Now that Christmas has passed, 'tis the season for New Year's resolutions. And as per usual, I have a few casual suggestions to offer. This year, try nixing the hackneyed vows to lose weight or exercise more, and strive for something a bit more specific. A friend of mine, for example, is swearing off of processed foods for the month of January. (For the ultimate challenge, try avoiding all genetically modified food products). But don't feel limited to dietary revisions this year. There's a whole host of creative goals ripe for the picking in 2011. Here are just a few suggestions:
-Plant a garden
-Run a local footrace
-Pick up an instrument
-Get more plants in your diet
-Ditch the desserts for a period
-Support your local economy
-Plan a wilderness escape
-Find a new favorite genre of music
-Be especially kind to strangers
-Give to a non-profit that tickles your fancy
-Read books that expand your interests
-Knit a sweater for someone
-Experiment with ethnic foods
Basically, just do something that will make your world, or someone else's a better place this year. Get out there and live.
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Looking For New Music?
Tired of listening to the same old music? Think it's time to spice things up a bit? Well, now is the perfect time to head over to Metalsucks.net and take advantage of the myriad Year's Best lists they're currently cranking out. There's a ton of creative stuff you will have assuredly overlooked during the course of a year. So go have a blast sifting through the wealth of fucking sweet metal (and a healthy sprinkling of other genres).
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
A Book Review of Sorts
I recently and unwittingly picked up a book that entirely changed my perception of 'wilderness.' This book, David Oates' Paradise Wild, was simply another inconspicuous component of the domino-ing library shelves. It mere chance that I singled it out and skimmed over the synopsis. Gay ex-Baptist mountaineer with a degree in Victorian Literature? Color me interested. I thought such a perspective might have something unique to offer, after all, no such narrative had crossed my path ever before. So I absconded with the volume into the refuge of the Allen Reading Room, a glass-plated sanctuary already brimming with students anticipating the guillotine of remaining finals. There I came to rest in a decent comfortable armchair that was located perhaps uncomfortably to another reader who accepted my presence grudgingly. What follows comes directly from the unassuming pages of said book. I have no creative spin to put on the content. I simply find the ideas to be rather enriching and certainly worth sharing.
The focus of the few chapters I've devoured so far has been humanity's false dichotomy between wilderness and civilization. It is commonly thought that man and nature are two mutually exclusive entities. Wherever we go, the integrity of the land disappears. If a man has laid tracks in a previously unexplored land, it seems to lose some of its original awe-inspiring power. We tend to characterize wilderness as an untouched Eden, something that exists entirely outside of our existences. Oates' argument, however, is that this Eden has practically never existed. Man has almost always had a hand in shaping in what we think of as unadulterated nature. His main example here are the Native Americans. Far more populous before contact with European diseases that were so lovingly conferred, Native Americans had been tending to the 'wilderness' for centuries. What the colonists saw upon arrival was actually the result of active management techniques such as controlled burns and the like. There just weren't many Indians around to show for it at the time. The point being: man has historically lived in concert with what we perceive as wilderness. As such, Oates demands a new definition of the term. What he comes up with though, is more of a philosophy.
Oates posits that instead of incessantly striving after an ever-shrinking and idealized wilderness, we should embrace the wildness of life. This is something very different. It is something that is even domestically attainable. Since we humans are animals too, we cannot separate ourselves from the unpredictability of living in a natural world. We tend to sand all the corners we can, but we what we really need is the occasional jab to remind us of what cannot be tamed. This wildness is recognizing that some things are beyond our control. After all, that's what our forays into the wild are all about: losing ourselves in the majesty of things unknowable. Nonetheless, Oates rattles out a diatribe of sorts against the perversion of this ideal. Those who profess their deepest love for wilderness often come to treat it as a collectible. Instead of finding shelter in its profundity, it has become a matter of "How many peaks can I climb in as many days?" or "I've been to every national park in the continental United States and have the patches to show for it." In the end, our wildernesses come off as wholly misinterpreted by even those who demand its preservation most. With its popularity comes a systematic degradation. The old paradox of destroying what you love. How can you escape into the unfettered beauty of the natural world when you're following a well-defined trail, accompanied by dozens of other like-minded folk. I think this is an issue we've all encountered. Coming across another hiker deep in the woods or high up a mountain, you secretly decry them for marring the purity of your communion with nature. It becomes a matter of proprietorship. But this is certainly not how we should treat our environment. And thus it comes down to the fact that we need to reshape our relationship to 'wilderness' and even how it is defined.
So I'm only about 35 pages into the book so far. I think that was an accurate enough summation of themes. We'll see what other revelations may be in store. I definitely recommend it from some enlightening reading. The whole concept of inner wildness versus wilderness was rather profound for me. It'll certainly lend a bit of perspective to my next jaunt through Pt. Reyes. I had already been contemplating the implications of its congestion, struggling to find paths less-trodden, but now I'm seeing our entirely perception needs to change. I don't think any of intend to abuse what we so love. But we need to inform our love with this tidbit of philosophical perspective. So tread lightly fellow adventurers, and consider the reasons why we go into nature in the first place. Should it be for bragging rights, or something more profound and difficult to define? Oates would argue the latter. He would also note that this somewhat ambiguous 'wildness' is available more locally than we might imagine. To make a bit of a connection, I think it's fair to say that this sort of wildness thrives in music, and in metal especially. The chaos of metal is one of the reasons I love it so much. It taps into something a bit more primal and unrestrained. So yeah. There's that for you.
And just for kicks:
The focus of the few chapters I've devoured so far has been humanity's false dichotomy between wilderness and civilization. It is commonly thought that man and nature are two mutually exclusive entities. Wherever we go, the integrity of the land disappears. If a man has laid tracks in a previously unexplored land, it seems to lose some of its original awe-inspiring power. We tend to characterize wilderness as an untouched Eden, something that exists entirely outside of our existences. Oates' argument, however, is that this Eden has practically never existed. Man has almost always had a hand in shaping in what we think of as unadulterated nature. His main example here are the Native Americans. Far more populous before contact with European diseases that were so lovingly conferred, Native Americans had been tending to the 'wilderness' for centuries. What the colonists saw upon arrival was actually the result of active management techniques such as controlled burns and the like. There just weren't many Indians around to show for it at the time. The point being: man has historically lived in concert with what we perceive as wilderness. As such, Oates demands a new definition of the term. What he comes up with though, is more of a philosophy.
Oates posits that instead of incessantly striving after an ever-shrinking and idealized wilderness, we should embrace the wildness of life. This is something very different. It is something that is even domestically attainable. Since we humans are animals too, we cannot separate ourselves from the unpredictability of living in a natural world. We tend to sand all the corners we can, but we what we really need is the occasional jab to remind us of what cannot be tamed. This wildness is recognizing that some things are beyond our control. After all, that's what our forays into the wild are all about: losing ourselves in the majesty of things unknowable. Nonetheless, Oates rattles out a diatribe of sorts against the perversion of this ideal. Those who profess their deepest love for wilderness often come to treat it as a collectible. Instead of finding shelter in its profundity, it has become a matter of "How many peaks can I climb in as many days?" or "I've been to every national park in the continental United States and have the patches to show for it." In the end, our wildernesses come off as wholly misinterpreted by even those who demand its preservation most. With its popularity comes a systematic degradation. The old paradox of destroying what you love. How can you escape into the unfettered beauty of the natural world when you're following a well-defined trail, accompanied by dozens of other like-minded folk. I think this is an issue we've all encountered. Coming across another hiker deep in the woods or high up a mountain, you secretly decry them for marring the purity of your communion with nature. It becomes a matter of proprietorship. But this is certainly not how we should treat our environment. And thus it comes down to the fact that we need to reshape our relationship to 'wilderness' and even how it is defined.
So I'm only about 35 pages into the book so far. I think that was an accurate enough summation of themes. We'll see what other revelations may be in store. I definitely recommend it from some enlightening reading. The whole concept of inner wildness versus wilderness was rather profound for me. It'll certainly lend a bit of perspective to my next jaunt through Pt. Reyes. I had already been contemplating the implications of its congestion, struggling to find paths less-trodden, but now I'm seeing our entirely perception needs to change. I don't think any of intend to abuse what we so love. But we need to inform our love with this tidbit of philosophical perspective. So tread lightly fellow adventurers, and consider the reasons why we go into nature in the first place. Should it be for bragging rights, or something more profound and difficult to define? Oates would argue the latter. He would also note that this somewhat ambiguous 'wildness' is available more locally than we might imagine. To make a bit of a connection, I think it's fair to say that this sort of wildness thrives in music, and in metal especially. The chaos of metal is one of the reasons I love it so much. It taps into something a bit more primal and unrestrained. So yeah. There's that for you.
And just for kicks:
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Filler
Since it's crunch time for the first semester of my college career, I've been a little busy. I haven't felt as though I could do all of you the justice of my full intellectual attention. Most of that has been sapped by essays and studying and so on. As such, I offer you some filler. Take a minute to stare at these pretty images with perhaps not-so-pretty sounds accompanying them. Some may contain subtle messages. And some might just be fucking awesome.
Friday, December 3, 2010
Required Readings
So I know the day is almost over, but I just realized that today is the 50 year anniversary of Wallace Stegner's Wilderness Letter. I assume that most members of my generation have never even heard of this document. I hadn't until recently either. But it is a vastly important piece of literature in American environmentalism and we should be thankful for people like Stegner. Let's hope we can find more like him.
Read The Wilderness Letter here: http://wilderness.org/content/wilderness-letter
Read The Wilderness Letter here: http://wilderness.org/content/wilderness-letter
America's Nutritional Nightmare
Consider this bit of ancient wisdom:
"Let thy food be thy medicine and thy medicine be thy food." -Hippocrates (460-377 B.C.)
This tidbit of advice comes from none other than the bona fide father of western medicine. That thing called the Hippocratic oath that doctors take? Yeah, he came up with that. Unfortunately, that is largely where the similarities disappear in today's medical practices. We have clearly diverged from essential Hippocratic ideals. Instead of preventing ailments through proper nutrition and exercise, or proactively seeking nature's remedies, we have put all of our faith in pills, pediatricians and procedures. Common illnesses can all too often be staved off by healthy diet. Instead, however, they have come to necessitate costly visits to the doctor, further encumbering an already teetering system. The truth is, we have the capacity to be our own doctors. All it takes is an objective look at our personal diets and habits. What we put into our bodies largely accounts for our mood, our energy, our appearance, everything. All calories are not created equal. Yes, it is simply a unit of energy, but it is too simplified of a reduction. The expedience of fast and processed foods are often devoid of accompanying essential nutrients. They may be more than enough to fill us up, but they're not doing our bodies any good. These various nutritional deficits accumulate day after day, leaving massive debts in the functioning of our immune systems and the like.
The modern American diet is not geared towards health. The shocking prevalence of obesity, diabetes, heart disease among other such afflictions certainly speaks to that fact. And then we wonder why healthcare is so expensive. We could unburden a large part of the system if only we would feed ourselves responsibly (This is to say nothing of the environmental implications discussed in previous posts). This means returning our diets to the bounty of nature. Instead of sucking down Nyquil next cold season, prevent its very onset by upping your intake of vitamin C. Oranges and broccoli (perhaps a surprising source of vitamin C) are here to take care of us. For added health, bolster your immune system with some sweet antioxidants from blueberries or cranberries. Or try some beta-carotene from squash, carrots or sweet potatoes. Fruits and vegetables are a metaphorical goldmine of benefits. All it takes is a little reading up on the stuff. You'll be amazed at what your food can do.
We have all the science behind these foods, and we have tremendous, often year-round availability of them, so why is America still eating itself sick? I think a lot of it has to do with a lack of perspective. Many might protest the fact that healthy foods costs more. Yet consider the amount of money potentially saved on health care if you were to properly care for yourself. And shouldn't the quality of your life and that of your kids be something worth investing in? From personal experience, I've been living in a residence hall full of sick college students for months now, and I believe it is my diet that has kept me from getting sick once thus far. Even with the snow and runny noses setting in. Basically, it only makes sense to ditch the processed crap and go with what nature intended for us to eat.
There's also a bit of conspiracy theory to consider along with all of this as well. Or maybe it's simply a matter of economics. Either way, we need to factor in the power of the pharmaceutical industry. This billion dollar industry thrives on sick Americans; pumping us full of pills and constantly keeping us coming back for more. There's hardly any emphasis on preventative measures. The advances of modern medicine allow us to treat damn near anything, but there isn't education enough about why these illnesses are occurring in the first place. There have been studies done, for example, as far back as decades ago that show the effectiveness of megadoses of vitamin C. The stuff is practically a cure-all. But the idea never seemed to catch on in the medical world. Instead, we're stuck with a laundry list of bizarre chemical cocktails prescribed for the most mundane of ills. The healing properties of nature have long since been forgotten. But we could really skip all the danger and the dollars if we took care of ourselves in the first place. We ultimately are what we eat; it influences much more than just a waistline. There are implications that can be measured in billions of dollars. We need to wake up from this nutritional nightmare.
Healthcare should start every day with breakfast.
Relatedly,
"Let thy food be thy medicine and thy medicine be thy food." -Hippocrates (460-377 B.C.)
This tidbit of advice comes from none other than the bona fide father of western medicine. That thing called the Hippocratic oath that doctors take? Yeah, he came up with that. Unfortunately, that is largely where the similarities disappear in today's medical practices. We have clearly diverged from essential Hippocratic ideals. Instead of preventing ailments through proper nutrition and exercise, or proactively seeking nature's remedies, we have put all of our faith in pills, pediatricians and procedures. Common illnesses can all too often be staved off by healthy diet. Instead, however, they have come to necessitate costly visits to the doctor, further encumbering an already teetering system. The truth is, we have the capacity to be our own doctors. All it takes is an objective look at our personal diets and habits. What we put into our bodies largely accounts for our mood, our energy, our appearance, everything. All calories are not created equal. Yes, it is simply a unit of energy, but it is too simplified of a reduction. The expedience of fast and processed foods are often devoid of accompanying essential nutrients. They may be more than enough to fill us up, but they're not doing our bodies any good. These various nutritional deficits accumulate day after day, leaving massive debts in the functioning of our immune systems and the like.
The modern American diet is not geared towards health. The shocking prevalence of obesity, diabetes, heart disease among other such afflictions certainly speaks to that fact. And then we wonder why healthcare is so expensive. We could unburden a large part of the system if only we would feed ourselves responsibly (This is to say nothing of the environmental implications discussed in previous posts). This means returning our diets to the bounty of nature. Instead of sucking down Nyquil next cold season, prevent its very onset by upping your intake of vitamin C. Oranges and broccoli (perhaps a surprising source of vitamin C) are here to take care of us. For added health, bolster your immune system with some sweet antioxidants from blueberries or cranberries. Or try some beta-carotene from squash, carrots or sweet potatoes. Fruits and vegetables are a metaphorical goldmine of benefits. All it takes is a little reading up on the stuff. You'll be amazed at what your food can do.
We have all the science behind these foods, and we have tremendous, often year-round availability of them, so why is America still eating itself sick? I think a lot of it has to do with a lack of perspective. Many might protest the fact that healthy foods costs more. Yet consider the amount of money potentially saved on health care if you were to properly care for yourself. And shouldn't the quality of your life and that of your kids be something worth investing in? From personal experience, I've been living in a residence hall full of sick college students for months now, and I believe it is my diet that has kept me from getting sick once thus far. Even with the snow and runny noses setting in. Basically, it only makes sense to ditch the processed crap and go with what nature intended for us to eat.
There's also a bit of conspiracy theory to consider along with all of this as well. Or maybe it's simply a matter of economics. Either way, we need to factor in the power of the pharmaceutical industry. This billion dollar industry thrives on sick Americans; pumping us full of pills and constantly keeping us coming back for more. There's hardly any emphasis on preventative measures. The advances of modern medicine allow us to treat damn near anything, but there isn't education enough about why these illnesses are occurring in the first place. There have been studies done, for example, as far back as decades ago that show the effectiveness of megadoses of vitamin C. The stuff is practically a cure-all. But the idea never seemed to catch on in the medical world. Instead, we're stuck with a laundry list of bizarre chemical cocktails prescribed for the most mundane of ills. The healing properties of nature have long since been forgotten. But we could really skip all the danger and the dollars if we took care of ourselves in the first place. We ultimately are what we eat; it influences much more than just a waistline. There are implications that can be measured in billions of dollars. We need to wake up from this nutritional nightmare.
Healthcare should start every day with breakfast.
Relatedly,
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Death Metal, Black Metal, Doom Metal... Green Metal?
In order to show that I am not completely cracked, and that other individuals have indeed also combined the themes of extreme music and environmentalism, here are a few eco-orientated brutalizers.
First up: Gojira. Perhaps the greatest thing ever to come from France.
These avant-garde death metallers have never been shy about their allegiance to Terra Incognita. With song titles like 'Toxic Garbage Island,' 'Embrace the World,' or 'In the Wilderness,' the message comes across fairly clearly; even if Joe Duplantier's growls are occasionally difficult to decipher. Although by death metal standards he's fairly intelligible. Anyways, the point is that these Frenchmen have incorporated environmental activism into their incredibly heavy music. (Their music has often been lovingly compared to the sound of elephants marching). And to add to their lyrical environmentalism, Gojira has been quite involved in the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. You know, those guys who go out and ram whaling boats in hopes of disabling them. Badass stuff like that. Gojira is currently in the process of recording a new EP, the proceeds of which will go towards the Society. If I'm not mistaken, the Society may even have a boat named after Gojira. Pretty awesome right?
http://www.myspace.com/gojira
Next we have the always family-friendly Cattle Decapitation.
This San Diego squad of vegans and vegetarians have come to embrace shock tactics as a means to spread their eco-agenda. The name, as you can imagine, is decidedly facetious. Their latest album, The Harvest Floor, is a concept album of sorts. The idea is to reverse humanity's relationship with beef cattle, such that we are the ones unwittingly being lead to slaughter. It's a bit over the top, but it's certainly an interesting thought experiment. There's no mistaking that Cattle Decapitation have strong opinions on animal rights. Vocalist Travis Ryan may gurgle, burp and squeal the most inhuman sounds you've ever encountered, but the lyrics assuredly contain potent condemnations of mankind's perverse relationship to animals.
http://www.myspace.com/cattledecapitation
Finally, we have the eerie and reclusive Wolves In The Throne Room.
Mystical, nature-worshiping black metal is most often considered to be the product of gloomy Scandinavian countries. Nonetheless, these pagans bizarrely hail from the great state of Washington. I suppose wherever you find dense old-growth forests, you're bound to find clandestine gatherings of spiritual black-metallers. Wolves In The Throne Room, fittingly enough, often play shows in remote natural settings, often with little publicity. It's kind of their thing. Even more interesting, however, is the fact that members of the band purchased a farm, and are currently attempting to carve out an entirely self-sufficiently lifestyle off the grid for themselves. They may profess wacky ideals about eco-spirituality and eco-anarchism, but if they're practicing biodynamic farming and playing black metal, I'm cool with it.
www.myspace.com/wolvesinthethroneroom
So there you have it. Just a few examples of when metal and environmentalism bear a lovechild.
Like this blog itself.
First up: Gojira. Perhaps the greatest thing ever to come from France.
These avant-garde death metallers have never been shy about their allegiance to Terra Incognita. With song titles like 'Toxic Garbage Island,' 'Embrace the World,' or 'In the Wilderness,' the message comes across fairly clearly; even if Joe Duplantier's growls are occasionally difficult to decipher. Although by death metal standards he's fairly intelligible. Anyways, the point is that these Frenchmen have incorporated environmental activism into their incredibly heavy music. (Their music has often been lovingly compared to the sound of elephants marching). And to add to their lyrical environmentalism, Gojira has been quite involved in the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. You know, those guys who go out and ram whaling boats in hopes of disabling them. Badass stuff like that. Gojira is currently in the process of recording a new EP, the proceeds of which will go towards the Society. If I'm not mistaken, the Society may even have a boat named after Gojira. Pretty awesome right?
http://www.myspace.com/gojira
Next we have the always family-friendly Cattle Decapitation.
This San Diego squad of vegans and vegetarians have come to embrace shock tactics as a means to spread their eco-agenda. The name, as you can imagine, is decidedly facetious. Their latest album, The Harvest Floor, is a concept album of sorts. The idea is to reverse humanity's relationship with beef cattle, such that we are the ones unwittingly being lead to slaughter. It's a bit over the top, but it's certainly an interesting thought experiment. There's no mistaking that Cattle Decapitation have strong opinions on animal rights. Vocalist Travis Ryan may gurgle, burp and squeal the most inhuman sounds you've ever encountered, but the lyrics assuredly contain potent condemnations of mankind's perverse relationship to animals.
http://www.myspace.com/cattledecapitation
Finally, we have the eerie and reclusive Wolves In The Throne Room.
Mystical, nature-worshiping black metal is most often considered to be the product of gloomy Scandinavian countries. Nonetheless, these pagans bizarrely hail from the great state of Washington. I suppose wherever you find dense old-growth forests, you're bound to find clandestine gatherings of spiritual black-metallers. Wolves In The Throne Room, fittingly enough, often play shows in remote natural settings, often with little publicity. It's kind of their thing. Even more interesting, however, is the fact that members of the band purchased a farm, and are currently attempting to carve out an entirely self-sufficiently lifestyle off the grid for themselves. They may profess wacky ideals about eco-spirituality and eco-anarchism, but if they're practicing biodynamic farming and playing black metal, I'm cool with it.
www.myspace.com/wolvesinthethroneroom
So there you have it. Just a few examples of when metal and environmentalism bear a lovechild.
Like this blog itself.
Monday, November 29, 2010
A Lesson In 'Local'
Because I can basically write about whatever I want here, I am going to abuse that privilege in order to plug a local Norcal band, Native Shores. These ambitious young lads are banging out some pretty top-notch metalcore br00tality that I've come to rather enjoy. They are currently unsigned, but certainly worth a listen. Not that I expect industry executives to be combing this corner of the interweb, it's just that their music is certifiably much better than the dreck that the music industry seems to enjoy producing at present.
But don't worry, this isn't simply mindless publicity, it all ties into the idea of ecology as well.
You see, ecology is all about community. It is by definition the interaction of organisms with their environment. We share our experiences, our creativity, our very lives with those around us. And in a world where everything is becoming increasingly outsourced and imported, there's nothing quite like a fresh, local product. This applies to anything from food to music to shoeshines. These guys come roughly from the same environment as me, and as such I feel duty-bound to help them in any way I can. Especially if they're helping to spread the kind of music that I love. Cultivating young talent ought to be the goal of any self-respecting community. Even their name, Native Shores, helps convey this idea.
In my opinion, reclaiming this local ethos is vitally important to creating a more sustainable and satisfactory existence. People nowadays often don't even know their neighbors; we fear and mistrust one another. In ages past, family and neighbors were all you had. There was a strong attachment to place. Events such as the industrial revolution, however, removed this emphasis from self-sufficient production and communal cooperation, and placed it on large-scale outside production. Our previous human connections simply melted away in the forges of industry. As Karl Marx will tell you, humanity thus became alienated from its product of labor. (And please don't scoff at the mention of Marx. He was, after all, merely a concerned German philosopher living in London, and not a Russian revolutionary as so many wish to believe. His work is still strikingly insightful into today's world as well.)
Nonetheless, all my prattling amounts to the fact that we need a reclamation of all things local. This has long been a fad amongst environmentalists and health food fanatics, but it is certainly more than that. I daresay our humanity is at stake along with it. We need to be able to take pride in producing something locally, by our own hands. And that's ultimately where Native Shores fits into this. A perfect example of actually doing things yourself. Right on.
Check them out at either of these fine locations:
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Native-Shores/129444027105604
http://www.myspace.com/nativeshoresmusic
But don't worry, this isn't simply mindless publicity, it all ties into the idea of ecology as well.
You see, ecology is all about community. It is by definition the interaction of organisms with their environment. We share our experiences, our creativity, our very lives with those around us. And in a world where everything is becoming increasingly outsourced and imported, there's nothing quite like a fresh, local product. This applies to anything from food to music to shoeshines. These guys come roughly from the same environment as me, and as such I feel duty-bound to help them in any way I can. Especially if they're helping to spread the kind of music that I love. Cultivating young talent ought to be the goal of any self-respecting community. Even their name, Native Shores, helps convey this idea.
In my opinion, reclaiming this local ethos is vitally important to creating a more sustainable and satisfactory existence. People nowadays often don't even know their neighbors; we fear and mistrust one another. In ages past, family and neighbors were all you had. There was a strong attachment to place. Events such as the industrial revolution, however, removed this emphasis from self-sufficient production and communal cooperation, and placed it on large-scale outside production. Our previous human connections simply melted away in the forges of industry. As Karl Marx will tell you, humanity thus became alienated from its product of labor. (And please don't scoff at the mention of Marx. He was, after all, merely a concerned German philosopher living in London, and not a Russian revolutionary as so many wish to believe. His work is still strikingly insightful into today's world as well.)
Nonetheless, all my prattling amounts to the fact that we need a reclamation of all things local. This has long been a fad amongst environmentalists and health food fanatics, but it is certainly more than that. I daresay our humanity is at stake along with it. We need to be able to take pride in producing something locally, by our own hands. And that's ultimately where Native Shores fits into this. A perfect example of actually doing things yourself. Right on.
Check them out at either of these fine locations:
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Native-Shores/129444027105604
http://www.myspace.com/nativeshoresmusic
Sunday, November 28, 2010
A Little Hardcore Philosophizing.
So this is an exercise to show that heavy music can actually be intellectually stimulating and not just a massive headache.
As a quick note, the above video is by the band Blacklisted. These guys are heroes of hardcore. Bloody brilliant stuff. Anyone interested should check out their latest, No One Deserve To Be Here More Than Me.
But moving on, let me now direct your attention to the title of the song: "I Am Weighing Me Down." Aside from being redolent of self-loathing, this song opens the door to some pretty, um, weighty, philosophical reflection. Let's all put on our French Existentialist caps for a minute and have a think. From my brief encounter with the subject, I understand Albert Camus' opinion to be that there is no God, no higher design, and no objective meaning in existence. As such, we human beings are charged with the responsibility of creating our own individual pleasures, pains, etc. Everything is subjective. The issue, however, is that we don't fully embrace this freedom. It should come across as a blessing, not a curse. (This is where the I Am Weighing Me Down part comes in). Because there is no objective truth in each of our lives, we are at liberty to change ourselves as we see fit. We are not constrained by any conceivable blueprint; we shouldn't feel weighed down by ourselves. In fact, we should feel light as a feather, able to create meaning however we see fit. Unfortunately, people tend to fall victim to false conceptions of themselves, and feel powerless to change what they perceive as their 'true selves.' They think that they can't do something because, "They're not that kind of person." Yet we are whatever type of person we want to be. And even if you can't abide by all of Camus' existentialism, it is still possible to embrace the freedom that it advocates. You don't even have to be French to find it rather inspirational. In my opinion, people just need the occasional reminder and encouragement to reclaim control of their lives. Environmental degradation, for example, is often the result of our feeling of helplessness to change our habits of consumption. But as inherently free and untethered individuals, we do hold that power. Chew on that a while.
Anyways, the point of all this was simply to show that hardcore and metal can have redeeming intellectual qualities if you know where to look for them. In this case, Blacklisted's song title reminded me of one of humanity's great misunderstandings. It's all philosophical extrapolation from there.
And black metal is great way to learn some Latin as well actually. They're rather fond of that whole cryptic aesthetic, constantly forcing listeners to google what the fuck things like 'Quantos Possunt Ad Satanitatem Trahunt' mean.
Friday, November 26, 2010
Black Friday Madness
As I'm sure you're all aware, today is Black Friday: the day when the flame of completely superfluous consumerism burns most brightly. Personally, I find myself ashamed of all these rabid 4a.m. sale shoppers. Is this really what our culture is about? Need I remind anyone that an unassuming employee was trampled to death in the crazed rush last holiday season? While I could complain more, I'll simply leave you with some friendly advice:
You don't need all that crap.
Try putting a bit of emotion into your gifts this year. Make something by hand, make it personal. Or at least support local artists and artisans who are dying to ply their trades. Source your gifts from the immediate area, it'll help keep your money in closer circulation. Fashion your own recycled wrapping paper from newspaper or other such items. These sorts of things tend to hold their value a bit better than that new phone that will quickly be outdated by something else with more gadgets attached. Don't fall into that cycle of seeking the latest and greatest. It will lead you nowhere. Just try to reconsider your gifting practices this year. That's all I ask.
As for me, I'm going to spend my Black Friday on the trails of Pt. Reyes, far removed from the madness of consumerism. I urge you to find similar shelter.
You don't need all that crap.
Try putting a bit of emotion into your gifts this year. Make something by hand, make it personal. Or at least support local artists and artisans who are dying to ply their trades. Source your gifts from the immediate area, it'll help keep your money in closer circulation. Fashion your own recycled wrapping paper from newspaper or other such items. These sorts of things tend to hold their value a bit better than that new phone that will quickly be outdated by something else with more gadgets attached. Don't fall into that cycle of seeking the latest and greatest. It will lead you nowhere. Just try to reconsider your gifting practices this year. That's all I ask.
As for me, I'm going to spend my Black Friday on the trails of Pt. Reyes, far removed from the madness of consumerism. I urge you to find similar shelter.
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Food, Food, Food
Because of our proximity to Thanksgiving's impending excesses this evening, I think it's only natural for me to continue on the topic of food.
As Americans, we tend to take our edibles for granted. We are faced with some of the cheapest and most abundant food sources in the world. Just compare the percentage of annual income we spend on groceries compared to that of our European companions. Yet these low prices incur vast expenses that don't necessarily carry dollar values. These expenses go largely unaccounted for and unseen by the general public, which is extremely problematic. There's no impetus to stop exploiting the modern agricultural system when it's not your personal topsoil that's at stake. While the nation gorges itself on cheap corn, soybeans and other monocrops, the agricultural viability of our land steadily dissipates. The Dustbowl, as far as our latest generation is concerned, was a one-off phenomena that exists only in the seldom-turned pages of American History textbooks. Empirical evidence, however, clearly shows the inevitability of a similar catastrophe if current practices are allowed to continue. Wes Jackson recently expressed the situation as such, "...we are plowing through our soil bank account."
Now I know I've condemned the 'modern agricultural system' on multiple occasions already in the brief existence of this page, but what's being done to address the issues? What sort of revisions can be made that will sustainably support billions of grumbling tummys? Well, perhaps some of the most exciting new research is concerning itself with the advantages of perennial crops over annuals. Our current monocultures are annuals, meaning they must be replanted every year. Conversely, the perennial grasses that once fully inhabited America's interior prairies are self-sustaining. The difference lies in the roots. Perennials thrust their roots deeper into the earth's crust, thus tapping into deeper reserves of nourishment and support. The shallow reach of annuals, however, can't cope with harsh conditions, and eventually the plants resign their fate to the propagation of their seeds.
The problem with all of this, though, is the fact that perennials as we know them do not produce viable food sources; they exist for their own pleasure. Yet if we successfully bred perennial traits into annual food crops, then we would have ourselves a more sustainable, erosion-resistant system of agriculture. Less topsoil would be lost to the winds and less synthetic nitrogen fertilizer would be necessary. This prospect of plant breeding is not to be confused with the gene-splicing habits of such chemical giants as Monsanto. Rather, the process would be one of sexual reproduction and inheritance. While estimates for applicable results are measured in years, that is but a speck of dirt on the face of Earth's geological clock.
Humans have a problem with patience. Our lack of long-term planning and foresight is what got us into this mess initially. But a little investment in our future may be able to pull us back from the brink. We do have the technological capabilities to better our situation; it simply must be applied without the goal of capital gain. I'd love to stay and chat a little longer on the subject, but Thanksgiving duties are calling. Eat, drink, and be thankful for the bounty this Earth has to offer. Cherish it, for one day it may well be gone.
Also, for further, more factual and complete reading, you can find the article that inspired most of this post in the October 2010 issue of The Sun magazine. It's entitled Farmed and is mostly composed of an interview with Wes Jackson. Good stuff. And so we're clear, I make no real claims to originality with this post. I'm simply providing a signal flare synopsis of the information that I found extremely important. Take care all.
As Americans, we tend to take our edibles for granted. We are faced with some of the cheapest and most abundant food sources in the world. Just compare the percentage of annual income we spend on groceries compared to that of our European companions. Yet these low prices incur vast expenses that don't necessarily carry dollar values. These expenses go largely unaccounted for and unseen by the general public, which is extremely problematic. There's no impetus to stop exploiting the modern agricultural system when it's not your personal topsoil that's at stake. While the nation gorges itself on cheap corn, soybeans and other monocrops, the agricultural viability of our land steadily dissipates. The Dustbowl, as far as our latest generation is concerned, was a one-off phenomena that exists only in the seldom-turned pages of American History textbooks. Empirical evidence, however, clearly shows the inevitability of a similar catastrophe if current practices are allowed to continue. Wes Jackson recently expressed the situation as such, "...we are plowing through our soil bank account."
Now I know I've condemned the 'modern agricultural system' on multiple occasions already in the brief existence of this page, but what's being done to address the issues? What sort of revisions can be made that will sustainably support billions of grumbling tummys? Well, perhaps some of the most exciting new research is concerning itself with the advantages of perennial crops over annuals. Our current monocultures are annuals, meaning they must be replanted every year. Conversely, the perennial grasses that once fully inhabited America's interior prairies are self-sustaining. The difference lies in the roots. Perennials thrust their roots deeper into the earth's crust, thus tapping into deeper reserves of nourishment and support. The shallow reach of annuals, however, can't cope with harsh conditions, and eventually the plants resign their fate to the propagation of their seeds.
The problem with all of this, though, is the fact that perennials as we know them do not produce viable food sources; they exist for their own pleasure. Yet if we successfully bred perennial traits into annual food crops, then we would have ourselves a more sustainable, erosion-resistant system of agriculture. Less topsoil would be lost to the winds and less synthetic nitrogen fertilizer would be necessary. This prospect of plant breeding is not to be confused with the gene-splicing habits of such chemical giants as Monsanto. Rather, the process would be one of sexual reproduction and inheritance. While estimates for applicable results are measured in years, that is but a speck of dirt on the face of Earth's geological clock.
Humans have a problem with patience. Our lack of long-term planning and foresight is what got us into this mess initially. But a little investment in our future may be able to pull us back from the brink. We do have the technological capabilities to better our situation; it simply must be applied without the goal of capital gain. I'd love to stay and chat a little longer on the subject, but Thanksgiving duties are calling. Eat, drink, and be thankful for the bounty this Earth has to offer. Cherish it, for one day it may well be gone.
Also, for further, more factual and complete reading, you can find the article that inspired most of this post in the October 2010 issue of The Sun magazine. It's entitled Farmed and is mostly composed of an interview with Wes Jackson. Good stuff. And so we're clear, I make no real claims to originality with this post. I'm simply providing a signal flare synopsis of the information that I found extremely important. Take care all.
Monday, November 22, 2010
Thanksgiving Update
So I've been lax with the whole posting thing lately. But I make no apologies for that. The way I see it, living life in the real world takes precedence over daily posting. Just be aware of that, and perhaps consider it next time the sun is shining outside.
Anyways, it's Thanksgiving time. Families may have slightly differing traditions, but the objective is always the same: Food. I would like to take this opportunity to suggest a slight revision to Turkey Day. To most it may come across as blasphemy, but that's what I specialize in. Without further ado, I propose that you attempt a Thanksgiving feast without the bird for once. Don't dismiss the idea as if it were a PETA advertisement. That's not the point I'm getting at. Basically, I'm daring you to be a culinary explorer. Seeks out delicious new recipes using fresh seasonal ingredients. Unless you're an absolutely horrid cook, there's no way you'll be disappointed in what autumn has to offer. Sweet potatoes, for example, are a veritable goldmine of vitamins and beta-carotene. What the hell are tomatillos? Go ahead and find out. Good food is the foundation of the holiday, but I feel as though a number of great dishes are neglected in favor of hackneyed traditional recipes. Who knows, you may discover flavors that make you forget turkey even exists.
So that's my challenge to you: celebrate friends and family with some adventurous new vegetable-based recipes. Preferably seasonal and local. Here's a great website to aid you in your quest for calories: http:www.vegetariantimes.com
And, hey, why not throw on some Johnny Flynn while you're cooking in the kitchen? It'll ward off any chill.
Anyways, it's Thanksgiving time. Families may have slightly differing traditions, but the objective is always the same: Food. I would like to take this opportunity to suggest a slight revision to Turkey Day. To most it may come across as blasphemy, but that's what I specialize in. Without further ado, I propose that you attempt a Thanksgiving feast without the bird for once. Don't dismiss the idea as if it were a PETA advertisement. That's not the point I'm getting at. Basically, I'm daring you to be a culinary explorer. Seeks out delicious new recipes using fresh seasonal ingredients. Unless you're an absolutely horrid cook, there's no way you'll be disappointed in what autumn has to offer. Sweet potatoes, for example, are a veritable goldmine of vitamins and beta-carotene. What the hell are tomatillos? Go ahead and find out. Good food is the foundation of the holiday, but I feel as though a number of great dishes are neglected in favor of hackneyed traditional recipes. Who knows, you may discover flavors that make you forget turkey even exists.
So that's my challenge to you: celebrate friends and family with some adventurous new vegetable-based recipes. Preferably seasonal and local. Here's a great website to aid you in your quest for calories: http:www.vegetariantimes.com
And, hey, why not throw on some Johnny Flynn while you're cooking in the kitchen? It'll ward off any chill.
Friday, November 19, 2010
Now onto the Ecology...
Since we were all introduced just the other day to my dear friend Hardcore, it's high time we become acquainted with its bedfellow, Ecology. I realize that the implications of a word such as ecology offer quite a departure from the crusty violence associated with hardcore. Yet somewhere along the line I took it into my brain to combine the two into one schizophrenic blog. Nothing like pulling carrots fresh from the earth while blasting the neighbors with some mad Slayer riffage, am I right?
Seriously though. Human ecology is a matter of life and death. We have subjugated the planet's natural resources in a futile attempt to fuel the insatiable engine of capitalism and materialism. Current methods of production are simply unsustainable in any sort of long-term scenario. Those industrial-sized drills may as well be digging humanity's mass grave. To be sure, however, I share in the culpability of our society. I can't claim to be the righteous messiah of Nature. I too am guilty of the immense perversion of nature. Here I sit, typing on the triumph of the 20th century: the personal computer. Its silky black keys beneath my fingers, synthetically molded from liquidated organic dinosaur matter. Clearly our relationship to the past and future is inescapable. The way I see it, humans need to redefine their relationship to their environment if they wish to create even the illusion of permanence in this world. At this rate, the Earth stands ready to reject the human race just as the immune system rejects a virus. As I mentioned previously though, I am in the very same boat as all the rest. The difference is right now I'm slapping my oars against the viscous, fossil-fuel saturated water, hoping that someone will pay attention to what I have to say. As much as this blog is a place for me to show off my completely irrelevant knowledge of men who growl and make noise for a living, it's also an opportunity to propagate knowledge of environmental injustices.
There is yet hope for a more eco-sensitive future if only people would accept the gravity of the situation and not simply brush it off for fear that if they concede the existence of global warming, they'll have to give up their precious Starbucks lattes. I urge everyone to reconsider their priorities. And I promise to do the same. There are small improvements we can all adopt without much pain. For example, try bringing reusable bags to the grocery store, investing in waterbottles not containing BPA, and eating fresh, local food instead of processed and packaged crap full of additives. You may find that being conscious of these matters is not only beneficial for your mental health, but your physical well-being too. And even if you've heard heard all these little suggestions before and are frankly getting sick of them, don't think they're going away anytime soon. From these small adjustments comes larger-scale revolution. To briefly illustrate, people around the nation are coming together to ban the fuck out of single-use plastic bags.
The point being, if you're not already concerned with the abominable state that modern industry has put nature in, you had better get with the program. It's going to take a massive group effort in order to reverse even some of the damage that has been done. Don't despair just yet though. If we appropriate efficient new technologies that either reuse waste or create none at all, adopt sustainable methods of harvesting resources, and couple this with a drastic reduction in material consumption, we might be able to reach some some of equilibrium. For those of you uninformed, environmental reform doesn't mean returning to stick and stones and bushmeat. But it does require the rejection of superfluous, single-service convenience. And the banishment of Monsanto as well.
I feel like I may be getting a little carried away at the moment. Let's refocus a bit. There's time to delve into individual issues in the future. The initial goal of this post was to explain the mysterious presence of the word 'ecology' in this blog's title. I probably could have skipped the whole dramatic intro and simply put it like this: I'm just a guy who likes hardcore music, but who also wants to see mankind reform its relationship with the environment to be more caring and sustainable. I'm hoping some of you share at least this latter sentiment. Or else I'm rather fucked, along with humanity as a whole.
Seriously though. Human ecology is a matter of life and death. We have subjugated the planet's natural resources in a futile attempt to fuel the insatiable engine of capitalism and materialism. Current methods of production are simply unsustainable in any sort of long-term scenario. Those industrial-sized drills may as well be digging humanity's mass grave. To be sure, however, I share in the culpability of our society. I can't claim to be the righteous messiah of Nature. I too am guilty of the immense perversion of nature. Here I sit, typing on the triumph of the 20th century: the personal computer. Its silky black keys beneath my fingers, synthetically molded from liquidated organic dinosaur matter. Clearly our relationship to the past and future is inescapable. The way I see it, humans need to redefine their relationship to their environment if they wish to create even the illusion of permanence in this world. At this rate, the Earth stands ready to reject the human race just as the immune system rejects a virus. As I mentioned previously though, I am in the very same boat as all the rest. The difference is right now I'm slapping my oars against the viscous, fossil-fuel saturated water, hoping that someone will pay attention to what I have to say. As much as this blog is a place for me to show off my completely irrelevant knowledge of men who growl and make noise for a living, it's also an opportunity to propagate knowledge of environmental injustices.
There is yet hope for a more eco-sensitive future if only people would accept the gravity of the situation and not simply brush it off for fear that if they concede the existence of global warming, they'll have to give up their precious Starbucks lattes. I urge everyone to reconsider their priorities. And I promise to do the same. There are small improvements we can all adopt without much pain. For example, try bringing reusable bags to the grocery store, investing in waterbottles not containing BPA, and eating fresh, local food instead of processed and packaged crap full of additives. You may find that being conscious of these matters is not only beneficial for your mental health, but your physical well-being too. And even if you've heard heard all these little suggestions before and are frankly getting sick of them, don't think they're going away anytime soon. From these small adjustments comes larger-scale revolution. To briefly illustrate, people around the nation are coming together to ban the fuck out of single-use plastic bags.
The point being, if you're not already concerned with the abominable state that modern industry has put nature in, you had better get with the program. It's going to take a massive group effort in order to reverse even some of the damage that has been done. Don't despair just yet though. If we appropriate efficient new technologies that either reuse waste or create none at all, adopt sustainable methods of harvesting resources, and couple this with a drastic reduction in material consumption, we might be able to reach some some of equilibrium. For those of you uninformed, environmental reform doesn't mean returning to stick and stones and bushmeat. But it does require the rejection of superfluous, single-service convenience. And the banishment of Monsanto as well.
I feel like I may be getting a little carried away at the moment. Let's refocus a bit. There's time to delve into individual issues in the future. The initial goal of this post was to explain the mysterious presence of the word 'ecology' in this blog's title. I probably could have skipped the whole dramatic intro and simply put it like this: I'm just a guy who likes hardcore music, but who also wants to see mankind reform its relationship with the environment to be more caring and sustainable. I'm hoping some of you share at least this latter sentiment. Or else I'm rather fucked, along with humanity as a whole.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
What is this 'Hardcore' business about?
Some of you who have stumbled upon this obscure virtual page may be wondering, 'Why metal?' And to some extent, I find the question justified. At times I've had to step back and ask myself the very same. I'm not really all that hardcore in the grand scheme of things.. Yet over the years I've come to forge an unbreakable bond with this perpetual underdog of the music world.
At its very core, metal is protest. It stand in firm opposition to the powers that be. Metal essentially sends an unapologetic "Fuck you!" to the cultural norms of the day, whatever what those constantly changing norms are. This mentality is what keeps metal, or at least what some people consider true metal, on the fringes of society. It is not widely embraced, nor does it want to be. Metal exists in a sort of self-imposed exile; doomed to rage eternally against the unhearing, unthinking majority. Why else do you think commercial success causes such uproar in the underground mental community? 'Sellout' is perhaps one of the most common epithets thrown about. It's a sign of catering to the homogenization and declawing of music.
But where do I, your humble blogger, fit into this labyrinth of decibels and hatred? Well, being a stereotypically disillusioned teen, I felt the world was against me, or at least that I was somehow outside of its benevolence. This perceived isolation blossomed into a certain amount of disdain for conformity and complacency. Angry music proved to be the perfect compliment for these sentiments. The progression of my musical interests went something like this: 90's radio rock --> Hard rock --> Emo/Screamo --> Pantera, Metallica, Megadeth --> Melodic Death Metal --> Death Metal --> Punk/Hardcore/Black Metal/Post-Metal/Indie Folk and so on. The rebellious nature of the music was something I could cling to, even if my white middle-class angst was essentially fabricated from massive misconceptions about the world. Yet as I grew, so too did my understanding of the issues addressed in heavy music. I distrust politics, hypocritical Christians and anything involving Justin Bieber. Basically, I got into metal somewhat ignorantly, but soon found it perfectly suited to my beliefs. Or perhaps it subconsciously formed many of my opinions. There may well be truth in both explanations.
Then there's the fact that metal is the perfect tool for self-medication. It's fairly easy to blow off some steam while listening to a Suffocation album. Yet don't be lulled into thinking that metal is a single-speed crushing machine. The massive number of finicky sub genres can cater to your every mood. If you're feeling lonely, but also very classy, why not throw on Opeth's album Damnation? Or if you don't feel like having a guy lacerate his throat in your general direction, but still want that metal ambiance, then Russian Circles, Pelican, Levi/Werstler are ready to render their services. And nothing makes you feel like an invincible motherfucker like a Hatebreed album. Even if they all sound the same. The versatility is something rarely recognized by those outside of the genre. They really throw the baby out with the bathwater on that one. Metalheads are a creative bunch, and are always trying to differentiate themselves further from the field. The emotional content is by no means limited to anger, and I think I lot of people fail to recognize its richness. And as a timely seasonal suggestion, Burzum makes for great holiday music. Frost-bitten winters have never felt so warm.
All that said, I'm by no means foolish enough to believe that my powers of persuasion are such that a passerby would dare give Burzum a spin. Metal is an ugly son-of-a-bitch. It seems only certain individuals are able to tame it for their own listening pleasure. While it may be true of all musical genres that it involves a deep emotional connection, this fact is indisputable with metal. Fans are branded and bonded for life. Metalheads will tell you that they're in it for the long haul and it's not just a passing trend. In the end it's something you feel in your heart. I know it's certainly true for me. Even if the reasons I provided for my induction into the metal fold are less than compelling, it doesn't matter. I love it through the blood, sweat and blastbeats.
At its very core, metal is protest. It stand in firm opposition to the powers that be. Metal essentially sends an unapologetic "Fuck you!" to the cultural norms of the day, whatever what those constantly changing norms are. This mentality is what keeps metal, or at least what some people consider true metal, on the fringes of society. It is not widely embraced, nor does it want to be. Metal exists in a sort of self-imposed exile; doomed to rage eternally against the unhearing, unthinking majority. Why else do you think commercial success causes such uproar in the underground mental community? 'Sellout' is perhaps one of the most common epithets thrown about. It's a sign of catering to the homogenization and declawing of music.
But where do I, your humble blogger, fit into this labyrinth of decibels and hatred? Well, being a stereotypically disillusioned teen, I felt the world was against me, or at least that I was somehow outside of its benevolence. This perceived isolation blossomed into a certain amount of disdain for conformity and complacency. Angry music proved to be the perfect compliment for these sentiments. The progression of my musical interests went something like this: 90's radio rock --> Hard rock --> Emo/Screamo --> Pantera, Metallica, Megadeth --> Melodic Death Metal --> Death Metal --> Punk/Hardcore/Black Metal/Post-Metal/Indie Folk and so on. The rebellious nature of the music was something I could cling to, even if my white middle-class angst was essentially fabricated from massive misconceptions about the world. Yet as I grew, so too did my understanding of the issues addressed in heavy music. I distrust politics, hypocritical Christians and anything involving Justin Bieber. Basically, I got into metal somewhat ignorantly, but soon found it perfectly suited to my beliefs. Or perhaps it subconsciously formed many of my opinions. There may well be truth in both explanations.
Then there's the fact that metal is the perfect tool for self-medication. It's fairly easy to blow off some steam while listening to a Suffocation album. Yet don't be lulled into thinking that metal is a single-speed crushing machine. The massive number of finicky sub genres can cater to your every mood. If you're feeling lonely, but also very classy, why not throw on Opeth's album Damnation? Or if you don't feel like having a guy lacerate his throat in your general direction, but still want that metal ambiance, then Russian Circles, Pelican, Levi/Werstler are ready to render their services. And nothing makes you feel like an invincible motherfucker like a Hatebreed album. Even if they all sound the same. The versatility is something rarely recognized by those outside of the genre. They really throw the baby out with the bathwater on that one. Metalheads are a creative bunch, and are always trying to differentiate themselves further from the field. The emotional content is by no means limited to anger, and I think I lot of people fail to recognize its richness. And as a timely seasonal suggestion, Burzum makes for great holiday music. Frost-bitten winters have never felt so warm.
All that said, I'm by no means foolish enough to believe that my powers of persuasion are such that a passerby would dare give Burzum a spin. Metal is an ugly son-of-a-bitch. It seems only certain individuals are able to tame it for their own listening pleasure. While it may be true of all musical genres that it involves a deep emotional connection, this fact is indisputable with metal. Fans are branded and bonded for life. Metalheads will tell you that they're in it for the long haul and it's not just a passing trend. In the end it's something you feel in your heart. I know it's certainly true for me. Even if the reasons I provided for my induction into the metal fold are less than compelling, it doesn't matter. I love it through the blood, sweat and blastbeats.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Trial Run#1
Welcome, one and all, to The Hardcore Ecologist.
This space is essentially dedicated to the gratification of my own personal interests. However, it carries with it the fervent hope that someone else may come to find it mildly stimulating and may even bother to check back once or twice. While I am loath to limit the topics to be discussed on this blog, I'll go ahead and state that the main themes that will be dealt with are metal music (in its sundry varieties) and environmental issues. These are simply two things that strike my fancy, and I want to show that they are not mutually exclusive either. To accompany these overarching themes, there may also be amateurish attempts at philosophy, poetry, agricultural reform and recommendations for great vegetarian recipes. In the end I hope you'll find it an eclectic and engaging mixture. In subsequent posts there may be vitriol, there may be pacifism, there may even be communism, but there will always be metal!
And if all else fails, this is at least a place for me to store my onanistic writings as a college student who thinks he has something to offer. As such, I leave you with this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBLOMGMW9ww
Thanks for checking out The Hardcore Ecologist!
Hopefully I'll be on my feet soon, figuring out how this shit works first.
This space is essentially dedicated to the gratification of my own personal interests. However, it carries with it the fervent hope that someone else may come to find it mildly stimulating and may even bother to check back once or twice. While I am loath to limit the topics to be discussed on this blog, I'll go ahead and state that the main themes that will be dealt with are metal music (in its sundry varieties) and environmental issues. These are simply two things that strike my fancy, and I want to show that they are not mutually exclusive either. To accompany these overarching themes, there may also be amateurish attempts at philosophy, poetry, agricultural reform and recommendations for great vegetarian recipes. In the end I hope you'll find it an eclectic and engaging mixture. In subsequent posts there may be vitriol, there may be pacifism, there may even be communism, but there will always be metal!
And if all else fails, this is at least a place for me to store my onanistic writings as a college student who thinks he has something to offer. As such, I leave you with this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBLOMGMW9ww
Thanks for checking out The Hardcore Ecologist!
Hopefully I'll be on my feet soon, figuring out how this shit works first.
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