(Topic recommended by Ryo-Ohki, based on his thoughts here)

I’ve been a lifelong fan of progressive rock, especially of the progressive metal subtype. I believe this is because I grew up learning and playing music; the fact that I played jazz trumpet for a decade expanded my love of music and its theory even further. So, a form of rock and roll dedicated to musical craftsmanship and finely-honed skill was naturally going to pique my interest.

While many prog fans love to discuss their favorite bands and enjoy hearing about others new to them, there seems to be an equal or perhaps greater amount of them that are close-minded pricks. In their mind, if it ain’t early 1970s prog, then it’s shit. Ironically, that kind of mindset can be summed up in one word: conservative. Which, as know from our politics lessons, kids, is the polar opposite of “progressive”! You even see this behavior when discussing the very specific era of prog rock they enjoy. In that case, it’s only the early work of certain prog rock bands that’s considered quality by these clowns; the bands’ later material just isn’t up to snuff for whatever bullshit reason. (For more details on this, please read the post I linked at the beginning of this entry.)

Personal opinions aside, the automatic denial of other progressive rock just because it didn’t appear in a certain part of a certain decade is rubbish from any logical standpoint. There’s bands that started out in the 1980s (e.g., Dream Theater) whose musical skills have far surpassed their 1970s peers. (I’m sorry, but them’s the breaks.) Moving from the late 1990s into modern times, there are groups that are absolutely stunning (e.g., Ayreon, Into Eternity, Redemption, etc.). For a genre that’s been around for decades, it’s still going strong, while remaining true to its name: progressive means progress. You rarely, if ever, find that amongst other longstanding genres of rock.

Maybe these overly obsessive fans are just a bunch of crabby old guys, channeling their inner Statler & Waldorf. (Minus the comedy.) Whatever the reason, that crap needs to stop. Grow up, fellas. There’s more for you to enjoy out there. Get the damn beeswax outta your ears, and listen.

Alright, so this is rather late, but I kinda forgot about it during the long holiday break.

This past Christmas, my brother and I decided to listen to an audio tape from 1988. Specifically, it was one our father had recorded on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day of that year. Back during out childhood, he’d record one every year, wherein we’d talk about what we wanted for Christmas, and my father would end it by reading either A Visit from St. Nicholas (aka ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas) or How The Grinch Stole Christmas!. The next morning, he’d record everyone opening their gifts.

Anyway, 1988. Twenty years ago. My brother and I knew we’d sound like retards on this thing, and we weren’t disappointed. (His excuse was better than mine, though; he was only five, and I was ten.) What really bugged me about the whole thing is how much of a loser I sounded like. Back then, I was heavily engrossed in science. It was my favorite subject in school, I enjoyed reading about it, performing my own stupid experiments…you get the idea. As a result, for Christmas that year, I had asked for many science-related items. Topping the list was a microscope, as microbiology was my scientific discipline du jour. I also wanted a chemistry set. I received both of these items, along with accessories for both, and my ten-year-old self couldn’t have been more excited.

I’m sure you’re wondering, “Where’s the problem?” The problem is that in retrospect, I’m annoyed and ashamed by my childhood interest in science and resultant behavior. Sure, you could chalk it up to capricious youth, but I should’ve known better, even then. My interest in science and other intellectual pursuits earned me constant teasing by my peers, with plenty of bullying and beatings thrown on top. I’m not saying I should’ve turned into a carbon copy of the other kids, but I could’ve at least kept a lid on my interests.

I think that if I had acted differently back then, maybe my childhood wouldn’t have been as unpleasant as it was. Sure, my attitudes and interests had changed by the time I got to junior high, and I learned to keep my hobbies to myself, but the damage had already been done. I made very few friends, and while the routine ass-kickings had stopped, I was still somewhat of an outcast. This continued throughout high school, where thankfully I found a few more friends to hang out with. (As it turns out, almost all of them were only pretending to be friends with me, but that’s another story entirely.) Ironically, if I’d kept up my scientific pursuits (albeit under the social radar), my college life and later career options would’ve been vastly different, as well.

I know it’s too late to change anything at this point. But until someone perfects quantum temporal mechanics, one can dream.

I’m sure we’re all aware of the situation in Gaza. Long story short: those terrorist dickheads in Hamas started firing rockets into Israeli territory again, killing a few people. The Israeli government responded with its usual overkill, which has resulted in the deaths of over seven hundred people, many of them civilians. The Israeli response is continuing, complete with airstrikes, artillery shelling, and ground assaults. They won’t stop until Hamas is ground into paste. (There’s international attempts at a ceasefire, but who knows if they’ll work.)

While that certainly sounds good on paper, it covers up the real problem. Aside from the previously mentioned overkill (the Israeli Defense Forces have killed far more civilians than Hamas has at this point), the humanitarian disaster is even worse. Gaza’s almost completely cut off, with the populace hiding in terror from the IDF. Water, electricity, food, and basic medicine are scarce. As this confrontation goes on, the death toll is going to skyrocket due to these humanitarian problems alone, not just bombs and bullets.

It’s appalling that world governments aren’t doing a damn thing about it. We all know the United States approves of anything and everything Israel does; that’s always been the status quo. Israel could randomly fire a nuclear missile into Tehran, and the US would firmly support it. Plenty of other nations have expressed disgust over Israel’s actions (while condemning Hamas at the same time, mind you), but they don’t have the balls to step up to the plate and do anything about it. Trying to pass a resolution through the United Nations Security Council is obviously a pointless measure, as the US will veto it. General Assembly resolutions would pass, but they’re non-binding, and therefore equally pointless. So why not cut off diplomatic relations, trade, and so forth? Until they can behave like civilized human beings and quit blowing each other to smithereens, we should just cut them off from the rest of the world.

The other thing that pisses me off about the ongoing conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians is that you can’t criticize any Israeli actions without being called anti-Semitic. You shouldn’t even joke about that shit. Look, we all know how horrible the Holocaust was; it’s a giant black mark on human history. That does not, however, give you carte blanche to do whatever you want! Hamas and their ilk are horrible excuses for human beings, but killing hundreds more people than they have in retaliation doesn’t make you any better. It makes you worse, and the last thing you want to do is sink to a lower level than your enemy.

The new year has brought with it, thus far, not too many things for me to be pissed off about. So I’m going to take the lazy American route, and leave some of my future topics in your hands, my dear readers. Leave me some comments below (or send me an email), and give me suggestions of things you’d like to see me fly off the handle about. You can even list what pisses you off; perhaps we’ve got something in common? (I’m sure you’re praying otherwise.)

Get writing! Become part of the process! Democracy now!

I’d like to extend a hearty “fuck you” to the Hearst Corporation for what they did to longtime 1UP.com staff, as well as terminating the publication of Electronic Gaming Monthly magazine. Some of those guys were the best video game media personalities we had, and now they’ve been kicked out the door. Complete bullshit.