Month: June 2009

An indie kind of guy

Posted on by babemoby

So far, what you know about me is that I have a passing interest in David Carradine, and I write weird crap about our president. Believe it or not, there is much, much more to me. I decided a good introduction would be for me to write about all the other weird stuff about me. Then again, I don’t think it’s all that weird, it’s just me.

I’ve been told that I’m not like most people. That might be an understatement.

To start with, I actually didn’t like Gladiator. I thought it was quite overrated. Then again, I did like Punch-Drunk Love. Most people hate that movie. If Adam Sandler fans have even heard of that movie, then they hate it. Most people walked out on the film about halfway through. I loved it the entire way.

As you can see, my tastes tend to deviate from those around me. It’s not so much that I’m trying to be different. It’s just the way I am.

People have started entire cultures and movements based on being different. But the fact that there are entire cultures and movements based on those certain types of lifestyles show that they eventually become cookie-cutters themselves. In being different by the mainstream cultures, they end up being the same as everyone else who is rebelling. So instead of really being something different that stands out, they all clump together.

Take goths for instance. The fact that they all wear black and makeup and fingernail polish shows that they are not really trying to be different, they’re just trying to be like the people they identify with more than the rest of society. In the end, being different becomes being the same.

I’m not trying to start any new fads or cultures of my own. I take bits and pieces of many different cultures and make them into my own. It’s not that I’m trying to be different. If something I liked became popular, I wouldn’t immediately reject it just because it became popular, I would still embrace it, and probably even join the masses in celebration. Then again, people would probably tell me I was just following the crowd, but that’s the way things go.

Take Keane for instance. I started following the band shortly before “Somewhere Only We Know” exploded. As I was a fan before I knew that anybody else had heard of them, I started to get excited when I started hearing them on the radio. But it was when I heard them in the grocery store that I started to get a little bit annoyed, because it used to be my band, and only mine. Now it was just another popular band. But after that song died down, I still listened to the band and kept following them until they started making music that wasn’t all that great, and then I stopped.

So to me, it’s not so much what’s popular or unpopular, it’s just what strikes me at the time. When people ask me what my favorite type of music is, I usually respond truthfully, “I like just about anything as long as it’s done well.” Then they usually respond, “like what?” I guess I don’t understand why everything needs definition, but to many, that’s a filter they use to decide what’s good and bad for everything. I try not to get stuck in filters.

Politically, I’ve described myself as a moderate-conservative who leans to the left. I identify myself as a Christian, but I disagree with many things the American Church does and believes. I try to think outside the box and see everyone’s point of view before I decide my own. In many ways, I do lack definition, and many might see that as a negative. I am an amorphous blob of a person. That’s probably true on some levels, but I think it’s good in many ways as well.

I don’t do many things that “indie” people do, so I don’t know if I truly would be called an “indie guy.” But more because I lack definition, I really am independent, and I enjoy it that way. I don’t look down on people who disagree with me. In fact, I embrace them, and learn to appreciate the way they see things, so that I might become a more understanding and well-rounded person.

I’m sitting in church as I type this, and it’s getting ready to start. I’m really excited about life and where it’s taking me. You should be too. If you have the stomach for it, join me here on wordpress, and see where it is taking all of us. The things I say might challenge your ways of thinking. But if you’d like, you can write comments to challenge mine as well. We shall sharpen each other as iron sharpens iron. Peace.

The Real D.C.

Posted on by babemoby

So, I was originally hoping to get this piece into the paper I work for, but I was lazy and didn’t really push very hard to get it in. But since I wrote it, I thought it should at least get published somewhere, so it’s not just a big waste of time. Keep in mind, it is about a month old. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it and it makes you laugh:

 

The Obamas seem to be the most public first family in the history of the U.S. government.

In our dire financial times, I think they are missing out on major dollars in revenue. While infomercials and plates bearing the likeness of Barack Obama are great, I believe they fail to capitalize upon their true marketing potential.

Anyone who watches television can understand what the biggest, most influential, most profitable medium is these days: reality TV.

Since CNN is already covering the White House nearly non-stop, this shouldn’t be too much of a deviation from the norm. And with the Obamas’ popularity being through the roof, it wouldn’t be too difficult to repackage that coverage into a new format.

Let’s dub the show, “The Real D.C.”

There’s no shortage of episode subjects. One day Barack is signing bills, the next he’s buying his kids ice cream, then once he’ll be fighting pirates and on another, he’ll ward of tea bags with his magic pen.

Give him an hour on Tuesday night on a major network. After the show, you can follow along on the Web site as well though the patented ObamaCan. (ObamaCam sponsored by Snickers: Hungry? Why wait?).

Through the ObamaCam you can follow Barack along throughout his day. Will he choose the typical clean black suit, or will he be daring today with the canary blue? Is he gonna wait for the omelet for breakfast or just go with the quick and dirty cereal? (Cereal provided by Kellogg’s: The Breakfast of Champions)

Of course Barack will have to remember to use the Obama Bathroom Blinder when it’s time for him to do his business. (The Obama Bathroom Blinder brought to you by Pizza Hut: Gather ‘round the good stuff)

What network would be able to pass up on this show? I guarantee, it would beat out American Idol by at least 75 million viewers. Obama would be the new American Idol.

Who isn’t interested in Barack’s day-to-day life, activities and duties in the White House (The White House presented by Under Armor: WE MUST PROTECT THIS HOUSE!!)

All this to say, there’s basically 24-hour, “you can’t miss this” coverage of Barack Obama. It’s understandable because this president is faced with many critical issues: the economy, the war, the BCS. People want to know what this guy is doing. He’s making a lot of critical decisions. People want to know what’s going on.

It does get just a bit ridiculous at times. I’ve seen more than I need to. i don’t need to see his NCAA bracket, even though we both picked UNC to win it all. I didn’t need to hear about his family vacation in Hawaii.

But then again, we are in the age of technology and media. Barack Obama may be the very first iPresident. Unlimited information can be a good thing. Too much information can be a waste.

All I’m saying is if we can put this drive for information to good use, maybe we can do something good with it.

I guarantee this show would be off the charts. With advertising revenue as pricey as it is, our government could turn this economy around in no time. Say goodbye to the financial crisis. (The Financial Crisis sponsored by AIG).

David Carradine

Posted on by babemoby

Unfortunately, my first post comes on a sad note. It was announced earlier today that actor David Carradine, known for his starring role in the ’70s TV series, “Kung Fu,” and more recently for his work in Kill Bill (as Bill) passed away in his hotel room in Thailand.

Scratch that last part, he was found hanged in his closet in an apparent suicide.

Before I get any farther into it, I would like to preface that I greatly enjoyed Carradine’s work. It saddens me that he has passed, and I certainly wish that I could continue to see his work as an actor flourish. Even at 72, there was plenty of time for him to continue to contribute to the film industry and countless other areas of life, most of which are probably private.

But that’s the part that I find to be less saddening and more disappointing. He didn’t pass away, he went out because he decided it was time to call it a life. It’s such a waste and a shame that someone as talented and renowned as David Carradine decided there was nothing left and that it was time to give it up.

When persons of celebrity pass away, there’s usually a period where people reminisce on all the person had accomplished, the moments of triumph and the great things that  person did while he or she was on the earth. I assume the same will occur for this tragic death. But to me it’s just not the same when someone’s life ends in this manner. All the accomplishments fade away an, at least, in my mind are overshadowed by the fact that there could have been so much more.

And really, what are they going to show when they mention Carradine at the Oscars next year in the annual “Remembering those who we lost over the past year segment”? I assume they will show something from Kung Fu, maybe something from a few other successful works. I doubt they’re going to show clips from Death Race 2000 or his phone book commercials.

Celebrity intrigues me. What makes a person famous? Is it just because they choose to put themselves out in front of the public? Why are these people celebrated? Does the good outweigh the bad in a person’s overall body of work? Does it even matter? Do the person’s 15 minutes of fame make it necessary for the entire world to mourn someone’s passing?

And really, what do celebrities typically accomplish? What did David Carradine accomplish in his life? He made some films. Is that really any contribution to society? How does his death affect the world more than any other person’s? Of course, I’m only singling out Carradine because his death is the most recent, I’m not picking on him personally.

When “celebrities” like Carradine pass on in the manner they do, whether it’s by suicide, drugs or any other type of sudden, wasteful method, it always makes me ask those sorts of questions. Whether it’s Carradine, Heath Ledger, Chris Benoit or even Kurt Cobain and Jimi Hendrix, it always makes me stop and wonder why are these people celebrated when they didn’t have the courage to let their lives end when God said it was time, but instead piddled it away on their own. Though all of these people died by different means and under different circumstances, they all have that similar quality of wastefulness. Each of these still had plenty left to do in his life, but they couldn’t hack it through to a true end.

Maybe that’s just a testament to how difficult this life actually is. And to the toughness of those who are willing to see it through.

I’m starting to think that people are not completely evil on their own.

Ok, that sounds kind of insane by itself, so let me expound on that. I identify myself as a Christian (I was hoping to write an introduction of sorts as my first post, but this will have to do for now). As Christians, we are taught that as human beings, we in ourselves might be completely evil. The only good there is in any of us comes from God. So it’s not so much that we are able to do good, more that God through each of us has the ability to do good. I won’t dispute that. But this can cause the double-minded to think that since none of us has the ability to do anything good, that it excuses us from even trying. I don’t agree with this so much.

I think that God does give us the ability to do good, but it is up to each of us to excercise this ability. I think that opportunities will be presented to us, and it will be up to us to make the decision of what to do when those moments arrive. The choices are typically obvious, but the thought processes that go into them can become rather complex. We can choose to do the right thing, but often that is so much more difficult to do than wrong because of our own limitations as people. So much more often than not, we, myself included, make the wrong decision. But in that way, the choice is ours to make. We can choose to do good or we can choose to do evil. We are not always inherently doomed to make the worst possible decision.

So in case you were wondering, no, I didn’t accidentally cut and paste part of another post into my David Carradine post. I do actually have a point to all this. It just takes time to complete the circle.

When David Carradine chose to make the decision to hang himself or Jimi Hendrix chose to take those drugs or Chris Benoit chose to kill his child and himself after killing his wife, each of them made a choice. And honestly, it was the wrong choice. Each of them had a choice to do what was right in refraining or in going through with the horrifying action their minds faced them with. Say all you want about these people being troubled souls or under some sort of influence or chemical imbalance or whatever you can come up with to try to alleviate the pain of loss. Their suicides benefitted no one. Not fans, not family and friends and most definitely, not themselves.

Some of these people are even treated as legends, some even because of the manner and timing of their deaths, since an abrupt end tends to stand out. But I will always think of what more they could have accomplished had they chosen a different path.

Jimi Hendrix could still be alive today if he had lived his life differently. He would be 67 today if he was still alive. Selfishly, it would have been incredible to have the opportunity to see him perform live. But just imagine how many more great songs, how many more great guitar solos and how many more incredible guitar effects could have been the result of a full life from a man so talented. Instead, he died decades before I was even born and with a fraction of the work he could have left behind had he have been willing to see life to its true end.

Life is difficult, no doubt, but no how difficult or dull or painful it is, if you’re still here, there’s always something special waiting for you just around the corner. But sometimes you must be willing to wait out the storm in order to get there. To choose any less is just a waste.

It’s your choice. No one else can do it for you.

Llike Barry Bonds, who will forever have an asterisk marked in the stats column for home runs, to me Carradine will also be marked with an asterisk, but over his entire life. If people received grades based on their lives, I would give Carradine an incomplete.

But like Jimi Hendrix, I will also appreciate the work Carradine does leave behind as I am able. But I can’t ever end the thought there because the work is now and forever tainted.

Well, that’s one post down. Hopefully the next one will be a bit more cheerful. I don’t really like writing all this serious stuff. But sometimes I just gotta express myself. I gotta be me, baby.

Sorry. Until next time.