Robin Williams

Like many, I'm saddened by the loss of the immense talent who went by the name of Robin Williams.  Yesterday, Williams passed away at the age of 63.  When RVA Magazine reached out and asked me to do a Top 5 in memory of this comedic genius who had acting chops like Daniel Day-Lewis, I readily agreed.  It was an emotional experience to say the least; I'm not sure that I truly realized just how much I treasured Robin and his work until I sat down to write the story.  I've grown up with this man's art and I will most certainly remember him fondly. 

Here's my Top 5 Robin Williams Movies for those of you who are also experiencing some feels as we ponder his death.  My hope is that we can shift our focus to his work and all the joy he delivered to the world, for I'm pretty sure that's what he would want.  He lived to entertain and he was a master of his craft--therefore, even in death, he will provoke laughter and tears with his delirious comedy and his tremendous acting.  There will never be another like him, no one will argue that.

Yes, Robin Williams will be sorely missed, but his legacy lives on.  Let us celebrate him even as we mourn his departure.  

Top Vampire Movies and Books (RVA)

Here's one from the vault: a Top Vampire Movies and Books piece I put together for the good people over at RVA Magazine.  A couple of years have passed, but I wouldn't change any of my picks.

Top 5 Mel Gibson Movies in the Works!

So, I'm not going anywhere near any of the controversy.  Honestly, I feel like everyone is entitled to a bad moment or two and these are fun pieces about movies.  Currently, I am working on a Top 5 Mel Gibson Movies piece for the good people over at RVA Magazine to follow up my Top 5 Schwarzenegger Movies piece they already posted this week.  We're doing these as a countdown to the release of The Expendables 3, which I'll also be reviewing for them upon release. 

With Mel, picking the #1 movie on that list is a true no-brainer, but after that, there are no easy calls.  Your suggestions are welcome, and I'll let you know when the piece is posted.

Thanks!

The Top 5 Schwarzenegger Movies c/o RVA Magazine is Up!

You can check out My Top 5 Schwarzenegger Movies piece for RVA Magazine here.  I had a lot of fun with this one as the big dude's work is near and dear to my heart.  Please scope it out and I would love it if you were to share your thoughts--everybody loves Arnold!

Tackling Schwarzenegger

I'm putting together a fresh Top 5 for my good friends over at RVA Magazine, and this time I'll be sizing up Arnold Schwarzenegger's movies.  I'm truly surprised I haven't done this one before, and it promises to be difficult.  I know what the top two are, but I'm not sure about the order, and beyond that it's just going to be brutal.  I love Arnold and I've grown up watching his movies.  I'm super-stoked to see he and Sly join forces once again in The Expendables 3, a picture I'll also be reviewing for RVA Magazine when it opens in a couple of weeks.  Few things about the current state of cinema thrill me as much as seeing the big guns from my childhood working together like they have been as of late.  There are also some other Top 5s that may figure into this equation being discussed.  Maybe Mel, maybe tough-guy ensemble pictures.  Maybe both, who knows?  Anyway, I'll share links to the articles here and keep you posted.

In other words, . . . I'll be back.

Top 5 Beastie Boys Tracks

I've been on a Beastie Boys kick this week, and as a lifelong fan (true story: I liked Paul's Boutique when it dropped--even though many had to warm up to it) I figured I should do a Top 5 to determine which of their songs I like the most.  As with any of these rankings, this is a subjective endeavor, and while I try to lend the overall impact of the subject material some credence in my decision-making, at the end of the day I tend to rock with the stuff I enjoy the most.

Top 5 Beastie Boys Tracks

#5 - Sabotage
Honestly, every song I chose for this Top 5 comes complete with an awesome video.  I'm putting this song at #5, but the video would be #1 if I was doing that list.  Great song, immaculate video.  Still, I'm not putting the song here simply because it was a quality track with a massive video, I think it belongs on this list, and some may even feel that it should rank higher.

#4 - Hey Ladies
Catchy, funny, and very near and dear to my heart, "Hey Ladies" is my favorite song on Paul's Boutique, and I'm pretty sure that Paul's Boutique is my favorite Beastie Boys album.  I know many of you hated it at first, but that album is dope. 

#3 - Intergalactic
Yes, it gets bonus points for the video.  Yes, it's totally awesome.  Yes, the Beastie Boys probably had way too much fun with their art at times, but I don't fault them.  Sometimes I had too much fun with their art as well. 

#2 - Fight for Your Right
This is where it all began for me, and maybe it would be the top song on this list for many.  I saw this video and I was hooked, and somehow I convinced my parents to get the album for me.  I must have been pretty persuasive back then too.  Anyway, this is still a raucous ode to having a good time without asking for permission, and it still rocks.

#1 - So What'cha Want
This is the only one I didn't have to puzzle over.  I'm a huge fan of the band, I've liked every album they've put out, and I dig most of their songs, but this is the one for me.

. . .

Well, what did I get right?  

Where did I go astray?  

I'm beating myself up because none of the instrumentals or punk tracks made the cut, and I also felt that "Pass the Mic" and "No Sleep Till Brooklyn" probably deserved to be on the list. These guys have a killer catalog and this wasn't easy. 

Anyway, I would love to hear from you guys.  What does your Top 5 Beastie Boys Tracks look like?  Remember, sharing is caring.  Unless it's herpes.  Keep that shit to yourself. 

Top 5 Faith No More Songs

Originally published by RVA Magazine
 

 My favorite thing about Faith No More has always been the way they completely reinvented themselves for every album, sometimes (King for a Day, Fool for a Lifetime, anyone?) for every song.  I can’t think of any group whose body of work is more diverse despite limitations in scope.  I completely discount the Chuck Mosley recordings (though I really like them) simply because the four albums featuring Mike Patton represent the band’s true legacy so far as I’m concerned. I think the need to constantly alter the sound of the band has a lot to do with Patton, given that the material took a left turn toward the bizarre as his influence grew and his later efforts clearly display a desire to explore new territory at every juncture.  Jim Martin would eventually be fired via fax once he lost all interest in the strange new shape FNM’s music had taken after finding success with heavy metal.

Another reason I love this band is because I think they provided us with some of the most compelling group efforts ever.  Too many acts rely too much on one or two star players while everyone else does their best to keep the machine running.  FNM has always showcased each of the contributors, and the vast array of musicians who have spent time in the line-up have always risen to the occasion.  Mike Bordin has drummed for Ozzy, Jerry Cantrell, and Korn when he wasn’t keeping perfect time for Faith.  Roddy Bottum is a keyboardist on par with Manzarek, and there’s no higher praise I could offer.  He is also an integral part of Imperial Teen, a delicious pop effort that I highly recommend.  Billy Gould is a terrific bassist who can put on a show or drive the bus depending on what he is called upon to do.  After Martin vacated the band, guitarists like Trey Spruance, Dean Menta, and eventual mainstay Jon Hudson have excelled at taking the music in exciting new directions.  And what can you say about Patton?  How many bands has he started?  This is the mastermind behind Fantomas, Tomahawk, and Peeping Tom, the frontman to end all frontmen, a showman with a set of pipes that must be heard to be believed.  Most importantly, much like his capable peers in this blistering ensemble (Jim Martin aside) Mike is always pushing the envelope, always searching for another twist or turn that his audience won’t expect.

Faith No More produced four albums during the Patton era, their defining era, and each is a unique composition boasting hit songs, though only one of those tracks (Epic) struck gold here in the states.  Some have even lumped FNM in the “one-hit wonder” file, though given their worldwide success and continued exposure here in the U.S. that would be inaccurate.  Their albums include their breakout rock effort, 1989’s The Real Thing, Angel Dust’s abstract metal mayhem, the zany glory of King for a Day, and a masterful farewell in 1997’s terribly unappreciated Album of the Year.  Singles included Epic, Falling to Pieces, Midlife Crisis, A Small Victory, Digging the Grave, Evidence, Last Cup of Sorrow, and Ashes to Ashes, though only Epic and Midlife Crisis scored big stateside.  The band also enjoyed success with covers of songs like Warpigs, Easy, the Midnight Cowboy theme, This Guy’s in Love with You, and I Started a Joke. 

          I enjoyed every album, and there isn’t really a song recorded by this group that I don’t like.  Faith No More has been my favorite band since I stumbled upon them in 1992, and they’ve given me a lot of joy along the way.  As I said earlier, choosing this Top 5 is going to be absurdly hard, but every man worth his salt loves a challenge. Let’s get to it.

1)    Digging the Grave from King for a Day, Fool for a Lifetime

For me, this one isn’t that hard.  Digging the Grave is easily my favorite Faith No More song, and it is also among their most striking and aggressive.  This cut is a brilliant representation of what this stellar outfit has to offer.  It has heart, melody, power, and a score of virtuoso performances.  Patton is insane, Puffy (Bordin) is perfect, Gould is slamming his bass, and Trey Spruance delivered a jagged riff that holds this brief descent into utter despair together when it isn’t soaring like an eagle.  The song deftly transitions from poignant beauty to jarring metal throwdowns racing along to the tune of Patton’s banshee wail.  If this song doesn’t hype you up, neither will a shot of adrenaline.

2)    Epic from The Real Thing

This easy choice for casual fans will probably earn me some grief from hardcore fans, but its place here is well-deserved.  I think long-time fans hold a grudge against this track because it got played so much while the rest of the band’s output never really seemed to fit what was going on at the time on American soil.  Yes, it is annoying that so many people think of FNM as “that band who did Epic,” and certainly there were many other songs worthy of such recognition.  What gets lost in that train of thought is the fact that Epic is truly worthy of all the acclaim, and we can’t really hold it against the one big hit (their only Billboard Top Ten recording, peaking at #9 in the U.S.) that the rest of Faith’s work never really got the chance it deserved here in America.  Epic is a vibrant composition that remains one of the most well-known metal songs ever produced, a song that is continually referenced as an early fusion of rock and rap.  The Real Thing was a nifty album, and for once the hit single was actually the best track.  Jim Martin rips off an epic (forgive me) riff, Patton introduces us to his manic intensity, Billy bangs away, and Roddy closes the piece out in terrific fashion with one of his most haunting melodies, a defining element of the band’s solitary monster hit.

3)    Just a Man from King for a Day, Fool for a Lifetime

This is one of the band’s most mellow and offbeat songs, a somber yet somehow uplifting opus.  It has a bit of spoken word thrown in for good measure and it concludes with a grand orchestra finale.  This song reminds me of an opera in scope and feeling, seeking to stir our emotions as a sonic odyssey unfolds before us.  This is one of those songs that can lift my spirits if I’m down, and it is one of my favorite songs to sing along to.  Listen to it a few times and see if you can avoid joining in on the gripping chorus.  Patton’s voice has never seemed so large or magnificent, and the entire piece has a sort of majesty that has always endeared it to me.  It is a great example of how far off the beaten path FNM was willing to follow their inspirations, whatever they may have been, and it stands as another fine example of what Faith No More could accomplish when everyone involved was firing on all cylinders.

4)    Stripsearch from Album of the Year

Here again is another offbeat track, an electronic slow grind with a rousing finish that is heavy on emotion and light on aggression, though there is real power at work during the heavy beats.  The video that accompanied this piece was one of the group’s finest though it received little stateside play, joining Epic, Midlife Crisis, and Digging the Grave among others on the surprisingly lengthy list of compelling videos produced by the band.  This is a great example of the confidence and the knowledge these superlative artists brought to the table the last time they sat down to record a studio album.  Album of the Year was destined to be 1997’s finest recording, just as it was destined to go unnoticed.  Much like King for a Day, Fool for a Lifetime, the track listing is eclectic and the tone and mood veer wildly from song to song.  That’s seldom a recipe for success in the music industry as it exists here, though I’m sure such concerns mattered little to FNM at that point.  Whether such exploration dampens reception or not, it is precisely that brand of scattershot art that yields curious treasures like Stripsearch.  This is easily one of my favorite songs from my favorite band.

5)    Easy (cover) from Angel Dust (foreign) and Songs to Make Love To EP (U.S.)

I honestly like this cover more than the original, and while that remark may chafe some purists, the band is so sincere in their efforts and their chemistry here is so obvious that I imagine there are those who would agree with me.  The original is a fine song, don’t get me wrong, and despite being very faithful in structure, this is definitely a rock version of that R&B smash hit.  That it works so well is a testament to the band’s vision and ability.  These guys were never afraid of doing something different, and that allowed them to tackle songs from other genres without sacrificing their own daring approach in the process.  The video for this song is also highly entertaining, and once again everyone involved is allowed to strut their stuff.  Jim Martin blazes away on the awesome solo, rivaling Patton’s total devotion as the song builds and builds, carrying the band higher and higher in the pursuit of artistic bliss.  I would call this cover a genuine masterpiece, and it is one of the band’s most enjoyable hits.  Faith No More’s cover of Easy peaked at #3 in the UK and was the last song the band recorded to crack the top 100 here in the states, reaching #58 in 1993.

True story: me and some of the good old boys from humble Patrick County took a trip to the beach once, and we were taking turns picking songs along the way.  As we got closer to the beach, I started picking this track every time it was my turn, and instead of annoying the other guys, this led to some of them picking it as well.  It became our theme song that weekend, and I still think of partying for three days straight with some of my best friends every time I hear it.  I don’t doubt that we listened to Faith No More’s fantastic cover of Easy somewhere in the neighborhood of 50 times that weekend, and the true total may have been twice that.  I'm not sure, I was rather inebriated.  

Special added bonus: 6-10 wthout commentary

6)    Midlife Crisis from Angel Dust

7)    Ashes to Ashes from Album of the Year

8)    Evidence from King for a Day, Fool for a Lifetime

9)    Falling to Pieces from The Real Thing

10) Helpless from Album of the Year

Greatest Metal Drummer - Tommy Lee vs. Mike Bordin 

In other news, clink on the link above and make the right call: vote Bordin!