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The World According to Scott
This is the section of my site that is strictly reserved for my opinions, my beliefs, and whatever I feel like talking about at the moment. It's updated generally on a fairly regular basis, so check back to see what the most recent things on my mind are.
The views and opinions expressed on this page do not reflect that of the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department or Cornell University.
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"Warriors... come out to plaaaayyyyyy!!!" What does that immortal line make you think of? Well of course, it makes you think of one of the best movies of all time - The Warriors. I have loved this movie since the very first time that I saw it on Halloween night in 1980 (I was too young to see an R-rated movie in the theater at the time of its release in 1979, or at least my parents thought so anyway, so I saw it on HBO instead). There seems to be a renaissance of sorts for this movie of late, which I'm enjoying - there's a new Director's Cut of the movie out on DVD now, rumor has it a re-make of the original movie is being made (this will suck, guaranteed), there's a Video Game based on the movie also out now (from what I've read it's very faithful to the film), & now you can even buy Action Figures of the characters from the movie too! How cool is all this? Most cool, I tell you. There are also some very cool fan sites dedicated solely to the original film out there as well here & here, & even a Warriors Forum site as well. I happen to have a birthday coming up in the near future, & have asked for the new DVD & video game, so with a bit of luck, I'll be enjoying them in the near future. See below for some pics of one of THE best gangs out of the movie, The Baseball Furies.
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Okay, it's review time. Went to see Judas Priest with Anthrax at the Landmark Theater in Syracuse recently. We went with our good friends Bob & Sandra. Bob is an old Priest-head from way back. Now I dig them too, but I was way more excited to see Anthrax. As I suspected, Anthrax did not disappoint. Their set was tight, fast, hard & loud. They sounded great (despite the awful mix that seems to continually plague bands who earn an opening slot on a tour) & played a high energy, heavy set. Scott Ian (guitarist) & Joey Belladona (lead vocalist) did their part to engage the crowd with between song banter. For five guys that are in their forties, they rock hard & use the entire stage. The setlist drew heavily from the "Among the Living" & "Spreading the Disease" albums, which in my opinion are by far two of their best releases. If old school metal played the way it's supposed to be played is your thing, be sure to catch this tour if it hits your area. Anthrax rules - end of story.
Now I must admit, I was somewhat disappointed with Judas Priest. Don't get me wrong - they sounded great. From a technical standpoint, they were spot-on with every tune they played & Rob Halford's vocals were very good (of course, I don't know how they'd have been bad, considering how many effects were used on them...). I think my problem with them was their stage presence, or should I say, their lack thereof. The two guitarists, K.K. Downing & Glenn Tipton respectively, didn't do much other their their overly cliche move of swaying back in forth in unison to the standard eighth note patterns (which make up the vast majority of their songs). The bass player (don't know his name), stood in the same spot & didn't move all night. The drummer was very good, but seemed to lack any real enthusiasm for what he playing. And Rob Halford, well... he was unbearably dull. All he did was pace back & forth across the stage, with the occasional trip to one of the rising platforms that took him to a different level of the stage set up. Oh yeah, & he changed his stage clothes about ten times for no apparent reason. For a band that is generally associated with hard & heavy music, my God they were boring to watch. I also thought that their setlist was also somewhat lame as well. You'd think that for a band on a comeback tour, they'd have played at least a few more of their hits. Suffice to say, I enjoyed their show, but overall, I found Judas Priest great to listen to, but tiring & dull to watch.
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We have started watching Lost, now in it's second season. I think it's a great show & really enjoy it. Of course, when you start watching a show like this after you've missed an entire season's worth of background, suffice to say it's been somewhat confusing. So what's the most logical thing to do? Rent & watch the entire first season & try to piece together just what the hell is going on! I give this show a lot of credit for being as creative as it is. Most prime time major network shows tend to be aimed at the lowest common denominator of intelligence in the viewing audience, with the hopes of a broader mass appeal. I think that Lost makes the effort challenge the viewer to keep up & keep all the details & background straight in order to be able to effectively follow the plotlines. Anyway, this is old news for most everyone else who started watching this show last year, but at least there's always plenty of room on every bandwagon to hop on & join the party, right?
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Welcome to October! I am going to see such a sweeeeet double bill this weekend - Judas Priest with Anthrax opening!!! How can you go wrong?? THE ultimate leather, spikes & chains band, THE seminal metal band of the genre, THE METAL GODS themselves, Judas Priest!!!! And, on top of that, one of THE best speed metal bands of the 80s & one of my old favorites, Anthrax!!!!! Life does not get much better than this folks. This show should prove to absolutely rule, without a doubt. I've never seen either band live before, so I am psyched! Detailed reviews of both bands will be posted.
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