MaSuTology 101

I WRITE LOTS ABOUT 2007 ALBUMS

2007-12-27T23:58:00.000-08:00

Battles – Mirrored
Where the hell did this even come from? What the hell is there to say about it? It’s like super-prog, but it’s basic in the rhythm section. It’s techno with guitars everywhere. It’s instrumental with vocals. I lack the tools to sufficiently explain what’s happening with “Tij”, much less the rest of the album. As foreign as it all sounds, though, it’s all really, really good on very base levels. There’s this sense of satisfaction between the band members as the album progresses, where I felt their love for music just flow out of them, and into me. Speaking as a musician, Battles makes me excited for where music’s going, and it makes me want to get better so I can be a part of what they’re trying so hard to do. This album really opened my eyes to what music is capable of. In a field of depression and melodrama (as well executed as that can be from some of the other bands listed), Battles is this ray of sunlight, that gives me a renewed wonder for the world. No other album moved me like Mirrored, and it’ll be a long damn time before anything else can.

Radiohead – In Rainbows
I stumbled upon Radiohead last year. That sounds absolutely crazy, I know. They’ve have been around longer than I’ve been alive, and the growth and strength the band has is most assuredly strong. And one summer vacation, with nothing to do, I bought eight albums for a day of music to listen to, and one of those albums was Kid A. To say it fractured me puts it lightly. So I’ve spent the last two years listening to Radiohead, in a different context than “oh, they’re this indie band that made it, that’s cool.” In Rainbows feels, to me, like it’s paying me for finding them. It’s a culmination of everything that I liked about the other albums, without the things I didn’t like. The Bends and OK Computer were near perfect rock albums, and I wasn’t really done with that sound. I was hoping it’d come back. Kid A and Amnesiac were a perfect mix between soundscapes and a man yelling at you, commanding your attention, but it seemed like most of the band disappeared behind the music. Hail to the Thief had both, but it switched between and was unable to blend it. And suddenly, after Thom Yorke was able to squeeze out a full techno solo record, they’re able to combine everything of the last 21 years of music they’ve been making into a concise ten song package that is nearly perfect. This would be album of the year in any other year. It’s certainly the feel good story of the year in both the distribution model, and “Radiohead is back.”

Arcade Fire – Neon Bible
In March of this year, I said to a friend that it is going to take a hell of a lot to be a better album than this one. While the two albums above it are those albums, neither of them sound quite like Neon Bible. If “Funeral” was wringing a tear soaked cloth dry, Neon Bible is them showing it to the world, the tears making a watery mirror. The album has a sense of urgency that is difficult to describe. The way I look at it is a nuclear bomb going off, and the atmospheric sounds at the start of Black Mirror is equal to hearing it in the distance. I can apply this theme to the rest of the album, but the metaphor is good enough to serve a general purpose. The point is that the album picks up strength as it rolls on, growing more rambunctious and critical as Win shows the world what it looks like to him. It all builds up to one specific moment: The full blast of My Body Is a Cage. In my bomb metaphor, this is the fire hitting, the pain of loss and the power of dynamics assaulting until I’m nothing but dust. It made the hair on the back of my neck stand up and it made me want to curl up and weep for months, clawing at myself and howling at nothing. An amazing album, start to finish.

Neurosis – Given to the Rising
Neurosis said this album was going to be their heaviest since Through Silver in Blood. This worried me. Firstly, referencing your bands best works in comparison seems to be certain doom. Secondly, the single, “Water is Not Enough”, worried me a great deal, because it almost sounded generic. I was looking forward to the album between my fingers as I pretended to cover my eyes. The title track tore the hand off my face, and subjected me to horrors and wonders the same. It’s a decadent assault, an avalanche that hits and overwhelms. The claims were true, and best yet, they were right. Given to the Rising proves just absolutely how obsolete all metal is in the face of their creativity, how useless growls are in front of Steve Von Till, how childish shredding guitars to second divisons are. For all the talk of heaviness and ugliness, and all of these things metal bands try to be, it takes a listen of “Distill (Watching the Swarm)” to realize that they have it all wrong. While it was noise record label Load Records that said “slow is the new loud” to hype up one of their bands, Neurosis shows the middle ground is the higher ground.

LCD Soundsystem – Sound of Silver
The answer to the question of “what happens to musical journeymen when they get older” is somewhere within the seven minute “All My Friends.” Zooming out from the one song for a second, LCD Soundsystem is a very odd album. It’s a solo project of sorts, but it’s named like a band. First listen to me was me noting that it sounded like a mishmash of all kinds of different electronic influences that ended up filtering through to being something unique. I wrote it off after that. After a moment of drama that birthed my interest- maybe closer to need- to write songs, music all sounded different after I found out what it means to exhume yourself into a song, I revisited the record, and it was entirely different. Sure, the music sounded like that, but the difference was James Murphy pouring everything he had out into nine songs. Which leads back to “All My Friends.” A musical exodus of what he knows the meaning of life to be, All My Friends sails by, and now that my understanding of what music is, and can be, has expanded, it means something much more than it did at first. I think that everyone has a song inside themselves, and only a few record them. This not to say Murphy’s out of song ideas, but on an album of commentaries and observances, “All My Friends” rings of a generational landmark, and it’ll be hard to top it. I can’t wait to see him try.

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah – Some Loud Thunder
Talk about a grower. This was my first exposure to Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, after hearing just a few things about them before. They were compared to Talking Heads, and that seemed unfair for a lot of different reasons, but the most profound reason now is that there’s no real comparing them to anyone. The band certainly have a lot of the same aspects, with the dance beats under rapid fire pick patterns and frantic vocals, but where Talking Heads went outwards into the world and into rhythm, it seems that CYHSY are retracting into themselves , into heritage and into base emotional templates. The album has a few problems with flow, stutter stepping with obtuse explorations like “Goodbye to the Mother and the Cove” , the rest of the album is a lot of solid rock with a twinge of backwoods raising in it, like the self titled. There’s no way to tell how long that singer Ounsworth has been in his own little world, but it applies a very strange feeling to all of the music that sets them apart. The highlight of the album, for me, is “Yankee Go Home.” My favorite part about Ounsworth is how his whole demeanor seems like a fragile mask, how his inanimate state feels like an act to hide some venomous, hideous beast. With Yankee Go Home, it almost comes out, with the bile spewing up all at once as he chants “Pa said get used to it”, after a full song’s rage over the perception of the United States Citizen. It’s this eruption that makes “Underwater (You And Me)” so effective, in serene bounce and warm tribute to his new wife. The thing I left this album wondering most is if it’s this woman that keeps the full rage of Alec in check, from spewing out violent horrors in vengeance. I almost want to see what’d happen without that, but that is truly a horrible thing to say.

Ted Leo & The Pharmacists - Living with the Living
“No one understands me.” It’s a very base emotion, but sometimes it follows you into adulthood. It’s followed Ted Leo, that’s for damn sure. The music is modern post punk, yes, but the thing that separates the Pharmacists from the rest of that genre is Leo’s wit in lyricism. Leo uses his music to lash against his fears and his disillusionment with policy and development. The mask of post punk sits atop a very real punk face, even if what it means to be “punk” is radically different than it ever was. There are moments of hope and joy in between Leo’s musings of war and culture. Songs of love, rebirth, and sympathy permeate the sides of the album, acting as great reference points in the construction of Leo’s profile as a song writer. The back to back hit of “The Unwanted Things”, a reggae jam over crying, and “The Lost Brigade”, a howl over the decomposing landscape in front of him and the times ahead, and his resolution to keep going- “Every little memory is a song.” It’s a very impressive record, with a solid “this is how you make post punk” base on top of the truly individual songwriting voice of Ted Leo.

The National – Boxer
I withstood months of recommendations before succumbing to the album and the band, much like I did with what ended up being my favorite album last year, Isis’ “In The Absence of Truth.” Ironically, the music inspired this sense of wasting time from the start of it. Not in the sense of “I can’t wait for this album to be over”, but more in line with Fake Empire seeming to speak to how people use their time. It’s so nice to hear a low voice in indie music, especially after succumbing to Animal Collective hype and ending up staring blankly at half the internet, and The National fills that tonal void. They sound like a lot of different things, but they are uniquely themselves, taking little techniques from all over the place. The voice of Bessinger weighs down the music and brings everything within itself, as if it’s a different song all together. The most notable part of the composition to me is how well they build around that distinctive voice, and how the voice stays conservative, instead of going outside of its range or abilities. It’s a very unique case of a band being completely on the same page, and everything builds within itself to make a unique impression as well as a cant miss record.

Kanye West – Graduation
The thing that has always impressed me about Kanye West is his inability to ruin his own songs. I mean this very sincerely. While I’m still new to rap in general, West as a rapper is… uninspiring at best. Sure, he’s had a few highlights, but I never came away from College Dropout or Late Registration with the opinion that he’s MF DOOM or anything. However, as a beat maker, Kanye is impressively talented, as well as innovative. Graduation, however, is akin to a masterwork from him. For once, West’s rapping ability stands on it’s own. He’s always had writing on his side, but he’s never really had a flow that was as interesting as it was on this album. The part that amazed me most, though, were the beats. I’ve never heard a song quite like Flashing Lights, much less a rap song like it, and Big Brother is one of the more emotionally charged, introspective rap songs I’ve ever heard. Kanye is nothing if not exploratory, and it sure as hell paid off on this album.

Gogol Bordello – Super Taranta!
Gogol Bordello seems to be on their way to being the new Clutch. Tonally, they’re nothing alike, but the reputations are what I’m talking about, with killer live shows and killer, if similar, albums. However, this ends up meaning that what reviews of Gogol Bordello albums end up being are “this is a new Gogol Bordello album.” With both GB and Clutch, the upside is that even if it is standard fare, their standard fare is so much better than a lot of other bands. Gogol Bordello is the first album with new bassist Thomas Gobena, whose reggae stylings are definitely a natural fit with the rest of the band’s music. Hutz speaks highly of dub music in interviews and on his site, so it’s a very natural conclusion as well. The album has a few tremendous bright spots as well, that show very exciting frontiers for the band. Hutz’s Stooges love is exposed for all with the sneering that surfaces on “American Wedding”, and “Harem in Tuscany” is almost like a portrait of the entire band. As mentioned in quick quip form, though, the album needs knowledge of the live experience to really thrive. The album isn’t perfect, to my tastes, as it has a few points where it drags (Dub The Frequencies and Forces of Victory end up getting skipped 90% of the time), but it is totally new Gogol Bordello, and that’s totally enough.

Just Missed: Feist’s “The Reminder”, Justice’s “Cross”, Clutch’s “From Beale St. To Oblivion”, AIR’s “Pocket Symphony”, MIA’s “Kala”

To your notions of context, I say the following: The mascara snake is fast and bulbous.

2007-11-12T22:14:00.000-08:00

Talking Heads

~Gender
And the boys say “What do you mean?”

~Where
GADJI BERI BIMBA CLANDRIDI
LAULI LONNI CADORI GADJAM
A BIM BERI GLASSALA GLANDRIDE
E GLASSALA TUFFM I ZIMBRA

~Home
Letting the days go by! Let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by! Water flowing underground
Into the blue again! After the money’s gone
Once in a lifetime! Water flowing underground

~Current Mood
I feel… feel nice inside
Right here
And now its… summer again

~School
Burned all my notebooks
What good are notebooks?
They won’t help me survive

~First Love
Here come a riddle, here come a clue
If you were really smart, you'd know what to do when I say
Why am I going out of my head, whenever you're around?
The answer is obvious, love has come to town

~First Heartbreak
But I'm...not in love.
What does it take to fall in love?
Do people really fall in love?

~Moment:
Here's that rhythm again.
Here's my shoulder blade.
Here's the sound I made.
Here's the picture I saved.
Here I am.

~Thoughts on Life
I can't seem to face up to the facts
I'm tense and nervous and I
Can't relax
I can't sleep 'cause my bed's on fire
Don't touch me I'm a real live wire

~Every Day
Just beginning to take that love away
Just beginning to take that love away
In a minute I'll wash that love away

~Favorite Color
Blood is a special substance

~Favorite Sound
Electric guitar gets run over by a car on the highway
This is a crime against the state
This is the meaning of life.
To tune this electric guitar

~Tattoos
Take a look at these hands.
Take a look at these hands.
The hand speaks. The hand of a government man.
Well I'm a tumbler. Born under punches.

~Drugs
And we
Are criminals that never broke no laws
And all
We needed was a net to break our fall

~Someone I miss
Mommy, Daddy, come and look at me now
I'm a big man in a great big town
Years ago who would believe it's true
Goes to show what a little faith can do

~Someone I can’t stand
Takes a lot of time to push away the nonsense!
Take my compassion, push it as far as it goes!
My interest level's dropping! My interest level is dropping!
I've heard all I want to, I don't want to hear any more!

~Someone I like
Don’t you worry ‘bout me.
I wouldn’t worry about me.

~Current Status
I got a girlfriend, that's better than that!
Now everyone's getting involved.
She's moving up, going right through my heart!
We might not ever get caught.
Going right through! Try to stay cool!
Going through, staying cool!
I got a girlfriend that's better than that!
And nothing is better than you.

~Am I Happy with it?
I got a girlfriend that’s better than that
And nothing is better than this
Is it?

~Last relationship
Years ago
I was an angry young man
I'd pretend
That I was a billboard
Standing tall
By the side of the road
I fell in love
With a beautiful highway

~Last kiss
Wait, wait for the moment to come.
Stand up, stand up and take my hand.
Believe, believe in mystery.
Love, love, love, love is simple as 1-2-3.

~Hobby
The world moves on a woman’s hips!
The world moves and it swivels and bops!
The world moves on a woman’s hips!
The world moves and it bounces and hops!

~Season
And when they split those atoms
It's hotter than the sun

~Déjà vu?
Facts are simple and facts are straight
Facts are lazy and facts are late
Facts all come with points of view
Facts don't do what I want them to
Facts just twist the truth around
Facts are living turned inside out
Facts are getting the best of them
Facts are nothing on the face of things
Facts don't stain the furniture
Facts go out and slam the door
Facts are written all over your face
Facts continue to change their shape

~Drunk?
The boys are making a big mess
This makes the girls all start to laugh
I don't know what they're talking about

~Cried?
Everything is very quiet
Everyone has gone to sleep
I'm wide awake on memories
These memories can't wait

~Happiest Moment
Home - is where I want to be
But I guess I'm already there
I come home - -she lifted up her wings
I guess that this must be the place
I can't tell one from another
Did I find you, or you find me?
There was a time Before we were born
If someone asks, this where I'll be

~Perfect lover
I'm writing 'bout the
Book I read, I
Have to sing about the
Book I read
I'm embarrassed to admit it hit the soft spot in my heart
When I found out you wrote the
Book I read so

~Perfect Day
And on the first day, we had everything we could hold!
Ooh, couldn’t’ve asked for more.
And on the second day, there was nothing else left to do!
Ooh, what a day that was.

~Best friend
Girls are getting into abstract analysis,
They want to make intuitive leap.
They are making plans that have far reaching effects.
And the girls want to be with the girls.

~Something to achieve
Find a city
Find myself a city to live in

~Something you’re proud of
I don’t have to prove that I am creative!

~Something you could change about yourself
Go...talk to your analyst, isn't that what they're paid for
You walk, you talk...You still function like you used to
It's not a question...Of your personality or style
Be a little more selfish, it might do you some good

~Five years
My building has every convenience
It's gonna make life easy for me
It's gonna be easy to get things done
I will relax alone with my loved ones

~Before I die
I see the shapes,
I remember from maps.
I see the shoreline.
I see the whitecaps.
A baseball diamond, nice weather down there.
I see the school and the houses where the kids are.
Places to park by the fac'tries and buildings.
Restaunts and bar for later in the evening.

~How would I like to go?
I'm walking a line,
I'm visiting houses in motion.
I'm walking a line,
Just barely enough to be living.
Get outta the way! No time to begin!
This isn't the time! So nothing was done!
Not talking about! Not many at all!
I'm turning around! No trouble at all!
You notice there's nothing around you, around you!
I'm walking a line! Divide and dissolve!

~Outlook of Life
Oh...I'm living in the future.
I feel wonderful.
I'm tipping over backwards
I'm so ambitious
I'm looking back I'm
Running a race and you're the book I read so

~Advice for a friend
When this kiss is over
It will start again.
It will not be any different,
It will be exactly the same.
It's hard to imagine,
That nothing at all,
Could be so exciting,
Could be so much fun.

OTHER STUFF I DID, SO WHAT, YOU WANNA FIGHT ABOUT IT?!

2007-08-18T20:45:00.000-07:00

Just digging through documents. thought I'd upload this stuff.

I Object/I, The Object

The Morning
I see day again.
Joys and Loves
and Sorrows and Sins

The orchestra fills me
As I expel my needs.
Need my confession
It's a new mandate

The evening
I'm yearning
To be used
And to be rebuffed

Love is undefined
So which love is true?
It's my only want
To completely suit you

I am your audience
And you are mine
I love your show
And you can't stand mine

It was one pen
That opened my doors
I want you to speak, friend
And enter my world.

Push
I want
Push
I need
Push
Make me
Push
Want me

Aren't I revolting?
What I say and what I do
Just wait and see
What I want for you

I won't dictate
And spill my id over you
You won't hesitate
And never spoil you

How cruel is this wait!
I object
I just wanted you to use me
I, the object

The latest Samantha dream.

The dream was a blue sunrise. It’s what most of the sunrises are like here, thanks to the marine layer. Just a deep, bright blue aura-like light all around. I didn’t understand what was going on until she started talking. It’s really hard for me to describe her voice, especially so far removed from the dream, but I knew it was her. It’s not like I dream about anyone else in soft situations like this one.

We were sitting on the damp grass, huddled together with our backs against the wall as we sat in the backyard. She has some kind of coffee thing that’s making little wisps of steam. If I’m not watching her, or a bird flying by, I’m watching the steam dissipate in the air. No one else is awake, since we’re apparently both crazy.

The conversation is low key, nothing as mind-bending or profound as they have been. Maybe that was the point, since lately I’ve been worked up almost all the time and in a great amount of emotional turmoil, peaking with a dream last week where I felt like I was dying and then woke up suddenly. I needed to talk to her again, and see her. Talking to her is the greatest relief I have, as it makes me stop thinking about the horrible, horrible future, or being concerned that everything I could do could be some severe misstep. I’m simply sitting in the back yard with my girl.

The last part of the dream I remember is her leaning her head onto my shoulder, and saying “I lo-“, then Dave slammed against my door as he fell out of the bathroom. Ass.

Blue Sunrises

2007-06-27T18:27:00.001-07:00

The terrified clouds roll in from the jagged coasts, its eyes shimmering with mortal realization. The light is dim, like the love hidden in this collapsed society. The sunrays beam through like real love every now and again, shining brightly in small little spaces, fleeting and impermanent. Souls wash up on the shore, clutching for land, sand, stability of any kind, clawing for land as the water tries so hard to pull us back in. Some let go. Some take others, but no one will win.

The sky is blue, but not the kind of blue it usually feels like. Not the kind of blue that fills you with warmth, or the kind of blue that holds promises of all kinds. No, this sky is blue if only because the only black is deep blue. Blue like black, blue like a bruise, and these bruises cover our body. The sun is not so bright, not so loving. It’s these blue sunrises I see when I open my eyes in the morning, every single day.

It’s these blue sunrises I see when I go down the street. it’s these blue sunrises I see when I close my eyes, when I speak my mind, and when I weep for the fleeting sand. It’s these blue sunrises that ruin everything. The eyes will flash, the chest will ache, the legs will fail, and I will fall. I’d like to think that there are a million different problems with my chest, but it’s nothing more than terrible heartbreak.

I tire of the blue sunrise. I’m waiting for the sun to break through, so each one of us hopeless hangers-on can at least see how pretty everything is before the wave crashes over and takes us in. I did once, but it’s been so long that I don’t even think it really happened. I’m begging to get a handhold on a rock, and hold on so very long. It’s the tide that chills to the bone, the pull that causes the ache, and all that I see is shaded in blue.

A very well timed poem

2007-06-27T12:39:00.000-07:00

Also: What the fuck, Chris?

Giving a Chance

Breathe
Did you?
It's by chance
That it worked

Life
THE life
The slimmest
Of all chances

Value
Personal
Every one chance
Has at least two views

Cursed
Blessed
With our one chance
Our one wasted chance

So love!
Howl at night!
Laugh at dawn!
This is your chance!

Chances
Don't be self centered
Spread it all around
And don't you dare stay down

Love
Go ahead
Give someone a chance
And grab your best girl

Wrassle, Wrassle, Toil and Tassles

2007-06-07T17:16:00.001-07:00

Well, the spring semester is over, so for all intents and purposes, so it's time to lock in the top 20 matches of the spring! One last addition. Everything else is henceforth late addition, so, it'll be on a different list which is more of a database than anything.

SPRING:

1. Yuji Nagata Vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi, 04/13, NJPW

2. Yuko Miyamoto Vs. Takashi Sasaki, 03/14, BJPW

3. Shinjiro Otani & Takao Omori Vs. Yoshihiro Takayama & Kohei Sato, 02/18, Z1MAX

4. Mitsuharu Misawa Vs. Takuma Sano, 04/28, NOAH

5. Ryouji Sai Vs. Mammoth Sasaki, 02/18, Z1MAX

6. Meiko Satomura Vs. Mayumi Ozaki, 02/12, LLPW

7. Takeshi Rikio & Jun Akiyama Vs. Mohammed Yone & Takeshi Morishima, 04/01, NOAH

8. CIMA, Susumu Yokosuka, & Dragon Kid Vs. Naomichi Marufuji, Ricky Marvin, & Ippei Ota, 04/28, NOAH

9. Kengo Mashimo & Madoka Vs. Iifushi Kota & HARASHIMA, GPWA Differ Cup, 05/06

10. Daisuke Sekimoto Vs. Kengo Mashimo, 03/22, Wakamusha

11. Yoshihiro Takayama, Hirotaka Yokoi, & Kohei Sato Vs. Takao Omori, Shinjiro Otani, & Kazunari Murakami, 01/19, Z1MAX

12. SUWA, Yoshihiro Takayama, & Minoru Suzuki Vs. Takeshi Rikio, KENTA, & Naomichi Marufuji, 01/21, NOAH

--13. Masato Tanaka Vs. Yoshihito Sasaki, 05/27, Z1MAX

14. Jun Akiyama Vs. Go Shiosaki, 01/21, NOAH

15. Togi Makabe Vs. Shinsuke Nakamura, 04/08, NJPW

16. Doug Williams Vs. Yoshinari Ogawa, 03/04, NOAH

17. Osamu Namiguchi Vs. Atsushi Aoki, 03/08, Z1MAX

18. Shinsuke Nakamura Vs. Toshiaki Kawada, 01/04, NJPW

19. Mitsuharu Misawa Vs. Takashi Suguira, 03/05, NOAH

20. Keiji Muto Vs. Toru Owashi, 03/27, AJPW

--#13. Masato Tanaka Vs. Yoshihito Sasaki, 05/27, Z1MA

Masato Tanaka is a better wrestler than a whole lot of people, and this match is a showcase of that. The stories of this match are all strong wrestling themes; Teacher vs. Student, young blood vs. new blood, return match, and more. Tanaka is just as fast as he was when he left, and it doesn’t look like he has a bit of ring rust. Sasaki is capable, and also completely insane, getting in Koji Kanemoto’s, Yoshihiro Takayama’s, and Mitsuhiro Matsunaga’s faces, and telling them off, even if it means getting kicked in the face or getting stabbed. Really, though, this is the Masato Tanaka Is Back show, and he’s as good as he’s ever been, despite all conventional logic. The thing that keeps this match from being higher is some really suspect selling from Sasaki and Tanaka both. And while I kind of buy it from Tanaka, seeing as his crown is apparently made of granite, it’s more of a problem Sasaki had. On paper, the win is unexpected, but Sasaki’s lariats sound like Singapore cane shots, and Tanaka bumps for them like they’re lead pipe shots, so I completely buy it. While it’s not immaculate and perfect (and really, for a return match, it’s uncanny), it’s a solid little sprint that does wonders for all involved. I’m starting to wonder if Sasaki’s going to make it to the FF finals, and that’d be awesome if he did.

And now...summer-summer-summer-time. Only one entry, so far.

1. Mitsuharu Misawa Vs. Bison Smith, 06/03, NOAH

This isn’t here because it’s, like, the only good match I’ve seen that happened after June 1st. So far, the Misawa reign has been the highlight of NOAH this year. The route he’s taken with defenses and everything has been people that are seen as tough or tougher. No small challengers, all big guns. Morishima’s blitzkrieg offense, followed by Sano’s overpowering savate and prowess. Now, Misawa comes face to face with the Claw. I thought this match was going to be Misawa 2007, which is full of savagery and greatness, versus Bison Smith being Bison Smith, but it’s not what I got. Bison Smith really threw out a lot here, pulling out a Taue-like “I’m going to fly everywhere because you can’t” thing, taking some really bizarre bumps for a guy his size. The match was really good, and had pretty solid heat once things got going. The finish wasn’t that far apart from the other Misawa 2007 big match finishes, in that Bison takes a huge move, and can’t even think to throw out offense except kicking out, and that doesn’t help none. Solid match.

PS: Man, Word 2007 totally fucks formatting from text to Scribefire. Or...something.

Tommy Emmanuel - Initiation

2007-06-06T00:39:00.001-07:00

poetry

2007-05-31T04:21:00.000-07:00

In tribute to finals, a last minute venting dedicated to my first day at college

To The One Day

The sun was out and so was I
First day back to this world

Always the same for me
In a corner I found
Conversing with me
And me alone

Perceived as Invariable
Then there was another
That spoke in echoes
With no cave in sight

Sounds of piece
Sights of glory
Freedom in thought
Liberation in life

Sudden disconnection
One moment of relief
Among years of this exile
Satisfactory for more

To the other
Who we echo each other
And who gave me piece
Don’t ever talk to me again

The ape finds everything
In the flourishing jungle
But the jungle herself
Has no need for one more damn monkey

The communiqué saved my life
And that was enough from you
In tribute to the one day
Maintain planetary silence

More Wrasslin

2007-05-12T01:50:00.001-07:00

1. Yuji Nagata Vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi, 04/13, NJPW

2. Yuko Miyamoto Vs. Takashi Sasaki, 03/14, BJPW

3. Shinjiro Otani & Takao Omori Vs. Yoshihiro Takayama & Kohei Sato, 02/18, Z1MAX

--4. Mitsuharu Misawa Vs. Takuma Sano, 04/28, NOAH

5. Ryouji Sai Vs. Mammoth Sasaki, 02/18, Z1MAX

6. Meiko Satomura Vs. Mayumi Ozaki, 02/12, LLPW

7. Takeshi Rikio & Jun Akiyama Vs. Mohammed Yone & Takeshi Morishima, 04/01, NOAH

--8. CIMA, Susumu Yokosuka, & Dragon Kid Vs. Naomichi Marufuji, Ricky Marvin, & Ippei Ota, 04/28, NOAH

--9. Kengo Mashimo & Madoka Vs. Iifushi Kota & HARASHIMA, GPWA Differ Cup, 05/06

10. Daisuke Sekimoto Vs. Kengo Mashimo, 03/22, Wakamusha

11. Yoshihiro Takayama, Hirotaka Yokoi, & Kohei Sato Vs. Takao Omori, Shinjiro Otani, & Kazunari Murakami, 01/19, Z1MAX

12. SUWA, Yoshihiro Takayama, & Minoru Suzuki Vs. Takeshi Rikio, KENTA, & Naomichi Marufuji, 01/21, NOAH

13. Jun Akiyama Vs. Go Shiosaki, 01/21, NOAH

--14. Togi Makabe Vs. Shinsuke Nakamura, 04/08, NJPW

15. Doug Williams Vs. Yoshinari Ogawa, 03/04, NOAH

16. Osamu Namiguchi Vs. Atsushi Aoki, 03/08, Z1MAX

17. Shinsuke Nakamura Vs. Toshiaki Kawada, 01/04, NJPW

--18. Mitsuharu Misawa Vs. Takashi Suguira, 03/05, NOAH

19. Keiji Muto Vs. Toru Owashi, 03/27, AJPW

20. Tiger Mask, Koji Kanemoto, Wataru Inoue, Kaz Hayashi, & TAKA Michinoku Vs.  Jushin Thunder Liger, Minoru, Milano Collection AT, Shuji Kondo, & "brother" YASSHI, 01/04, NJPW

--4. Mitsuharu Misawa Vs. Takuma Sano, 04/28, NOAH

On DVDBoards, I've already gone over why I liked it, so I'll just do the basics again.

-This match should've been ass, but wasn't.

-Misawa is outstruck, and that never happens.

-Sano throws out weird topes and dives and shit.

-Misawa is great as wrestling George Foreman, relying on the big shots and attrition.

-The finish is essentially "The Northern Lights Bomb ain't got shit on the Emerald Frosion", and that's true, because I really hate the NLB.

Really. Watch it. It's great.

--8. CIMA, Susumu Yokosuka, & Dragon Kid Vs. Naomichi Marufuji, Ricky Marvin, & Ippei Ota, 04/28, NOAH

CIMA Vs. Marufuji is a big deal, even if both of them are really terrible now. That changes surprisingly little in how much this match means to junior wrestling, and the people in Japan are stoked to see it. This match is built around CIMA in NOAH, and it's built surprisingly well. Marvin and Ota do most of the work, while CIMA and Yokosuka do set up work for their team. Marufuji and Dragon Kid are kept apart so they can just work at big offense. The sub story of the match is Ota, amazingly, being able to keep up with the DG crew. It's a tight little match, with a surprising lack of botches, and some memorable moments. And most of all, the whole DG crew, barring Yokosuka, makes it out of the match without throwing out the big stuff that's finishers for them, which means they'll mean that much more when they do happen. A really smart match that gets everyone over and builds to some interesting match ups. Only time will tell if NOAH's smart enough to let CIMA/Marufuji keep building to an autumn face off, or if it's going to fill time for the late-summer Budokan.

--9. Kengo Mashimo & Madoka Vs. Iifushi Kota & HARASHIMA, GPWA Differ Cup, 05/06

DDT Vs. K-Dojo. Mashimo is a giant jerk, Madoka is flippyfloppy, Kota is great, HARSHIMA is great. This match does good jobs of playing to everyone's strength, and skipping out on the useless bullshit that goes to a lot of other Japanese indy wrestling. Mashimo and HARASHIMA are the big guns on each team, being singles title holders for each of their promotions, where as Kota and Madoka are seen as the big up and comers for each fed. There's a really nice video package before the match, showing how both teams got to where they did. I'm worried about the match being silly because there's a lot of hold for hold stuff, but then HARASHIMA kicks Kengo in the leg that the Z1 Team fucked over, and I turn around instantly, as they have my attention. Basically, this is a good big-time indy junior match, where Kengo is allowed to be a giant scumball, Madoka is allowed his flips (and has some awesome stomping, by the way), HARASHIMA is allowed to be HARASHIMA, and Kota is allowed to be Kota. The leg selling gets a little weird for a small amount of time, and Kengo wantonly nosells a german suplex, but that' s it.  Post match, there's a handshake because they just beat the crap out of each other. HARASHIMA and Kota are still, somehow, worlds beyond the rest of the indy scene, but Madoka and Mashimo totally keep up.

--13. Togi Makabe Vs. Shinsuke Nakamura, 04/08, NJPW

Chain death match. Which means Makabe awesomeness. Indeed, this match is loaded to the brim with awesome Makabe-ness, and decent Nakamura-ness. This really is another Makabe show, with Makabe just going above and beyond the call of duty to be an awesome heel. GBH at ringside is also great, antagonizing him further, and the referee violence is pretty ace for Makabe, especially for the random acts of Tiger Hattori as a result. Nakamura's comeback is alright, but...I dunno. There's something missing in the way everything is laid out. It's totally on Nakamura, though, because Makabe's awesome all throughout.

--18. Mitsuharu Misawa Vs. Takashi Suguira, 03/05, NOAH

The realization of "Misawa as Pace Setting, Bruising Old Man." It kind of came by accident in it's invention match against Morishima this year, as you can only do so much when concussed like he was. But he apparently looked at that match and decided that's the direction he should go for everything, and he showed this idea off against Suguira, who's riding a big popularity wave. Suguira really tries to stand up to Misawa, but Misawa is content to just throw big elbow after big elbow, since no one in NOAH (except Kobashi and Sano) can really stand up to his elbow power. So he just throws more elbows than usual, in place of actual wrestling moves, and it works. It's a good match to set the backstory of Misawa's reign, and it's one of the better Japanese matches this year, but that doesn't say very much, apparently.

Exits 9-13 on the Road to I WRITE LOTS ABOUT 2007 ALBUMS

2007-05-01T10:11:00.000-07:00

I've already written lots about 2007 albums, so I guess I'm not going there. I'm already there. Whatever. I'm gonna do album art when I'm home from school.

Didn't get around to listening to Bloc Party. Sorry.

Devin Townsend - "Ziltoid The Magnificent"
Oh yes. I really dislike modern metal stuff, whether it's melodic or not, and I have a lot of trouble listening to it with a straight face. However, I don't have to listen to this with a straight face, because it's a joke. A really great joke, that you're laughing all through out, up to the punchline, and days after. This is the musical version of the Bill Hicks' "positive drug story" joke. Try and stay with me here. The album is about Ziltoid, an intergalactic rock star, who has come to the planet Earth for (wait for it) The Ultimate Cup of Coffee. The coffee displeases him to the point where he decides to launch an attack on Earth, using his giant army, including the secret weapon of the Planet Smasher. From there, it's an album about cosmic travel, self discovery, and a "Wah wah waaaaah" ending. So great.

Nine Inch Nails - Year Zero
I should do this while it's on my mind. Get it over with.

This album sucks. I mean, really a lot.

I feel bad for Trent Reznor. And not because I understand his anguish or anything like that. No, I feel bad for him because he's 42, and writing like modern 16 year olds. He's shown a great deal of promise. "The Fragile" was, while a little long, full of shining, defining moments, and "...and all that could have been" showed how Reznor was developing as a composer. This was apparently a very large lie, as this album is entirely self composed, and repulsive. It's, at it's best, a standard mid life crisis put on record, and at worst, the most miserable concept album ever. Yes, I read the concept. World is nuked or whatever. That does not justify poor, blunt lyric writing. A case study in Minimalism gone wrong.

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - "Some Loud Thunder"
I blame the Questionable Content guy for getting my hopes up. When reviewing the initial album, he said "enough with the Talking Heads comparisons already." Well, hey, I am all for Talking Heads ish bands. This band? Nothing like Talking Heads. David Byrne, while squeaky and unstable as a singer for the first two albums, was not so nasally shrill. To be fair, I initially reached the same conclusion after my first exposure to Arcade Fire, and I did a turn around on them. But, I'm waiting to be impressed. I really, REALLY hated this album. It sounded more like Neutral Milk Hotel, and lord, I can't stand them either.

Air - "Pocket Symphony"
I need to talk about an album I like before I get a coronary. So, Air. I came to the conclusion that there's two types of techno, and everything else is your usual genre definition clap-trap. There's extroverted techno, like LCD Soundsystem, which has already come up as a good album this year. Simple, easy to dance to, pulsating bass drum, we know the type. Then there's introverted. Surrealist and deep, with an occasional minimalism to the sounds at work. It's more concerned with the feelings of the individual than the movement of the masses. Air, a French duo, creates introverted techno with the kind of pop hooks that stick in your mind for months and months. From the haunting instrumental opening to the soft, vulnerable vocals of JB Dunkel in "Once Upon A Time", Air sets a really great mood for the rest of the album. Then, they restructure that mood on the very next song, with Jarvis Cocker of Pulp softly crooning his ode to the morning after, "One Hell of a Party." The rest of the album is voiced by Dunkel, which makes that song stick out even more amongst all of it, but that's no disrespect to Dunkel. There's a certain childish innocence to his voice. Actually, I guess it's more like a wounded, whimpering animal, only instead of a bear trap, it's love that's got him down. Corny as it seems, the album is very solid, and is a pretty constant listen for me nowadays.

le LIST
1. Arcade Fire - "Neon Bible"
2. Ted Leo & The Pharmecists - "Living With The Living"
3. Clutch - "From Beale St. To Oblivion"
4. Air - "Pocket Symphony"
5. Maximo Park - "Our Earthly Pleasures"
6. Devin Townsend - "Ziltoid The Magnificent"
7. LCD Soundsystem - "Sound of Silver"
8. Fu Manchu - "We Must Obey"
9. - "The Good, The Bad, & The Queen"
10. The Shins - "Wincing The Night Away"

NEXT TIME ON THE ROAD BLAH BLAH BLAH
-Neurosis just said "May" for it's next album, so it's fair game now.
-Cassedega Nights. Yay for John C. Reilly. Wait, that's not right.
-Dance Dance Revolution: Hottest Bloc Party
-The Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. Thinking of a joke for their album would just be straight rude.

Some of that wrestling stuff. I don't know.

2007-04-21T04:08:00.001-07:00

There's been a complete reevaluation of my top 20, according to me putting matches that were just fun a little too high, plus a complete turnaround on Miyamoto/Sasaki. I blame sleep deprivation.

Also, I've decided that I'm going to divide the top 20 of puro by college semester, so I can have a better way to associate what was good when. So that's New Year's to June 5th, June 5th to whenever fall starts (schedule isn't out), and fall to end of the year.

#1 -- Yuji Nagata Vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi, 4/13, NJPW

A lot of people are saying things about this match a lot more eloquently, and in a lot more detail than I am, so I'm just going to sum up what I think. This match is what you would expect 2007 NJPW to look like if you were in the year 2001, when Nagata was king, and the rookie class had a ton of promise. I don't think anyone expected the rookie to have the gold and Nagata to have to fight his hardest for it against him. In a sense, this whole match somes off as a combination of Nagata/Mutoh from the 2001 G1 Finals, and Cena/RVD from ONS2. Tanahashi is Cena and Mutoh: The immaculate babyface that the men hate, only with a hold centric style that's outsmarted many and brought him to the top. He's in a hostile environment against Nagata, so he's absolutely ready to throw out all the stops. Nagata is RVD and, well, Nagata. A favorite combatant who's always had a sort of grassroots support base, but has been slacking off until a fire is lit under him. It's been far, far too long since he's held meaningful singles gold, and it seems like the whole world is pulling for Nagata. And Tanahashi says "damnit, if this is my last defense, I'm going to go out kicking, screaming, and antagonizing, and when I win, I'll be holding my gut laughing." Tanahashi goes above and beyond the call of duty in this match,  throwing out everything he can to ground and hurt Nagata, first in anger at the crowd it seems, then as the match wears on, in complete desperation. Nagata won't fall, though, even to some of Tanahashi's strongest weapons. Tanahashi throws the hardest strikes I've ever seen him throw, just to keep up, but Tanahashi's hardest isn't as good as Nagata's hardest. Nagata channels the entire kick-submission-suplex style in the end, with a sickening roundhouse kick, and huge backdrops. And, like both the G1 Final and the ONS2 match, the right man wins.

~2007 Spring Semester~

1. Yuji Nagata Vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi, 04/13, NJPW

2. Yuko Miyamoto Vs. Takashi Sasaki, 03/14, BJPW

3. Shinjiro Otani & Takao Omori Vs. Yoshihiro Takayama & Kohei Sato, 02/18, Z1MAX

4. Ryouji Sai Vs. Mammoth Sasaki, 02/18, Z1MAX

5. Meiko Satomura Vs. Mayumi Ozaki, 02/12, LLPW

6. Takeshi Rikio & Jun Akiyama Vs. Mohammed Yone & Takeshi Morishima, 04/01, NOAH

7. Daisuke Sekimoto Vs. Kengo Mashimo, 03/22, Wakamusha

8. Yoshihiro Takayama, Hirotaka Yokoi, & Kohei Sato Vs. Takao Omori, Shinjiro Otani, & Kazunari Murakami, 01/19, Z1MAX

9. SUWA, Yoshihiro Takayama, & Minoru Suzuki Vs. Takeshi Rikio, KENTA, & Naomichi Marufuji, 01/21, NOAH

10. Jun Akiyama Vs. Go Shiosaki, 01/21, NOAH

11. Doug Williams Vs. Yoshinari Ogawa, 03/04, NOAH

12. Osamu Namiguchi Vs. Atsushi Aoki, 03/08, Z1MAX

13. Shinsuke Nakamura Vs. Toshiaki Kawada, 01/04, NJPW

14. Keiji Muto Vs. Toru Owashi, 03/27, AJPW

15. Tiger Mask, Koji Kanemoto, Wataru Inoue, Kaz Hayashi, & TAKA Michinoku Vs.  Jushin Thunder Liger, Minoru, Milano Collection AT, Shuji Kondo, & "brother" YASSHI, 01/04, NJPW

16. Tamon Honda, Tsuyoshi Kikuchi, & Go Shiosaki Vs. Masao Inoue, Kishin Kawabata, & Atsushi Aoki, 03/04, NOAH

17. Fuuka Vs. HIROKA, 1/14, JD

18. Bison Smith, Chris Hero, & Bobby Fish Vs. Takeshi Rikio, Akitoshi Saito, & Ricky Marvin, 03/04, NOAH

19. Jun Akiyama Vs. Mohammed Yone, 03/04, NOAH

20. KAZMA, Daichi Kakimoto, KAGETORA, & Soldier Vs. Akira Raijin, Super Dolphin, Munenori Sawa, & Takeshi Minnamino, 3/22, Wakamusha

On the Highway of I WRITE LOTS ABOUT 2007 ALBUMS

2007-04-19T09:06:00.000-07:00

(blogspot's method of doing pictures is completely stupid. That being said, let's continue.)

The Shins - "Wincing The Night Away"

Blah blah Garden State blah. There. Moving on.

The Shins are a pretty decent embodiment of what modern alt rock is. The soft tonality, the vulnurable singer, the David Bowie tributes. Typical SubPop artist fare, in a way. The Shins have a more natural approach to their songwriting, and if you're into that kind of thing, that's fine. For me, though, the album went in one ear and right out the other without me noticing it. I've tried multiple listens, in various states of sensory deprivation, and I just can't do it. It sounds like a soundtrack to a movie, and not an album. I am probably alone in this feeling, but hey, my blog, eat it. Moving on!

Fu Manchu - We Must Obey

Holy shit! There's new Fu Manchu and no one told me! As a lover of stoner rock, this is nothing but good news. Well, at first, that was the case. This sure sounds like Fu Manchu, but I don't remember them being this angry. Well, they are. Maybe it's just general frustration at the world or geopolitics or something, but this is the angriest Fu Manchu album ever. There's none of the levity that you expect from Fu Manchu, so it comes of as much more of a Kyuss album in slow motion than a Fu Manchu album. I like Kyuss alright, but I like Fu Manchu a great deal, and this really isn't a Fu Manchu album. However, at the same time, it is a good metal album, and it leaps between thrash with pounding anthemic songs like "Between The Lines," but it's lacking in any breaks. I guess that's good for metal, but it just continues to show that this isn't really much of a Fu Manchu album. If you liked "Evil Eye" a lot, you would like this album. Me, I was always more of a "Laserbl'ast!" and "Trackside Hoax" guy, so this doesn't do much for me.

Maximo Park - "Our Earthly Pleasures"

Holy shit! There's new Maximo Park and no one told me! Wait, this didn't work out. Maximo Park is a great, GREAT modern britpop band, with a surprising traditional element to their music, that comes together and really sets them apart from most rock bands, with straight forward lyrics, and a usually strong, relentless beat that borders on infectious. "A Certain Trigger" was a great album, not just a great debut album, and I still listen to it all the time. So, new Maximo Park. Awesome. The cheesy lyrics and uplifting powerchords start the album, so I am immediately psyched. After listening, this is totally new Maximo Park. "Our Velocity" is a great summary of what makes Maximo Park so damned awesome, combining synthesizer melody and pop-punk power chords, with blunt lyrics that are almost unintelligble at times, thanks to the British accent. Like "A Certain Trigger", the album is an unexpected surprise, only because it's a solid followup that had almost no press, so I had no idea it was coming out. Pick this up if you're looking for good modern britpop. It is out there, and it's Maximo Park.

- The Good, The Bad, & The Queen

Speaking of Britpop, how about that Damon Albarn guy? He's alright. Makes some good stuff sometimes. Didn't really like "Demon Days", but that was more because I was protesting the criminal lack of Del Tha Funkee Homosapien, than it being a bad album. The singles were all good, although "Feel Good Inc." was way overplayed. Hey, that Danger Mouse guy, he's cool too. I didn't listen to Gnarls Barkley until this year, and actually, Gnarls Barkley is the reason I'm reviewing albums all year instead of just at the end, because I felt REALLY bad about not having that on there after listening to it. And some guy from the Clash, too. I dunno. It's all piano powered for the most part. Really, I can do nothing besides suggest you listen to "History Song" to see if you'll like it. It's pretty much what the whole album is. If you don't like the one song, I really doubt you'll like the album. Overall, though, it's just middling. It's nothing completely mindblowing. It's even a little overbearing at times, and a lot of the songs don't have drums, which is weird considering their drummer is Tony Allen. Whatever. I guess I don't like it because it's supposed to be a commentary on living in England nowadays, and I don't have that context.

DA LIST
1. Arcade Fire - "Neon Bible"
2. Ted Leo & The Pharmecists - "Living With The Living"
3. Clutch - "From Beale St. To Oblivion"
4. Maximo Park - "Our Earthly Pleasures"
5. LCD Soundsystem - "Sound of Silver"
6. Fu Manchu - "We Must Obey"
7. The Good, The Bad, & The Queen
8. The Shins - "Wincing The Night Away"

Next time on the road...
-Air. Air is good for breathing. Air is also good listening. Weird, huh?
-Bloc Party. Well, sort of.
-Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, plus openly asking what the hell is wrong with some people.
-Trent Reznor masturbating. I hear he's all muscly now. Can only imagine the kind of pud pulling involved.

~MST

Poetry. Uh-huh.

2007-04-05T18:54:00.001-07:00

You write to vent. Sometimes it sucks. We'll see.

A Mantra

Words pour

And music drips

Refine the latter

And get drunk on it

Watch the former flow

And let it crash when it's ready

Bee Among Flowers

How many hover here?

Must be millions

Drones and subjects

Engaged in one task

They don't bother to look

And see what they're doing

And so things go.

How gorgeous is this?

Bright pink in our brown world

How did I never notice this?

And why does no one else see?

It's not an accident. It's all around us!

They must choose to ignore it.

How dare they!

Collect pollen, and return it to the hive

Living fake little lives

For honey they will never have.

Well, I say damn the honey!

Damn the hive, and damn the queen!

Instinctual no more!

I will not return!

And so things go.

I have seen the life of a drone

And I detest it so very much

Dancing for others to see

And to take what I've found

Well I shall dance for myself

Dance for my life

And not for my harvest

In will be frozen one day,

But I will freeze as one

Not as many

And so things go.

The Human Experience, part 1

Girls and boys

Plumage flushing

Playing little games

As they practice revolting

Girls and boys

Looking good, and feeling bad

Hiding out and getting burned

Because they only learned "no"

Look me in the eye if you can

I say it's not so bad to burn

With so many men,

you'd expect more manhood

With so many women,

you'd expect less girls

There's so many people

But so few humans

Any person is a galaxy

But there's interstellar silence

Girls and boys

Wait for the stars to burn out

We'll see who talks then

When there's only each other for light

20-Pur-O-7

2007-04-03T23:37:00.001-07:00

That is a really lame title.

--Ayako Hamada Vs. Yoshiko Tamura, 2/18, NEO

Ayako Hamada gets my blood going, so I'm already into the match. This is for some crazy NWA title. I've seen approximately one Tamura match, I think, so this'll be a pretty new experience. The mat exchange ends with Tamura right in Hamada's face, which I approve of. Then, there are jump cuts. Tamura  has some really stupid moves, like this corner knee thing,  This match is cut to hell., and not to mention a little clunky. on both parts. The exchanges feel a mite forced at times. This seems to be more conflicting styles than any other factor going wrong, but maybe it's just an off night for both of them. It happens. Ayako's slaps look terrible for some reason. Hamada's facials are still golden, though, and the look of shock like  terror at the kick out from the Michinoku Driver thing are great. The spin kick dodges look way contrived, as does Tamura's elbow flurry. Yawn at this match.

--Akitoshi Saito, KENTA, & Ippei Ota Vs. Joe Legend, Bryan Danielson, & Ted DiBiase Jr., 4/01, NOAH

The NOAH turnaround never ceases to amaze.  I loves me some Saito, Danielson is cool. Joe is cool. DiBiase Jr. is already a star from reaction, which is boggling. As long as there is minimal KENTA, there is hope for this match. Ota and Danielson start, so this should be fun. Ota is really loud. The crowd is freaky into Danielson, especially after he kills him with a European Uppercut. The reaction KENTA gets for tagging in to go with Danielson leads me to believe they should have done the singles match in in Korakuen. DiBiase Jr in, and the people are way into him. His fistdrops are awesome. KENTA doing the fist drop is un awesome. Saito in, and we are moments away from Legend/Saito. Saito speeds things up, by shoving Dibiase in the corner and yelling at him. We have the tag, we have a shoving match, and the crowd is utterly psyched for it. There's a shoulderblock battle, and Joe has the crowd eating out of his hand. Ota and Danielson back in, and Danielson's stretching of poor Ota is great. DiBiase in,  and he's not much of a brawler. He does have the moves he does really crisp, though. I wonder if the other Dibiase kid is the brawler.Legend in, and he breaks Ota's nose with a gourdbuster. Joe and Danielson both go after the nose like jerks, And there ain't nothin' like Danielson being a jerk. Ota makes it to the corner, and Sato is in to wreck some fools. Instead, Danielson takes him down, which is weird. KENTA runs interference, and his interaction in this match has been kept very limited, so it's going pretty good. Saito pops one of Danielson's vertebrae with a lariat. DiBiase Jr in with Saito now, and he's still got the wrestling.  His elbows are on and off. Million Dollar Dream! Legsweep! And then a Cobra Camel Clutch thing.  KENTA in with DiBiase, and KENTA hits hard. Woohoo.  DiBiase with the nice powerslam. Joe back in, and he gets the crowd up for a clubbing blow to the back. Holy crap, Joe is over. Ota tags in for revenge on Joe, and it is sweet. Ota tries for the airplane spin so hard, but Joe is a large man, so it takes a while. I'm wanting Danielson to come in and do one on Ota, but KENTA hates me, so he runs interference, along with Saito. Ota's Diving Neckbreaker is way over. Ota's Lariats just get Joe to wake up, and then it's Joe's turn to lariat, but it doesn't take. Joe does this weird reverse waterwheel thing, and it's totally great. DiBiase's corner charging lariat looks like hell. Complete Shot is still lame. This match is alright. Minimum KENTA, maximum Ota and Joe. Ted didn't do anything to really wow me, but the nostalgia factor of the moveset is nice. I just don't think it's enough. Danielson and Joe put Ota over. Joe tries to shake Saito's hand, but he's Akitoshi Saito, so the only shaking is the forearm shiver. Saito storms off to end the video. I guess it's an alright match? Ted and KENTA may as well not have been there. This match probably would have been a whole lot smoother if they weren't, as Ted is alright but unremarkable, and KENTA should be be elsewhere, as he's not really a good face at all, and there ain't no heel teams with young lions on them.

#9--Jun Akiyama & Takeshi Rikio Vs. Takeshi Morishima & Mohammed Yone, 4/01

Akiyama and Rikio is just as random as Morishima and Yone. Morishima has an awesome backdrop t-shirt. Rikio and Morishima are face to face, and I am eager about this match already. Akiyama and Yone were great in a fast little sprint, and I can only hope that it will translate better in a title match environment, but we'll see. I don't mind Rikio or Morishima, so I'm excited for all prospects of this match. Rikio and Morishima start off, and the Wild II collision has the crowd way pumped. Morishima's ready to spit fire, then Akiyama and Yone tag in, and it's shades of the sprint. Yone takes it right to Akiyama, and looks like a million bucks. Akiyama is invincible on the floor though, and Yone forgets. Yone gets up brinning, threatening to bring a chair to the ring, and this crowd is on fire. Yone tries wrestling this time, but only as long as it takes to get Morishima back in the ring. Morishima's neck wrench is nowhere near as cool as Yone's. Yone back in, and they light each other up. Yone's like a superhero for some reason. Akiyama catches a kick and trips, and in comes Rikio. And after knocking Yone down, Rikio goes right for Morishima, repeating what Akiyama did to Yone, even as far as to knock him over the same guardrail. Morishima loses his patience,  and charges Rikio instead of breaking a pin on Yone, and Rikio is left laying on the entrance.  Sandwich Lariat takes down Akiyama, and now Yone takes Akiyama outside to try and lay him out. The Yone cheers are everywhere for some reason. Long running knee attack thing on Yone, and now Rikio has had enough. Yone gets a hold of Rikio, and Morishima lariats, leaving them both laying. Yone brins Akiyama back to the ring for some reason. This would have been a great count out spot. Yone and Morishima team on Akiyama, and really well. There's some fifteen minutes left in the match, but it feels like we're coming into the finishing stretch just from how fast everything's moving. Morishima takes a whoopin' from Rikio as he chokes the life out of Akiyama. Yone and Akiyama back in, and Yone continues to be mega over. Hot tag for Rikio that actually works! Rikio is a house of fire, taking it to both men, but soon, Yone's crazy face kicks cut him off.  I wish Morishima wouldn't stick his tongue out so much. It only works for MiSuzu. Morishima's big boot to the corner is crazy. Rikio takes one from Suguira's playbook, with the rush to the corner and the waterwheel. Akiyama tags in, and gets hell of such revenge on Morishima. Yone runs on Rikio, and Morishima throws out a superplex thanks to Yone's help. The crowd is crazy for the Doomsday Wheelkick, but Rikio breaks it up. Akiyama fights the backdrop, and Rikio gets loose again, long enough to stop backdropping. Akiyama crawls for and gets the tag, And now we have gassed out fat man brawling, for some reason. Morishima looks way tired, and so does Rikio, but Rikio still brings the crazy slaps. Yone's still sprinting, and that's probably why. Yone is that over avtive kid who would do everything on the playground every thirty minutes, just going around and around and around .Yone puts the muscle buster on Rikio, and that's damn amazing. Akiyama gets the barest pin save I've about ever seen. Morishima herniates a little trying to lift Rikio for the Doomsday, and it's for naught anyways, as Rikio catches Yone with a mid air lariat, which is way cool. Yone is still moving, though, even as Akiyama and Rikio team up on him. Morishima makes the save after a slap/knee/lariat sequence. Rilkio's Slap Lariat thing is still cool, and I guess that's as close as we'll get to the thing. Rikio catches the running corner knee from Yone, and THERE's the Slap Lariat. Yone is taking a manly fucking beating from Akiyama and Rikio, catching a knee from Akiyama while he was on hishands and knees, a powerbomb, and a running lariat from Rikio. The Muso signal goes up, the crowdd goes up, Yone goes down, and there are your new heros. If you ever wanted to see a twenty five minute sprint, here you go. Rikio and Morishima tried really hard to keep up, as did Akiyama, but Yone was the star of this match, as he has been with every Yone/Morishima match. This isn't match of the year or anything, but it's perfectly alright for a title match. Morishima storms the hell off while Rikio raises Yone to his feet, the crowd cheering wildly for him, confirming my suspicions of him being the man who got the most from this match.  Yone and Morishima seem to be pretty much over as a team. Morishima is now pretty much established as a glory hog in NOAH, so it'll be interesting to see where this goes. Rikio is completely out of breath post match, and it's endearing in a weird sort of way. Akiyama calls out Takayama, even shocking the interviewer guy.  Rikio sounds vaguely like Marlon Brandau.  Thank you speeches, pictures taken, trophies, all that good stuff. It's a weird match, but it worked because there's no way that it should have been a long drawn out thing, given Akiyama/Yone a month back, and Rikio and Morishima's on off relationship. Rikio and Yone came off as megastars the whole time. Over all, I can only really call it fun, but fun is good enough. Certainly a better title change match than the one for the IWGP in March.

Puro in the Twenty-Ought-Savage

2007-04-02T12:56:00.001-07:00

http://board.deathvalleydriver.com/index.php?showtopic=32414

#13--Fuuka/HIROKA, 1/14, JD

Fuuka is cute, HIROKA isn't happy, this is Joshi. Who knows what got into HIROKA, because she's a beast on offense in this, being almost too cruel. Fuuka has some real weight behind her kicks, which is way deceptive, and actually a little scary. If there's a real storyline behind this match, I've missed it because I don't follow JD. I don't even know who the other girl in the little interference spot it. I know that HIROKA's way tough to stay in a heel hook as long as she does. HIROKA's just a big bully, and when Fuuka's antagonizing her, it's totally great. It's not Joshi without the obscene stomach kicking, and this match is full of really great ones from both of them. This match seemed to really fly by, for some reason, and the finish was flat, for me, but that's probably more because I don't think I've ever seen HIROKA before. This match was a good introduction, though.

#2--Ryouji Sai/Mammoth Sasaki, 2/18, Z1MAX

Mammoth Sasaki does batting practice with a chair, and Z1MAX continues to warm my heart with ridiculous video packages. I go back and forth on liking Sai. Mammoth Sasaki is wearing a shirt with the Red Skull on it, and that is viciously awesome. Sai's theme is depressing, because it starts as "Lust for Life", then goes into crappy Offspring. Sai has a British flag on one side of his tights, because he's a punk, or...something. The mat wrestling bits are great because it's a strubble for positioning, and then they start elbowing each other. Mammoth Sasaki is golden with how he's selling, and Ryouji Sai has himself on his kneepads and his tights, now that I get a close look. That totally makes sense for him. Sai gets all up Sasaki's business, and it's generally a bad idea, as Sasaki is apt to commit assault if properly motivated. Sasaki cold throws a table at Sai, and I love this match already. Sasaki is totally an awesome brawler, and Sai is willing to get horribly abused, so it all works out. I think back to what DEAN said about Mammoth Sasaki being all 70s style on the last JVsTW, and it's totally right. I have no idea why weapons are being allowed, but at the same time, I wouldn't tell Mammoth "no" either. Sai throws out a great corner Shining Wizard to make his comeback, and Sai has decided he's going to sell today, so the match will work. Sasaki lariats Sai in the knee to counter a kick. This match is awesome. None of the chair stuff is contrived, amazingly. It becomes patently obvious that KENTA loves Ryouji Sai, because Sai just totally did the double stomp spot that he did against Morishima, but with less strange screaming. With Sasaki being proto-Morishima, and Sai apparently being KENTA's muse, this match is the best Morishima/KENTA match possible, but even without taking shots at that match, this match is still way awesome. It's not an earth shattering epic or anything, but it is a total blast, and way more fun than anything I've seen this year so far.

#1--Meiko Satomura Vs. Mayumi Ozaki, 2/12, LLPW

To take care of the whole problem I had with the Fuuka/HIROKA match, LLPW is nice enough to put on a big video package to tell me why I need to care about this match. Sadly, I barely understand it. I think this is the finals of a tournament of some kind, but I am not at all sure. The crowd attendance is a little sad, but it gives the entrances a weird kind of aura it wouldn't have if there were people screaming. I am a pretty big Ozaki fan, and have been since the Ozaki/Kansai Vs. Yamada/Toyota 2/3 Falls, so this will be more than alright. Satomura isn't anything to sneeze at either. Ozaki has a manager, and a chain, so this is already old school awesomeness. The chain is a dog collar, and holy hell, this is great. Ozaki has always been great at tormenting and mocking her opponents, and this match is no different. The manager gets all kinds of involved, and there's weapon shenanigans that go unpunished, but I don't care, because this thing is fantastic. The manager is made of gold and pro wrestling, and is totally making this match. Male managers in Joshi is totally a great idea, and this guy is great at it. He looks like Yoji Anjoh. If anyone is a big LLPW person, I would be greatful if I could get a name. Satomura sells everything  perfect, and her come backs are great. The two of them do throw out some really weird moves, like Satomura's F-5. The Shining Axe Kick is still way gross. When the ring girls run interference for Satomura, I am marking out like a little bitch. There's a pretty gross botch thanks to one of the ring girls trying to get out of the way, but Satomura recovers flawlessly, and good fucking god, this thing is amazing. The manager is a woman hating ass, and Satomura makes the save for the ring girls at the end of the match. Ozaki, with righteous fury over losing the match, uses the collar and drags the manager to the back, slapping him all the way. And then there's a backstage segment about it, where the two of them fight like some couple. Ozaki bypasses the press set, and Satomura seems a little emotional. This match is a damn blast, and is a real throwback affair.

#3--Shinjiro Otani & Takao Omori Vs. Yoshihiro Takayama & Kohei Sato, 2/18

AWESOME. Kazunari Murakami and Hirotaka Yokoi made the last match not so great, so by all means, this should be fucking incredible. The video package is a Z1MAX video package, so it's automatically great. The match has the subtitle of "Head On Collision", and it is. They pair off just like they ought to, Otani and Sato beating ass on one side, Omori and Takayama on the other, with Omori/Otani rushing just like in the six man. Omori is spitting fire as he drags Takayama around by his beautiful hair, and it is great. Then Takayama starts punching him. There is way too much wrestling going on in this match, so Takayama puts a stop to it by kneeling on Omori's face and windpipe while also trying to set an armbar. I want to see Takayama/Omori, and I still need to see the tag title match, whenever that makes it's way out. Takayama is Takayama, and it's hate filled Takayama. Once he gets his fill, Sato is in to seemingly prove himself to Takayama, and he's as vicious as ever wit all kinds of choking going on. The crowd is totally for Omori, and Otani is on that hyphy or something. He gets in, and slaps the shit out of Sato, and I believe S Road, damnit. Otani and Sato are great together, and Sato/Takayama still have really odd chemistry. Otani is in full on 80s facial/selling mode, which is fucking rad. The crowd is bananas for Otani, and so am I. And then Omori randomly kicks Sato in the damn face, and I love this match so much. Omori breaks a chair over Takayama's skull, because he's damn heartless, like he's saying "bitch, you ain't never had a concussion till you came in my business." Takayama is busted way open, and Omori is just ruthless, crossfacing the cut then putting a camel clutch on the cut. Otani does exactly the same, and I totally did not expect this. Omori refuses to let Talayama come back, so he runs interference. Takayama is a house of fire on both of them, and within the last five minutes of watching, Omori/Otani went from old school faces to a surly as fuck rudo team. Yet, they're getting all kinds of cheered for it. The sandwich Axe Bomber/Enzui is great, and Omori is  great at conveying just how damn livid he is by punching Takayama in his disgured face after the Axe Guillotine Driver. Sato comes in and is a house of fire, getting them the hell off of Takayama, but Omori and Otani soon get the advantage. Takayama totally loses it, grabbing the table that Sasaki used earlier in the match, and cold throws it at Otani, who is the lucky recipient of a damn beating, capitalized by him taking one of the heavy, unforgiving barricades and braining both of them with it. Takayama is bleeding a gusher. This match is fucking awesome, if random. I was totally expecting Takayama as incader, not Takayama as victim. Takayama's revenge is goddamn glorious, and this match is somehow even better with the DQ finish. They have to pull Takayama off Omori, and not even his partners can to id. Takayama flipping off the cheering Z1MAX fans is also great. Sato and Yokoi have to pull Takayama to the back, as Omori is lifted like dead weight from the ring. Holy shit. This match is obscene, and totally makes me want to see an Omori/Takayama bloodbath singles match.

#12--Jun Akiyama Vs. Go Shoisaki, 1/27, NOAH

Akiyama is at his absolute best as either insane coach (Hashi) or thuggish doorkeeper, and Go is a great plucky babyface. We don't get Go's entrence in th vid, and we barely get Akiyama's, as Go jumps him before the bell. Go is on fire, but that comes to an end after Akiyama throws up a jumping knee as Go does his flying shoulder tackle. Akiyama slows things down, going after Go's arm. And lord, does he ever go after the arm. twisting it way unnaturally, and making Go pay for his insolence like only he car. Jun stand like a wall in the face of Go's offense, since Go's right handed and Akiyama worked on the right. Akiyama is relentless on the arm, and you feel bad for Go, but I guess he had it coming. Akiyama must love hazing, as all his best matches come off as trials by fire, especially with Go and Hashi. The Budokan wants Go to take Jun's head off with Lariats, and by god, he does. Go is still the best underdog face in NOAH, and he's more than happy to bust his ass for a good match. Akiyama is great at getting control back, grabbing an armbar instead of kicking out of the moonsault, and continuing to antagonize Go. Seeing Kikuchi scream at Go to get the ropes is also awesome, even if you have to be paying attention for it. Akiyama's control is greeted with silence, but Shiosaki's crawling is met with awe and cheering. When he kicks at one after the backdrops, the place wakes up, and Akiyama throwing out the Shining Wizard is great. When Go kicks from the Exploder, the place goes up. Watching Go try as hard as he can to chop Akiyama is great. I was really pulling for Go to lay it, but his arm just hurt too bad. But, there were two chops before the end hit, and they were total gold, despite how bad Go's arm was. Therre is athletic tape all over Go's busterd arm, and the look on Go's face from losing is a little moving. He looks deflated, and as he comes to, he looks madder and madder. The video ends with him pounding the mat and screaming. This is a good little rookie vs. champion match, and Go is still the best thing NOAH has in it's future.

#18--KAZMA, Daichi Kakimoto, KAGETORA, & Soldier Vs. Akira Raijin, Super Dolphin, Munenori Sawa, & Takeshi Minnamino, 3/22, Wakamusha

Like, don't know, don't like, don't know, don't like, like, indisposed, there is no way that's Minnamino. Match starts with rudos jumping faces. I don't pay attention for a little, and look back up when it's Kakimoto and Sawa getting into it. There's a great little roll up trade, and then KAGETORA and Super Dolphin get tagged in. KAZMA and KAGETORA work great together as a team, with KAZMA bringing the bloat and KAGETORA with the gloat. I have never seen Soldier before ever, and he ain't exactly impressing. Then it's more Kakimoto. I do love the discus lariat. Apparently Sawa and Kakimoto hate each other, or something, as Sawa runs in to stop Kakimoto from doing offense. This match s a nice little sprint. KAZMA is still a great heel, so the look on his face as he blocks a Raijin headbut brings me joy. Minnamino looks like Todo from those Art of Fighting Games, if he had a buzz cut. Soldier is a little basic. Reminds me a lot of Kuroda. Raijin kills the Lungblower, just because of how unnatural he looks doing it. Sawa's Shining Wizard is still awesome. Soldier does a Styles Clash. What? KAGETORA is still KAGETORA, and that's cool if you like KAGETORA, although Dolphin is more than happy to go up for his weird unnatural offense. Black Mamba or whatever you call the Low Ki Shining Wizard miss is still really lame, even if it is Super Dolphin doing it. Just when I'm thinking this match needs more KAZMA, here comes Kazma and Todo Minnamino. Holy crap, they're both antsy, apparently, as they're laying in crazy hard. Minnamino is totally great with the fake karate gimmick. And now pointless big moves to get everyone in for the ending sprint of the match. KAZMA waits for all of the other guys to finish jacking off, and then goes back to business, smashing Minnamino, and ending it. Unremarkable, but KAZMA is still cool, so this match is cool.

Exit 4 on The Road to I WRITE LOTS ABOUT 2007 ALBUMS

2007-04-02T12:52:00.001-07:00

Clutch - "From Beale St. To Oblivion"

For those who know Clutch, It's more Clutch.

For those who don't know Clutch, I feel sorry for you. We'll start from the top.

Nowadays, rock and roll is greatly ironic. Bands write trite little songs to amuse themselves and make money. Sincerity in rock and roll is really, really hard to find, especially in the case of authentic rock and roll. Indie rock is encountering it's own renaissance, which we briefly talked about last week. As far as real rock bands go, the field is dominated by assholes like Wolfmother, who think rock and roll is a big ol' joke, and they're going to go ahead and cash in.

And then we have Clutch.

Clutch is America's last real rock band. Under the influence, writing about gibberish, then playing their music loud and strong. There's no snooty elitism in their music, and there's no real grace to any of it. At the same time, it's anything but clumsy. It's just filthy and straight forward. And best of all, there's just about one new Clutch album a year. Clutch's latest album, "From Beale Street To Oblivion" is the follow up to 2005's immaculate (and my personal record of the year choice) "Robot Hive/Exodus." The album changed the entire Clutch sound with the addition of a full time piano player, adding the accenting that one could argue the music needed. It gave the whole album a throwback feel, as Neil Fallon's surrealist lyrics and the hazy guitars filled the landscape. To me, and many others, there wasn't a bad song on there. It's a hard act to follow, and they come close. With a combination of blues structure ("The Devil & Me", "White's Ferry") and occasional surrealism ("When Vegans Attack", "Opossum Minster"), the highlight is the two songs in the middle of the CD, "Electric Worry" & "One Eye Doctor." "Electric Worry" starts out slow, and low key, but very steadily builds into chaotic reprise before sinking back down again, telling a strong story of heartbreak, and the revenge of doing better. Then, very suddenly, it segues into "One Eye Doctor," a 1:23 burst of usual Clutch insanity, lifted from the "Jam Room" album, a compilation of outtakes, almost as if it was a wink to those who've been investing in all these Clutch albums.

Next Exit:

(picture later)

The Shins - "Wincing The Night Away"

Exit #3 on The Road to I WRITE LOTS ABOUT 2007 ALBUMS

2007-03-29T09:18:00.000-07:00

(lol no picture yet)

Ted Leo & The Pharmecists - "Living With The Living"

Post punk is a little bit of a nebulous term. It encompasses so much, as far as music goes, from the uncertainty of Mission of Burma, to the (mostly) joyous They Might Be Giants, and beyond. However, Ted Leo & The Pharmecists, with their latest release, have become my go-to for explaining Post Punk to someone. The music does, very much, have the punk spirit, but musically, it's evolved past what punk rock is supposed to be. There's a swagger to it, but it's not obnoxious. The falsetto does a good job of preventing this, and actually makes a good majority of the music rather uplifting (notable exception being "Bomb, Repeat, Bomb'"s frantic delivery, but it works for that song very well, so it's excused). The best song on the album, though, is actually a straightforward reggae song, entitled "The Unwanted Things." Ted's delivery is soft and perfect for what the song tries to be, and although the lyrics are a mite depressing, the way the music is constructed makes it easy to dance to and easy to get stuck in your head. After that song, the best post punk song on the album is "The World Stops Turning," an anthemic tune about not getting bent out of shape from all of the heavy news going around nowadays. It's a great album, and it's really easy to recommed to anyone who happens to be into modern rock, not just punk.

Exit #4(no, really)

Clutch - From Beale Street To Oblivion

Standings so far!
1. Arcade Fire - "Neon Bible"
2. Ted Leo & The Pharmecists - "Living With The Living"
3. LCD Soundsystem - "Sound of Silver"

Exit #2 on The Road to I WRITE LOTS ABOUT 2007 ALBUMS

2007-03-22T09:54:00.000-07:00

For those expecting Clutch, I apologize. As it turns out, the album isn't actually out yet, so I'd feel weird reviewing it before it was out, as that would send a pretty obvious signal. However, I did listen to another 2007 album today.

(picture coming soon)

LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver

The LCD Soundsystem is the ragtag group headed by DFA Records owner James Murphy. In fact, from here on in, LCD Soundsystem will be referenced to as "him" or similar, as in reality, it's all his creation. Anyways, his prior effort, a self-titled double album, bore reasonable success and a cult hit, "Daft Punk Is Playing At My House." The album got high marks from a critical stance, but this album was, admittedly, my first experience with his music, as I used to be really closed minded to electronic music, before Midnight Brown (who pays homage to LCD Soundsystem with a lyric in "Like You're Gonna Write A Song About It"-- "The guy who wrote 'Daft Punk is Playing at My House' / is playing at my house"), Kraftwerk, and Tom Vek broke that wall down. The music bears obvious Kraftwerk influence, but most electronic music does, so that's not a strike against it or anything, even if the bassline of the opener "Get Innocuous" sounds way too much like "We Are The Robots." The vocals, and truely the rest of the music, takes more cues from Depeche Mode and the like as it progresses, but by the time "Us Vs. Them" rolls in, the music is really at state all it's own, slickly mixing punk, funk, and trip-hop, with strong instrumentation from synthesizers to even glockenspiels at one time. The highlight of the album is the solid closer, "New York, I Love You, But You're Bringing Me Down."A modern take on lounge singing if anything, with the most standard instrumentation on the whole album-- just piano, guitar, bass, and drums. While I did enjoy the album, I must admit that I wasn't really moved by it. It is what it is; a very solid electronica record, and a worthy purchase.

Exit #3 (probably)

(picture coming soons)

Ted Leo & The Pharmecists - "Living With The Living"

The Road to I WRITE LOTS ABOUT 2007 ALBUMS

2007-03-14T22:36:00.001-07:00

Arcade Fire - "Neon Bible"

I didn't originally "get" Arcade Fire. This was mostly the fault of those who tried to turn it on to me by comparing it to something. I also attribute this to not understanding alt rock roots, and after I had baptized myself in Talking Heads in 2006, then came back to "Funeral", it all made much more sense. With that all fresh in my mind, I was interested to see where they were going with their next album. I was not prepared, however, for just how good the album was. Start to finish, "Neon Bible" is an outstanding work, and an exciting ride. Artistic expression from talented artists, who are not pressured by commercial success (and they've hit #2 on the Billboard 200 as a new release, so there is most certainly commercial success). One could argue this album is more accessible than "Funeral", and I would be inclined to agree on some points. The musical direction is certainly more clear than it was originally, but that could be solved by repeated listening. The album itself starts subtly with "Black Mirror," which-and I apologize for my hypocrisy regarding comparing Arcade Fire to anything, even if it is comparing it to other Arcade Fire- seems like a musical answer to "Rebellion (Lies)", being dark and brooding instead of the uplifting march that the latter is. It starts in a minor key (can't tell exactly what) and is greatly dissonant, building an unsettling anticipation as it grows louder and louder. The crashing finale of the song is just as unsettling as the body. The album, from this point, continues growing in enormity and in quality, which is in no way saying that "Black Mirror" is the low point of the album, simply because the album has no low point. This is particularly impressive, seeing as one of the songs, the could-be closer "No Cars Go" is not exactly new material, but the material it's from is so obscure and hard to procure that it ends up becoming fresh all over again. The most exciting song on the album, though, is easily "Black Wave/Bad Intentions." I say exciting because it's prospects are wondrous. To my knowledge, it is the first experiment between Arcade Fire and unorthodox time progression. The song starts whimsical and high pitched, with Régine Chassagne leading an upbeat section, powered by synthesizer, violin, bass and drumming that is deceptively pop sounding, before the song crawls to a halt and Win Butler's voice acts as the beginning of a new movement within the song, leading the song down a more foreboding path, both musically and in tonal progression. The switch is absolutely perfect, and what it signifies is a brave experiment that could become even more prominent come the next album. Even so, the rest of the album is an excellent piece of modern art rock, and a profound achievement for the whole band.

EDIT:

Next time, on The Road To I WRITE LOTS ABOUT 2007 ALBUMS!

Clutch - "From Beale Street To Oblivion

Prologue to my current project

2007-03-11T03:31:00.001-07:00

Professional wrestling is an acquired taste that everyone is born with. It plays to a very primitive emotion, one shared over several millenia of human development. The competitive urge. Combat has been a part of humanity since there has been life. It is an instinct of survival. As life had developed, through whatever method you prefer to believe in, combat has become more and more refined. These refinements have come in primarily two places; the way war is fought, and the way war is portrayed. Weapons have evolved, and stories have improved to come with it. The shield and the symbolistic art of the Greeks; the katana and the delicate poetry of the samurai; the lance and the hymnals of the crusade; the gun and the folk song, and many more examples.

The greatest tribute to battle is battle itself.The fire of battle is an attractive warmth, and it draws many moths to immolation in this flame. Tributes to warriors are all around us, even if their spirit has changed. Immortalization is as much of a drive as the glory of victory is in this life. A friend of mine once said "There ain't no heaven. Only legend." It is for this that so many plunge into the flame. Whether they crackle as fuel for the fire or launch into the stars as a brilliant spark to be remembered is up to them. This work is such a tribute.

Wrestling itself is a tribute, to hand to hand combat and personal struggle. Hand to hand combat is seen as the most base form of combat. Anyone can partake, and anyone can win, if they know enough. It is the ultimate test of nerve, and of strength. Many cultures see it as a rite of passage. In modern US culture, it is strongly discouraged. As such, wrestling and other combat sports face a natural uphill battle, with wrestling facing it's own unique problems.

The only thing I can say to adequately prepare you for this work is only a request. Open your mind. This is naught but a tribute to my passion, and what I have determined to be the very best of it. I am going to do everything in my power to express just how much I adore this bizarre carnival attraction. In the case of the story I am going to try to tell, this battle, this conflict is waged beyond professional wrestling, and is a story of men's lives. It's not characters. It is livelihoods, changed in instants. Come, sit! Enjoy a tale of valor, of rivalry, and of inner strength!

Initial Impression Day!

2007-03-05T19:16:00.001-08:00

We will keep this brief because it is four in the morning. I just can't sleep, but can't function well enough to do much more than this.

-Modest Mouse's "We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank."

Aren't we chipper? On the very first listen, I am indisposed. It lacks that whimsical venom that "Good News" had, and I still don't like the single, but I'll give it another look. Modest Mouse is usually pretty subtle, so I'm probably missing a lot.

-The Arcade Fire's "Neon Bible."

I really didn't like "Funeral" at first. It took me more than a few listens, and I still think they're missing something in musical strength. First listen, though, is much easier. I know what to expect from Arcade Fire now, so it's not such a staggering, weird surprise. "Black Wave/Bad Vibrations" is great.

-Bloc Party's "A Weekend In The City"

Two minutes in, and one thing immediately stands out; the music is not nearly as scatter shot and uneven as it was on "Silent Alarm." It's an interesting choice, because it was that shaky panic that made everyone all excited over them at first. There is more singing instead of wailing, and I was always really underwhelmed with Kele trying to howl. Okay, the second song has started, and it sounds like one of those tracks left off the "Silent Alarm" remix album. The mixing in of normal drums with computerized is definitely interesting. Conceptually, anyways. And the third starts with light, wispy chimes, and I'm done.

I Just Wrote A Song

2007-03-01T01:12:00.001-08:00

I feel...I don't know how rightly to describe it.

Jesus christ, what the hell is wrong with me?

2007-02-19T20:46:00.001-08:00

I just stabbed a close friend in one of her hot spots, and barely realized it until it was far, far too late. And now that I've realized that the last two times I've gotten her mad like this, it has been saying something insensitive and dismissive about a very, -very- key part of her life and development. Different parts that I wont get into. I'm going to disappear for a few days, to give her the distance she needs and to keep myself from saying something absolutely retarded like I've done twice before. Strike two.

In the vain hope she reads this,

I apologize profusely. What I said could not have been more out of line, and I'm ashamed the thought of saying it even crossed my mind. I don't even expect your forgiveness this time around, but I need you to know how terribly sorry I am for what I said. I have no idea what to tell you about what I did, except that I know they were both horrible things to say, and I know I cannot take them back, no matter how hard I wish I could.

I'm selling you for scrap. (Poetry)

2007-02-10T00:29:00.001-08:00

GIANT Hives kick just recently. So let's get right to it.

I can't see what I'm writing

We are the bats

We inherited the cave

Millions upon Millions

And nothing seen

Deep

Miles

We flee in terror

All at once

Noises scare us so easily

Don't want to hear

Bang!

Panic!

Distress, supersonic!

The flapping of a billion wings

The pings of a billion voices

Send us hurdling into what awaits outside the cave

Fear

Unknown

Scared of the light we see

The light we didn't need to see

We fly back in

Into our cave

POEMS LOL

2006-12-28T12:15:00.001-08:00

So the reason for the poems is that I was just sitting around Town Square, and I was sort of tired. So I got the receipt, and a pencil. And just started writing. And...yeah! So...justification doesn't have to be good.

More.

Seven Seconds of an Existential Crisis

Tick

...and what if the meaning of life is subjective?

Tock

Nothing would mean anything.

Tick

All efforts would be in vein.

Tock.

What is "Culture," anyways?

Tick.

The application of meanings?

Tock.

So that would mean...

Tick

...that the meaning of life...

Tock

...is people and socialization.

Tick

Tock

Tick

Tock

That's no good.

I WRITE LOTS ABOUT 2006 ALBUMS (Music)

2006-12-18T12:15:00.000-08:00

1. Isis - "In The Absence of Truth"
I only found Isis this year, as a friend kept harassing me to seek them out and listen to it. I was skeptical, as we have in the past had contrasting music styles, but...after hearing "Panopticon", it completely changed me. It was exactly the kind of music I'd want to make. And then when I heard a new Isis album was coming out this year, I had to get it. I did. I still love it. It's ethereal in some places, crushing in others, and an all around tight album that feels more complete than "Panopticon" did. "In The Absence of Truth" has fractured me, shown me ways to make music that I'd never conceived. It's standard instruments, but instead of masturbatory "musicianship", the music has a deliberately minimalist approach that keeps it as captivating as it is. It's crushing, but on a different level than other bands could ever even begin to think they could be.

2. Tom Waits - "Orphans - Brawlers, Bawlers, & Bastards"
We got three whole discs of Tom Waits this year. And while there's no such thing as bad Tom Waits, one disc of this set stands out as a masterpiece, and that's disc 3, or "Bastards." Combining vaudeville, spoken word, and the Industrial Jazz of "Bone Machine" and "Real Gone", the album is dark and completely insane. It feels like natural progression from Tom's efforts from the 90s. Both of the other two discs are strong on their own merits, showing essentially all periods of Tom's career in an unusually focused package, considering it's primarily all new stuff. But it's the third disc that puts it so high, for me, and if Isis hadn't changed the way I think about music, this would be #1.

3. Mastodon - "Blood Mountain"
I loathed "Leviathan." I understood what they were going for, but I didn't want a part of it. So I approached their latest album skeptically, expecting to be horribly underwhelmed, and I was pleasantly surprised. It's a perfect balance of "Remission" and "Leviathan"- my problem with Leviathan was that Troy Sanders had the best growl I'd ever heard and they hardly used it- yet it sounds separate from both of their prior efforts. While this is a poor way to judge, the Grammys have "Colony of Birchmen" up for Best Metal Performance. And it's fitting.

4. Bob Dylan - "Modern Times"
I'll be honest, I've never been much on Bob Dylan. My mother loves him, and she's always given me strange songs of his to listen to as examples of highlights of his career, that only really annoyed me ("Travelling World War III Blues" leaps most prominently to mind). So, for a birthday present, I got a hold of the album for her. And I listened to it a while later, once it left rotation in her car. This album is more focused than anything I've ever heard him do, and is a great surprise in ways music rarely is for me nowadays. It's pure and sincere (which I guess is part of his charm), with everything with rockabilly jams like "Thunder on the Mountain", "Rollin' and Tumblin'" and, of course, "Someday Baby", to country music that sounds like country music should, like "Spirit on the Water", and even including a bizarre rendition of "When The Levee Breaks", the album ended up accidentally popping up on my radar.

5. Midnight Brown - "Dope/Revenge"
An epic two part saga on life on the tough streets of Cotati and Petaluma, CA, full of lies, spies, betrayal, basketballs, and a belt buckle with a cat on it. ... Okay, in reality, it's two roommates making music, putting it out there for free, and not really investing too much time in it. However, the album is a great thing to listen to. It's not going to challenge you mentally or anything, nor is it going to set the clubs on fire with phat beats (the songs lean towards Rap most of the time, ending up sounding like lazy Beastie Boys). And in an interesting bit of trivia, the head of the group is the Senior Editor of Gamespot, Jeff Gerstmann. The music makes it's way, in instrumental form, around the site because of it, but that doesn't make it any less good. Just don't take it seriously.

6. The Mars Volta - "Amputechture"
Mars Volta is one of my favorite bands, and I was excited for the latest release. While I was originally taken aback, but as I listened to it, I liked it more and more. It strikes me that the first four tracks are like their own album, sound a good deal like an extention of "De-Loused", ending up sounding like space rock. Where as the last four songs take on a more spiritual, basic route, sounding like "Frances" in many ways. Decidedly as dark as "Frances." While other groups put out things I liked more this year, I cant say I didn't enjoy this album.

7. The Melvins - "(A) Senile Animal."
Like some crazy combination of The Melvins and noise metal, "(A) Senile Animal" came completely out of left field for me. From what I understand, Buzzo and Dale Crover united with Big Business in studio as well as live, and the result is a Melvins album that sounds reinvigorated, different, and powerful like little of their earlier work. It's gutteral, fierce, and most importantly, loud as all hell.

8. Pearl Jam - s/t
I've always liked Pearl Jam. They were my dad's favorite modern band, and one of my fondest memories was the day that Yield came out, we went to the store and bought it, then drove around listening to it. It was a great thing. I was one of the few people that enjoyed Binaural and Riot Act, appreciating the evolution of the sound. But the latest Pearl Jam album...it sounds like a Pearl Jam album used to. I can easily say this is their best work, even higher than "Ten." Everything they've learned over the years comes into the album, and while Jack Irons is still sorely missed from the band (for me), the sound is tight as it used to be. The guitars are howling in unison, the rhythm is strong, but what stood out most was Eddie Vedder. He finally sounds like Eddie Vedder again, not like a substitute Springsteen (my greatest criticism of Binaural). He's screaming his heart out, like he hasn't in years, and it takes the already solid music to a higher level. The highlight of the album for me is "Comatose", which is venomous in a way Pearl Jam hasn't been, the music violent, and Eddie's howling as piercing as it's known to be. Overall, the album is a fine piece of work, and while I like the last two albums, it's good to have Pearl Jam back.

9. Callisto - "Noir"
Found through boredom. I was searching on Wikipedia for more on Isis, and I kept coming back to this article about "post-metal," in which Callisto is mentioned in the same breath as Isis. So I gave it a shot, and while it didn't grab hold of me like Isis did, it proved to be an enlightening album all it's own. Relying more on reprises than Isis, and also featuring more in the way of death growls, plus an element of classical instrumentation. It's a very good album that stood on it's own, and is an enjoyable listen.

10. The Eagles of Death Metal - "Death By Sexy"
An enjoyable listen for an entirely different way, the Eagles of Death Metal caught my eye because of the Josh Homme involvement. The album is firmly tongue in cheek, which can be annoying, there's something genuinely infectious about the music. The production is fitting for the music, and the music is definitely fitting for the outrageous falsetto vocals. From what I keep hearing, though, the falsetto is not carried live, and that absolutely ruins the music. I saw them doing "Cherry Cola" live, and the chorus in a deep voice is just entirely contrary to the mood of the music. That's besides the point, though. "Death By Sexy" is a solid alt album, and while the oozing satire may not be your thing, the music's good regardless.

In the next post, I will have some kind of justification for the poetry, and more poetry too.

A Stream of Consciousness

2006-12-01T22:23:00.000-08:00

My hair stands on end.
The thought crosses my mind,
and it's chased away by reality.
I am not in her arms,
though my mind sees this.

I am half a country a way,
entirely too far.
She won't wait for me, goes around the wall.
I sit. I wait. Maybe she'll walk by again?

This sonnet should go unread,
for I have nothing to compare her to.
She robbed me.
Of voice, will, breath and dignity.
I sit by the wall, stripped and blissful.

If I'm lucky, she'll come back around the wall again.
She'll roll her eyes at me.
Again.
Pretty soon, my hair is standing.
Again.
The thought crosses my mind.
Again.
Reality batters it.
Again.
And again.

Lights flicker on, again.
Life in the big city,
the bottom left corner of this pool table country.
My pen strokes paper, and teaches me about me as I guide it.

Dictate, ink!
Spill my passions onto paper.
Legible by the dedicated.
Understandable to many,
but only meaningful to me.

Songs, sonnets, stories,
for her, to her, and of her.
A one track mind around here.

I know little of the world.
But I know of her.
And not "her" singularly, but "her" generally.
But not "her" generally, but "her" singularly.
Somehow, that's all I need.

Repressed Memories (Gaming)

2006-06-01T02:49:00.000-07:00

I just thought I'd share an awesome memory I just got back.

I was playing the Lost World arcade game. At a nickel arcade, of course. And I was doing alright. I was in the player 2 slot as my older brother was player 1, got impatient, and left.

So I see someone else putting coins in. I look up? It's a marine. Or at least, a serviceman. Full uniform, a good deal of medals, young face, beret, and duffel bag. I don't remember everything about how he looked because I was a kid.

He set the bag down, and the beret on top of it, and smiled down at me.

We played the game and we celebrated at victories over crazy, frustrating bosses, panicked in tense moments, laughed as we slipped up repeatedly at bad times, and sighed in heavy relief when we finally beat that damn T-Rex guy that kept taking one of us in the mouth and we had to shoot him in the eyes to get the other guy free.

No other bond. No real connection. No personal association. Just an arcade cabinet, a game, and a ridiculous amount of nickels.

That's what I miss about gaming, and that's what modern gaming will never be able to give me again.

The game today? Cops and robbers. (Stopgap)

2005-12-18T00:48:00.001-08:00

I feel like I should write something tonight, but I don't know what. Which means another stopgap.

Stopgap is an awesome fucking word, though. So I don't mind using it for my grab bag kind of subject line.

I'd do something on how to resist the charms of women, but it's not really something I can explain. I mean, I will confess that there's one that really drives me wild, but there's not really anyone else. I don't have much to resist, you know? This also goes hand in hand with my discovery that I think about wrestling more than I do sex. However, if you look at it like "I think more about my future than I do sex," then no, it's not nearly as bad. But, shit, I see no reason to be ashamed of this. Wrestling's my real love in life, and it's an all encompassing thing for me. The fact that, sometimes, it looks rather homosexual (and in extreme cases, IS homosexual) doesn't even enter in for me. My mother continues to insist I need balance in my life. I think that's bullshit. I don't read because I don't really enjoy reading on any level. I play bass, yeah, but I've got no intentions on doing it seriously, or for money. I play it because I like playing bass.

I know a lot of people that use blogs as columns. I wish I could do that. But I'd keep running out of things to talk about. It's how I end up here, at midnight, droning on and on about nothing.

I'm self centered. I've also come to the conclusion that it's not such a bad thing. So few people in my life are worth the constant giving they want me to give. I mean, I get that because I live in my mom's house, I'm entitled to do the work. But other than that, there's nothing really binding. Blood is not the bond it used to be.

I had one of those days recently where I had stuff I wanted to say, but it would have been a waste of time to say it. Nothing deep or life changing, just...well, trivia, in a sense. What does it really matter that Jack Black has learned how to wrestle for a movie? Who cares? Well, aside from me, because I do appreciate that kind of dedication. But I'm not everyone. And it would suck if I was everyone.

I start a lot of paragraphs with "I." That's not even kind of subtle towards the selfcenteredness.

I'll also quickly note that there's a difference between self-centered and selfish. I am self centered, yes. I am, however, not a selfish man. I don't take more than I need, and I do frequently give. It's just that I dont feel compelled, usually, to do all that much for people who dont deserve it.

I'm gonna hate Idaho. I've got to move up there to do college, and I'm going to hate it. I mean, I hate it here in San Diego too, but it's not gonna get any better up there. I mean, if a few things change, then yeah. It'll be all good. But odds are never really in my favor.

For how tightly I cling to my faith in God, you'd think I would have read the bible at least once by now, eh? It's a great irony. I don't have a set religion, and I'm not annoying with it like some people are with New Age shit. I just...believe what I believe, and it's a matter of total indifference towards what people think of it. Of course, it makes it hard to adapt to a set of principles, but I've got a few of my own that I use. For instance, "no good excuses for bad behavior." I'll admit, I'm not perfect, and I've never claimed such, but for people to be shits and then try to say they didn't know that being a shit would invoke negative reactions is kind of vexing. Although I was really hard on one of my friends recently about that, and I do kinda feel like an ass for it.

I'm starting to see myself on that plane, you know. It's shaking real bad, and I can swear I hear whistling. Cabin's still pressurized. Over the intercom, yesterday, she yelled "What, I can't be innocent?!". My belt buckle isn't working so good, but the oxygen mask is real nice. Very helpful. Maybe she's not losing it, though. I mean, the destination did change, and the airport isn't what I thought it was going to be? But...I don't know whether or not I should get to the door.

Only two people will get that, and it's totally great.

Everyone in my family weighs less than me, now. It's greatly disturbing.

With all the games and DVDs I own, you'd think I'd play/watch one or two of them.

I'm actually doing this on purpose. I feel like I'm selling out.

Also, I'm beginning to think that "Here's To The Man" by Sausage performed by Les Claypool's Flying Frog Brigade is my new favorite song. It's all about Skerik, brothers and sisters. It could also be because I can play it on my bass now. Les Claypool songs are getting less and less difficult, but I don't see myself getting better as a bassist. Me and my stupid want to be a jazz bassist, if anything.

I havent changed the battery (two AAA) in my bass tuner for years and years. Yet, I've never had a CD player's batteries last a week. Truly an odd trend.

I'm gonna end this one with a story about how one of my first friends jumped off his house.

One of my first friends jumped off his house.

~MST

A thousand words where two will do. (Pro Wrestling)

2005-12-17T15:10:00.000-08:00

This is here because I was supposed to be helping out with the formation of the Puroresu Power year end stuff. Upon completion, I realized that it reads more of what I think is the best stuff of the year in Japan, and less what should be elligable for those awards. So, I figured I'd just put 'er right here, in case anyone actually wants to read it.

- 2005 Best Japanese Promotion

Pro Wrestling NOAH
~To deny that NOAH has not had a truly incredible year is a sign that someone does not watch pro wrestling. But all across the world, the talk of the town has been NOAH. Just to name a few:
-Kobashi, Akiyama, and Shiosaki in Germany.
-Joe Vs. Kobashi
-NOAH presence at The Wrestling Channel's supershow in England.
-KENTA and Marufuji coming to America
NOAH has begun to establish a worldwide presence. But that's just a part of it. The other part is that, bar none, the NOAH product has just been better all around than what any other promotion has been able to throw at it, with the possible exception of Dragon Gate. But, as my viewing of Dragon Gate has been limited, and I know better than to talk about things I have not seen, I have no choice but to say that NOAH is on top this year. They've drawn highest, they've kept in the green (har), they've expanded farther, and have delivered the goods with every single show.

Honorable Mentions:

Zero-One MAX
~...if only for the truly incredible turnaround they've had following tragedy after tragedy. Shin'ya dying, Hoshikawa's injury, Ogawa leaving all together...it's been a heartbreaker for Z1MAX, and yet, in the face of this, they're not only still going strong, but nearly going stronger, thanks to the young stars like Kohei Sato (Second coming of Takayama, mark my words), Ryouji Sai, Rikiya Fudo, Osamu Namiguchi, and their unbelievable junior division. While I personally dislike most of what that division does, I cannot deny that it has certainly helped their product. I'm one of those guys that would rather see a firm chop and a meaningful headlock than spot after spot after spot after spot, with no semblance of meaning. But, I'm not one to judge. And aside from that, you can't talk about Zero-One MAX without mentioning the sheer heart and determination for success everyone in the promotion hat. Look at Masato Tanaka: God knows how long he's been injured, but he refuses to take any time off, and especially refuses to slow down even a little bit. The drive of every man on that roster is a truly inspiring thing, and continues to make me have hope for pro wrestling. Hats off to Zero-One MAX.

RIKI PRO & BIG MOUTH LOUD
~How bizzare is it that Riki Choshu's product is one of the most captivating around? And that BIG MOUTH LOUD, despite only having one show, can nearly top every single other wrestling event this year? The two promotions have been joined at the hip and feuding fiercely, leading to some of my favorite matches this year (Shibata/Choshu, Murakami/Fujiwara Vs. Choshu/Enson) and has proven to be constantly fascinating to watch. However, neither one has drawn enough or simply done enough to be serious competitors to the spot of best. Either way, though, it's been a blast to watch. If I had a DVD site, or a connection to a DVD site, I would totally shill the debut "Illusion" show for BML so hard right now.

- 2005 Worst Japanese Promotion

New Japan Pro Wrestling
~I could go on for hours about the missteps New Japan has taken this year. But the site mentions it enough that I don't have to. Suffice to say, New Japan is in a hell of a tailspin. Brock is a step in the right direction, and so is putting Choshu back in charge, but it's two steps forward after a good two hundred yard dash backwards. New Japan has just had an awful year. Product has been mediocre, there's no programs to care about, and the title situation is just sad. The IWGP has fallen so very, very far within the last few years, and is only just now starting to recover. There's lots of people to blame, but blame never gets anyone anywhere. Let's just hope they do better. It's no longer at the point that, if NJPW goes down, the whole industry in Japan will suffer, as proven by NOAH. Which is good. But it'll still be sad to see them go when they do. While they havent produced a lot of the best matches, they HAVE produced a lot of the best wrestlers over their time.

Dishonorable Mentions

Osaka Pro
~They lost everyone. They lost EVERYONE. They went from being the hot stuff on the Japanese indy scene to...losing EVERYONE. It's been pathetic and greatly saddening to watch. I mean, the promotion was run so badly that they made Daio QUALLT retire. Unforgivable, I say!

- 2005 Best Gaijin/Foreigner

LOLLZALX SHELeE FUUCKING OK
~No, seriously. I can't think of anyone. And if I would, it certainly wouldn't be Shelley. I'll leave this up to you guys. Maybe Low Ki?

- 2005 Worst Wrestler of the Year

Hiroshi Tanahashi
~GOOD FUCKING GOD, is this man horrible. I have seen some awful matches. Some genuinely bad matches that make my head hurt to think about. Most of them have this man. Hiroshi Tanahashi is the most nonsensical wrestler in the history of professional wrestling. No matter what the context of the match is, he plays "ikeman face in peril." He does it in other promotions. He does it in other promotions when he's supposed to be a foreign invader. He does it in foreign countries. Racist foreign countries. When he's evil on principle of not being Mexican. And he does the same shit. And as if this wasn't bad enough, the guy is more muscularly stacked than ANYONE in Japan. I mean, maybe Macho Pump, but christ, when you're comparing one of the "future hopes of Japan" to Macho Pump, you know you're screwed. Good job, Hiroshi Tanahashi: You make me hate wrestling.

Dishonorable Mentions

Naomichi Marufuji
~Superkick. Superkick superkick superkick, dropkick, superkick. Dropkick! Missile drop kick. Shiranui.

There. Every Marufuji match of 2005. No one needs to watch him now. No one needs to see the pain.

Minoru Suzuki
~He's not cute. He's just offensive. And while some people might enjoy that, I do not. Suzuki is greatly irritating to me, regardless of face/heel lines. You might say that it's the heels job to get me to hate him, but when I can watch Osamu Kido, in his current, broken down state, and enjoy him more than I do Minoru Suzuki? There's a problem. When I can watch WWE and enjoy it more than Minoru Suzuki? That's also a problem.

Kotaro Suzuki
~He managed to botch a que paso. That's the little push thing that luchadors do when they want someone to keep going to the ropes. I've seen him botch a que paso. I don't really think I have to say anything more than that.

- 2005 Most Damaged Wrestler (Damaged Goods Award)

Hiroyoshi Tenzan
~Another year, and another really sad outing for Hiroyoshi Tenzan. All you really need to see to believe he's elligable for this is the Tenzan/Kojima near-one hour match. It sums up his entire year perfectly.

Dishonorable Mention

Wataru Inoue
~Inoue used to be a dazzling technician. He used to be able to connect with crowds in all possible ways. He could make fans love him with his never-say-die spirit, make them hate him with his disrespect to elders and outsiders, and make them feel for him as he falls limply to the mat at the hands of a bigger, or simply better wrestler. Somewhere in 2005, he must have found cocaine or SOMETHING, because this man is not the Wataru Inoue I remember. What did all of you do to him? Where's the real Wataru? Will the real Wataru Inoue please stand up?

- 2005 Best Technical Wrestler

Shinsuke Nakamura
~The category's thin anymore, as the only two real technical wrestlers I can think of are Nakamura and AmDrag. There are wrestlers that do a lot of holds and cradles, yes, but I'm not about to call Kendo Kashin a technical wrestler. Besides, I don't think AmDrag has even been to Japan this year.

Honorable Mention

Rocky Romero
~I guess?

- 2005 Most Overrated Match of the Year

Kenta Kobashi Vs. Kensuke Sasaki, NOAH "Destiny", 07/18/05
~I enjoyed it, but come the fuck on. People made it sound like it was the greatest match in eternity, when it's really just a Japanese Lugar/Sting. An anticipated match up with a good result and a hot crowd. However, that doesnt mean it's an excellent match. There are a few mechanical problems with the match, but they're minor. The match is good. The match is fun. The match is by no means the best of the last decade.

Dishonorable Mention

KENTA Vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru, same show.
~KENTA's great and all, but man, Yoshinobu Kanemaru sucks a dick. And has this unique ability to make any other match suck with his wonderous five move offense. He thankfully took a backseat as the year went on, to have bad matches with bad juniors in tag team situations, but this was (hopefully) his last prominent junior singles match.

- 2005 Best Bout: Jr. Heavyweights

KENTA Vs. SUWA, 9/18/05 (I think), NOAH
~This shouldn't be surprising. However, this match deserves to be here, as these two went out, and not only were able to do a straight laced Face/Heel match (a feat in Japan) but SUWA took this match so overboard that it could be said he made this match. KENTA's traditional spots were placed brilliantly, and SUWA's array of Mid-South Heel Counters and manuvers, combined with a little bit of the jumpiness of most Juniors around, made this something really special.

Honorable Mentions

Yuki Ishikawa Vs. Alexander Otsuka, 9/11/05, BIG MOUTH LOUD
~This match was first place, for me. But I realized that probably no one has seen it. So, if you have the money to change that, do. The entire BML show is great, but this match is just outstanding, in almost every concievable way. The only problem was they had to follow up an AWFUL (like there's any other kind) Enson Inoue double cross against Gerard Gordeau. The crowd didn't wake up again until the UTTERLY RAD main event.

Makoto Hashi Vs. Tsuyoshi Kikuchi, NOAH, 5/13/05
~As you can probably tell, I don't like much of the flying stuff in wrestling. I'm okay with a little of it, but only if it makes sense within the context of the match (I.E. The minor theme of John Woo Vs. Missile Dropkick in KENTA/SUWA). This is another one of those matches. It's 20 minutes long, and it doesnt really feel like a junior match (well, what a junior match has, anyways). The flying is limited. The reason I'm putting this here, though, is because the strikes are just gross. Gross and awesome. The match is a 20 minute brawl, with a few wrestling moves thrown in, and a lot of flaring tempers. It's one of my favorite matches this year, simply because of how fun it is.

Katsuhiko Nakajima Vs. Osamu Namiguchi, NOAH, Differ Cup Night 1
~I never thought a Dropkick would be painful to see, but man, Osamu's something else. This entire match is simple. The biggest move in it is a German Suplex (and a damn pretty one at that). And, for that simplicity, I enjoyed it more than pretty much anything else out there. It gets more out of strikes and holds than any match has for a long time. If these are some of the faces of the new generation, then it's really looking up.

TAKA Michinoku Vs. "brother" YASSHI, AJPW,
~This is the best American cruiserweight match ever. It's also the only match to not make me gag with overabuse of Super Kicks, because of the established fact that "brother" YASSHI's got a tough head. The chicanery from the Voodoo Murders and the overall greatness of "brother" YASSHI and TAKA really set this match apart. However, KENTA/SUWA played it's Face/Heel dynamic better, and didn't have the American interferance factor. So, nod goes to that.

- 2005 Best Bout: Heavyweight

Kenta Kobashi and Go Shiosaki Vs. Gen'ichiro Tenryu and Jun Akiyama
~It's good that Go is 100kg, because it would have broken my heart to not be able to put this here. This match was AWESOME. Everything about it was placed perfectly. This was also the start of the Tenryu/Kobashi feud, which has just been dazzling to watch. Akiyama remains excellent as a heel in tag matches. Akiyama is still a great foil to Kobashi, but doesnt get under his skin like Tenryu manages too. Tenryu sells Kobashi's chops like they're death, and when he recovers, he takes it out on Go Shiosaki, until he isn't able to fight any longer and succumbs to Revolution 2K5. You could argue that there wasn't anything on the line in this match. No titles, no rematch stigma, nothing like that. But the match stands alone, without needing a back story. There was a hint it would be alright going in, but no one had ANY idea it'd turn out as good as it did.

Honorable Mentions

Minoru Suzuki & Naomichi Marufuji Vs. Mohammed Yone and Takeshi Morishima, NOAH 10/28/05
~Every once in a while, a match comes along that has no business being as good as it is. This is one of those matches. And, I actually would vote for this as heavyweight match of the year...but Marufuji's still a junior. So, it's disqualified. But, yeah. Great match. Marufuji calms down with the superkicking, Minoru Suzuki does a lot towards making his opponents look like threats, and Yone and Morishima are phenominal as a team. The team WILD II wishes it was when they were around.

Shinsuke Nakamura Vs. Satoshi Kojima, NJPW, 5/02/05
~Brilliant. That's the only way to describe this match. It's just start-to-finish brilliant. However, there's a 10 minute period where it drags in the middle, and that's all that's keeping it from being top match. The high point of New Japan this year.

3 out of 5 Katsuyori Shibata matches this year
~Vs. Riki Choshu, RIKIPRO, unknown date: Got something out of Choshu that no one has for a long time. It's, as expected, a crazy brawl, but Riki has always known how to do crazy brawls, so it works.
Vs. Jun Akiyama, WRESTLE-1, 8/08/05: If Shibata didn't suddenly stop selling 3/4ths of the way in, this would DEFINATELY be my match of the year. It's the perfect Strong Style Vs. Oudou match up. Plus, Akiyama actually got motivated for it. That's rare stuff.
Vs. Kazunari Murakami, BIG MOUTH LOUD, 9/11/05: I have a penchant for crazy ass brawls, and this was a crazy ass brawl that doubled as a dream match for me. I love the hell out of both guys, and to see them just go bezerk on eachother is excellent, and was more exciting than a lot of matches I can think of this year.
Blame KENTA for the tags not being listed. The guy was just shitty in both of them, for reasons I'm yet to understand. However, the good thing about the tag title match was that it was totally rad to see Shibata do the Busaiku Knee and KENTA the PK. Other than that, there was nothing good there.

Kenta Kobashi and Go Shiosaki Vs. Kensuke Sasaki and Katsuhiko Nakajima
~Worlds better than the singles match. Although I do enjoy the references to the singles match during the exchanges with Kobashi and Sasaki (the test of strength going the opposite way, the chop standoff), this match was made better because of the presence of the kids. I actually cheered for Shiosaki as he deadlifted Sasaki for a vertical suplex. I have no idea why people sandbag so much with Shiosaki, but the fact that he suplexes their asses anyways is great. This match was more exciting and more dynamic than the singles match, and as such, is a better match than the singles match.

- 2005 MVP (Most Valuable Player): Heavyweights

Gen'ichiro Tenryu
~I'm dead serious. No one man has created any more interest in a product than Gen'ichiro Tenryu. When it was announced that he would start earlier this year, all eyes were on NOAH. Misawa took the momentum created by the "omgtenryu" factor, and ran with it so hard that he took the promotion to it's highest heights ever, and cemented it as No. 1 in Japan. I do not think NOAH would have had the year it did if Tenryu starting there didn't give them the attention they needed. People liked the established roster, yeah, but the threat of outsiders has always been better for NOAH business (ZERO-ONE in 2000 and 2001, the awesome NJPW/NOAH Junior War, Yuji Nagata, the return of Yoshihiro Takayama) and better for it's product. This trend continues, and this year, it meant so much that I doubt NOAH would be where it is without Tenryu. While the Dome would have drawn with Misawa/Kawada, and Kobashi/Sasaki would have still been great, without the stigma and intrigue of Tenryu, I don't think as many people would have paid attention to NOAH until the Dome Show. Tenryu hasn't finished the year strong, I'll admit. But in return, he has essentially turned the tide in the perpetual battle of NOAH Vs. New Japan, and has been instrumental in the construction of the compelling product that NOAH is seen as today.

I didn't mention the Tenryu/Dragon Gate thing because I don't watch Dragon Gate since Kondo and YASSHI were fired.

Honorable Mention

Katsuyori Shibata
~Whenever people ask me who I prefer of Nakamura or Tanahashi, I always answer Shibata. This year, it stands truer than ever. While he didn't wrestle that much this year, every match he has had has two things in common. First, they not only started hot due to Shibata's ambush strategy, but stayed hot. Second: They were (with the exception of the GHC Tag Title Match) just plain good. Shibata has improved dramatically with every passing year, and this year, is so close to breaking out as a star that it's just nervewracking. If he would have actually won a few of his incredible matches, I'd have a tougher time considering him as MVP. As it is, he'll just stay here until he starts winning.

Satoshi Kojima
~He won both the IWGP and Triple Crown this year. While both belts arent on the level they were, say, six years ago, that still means a hell of a lot. It's no surprise that Kojima won the Tokyo Sports awards. He's also had consistantly great matches with some weird opponents, and is fixing to hit his first snag in his title reign next year, against TARU. However, that doesnt count! So, Kojima's had an awesome year.

- 2005 Best Tag Team of the Year

Kenta Kobashi and Go Shiosaki
~This team felt like family. Kobashi as father, mentoring Go Shiosaki through the toughest part of life: moving out in the world. Go felt like son, struggling to please father and striving to be like him. Aside from that mechanic, it really does feel like you're watching two Kobashi's in there. Go wrestles like Kenta did in 90s AJPW. High impact, straight kicks, awesome suplexes, flying offense, and a moonsault finish. Modern Kobashi cannot afford to wrestle like that, but he knows from personal experience that it works, and when he sees Go fight back, and refuse to die, he sees himself, and cannot help but cheer for him, as if he was a man in the crowd. He knows what he's going through; he's been there. And Kobashi knows he had the back up he needed, with Misawa watching over him. Well, now, Kobashi watches over Shiosaki, with Kobashi in Misawa's "Heavyweight Ace" role. It's just a really awesome team to watch, and it works on so many levels that, despite them not being a regular team, it makes them the best anyways.

Honorable Mentions

Mohammed Yone and Takeshi Morishima
~Where the hell did this come from? Yone and Morishima started the year with a bloody Chain Deathmatch over Yone's Hardcore crown. And somehow, they ended the year not only as tag team champions, but as one of the best teams in all of Japan. It's been a crazy year for the both of them, but they only let people down once in their contests (KENTA/Shibata), and now, thanks to Minoru and Marufuji putting them over as death, and Morishima's performance against Taue, they only have that much more momentum.

Shuji Kondo and "brother" YASSHI
~I've always been a sucker for these guys. Like Strong/Evans, but WAAAAY calmer, and, in a few instances, way better. YASSHI is fourty times the heel that anyone in America is, and Kondo is a total badass. The Lansarze has always looked like death. However, this year, I can actually list them and not feel like a fan boy, as they've got an All Asia Tag Title reign to go along with their awesomeness.

Kensuke Sasaki and Katsuhiko Nakajima
~That other family team. They have really awesome matches, yes, but they dont have that much in common, and dont even play up the family thing until the bell rings. Kobashi and Shiosaki aren't blood related, and they do it better than Sasaki and Nakajima.

- 2005 Worst Tag Team of the Year

KENTA and Katsuyori Shibata
~This team also feels like family. Only instead of Father/Son, it's Older/Younger Brother, with the younger brother (KENTA) going "I CAN DO THAT TOO" and embarrassing the older brother, who does little about it. Who knows why this team is as flat out bad as it is.

Dishonorable Mentions:

Alex Shelley and Spanky
~Everything wrong with wrestling in one team. Really an amazing thing to see. With Alex, you've got the holds that are done for the sake of doing holds, the rollups that never win, and the overkill headdrops, and the constant crowd motioning (with what me and a few friends have taken to calling the FUCKING OKs.). With Spanky, you've got flying that makes little to no sense, and...well, actually, most of the reason this team is here is because of Shelley. It's like the Wonder Twins, only they always take the form of a shitty wrestler, and the shape of pale jerks. I can see why some people like them. I just...don't.

- 2005 Worst Match of the Year

KENTA and Katsuyori Shibata Vs. Mohammed Yone and Takeshi Morishima, NOAH, 11/04/05
~Read up. You can pretty much paste what I've said about KENTA and Shibata in all instances into this category, and get why this is the worst match this year.

- 2005 Fighting Spirit Award

- 2005 Newcomer of the Year

Tomohiro Iishi
~You havent lived until you've seen a strike exchange end with a lariat to the ear. Iishi may have been around for longer than 2005, but he made a hell of an impact either way. I consider him for this because this was the first I've actually heard of him, and good lord, the kid can go. Like I keep saying: if the new faces of wrestling in Japan are already this good, then the only way to go is up.

Honorable Mention

Kohei Suwama
~One year in, and he's one of the best heavyweights in Japan. The guy not only has a killer look, but good lord, his suplexes are stunning. In that respect, he is like Jumbo. Only time will tell if he can sustain his awesomeness for as bogglingly long as Jumbo did.

- 2005 Best Japanese Matchmaker

Mitsuharu Misawa
~NOAH's house shows are at least interesting. However, no one can make a big card feel more like a big card than Misawa. Every major show they've done has really felt like it was, and everything always balances out.

Honorable Mention

Shinjiro Ohtani
~The guy has so little to work with, and yet, he manages to churn out great show after great show, top to bottom. His talent pool isn't the greatest, but they all have their places, and that takes effort to do, especially when your top heel is Tadao Yasuda.

- 2005 Worst Japanese Matchmaker

n/a (only guy that comes to mind is MIKAMI, and that's more of a personal kind of thing.)

Phew! Long winded? A little.

Samantha (Stopgap)

2005-11-30T02:04:00.001-08:00

Segmented onceafore. It worked last time. I'll just type and type and type until something pops up.

I guess I could talk about my reoccuring dreams, but I don't even know what they mean, and I dont remember all of them.

But, I've got fuckall to talk about, and this is my space. Plus, that whole "fighting T-Rex" thing has stopped happening.

I mean, I dream about my dad, but that's totally fuckin' expected.

Quick note. I dont want someone to spout about what these dreams mean. I don't know, I don't care. But I am physically elated when ever have these dreams. I'm thrilled and excited to see her. Samantha.

That's the only part of this I'm real sure on. There's a girl named Samantha. She first popped up just about a year ago, walking down the street. I was out front doing nothing, and my mom was talking with neighbors, and she just walks up. My age, with short, necklength brown hair. (Just gonna note real quick that, as much as I drone on about getting hard over redheads, they show up depressingly little in my dreams.) She walks up in...dah. I dont remember. this is one of the conflicting parts of it. Pants of some variation, maybe a t-shirt. Shirts never say anything, though. She hates that. Her face is...hard to describe, because perfect is relative, but for my likes, it's all good. Eyes arent too small, and are a brilliantly distracting hazel. Mouth looks small- at least, her lips are- but the shape of them is also rather nice. Ears are small and hidden under the hair, which is shimmering.
my
She walks down the street, and we just...look at eachother. I'm watering the yard, and start drowning the planter. She's in midstride, and awestruck (obviously by my Greek-statue like physique (that's a joke to those who dont know me)), as am I. There's something real familiar about her. I feel that, in the dream, I've seen her in a dream. She hesitantly takes a step.

"John?"

I'm taken aback. I mean, havent even met the bitch and she knows my name.

"Y-yeah. Are you..."

"Samantha. You look...just as I saw you."

From there, we talk for hours about...everything and nothing, it seemed. There werent enough hours in the day to talk to her, and she was eventually dragged home by her parents.

The next time she appeared in a dream, four months later (after unsucessfully trying to force dreams of her), I somehow ended up in a dress in Tokyo on new years, at a street side vending cart which is well lit, but has no one around for mile. She walks up again, this time in a loose, red dress. Through the course of THAT dream, I had gotten over the fact that I was in the dress in Tokyo etc etc. Even made some good business, but I couldn't remember what we were selling for the life of me, but she comes walking up, and everything else just freezes. And we talk again, for a while, but not enough, ended by my stupid need to interact in a concious world. But the precident set was that, like the first dream, I was genuinely excited by her presence, as if she's some part of my subconcious trying to bust out.

That's it. I'm a pretty, modest, brilliant brunette as well as a big fat spanish swede.

Anyways, the next time she showed up was three months later. I was at the zoo. I have no idea why I was at the zoo, but I was at the zoo. One of the many cafeteria deals, and I was there alone. I see a door open up, and bamf! There she is. The feeling returns. This is one of the three times I've clearly remembered what she wore: This time, it was a bright pink t-shirt, and blue jeans. Not tight, not baggy, but...well, relatively perfect. She walks right up to me, and kisses me on the cheek, pressing against me, and whispering, and says one of the only things I remember her saying.

"Something's wrong, and it's you, my dear."

The conversation wasn't at all ugly or anything. I was in a bad mood, and she eased me out of it, and conveniently, that was when I first realized I am responsible for my old, near constant state of unhappiness. Of course, I did fuck all to change it until another conversation months later with a real life friend that set me straight, but still, that's where the seeds were planted.

The next time, I was having a lucid dream, and was on my way to having a nightmare, and I got some hobo to help me wake up. And as I did, well, she came running and yelled "wait", but my eyes were already open. I didn't see her, I just heard her yell out. Her voice is distinct like that. A foreign accent I can't pick out.

The last time it happened was two nights ago. Sunday. The dream started, and I was in a resteraunt, with her. It was WAY classier than either of us are used to, and we looked like bums amongst the upper class. But damnit, we were there. This is the third time I remembered what she wore: a tight, gray and black long sleeved shirt. I recognized it later (as in, a few hours ago) that it was something my first ex wore the first time I saw pictures of her and her not-then-but-later husband. I digress. I dont know what she's got on besides that, but I know there's more, because A) my shoes rubbed against leather, leading me to believe it was some kind of boot she had on, adn B) She's not really one to dress in suggestive manners. Feels it's above her, and I'm inclined to agree. But the conversation never dragged, and aside from me nudging her foot, we never even touched. No food came, and none of the other patrons even existed for us. It was just us. Very comforting, and that thrill was still there. The dream ended when I stood up, and helped her up. Then I was rather suddenly, and abruptly awakened. There was no need for it. It was just...snap.

I dont think writing about her will prompt her to show up again. I don't know what happens, aside from a large dose of stress. But, the last time, I wasn't stressed. If anything, I think writing about her will stop her appearances, which is a real shame, because I enjoy her company.

Yeah. That's pretty much it for now.

Fatigued Musings (Stopgap)

2005-11-17T11:01:00.000-08:00

DISCLAIMER: I wrote this at 2:45 in the morning to pass the time and put myself to sleep. I have not the time nor the will to go over it, so if someone's offended, my bad.
---
I'm just going to start writing. Something will pop up, I'm sure.

This is the struggle of writing, at least for me. I have an incredible tool, as words come to me as natural as riding a bike. This also explains my hatred of bikes. However, the problem with my writing is that I am such a perfectionist, if I don't know for sure I don't have all the facts I need to construct something, whether it be a match review, or a diagnosis of an album, or my outlook on the current generation (and the shame they bring me)...if I don't have it all, I cannot bring myself to do it.

I have lots of similar problems. A few of them are showing up more often than usual, the biggest being my hatred of being helped with studies. I do feel in my heart that if I am enrolled within a class, I cannot allow anyone else to do the work for me. It shames me greatly, whether it is intended or not. It is deeply embarrassing to me to know I have not done something, and had to rely on someone else. Even if it's meant as help, I just cannot stand it. The worst part is that no matter how I have tried to convince myself otherwise, I can't get over this. It makes me wonder if there's something else behind it.

I'm lucky in a few ways, though. My life is going very well over all, if my largest problems are writer's block and refusing assistance.

Got it.

I've got all sorts of things that I need to get off my chest. Among them are stories of my own personal experiences, limited as they may be.

Shit. Opera just crashed. That's no good.

Anyways. What I'm gonna do is just let the stuff that's been building up within me pour out. Even if no one reads it, it'll feel good to say.

First, is this inherent feeling that no matter what I do, I ought to be apologizing for it. I do feel a lot of guilt in regular activities. Surprisingly, not masturbating, but more regular stuff. I just have this gut feeling that I'm fucking up somehow.

I mean, I know how I'm fucking up in one place, and that's not doing what I say I'm going to do. I'm trying to come to grips over a couple of changes I've been having to make, and I know it shouldn't be this difficult for me to just shut up and do it. Yet, hesitation is prevailant. I just wish I knew why.

There's another problem I have. My inherent need to know why things happen. That they happen and that I can change them is not good enough for me. This is something I do subconciously, too. If you've talked to me and known me to drag my feet for really stupid reasons (except regarding games, because I'm right on that issue), I just...huh. there it was again.

I'm not sure if I should apologize for being hesitant to some things. I mean, there are a lot of things I have done on the fly without properly thinking out everything that is/could be happening. I also don't know if I should stop thinking about it, or if I'm not doing enough when i know the answer to some of these questions. It's not like I'm always without grounds for it.

Conciousness is a shitty thing like this. So much of my life would be so much easier if I just stopped thinking about everything, but then I get concerned that if I dismiss as much as I might see that I ought to, that I'll leave out something that'll come back later to bite me in the ass. A real pickle.

Fuckin' hate dogs.

This whole Eddie thing is really making me rethink whether or not I should pursue being a wrestler full speed. I mean, I know that he had done a few illegal substances as well as wrestle, but the man was 38 when he died of heart failure. How is the risk of death, paralysis, and chronic pain sitll appealing after these things happen?

I know that if I put my mind to it that I could very well be the best wrestler alive. I'm not the most athletic guy, but Dick Murdoch wasn't exactly AJ Styles either. I'd like to think that if I start wrestling, I can phase out the "athlete first" aspect that is ever more prevalant. Upon much of the indy scene, there's these little flippity floppity shitheads who invent moves all the time, but can't tell a story to save their lives. By that logic, I know I can do this. The other half to this logic is knowing that without the physique, the fans might not notice me. I'm gonna need more than just a mask to get up there.

Had a crazy dream recently, and I think I'm gonna hold true to this one. If I get in 40s, I'm gonna look for my protege. He's going to be a homeless Hispanic male in his early 20s. I'm going to teach him the language of wrestling (and give English a good shot) and I want to give him a shot on his feet. I say Hispanic because of this simple reason; when I look in my heritage, it is not the Swedish blood that burns with passion and neverending spirit, but Spanish and of Native American. I accept this. I even embrace this, and I am aware that with this knowledge, I can find the man I am looking for. The man who has nowhere to go but up, the knowledge of what the bottom feels like, and the sheer strength of soul to get there. Or, who knows. He'll stab me and steal my credit cards and overdose on heroin. But this is a goal for me.

Fuck, I love pro wrestling. I'm willing to die for this shit. Sometimes, I don't even think twice about it. I'm sure that if both parties are careful, that only the most bizzare of accidents can hurt me. But injury and pain is a very real part of this business. I have too much honor and dignity to sink to painkillers and narcotics to keep me up to do this, but I don't know yet if I can handle being in pain all the time. More focused, I don't know if I can stand seeing my closest friends seeing me in constant pain, and I know that if one of them even begins to ask me to stop, I will.

I'm not sure what chivalry means, but it interests me a great deal.

"Take Me Back Then" by Days of the New is looping in my head. It's something about the singing. I think I'll hear it in my dreams.

My ultimate goal is to be able to call myself a wise man, but not brag about it. Wisdom is so much better than intellect. One can know all there is to know about any given subject, but it means shit if they cant tell you what it felt like the first time they got the "let's be friends" speech. Wisdom has more humanity to it. It's almost a romantic concept.

Romantic. There's another stickler of a word for me. Gotta look that one up.

And I've got to start studying French again. There are so many things I want to say that'll sound so much better in a foreign language.

My dad's epitaph says something like "Let the work I have done speak for me." I want to go out like that, too. I'd take much more relief in knowing that each time out, I did my best.

I'm not sure if I still want to be a bassist. I've got to start getting together with my other musician friends more often

I've also gotta call two others. I'ts been nearly two years since I spoke to one, and one year since I spoke to the other. I still have the latter's copy of Super Mario Sunshine, and the first disc of his version of FF9. They were both irredeemable human beings when I last left them. I'm keen to see if both have sunken into their habits (former a martial artist, latter a druggie in training)

One day, you'll figure it out. Until then, just appreciate the scope of it, and the warmth that comes with, ah?

It feels like babbling, but it also feels good.

I think what I'm going to do now is snap off a load and fall asleep praying. It's how my nights usually end.

~MST

The Ark (Pro Wrestling)

2005-10-21T12:17:00.000-07:00

In all the world, currently, my favorite wrestling promotion is Pro Wrestling NOAH, and it's for one simple reason; everyone has a place.

It's not a federation filled with the youth of Japan like Dragon Gate, or the history of tradition like New Japan, but rather, a promotion all it's own. Like a hybrid of 80s New Japan sans Maeda, and 90's All Japan, NOAH is by all means the perfect wrestling promotion, and like I said, it's because everyone has a place.

Everyone's place fits, too. No one ever seems like they're doing something strange; Misawa's skill at booking has allowed for all wrestlers to break out on their own, but still maintain clear images of who they are as wrestlers.

This also holds true to NOAH's incredible junior division, one that puts all others to shame with sheer variety of wrestlers. You have the ace and fan favorite, Naomichi Marufuji, the champion and rival in KENTA, the foreign superpower in Low Ki, the obligatory luchadore Ricky Martin, the jaded champions in Suigira and Kanemaru, the ultimate bully and rival to KENTA, SUWA, and the veteran gatekeeper in Tsuyoshi Kikuchi.

Things are also very clearly defined in the heavyweight division. Misawa is the standard bearer, yes, but has seen fit to take a back seat to those who are far more willing to go, like Kenta Kobashi and Jun Akiyama. There are the upstarts of Rikio and Morishima, slimy Yoshinari Ogawa, the break out star in Mohammed Yone, the menacing Akira Taue, and the most dramatic protagonist in all of NOAH, Makoto Hashi.

To distract for a moment, the story of Makoto Hashi is the most fascinating thing I have ever witnessed. It's almost inspirational in a way. Hashi was one of the first wrestlers in NOAH to truly break out from a history of near-nothing in All Japan, and is now starting to get noticed by everyone for his exceptional talent and old school fire. He is a one time GHC Jr. Heavyweight title holder, but because of how he won the title (through the injury of champion Naomichi Marufuji) he returned it respectfully, and made it to the finals of the ensuing tournament, only to fall to Yoshinobu Kanemaru. This would be one of many disappointments in his career, as he would get all kinds of title shots and usually lose them.

Then there's his interaction with Jun Akiyama, who has taken a crazed coach role with Hashi. Akiyama sees big things for Hashi, and damnit, he's going to get them out of him, no matter what it takes. But before then, it was just thought as abuse, as Akiyama would get so frustrated at the beatings Hashi would recieve that he would climb in the ring, and throw him out, then slap him and beat on him. Over time, though, this started to reinvigorate him. Also, in matches that they have been on opposing sides, Hashi would just unleash hell on Akiyama for as long as he can. It almost seemed like he didnt want to win, just to get payback. This all came to a head at the most recent Tokyo Dome show. Jun Akiyama was granted a shot at the GHC tag titles, and almost instantly chose Makoto Hashi as his partner. However, he stated if they lost, he'd never team with him again. The ensuing tag match, while not very good due to Minoru Suzuki and Naomichi Marufuji being a still awkward team, was off the charts emotionally. You could not help but get behind Hashi, and even Akiyama was, giving him the chance to finish the match, but again, the eel known as Minoru Suzuki slipped out and got the submission victory. After the match, Hashi was seen crying, but instead of beating on him, Akiyama applauded his strongest efforts in the match, and thanked Hashi. It was really a surreal, awesome moment in the usually stoic world of Japanese wrestling.

Even in the lower card of NOAH shows, everyone has a clearly defined role. There's the ambitious group known as the Dark Agents, the veterans like Tamon Honda, Takuma Sano and Jun Izumida, the occasional appearance of Daisuke Ikeda, and the rookie sensation Go Shiosaki, who in his first year in wrestling was half of the finest tag match I've seen in some time, and probably my favorite match this year. There's also the team of TEAM KAOS, Michael Modest and Donovan Morgan, holding down the fort as the perinnial tag team title challengers, which brings us to the outsiders.

Over the years, the foreign factor has really grown into something fascinating. There's a steady parade of outsiders to do combat with NOAH regulars. The two that have had the biggest impact so far have been Minoru Suzuki and Gen'ichiro Tenryu. Also, New Japan and NOAH have been at near constant war, in both heavyweight and junior divisions, with Yuji Nagata having a truly incredible stint in NOAH, along with Hiroshi Tanahashi who's won the GHC Tag Titles, defended the U-30 Title against Marufuji, and wrestled Takeshi Rikio, GHC Heavyweight Champion, for the belt at the last Tokyo Dome show. There are lots of accounts as well of the New Japan/NOAH Junior War that are far more indepth than I can ever go, but suffice to say, it was an amazing thing to see.

Amongst the gaijin are wrestlers such as Scorpio, who has truly gone through rebirth, the incredible Doug Williams, and even a collection of power gaijin like Bison Smith. And this will continue to expand, as starting this November, Katsuyori Shibata will wrestle for NOAH, which will bring an element to the promotion that only KENTA and Daisuke Ikeda had in the past.

NOAH has also had the best feud this year, between Kenta Kobashi and Gen'ichiro Tenryu. It started innocently enough; a tag match was signed between Kenta Kobashi and Go Shiosaki, (which has been another fascinating development, as they've almost become father-son like in the ring) against Jun Akiyama and Tenryu. But Tenryu was never impressed with Kobashi, and provoked him. That wasn't very smart at all. Kobashi responded with great strength, and even drew blood from chops alone on Tenryu. And this was just the start of things.

Over the last few months, the two have tangled repeatedly, in tag matches, and each times, it just gets more and more heated and violent. Tenryu hates Kobashi's guts, and the feeling is mutual, as Kobashi now has a fire underneath him, actually coming up with new and unusual ways to punish Tenryu, such as his new Double Chop, made specifically to break Gen'ichiro Tenryu's collarbone. In one of their last matches, a six man tag between Kobashi, Tamon Honda, and KENTA, wrestling Tenryu, Akiyama, and Takeshi Morishima, where Kenta Kobashi almost dominated Tenryu with a simple headlock. He's using everything he can to punish his newest rival and hated enemy, and it's only getting more interesting as time goes on.

I'm forgetting a lot, probably, but these are just a few of the reasons that Pro Wrestling NOAH is the greatest promotion around today. My wrestling diet, as I've previously mentioned is entirely NOAH and CMLL anymore, and man, it's a happy diet.

Truly, this is the definition. (Pro Wrestling)

2005-10-16T23:42:00.000-07:00

Obviously, Japan is different than the United States. But amongst the things in common, the most recurring trend is professional wrestling. And back in the old days, in the days of Showa, it was exactly that. In the days of JWP, it was, at least with Rikidozan, a form of entertainment. But the values of combat were kept, and it was just as much about strength as it was fighting spirit. But it was not a pure business. In the United States, they began to move farther and farther away from this, towards the theatrical, but the drama and the passion and the spirit remained in Japan, taking precidence over all other factors.

On both sides of the pond, wrestlers of eachother's country were seen as evil. In the United States, none really got that far at all, but some were treated with respect starting in the 60s in 70s. Specifically, Giant Baba and other All Japan wrestlers, who, unlike Inoki, actually went to the US. In All Japan, too, American's finally began to be seen as equals and men of integrity, such as the Funk Brothers, Stan Hansen, and others in that vein. Not so much in New Japan, but I'm not here to bash the stupid, stupid things New Japan has done in the past.

I'm here to talk about the simplification of all of this; the pure contest between the seperate nations.

Nobuhiko Takada Vs. Bob Backlund
UWF-i, 11/7/91
"Starting Over, Chapter 2"

Bob Backlund was the last real WWWF champion. With a five year, dominant reign, after defeating "Superstar" Billy Graham for his well earned title, Bob was on a tear. Like many other wrestlers like Ken Patera and people in that vein, he seemlessly combined the brawling and showmanship of North American Style, but the technique that came with his immense freestyle background. He was also a pure soul, and one people could not help but get behind. This changed in the mid-ninties, when he became a crazy man obsessed with winning the WWF title from Bret Hart after claiming he never lost it to Iron Shiek (who lost it to Hulk Hogan, which started all that crap), but that's not the point.

Backlund had a tremendous series in Japan with Antonio Inoki. In their two matches, they technically traded the title back and forth in three days. Backlund lost it to Inoki, but Inoki was not proud of his victory, and he handed the title back to Backlund. In their rematch, however, Backlund won with his trademark Chickenwing Face Lock, becoming legitimate in the eyes of Japanese wrestling fans. When he returned in 1991, he was already a threat. One of the few men to put down Inoki had come back, and would be going against a top native.

On the other side of the pond, you have Nobuhiko Takada. Classically trained, and originally a New Japan trueborn, Takada was not much of a stand out until a couple of chance occurances, including a long feud with Shiro Koshinaka (ASS BASED OFFENSE~~) and Akira Maeda's two departures from New Japan Pro Wrestling to form the UWF. In the UWF, Maeda's dream version of pro wrestling, It was closer to the original vision than anything else currently in Japan; it was sport. One day, I will write a comprehensive essay on UWF, UWF-i, RINGS, and the other companies of this nature.

But in UWF, Takada was king. Of all the men to ever wrestle in the UWF, he was one of two (the other being the incomparable Volk Han) men to defeat Akira Maeda in his own game, and when the promotion folded, he formed his own, UWF-i. Union of Professional Wrestling Force International. This match was among the first main events in the promotion.

This match has no real background to speak of, other than Backlund's reputation and participation in the first shows of UWF-i to give it legitimacy, and Takada being the franchise star of the promotion. There's no drama, there's no lead-in story line, there's no anger...there is simply the spirit of competition.

Backlund has the ultimate triple threat on his side; height, weight, experience. But so did Maeda when Takada wrestled him. After introductions, they shake hands, the bell rings, and they're off. Contrast in styles is immediately evident. Takada has his hands raised, in classic shootwrestle style, and Backlund has his hands low, ready for a take down or grapple.

The match progresses brilliantly. Takada shows his striking strength, but is always outwitted when on the ground. Within the first five minutes, Backlund has hooked a pin cradle, and an abdominal stretch. All Takada's had so far was a momentary face lock, and a near application of a cross armbar. Despite the few strikes, the crowd is way into it, hushed when they're on the mat, cheering when they're on their feet.

Past the five minute mark, Backlund again shows his expertiest, turning another abdominal into a kneebar. When Takada gets out, he gives Backlund a similar scare, with a cross arm bar applied. After Backlund gets out, the grappling just gets more intense and complicated. If Takada cant get the chance to strike, he's going to submit him, but Bob is a tough task, and can read Takada very easily. Almost every time Takada sets up for one hold or specific takedown, Backlund not only has a counter, but a counter to Takada's counter. He's almost always on top.

It's when Backlund is able to apply the Camel Clutch, the same move that cost him the WWWF title, that things start to really heat up. The sstruggle for the ropes is immense, but Backlund eventually gets free. As he stands, his eyes race, and he reformats his plan, having a striking opportunity. After repeated leg kicks, he is able to apply a knee bar of his own, with relative ease. Backlund doesn't have such an easy time escaping, and for the first time, Bob is not only frustrated, but without a counter, and has to use the ropes.

Takada hovers as Bob stands, and quickly adds an exclamation point, with a few knees. That doesnt work so well, as Bob scores with a back drop suplex, interrupting a ten count to apply a Fujiwara armbar. At this point, not only is the crowd completely into it, they're on their feet for everything. Oddly, whenever one man is in a hold, no matter how snug or simple, they cheer for the man in the hold.

Bob sinks to Takada's level, and knocks Takada down again, with a straight elbow. But that's a mistake, and as soon as Nobuhiko arises, poor Bob is VERY quickly demolished with kicks and palm strikes, setting up for a back drop suplex, then getting knocked down again as he tries to stand. The favor is returned, and Backlund is spared from the ten count by an armbar.

Backlind calms down, and is able to go back to the wrestling, reversing the hold, and scoring a two count pinfall. Still too soon, though. They stay close to the ground, Bob on top until he tries to pin again. Takada then hooks a one legged crab. Bob is forced to use the ropes again, but Takada is on him as soon as he's up, rushing him with strikes, then taking him down with a hip toss, and applying another cross armbar.

In ambition, Backlund moves against Takada, trying to get him into the ropes, but is not able to get there, as Takada releases, and pulls him back, applying an achilles tendon. Backlund's control is over- this is Takada's match now. Bob's on his level, and Takada starts to go for the win.

By the fifteen minute mark, they're both tired, exchanging heel holds, arm bars, and harsh takedowns. Whenever Takada gets caught, he does everything he can think of to escape. When Backlund is captured, though, he's calm, cool, and knows just what to do, provided it's not in too deep. But all those deep armbars Backlund can't just slip out of take effect eventually, and he tires down.

Backlund's next big offensive rush, after being knocked down twice more, gets another offensive, sweeping with a head lock takedown, and catching the arm bar. Takada hits the ropes, and after a strike exchange, Takada is lobbed across the ring with a Butterfly Suplex, and caught in a Boston Crab. As he hits the rope, he's elbowed, and then placed in a sleeper. But that sleeper is only a transition, and the crowd just loses it as Takada is trapped in the feared Chickenwing Face Lock. He does not say die, however, and manages to drape one foot over the ropes. Takasa is alive, but man, Backlund is not about the fact.

Backlund hits the precursor to the Olympic Slam, and applies a tendon hold. Takada's no longer interested in wrestling; only victory. He sits up, and relentlessly axe kicks the arm. He's free, and after another massive strike barrage, and trips him, applying a tendon hold, then a half crab when that fails. Backlund's last strength comes, and he is able to flip Takada off, and run for a tackle. But Takada shifts instantaneously into the Kimura, rolling Backlund over, and tightening the most basic, yet easily most painful submission in the sport. And in that one tense moment, admist the screams of thousands, with the atmosphere at a fever pitch, with both men exhausted, yet struggling, with that agonizing hold on tight...

...Backlund blacks out.

And like that, in an instant, Takada has done it. 25 minutes of hard, hard work pay off, and Takada is the winner. Backlund is in utter disbelief, awakened by the bell, and yelling that he never gave up. The match is ruled a TKO, or technical knock out, and in the rebirth of UWF, Nobuhiko Takada stands tall among all other men, having now defeated another former world champion. The men then shake hands, and in the ongoing conflct of American and Japanese wrestlers, Japan takes a large victory.

You might ask why I chose to do an essay on this one match. It's simple. Aside from the nationalism, the fierceness of the fight, the fire in the men...it is the glorious perfection of man on man combat. It is the mixture of everything pro wrestling was supposed to be from the start, and today, it stands as a shining example amongst several similar groups and matches of what pro wrestling is.

A true contest of will that happens to have an end before it has a beginning. The good and evil, the white and black, the axis and allies are left up to the interpretation of the viewer, but at the end of the day, this is a pure contest, and artistic in execution.

If you were to ask me to define professional wrestling, I would cite this match. It is everything that I believe in within this, the most intense form of stage and art ever known.

Matches like this, are why I watch pro wrestling.

"Everyone loves bad news from a pretty mouth." (Music)

2005-10-15T22:41:00.000-07:00

Profound truth, the title is. At least for me.

I don't know a lot about singing. I only did it for a while, and I embarrass easily, so I've shyed away from it. I don't know about classical opera, or the techniques of a jazz singer. I don't know how note progession is formed, or how songs are written out. I don't know much about singing.

But I'll tell you what I do know. I know that the best life philosophy I have is "judge a man by his depravaties. Virtures can be faked. Depravities are real." And I know that it is the singers with disease in their voice, when you can smell the alcohol through the speakers, when you can immerse yourself in what the man (Well, usually man) is saying, when you can feel the very guilt in the man...that's when I take notice. There's nothing wrong with the other view. Some prefer the song bird. I prefer the crippled, whimpering dog.

Case in point is Tom Waits. A sicklier man there has never been. His raspy voice is that of a alcoholic jailbird, who's seen it all and could not possibly be less impressed. He has his moments of softness, specifically towards women. But that's to be expected. The man is, by all means, a man. His raspy voice and haunting stories are more captivating than any opera I've ever heard. It's the minimalist beauty.

Another example is Issac Brock, of Modest Mouse fame. I'm admittedly a bandwagon jumper, and my exposure started with "Good News For People Who Love Bad News," but after hearing Bukowski, The Devil's Workday, and Satin in a Coffin, I realized how he'll be next to follow this trend. He sounds constantly like he's so close to snapping and going Tracy Smothers on everyone, commiting Ultra Mega Mass Homicide.

I don't have to say a damn thing about Mike Patton. To a lesser extent, Nils Frykdahl.

This vocal style is also the main reason I got into death metal, black metal, and hardcore. Men like Dallas Toler-Wade of Nile, Lord Wyrm of Cryptopsy, Abbath of Immortal, and Dimitri Minakakis of The Dillinger Escape Plan sound like every single bit of blackness, hatred, and evil in this world, and what comes out is disgusting, yet spectacular in such a way that is not able to be matched in any other kind of music. And with those bands, it just so happens that the music is good enough to match the insane vocal quality, despite it being on the complete opposite end of the spectrum in what is seen as a "singer's voice." I'm sure there are other, amazing vocalists out there, but it's those four that hooked me on this extreme of music.

However, this is not to say that everyone that sounds sick is good. This is not the case. The Vines lead singer sounded like he suffered from Typhoid, yet I never ever liked him. The 'group' broke up last year on my birthday; it was the best present I ever got.

Also, I do not mean to say that I only like deep, raspy voiced guys. I've always been a fan of Cedric Zavala (ATDI, Mars Volta) and Gavin Hayes (dredg). I can't appreciate it fully, and I usually get funny looks from people who -can- sing, but whatever.

My point is this; if the voices are ugly, take the story into context. Take what they;re howling, whether figuratively or literally, into context. Don't write it off because it isn't completely legible the first few times through. Just sit back and let it resonate.

Elbow? (Pro Wrestling)

2005-10-15T17:36:00.001-07:00

Pro Wrestling NOAH. Nowadays, my pro wrestling diet is exclusively NOAH and CMLL. And man, I'm getting fat. The quality of both products is absolutely astounding, especially considering NOAH's talent pool is mostly older men. Yet somehow, when the big shows come around, NOAH just cannot be beat. And the biggest of the big for NOAH was this year, on July 18th. "Destiny."

The main event was between Mitsuharu Misawa and Toshiaki Kawada. In Japan, this is the equivalent to El Hijo Del Santo Vs. Negro Casas, or Ron Wright Vs. Whitey Caldwell. It's not only perpetual and unbalanced, but it's pretty much always good. Over the last decade and a half, Misawa and Kawada's histories have been closely intertwined, as is shown in the brief highlight video for the match before it starts.

Misawa and Kawada had what is seen as one of the greatest matches of all time, back in 1994. June 3rd, for the Triple Crown, back in All Japan Pro Wrestling. This match is not a rematch, as they wrestled each other several times over the ensuing 90s All Japan period, but 90s All Japan came to a very sudden stop in August of 2000, when Misawa took pretty much all of AJPW and formed NOAH. Kawada stayed behind, of course.

Since then, All Japan and NOAH have gone in fascinating paths. AJPW struggled, then shed the Oudou image, as did the entirety of NOAH. Both grew into strangely unique federations, with NOAH being the Watts-era Mid South to AJPWs Carolina, and both continued to grow.

For those who dont exactly get that, it's like how WWE and TNA are now. Only no one gives a shit about TNA. But, to be fair, no one gave a shit about AJPW during the restructuring.

But I'm not here to talk about how they grew, with Misawa and Kawada in different yet similar positions in both feds. Or how weird AJPW got, or how awesome NOAH got. I'm not even here to talk about Misawa Vs. Kawada. I'm here to specifically talk about the end of the match. This was just the briefest history lesson, but history will play a part in establishing the finish.

Amongst the internet wrestling community, there has been backlash over the end of the match. It's full of people who simply do not understand and therefore hate the finish.

For those who haven't seen it, it's a match full of headdrops, that ends with this.

http://pulolesu.game-server.cc/move/move-photo/252.gif (Apparently, img tags dont work.)

Then a pin.

And people complained about this.

Before I get into the history and how this is logical, I want to share a theory I've come up with. The Universal Law of Being Fucked Up in the Head. It's like this: When the force of the contact upon one's head is not only so fierce that it rocks the head, but causes the subject's scalp to ripple, the subject as officially reached the state of Fucked Up in the Head.

Even aside from that, look at where he hits. Anyone that's seen boxing or MMA will know that all it really takes is a good shot to the jaw to cause a man to crumple, like Kawada. Kawada was hit with a knock out blow, and IWC members are complaining. This is a perfect suppliment to my "strikes aren't over in the US" arguement two posts back in the Strong Style issue.

There's also the factor of history, which cannot be ignored. I brought this up in a recent debate over Naomichi Marufuji and his contagious faggotry, and that is that Misawa's elbow have years upon years of build to it. It KOed Fuchi, it mauled Tsuruta, it toppled top gaijin, and it gave him his title and tournament wins. His elbow is the ultimate weapon. So fittingly, it's what gives him the win here. He's beaten the very, very best with his elbows. He hasn't always finished with them, but it's the use of the weapon that gives him victories. Watch the match twice; see how cautions Kawada is of getting hit until the first hit makes contact, and he tastes it all over again. This time, he thinks he's grown enough to have less of a resistance. Sadly, Kawada is still no Tsuruta, so he cannot take that kind of abuse. So, he lost to the elbow. The finish of this match is poetic, not repulsive, and it's what sets the mistique of 90s AJPW apart from all other puro.

Fuck you, Opera.

2005-10-15T15:17:00.000-07:00

I had this huge 7 page sensationalist thing I was getting ready to post on SUPS (Spoiled, Unrealistic Princess Syndrome). It was totally great and some of the best writing I've ever done.

Then Opera crashed and I lost it all.

Fuck you, Opera.

EDIT: And now, WWE is bringing in midget wrestlers.

Today sucks.

Strong Style in America (Pro Wrestling)

2005-10-14T23:18:00.000-07:00

Japanese wrestling is pretty rad. It's an accepted fact. It's built on totally different honor systems, so the confrontations are usually sporting instead of dramatic, but they can be, with the right types (Usually Americans or young wrestlers). I understand for people who have never seen it before, it's a really astounding experience. I was mesmerized by my first puroresu match (Keiji Mutoh Vs. Masahiro Chono, 2001 some time). It was everything I had expected pro wrestling to be, and most importantly, it was completely open to interpretation. I understand how awesome that is.

What's not awesome is the fact that wrestlers who watch these awesome things begin to employ these tactics, with some not understanding what makes it all work.

I'm not going to lie and pretend I know everything about pro wrestling. I don't really have a right to speak about deep philisophical intricacies (or whatever), but I'm pretty intuitive, and I know some pretty smart guys who have shown me the tiny things that makes "Strong Style."

The first problem is this simple fact; in America, unless it's one of five exceptions, strikes are not finishes. It's a sad truth. But, lets look through the wrestlers today. Specifically, Samoa Joe. He's got some pretty bad ass kicks, and some real looking strikes. Has he ever finished someone with the Enzuigiri? Or a simple roundhouse to a kneeling opponent? Hell, even a Savate kick? Nope. Because no one buys it. He can do it all he likes, but no one will ever say "oh, wow, what a slap, that's gotta be it," much as a few fanbases would lead you to believe. However, he has used the Lariat as a finish, which is exception one.

The other three are the Shining Wizard and it's children, Super Kick (which, oddly enough, is pretty dead in Japan), Axe Kick, and the Yakuza Kick/Big Boot.

My original outline for this was Low Ki, but Low Ki has changed so radically over the last two years that it's unfair to say that. His initial problem was he used the same style, of a Strong Style junior, in both Japan and America. Well, in Japan, that's fine; the kicks look strong, and people could buy those as finishes. In America, he can growl and scream all he likes, and kick as hard as he likes with pretty unprotected kicks. Lets look at that match he had in 2002 against Christopher Daniels in ROH. Plain as day, he roundhoused him straight in the head. He was on his knees, and got kicked squarely in the head. The crowd went up for it, yeah, but they didn't buy it as the end of the match. The announcers sold it as such, but you could tell the fans 'knew' that wasn't it.

An even better example was Low Ki Vs. Samoa Joe, in that same year (I believe.) The match was almost all strikes, and when the last one came, the crowd was just dead. No one bought the knockout blow. That's bad. Of course, they cheered 'respectfully' for the victory, but the silence before hand was telling.

Last is also ROH. 2003, "Bitter Friends, Stiffer Enemies." Low Ki's Tidal Krush kick, from the middle rope, legitimately Dan Maff out. The next time he did it? Nothing. Everyone thought that was an isolated incident, and it would never happen again. When Misawa KOed Masanobu Fuchi with an Elbow Suicida, the crowd would totally buy the dive as a finish. Think about that. Mitsuharu Misawa made a dive a finish. There's no such thing over here.

Nowadays, Low Ki uses an American Style. He's got his three big finishes (Ki Krusher, which put down a lot of big guys in ROH) the Double Stomp (which is a flying move that he makes look absolutely wicked) and the Dragon Clutch (see Ki Krusher). He doesnt pretend that his other, spiffy kicks will get the job done over here.

Second: Mixed Martial Arts holds are not used properly. Ever. In Japan, a Jujigatame is a lethal thing, and if it's in tight, you can't really last that long. Same with a Triangle Choke, or a Kneebar. You either reverse it in the first ten seconds, or it's all over. In America, people last far too long in such holds, and dont even kind of struggle. For example, Damian Vs. Kevin Steen. Steen fought a Triangle choke for almost five minutes. You dont come close to half a minute in a properly applied Triangle Choke. So what did this do? It killed the Triangle Choke dead in IWS. No one buys it as the instant doom finisher it should be, and it's too late to change it, due to the 'educated' state of the fans.

Third: Strong Style is used as an excuse. The common misconception is Strong Style is that it's "Real but worked." In a sense, this is all of pro wrestling. But that doesnt mean to strike recklessly and to endanger your opponent with real headdrops. This same conclusion is drawn from 1990s AJPW, and I'll speak more on that the more I learn and collect about it. If nothing else, Strong Style is about Toukon; fighting spirit. It's about not giving up. It's about leaving it all out there. It's not about putting the other person in mortal danger. I mean, look at Yoshihiro Takayama. Because of Strong Style, we have lost the greatest all around heavyweight in the last decade.

What cheeses me off even more about this is wrestlers wanting Kayfabe back. Well, if you want kayfabe back, don't you think that YOU should help? The fans wont go back to the state it was at if we all act like flippy bitches or that strikes don't really mean that much. Point in case: The Taped Fist Match. It's dead, due to the sheer amount of people that tape their fists during matches. It used to be one of the biggest blow off matches you could have, and now, thanks to modern wrestling, and wrestlers not having foresite, it's completely gone. Pretty soon, wrestling will be dead, and Mixed Martial Arts will reign supreme, unless everyone goes back to the basics and calms the fuck down.

What this is.

2005-10-14T19:44:00.000-07:00

It's where I yell at people. I'm an opinionated man, and flooding message board after message board with rhetoric, while fun for me, isn't fun for others.

So, partake in MaSuTology 101. Maybe you'll learn something. Or maybe you'll be offended. It's all the same to me.