Posts tagged state of the union

State of The Union - Comics Edition

The recently deceased Harvey Pekar famously (well, famously in comic circles) said, “Comics are just words and pictures. You can do anything with words and pictures.” That little bit of truth is one of the reasons why now, decades after my grandmother assured me I would one day outgrow them, I still love comics. While technology is finally starting to catch up with imagination, it’s still relatively expensive. If you’ve got the talent, though, a pencil, some paper, and access to a photocopier, you can tell any story you want, budget be damned. Comics are pirate radio.

I like all kinds of comics. I grew up reading Marvel and DC super hero comics. On the rare occassion that I’d find a comic from another company they always seemed strange to me; alien; unsettling. They even smelled weird. It was the differences in ink or paper, I’m sure. Or I was just imagining it. Whatever it was, it’s the kind of thing I love nowadays. I still like the good old Marvel/DC stuff, but there’s nothing I like more than finding something new and weird on the comic rack that I’ve never seen before.

I miss old spinner racks. There used to be nothing better than spending a half an hour crouched down in front of a magazine stand or leaning next to a spinner rack for a half an hour reading comic while my mom grocery shopped. You don’t really find comic in grocery stores anymore. That’s a tragedy for the industry and for kids as far as I’m concerned.

I love the way comic properties are represented in television and movies these days, even though I give a lot of it a pass on a regular basis. I would have given an eye as a kid to have an Avengers cartoon to watch. It can’t really hold my interest these days, but I like that it’s there for kids. I also like that there’s a Batman cartoon called The Brave and The Bold that seems hell bent on committing every obscure DC character ever to celluloid - or whatever TV show are made of these days.

It’s weird that everybody and their mother knows who Iron Man is now.

One of the best comics I’ve read in years is about a federal agent on an Indian Reservation. One of the other best comics I’ve read in years was about Superman arm wrestling Samson and Atlas at the same time. Comics have range

Comics are disposable entertainment. There are some I want to keep forever, but when I’m done with most of them, they get sold, trashed, or donated. I’m always scared to donate them, though, because lots of them have adult content, but adults will buy them for kids without ever looking at them because, you know, comics are for kids…

I go to the comic book store every Wednesday when the new books come out. I can only think of one week ever where I couldn’t find something to buy. My guess is I’ll probably go every Wednesday until I can’t anymore.

State of The Union: Music Edition

I like modern folk. I like music that’s inspired by bluegrass and old school country music. I like acoustic guitars, banjos, upright bass, and bass drums. I like what happens when formerly folky bands go electric and start exploring different spaces. I like a few songs and bands coming out of the current electronic/synth movement, but in general it’s not my thing. I like disposable pop songs in addition to classics that will never die - but only a few of both.

I like funk, I like soul. I like comebacks. I like old live albums by James Brown and Ike and Tina Turner. I like that sometimes an album sits in my iTunes for a year and suddenly I discover it for the first time. I like that sometimes you outgrow a band and sometimes a band outgrows you.

I like bands that work hard on stage. I like going to concerts, but I don’t usually like other people who go to concerts. I like bands that create a good vibe in a room and causes everybody to love each other. I don’t mind getting bumped by your elbow while you’re dancing, but if you keep doing it I’m going to push you down a flight of stairs.

I like local bands and I like following bands that not everybody knows about - but sometimes that turns you into a music elitist - which is silly because elitists are just people who listen to whatever Pitchfork tells them to. So like what you like and don’t turn your nose up at other people’s taste - unless you have a friend that goes to every Dave Matthews concert ever, in which case, you can tease him about it in a good natured way that says, “I’m making fun of you, but I know in a few years one of my favorite bands will be the new Dave Matthews and I’ll have some hard decisions to make.”

I like slow builds, and swells, and crescendos. I like crunchy guitars. I like bands that jam but aren’t jam bands. I hate endless noodling.

I hate rock stars but I love rock bands.

Lyrics are important. The only people who say they don’t listen to lyrics are kids who don’t want their parents to take away their rap albums. I like songs about redemption, forgiveness, and reclaiming your soul. Oddly enough, in spite of this, I don’t really like Christian music. I also like songs about girls that might not have been written about your girl but that you can pretend are about your girl.

I like songs with occasional screaming and/or talking in the background.

That’s the state of the union, music edition, for Patrick Drury, 37 years in.