American Gods - the next HBO series

The next HBO show

            

            For whatever reason, I have a knack for reading books that later become HBO television series. Granted, I don’t know if reading two books actually constitutes me having a “knack” for it, but just follow me. Four of five years ago, my brother told me I had to read a book called “A Game of Thrones”. He had read it years before and kept telling me that I should. So, I did. I believe I had already started reading it when he told me that it was being made into a show. In actuality, he may have said so beforehand, but it makes this story sound better if I believe I was already reading it when I heard, so we’ll go with that version of the tale.

 You may have heard of this show. It's apparently doing okay.

            Being a fan of “The Sandman” comic series, I decided to check out some of author Neil Gaiman’s other works. In addition to comics, he has written a few novels, such as “Neverwhere”, “Anansi Boys”, and “Stardust” (“Stardust” was even made into a movie, starring Michelle Pfeiffer and Robert De Niro), but the one that jumped out at me from the book store shelf was “American Gods”. I flipped open the cover and checked out the first few pages, and I found it interesting. So, onto the Christmas list it went, and on Christmas morn I had a spiffy literary gift, courtesy of my little sister.

            I read the book, off and on, during the first part of this year. I would put it down, pick something else up, come back to it later, etc. About a week ago I got into the 400 pages-area and decided to finish it off. It’s not really a book meant to be sparsely read, but that didn’t diminish my enjoyment of it. Essentially it is a modern day fantasy novel about mythical gods, set in modern America. As the story begins, the main protagonist, Shadow, is nearing the end of his prison sentence. He acknowledges that he made bad choices that led to his incarceration, and now that he has almost finished doing his time, he wants only to keep his head down and return to his wife’s side.

It isn’t far into book that he is set free, and a chain of events set him on a different course. I’m an advocate of not ruining plot points for potential readers, but these events include various states of death and un-death, visionary dreams, and a meeting with an eccentric character named Mr. Wednesday. Throughout the story, interesting ideas on gods and myths are explored, as well as the power that people have over them, and that they have over people. In the epilogue, Gaiman acknowledges that this idea has been explored before, but I found his take to be entertaining and original. Mr. Wednesday’s shenanigans are reason enough to keep turning the pages. Through him, you’ll learn what the most important quality a man has is to women, the relationship between mythical gods and America, and how to sell someone a $20 violin for $10,000.

As entertaining as Mr. Wednesday is, it’s Shadow that holds the story together. Gaiman imagined Dwayne Johnson (The Rock!) when creating Shadow, and indeed, initially describes him as big enough not to –bleep!- with. In contrast to his size, Shadow’s demeanor is relatively laid back and even thoughtful at times. His ability to remain calm and reasonable sees him through several of the plot’s turns. Also notable is that he is a man of his word, often seeing through promises that are detrimental to his well-being. Gaiman created a layered, flawed character here, and how Shadow handles the events are as much a focal point as the events themselves. And speaking of who was envisioned for the character.

 Gaiman's description of the protagonist at the novel's start: "Shadow had done three years in prison. He was big enough and looked don't-(bleep)-with-me enough that his biggest problem was killing time." He envisioned the Rock as he created him.

Halfway through reading the book, I was informed by a friend that the book is being made into an HBO show. I had to laugh, relaying to her the same factoid I spewed in the opening paragraph about “Game of Thrones”. I have the knack! Out of all the novels Gaiman has, I randomly picked “American Gods”, and I’m glad I did. The series is slated to premiere in either late 2013 or 2014, presumably providing us with relief in the long drought between “Thrones” seasons. I haven’t heard anything of The Rock being cast as Shadow, and my gut tells me he won’t. It’s unfortunate, because he would be perfect in the role. HBO’s track record of casting hasn’t let me down yet, though, and I have faith that the show will retain the feel of the novel and be of the same high caliber the network has been producing.

Go read the book! If you don't want to, though, HBO has you covered. The show is set to premiere late 2013 or in 2014.

Oh. I get it. Queensryche's new album is "Frequency Unknown", the initials of which are F.U. Ooooohhh....

            

          I had to write this, based on Queensryche's "Frequency Unknown" cover art alone.

          For those not in the know, Queensryche was a band who hit the peak of their success in the late 80’s and early 90’s. “Silent Lucidity” was their big song, and they even performed it at the 1992 Grammy Awards Show. It’s a good song but it’s one of those that you may or may not remember, and if you don’t, you might remember if you heard it. 1992 was also the year that produced “Love Is On The Way” and “How Do You Talk To An Angel?”, so if you had decided to plug your ears with flannel by that point, no one would have blamed you. 

 Killed 80's rock.

 

            Now, when I said that the late 80’s/early 90’s was when they peaked, I mean that in terms of both commercial and artistic success. As part of their old school faithful, I’ll speak on behalf of us and say that 1994’s “Promised Land” was their last good album. The one after that saw them trying to adopt some the alternative rock vibe that was prevalent in the 90’s, but it just didn’t work for them at all. After that album, guitarist Chris DeGarmo, their main songwriter, quit. The band then continued releasing albums and touring, until recently.

            You may have noticed that I refer to Queensryche in the past tense. Does that mean they aren’t together anymore? Well, that is the crux of this write-up. About a year ago, there was an on stage altercation between frontman Geoff Tate, guitarist Michael Wilton, and drummer Scott Rockenfield. The details differ, depending on who is telling the story, but it came down to Tate allegedly punching both Wilton and Rockenfield in the face. Leading up to this was a myriad of issues, including band politics, financial problems, and personal issues, and it apparently boiled over at the soundcheck to a show in Brazil. There are stories that involved the rest of the band trying to fire Tate's wife as manager, of her using band money to fund one of the other bands she managed, and of Tate selling the rights to their "Operation: Mindcrime" concept album to a movie studio without the rest of the band's knowledge. Before the soundcheck, Tate called a band meeting that addressed these issues, and reportedly it didn't end well. Things escalated on stage when Tate attacked Rockenfield (Tate says that the drummer insulted his wife), then Wilson. So, after some grills were knocked around, the band divided into two camps.

 Cabaret singer, saxophone, and a guitar with skulls. Totally on the same page.

            Tate decided to form his own version of Queensryche with all new members. He recently released a new album called “Frequency Unknown”. Yes, the initials for this album are F.U. Somehow, I didn’t catch that at first! I really only realized it until I saw the album cover. Man, oh man. So, here it is…

 Subtle!

            That is the album cover. A fist with the Queensryche logo, on the middle finger no less, flanked by the letters F and U. Wouldn’t it be great if Wilson and Rockenfield photoshopped that as an impression left on their faces from the punching? Seriously, short of using a picture of him punching Wilson and Rockenfield, this is about as not-subtle as Tate could get. Radio personality Eddie Trunk asked Tate about the cover, to which Tate replied that people read into things as they will. That was seriously his answer. We're all a bunch of jerks who can't see an obvious, thinly-veiled insult. Alright then. He also has re-recorded some of the band's biggest hits, one of them being "Silent Lucidity".

          Meanwhile, right before the situation escalated to the punching incident, the rest of the band had been performing with vocalist Todd Le Torre under the name of Rising West. They had been performing older, seldom-played Queensryche songs, playing two shows in their hometown of Seattle. After the blowup, they continued playing, but now under the Queensryche moniker. However, so is Tate, having gathered together a new band to back him. Both sides are currently in court, fighting over who can claim the right to the Queensryche name and brand; in the meantime, both are using it. The Le Torre-fronted version of the band is working on their own album, simply titled "Queensryche". Where Tate has gone for the spiteful approach and uses his album to address the situation, the others seem to have gone for a minimalist approach, and would seem to be interested in having the music do the talking.

The other Queensryche's album.

 

          As I'm not in the know and only have to go on what both sides talk about in the media, I cannot say who is right and who is wrong here. It's great to think of bands as brotherhoods, but in the real world it doesn't always work out that way. The music business is just that: a business. Sometimes bandmates are merely business partners. Tate has a well-documented distaste for the edgier material; he went so far as to have 'Ryche perform cabaret shows a few years ago. This would explain why the rest of the band formed what was essentially a cover band to play their own hard rock music. Having not heard Tate's new album, I cannot say how heavy or soft his album is. So, in the end, we're left with two versions of the same band. Both have songs that are available for listening, and it'll be up to the fans to decide who to support.

          Somewhere, Chris DeGarmo, now a charter pilot, is shaking his head, glad to be out of this situation.

Jeff Hanneman

           On Thursday, May 2^nd, Slayer guitarist Jeff Hanneman passed away. He had spent the last two years recuperating from a flesh eating disease called necrotizing fasciitis, which he most likely contracted from a spider bite. Slayer tapped Exodus guitarist Gary Holt to fill in for Hanneman on tour, but the assignment was meant to be temporary, until Hanneman recovered. He passed away at his home in southern California when his liver failed. He was 49 years old, and is survived by his wife and two brothers.

            Hanneman was a chief songwriter in Slayer, a band whose style of speedy metal influenced several bands that came after. Hanneman himself was influenced by punk, and would fuse it with metal to craft some of Slayer’s best known songs, such as “Angel of Death” and “Raining Blood”. Seriously, listen to these songs. The guitar riffs are faster and more aggressive than anything that came before them. These guys pushed the tempos of everything, and Hanneman was the chief architect of their crowning material. The music is very dark and the imagery is violent, but that is no reason to shy away from them. Hanneman chose to document the unpleasant side of reality in his music, and the quality of those songs stand even as they approach their 30^th anniversary. 

            He formed Slayer with co-guitarist Kerry King in 1981, when the two were auditioning for other bands. Discovering how much they had in common, Hanneman asked King “Why don’t we form our own band?” Along with vocalist/bassist Tom Araya and drummer extraordinaire Dave Lombardo, the band was born. They were signed to Metal Blade Records shortly after label head Brian Slagel saw them perform Iron Maiden’s “Phantom of the Opera”. They released three albums on Slagel’s label before being signed to Def Jam Records, which had been primarily a hip hop label. “Reign in Blood”, their first major label album and fourth overall, was a success, as it peaked at number 92 on the Billboard top 200 and was certified gold (for 500,000 copies sold) in 1992. Subsequent releases and tours saw their popularity increase and hold steady; they would win Grammy Awards for “Eyes of the Insane” and “Final Six” from 2006’s “Christ Illusion”. Hanneman co-wrote both songs.

Slayer frontman Tom Araya accepting the Grammy on the band's behalf.

            Slayer essentially has one gear: fast. While they have eased on the throttle at times, such as the clean tone sections of the title track to 1994’s “Divine Intervention”, they are the ultimate example of “speed metal”. If you’re about to listen to Slayer, you pretty much know what you’re going to get, and while other bands would lose the interest of their fans for sticking to one style, each member of Slayer has such a distinctive style that result in the foursome creating one unique voice. Not that least of these were Hanneman’s writing style, as he was responsible for crafting their most popular tunes. What also can’t be overlooked are the exotic/chaotic scales and note choices he and King would use for their solo passages. He excelled at making his guitar wail and scream, furthering lending to the atmosphere of music that delve into the subjects of Satanism, murder, and dementia. It is more important to be unique than talented; Hanneman was both.

 Jeff on stage during the Indio show. It would be his final performance. RIP.

            Hanneman was bitten by a spider in 2011, and had to undergo emergency surgery. He would later say that at the time he was “an hour away from death”. He would be unable to tour afterwards, but he was able to join Slayer on stage for two songs during their “Big Four” (a tour featuring Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, and Anthrax) set in Indio, California. After the show he said “I’m the happiest man in the world”. There is a small consolation in knowing that his final performance left him not jaded or tired, as many professional musicians become, but as blissfully content.  

           He was a major fan of sports team in the Los Angeles area. He often wore an Oakland Raiders jersey on stage, and he loved hockey. I'll end this with the Twitter pic that the Los Angeles Kings franchise posted, following his death. RIP, Jeff Hanneman.