This Is A Very, Very Long Post

It's been quite a busy time lately, but not because I have actually been doing anything. No, my job just sorta takes it out of me at the end of the day. But! Here's a few things which have come to my attention in the past week or so, hopefully you all can follow up on them and become enlightened yourselves.

An Inconvenient Truth - Initially, I found the premise of this film interesting. Yet I did not expect to be entertained in the least. I figured it would be all doom and gloom with the same vagaries that are included at the end of any PBS-like environmental awareness TV special. "Gee Captain Planet, what can I do to save the world?" Says the doe-eyed blonde girl. A smiling, angular and azure Captain Planet responds, "Recycle!" A dolphin appears, enthusiastically applauding. The earth is saved.
No, this was not what I saw.
An Inconvenient Truth is a snappy, minimalist film that presents it's points clearly and concisely. It deftly lays out the facts, almost effortlessly debunks and destroys opposing arguments to the reality and the dangers of global warming, and will convince you utterly of the urgency of the situation. On top of that, it goes so far as to break down the solution. For the first time, I personally felt that my species was not completely doomed. Yes, Al Gore will save us.
That last bit is said with just a slight note of facetiousness because it is Al Gore that is really the lynch-pin of the entire film. He is the well spoken, well educated spokesman but his history will likely color the opinions of some viewers and drive others away entirely. He both makes and breaks the movie, which is a shame.
An interesting side effect of seeing this was my re-evaluation of the 2000AD Election Debacle. At the time, I bought into the prevailing opinion that Al Gore was a whiney sore looser. From that point on, I faulted Al Gore for pressing the issue. Yet, I was being snow-jobed. The man is just incredibly driven. He wanted to win, he felt that he was the man for the job, and felt that he was in the right. So he did what we want every American hero to do. He fought for what he thought was right, and went above and beyond. How could I have faulted him for this 6 years ago? I am ashamed.
The movie is good - excellent even. I would hope that everyone, despite their politics or their personal feeling to the Good Gore and, sees this movie because what it has to say makes sense.
It's that simple.

The Blind Pig - I have written before about my opinion on the local Ann Arbor alternative music venue, The Blind Pig. For the most part, my opinion remains unchanged. It attracts bad acts, it has a very bad sounds system run by incompetent idiots that haven't learned to not destroy music by maxing out all the levels.
It is, for the most part, an amusing anachronism of Music's long forgotten rebel past.
And yet, it is still a place to see good music. Mason Proper, is of course one example which is near and dear to my heart (I love you, Matt Thom(p)son). But here are two new acts that caught my eye:
Friends Of The Family - These guys are producing some truly amazing grooves for such a young group. Clearly, they are not yet cohesive and yet they are still worth seeing. Each one of this band's members is positively oozing, bursting with talent. Keep an eye on them. With any luck, the band will be grooving their way onto an album soon, and you can all see what I am talking about.
(http://www.myspace.com/friendsofthefamilymusic)
The Student Loans - These guys are the most exciting thing in Bluegrass to come out of Ohio since Mark Eddy. I kid you not. As a band they mesh very well, and have a unified well balanced sound. They do seem inexperienced, but that feeling creeps around the edges of their music. Like a good bluegrass group, you feel like you know the songs and that the words are just on the tip of your tongue. You will want to jump around a bit. They also have their bases well covered. Leading the pack is a truly astounding Mandolin player much in the vein of Sam Bush. Backed up by a miraculous stand-up bass player and a female leader singer/guitar/fiddler and a mighty fine banjo player, and you got yourselves a band. Their only misstep was forgetting to include a murder/death ballad on their set list of the night. Ah well, they've got time to learn.
(http://www.myspace.com/thestudentloan)

Comic Books - Are still amazing. I know! Aren't you shocked?! The past few weeks and months have seen a burgeoning growth to my comic book collection, which is no small part due to my wonderful job at the University. They pay me so well. It also has a lot to do with my proximity to what amounts to pretty much the greatest comic books store in the Universe. I love those guys. The list of current reads will not surprise Phil and Sarah, but hopefully the rest of you can pick up some of these books.
Fables - The long running, multi-Eisner winning series is just fantastic. The story will seem very familiar, legends of fairy tales living among us in New York, but it's the twists that keep you intrigued. The first trade paperback will introduce to the characters and their own wonderful personalities. You'll also be treated to a well executed noir story-line, with a healthy wash of humor over all of this. The artist and writing team understands the function of Fairy Tales - to entertain! They are equally disturbing and hilarious. Also notable is the truly wonderful layout of every page. Each panel is arranged artistically, making each page like an illuminated monastic bible.
Maybe I'm taking this too far. The characters are great, the stories are wonderful and engaging, read it.
Usagi Yojimbo - Remember those mid-sixties Kurosawa samurai flicks? Me neither. Go watch one, like Yojimbo (1961), and then start reading this book. Take Kurosawa's pacing and storytelling with the Samurai Saga tradition, then cross it with the light-hearted swooping and loopy comic-art style of Phil Frank and you have Usagi Yojimbo. Unique stories that pull you in, delivered in a fun and original way will delight you. Unlike the more main-stream manga which deal with the same kind of stories, Usagi Yojimbo keeps the pacing established by Kurosawa and his contemporaries. It's an artistic and accessible adventure story that is just dang good.
The Flaming Carrot - I'm buying the new single issues as they come out, but it's worth pointing out that the CLASSIC CARROT COMICS are being reprinted in Trade Paperback form. Now you can see the Carrot in his hey-day. Revel in it.
The Winter Men - Set in modern day Russia, the story follows the burned out cast offs of one of the Soviet super-weapon projects. Simultaneously revealing the strange USSR of the Cold War and the, perhaps, even stranger Russia of today. The art style of this comic, while distinctive, can be troubling at sometimes. At first, I thought the whole thing was done using photographs and PhotoShop filters. But after 2 or 3 issues of the series, I see how well it fits the fuzzy and out of focus Russian world. Graphic and well written, this series is really on to something.