The Slow Death

I think this blog's going to stop having anything approaching regular posts appear. I'm keeping it open to point to other things, like the LiveJournal and as an archive for Risers.

It's been fun here, so check out Rob Schamberger's new consolidated site and come visit me at the LJ, where if anything's happening, you'll know from reading there.

Best,

Jason Arnett
would-be comix creator
and Warren Ellis-wannabe
November 29, 2005

Damn him

Penn Jillette said this yesterday on NPR, while I was working on something similar for your edification. He said it best, so you get to read him today.

Marathon

This is leading somewhere, trust me. Following are the lyrics from the song "Marathon" by the Canadian band Rush, a formative years influence on my bass playing and songwriting. I recently bought this album (from which Marathon comes) and I was amazed at how much of it I still remembered. I found I could still sing along with most of the record, but this song, especially, stands out as being one still full of good ideas and execution, both musically and lyrically. So, here we go, without permission, and without anyone really caring:

It's not how fast you can go
The force goes into the flow
If you pick up the beat
You can forget about the heat
More than just survival
More than just a flash
More than just a dotted line
More than just a dash

It's a test of ultimate will
The heartbreak climb uphill
got to pick up the pace
If you want to stay in the race
More than blind ambition
More than simple greed
More than a finish line
Must feed this burning need -
In the long run...


From first to last
The peak is never passed
Something always fires the light
That gets in your eyes
One moment's high
And glory rolls on by
Like a streak of lightning
That flashes and fades
In the summer sky


Your meters may overload
You can rest at the side of the road
You can miss a stride
But nobody gets a free ride
More than high performance
More than just a spark
More than just the bottom line
Or a lucky shot in the dark -
In the long run...

You can do a lot in a lifetime
If you don't burn out too fast
You make the most of the distance
First you need endurance -
First you've got to last...

Now if you look at the words closely, you'll see that it's fairly universal in its theme, which any good song should be. It applies to comix, it applies to sport, it applies to life in general. It's a source of inspiration, but for me, it's more influence than inspiration. It says things that are clever ("More than just a dotted line, more than just a dash"), but there's depth that will allow you to find what you need out of it, too ("nobody gets a free ride"). All you have to do is open up and listen.

That's what I've been doing the last few weeks, listening. Think about that a little and stop through again tomorrow. There's more to say.

Seeya.

Risers page whatever

Read right to left to indulge my attempt at working in the Japanese style...

Over My Head

I hear music in the air, over my head, I hear music...

Just bought the new Depeche Mode, PLAYING THE ANGEL, and it's very, very good. I think "John the Revelator", the track right after it, and "Precious" are pure gems. Great rock songs that ought to be in my player for a long, long time. (Damn the record's at work and I can't remember that track's name!) Of course, I've been playing ULTRA and SONGS OF FAITH AND DEVOTION continuously the last few months, too, so I'm primed. Didn't like EXCITER that much, beyond just a few songs, but PLAYING THE ANGEL is better than that, though not as good as ULTRA. Still need to acquire DEPECHE MODE 101 on CD, but haven't yet.

Speaking of which, I'm looking for copies of Rush's POWER WINDOWS, and Bob Mould's WORKBOOK and BLACK SHEETS OF RAIN, too. Those are great records that recall certain periods of my life that I'd like to have back again. The Rush album was high school, and the Mould was when I was playing music and were very hard-hitting to me as a songwriter. Really cool stuff. And while I'm thinking about Rush, every time I hear "Countdown" (their tribute to the first shuttle launch, to which they were specifically invited) I tear up a little. The feeling of being on the edge of something like that, something so provocative and forward-looking must've been intoxicating. Looking back, the promise of that part of the US space program has been squandered due to an unfortunate accident that might've been preventable, or might not. And just when it looks like the space program has finally recovered, another unfortunate accident scuttles it all.

Damn.

Do you think that when the shuttle astronauts strap in for launch, they think to themselves "I hope my insurance is paid up because if some trained monkey didn't do his job, I'm going to wind up vaporized over Texas"? Probably not. They're probably excited at being able to do something only a limited number of humans get to do, then they concentrate on their job, which is space exploration. Isn't exploration inherently dangerous? Seems to me that when folks were 'exploring' the western US, there was a certain amount of danger. Wouldn't it be the same thing working for NASA in the capacity of being an astronaut? Isn't it time the American public began to accept that things happen in order for progress to rear its head? Why not?

Let's see If anyone notices...

Curious about what's come before? Click here, scroll down, then read left to right. The idea was to work in the Japanese style, to take me out of my comfort zone. Let me know what you think after you've read pages 22 and 23 here. And if you're returning, thanks for coming back. Stop in and say 'hi', willya?







© 2005 Jason Arnett

Face of the Earth

The real world has been kicking my ass, and it's taken me out of any desire to create anything for several months. I'm feeling like I need to do something...

After listening to an article on a new sex offender law in Indiana (I think) on NPR this morning, I got to wondering a few things. It's only just beginning to take some sort of shape, but THE WELL is an area where only sex offenders live, a little community of their own set apart from any schools or daycare facilities. A kind of ghetto that has its own businesses and social structure. A part of town that no one 'respectable' goes into, unless there's trouble. That might be an interesting Warren Ellis-styled story, if I can pull it off.

Although it sounds vaguely Transmetroplitan, doesn't it? I dunno. Maybe.

Anyway, don't steal it. It's © 2005 by Jason Arnett.

This is exciting...

I've loved these books since I discovered them while working Graveyard shift at a convenience store. Now Stephen King is going to create an OGN for Marvel in the Dark Tower universe. I can't wait. First, though, I need to find time to read the last three books he's released in the series, along with the new Neil Gaiman book, and the last Harry Potter book.

As an aside, comix fans, did you know Dave McKean illustrated Wizard & Glass in the series? So an OGN is not a stretch, as far as I'm concerned. The preview art in the link by Jae Lee looks awesome.

The Arctic has never been a pleasant place to live.

But it might get worse as storm paths shift north in coming decades, possibly leaving places like Arizona and Florida drier.

Regions near both of Earth’s poles will experience more intense storms of rain and snow during the 21st Century as the planet warms, according to a new study.

The finding was based on an analysis of 15 computer climate simulations from research teams around the world and applies specifically to frontal storms, which are large-scale tempests that carry rain or snow and which can cause floods or blizzards.