The Greatest Modern Rock Band

The Black Angels, from Austin, Texas, are probably my favourite modern rock band.  Their music has been described as a mixture of throw-back, psychedelic rock and the buzzing wall-of-sound that characterizes shoegazer rock music.  To date, they have released five studio albums and a number of EPs, all in my opinion of excellent quality.

The music of the Black Angels came into my life at a time of extreme turbulence and angst for me in the year 2006.  One of my favourite rock bands at the time, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, released a year-end list of their favourite albums of that year on their website.  Included in that list was “Passover”, the debut album from a band called the Black Angels.  With that title in mind (possibly scrawled on paper), I went to a local record store and was able to find a copy of the album in CD format.  With such track titles as “The Prodigal Sun” and “Sniper at the Gates of Heaven”, I was immediately intrigued and drawn into this dark world.  I would be transfixed upon listening and continuously played the album for a long time after that.

Dealing with themes such as insanity, warfare, and paranoia, the music and lyrical content seemed to gel with my troubled mindset at the time.  The music itself embodied everything I had come to appreciate about rock music from my earliest experiences of listening:  1960s psychedelic rock, bluesy, catchy guitar riffs, and melodic hooks that were extremely pleasing to the ear.

My favourite track on Passover is “Black Grease”.  Its opening guitar riff is intensely rhythmic with the ability to induce a shamanic trance.  It recalls the guitar chops of Jimmy Page and Jimi Hendrix.  The lyrical content of this song is craftily deceptive, trading the words “give” and “kill” to surprising variation of intent and tone.  The “grease” in the title perhaps reflects the greasy distortion of the incessant, driving guitar riff.  

Passover had a profound effect on my psyche and personal growth at the time.  It is one of the most jarring, electrifying, and shocking rock albums I have ever heard.

The band would go on to release four more studio albums up to the time of this writing.  Their most recent, Death Song, is every bit as powerful as their initial release.  The band is no stranger to consistency.  

I have seen the band several times live and their shows are spectacular and exciting.  As a person who can be introverted and paranoid at times, their music has always spoken to me in a profound way.  The fact that the band is relatively unknown is a crime.  Not only are they intense and heavy musically, but they combine that intensity and heaviness with a keen knowledge of song-craft and the ability to come up with extremely catchy melodies.

If you’re looking for a refreshment from the bland, cookie-cutter nature of current commercial music, dive into the musical career of the Black Angels and be prepared to go on a journey that shatters the boundaries of the light and dark side of your soul.  Warning:  it may change you forever.  

Your Mental Struggle is a Healing Process

Mental struggle is a universal ordeal for humanity.  If we don't personally struggle with an illness or problem, we probably know someone who does.  Culture paints the portrait of such struggles as debilitating, life-lasting conditions, permanent facts of existence.

What if, however, these very problems/illnesses/struggles can be the source of kindling for a profound mental transformation towards greater wholeness and health?

If we look at an illness such as psychosis or schizophrenia for example, these phenomena are non-existent in aboriginal or what some might call "primitive" cultures.  On the contrary, individuals experiencing such states are thought to be undergoing a process of initiation into becoming a shaman or healer.  Such members of society are taught by an experienced member of the culture how to negotiate the extreme psychological terrain that they are going through and to navigate the turbulent mental landscapes of their visions and hallucinations.  Consequently, these shamans-to-be become very important members fo the societies:  they are healers.

If we take these aboriginal ideas surrounding mental health into consideration from a Western perspective, it could transform how we treat mentally ill individuals and our opinions and prejudices against them.

The idea of mental illness as a healing process is not a new or original idea.  Such thinkers, writers, and psychiatrists as R.D. Laing and John Weir Perry have expressed the idea in similar terms more than 40 years ago.  Furhermore, it doesn't have to just be applied to specific mental conditions such as psychosis, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder.  Any mental struggle should be considered as a healing process:  an addiction that is faced head-on may lead to greater mental strength and self-knowledge; depression that is confronted and healed could lead to an overall greater sense of well-being and happiness.

The healing process however, does require work.  You have to work on yourself, develop greater self-awareness, and learn all you can about your struggle by any means necessary.  This could mean reading, cultivating a meditation practice, or pursuing a new hobby or vocation.  Action is the key, not sitting around feeling sorry for yourself.  

You can use your experience with the struggle to help and guide other, much like a shaman.  You can be a healer.  Too often, those with a diagnosis of a mental issue resign themselves to a life of mediocrity, thinking they can never be a productive member of society or make a meaningful, creative contribution.  This is a falsehood.  We need such individuals more than ever to steer us through the wilderness of mental strife and guide the world to greater wholeness and harmony.  These individuals' experiences can be a guiding light to others especially in terms of how they are able to face and overcome their troubles. 

Patience in these struggles is crucial.  The journey to health and healing can be a long, laborious process.  Some face greater challenges than others on the path.  One important factor in the journey is having a safe, supportive network of family and healthcare providers, and a stable environment.  Unfortunately, this is not the reality for many people going through theses struggles.  If everyone had the opportunity and peace available to a lucky few, there would be far more healers around who could offer their knowledge and assistance.  

The Rat Park study from a few decades ago comes to mind here.  Laboratory rats who were given a stimulating environment were less likely to become addicted to drugs than rats that were kept in a confined, boring, or highly stressful environment.  This study, when applied to humanity shows that having an interesting, engaging, and enriching environment is crucial in whether a person is more or less likely to struggle with addiction and other mental health issues.  

Everyone has the spark of greatness and genius within.  If you are struggling with a mental problem, don't think your current reality is permanent.  Change is the only constant of life.  Face your demons head-on.  Embrace the pain.  By doing so, you are on the road to wholeness and health.  What currently is, doesn't always have to be the case.  Maybe you are a healer - you can help others.  Your struggles are a great teacher, not only to yourself, but others.  Embrace your pain and illness and struggle and emerge as a guiding light.

Quentin Does It Again

This is a wonderful film and firmly establishes its director, Quentin Tarantino, as the most consistently provocative of all filmmakers.  Like in Inglourious Basterds before it, Once Upon A Time In Hollywood rewrites history with a steely vengeance, this time eviscerating the collective consciousness’s memory of the atrocities of the Manson family in 1969. 

This is just part of the story though. 

What we are presented with overall is a sprawling, magnetic orchestration that weaves and snakes among a plethora of stories, sometimes going off on dizzying, wonderous tangents that seem to be totally inconsequential at the time, but are still thoroughly enjoyable to behold.   Some scenes seem to linger and just playfully meander to develop character and add an idiosyncratic element to the film as a whole. 

All of the signature Tarantino elements are there:  eccentric, pop culture-infused dialogue; postmodern riffs and references to many aspects of cinema and culture; wrenching violence; odd and dark but effective humour; a pulsating, invigorating soundtrack.   And revenge is a theme present in many of Tarantino films.  You have to wait for the final minutes of this nearly 3 hour film to see the revenge come to full fruition, but it is worth the wait and it is done in a revolutionary, unconventional way. 

The acting is phenomenal, particularly from DiCaprio and Pitt, but Margot Robbie as Sharon Tate brings life to this picture.  Tarantino is paying tribute to the late actor, and in a few scenes her character is given breadth and depth thanks to Robbie’s performance and allowing her to inhabit Tate and the mise-en-scene.  One scene in particular portrays her attending a screening of one of her own films from the time, The Wrecking Crew.  The camera lingers on Robbie’s face as she absorbs her own film and takes-in the reactions of the surrounding spectators - great acting and great filmmaking combined. 

There is a sense, thanks to QT’s skill, that the screen is alive and that one’s own viewing of the film is, in essence, establishing the film for the first time on the retina of the present.  It is an active viewing experience which challenges the spectator to work with the material, engaging with the story and characters to create meaning both intrinsically within the viewer’s head and collectively with society and the past. 

Few films recently have so moved me and made me feel breathless with its creativity and boldness.  

Ozu's "I Was Born, But..." (1932) is a silent marvel

I Was Born, But... may be added to my personal list of favourite silent films of all time.  It's definitely my favourite Japanese silent film (it's the only one I've seen).  Though it is Japanese and was released in 1932, Ozu's film seems universal and timeless, still fresh after all these years.  I'm not sure if Truffaut saw it, but I can see antecedents to The 400 Blows in its treatment of youth and the school system.

It portrays two young brothers whose family moves to a new city, where they experience bullying at the hands of a local gang of children.  The film deals with how they overcome the rivalries and difficulties on the streets and at school, as well as the friction that occurs at home between the boys and their parents.

There are many idiosyncratic motifs throughout that keep reappearing.  For example, Ozu will frequently portray a passing train in the background of his shots.  I'm not sure of the significance, but they add a pleasing flourish to the mise-en-scene.  There is a frequent return to a focus on a wire ring puzzle and a humorous game which the children play on one another which signifies a death and resurrection.

I watched the film on Turner Classic Movies and in the introduction to the film, Ben Manckiewicz alludes to the tonal shift halfway through from light comedy to dour seriousness.  He also iterates the fact that despite being made in 1932, Ozu and not yet embraced the coming of sound, much like Charlie Chaplin at the time.

The performances by all the players, especially the children, add an element of realism and naturalness to the proceedings, creating a film of poignant impact.  Any viewer can find something to identify with.  Ozu seemed to be a master of holding a mirror up to society.

This is silent cinema at its best, an example of its art form being carried to its absolute height just prior to its disappearance.

Revisiting Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)

After the huge success of Jaws in 1975, Steven Spielberg would direct the special effects marvel
Close Encounters of the Third Kind in 1977.  It is about the experiences of a few individuals and their connection to extraterrestrial life in a small American town in the present.  It stars Richard Dreyfuss, Melinda Dillon, Terri Garr, and Francois Truffaut, among others.  

Dreyfuss does a great job of conveying a sense of madness and obsession with his seemingly extrasensory relationship to the alien life forms.  There is however a line that is crossed at some points in the film into the realm of the preposterous as his character goes to great lengths to reconstruct the mountainous structure he has telepathically received in his mind's eye with a) a pile of mashed potatoes, b) clay, and c) the entire earthly elements of his backyard within the confines of his living room.  

There is a lot of sci-fi hogwash going on all at once at times, almost to the point of causing dumbfounded awe and confusion in the eyes of the viewer.  The film also drags bit in the last quarter before the highly anticipated entrance of the mothership and its inhabitants.  Overall, however, this is a landmark film for its time, perhaps to be overshadowed by the success of Star Wars that same year.

There are good performances, amazing special effects, and a mystical, spiritual quality that is infused to elevate it above the ranks of your average science fiction film.  

The Benefit of Having Patience

In a world that demands constant movement and progress, it can be difficult to sit back and just let things happen.  There is a great benefit to having patience as much as there is in taking action.  How many times in your life have you found that simply waiting, relaxing, and allowing life to happen has been of great benefit?  Probably everyone has had a situation in which such patience has been beneficial.  We often rush into things and feel the need to do something immediately when in fact, all we really need to do is have a little patience. 

Time heals. We are living in a quick-fix, immediate gratification society where we seldom take into consideration the benefit of long-term fulfillment as opposed to short-term pleasures. 

Say you run into a situation where you seriously offend someone or make a mistake and do someone wrong.  We sometimes will get caught up in wanting to make amends and doing everything we can right now to make the situation better.  However, often all we need to do is have patience and allow the passing of time to heal the wounds and solve the problem.  New situations will arise and unforeseen opportunities will come up that will lead the way to a solution to any previous problem.   

There is no doubt that taking action is important, but we need to balance this imperative with a recognition of the value of patience.  A truly dreadful situation one day can be alleviated by the coming of the next morning’s sunlight.  It is wonderful how much things change from day to day, including our outlook on life and life’s difficulties.  

I recently had an unfortunate situation arise at work that caused me a great deal of stress and anxiety.  There was nothing really I could do about it, but wait for the situation to resolve itself over time.  There was no real action I could take.  After the passing of some time, the situation became more bearable until the reality of my work environment returned to a semblance of normalcy, calm and balance. 

The same goes for personal growth.  It requires some action and direction, but there are numerous cases where our growth and wisdom comes from simply living and existing on a day-to-day basis.  

Three years ago, I took up a meditation habit.  At first, I was bad at it.  I couldn’t relax into it without feeling a restlessness that would not abate.  With time, now three years later, I can genuinely see the benefit of the practice and I am quite a bit better at it now.  I can be more present and patient.  Meditation requires patience and it will in turn, through the practice of it, make you more patient.  

The same goes for exercise.  I have been consistently lifting weights for about a year now.  At first, I didn’t see a difference in my appearance.  Now, I definitely do and I feel more confident and happy as a result.  This and the meditation are examples of the balance that must be forged between taking action and having patience.  

Patience is a remarkable quality to possess.  It helps you enjoy life more and appreciate each passing moment.  You don’t get caught up in the endless need to acquire more and constantly be busy to achieve something.  Striking the delicate balance between taking action and having patience is one of the best skills anyone can have.

Life's Problems Are Gifts From The Universe

“The greater the difficulty, the more glory in surmounting it.”  - Epicurus

Everyone who has ever lived has had obstacles to overcome, problems to solve, and difficulties to endure.  This is part of life, an ever-present, constant fact of it.  Some people choose to avoid problems in life, not deal with them directly and thus, the difficulties may begin to fester, to bubble up from the depths to overwhelm an individual no matter how resilient and strong.  The truth is, the problems that life presents to us are actually the source of our own self-discovery and personal triumph.  You have to examine the problems as they arise and inquire into what it means for your life, how it applies to your own unique situation.  It can teach you a lot about yourself.  It can instruct you on where you need to improve and help to build your character and personality up.  Every person’s life is unique, like a snowflake or fingerprint, and thus the problems that life presents to us will also depend on the individual.  Some people seem to be born with a silver spoon in their mouth and have great advantages, but even they will have their own unique problems to overcome.  

People living in First World nations such as North America, generally have it pretty well off compared to some places in the world.  We should take that into account when considering our own individual problems.  We are pretty lucky from that perspective.  We have freedom:  economic, political, social and personal.  We don’t have to worry about a fascist government invading our homes and killing us and our family members.  We don’t have to worry about being shipped off to a concentration camp because of our religious background as millions did in the past century.  Still, problems will arise in our lives as a given rule of the universe.  

I was lucky to be born into a loving family, free of any kind of abuse and lack of want growing up.  Still, I had my share of problems.  At one time in my life I was extremely shy and socially anxious.  This personality trait I considered a problem because it effected my day-to-day interactions and happiness.  But, as I said, this problem was actually a gift because it presented me with an area of my life where I needed to improve and work on.  For many years, I didn’t face it and ignored this weakness.  Gradually, I started to attain a level of mastery over myself and my flaws by a method of facing them head-on.  This was done through reading, social exposure and simply growing up.  It’s also helpful to have a supportive family and social network, but not everyone has this.  Through self-inquiry and working hard on myself, I became less shy, less socially-anxious and more outgoing and personable.  

When thinking about life’s challenges and problems it is useful to remember the serenity prayer.  It is as follows:

“God, grant me the serenity

To accept the things I cannot change

The courage to change the things I can

And the wisdom to know the difference.”

Whether you believe in God or not is irrelevant. This prayer is useful no matter what.

We need to accept things we cannot change because without this acceptance we will be constantly frustrated. 

We need to change what is necessary to change, because with that change stems happiness and fulfillment.  

Finally, we need to know the difference between what can be changed and what cannot.  This requires wisdom.  Wisdom comes from working on ourselves, constantly improving, and gaining life experience via simply living our lives with conviction and bravery.  

We cannot change things like who are parents are, the situation we are born into, the country we are born in or our DNA.  We can however attempt to change things like our careers, education level, relationships, and economic situations to name a few.

We are living in one of the most exciting times in all of history.  Our possibilities are endless.  We have the world at our fingertips.  The internet gives us access to information at an unprecedented level.  We can learn new languages, read empowering material, and truly revolutionize our lives.  

Our problems are our gifts.  They are the source of self-discovery and empowerment.  Delve deeply into your personal difficulties.  You will unleash a torrent of excellence and greatness.  You have to face your problems head-on, but it is not easy, especially at first.  You will meet with resistance as you establish new habits and put an end to old, disempowering ones.  

Suffering leads to glory.  

You will never reach perfection in life, that is impossible, or at least fleeting when it is attained.  What is certain is that, as you strive to improve and overcome your problems, life will get more enjoyable and satisfying.  You will reach an entirely new level of freedom.