RETRIBUTION

I had totally forgotten about this video until earlier tonight, because I think I only saw it once. I have a DVD copy and all the raw footage, but never actually sat down and watched what Martin and his co-producers put together.

Let me tell you a little bit about it.

I was in a band called Cherem for about seven years, from late 2000 until I quit in the fall of 2007. We made two albums a couple compilations and toured a fair amount. It was a lot of fun but a lot of work. Martin used to live in Salt Lake City and moved to LA to go to film school. He heard we were coming through town on tour and told us he wanted to make a music video as a project for one of his classes. He told us that it wouldn't cost us anything and that all we had to do was show up. We gave ourselves a day off in the middle of a quick week-long tour through California and met up with him after we played at Chain Reaction in Anaheim.

On a side note, I have an entire separate blog dedicated to Cherem/band tour stories that I've updated exactly once this year. The problem is that I'm trying to go in chronological order, but haven't had time to fill in the blank spots. I have a word document with about 45,000 words in it and a lot of it is the later shows that I wrote about while gone instead of retroactively. My New Year's Resolution (I just decided this, and it may have been my resolution for 2010 also, but that's in the past) is to get a good chunk of that updated and finished. I don't think anyone else really cares, but it'll be fun for me to look back over years down the road.

Now, back on track, here's a few things I remember about the day we shot this video.

- I remember saying that I didn't want this to look like every other hardcore video, but understood that wasn't entirely possible given their budget (which was $0 aside from the equipment rental). Unfortunately, we ended up with a pretty basic music video and the exact kind I didn't want. Can't complain too much though. It was fun to do and I'm stoked they did it for us.

- For a music video to work, the track needs to be played loud enough for everyone to mimic what was going on while still playing their hardest. This didn't quite work because they had forgotten to bring something to play the song through. One of the guys had to drive his car on to the soundstage and play his stereo at full volume, which still didn't work because Clint's drums were so loud.

- Everything looks stiff in a video, you have to over exaggerate every little thing as much as possible before it even looks remotely real. And that's hard to do when you're trying to play along to a track that you can't really hear. Also, we're all terrible actors.

- The soundstage was in a parking garage off either Sunset or Hollywood Boulevard and since we had to start at 8am, it was still a little cold. I have poor circulation anyway, so I kept my hoodie on while we played the song probably 10 times for them to film it from different angles and get close ups of each of us. At about 10:30, it started getting really hot, but we'd already filmed about three runs through the song, so I was fucked. If I took the hoodie off, the whole thing would just look strange, because the takes wouldn't match up. By the time we broke for lunch I was dying.

- We didn't really have a bass player at that time. We'd had a fill-in for the two shows, but he was from Redlands and went home after we played the Anaheim show. Luckily, our friend DP was in town staying with his girlfriend. We made him come with us and stand in as our bass player. Also luckily, they didn't use much of the live footage from the show in Salt Lake because we had someone else playing at that point and that didn't line up either.

All in all, it was a fun thing to do and another experience I can break out at boring family dinner parties where I inevitably end up telling stories to entertain people. Which happens quite often.

CINEMA 2010

If you haven't figured it out yet, I really like these.

MINOR THREAT - 30 YEARS LATER

Alternative Press has become pretty much a joke of a magazine, and I think it's the only magazine I'm more disappointed in some of the cover stories than Rolling Stone, but occasionally they do awesome things. Some of their "An Oral History Of.." series (in which they recount the history of a great band or album by interviewing the people that were actually there) are really great but for the most part the entire magazine has become, in my opinion, filler. Rarely do they ever have anything on any band I care about so it usually takes me all of three minutes to skim all the way through it.

But yesterday, they had a great article on the impact of Minor Threat's first show thirty years later. Minor Threat has always been one of my favorite bands and while they may not have had the biggest influence on me, they still had an enormous effect on my life.

The article is pretty good too—especially this paragraph: “The problem began when a police officer tried to come in, but the person at the door told him he had to have $3 or a warrant,” says MacKaye. “So he went away and came back with more cops. “[They] apparently had a new riot squat they were eager to demonstrate.” But by then, Minor Threat had already started blowing listeners away. “I think the arrival of an entire riot squad barely registered for half the people there compared to what was happening on the stage,” says Alec MacKaye.

I would love for someone to try that line on cops at a show these days. I don't think anyone would have the balls to do that now. I know I wouldn't.

Anyway, check out the rest of the article over on AltPress.com. Hopefully this pushes them in the direction to do more articles like this.

STAR WARS

One day I'll get to the epic STAR WARS influenced essay I've been mentally putting together for the last couple of months, but that day is not today. Instead, just look at more awesome posters that I'd love to have (if I had a place for them).

Olly Moss designed them and, like most everything else he does, they're amazing.

100K

I need to remember to thank Dan Fletcher for constantly reminding me of bands I forgot I loved.

12 THINGS YOU PROBABLY DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT HOME ALONE

HOME ALONE is on right now and of course I'm watching it. I remember seeing it in the theater with my family when it first came out and thought it was the funniest thing I'd ever seen (I was 10 couldn't watch R-rated movies and we didn't have cable, give me a break). It still has its moments, but I'm not sure where it ranks among the best holiday films of all time. I doubt it could even break into the top 25, but I still have a soft spot for it and you probably do, too. It's probably also the last good movie that John Hughes wrote. It was all downhill after that. Sad thing is that he knew his best days were behind him and continued to write bad movies (like DRILLBIT TAYLOR, MAID IN MANHATTAN and all the BEETHOVEN sequels) under a pseudonym, Edmond Dantes—the title character from The Count Of Monte Cristo.

Thinking back fondly on Hughes is why I was pretty excited when I found this post on Buzzfeed.com called '12 Things You Probably Didn't Know About HOME ALONE.' And since I enjoyed it, you must enjoy it, too. So here you go!

(P.S. My own thoughts on each one are in parentheses afterwards. Because I didn't want to be a simple cut and paste hack job. I'll leave that to other websites.)

1. The picture Kevin finds of Buzz's girlfriend was actually a picture of a boy made up to look like a girl because the director thought it would be too cruel to make fun of a girl like that. (I've always wondered about things like this. For example, on Married With Children, did they put on the casting sheet "Hey, we need fat women for Ed O'Neill to make fun of"?)

2. The role of Uncle Frank was written for Kelsey Grammer. (I think Kelsey Grammer should be in lots more stuff. Frasier was fantastic.)

3. There is a legend that Elvis Presley (who died in 1977) made a cameo in the movie. Many of those who believe that Elvis is still alive maintain that, the heavily bearded man standing in the background of the scene where Mrs. MacCallister is shouting at the desk clerk (just before she meets John Candy) is Elvis. (Seriously? That's a HUGE stretch.)


4. The issue of Playboy that Kevin finds in Buzz's room is from July 1989 with Erika Eleniak as Miss July. (A lot of these are things you didn't know because why on earth would you EVER need to know?)

5. The “evil furnace” in the basement was done by two guys with fishing line and flashlights.

6. Robert De Niro turned down the role of Harry. (That would have been awesome, because HOME ALONE opened just over two months after GOODFELLAS.)

7. Angels with Filthy Souls is a fictional gangster film and was made specifically for the film. There is also a sequel to the film, Angels with Even Filthier Souls, in the sequel. (I looked for this at the video store every time I went. No wonder I couldn't find it.)

8. The Talkboy was originally conceived as a non-working prop for Home Alone, used by Macaulay Culkin's character. In 1993 it was made into a retail version, brought on by a massive letter-writing campaign by young fans of the film. (Had one of these. It was a piece of shit. I couldn't fool anyone.)

9. John Candy filmed his part in only 1 day, albeit an extremely long 23-hour day. The story about having once forgotten his son at a funeral home was entirely improvised. His part is obviously inspired by the character he played in Planes, Trains & Automobiles. (I miss John Candy. A lot.)

10. In the scene where Harry bites Kevin's finger, Joe Pesci actually bit Macaulay Culkin, leaving a scar on his finger. (Even if Joe Pesci bit me today I'd still be scared of him. I couldn't imagine it as an 8-year-old.)

11. The concept for the movie originated during the filming of a scene in Uncle Buck when Macaulay Culkin interrogated a would-be-babysitter through a letterbox. (UNCLE BUCK is one of the best movies of the 1980s. Hands down. "You should see the toast!")

12. Daniel Stern agreed to have the tarantula put on his face for exactly one take. He had to mime screaming because the noise would have scared the spider, and the scream was dubbed in later. (He's a braver man than I am. Not a chance in hell would I do that.)

THE FIGHTER

I wish Christian Bale would make up his mind so that I can make up my mind.

It seems that every other movie I see him in he's either brilliant (THE MACHINIST) or he just mails it in and doesn't even try (TERMINATOR: SALVATION). But either way, he's dropped far off the list of actors I'll see a movie just based on their presence alone.

Which brings us to THE FIGHTER which I really loved. You put a gun to my head and told me to pick the ten best movies I've seen this year and this would be on the list. It may not crack the Top 5, but it's up there. It was a great story that was made even better by the performances and there wasn't a weak one in the bunch. That's usually the case when it comes to David O. Russell movies though. He likes to stack the deck in his favor (as every director should) to strengthen the picture. I've never bought in to directors that have such an enormous ego that they feel they can work with shitty actors and still make a great movie. Granted there are a few that can do that, but they're few and far between. But I'm getting away from the point here.

The bottom line is that Bale turns in a truly great performance and one that, after seeing the short interview with the real Dicky Ecklund, he nailed. Everyone else was top notch too, and for a story that could have been bogged down in far too much drama for its own good, Russell knows how to inject the perfect amount of humor into the situation.

And, let's be honest, who doesn't love hearing the princess from ENCHANTED cursing like a sailor. Amy Adams gets better with every movie (the ones that I see anyway, since I stay away from her bullshit romantic comedies) and she's just fun to watch onscreen. And Mark Wahlberg plays the Mark Wahlberg character in every movie but he does an excellent job with it.

One of my favorite things about the movie was that during the fight scenes, they used an old school TV look to add to the intensity. It made me remember the days when people actually cared about boxing as a sport and it wasn't being killed in huge chunks by MMA dorks and their Afflictions t-shirts.

Sorry. Getting off topic again. The bottom line is that you should see THE FIGHTER if only to watch Christian Bale jump out a window so his mom doesn't catch him at the crack house. Because that happened like three times throughout the movie and was funny every single time.

ALMOST THERE

So close, yet so far away.

BEST HOLIDAY FREAK-OUT

First up on A Very TrevorHale.com Holiday—how about a Christmas poll? We used to do these quite a bit over on the GCA and they were always pretty fun.

I watched both of these movies last Thursday—CHRISTMAS VACATION was shown for the awesome Cathedral Tattoo shop party and PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES was shown for the SLCFF HEFFE'FILM'IN series—and forgot how much I love both of them.

I tried to think of a few other holiday meltdowns/freakouts/rants, but couldn't. If you know of any drop them in and maybe I'll edit them in. But for now, it's going to be between these two. I'll keep the poll running until Christmas day (give or take). 

Contestant #1 - Clark W. Griswold - CHRISTMAS VACATION

Contestant #2 - Neal Page - PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES

A LITTLE HOLIDAY CHEER

I have no idea how to gauge the interest level in the Internet this week. I imagine the majority of people that browse this website (and other blogs) do so from work, and since Christmas isn't until next Saturday, I'm guessing that most people have to work until at least Thursday—maybe Wednesday if they're really lucky. Like I said, I have no idea because I've worked in restaurants my entire life. If that's the case, no work is really going to get done this week anyway because everyone is too excited for Christmas. That means that they'll need something to occupy their time with, and I'm happy to help.

On the other hand, a lot of people may be taking the week off and spending it with family. If that's the case, then I can guarantee that most of those people are going to sneak off and kill some time on the Internet because the family is driving them nuts.

Either way, it seemed like a good idea to have some new content up just in case.

And since it is Christmas week, I thought it might be fun to have some holiday themed posts. Only, these will probably a little different since, you know, the things I like may not always fall into the "traditional" category. While not everything posted this week is going to reflect the coming holiday, a lot of it will. So hopefully you all enjoy it. I'm trying to make your week a lot easier.

Copped this from Mike Mitchell's awesome Tumblr.

WEDNESDAY COMICS - 12/15/10

It was a slow one this week, so I grabbed a trade, too. I'm in the middle of the tenth Walking Dead trade so I probably won't get around to the Northlanders book for a week or so. I'll let you know how it is, though. Don't worry.

Green Lantern #60

Northlanders: The Plague Widow

SONS (AND DAUGHTERS) OF DEADWOOD

The best part about SONS OF ANARCHY? Seeing all the people that used to be on DEADWOOD show up for either bit parts or huge roles.

Nearly all of these people (and a lot more from DEADWOOD) showed up on LOST, too.

Jimmy O'Phelan/Silas Adams

Wayne Unser/Charlie Utter

Trixie/Maureen Ashby

Ally Lowen (Club's lawyer)/Calamity Jane

SOA

Finally got around to the season finale of SONS OF ANARCHY. This is the first time I've been able to, more or less, watch it as it's been on. Season 1 I missed completely and Season 2 I missed a few episodes and had to catch up on DVD. But I kept up with this season because I figured something huge had to happen at some point.

And while it did happen and the last 15 minutes of Season 3 was some of the best the show has ever been, it took them FOREVER to get to it.

Look, I love the show and I'll stand by it each and every year, but it gets a little harder each time. The plot holes get bigger and bigger each episode and the fact that the writers know the audience is willing to suspend their disbelief in huge chunks is a little discouraging. Still, I couldn't help but be thrilled with the way things ended.

I'm going to spoil some stuff here, so if you haven't watched any of this season yet, skip the rest. These are my quick thoughts on everything from Season 3.

- Glad to see Opie (arguably my favorite character on the show next to Chibbs) win a couple rounds. As much as I hated that Stahl turned into more of a ridiculous cartoon villain over the last few episodes, I always liked that Opie was the only one she ever showed genuine fear around.

- I like Kozik and was bummed he never made it in. The fact that it was all over a dog that he and Tig shared or something was funny, but ultimately a let down.

- It took way too long to get to Ireland and they were there for far too long.

- The long con of the last episode was handled fantastically, but again, here's where a huge number of gaping plot holes come in. If you really think about it, the whole thing falls apart. That aside, I was thrilled that the club accomplished everything it tried and got everything they wanted and that Season 4 kind of starts with a clean slate.

- Does anyone else think that they're just giving up on the 'Tom Arnold killed Luann' and 'Zobelle is Still  Out There' plot threads? I'd say yes, but Adam Arkin (who played Zobelle) directed an episode of the show this year, so he's obviously still tight with Kurt Sutter. Maybe he makes a comeback next year.

- Next year, does Jax actually figure out that Clay and Gemma killed John Teller or do we just have to keep having it hinted at in the most heavy handed way possible? The whole show is a Hamlet riff through and through, so when are they going to split the kingdom and see what side of the line the members fall on? I imagine they're saving that for the last season they ever do, because it will make a fantastic series finale, but I'm hoping they get to that before the show starts going downhill.

- Are we going to see the club in jail at the beginning of next season or do we pick up just as they're getting out and having to readjust to the new makeshift charter that's taken over for them temporarily while Mayor Hale continues to be a thorn in their side?

- All that said, the finale made up for me feeling lukewarm on the entire season up until that final twenty minutes.

Looking forward to Season 4.

WHAT VEGANS EAT

My good friend Colby started a blog called What Vegans Eat. He describes it as, "What Vegans Eat is a collaborative photo response to the frequently asked question...'what does a vegan eat?' It's a meal by meal look at what the average vegan eats at home, out to dinner and while traveling the world. Enjoy!"

So if you're one of the people that's ever wondered what I eat, here's your answer. It's a lot more than just tofu and salad.

I don't look at the blog too often because it always makes me hungry and I'm trying to maintain my girlish figure. You should check it out though. Good stuff.

What Vegans Eat

AND THE WINNER IS...

The Golden Globe nominations were announced today. Here's a sample.

BEST MOTION PICTURE - MUSICAL OR COMEDY
"Alice in Wonderland"
"Burlesque"
"The Kids are Alright"
"Red"
"The Tourist"

Not sure which one I'm supposed to root for, as I never saw any of them. Why, you ask? Because they all looked fucking terrible.

As my City Weekly editor said via Twitter,

"We can all agree, however, that the Golden Globes make the Oscars look like the Independent Spirit Awards."

My bitterness here may have something to do with my hatred for everything Tim Burton has done since ED WOOD (his last good movie, in my opinion) and for the man himself. There's no excuse for the rest of them though. That's just a terrible, terrible list.