Practice was, despite Zakula’s absence due to pending interstate trafficking charges a headache, fantastic. Becoming increasingly bored with my guitar part on ‘Conflict Palace’ I retooled it to be more textural with some delay and fast ‘black metal’ style tremolo picking for the verses and changed out the dunder-head power chording at the songs finale for a single note counter melody that fits into with the new endings ‘decay’.
We worked a bit on ‘Aluminum’s crescendo – I like my part, I need to work a bit on the tone. Not exactly sure which way to go – right now it’s very spiky but I feel like it’s perhaps too thin for the part – the trick will be in pedal pushing as I have no free time to twist knobs.
We hadn’t played ‘Linear’ in so long I lost the timing on the one part I needed to hit and by then we were so spent we just called it a day. Overall – fantastic!
Something big may or may not happen this week so send some good vibes our way that it works out because it could be a great development for the group. If it happens I’ll let you know!
In other business…
I’ve been on a British comics kick as of late – heavily digging back into the 2000AD adventures of Judge Dredd and his world of Mega City 1, as well as the comic that preceded 2000AD – the then controversial mid-70’s anthology title – ACTION. In it is a strip called Death Game 1999. Well, Death Game 1999 is a slighty (read: barely) modified version of the popular 1975 film ROLLERBALL starring James Caan (The Godfather, Thief) and directed by Norman Jewison (The Thomas Crown Affair, Moonstruck).
Which of course got me thinking about how excellent and weird that movie – and most pre-Star Wars 1970’s sci-fi – was. The movie is about a dystopian future (about 5 steps away from our very real present) where the corporations fought it out and nearly destroyed the world. The funny part is that – unlike our reality – the corporations in Rollerball made no attempt to hide what their wars were for. In the end what few corporations that survived have taken complete control of society and rule the masses with mindless entertainment (sounding more and more familiar, no?).
One of the most effective is the ‘sport’ of Rollerball. Rollerball is part hockey, part rollerderby (which was hot shit in the seventies), part motorsports and all ultra-violent. Though the object of the game is to put a large metal ball into a magnetic chute for points, it quickly becomes apparent that the real point is to satiate the public’s lust for blood. Crippling injuries and even death are commonplace in the Rollerball velodrome and, as such, the sport’s heroes are quickly replaced. This is no mistake as it is revealed that there is a lesson being taught to society through Rollerball – the individual is useless.
The Houston Energy team is headed by veteran player Jonathan E (James Caan) who is being pressured from all sides to retire, even though he is the best, and most recognized, player to ever hit the velodrome. When he balks at the idea, the game is changed to become even more violent than it already is in an effort to force him out (or get him killed). Of course, in the end he rises above (grimly, at that) proving that – yes- one man can make a difference, etc. etc. In short, it’s awesome, like most 70’s satirical science fiction (Death Race 2000, Mad Max, A Clockwork Orange, Logan’s Run etc.).
Step Into The Outer Hall 