The Weekend in Review: Bob Dylan and Star Wars

For the last two nights it has been my utmost pleasure to see Bob Dylan live at the Beacon where the man himself has put on two great concerts.  I’d say that the first one was better overall as his singing was stronger and he was more animated.  My only complaint about the shows was that he played the same setlist both nights, but I knew that coming into the shows as he’s had a rather static setlist of late.  The move towards a regular setlist may be the reason why he is in good vocal form as he and his great band have mastered each of the 19 numbers they barrel through.  I believe he picks and reworks songs to fit his voice which is why he emphasizes his later day material (also his later day material is great for anyone who thinks otherwise).   He only played four songs from the 60’s-70’s (“She Belongs to Me”, “Tangled Up in Blue”, “Simple Twist of Fate”, and “Blowin’ in the Wind”) but I was not disappointed as I enjoy the later material.  The highlights were “Love Sick” which was played with a growling intensity, “She Belongs to Me” (a beautiful song played with a driving and pounding melody), and “Long and Wasted Years” from the first night.  “Long and Wasted Years” was performed with ferocity and force with each line becoming more intense than anything that preceded it.  Everyone in the crowd was whipped into a frenzy as Dylan powered through each verse.  There were the usual calls (especially on the second night) for a return to older material, but not as many complaints or walk outs as I have seen at Dylan concerts.  The crowd for the most part knew what going to a Dylan show in 2014 entails and one fan jumped the stage but was immediately taken down by security.  Dylan didn’t miss a beat or seem to particularly notice the fan getting his ass kicked by security.  I guess that once you survive Soy Bomb and Newport 65, these things just all blend together.  The Minnesota Bard spends half his time at a grand piano next to a bust of Athena and the other half perched at the microphone whilst leisurely strutting around during the musical interludes coupled with his occasional harmonica solos.  Every song ends with him standing in front of the drums with his hand on his hip in a judging pose, as if he is surveying his audience to see if they are worthy of his precious time leading a quite the funny scene.  Again, the man has the taste for the dramatic.  The only words he spoke to the audience were his announcement that they would be taking a short break and even that was garbled.  The shows ended with him playing a gospel tinged Frank Sinatra cover, “Stay with Me’, that was better the second night, and was the perfect way to end both shows.  The song sounds like a plea to whoever’s listening and perhaps hints at the content of his next album (a rumored record of Sinatra covers).  The shows were great and I can’t wait to attend the next three shows he’s playing at the Beacon (Monday to Wednesday) and hope that he changes the setlist a bit because he is back in New York City and we sure do love him here.

The other big cultural event of my weekend was the Star Wars 7 trailer which I may have seen over a hundred times by now.  The teaser is simply amazing.  My brother woke me up (I was awakened like the force! – see what I did there) to watch it on his phone and I stood there in stunned silence after 88 seconds of pure Star Wars.  After each cut to black my eyes widened until the point where I probably looked like a cartoon character whose eyes had popped out of their sockets after seeing a sultry female.  The dirty droids and distressed people gave the look of a lived in Star Wars universe as opposed to the cold, CGI world of the prequels.  I have no problem with the lightsaber longsword as I just think it looks awesome.  I have no further analysis other than “oh shit that Sith looks pissed”!  The X-Wings over the water looks great, but the real prize was seeing the Millennium Falcon back in flight dodging its way through some Tie Fighters.  Instead of dogfights in space we may be privy to spaceships duking it out over water and sand so that would be a first.  All in all I don’t know if it is possible to not be excited for Star Wars after seeing such a masterful teaser.  I’ve been high on JJ Abram’s new film and this clip only puts my excitement into overdrive and promises that the wait until December 18^th 2015 will be excruciating.  All I ask is that we get a trailer with Luke, Han, and Leia for Christmas.  Then I’ll be able to calm down a bit until asking for another trailer.          

I temporarily saved the Knicks season. You're welcome!

I did it.  I prevented the apocalypse and I will gladly take any accolades thrown my way.  Normally I shun the spotlight and get embarrassed by having my accomplishments said out loud, but I will temporarily depart from this tried and true policy and basked in my achievements.  Now dear reader, you may rightly as, what do I, Jason Thompson the ever so witty, have to celebrate?  The answer to which should be painfully obvious to any faithful fan of the Ramblings with blah blah blog is that I guided the New York Knicks basketballing franchise to victory over the hapless and pathetic 76ers.  I wrote in m pre-game Thursday blog that I would be done with this team if they could not beat the collection of D League all-stars known as the 76ers.  The Knicks obviously realized the value of losing a passionate fan who has been to a grand total of two games over the past five seasons because of the team’s absorbent and undeserved high ticket prices.  But I have faith that somebody in the “gulag” that is MSG saw my post in their daily “whose trashing the Knicks now” Google search and decided to bring my eloquent discussion of the Knicks present failures to the exalted presence of either Phil Jackson or Derek Fisher.  I’m also positive that once my words were carefully examined, they were photocopied and sent out to all active players on the Knicks roster.  There my words were analyzed and pondered for the next two days before the team huddled under a rallying cry to “win one for the blogger”.  I like to think that’s what spurred on my favorite NBA franchise to victory rather than the fact that they played a squad hoping to luck their way to five wins this year.  So I will take any compliment or measure of good will directed either my way or the Knicks way because fellas I did it.  I helped the Knicks earn that elusive fourth win of the season without suiting up or even watching the entire first half due to prior commitments.  That in itself cements my commitment and place in helping the Knicks beat the physical embodiment of what’s wrong with the NBA draft lottery system. 

I will indeed enjoy this much deserved victory lap and hold off on my predictions and vague threats until the Knicks face the 76ers again because I’m not one to go out on a limb and dare the Knicks to beat the Rockets or the Mavericks.  My powers of suggestion only extend so far and I don’t fancy myself a major idiot.  Perhaps a minor idiot for still supporting this Knicks squad, but in no way am I a major idiot.  That is a line I dare not cross.  But as I watched yesterday’s game I realized I hit upon a great streak of luck by not being a fan of the 76ers.  The team from the City of Brotherly Love has a good shot of being the historically bad team of historically bad teams.  To charge fans to watch this disgrace of a team is wrong and the owners should be reprimanded for their disdain for the average fan.  In short, the 76er’s owners suck and I hope for the fan’s sake the team improves and the owners and team president gets banned from the game for “contempt for the fans”.  The only thing the fans have going for them is that their owners are not racist and I suppose that’s the closest the 76er’s will get to a win this season.  Zing!       

If the Knicks don't beat the fucking Sixers...

If the Knicks do not beat the winless and candidate for worst NBA team ever, the Philadelphia 76ers, on Saturday I do not know what I’m going to do.  I mean this in regards to my 2014-2105 Knicks fanhood because I have a general idea with what I want to do lately.  But man if the Knicks can’t beat the fucking Sixers it’s going to be bad, so very bad and will further confirm the laughingstock status of the Knicks.  I may be out for the year as it will convince me that this year is a tank job.  I severely doubt it because I am always an optimist/idiot with my sporting team allegiances as I never count them out of a game, but the Knicks aren’t even fun to watch anymore.  The games simply aren’t competitive as they seem to be down by at least double figures in every the third quarter.  At least mix in a heartbreaking last minute loss to change up the feeling of losing.  What makes this Knicks team so horrid to watch is the putrid defense, especially from the three point line.  The NBA has evolved into a three point shooting league where each team has a least one guy who can go off and kill you from behind the arc.  Defending the three point line should be essential for any team, but apparently this memo has not reached the Knicks.  I read on ESPN New York that Derek Fisher’s strategy is to focus on defending the paint while goading teams into shooting the three point ball.  This would be a good strategy if the players were at least contesting said three point shot.  Our opponents are taking too many open threes and, shocker, they are hitting them.  Players in the NBA will hit open shots a lot of the time because they are professionals (again this should not be a newsflash).  It has come to the point where if an opposing player jacks up an open three I have to look away because the result is too predictable and painful.  Fan we’re in for a long season.

A saving grace for the losing this year is that the Knicks do have a first round pick.  I have no clue as to whether this is a strong draft year but a top ten pick would be a nice addition to team with a lot of cap space for next season.  This year’s squad of Knickerbockers is a bunch of placeholders for next year when we fans believe in the idea that Phil Jackson will summon a free agent signing to be reckoned with.  Until that year, we have to suffer through missed rotations and ugly, ugly basketball.  The Knicks really do not have many good defensive players.  Shumpert is easily the best and until last night was becoming a nice complement to Melo on the offense.  But who else can take claim to being a standout defender?  I can only point to maybe Dalembert but the man is a black hole on the offense.  For the Knicks to win they are going to have to have a good game from Melo, over 12 points from Amar’e, and have a good game from at least one of the two guards (Shump, JR, or Hardaway).  Overal this year, STAT has been good on the offense but still isn’t a pristine defender while JR and Hardaway have looked mostly bad in the games played.  Those guys have to get going because as we saw last year, Melo can’t do it alone.  The man needs help.  So the question for Fisher is what line-up works with a team that really doesn’t possess any two way players.  I say that the starting lineup should be Calderon, JR, Shumpert, Melo, and Dalembert with Amare and Hardaway and Prigioni and unfortunately Bargnani as the main bench players.  This isn’t the best defensive line-up but let’s face it, the Knicks aren’t going to be a good defensive team either way.  I say we focus on the offense and try to win at least 23 games this season.  I say 23 because the Knicks have never lost more than 60 games in a season and I would hate to see that streak end just for a potential top ten pick.  For me, this is a pride issue and I’d like to see the streak intact.

The Knicks are still in the running for the 8^th seed as it is early and they still play in the Eastern Division.  I for one would love to see the Knicks sneak into the 8^th seed and compete in a playoff series.  But for now they better beat the 76ers because if they don’t, well I don’t know what will happen if they don’t.  Just know that I’m practicing new ways to contort my face in utter disgust because if they lose on Saturday, oh boy, is my face going to writher in ways it has never withered before.  So, GO NEW YORK GO NEW YORK GO NEW YORK GO!

Ummm, I suppose

They are the best of the last breed; a piece of a notion that never existed or perhaps it once did? Well for starters I have no clue as I just relay a story that has been told to me in years gone past and it just lingers on in my mind, waiting for an opportunity to escape and fight anybody who errs with them.  It’s not my call and surely it is not your fault but to be honest you had more to do with it than you think.  Again nobody is blaming you for any minor discretion or casual annoyance caused but then again I’m not saying you shouldn’t take a cold hard look into a mirror of your choosing.  Take your pick of a good mirror but if you want a really good reflection, may I suggest the bold selection of a make-up mirror?  A full visage lets you see down to your toes, but a make-up mirror, oh a make-up mirror focuses in on all the nasty little details hidden away.  May I further suggest that you put on a pair of dark sunglasses if the returning image is too strong?  I hear they’ve been known to help but from whom you’ll just have to take a few wild guesses.  Ramblings and ramblings is what I’m told this has devolved into, but who’s to say this wasn’t the intended purpose.  There is no linear meaning or direct significance to be gleamed from this unless you are me or the mirror vision of me.  It’s an abstraction of a feeling of a fleeting emotion that was once wrapped up in a diverging moment.  Well it’s either that or it could be an exercise where I fuck around.  I’ll leave that up to you and me dear reader for it could be both of these things just as well as it could be neither of these two options.  I wish my vocabulary was stronger and that I possessed a diverse set of words to employ in ramblings like these because the repetition can be damning and rather boring.  I have a thing against starting too many sentences with the same words and structures and this piece surely isn’t helping the cause.  But it is my task as the writer to keep pushing on and to forge through the emptiness of a page and/or canvas. 

So did the last breed in the first sentence of the last paragraph really exist?  I cannot answer that for sure as it would defeat the whole idea of this piece but I can divulge one key factoid of information.  They were not the best of a last breed as much as they were the luckiest of a last breed.  I hope that clears up any confusion regarding those first lines.  Luck has more to do with things then people wish to believe, but I like to embrace my luck and lack of luck in the hopes that it all evens out and I may come out ahead.  A pleasant thought indeed but it is wrapped in nonsense and coated with a thicker coat of nonsense.  Indeed we have reached the rare double layer of nonsensical thought but as said in an earlier writing, that is a topic for another more civilized time.  Unfortunately for us that time may have passed or have never existed but again I’m just the messenger.  I implore you not to shoot or at least go for my leg. 

As we reach the end of our time together before Thursday’s writing I must ask the question of what did we learn?  Could we both know this was a colossal waste of time wrapped in some nonsense but again I tend to believe that is a discussion for a more civilized time.  I like to think that not everything has a major overreaching purpose and can just exist for the enjoyment of the author and the distinct feeling he gets when he types a bunch of ramblings thoughts.  Writings like this allow him to shut off his left brain and allows his right brain to also shut off to produce maximum ramblings.  This strategy may not work for all but try it why not?  What is there to lose?  Feel the text as you type and enjoy the formation of words into notions into paragraphs into commas or what not.  Just take it easy buddy and flow.    

Interstellar Review and Thoughts

Beware there be Interstellar spoilers below! ARRR!

I think the music is the best part of Interstellar.  The soundtrack is simple as Hans Zimmer plays a basic organ driven score, but it is damn effective in emphasizing key moments in the film.  The highlights come at the failed Matt Damon docking scene and at the end when Matthew McConaughey sets off for Anne Hathaway and the stars.  The former score ensures to the audience the impending doom that will befall that cowardly Dr. Mann with music that sounds like it’s coming from an organ surrounding an apocalyptic sermon.  Everybody but Dr. Mann knows that Dr. Mann is going to die due to what I’ll refer to as the “space crazies” and the score drives that point home with its frantic escalation and sudden stop when he shoots out into space.  The jarring emergence of space silence ends Dr. Mann’s life in a whimper rather than the crashing boom we all were expecting due to the preceding crazy tomes (there truly is nothing like a scientifically accurate film).  As good as the docking sequence music was, my favorite musical moment occurs at the end when Cooper’s dying daughter tells him to leave her side and go find Dr. Brand.  I’ve heard people criticize this scene because it looks like Murph is pushing her father away after they finally reunite after a long, long time with the general sentiment being why would she push him away after all the fuss she made about him possibly never returning?  I will defend old, dying Murph by saying that her character comes full circle.  At first, she demanded her father stay and not abandon her despite the consequences it may spell for humanity, but now after realizing he never did nor would abandon her and having grown wiser, is finally able to let her father leave to further help the human race.  She accepts her father’s quest and is able to finally let him go (I teared up during this scene so shut up).  Also, Murph wanted to spend her final moments with her children who she knew her whole life rather than a metaphysical father spirit.  It harkens back to the monologue about dying in front of your children (that evil Dr. Mann be discussed later).  The score at the end when she tells Cooper to go out there is again simple but very effective.  It is hopeful and a little sad, but more importantly is expansive and conveys the need for us as humans to explore and fight for each other.  We are at heart explorers and adventurers and the ending music tells Cooper to keep embracing this role and to go out there and do all we can to survive and help others.  It is my favorite musical piece in a beautiful film.

Dr. Mann is a dick and I knew it from the moment I saw Matt Damon emerge from the sleep tank because I never forgave him from being the mole in The Departed (there I said it).  His role in the movie was the most annoying as he fulfilled the obligatory stupid human role that so many films seem to include (i.e. like the stupid gun bearing guy in Dawn of the Planet of Apes).  I will forgive his stupid character by just saying he got a case of the “space crazies” that surfaces when one is left to die alone on a planet light years away from home.  I know I could never have survived that mission without going insane, but then again unlike Dr. Mann, I would never have volunteered for the suicide mission.  Plus, having the evil character be called Dr. Mann and involve him in a fight so that people can say it’s a battle between Mann and man; genius.  I’m a sucker for obvious symbolism Christopher Nolan.

I did not understand why Murph ever thought her father abandoned her once she got older.  When she’s a kid I understand her resentment completely, but when she’s a 30 something year old scientist?  I don’t think so.  What in her memories of her father would ever point to him wanting to abandon her?  Was it the time he took her to a baseball game after she got suspended due to him standing up for her?  I just couldn’t understand the hatred.  And another thing, give Cooper a break for not responding back!  The guy went through both a wormhole and a black hole; I think it’s quite understandable that he can’t Skype back a message.  Cut the savior of humanity some slack.    

Interstellar is unlike any blockbuster film out there because it is not afraid of ambition.  The movie is not another sequel or prequel or movie based on a popular teen series.  It is an original idea (with about a million allusions) imbued in a love of science and adventure that is presented to the masses.  Immediately after seeing this film I walked around in a daze staring at the night sky until I got home and looked up everything I could find on space travel.  This is a film that inspires us to look up at where we may go and to utilize our potential rather than just succumb to being caretakers (thank you Cooper).  This film is a success if people race home after having several hearty discussions to go look up footage from the Apollo 11 landing or to check out if the events of the movie are possible.  Not many films will have the same effect as Interstellar in terms of discussion and exploration.  A great companion piece to Interstellar would be to watch footage of a moon landing or learn about how we just landed on a comet.  Get interested in what NASA has for us and let us push to Mars and beyond.  Space exploration isn’t a useless and money wasting expenditure as it forces us to innovate and create (watch Neil deGrasse Tyson on Bill Maher for more on this).  Interstellar is an ode to human potential and the explorer in all of us and it is unlike any blockbuster I’ve seen this year.

I would like to have a TARS or a CASE in my life as those robotic Kit-Kat bars are delightful.  It is always pleasant to see a future where the robots aren’t as evil as HAL.  If only we could program everything to have the exact humor and honesty levels we desired. 

Overall, I heartily enjoyed Interstellar and am willing to look past any plot holes or annoyances I had with the film.  It was a beautifully shot film and was also one of the saddest films I have seen in a while (to miss your children’s lives and see them right before they die is one of the saddest thoughts one can ever have).  I hope Christopher Nolan keeps making original films like this because they stand out so much in the creative marketplace and instill a scene of wonder and awe that I don’t find at many movies (until Star Wars 7 comes out).  So I say a toast to Christopher Nolan and the hope that he keeps chasing his muse into beautiful mind bending places.  

Me against the Internet!: A useless fight against my internet annoyances

A few mini rants about internet culture that bug me:

Live tweeting people’s private conversations – It’s one thing to listen in and mock someone’s inane conversation with a pal, but sharing it online is just weird and plain creepy.  What is the point of sharing what is going down between two people?  Are you trying to prove how much above the fray of normal vulnerable moments?  The live conversation tweeting is a display of such smugness as I can never get what is trying to be proven or validated other than the posters ego.  Is the live tweeter trying to start a fundamental change in the way people associate with each other and if so, why is he doing it in the way of an NSA spy?  I feel that the endgame of these live tweets is to create a society where everybody is rehearsed and on their best behavior in every aspect of their lives, especially their private moments (you can never be too sure about who is listening or tweeting).  Anybody with a phone becomes a potential documentarian to what you thought was a private moment thus leaving us perpetually on edge.  The only remedy to these problems is to go the Derek Jeter route and force everybody to check their phones in at the door lest somebody has the urge to document the innocent meeting of two strangers on an Amtrak train for the amusement of a hungry and ravenous internet public. 

Twitter Shaming – I’m curious to hear what happens after a person gets Twitter or online shamed?  What happens after somebody writes something that is offensive and stupid and then the collective force that is the internet watchdog unleashes its ever righteous power on a lone person?  Usually we hear that the person being shamed has been fired and they become a pariah and punch line before the we move on to the next deplorable action to commands a shaming.  But I’m curious as to what happens after the spotlight has been dimmed and the shamed has to go on leading their life knowing that their name will not produce a favorable Google search.  This isn’t to say that these people don’t deserve a comeuppance or that vile speech should be permitted without any consequence, but is it fair to ruin the lives of others over moments of stupidity.  These shamings have the goal of exposing horrid behavior to the public in a way to educate the ignorant and hateful but I don’t really see working that way for all the people being shamed.  I see the person of an internet shaming becoming bitter and closed off to the point these online do-gooders were trying to instill.  I would love to see a follow up piece to the shamed and see if they are grateful for being taught a very public lesson.   

I don’t like especially when this happens to teens who say dumb and offensive things because other than the argument of we all do really bad things when we’re teenagers, I will contend that a public shaming doesn’t have the effect it’s meant to have.  A public shaming is supposed to alert and educate those on their wrongful ideas and behavior but will a teenager take that message to heart?  I would image that having a million people screaming at you would not feel so good (even if it is well deserved) and imparts a bitter resolve to never change.  I would argue that it stunts the growth of these hateful youngsters because it prevents them from going to places like college (due to their newfound notoriety) where their views would be challenged and their minds hopefully opened and expanded.  College is the great expander for a lot of people and the chance to open your bubble to ideas that you would never consider or even come across.  To me this is better and more effective than yelling at some dumb 16 year old.  Send them to college and let them meet people who aren’t in their hometown circle.  If they still feel and have these hateful and dumb ideas then I’m all for more shaming, but let’s wait until these kids have had a chance to at least hit legal age before we damn them with a million screaming voices. 

Inspirational Porn – How inspired can you possibly get?  If all it takes is a celebrity quoting a common sense platitude to make you feel touched that’s sad.  There has to be a point of inspiration overload where all the inspirational videos and quotes just become meaningless and another thing to mindlessly like and share.  These moments of supposed profundity have no meaning to me as they just blend into each other.  The only lesson I learned is that somebody’s hardships and worst moments have been immortalized to make other people feel marginally better about their own lives.  Congratulations you have fulfilled your reason for being on this planet, call us when you have another unspeakable tragedy that we can exploit and use to motivate us when we’re having a case of the Mondays.  Otherwise thank you and goodbye (I assume that’s how the conversation goes between the content sharer and the, for lack of a better word, content provider).

   

The Lumosity Conspiracy

If you had to guess which blog post I’ve written that has received the most views which one would you say?  I’m not going to wait for an answer because every second in which you struggle to remember an article title will only serve to further my deep sadness, so instead I’ll go ahead and say the thing I wrote about Lumosity (I’ll let you off the hook because even I, the great author, cannot remember my titles).  Now for those of you outside of the mental brain game loop, Lumosity is a website that uses mind games to improve your cognitive abilities.  They call it brain training.  On a basic level this sounds like a great idea and I would agree with you there.  My problem is that the only way to get something out of the service is to pay a monthly fee.  Why would a service that holds the key to improving your brain functions horde this knowledge for a monthly fee?  Paying for what they deem an essential and necessary service seems a bit immoral and lame.  So I wrote a rambling, complaining type rant one morning at around 3 am and to my great surprise, watched it reach the peak of my most viewed articles.  I never knew why it reached the exalted status of most read blog piece because it was a tossed off piece based on raw anger in the middle of my many nighttime hallucinations (that is for another blog).  I’ve come up with a theory as to why it became my most read article and the blame points squarely on… Lumosity!  I believe they are spying and keeping tabs on me.

Yes I said it; Lumosity is following me around because I bad mouthed them on the internet.  They see the power my blog yields with its 15-30 hits a day and they are rightfully afraid.  I say Lumosity is stalking/keeping tabs on me because of the emails I have still been receiving from them.  The emails are all about how their games are not stupid and scientifically proven to work.  They’ve even given me the opportunity to join them for free couple of days to prove that they are a generous and benevolent corporation.  Well again, I say ha!  I’m not falling for it Lumosity.  I will not return to your website of so called brain training no matter how specific and lovely those emails look.  And furthermore I shall never retract my statements from the blogosphere!  They will stay there for eternity as a blemish on your record of brain training because if the service is as important as you say it is, it should be free.  Don’t keep your knowledge bottled up for a fee!  Share it with the world Lumosity and let us all progress to the next level of our cognitive abilities.  I put it to you to, one – not sue me for libel and two - make your service free.  Help mankind Lumosity!  You’re our only hope.  And also stop sending me emails; they’ve becoming rather annoying and creepily specific.  It’s like you guys are trying to bring me back into the cult.  It ain’t gonna happen, but please keep reading my articles, I do appreciate it.  Now let’s hope that this Lumosity article will get the weirdly high number of views it doesn’t deserve.