fuzmeister: Perception of Time

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I'm intrigued by the common thread of human beings experiencing time at a quicker rate the older they get. I don't totally understand if it's because of how our brains process memory or what, but it seems like the years go by exponentially quicker.

On a less-philosophical note, I wonder if Vent will ever receive a new facelift. I'm not talking a total rewrite, but something like updating the front-end to use Bootstrap would greatly improve the overall user experience for the three of us left. I volunteer to help in any way possible. :o)

Mood: Reflective
Music: Yes - Heart of the Sunrise


Tags (beta): the human experience

Comments (2)

fuzmeister: Kanye West

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What's this guy's deal?

Kate thinks he genuinely insane.

I think it's all part of an elaborate promotional plot to stay relevant and get media coverage.

Either way, I think his shenanigans outside the studio have overtaken his music as the most entertaining thing about this man.

Sorry 'ye.

Mood: Kan-fused
Music: Gaelic Storm - The Devil Down Below


Tags (beta): music, crazy people

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fuzmeister: What David Bowie Means To Me

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While maybe not immediately apparent, I found a source of constant inspiration for my own creative works in the music of David Bowie. Like many fans of his work, I was very upset to learn of his passing this morning and I was immediately reminded of the robust catalog of music he leaves behind for us.

Often, Bowie was described as a musical chameleon by the press, but I've always wondered how many casual listeners truly understand how true that is or, more so, how unlikely it is that he could fit this role and continue to be successful over the years. We live in a society of conformity and one of expectations. Creativity itself is a battle against this mindset. It takes great courage to venture outside of the box just once let alone to repeatedly do so. That's just what David Bowie did his entire career. I'm not going to sit back and claim that I have loved every single phase of his long career, but I give him all the credit in the world for being a true artist never satisfied with the status quo.

In my own limited, musical adventures, I've constantly used Bowie's approach as a beacon for my own direction - always growing, always learning, always evolving. Stylistically, my music shares very little in common with much of Bowie's work, but, ideology-wise, I've worked hard to stay in the same vein of discovery and the creative spirit he did for so many years. I hold David Bowie in the same echelon of artistic spirit I hold Miles Davis or The Beatles in.

We'll never have another David Bowie in this world, but we still have the exceptional breadth of his work for inspiration and enjoyment. Never be afraid to venture outside of what's generally-accepted. More than ever today, the world needs people who push the envelope and continue to challenge the status quo artistically. One flame may have been extinguished, but there's no reason a hundred more can't be lit from the same spark. Thank you for everything, David Bowie.

Mood: Reflective


Tags (beta): music

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fuzmeister: The Force Awakens

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I will always stand by my opinion that Attack of The Clones is the worst of them - schlocky dialog and terrible storytelling. I'd honestly probably rather watch a Jar Jar anthology film than have to sit through Episode II again.

At the time, it's cool because it's Star Wars. As the years roll on though, you have to wonder what motivated Lucas to make decisions he did and how no one around him would question anything. Also, the prequel trilogy probably breaks records for the amount of fan service in a major motion picture trilogy - kid Boba Fett, Chewbacca just because, etc.

That's not to say the original trilogy films are flawless by any means. A lot of the reason the original Star Wars probably didn't fall into a trap is the tight editing; Lucas' original cut is infamously not-as-good. Also, it was a wise decision to let others behind the director's chair for Empire and Jedi. Though, to be honest, I don't particularly know how much of an impact Richard Marquand had on Jedi...

Anyway, my point of all this rambling is to ground myself and not become a slave to the hype. Yeah, 'splosions and pew-pew can be captivating, but it does not make a solid film. I'm really hoping JJ and co. bring heart back to this franchise. Will the new Star Wars film be able to pierce the jaded cynicism of the three so-so films preceding it? Stay tuned.

Mood: Hopeful
Music: Depeche Mode - A Question of Lust


Tags (beta): star wars, movies

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fuzmeister: Late-To-The-Party Music Industry Rant

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Hot on the heels of reading Rolling Stone's recent article on whether or not Adele's upcoming record can save the music industry, I felt it was my duty as an avid music listener to toss my two cents into the proverbial fountain of conversation.

Let me start off by stating that this post is not an attack on the music of Adele or Adele as an artist. I think she's a talented young lady and would probably go on a curmudgeon-esque rant regardless of who the article was putting up on a pedestal. Secondly, I know Rolling Stone needs to sell magazines and get clicks - regardless of whether the author of this article believes what he or she is writing is ultimately irrelevant to the goals of Rolling Stone magazine - selling magazines and advertising to profit.

Now that that's out of the way, allow me to sum up very briefly what I perceive to be wrong with the music industry today. We live in an era of immediate gratification; anyone trying to tell you otherwise is an idiot. I don't want to argue the long-term psychological effects of living in this sort of society, but I do want to mention that this shift in thinking was likely the initial catalyst for the decline of the music industry. It would be easy for me to say piracy was the root cause for this decline, but I don't believe that's the case. I think piracy coupled with an attitude tied to instant gratification gradually caused people to devalue music and buy less and less of it. The recording industry did eventually embrace digital media, but, even then, DRM and artist-compensation issues have kept digital music from really having the same punch record sales did decades ago.

At this point you might be commenting to yourself that you'd be more likely to buy more music if so much of it didn't suck. That brings me to my second point on the decline of recorded music in the 21st century. Around the same time the internet started allowing us to be slackjawed morons, I believe the music industry wanted to increase their profit margins to try and proactively counteract the red menace of music piracy. I'm sure increasing profit margins has always been an active goal of the record industry, but the stakes likely seemed much higher at this point. As sales continued to decline (cut in half between 2000-2010), record labels were less and less likely to take chances and make risky decisions. This has led to mainstream music's current state of homogenized music...

Now, I'll be the first person to tell you there is still good music coming out in 2015. You have to dig a little deeper than the pages of Rolling Stone to really find it, but the internet has allowed some fairly creative groups and artists to have a voice in this sea of sheer mediocrity. So, let me tell you, if you are sick of most well-known music sounding like the white noise of a window air-conditioner, do something about it. Buy music you enjoy. Teach your children to value the arts and music. Just try something. We the listeners are as much at fault as the music industry itself. If you value music as an art form, challenge yourself and others around you. Don't accept the status quo and ho-hum drivel that plagues virtually every media outlet today.

Until then, we can continue to speculate if Adele can save the music industry because the majority of us have no idea what the actual problem is...

Mood: Crotchety
Music: The Mars Volta - Cygnus...Vismund Cygnus


Tags (beta): music, rant

Comments (2)