By Decree

All men should at least consider changing their last name if they marry someone with a cooler last name than them (i.e. Stiles, Swank, McCool.) It is not required that they do change their names, but they should at least think about it.

Strong Bad Sings: and Other Type Hits a Review Part 4

Finally the moment I have been waiting for has arrived. If only I were not the only person in the world reading this insightful review, then I might be more excited for the rest of you out there. Regardless, this entry marks the end of this little pet project of mine: The last five tracks of the Strong Bad Sings album.

If you have not ever been here before, this is actually the last installment in the series, and you might be better suited to start on part one further down the page. Part 3 is possibly the strongest section, so starting there might not be a bad idea either. But for now, on with the show.

Track 16: "The ladies in my Town all know my name" is a pretty inconsequential song. By the end of the song we learn that actually not all the ladies know his name, but it makes for a nice quiet bit of comedy. I do not know what style, if any, the Brothers Chaps were trying to tackle with this song, other than generic rock. Of course, almost all rock you hear now is just that. Either way I am not sad that this song only lasts 34 seconds.

Track 17: This is what I'm talking about. The much awaited Theme from DANGERESQUE II: This time, it's not Dangeresque I is finally here. This is a classic shout out to all the great themes from blaxploitation films of the '70s. It has a wicked cool groove, and the lyrics are very funny and appropriate for the theme. This is possibly the best moment on the entire album. They really did a great job of combining a particular style of song with good funny lyrics.

Track 18: When I first heard this song, "Somebody Told Me (Now I Believe Them)," I began to fully realize the full scope of what the Brothers Chaps were trying to do with this album. With not necessarily enough songs from the Homestarrunner website to fill an album, they began to make songs that fit a certain style of music. This song, with its bluegrass twang, was like a slap in the face, and it helped me to see the pure genius in their vision.

Track 19: This song is a classic. "THE Cheat is NOT DEAD" represents the Brothers Chaps at their creative best. This song first appeared at the end of Strong Bad's caper email. Although it begins very simply, which hails back to the original version, the song develops to a resounding climax. We find ourselves pleasantly surprised at the end to hear a gospel choir join the fray, and apparently Strong Bad is equally impressed and surprised. It is well worth it though.

Track 20: The long awaited conclusion to the album. This is a live version of "EVERYBODY TO THE LIMIT." They claim to be playing to a loud and raucous crowd in West Reykjavik. Apparently the Brothers Chaps seem to be famous in Iceland. Who knows? Maybe it's true. I don't know if they did hear him in East Reykjavik, but maybe someday they will. Then the world will certainly be a better place. In the mean time check out the original video for the #1 Jam of the Summer.

After that let your CD player continue playing after the end of the last song, and you will hear Homestar's addition to the album. It starts at about the 6:20 mark on the last track. Apparently it is called "Secret Song" because that is pretty much all Homestar is singing about in the song. It adds a nice finishing touch to the album though, just Homestarrunner and a piano. Does it get any better than this? Yes, yes it does.

I must add though that I was a little disappointed to not hear anything about Sibbie on the album, but ah well. Overall I really enjoy the album and if you like the Homestarrunner website, then you will also like the album.

Strong Bad Sings: and Other Type Hits a Review Part 3

This process is taking much longer than I initially anticipated, but hopefully the effort I have put into this little project will not be lost on my audience. (But since my audience consists of me and probably no one else, I think I'm safe.) Anyway, on to Part three of this seemingly fruitless exercise.

Track 11: Journey makes a guest appearance on the album with the track "It's like it was meant to be." The songwriting is solid, and Neal Schon's guitar work is stellar as usual. Their new lead singer is not even adequate, though. He cannot come close to the high notes that Steve Perry showcased with seeming ease during Journey's heyday in the seventies. Also I do not know who is writing the lyrics now, but he needs to find a new job. I cannot tell if he is trying to be the next Bernie Taupin or the next "Weird" Al Yankovic, but either way, he stinks....oh, wait....you mean this isn't Journey....you've got to be kidding me....huh. Well, let's just move right along.

Track 12: NITE MAMAS is Limozeen's second song on the album, and it is simply awesome! Although the opening guitar riff owes much to Poison's seminal track "Talk Dirty to Me," and the chorus sounds like something you would find on their third album Flesh & Blood. Either way you look at it, though, this track is basically the best song that Poison never made.

Track 13: This is probably the funniest song on the album. It is Strong Bad at his best: simply making funny remarks at Marzipan's expense while she ignores him and keeps playing anyway. "Sensitive to Bees" is just a nice simple folk song that Marzipan sings. What makes it truly great is how every line is followed by something funny from Strong Bad. A brief entrance at the end by Homestar adds just that something to make this song truly a masterpiece of comedic genius.

Track 14: "You've got and Ugly & Stupid BUTT" is another song that was first heard, although only briefly, during the Strong Bad Sings short on the website. It is a nice little shout out to the brief Latin Pop invasion of a few years ago. Luckily this song does not last long, much like the so called invasion.

Track 15: This is Coach Z's only appearance on the album. The Brothers Chaps use "These peoples try to fade me" to further extend this image of Coach Z as an old school rapper lost in our time. It is an average song, but it really is not funny on its own unless you are familiar with the Coach Z character. In that sense though it is nice to see that persona finally fleshed out in a full length (2:11) rap song.

Bonus: If placed in a CD-ROM drive that is hopefully attached to a computer of some kind, you can view a video for "These peoples try to fade me." The video is directed by the Cheat and is pretty good. The Cheat's animation of Coach Z doing old school dance moves, including some break dancing, is nicely done. Overall, a solid video by the Cheat, but nothing new or exciting.

Strong Bad Sings: and Other Type Hits a Review Part 2

Well the long awaited second installment of my review is now here. I will be analyzing tracks 6 through 10, so get ready.

Track 6: I cannot remember where on the Homestarrunner website I first heard this song, but either way it is a good one. The Kinda Long Haired Band sends John Mayer on a run for his money, while Strong Bad wails about that "skinny blonde girl" who is probably now running from him. College folk at its best. By the end you too will wonder if it was really in G.

Track 7: "Let's get started on all those awesome things I suggested" is a classic R&B groove, and all Strong Bad does is really just get started. This track was first mentioned on the Strong Bad Sings short. After what seems like a minute long intro into a nice sexy song, the song ends, and our next track begins. I thought it was a nice effect.

Track 8: "Moving Very Slowly" is a song by the Brothers Chaps favorite heavy metal band Taranchula. This band leans more towards the pounding guitars of Metallica, Megadeth and Anthrax, unlike Limozeen's yearnings for the better days when hairspray mattered more to music than a steady back beat. This song does not add much to the album besides a ripping guitar solo. The fade-out then fade back in effect at the end of the song was a nice effect, though.

Track 9: This is the full version of the "Sweet Cuppin Cakes Theme Song" as first heard on the crazy cartoon email. This is one of my all time favorite emails. Eh Steve! is one of my favorite cartoon characters ever. They added great lyrics that really parodied the typical style of today's cartoon theme songs. Very well done.

Track 10: Aww, Teen Girl Squad finally made their much awaited appearance on the CD. Whats her face finally gets a phone call from Paul or something. At which point she decides that she needs to sing about her apparent chances with this guy. Whether or not she actually does have a chance with this guy does not really seem to matter. What does matter is that the Brothers Chaps managed to parody the stylings of all those crappy teeny boppers like Britney, Christina, Mandy, and Jessica. Maybe they are the real Teen Girl Squad. How knows?

Strong Bad Sings: and Other Type Hits a Review Part 1

Well since I am sure that other more reputable organizations and such will not review this fine album, I will take it upon myself to fill the void with a comprehensive review of the entire album. This will include a track by track analysis.

The packaging is garnered with the Brothers Chaps trademark doodle artwork. Conceived as pen drawings on lined paper, it sets the mode. The liner includes mock ups of posters for various concerts and bands that are featured on the album. The inclusion of the Limozeen bumper sticker was also an added bonus.

Track 1: Strong Bad gets things started with a tribute to his favorite video game dragon, Trogdor. The Brothers Chaps' backing band Y-O-U gets things started off right with rocking guitar riffs and an awesome dueling guitar solo. The ending includes a much needed shout out to the guitar Strong Bad email.

Track 2: "The System is Down" has to be the best techno song ever recorded by using only the human voice as an instrument. This is simply a filled out version of the techno song that Strong Bad inadvertently started righting during his techno email. Fans of the website will be excited to hear the new added sound effects to the song.

Track 3: This is simply a version of the "Strong Badia National Anthem." Strong Bad utilized the singing abilities of Ms. Partmeatter's 1st grade class. Their inclusion helps add to the campyness of the song. Homsar seems to make an unscheduled appearance at the conclusion of the song, but I'm not sure. Unfortunately all the Brothers Chaps really deserve for this song is that low-fat sugar-free chocolate skim milk that Strong Bad awarded the class.

Track 4: This is where the album really begins its running commentary and parody of almost every style of popular music available. Marzipan's song "Oh Yeah Yeah" is a smart and simple parody of all the girl rock bands that have done their thing such as the Donnas.

Track 5: "Because, It's Midnite" is the first of two songs on the album by fictional band Limozeen. One of the band names given by Strong Bad in his band names email. (Taranchula, another band name from that email makes an appearance later on the album.) Limozeen is the Brothers Chaps' hair metal band alter egos, and "Because, Its Midnite" is quite possibly one of the best hair metal songs never recorded. With its ripping guitar solo followed by a quiet bridge with a riffing guitar and lyrics like "Liquid and leather/in equal measure" evoke fond images of many other songs from that era. Slaughter wishes they had written this song.

The remainder of the album will be reviewed in future posts.

The world of Sam

This is my world baby! Unbeknownst to most, I have successfully taken over the world and replaced it with something more suitable to my liking. Maybe that's just the insomnia talking.

The days are unfortunately starting to get shorter, darker, and colder. Winter has set down its heavy hand upon us all. Apparently it will be in the mid-seventies in Phoenix tomorrow. Their world is a much stranger one than mine. My world, amazingly, has a lot of upside. Soon I will find out what this world has in store for me and when it is coming.

Don't be afraid little one, the world according to Sam is a world of mirth and magic. My sky is filled with dreams and clouds that can be plucked out of the sky with your outstretched hand. Sometimes you just have to reach a little higher. Be still and know all is well.

Hey Now!

I may begin posting some of my original writings, but I am unsure about it. Most of them are very personal, and although I do show them to some people, if I post them on the internet, they will be there for the world to see.

Now I am not naive. If I post them here, the world can also choose to ignore them, or they could ignore them just because they have absolutely NO IDEA that this little blog could have even existed. Even so, my posting my writings also adds a sense of permanence to them that I do not know if I am ready for. The question always remains out there. Does this piece need more revisions? Am I totally satisfied with my work? Of course the answers to both of those questions are always, always yes and no, respectively.

So I guess the consensus will be for me to:

a. publish my writings on this blog at some point in the not too distant future, and

b. utilize the power given to me by being able to edit anything I post or have posted.

So it is settled. Sometime I will post some original works of poetry and prose. The only question that remains is when.

...and All was Right with the World

I finally freed myself from the chains of oppression caused by a once broken and now soon to be demolished computer. After excavating the hard drive and copying some files from one hard drive to another, my world is finally at peace. My failed attempts at writing are back for me to rediscover, and possibly more importantly, I have reacquired some mp3s that I hadn't listened to in too long. So I can now be at peace with the world, although I am still a little frustrated with computers.

Speaking of which, for my next computer I definitely need to build my own. Not being able to conveniently upgrade what I have without buying a whole new system is frankly annoying. Peace out.

What's Going On?

My brief absence from the blogging world will go on no longer. Although I do not know if there is much I want to talk about, I will post any way and win the day once again. My staggering procrastination has reach new heights. I do not know what to do or how to stop. The hard thing about procrastination is that in order to stop procrastinating, I must start working. Starting in order to stop? I don't know if I feel comfortable with what that implies.

Anyway, I ate too much turkey yesterday. I don't want to go to work tomorrow. I feel like lying in bed for the rest of my life only waking to pee, poop, and surf the endless desert of the web, only stopping this pattern to watch PTI on ESPN. I wish I could scream without making a scene.

Viva la Resistance!

If you need a quick laugh please partake in this simple three step process:

1. Go to google.com

2. Search for french military victories.

3. Look at first link given.

4. Laugh.

Have fun.

Useless Edits

Well I have just finished spending way to much time making my little blog look about a million times worse than the generic setup already was. Maybe some day I will figure out how to add a background that will look cool to this crazy page.

But back to reality. No news is good news as they say. Don't cry when you discover that I have become the person you though I once was, or something.

Greatest Rock Albums of all Time

Rolling Stone magazine decided to print what they consider to be the top 500 albums of all time. Since it is inconceivable that anyone could really have the audacity to make such a listing, I will now commence in criticizing them appropriately. First, rankings are simply a way to make people like me argue and spit on Rolling Stone magazine. Second, deciding that magically album 451 is somehow better than album 452 takes a lot of balls. Third, they once again made a crummy list. (Don't get me started on their one hundred greatest guitar players list. I'll just say that they got 1 and 2 right, and the rest was a bunch of crap.)

So in rebuttal I will commence in making my own list of top ten albums in rock history. Ten is an easier number.

1. Pink Floyd, Dark Side of the Moon

2. Beach Boys, Pet Sounds

3.

Aww forget it! This list sucks. Lord knows I haven't listened to enough albums to make a list like this, and I listen to a lot of music. There is inevitably some album that someone's mother's cousin made that was pure genius that I have never heard. So since I haven't listened to them all I will not make the list.

I will however note that on any list I read people consistently give little to no love to my friends Pink Floyd and their masterpiece Dark Side of the Moon. It is a complete musical statement (whatever that means) and just a masterpiece of modern musical production and performance. Enough said. Anywho no one really cares about my opinions anyway. So see ya on the other side.

Michael, any surprises?

The world seems to be treating me well these months. Although things could be better, they certainly could be much worse. I do not have the money and freedoms afforded to the Rich Girls, but how many people really do? I certainly do not have to worry about the kinds of things that our dear friend Michael Jackson has on his plate today. A few obvious observations about Michael Jackson's situation:

1. I know that he seems to love the company of children, but there are many better and less incriminating ways to spend time with them and help them and do good for them then having them over for one on one sleep-overs.

2. What parent thinks it is O.K. for their child to spend the night with a man in his home alone? Michael is not related to any of these children. I guess money can influence some people make some strange decisions.

3. The accusations they are making against Michael are quite gross. Either the child is lying, or Michael has done a few bad, bad things.

4. I think that Kobe paid the child off to make the accusation now so that it would take some of the heat off his trial. (I mean seriously, why not. Everyone thought the Heidi Fleiss trial was going to be the trial of the century because of all the celebrities that it might incriminate until the O.J. Simpson trial started. Kobe's legal team has obviously done its homework.)

5. And seriously if Michael Jackson ends up in prison (as a child molester no less) does anyone really think that he will make it through the first night before some curious prisoner decides to find out if a) Michael really is a man and b) how much silicone is in his face.

Michael all I have to say is good luck. I certainly hope that money does not get in the way of justice being served.

Hello World!

Well it's late, and I am heading to bed, so I will see any and all of you tomorrow.

Confederate Monument in Forest Park

I am not a fan of the Confederate Monument in Forest Park. I thought it was appropriate to be upfront about this. This post is simply here i...