Music Journal 7/29/2022

 

               Once again, it’s Thursday, so it’s time for me to write about my life over the past week, specifically, the new music I enjoyed and the upcoming music I’m looking forward to with some personal details.

 

               First off, I’d like to clear the air about video games.  I wasn’t able to “quit” past Friday and I think the problem is I’m kind of playing them less for myself and more for the Internet audience of Twitter.  The Switch has the ability to share your screenshots to Twitter and/or Facebook, and since several voice actors have Twitter accounts, you can compliment them directly.  I’ve honestly lost count how many times my compliments have been liked by voice actors, but I can tell you that Tara Platt, Yuri Lowenthal, Xanthe Huynh and Abby Trott do it frequently enough that you start worrying when they are upset, though there’s little either of you can do about SCOTUS, the War in Ukraine or Republican Politicians’ fascist laws against the LGBTQ+ community.  These outrage us for good reasons, but there’s not many effective acts we can do about these things that is legal, and illegal acts will only create rallying points around the aggressor as they have now become the victim.  Beyond that, you get tempted by online prompts, such as “what is your favorite (insert musical act here) song?” or “which of these two songs do you prefer?”  The problem is more a lack of handling Twitter appropriately than anything to do with video games.

 

               Anyway, onto my favorite music released last week.  There was another single from Ozzy Osbourne’s upcoming album with guest guitarists, this one featuring his old friend from Black Sabbath, Tony Iommi.  It was dark and sludgy with powerhouse riffs, just like classic Black Sabbath, but it had its own twist on it due to the different rhythm section and production.  FLETCHER released another lesbian love song, like the one she released in June, I’m guessing the upcoming album “Girl of my Dreams” will be full of these, so she’s worth keeping an eye on in this rough landscape for LGBTQ+ people.  Billie Eilish surprised me with her “Guitar Songs” single, one song about us getting more hyped and anxious over Johnny Depp than politics as politicians tear apart our society’s rules, the other about a personal tragedy.  ODEZSA’s song with Izzy Bisu also surprised me, it was actually catchy and I may buy it someday, while Seattle-area rapper Macklemore released a song with Tones and I that was a great showcase of his talents.  I also finally heard Carrie Underwood’s iTunes exclusive cover of Ozzy Osbourne’s “Mama I’m Coming Home” and it was fantastic and amazing.  It may be better than the original.

 

               As for releases upcoming this week tonight/tomorrow, earlier this week Orianthi released the first single of her new album “Rock Candy,” due out in October.  Ronnie Dunn is releasing an album, as well, and if I could find out where to purchase it on CD, it’d make a nice Christmas/Birthday gift for my Sister-in-law, the singles off it are really good.  Hayley Kiyoko, another lesbian singer-songwriter, is releasing an album as well.  You may remember her from a few episodes of “Wizards of Waverly Place,” the Disney Channel Original Movie “Lemonade Mouth” or the live-action Scooby-Doo movies that aired on Cartoon Network, where she played Velma.  World-famous pop act Beyonce is also releasing her new album tonight, so that should be good, she’s a great singer.

 

            I also updated my top 10 guitarists list and playlist based on my responses to Twitter questions, so it now looks like this:

 

 

Revised Top 10 Guitarists:

1.)    Allen Collins (Free Bird live, Atlanta, GA 1976-Lynyrd Skynyrd)

2.)    Randy Rhoads (Crazy Train live 1981-Ozzy Osbourne)

3.)    Joel Hoekstra (Well I Never-Whitesnake)

4.)    Zakk Wylde (Whipping Post live, China 2018-Generation Axe)

5.)    Jimmy Page (How Many More Times-Led Zeppelin)

6.)    Jimi Hendrix (Foxy Lady live, Maui, HI 1970-Jimi Hendrix Experience)

7.)    Slash (Sweet Child O Mine-Guns N Roses)

8.)    Eddie Van Halen (Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love-Van Halen)

9.)    Mike McCready (Cold Gun-Ace Frehley feat. Mike McCready)

10.) Vic Johnson (Poundcake live, Atlantic City, NJ 2014-Sammy Hagar and the Circle)

 

               That’s all for now, until next week.

Attempted MonsterVerse idea

I wrote this Wednesday and sent it to an email account at Legendary Pictures.  Unfortunately, their Legal Department responded, calling it an "Unsolicited Submission" and told me to submit nothing in the future.  I'm posting it here so people can read it.

 

Plot for “Anguirus; Killer Of The Living”

 

A MonsterVerse film

 

Written by Daniel Short

 

We begin in the Nevada desert with a jeep.  Inside are Mark and Maddison Russell (Kyle Chandler and Millie Bobbie Brown) and Bernie Hayes (Brian Tyree Henry), last seen in Godzilla vs. Kong.  Maddi asks what they’re doing there.  Bernie states MONARCH has a base at Roswell and wants to see the Aliens hidden.  Mark replies it’s unlikely MONARCH has anything to do with aliens, more likely it’s a Titan from Space.

 

“Like Monster Zero?” asks Bernie.

 

“If it’s like Ghidorah, Earth’s screwed.” Replies Mark.

 

The trio finds a MONARCH base, Mark scanning them inside.  Inside appears to be a large, blue diamond.  The scientists tell Mark Bernie can’t be there because he’s an unregistered outsider.  Maddison vouches for him.

 

“You’re looking at the guy who took down Mechagodzilla’s computer.” Maddison informs them.

 

Bernie is instructed if he breathes a word of what he sees or hears here, he will be executed for treason.  The head scientist tells the three that the diamond crashed in 1951 and emits bioacoustics like a Titan, though also metallic, as though it’s a cyborg.

 

“Something made this thing?” asked Maddison.

 

“Had to, there’s no other explanation.” Replies the scientist. 

 

Another scientist suddenly goes berserk and starts shooting the others.

 

“You and your god will pay for killing ours!” he declares.  “GIGAN, RISE!” he screams, almost hammy and overacting.

 

The Diamond explodes!  A giant, blue-green-gold monster emerges with a scythe for one arm, a pair of chainsaws for the other, three fins on its back, a metallic beak and a red, cycloptic eye that shoots a beam, blowing up portions of the facility.  It hacks its way out with its arms, marching towards Los Angeles.

 

“What the hell was that?” asks Bernie.

 

“That guy called it ‘Gigan.’” Says Maddison.  The three scan the area, but he is gone.

 

Military jets are sent in to attack Gigan, but he reveals he has supersonic flight and mows the squadron down with his bladed arms and eye-beam.  He screeches victoriously and lands, resuming his march. 

 

Admiral Stenz (David Strathairn) is watching Gigan’s march and noticing his nigh-invulnerability.  He barks, “Isn’t Godzilla supposed to help with things like this?!”  A sailor reports from his station.

 

“A 100-meter-long object is heading to Los Angeles via sea, Admiral.” He states.

 

“Good.” Sighs Stenz, before realizing, “100 meters, that’s too small to be Godzilla!”

 

At the docks of Los Angeles, a pleasure cruise is docking, glitz and glamor is in the air, and suddenly a giant, spiny ankylosaurus with razor-sharp teeth and an elongated snout emerges beside it, capsizing it!

 

“GYAAAAWWW!” it roars.

 

This is Anguirus, Godzilla’s closest ally who is not Mothra.  He marches towards Gigan on all fours, the taller monster not scaring him as he bellows a challenge.  Gigan screeches back, displaying his blades as if to say “I am tougher than you, puny one, step aside or I will eviscerate you.”  Anguirus roars again and dashes forth, dodging the blades and biting Gigan’s leg, ripping what appeared to be skin off to reveal muscle, metal and bone!  Gigan screeches in anger and fires his laser, knocking Anguirus to the ground.  He revs up his chainsaw, but Anguirus burrows under the city streets!  As Gigan looks for him, Anguirus emerges behind him and bites his tail, grappling with his fin-wings!  Gigan takes off, Anguirus falling to the streets, Gigan pelting him with his laser repeatedly before retreating.  Anguirus gets back up after playing possum long enough that Gigan thinks he has killed him.

 

Admiral Stenz arrives in Roswell, picking up the trio of major players via helicopter.  They are all transported to an aircraft carrier.

 

“All right, Dr. Russell, you’re head of MONARCH since Serizawa died.  What were those two Titans?” Stenz asks.

 

“The taller one was called Gigan by a mysterious man who activated it.” Replies Mark.

 

“Activated?  It’s a machine?” asks Stenz.

 

“It’s a cyborg, the smaller one, we’ve never seen that one before, it tore open Gigan’s leg, revealing both machinery and muscle and bone.” Replies Mark.

 

“So, it’s a new Titan?” asks Stenz.

 

“Not new, it’s too dinosaurian to be new.  It has to be as old as Godzilla’s species, we’ve just never seen it before.” Elaborates Mark.

 

“Then why didn’t it respond to Monster Zero declaring itself Alpha?” asks Stenz.

 

“Maybe Dr. Chen has a theory, she studies the histories of Titans in antiquity, there has to be something about this one.” Replies Mark.

 

Mark and Maddison contact Dr. Chen (Ziyi Zhang) on the MONARCH special channel.  We find her reading a book and scrolling through a tablet.

 

“Dr. Chen?” asks Mark.

 

“Ah, Mark…and Maddison, I was wondering when you’d call!” smiles Dr. Chen.

 

“I take it you know who our new spiny friend is?” asks Mark.

 

“If Godzilla is King and Mothra is Queen, this guy is their best knight.  They called him Anguirus, Killer of the Living.” Replies Dr. Chen.

 

“Well, you can only kill the living, you can’t kill the dead.” States Maddison.

 

“It was to demonstrate his ferocity in battle.” Elaborates Dr. Chen.  “Anguirus was a scrappy fighter who never backed down, even when it was convenient.”

 

“Any chance Godzilla will show up and help this…Angweenus?” asks Mark.

 

“Godzilla was just spotted in the Indian Ocean three hours ago, even with the Hollow Earth, it’ll take some time to get there.” States Dr. Chen.

 

“And the new Mothra?” asks Maddison.

 

“Still a larva, she wouldn’t be much help.” Replies Dr. Chen.

 

“Well, thanks for the information.” Says Maddison hopelessly.

 

“Have faith, Maddi, the scrappy fighters can be the deadliest.” Replies Dr. Chen.

 

Seattle, WA

 

BAM!  Gigan lands in the Sodo district, slicing through T-Mobile Park with his chainsaw.  He screeches as he blasts Lumen field with his laser, obliterating bleachers, then trashes I-5 with his scythe!  The ground rumbles in front of him.

 

GYAAAAWWW!

 

Anguirus emerges, tackling Gigan and biting his throat!  Gigan slices Anguirus with his chainsaw, blasting him with his laser, knocking him off.  Gigan stands back up and shrieks a war cry!  Anguirus, blood coming from his right shoulder and jaw bellows back.  He leaps and slams into Gigan with his spiny back, making circuitry, machinery and tiny flecks of green blood come out!  Anguirus gets up and stomps on Gigan’s chest with his forelegs.  Gigan slices Anguirus with his chainsaw again and gets back up.  Anguirus slams into Gigan’s back with his own spiny back, slamming the cyborg Titan into the Columbia Center, which crumbles onto him!  Anguirus bellows at the rubble, then snorts and growls.  Gigan gets back up, his scythe has been bent from the impact!  Enraged, he swings it at Anguirus, firing his optic laser in several directions!  Anguirus dashes on all fours, making Gigan destroy the Smith Tower.  He then charges, slamming into Gigan face-first!  Gigan’s wings are bent as he rises from the impact, he tries to fly, but can’t!  Anguirus smirks and circles around Gigan, rolling into a ball like an armadillo.  He rolls into Gigan, sending him flying!  Gigan crashes into the Space Needle, crumpling to the ground.  Anguirus struts up and bites Gigan’s neck, viciously ripping his head off!  The red cyborg eye turns black, Gigan is dead!

 

A shape looms from Elliot Bay.  Anguirus turns, at first bristling his spines like an angry animal, then letting them go slack as Godzilla emerges!  Godzilla looks at Gigan’s corpse, looks at Anguirus, and nods in approval.  He turns around and heads out, Anguirus following dutifully, like a squire to a knight.

 

“He truly is Godzilla’s friend, then.” Comments Mark as he and Maddi look at the ruined Seattle.

 

The End

 

Post Credits

 

The Crazy Scientist looks at the footage of Anguirus killing Gigan.  He puts on visor-like sunglasses and a black trench coat.  “No matter, we still have plenty more ways to avenge Ghidorah.” He says, getting out a tablet/smartphone-like device and looking at models for Hedorah, Baragon, Kumonga, Titanosaurus, SpaceGodzilla, Destroyah, Orga and Monster X.