Rock n' Roll

Strange coincidence that the genre that has fueled a fire within so many hearts is the genre that I hope to fuel with my writing when the time comes for me to venture to a different city in the hopes of becoming a music writer. I have been delving into my Creem anthology of articles and interviews, only to become further engrossed in the literature that has been spurned from the making of great music since the dawn of time.

Having said this, I find that Austin is a city largely populated with musicians and music writers, and to fit the mold, you have to question where your integrity lies and which direction you wish to pursue. The Journalism department at UT has a certain clique feel to it where it can often be discouraging if you are not a part of it. Maybe this means that my work would be best as a freelance writer, I'm not sure. Either way, it does have an affect on a person's perception of talent and how that talent can be used, molded and shaped to befit a magazine that has seen many writers come and go (Rolling Stone).

I look at the writings of Austin Scaggs, Lester Bangs and Hunter S. Thompson, in the hopes that a journalistic pull will take over and place me in a stigma where I can feel that messages of great writers pulsating through my fingertips, in order to make me write a masterpiece...

I thought I had written a masterpiece. I did a profile on a drug-dealer, and I thought it was one of the best stories I had ever written. I was extremely proud of the responses I got from my most critical of friends; however, my journalism professor tore it to pieces, giving me a C on it. En serio? C? His comments were more along the lines of "you use superfluous language to sound smart when you should let the story write itself." "You're telling rather than showing." Now, I understand that he has been writing for a number of years, but writing is a practice that most people take their own pleasure from. Some people may like a piece, some may hate it. But that's writing...

I'm not sure of the significance of this post, just ramblin' thoughts, but either way, just a bit of sharing. Adios!

Hittin' The Road

After such a stressful week, I am ecstatic to be making my way to Corpus Christi to spend time with family and friends and get back in touch with my roots. Maybe I'll go to Molina, where I grew up, and check out the Selena memorabilia. The movie, Selena, made me miss that small neighborhood so much that I think I want to grow old and die there. Sounds weird, I know...

Musicwise: Things have been on a temporary hiatus after being bombarded with so much music on my birthday. One of my roommates bought me MC5's Kick Out The James, Beck's Sea Change and Neil Young's Harvest, and shortly after, I bought Robert Johnson's Complete Recordings, so let's just say my mind has been kept busy to the point where I have no room for newer music, besides Brand New's Daisy, which after hearing The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me, there was no way I could pass up their new album. The new album is pretty much like Devil and God, but it doesn't hit quite as hard as the other one did, but it's still a great album.

MC5 is one of my favorites right now. Kick Out The Jams is an album I listen to almost every morning as a ceremonial wake-up. I think everyone should check out this "obscure" band that rocked the Detroit pre-punk scene way back when.

Neil Young - what to say...well, I have never been a big Neil Young fan, but after MOJO described this as being one of the best albums ever recorded, I had to check it out. It's a great piece of work. The first track automatically puts you in a place where hypnotizing country music sets inside your bones and puts you in a pastoral movement that is hard to shake. I love it. The album has many influences, many directions, but the cohesiveness lingers throughout. Check this one out.

Beck - Well, I have always loved Beck. He is one of my top-five favorite musicians/bands/etc. I love that his style is ever-changing, and while we may not always agree with his changes, we respect him as an artist enough to know that there is always some good to it. Sea Change has always been described as his "break-up" album. After listening to it a few times, I can understand why that critique has been tossed around so much. It is sweet, melancholy, and redeeming of the human spirit. I've never seen Beck like this before, but it is amazing how he captures the intensity of heartbreak but still has an undertone of hope despite it all. Definitely an album that everyone should look into if you haven't already.

Well, that's all I got for now. Until Oct. 27th, cause that's when Devendra Banhart's new album comes out! He's another top-five, so I won't even get started. Peace, Love and happy trails!