My Favorite Music "The Begining"

OK, below are some lists of my top 6 bands in different categories. I will elaborate why certain bands made certain lists in the days, weeks and months to come. I will also be adding specific lists of songs and why they are on their lists as well. I want to put one caveat on the lists below because I know I will get flak from some people for leaving people off the lists. These lists are bands only, not individuals or duos, they must be known as a band. This has caused me to exclude some individuals and I will deal with individual artists at a later date.


Making lists is an interesting experience because it makes you re-examine why you listen to certain bands and what they mean to you. These lists are in no particular order after the first band. The first band stands alone in my musical love and always will. Remember these are my lists not yours and I will accept criticism and opinions but they will not dissuade me from my list.

TOP 6 MUSIC GROUPS of ALL TIME

U2

IRON MAIDEN

THE TRAGICALLY HIP

THE BEATLES

LED ZEPPELIN

TROOPER



TOP 6 CANADIAN MUSIC GROUPS of ALL TIME(I have excluded any bands who appear on my TOP 6 of ALL TIME)

TRIUMPH

THE GUESS WHO

RUSH

RED RIDER

NICKELBACK

STREETHEART



TOP 6 LIVE BANDS I HAVE SEEN in CONCERT

U2 (14 times I have seen them)

METALLICA (8 times I have seen them)

THE TRAGICALLY HIP (6 times I have seen them, maybe more can’t remember)

KISS (3 times I have seen them)

AC/DC (2 times I have seen them)

HEART (3 times I have seen them)



And now to delve a little into each list with some background on why certain bands are on my lists and why some people were left off.

TOP 6 MUSIC GROUPS of ALL TIME

Anyone who knows me at all knows that those 4 Irish lads from Mount Temple Comprehensive School in Dublin will always be #1 in my heart. They came from humble beginnings and from the time I heard the EP “Under a Blood Red Sky” I was hooked. This is a band that combines raw emotion with ever changing musical influences and they do to this day. They are one of the few bands that can truly play a stadium and make everyone there feel like their playing to them. I know they are known for political causes and everything to be they will always be 4 angry young Irish lads just trying to make enough money to get out of Dublin and see the world. They have been labeled as selling out which most successful bands get which is unfortunate because any band who has changed their style as much as U2 has is not a sell out. Their music reflects the music they are listening too and enjoying but always done U2 style.

http://www.u2.com/index/home/

I was in my 20’s when the NWOBHM happened and for those who don’t know that acronym it stands for New Wave of British Heavy Metal and one of the bands on the fore front was Iron Maiden. With album covers that would drive parents crazy and the typical long hair and blue jeans and T-shirts this was a band parents hoped would die a quick death. If they had looked a little closer they would have seen a band that was heavily influenced by classic literature, amazing and skillfully designed stage shows and a work ethic that bread success. It has been over 30 years since they formed and 2010 is the 30th anniversary of the first Iron Maiden album and they are still going strong. I have loved their music from the beginning and can proudly say both of my step-kids are big Maiden fans. They have put out albums based on famous science fiction authors, introduced 2 generations to poetry without even them realizing it and through all of this had a mascot “Eddie” that has thrived. A high light for me was an early concert of Iron Maiden headlining their Number of the Beast tour with Girls School and the Scorpions opening for them.

http://www.ironmaiden.com/

I will admit I was a little bit slow to catch on to The Tragically Hip but once they have a hold of you it is hard to let go of that melodic hard driving rock and roll. They have been called the poet laureates of Canadian rock and roll and it is a title I think fits. I have seen them everywhere from a bar where I sat on the stage while Gordie sang and had trouble standing to seeing them headline a 35,000 person Roadside Attraction and also a little intimate gig called Woodstock 99 where they opened the main stage on Saturday morning. I have rarely been prouder to be a Canadian as I was that day when they strode out in 100 degree temperatures to a sea of flags and applause. Gord Downie looked very dapper and sophisticated in a suit to lead the band through a hectic set not even seeming to sweat in the heat. This band has made a career of intelligent lyrics, crafted through and around intricate and catchy melodies without ever losing their Canadian heritage. If you listen to “Lonely End of the Rink” you will understand what it is to not only be a hip fan but also a Canadian.

http://www.thehip.com/

What can I say about those 4 mop tops from Liverpool that already hasn’t been said. I have been to Liverpool seen Abbey road, done the pose thing. I don’t think they even knew what they were doing at the time, changing music, changing the music industry, changing culture and yes even changing the world forever. They seemed like 4 guys who until the end just loved playing and making music, there will never ever be a band like The Beatles. My mother used to tell me I was a huge Beatles fan when I was a toddler and this was in Germany in the 60’s when The Beatles were first starting out, she told me we had all the records and 45’s(mom why didn’t you keep them :)). I guess I had good musical taste back then. It does not matter who the artist is, country, punk, heavy metal, ask them about influences and invariably those 4 lads from Liverpool will be mentioned. I can’t imagine a list of musical greats in this or the last century that would not feature The Beatles.

http://www.thebeatles.com/

When I was about 11 or 12 my older brother was in the 14/15 range and he would come home way past my bedtime and wake me with this group or that group that I just had to hear. It would usually end with our dad yelling a great deal and me being introduced to a new and exciting band, from The Who, to Deep Purple and one night it was Led Zeppelin 3 “The Immigrant Song”. This was 3 minutes of loud and heavy music that would forever change my life. Since that day I have been and always will be a Led Zeppelin fan and still dream that one day I will see them perform with Jason Bonham on drums with the remaining members. The Beatles may have changed a generation but no band has had such an influence on music in such a short period of time. In today’s world a band takes 1-3 years to make a record if you are lucky, if you happen to be a G’n’R fan well you might want to stop reading, Led Zeppelin released Led Zeppelin 1 and Led Zeppelin 2 in the same year. That’s right Communication Breakdown, Good Times Bad Times and Heartbreaker, Living Loving Maid all in the same fucking year. It is staggering to think of that. They were only together for 10 years and from the beginning it seemed they were the band that burned the flame bright and always, there was no half way with Zeppelin it was 110% from the music to the rock and roll lifestyle.

http://www.ledzeppelin.com/

OK I know what you’re saying why the hell does Trooper deserve to be on a list with the likes of Led Zeppelin, U2 and The Beatles? Well, remember it is my list and growing up in Canada no band was more influential and more popular than Trooper. It seemed every summer on the radio from the time I became a teenager till the time I was driving my parents car there was a Trooper song on the radio. From the beginnings with General Hand Grenade to Two for the Show and then their popularity sky rocketed in Canada with Were Here for a Good Time not a Long Time and Oh Pretty Lady. This band has seen the music industry move on but every year Ra McGuire and Brian Smith the leaders of Trooper get in a van and from their homes on Vancouver Island they tour this great country and play to thousands of fans. If I am having a bad day and need cheering up well nothing makes an old Canadian feel better than The Boys in the Bright White Sports Car. If I ever win a lottery rest assured I will be having a beach party some place and I will be having Trooper play all weekend and you know want you can book them from their web site apparently. This is a Canadian rock band that loves to play rock and roll for the fans, in 2003 I saw them at a cabaret during Grey Cup and after they played Ra and Brian then came and sat at a table and signed autographs and drank beer with the fans, only in Canada.

http://www.trooper.com/

OK that’s it my 6 favorites of all time and I have been lucky enough to see 4 of them in concert multiple times. Well in my next blog we will discuss my 6 favorite Canadian bands of all time.

Karrie Arthurs Tattoo Artist Extraordinaire

I wanted to put a little blog entry with the pics below. My tattoo artist and she is truly an artist was featured recently in a magazine called Intl Tattoo Art the March 2010 edition.  The article is about her and her studio

http://www.blackbirdelectric.com/

The magazines web site is

http://www.internationaltattooart.com/test200/index4-test.cfm

They included a number of photos and I was lucky and honored to be one of the tattoo's Karrie selected.  My right leg is in there and my regards to Paul and John as they have never looked better.  This is one of 5 tattoo's that Karrie has done on me.  I have a total of 7 tattoo's but my entire back is done and I consider that 1 tattoo.

The photos below are the article and a few of my tattoo's enjoy.  If you ever want a great piece of artwork forever then contact Karrie and tell her spidey_zombie sent you and trust me she will know who sent you.  She is amazingly talented and loves what she does.

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zombie list clarification

OK, I have been reading lots of zombie lists and comments on other lists so I thought I would clarify a few things with regards to my zombie list.


- I enjoy the zombie comedies like Shaun of the Dead and Zombieland and ROTLD but movies on my list are zombie movies that are supposed to be seriously scary

- I try not to exclude zombie films that are not really zombie films like 28 days later or REC but for this list I don't feel they meet the criteria.

- I want say Night of the Comet is an awesome movie all on its own and I feel to put it into a zombie category would do an injustice to this movie.

A quick list of my five favorite zombie comedies would be as follows, in no particular order

Fido

Shaun of the Dead

Braindead (Dead Alive)

Return of the Living Dead (classic line send more paramedics)

Zombieland (even though these were not really zombies as you could shot them anywhere or run them over to kill them)

I just wanted to put this out there so people who comment and say why didn’t I include Shaun of the Dead or Zombieland or Fido this is why.

Zombies scare the fuck out of me to this day and I very rarely dream and even rarer are nightmares but when I do they are almost always zombie related.

5 Favorite Zombie Flicks #5 on the List

I have been working on this blog for some time and decided to post my favorite zombie films 1 at a time that way there is something I am posting. I hope you enjoy them and look forward to your comments.


Since it is just past Halloween and there were lots of lists of scariest movies, favorite vampire movies, favorite slasher movies, etc. I thought I would join the foray and list my 5 favorite zombie movies and why. These will be in no particular order and except for #1 the others are interchangeable and I like 2-5 equally as much. I started this blog just past Halloween and by the time it is posted it will be just past Christmas most likely if I am lucky.

We begin with some basic rules on zombies, zombies have been around in cinema, literature, folklore for hundreds, if not thousands of years.

Rule 1: The movies I am going to talk about have various methods of the dead returning to life and this is not important to enjoying these movies.

Rule 2: In all of these movies shooting the zombies in the head, damaging the brain or severing the head from the body thus damaging the brain stem will permanently render the zombie dead.

Let’s begin then with the list and again this is my list and your top five may be totally different and that is fine, it is not about what is better than what, it is about who loves zombie movies and who is prepared for the zombie apocalypse.

At number 5 we have a large corporation who on the face appears to be a great benefit of mankind, supplying medicine, technology and many other items that help mankind but below the surface there is a very different agenda. Of course I am talking about the Umbrella Corporation and we are talking about the T-Virus. Coming in at #5 is all 3 of the Resident Evil movies and I know these are based on a video game and as such are always a little suspect. I feel they are worthy of inclusion on this list for a number of reasons not the least is Milla Jovovich who does an amazing jump as Alice the Umbrella security agent turned zombie hunter. I have never played the video games and just watched and judged the movies on their own merit and I am impressed by the story line and how it progresses.

Resident Evil introduces characters and plot lines that continue throughout the next 2 sequels with a third on the way. Alice wakes naked (yes gratuitous nudity for the males ) in the shower with no memory and upon investigation from photographs it appears she lives in this mansion. Before Alice can piece together her memory a crack commando unit arrives and informs her she is an Umbrella employee assigned as security as this mansion is the entrance to the Hive an underground complex below Raccoon City where the Umbrella Corporation is manufacturing bio-weapons of many types. The main frame computer Red Queen has gone homicidal according to the commando unit and has killed everyone in The Hive and it is up to them to try and find out why and re-boot The Red Queen.

As the movie unfolds we learn that the T-Virus was released on purpose once the terrorist had secured the antidote which was suppose to make him immune to the T-Virus but things did not work out that way. The commando unit infiltrates “The Hive” and proceeds to the heart of the computer core with intentions of re-booting “The Red Queen”. This quickly turns bad and the consequences are deadly to team members and as we are progressing we see Alice regaining her memory.

The Red Queen is re-booted and soon the team finds that re-setting “The Hive” has had catastrophic effects and the team has to battle the living dead, mutant dogs and genetically created monstrosities along with the Red Queen in trying to fight their way out. The closer they get to their freedom the more they sense that the Umbrella corporation never intended for them to get out alive.

The first movie ends with Alice and the other only survivor making their way out of the hive only to be taken into custody by Umbrella to be used for further experimentation. As the movie ends we see Alice and the other survivor changing and here the commands of Umbrella.

Trailer for Resident Evil

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jiS6gtClrqk

The second movie Resident Evil Apocalypse picks up Umbrella sending a 2nd commando team to “The Hive” to re-open it and see what happen. Soon the T-Virus is spreading to the general population on the surface of Raccoon City and Umbrella trying to quarantine the city. The movie starts with a disgraced cop not caring about what “the suits” think and just worrying about saving the general population from what she deems as an infection.

While the infection spreads Umbrella gathers their “essential” personal and this is where the movie takes the major turn as one of their essential people Dr Ashford will not leave without his daughter. It soon becomes apparent that Umbrella wants to use the infection to test hits “nemesis” project which is a throw back from one of the survivors from the first movie. Dr. Ashford hacks his way into Umbrella and activates “Alice” from where she is being kept and we soon learn that Alice has been changed by Umbrella.

The movie at this point becomes a quest to find this man’s daughter and get her out of the city while avoiding and ever growing population of zombies and also the nemesis. This movie continues with the same good special effects and stays true to the formula from the 1st movie in that 1 bite and you will die quickly and become a zombie. Alice is helped in her quest by the members of an elite commando unit STARS (Special Tactics and Rescue Squad) and a TV reporter who is documenting the atrocities and despicable acts of Umbrella and the rogue cop. They find the girl and as they make there way to the rendezvous point discover the girl is much more than she appears, besides the physical resemblance to the Red Queen holographic image from the first movie.

The movie ends with a climatic battle between Alice and the Nemesis who after some prodding remembers Alice which changes the complexity of this apocalyptic battle. The team gets the girl reunited with her father and they manage to escape but loose Alice in the process. They go back to rescue Alice and she is allowed to leave by the Umbrella corp under the guise of a rescue.

Trailer for Resident Evil Apocalypse
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAdO0EjgVKg&feature=related

Resident Evil Extinction starts with a narration of how the T-virus has spread world wide and caused not only an epidemic of living dead but has caused society to crumble and the planet itself start to die. Umbrella is trying to develop a cure using Alice’s DNA as her DNA has mutated with the T-Virus but she is still alive and to this end we are greeted with a pit full of failed Alice clones which is an opening scene that is awesome.

We then follow a band or road weary travelers who are surviving on the road after the disastrous effects of the T-virus. Upon closer inspection we see the remaining member of the STARS team is with them and there is no explanation of what happened after the rescue of Alice. We see Alice traveling alone on the roads trying to help people but dealing out retribution to those who deserve it as well. She is avoiding the Umbrella corporation so they can not track her down as she is aware of the power she holds for them.

There is a truly innovating scene where our road warriors are at a truck stop getting a break and are stalked by a pack of crows, and then after some inspection the crows appear to have fed on the living dead. They have changed and now crave human flesh and before our hero’s can probably barricade themselves they are under attack. Guns work well against living dead, but against a large flock of crows, not so well. This is a great scene and just as our pack of hero’s are at there wits end Alice shows up and we see how her power has increased dramatically.

Carlos asks where she went after they rescued her and she is vague, saying she had to stay off the grid. Alice tells the survivors of a journal she has found which states that Alaska is zombie free and the T-virus has not effected it. Of course back at Umbrella, Alice’s display of power has caused her to show up on their satellites and a plan is developed to re-capture her but is denied as too risky but the scientist violates corporate rules and plans the re-capture anyway. The survivors go to what’s left of Vegas to re-supply for the trip to Alaska even though the risk is very great.

The entire trip to Vegas is a trap and as it is sprung the fight scenes are very well shot and planned out. It is both exciting and horrific from a zombie movie point of view. These are experienced zombie hunters taking on a small army of living dead with limited ammunition and no place to hide. Alice really shines in this battle and even when Umbrella tries to shut her down, she overcomes and brings the battle to Umbrella.

We then follow Umbrella to their strong hold and bring the fight to them with a devastating finale scene with an army of Alice’s ready to hunt down and exterminate Umbrella.

There it is my favorite zombie movie #5 which is in fact a trilogy of 3 movies and a 4th on its way. I know allot of people say movies from video games is a bad idea and allot of time I agree but I think they did a good job with this one. I look forward to your comments and will endeavor to complete the next installment soon.

Trailer for Resident Evil Extinction

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rh7qwF23ijI&feature=related

REMEMBRANCE DAY AND MY THOUGHTS

A quick blog about Remembrance Day and what it means to me and my feelings on how we celebrate it in Canada. This year it seemed more than ever there was a great focus on Remembrance Day not just the day but leading up to the day as well. I saw a number of news stories on schools that had veterans and Jewish war survivors in to talk to the students and not just High School and Junior High but grade school kids.


I saw a remarkable piece where a group of 8 – 10 year olds asked an 86 year old man who was a tank driver in WWII about his experiences. They had some amazing questions from “Where did you sleep?” to “What did you like about the war the most” It is kids at this age that have the innocence and honesty to ask questions that most of us would not ask but once they are asked think that is such a good question.

We take one day each year to honor and remember the veterans. Most people think we are honoring those who fought and died for us and that is how Remembrance Day started but now I feel it should be much more than that. It was started in 1919 by King George V to commemorate the sacrifices of the armed forces and civilians in times of war but especially WWI. It has come to signify all military personal whom have died in conflicts and a time to honor both those who have died and those who have served.

It is celebrated in a number of countries and on different days but the meaning remains the same to commemorate the men and women who defend the world against those who would take away our freedom. I live Canada one of the freest countries in the world and I feel blessed to live here and while it is not perfect I have seen allot worse in my travels around the world. I have been to 4 out of the 7 continents and see allot of countries. I wonder how many people truly understand their freedom and how easy it can be taken away and subverted and what courage it takes to stand up to tyranny when your own country does not support you.

Canada is assisting in an action in Afghanistan as I write this and every time one of those brave men and women die you hear the media bring up this survey or that study that says the majority of the people want our troops removed. I have yet to hear the widow or parents of one of these brave soldiers express anything other than how proud they were of the person who died and how much they believed in what they were doing. It is one thing for the Canadian military to spew out dogma and toe the line but it is another thing for the survivors to go on TV and say how much their loved believed in what they were doing.

I would like to have our government conduct a poll that asked how would you feel if overnight women were no longer allowed to be educated, no longer allowed to continue in their careers and even leave there homes unattended and dressed a specific way. I don’t think the results would be favorable especially from the women and yet this is what the Taliban did and the penalties for women who violated these rules were harsh including death by stoning.

I know the occupation by the Taliban and subsequent removal has much more to do with resources and political power but to me it was always about having 50% of your population losing their rights overnight and the world standing by and doing nothing. I don’t kid myself that we can solve the problems in Afghanistan but I hope we do not abandon that country.

I digress, Remembrance Day, one day and then for many of us we remove the poppy and go back to our business but all I ask is this and you know what ask is not the right word, I CHALLENGE EVERYONE WHO CHERISHES THEIR FREEDOM.

Until next Remembrance Day when you see an elderly person think about what they went through during WW2 (as most of the WW1 veterans and civilians have passed on).  Imagine a time when 70% of the young able body men were not here they were in another country fighting and dying and for those still in Canada basic necessities were rationed. If they are walking slow in the mall or maybe taking their time to park, or your behind them in line at the bank, give them that extra time, try and not to get impatient or short with them. This will not be easy for me but I am going to try.

THEY HAVE DESERVED OUR RESPECT AND ADMIRATION

This year more than most I cherish my freedom. I am not sure how long it will last anymore, it is not a given.

Below is a link to a web page that details 5 men who were braver and tougher than any action movie.  If you have read this far then please read about these brave individuals.

http://www.cracked.com/article_17019_5-real-life-soldiers-who-make-rambo-look-like-pussy.html

My First U2 Concert but not my Last

My First U2 concert was an event for me. I was living in Edmonton at the time and had been into U2 since the live at Red Rocks EP and then went back and bought the early albums, “Boy”, “October” and “War”. When The Unforgettable Fire came out I was speechless, here was a band that could play straight forward rock and roll with the best of them and had lyrics that were deep and meaningful as well.

I never dreamed that they would come to Edmonton because back then nobody came to Edmonton and so when I had a chance to board a plane to see them in Vancouver, I jumped at it. I remember the feelings boarding the plane the butterflies, the excitement were they going to live up to all my dreams and expectations. I arrived at B.C. place and thought I have to sit through these boring opening acts.


I still remember The Bodeans and Los Lobos and they were very good preparing the crowd for U2. I had not heard of The Bodeans but Los Lobos had the hit la bamba so I knew a few of their songs.

Then the moment came, when the lights dimmed, the crowd went crazy and I am not ashamed to say I had a few tears in my eyes, there they were those 4 boys from Dublin and from the first chords of Where the Streets have no Name the crowd was mesmerized. This was to be the first of many U2 concerts for me (the count sits at 19) but this was the first and the most special.

I watched as they went through there remarkable array of material from The Unforgettable Fire to In God’s Country through to a blistering version of Bad prequel by a cover of Beatles Help. U2 were on their game this night both passionate and angry as this concert was only days after the Enniskillen bombing in their home country of Ireland. To hear Bono, talk about the bombing you could hear the anguish and frustration in his voice over a country torn apart that he loved so much.

The band ended the main set tearing through New Year’s Day and Pride and left the stage with the crowd singing and cheering for more. They did not have to wait long as the band came back for a scorching version of Bullet the Blue Sky and then proceeding into an emotional version of With or Without You. The concert ended with U2 playing 40. The crowd was singing in unison with the band and then Bono left and the band played on with the crowd singing and then The Edge walked off and still the rhythm section of Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr. played on with the crowd and then Adam walked off. The crowd sang on to the beat of Larry’s drums and finally Larry left and there was 50,000 plus singing away “How Long to sing this song” and it was minutes before the crowd realized they were on their own.

I don’t if U2 were even still close to the stage or back stage to hear the thunderous roar that went up from the crowd when we realized we had been part of something special. I have seen them many times since then but nothing will erase my first U2 concert.

My next review will be the U2 concert that inspired me to buy a ticket to next nights show immediately after the one I had just seen.

Cocaine the Drug the Goverment will Save you From

Cocaine the Drug the Government will Save you From

I live in Canada and we have 1000’s of homeless people and if you count people living below the poverty line the number is in the millions. The Canadian government in there infinite wisdom has decided to help these people by how, let me think

I will get to that but first let me digress

Fact 1 Cocaine is illegal

Fact 2 Taking cocaine can kill you

Now in the last year or so a number of people have gotten sick and even a couple of deaths from tainted cocaine. Now let me think how is cocaine refined in a government controlled laboratory that is monitored and inspected. I don’t think so.

Fact 3 Drug Dealers want to get you addicted

Fact 4 Drug Dealers want to make money

Now back to the Canadian government, what are they doing to help the working poor and homeless well not enough but they are spending money to make sure the cocaine users are warned about poisonous cocaine.

Let me think does this mean there is non-poisonous cocaine that is good for you. If any government officials read this:

PULL YOUR HEADS OUT OF YOUR ASS

We already tell people cocaine is bad, don’t spend any money telling them that it is poinsonous and bad, seems kind of redundant doesn’t it.

SPEND THE MONEY YOU DID WARNING DRUGGIES THAT THERE DRUGS ARE POISON SURPRISE SURPRISE, ON THE WORKING POOR OR NEW HOSPITALS OR

I DON’T KNOW SOMETHING THAT WILL HELP HARD WORKING CANADIANS

BELOW IS THE LINK THAT SHOWS OUR GOVERNMENT AT ITS BEST

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2009/10/11/11370906-sun.html

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