I had a pretty obvious emotional reaction to this movie - I was utterly and completely appalled. They may as well just televise the explicit rape and exploitation of women then illustrate their ultimate solace as a lobotomy. - OH WAIT THEY DID.
Seriously folks. If you haven't seen it, and clicked the link I'm sure you have already seen the movie, don't care or won't see the movie, and so you should know - This movie conveyed images of explicit human depravity, followed by an altruistic sacrifice that ended in a fantasized conveyance of the story whose entire expression was that there is freedom in a lobotomy. Literally. Lobotomy. "Turn off your brain, and you will find peace."
Now, I feel I should explain my perspective on Art.
Being a Romantic, (not in the sense of romantic love, but in the sense of art) I tend to focus on powerful, compelling emotions that inspire and motivate, as well as the bigger message conveyed, or the bigger goal of the art. - "What are you trying to say? What emotions are you trying to inspire or spark?" The conveyance in art is an emotional association implicitly, but is explicitly intended.
If art is to be expression, then I would ask if the goal is to simply interpret whatever you want from it, or if the goal is to interpret what the artist is expressing? "Modern Art" of the 1980's-2000+'s brought about the notion that art is what you interpret, not what is conveyed. Now, I realize most people will interpret art a little differently from person to person. I get that. I get inspired and driven when I hear metal, others think it cacophony or just angry. Our emotional reactions are based largely on learned and automated value judgments we make as soon as we see art. The problem I have however is that there MUST be some commonality between us, logically, biologically, and emotionally. - This is after all, what makes us Human. Perhaps not our hearts. Perhaps not our values. But...
I want to know who finds rampant exploitation of women, explicit murder, mental institutions and the idea that there is some freedom in lobotomization and archaic human sacrifice, to be an emotional association worthy of art. I don't see the artistic value of human depravity, in film or anywhere else, and I don't see how pain and tragedy is art.
I watched the Hangover recently and saw a scene about one of the characters having been restricted from being within 100 feet of a school and thought - This isn't funny, it's really fucked up. There's no humor in that.
To me, what we look for in art is a desire to feel one way or another - an inspiration, and perhaps there's a depressive association in this "art" yet it makes me wonder - Is this what you WANT to feel? Perhaps this is my problem with Trent Reznor and Radiohead as well - It INSPIRES depressive and painful emotions, and I can't help but ask...
"WHY WOULD ANYONE WANT TO FEEL THIS WAY?"
I understand very well that it may be HOW you feel, but my question again is - do you WANT to feel that way? This is my perspective on art; How do I want to feel, and does this inspire me to those emotions? Does this represent the goal, or the good? If it doesn't - Does it tell a story about reality? Does it display something that should be changed or convey a message of value?
Sucker Punch did NOTHING of the sort, and was the polar opposite of everything I hold to be good. It conveyed;
A. Wanton Exploitation of Women and treatment of them as sex-toys.
B. The only solace in existence is to evade reality in a dream.
C. There is value in self-immolation and personal destruction for the sake of another.
D. The ultimate happiness is not the end of depravity, but to lobotomize your mind and disconnect, because such depravity is the core of the story (existence.)
E. Tragedy for the sake of invoking sadness.
I realize there are many who find artistic value in tragedies, and sadness. I ask the same question from before - Do you WANT to feel sad? Or is life so cush, that watching a tragedy is the only way to experience it? I've often marveled at those who find art in depravity and sadness, and wonder what their emotional reaction is - Whether it's association or comfort, or perhaps both. I also wonder - Is it a reflection of our affluence; Without real, significant pain in life, do we seek it in art as a psychological balance? Art is one of the many ways in which I think my perspective on reality vastly differs from most, potentially as a result of my mothers death when I was young, and other factors. That's just a theory though.
In the end, I would have walked out on this movie within fifteen minutes, had I not wanted to keep being with the friends I accompanied. I stayed and my explicit emotional reaction occasionally brought me to a tear, had me feeling terrible, and ultimately left me asking - "What is left to call good?" This movie was simply cruel and tragic. I would have been overjoyed if they ended it with some sort of Perfect Blue caliber reality swap up. But no. It was just sad.
Maybe the mission was accomplished?
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Saturday, March 12, 2011
"They think I'm giving them hell. I'm just telling the truth, and they think it's hell." - President Truman
Someone said recently (not to me, just in general) "I'd rather you be honest, once and for all... if not, I'm out."
I half-chuckled at the statement. I don't mean that pejoratively but what made me smile was the interesting truth dichotomy in the statement, and it got me thinking about truth relative to human interaction, social interaction that is.
Rule #1 of Human Interaction is... "Don't ever tell the truth, unless you are CERTAIN the situation is of extreme polarity." I.e. it's either really important, or really useless.
Now, this sounds pretty shitty when I put it like that, but think about it for a moment. The classic and easy example is "Do I look fat in these jeans?" - I'm not trying to target anyone by implication here, I'm just using the most obvious example (to me.)
The correct answer to that question, requires NO evaluation of facts and is some variety of "Not at all!"
Now, I've used this example many a time before, and the truth element of it will vary. It's possible the jeans don't make you look fat, or it's possible that you may look fat in ANYTHING you wear. But being truthful will almost always yield less than positive results, so we lie through our teeth to make someone else happy.
Moreover, the whole purpose of asking a question like that is to solicit for positive answer. The question isn't being asked for the sake of the truth, the question is being asked because the person asking it wants someone to make them feel good.
How fucked up is that? Take the same concept and apply it else where - We lie to make others feel better, never mind what the reality of the situation is. People lie to us in fear of making us upset or to try and obtain a positive reaction. Don't forget, the origin of the term "Being conned" comes from the word "Convince." (Also note, our entire political structure is, at this point, based on conning people into marking a box.) Can you ever tell if someone is being honest or just trying to make you feel better?
Now, more than ever, we're concerned with how we feel, with what makes us feel good instead of what really is.
Many talk about being individual, yet all the while they cater to the pack by trying to seek positive social responses from others, instead of actually saying what they think. We even misrepresent our lives through the mass of social media like Facebook and Twitter. There's a separate blog post on that I edited out of here. Suffice it to say - Everyone wants to tell the world how perpetually awesome their life is, when the truth of the situation is, we all have our ups and downs.
Most people don't genuinely want to hear the truth. They want to hear what makes them feel good. Every failed relationship is a result of dishonesty, generally on the part of both human beings, not just one or the other. In the end, I chuckled because the question that always strikes my mind when I hear something like that is, "Is that REALLY what you want?" For 99.999% of people the answer is, "No, I really don't."
I think this may be why I went from a glib socialite that could work a crowd and woo the ladies, to a hardened dick seems socially awkward and can't find a girlfriend to save my life. I got tired of bullshitting people and more importantly, myself.
The downside, is that I'm now typing this knowing full and well that I have "recently" started bullshitting the world again and it's because loneliness struck about two years ago. I think it's time for a change of direction.
Edit,and P.S.: I'm not saying I've been bullshitting friends and family about me. Just that I've left many parts of me at home when I venture out. I've decided to start bringing them with me.
I half-chuckled at the statement. I don't mean that pejoratively but what made me smile was the interesting truth dichotomy in the statement, and it got me thinking about truth relative to human interaction, social interaction that is.
Rule #1 of Human Interaction is... "Don't ever tell the truth, unless you are CERTAIN the situation is of extreme polarity." I.e. it's either really important, or really useless.
Now, this sounds pretty shitty when I put it like that, but think about it for a moment. The classic and easy example is "Do I look fat in these jeans?" - I'm not trying to target anyone by implication here, I'm just using the most obvious example (to me.)
The correct answer to that question, requires NO evaluation of facts and is some variety of "Not at all!"
Now, I've used this example many a time before, and the truth element of it will vary. It's possible the jeans don't make you look fat, or it's possible that you may look fat in ANYTHING you wear. But being truthful will almost always yield less than positive results, so we lie through our teeth to make someone else happy.
Moreover, the whole purpose of asking a question like that is to solicit for positive answer. The question isn't being asked for the sake of the truth, the question is being asked because the person asking it wants someone to make them feel good.
How fucked up is that? Take the same concept and apply it else where - We lie to make others feel better, never mind what the reality of the situation is. People lie to us in fear of making us upset or to try and obtain a positive reaction. Don't forget, the origin of the term "Being conned" comes from the word "Convince." (Also note, our entire political structure is, at this point, based on conning people into marking a box.) Can you ever tell if someone is being honest or just trying to make you feel better?
Now, more than ever, we're concerned with how we feel, with what makes us feel good instead of what really is.
Many talk about being individual, yet all the while they cater to the pack by trying to seek positive social responses from others, instead of actually saying what they think. We even misrepresent our lives through the mass of social media like Facebook and Twitter. There's a separate blog post on that I edited out of here. Suffice it to say - Everyone wants to tell the world how perpetually awesome their life is, when the truth of the situation is, we all have our ups and downs.
Most people don't genuinely want to hear the truth. They want to hear what makes them feel good. Every failed relationship is a result of dishonesty, generally on the part of both human beings, not just one or the other. In the end, I chuckled because the question that always strikes my mind when I hear something like that is, "Is that REALLY what you want?" For 99.999% of people the answer is, "No, I really don't."
I think this may be why I went from a glib socialite that could work a crowd and woo the ladies, to a hardened dick seems socially awkward and can't find a girlfriend to save my life. I got tired of bullshitting people and more importantly, myself.
The downside, is that I'm now typing this knowing full and well that I have "recently" started bullshitting the world again and it's because loneliness struck about two years ago. I think it's time for a change of direction.
Edit,and P.S.: I'm not saying I've been bullshitting friends and family about me. Just that I've left many parts of me at home when I venture out. I've decided to start bringing them with me.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
The Contradiction of Cultural Identity
This is one of those little rants that's been wedged in the back of my mind for about a year. A few years back I was told that (I'm not quoting exactly here) "I am a White Anglo-Saxon Protestant (WASP), and the way I think and operate as such is guided by my culture." Or, "My drive for rational and logical thought is because I'm white." Now, all racial implications aside, I started analyzing this argument.
Before I dive in however, I feel I should explain Cultural Identity. What was said, is based on a theory that much of a person's identity is made up of a multitude of cultural identifiers, such as place, race, history, nationality, language, religious beliefs, etc. These identifiers guide how you're raised and as such, how you think and what you see as right and wrong.
So, to bring the points together, because I was raised with a northwestern European background both religiously and historically, I try to be rational and logical in my thinking. (There was another few elements that this debate was derived from, that would start a long tangent. Perhaps another post.)
To halt any beating of bushes, I have two simple statements I hope will demonstrate my point.
Cultural Identity is Bullshit.
First. Let's presume that Cultural Identity is correct, and see if the dots connect.
If my mode of thought and persona are guided by my culture, and I have obviously recognized that such is driving my thought processes and identity, and so we have then said - You cannot change it. If my identity is driven by my culture then I have no capacity to alter my mode of thought, because it's learned from a set of circumstances beyond my control well before I was even born. (Also indirectly saying that people are not born Tabula Rasa.)
Second. Let's presume as we did before, that Cultural Identity is correct, but in recognizing it I can change it (The free will thing.) It no longer becomes a necessary condition, and is no longer "Identity" - The ability to alter your mode of thought and persona invalidate it as an aspect of Identity, because you have the capacity to recognize what you're doing, and change. You have the ability to change, which means the essence of your character isn't cultural, it's just... what you want it to be.
In the first scenario, the notion of Cultural Identity is like looking at a man and saying "You are a man." - Thank you Captain Obvious, now what are we DOING about it? Hating a group for being who they are amounts to cultural bigotry while trying to change the circumstances yields a whole new question. The second scenario supposes we CAN do something about it, which turns the whole idea of Cultural Identity into a glaring contradiction.
Now, perhaps there's some concept that I'm not recognizing, or am just ignorant of, and I would ask - Please, comment. If I've overlooked something, I'd like to know what it is.
Identity deals with "Is" and "Are." The content of a person's mind and WHO they ARE, is guided by their conscious choices about what to believe and accept, and what not to. Many are not conscious of who they are, or what compels them to action, or simply can't handle the notion that each person is an individual capable of acting and behaving of their OWN accord. The capacity to recognize what drives us to certain actions gives us the ability to change our behavior. We can be driven biologically or emotionally to a specific action, but in recognizing what those drives are, we have the ability (unlike most of the animal kingdom) to follow or deny those drives based on the outcome we want to achieve. That ability is what defines our Identity - The values that guide our choices, in the face of whatever would drive us to act, and the capacity to define those values independently, in the face of all other influences.
Before I dive in however, I feel I should explain Cultural Identity. What was said, is based on a theory that much of a person's identity is made up of a multitude of cultural identifiers, such as place, race, history, nationality, language, religious beliefs, etc. These identifiers guide how you're raised and as such, how you think and what you see as right and wrong.
So, to bring the points together, because I was raised with a northwestern European background both religiously and historically, I try to be rational and logical in my thinking. (There was another few elements that this debate was derived from, that would start a long tangent. Perhaps another post.)
To halt any beating of bushes, I have two simple statements I hope will demonstrate my point.
Cultural Identity is Bullshit.
First. Let's presume that Cultural Identity is correct, and see if the dots connect.
If my mode of thought and persona are guided by my culture, and I have obviously recognized that such is driving my thought processes and identity, and so we have then said - You cannot change it. If my identity is driven by my culture then I have no capacity to alter my mode of thought, because it's learned from a set of circumstances beyond my control well before I was even born. (Also indirectly saying that people are not born Tabula Rasa.)
Second. Let's presume as we did before, that Cultural Identity is correct, but in recognizing it I can change it (The free will thing.) It no longer becomes a necessary condition, and is no longer "Identity" - The ability to alter your mode of thought and persona invalidate it as an aspect of Identity, because you have the capacity to recognize what you're doing, and change. You have the ability to change, which means the essence of your character isn't cultural, it's just... what you want it to be.
In the first scenario, the notion of Cultural Identity is like looking at a man and saying "You are a man." - Thank you Captain Obvious, now what are we DOING about it? Hating a group for being who they are amounts to cultural bigotry while trying to change the circumstances yields a whole new question. The second scenario supposes we CAN do something about it, which turns the whole idea of Cultural Identity into a glaring contradiction.
Now, perhaps there's some concept that I'm not recognizing, or am just ignorant of, and I would ask - Please, comment. If I've overlooked something, I'd like to know what it is.
Identity deals with "Is" and "Are." The content of a person's mind and WHO they ARE, is guided by their conscious choices about what to believe and accept, and what not to. Many are not conscious of who they are, or what compels them to action, or simply can't handle the notion that each person is an individual capable of acting and behaving of their OWN accord. The capacity to recognize what drives us to certain actions gives us the ability to change our behavior. We can be driven biologically or emotionally to a specific action, but in recognizing what those drives are, we have the ability (unlike most of the animal kingdom) to follow or deny those drives based on the outcome we want to achieve. That ability is what defines our Identity - The values that guide our choices, in the face of whatever would drive us to act, and the capacity to define those values independently, in the face of all other influences.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Social Media and Curiosity
Enroute to class, I was checking twitter on my phone, nurturing my Four Square addiction and noticed many friends checking in at the Rackhouse. Curious about what was going on, I snoop my way through talkthirtytome.com and discover "Oh hey, there's some sort of shindig for something called "12 questions." Who new? Well apparently EVERYONE except me. Moreover, WTF is "12 questions?"
So, after my snooping and discovery, (and some time spent marveling at my ineptitude) I realized there's actually a sort of social media subculture that developed somewhere along the way. I also realized - I'm somewhere on the order of YEARS behind in such a recognition. That got me thinking about my total lack of awareness (I'm not slow, I swear) of such and it occurred to me (as most of you already know) - I am the only person in my world. Not really, of course, I'm simply stating I have a very self-centered view of existence.
Having just recently started this blog, I realized that the ONLY reason I did so, was to write my head down in case someone actually cared to read it - But in my self-centered universe, I didn't imagine anyone else would be there to do so.
Turns out - PEOPLE ACTUALLY READ THIS SHIT... well at least some folks do, primarily those new-found friends that are well entrenched into social media stuffs, and a few others. I'm absolutely shocked... and also re-evaluating what I put on this blog. Moreover, I'm a bit fascinated that there are people so interested in the goings on of another's life and mind that they would spend time reading the blog of someone they hardly know. - Not a criticism mind you, simply a strange way of thinking, coming from my perspective.
All things start at self. We cannot love without first knowing what to love - Something we have to define within ourselves before we can ever know what (or who) to love. I realize there's MANY degrees of separation between "Love" and "Morbid Curiosity" I'm simply using a bit of directed hyperbole to identify interest and value.
I guess this is my round-about way of saying "Thank You." I realized recently that while values and love begin with the self, a world in which I am the only person that matters, is not only lonely but just generally shitty. I also confirmed what I've said for years, empirically - The most awesome thing anyone can do for me, is prove me wrong. To quote Penn Jilette, "it's that powerful, awe inspiring "uh-huh" moment where you realize the truth of the situation... and there's nothing better."
So, after my snooping and discovery, (and some time spent marveling at my ineptitude) I realized there's actually a sort of social media subculture that developed somewhere along the way. I also realized - I'm somewhere on the order of YEARS behind in such a recognition. That got me thinking about my total lack of awareness (I'm not slow, I swear) of such and it occurred to me (as most of you already know) - I am the only person in my world. Not really, of course, I'm simply stating I have a very self-centered view of existence.
Having just recently started this blog, I realized that the ONLY reason I did so, was to write my head down in case someone actually cared to read it - But in my self-centered universe, I didn't imagine anyone else would be there to do so.
Turns out - PEOPLE ACTUALLY READ THIS SHIT... well at least some folks do, primarily those new-found friends that are well entrenched into social media stuffs, and a few others. I'm absolutely shocked... and also re-evaluating what I put on this blog. Moreover, I'm a bit fascinated that there are people so interested in the goings on of another's life and mind that they would spend time reading the blog of someone they hardly know. - Not a criticism mind you, simply a strange way of thinking, coming from my perspective.
All things start at self. We cannot love without first knowing what to love - Something we have to define within ourselves before we can ever know what (or who) to love. I realize there's MANY degrees of separation between "Love" and "Morbid Curiosity" I'm simply using a bit of directed hyperbole to identify interest and value.
I guess this is my round-about way of saying "Thank You." I realized recently that while values and love begin with the self, a world in which I am the only person that matters, is not only lonely but just generally shitty. I also confirmed what I've said for years, empirically - The most awesome thing anyone can do for me, is prove me wrong. To quote Penn Jilette, "it's that powerful, awe inspiring "uh-huh" moment where you realize the truth of the situation... and there's nothing better."
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
/Rant On Trent Reznor and Why I Really Don't Like Him
I think I'm going to break this out into sections, to explain my general disdain of Trent Reznor (A.k.a. Nine Inch Nails.)
Now, if you like his music... great. Prior to reading this, please understand that I'm not criticizing your taste in music or "YOU" specifically or that you like his music. I'm bashing Trent Reznor and his following for the reasons I shall state.
Let's start with the musical content.
Trent Reznor is a beat thief. For those unawares, "My Sharona" by The Knack is the beat line to "Beginning of the End" and "Capital G" was taken from Michael Jackson's "The Way You Make Me Feel." Why no suit? Because there's just enough difference to make it considered "unique" according to the law. Regardless, I'd challenge anyone to tell me the difference. And for reference, Closer was another hi-jack from an old New Order song back in the 1980's.
NIN is not unique. Industrial music was pioneered by a band called Ministry back when Trent Reznor was still playing keyboards with the Exotic Birds, circa 1985ish. For some reason, many feel the need to associate Reznor with the rise of Industrial Music. On a popular basis, it could be attributed to him, but he certainly didn't "pioneer" anything.
Music is made of of 5 elements; Melody, Harmony, Pitch, Tamber and Rhythm. Altering Pitch and Melody, yet keeping with the other 5 elements makes for a different, perhaps effective change, but it's still only part of the equation. Basically what I'm saying here is that what goes into Reznor's music is still the same as everyone else - a variation of those five elements. It's what EVERY musician does. Deifying him in anyway is silly. Like everyone else, he simply makes music that some people enjoy.
Where Jackson Pollock threw paint at a canvas, Trent Reznor throws sound at a magnetic hard disk. It looks interesting, it sounds neat and it's even worth a sound track deal or two, but it doesn't constitute "amazing" any more than any other artist.
Part of what I will criticize about Reznor's musical ability is that he has NEVER ONCE used a real drum set. It's all synthesized drum sequences with very little variation from the start.
Trent Reznor as a composer.
"Reznor is a COMPOSER, not just an artist." I've heard this multiple times from many people, and it's simply incorrect. Reznor is not a composer. Composition deals with written, intentional music creation and involves multiple constituent elements. I.e. Musical Notation, Instrumentation, Orchestration etc.
Now, I will admit, I may be a bit biased in my analysis of him being a "composer" in that I grew up on composers like Aaron Copeland, Gustav Holst, Bach and Beethoven. Beethoven stands out with the idea of the word "composer" in mind, if for no other reason than the fact that he was deaf when he wrote his 9th symphony. I bring this up to say - Reznor doesn't start the process by writing. He starts it by performing, then finishes with arrangement and structure.
So, while he may physically write music, he may play instruments and decide what sounds he wants where similar to a composer, can we really call him that? Perhaps, but by that measure almost every artist is a composer, even Ke$ha.
Trent Reznor really excels at is a process called "Sampling." He takes previously recorded sounds, then processes and alters them to get the sound he wants. I think many may call Reznor a "composer" because he generally records those initial sounds himself prior to the sampling process. There again - not really all that spectacular in the music world.
"The Social Network" Soundtrack
I need to clarify this. Trent Reznor was only ONE part of that soundtrack, the other part is a guy named Atticus Ross, that most may not even know. After spending the last few days listening to Atticus's solo stuff, then coming back to the soundtrack, I can certainly hear Reznor, but I can't credit him with creation of it all. He and Atticus have worked on a number of albums in the past, and many of the songs on the soundtrack were reworked items from Ghost I - IV. I will say, from a personal perspective, Atticus Ross seems to add some depth than what I've heard in the past, and it's VERY clear how the music has changed.
Also, please note: I'm not impressed that awards were won for the soundtrack. Popular and good are two different terms, not correlated in any way. Even the Nobel Prize is a joke.
"Steal it, steal it and steal it some more." - The Philosophy of Reznor
Those that don't know what Reznor had been saying during his performances a few years back can youtube it. Just search for "Trent Reznor Steal it" and you'll find it.
Radiohead, back in 2008 or 2009 released an album without a record label called "In Rainbows." They asked for a simple donation for the album, and made buckets of money, but the album mostly passed into Obscurity. Why? No promotion for the album release outside the novelty value of "oh hey, they're selling their music without a label."
Now let's look at Reznor's approach - Sign a label, produce an album, then advocate theft. Look how fast his music spread. Trent Reznor has become more and more popular ever since he's started this "fight the labels" stance. I don't disagree with him in his stance and actually support it, but the thing is - He doesn't do it simply for ideological purposes. It sells records and spreads his music, plus he ends up with a bigger take from album sales.
Again... has my support functionally, except that he's selling a contradiction. "Record Labels are greedy. Give the money to me instead." Pot, meet Kettle. I agree with him, in that I'd rather my money go directly to the artist and support his greed, but if the label serves a function, the details about who gets what money are fungible - The band has something to gain from the label.
Prices STILL haven't gone down, despite Reznor's advocation of theft and that record labels are quickly losing their foothold in the music industry, yet many artists still WANT a record label because it's hugely influential in spreading their music to a wide audience. So Reznor and Radiohead don't. Many still do.
I'll defend his right to free speech, but I find the overall message appalling. Stealing is not a solution to a problem, it's a problem in and of it's self, with no possible positive outcome. He advocates the idea as a matter of appealing to a crowd that loves the notion that big-bad greedy Corporate America is out to get them (same thing we're taught in school), and ought to be fought and destroyed and that YOU TOO can help take down the man, by stealing his music, which he advocates.
There's other ideological problems I have with him too, but that's another post.
Next up - He's popular because he's good at making music for the demographic he targets. - Hence his selection (with Atticus Ross) for the Social Network. The demographic it targeted is the same (or similar) demographic his music does. These demographics are often created by the similarities in personalities among people within that demographic - They all share enjoy the same "sense" or "feel" they get from the music, and message in the music. This isn't a criticism, it's simply a statement about the reason he was asked to do the soundtrack and that there is a similarly shared response within the group that likes his music, and that creates the demographic.
But that's why we like the music we do. We each respond differently to the musical and lyrical content of music and like what we do because we share some sort of emotional response to that music (understanding that it may not be what was intended by the artist.) I'm not criticizing anyone's taste in music, including his. I'm simply saying...
He makes music you like. That doesn't necessarily make him more or less of an artist than ANY other musician. Personally, I find the fact that he uses synthesized drum machines (kind of like what you hear on those starter keyboards) pretty cheesy, and in my view, takes away from the musicianship (and definitely detracts from his credibility as a "composer.") I can see holding musicians in high regard if you enjoy an artist's music, but it doesn't make the artist objectively skilled or able. Reznor isn't really a very astounding musician on any level, but he knows what sells and what works in the ears of a wide audience. With that, objectively skilled and able doesn't mean it's music everyone will consider "good." It might not even be marketable music. Joe Satriani and Eric Johnson are incredibly skilled guitarists, vastly better than Reznor by comparison, but Reznor out sells them by leaps and bounds. Music is one of the many places where "best" and "popular" do not go hand in hand.
To end with a quote from a guy I hate that demonstrates this so well...
"I really don't know how to play the guitar." - Kurt Cobain
/endrant
Now, if you like his music... great. Prior to reading this, please understand that I'm not criticizing your taste in music or "YOU" specifically or that you like his music. I'm bashing Trent Reznor and his following for the reasons I shall state.
Let's start with the musical content.
Trent Reznor is a beat thief. For those unawares, "My Sharona" by The Knack is the beat line to "Beginning of the End" and "Capital G" was taken from Michael Jackson's "The Way You Make Me Feel." Why no suit? Because there's just enough difference to make it considered "unique" according to the law. Regardless, I'd challenge anyone to tell me the difference. And for reference, Closer was another hi-jack from an old New Order song back in the 1980's.
NIN is not unique. Industrial music was pioneered by a band called Ministry back when Trent Reznor was still playing keyboards with the Exotic Birds, circa 1985ish. For some reason, many feel the need to associate Reznor with the rise of Industrial Music. On a popular basis, it could be attributed to him, but he certainly didn't "pioneer" anything.
Music is made of of 5 elements; Melody, Harmony, Pitch, Tamber and Rhythm. Altering Pitch and Melody, yet keeping with the other 5 elements makes for a different, perhaps effective change, but it's still only part of the equation. Basically what I'm saying here is that what goes into Reznor's music is still the same as everyone else - a variation of those five elements. It's what EVERY musician does. Deifying him in anyway is silly. Like everyone else, he simply makes music that some people enjoy.
Where Jackson Pollock threw paint at a canvas, Trent Reznor throws sound at a magnetic hard disk. It looks interesting, it sounds neat and it's even worth a sound track deal or two, but it doesn't constitute "amazing" any more than any other artist.
Part of what I will criticize about Reznor's musical ability is that he has NEVER ONCE used a real drum set. It's all synthesized drum sequences with very little variation from the start.
Trent Reznor as a composer.
"Reznor is a COMPOSER, not just an artist." I've heard this multiple times from many people, and it's simply incorrect. Reznor is not a composer. Composition deals with written, intentional music creation and involves multiple constituent elements. I.e. Musical Notation, Instrumentation, Orchestration etc.
Now, I will admit, I may be a bit biased in my analysis of him being a "composer" in that I grew up on composers like Aaron Copeland, Gustav Holst, Bach and Beethoven. Beethoven stands out with the idea of the word "composer" in mind, if for no other reason than the fact that he was deaf when he wrote his 9th symphony. I bring this up to say - Reznor doesn't start the process by writing. He starts it by performing, then finishes with arrangement and structure.
So, while he may physically write music, he may play instruments and decide what sounds he wants where similar to a composer, can we really call him that? Perhaps, but by that measure almost every artist is a composer, even Ke$ha.
Trent Reznor really excels at is a process called "Sampling." He takes previously recorded sounds, then processes and alters them to get the sound he wants. I think many may call Reznor a "composer" because he generally records those initial sounds himself prior to the sampling process. There again - not really all that spectacular in the music world.
"The Social Network" Soundtrack
I need to clarify this. Trent Reznor was only ONE part of that soundtrack, the other part is a guy named Atticus Ross, that most may not even know. After spending the last few days listening to Atticus's solo stuff, then coming back to the soundtrack, I can certainly hear Reznor, but I can't credit him with creation of it all. He and Atticus have worked on a number of albums in the past, and many of the songs on the soundtrack were reworked items from Ghost I - IV. I will say, from a personal perspective, Atticus Ross seems to add some depth than what I've heard in the past, and it's VERY clear how the music has changed.
Also, please note: I'm not impressed that awards were won for the soundtrack. Popular and good are two different terms, not correlated in any way. Even the Nobel Prize is a joke.
"Steal it, steal it and steal it some more." - The Philosophy of Reznor
Those that don't know what Reznor had been saying during his performances a few years back can youtube it. Just search for "Trent Reznor Steal it" and you'll find it.
Radiohead, back in 2008 or 2009 released an album without a record label called "In Rainbows." They asked for a simple donation for the album, and made buckets of money, but the album mostly passed into Obscurity. Why? No promotion for the album release outside the novelty value of "oh hey, they're selling their music without a label."
Now let's look at Reznor's approach - Sign a label, produce an album, then advocate theft. Look how fast his music spread. Trent Reznor has become more and more popular ever since he's started this "fight the labels" stance. I don't disagree with him in his stance and actually support it, but the thing is - He doesn't do it simply for ideological purposes. It sells records and spreads his music, plus he ends up with a bigger take from album sales.
Again... has my support functionally, except that he's selling a contradiction. "Record Labels are greedy. Give the money to me instead." Pot, meet Kettle. I agree with him, in that I'd rather my money go directly to the artist and support his greed, but if the label serves a function, the details about who gets what money are fungible - The band has something to gain from the label.
Prices STILL haven't gone down, despite Reznor's advocation of theft and that record labels are quickly losing their foothold in the music industry, yet many artists still WANT a record label because it's hugely influential in spreading their music to a wide audience. So Reznor and Radiohead don't. Many still do.
I'll defend his right to free speech, but I find the overall message appalling. Stealing is not a solution to a problem, it's a problem in and of it's self, with no possible positive outcome. He advocates the idea as a matter of appealing to a crowd that loves the notion that big-bad greedy Corporate America is out to get them (same thing we're taught in school), and ought to be fought and destroyed and that YOU TOO can help take down the man, by stealing his music, which he advocates.
There's other ideological problems I have with him too, but that's another post.
Next up - He's popular because he's good at making music for the demographic he targets. - Hence his selection (with Atticus Ross) for the Social Network. The demographic it targeted is the same (or similar) demographic his music does. These demographics are often created by the similarities in personalities among people within that demographic - They all share enjoy the same "sense" or "feel" they get from the music, and message in the music. This isn't a criticism, it's simply a statement about the reason he was asked to do the soundtrack and that there is a similarly shared response within the group that likes his music, and that creates the demographic.
But that's why we like the music we do. We each respond differently to the musical and lyrical content of music and like what we do because we share some sort of emotional response to that music (understanding that it may not be what was intended by the artist.) I'm not criticizing anyone's taste in music, including his. I'm simply saying...
He makes music you like. That doesn't necessarily make him more or less of an artist than ANY other musician. Personally, I find the fact that he uses synthesized drum machines (kind of like what you hear on those starter keyboards) pretty cheesy, and in my view, takes away from the musicianship (and definitely detracts from his credibility as a "composer.") I can see holding musicians in high regard if you enjoy an artist's music, but it doesn't make the artist objectively skilled or able. Reznor isn't really a very astounding musician on any level, but he knows what sells and what works in the ears of a wide audience. With that, objectively skilled and able doesn't mean it's music everyone will consider "good." It might not even be marketable music. Joe Satriani and Eric Johnson are incredibly skilled guitarists, vastly better than Reznor by comparison, but Reznor out sells them by leaps and bounds. Music is one of the many places where "best" and "popular" do not go hand in hand.
To end with a quote from a guy I hate that demonstrates this so well...
"I really don't know how to play the guitar." - Kurt Cobain
/endrant
Sunday, January 9, 2011
A true thirst for knowledge.
I wish I could live more lives than my own.
Really. I want to know what it's like to be conditioned as a child to race go-karts, then champ cars, then formula 1. Who wouldn't right? But I mean that even to an extreme. I wish I could be a jet pilot (and have the eyes and age to do it.) Again, who wouldn't? But I'd even like to live life as a woman, to see ALL of the different facets of life from that perspective, good and bad - never mind that I'd probably STILL like women. I want knowledge. I want to know what life would be like from all of these different perspectives and I know that it is completely impossible for me to do so within the limitation of my own life.
And that seriously sucks.
I'd like to see life as a gay man or gay woman. As a politician. As a high school football player, as a drug addict that lives on the streets. As a stripper, as a coke dealer. As a car sales man. As a regular guy with a regular job, a wife and 2 kids. As a rebellion leader, fighting government. As a soldier supporting the government he believes in. As a republican. As a democrat. As a combination of any of the above.
I simply want to know what people think. I want to know how they react, how they feel, think and breathe and more importantly, what emotions, thoughts and reactions course through their mind when an event occurs. I want to know how they react emotionally, psychologically, functionally. Yet I cannot do that within the scope of one life.
:(
Really. I want to know what it's like to be conditioned as a child to race go-karts, then champ cars, then formula 1. Who wouldn't right? But I mean that even to an extreme. I wish I could be a jet pilot (and have the eyes and age to do it.) Again, who wouldn't? But I'd even like to live life as a woman, to see ALL of the different facets of life from that perspective, good and bad - never mind that I'd probably STILL like women. I want knowledge. I want to know what life would be like from all of these different perspectives and I know that it is completely impossible for me to do so within the limitation of my own life.
And that seriously sucks.
I'd like to see life as a gay man or gay woman. As a politician. As a high school football player, as a drug addict that lives on the streets. As a stripper, as a coke dealer. As a car sales man. As a regular guy with a regular job, a wife and 2 kids. As a rebellion leader, fighting government. As a soldier supporting the government he believes in. As a republican. As a democrat. As a combination of any of the above.
I simply want to know what people think. I want to know how they react, how they feel, think and breathe and more importantly, what emotions, thoughts and reactions course through their mind when an event occurs. I want to know how they react emotionally, psychologically, functionally. Yet I cannot do that within the scope of one life.
:(
Monday, December 20, 2010
Looking back on 2010.... in Beer.
So, as I was sipping a growler from a local brew pub last night (The Yak & Yeti, awesome Indian/Nepalese food and home-brewed beer) I thought of something a little striking.
I have had a massive plethora of different beers this year. So, I thought I'd try to list them all. Now, I'm not including the varieties at the GABF because well... that's the point of the GABF. Further, GABF serves very small portions, which means the beer doesn't have time to settle on the palate over the course of say, a pint or two, and since you're drinking so many different beers, your palate tends to get corrupted. Yes, corrupted. Even after water.
So here's the list of what I drank, by brewery, in 2010. If there are no notes to follow, it's because it just wasn't worth much memory.
Abbey Brewing Oregon, US - A division of Port
Angel's Share - Burbon Aged Stout
Gift of the Magi - Oak Aged Golden Ale
Serpent Stout - Imperial Stout
Odell Brewing Company Ft. Collins, CO - 1 block from New Belgium!
IPA (on and off Nitrogen) - Self Explanatory
Red - Seasonal Dry Hopped Red
90 Shilling - Dry Hopped Scottish Style Ale
St. Lupulin - Extra Pale Ale
Easy Street Wheat - Hefeweizen
Town Pump Pail - The epitome of good shitty beer. It's some unknown variety of Ale.
Mountain Standard Reserve 2009 - "Deep Mahogany Ale"
Mountain Standard Double Black IPA 2010 - Darkly Malted IPA
India Barley Wine - Dry Hopped IPA style Barley Wine
Deconstruction Ale - 44% Golden Ale, 33% Oak Aged, 20% Burbon Barrel Aged, 3% Wine Barrel Aged
Woodcut No. 4 - Aged Double Marzen Lager
Hop Secret 393 - Scotch Ale brewed with a special breed of Hop that develops a maple taste as it warms.
Double Pilsner
New Belgium Ft. Collins, CO
Fat Tire - Classic Amber
Sunshine Wheat - Hefeweizen with Orange Peel and Coriander
Le Fleur Misseur - A Dry Hopped Golden wild fermented with Brettanomyces.
Sahti - A rye ale with Juniper
Biere De Mars - Barley, Oat and wheat malted pale ale, with lemon and again fermented with Brettanomyces.
Mighty Arrow - A Pale Ale with Honey
2 Below - Dry Hopped Amber (As a personal note, this beer is what fat tire was supposed to be.)
Hoptober - Golden Ale with 5 different hop varieties.
1554 - A Classic Belgian Black Ale
Ranger IPA - New Belgium's foray into the IPA sporting 3 World Class Colorado hop varieties; Simcoe, Cascade and Chinook hops.
Belgo IPA - A belgian take on the IPA, dry hopped then fermented with a Trappist yeast strain.
Rogue Oregon, US
Imperial IPA - Name says it all, a well aged IPA.
(I didn't like rogue much, if you didn't notice.)
Port Brewing Oregon, US
Anniversary Ale - Dry Hopped Imperial IPA
High Tide IPA - Fresh Hop IPA
Hop 15 - Carmel malted Double IPA
Avery Boulder, CO
duganA IPA - Colorado Hopped seasonal IPA
Joe's Pilsner - A classic pils brewed craft style
Stone Brewing - Escondido, CA
IPA - A dry hopped (chinook and target I believe) IPA
Pale Ale - A richly malted pale ale, of deep amber color.
Levitation Amber - A lighter take on the pale ale.
14th Anniversary Emperial IPA - Stone's dry hopped take on the imperial IPA.
Cali-Belgique IPA - A Belgian take on the IPA, fermented with Brettanomyces.
Ruination IPA - Carrying a record setting and immeasurable IBU levels thought in excess of 120+ IBU's. They really just don't know though. It's my favorite beer.
The Bastards:
Arrogant Bastard - The argued pinnacle of an even combination of hoppiness and maltiness.
Oak Aged Arrogant Bastard - AB... on oak.
Double Bastard - An "imperial" version of the Oak Aged Arrogant.
Lukcy Basartd - A culmination of the three previous bastards, mixed.
Vertical Epic(s): This year I drank the 090909 and 101010 - Having missed the 090909 last year. 09 was a stout of sorts, 10 was a golden ale brewed with three different GRAPE varieties (yes, grapes.)
The Sublimely Self-Rightous Pale Ale: A heavily hopped take on Arrogant Bastard.
Mikkeller Denmark, EU
Story: Mikkeller is a Danish brewing company, that ran a line of beers I followed directly. They released a series of IPA's that were American style IPA's brewed with a single hop variety. I was able to track down...
Simcoe
Cascade
Warrior
Tomahawk
Nelson Sauvin
I unfortunately could not find the Amarillo single hop.
Regardless, these five beers expanded my understanding of hops exponentially.
Russian River Oregon, US
Pliny the Elder - This may be the worlds greatest IPA to date. A multi-hop DIPA produced in small batches by RR. If you can get it, buy it, resell it on your local Craigslist at 100% mark up... or more. A local bar here in Denver occasionally has it on tap when they release a keg or two.
Two Brothers Brewing Warrenville, IL
Heavy Handed IPA - A seasonal release. Interestingly enough, I remember drinking the beer, but don't have a solid recollection of it's characteristics. Chicago was a busy time with many beers.
Cane & Ebel - This I DO remember, very distinctly. A dry hopped red ale, malted with rye and a touch of Thai cane sugar. This beer floored me. A slight creamy sweetness to offset the bitter of the dry hopping process. Quite possibly the best red I've ever had.
Hop Juice - An Imperial/Double IPA (Same thing I stick with what the brewer labelled) that carried distinct pine and citrus characteristics (likely from a combination of Cascade (or Citra) and Chinook Hops) and carmel malts.
Left Hand Brewing Longmont, CO
Polestar Pilsner - A very complex craft take on the typical Pilsner Lager. It's been a while since I've had it, I can't comment much on it's flavor.
Warrior IPA - A single-hop seasonal from Left Hand using only warrior hops, giving it a very unique citrus characteristic (almost that of a lime, compared to the grapefruit character in Cascade hops.) Carmelized malts are used to soften balance the bitter from high alpha hop varieties.
Milk Stout (on and off Nitrogen) - I'm not much of a stout guy, but the name comes from the use of natural sugars in milk in conjunction with darkly roasted malts. One of the better stouts in the world.
Great Divide Brewing Denver, CO
Titan IPA - A more piney IPA, very similar to the ranger, with a slightly darker malt, and no Cascade hops.
Fresh Hop Pale - This is a very "woody" beer. The hop variety has distinct pine characteristics, and the malt imparts a wooded flavor. A typical result of a fresh hop beer, but the standard by which all other fresh hops should be judged.
Samurai Rice Ale - An awesome session ale that imparts a slightly sweet rice character. Nice and light.
Hades Belgian Style Ale
Hoss Rye Lager
Hibernation Ale (Seasonal)
Hercules Double IPA
Rumble - Oak Aged IPA
Goose Island Chicago, IL
Matilda
312 - A solid Hefe.
Up Slope Brewing Boulder, CO
IPA
Pale Ale
Maui Brewing Hawaii, US
Big Swell IPA
Golden City Brewing Golden, CO
Evolution IPA - This is a genuine IPA. I mean GENUINE. The beer is nearly flat when it's opened, which is how traditional IPAs were served after a having sat on a boat during the trip from England to India. - It carries distinct Cascade and Simcoe Characteristics, which has a very fruity citrus character. Sad shame it's only available within about 1 mile of my house.
Clear Creek Pale Ale - A pale with a distinctly taste of grain - Clear and crisp for a pale.
The Legendary Red Ale - For those who don't know, GCB is the second largest brewery in Golden CO. Formerly owned in part by my old college Japanese professor, I first had this beer at Metro State in our Japanese class. I revisit it a few times a year. An all around good Red.
Elysian Brewing Washington, US
I just discovered these folks, who are now being bottled by their partner, New Belgium.
Jasmine IPA - I've said this is the best 4 dollar bomber you can buy. I'll stick to it. The character is that of a beer I'd expect to spend 12 or 13 bucks for. The Jasmine tends to sweeten the IPA, and in conjunction with a variety of hops I'm not entirely familiar with, the beer has the bitter freshness of an IPA, with a finish similar to a white wine without the sweetness.
Immortal IPA - After the Jasmine, it's hard to make this noteworthy.
BiFrost Winter Seasonal - A very unique take on a winter ale. Of note: It's color is similar to a hefeweizen, instead of a the more typical amber or darker ales. A light malt combined with earthy (likely Noble) hops make this a very unique winter seasonal. Worth a drink.
Meantime UK, EU
Meantime IPA
Bridgeport Bridgeport, OR
Hop Czar Imperial IPA
The Bridgeport IPA - A bottle conditioned IPA with a distinct pine flavor that finishes with a spicy taste similar to pepper. Sounds bad, it's very good. The spice likely imparted by the yeast left in the bottle for conditioning. Drink a Ruination first, and follow it with one of these.
Ska Brewing - Durango, CO
Nefarious Ten Pin Porter
Modus Hoperandi
Hoperation Ivy
True Blonde
Green Flash Brewing
The Greenflash IPA
Dogfish Head Brewing
60
90
120 Minute IPAs
Personal Note: Dogfish Beers are kinda like buying an expensive wine just because it's expensive. You may not like it. Hell, it might not even taste good, but it's expensive, so there's some sort of social "oh my gosh that MUST be good" aspect to it. I wasn't impressed with ANY of their IPA's, and many of their other beers, such as Jiahu or Pangaea are eastern-style beers. What I mean is that these beers aren't hopped, but rather flavored with fruits or herbs (such as the Jiahu.) While still legitimate beer, traditionally we think of beer as Barley, Yeast, Hops. If it wasn't blatantly obvious, I love hops. Ergo, I don't like Dogfish. /endrant
Lagunitas Brewing CA, US
Hop Stoopid
Deschutes Brewing Portland, OR
Hop Trip Fresh Hop IPA
Hop Henge IPA
Twilight Summer Ale
Inversion IPA
Obsidian Stout
Anderson Valley Anderson Valley, CA
Hop Ottin' IPA
Imperial IPA
Bear Republic CA, US
Racer 5 IPA
Kona Brewing Company HI, US
Longboard Lager
Fire Rock Pale Ale
Wailua Wheat
Ommegang Brewing
Hennepin - A spiced saison
Rare Vos
Redhook
Long Hammer IPA
Redhook Lager
Breckenridge Brewing Company Denver, CO
Remarkable Vanilla Porter
Lucky U IPA
Small Batch IPA
Misc:
McNair / Ballast Point / Stone Collaboration Session Ale
Moylan's Hopsickle DIPA
The Brewpub Section - Not officially bottled or sold outside the tap house.
The Yak & Yeti Arvada, CO
Himalayan IPA - GABF Winner. It's good but... I'm not sure who judges those things.
Namaste Pilsner - Probably the most noteworthy. A near hefeweizen taste, and coloration close to a Witbier
The Rock Bottom Brewery Denver, CO and other states
Falcon IPA - Traditional Standby, also had on the cask.
16th Street Wheat
Red Rocks Red
American Dream IPA
A Saison I can't remember the name of.
Blitzen Old Ale
Hop Bomb DIPA
Dry Dock Brewing Co Note: I put them here, because their beer is only sold in two places in Colorado. Aurora, CO
Paragon Apricot Blonde - An interesting thing, to fruit an otherwise ultra light beer.
USS Enterprise IPA - Pales in comparison to their DIPA
U-Boat Hefeweizen
Urca Vanilla Porter - I enjoy a vanilla porter every now and then.
Breakwater Pale Ale
HMS Bounty Old Ale
Seven Seas Double IPA - Up there along with Pliny, Ruination and a few others for a favorite IPA/DIPA. Clear use of simcoe and citra hops, and tastes almost like they used fresh hops, as it finishes with a very grainy/woody taste.
The Mahogany Ridge - Epic little brewpub in Steamboat Springs. Great food as well. Steamboat Springs, CO
Rodeo Rye
Lil' Lyddie's IPA
Alpenglow
The Wynkoop Denver, CO
Mile HIPA
Silverback Pale Ale
The Steamworks - Like Dry Dock - Here because they're not very well distributed. Durango, CO
The Conductor IPA - Another fruity IPA... small brewers love Simcoe hops, also very citrusy - Cascades or Citras. Very similar to Odell's IPA.
Spruce Goose - A beer brewed with spruce! Very unique, only worth a beer or two.
Third Eye PA - Their standard IPA
Carver Brewing Company Durango, CO
Cascade Canyon Cask IPA
Jack Rabbit Pale Ale
Well I think that's it. I'm actually pretty sure that's only the last six months of 2010, but I'm not sure that I can remember what came before. At any rate, the count is about 133 (123, if I miscounted) different beers this year. Now to wonder if I'm an alcoholic, or just a beer snob. Perhaps this is the first step - Admitting what you've done... or a matter of pride. I'm not really sure, I'm just amazed that I've had over 120 varieties of beer in one year. Colorado Rules.
I have had a massive plethora of different beers this year. So, I thought I'd try to list them all. Now, I'm not including the varieties at the GABF because well... that's the point of the GABF. Further, GABF serves very small portions, which means the beer doesn't have time to settle on the palate over the course of say, a pint or two, and since you're drinking so many different beers, your palate tends to get corrupted. Yes, corrupted. Even after water.
So here's the list of what I drank, by brewery, in 2010. If there are no notes to follow, it's because it just wasn't worth much memory.
Abbey Brewing Oregon, US - A division of Port
Angel's Share - Burbon Aged Stout
Gift of the Magi - Oak Aged Golden Ale
Serpent Stout - Imperial Stout
Odell Brewing Company Ft. Collins, CO - 1 block from New Belgium!
IPA (on and off Nitrogen) - Self Explanatory
Red - Seasonal Dry Hopped Red
90 Shilling - Dry Hopped Scottish Style Ale
St. Lupulin - Extra Pale Ale
Easy Street Wheat - Hefeweizen
Town Pump Pail - The epitome of good shitty beer. It's some unknown variety of Ale.
Mountain Standard Reserve 2009 - "Deep Mahogany Ale"
Mountain Standard Double Black IPA 2010 - Darkly Malted IPA
India Barley Wine - Dry Hopped IPA style Barley Wine
Deconstruction Ale - 44% Golden Ale, 33% Oak Aged, 20% Burbon Barrel Aged, 3% Wine Barrel Aged
Woodcut No. 4 - Aged Double Marzen Lager
Hop Secret 393 - Scotch Ale brewed with a special breed of Hop that develops a maple taste as it warms.
Double Pilsner
New Belgium Ft. Collins, CO
Fat Tire - Classic Amber
Sunshine Wheat - Hefeweizen with Orange Peel and Coriander
Le Fleur Misseur - A Dry Hopped Golden wild fermented with Brettanomyces.
Sahti - A rye ale with Juniper
Biere De Mars - Barley, Oat and wheat malted pale ale, with lemon and again fermented with Brettanomyces.
Mighty Arrow - A Pale Ale with Honey
2 Below - Dry Hopped Amber (As a personal note, this beer is what fat tire was supposed to be.)
Hoptober - Golden Ale with 5 different hop varieties.
1554 - A Classic Belgian Black Ale
Ranger IPA - New Belgium's foray into the IPA sporting 3 World Class Colorado hop varieties; Simcoe, Cascade and Chinook hops.
Belgo IPA - A belgian take on the IPA, dry hopped then fermented with a Trappist yeast strain.
Rogue Oregon, US
Imperial IPA - Name says it all, a well aged IPA.
(I didn't like rogue much, if you didn't notice.)
Port Brewing Oregon, US
Anniversary Ale - Dry Hopped Imperial IPA
High Tide IPA - Fresh Hop IPA
Hop 15 - Carmel malted Double IPA
Avery Boulder, CO
duganA IPA - Colorado Hopped seasonal IPA
Joe's Pilsner - A classic pils brewed craft style
Stone Brewing - Escondido, CA
IPA - A dry hopped (chinook and target I believe) IPA
Pale Ale - A richly malted pale ale, of deep amber color.
Levitation Amber - A lighter take on the pale ale.
14th Anniversary Emperial IPA - Stone's dry hopped take on the imperial IPA.
Cali-Belgique IPA - A Belgian take on the IPA, fermented with Brettanomyces.
Ruination IPA - Carrying a record setting and immeasurable IBU levels thought in excess of 120+ IBU's. They really just don't know though. It's my favorite beer.
The Bastards:
Arrogant Bastard - The argued pinnacle of an even combination of hoppiness and maltiness.
Oak Aged Arrogant Bastard - AB... on oak.
Double Bastard - An "imperial" version of the Oak Aged Arrogant.
Lukcy Basartd - A culmination of the three previous bastards, mixed.
Vertical Epic(s): This year I drank the 090909 and 101010 - Having missed the 090909 last year. 09 was a stout of sorts, 10 was a golden ale brewed with three different GRAPE varieties (yes, grapes.)
The Sublimely Self-Rightous Pale Ale: A heavily hopped take on Arrogant Bastard.
Mikkeller Denmark, EU
Story: Mikkeller is a Danish brewing company, that ran a line of beers I followed directly. They released a series of IPA's that were American style IPA's brewed with a single hop variety. I was able to track down...
Simcoe
Cascade
Warrior
Tomahawk
Nelson Sauvin
I unfortunately could not find the Amarillo single hop.
Regardless, these five beers expanded my understanding of hops exponentially.
Russian River Oregon, US
Pliny the Elder - This may be the worlds greatest IPA to date. A multi-hop DIPA produced in small batches by RR. If you can get it, buy it, resell it on your local Craigslist at 100% mark up... or more. A local bar here in Denver occasionally has it on tap when they release a keg or two.
Two Brothers Brewing Warrenville, IL
Heavy Handed IPA - A seasonal release. Interestingly enough, I remember drinking the beer, but don't have a solid recollection of it's characteristics. Chicago was a busy time with many beers.
Cane & Ebel - This I DO remember, very distinctly. A dry hopped red ale, malted with rye and a touch of Thai cane sugar. This beer floored me. A slight creamy sweetness to offset the bitter of the dry hopping process. Quite possibly the best red I've ever had.
Hop Juice - An Imperial/Double IPA (Same thing I stick with what the brewer labelled) that carried distinct pine and citrus characteristics (likely from a combination of Cascade (or Citra) and Chinook Hops) and carmel malts.
Left Hand Brewing Longmont, CO
Polestar Pilsner - A very complex craft take on the typical Pilsner Lager. It's been a while since I've had it, I can't comment much on it's flavor.
Warrior IPA - A single-hop seasonal from Left Hand using only warrior hops, giving it a very unique citrus characteristic (almost that of a lime, compared to the grapefruit character in Cascade hops.) Carmelized malts are used to soften balance the bitter from high alpha hop varieties.
Milk Stout (on and off Nitrogen) - I'm not much of a stout guy, but the name comes from the use of natural sugars in milk in conjunction with darkly roasted malts. One of the better stouts in the world.
Great Divide Brewing Denver, CO
Titan IPA - A more piney IPA, very similar to the ranger, with a slightly darker malt, and no Cascade hops.
Fresh Hop Pale - This is a very "woody" beer. The hop variety has distinct pine characteristics, and the malt imparts a wooded flavor. A typical result of a fresh hop beer, but the standard by which all other fresh hops should be judged.
Samurai Rice Ale - An awesome session ale that imparts a slightly sweet rice character. Nice and light.
Hades Belgian Style Ale
Hoss Rye Lager
Hibernation Ale (Seasonal)
Hercules Double IPA
Rumble - Oak Aged IPA
Goose Island Chicago, IL
Matilda
312 - A solid Hefe.
Up Slope Brewing Boulder, CO
IPA
Pale Ale
Maui Brewing Hawaii, US
Big Swell IPA
Golden City Brewing Golden, CO
Evolution IPA - This is a genuine IPA. I mean GENUINE. The beer is nearly flat when it's opened, which is how traditional IPAs were served after a having sat on a boat during the trip from England to India. - It carries distinct Cascade and Simcoe Characteristics, which has a very fruity citrus character. Sad shame it's only available within about 1 mile of my house.
Clear Creek Pale Ale - A pale with a distinctly taste of grain - Clear and crisp for a pale.
The Legendary Red Ale - For those who don't know, GCB is the second largest brewery in Golden CO. Formerly owned in part by my old college Japanese professor, I first had this beer at Metro State in our Japanese class. I revisit it a few times a year. An all around good Red.
Elysian Brewing Washington, US
I just discovered these folks, who are now being bottled by their partner, New Belgium.
Jasmine IPA - I've said this is the best 4 dollar bomber you can buy. I'll stick to it. The character is that of a beer I'd expect to spend 12 or 13 bucks for. The Jasmine tends to sweeten the IPA, and in conjunction with a variety of hops I'm not entirely familiar with, the beer has the bitter freshness of an IPA, with a finish similar to a white wine without the sweetness.
Immortal IPA - After the Jasmine, it's hard to make this noteworthy.
BiFrost Winter Seasonal - A very unique take on a winter ale. Of note: It's color is similar to a hefeweizen, instead of a the more typical amber or darker ales. A light malt combined with earthy (likely Noble) hops make this a very unique winter seasonal. Worth a drink.
Meantime UK, EU
Meantime IPA
Bridgeport Bridgeport, OR
Hop Czar Imperial IPA
The Bridgeport IPA - A bottle conditioned IPA with a distinct pine flavor that finishes with a spicy taste similar to pepper. Sounds bad, it's very good. The spice likely imparted by the yeast left in the bottle for conditioning. Drink a Ruination first, and follow it with one of these.
Ska Brewing - Durango, CO
Nefarious Ten Pin Porter
Modus Hoperandi
Hoperation Ivy
True Blonde
Green Flash Brewing
The Greenflash IPA
Dogfish Head Brewing
60
90
120 Minute IPAs
Personal Note: Dogfish Beers are kinda like buying an expensive wine just because it's expensive. You may not like it. Hell, it might not even taste good, but it's expensive, so there's some sort of social "oh my gosh that MUST be good" aspect to it. I wasn't impressed with ANY of their IPA's, and many of their other beers, such as Jiahu or Pangaea are eastern-style beers. What I mean is that these beers aren't hopped, but rather flavored with fruits or herbs (such as the Jiahu.) While still legitimate beer, traditionally we think of beer as Barley, Yeast, Hops. If it wasn't blatantly obvious, I love hops. Ergo, I don't like Dogfish. /endrant
Lagunitas Brewing CA, US
Hop Stoopid
Deschutes Brewing Portland, OR
Hop Trip Fresh Hop IPA
Hop Henge IPA
Twilight Summer Ale
Inversion IPA
Obsidian Stout
Anderson Valley Anderson Valley, CA
Hop Ottin' IPA
Imperial IPA
Bear Republic CA, US
Racer 5 IPA
Kona Brewing Company HI, US
Longboard Lager
Fire Rock Pale Ale
Wailua Wheat
Ommegang Brewing
Hennepin - A spiced saison
Rare Vos
Redhook
Long Hammer IPA
Redhook Lager
Breckenridge Brewing Company Denver, CO
Remarkable Vanilla Porter
Lucky U IPA
Small Batch IPA
Misc:
McNair / Ballast Point / Stone Collaboration Session Ale
Moylan's Hopsickle DIPA
The Brewpub Section - Not officially bottled or sold outside the tap house.
The Yak & Yeti Arvada, CO
Himalayan IPA - GABF Winner. It's good but... I'm not sure who judges those things.
Namaste Pilsner - Probably the most noteworthy. A near hefeweizen taste, and coloration close to a Witbier
The Rock Bottom Brewery Denver, CO and other states
Falcon IPA - Traditional Standby, also had on the cask.
16th Street Wheat
Red Rocks Red
American Dream IPA
A Saison I can't remember the name of.
Blitzen Old Ale
Hop Bomb DIPA
Dry Dock Brewing Co Note: I put them here, because their beer is only sold in two places in Colorado. Aurora, CO
Paragon Apricot Blonde - An interesting thing, to fruit an otherwise ultra light beer.
USS Enterprise IPA - Pales in comparison to their DIPA
U-Boat Hefeweizen
Urca Vanilla Porter - I enjoy a vanilla porter every now and then.
Breakwater Pale Ale
HMS Bounty Old Ale
Seven Seas Double IPA - Up there along with Pliny, Ruination and a few others for a favorite IPA/DIPA. Clear use of simcoe and citra hops, and tastes almost like they used fresh hops, as it finishes with a very grainy/woody taste.
The Mahogany Ridge - Epic little brewpub in Steamboat Springs. Great food as well. Steamboat Springs, CO
Rodeo Rye
Lil' Lyddie's IPA
Alpenglow
The Wynkoop Denver, CO
Mile HIPA
Silverback Pale Ale
The Steamworks - Like Dry Dock - Here because they're not very well distributed. Durango, CO
The Conductor IPA - Another fruity IPA... small brewers love Simcoe hops, also very citrusy - Cascades or Citras. Very similar to Odell's IPA.
Spruce Goose - A beer brewed with spruce! Very unique, only worth a beer or two.
Third Eye PA - Their standard IPA
Carver Brewing Company Durango, CO
Cascade Canyon Cask IPA
Jack Rabbit Pale Ale
Well I think that's it. I'm actually pretty sure that's only the last six months of 2010, but I'm not sure that I can remember what came before. At any rate, the count is about 133 (123, if I miscounted) different beers this year. Now to wonder if I'm an alcoholic, or just a beer snob. Perhaps this is the first step - Admitting what you've done... or a matter of pride. I'm not really sure, I'm just amazed that I've had over 120 varieties of beer in one year. Colorado Rules.
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