spun off from “Happy Days,” this was Garry Marshall’s toast to female empowerment. Laverne and Shirley were not just characters; they were symbols of independence, resilience, and the enduring power of friendship.Why It Shone: In an era where women were finding their voice, this show was a rallying cry in sitcom form. It showed us that women could be funny, strong, and unapologetically themselves.
“Mork & Mindy” (1978-1982)
The Quirky Bits: Trust Garry Marshall to bring an alien into our living rooms and make us love him! “Mork & Mindy” was a masterstroke in using humor to talk about… well, everything! From human nature to social issues, all through the eyes of a lovable extraterrestrial.
The Impact: Robin Williams, as Mork, wasn’t just a comedian; he was a teacher of sorts. Through laughter, he made us think and, more importantly, made us feel. It was a show that celebrated differences and embraced the oddballs in all of us.Sherwood Schwartz
Sherwood Schwartz, born in Passaic, New Jersey, rose to prominence in television with a career that started as a radio writer in the 1940s. After serving in the U.S. Army during World War II and contributing to shows like “The Red Skelton Show” and “I Love Lucy,” Schwartz created two of the most iconic TV series of the 20th century: “Gilligan’s Island” and “The Brady Bunch.” These shows, known for their humor and unique characters, became cultural touchstones, reflecting and influencing American society’s changing dynamics. Schwartz’s simple yet impactful storytelling style left a lasting imprint on television, and his legacy continued until his passing in 2011.
“The Brady Bunch” (1969-1974)
What’s the Story?: Created by the ever-imaginative Sherwood Schwartz, “The Brady Bunch” was about as close as you could get to a patchwork quilt in sitcom form. A blended family with six kids! It was like watching a lovable circus act that somehow managed to get along under one roof.
Why It Mattered: This show was more than just fluff. It gently nudged the idea of what a ‘normal’ family could look like, weaving a narrative where love wasn’t limited by bloodlines. In a way, it whispered to us that change was okay, and family was what you made of it.“Gilligan’s Island” (1964-1967)
The Gist of It: Another gem from Schwartz’s treasure chest, “Gilligan’s Island” was the ultimate escape – seven castaways, each a caricature of society, stuck on an island. It was like a social experiment wrapped in coconut shells and slapstick comedy.
Its Echoes: Amidst its laughter, the show was a microcosm of society. It taught us, in its own goofy way, about the beauty of differences and the strength found in coming together. It was a lesson in teamwork, dressed up in tropical shirts and silly antics.Glen A. Larson
Glen A. Larson, born in Long Beach, California, was a defining figure in television, especially known for his work in the 1970s and 1980s. Larson’s career transitioned from music to television writing, where he contributed to shows like “The Fugitive.” He created several iconic series, including the cult classic “Battlestar Galactica” and the action-packed “Knight Rider,” blending science fiction with contemporary issues. His other works like “Magnum, P.I.” and “The Fall Guy” showcased his versatility across genres. Known for integrating cutting-edge technology and special effects in his storytelling, Larson’s influential work continued to inspire and entertain until his passing in 2014.
“Knight Rider” (1982-1986)
What Was It About?: Glen A. Larson’s “Knight Rider” was like a love letter to the future. A talking car, KITT, paired with a crime-fighting heartthrob. It was action-packed, sure, but there was something more…
Why It Stood Out: This show made technology cool and approachable. It whispered promises of a future where gadgets weren’t just tools but partners in making the world a better place. It was a heady mix of adventure and a glimpse into a future that seemed as exciting as it was possible.Bernard Slade
Bernard Slade, a Canadian-born writer and playwright, began his career in entertainment as an actor before shifting to television writing. He contributed to popular 1960s shows like “Bewitched” and “The Flying Nun” before creating the iconic “The Partridge Family” and the groundbreaking “Bridget Loves Bernie,” known for their humor and exploration of family dynamics and societal issues. Slade also achieved success on Broadway with plays like “Same Time, Next Year,” earning critical acclaim for his emotionally rich and humorous storytelling. His work, characterized by a focus on human relationships and family, left a lasting impact on both television and theater until his passing in 2019
“The Partridge Family” (1970-1974)
The Beat of the Show: Bernard Slade struck a chord with “The Partridge Family,” a show that was like a warm, melodic breeze. It followed the adventures of a widowed mother and her kids who form a pop band. Not your everyday family dynamic, but that was the charm!
Why It Sang to Us: This wasn’t just a show about catchy tunes and groovy outfits. It was about family sticking together through thick and thin, about chasing dreams and the power of music to bring people together. In a time of changing family values, “The Partridge Family” was like a reassuring pat on the back, telling us that families come in all shapes and tunes.“Bridget Loves Bernie” (1972-1973)
The Heart of the Matter: Now, “Bridget Loves Bernie” was a bit of a comet – bright, beautiful, and gone too soon. This show took on the bold theme of an interfaith marriage, a topic that was pretty daring for its time.
Its Lasting Whisper: Though it had a brief run, the impact of “Bridget Loves Bernie” was significant. It opened up conversations about religious tolerance, love, and understanding. It was like a gentle nudge to look beyond our differences and find common ground in love and respect. A true trailblazer, that show was.Bernard Slade, with his keen eye for the complexities of human relationships and a heart big enough to embrace them all, gave us shows that were not just entertaining but enlightening. They added depth to the colorful canvas of 70s television, offering stories that resonated with sincerity and warmth. In a decade known for its shifts and swings, Slade’s creations were like a comforting arm around the shoulder, reminding us of the enduring power of love, music, and understanding.
The Lasting Impact
These shows, in their varied hues, did more than entertain. They educated, enlightened, and shaped the moral expectations of their viewers. Through laughter, drama, and familial warmth, they offered a mirror to society, reflecting its complexities and simplicities alike.
This was television not just as a pastime, but as a potent medium of social commentary and moral shaping. As someone who grew up basking in the glow of their stories, I can attest to their profound impact. They weren’t just shows; they were the moral compasses of a generation, guiding, challenging, and nurturing us into a future that they had, in part, helped to mold.
This was television as a compass for the soul, guiding a child through the perplexing labyrinth of their era and equipping them with the moral fortitude for the century ahead. In a time when the world outside seemed embroiled in conflict and contradiction, these shows illuminated paths of understanding, empathy, and resilience. They taught lessons of love transcending familial norms in “The Brady Bunch,” championed the spirit of perseverance and friendship in the face of adversity in “Gilligan’s Island,” and offered glimpses of a future where technology and humanity could coexist harmoniously in “Knight Rider.”
Thus, as these children stepped into the burgeoning light of the new century, they carried with them more than just fond memories of television shows. They bore the imprints of lessons learned in those formative years – ideals of justice, equality, environmental stewardship, and an unyielding belief in the power of human goodness. In the laughter, the adventures, the drama, and the simplicity of 1970s television, there lay the foundational stones for living a life of moral rectitude in an ever-evolving world. As they navigated the complexities of the new millennium, the echoes of these shows whispered continuously, a gentle reminder of a time when television was not just a pastime, but a profound teacher of life’s greatest virtues.
Each of these shows were a chapter in the great American storybook of the 70s. They weren’t just killing time between commercials; they were shaping hearts and minds. They taught us about family, about acceptance, about dreaming big and laughing often. In a world that seemed to be spinning a bit too fast, these shows were like a comfy couch we could plop onto and find a moment’s peace. They were more than entertainment; they were companions in our journey, guiding us, in their own unique ways, towards a future filled with hope, understanding, and a generous sprinkle of laughter.
#1970 #bernardSlade #garryMarshall #gilligansIsland #glenALarson #happyDays #partridgeFamily #sherwoodSchwartz #television #theFallGuy
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The 1970s in the United States, as seen through the innocent, yet perceptive eyes of a child, was a period marked by profound cultural, political, and religious shifts. The 1970s were a decade where the vibrant promises of the 60s’ counterculture movements began to clash with the realities of ongoing political strife and societal change. The Vietnam War lingered in the background, its echoes felt in living rooms across the nation, while the Watergate scandal shook the foundations of public trust in government. Amidst this backdrop, the civil rights movement, women’s liberation, and a burgeoning environmental consciousness were reshaping the American social landscape.
In homes where conversations often revolved around these turbulent topics, children witnessed an era grappling with identity. The religious landscape was no less complex, with traditional beliefs beginning to be questioned or redefined, creating a toxic concoction of both spiritual seeking and skepticism. It was a time when the pillars of society — politics, culture, and religion — were under scrutiny and often in a state of flux.
For many children, television became a sanctuary from this overwhelming tidal mass of change and uncertainty. It offered an escape into worlds where laughter and simplicity reigned, a stark contrast to the often confusing and somber realities outside their windows. Television shows of the 70s, crafted by visionaries like Garry Marshall, Sherwood Schwartz, Glen A. Larson, and Bernard Slade, provided not just entertainment but a respite, a place where young minds could find solace and distraction from the pressing issues of the day.
These shows were more than mere diversions; they were windows into alternate realities where problems could be solved in thirty-minute increments, where families, though sometimes unconventional, were places of unconditional love and support, and where adventures and mysteries offered a sense of wonder and excitement. In a world that seemed increasingly complex and at times, repressive, television became a realm of liberation and imaginative freedom for the children of the 1970s, subtly shaping their perceptions, values, and dreams in an era of relentless transformation.
The 1970s were a decade vividly etched in cultural memory, not just for its seismic social shifts but for its indelible imprint on the landscape of television. In this crucible of creativity, four maestros — Garry Marshall, Sherwood Schwartz, Glen A. Larson, and Bernard Slade — wove narratives that shaped not only entertainment but the moral fabric of a generation.
Garry Marshall
Garry Marshall, born in the Bronx, New York, as Garry Kent Maschiarelli, emerged as an important figure in television and film. His journey in entertainment began in the 1960s as a joke writer for comedians and a writer for shows like “The Dick Van Dyke Show.” Marshall’s major breakthrough came with the creation of “The Odd Couple,” followed by iconic 70s sitcoms such as “Happy Days,” “Laverne & Shirley,” and “Mork & Mindy,” blending humor with relatable, character-driven stories. He transitioned into film directing with hits like “Pretty Woman” and “The Princess Diaries,” showcasing his knack for heartwarming narratives. Known for his mentorship and warm nature, Marshall passed away in 2016, leaving behind a legacy as a beloved storyteller and cultural influencer.
“Happy Days” (1974-1984)
The Heart of the Show: Ah, Garry Marshall’s “Happy Days,” a delightful time capsule to the 50s and 60s. With the Fonz and the Cunninghams, it felt like stepping into a world where problems could be solved over a milkshake at Arnold’s.What It Gave Us: More than nostalgia, “Happy Days” gave us a sense of continuity during the ever-changing 70s. It was a reminder of simpler times, sure, but also a beacon of enduring values like friendship, respect, and standing up for what’s right.
“Laverne & Shirley” (1976-1983)
The Lowdown: Spun off from “Happy Days,” this was Garry Marshall’s toast to female empowerment. Laverne and Shirley were not just characters; they were symbols of independence, resilience, and the enduring power of friendship.Why It Shone: In an era where women were finding their voice, this show was a rallying cry in sitcom form. It showed us that women could be funny, strong, and unapologetically themselves.
“Mork & Mindy” (1978-1982)
The Quirky Bits: Trust Garry Marshall to bring an alien into our living rooms and make us love him! “Mork & Mindy” was a masterstroke in using humor to talk about… well, everything! From human nature to social issues, all through the eyes of a lovable extraterrestrial.
The Impact: Robin Williams, as Mork, wasn’t just a comedian; he was a teacher of sorts. Through laughter, he made us think and, more importantly, made us feel. It was a show that celebrated differences and embraced the oddballs in all of us.Sherwood Schwartz
Sherwood Schwartz, born in Passaic, New Jersey, rose to prominence in television with a career that started as a radio writer in the 1940s. After serving in the U.S. Army during World War II and contributing to shows like “The Red Skelton Show” and “I Love Lucy,” Schwartz created two of the most iconic TV series of the 20th century: “Gilligan’s Island” and “The Brady Bunch.” These shows, known for their humor and unique characters, became cultural touchstones, reflecting and influencing American society’s changing dynamics. Schwartz’s simple yet impactful storytelling style left a lasting imprint on television, and his legacy continued until his passing in 2011.
“The Brady Bunch” (1969-1974)
What’s the Story?: Created by the ever-imaginative Sherwood Schwartz, “The Brady Bunch” was about as close as you could get to a patchwork quilt in sitcom form. A blended family with six kids! It was like watching a lovable circus act that somehow managed to get along under one roof.
Why It Mattered: This show was more than just fluff. It gently nudged the idea of what a ‘normal’ family could look like, weaving a narrative where love wasn’t limited by bloodlines. In a way, it whispered to us that change was okay, and family was what you made of it.“Gilligan’s Island” (1964-1967)
The Gist of It: Another gem from Schwartz’s treasure chest, “Gilligan’s Island” was the ultimate escape – seven castaways, each a caricature of society, stuck on an island. It was like a social experiment wrapped in coconut shells and slapstick comedy.
Its Echoes: Amidst its laughter, the show was a microcosm of society. It taught us, in its own goofy way, about the beauty of differences and the strength found in coming together. It was a lesson in teamwork, dressed up in tropical shirts and silly antics.Glen A. Larson
Glen A. Larson, born in Long Beach, California, was a defining figure in television, especially known for his work in the 1970s and 1980s. Larson’s career transitioned from music to television writing, where he contributed to shows like “The Fugitive.” He created several iconic series, including the cult classic “Battlestar Galactica” and the action-packed “Knight Rider,” blending science fiction with contemporary issues. His other works like “Magnum, P.I.” and “The Fall Guy” showcased his versatility across genres. Known for integrating cutting-edge technology and special effects in his storytelling, Larson’s influential work continued to inspire and entertain until his passing in 2014.
“Knight Rider” (1982-1986)
What Was It About?: Glen A. Larson’s “Knight Rider” was like a love letter to the future. A talking car, KITT, paired with a crime-fighting heartthrob. It was action-packed, sure, but there was something more…
Why It Stood Out: This show made technology cool and approachable. It whispered promises of a future where gadgets weren’t just tools but partners in making the world a better place. It was a heady mix of adventure and a glimpse into a future that seemed as exciting as it was possible.Bernard Slade
Bernard Slade, a Canadian-born writer and playwright, began his career in entertainment as an actor before shifting to television writing. He contributed to popular 1960s shows like “Bewitched” and “The Flying Nun” before creating the iconic “The Partridge Family” and the groundbreaking “Bridget Loves Bernie,” known for their humor and exploration of family dynamics and societal issues. Slade also achieved success on Broadway with plays like “Same Time, Next Year,” earning critical acclaim for his emotionally rich and humorous storytelling. His work, characterized by a focus on human relationships and family, left a lasting impact on both television and theater until his passing in 2019
“The Partridge Family” (1970-1974)
The Beat of the Show: Bernard Slade struck a chord with “The Partridge Family,” a show that was like a warm, melodic breeze. It followed the adventures of a widowed mother and her kids who form a pop band. Not your everyday family dynamic, but that was the charm!
Why It Sang to Us: This wasn’t just a show about catchy tunes and groovy outfits. It was about family sticking together through thick and thin, about chasing dreams and the power of music to bring people together. In a time of changing family values, “The Partridge Family” was like a reassuring pat on the back, telling us that families come in all shapes and tunes.“Bridget Loves Bernie” (1972-1973)
The Heart of the Matter: Now, “Bridget Loves Bernie” was a bit of a comet – bright, beautiful, and gone too soon. This show took on the bold theme of an interfaith marriage, a topic that was pretty daring for its time.
Its Lasting Whisper: Though it had a brief run, the impact of “Bridget Loves Bernie” was significant. It opened up conversations about religious tolerance, love, and understanding. It was like a gentle nudge to look beyond our differences and find common ground in love and respect. A true trailblazer, that show was.Bernard Slade, with his keen eye for the complexities of human relationships and a heart big enough to embrace them all, gave us shows that were not just entertaining but enlightening. They added depth to the colorful canvas of 70s television, offering stories that resonated with sincerity and warmth. In a decade known for its shifts and swings, Slade’s creations were like a comforting arm around the shoulder, reminding us of the enduring power of love, music, and understanding.
The Lasting Impact
These shows, in their varied hues, did more than entertain. They educated, enlightened, and shaped the moral expectations of their viewers. Through laughter, drama, and familial warmth, they offered a mirror to society, reflecting its complexities and simplicities alike.
This was television not just as a pastime, but as a potent medium of social commentary and moral shaping. As someone who grew up basking in the glow of their stories, I can attest to their profound impact. They weren’t just shows; they were the moral compasses of a generation, guiding, challenging, and nurturing us into a future that they had, in part, helped to mold.
This was television as a compass for the soul, guiding a child through the perplexing labyrinth of their era and equipping them with the moral fortitude for the century ahead. In a time when the world outside seemed embroiled in conflict and contradiction, these shows illuminated paths of understanding, empathy, and resilience. They taught lessons of love transcending familial norms in “The Brady Bunch,” championed the spirit of perseverance and friendship in the face of adversity in “Gilligan’s Island,” and offered glimpses of a future where technology and humanity could coexist harmoniously in “Knight Rider.”
Thus, as these children stepped into the burgeoning light of the new century, they carried with them more than just fond memories of television shows. They bore the imprints of lessons learned in those formative years – ideals of justice, equality, environmental stewardship, and an unyielding belief in the power of human goodness. In the laughter, the adventures, the drama, and the simplicity of 1970s television, there lay the foundational stones for living a life of moral rectitude in an ever-evolving world. As they navigated the complexities of the new millennium, the echoes of these shows whispered continuously, a gentle reminder of a time when television was not just a pastime, but a profound teacher of life’s greatest virtues.
Each of these shows were a chapter in the great American storybook of the 70s. They weren’t just killing time between commercials; they were shaping hearts and minds. They taught us about family, about acceptance, about dreaming big and laughing often. In a world that seemed to be spinning a bit too fast, these shows were like a comfy couch we could plop onto and find a moment’s peace. They were more than entertainment; they were companions in our journey, guiding us, in their own unique ways, towards a future filled with hope, understanding, and a generous sprinkle of laughter.
#1970 #bernardSlade #garryMarshall #gilligansIsland #glenALarson #happyDays #partridgeFamily #sherwoodSchwartz #television #theFallGuy
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The 1970s in the United States, as seen through the innocent, yet perceptive eyes of a child, was a period marked by profound cultural, political, and religious shifts. The 1970s were a decade where the vibrant promises of the 60s’ counterculture movements began to clash with the realities of ongoing political strife and societal change. The Vietnam War lingered in the background, its echoes felt in living rooms across the nation, while the Watergate scandal shook the foundations of public trust in government. Amidst this backdrop, the civil rights movement, women’s liberation, and a burgeoning environmental consciousness were reshaping the American social landscape.
In homes where conversations often revolved around these turbulent topics, children witnessed an era grappling with identity. The religious landscape was no less complex, with traditional beliefs beginning to be questioned or redefined, creating a toxic concoction of both spiritual seeking and skepticism. It was a time when the pillars of society — politics, culture, and religion — were under scrutiny and often in a state of flux.
For many children, television became a sanctuary from this overwhelming tidal mass of change and uncertainty. It offered an escape into worlds where laughter and simplicity reigned, a stark contrast to the often confusing and somber realities outside their windows. Television shows of the 70s, crafted by visionaries like Garry Marshall, Sherwood Schwartz, Glen A. Larson, and Bernard Slade, provided not just entertainment but a respite, a place where young minds could find solace and distraction from the pressing issues of the day.
These shows were more than mere diversions; they were windows into alternate realities where problems could be solved in thirty-minute increments, where families, though sometimes unconventional, were places of unconditional love and support, and where adventures and mysteries offered a sense of wonder and excitement. In a world that seemed increasingly complex and at times, repressive, television became a realm of liberation and imaginative freedom for the children of the 1970s, subtly shaping their perceptions, values, and dreams in an era of relentless transformation.
The 1970s were a decade vividly etched in cultural memory, not just for its seismic social shifts but for its indelible imprint on the landscape of television. In this crucible of creativity, four maestros — Garry Marshall, Sherwood Schwartz, Glen A. Larson, and Bernard Slade — wove narratives that shaped not only entertainment but the moral fabric of a generation.
Garry Marshall
Garry Marshall, born in the Bronx, New York, as Garry Kent Maschiarelli, emerged as an important figure in television and film. His journey in entertainment began in the 1960s as a joke writer for comedians and a writer for shows like “The Dick Van Dyke Show.” Marshall’s major breakthrough came with the creation of “The Odd Couple,” followed by iconic 70s sitcoms such as “Happy Days,” “Laverne & Shirley,” and “Mork & Mindy,” blending humor with relatable, character-driven stories. He transitioned into film directing with hits like “Pretty Woman” and “The Princess Diaries,” showcasing his knack for heartwarming narratives. Known for his mentorship and warm nature, Marshall passed away in 2016, leaving behind a legacy as a beloved storyteller and cultural influencer.
“Happy Days” (1974-1984)
The Heart of the Show: Ah, Garry Marshall’s “Happy Days,” a delightful time capsule to the 50s and 60s. With the Fonz and the Cunninghams, it felt like stepping into a world where problems could be solved over a milkshake at Arnold’s.What It Gave Us: More than nostalgia, “Happy Days” gave us a sense of continuity during the ever-changing 70s. It was a reminder of simpler times, sure, but also a beacon of enduring values like friendship, respect, and standing up for what’s right.
“Laverne & Shirley” (1976-1983)
The Lowdown: Spun off from “Happy Days,” this was Garry Marshall’s toast to female empowerment. Laverne and Shirley were not just characters; they were symbols of independence, resilience, and the enduring power of friendship.Why It Shone: In an era where women were finding their voice, this show was a rallying cry in sitcom form. It showed us that women could be funny, strong, and unapologetically themselves.
“Mork & Mindy” (1978-1982)
The Quirky Bits: Trust Garry Marshall to bring an alien into our living rooms and make us love him! “Mork & Mindy” was a masterstroke in using humor to talk about… well, everything! From human nature to social issues, all through the eyes of a lovable extraterrestrial.
The Impact: Robin Williams, as Mork, wasn’t just a comedian; he was a teacher of sorts. Through laughter, he made us think and, more importantly, made us feel. It was a show that celebrated differences and embraced the oddballs in all of us.Sherwood Schwartz
Sherwood Schwartz, born in Passaic, New Jersey, rose to prominence in television with a career that started as a radio writer in the 1940s. After serving in the U.S. Army during World War II and contributing to shows like “The Red Skelton Show” and “I Love Lucy,” Schwartz created two of the most iconic TV series of the 20th century: “Gilligan’s Island” and “The Brady Bunch.” These shows, known for their humor and unique characters, became cultural touchstones, reflecting and influencing American society’s changing dynamics. Schwartz’s simple yet impactful storytelling style left a lasting imprint on television, and his legacy continued until his passing in 2011.
“The Brady Bunch” (1969-1974)
What’s the Story?: Created by the ever-imaginative Sherwood Schwartz, “The Brady Bunch” was about as close as you could get to a patchwork quilt in sitcom form. A blended family with six kids! It was like watching a lovable circus act that somehow managed to get along under one roof.
Why It Mattered: This show was more than just fluff. It gently nudged the idea of what a ‘normal’ family could look like, weaving a narrative where love wasn’t limited by bloodlines. In a way, it whispered to us that change was okay, and family was what you made of it.“Gilligan’s Island” (1964-1967)
The Gist of It: Another gem from Schwartz’s treasure chest, “Gilligan’s Island” was the ultimate escape – seven castaways, each a caricature of society, stuck on an island. It was like a social experiment wrapped in coconut shells and slapstick comedy.
Its Echoes: Amidst its laughter, the show was a microcosm of society. It taught us, in its own goofy way, about the beauty of differences and the strength found in coming together. It was a lesson in teamwork, dressed up in tropical shirts and silly antics.Glen A. Larson
Glen A. Larson, born in Long Beach, California, was a defining figure in television, especially known for his work in the 1970s and 1980s. Larson’s career transitioned from music to television writing, where he contributed to shows like “The Fugitive.” He created several iconic series, including the cult classic “Battlestar Galactica” and the action-packed “Knight Rider,” blending science fiction with contemporary issues. His other works like “Magnum, P.I.” and “The Fall Guy” showcased his versatility across genres. Known for integrating cutting-edge technology and special effects in his storytelling, Larson’s influential work continued to inspire and entertain until his passing in 2014.
“Knight Rider” (1982-1986)
What Was It About?: Glen A. Larson’s “Knight Rider” was like a love letter to the future. A talking car, KITT, paired with a crime-fighting heartthrob. It was action-packed, sure, but there was something more…
Why It Stood Out: This show made technology cool and approachable. It whispered promises of a future where gadgets weren’t just tools but partners in making the world a better place. It was a heady mix of adventure and a glimpse into a future that seemed as exciting as it was possible.Bernard Slade
Bernard Slade, a Canadian-born writer and playwright, began his career in entertainment as an actor before shifting to television writing. He contributed to popular 1960s shows like “Bewitched” and “The Flying Nun” before creating the iconic “The Partridge Family” and the groundbreaking “Bridget Loves Bernie,” known for their humor and exploration of family dynamics and societal issues. Slade also achieved success on Broadway with plays like “Same Time, Next Year,” earning critical acclaim for his emotionally rich and humorous storytelling. His work, characterized by a focus on human relationships and family, left a lasting impact on both television and theater until his passing in 2019
“The Partridge Family” (1970-1974)
The Beat of the Show: Bernard Slade struck a chord with “The Partridge Family,” a show that was like a warm, melodic breeze. It followed the adventures of a widowed mother and her kids who form a pop band. Not your everyday family dynamic, but that was the charm!
Why It Sang to Us: This wasn’t just a show about catchy tunes and groovy outfits. It was about family sticking together through thick and thin, about chasing dreams and the power of music to bring people together. In a time of changing family values, “The Partridge Family” was like a reassuring pat on the back, telling us that families come in all shapes and tunes.“Bridget Loves Bernie” (1972-1973)
The Heart of the Matter: Now, “Bridget Loves Bernie” was a bit of a comet – bright, beautiful, and gone too soon. This show took on the bold theme of an interfaith marriage, a topic that was pretty daring for its time.
Its Lasting Whisper: Though it had a brief run, the impact of “Bridget Loves Bernie” was significant. It opened up conversations about religious tolerance, love, and understanding. It was like a gentle nudge to look beyond our differences and find common ground in love and respect. A true trailblazer, that show was.Bernard Slade, with his keen eye for the complexities of human relationships and a heart big enough to embrace them all, gave us shows that were not just entertaining but enlightening. They added depth to the colorful canvas of 70s television, offering stories that resonated with sincerity and warmth. In a decade known for its shifts and swings, Slade’s creations were like a comforting arm around the shoulder, reminding us of the enduring power of love, music, and understanding.
The Lasting Impact
These shows, in their varied hues, did more than entertain. They educated, enlightened, and shaped the moral expectations of their viewers. Through laughter, drama, and familial warmth, they offered a mirror to society, reflecting its complexities and simplicities alike.
This was television not just as a pastime, but as a potent medium of social commentary and moral shaping. As someone who grew up basking in the glow of their stories, I can attest to their profound impact. They weren’t just shows; they were the moral compasses of a generation, guiding, challenging, and nurturing us into a future that they had, in part, helped to mold.
This was television as a compass for the soul, guiding a child through the perplexing labyrinth of their era and equipping them with the moral fortitude for the century ahead. In a time when the world outside seemed embroiled in conflict and contradiction, these shows illuminated paths of understanding, empathy, and resilience. They taught lessons of love transcending familial norms in “The Brady Bunch,” championed the spirit of perseverance and friendship in the face of adversity in “Gilligan’s Island,” and offered glimpses of a future where technology and humanity could coexist harmoniously in “Knight Rider.”
Thus, as these children stepped into the burgeoning light of the new century, they carried with them more than just fond memories of television shows. They bore the imprints of lessons learned in those formative years – ideals of justice, equality, environmental stewardship, and an unyielding belief in the power of human goodness. In the laughter, the adventures, the drama, and the simplicity of 1970s television, there lay the foundational stones for living a life of moral rectitude in an ever-evolving world. As they navigated the complexities of the new millennium, the echoes of these shows whispered continuously, a gentle reminder of a time when television was not just a pastime, but a profound teacher of life’s greatest virtues.
Each of these shows were a chapter in the great American storybook of the 70s. They weren’t just killing time between commercials; they were shaping hearts and minds. They taught us about family, about acceptance, about dreaming big and laughing often. In a world that seemed to be spinning a bit too fast, these shows were like a comfy couch we could plop onto and find a moment’s peace. They were more than entertainment; they were companions in our journey, guiding us, in their own unique ways, towards a future filled with hope, understanding, and a generous sprinkle of laughter.
#1970 #bernardSlade #garryMarshall #gilligansIsland #glenALarson #happyDays #partridgeFamily #sherwoodSchwartz #television #theFallGuy
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The 1970s in the United States, as seen through the innocent, yet perceptive eyes of a child, was a period marked by profound cultural, political, and religious shifts. The 1970s were a decade where the vibrant promises of the 60s’ counterculture movements began to clash with the realities of ongoing political strife and societal change. The Vietnam War lingered in the background, its echoes felt in living rooms across the nation, while the Watergate scandal shook the foundations of public trust in government. Amidst this backdrop, the civil rights movement, women’s liberation, and a burgeoning environmental consciousness were reshaping the American social landscape.
In homes where conversations often revolved around these turbulent topics, children witnessed an era grappling with identity. The religious landscape was no less complex, with traditional beliefs beginning to be questioned or redefined, creating a toxic concoction of both spiritual seeking and skepticism. It was a time when the pillars of society — politics, culture, and religion — were under scrutiny and often in a state of flux.
For many children, television became a sanctuary from this overwhelming tidal mass of change and uncertainty. It offered an escape into worlds where laughter and simplicity reigned, a stark contrast to the often confusing and somber realities outside their windows. Television shows of the 70s, crafted by visionaries like Garry Marshall, Sherwood Schwartz, Glen A. Larson, and Bernard Slade, provided not just entertainment but a respite, a place where young minds could find solace and distraction from the pressing issues of the day.
These shows were more than mere diversions; they were windows into alternate realities where problems could be solved in thirty-minute increments, where families, though sometimes unconventional, were places of unconditional love and support, and where adventures and mysteries offered a sense of wonder and excitement. In a world that seemed increasingly complex and at times, repressive, television became a realm of liberation and imaginative freedom for the children of the 1970s, subtly shaping their perceptions, values, and dreams in an era of relentless transformation.
The 1970s were a decade vividly etched in cultural memory, not just for its seismic social shifts but for its indelible imprint on the landscape of television. In this crucible of creativity, four maestros — Garry Marshall, Sherwood Schwartz, Glen A. Larson, and Bernard Slade — wove narratives that shaped not only entertainment but the moral fabric of a generation.
Garry Marshall
Garry Marshall, born in the Bronx, New York, as Garry Kent Maschiarelli, emerged as an important figure in television and film. His journey in entertainment began in the 1960s as a joke writer for comedians and a writer for shows like “The Dick Van Dyke Show.” Marshall’s major breakthrough came with the creation of “The Odd Couple,” followed by iconic 70s sitcoms such as “Happy Days,” “Laverne & Shirley,” and “Mork & Mindy,” blending humor with relatable, character-driven stories. He transitioned into film directing with hits like “Pretty Woman” and “The Princess Diaries,” showcasing his knack for heartwarming narratives. Known for his mentorship and warm nature, Marshall passed away in 2016, leaving behind a legacy as a beloved storyteller and cultural influencer.
“Happy Days” (1974-1984)
The Heart of the Show: Ah, Garry Marshall’s “Happy Days,” a delightful time capsule to the 50s and 60s. With the Fonz and the Cunninghams, it felt like stepping into a world where problems could be solved over a milkshake at Arnold’s.What It Gave Us: More than nostalgia, “Happy Days” gave us a sense of continuity during the ever-changing 70s. It was a reminder of simpler times, sure, but also a beacon of enduring values like friendship, respect, and standing up for what’s right.
“Laverne & Shirley” (1976-1983)
The Lowdown: Spun off from “Happy Days,” this was Garry Marshall’s toast to female empowerment. Laverne and Shirley were not just characters; they were symbols of independence, resilience, and the enduring power of friendship.Why It Shone: In an era where women were finding their voice, this show was a rallying cry in sitcom form. It showed us that women could be funny, strong, and unapologetically themselves.
“Mork & Mindy” (1978-1982)
The Quirky Bits: Trust Garry Marshall to bring an alien into our living rooms and make us love him! “Mork & Mindy” was a masterstroke in using humor to talk about… well, everything! From human nature to social issues, all through the eyes of a lovable extraterrestrial.
The Impact: Robin Williams, as Mork, wasn’t just a comedian; he was a teacher of sorts. Through laughter, he made us think and, more importantly, made us feel. It was a show that celebrated differences and embraced the oddballs in all of us.Sherwood Schwartz
Sherwood Schwartz, born in Passaic, New Jersey, rose to prominence in television with a career that started as a radio writer in the 1940s. After serving in the U.S. Army during World War II and contributing to shows like “The Red Skelton Show” and “I Love Lucy,” Schwartz created two of the most iconic TV series of the 20th century: “Gilligan’s Island” and “The Brady Bunch.” These shows, known for their humor and unique characters, became cultural touchstones, reflecting and influencing American society’s changing dynamics. Schwartz’s simple yet impactful storytelling style left a lasting imprint on television, and his legacy continued until his passing in 2011.
“The Brady Bunch” (1969-1974)
What’s the Story?: Created by the ever-imaginative Sherwood Schwartz, “The Brady Bunch” was about as close as you could get to a patchwork quilt in sitcom form. A blended family with six kids! It was like watching a lovable circus act that somehow managed to get along under one roof.
Why It Mattered: This show was more than just fluff. It gently nudged the idea of what a ‘normal’ family could look like, weaving a narrative where love wasn’t limited by bloodlines. In a way, it whispered to us that change was okay, and family was what you made of it.“Gilligan’s Island” (1964-1967)
The Gist of It: Another gem from Schwartz’s treasure chest, “Gilligan’s Island” was the ultimate escape – seven castaways, each a caricature of society, stuck on an island. It was like a social experiment wrapped in coconut shells and slapstick comedy.
Its Echoes: Amidst its laughter, the show was a microcosm of society. It taught us, in its own goofy way, about the beauty of differences and the strength found in coming together. It was a lesson in teamwork, dressed up in tropical shirts and silly antics.Glen A. Larson
Glen A. Larson, born in Long Beach, California, was a defining figure in television, especially known for his work in the 1970s and 1980s. Larson’s career transitioned from music to television writing, where he contributed to shows like “The Fugitive.” He created several iconic series, including the cult classic “Battlestar Galactica” and the action-packed “Knight Rider,” blending science fiction with contemporary issues. His other works like “Magnum, P.I.” and “The Fall Guy” showcased his versatility across genres. Known for integrating cutting-edge technology and special effects in his storytelling, Larson’s influential work continued to inspire and entertain until his passing in 2014.
“Knight Rider” (1982-1986)
What Was It About?: Glen A. Larson’s “Knight Rider” was like a love letter to the future. A talking car, KITT, paired with a crime-fighting heartthrob. It was action-packed, sure, but there was something more…
Why It Stood Out: This show made technology cool and approachable. It whispered promises of a future where gadgets weren’t just tools but partners in making the world a better place. It was a heady mix of adventure and a glimpse into a future that seemed as exciting as it was possible.Bernard Slade
Bernard Slade, a Canadian-born writer and playwright, began his career in entertainment as an actor before shifting to television writing. He contributed to popular 1960s shows like “Bewitched” and “The Flying Nun” before creating the iconic “The Partridge Family” and the groundbreaking “Bridget Loves Bernie,” known for their humor and exploration of family dynamics and societal issues. Slade also achieved success on Broadway with plays like “Same Time, Next Year,” earning critical acclaim for his emotionally rich and humorous storytelling. His work, characterized by a focus on human relationships and family, left a lasting impact on both television and theater until his passing in 2019
“The Partridge Family” (1970-1974)
The Beat of the Show: Bernard Slade struck a chord with “The Partridge Family,” a show that was like a warm, melodic breeze. It followed the adventures of a widowed mother and her kids who form a pop band. Not your everyday family dynamic, but that was the charm!
Why It Sang to Us: This wasn’t just a show about catchy tunes and groovy outfits. It was about family sticking together through thick and thin, about chasing dreams and the power of music to bring people together. In a time of changing family values, “The Partridge Family” was like a reassuring pat on the back, telling us that families come in all shapes and tunes.“Bridget Loves Bernie” (1972-1973)
The Heart of the Matter: Now, “Bridget Loves Bernie” was a bit of a comet – bright, beautiful, and gone too soon. This show took on the bold theme of an interfaith marriage, a topic that was pretty daring for its time.
Its Lasting Whisper: Though it had a brief run, the impact of “Bridget Loves Bernie” was significant. It opened up conversations about religious tolerance, love, and understanding. It was like a gentle nudge to look beyond our differences and find common ground in love and respect. A true trailblazer, that show was.Bernard Slade, with his keen eye for the complexities of human relationships and a heart big enough to embrace them all, gave us shows that were not just entertaining but enlightening. They added depth to the colorful canvas of 70s television, offering stories that resonated with sincerity and warmth. In a decade known for its shifts and swings, Slade’s creations were like a comforting arm around the shoulder, reminding us of the enduring power of love, music, and understanding.
The Lasting Impact
These shows, in their varied hues, did more than entertain. They educated, enlightened, and shaped the moral expectations of their viewers. Through laughter, drama, and familial warmth, they offered a mirror to society, reflecting its complexities and simplicities alike.
This was television not just as a pastime, but as a potent medium of social commentary and moral shaping. As someone who grew up basking in the glow of their stories, I can attest to their profound impact. They weren’t just shows; they were the moral compasses of a generation, guiding, challenging, and nurturing us into a future that they had, in part, helped to mold.
This was television as a compass for the soul, guiding a child through the perplexing labyrinth of their era and equipping them with the moral fortitude for the century ahead. In a time when the world outside seemed embroiled in conflict and contradiction, these shows illuminated paths of understanding, empathy, and resilience. They taught lessons of love transcending familial norms in “The Brady Bunch,” championed the spirit of perseverance and friendship in the face of adversity in “Gilligan’s Island,” and offered glimpses of a future where technology and humanity could coexist harmoniously in “Knight Rider.”
Thus, as these children stepped into the burgeoning light of the new century, they carried with them more than just fond memories of television shows. They bore the imprints of lessons learned in those formative years – ideals of justice, equality, environmental stewardship, and an unyielding belief in the power of human goodness. In the laughter, the adventures, the drama, and the simplicity of 1970s television, there lay the foundational stones for living a life of moral rectitude in an ever-evolving world. As they navigated the complexities of the new millennium, the echoes of these shows whispered continuously, a gentle reminder of a time when television was not just a pastime, but a profound teacher of life’s greatest virtues.
Each of these shows were a chapter in the great American storybook of the 70s. They weren’t just killing time between commercials; they were shaping hearts and minds. They taught us about family, about acceptance, about dreaming big and laughing often. In a world that seemed to be spinning a bit too fast, these shows were like a comfy couch we could plop onto and find a moment’s peace. They were more than entertainment; they were companions in our journey, guiding us, in their own unique ways, towards a future filled with hope, understanding, and a generous sprinkle of laughter.
#1970 #bernardSlade #garryMarshall #gilligansIsland #glenALarson #happyDays #partridgeFamily #sherwoodSchwartz #television #theFallGuy
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By Steel Druhm
Sometimes a promo one-sheet actually does its job and gets you incredibly curious to hear something. That was the case with Ireland’s unusual death metal act Vircolac. I had no knowledge of them, but the one-sheet made it sound as if I had to hear their sophomore release Veneration or risk missing out on something unique and special. Steel hates missing out on something good as much as the next Viking gorilla, so I grabbed it and stashed it in the Jungle Room. The trials and tribulations began soon thereafter. You see, Vircolac are a very tough bird to pigeonhole with a sound ranging from OSDM to crust, doom, and several niche places in between. They’re not so much proggy as they are fucking crazy, and Veneration is all over the damn map in an unpredictable, haphazard way that feels devoid of a plan or blueprint. It’s filthy and ugly, but there are rare moments of unexpected beauty and grandeur too. In a nutshell, it’s a hot, soupy mess.
Things open with ” The Lament (I Am Calling You) ” which is 100% pure Celtic folk music with passionate female singing and sawing strings. It’s primal, powerful, and leaves a big impression. As it fades out with increasingly frantic, unsettling strings, you’re launched abruptly into the gaping maw of vicious death that is the title track. It’s scuzzy, punky death in the vein of Autopsy with abrasive riffs and gruesome vocals tearing at your ear flesh. Over the next 5 minutes, Vircolac deliver a series of aural experiences that don’t always seem to be part of the same song. At one point the bruising death lapses into something that sounds a lot like recent Dark Tranquillity, only to stumble into moments that feel like the early Hellmammer demos from the 80s. It’s a wild ride for sure. Is it a good one though? Tough to say. “Repentant” is also chaotic, abrasive crust-death but this gives way to large Black Royal-esque power grooves that shake the rafters. It’s wild and woolly and there’s good stuff going on, but as with the title track, segments feel pasted together with boogers and bubble gum without rhyme or reason.
Then there are the mammoth tracks like “Our Burden of Stone on Bone” where the band really cuts loose with their Build-a-Bear song construction using extra glue, glitter, and googly eyes. As before, there are interesting pieces to this musical Frankenstein, but the madcap way they stitch things together makes for a tough listening experience. Transitions are like jump cuts in some artsy-farsty try-hard indie movie and nothing seems to develop logically. They latch onto a cool riff or groove and then leap into something unrelated without warning. Many of these jumps are between blasting death and plodding doom segments. While Incantation do these kinds of transitions seamlessly, Vircolac can not or will not. This gives the listener musical whiplash and makes it challenging to stay focused on the madness. Nearly 9-minute closer “She is Calling Me (I. War II. Death III. Redemption)” is better, with a somewhat more linear direction, but it too suffers from the band’s ADHD composition style. At a slim 36-plus minutes, Veneration ends up feeling much longer due to the disorganized writing. I struggle mightily to absorb the album in one sitting, usually bailing around the halfway point to go listen to something less chaotic and challenging, like Archspire.
The players here are talented enough. Brendan McConnell uncorks some blistering, dissonant riffs and also offers some gonzo soloing. Some of his playing is actually quite striking and at times, beautiful. He’s a Renaissance man of sorts and his playing is easily the most interesting thing going on here. Darragh O’Laoghaire comes from the Chris Reifert school of rabid wolfman vocals and he goes all in at all times. He’s a good death vocalist, but his somewhat one-note croaking feels out-of-synch with the wildly shifting music at times. It’s the songsmithing that really derails the journey here, with a completely undisciplined, tumultuous style that tests the listener’s resolve.
Veneration is a tough album to grasp and an even tougher one to score. There’s so much going on that it becomes difficult to process. The core style is well within my wheelhouse and there’s a lot of potential, but it isn’t fully realized. With some smoothing and a modicum of focus, I could see Vircolac being a deadly force. For now, they’re just a sanity destabilizing one. Mileage may vary for the criminally insane.
Rating: 2.5/5.0
DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Dark Descent
Websites: vircolac.bandcamp.com/album/veneration | facebook.com/vircolacdeathmetal
Releases Worldwide: February 23rd, 2024#25 #2024 #Autopsy #DarkDescentRecords #DeathMetal #Feb24 #Incantation #IrishMetal #Review #Reviews #Veneration #Vircolac
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By Steel Druhm
Sometimes a promo one-sheet actually does its job and gets you incredibly curious to hear something. That was the case with Ireland’s unusual death metal act Vircolac. I had no knowledge of them, but the one-sheet made it sound as if I had to hear their sophomore release Veneration or risk missing out on something unique and special. Steel hates missing out on something good as much as the next Viking gorilla, so I grabbed it and stashed it in the Jungle Room. The trials and tribulations began soon thereafter. You see, Vircolac are a very tough bird to pigeonhole with a sound ranging from OSDM to crust, doom, and several niche places in between. They’re not so much proggy as they are fucking crazy, and Veneration is all over the damn map in an unpredictable, haphazard way that feels devoid of a plan or blueprint. It’s filthy and ugly, but there are rare moments of unexpected beauty and grandeur too. In a nutshell, it’s a hot, soupy mess.
Things open with ” The Lament (I Am Calling You) ” which is 100% pure Celtic folk music with passionate female singing and sawing strings. It’s primal, powerful, and leaves a big impression. As it fades out with increasingly frantic, unsettling strings, you’re launched abruptly into the gaping maw of vicious death that is the title track. It’s scuzzy, punky death in the vein of Autopsy with abrasive riffs and gruesome vocals tearing at your ear flesh. Over the next 5 minutes, Vircolac deliver a series of aural experiences that don’t always seem to be part of the same song. At one point the bruising death lapses into something that sounds a lot like recent Dark Tranquillity, only to stumble into moments that feel like the early Hellmammer demos from the 80s. It’s a wild ride for sure. Is it a good one though? Tough to say. “Repentant” is also chaotic, abrasive crust-death but this gives way to large Black Royal-esque power grooves that shake the rafters. It’s wild and woolly and there’s good stuff going on, but as with the title track, segments feel pasted together with boogers and bubble gum without rhyme or reason.
Then there are the mammoth tracks like “Our Burden of Stone on Bone” where the band really cuts loose with their Build-a-Bear song construction using extra glue, glitter, and googly eyes. As before, there are interesting pieces to this musical Frankenstein, but the madcap way they stitch things together makes for a tough listening experience. Transitions are like jump cuts in some artsy-farsty try-hard indie movie and nothing seems to develop logically. They latch onto a cool riff or groove and then leap into something unrelated without warning. Many of these jumps are between blasting death and plodding doom segments. While Incantation do these kinds of transitions seamlessly, Vircolac can not or will not. This gives the listener musical whiplash and makes it challenging to stay focused on the madness. Nearly 9-minute closer “She is Calling Me (I. War II. Death III. Redemption)” is better, with a somewhat more linear direction, but it too suffers from the band’s ADHD composition style. At a slim 36-plus minutes, Veneration ends up feeling much longer due to the disorganized writing. I struggle mightily to absorb the album in one sitting, usually bailing around the halfway point to go listen to something less chaotic and challenging, like Archspire.
The players here are talented enough. Brendan McConnell uncorks some blistering, dissonant riffs and also offers some gonzo soloing. Some of his playing is actually quite striking and at times, beautiful. He’s a Renaissance man of sorts and his playing is easily the most interesting thing going on here. Darragh O’Laoghaire comes from the Chris Reifert school of rabid wolfman vocals and he goes all in at all times. He’s a good death vocalist, but his somewhat one-note croaking feels out-of-synch with the wildly shifting music at times. It’s the songsmithing that really derails the journey here, with a completely undisciplined, tumultuous style that tests the listener’s resolve.
Veneration is a tough album to grasp and an even tougher one to score. There’s so much going on that it becomes difficult to process. The core style is well within my wheelhouse and there’s a lot of potential, but it isn’t fully realized. With some smoothing and a modicum of focus, I could see Vircolac being a deadly force. For now, they’re just a sanity destabilizing one. Mileage may vary for the criminally insane.
Rating: 2.5/5.0
DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Dark Descent
Websites: vircolac.bandcamp.com/album/veneration | facebook.com/vircolacdeathmetal
Releases Worldwide: February 23rd, 2024#25 #2024 #Autopsy #DarkDescentRecords #DeathMetal #Feb24 #Incantation #IrishMetal #Review #Reviews #Veneration #Vircolac
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Recently, I’ve been catching up on Dungeon Meshi, and I’ve been entertained by how Marcille reacts to Laios’ dietary ideas in the dungeon. Her panicky and rather frantic personality is so opposite of Frieren. As if it’s not apparent enough, each of them has their own quirks.
Frieren loves weird magic spells, procrastinate almost everything for months, and enjoy her own company. So much so, she was oblivious to Himmel’s attention years ago when they were in an adventuring party together. However, Frieren is still at least more sociable than Elda from Otaku Elf.
If we think about it, the elves in recent anime are far from the typical fantasy elves. Elves, in these past few seasons, have been receiving a new-found love in the community. Where the usual elves of fantasy world are often mystical, sacred, or even evilish in nature, what we’ve gotten so far are some of the quirkiest elves ever.
In anime and western media, they do have a bit of difference. I think anime elves are more playful compared to the other. This is true even in older anime. I finished watching Record of Lodoss War (the 1990 one) a few weeks ago, and in that anime there is the best anime elf so far, Deedlit. To me, she shows the best of a character with a charming personality blended in the typical elven myths and stories.
How Elves Are Usually Depicted Anyway?
Deedlit by Yutaka IzubuchiElves have been associated to mystical tropes since the earliest of its depiction in literature. As I was doing the research for this, what tickled me is that elves were thought to be the possible cause of a sudden twitching in an old English medical text.
The elves like we know today might be closer to those in Norse mythology. They even have terms for two contrasting type of elves, Dökkálfar (Dark Elves) and Ljósálfar (Light Elves). Just like in Record of Lodoss War with Deedlit who is a high elf, and Pirotess who is a dark elf.
Of course, modern media like anime takes inspiration from myths and folklore. But, some are more faithful to the olden legends, so to speak. For example, Cate Blanchett’s Galadriel in LOTR pretty much exudes the expected sacredness and beauty a traditional elf would have.
Tsundere Elf from Isekai OjisanHowever, anime is more playful with their idea of elves. There are no shortage of elves with the typical anime tropes like the tsundere. Take Elga from Isekai Ojisan for instance. She’s a tsundere, but with her full name Suzailgiererzegalnelvzegilreagranzelga Elga, there is a bit of “classic mythical elf” trope in her.
Plus, she wields ancient artifact armor and weapon. Still, when it comes to today’s elves, they’re just so different from those who preceded them. Let me explain for a bit.
Today’s Elves Are Way More Relatable
Now this is “literally me!”Now, elves feel more like a group of people we could stumble upon anywhere, in random bars, perhaps. If anything, they are more relatable than ever. We might admire elves like Deedlit and Galadriel, but I see less way we can say, “she’s just like me” in them.
Some people are picky eaters, some are introverts who enjoy their figurines. Some would just hyperfixate on their hobby and by the time they “wake up” they’re already sixty, so are our elves in these anime I’ve mentioned.
Marcille from Dungeon MeshiFrieren, Marcille, and Elda are much more relatable. If we had to eat monster meat, of course, we would have the same reactions as Marcille’s. If we have lived for a thousand years, of course, we’d think of time differently, like Frieren. And for some people, spending the day the way Elda does, staying inside and not meeting anyone, sound like heaven.
What does raising their relatability do to elves? Does it simply make them more captivating to the audience? Are we taking advantage from the parasocial fans who get overly attached to the characters? Not really, in my humble opinion, making these elves more relatable means highlighting very human stories.
Humanizing The Long Ears Folk
Twelve more hours, please.The big thing with relatability is what kind of audience the anime is trying to bring in. We don’t live in a fantasy world, so of course, all the relatable problems will be humans problem.
Frieren touches themes of grief, death, and regret. Something heavy, yet every one of us will or have experienced them at one point in our lives. Despite that, this anime lightheartedly shows the usual daily life of hers. It adds to the relatability, after all.
By showing her not able to wake up early, fumbling the best man to ever lived, really makes her feels very human. After all, those are common issues that we have as regular people. Even if she’s supposed to be a thousand years old great mage, there is an imperfect side of her that we can all see, relate, and empathize.
Losing The Mythical Aura
If you tell people who don’t watch anime that this stuck-in-a-mimic-elf is the world’s savior, they’ll look at you weird.There is one downside in twisting the usual elf trope. In old stories, we mostly see them shrouded in a mythical aura. Take Skyrim for example, the high elves are the most attuned with magic, thus the Thalmor often see themselves to be superior to others. The dunmer, or dark elves, have to live with a curse after the event of Oblivion. And, the wood elves are a tribe of ritualistic cannibalism lorewise. There is so much lore to discover behind the elves of Tamriel.
There is something creepy yet enticing in each type of elves in Skyrim. The feeling that I get from them is like when I first learned about the lore of Predator and the blooding ritual, especially when it comes to the wood elves. It’s something that lacks or even outright nonexistent with the relatable elves.
Maybe, this is an inevitable trade-off. When we strip the myth out of fantasy characters, they’ll appear as the human who wrote them. If there is an anime that showcases the daily life of a mythical elf, the elf would have extremely different lifestyle and culture, rendering them to sound out of touch from humanities.
https://seinenrider.com/2024/02/17/the-elves-in-todays-anime/
#Anime #animeTropes #Deedlit #DungeonMeshi #Elf #fantasy #Frieren #OtakuElf #RecordOfLodossWar #TropesInAnime
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Recently, I’ve been catching up on Dungeon Meshi, and I’ve been entertained by how Marcille reacts to Laios’ dietary ideas in the dungeon. Her panicky and rather frantic personality is so opposite of Frieren. As if it’s not apparent enough, each of them has their own quirks.
Frieren loves weird magic spells, procrastinate almost everything for months, and enjoy her own company. So much so, she was oblivious to Himmel’s attention years ago when they were in an adventuring party together. However, Frieren is still at least more sociable than Elda from Otaku Elf.
If we think about it, the elves in recent anime are far from the typical fantasy elves. Elves, in these past few seasons, have been receiving a new-found love in the community. Where the usual elves of fantasy world are often mystical, sacred, or even evilish in nature, what we’ve gotten so far are some of the quirkiest elves ever.
In anime and western media, they do have a bit of difference. I think anime elves are more playful compared to the other. This is true even in older anime. I finished watching Record of Lodoss War (the 1990 one) a few weeks ago, and in that anime there is the best anime elf so far, Deedlit. To me, she shows the best of a character with a charming personality blended in the typical elven myths and stories.
How Elves Are Usually Depicted Anyway?
Deedlit by Yutaka IzubuchiElves have been associated to mystical tropes since the earliest of its depiction in literature. As I was doing the research for this, what tickled me is that elves were thought to be the possible cause of a sudden twitching in an old English medical text.
The elves like we know today might be closer to those in Norse mythology. They even have terms for two contrasting type of elves, Dökkálfar (Dark Elves) and Ljósálfar (Light Elves). Just like in Record of Lodoss War with Deedlit who is a high elf, and Pirotess who is a dark elf.
Of course, modern media like anime takes inspiration from myths and folklore. But, some are more faithful to the olden legends, so to speak. For example, Cate Blanchett’s Galadriel in LOTR pretty much exudes the expected sacredness and beauty a traditional elf would have.
Tsundere Elf from Isekai OjisanHowever, anime is more playful with their idea of elves. There are no shortage of elves with the typical anime tropes like the tsundere. Take Elga from Isekai Ojisan for instance. She’s a tsundere, but with her full name Suzailgiererzegalnelvzegilreagranzelga Elga, there is a bit of “classic mythical elf” trope in her.
Plus, she wields ancient artifact armor and weapon. Still, when it comes to today’s elves, they’re just so different from those who preceded them. Let me explain for a bit.
Today’s Elves Are Way More Relatable
Now this is “literally me!”Now, elves feel more like a group of people we could stumble upon anywhere, in random bars, perhaps. If anything, they are more relatable than ever. We might admire elves like Deedlit and Galadriel, but I see less way we can say, “she’s just like me” in them.
Some people are picky eaters, some are introverts who enjoy their figurines. Some would just hyperfixate on their hobby and by the time they “wake up” they’re already sixty, so are our elves in these anime I’ve mentioned.
Marcille from Dungeon MeshiFrieren, Marcille, and Elda are much more relatable. If we had to eat monster meat, of course, we would have the same reactions as Marcille’s. If we have lived for a thousand years, of course, we’d think of time differently, like Frieren. And for some people, spending the day the way Elda does, staying inside and not meeting anyone, sound like heaven.
What does raising their relatability do to elves? Does it simply make them more captivating to the audience? Are we taking advantage from the parasocial fans who get overly attached to the characters? Not really, in my humble opinion, making these elves more relatable means highlighting very human stories.
Humanizing The Long Ears Folk
Twelve more hours, please.The big thing with relatability is what kind of audience the anime is trying to bring in. We don’t live in a fantasy world, so of course, all the relatable problems will be humans problem.
Frieren touches themes of grief, death, and regret. Something heavy, yet every one of us will or have experienced them at one point in our lives. Despite that, this anime lightheartedly shows the usual daily life of hers. It adds to the relatability, after all.
By showing her not able to wake up early, fumbling the best man to ever lived, really makes her feels very human. After all, those are common issues that we have as regular people. Even if she’s supposed to be a thousand years old great mage, there is an imperfect side of her that we can all see, relate, and empathize.
Losing The Mythical Aura
If you tell people who don’t watch anime that this stuck-in-a-mimic-elf is the world’s savior, they’ll look at you weird.There is one downside in twisting the usual elf trope. In old stories, we mostly see them shrouded in a mythical aura. Take Skyrim for example, the high elves are the most attuned with magic, thus the Thalmor often see themselves to be superior to others. The dunmer, or dark elves, have to live with a curse after the event of Oblivion. And, the wood elves are a tribe of ritualistic cannibalism lorewise. There is so much lore to discover behind the elves of Tamriel.
There is something creepy yet enticing in each type of elves in Skyrim. The feeling that I get from them is like when I first learned about the lore of Predator and the blooding ritual, especially when it comes to the wood elves. It’s something that lacks or even outright nonexistent with the relatable elves.
Maybe, this is an inevitable trade-off. When we strip the myth out of fantasy characters, they’ll appear as the human who wrote them. If there is an anime that showcases the daily life of a mythical elf, the elf would have extremely different lifestyle and culture, rendering them to sound out of touch from humanities.
https://seinenrider.com/2024/02/17/the-elves-in-todays-anime/
#Anime #Frieren #TropesInAnime #animeTropes #fantasy #Elf #OtakuElf #DungeonMeshi #Deedlit #RecordOfLodossWar
-
Recently, I’ve been catching up on Dungeon Meshi, and I’ve been entertained by how Marcille reacts to Laios’ dietary ideas in the dungeon. Her panicky and rather frantic personality is so opposite of Frieren. As if it’s not apparent enough, each of them has their own quirks.
Frieren loves weird magic spells, procrastinate almost everything for months, and enjoy her own company. So much so, she was oblivious to Himmel’s attention years ago when they were in an adventuring party together. However, Frieren is still at least more sociable than Elda from Otaku Elf.
If we think about it, the elves in recent anime are far from the typical fantasy elves. Elves, in these past few seasons, have been receiving a new-found love in the community. Where the usual elves of fantasy world are often mystical, sacred, or even evilish in nature, what we’ve gotten so far are some of the quirkiest elves ever.
In anime and western media, they do have a bit of difference. I think anime elves are more playful compared to the other. This is true even in older anime. I finished watching Record of Lodoss War (the 1990 one) a few weeks ago, and in that anime there is the best anime elf so far, Deedlit. To me, she shows the best of a character with a charming personality blended in the typical elven myths and stories.
How Elves Are Usually Depicted Anyway?
Deedlit by Yutaka IzubuchiElves have been associated to mystical tropes since the earliest of its depiction in literature. As I was doing the research for this, what tickled me is that elves were thought to be the possible cause of a sudden twitching in an old English medical text.
The elves like we know today might be closer to those in Norse mythology. They even have terms for two contrasting type of elves, Dökkálfar (Dark Elves) and Ljósálfar (Light Elves). Just like in Record of Lodoss War with Deedlit who is a high elf, and Pirotess who is a dark elf.
Of course, modern media like anime takes inspiration from myths and folklore. But, some are more faithful to the olden legends, so to speak. For example, Cate Blanchett’s Galadriel in LOTR pretty much exudes the expected sacredness and beauty a traditional elf would have.
Tsundere Elf from Isekai OjisanHowever, anime is more playful with their idea of elves. There are no shortage of elves with the typical anime tropes like the tsundere. Take Elga from Isekai Ojisan for instance. She’s a tsundere, but with her full name Suzailgiererzegalnelvzegilreagranzelga Elga, there is a bit of “classic mythical elf” trope in her.
Plus, she wields ancient artifact armor and weapon. Still, when it comes to today’s elves, they’re just so different from those who preceded them. Let me explain for a bit.
Today’s Elves Are Way More Relatable
Now this is “literally me!”Now, elves feel more like a group of people we could stumble upon anywhere, in random bars, perhaps. If anything, they are more relatable than ever. We might admire elves like Deedlit and Galadriel, but I see less way we can say, “she’s just like me” in them.
Some people are picky eaters, some are introverts who enjoy their figurines. Some would just hyperfixate on their hobby and by the time they “wake up” they’re already sixty, so are our elves in these anime I’ve mentioned.
Marcille from Dungeon MeshiFrieren, Marcille, and Elda are much more relatable. If we had to eat monster meat, of course, we would have the same reactions as Marcille’s. If we have lived for a thousand years, of course, we’d think of time differently, like Frieren. And for some people, spending the day the way Elda does, staying inside and not meeting anyone, sound like heaven.
What does raising their relatability do to elves? Does it simply make them more captivating to the audience? Are we taking advantage from the parasocial fans who get overly attached to the characters? Not really, in my humble opinion, making these elves more relatable means highlighting very human stories.
Humanizing The Long Ears Folk
Twelve more hours, please.The big thing with relatability is what kind of audience the anime is trying to bring in. We don’t live in a fantasy world, so of course, all the relatable problems will be humans problem.
Frieren touches themes of grief, death, and regret. Something heavy, yet every one of us will or have experienced them at one point in our lives. Despite that, this anime lightheartedly shows the usual daily life of hers. It adds to the relatability, after all.
By showing her not able to wake up early, fumbling the best man to ever lived, really makes her feels very human. After all, those are common issues that we have as regular people. Even if she’s supposed to be a thousand years old great mage, there is an imperfect side of her that we can all see, relate, and empathize.
Losing The Mythical Aura
If you tell people who don’t watch anime that this stuck-in-a-mimic-elf is the world’s savior, they’ll look at you weird.There is one downside in twisting the usual elf trope. In old stories, we mostly see them shrouded in a mythical aura. Take Skyrim for example, the high elves are the most attuned with magic, thus the Thalmor often see themselves to be superior to others. The dunmer, or dark elves, have to live with a curse after the event of Oblivion. And, the wood elves are a tribe of ritualistic cannibalism lorewise. There is so much lore to discover behind the elves of Tamriel.
There is something creepy yet enticing in each type of elves in Skyrim. The feeling that I get from them is like when I first learned about the lore of Predator and the blooding ritual, especially when it comes to the wood elves. It’s something that lacks or even outright nonexistent with the relatable elves.
Maybe, this is an inevitable trade-off. When we strip the myth out of fantasy characters, they’ll appear as the human who wrote them. If there is an anime that showcases the daily life of a mythical elf, the elf would have extremely different lifestyle and culture, rendering them to sound out of touch from humanities.
https://seinenrider.com/2024/02/17/the-elves-in-todays-anime/
#Anime #animeTropes #Deedlit #DungeonMeshi #Elf #fantasy #Frieren #OtakuElf #RecordOfLodossWar #TropesInAnime
-
Recently, I’ve been catching up on Dungeon Meshi, and I’ve been entertained by how Marcille reacts to Laios’ dietary ideas in the dungeon. Her panicky and rather frantic personality is so opposite of Frieren. As if it’s not apparent enough, each of them has their own quirks.
Frieren loves weird magic spells, procrastinate almost everything for months, and enjoy her own company. So much so, she was oblivious to Himmel’s attention years ago when they were in an adventuring party together. However, Frieren is still at least more sociable than Elda from Otaku Elf.
If we think about it, the elves in recent anime are far from the typical fantasy elves. Elves, in these past few seasons, have been receiving a new-found love in the community. Where the usual elves of fantasy world are often mystical, sacred, or even evilish in nature, what we’ve gotten so far are some of the quirkiest elves ever.
In anime and western media, they do have a bit of difference. I think anime elves are more playful compared to the other. This is true even in older anime. I finished watching Record of Lodoss War (the 1990 one) a few weeks ago, and in that anime there is the best anime elf so far, Deedlit. To me, she shows the best of a character with a charming personality blended in the typical elven myths and stories.
How Elves Are Usually Depicted Anyway?
Deedlit by Yutaka IzubuchiElves have been associated to mystical tropes since the earliest of its depiction in literature. As I was doing the research for this, what tickled me is that elves were thought to be the possible cause of a sudden twitching in an old English medical text.
The elves like we know today might be closer to those in Norse mythology. They even have terms for two contrasting type of elves, Dökkálfar (Dark Elves) and Ljósálfar (Light Elves). Just like in Record of Lodoss War with Deedlit who is a high elf, and Pirotess who is a dark elf.
Of course, modern media like anime takes inspiration from myths and folklore. But, some are more faithful to the olden legends, so to speak. For example, Cate Blanchett’s Galadriel in LOTR pretty much exudes the expected sacredness and beauty a traditional elf would have.
Tsundere Elf from Isekai OjisanHowever, anime is more playful with their idea of elves. There are no shortage of elves with the typical anime tropes like the tsundere. Take Elga from Isekai Ojisan for instance. She’s a tsundere, but with her full name Suzailgiererzegalnelvzegilreagranzelga Elga, there is a bit of “classic mythical elf” trope in her.
Plus, she wields ancient artifact armor and weapon. Still, when it comes to today’s elves, they’re just so different from those who preceded them. Let me explain for a bit.
Today’s Elves Are Way More Relatable
Now this is “literally me!”Now, elves feel more like a group of people we could stumble upon anywhere, in random bars, perhaps. If anything, they are more relatable than ever. We might admire elves like Deedlit and Galadriel, but I see less way we can say, “she’s just like me” in them.
Some people are picky eaters, some are introverts who enjoy their figurines. Some would just hyperfixate on their hobby and by the time they “wake up” they’re already sixty, so are our elves in these anime I’ve mentioned.
Marcille from Dungeon MeshiFrieren, Marcille, and Elda are much more relatable. If we had to eat monster meat, of course, we would have the same reactions as Marcille’s. If we have lived for a thousand years, of course, we’d think of time differently, like Frieren. And for some people, spending the day the way Elda does, staying inside and not meeting anyone, sound like heaven.
What does raising their relatability do to elves? Does it simply make them more captivating to the audience? Are we taking advantage from the parasocial fans who get overly attached to the characters? Not really, in my humble opinion, making these elves more relatable means highlighting very human stories.
Humanizing The Long Ears Folk
Twelve more hours, please.The big thing with relatability is what kind of audience the anime is trying to bring in. We don’t live in a fantasy world, so of course, all the relatable problems will be humans problem.
Frieren touches themes of grief, death, and regret. Something heavy, yet every one of us will or have experienced them at one point in our lives. Despite that, this anime lightheartedly shows the usual daily life of hers. It adds to the relatability, after all.
By showing her not able to wake up early, fumbling the best man to ever lived, really makes her feels very human. After all, those are common issues that we have as regular people. Even if she’s supposed to be a thousand years old great mage, there is an imperfect side of her that we can all see, relate, and empathize.
Losing The Mythical Aura
If you tell people who don’t watch anime that this stuck-in-a-mimic-elf is the world’s savior, they’ll look at you weird.There is one downside in twisting the usual elf trope. In old stories, we mostly see them shrouded in a mythical aura. Take Skyrim for example, the high elves are the most attuned with magic, thus the Thalmor often see themselves to be superior to others. The dunmer, or dark elves, have to live with a curse after the event of Oblivion. And, the wood elves are a tribe of ritualistic cannibalism lorewise. There is so much lore to discover behind the elves of Tamriel.
There is something creepy yet enticing in each type of elves in Skyrim. The feeling that I get from them is like when I first learned about the lore of Predator and the blooding ritual, especially when it comes to the wood elves. It’s something that lacks or even outright nonexistent with the relatable elves.
Maybe, this is an inevitable trade-off. When we strip the myth out of fantasy characters, they’ll appear as the human who wrote them. If there is an anime that showcases the daily life of a mythical elf, the elf would have extremely different lifestyle and culture, rendering them to sound out of touch from humanities.
https://seinenrider.com/2024/02/17/the-elves-in-todays-anime/
#Anime #animeTropes #Deedlit #DungeonMeshi #Elf #fantasy #Frieren #OtakuElf #RecordOfLodossWar #TropesInAnime
-
This morning, I used DeepL and Grammarly to proofread English sentences for my mother’s emails to her acquaintances. Then, I needed help with using LLM to improve my vocabulary. Because sometimes it includes inappropriate words in specific contexts.
But I can always communicate here about my mundane daily life despite my complete and utter lack of English speaking ability, which is truly a miracle created by technology, including LLM. As you soon discover, I can’t speak or hear English when you talk to me. Having over 1100 followers on Fedi is something of a miracle for me. And I always think that all English-speaking people. You are doing yourself a great disservice by not being able to grasp how mediocre most of the rest of the non-English speaking world thinks and how close they are to you. The bias brought about by the fact that it is a foreign language is very significant.
The three best cloud services I found worth the money.
- Cloudflare Domain
- DeepL API Pro
- Grammarly Pro
I also loved McDonald’s, Apple, 7-Eleven, Costco, Uniqlo, SHEIN, Cup Noodles, TP-Link, Avira, and Nintendo, and I was unusually obsessed with the beauty of uniformed products everywhere.
While I was fiddling with my MacBook Air at my favorite cafe at lunchtime, news of Elon Musk’s addiction to illegal drugs popped up on my Firefish timeline.
Elon Musk Has Used Illegal Drugs, Worrying Leaders at Tesla and SpaceX
He’s the very definition of a malignant ADHD patient trying to maintain his axis of thought by resorting to unscientific folk remedies.
Maybe I am strongly biased, but I think all people who are suspected of having ADHD by their doctors but don’t try to treat it have some form of aggression. Acknowledging oneself as a person with a disability and receiving appropriate treatment is a path to goodwill that contributes to society. Let me confess. There was a time when I had evil thoughts, just like Elon Musk. I had indeed fallen to the dark side at that time.
By the way, Inkscape has a feature for downloading public domain SVG material collections. Has that been implemented since version 1.3.x? I looked for version 1.2.2 and couldn’t find it. Soon, I found it in File => Import Web Image.
Then, I thought of learning from the quality of Inkscape’s sample materials. Because truly skilled creators can create something with design and character using only basic shapes and public domain materials and make “copyright” out of nothing. One of my junior girls has a clear view of what constitutes creativity under copyright law. She has the aptitude to be an in-house designer. She understands some of what it means to be a designer.
Even if you subscribe to expensive Adobe products such as PhotoShop or Illustrator, if you cannot highly abstract what you see (i.e., compose richer, more memorable representations with less data size) using a combination of basic shapes and free transformations, then you cannot be an in-house designer because you cannot produce something with copyright, what I have learned through Western music composition.
Classical Western music composition is like a 4KB Megademo, a competition aiming to produce more storable information with a limited formula data size. The originality of creativity in metaphysics is the ability to abstract what the creator sees or hears with a lesser combination of formulas. The difference between art and design is irrelevant in this regard. Although there is a compositional style in contemporary music, the spectral school, which imitates the frequency spectrum in its scores, has a large data size for its formulas because its degree of abstraction is not based on the free deformation of basic figures, and for that, they are not aware of the amount of information that the human body can recognize and memorize, so they made a big mistake. In defining creativity in metaphysics, the question is how highly abstract it can be. Deep Learning can only replicate existing data in a form similar to them, not decompose it into a form suitable for cognitive science. Therefore, LLMs are not currently able to create. They only violate copyright. If you deny the importance of abstraction, there can be no art after LLM.
I have relative and absolute pitch sensitivity to distinguish a 0.2 Hz pitch difference in pitch in the 440 Hz hearing band. Yet, I never understood the philosophy of the spectral school of music because I want to be friendly to all humanity. For example, the common illustration language for all humanity today is SVG, not the paper canvases displayed in museums.
In an instant, I have dismissed the value of fine art, but I don’t care. I was such an extreme globalist and standardizer that the University of the Arts faculty severely disliked me. It is not Western music if we cannot play on Web Audio in Mozilla Firefox because it is not standardized for all humanity.
“Stop composing with sheet music!
We are creating for all nerds!”
Kotaro Miyasaka
I used to shout all those things.
And I have always loved living my life as an ordinary person. I didn’t want to be an artist. I wanted to be a modern office worker who could modify some Vue.js, TypeScript, and node.js source codes. I was always ADHD, always longing for ordinary people.
So, “What is a normal person?”
Let this be the subject of my journal discussion today.
“People should standardize.”
Kotaro Miyasaka
I posted on Fedi, and one of my friends shared the following link:
“#ProductManagement must standardize for #accessibility:”
Sam Panini
I love Cloudflare now. I want to be a receptionist at a Pokemon Center. Because they have servers and offices everywhere, and they work 24/7.
They are so standardized that they are my dream. Unify the world!However, I feel this way because their accessibility was of high quality!
Is it that products and services must be standardized to fit all the diverse users and not people forced to standardize?If so, why did I long to be an ordinary, healthy, non-ADHD person?
https://kotaromiyasaka.com/what-is-standardization/
#7Eleven #absolutepitch #accessibility #adhd #api #apple #art #avira #classicalmusic #copyright #costco #cupnoodles #deepl #design #domain #drugs #elonmusk #fediverse #firefish #grammarly #healthy #humanity #illustrator #inkscape #llm #mcdonalds #megademo #metaphysics #musicalcomposition #nintendo #nodeJs #normal #ordinary #photoshop #pokemon #proofread #server #shein #spectralmusic #standardization #tpLink #typescript #uniqlo #university #vueJs
-
This morning, I used DeepL and Grammarly to proofread English sentences for my mother’s emails to her acquaintances. Then, I needed help with using LLM to improve my vocabulary. Because sometimes it includes inappropriate words in specific contexts.
But I can always communicate here about my mundane daily life despite my complete and utter lack of English speaking ability, which is truly a miracle created by technology, including LLM. As you soon discover, I can’t speak or hear English when you talk to me. Having over 1100 followers on Fedi is something of a miracle for me. And I always think that all English-speaking people. You are doing yourself a great disservice by not being able to grasp how mediocre most of the rest of the non-English speaking world thinks and how close they are to you. The bias brought about by the fact that it is a foreign language is very significant.
The three best cloud services I found worth the money.
- Cloudflare Domain
- DeepL API Pro
- Grammarly Pro
I also loved McDonald’s, Apple, 7-Eleven, Costco, Uniqlo, SHEIN, Cup Noodles, TP-Link, Avira, and Nintendo, and I was unusually obsessed with the beauty of uniformed products everywhere.
While I was fiddling with my MacBook Air at my favorite cafe at lunchtime, news of Elon Musk’s addiction to illegal drugs popped up on my Firefish timeline.
Elon Musk Has Used Illegal Drugs, Worrying Leaders at Tesla and SpaceX
He’s the very definition of a malignant ADHD patient trying to maintain his axis of thought by resorting to unscientific folk remedies.
Maybe I am strongly biased, but I think all people who are suspected of having ADHD by their doctors but don’t try to treat it have some form of aggression. Acknowledging oneself as a person with a disability and receiving appropriate treatment is a path to goodwill that contributes to society. Let me confess. There was a time when I had evil thoughts, just like Elon Musk. I had indeed fallen to the dark side at that time.
By the way, Inkscape has a feature for downloading public domain SVG material collections. Has that been implemented since version 1.3.x? I looked for version 1.2.2 and couldn’t find it. Soon, I found it in File => Import Web Image.
Then, I thought of learning from the quality of Inkscape’s sample materials. Because truly skilled creators can create something with design and character using only basic shapes and public domain materials and make “copyright” out of nothing. One of my junior girls has a clear view of what constitutes creativity under copyright law. She has the aptitude to be an in-house designer. She understands some of what it means to be a designer.
Even if you subscribe to expensive Adobe products such as PhotoShop or Illustrator, if you cannot highly abstract what you see (i.e., compose richer, more memorable representations with less data size) using a combination of basic shapes and free transformations, then you cannot be an in-house designer because you cannot produce something with copyright, what I have learned through Western music composition.
Classical Western music composition is like a 4KB Megademo, a competition aiming to produce more storable information with a limited formula data size. The originality of creativity in metaphysics is the ability to abstract what the creator sees or hears with a lesser combination of formulas. The difference between art and design is irrelevant in this regard. Although there is a compositional style in contemporary music, the spectral school, which imitates the frequency spectrum in its scores, has a large data size for its formulas because its degree of abstraction is not based on the free deformation of basic figures, and for that, they are not aware of the amount of information that the human body can recognize and memorize, so they made a big mistake. In defining creativity in metaphysics, the question is how highly abstract it can be. Deep Learning can only replicate existing data in a form similar to them, not decompose it into a form suitable for cognitive science. Therefore, LLMs are not currently able to create. They only violate copyright. If you deny the importance of abstraction, there can be no art after LLM.
I have relative and absolute pitch sensitivity to distinguish a 0.2 Hz pitch difference in pitch in the 440 Hz hearing band. Yet, I never understood the philosophy of the spectral school of music because I want to be friendly to all humanity. For example, the common illustration language for all humanity today is SVG, not the paper canvases displayed in museums.
In an instant, I have dismissed the value of fine art, but I don’t care. I was such an extreme globalist and standardizer that the University of the Arts faculty severely disliked me. It is not Western music if we cannot play on Web Audio in Mozilla Firefox because it is not standardized for all humanity.
“Stop composing with sheet music!
We are creating for all nerds!”
Kotaro Miyasaka
I used to shout all those things.
And I have always loved living my life as an ordinary person. I didn’t want to be an artist. I wanted to be a modern office worker who could modify some Vue.js, TypeScript, and node.js source codes. I was always ADHD, always longing for ordinary people.
So, “What is a normal person?”
Let this be the subject of my journal discussion today.
“People should standardize.”
Kotaro Miyasaka
I posted on Fedi, and one of my friends shared the following link:
“#ProductManagement must standardize for #accessibility:”
Sam Panini
I love Cloudflare now. I want to be a receptionist at a Pokemon Center. Because they have servers and offices everywhere, and they work 24/7.
They are so standardized that they are my dream. Unify the world!However, I feel this way because their accessibility was of high quality!
Is it that products and services must be standardized to fit all the diverse users and not people forced to standardize?If so, why did I long to be an ordinary, healthy, non-ADHD person?
https://kotaromiyasaka.com/what-is-standardization/
#7Eleven #absolutepitch #accessibility #adhd #api #apple #art #avira #classicalmusic #copyright #costco #cupnoodles #deepl #design #domain #drugs #elonmusk #fediverse #firefish #grammarly #healthy #humanity #illustrator #inkscape #llm #mcdonalds #megademo #metaphysics #musicalcomposition #nintendo #nodeJs #normal #ordinary #photoshop #pokemon #proofread #server #shein #spectralmusic #standardization #tpLink #typescript #uniqlo #university #vueJs
-
This morning, I used DeepL and Grammarly to proofread English sentences for my mother’s emails to her acquaintances. Then, I needed help with using LLM to improve my vocabulary. Because sometimes it includes inappropriate words in specific contexts.
But I can always communicate here about my mundane daily life despite my complete and utter lack of English speaking ability, which is truly a miracle created by technology, including LLM. As you soon discover, I can’t speak or hear English when you talk to me. Having over 1100 followers on Fedi is something of a miracle for me. And I always think that all English-speaking people. You are doing yourself a great disservice by not being able to grasp how mediocre most of the rest of the non-English speaking world thinks and how close they are to you. The bias brought about by the fact that it is a foreign language is very significant.
The three best cloud services I found worth the money.
- Cloudflare Domain
- DeepL API Pro
- Grammarly Pro
I also loved McDonald’s, Apple, 7-Eleven, Costco, Uniqlo, SHEIN, Cup Noodles, TP-Link, Avira, and Nintendo, and I was unusually obsessed with the beauty of uniformed products everywhere.
While I was fiddling with my MacBook Air at my favorite cafe at lunchtime, news of Elon Musk’s addiction to illegal drugs popped up on my Firefish timeline.
Elon Musk Has Used Illegal Drugs, Worrying Leaders at Tesla and SpaceX
He’s the very definition of a malignant ADHD patient trying to maintain his axis of thought by resorting to unscientific folk remedies.
Maybe I am strongly biased, but I think all people who are suspected of having ADHD by their doctors but don’t try to treat it have some form of aggression. Acknowledging oneself as a person with a disability and receiving appropriate treatment is a path to goodwill that contributes to society. Let me confess. There was a time when I had evil thoughts, just like Elon Musk. I had indeed fallen to the dark side at that time.
By the way, Inkscape has a feature for downloading public domain SVG material collections. Has that been implemented since version 1.3.x? I looked for version 1.2.2 and couldn’t find it. Soon, I found it in File => Import Web Image.
Then, I thought of learning from the quality of Inkscape’s sample materials. Because truly skilled creators can create something with design and character using only basic shapes and public domain materials and make “copyright” out of nothing. One of my junior girls has a clear view of what constitutes creativity under copyright law. She has the aptitude to be an in-house designer. She understands some of what it means to be a designer.
Even if you subscribe to expensive Adobe products such as PhotoShop or Illustrator, if you cannot highly abstract what you see (i.e., compose richer, more memorable representations with less data size) using a combination of basic shapes and free transformations, then you cannot be an in-house designer because you cannot produce something with copyright, what I have learned through Western music composition.
Classical Western music composition is like a 4KB Megademo, a competition aiming to produce more storable information with a limited formula data size. The originality of creativity in metaphysics is the ability to abstract what the creator sees or hears with a lesser combination of formulas. The difference between art and design is irrelevant in this regard. Although there is a compositional style in contemporary music, the spectral school, which imitates the frequency spectrum in its scores, has a large data size for its formulas because its degree of abstraction is not based on the free deformation of basic figures, and for that, they are not aware of the amount of information that the human body can recognize and memorize, so they made a big mistake. In defining creativity in metaphysics, the question is how highly abstract it can be. Deep Learning can only replicate existing data in a form similar to them, not decompose it into a form suitable for cognitive science. Therefore, LLMs are not currently able to create. They only violate copyright. If you deny the importance of abstraction, there can be no art after LLM.
I have relative and absolute pitch sensitivity to distinguish a 0.2 Hz pitch difference in pitch in the 440 Hz hearing band. Yet, I never understood the philosophy of the spectral school of music because I want to be friendly to all humanity. For example, the common illustration language for all humanity today is SVG, not the paper canvases displayed in museums.
In an instant, I have dismissed the value of fine art, but I don’t care. I was such an extreme globalist and standardizer that the University of the Arts faculty severely disliked me. It is not Western music if we cannot play on Web Audio in Mozilla Firefox because it is not standardized for all humanity.
“Stop composing with sheet music!
We are creating for all nerds!”
Kotaro Miyasaka
I used to shout all those things.
And I have always loved living my life as an ordinary person. I didn’t want to be an artist. I wanted to be a modern office worker who could modify some Vue.js, TypeScript, and node.js source codes. I was always ADHD, always longing for ordinary people.
So, “What is a normal person?”
Let this be the subject of my journal discussion today.
“People should standardize.”
Kotaro Miyasaka
I posted on Fedi, and one of my friends shared the following link:
“#ProductManagement must standardize for #accessibility:”
Sam Panini
I love Cloudflare now. I want to be a receptionist at a Pokemon Center. Because they have servers and offices everywhere, and they work 24/7.
They are so standardized that they are my dream. Unify the world!However, I feel this way because their accessibility was of high quality!
Is it that products and services must be standardized to fit all the diverse users and not people forced to standardize?If so, why did I long to be an ordinary, healthy, non-ADHD person?
https://kotaromiyasaka.com/what-is-standardization/
#7Eleven #absolutepitch #accessibility #adhd #api #apple #art #avira #classicalmusic #copyright #costco #cupnoodles #deepl #design #domain #drugs #elonmusk #fediverse #firefish #grammarly #healthy #humanity #illustrator #inkscape #llm #mcdonalds #megademo #metaphysics #musicalcomposition #nintendo #nodeJs #normal #ordinary #photoshop #pokemon #proofread #server #shein #spectralmusic #standardization #tpLink #typescript #uniqlo #university #vueJs
-
Massen – Gentle Brutality [Things You Might Have Missed 2023]
By Kenstrosity
If you know me—and most of you should by now—you know that I love bands who fearlessly combine multiple genres into one pot. I want to be blown away by their exploratory vigor, dismissing all pretense of genre loyalty with gusto. Give me something that challenges my advanced ability to categorize and compartmentalize, and you are likely to garner an instant fan. Enter Massen, a Belarusian/German Frankenstein monster who unleashed one of the best records of the year, Gentle Brutality. ENERGY SYSTEM.
Imagine, if you would, what would happen if you smashed together Anaal Nathrakh‘s grindy, hooky extremity with Harm’s Way‘s and Dyscarnate‘s chunkiness, then dressed the result in a warm Silent Stream of Godless Elegy coat. That is essentially what Massen sound like, and let me tell you, it’s brilliant. Of all the things you could merge into one sound, this is one concoction I never expected. Yet, Gentle Brutality is pure magic, brutally heavy and unrelenting while simultaneously exuding a violin-led beauty that lures its audience towards the next indelible hook with unstoppable momentum. ENERGY SYSTEM.
Gentle Brutality’s immensity reveals itself early on in its forty-two minute runtime, with “Energy System” representing possibly the best opening track of 2023. Its ridiculously catchy verses and swaggering riffs are somehow overshadowed by the song’s bridge, featuring eponymous lyrics that I’ve been singing to myself every day, multiple times a day, for four months straight (so far). Then, I have the immense mid-album highlight “Askoma (Sorethroat),” which guarantees several fractures of my vertebrae in ten seconds or less, pounding skulls with the kind of groove that only diagnosed sociopaths have the emotional immunity to resist. Just when I think they can’t inject any more razor sharp hooks into Gentle Brutality, Massen shove another throbbing slab of grinding groove into my face with closer “Our Melody is Not Dead,” wrapping up the record with a resounding bang and leaving me wanting another round. ENERGY SYSTEM.
Immensity notwithstanding, Massen’s musicianship across the board are truly what make Gentle Brutality special. Stealing the show almost every time she features, vocalist and violinist Kara brings power and majesty into every second she gets the spotlight, transforming even the grindiest of Massen’s material into a jig-worthy romp brimming with vitality and emotion (“Corps de Ballet,” “Disgusted,” “Askoma (Sorethroat)”). That’s not to shortchange Alex “Aleerma” numerous contributions as primary death vocalist, guitarist, drummer, keyboardist and bassist. His monstrous roars characterize many of this record’s biggest hooks, and his and fellow guitarists Karymon’s and Eugene’s riffs, leads, and solos provide a palpable sense of force to each of Gentle Brutality’s eight tracks (but especially “Disgusted,” “Askoma (Sorethroat),” “Throwing the Stones,” and “Our Melody is Not Dead”). Even the softer quasi-ballad “Together Alone” succeeds as a result of this group’s collaborative efforts, giving me an excellent bit of belting to practice in the car. ENERGY SYSTEM.
Simply put, Massen are a relentless, unstoppable machine, seemingly incapable of putting a bad song on record. Gentle Brutality proves that beyond a shadow of doubt. No other record in 2023 sounds like it, and few reach the same standard of quality. Gentle Brutality is irresistible, and I can’t recommend it highly enough. ENERGY SYSTEM!
Tracks to Check Out: “ENERGY SYSTEM,” “Askoma (Sore Throat),” “Disgusted,” “Throwing the Stones”
#2023 #AnaalNathrakh #ApostasyRecords #BelarusianMetal #BlackMetal #DeathMetal #Deathgrind #Dyscarnate #GentleBrutality #GermanMetal #Grind #Grindcore #Hardcore #HarmSWay #Massen #MelodicBlackMetal #MelodicDeathMetal #Review #Reviews #SilentStreamOfGodlessElegy #ThingsYouMightHaveMissed #ThingsYouMightHaveMissed2023
-
Massen – Gentle Brutality [Things You Might Have Missed 2023]
By Kenstrosity
If you know me—and most of you should by now—you know that I love bands who fearlessly combine multiple genres into one pot. I want to be blown away by their exploratory vigor, dismissing all pretense of genre loyalty with gusto. Give me something that challenges my advanced ability to categorize and compartmentalize, and you are likely to garner an instant fan. Enter Massen, a Belarusian/German Frankenstein monster who unleashed one of the best records of the year, Gentle Brutality. ENERGY SYSTEM.
Imagine, if you would, what would happen if you smashed together Anaal Nathrakh‘s grindy, hooky extremity with Harm’s Way‘s and Dyscarnate‘s chunkiness, then dressed the result in a warm Silent Stream of Godless Elegy coat. That is essentially what Massen sound like, and let me tell you, it’s brilliant. Of all the things you could merge into one sound, this is one concoction I never expected. Yet, Gentle Brutality is pure magic, brutally heavy and unrelenting while simultaneously exuding a violin-led beauty that lures its audience towards the next indelible hook with unstoppable momentum. ENERGY SYSTEM.
Gentle Brutality’s immensity reveals itself early on in its forty-two minute runtime, with “Energy System” representing possibly the best opening track of 2023. Its ridiculously catchy verses and swaggering riffs are somehow overshadowed by the song’s bridge, featuring eponymous lyrics that I’ve been singing to myself every day, multiple times a day, for four months straight (so far). Then, I have the immense mid-album highlight “Askoma (Sorethroat),” which guarantees several fractures of my vertebrae in ten seconds or less, pounding skulls with the kind of groove that only diagnosed sociopaths have the emotional immunity to resist. Just when I think they can’t inject any more razor sharp hooks into Gentle Brutality, Massen shove another throbbing slab of grinding groove into my face with closer “Our Melody is Not Dead,” wrapping up the record with a resounding bang and leaving me wanting another round. ENERGY SYSTEM.
Immensity notwithstanding, Massen’s musicianship across the board are truly what make Gentle Brutality special. Stealing the show almost every time she features, vocalist and violinist Kara brings power and majesty into every second she gets the spotlight, transforming even the grindiest of Massen’s material into a jig-worthy romp brimming with vitality and emotion (“Corps de Ballet,” “Disgusted,” “Askoma (Sorethroat)”). That’s not to shortchange Alex “Aleerma” numerous contributions as primary death vocalist, guitarist, drummer, keyboardist and bassist. His monstrous roars characterize many of this record’s biggest hooks, and his and fellow guitarists Karymon’s and Eugene’s riffs, leads, and solos provide a palpable sense of force to each of Gentle Brutality’s eight tracks (but especially “Disgusted,” “Askoma (Sorethroat),” “Throwing the Stones,” and “Our Melody is Not Dead”). Even the softer quasi-ballad “Together Alone” succeeds as a result of this group’s collaborative efforts, giving me an excellent bit of belting to practice in the car. ENERGY SYSTEM.
Simply put, Massen are a relentless, unstoppable machine, seemingly incapable of putting a bad song on record. Gentle Brutality proves that beyond a shadow of doubt. No other record in 2023 sounds like it, and few reach the same standard of quality. Gentle Brutality is irresistible, and I can’t recommend it highly enough. ENERGY SYSTEM!
Tracks to Check Out: “ENERGY SYSTEM,” “Askoma (Sore Throat),” “Disgusted,” “Throwing the Stones”
#2023 #AnaalNathrakh #ApostasyRecords #BelarusianMetal #BlackMetal #DeathMetal #Deathgrind #Dyscarnate #GentleBrutality #GermanMetal #Grind #Grindcore #Hardcore #HarmSWay #Massen #MelodicBlackMetal #MelodicDeathMetal #Review #Reviews #SilentStreamOfGodlessElegy #ThingsYouMightHaveMissed #ThingsYouMightHaveMissed2023
-
.> I told my friend there was no such thing as a perfect story. I said in any case hers was an external view of things, this assumption that the trajectory of a person’s happiness, or let’s say fulfilment, had peaked (and now must trough) because she had accidentally stumbled upon ‘success’. It was premised on the unimaginative belief that wealth and fame were the mandatory stuff of everybody’s dreams.
.> You’ve lived too long in New York, I told her. There are other worlds. Other kinds of dreams. Dreams in which failure is feasible. Honourable. Sometimes even worth striving for. Worlds in which recognition is not the only barometer of brilliance or human worth. There are plenty of warriors whom I know and love, people far more valuable than myself, who go to war each day, knowing in advance that they will fail. True, they are less ‘successful’ in the most vulgar sense of the word, but by no means less fulfilled.
.> The only dream worth having, I told her, is to dream that you will live while you’re alive and die only when you’re dead. (Prescience? Perhaps.)
.> ‘Which means exactly what?’ (Arched eyebrows, a little annoyed.)
.> I tried to explain, but didn’t do a very good job of it. Sometimes I need to write to think. So I wrote it down for her on a paper napkin. This is what I wrote: To love. To be loved. To never forget your own insignificance. To never get used to the unspeakable violence and the vulgar disparity of life around you. To seek joy in the saddest places. To pursue beauty to its lair. To never simplify what is complicated or complicate what is simple. To respect strength, never power. Above all, to watch. To try and understand. To never look away. And never, never to forget.
#ArundhatiRoy #ArundhatiRoyOnFailure #Success #ArundhatiRoyOnSuccess in The End Of Imagination #TheEndOfImagination but I think I heard her say a lot of this in her conversation with Howard Zinn after the Come September speech. I found the quote in My Seditious Heart. #MySeditiousHeart -
.> I told my friend there was no such thing as a perfect story. I said in any case hers was an external view of things, this assumption that the trajectory of a person’s happiness, or let’s say fulfilment, had peaked (and now must trough) because she had accidentally stumbled upon ‘success’. It was premised on the unimaginative belief that wealth and fame were the mandatory stuff of everybody’s dreams.
.> You’ve lived too long in New York, I told her. There are other worlds. Other kinds of dreams. Dreams in which failure is feasible. Honourable. Sometimes even worth striving for. Worlds in which recognition is not the only barometer of brilliance or human worth. There are plenty of warriors whom I know and love, people far more valuable than myself, who go to war each day, knowing in advance that they will fail. True, they are less ‘successful’ in the most vulgar sense of the word, but by no means less fulfilled.
.> The only dream worth having, I told her, is to dream that you will live while you’re alive and die only when you’re dead. (Prescience? Perhaps.)
.> ‘Which means exactly what?’ (Arched eyebrows, a little annoyed.)
.> I tried to explain, but didn’t do a very good job of it. Sometimes I need to write to think. So I wrote it down for her on a paper napkin. This is what I wrote: To love. To be loved. To never forget your own insignificance. To never get used to the unspeakable violence and the vulgar disparity of life around you. To seek joy in the saddest places. To pursue beauty to its lair. To never simplify what is complicated or complicate what is simple. To respect strength, never power. Above all, to watch. To try and understand. To never look away. And never, never to forget.
#ArundhatiRoy #ArundhatiRoyOnFailure #Success #ArundhatiRoyOnSuccess in The End Of Imagination #TheEndOfImagination but I think I heard her say a lot of this in her conversation with Howard Zinn after the Come September speech. I found the quote in My Seditious Heart. #MySeditiousHeart -
.> I told my friend there was no such thing as a perfect story. I said in any case hers was an external view of things, this assumption that the trajectory of a person’s happiness, or let’s say fulfilment, had peaked (and now must trough) because she had accidentally stumbled upon ‘success’. It was premised on the unimaginative belief that wealth and fame were the mandatory stuff of everybody’s dreams.
.> You’ve lived too long in New York, I told her. There are other worlds. Other kinds of dreams. Dreams in which failure is feasible. Honourable. Sometimes even worth striving for. Worlds in which recognition is not the only barometer of brilliance or human worth. There are plenty of warriors whom I know and love, people far more valuable than myself, who go to war each day, knowing in advance that they will fail. True, they are less ‘successful’ in the most vulgar sense of the word, but by no means less fulfilled.
.> The only dream worth having, I told her, is to dream that you will live while you’re alive and die only when you’re dead. (Prescience? Perhaps.)
.> ‘Which means exactly what?’ (Arched eyebrows, a little annoyed.)
.> I tried to explain, but didn’t do a very good job of it. Sometimes I need to write to think. So I wrote it down for her on a paper napkin. This is what I wrote: To love. To be loved. To never forget your own insignificance. To never get used to the unspeakable violence and the vulgar disparity of life around you. To seek joy in the saddest places. To pursue beauty to its lair. To never simplify what is complicated or complicate what is simple. To respect strength, never power. Above all, to watch. To try and understand. To never look away. And never, never to forget.
#ArundhatiRoy #ArundhatiRoyOnFailure #Success #ArundhatiRoyOnSuccess in The End Of Imagination #TheEndOfImagination but I think I heard her say a lot of this in her conversation with Howard Zinn after the Come September speech. I found the quote in My Seditious Heart. #MySeditiousHeart -
.> I told my friend there was no such thing as a perfect story. I said in any case hers was an external view of things, this assumption that the trajectory of a person’s happiness, or let’s say fulfilment, had peaked (and now must trough) because she had accidentally stumbled upon ‘success’. It was premised on the unimaginative belief that wealth and fame were the mandatory stuff of everybody’s dreams.
.> You’ve lived too long in New York, I told her. There are other worlds. Other kinds of dreams. Dreams in which failure is feasible. Honourable. Sometimes even worth striving for. Worlds in which recognition is not the only barometer of brilliance or human worth. There are plenty of warriors whom I know and love, people far more valuable than myself, who go to war each day, knowing in advance that they will fail. True, they are less ‘successful’ in the most vulgar sense of the word, but by no means less fulfilled.
.> The only dream worth having, I told her, is to dream that you will live while you’re alive and die only when you’re dead. (Prescience? Perhaps.)
.> ‘Which means exactly what?’ (Arched eyebrows, a little annoyed.)
.> I tried to explain, but didn’t do a very good job of it. Sometimes I need to write to think. So I wrote it down for her on a paper napkin. This is what I wrote: To love. To be loved. To never forget your own insignificance. To never get used to the unspeakable violence and the vulgar disparity of life around you. To seek joy in the saddest places. To pursue beauty to its lair. To never simplify what is complicated or complicate what is simple. To respect strength, never power. Above all, to watch. To try and understand. To never look away. And never, never to forget.
#ArundhatiRoy #ArundhatiRoyOnFailure #Success #ArundhatiRoyOnSuccess in The End Of Imagination #TheEndOfImagination but I think I heard her say a lot of this in her conversation with Howard Zinn after the Come September speech. I found the quote in My Seditious Heart. #MySeditiousHeart -
.> I told my friend there was no such thing as a perfect story. I said in any case hers was an external view of things, this assumption that the trajectory of a person’s happiness, or let’s say fulfilment, had peaked (and now must trough) because she had accidentally stumbled upon ‘success’. It was premised on the unimaginative belief that wealth and fame were the mandatory stuff of everybody’s dreams.
.> You’ve lived too long in New York, I told her. There are other worlds. Other kinds of dreams. Dreams in which failure is feasible. Honourable. Sometimes even worth striving for. Worlds in which recognition is not the only barometer of brilliance or human worth. There are plenty of warriors whom I know and love, people far more valuable than myself, who go to war each day, knowing in advance that they will fail. True, they are less ‘successful’ in the most vulgar sense of the word, but by no means less fulfilled.
.> The only dream worth having, I told her, is to dream that you will live while you’re alive and die only when you’re dead. (Prescience? Perhaps.)
.> ‘Which means exactly what?’ (Arched eyebrows, a little annoyed.)
.> I tried to explain, but didn’t do a very good job of it. Sometimes I need to write to think. So I wrote it down for her on a paper napkin. This is what I wrote: To love. To be loved. To never forget your own insignificance. To never get used to the unspeakable violence and the vulgar disparity of life around you. To seek joy in the saddest places. To pursue beauty to its lair. To never simplify what is complicated or complicate what is simple. To respect strength, never power. Above all, to watch. To try and understand. To never look away. And never, never to forget.
#ArundhatiRoy #ArundhatiRoyOnFailure #Success #ArundhatiRoyOnSuccess in The End Of Imagination #TheEndOfImagination but I think I heard her say a lot of this in her conversation with Howard Zinn after the Come September speech. I found the quote in My Seditious Heart. #MySeditiousHeart -
Hello Fediverse. Here's my #introduction and welcome to it.
I'm a late #boomer and #eldergay living in the #PNW with my lovely and talented husband, Eric. We are both musicians and singers, though he makes a living at it while I have become a happy amateur, choosing instead to make my living tapping and cursoring about screens, mostly building signage to sell products I don't actually care much about. Still I love collaborating with creatives, making things and being good at what I do.
I'm a longtime #Mac fanboy, #InDesign and #Photoshop expert and #writer - mostly on the subject of sex, particularly between men. I often wish I'd pursued a career in sex research. Since I chose the arts, I instead created a podcast in which I could spout a few opinions and ask a ton of questions of people who understand sexuality in ways I don't, which is enormously fun.
Though it's been dormant a while, I produce The Heart of Jacks Podcast, and listening to it will tell you way more about me than any introduction. For example, I'm what's commonly considered an ethical slut, and I pursue a sort of mission to encourage people to find their way to authentic and joyful sexual expression that does what sex is fundamentally meant to do for humans: connect us meaningfully to ourselves and each other.
I operate a Mastodon instance that I will not name here and will not link to, because it is explicitly for the purpose of shamelessly sharing sensitive media. I intend to share thoughts, ideas and less-sensitive media here, and mainly find interesting interactions that require fewer CWs.
Things I believe:
Life is like most good games: a compelling combination of luck and skills.
"What seems to be coming at you is coming from you" —Jack Flanders
If you want it to be delicious, try adding butter.
Adult relationships require consistent, persistent effort.
"Every human being has a basic nature of goodness, which is undiluted and unconfused. That goodness contains tremendous gentleness and appreciation. As human beings we can make love. We can stroke someone with a gentle touch; we can kiss someone with gentle understanding. We can appreciate beauty. We can appreciate the best of this world. We can appreciate the yellowness of yellow, the redness of red, the greenness of green, the purpleness of purple. Our experience is real. And when we appreciate reality, it can actually work on us. We may have to get up in the morning after only a few hours’ sleep, but if we look out the window and see the sun shining, it can cheer us up. We can actually cure ourselves of depression if we recognize that the world we have is good." — Chögyam Trungpa -
Hello Fediverse. Here's my #introduction and welcome to it.
I'm a late #boomer and #eldergay living in the #PNW with my lovely and talented husband, Eric. We are both musicians and singers, though he makes a living at it while I have become a happy amateur, choosing instead to make my living tapping and cursoring about screens, mostly building signage to sell products I don't actually care much about. Still I love collaborating with creatives, making things and being good at what I do.
I'm a longtime #Mac fanboy, #InDesign and #Photoshop expert and #writer - mostly on the subject of sex, particularly between men. I often wish I'd pursued a career in sex research. Since I chose the arts, I instead created a podcast in which I could spout a few opinions and ask a ton of questions of people who understand sexuality in ways I don't, which is enormously fun.
Though it's been dormant a while, I produce The Heart of Jacks Podcast, and listening to it will tell you way more about me than any introduction. For example, I'm what's commonly considered an ethical slut, and I pursue a sort of mission to encourage people to find their way to authentic and joyful sexual expression that does what sex is fundamentally meant to do for humans: connect us meaningfully to ourselves and each other.
I operate a Mastodon instance that I will not name here and will not link to, because it is explicitly for the purpose of shamelessly sharing sensitive media. I intend to share thoughts, ideas and less-sensitive media here, and mainly find interesting interactions that require fewer CWs.
Things I believe:
Life is like most good games: a compelling combination of luck and skills.
"What seems to be coming at you is coming from you" —Jack Flanders
If you want it to be delicious, try adding butter.
Adult relationships require consistent, persistent effort.
"Every human being has a basic nature of goodness, which is undiluted and unconfused. That goodness contains tremendous gentleness and appreciation. As human beings we can make love. We can stroke someone with a gentle touch; we can kiss someone with gentle understanding. We can appreciate beauty. We can appreciate the best of this world. We can appreciate the yellowness of yellow, the redness of red, the greenness of green, the purpleness of purple. Our experience is real. And when we appreciate reality, it can actually work on us. We may have to get up in the morning after only a few hours’ sleep, but if we look out the window and see the sun shining, it can cheer us up. We can actually cure ourselves of depression if we recognize that the world we have is good." — Chögyam Trungpa -
Hello Fediverse. Here's my #introduction and welcome to it.
I'm a late #boomer and #eldergay living in the #PNW with my lovely and talented husband, Eric. We are both musicians and singers, though he makes a living at it while I have become a happy amateur, choosing instead to make my living tapping and cursoring about screens, mostly building signage to sell products I don't actually care much about. Still I love collaborating with creatives, making things and being good at what I do.
I'm a longtime #Mac fanboy, #InDesign and #Photoshop expert and #writer - mostly on the subject of sex, particularly between men. I often wish I'd pursued a career in sex research. Since I chose the arts, I instead created a podcast in which I could spout a few opinions and ask a ton of questions of people who understand sexuality in ways I don't, which is enormously fun.
Though it's been dormant a while, I produce The Heart of Jacks Podcast, and listening to it will tell you way more about me than any introduction. For example, I'm what's commonly considered an ethical slut, and I pursue a sort of mission to encourage people to find their way to authentic and joyful sexual expression that does what sex is fundamentally meant to do for humans: connect us meaningfully to ourselves and each other.
I operate a Mastodon instance that I will not name here and will not link to, because it is explicitly for the purpose of shamelessly sharing sensitive media. I intend to share thoughts, ideas and less-sensitive media here, and mainly find interesting interactions that require fewer CWs.
Things I believe:
Life is like most good games: a compelling combination of luck and skills.
"What seems to be coming at you is coming from you" —Jack Flanders
If you want it to be delicious, try adding butter.
Adult relationships require consistent, persistent effort.
"Every human being has a basic nature of goodness, which is undiluted and unconfused. That goodness contains tremendous gentleness and appreciation. As human beings we can make love. We can stroke someone with a gentle touch; we can kiss someone with gentle understanding. We can appreciate beauty. We can appreciate the best of this world. We can appreciate the yellowness of yellow, the redness of red, the greenness of green, the purpleness of purple. Our experience is real. And when we appreciate reality, it can actually work on us. We may have to get up in the morning after only a few hours’ sleep, but if we look out the window and see the sun shining, it can cheer us up. We can actually cure ourselves of depression if we recognize that the world we have is good." — Chögyam Trungpa -
Hello Fediverse. Here's my #introduction and welcome to it.
I'm a late #boomer and #eldergay living in the #PNW with my lovely and talented husband, Eric. We are both musicians and singers, though he makes a living at it while I have become a happy amateur, choosing instead to make my living tapping and cursoring about screens, mostly building signage to sell products I don't actually care much about. Still I love collaborating with creatives, making things and being good at what I do.
I'm a longtime #Mac fanboy, #InDesign and #Photoshop expert and #writer - mostly on the subject of sex, particularly between men. I often wish I'd pursued a career in sex research. Since I chose the arts, I instead created a podcast in which I could spout a few opinions and ask a ton of questions of people who understand sexuality in ways I don't, which is enormously fun.
Though it's been dormant a while, I produce The Heart of Jacks Podcast, and listening to it will tell you way more about me than any introduction. For example, I'm what's commonly considered an ethical slut, and I pursue a sort of mission to encourage people to find their way to authentic and joyful sexual expression that does what sex is fundamentally meant to do for humans: connect us meaningfully to ourselves and each other.
I operate a Mastodon instance that I will not name here and will not link to, because it is explicitly for the purpose of shamelessly sharing sensitive media. I intend to share thoughts, ideas and less-sensitive media here, and mainly find interesting interactions that require fewer CWs.
Things I believe:
Life is like most good games: a compelling combination of luck and skills.
"What seems to be coming at you is coming from you" —Jack Flanders
If you want it to be delicious, try adding butter.
Adult relationships require consistent, persistent effort.
"Every human being has a basic nature of goodness, which is undiluted and unconfused. That goodness contains tremendous gentleness and appreciation. As human beings we can make love. We can stroke someone with a gentle touch; we can kiss someone with gentle understanding. We can appreciate beauty. We can appreciate the best of this world. We can appreciate the yellowness of yellow, the redness of red, the greenness of green, the purpleness of purple. Our experience is real. And when we appreciate reality, it can actually work on us. We may have to get up in the morning after only a few hours’ sleep, but if we look out the window and see the sun shining, it can cheer us up. We can actually cure ourselves of depression if we recognize that the world we have is good." — Chögyam Trungpa -
Hello Fediverse. Here's my #introduction and welcome to it.
I'm a late #boomer and #eldergay living in the #PNW with my lovely and talented husband, Eric. We are both musicians and singers, though he makes a living at it while I have become a happy amateur, choosing instead to make my living tapping and cursoring about screens, mostly building signage to sell products I don't actually care much about. Still I love collaborating with creatives, making things and being good at what I do.
I'm a longtime #Mac fanboy, #InDesign and #Photoshop expert and #writer - mostly on the subject of sex, particularly between men. I often wish I'd pursued a career in sex research. Since I chose the arts, I instead created a podcast in which I could spout a few opinions and ask a ton of questions of people who understand sexuality in ways I don't, which is enormously fun.
Though it's been dormant a while, I produce The Heart of Jacks Podcast, and listening to it will tell you way more about me than any introduction. For example, I'm what's commonly considered an ethical slut, and I pursue a sort of mission to encourage people to find their way to authentic and joyful sexual expression that does what sex is fundamentally meant to do for humans: connect us meaningfully to ourselves and each other.
I operate a Mastodon instance that I will not name here and will not link to, because it is explicitly for the purpose of shamelessly sharing sensitive media. I intend to share thoughts, ideas and less-sensitive media here, and mainly find interesting interactions that require fewer CWs.
Things I believe:
Life is like most good games: a compelling combination of luck and skills.
"What seems to be coming at you is coming from you" —Jack Flanders
If you want it to be delicious, try adding butter.
Adult relationships require consistent, persistent effort.
"Every human being has a basic nature of goodness, which is undiluted and unconfused. That goodness contains tremendous gentleness and appreciation. As human beings we can make love. We can stroke someone with a gentle touch; we can kiss someone with gentle understanding. We can appreciate beauty. We can appreciate the best of this world. We can appreciate the yellowness of yellow, the redness of red, the greenness of green, the purpleness of purple. Our experience is real. And when we appreciate reality, it can actually work on us. We may have to get up in the morning after only a few hours’ sleep, but if we look out the window and see the sun shining, it can cheer us up. We can actually cure ourselves of depression if we recognize that the world we have is good." — Chögyam Trungpa