Heroes.

Tonight at 9 p.m. on HBO, the new WWII miniseries The Pacific airs. For the past two months, HBO has been airing weekly, the epic companion Band of Brothers from 2001, as a build up. Band of Brothers is available on DVD now and was quite possibly and arguably the best and most expensive miniseries ever produced. There is also a documentary that ties actual experiences from Easy Company, the company that the miniseries followed through the beaches of Normandy, the liberation of Holland and the push to drive back the Nazis from Bastogne and the Rhine and into Germany during 1942-1945. Its called We Stand Alone Together, and it compiles actual stories and footage from all the battles. The full feature is located in the link.

The reason why EVERYONE should watch and read about these experiences, is because they are the most important acts of humanity to come out of the 20th century. The reason we can do the things we do, the reason we can have the things we have and go the places we go is simply because of the courageous and heroic acts of the brave men and women who faught and died in the World Wars.

So the next time you complain about your cell phone range, your stupid car and the fact that there is a line up at the club, shut the fuck up and relax, at least your not stuck in a fox hole in Bastogne, waist deep in someone elses shit, with German artillery shells landing all around you in the middle of February.

Indo-China Redux

Oldies but very goodies.... When you can, go to Thailand and Cambodia. Life changing places.

Brad Nowell

Ever since about 1997, shit, when I was fourteen, I’ve been in love with Sublime. I remember paddling down the Sand River in Lake Superior Provincial Park, bobbing my head to the killer sound of Wrong Way and April 29, 1992 (Miami), in a canoe and on my Sony Discman… Wow, those were the days. There was just something perfect about the ska/punk sound, the lyrics, which were so easy to pick up, and Brad Nowell’s voice rivals any of the greats, living or dead and you all know it. I don’t think I’ve ever been to a party or a cottage or the beach without someone righteously demanding and playing Sublime, it just goes without saying. Sublime means summer and is essential to it, like one cannot be without the other. But, like I think most of us feel, I’ve always been intrigued by what really happened to Nowell, so I figured you guys would too.

Of course Brad Nowell was taken from us way too early, as Sublime only released 3 major albums, and I think that’s what I want to talk about; just what the hell happened to such an amazing guitarist and the lead vocalist of still one of the greatest bands to come out of the 90’s?

Nowell died of a heroin overdose on May 25, 1996 at the Ocean View Motel in San Francisco, two months prior to the release of Sublime. The album clearly kicked ass, and included the single What I Got, which made it to #1 at the Modern Rock Chart and has since gone six-times platinum. Besides What I Got, the album included Santeria, Doin Time, Wrong Way and probably my personal favourite Jailhouse.

The downward spiral began in 1993, as Nowell, frustrated by rejection of the major record companies, descended into a two-year heroin "experiment". Brad claimed that his heroin use was justified and that it aided his artistic creativity, fuelling his lyric writing and brainstorming, thus increasing the likelihood that his material would attract the attention of a major label. It reeks of hubris, the tragic flaw; it’s strait out of Shakespeare.

Attention from a major label did not curb Nowell's drug use, which sometimes led him to pawn his instruments, as reflected in Pawn Shop. It’s funny how looking into these things reveals a lot about the actual songs he writes, like in The Ballad of Johnny Butt where he talks about shooting up and killing cops… Or the song Pool Shark is another song that reflects his struggle with addiction. In February 1996, Sublime returned to the studio to record the bulk of their self-titled major label debut, in Texas. Brad's addiction became increasingly unmanageable and he was flown home early from the sessions.

Brad got married on May 21^st, 1996 to his long time sweetheart Troy Dendekker, and the next day Sublime embarked on a five-day tour through some California cities in preparation for a summer tour of Europe. The European tour was intended to promote their upcoming major label debut. Nowell's last performance took place at the Phoenix Theatre in Petaluma, California. On May 25, 1996, after the show in Petaluma, the band was scheduled to head up north. That morning, drummer Bud Gaugh woke up to see Nowell half in bed, with his feet on the floor. At first, Gaugh assumed Nowell had been too drunk the night before to get into bed properly. Unfortunately, on further inspection Bud noticed a green film around Brad’s mouth, and it became obvious that he had overdosed on heroin. He called for the paramedics, but Nowell had past away hours before, and was pronounced dead at the scene. Nowell was cremated and his ashes were spread over his favourite surf spot, Surfside, California. A headstone was placed at Westminster Memorial in Westminster, California in his memory.

Brad was 28 when he died, damn. I’m almost 27 years old and a lot of my fiends are around that same age and older, it kind of puts things into perspective, and when you think about it, his life goes to show how fleeting and fast good things can come to be and pass away. Not to worry though, Sublime will never go away and Nowell’s tale is a cautionary one, you can live life in the fast lane, but Jesus, stay away from the smack. It’s stories like these that showcase the importance of living life to its fullest, because it can end so damn quickly. So in conclusion, play more Sublime and ska/punk in the future, it kicks ass. Hopefully when you’re listening to some right after you read this, it reminds you of the super, wicked, awesome, rad, tubular Spring and Summer that is to come. The beach, the sand, the lake, the ocean and the crazy fun times that we’re reminded of when we pop in that CD, plug in that iPod and jam out to Nowell and Sublime.

If you only knew all the love that I found, it's hard to keep my soul on the ground.
-Sublime

Dundas Falls

Went for a hike today. It was cold as hell, but gorgeous none the less.

Exquisite Game

Last night I threw away my vow of staying in and doing my readings and catching up on homework, as I was convinced by my friends that that idea was just way too boring and lame. I got the group at the party to play a game. It's based on an artistic concept called Exquisite Corpse, where an artist would draw the head of a person and then fold it up on the paper and hand it off to the next artist who would complete the torso and so on.

But, instead of drawing parts of the body onto the paper, each person writes down a sentence, folds the paper so no one sees it, and then someone who can yell over top of everyone's drunken giggles reads out the hilarious quotes and blurbs. This game can form some of the most hilarious monologues you'll ever here. Try it out, yo!

Apocalypse Now

I'm heading up a lengthy, two class seminar on Heart of Darkness and Apocalypse Now, showcasing how the Movie was adapted from Conrad's Novella. Although inspired by Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness, the film deviates extensively from the source material. The novella, based on Conrad's real experiences as a steam paddleboat captain in Africa, is set in the Congo Free State during the 19th century. This scene sets up Willard's mission into the Cambodian jungle and showcases Coppola's killer talent for great film making.



Kurtz and Marlow (who is named Willard in the movie) both work for a Belgian trading company that brutally exploits its native African workers. When Marlow arrives at Kurtz's outpost, he discovers that Kurtz has gone insane and is lording over a small tribe as a god. The novella ends with Kurtz dying on the trip back and the narrator musing about the darkness of the human psyche: "the heart of an immense darkness."

In the novella, Marlow is the pilot of a river boat sent to collect ivory from Kurtz's outpost, only gradually becoming infatuated with Kurtz. In fact, when he discovers Kurtz in terrible health, Marlow makes an effort to bring him home safely. In the movie, Willard is an assassin dispatched to kill Kurtz. Nevertheless, the depiction of Kurtz as a god-like leader of a tribe of natives and his malarial fever, Kurtz's written exclamation "Exterminate the brutes!" (which appears in the film as "Drop the bomb. Exterminate them All!") and his final lines "The horror! The horror!" are taken from Conrad's novella.

Photo Stuffs

Thought I'd land some goodies in here for those who come and visit.

Ted Haggard and Bad Religion

Recently, I sat down with my brother to watch a documentary film called Religulous, a film that debates organized religion, religious fanaticism and ultimately the bad happenstance that can come from it. In my opinion, the film reaffirmed a lot of what I believe in and stand for and felt a lot like reading the book “The God Delusion”, by Richard Dawkins (an excellent read, might I add).

A montage of clips came across the screen in one sequence and Bill Maher, the host, spoke about Ted Haggard, the self made Evangelical Priest who was recently caught up in a drug and sex scandal, lost his job and was exiled out of Colorado where is practice was. The whole notion was fascinating; because this seemingly well mannered, nice guy stepped over the lines he drew himself, as a founder of a Church and showed exactly why organized religion creates bondage, conflict, discrimination and how easily it can ruin lives.

I’ve watched some footage of Ted Haggard doing what he does best. He is amazing at motivating, uplifting and building relationships with other people. He always seems to have a smile on his face and he is actually a really nice guy, a fantastic guy in fact. A great family man, Ted Haggard has been married for over 30 years now. The guy just seems so likable, aside from his intense beliefs and dealings with the scriptures and such. He just seems clean as a whistle. The man founded his own Church, starting off with sermons in his basement, then moving up to renting larger rooms in strip malls, eventually he had a congregation of 14,000 strong, operating out of a campus in Colorado Springs. After solidifying his New Life Church and becoming a founding member of The Association of Life Giving Churches, he was appointed Leader of the National Association of Evangelicals.

What Ted Haggard and millions of Evangelicals believe in is the sole authority of the Gospels. What the Bible speaks is rule. Evangelicals are those odd folk who speak in tongues, denounce warlocks and witches like Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings and preach at all times a Good God over a Bad Devil. Extreme believers of creationism, angels, miracles and a One God, all powerful, Evangelicals are amongst one of the biggest religious groups in North American society today. This type of religion also denounces homosexuality and in some circles homosexuality is seen as the most obscene form of lifestyle and no one other than biological, heterosexual parents are meant to raise children and interact in society without ridicule or social ruin. To me, it seems like a form of prejudice no different than that of racism and discrimination against women.

Ted Haggard preached against homosexuality regularly, I have seen footage of the man speaking about reforming members of his congregation, who had been “found out” and had “fallen” from the righteous ways. The whole set up was perfect, I mean, it just didn’t get any better for the situation to rear it’s ugly head. The man had set himself up for failure, but I’ll get to that in a moment.

Homosexuality is not a disease, it is not something that is wrong, immoral or bad for society and that’s the bottom line. Homosexuality is something people are born with, in fact, there is strong evidence to believe that there is a single gene in our DNA that can cause it. You’re either homosexual, bisexual, or heterosexual, you cannot change this. This is where my article meets it purpose.

In November 2006, Ted Haggard admitted to hiring and soliciting the services of a male prostitute named Mike Jones. He also admitted to using methamphetamine with Mike Jones. Boom! Roasted. There it was, for the entire world to see, for all the 30 million members of the Evangelical community to drink in. They’re Leader, they’re link to God was found delving into the very acts that their religious group so fiercely preached against. Soon after, Ted Haggard was removed from all leadership positions by his fellow Church members and was forced into exile, by law, from the State of Colorado. He was also ordered, by law, to undergo 3 to 4 weeks of intensive counselling overseen by four ministers from his Church to reform and remove the cancer of homosexuality from his psyche.

There is a documentary about this called “The Trials of Ted Haggard”. The man was forced to live with strangers, drag his family to another state, move from place to place with nothing more than his car and a U-Haul truck and find work elsewhere. He lost all of his savings, his home and the best job he could find was going door to door selling Health Insurance. Even though his marriage was still intact and his family still embraced the Ted Haggard they knew, he had gone from being on top of a major corporation (that’s right, Churches are businesses) to a jobless loser with no viable post secondary education to help him get his foot into the door of a good job. It was incredible to watch.

After his “counselling” it was reported that Ted Haggard was now “completely heterosexual” and had embraced his heterosexual side, again, denouncing his homosexuality as “sexually immoral”. Now that’s Religulous.

To this day Haggard is banned from practice as a minister in the Church. He has since been allowed to return home to Colorado, but a recent story still has the Haggard Family struggling to regain stature in the community, jobs and they receive hate mail and threats constantly. Ted also continues to undergo therapy to deal with what he coins “heterosexuality with issues”.

Ted Haggard’s “fall from grace” is a lesson about why, when people program themselves and others to follow doctrines and rules that control how we live and how our lives “should” be, bad things can happen to good people, a lesson I don’t think even he has learned. My problem with the situation is simply the lack of equality, tolerance and understanding that has occurred since the scandals. Doesn’t the Bible preach forgiveness? It does, but there is also that part about stoning homosexuals, punishing the “immoral” and exiling deceivers and liars.

Despite my opinion that Ted Haggard and his family are nice people, I think it is poetic justice that the man fell into the very ruin that he created for himself to fall into. A world of struggle and bondage and exile built up by the very doctrines he had preached for 30 years as a minister. His closest friends turned his back on him, for a mistake? No, for something that Haggard is and will always be, a homosexual, a sentient, incomplete, imperfect human being, just like you and I and everyone else. My question is this: Where is God now Ted?