Attention Deficit Delirium

Oh joy, it’s back to school time. Those hallowed high school halls are heaven for some, hell for others and a chance for all to reflect on our ever-deteriorating educational system. But hey, think of it this way — the good old days of education weren’t always so good.

Don’t believe me? Check out my latest MSN Movies feature, “Be Cruel To Your School,” which examines reforms on both sides of the teachers’ desk, from the Fifties through to today. The story was inspired by the Twisted Sister song “Be Chrool to Your Scuel,” which included the lyric: “Be cruel to your school/’cause you may never get another.” The song’s controversial video, which featured a high school invaded by flesh-eating zombies, was banned from the airwaves in 1985. Luckily the movie Dance Of The Dead took the premise into feature-length territory in 2008 with hilarious results.



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GUEST REVIEWER: KATE KOTLER, Founder/Editor-in-Chief of Geek Girl On The Street.


Mondo Urbano from Oni Press is hard to quantify upon first read. The trade paperback, released this past July, takes the reader through the first four of Rafael Albuquerque, Eduardo Medeiros and Mateus Santolouco’s mini-comics: PowerTrio, Overdose, Cabaret, Encore and Bonus Track. Centered around the Kurt Cobain-esque character Van Hudson and his band De-Mo, this first trade lays out the groundwork for the storyline and characters to further develop in future issues.

The story is an age old one: nerdy, wanna be musician buys a possessed guitar and makes a deal with the Devil. The Devil then transforms aforementioned nerdy, wanna be musician into a Rock God, making him rich and famous beyond his wildest expectations. Of course, as with any “possessed by the Devil” story, there is a hefty price to pay and a life is lost in the process…but that clearly is to come in later Mondo Urbano issues.

Sex, drugs and rock n’ roll is as good a theme for a graphic novel as any, and with an endorsement from legendary horror writer Stephen King on the cover, I had nothing but the highest expectations for this book.

Thankfully, it did not disappoint.

Although the dialog is a tad disjointed — which I attribute to the process of translating the book into English — the stories are complex yet pretty easy to follow, and it’s clear to see how they are all eventually going to come together. The tales explore themes of friendship, dying love and the good fortune that comes with being in the right place at the right time. Spun together to occur on the night that Van Hudson mysteriously commits suicide, the characters developed in each chapter profoundly feel the impact of Hudson, his deal with the Devil and De-Mo’s rise to fame that alters the course of each character’s life.

The artwork is pretty cartoon-ish (which is fine with me), the black and red on green gives the book an overall sense of something being wrong, or off –- a sickly hue, if you will –- indicating an artistic theme to the book which matches its story development.

As with all good graphic novels or comic books, I was pissed when I was done reading it because each story ending left me hanging and wanting a resolution for the characters. So I’m pretty stoked to read the next installment, “Ed’s in Trouble,” which is due out in 2011.  If you haven’t checked out this latest offering from Oni — which is being touted as the “next Scott Pilgrim” – heavy words, dudes — I do recommend picking it up and giving it a read.


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Who: Jacoby Shaddix, lead singer for Papa Roach.
What: The Top 5 MP3s in his iPod right now.
Where: Northern California.
Latest Album: Time For Annihilation…On The Record & On The Road



1. THE BEATSTEAKS “Demons Galore” — The meter, the tempo and the aggression behind the track just gets me off.

2. THE PRODIGY “Spitfire” — That’s another song that gets me pumped up before the rock show. I like that band.

3. HARD-FI “Middle Eastern Holiday” — They’re kind of like a new version of the Clash. They’re from the UK, they’re badass. They’ve just got that grimy attitude with a little dance raga sound to it.

4. WEEZER “Troublemaker” — That’s me and my son’s theme song when we’re together. It’s the jam. He just jams out in the back of the car every time when I’m playing it. It’s cute.

5. SOCIAL DISTORTION “Highway 101″ — That’s just a put-the-top-down, cruising type song. I think Mike Ness is a great storyteller. If you break it down, they are one of the most influential punk rock bands.


Live versions of Jacoby’s picks: The Beatsteaks, The Prodigy, Hard-Fi, Weezer and Social Distortion.



Other Digital Playlists:

Chuck Billy




Hansi Kürsch




Floor Jansen




Clint Lowery





Thankfully Futurama has been given a second shot at weekly series life, and because it already amassed a sizable collection of episodes with its previous five seasons (if you include those four recent feature-length movies), the mirthful, animated sci-fi spectacle celebrates its 100th episode tonight. It also happens to be the sixth season finale. Having caught some of the new episodes already, it’s obvious that the writers still have fresh ideas, whether parodying the cult of Apple (if that’s how you view it) or hypothesizing how outer space cats were actually the aliens that brought advanced technology to mankind (hey, it could have happened).

Here are two sneak peeks at tonight’s episode, which airs tonight at 10 PM EST on Comedy Central and includes a great cameo by Devo. And here’s to 100 more!



Futurama	Thursdays 10pm / 9c
Preview – 100th Delivery
www.comedycentral.com
Futurama New Episodes Big Lake A New Comedy from Will Ferrell and Adam McKay




Futurama	Thursdays 10pm / 9c
Preview – The Devo-lution Revolution
www.comedycentral.com
Futurama New Episodes Big Lake A New Comedy from Will Ferrell and Adam McKay




While I was visiting Monte-Carlo back in June, I wandered by an elegant apartment complex that housed an art gallery on its second floor. An intriguing display outside of the front window caught my eye, with the surreal imagery of photographer Franck Doat luring me back in the next day, when his exhibit first opened. I managed to have the gallery to myself for a little while just prior to the arrival of the artist himself, who came in to do a television interview for a local station.

Doat speaks French and little English; I speak English but have regrettably become very rusty with my French. Regardless, I was able to express my admiration for his work and traded contact information and was later sent the images you see below. The images in the exhibition were evidently shot in or near Paris and Beirut.

Much of Doat’s work has that strange, distorted look one experiences when spying one’s reflection in a funhouse mirror, and many of his images give curves and fluidity and breathe life into chiseled or constructed objects with sharp edges (like statues and buildings) that allow you to look at them in a trippy new light. Many of his photographs feature duplicated images that have been warped or anthropomorphized in the same way, hence the title of this story, although clearly he offers other perspectives as well. You can see for yourself below. (I have captioned the photos with my own tongue-in-cheek words. Hold your mouse pointer over the image for the title.)

During our brief chat, Doat told me he would like to come to New York. Hopefully we’ll be seeing his work in Manhattan soon. It’s far more engrossing to absorb it in person. By the way, it turns out that Doat also paints and is a sculptor as well.





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GUEST BLOGGER: GAIL FLUG



Long before the Internet, downloading and file sharing, a new release from a popular band was exciting and met with great anticipation. I have fond memories of my parents bringing home the Beatles’ Abbey Road and listening to it for the first time in my brother’s bedroom. (Not sure if it was the exact day it came out, but I’m sure it was close. My folks were good that way.) Throughout my teen years and beyond, music remained a major part of my life, and I would badger local record stores every day to ensure that I bought a new album within days of its release. Even when I started getting advance copies of releases — a perk of being a journalist — it was still a thrill to crack open an album jacket or jewel case from a band I loved.

But now that music and other entertainment have gone digital, a great part of that pleasure is missing. Although it is quite amazing that downloading allows music and video to be available instantly at our fingertips, am I showing my age by thinking that listening to this format alone de-values music? Do people who are truly passionate about music feel that files on an iPod are the equivalent of owning a piece of vinyl or a CD?

Proof positive I am not alone in this way of thinking: I was among the many Iron Maiden fans that attended a “Two Minutes To Midnight” Sale at Looney Tunes in West Babylon, New York last week to purchase the band’s new album The Final Frontier as soon as it was available to the public. The ages of those online (in the store, not on their PC) ran from old school fans like me who have been following them for decades, to those in their late teens and twenty somethings who likely discovered the band from their parents’ collections, YouTube or elsewhere. I’m sure there would have been teens and even tweens there if the event weren’t happening so late. (The band’s recent Madison Square Garden show was attended by generations of fans.) Most customers at Looney Tunes purchased the album in at least two if not all of the formats — regular CD, deluxe CD and a double-disc vinyl set — resulting in over 50 sales in less than an hour. According to store manager John Ramacca, it was expected that several hundreds more would be sold by week’s end in addition to back-catalog and other Maiden-related merchandise. (Store owner Karl Groeger later reported that the store sold over 300 CDs total for the week, plus vinyl sales. “Digital who?” he quipped. The album ultimately debuted at #4 in America, Maiden’s highest chart position in America ever.)

Despite what the industry believes, there are still people out there that want to purchase music in a format they can have and hold in their hands. A prime example is Capitol Records underestimating the popularity of the re-mastered Beatles box sets. The marketing concept was brilliant: a Wednesday release on 9-09-09, the same day as The Beatles Rock Band video game. Months and months of advertising and promotion preceded the date, which was circled on fans’ calendars around the world, yet Capitol failed to believe that the biggest band in the universe would generate sales. They produced only 10,000 copies of the in-demand Mono box — when Amazon.com ordered 40,000 alone — and the Stereo box sold out at most chains in hours. It wasn’t a matter that stores didn’t order it; major chains received copies in the double digitals at most while, according to John, independent stores like Looney Tunes were not even sure they were getting any until they actually arrived. Fortunately, Capitol announced prior to the 9-09-09 release that they would produce more of both box sets and harmony was restored in Pepperland.

Music sales are indeed down from years past — yes, in part due to illegal downloading — but today there is more competition for consumers’ dollars for entertainment. Video games, iPhones, overpriced concert tickets, cutting-edge gadgets and even gourmet coffee habits have taken a share of the cut. At the same time, according to Soundscan, sales for vinyl — the ultimate opposite of digital technology — are up 33% from 1.8 million in 2008 to 2.5 million last year. That’s still a niche market, but ultimately for a majority of people, the tangible music formats of vinyl and CD are still the desired formats as they provide packaging, superb sound quality and a sense of permanence. Many digital music files offer substandard audio, and all of them are only as safe as the device they are stored on. Like email, they can be deleted with the touch of a keystroke. And listening to an iPod in less than optimal conditions does not do many songs justice.

As someone who loves music and still owns and treasures the first record they owned, I’m glad younger generations are learning that what may become the soundtrack to their lives should be more than a series of zeros and ones on a machine that fits in their back pocket.


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One of my favorite Eighties fantasy movies — okay, really one of my favorite ever — is the sword ‘n’ sorcery spectacle that is Krull. Released in the summer of 1983, amid the frenzied activity of both the post-Conan fantasy boom and the Stars Wars-inspired sci-fi wave, this was an over-the-top cinematic epic that combined Errol Flynn-like swashbuckling with (then) modern sci-fi/fantasy action, storytelling and effects. It was also rather tongue-in-cheek, featured future stars Liam Neeson and Robbie Coltrane, had some fantastic, surrealist set design in the Black Fortress and offered up a stirring score by James Horner. And let’s not forget the Glaive, that flying, five-pointed, bladed weapon with intense laser power that was a driving gimmick in the story.

La-La Land Records recently reissued the Krull soundtrack in a limited edition, two-disc version, and it is essential for any fan of the film. Despite some people today deriding this movie as cheesy, it is a hell of a lot of fun, and part of that is due to Horner’s rousing compositions. At the time the composer was still a relative newcomer to the Hollywood scene, although he had already written and conducted the scores for Wolfen, The Hand, 48 Hrs. and Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan. We now know him as the man responsible for the music in Titanic, Avatar, Aliens and Field Of Dreams, among many others.

Following is a montage of Krull clips set to some of the score. (Admittedly it uses key scenes, so proceed with caution. You could also simply listen.) Experience the power of the Glaive and the majesty of a young James Horner!






Attention Deficit Delirium keeps expanding in new directions. This month we posted a story by our second guest blogger (Gail Flug); other writers will be contributing in the future. A new A.D.D. logo is being planned. The Lost Blu-ray box set giveaway received a hearty response, and more giveaways are planned for October.

Here are the Top 10 posts for August 2010. Feel free to catch up on the ones you missed!


1. Emilie Autumn’s Personal Asylum, Parts One and Two — Nine months after being posted, this story keeps drawing in thousands of readers every month. I guess we should plan a sequel soon.



2. Becoming The Ghost — A.D.D.’s interview with Ewan McGregor for his film The Ghost Writer has benefited from Google searches on everything from his role as a young Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars prequel trilogy to his association with director Michael Bay.


3. Joe Satriani Talks Solo Album, New Chickenfoot Songs, Politics — The fastest growing and largest new story in A.D.D.’s history continues drawing in readers during its third month in the Top 5. Satch fans are loyal!



4. Chester Bennington In “SAW 3D” Trailer — The buzz seems to be building on Chester Bennington’s appearance in the forthcoming SAW 3D movie. We’ll see how much of a goremeister he has become.



5. Corey Taylor Explores The Seven Deadly Sins — The Stone Sour/Slipknot frontman’s first book, espousing his views on the Seven Deadly Sins, is due out around spring 2011, and many fans are intrigued.



6. Iron Maiden’s Janick Gers Talks Festivals, Fish And The Final Frontier — The long-time Maiden guitarist spills about the storm swept remnants of the Finnish Sonisphere festival, the band’s new album and working with ex-Marillion singer Fish on his amazing solo debut, Vigil In A Wilderness Of Mirrors.


7. Ville Valo’s Tragic-Romantic Ecstasy — This video collection of HIM singer Ville Valo’s collaborative projects spans metal to pop to Finnish folk and is essential listening for his devout fans.



8. Digging Deeper With The “Vampire Diaries” Stars — The CW’s worldwide cult hit has been luring fans to A.D.D., particularly this star-powered interview from the 50th Annual Monte-Carlo Television Festival. Fangs for the attention!


9. Rob Halford: Back To The Future — With a career that has spanned four decades, the Metal God always has something to talk about. In this case: the making of British Steel, Judas Priest’s rumored star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame and his thoughts on rockin’ out in middle age.


10. Queensrÿche’s Scott Rockenfield Talks New Album, New Label — On a recent tour stop in NYC, drummer Rockenfield dished about the band’s forthcoming album, and he provided an unusual Digital Playlist as well.





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