Band Evolution Versus A Complete Departure In Sound

I've heard some people say that you should never listen to a band beyond their third album.  Fortunately, I rarely follow absolutes and have seen many instances of bands hitting their stride later in their careers.  Many if not most modern bands wind up being one hit wonders with either a smash hit single or, if they're lucky, an album rife with solid material; it is when they release their sophomore efforts that they begin to fade slowly into the ether (The Calling and Crossfade are two great examples).  Some manage to repeat their success and have either a remunerative followup or simply sustained support with a string of solid singles later on (The Wallflowers, Goo Goo Dolls, and Vertical Horizon).  Fewer, of course, are those who write an unforgettable album--one that assures them a spot in music history--but who fail to find that magic a second time (Nine Inch Nails' "The Downward Spiral" is one of the most amazing albums ever written but, despite Trent Reznor's musical brilliance, he's failed to write anything remotely comparable to that opus).  Fewest are the bands who craft not simply a great album but a legendary one and who go on to duplicate that fame and fortune later in their careers.

Bands who manage to create a sustainable writing career often do so with a particular sound--something that they are recognized for instantly and that serves to define them.  They become the best at what they do, which ultimately proves to be a double-edged sword: they grow to be inextricably linked with a particular genre and set themselves up for failure should they try to break free of those classifications.  Some manage to find success by working within the confines of their genre but many others struggle to break free, often to their own detriment.

There are numerous instances of bands with an identifiable sound resorting to a formulaic approach.  To an extent, every album sounds the same and there is little evidence of the band pushing musical boundaries.  Nickelback is arguably the best example of this approach.  It's not unreasonable to declare that every Nickelback album sounds the same because, essentially, they all do.  There are a few heavier tracks, the requisite (see: money making) ballads, an oddball acoustic track here or there, and a slew of filler.  Of course, the Nickelback sound is not limited to the actual music but the lyrics as well.  Nearly every song is about sex or is sexualized to some degree and few if any have any remotely memorable quality to them.  That is not to say that the songs and their words are not catchy just that there is nothing redeemable about them.  On the contrary, it's Nickelback's infectious sound that has generated the insane level of success that they have enjoyed over the past decade.

At the opposite end of the spectrum are bands who suffer from musical A.D.D..  Their sound is mercurial at best, shifting constantly either from one song or one album to the next.  Weezer is emblematic of this approach but in their case it works to their advantage; Rivers Cuomo's inability to sit still, musically, is part of what Weezer fans love about the music.  The problem with this approach, consequently, is that there is no rhyme or reason to the albums and thus no stability.  Fans of these bands rarely if ever know what they are going to get and many often lose patience and interest in the long run.

Arguably the most successful and interesting bands are those who will dabble within the parameters of a particular style, branch off to something different but still related, and ultimately make a return to the sound that made them famous, putting a new spin on it that only years of experience and experimentation can provide.  The first band that jumps to mind that fits this description is Metallica.  The metal mogul's first few albums were quintessential thrash, even following a particular formula (e.g. the mega-hit, the Em based song, and the instrumental track).  There was an evolution of sorts towards a cleaner, more listener-friendly sound that culminated with The Black Album.  From there, though, things got a little bumpy with the release of Load, ReLoad, and then St. Anger.  These three albums serve as the experimental members of the Metallica canon, causing derision and division among longtime fans of the band.  A return to form with Death Magnetic gave the sleeping giant new life as the much anticipated followup album looms in the distance.

Part of what rubbed people raw about the aforementioned Load and ReLoad is the fact that both seemed like a huge departure from the sound that made Metallica famous.  As a music fan and musician myself, I find this point highly salient and love contemplating the question that it engenders: when does a band's evolution become a complete departure in sound?  For me, I would say that the answer lies in the motivation behind the change and in the execution.  Many rock bands are releasing albums that are heavily influenced by electronic sounds and are incorporating elements of styles like Dubstep.  Again, for me, this seems more like a pathetic effort to stay relevant and to cash in on a current trend rather than a form of evolution for the band.  That's not to say that there aren't instances of brilliance but rather that most do not seem to jive with the band's identity to that point.

Evolution, of course, is a slippery slope when it comes to music.  I cannot say with any degree of certainty where evolution ends and experimentation begins; it is something that needs to be determined by the individual listener.  I find bands like Incubus and Linkin Park to be excellent examples of evolution gone awry.  With regards to the former, most fans who encountered Incubus with their album S.C.I.E.N.C.E. have hated everything since because of how different the sound is.  Ordinarily, that would represent less of an evolution and more of the aforementioned departure but in this case I think it's a little more nuanced than that.  Incubus was heavily influenced by the Red Hot Chili Peppers and, having gained confidence in themselves from the commercial viability of S.C.I.E.N.C.E., they wanted to establish themselves in their own right rather than being labeled an R.H.C.P. ripoff. 

What followed were four of my favorite albums and the core of the Incubus canon.  Make Yourself was phenomenal and is an album that demonstrates extensive musicianship despite being written off as another piece of nu-metal garbage.  Morning View, the followup to Make Yourself, is one of if not the greatest album I've ever heard and is a clear evolution from its predecessor.  A Crow Left of the Murder and Light Grenades, in turn, are easily linkable to the other two albums despite showing considerable changes in sound.  There are fewer heavier tracks on the later albums but the complexity of the arrangements improved to an impressive degree. 

I absolutely abhor the latest album but many feel like it is yet another step forward.  I felt like the lyrics were insipid and that the music was uninspired.  To me, the heavy aspect of the music is part of what made Incubus great and to see it replaced with mellower, almost muzakian elements saddens me.  Still, as I see it, the band made one left turn after S.C.I.E.N.C.E. and has followed a relatively straight path since then without playing it too safe.

As someone whose introduction to Incubus came after S.C.I.E.N.C.E., I have an easier time appreciating all of the albums than someone who began with it.  An extremely latecomer to the world of Slipknot (I first became familiar with them in 2012), I have a similar appreciation for their body of work and can see a clear progression from their inimitable self-titled debut and their most recent effort.  Fans of the Slipknot and Iowa albums, though, often hold Vol. 3 and All Hope in Gone in disdain because of a lack of edge and aggression.  I see them both as being the pinnacle of their musicianship despite the aforementioned beginning efforts serving as their defining works.  So perhaps when you encounter a band might also influence the conclusion of evolution versus exploitation.

I can think of no better example of that exploitation argument than Linkin Park.  I was a huge LP fan when they came out and was with them right up until A Thousand Suns came out.  The first two albums were amazing and incredibly similar.  Not wanting to be pigeonholed as a rap rock band, Linkin Park then shifted towards a more mainstream rock sound with Minutes to Midnight.  For me, the focus on the musical instruments and the move away from the rap-centric tracks represented an evolution; the guys seemed to have grown as musicians.  The problem came with the fourth album, A Thousand Suns.

Experimental at best, A Thousand Suns took a long time to grow on me.  I can now appreciate it as an excellent album in its own right but I have a difficult time accepting it as part of the Linkin Park canon.  It sounds like nothing else that they've done and it just doesn't seem to fit among the collective of their work.  Thus the problem with that complete departure in sound.  See, I feel like an album like A Thousand Suns would fit in the canon if it was portrayed as being an intentional experiment--an album in its own right but one that was meant to serve as a pet project for the members rather than the next link on the album chain.  I can see a sort of bond between their most recent release, Living Things, and the first three albums but still do not feel like there is any relationship with A Thousand Suns. 

The band risks further alienating its fan base--one that is clamoring for a return to form of sorts--with its next release.  To date, Linkin Park has released two rap rock albums, one rock album, one ethereal experimental album, and one electronic album.  There is little relationship between the later works and the earlier ones and, frankly, it feels like the band is losing sight of who and what they really are.  That's the danger with too much experimentation within the brand of the band.

When a band is known for a very particular sound it can become extremely difficult to produce something new that doesn't sound stale and contrived.  Green Day became legends with the release of Dookie in the early '90s.  The problem for them was that they tried to stick to the pop punk formula without ever really hitting it big within the genre.  It wasn't until they released arguably their most prolific hit, "Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)" that the opportunity for evolution presented itself.  Suddenly, this high-energy punk band was known worldwide because of an acoustic guitar-based track (much like Plain White Ts with "Hey There Delilah" of recent fame).  They tried the Dookie formula one more time before drafting their magnum opus, American Idiot, in 2004.

Touching upon my initial point, that's precisely why you cannot give up on a band you love, even when it seems like all hope is lost.  Their legendary status solidifying album was their third but their best work to date didn't come until their seventh record.  And how did they follow that up?  With one of the most ingenious moves in music history: they released an even more different-sounding album under a fake name.  This deflected the insane level of expectation that American Idiot generated and allowed the band to write another phenomenal album (though one that I admittedly dislike).  Rocking the boat one more time, they followed THAT up with three record releases in a single year.  Granted, none of the triad was particularly good but it shows that the band is not content to rest on their laurels.

And then there are the Foo Fighters.  Easily my favorite band of all time, the Foos are fronted by one of the most brilliant musical minds we've ever seen.  How do you follow the demise of one of the most beloved, successful bands of all-time?  You go out and do your own thing.  The honesty of the first Foo Fighters album showed that Dave Grohl was not content to cash in on the fame of his previous band but was intent instead on blazing a new trail for himself.

Here's the great thing about the Foo Fighters: they have an instantly identifiable sound but one that is not easy to define.  I can hear a single note and know that it's from a Foo Fighters album and, in some cases, if it's a b-side, know which album it was connected to.  The band's sophomore album featured numerous tracks of which any single one could have made their career and was followed up by two more excellent albums.  The danger at that point though was releasing another record like numbers three or four.  Instead, what followed was the best example of musical evolution I've ever encountered.

After penning There Is Nothing Left To Lose and its mega hit "Times Like These," Dave Grohl decided to flex his musical muscles and to demonstrate both his and his band members' instrumental prowess.  The band released In Your Honor, a gargantuan album almost unrivaled in its scope.  One disc was electric-based, heavy, uptempo rock while the second featured stripped down, sparer acoustic tracks, exclusively.  The collective serves to define who the Foo Fighters are with each disc standing alone as its own incredible album.

On the heels of In Your Honor came Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace--a sleek, slick studio effort that produced some of the band's most popular songs.  Not content to craft another polished record despite its success, Dave Grohl and company then went to work on the quintessential, career-defining album Wasting Light.  Recorded analog instead of digitally, in a garage instead of a multimillion dollar studio, this album stands as the band's crowning achievement.  Heavy, soft, complex, catchy, it has all of the elements of the perfect album...and the scary part is, when the Foos finally lay down their instruments for good, it might not even prove to be their best.

And that's just it.  You can never count a band out no matter what changes they make if it's a part of their evolution.  The ones who try to ride on the coattails of current trends will ultimately fail if that's the only thing that they do; it's those who draw from those experiences in an effort to sharpen their definition further that will ultimately succeed.  The best bands, then, have an easily identifiable sound--one that varies but never completely changes as they move forward through their careers--and an insatiable desire to push themselves to new musical heights without selling out to the lowest popular denominator.  They release extremely different music as EPs or side projects without tainting their legacy.  And, ultimately, they find their way back to who they are if ever they lose sight along the way.


Linkin Park, Foo Fighters, Green Day, Incubus, Slipknot

The Story Of Echo

Echo at the Manitoba Welcome Center up the road
from the Canadian border

One of my favorite experiences as a kid was going on road trips with my parents; few things excited me as much as the prospect of seeing a new state welcome sign.  Part of it was the fact that visiting a new state felt akin to stepping foot on foreign soil--embarking upon a journey to a new world.  I mean, to a seven year old, Virginia or Maine might as well be halfway around the globe!

Through my adolescence, I often dreamed about the trips that I would go on when the freedom of adulthood would finally wrest me from the bondage of high school.  The cross country road trip always held a special allure, reaching Colorado in particular partially because it was something my father had done before I was born.  There was just something invigorating about the idea of having nothing but open road ahead of and behind me while I cruised towards whatever destination lie in wait.

Sometimes, the realization of our dreams leaves us wanting--aching for the expectant anticipation rather than the underwhelming realities we experience as adults.  In a few rare instances though the actuality of that attainment far surpasses anything we could have dared to imagine.  Looking back on all of the journeys that I have been blessed to have undertaken, I can only smile and be thankful that the latter proved to be the case time and time again.  Each of those trips had its own identity and none would have been the same without the woman sitting across from me and the car that we drove in.


This is the story of our 2001 Toyota Echo.

At first glance, she might not seem like much.  An atypical shade of blue (supposedly "sea foam blue," which, to this day I argue makes no sense whatsoever!  I've always heard sea foam green but, apparently Google agrees with the paint namers since there are more results for sea foam blue than green.  Whatever!), the Echo served for years as the stalwart sentry of the entry level economy market for Toyota.  Thusly priced, named, and colored, it would prove to be the ideal car for my wife as she graduated from high school.

I can still remember hearing people talk about Heather zipping along in "that little blue car of hers" early in our relationship.  Separated by the Verrazano Bridge, we spent a fair amount of time traveling between Staten Island and Brooklyn in Heather's first and only car.  It was the site of long talks and daydreaming sessions, of late night, after-movie snacks, and of course the requisite amount of making out.

During those early years, Heather and I would often go driving aimlessly around at night, happy just to be spending time together and to be away from our respective situations.  It reminded me of nights spent in "the van" with my best friends towards the end of high school.  Though that was a brotherhood in its own right, there was undoubtedly a relationship of sorts being fostered between Heather, her car, and me.  Then in my early twenties, I once more enjoyed the thrill of exploration as I learned the lay of the land in Staten Island, sharing in Heather's history when we visited certain places and forging our own as we encountered things neither of us had ever seen before (like the lighthouse and the South Pole on Staten Island).

One day during a petty argument, I took out the Starburst that I had been chewing and placed it on the outside of the windshield while Heather was driving.  I don't remember the exact context of the moment but I will never forget the vehemence in Heather's demand that I take it off and the obvious hurt that I had caused her by essentially defacing a part of her.  Until that point, I hadn't realized just how much her Toyota Echo had meant to her and it was only then that I began thinking of how integral a role the car was beginning to play in our lives.  I had gone to visit Heather a handful of times in Staten Island but anytime she came to Brooklyn, either to pick me up or to drop me off, it was in that car.  In a sense, it was what literally and figuratively brought us closer together.

It wasn't until 2005 that my relationship with Echo began.  As graduation loomed on the horizon, Heather and I discussed a number of trips that we wanted to take together in the future.  Ultimately, we decided that since I had never been to Florida before and that she loved Disney World as much as she did, that we would head down there following our commencement from Baruch.  Now, though I had taken driver's ed in high school and spent some time practicing with my Dad, I ultimately never went for my license. With the road trip of my dreams dancing tantalizingly close, I decided that I would freshen up my driving skills and go for my license so that I could partake in the driving.  To that point, Heather had done nearly all if not all of the driving for us including a day trip (!) to Niagara Falls that took nearly 22 hours round trip.

Though I learned the mechanics of driving from both my coursework in school and from my Dad, it was through my experience with Echo that I really learned how to be comfortable in the driver's seat.  I brushed up on all of the technical aspects while learning the nuances during the dozens of hours I spent practicing with Heather.  I had already learned how to drive but my then-future wife had taught me how to drive.  I made it through the tollbooths at the Verrazano, drove for the first time on the highway, and laid the seeds of all the future miles ahead of me under Heather's tutelage with Echo's pedals beneath my feet.

If you're reading this wondering why I'm spending all this time on explication then it's probably worth taking an extra moment or two for something more direct.  Heather and I have gotten all kinds of comments from people throughout the years about our car and, no matter what's been said, we each just silently shake our heads because it's obvious that people just don't understand.  I've been asked how I can possibly be comfortable in "that little thing," we've both been asked about how many miles she has on her, followed by a shake of the head and an "isn't it time to upgrade?"  We've been ragged on for the no-frills design--mocked for the lack of power windows and power locks.  Echo's even been referred to as a "clown car."

The thing that people fail to understand though--and the overarching point of this entry--is that neither Heather nor I consider Echo just a car; she's a part of our family.  I've mentioned this from time to time to people and have been met with polite eye rolls or hostile laughter--something that never fails to amuse me in this era of pet parents and rescues.  If a pet can be considered a family member then why not a car?  If home is where the heart is and our Echo takes us wherever our hearts desire, then how can she not be considered home?  Hell!  With all of the time we've spent traveling in her, she basically is a home of sorts.

To me, Echo's the type of car from a bygone era--a time when cars were given names and had personalities.  No, I'm not referring to those ridiculous eyelashes that you see on cars or the myriad decorative stickers, ribbons, and decals that adorn vehicles these days.  I'm talking instead about the days when a first car mattered--when it offered the opportunity to build a personal history with its driver(s).  Momentous events that occurred in the lives of these owners were made all the more special because of the involvement of that car.

See--that's it.  It's the history that we share with this car that makes it so cherished.  That Toyota Echo took me and Heather on our first date to Chevy's at the Staten Island Mall; she's driven us on every single road trip that we've embarked upon within continental North America (the only three drives we've gone on without her were in Hawai'i on our honeymoon, from San Francisco to Carson City (also during our honeymoon), and throughout Puerto Rico during our trip a few months later); she was present for every one of our amazing Adirondack adventures with Dick Doux and the crew up north--all seven trips into the mountains during the heart of winter; she helped both Heather and I move out of the houses that we had spent our respective childhoods growing up in and then again helped to move our growing family into our first home.  It was within Echo's friendly confines that Heather and I had the discussion that helped us to realize that we could get engaged after all and it was Echo's front passenger seat that held the ring on my way home from the jeweler, rife with a torrent of excited emotion.  She drove us home from our wedding reception and twice to the hospital for the deliveries of our children.  We brought each of our children home from North Shore LIJ in Echo--one to Staten Island and one to Hazlet.  She was there when we dropped off our son for his first day of school and when we picked him up later that morning.

Sure plenty of people experience those things...but to be able to do them all with the same vehicle?  To me, that's priceless.

But that's the serious stuff!  My personal relationship with Echo has been forged through long, long hours spent driving along the highways of the United States and Canada.  I've listened to countless minutes of music and passed innumerable mile markers as the macadam moved beneath our feet and enjoyed a nearly equal amount of conversation with Heather on our trips.  I mean, people know that we've traveled a lot but I'm not sure that they're quite aware of the extent of our journeying.  Here's just a sampling of the experiences that we've had with our Echo or the things that she could knock off of her bucket list were she to have one:

Echo has driven us to 19 of the 21 Major League Baseball parks that we've been to.

She's been across the U.S. Rocky Mountains three times and the Canadian Rockies twice.

She's been to the Everglades and the Bayou, the Nevada desert and the Colorado mountains including up and down a 14,000 foot mountain during which we lost the brakes (Mt. Evans), up a volcano (Mt. St. Helens), and over the Mississippi River four times.

She's driven through a blizzard with complete white out conditions, a hurricane, impenetrable fog, and complete and utter darkness in Arizona, she's hit tumbleweeds while thunderstorms rolled in across the vast valleys of the southwestern United States, and she's had the red dust of Wyoming on her tires.

She's been to all 48 contiguous states and 42 state capitols.

She's been to the Jack Daniel's distillery twice, Central High School and a yard sale in Arkansas, Disney World, a Pony Express station, and more than a half dozen lighthouses including those at Montauk, New York and Ponce Inlet, Florida.

She's driven up a magnetic hill in Moncton and over the world's longest covered bridge in Hartland, New Brunswick.

She's driven through Times Square on a Friday night in the summer, to the September 11th memorial lights a few days after they first blazed towards the heavens, to Boston on Patriot's Day, and in Indianapolis during the Indy 500.

She's driven on both an official NASCAR track in Watkins Glen, New York and on the very beach where auto racing was born in Daytona Beach, Florida.  She even dipped her tires into the Atlantic Ocean while on said beach!

We've driven to places that many people have flown to like Seattle, Washington and Las Vegas, Nevada...

...as well as a few places that we've all heard of but few people I know have gone to...

She's been as far southeast as Key West, Florida, as far northeast as Halifax, Nova Scotia, as far west as Fullerton, California, and as far northwest as Fort Nelson, British Columbia.

She's seen Mile 0 on Route 1 in Key West

Route 66

Four Corners State Park

And, most impressively of all, the first 250 miles of the Alaska Highway including Mile 0 in Dawson Creek, British Columbia!

She's driven on 46 of the 66 official Interstates in the continental United States:

I-4
I-5
I-10
I-12
I-15
I-20
I-24
I-25
I-29
I-35
I-40   
I-44
I-49
I-55
I-57
I-64
I-65
I-66
I-69
I-70
I-71
I-72
I-75
I-76
I-77
I-78
I-79
I-80
I-81
I-83
I-84* (separate highway in a distant state)
I-84
I-85
I-86* (separate highway in a distant state) 
I-86
I-87
I-88
I-89
I-90
I-91
I-93
I-94
I-95
I-96
I-97
I-99

She's also seen her fair share of adversity on the road having been involved in one collision in Brooklyn and a hit-and-run at the Staten Island Ferry parking lot.  She got stuck in the sand in Daytona when the local roads' commission decided to open up a stretch of beach previously reserved only for AWD vehicles.  She had a 70 mph encounter with a runaway construction barrel in Tennessee.  And, most notably, she survived driving through a mudslide on the Alaska Highway.

So from Route 1 to Route 66--the Trans-Canadian Highway to the Alaska Highway, we've covered A LOT of ground in our Echo.  Not counting the scores of mini-road trips that we've gone on throughout the years, Echo has endured a full dozen trips of 1,000 miles or more including SIX of 3,000 miles or more and, of those, THREE were 4,000 miles or more with TWO eclipsing 6,600 miles apiece.  Our longest took us through fifteen U.S. states and four Canadian provinces, covering over 8,500 MILES in a mere FOURTEEN DAYS!  When we finally made it home, I took this shot of our trip odometer:

8,583.6 miles--the LONGEST single trip we've ever done!

That's a total of more than 36,183.6 miles of road tripping completed in only 69 days of driving (a few trips had built in lounging days that had minimal driving to no driving involved so that total reflects the number of days where the majority of the time was spent driving).  That means that over the course of those dozen trips we averaged over 524 miles per day or approximately 9-plus hours of driving a day, every day.  Amazing that there was nary a stretch that felt that long!


We recently completed our first long road trip with our daughter Sarah.  It was Timmy's third such trip but also his longest as well.  I'm sure if we would have discussed our intentions with people they would have scoffed at us and declared that it couldn't be done.  "There's no WAY you're going to fit all of that stuff into that tiny car!"  Well, not only did we manage to survive two seventeen hour-plus days of driving (the first and last days of the trek), we also were able to fit the strollers, luggage, souvenirs from Downtown Disney, other souvenirs, and almost two cases' worth of beer for ourselves and our friends back home.  Comfortably, I might add.

Still, though, successful as our trip had been, I had and continue to have the sense that it might very well be our last long one with Echo.  Despite our ability to make things worth with the spacial restraints we face with her, it is undeniable that our family is growing and will likely someday outgrow what she can offer.  We're already eying a larger vehicle that will likely be purchased next year or the year after.  When that time comes to pass, it will make all of the past experiences with Echo all the more special.  Despite the suggestions we've been given about trading her in, I have absolutely no intention to do anything other than put Echo on a pedestal when her driving days are done.  We wouldn't trade her in or put her down any more than any of you would do the same with your respective pets/family members.

Her place in our family has been solidified through years of service--long miles up mountains and through deserts, across two countries and back again.  Revisiting my earlier maxim that home is where the heart is, I made one important request when I surprised Heather with a customized ornament after we moved in to our first home last year.  The ornament was meant to be a miniature representation of the first space that we could truly call our own.  Thankfully the artist honored my request as you can see from the picture below.

An Unnecessary Death: Andrea & The Walking Dead

I think it's pretty safe to say that Andrea was one of the three least liked characters on AMC's The Walking Dead (the other two being Lori and Carol).  I disliked the character strongly and cannot stand the actress playing her to an even greater degree so, much like most of The Walking Dead viewing audience, I wasn't sad to see Andrea go during last night's season finale (even more so after having to sit through Laurie Holden's Talking Dead appearance a few weeks ago).  With all of that said, she got a raw deal--one that, in spite of my visceral dislike of the character, I feel was wholly undeserved.

My general stance with television shows is not to get all up in arms when something seems a bit unbelievable.  By their very nature, shows like The Walking Dead, LOST, and Fringe require a certain level of suspension of disbelief on the part of the viewing public.  When people start nitpicking or getting caught up in trying to make sense of the minutiae, they are slowly whittling away at the show's foundation and are detracting from the overall enjoyment level that they can attain.  Complaining about the fact that there's a polar bear on an island is pretty ridiculous when that same person ISN'T bitching about the island being able to move through space and time or about the countless other esoteric phenomena that comprised the plot of LOST...and yet people still did it ROUTINELY.

Part of the problem as I see it is that we are spoiled to a ridiculous degree in our modern entertainment era.  We demand instant gratification (hence the rise to prominence of binge viewing of television shows) and we feel entitled to our opinions.  Instead of just discussing television shows the way we once did, we feel compelled--even obligated--to dissect episodes, characters, and plot elements as if we're warranted a spot at the writer's table.  The Internet--especially social media websites like Facebook and Twitter--is the biggest contributor to this change as it has engendered a forum for millions of voices to come together simultaneously while offering the illusion that all of these perspectives are equally informed and valued.  Newsflash: they're not. 

Pop onto the Facebook page of any popular show--The Walking Dead, Mad Men, Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad--whatever--and look at the comments that pile in after an episode.  Many people champion the great writing and acting but SO many more complain about some stupid, inane aspect that has no bearing on the overall enjoyment factor that the show presents.  The problem is that there are A LOT of people like this.  Hell, even on this blog I just got a comment from some dope bitching about the fact that I provided directions to the various things to find in Waldo books instead of pictures of said items.  The quote in its exact form: "HOW MUCH IS A FRINKING INCH JUST SHOW PICTURES OF WHERE IT IS THATS USEFUL"

Yes, folks: this is the society that we live in.  Don't help me to find something--find it for me, goddamnit!

But I digress.  With so many ridiculous comments about unnecessary details, sometimes the bigger picture is overlooked.  I'm someone who specifically avoids criticizing television shows that I enjoy because, if I really love the show, then I invariably buy into it full steam ahead.  I believe in the writers' abilities and the creators' vision and want to see where both will ultimately take the show.  It's why I loved everything about LOST, Fringe, Firefly, hell--even Dawson's Creek back in the day!  So for ME to be bothered by something says (at least to me) that it was pretty egregious.

Enter Andrea's death.  Ordinarily, I won't question the decision to kill off a main character even if the reason isn't made immediately apparent.  Shane's death served its purpose and was hinted at for the better part of two seasons.  Even Sophia's death--arguably the worst, most boring build up ever--was shocking in a way (most likely the way it was ultimately revealed) and, again, it served a higher purpose.  Ditto for Dale's--a point that became even more salient in light of Carl's behavior last night.  He must be rolling in his grave at the lack of humanity in that boy.

Did Andrea deserve to die?  Honestly, I'd say that she didn't.  It's not so much about her noble intentions as it is the fact that, as a major character, she really wasn't all that major (like Shane).  If the writers were trying to tug at the heartstrings of the viewers (like with Sophia/Carol) then they failed miserably AND served to provide overkill since they managed to do so perfectly with the Merle/Daryl scene the week prior.  And if her death was meant to be symbolic like Dale's then it fell a little short because I feel like the message was diluted and it didn't need her passing to be expressed; David Morrissey's acting and the way The Governor treated "his own people" sent a FAR more powerful message about the state of humanity in the post-apocalyptic world the characters inhabit than Andrea's "all I wanted to do was help people" parting speech.

But it's not even so much about the fact that Andrea died as it is about the way she did.  This is where I call bullshit on the writers.  This girl was one of the most prolific, efficient walker dispatchers on the show!  Look at what she did in the forest with Milton when the pair encountered Tyreese for the first time.  Ditto for how she handled herself during countless encounters after the farm and, hell, the fact that she even survived the herd attack in the first place!

See--that's where I have a problem.  You have a character survive that many close-calls and overcome seemingly impossible odds and then she dies in a room with one walker while she's armed!?  It's such a waste of a strong character.  She should've gone down in a flurry of bullets or in hand-to-hand combat with The Governor.  Instead, she's left alone with zombie Milton (fucking MILTON!) and we're supposed to believe that he managed to get close enough to her to cause that much damage?

Maybe Andrea was too busy trying to engage him in conversation that she failed to realize he was gnawing on her shoulder.

That brings us to bullshit point number two: how long it took her to get out of the chair.  This is arguably the worst part of her death--the fact that she was unable to extricate herself quickly enough to avoid her fate.  First of all, she stopped trying to pick up the pliers every time Milton spoke to her.  Uh--HELLO!  MULTITASK, DUMBASS!  Move them feet while you move those lips!  Secondly, she went about freeing herself with ZERO urgency.  ZERO!  You have Milton fighting to hold on long enough for her to escape--knowing full well that he's going to turn and will have no control over his actions--and she's dawdling, twiddling her twat between her thumbs while she's shooting the shit with the suddenly tragic hero.  Give me a break!  She should've been TEARING ASS to get out of that chair.  And how long did it take Milton to turn!?  If it was like an hour then, really?  She couldn't get out in THAT much time?  If it was only a few minutes (as it appeared to be), then why the hell are people turning so quickly!?  I know it's varied in terms of how long it takes but come on!

Finally, the bullshit factor reaches its apex here: Glenn survived while Andrea didn't.  I'm not knocking Glenn--he's one of my favorite characters on the show (in the comics he's a bit soft)--but who's killed more walkers?  Andrea by a mile.  Glenn's clearly got balls of steel with all of the runs he went on (and the fact that he stole a farmer's daughter right out from under the old man's nose!) but he admitted that his motivation for taking those chances wasn't so much bravery as it was an indifference towards death (at least until he met Ma-gaggie).  Andrea also suffered from post-apocalyptic ennui but hers was really more straight up PTSD.  HER courage came after she overcame her ambivalence towards life.  She didn't care whether she lived or died after what happened to her sister but eventually she found something to live for (or at least something to avoid dying for).  It was after that that she became a walker killing machine.

Glenn survived being beaten by Merle and then having a ravenous walker turned loose in the room while he was duct taped to a chair!  He not only survived but he absolutely demolished the biter BEFORE freeing himself completely!  Andrea had ample time to unshackle herself AND THEN DID while zombie Milton was still shambling across the room!  Seriously!?  SERIOUSLY!?  I'm supposed to buy Andrea slipping up in that moment?  Give me a break! 

Andrea's death was easily the worst, most unnecessary of the entire series.  For all that she went through, she deserved a better end than she got.

WHERE'S WALDO? THE INCREDIBLE PAPER CHASE (BOOK 7) LOCATIONS FOR WALDO, HIS FRIENDS, AND THEIR THINGS

This blog entry will catalogue the locations of the following persons and things in Book # 7 of the American re-released Waldo books called "WHERE'S WALDO? THE INCREDIBLE PAPER CHASE" It is the book seen here:
http://www.amazon.com/Wheres-Waldo-Incredible-Paper-Chase/dp/076364725X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1362696110&sr=8-1&keywords=the+incredible+paper+chase


The format will be to list the page, its descriptor, and then each of the following with their respective locations:

WALDO
WENDA
ODLAW
WIZARD WHITEBEARD (WIZARD)
WOOF
SCROLL
BONE
KEY
CAMERA
BINOCULARS
PAPER


Directions are as accurate as possible but please allow some leeway when it comes to the cardinal direction that you will be following. In other words, WNW might actually be NNW if you were following it exactly; the directions were my best guesses without actually using a compass.

Please note the following legend that will be used in this entry:

BLURB (refers to the Paper that appears on the upper-left corner of every left page)
N, S, E, W (refer to North, South, East, West)
LLC/LRC (refer to Lower Left Corner and Lower Right Corner)
ULC/URC (refer to Upper Left Corner and Upper Right Corner)
LPG (left page)
RPG or RTPG (right page)
BCE/TCE (refer to Bottom Center Edge or Top Center Edge of page. Go along the respective edge to the middle of the page.)
Crease (the crease that separates the left and right pages)


And if you happen to be interested in supernatural thrillers and speculative fiction please check out my official website here: http://www.matthewjohnbenecke.com/. You can find my debut novels, The Lion in the Desert and The Walking Ghosts on Amazon.com at the following links:

The Lion In The Desert

The Walking Ghosts

PAGES 1&2 – HI WALDO-WATCHERS

WALDO                      3.75in ESE of URC of BLURB

WENDA                      4.75in NNE of BINOCULARS

ODLAW                      5.5in SW of WIZARD (right of tower)

WIZARD                     2in SW of WOOF

WOOF                        2in W of RCE of RPG (left of round tower)

SCROLL                     1.25in NNW of WENDA

BONE                         0.5in SSW of WOOF

KEY                            5.25in N of WOOF (on round table)

CAMERA                    2.75in W of WOOF

BINOCULARS           1.5in N of BCE of LPG

PAPER                        1.75in NW of ODLAW (atop tower stone)

PAGES 3&4 – THE JURASSIC GAMES

WALDO                      5.5in N of BONE

WENDA                      2.25in NE of CREASE BOTTOM

ODLAW                      3.5in E, slightly S of LRC of BLURB

WIZARD                     2.75in N, 0.5in E of LLC of LPG

WOOF                        3.5in W, 0.5in N of BONE

SCROLL                     1.25in SSE of WENDA

BONE                         4.5in NNW of LRC of RPG

KEY                            1.5in SSE of BONE (hard to spot)

CAMERA                    2in E, slightly N of LLC of LPG

BINOCULARS           2.5in SE of LLC of BLURB

PAPER                        2in ENE of CAMERA (on yellow dinosaur’s back)

PAGES 5&6 – PICTURE THIS

WALDO                      7.5in W of WIZARD

WENDA                      0.5in SW of KEY

ODLAW                      0.5in SW of LLC of BLURB

WIZARD                     2.75in WNW of RCE OF RPG

WOOF                        2in E of WALDO

SCROLL                     4in NNE of CREASE CENTER

BONE                         1.25in S of WALDO

KEY                            2.5in SSW of WIZARD

CAMERA                    2in NE of LLC of LPG

BINOCULARS           1.75in ESE of SCROLL

PAPER                        0.5in S of WIZARD

PAGE 7 – THE GREAT RETREAT

WALDO                      1.5in WSW of URC of PG

WENDA                      4in NE of WOOF

ODLAW                      1in SSW of BONE

WIZARD                     0.5in NNW of LRC of PGf

WOOF                        1in E, slightly N of SCROLL

SCROLL                     2in NNE of LLC of PG

BONE                         2.25in SSW of WALDO

KEY                            2.5in ENE of WOOF

CAMERA                    1.75in NNW of LRC of PG

BINOCULARS           2.5in W of RCE of PG (right of the monster’s spikes)

PAPER                        0.75in ESE of ODLAW

PAGE 8 – WHAT A DOG FIGHT!

WALDO                      2.25in ENE of SCROLL

WENDA                      2in E of ODLAW

ODLAW                      2.5in N of WIZARD’S STAFF

WIZARD                     2in ENE of KEY

WOOF                        1.25in E of WIZARD’S STAFF

SCROLL                     5.5in N, 0.75in E of LLC of PG

BONE                         1.25in SSW of CAMERA

KEY                            1.5in ESE of SCROLL

CAMERA                    2.5in WNW of RCE of PG

BINOCULARS           1.5in S of PAPER

PAPER                        1in SSW of URC of PG

PAGES 9&10 – THE BEAT OF THE DRUMS

WALDO                      4in SSE of SCROLL

WENDA                      2.25 ESE of WOOF

ODLAW                      1.75in ENE of BINOCULARS

WIZARD                     3in ENE of ODLAW

WOOF                        1.5in ESE of WIZARD

SCROLL                     1.5in SSW of LLC of BLURB

BONE                         2.75in W, 0.5in S of URC of RPG

KEY                            2.5in SSE of BONE

CAMERA                    1.25in NNE of CREASE BOTTOM

BINOCULARS           1.25in ENE of LRC of BLURB

PAPER                        1in NE of BCE of LPG

PAGES 11&12 – THE GREAT ESCAPE

WALDO                      1.5in NE of CREASE CENTER

WENDA                      4.25in ESE of WALDO

ODLAW                      3in NW of WALDO

WIZARD                     2.75in NE of WALDO

WOOF                        1.5in S of LLC of BLURB

SCROLL                     2in S, slightly W of WOOF

BONE                         2in N of BCE of LPG

KEY                            1.5in WNW of RCE of RPG (NNW of yellow balloon being popped)

CAMERA                    3.25in E of WIZARD (on hedge)

BINOCULARS           3.5in W, 0.75in S of URC of RPG

PAPER                        2in NW of BCE of RPG

PAGES 13&14 – THE ENORMOUS PARTY

WALDO                      4.5in NNE of CREASE BOTTOM

WENDA                      5.5in ENE of WALDO

ODLAW                      2.5in S, slightly E of LLC of BLURB

WIZARD                     4.5in NNW of WENDA

WOOF                        1.25in NE of BONE

SCROLL                     2.5in N of BCE of LPG

BONE                         0.25in NW of CAMERA

KEY                            1in S of PAPER

CAMERA                    3.25in WNW of WALDO

BINOCULARS           1.5in NE of SCROLL

PAPER                        2.25in W of WALDO’S HEAD

WHERE'S WALDO? THE GREAT PICTURE HUNT! (BOOK 6) LOCATIONS FOR WALDO, HIS FRIENDS, AND THEIR THINGS

This blog entry will catalogue the locations of the following persons and things in Book # 6 of the American re-released Waldo books called "WHERE'S WALDO? THE GREAT PICTURE HUNT!" It is the book seen here:
http://www.amazon.com/Wheres-Waldo-Great-Picture-Hunt/dp/0763642150/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1362633962&sr=1-3&keywords=the+great+picture+hunt


The format will be to list the page, its descriptor, and then each of the following with their respective locations:

WALDO
WENDA
ODLAW
WIZARD WHITEBEARD (WIZARD)
WOOF
SCROLL
BONE
KEY
CAMERA
BINOCULARS


Directions are as accurate as possible but please allow some leeway when it comes to the cardinal direction that you will be following. In other words, WNW might actually be NNW if you were following it exactly; the directions were my best guesses without actually using a compass.

Please note the following legend that will be used in this entry:

BLURB (refers to the Text that appears on the upper-left corner of every left page)
N, S, E, W (refer to North, South, East, West)
LLC/LRC (refer to Lower Left Corner and Lower Right Corner)
ULC/URC (refer to Upper Left Corner and Upper Right Corner)
LPG (left page)
RPG or RTPG (right page)
BCE/TCE (refer to Bottom Center Edge or Top Center Edge of page. Go along the respective edge to the middle of the page.)
Crease (the crease that separates the left and right pages)


If you have any questions about the location of a particular character/item or if you found this to be a useful resource, please drop a comment and let me know!

And if you happen to be interested in supernatural thrillers and speculative fiction please check out my official website here: http://www.matthewjohnbenecke.com/. You can find my debut novels, The Lion in the Desert and The Walking Ghosts on Amazon.com at the following links:

The Lion In The Desert

The Walking Ghosts

EXHIBIT 1 – ODLAW’S PICTURE PANDEMONIUM

WALDO                     3.5in E of CAMERA

WENDA                     1.5in NW of BCE of RPG

ODLAW                     5in ENE of WENDA

WIZARD                    1.25in E, 3.5in N of LLC of LPG

WOOF                         4.5in ENE of WIZARD

SCROLL                    3.5in E of WALDO

BONE                         2.25in SE of WIZARD

KEY                            3in ESE of BONE

CAMERA                   2.25in ENE of WOOF (on ledge)

BINOCULARS          3in W of BONE

EXHIBIT 2 – A SPORTING LIFE

WALDO                     2.5in ENE of BCE of LPG

WENDA                     1.75in NE of CAMERA

ODLAW                     2.5in N of SCROLL

WIZARD                    5in N of BINOCULARS

WOOF                        1.5in WNW of WIZARD

SCROLL                    2.5in NW of WALDO

BONE                         2.5in ENE of BINOCULARS

KEY                            1.5in NE of SCROLL

CAMERA                   1in NE of RCE of BLURB CIRCLE

BINOCULARS          2in NNW of BCE of RPG

EXHIBITS 3 & 4 – BROWN SAILORS & GREEN SCALERS

WALDO                     0.5in SW of SCROLL

WENDA                     1in NW of CAMERA

ODLAW                     3.5in NE of WOOF (near edge of picture)

WIZARD                    3.5in NNW of ODLAW

WOOF                        0.5in NE of BCE of LPG

SCROLL                    3in N, slightly W of WOOF

BONE                         1.25in SW of ODLAW (partially obscured)

KEY                            2.5in W, slightly S of WOOF

CAMERA                   2.25in NNE of LLC of LPG

BINOCULARS          2in NE of CAMERA

EXHIBIT 5 – THE PINK PARADISE PARTY

WALDO                     3in NW of SCROLL

WENDA                     1.5in NNW of KEY

ODLAW                     0.75in NW of LLC of BLURB

WIZARD                    1in SSW of LRC of BLURB

WOOF                        0.5in ENE of CREASE BOTTOM

SCROLL                    3in E, 0.5in N of LLC of LPG

BONE                         5.25in NNW of LRC of RPG (near yellow dress)

KEY                            2.75in NW of BONE

CAMERA                   2in NE of SCROLL

BINOCULARS          2.25in N, slightly W of WENDA

EXHIBIT 6 – OLD FRIENDS

WALDO                     3.25in NNE of SCROLL

WENDA                     1.25in SSE of WALDO

ODLAW                     2.25in N, 0.75in E of LLC of LPG

WIZARD                    1in NNW of LLC of BLURB

WOOF                        1.5in N of ODLAW

SCROLL                    5in ENE of ODLAW

BONE                         0.75in S, slightly E of WIZARD

KEY                            1in NNE of WENDA

CAMERA                   1.25in NNE of WOOF

BINOCULARS          2.5in W of SCROLL

EXHIBIT 7 – OLD FRIENDS AGAIN

WALDO                     2in NE of LLC

WENDA                     1.5in E of WALDO

ODLAW                     1.5in NNW of CAMERA (only hat visible)

WIZARD                    1in W of ODLAW (only hat visible)

WOOF                        LRC of RPG

SCROLL                    1.5in E of BINOCULARS

BONE                         2in E of SCROLL (partially obscured)

KEY                            1in E of CAMERA

CAMERA                   1.5in W of WOOF

BINOCULARS          1.5in SSW of WALDO

EXHIBIT 8 – THE MONSTER MASTERPIECE

WALDO                     3.25in SSW of URC of RPG

WENDA                     1.25in E of LCE of LPG

ODLAW                     5in E of BONE

WIZARD                    2.5in ESE of URC of BLURB

WOOF                        3.5in N, 1.5in W of CREASE BOTTOM

SCROLL                    4.5in N, slightly W of BCE of RPG

BONE                         1.25in SE of LRC of BLURB

KEY                            2.25in NW of LRC of RPG (between soldier’s legs)

CAMERA                   1.5in NNW of ODLAW

BINOCULARS          3.25in SW of BONE

EXHIBITS 9 & 10 – WALDOWORLD

WALDO                     SW of end of WIZARD’s BEARD (2.25in SE of BONE)

WENDA                     2in S, 1in W of BONE

ODLAW                     1in W of RCE

WIZARD                    1.5in SW of ODLAW

WOOF                        1in SSE of URC of BLURB

SCROLL                    0.75in SSE of WOOF

BONE                         2.75in E, slightly S of KEY

KEY                            2.5in S, slightly E of LLC of BLURB

CAMERA                   E of ODLAW’S FEET

BINOCULARS          2in E, slightly N of SCROLL

EXHIBIT 11 – PIRATE PANORAMA

WALDO                     3.5in SW of BINOCULARS

WENDA                     1in WNW of BINOCULARS

ODLAW                     2.25in E of BINOCULARS

WIZARD                    3in ENE of WOOF

WOOF                        5in E, slightly S of BINOCULARS

SCROLL                    4in SE of KEY (on front of boat)

BONE                         7in E, slightly S of SCROLL (with fish in boat)

KEY                            3.25in S, 0.5in E of BINOCULARS

CAMERA                   2in E, slightly S of WIZARD

BINOCULARS          3in SSW of LRC of BLURB

EXHIBIT 12 – THE GREAT PORTRAIT EXHIBITION

WALDO                     1.75in E, slightly N of BONE

WENDA                     2.25in N, slightly E of WOOF

ODLAW                     4.25in NE of LLC of LPG (peeking out from behind horse painting)

WIZARD                    2in W, slightly N of KEY

WOOF                        1.5in NW of LRC of RPG

SCROLL                    1in WNW of CREASE BOTTOM

BONE                         1in NE of CREASE CENTER (under elbow of woman in red shirt)

KEY                            6in E, slightly N of WALDO

CAMERA                   3in NNW of BONE

BINOCULARS          3.25in SSE of BONE