Best TV series . . . EVER!

Are you suffering from post-Sopranos syndrome? Where everything on the telly just look distinctly second rate after the finishing the ground-breaking HBO series. Yup, me suffered fer long periods where everything from Lost to Heroes just didn't measure up to the snappy dialogue & fantastic character development of Tony Soprano & gang.

But fear not. Hope is on the horizon as the GREATEST SERIES in living memory is about to start its run on Astro's Cinemax. Ladies & gents, The Wire is about to begin here.

Set in the city of Baltimore, this is no ordinary cop & robbers show. Written by an ex-cop & a former newspaperman, it seeks to delve deeper into the problems that beset inner city ghettos. First season examines the drug endemic & what drives it.

In five seasons, The Wire explores the murky issues of corrupt politicians, a police force bogged down by bureaucracy & budget limitations, an education system which churns out drug dealers and a sensationalist media.

It is hard to describe just how utterly fantastic this series is. Suffice to say, wifey & me were fooking hooked & fer a good two months with nothing but episodes of The Wire flashed on our telly only to be interrupted by occasional bouts of live footie.

The violence is hard hitting & bone chillingly real with every ten year old street corner punk ever ready to pop that proverbial cap in yer ass. All characters are allowed the space & time to breathe. How often can you say that in a series where you actually empathise with the bad guys? President Obama who began his political career in Baltimore was quoted as saying his fave character was Omar - a gay, shotgun-totting robber-cum-assassin! Beat that!

Me canna recommends this enough & feels that if ever there was a reason to part with RM200 of yer hard earned cash, the five seasons of The Wire on DVD box sets is it.



Absolutely & utterly essential viewing! Small screen entertainment at its fooking apex.

ps: Any TV series that has a killer Tom Waits tune as its theme canna be all bad, can it? Check out the intro to the series below . . .

Those who live by the sword . . .

A pix is woth a thousand words. And it would appear some fookers are just too fooking thick to learn. Despite the damage done by his keris-waving prior to Mar8, this fool is up to his usual tricks.

But hey, who is me to complain as this plays straight into the hands of the Opposition.

And fer those who think Hishamuddin's rethoric is bigoted, wait till that Mutha of all MFs, Khor Fooking Toyo is installed as the new Youth Chief. Then we will really see UMNO live up to its Nazi credentials.

But suffice to say, those who live by the sword, shall die by the sword . . .

ps: This is a good read: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/opinion/liew-chin-tong/21268-the-analogy-of-1970

pps: Latest analysis: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/malaysia/21350-khairy-win-defies-change-agenda

Lighters Aloft! (Scorpions: Gold Ballads)

Don't fooking deny it. Whether yer a death metaller, thrasher, black metal face painter or even dyed-in-da-wool poonk rawker, chances are some point in yer misguided adolescence you have held that lighter aloft whilst proudly belting out one of dem Kraut rockers famous ballads.

Don't quite know what came over me but as me was pondering what musical morsel me should post here fer the weekend, strains of Always Somewhere started playing in me brain's jukebox.

If yer too cynical to enjoy a bit of rock jiwang, then you've lost a slice of yer soul me friend . . . Enjoy yer weekend!

To download Scorpions Gold Ballads (1985), please click here:
http://rapidshare.com/files/176199554/Scorpions_1985_Gold_Ballads_By_Ederson_.rar

ps: You gotta love the album sleeves (with the exception of the child pornography that was Virgin Killers).

pps: This posting is dedicated to the older dudes (Mozzer, Kerpov, Rajan, Premo et al) & me'd love to hear yer fave memories of listening to the Scorps. Please leave yer tear-stained nostalgic posts in comments box.

ppps: Below is the vid fer youngsters unfamiliar with the joys of Krautrock . . .

Who Watches the Watchmen? You Should!

Me remembers being admonished some time ago fer being infantile & still indulging in comics at me age. The person doing the admonishing is obviously oblivious to the works of the great Alan Moore (V for Vendetta, League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, From Hell etc) & like many others look down on this art form as something unworthy of their intellectual prowess (ie intellectual snobbery).

All me can say to such people, "Yer fooking loss". In case you hadn't cottoned on, the film adaptation of Watchmen is showing now. Me urges you to take some time to watch this epic three-hour tale of superheroes gone bad as it is truly a remarkable piece of celluloid.

You may come across a number of negative reviews of the film but make no mistake, this is a splendid film as director Zack Synder (of 300 fame) has remained faithful to the source material. Speaking of which, Watchmen is largely considered by many fans & critics as the dawn of a new age in comicdom. The 'graphic novel' had arrived & this was where the serious, dark, nihilistic shit happens (fer other classic examples see Grant Morrison's Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth & Frank Miller's Sin City).

Now, me'll be the first to admit that me is no geeky ultra-obsessive when it comes to comics. They were too expensive to follow as a kid & graphic novels still burn a fooking large hole in the wallet today. But me has the good fortune of being married to a wifey who fastidiously saves her pennies to buy the cream of the crop. Thanks to her good taste, me has had the privilege to read the above mentioned titles in the Moore cannon & many others to boot.

The story is set in the cold war era in the mid-80s & in this alternate reality, superheroes are amongst us & non-govt sanctioned vigilantes have been outlawed. Nixon is still president & the Yanks have triumphed in Vietnam thanks to the Watchmen's help. The film is suitably dark & sinister with extra lashings of graphic violence & sex scenes to remove it from yer typical mass-market superhero movie (such as The Fantastic Four & Spiderman).

Movie starts with the murder of The Comedian & sets in motion the chain of events that sees a plot to bring nuclear annihilation even closer to the doorsteps of mankind. Although the film clocks in at a massive 160-plus minutes, it still is unable to pack in every detail of the book. Still it gives plenty of perspective & background on the character's past as well as staying faithful to the book's original flashback narrative.

Without giving too much away, Watchmen is a brave attempt by Hollywood to give life to one of the genre's most illuminating works. It explores the dark psyche of the masked vigilante (Rorscach's unyielding quest fer justice), the consequences of power without control (the God-like powers of Dr Manhattan set against nuclear destruction) as well as some seminal moments in human history (identity of JFK's assassin is revealed).

A recurring theme in the book/movie is the tag line 'Who watches the Watchmen?' as people demonstrate against the unfettered powers afforded these hooded crime fighters. Well, all me can say is you should. This movie is destined to be a cult-classic. Even Moore who has distanced himself from all movie adaptations of his works concedes that this script probably bears closets resemblance to his original story.

Whether yer a comic fan or not, whether you go to the cinema or get it from yer friendly local DVD emporium, please do watch this film. Visually spectacular, thought-provoking & downright entertaining. What more can you ask fer?



ps: Look forward to reading yer comments on the film.

pps: You can get the graphic novel at Kino Kuniya, Borders & all good comic stores.

Murder, Mayhem & Arson

Below is a documentary entitled 'Once Upon A Time in Norway' which details the rise of the black metal scene in that particularly dark & dank corner of Scandinavia. What's fascinating about this docu is you get to hear the major players from the scene (the infamous 'Inner Circle') recall the events leading up to the church burnings, suicide of Mayhem lead singer & ultimately, the brutal murder of Euronymous by Vaarg Vikness, with candour & the benefit of hindsight & maturity.

Me knows this is a seven parter & almost an hour long but fer fans of extreme music, this documentary is fooking compulsory viewing.

Enjoy yer weekend!

In the beginning . . . (Bathory: Blood, Fire, Death)

Some older longhairs will argue that the genesis of black metal started with Venom. Others claim that it was the Mighty Frost that first blew the dark sounds of hell onto vinyl. Records which in turn found its way onto stereos of pimply-faced teenage sons-of-satans' everywhere.

Whether its Burzum or Mayhem that you align yerself with, the album above is quite possibly ground fooking zero as far as black metal is concerned. With due respect to both the aforementioned Venom & Celtic Frost, this album is where legions of face painters first got inspired to take the already heavy sub-genre of death metal a couple of notches down the Hades elevator.

The driving force behind Bathory has long left this mortal coil but his musical legacy lives on. Me knows there are plenty of times me sez this is absolutely essential & yes, Blood Fire Death is certainly one album that every self-respecting metalhead must have. Wajip brudder! Despite being released over two decades ago, this album still has the ability to set yer cranium on auto whiplash mode with its the buzzsaw guitars, screeching vocals & Nordic mythology.

Raw & primitive it may sound to some more polished ears but trust me, Bathory were light years ahead of its time. To download Bathory's Blood Fire Death (1988), please click here: http://rapidshare.com/files/47221059/0508.zip

Fer a sample of what Bathory sound like, check out this vid.

No way in hell?

Got an excited sms early this morning from our metal correspondent in the outer limits of Gopeng - Tuan Anba. Apparently, extreme metal act Rotting Christ have announced their 2009 tour & we are part of the itinerary!!! Its even confirmed on the band's official website (http://www.rotting-christ.com/tour.php).

But me is telling Anba there's no way in hell (excuse the pun) that the authorities will allow these longhairs to play a show. The moniker alone is enough to cause offence. Anyways, the gig is scheduled fer 5 May, 2009 @ Melawati Stadium, Shah Alam.

So in the meantime, you can busy yerself by downloading some of their LPs. You can find most of their discography here: http://lordmessiah.wordpress.com/2007/12/21/rotting-christ-greece/ .

Fer a sample of these Greek black metallers, watch this vid:


ps: Apologies to any of me Christian friends who are offended by this posting.

pps: Let's just say fer whatever perverse reason, the gig is allowed to happen, anyone going? Me is definitely on fer this!