Ok, so if anyone is reading this
Ive not been finding this easy. Both in terms of motivation and inspiration.
I really want to get into writing as a full time profession as I hate what I am currently doing (which is working in a factory part time.) To be honest, this only came about when I rather foolishly went and joined an agency who would not leave me alone.
But the way I see it, at least only working weekends gives me more time to pursue this.
The problem with me is that I am quite a generally lazy person and need a kick up the arse to really get things done. Ill be quite honest, this job has done that for me. When I came out of my last job, ill be quite honest I wanted to just be back on the dole for as long as possible.
The thing is, I'm impatient and I just wish things would start to pick up. But I also realise that it is up to me to put the work in.
With this blog, its probably obvious that I'm not being as active with it as I would like to be. I think what I basically need to do is make it more of a priority. The more I leave it, the more ill be kicking myself if I end up in another job that I hate. At the end of the day, even though there's no time limit so to speak I cant leave it too long because then there will be less chance of it happening.
Any tips I would be most grateful for,
Nathan.
Monday 27 June 2016
Sunday 19 June 2016
Green Room - Film review
Hello again
Today will be my first review on this blog on the 2016 siege thriller Green Room directed by Jeremy Salnier.
Jeremy Salnier first broke into the public consciousness in 2014 with his critically acclaimed thriller Blue Ruin. With his third film he goes back to his punk rock roots which sees a struggling punk band face of with a gang of neo Nazi skinheads. Although not an original concept, it is definitely entertaining. Sir Patrick Stewart gives a surprisingly menacing performance in the somewhat unlikely role as Darcy, the leader of the Nazi group. A quick warning though- if you do not like very nasty violence in cinema this movie probably is not for you.
The punk band who call them selves the Aint Rights are down on their luck playing in shithole venues often to about ten half interested people. The film starts with them nearly at the end of their tour which has not been going well for them. The four members which includes Anton Yelchin as bassist Pat are not in good spirits and are not getting along,
As they are about to split up, an aspiring punk journalist enlists the help of his cousin to get them a gig at a venue located in the Oregon woods. When they get there they find that the place is a club for white supremacists who are naturally pissed off when the band decide to play a cover of he Dead Kennedy's "Nazi Punks Fuck Off." However, after this things start to look up for them as the crowd enjoys the rest of the bands set.
However, it is an understatement to say that their new found better luck is extremely short lived when they are about to leave and Pat goes to the titular Green Room to retrieve his lost mobile phone and stumbles across a murder. A female member of the group is laid dead on the floor as her friend Amber played by Imogen Poots is in hysterics. Now not allowed to leave for the Nazis fear of them informing the police, the punks find themselves barricaded inside the Green Room where they now have to fight for their lives.
From this point on the films becomes a complete death fest with people on both sides being taken out. The causes of death include stabbing by machete, throats ripped out by dogs as well as some plain old shooting. The film is very effective, moving at a fast pace with genuinely shocking violence. The set design for the club is also done very well, with Salnier using his real life history as a punk as a very nice touch.
The main low point of the film is its somewhat done before story element, which can at times make it seem a little predictable.
The soundtrack which features from bands such as Napalm Death and Slayer will please people seeing this film for its alternative subculture aspect. Also their is a clever running joke in this film about the band members desert island band, where a couple reveal that theirs would in fact be artists such as Madonna and Prince.
Broad Green Pictures, 95 minutes.
Today will be my first review on this blog on the 2016 siege thriller Green Room directed by Jeremy Salnier.
Jeremy Salnier first broke into the public consciousness in 2014 with his critically acclaimed thriller Blue Ruin. With his third film he goes back to his punk rock roots which sees a struggling punk band face of with a gang of neo Nazi skinheads. Although not an original concept, it is definitely entertaining. Sir Patrick Stewart gives a surprisingly menacing performance in the somewhat unlikely role as Darcy, the leader of the Nazi group. A quick warning though- if you do not like very nasty violence in cinema this movie probably is not for you.
The punk band who call them selves the Aint Rights are down on their luck playing in shithole venues often to about ten half interested people. The film starts with them nearly at the end of their tour which has not been going well for them. The four members which includes Anton Yelchin as bassist Pat are not in good spirits and are not getting along,
As they are about to split up, an aspiring punk journalist enlists the help of his cousin to get them a gig at a venue located in the Oregon woods. When they get there they find that the place is a club for white supremacists who are naturally pissed off when the band decide to play a cover of he Dead Kennedy's "Nazi Punks Fuck Off." However, after this things start to look up for them as the crowd enjoys the rest of the bands set.
However, it is an understatement to say that their new found better luck is extremely short lived when they are about to leave and Pat goes to the titular Green Room to retrieve his lost mobile phone and stumbles across a murder. A female member of the group is laid dead on the floor as her friend Amber played by Imogen Poots is in hysterics. Now not allowed to leave for the Nazis fear of them informing the police, the punks find themselves barricaded inside the Green Room where they now have to fight for their lives.
From this point on the films becomes a complete death fest with people on both sides being taken out. The causes of death include stabbing by machete, throats ripped out by dogs as well as some plain old shooting. The film is very effective, moving at a fast pace with genuinely shocking violence. The set design for the club is also done very well, with Salnier using his real life history as a punk as a very nice touch.
The main low point of the film is its somewhat done before story element, which can at times make it seem a little predictable.
The soundtrack which features from bands such as Napalm Death and Slayer will please people seeing this film for its alternative subculture aspect. Also their is a clever running joke in this film about the band members desert island band, where a couple reveal that theirs would in fact be artists such as Madonna and Prince.
Broad Green Pictures, 95 minutes.
Monday 13 June 2016
nazi punks fuck off
To anyone reading this
So this my first proper blog post, addressing the topic of racism in alternative subcultures such as punk and metal. It is a topic that I feel strongly about, being part of this general subculture for most of my life.
Even if you are a fan of the persons music (and in this case I am) anyone with a shred of human decency should be disgusted when someone shouts "White power!" on stage. Earlier this year, Phil Anselmo, best known as the former lead singer of Pantera did this and although he apologised for it immediately it was not enough for people to stop thinking "Well why the hell would someone do this in the first place?" Despite the fact that Anselmo has dipped into this kind of territory before during his time with Pantera in the 90's with his rants about how white people are labelled as racist in circumstances where black people would not be, in the year 2016, it is quite possibly more shocking than ever. However, for me the feeling is not so much shock as much as disappointment, in the fact that someone who is one of the biggest names in the metal scene can honestly think that this is in anyway an acceptable thing to do. Also, for people on the outside who think that metal is a genre that preaches hate and intolerance, an incident like this is hardly going to convince them otherwise.
So the question is- is there a genuine problem with racism in metal? For the most part, I personally do not think that there is. As someone who probably would be described on the internet as a "social justice warrior" I personally would never deny that there is racism in metal but no more or less than many other genres of music, especially punk. Metal over the ages has been seen as sexist and homophobic, but race is not something that has ever been a massive issue, unlike certain areas of punk. Despite the fact that many metal fans today are white straight men, today metal is a genre that is a melting pot for people of all kinds and creeds. Put simply, if metal does have any kind of problem then surely it is merely a by product of racism in society as a whole.
In metal, you have the Norwegian black metal scene that features the likes of Burzums Varg Vikerness, who has frequently exposed openly facsist views but is widely agreed to be an exception in a scene that actually does a lot to promote tolerance and equality but never the less does have his apologists. Anselmo also has his apologists, much in the same that Jeremy Clarkson does when he makes an off the cuff remark. Basically, there are a percentage of Top Gear fans who are racist and the same goes for metal.
Again, much like punk did in the early days, metal has used Nazi imagery for shock value, but it has always been done in a way were no one would take it at face value. The biggest example would be Slayer and their use of iron crosses and Nazi eagles on their merchandise, not to mention their most celebrated song "Angel of Death" from their "Reign in Blood" album, a song and album considered by many to be the ultimate in heavy metal, written by the late guitarist Jeff Hanemen, who expressed bemusement at the fact that anybody could think that it was endorsing the subject matter which it was chronicling. It is disturbing and relentless, but that is everything that Slayer are about. The main appeal of metal its ability to confront taboo subjects in a way in which people can enjoy. Lyrics about love and peace would not suit a band like Slayer.
Although there are definitely a few bad apples, most metalheads are very intelligent and open minded people. The main themes of metal are that of the underdog and the outcast and the quest for individualism. Although not an openly political genre like punk, it definateately has served as an excellent critique on the injustices in society over its forty plus year history. In metal, most politicians are bastards. It is about being free and not hurting others.
Phil Anselmo probably did more damage to himself than anyone else. Metalheads know a dick when they see one and this incident was not an enjoyable one. Even though ill always be a fan, I cant help but feel a little embarrassed by it.
So this my first proper blog post, addressing the topic of racism in alternative subcultures such as punk and metal. It is a topic that I feel strongly about, being part of this general subculture for most of my life.
Even if you are a fan of the persons music (and in this case I am) anyone with a shred of human decency should be disgusted when someone shouts "White power!" on stage. Earlier this year, Phil Anselmo, best known as the former lead singer of Pantera did this and although he apologised for it immediately it was not enough for people to stop thinking "Well why the hell would someone do this in the first place?" Despite the fact that Anselmo has dipped into this kind of territory before during his time with Pantera in the 90's with his rants about how white people are labelled as racist in circumstances where black people would not be, in the year 2016, it is quite possibly more shocking than ever. However, for me the feeling is not so much shock as much as disappointment, in the fact that someone who is one of the biggest names in the metal scene can honestly think that this is in anyway an acceptable thing to do. Also, for people on the outside who think that metal is a genre that preaches hate and intolerance, an incident like this is hardly going to convince them otherwise.
So the question is- is there a genuine problem with racism in metal? For the most part, I personally do not think that there is. As someone who probably would be described on the internet as a "social justice warrior" I personally would never deny that there is racism in metal but no more or less than many other genres of music, especially punk. Metal over the ages has been seen as sexist and homophobic, but race is not something that has ever been a massive issue, unlike certain areas of punk. Despite the fact that many metal fans today are white straight men, today metal is a genre that is a melting pot for people of all kinds and creeds. Put simply, if metal does have any kind of problem then surely it is merely a by product of racism in society as a whole.
In metal, you have the Norwegian black metal scene that features the likes of Burzums Varg Vikerness, who has frequently exposed openly facsist views but is widely agreed to be an exception in a scene that actually does a lot to promote tolerance and equality but never the less does have his apologists. Anselmo also has his apologists, much in the same that Jeremy Clarkson does when he makes an off the cuff remark. Basically, there are a percentage of Top Gear fans who are racist and the same goes for metal.
Again, much like punk did in the early days, metal has used Nazi imagery for shock value, but it has always been done in a way were no one would take it at face value. The biggest example would be Slayer and their use of iron crosses and Nazi eagles on their merchandise, not to mention their most celebrated song "Angel of Death" from their "Reign in Blood" album, a song and album considered by many to be the ultimate in heavy metal, written by the late guitarist Jeff Hanemen, who expressed bemusement at the fact that anybody could think that it was endorsing the subject matter which it was chronicling. It is disturbing and relentless, but that is everything that Slayer are about. The main appeal of metal its ability to confront taboo subjects in a way in which people can enjoy. Lyrics about love and peace would not suit a band like Slayer.
Although there are definitely a few bad apples, most metalheads are very intelligent and open minded people. The main themes of metal are that of the underdog and the outcast and the quest for individualism. Although not an openly political genre like punk, it definateately has served as an excellent critique on the injustices in society over its forty plus year history. In metal, most politicians are bastards. It is about being free and not hurting others.
Phil Anselmo probably did more damage to himself than anyone else. Metalheads know a dick when they see one and this incident was not an enjoyable one. Even though ill always be a fan, I cant help but feel a little embarrassed by it.
Friday 10 June 2016
Welcome to my world
Welcome reader, to the first blog post.
Hello this my new blog that I have just started and my name is Nathan Foster.
I have tried starting blogs before but have previously lacked the energy and enthusiasm to do so but this time its different. This time, my aim is to become a full time writer for a living.
With the things I post, I hope people can learn about me. The kind of things this blog will contain will be things such as opinion pieces, general observations on society and reviews. The things I will be reviewing in particular will be things such as music and maybe the odd book.
I hope people will enjoy this blog. Hopefully this time I have determination on my side.
Thank you,
Nathan.
Welcome reader, to the first blog post.
Hello this my new blog that I have just started and my name is Nathan Foster.
I have tried starting blogs before but have previously lacked the energy and enthusiasm to do so but this time its different. This time, my aim is to become a full time writer for a living.
With the things I post, I hope people can learn about me. The kind of things this blog will contain will be things such as opinion pieces, general observations on society and reviews. The things I will be reviewing in particular will be things such as music and maybe the odd book.
I hope people will enjoy this blog. Hopefully this time I have determination on my side.
Thank you,
Nathan.
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