The Real Power of Fiction

Hey there my fellow creatures of the night!

I haven't really been myself lately. And given that I am now suffering from a tremendous and horrid case of fiction writer's blog (I cannot come up with a convincing premise for my next novel - screenwriting no problem; blogging's fine, but novels...) I have decided to motivate myself by writing about the real power of fiction.

I just finished reading "Reading Lolita in Tehran" by Azar Nafisi, and I want to share with you a few thoughts from the novel as well as my personal perspective on the power of fiction.

Just so you know... the characters of "Reading Lolita in Tehran" (that's the capital of Iran for those of you ignorants who don't know) lived in a severly opressed society from which they escaped by creating emotional bunkers made from blocks of fiction (both reading and writing)....

Cheers...

Here it goes:

In our world of greed, materialism, and crude realism, few people can remember a time where they did not imagine a better world or pretended they lived in a different society. And why shouldn’t we imagine a different place? After all, our consumer driven society has despised and dismissed all values that were once regarded as essential and imperative to the survival of lives. We live in a world that has somehow drifted away from the past and created a new, alternate reality, as if it were a completely different dimension altogether. Complexity now seems plain, lives are defied all the time, new enemies are announced and cursed within the hour and our busy lives leave no room for interpretation, we are what we are and there is nothing we can do about it.

Of course this world is not entirely superficial, and out of the billions of people that inhabit it, there are some that have ultimately decided to denounce our morbid realities and comment on it in elaborate parallelisms set in the distinctive world of fiction. Just like the characters in “Reading Lolita in Teheran”, many writers have decided to recreate our reality and harbor themselves from it in a fictional world ultimately based on such an actuality. Recreating such world however, is never an easy task and inadvertently we are forced to drift away from the truth and create a reality in the way that we see it, through our own eyes, through our own interpretation.

Fiction is part of reality. It is in essence a modified parallel of it, a reflection of what is actually happening, with different names, places and impressively similar situations. Reality is merely just a basis for fiction. Fiction merely elaborates and at times exaggerates what has happened, but ultimately serves the purpose of telling the story we want to tell; regardless of weather it has modified it superficially or not.
Depending on the actual events, on weather or not they were harsh, shocking or weather or not the creator has the purpose of the telling the story exactly how it happened is what molds the fictional narrative at hand. In the case of our story, Reading Lolita In Teheran, Asar Nafisi is determined to tell the story exactly as it happened, which makes the “fictional” story of Lolita nothing more than a reality. The same case goes on with books such as The Man Eater’s of Tsavo and the Voyages of Marco Polo, where reality is depicted as it happened, as if it were a first hand account.

There are other cases in which reality creates fiction by creating an elementary basis and elaborates on a basic idea to create a complete story that is only distantly linked to what actually happened. In these cases reality has affected the fiction but has not created in entirely, but rather creates its own story based on what happened. Clear examples of this are books such as Sir Walter Scott’s historical novels and of Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities.

Incredibly, and as an advantage to writers, fiction can illuminate and elaborate on events in a way that reality could never achieve. Fiction can modify reality to fit the perspective and point of view of the authors, readers or publishers; it can create an insight into aspects of the story that could not even be viewed or perceived when analyzed in actuality. Fiction can create aspects of the story that either, never happened or could never be achieved even if they wanted them to happen because of impairment, be it a physical or mental one. Most importantly however, fiction can illuminate a situation that is aggravated by politics, religion or persecution. It gives the author it the ability to tell a story even when it is forbidden. It can depict the reality in a parallel universe, using pseudonyms and similar though not actual situations in a way that it is possible to tell the story at hand without risking incarceration, death or treason.

Even better is the fact that fiction can comment on reality in a way that could never thought possible. In many ways some might consider it better than denouncement through international periodicals, news reports or direct attacks. Fiction permits us to attack our aggressors with satyr, sarcasm, parallelisms and actions that even though in content could be virtually identical to the situation at hand, are practically different to what is going on and because of it the illegal concepts can be published, denounced and harassed, with the authorities being able to do little about it.

The truth is that fiction and reality combined are the ultimate and best weapon to destroy a fellow competitor, oppressor or rival. They permit us to depict reality in the way it actually happened, in a modified way, or in a completely parallel but still similar fashion. Fiction is determined, shaped and created by reality, but reality itself is illuminated and modified by fiction. They are both one and one is both, without one the other is nothing. They are both a wonderful too and when used adequately constitute a threat that is exceptionally difficult to contain, mainly because the pen is indeed mightier than the sword.

That is all... I hope it wasn't too disappointing.

I'll see you in the future.

"I don't want to be a product of my environment. I want my environment to be a product of me."

Happy Hunting

The WikiVampire

Another Dream

Hey there my fellow creatures of the night!

This is a reccount of another dream I had... and yes, I was high when I wrote it... in case you were interested.

I hope it's not too disappointing.

I cannot relive or realize what it is that I am saying, doing or hearing. I am standing in the middle of a very dark, dark room. I am inside something that resembles a large manor or castle. The room I am in has a very dark brown grand piano and an unlit chimney. The furniture is composed of three dark velvet green sofas. In the middle is a large wooden table. The room is adorned with tapestries that seem to come from ancient medieval times. The windows of the room are constantly pounded by the outside storm. The rain keeps dropping on the windows. Even though the place is completely dark and the small portable chandelier on top of the piano doesn't have a single candle, my eyes have begun to accustom themselves to the darkness. I have now realized that the darkness and this state of mind have to a certain extent begun to set me free from the terrible evils of this cruel world. The floor of the room is purely made out of wood and is covered in some section by antique carpeting. In the table next to the piano lies an opened bottle (still with the cork) of what seems to be wine. I have decided not to taste it, and instead have decided to concentrate further on the room. The place is quite cold, but my thick coat is protecting me from it. Then suddenly, the vibes and feelings I had previously received from the room have now completely changed. I now feel as if I am changing and am instantly being elevated into unknown grounds…but then, it all changes again and the solution I had previously engaged in has now shifted. I can immediately tell this room is filled with magic and bizarre feelings. It seems quite dark and sinister, but in a strange way. The rain, the thunder, the piano and the absolute and abysmal silence complement themselves perfectly and have given me the sensation of comfort and ease. I have never felt this inner peace before in my life, but somehow this room has allowed me to revive it and bring it back, I am here, I’m alive, and I have noticed it through this room. To relax and feel more and more eased, I have decided to lie on the sofa and listen to the rain and thunder. Never before in my life has this inner peace settled to swiftly upon my wayward being. I know I am peaceful and quiet, and despite my numerous achievements and precious life, I sometimes wonder why I do not subject myself to this life, as I know my inner soul and universe will come to rejoice it greatly. I know that the place where I would be the happiest would definitely be inside a place such as the one I have traveled in my dreams, but…the question essentially is, how do I reach such a place? Ho do I arrive at this precious place that I want to visit? How do I move to this precious and unique universe? Where is this place? And how can I love myself and my world knowing that I have the opportunity and the desire to reach my ideal place? I know that even though it might be a gloomy and terribly cold place, I could still enjoy it and would trade it for nearly everything. I have tried to imitate, at least to a certain extent, this lifestyle, but to no avail. But to get back on track, I have suddenly realized that the room I lie in is not quite so solitary. After receiving a very eerie and strange sensation I turn around and see a stunningly beautiful image. Dressed in a black skirt I see a girl, a blonde girl with milky white skin who looks at me with a happy but smile-less face, she begins to look at me with her penetrating light blue eyes and sings to me telling me she has just come out of the rain, that she has come to find her true love and to share with him a very strange vintage wine, that she had remained in that position for many years and it is only now that the person she always waited for has now arrived. Her voice is angelic, very soft and soothing, and the melody that she sings complements the fact that we are all trapped in an eternal universe and cannot break free until we acknowledge the truth, until we admit that we are trapped. She then proceeds to tell me that I am one of the few who recognized my captivity and chose to break free from it and reach my precious dreams, even though my dream place happened to be a gloomy room. Nevertheless, she continued to say that in this world, the one I have always waited for, I need not leave anything behind; that the essence of my being is here and will not leave, that in this world we have nothing to cover ourselves from or with and that I should have no fears of a darker world, that all I must do is follow the footsteps of the distant memories that allowed me to reach this place, and if I do this correctly I will permanently stay there and allow myself to become happy. She immediately starts to approach me as if she were gliding along the floor and says: “My name is Kristine, this is the world you have chosen, this is the world you now live in, the one you always wanted and the one you will always have from now on.” Upon realizing this I stood up and approached her but could not get near her. “Show me please, explain to me, lead me to my destiny, to my real goal, to my eternal healing, to my eternal sanctuary, to my place of repose, to my place of eternal peace.” “You are here now, this is your place of eternal peace, the place you will have you eternal healing, this is your eternal sanctuary, and if you really want to enjoy it, follow me, I will show you were we are.” She took me by the hand and showed me to the outside of the room, where I see a gigantic wooden staircase that leads the way upwards. It is covered with carpet and reveals nothing other than total gloom. We continue to fly upwards ignoring the overpowering darkness on our backside. As we rise to the top of the staircase the room becomes darker and darker, as of this moment, I dare not to say what happens next, but whatever it is, I must now come to realize that I am no longer in my old world, that I have now broken free of the chains that brought me eternal disgrace and am now in the place I created out of my own memory... in my eternal sanctuary and eternal place of healing, a place where the rain and the dark are as constant as the air, gloom, darkness and mystique, where mystery and ambiguity reigns, a place where every moment changes and eternal peace and silence is the single and ultimate purpose of being, and no matter what happens, the strange girl I had met, Kristine and my own brave being are going to be my eternal companions through light, darkness, wood, water, earth air, silence and gloom.

That is all...

I'll see you in the future...

"I don't want to be a product of my environment. I want my environment to be a product of me."

Happy Hunting,

The WikiVampire

The Beginning of the End: An Overture

Hey there my fellow creatures of the night!

Given that I have not been myself for the last couple of days and I have not yet come up with the premise to my new novel (looks like I am suffering from writer's block - and I used to think it didn't exist-) I have decided to share with you a dream I had a few years ago. The dream was so real and had such an impact on me I decided to write it out entirely. It's not a work of art but it does the job.

Let's see if you like it.

I am sitting in the middle of a room. The tiles in the floor are black and white. I see a wall in the distance. The paleness of the paint vividly outlines the lining of the frame black door even though the door is no where to be seen. At the end of the room and beyond the frame there is a long narrow passageway in with no light. I start walking towards the door when I see a white piano standing next to me. The room seems tilted and the frame is shaped in a strange way, in a geometrical shape incorporating a triangle and a square. I cannot dare to say what it is that I am seeing. It is quite strange and odd. Suddenly, the entirety of the music I was listening to from the moment I entered that room has disappeared. The feelings of trust and confidence have now disappeared. All I hear is one piano playing melancholically, making me feel uncomfortable. I have not lost the sight and concentration of the end of the narrow passageway that now appears to be gray with a black carpet with a long gray and black rug with oriental designs on top of it. It would seem logical to go through the passageway because the room itself appears to have no exit apart from that very door. Suddenly as I feel the need for inspiration to continue given that my past inspiration disappeared along with my confidence, I start to walk towards the door as my head grows tired and tired. I dare not know where it is that I am going. I get to the door, which has now shrunk to about half my size in height. I enter it and start walking through it. I descend because the level of the ground is about 35 cm higher than the floor. I dare not know what I am going thought but I start to walk slowly towards the end of the corridor which I cannot se. It seems to me that the corridor itself does not have an end. After a long while of walking it seems as if I am no closer to the wall as I was when I started. The corridor that once seemed quite narrow and relatively long has now become and endless and possibly infinite. I do not know how to escape this labyrinth. I return to the original room through the small door which keeps getting smaller and smaller as time progresses. This time I can barely get back into the room and by the time I stand up again the door has shrunk so much that it would be impossible for me to go back to the corridor without becoming a mouse or other diminutive creature. Suddenly and as I start to walk back towards the center of the room away from the door, which seems to be following me, along with the piano, I start to see myself moving in a room that seems to be turning around. The floor is being swallowed into the wall. Just then, the front wall swallows and I am left in a gigantic and again possibly infinite staircase that seems to have no base or columns. I am feeling extremely tired. Now, I cannot see the corridor, all I can see is the staircase descending to such an extent I cannot see the end. The staircase keeps getting narrow and narrow and soon it is only about 4 feet wide. It is now completely transparent, which allows me to see the extension of the universe and the infinity of space. Suddenly the staircase starts to disappear, not disintegrate but disappearing. First it is only outlined by what seems to be chalk. I do not know what to do, but given thatit completely disappeared instead of rapidly falling down, I seem to descend and be suspended in midair around this strange world. I am unaware of where I am, how I got there or how am I going to leave, but somehow I feel an inner peace inside me. I am peaceful, without worries, problems or preoccupations; I am completely free and tranquil. I feel like I have never felt before in my life, I feel weightless, light like a feather, and I believe that it is only until now that I feel I have become myself. I may be dead, but at least I know that dying brings forward eternal peace to the soul and the spirit and a universal knowledge that states that no matter how negative or terrible or disoriented we might feel, we will eventually find our way towards the right course, which even if people tell us is not the right one, will be the right only if we decide it is the right one.
That is all. I hope it wasn't too disappointing.

I'll see you in the future.

"I don't want to be a product of my environment. I want my environment to be a product of me."

Happy Hunting,

The WikiVampire

Rock: The Musical Aristocracy of Our Time?

Warning: The Surgeon General Warns that before reading this article you should probably scroll down the page and read the "High Culture Vs. Popular Culture" blog, being that these two articles are intimately related and to understand one you have to read the other... so don't say I didn't warn you...

Now, we begin...

Hey there my fellow creatures of the night!

I'm going to write about a subject that has been bothering me for a long time and have wanted to elaborate on for over a year.

There is no denying that everywhere we look everyone has different tastes. Each and every person, depending on their experiences and perspectives, has a different appetite and different point of view on everything. This obviously extends to the musical department of life, where there are hundreds of genres to choose from.

Now, the key question in this article has to do with one genre in particular and its influence in today's culture and way of life.

Depending on the genre, a certain type of music might be technically superior to other types of music, and hence, of more quality and, as a consequence, enjoyed only by the more educated masses.

Traditionally there have been two main pathways from which music stems from: High Culture Music and Popular Culture Music. These two divisions (in music terms) have existed forever, and as you have read in the High Culture Vs. Popular Culture Article, only until recent times and due to technological advances has Popular Culture Rivaled High Culture in "quality".

High Culture Music refers to a musical elite which houses Classical Music, Jazz and New Age. These genres are characterized by their highly trained and skilled musicians and composers, who have both studied the theory behind music extensively and actively know and perceive the essence and science of music... In Other Words, THEY REALLY UNDERSTAND MUSIC. The consequence? Pieces of great musical quality and complexity that might prove more difficult to listen to for the average untrained ear and more appealing to those that really understand and enjoy music. Only the most cultured and knowledgeable people (musically speaking) can really understand and grasp the quality of this music and music in general... Think about it, an untrained ear hears dissonant music and instantly thinks it to be noise and turns to the next channel, whereas the trained or cultured person listens to it in an effort to try to understand it.

In contrast, what we know as Popular Culture Music refers to that niche in which the rest of music falls into. Metal, Pop, Rock, Rock & Roll, Rap, Electronic, Zydeco, Big Band all fall within this category, and are characterized by musical simplicity, less skill and formal training for the musicians and little of no knowledge of REAL music composition and theory for its composers. In other words, popular music is created by musicians who have not formally trained neither in the areas of musical theory and composition. The consequence? Popular Music Pieces are characterized by less musical quality and more simplicity, which in turn appeal to a less educated audience (the untrained ear prefers simplicity over complexity).

Now, this is where the problem comes into play...

As I said in the High Culture Vs. Popular Culture article, Popular Culture has completely overrun High Culture due to the rise of technology and the internet. Hence, High Culture has become something of a High High Culture which has dropped to a second plane which only Highly Cultured people are acquainted with. And as a consequence Popular Culture as a whole has further divided into two separate cultures, a Popular Popular Culture and a Popular High Culture. (Think of it as two separate versions of the High Culture Vs. Popular Culture Scenario, where Popular High Culture has become High Culture and Popular Popular Culture has become its infamous but more well known counterpart).

In this New World Order, just as in the previous one, we have more educated people and less educated people... people with more musical training and people with less musical training. And, just as it happened in the previous stage, musical tastes have shifted in new directions.

Now we have (again) two different subdivisions within our sphere. We have the New High Culture Music, which mostly includes Rock but also includes other types of music such as Avante-Garde, Zydeco, Heavy Metal, Blues, Bluegrass and other types of Music. And then we have The New Popular Culture Music, which encompasses Rap, Pop, Electronic and similar, more popular genres.

These two pathways follow the same rules as the High Culture Vs. Popular Culture theorem, in which the more complex a style of art is, only the educated (in this case "slightly educated") masses will turn to like. Hence, the music pertaining to the New High Culture movement is liked only by slightly more educated and trained people.

Just as happened before the rise of Popular Culture, when Classical Music was the musical aristocracy of the time, an absence of real High Culture has propelled the elite of Popular Culture music (in this case New High Culture) to take the role High Culture once had. The result? Classical Music has been replaced with the upper crust of popular music: Rock; Rock is the new Classical Music; Rock is the Musical Aristocracy of our time.

With the absence of real qualitative forms of Music, Rock has taken the toll as the Crème de la Crème of Modern Day Music (and with good reason). When compared to other forms of popular Music such as Pop, Rap or Electronic (the most popular) Rock does rank far higher in the grade scale than these three forms of music in terms of musical quality (especially within the progressive rock sphere - a subgenre of Rock conformed mainly by pseudo classical musicians with some level of formal music training from which THE highest forms of Popular Music have stemmed from-). Rock is at least performed by real musicians, where as Pop is pretty much sung by good looking puppets who fake their singing, Rap is created electronically and spoken rather than sung, and electronic is made on the computer in a digitalized way (not to say anything about it, but it conflicts with everything music has ever been).

And Rock, with all its limitations aside, has also stemmed from a large wave of controversy and has travelled great lengths to become what it is today; it is THE most revolutionized genre of our times, which, in proportion, holds a slight relationship with what classical music once was.

So, what happened? With the displacement of an elite musical genre such as Classical Music to a rank of absolute supremacy (in which only THE most educated masses fit into) rock, the most developed (yet not most complex) musical genre of our time, has become the musical aristocracy of today. And why? Well, aside from what has already been explained, there are several reasons why Rock, and not something else, such as Zydeco or Bluegrass (which rank much higher in the quality music scale than the former) took the role.

Aside from being a musical genre, rock is also a way of life. From the moment it surfaced at some point during the 1950’s Rock changed the way people lived and looked at life. It changed the way people dressed, people spoke and people behaved. Rock defined a large portion of the second half of the 20th century, and even though we have come a very long way from Elvis and the Beatles, rock is still what it once was and now, more than ever, it has become the most popular form of music on the planet.

But what exactly does it mean to be THE musical aristocracy of our time, and, what does that imply?

As I said before people prefer simplicity to complexity, and people prefer what is easiest to listen to and what is easiest to understand (that is why a low life excuse for a novel such as the "Da Vinci Code" has outsold Martin Heidegger’s Being in Time, which is arguably the most complex books every written), which why Classical Music originally fell behind popular Music. The same thing happens with Rock (to a certain extent), but the real reason why Rock has become THE musical aristocracy of contemporary society (by aristocracy I am referring to the fact that only the "musically trained masses" listen to rock) is not because it is more complex than Pop or Rap (which it is), but because it is more alternative than the other two, it is mostly not disco or dance friendly, and listening to it requires a certain degree of commitment. Listening to Rock means adopting certain features of the lifestyle (at least wearing a Rock-T Shirt once in a while) and being sufficiently open-minded to enjoy music with guitar distortion, lyrics about things other than love and listening to stuff that might be stronger than the average pop song (with screaming and fast paced drumming joined with screeching guitar solos) as well as buying albums with covers that might not be user friendly or might insult the beliefs of some people (think of the cover of Guns and Roses’ Appetite for Destruction).

This open-mindedness is the key to understanding the reasons why Rock has become what it is now. Being a rock fan, attending concerts, buying albums and listening to music that criticizes society is rebellious, and people love rebellious... people love to be rebels; they love the fact that many don't have the patience or state of mind to listen to rebellious music that might challenge certain views or be loud enough to someone scare off.

This so-called “state of mind” that is so necessary to understand and enjoy rock, has replaced the level of education and training that was once needed (and still is by the elite majority) to really like classical music and has hence created a special trait required to listen to rock. And the interesting thing is that this trait is only possessed by a small number of open-minded individuals who have today become the intellectual elite that used to exist in the past, which is what allows Rock to become the musical aristocracy of our time; if only a few "educated" (in this case open-minded) people listen to it while the rest listen to rap, pop and electronic then Rock automatically becomes the music of an elite (just like classical music once was)...

Hence, we have the musical aristocracy of our time. Instead of listening to Bach people listen to Sebastian Bach, instead of listening to Beethoven they listen to "Roll Over Beethoven", and instead of listening to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart they listen to "Rock Me Amadeus", Beck’s Bolero instead of Ravel’s Bolero, The Doors’ “Orange Country Suite” instead of Peer Gynt’s Suite #1, and I could go on forever... Funny, isn't it?

That it all for now my fellow creatures of the night.

I'll see you in the future...

"I don't want to be a product of my environment. I want my environment to be a product of me."

Happy Hunting,

The WikiVampire

Idiot's Guide to a Heavy Metal Concert

Hey there my fellow creatures of the night!

Before you read this article I have to warn you that I wrote it a long time ago. It's not new and it wasn't written for a blog. It was written for a class, and since I thought it covered an interesting subject I decided to publish it. Let's see what you think... or better yet, let's see what I think, given that no one reads my Blog.

The Secrets Behind Heavy Metal Concerts

Everyone has been to some sort of music concert. Be it tropical, jazz, classical, Celtic, Electronic or Mongolian, every self-respecting music fan has, at some point in their lives been to a concert of their choice. The reasons of going to a concert are, to a certain extent, arguable; whether people go to see their favorite artists perform their famous songs or weather they go to listen to the newest tracks and unknown tracks has been debated since the time popular music took its course in the 20th century. That however, is a whole different subject altogether, and lets face it, writing and reading about that would be a complete waste of our time, so to get back on track lets focus on the main issue here. In general, most concerts tend to be the same; that is of course if we for some reason decide to attend Ashley Simpson’s world tour stop in Idenberg, Florida and catch a glimpse of her tempo failure with the playback… but in general, most concerts, regarding the genre, tend to be quite similar. People, in one way or another, take their seats, and cheer at the sight and sound of their heroes playing their biggest hits. There is no denying however, that certain concerts tend to portray different behaviors, ideals and dress codes. A perfect example would be a Willy Nelson concert. There is no disagreement that in this sort of concert, the majority, if not all of the people will be dressed in country clothes and will be listening to the songs with cowboy boots and hat, ready to ride their horses… I mean pick up trucks after the event; that is unless you happened to catch Willie Nelson’s gig in San Juan, Puerto Rico that was… well… a little to tropical for my personal taste...but again back on track. Out of the many different genres of concerts, there is one in which, without an exception, people have to follow a very strict code of implied rules and conduct… and if they don’t, there might be hell to pay… and I’m not talking about classical ballet or hard rap from the hoods of downtown Detroit, but I’m talking about Metal... hard and heavy Metal.

And let me clarify that by Heavy Metal I do not mean 1980’s colorful, leopard skin with spandex… no, I’m sorry but the Scorpions, Def Leppard, Motley Crue, Van Halen and alike are more in the realms of Pop/Rock, and not to say anything about their music, but it’s not really Metal… I mean hard, heavy, dark, sinister; extreme metal, Black, Death, Thrash, Grindcore, Power, Doom, I mean real Metal.

Unlike any other type of concert or musical event, Heavy Metal concerts are the hosts of one of the world’s most bizarre and strangely interesting events. These are performances an entire subculture of people lives for…oh Yeah, unlike rap and other styles, Heavy Metal culture is only based on the music and nothing else… Heavy Metal fans live for the music. Every Heavy Metal fan, to a certain extent, knows how to play an instrument (or at least tries) and it is not at random that Metal heads attend gigs to feel at home... to feel they belong somewhere… the performances give the fans a feeling of individuality and vivid spiritualism. When we go to Metal concerts it’s not only about the music… of course it doesn’t hurt to listen to our favorite bands live at top volume inside a room filled with recreational marijuana, but it's also to spend a healthy Saturday night with people we like to interact with and whom we share common interests with (to those old farts and nerds out there think it as if it were a Friday night at the local chess club or public library).

There is a strong sense of individuality, belonging and independence in heavy metal concerts. People are not just cheering the band on, but their also cheering their life, themselves, their culture, their lifestyle, their convictions and their points of view. A concert is the only place, aside from the first political heavy Metal rally (Next week outside the capitol building in Washington D. C.) where a Heavy Metal fan (otherwise known to the common public as rebel, criminal and punk) can truly express his/her convictions and for the first time in their life hear agreements and not contradictions. It’s the only place in the world were you will see all these scary people at once.

Apart from the overwhelming and bombastic musical experience of loud and ear exploding high volumes, a Heavy Metal concert can also provide, to a “normal average Joe” the experience of a lifetime. No where else in the world, apart from massive strikes and riots (which honest to Satan if you want to attend go ahead and see how it works out, but I’m not responsible for any damages, be it psychological and physical), will there be a gathering of so many people conforming to the same ideals, sharing the same positions, dressing the same way, smoking the same weed, listening to their favorite songs and of course, banging their heads together… all for a very cheap price; for as we know, Metal concerts, at least most of them, are not very expensive, unless you count the concerts given by Mock Metal band Moderatto at ridiculously high prices, providing you with nothing else than mediocre poseur style music… but I don’t like to talk about that, it gets me upset... and you wouldn’t like me when I’m upset.

Heavy Metal concerts are a dangerous site to visit when one is not accustomed to them. Apart from being forced to breathe marijuana people can sometimes be crushed between hordes of angry metal fans jumping and screaming at the site of madmen singing prayers to evil, death, suffering and mayhem. Emergency exits are at times quite small and the venues themselves are old and constitute potential fire hazards; not counting the aggressiveness of the fans, which can sometimes climb out of hand.

Do not be misguided however by thinking that heavy metal shows are horrific events; apart from the musical experience they provide, for many the trip to the arena is worth making just to get a glimpse at its magnitude. A performance is a site everyone must witness at one point or another in their lives. The site of thousands of people dressed in the exact same manner, getting together to sing and yell prayers to the devil is not something common, and is definitely worth the trouble. In order to enjoy a Metal concert however, several steps must be taken or someone might get hurt… and we certainly don’t want that to happen. Up next is a detailed step by step idiot proof guide on surviving a Heavy Metal concert… and yeah, it’s something that needs planning.

Before anything, before you even think about what you’re going to wear, what you’re going to act like, you must first select the heavy metal concert of your choice, planning at least a couple of weeks in advance. To do this log on to www.ticketmaster.com, select your city or a nearby city and then click where it says hard/rock metal and browse the section until you find an adequate gig… and remember that by Heavy Metal I do not mean Def Leppard or Motley Crue, I mean real metal. Trust me, being that it is your first time at one of these things I strongly recommend a light one, don’t go to a Mayhem or Emperor performance because not only will you be risking your life but you won’t enjoy it as much… if you do insist on being a stubborn metalhead please, by all means do go to the gig, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Your first metal gig should, preferably be a Power, Doom or Thrash. In this sort of concert you will get the meat and potatoes of a Metal concert without going into terrible extremes.

Once you have chosen the concert you must go ahead and purchase the ticket. On most performances, there’s only one option in tickets, the cheap general crowd, where you get your place on a first come first serve basis… and who knows, if you get there early enough, you might even have a chance to get to the moshpit. Then secondly, and very importantly, (and please trust me on this one), buy two tickets at least if you can. Turning up at a Metal concert solo is not a good idea, and if you don’t have a friend who wants to go with you when you’re buying the ticket you can always invite someone at the last minute… trust me, spending a few extra bucks might mean the difference between having a good or a horrendous time. Trust me; it’ll definitely be worth the trouble. Purchasing a double ticket is quite easy; you can do this online, by roll call or by directly purchasing at the booth of the Venue. I however recommend you to buy them online if you have a credit card; and even if you don’t ask a friend to borrow his and pay him back… it’s really the safest bet, you really don’t want to get to the venue 5 hours ahead of time to buy the ticket at the booth… oh and there’s something else I forgot…never, never under any circumstances, but the ticket from a reseller; there’s always a chance to buy the ticket before hand and besides, resellers might be a little deceiving… not only will it cost you a fortune but it’s also illegal, and unless your willing to spend a triple price on a ticket and spend a night in the county jail, go ahead and try it.

Once you have legally purchased your ticket there’s still some steps you must be aware of. First of all keep you ticket in a safe place so you won’t lose it. And second, unless you have been to the venue before, it is seriously recommended to go there and know how to get there, be it by bus, metro, foot or car… this is extremely important, I cannot stress this point enough… This way you’ll know exactly how to get to the concert and where to park if you have a car or where to pick up the bus on the way back. In addition you’ll be sure you know where the concert will be given so you won’t be forced to deal with directional problems on the given date.

Second, don’t make plans for the day of the event; you really want to be prepared and concentrated. Don’t rush things ‘cause you might lose your ticket… and you really wouldn’t want to miss a once in a lifetime Metallica or Helloween concert.

Now that you know where the concert will take place it’s time to get to know the band that’s going to play the music. First, read a little about them, their history, their band members and recent performances. To do this log on to their personal website via a search engine, or type in Allmusic.com and follow the instructions, or on a last note, log on to wikipedia.org and read a little about them through the erroneous facts provided on that cheap website. Next, learn the songs. If you don’t know or own some of the songs already, download or buy a greatest hits or famous album and listen to it weeks ahead of the concert. If possible, download the lyrics from the songs and learn them yourself… believe me, it’s really boring to go to a concert and not know any of the songs. Then, if you really want to enjoy the concert, log on to the band’s website and find the set list of the tour. Make sure you have every song in your collection and listen to them repeatedly until you have learned then…believe me, knowing the songs to a concert cam make the difference between having an unforgettable time or simply boring yourself to death.

After you have memorized the songs on the setlist plus any famous song not on it (probable encore), it is time for you to chose your outfit for the day of the concert. In Metal concerts, unlike general concerts, people dress in exactly the same way. Everyone will be dressed completely in black. Their outfit will consist in boots, leather pants or black jeans, a belt, black wrist bands, a black band t-shirt and depending on the weather, a jacket. I seriously suggest if you care about yourself one bit, to dress in the same way. If you don’t have black boots, borrow from a friend; if you don’t have a band t-shirt, buy one at hot topic, online, borrow one or, on the last resort, get one outside the venue the day of the concert (but this is not recommended unless you’re already dressed in black when you get there -you seriously don’t want to reveal how you change from your preppy style to metal style; if you do this I GUARANTEE you will be assaulted by all the Heavy Metal aficionados around you). T-shirts have always been the trademark of Heavy Metal and wearing one is probably the most important part of the experience…the difference between wearing one and not wearing one will be extremely substantial…to put it lightly…you really don’t want to get beaten. The t-shirt you chose will be extremely important. A band t-shirt does not mean buying a Beatles Abbey Road Album shirt or a Britney Spears Tour tee. It means wearing a heavy metal band shirt, which in turn might mean wearing symbols and signs you do not approve of, but are necessary to fit in and feel safe. For instance, many of the Metal T-shirts contain images such as inverted pentagrams or crosses, which are reputably the symbol for Satan… which I’m sure many of you will not approve of. Depending on the harshness of the concert however, these T-Shirts might be necessary. If the band giving the performance is a black metal band the more shocking the piece of clothing the better. In this case, however the lightest you can wear in terms of t-shirts are probably regular metal bands such as Iron Maiden and Judas Priest. Other bands like Van Halen and Scorpions are completely out of the question… that is if you treasure your health. For lighter concerts however, such as power metal and traditional heavy Metal; Hair Metal and 80’s rock band t-shirts could be okay, depending on the situation, but don’t risk it. My advice to you when getting the t-shirt would be to wear the t-shirt of the band giving the show. If that one is not available for any reason, I suggest you wear one from a similar band, one of the same genres. For example: If Dave Mustaine’s Megadeth (one of the big three of thrash metal) will be giving a concert, instead of wearing a Megadeth t-shirt you could wear an Anthrax, Metallica or Slayer T-shirt, which are also thrash metal kings. Clothing is extremely important, and if for some reason you are stubborn and decide to wear a pink lacoste shirt, light blue jeans and moccasins or something within those realms, you better plan a vacation and leave of absence from work… because I guarantee that you are going to spend a brief period of time in the hospital.

Now that you know how to dress for a heavy metal concert, the next step is how to behave in such a show. They key to do this is fitting in. Once you have the clothes and the music in you body, you can consider yourself a metal fan. Now all you have to do is sing along with the songs, show the devil’s horn sign with your hands (closing your fist while letting your index and pinky fingers stick out) once in a while and shake your head with the rhythm of the music. Be careful not to push anyone when you are approaching the stage and don’t try to make conversations with anyone; the people are there to enjoy the concert and don’t take pleasure in getting bothered. The most important factor however is never, under any circumstances, if you enjoy your healthy body, bruise free skin, and intact bones, ask anyone to put out their marijuana joint. Metal and pot have been together since the 60’s and nothing indicates that this is going to change. Do not try to change that; remember you are an observer, not a pioneer, and if you truly want to enjoy the experience you musn’t try to modify it.

Now, after the concert has been given, prepare yourself for the chaotic escape. In many cases the exit will take a long time, and it is not always pleasant… considering pickpockets are roaming everywhere and showering is not exactly a heavy metal fan’s primary hobby (for some reason near the end of the concert the smell of pot has dissipated and the stench of human sweat starts to fill the air). To avoid these unpleasant feelings you must follow these steps very closely: In every heavy metal concert there is an encore. When this happens be sure to walk slowly to the exit immediately after the band exits the stage for the first time… and please try to be inconspicuous and try not to push anyone. When you reach the exit do not leave until the final song ends, then immediately proceed to leave the building… slowly. This way you won’t encounter any trouble on your way out and you’ll have a chance to buy a souvenir t-shirt or poster while the stands are still not crowded.

All this being said; you now know how to go to a heavy metal concert and enjoy it. Do not see this as something to dread, take pleasure in it, have fun, live the experience and be part of it. It’s something you’ll truly like and will be able to tell you family, friends and teachers. You will finally know what a heavy metal concert is all about and will be able to respond to anyone that asks you about one of your wonderful experience in the heavy metal world.

That it all for now my fellow creatures of the night.

I'll see you in the future...

"I don't want to be a product of my environment. I want my environment to be a product of me."

Happy Hunting,

The WikiVampire

Arnold Schwarzenegger: A Modern Da Vinci?

Hey there my fellow creatures of the night!

I know that no one really reads my stuff and that most of you are bored out of your mind already. So considering I'm pretty much writing for myself and that my blog is really more like a diary than anything else, I have decided to write an article about a person and a subject that are very interesting to me.

I know most of you jumped from your seats when you read the title of my latest blog. And you're right. If I had read this same blog 8 months ago I probably would have discarded it immediately, but now, after all I've been through and after all I have read and seen about the person who's going to be the subject of this essay, I have completely changed my mind.

Yes, I know that comparing Schwarzenegger to Da Vinci is nothing less than a sacrilege, and I know that I am probably insulting everyone who has ever even heard the word "culture", but this comparison arises as a reflection of contemporary society.

There is no denying that the world has dumbed down considerably since the creation of massive media and ever since "normal people" (people who lack the necessary skills that were once required for someone to become famous or well known - nowadays anyone can open a blog and be known-) received the power to become famous, REAL culture as we once knew it, has disappeared. Past idols such a Beethoven, Michelangelo, Marx and Shakespeare have been replaced by people like Britney Spears, Dr. Phil, Stephen King, and Jenna Jameson (not to say anything about their virtuosities or performances, but let's face it, they can't be compared to the great minds and artists of the past). Culture as we once knew it is no longer, and as a consequence, this dumbing down of the general population has also brought a dumbing down of heroes and idles.
Da Vinci was a Universal Man, A Polymath, a Renaissance man, a man who was able to do everything and excelled in various different fractions of hummanity. A unique man that will never be replaced or even rivaled.

No doubt, people like Da Vinci are very scarce (to say the least), and the last recorded real polymath died in 1965. Dr. Albert Schweitzer from Alsace was a real modern day Da Vinci with a very large list of achievements and areas of excellence: Philosopher (known for his reverence of life), Theologist, Preacher and ordained minister (who was also one of the best known Theorists on the life of Christ), Writer, Physician (Specialized in Tropical Medicine), Virtuose Concert Organist and Composer (Expert on the music of Bach), Hummanitarian (he lived in Africa for decades helping the locals and won the Nobel Peace Prize because of his efforts), and the list goes on. But Dr. Schweitzer (who by the way is a distant cousin of Jean Paul Sartre) died in 1965, and since then culture has dumbed down to such an extent that we no longer have such great men present in our culture. The great writers and philosophers are dying off, and few (if any) are surfacing. Polymaths like Da Vinci and Sartre have disappeared almost completely, and today, our heroes are limited to pop culture icons and mediocre "men of letters".

While searching for the world's greatest minds in current times however (a modern polymath), I have only come across one man that fills in the role and the title. And this man, believe it or not, is Arnold Schwarzenegger.

I know what many of you are thinking (maybe not, maybe I'm the only one reading this)... and yes, his position as Governator is kind of Kitsch and his speeches sound more like those given by a stand-up comedian than a poltician, but nevertheless I find that Mr. Schwarzenegger is not only a unique human being, but he is one of the greatest people of our time (again a reflection of contemporary society) and a real modern day Da Vinci.

According to Webster's Dictionary, a Polymath is a person who excels in a wide variety of fields. Da Vinci did, Aristotle did, Schweitzer did... and Schwarzenegger did too.

Arnold is World Wide bodybuilding champion who won the world premier bodybuilding contest Mr. Olympia no less than 7 times (that's 1 area he excels in), he is a world known action film star who has won a golden globe for best actor (area 2), a world known politician who currently governs the state of California (area 3) and could possibly become president of the United States in the Future and is also a well known entrepreneur and investor who has multiplied his money many times through several key investments -one of which is the Planet Hollywood Restaurant Chain- (area 4).

So yes, Arnold excels in 4 different areas, which automatically makes him a real Polymath (he's also a film director and producer and has written several books on bodybuilding, if that helps). I know he's not like Da Vinci and will never ever come even remotely close to that, but given the circumstances and the times we live in, he's as close to a polymath as we're ever going to get.

“The epoch is a reflection of its people.”

Let's face it... the man does have a lot of merit and we should celebrate him for it.

That is all.

Happy Hunting,

"I don't want to be a product of my environment. I want my environment to be a product of me."

The WikiVampire

High Culture Vs. Popular Culture

Hi there my fellow creatures of the night!

After a long and thoughtful hiatus from blogging, I have decided to come back with two articles on two subjects that have bothered me extensively for years. The first one will deal with the Whole Popular Culture VS. High Culture scenario... the second, with Rock as the Musical Aristocracy of our time.

AT LAST AN ARTICLE ABOUT AN ILLUMINATING SUBJECT:

There was once a time when culture was divided into two different perspectives and schools of thought: High Culture and Popular Culture (it still is but to a different extent and I will tell you why). High Culture is defined as a type of art which has been conceived by trained artists and professionals and is the maximum expression of the soul and has been proved and approved by worldwide critics, and most importantly, by time. (High Culture has resisted the passage of time and remains, to this date, as popular as when it was once created). The great paintings of Da Vinci, Rafael, Michelangelo, Picasso, the music of Beethoven, Bach, Mozart, Ravel, Stravinsky as well as Classical Theater, Ballet, Opera, Literature and countless other forms of expression fit into this category. High Culture is valued mostly by experts and critics, and has survived up to the 21st century because of its quality and essence. In summary, High Culture is formed only by the best of the best and is mostly enjoyed only by a selected few who have been educated and trained in certain areas and are cultured enough to understand them and grasp their concepts.

Then we have popular culture. Popular culture has existed as long as humanity has and it is defined as the rest of the artistic spectrum; popular music, pop art, and pretty much everything else. But in contrast to High Culture, Popular Culture is not as developed and as complex.

Popular Culture and High Culture have existed forever, but because of few possible means of preserving art in the past, only the crème de la crème of art has survived the passage of time. High Culture has always won the battle over art and over popularity, and this is mostly thanks to the fact that only the legacy of educated, famous and cultured people survived to modernity. 17th century popular music had didn't survive, as its composers had absolutely no way of recording or even (at times) writing down their own music, which is why we only have limited knowledge of past popular culture... only High Culture survived. Why? We will see…

Now we live in an age of massive communications, where it is more possible to get known and become famous that at any point in the past. The internet has made it much easier to "make it" and "leave a legacy", and popular culture has taken a standpoint as a result of that.

Now what could have easily been lost with the death of its artist survives the passage of time, and this is why Popular Culture has become a dominant trait in our society. In the past, Popular Culture had no way of spreading (as it wasn't as good in quality as High Culture Was) and only la Crème De la Crème (second time I use the term) of Art and of Everything A.k.A. High Culture, traveled and became known. Now that communication is much easier and efficient, Popular Culture can travel just as fast as High Culture and becomes better known even at a faster rate.

There is no denying that Popular Culture has nowadays become the standard in art and in pretty much everything. High Culture as we knew it has receded and pretty much disappeared into the depths of the circles of the critics, artists and cultured and educated people that understand it. The Result? People no longer know what High Culture is, and the only thing they're in contact with is Popular Culture... and let’s not forget, Popular Culture is popular because of one thing: Because it is simple, easy to understand and enjoyable to the average folk... and the average folk is definitely not an educated critic who can really enjoy, understand and grasp the significance of real culture.

So in summary, Popular Culture is indeed better known than High Culture and yes, much more people prefer popular culture to high culture. But the fact of the matter is that Pop Culture is still pretty much the same as it was 300 years ago... "The art of the folk, the art of the masses, the art of the people." And, I ask you... who are the masses? Are the masses trained to critique, understand and grasp art for what it is? The answer is no. The only reason Popular Art is popular is because it is simplistic and therefore lacks depth, and therefore quality... Popular Art is much more easier to conceive than High Art (High Art is poorly understood and liked by only a few) as is therefore more likeable to the average untrained folk with zero knowledge of real art. So yes, Popular Culture has outgained High Culture, but this is only because people now have the means to reproduce their mundane art and spread it in a massive way... and because it is so simple and easy to understand, it outsells High Art, which was once the only competitor in the market....

In summary, Popular Art is more widely known than High Culture, but that doesn't deter or stop the fact that Popular Art is still vastly inferior to High Art... and there is no better proof for this than the passage of time... The Wide Spread of Popular art is very recent, and not enough time has passed for us to determine how long will Pop Art from the 60's last... But I can tell you this, if Popular Art disappeared in the past, it did because it was inferior to other forms of art.

We still listen to the Beatles, but for how long? I don't know how long we will be listening to the Beatles for (Popular Culture), but I do know that we will forever listen to the music of Bach... Period. No point in denying it. The Beatles and Popular Music might have been great and they might have changed the world, but when compared as an art form, to the immortal music of Johann Sebastian Bach, the Beatles and the Entire Pop Culture spectrum fall tragically short... why? Because no matter what happens, High Culture will always be superior to Popular culture... THAT'S WHY IT'S CALLED HIGH CULTURE!!!!!!

So... conclusion? Popular Culture is only widely known because it has been helped by mass media. Without mass media and communications, Popular Culture would have been lost just as it was lost over the last few centuries. Why? Because it lacks quality and is only liked and enjoyed by people who don't know about art and don't have the education required to understand and grasp what real art and what real quality is. High Culture has always been there and will be there. Its followers have always been a very small educated and culture minority who, up until the age of massive communications, held absolute power over the expansion of art and music. But now with the help of communications Popular Art has blinded everyone and overpowered the market. But no matter what happens, High Art will always be High art and will survive for eternity.

Call me a purist… but I prefer to call myself a realist.

That’s all for now…

Happy Hunting,

"I don't want to be a product of my environment. I want my environment to be a product of me."

The Wiki Vampire