Writing (Andrew has the ability to do it)

I would like to answer Ms. Lahaise’s general questions for our reflection blog post.

1.What kind of reader were you when you entered this class? What kind of reader are you now? Have you changed? How have you changed? What conditions are responsible for the changes in your reading?

When I entered this class I was a very picky reader. I usely only read books that I thought I would like, and often had trouble finding new ones to read. I am still the same type of reader, but Ms. Lahaise’s extensive book library has helped me find books that I liked to read. Sometimes I would carry 2 or 3 books in my backpack at a time so that I could read them. This year, thanks to our American author project, I discovered one of my favorite books; “Tortilla Flat” written by Jon Steinbeck. I also found another amazing book called “The Stories of Eva Luna.”

2.What kind of writer were you when you entered this class? What kind of writer are you now? Have you changed? How have you changed? What conditions are responsible for the changes in your writing?

When I entered this class, I thought that I was a pretty good writer. I was good at incorporating quotes and outside sources into my writing. Now I’m an even better writer, and now I have some experience at writing essays that are in excess of 1500 words. I always thought that I was a good writer with a distinct style and having gone through this class I think I have become a better writer with the same distinct style. The long essays which required use of documents to support help me become a better writer.

3. What have been some of your favorite (or least favorite) learning units this year (or two)? Describe your favorite assignments/books/etc. What did you like, and why?

My favorite learning unit was the one that involved doing work in the literature book because I didn’t pay attention to it, and instead read a book of my choosing all day long which at that moment was “It’s Kind of a Funny Story” and “Youth In Revolt.” I also enjoyed the project we did on cyber-bullying as it was short and simple. I disliked all the essays we were assigned to write. Even though my period never got to read it, I hated Grapes of Wrath, a book I actually read all the way through for my summer reading assignment which was an assignment that ended up not mattering anyways.

4. As you prepare to leave, what kind of student do you perceive yourself to be? What kind of person do you perceive yourself to be? How have you grown and what have you learned about yourself as a result of taking being in this class?

I have become a lazier student than I was last year. When it comes to school work, the second semester of my junior year was the worst and it had nothing to do with hard classes, because I had none. I have developed a greater like for reading. In this class I learned that reading is a valid form of entertainment.

5.What advice would you give next year’s students who will be taking an English class in room 503?

I’m not sure since this year was so different from all the other year’s. Be ready to take a hard class?

Anyone looking for a light, casual, happy and whimsical read is sure to be surpised by Jon Steinbeck’s tortilla flat. Unlike The Pearl or The Grapes of Wrath, this book reads fast and is entertaining all the way through. The characters are all well written and each chapter is a different story concerning the “Paisanos” of Monterey who live in Tortilla Flat. A Paisano, as John STeinbeck said hin his book, “is a mixture of Spanish, Indian, Mexican and assorted Caucasian bloods. His ancestors have lived in California for a hundred years or two.” (pg 2).

The book takes place after World War I as Danny and his paisano friends slowly make their way back to tortilla flat one by one after their service in the war. Danny is left with 2 house that belonged to his late uncle, houses which he uses to shelter his friends from the cold night air. After one house is burned, only one remains to shelter Pilon, Pablo, Jesus Maria, Big Joe, The Pirate and his dogs. These 6 friends spend their time together in the small town of Tortilla Flat stealing, drinking wine, begging, and committing righteous deeds for each other. The book ends in glorious tragedy, and all the friends disband.

I love this book because of the memorable characters, language, and stories. This book has shown me the sweetness of camaraderie and the innocence and good in even the most grown of men.

In the movie “5 People You Meet In Heaven”, theme park repairman Eddie is killed violently in a freak amusement park accident. Eddie had lived a long life as a lover, soldier, and worker at the amusement park Ruby Pier, yet was not convinced that he had made anything important of his life. When his life finally comes to an end at the bottom of an amusement park ride trying to save a little girl, he finds himself back in Ruby Pier. Only this is not the Ruby Pier of earth, but a heavenly Ruby Pier. He finds himself able to jump and run like he could when he was a child, yet unable to speak like a new born babe. This place he finds himself in is actually heaven, though not his own heaven. Through his own death, Eddie will now meet five people in heaven that were somehow connected to his life, each person with a new lesson to teach him.

As Eddie wanders around Ruby Pier, a voice calls him into one of the “Freak show” tents. He meets a blue, Arabic-looking man. The man claims Eddie had watched him before when he was young, explaining that Eddie feels like a child because his only memories of the blue-colored-man were when he was a child. The blue man explains that he loved his life at Ruby Pier even though he was looked upon as strange. He then takes Eddie back to the day of his own death, a day when Eddie was young boy playing ball on the streets. The blue man died from a heart attack he experienced after narrowly missing a young Eddie in his car. The blue man teaches Eddie that all lives are interconnected, such as Eddie and the blue man, despite Eddie not knowing what he had caused.

Eddie then leaves the blue man and finds himself in a battlefield located in the pacific sometime during World War II. He wanders into a group of trees and meets his old war Capitan, a man he served under for the entirety of his military service. They both reminisce on happenings during the war, such as the time Eddie defended one of his fellow soldiers from teasing. They then talk about how they were captured by Japanese forces in the Philippines and sent to an army base to help with the enemy’s grueling manual labor. After losing a dear friend, the company of American soldiers escapes their clutches after Eddie distracts the foreign guards with a juggling act. Before leaving, Eddie decides to burn down the enemy buildings with a flamethrower, only to realize that there was someone inside one of the structures he was burning. He tries to rescue them, but is shot in the leg and carried out alive, eventually making it back home. The Capitan tells Eddie that he was the one that shot him in the leg, but did it out of sacrifice. If he had not, Eddie would have been lost in the flames he himself created. He teaches Eddie the value of sacrifice.

Eddie leaves and arrives at a new place in Heaven; a diner. Inside the diner he meets a woman working at the diner named Ruby. Ruby explains that Ruby Pier was named after her, and that her husband was the owner of the amusement park. She tells Eddie about how much she hated the pier because it burnt down and killed her true love. Then she shows Eddie scenes of his house and his parents from long ago, before his father’s untimely death. His father’s best friend, Mickey, hurts his wife and then is chased to a pier. Mickey falls into the ocean and starts drowning, so Eddie’s father jumps in after him and saves his life by taking him back to the pier. Unfortunately, this caused him to contract pneumonia, killing him. Eddie finally learned how his father died and was able to let go of his hate for him. Ruby teaches Eddie that hate brings only harm, especially to yourself. He then confronts his father at the diner and confesses his feelings to him.

Eddie then finds himself in a large garden full of dancers, performers, feasting guests, and laughing children. He is in the middle of an everlasting wedding, the place his wife, Marguerite, chose to be her Heaven. Marguerite explains to Eddie her love of weddings and how she feels when two people are joined in marriage. They reminisce on their previous lives, sharing regrets of Marguerites death at a young age from terrible sickness. Marguerite teaches Eddie that even though life ends, love doesn’t. Eddie realizes that even though his wife was gone, he still loved her and basked in the warm rays of his memories of her. They then shared a dance at the location of their own wedding before his departure.

Eddie arrives at a river located somewhere in the pacific islands, a river that is full of oriental children frolicking in the water and playing with each other. Eddie realizes that this is the 5^th and final person he will meet before his journey is over. He meets a small Asian girl who barely speaks any English, yet is able to get the message across to Eddie. She is the girl that was in the building that Eddie burned. This comes as a shock to Eddie because his Captain had told him that he was going crazy and that his imagination tricked him to believe there was someone in the building. The girl shows Eddie her terrible burn marks and Eddie helps her wash them away with water and a stone. The girl teaches Eddie that his purpose in life was to keep the children at Ruby Pier safe. They then dive into the river and swim in a magical ocean until they appear at Ruby Pier again. This time Ruby Pier is full of people, people that Eddie saved through his repairman skills. Eddie finally finds his heaven and waits to give other people lessons.

In the end we learn that Eddie’s life and death were both meaningful, and that all human life is interconnect and meaningful. Although I do not agree with all these lessons, or even like the movie that much, I can appreciate the meaningfulness of the lessons as Eddie learns them. Although this portrayal of heaven seemed boring, materialistic, and completely unrealistic, it served its purpose in relaying the lessons.

Imagine a test that can frustrate students, waste school time, anger teachers, and use up tax money all at the same time. If you can do it, you probably thought of standardized testing. For some reason, our school district insists that everbody in grade school take pointless standardized tests that only display the most superficial forms of learning such as memorizing, almost completely ignoring reasoning abilities. They seem to only be good for classifying schools through test scores and allowing the district to manage the way schools operate. At SOCES, we have one of the highest standardized test scores in the district. Other schools with lower schools aren’t as lucky as us as sometimes low test scores could mean reduced funding for schools.

Some states, however, have a clause that allows parents to decide to let their children not take it. There is one thing I like about standardized testing though, and that’s the hour of free time we get after we finish the day’s test. Mr. Shchultz asked Jacob Borcover, our future student body president, to eliminate this wasted time. I did’t like this so I cleverly pointed out to Mr. Scshultz that Jacob would represents students and not teachers.

http://www.standardizedtesting.net/

http://www.mikepiero.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/testing.jpg

If you’ve never heard of a man called Jimi Hendrix, prepared to be informed. Mr. Hendrix was born in the state of Washington during the December of 1942. After serving in the 101st airborne division, he got busy playing guitar in bars located across the southern U.S. collectively known as “The Chitlin Circuit.” He played backing guitar for many, many bands before gaining any money or fame.

Next, meet Eric Clapton, one of the biggest guitarists of the 60′s. Playing with the likes of “Bluesbreakers” and “The Yardbirds” (a band that Jimmy Page and Jeff beck both played in) he quickly gained the title of God, and was named by many the greatest guitarist in the world. Eric Clapton joined super-group Cream, and now the stage was set. These two men would now cross paths, changing the history of popular music forever.

In 1966, bassist Chas Chandler, of  “the Animals” fame, decided to put down his instrument for a while and produce some new talent. A women named Linda Keith introduced Hendrix to Chandler, who went to see him in a bar. Chandler loved the song “Hey Joe”, a folk song that he beleived could be turned into a hit single. So what happens? He walks into the venue only to find Jimi Hendrix coincidentally performing his version of “Hey Joe.”

Coindidence counter: 1

Chas Asked Hendrix if he wanted to come to England, to which Hendrix replies “Only if you introduce me to Eric Clapton.” So the two head of to london, and eventually arrive at a Cream gig. Jimi Hendrix walks on stage, plugs into Jack Bruce’s amp (the bassist), and jams with Eric Clapton, the God. Now Eric Clapton always thought that the song “Killing Floor” was too fast for him to play. But what does Jimi Hendrix play? Coincidentally,  Killing Floor, and in double time no less.

Coincidence counter: 2

Eric Clapton puts down his guitar and steps off stage to watch, unable to keep up with Hendrix. Later Chas Chandler finds Eric Clapton backstage smoking cigarettes, shaking to the point that he struggled lighting another one. Eric Clapton told Chandler “You didn’t tell me he was that f**king good!” Jimi Hendrix had slayed the God, and his performances in Britain were frequented by British Rock stars such as Pete Townshend, Jeff Beck, and even Clapton. In fact, as legend has it, one night Jeff Beck, Clapton, and Jimmy Page were attending one of his shows. Clapton stepped outside, running into Page and Beck, who were talking outside. Jeff Beck stated “Well, looks like we’re in trouble” referring to Jimi’s amazing skill. Page, Beck, and Clapton which coincidentally happen to be the three Yardbird guitarists?

Coincidence counter: 3

I think those are all the coincidences that appear in this story (Or are they?). Remember that one time when I wrote about Jimi Hendrix’s first encounter with Eric Clapton? Of course you do because I wrote it about 2 paragraphs ago. Well, that day was the beginning of a long, but relative to the longevity of a person’s life, short relationship between two of the best and most influential guitarists ever. For a while they shared musical styles, amplifiers , band roles (Guitarist/Singer), and even hair and clothes styles. That’s right, they were such regular pals that Clapton shared Hendrix’s perm and strange dressing style, and Hendrix got a couple of 100 watt Marshall stacks like the matching amps that Clapton’s band Cream used.

They did everything together. They jammed, went to each others concerts, sniffed cocaine and had lengthy debates on life, conquered Britain with super natural guitar playing… you know, just how you expect a normal friendship to be. One particular conversation they had was even recorded and partially transcribed-

Jimi- I want to see the South Pole… I want to see the North Pole,Iwant to see Moscow, you know. I want to witness a slight bit of pain of what I hear about. I don’t want propoganda,or to be hurt by it,
I want to witness hurt for at least a minute or two.

Clapton- to witness it man, for months and really die, you know-that’s the way I’d die a million times

Other than the obvious involvement of drugs, you can tell that this conversation was between 2 close friends. But alas, their friendship could not last. One day Eric Clapton found a white, left handed stratocaster guitar which he bought for Hendrix, and that night took the guitar with him to a concert where he was going to meet him. However Jimi Hendrix didn’t show up and, coincidentally, the next day, Jimi Hendrix was found dead, due to a lethal combination of wine and sleeping pills, only 4 years after the two had met.

Coincidence counter: 4

So I suppose that if I had to assign a reason for writing this article, it would have to be this; coincidences may lead to great things such as multi-million dollar record deals, international fame, historical immortality, and of course a great friend.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimi_hendrix

http://www.cream2005.com/images/photos/photo15_1_425x636.jpg

http://www.icis.com/blogs/asian-chemical-connections/jimi-hendrix.jpg

http://jordicarreno.files.wordpress.com/2008/10/eric-clapton-miembro-de-the-cream.jpg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mh-B9UyxBw

http://blog.seattlepi.com/thebigblog/archives/123135.asp

http://houstonramblings.typepad.com/.a/6a00d8341d577053ef01156fe52b9f970b-300wi

By the way, Clapton and Hendrix BOTH curled their hair because they both liked Bob Dylan’s hairstyle. Coincidentally, this happened before the two ever met.

Coincidence counter: 5

Sometime in this week your gonna hear someone say “They just don’t make ‘em like they used to”, or something that is very similar to that. It seems as if everything was better before, from actors to bikes to politicians to girls to food… you just can win with anything today because everything used to be better, and if you ignore inflation, cheaper too. But is there any truth to this or is it just some trick that the mind plays on us, as if we only choose to keep the good memories  and drop the bad ones? For example, if we look at music, and then compare old music (10′s, 20′s, 30′s, 40′s, 50′s, 60′s 70′s) and compare it with music from the 80′s up until today, you’re quick to notice the differences. Obvious differences may include recording quality, but for me and a lot of other people we notice differences in the overall quality of the music. For me, older music means that I’m guaranteed a certain level of quality (and assurance that I won’t be annoyed). There is some truth to this of course; budgets for musical production were higher in the olden days. But if i were to say something like “Music today sucks, music back then was infinitely better”, many people would be quick to argue, people that have listened to much more present day music then me, and therefore, much more able to defend their views. So I will make two statements; both are similar, but the first is an opinion (and should not be taken personally) and the second is not.

-Music today is decent at it’s best, and un-listenable garbage at its worst when compared to older music.

-Music today and older music are distinctly different for many reasons, reasons that are completely based on fact.

So incorporating my limited musical knowledge, I will defend the latter statement with a list of reasons why the exact conditions of creating and recording music from the by-gone era are improbable if not impossible, and why a “They just don’t make ‘em like they used to” is correct when aimed at music.

1. The first in the list is a variety of small changes, changes that are a bit obvious if you think about it a little, but important nonetheless in the argument. The change in the time period has brought along changes in moral values, international interests and hobbies, and the way people “see” things. Everything from advertising to television to clothing to cars has changes drastically since the beginning of the 20th century, and it shows in the lyrics of the music greatly. Also musicians have been listening to other musicians as long as the ear has been invented (that’s a long time), and the music that they make is heavily influenced by the music they listen to. Musicians in the 60′s listened to a lot of blues while musicians in the 70′s listened to a lot of Zep, and the list goes on and on. Also, focus has shifted from the Album, to the individual song, or more specifically, the single. This has drastically changed the way records are made, especially the amount of attention and money spent on recording the record, which I will talk about shortly.

2. Recording studios- there are a lot of differences in the choices of recording studios between the two aforementioned eras. Back in the day, most studios were large while today most are small. For one thing, budgets for musical production have changed, and now the large professional (expensive) studios are being run out of business by the small (cheap) home studio. Another reason would be that people generally prefer small studios more for their controlled acoustic sound over the spacious studios which produce large reverberated sounds. For example, singer and flute player Ian Anderson, of Jethro Tull fame, talked about how his band and Led Zeppelin were recording in the same studio, and he had the misfortune of having to record in the larger portion of the studio, which he described as “orchestral sounding”. Now that we are talking about 70′s rock bands, Olympic studios recently closed down.

Don’t know the connection? Were talking Queen, Thin Lizzy, The Who, the Rolling stones, Cream, Pink Floyd, Deep Purple, Jimi Hendrix, David Bowie, the Beatles. Led Zeppelin recorded their very first album their and you can hear the rich acoustic sound on very part of the record. No one will ever be able to achieve that sound again because 1) the studio was redesigned in 1987, and 2) is closed down.

3.Lyrics- We already talked about the effects that change in society has on the lyrics, but what are the actual changes? You hear a lot of indecision, confusion, and weakness. When I listen to music I don’t wanna hear people piss and moan about how they are confused and lost, followed by a cliche involving the word “falling”, or a cliche about “flying” or trying to “fly”, or learning “fly”. When I listen to music I want to hear people that know what they’re doing, people who have experienced life, not a bunch of wusses complaining about their life, sexual frustration, and how much of a loser they are. When Robert Plant sung, this is what he sounded like-

Some people cry and some people die
By the wicked ways of love;
But Ill just keep on rollin’ along
With the grace of the lord above.

Robert Plant has been around the block a couple times, and then some. When they talked about love, they told it like it was, and weren’t afraid to so. Today love has become a cliche thing, something taken for granted and therefore loses it’s meaning. Here’s a line from a love song “something” by the Beatles. At first, it appears cliche and confused, but if you examine it closer you realize its true power.

You’re asking me will my love grow
I don’t know, I don’t know
You stick around now it may show
I don’t know, I don’t know

The whole song is about George Harrison’s love for Pattie Boyd. A love song. As in the lyrics are all about how she makes him crazy. Yet he says to her that he doesn’t know whether his love will grow or not. How much balls does someone have to have to tell someone, their wife nonetheless, that his love for her might not grow? This many-

(approximately)

4. The biggest reason? The voice- Little by little, dialects and accents change throughout the entire world, but most importantly, in England and America. You can hear the west cost accent in Jim Morrison and Signe Toly Anderson. When John Fogerty sung in the CCR, he sung richly and powerfully. When you hear Mick Abrahams (Formerly of Jethro Tull and Blodwyn Pig) talk in his heavy, almost un-understandable British accent, you think “How is this guy gonna sing”. But then the song starts his voice is clear and rich, and has the most amazing range. Another thing is that today the voices of singers are getting increasingly prettier and less manly. Even women in the 60s and 70s had full and rich voices, much unlike the annoying squeaky ones you hear on records today.

There’s is only one way to end a blog post of this proportion; Now you know.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympic_Studios

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2008/12/12/1229092292474/Gallery-Eyewitness-Bono-i-001.jpg

http://www.lyricsfreak.com/l/led+zeppelin/heartbreaker_20082019.html

http://www.lyricsfreak.com/b/beatles/something_10026538.html

http://www.faqs.org/photo-dict/photofiles/list/2988/4004fuzz_balls.jpg

http://www.alexgitlin.com/mab.jpg

Disclaimer; When I say “music” I mean rock, blues, and popular music, and not referring to jazz, classical, or metal. I do not know metal or classical, and do not know enough about jazz to criticize it.

I put together a list of the best things in the world for those of us who haven’t made one yet.

1.Led Zeppelin

2.Emma Stone

3.Beef Jerky

Quick quiz; Is this list correct?

sǝʎ :ɹǝʍsuɐ

If you walk into my room, you will notice this portrait hung above my bed. Lets take a look at this picture. 4 guys, nicely dressed, great hair… black and white, so it must be old… but there is something more to it. You feel some sort of vibe coming from it, an unmistakable sense of awesome. And all of a sudden it hits you; “IS THAT MAN WEARING A SPIDERMAN T-SHIRT?” The answer to that question is yes, yes he is wearing a Spiderman T-shirt. You have just laid eyes on John Bonham,  the manliest person ever to grace this planet. You see his gorgeous locks of Rock-Godness and his unmistakable mutton chops which are thick enough to conceal a small rodent. What’s manlier than John Bonham? A lumberjack perhaps? That would be true if John Bonham did not have the ability to chop down trees with the side of his neck, which if you haven’t noticed, is as thick as his head. There is nothing manlier than this, but surely you will still try to find something that is manlier. To help you, I have put a list together of everything manlier than John Bonham-

• - Nothing
  

IF THIS ISN’T THE MANLIEST THING YOU HAVE EVER SEEN, then you are wrong, and it is. So mutton chops… that means 70′s rock band, yes? Right. I introduce you to Led Zeppelin.

Led Zeppelin (inducted in the RnR hall of fame in 1995) was a rock band formed in 1968 by guitarist Jimmy Page that incorporated many elements of then-popular music to form a sort of heavy psychedelic blues (comparable to Cream , or the Jimi Hendrix experience, 2 bands that were formed before the “Zep”). They were 4 extremely talented musicians that called upon years of experience to write some of the most memorable songs of all times, and to give the rawest performance one would ever experience. How does Led Zeppelin fit in with all the other music of the time in Britain? The answer would be the blues scene.

The Blues are a type of music created by African Americans that were had the common theme of sadness, pain, and sex. Although this music was only being created in the states, the young people of Britain loved it and flocked to the record store to get the newest blues records that were imported from America. The blues were very different from the all-too-common pop songs of the day, and were responsible for the creation of bands such as The Rolling Stones, Ten Years After, and John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, but most importantly, The Yardbirds. The Yardbirds were well known at the time for providing the one of the most authentic blues sound in Britain. Now for the history of Led Zeppelin!

Jimmy Page started session work at the young age of 18 and fast became part of a handful of people that could call themselves the most in demand session players of Britain. 1 other pertaining to this group was bassist John Paul Jones. After 3 years of session work, a creatively stifled Jimmy Page eagerly joined his friend, and fellow guitarist, Jeff Beck (who Jimmy recommended to the band after his other friend, Eric Clapton, left) in the Yardbirds. But not on guitar; Jimmy Page was so eager to escape session work that he first joined on bass guitar. One day Jeff Beck couldn’t make it to a gig and Jimmy Page assumed the position of lead guitar for the Yardbirds. From then on, the Yarbirds had both Page and Beck playing guitar. Soon the Yarbirds fell apart and Jimmy Page, as the most ambitious member, was left with the rights to the name and decided to start recruiting for “The New Yarbirds.” Bassist John Paul Jones was one the first to get on board-

I was moping around the house one day and my missus said to me, “Will you stop moping around the house; why don’t you join a band or something?” And I said, “There are no bands I want to join, come on,  what are you talking about?” And she said, “Well, look, I think it was in Disc” she said,” Ive come across it, Jimmy Page is forming a group, he’d just left the Yardbirds. Why don’t you give him a ring?” So I rang him up and said“Jim, how you doing? Have you got a group yet?” He said, “I haven’t got anybody yet.” And I said, “Well, if you want a bass player, give me a ring.” And he said, “All right, I’m going up to see this singer Terry Reid told me about, and he might know a drummer as well. I’ll call you when I’ve seen what they’re like.”

The singer Jimmy page was talking about was a man called Robert Plant, who was a Motown and Blues singer. Jimmy met him and found out that not only were his vocals just what he wanted for his project, Robert’s charisma and looks would make him a great front-man for the band. Plant then wanted to introduce Page to John Bonham, a pal and a band-mate of Robert’s. At first John Bonham didn’t want to join because of the steady work he was receiving at a local bar playing drums for a band. Eventually Bonham was convinced to join and the four met up in a small room Jimmy owned to play together for the first time. They hit it off, the Bassist of the Who gave them their current name, they toured a few continents, and  it wasn’t long before they became huge. How huge? Well, remember what I said about the portrait in my room? I lied. It actually looks more like this-

Notice anything strange? Like the fact that Led zeppelin is written on the Airplane? This is Led Zeppelin’s private jet, nicknamed “The Starship”. Still don’t realize how huge Led Zeppelin was? The next picture shows the Boleskine house near Loch Ness. It belonged to a man named Aleister Crowley until the year 1913. Jimmy Page admired Crowley and his association with the occult so what does he do? He buys his house. What do you do when you have a role model? Buy their books? Wear their t-shirt’s? Because when Jimmy Page has a role model, he buys their house.

“Wow that’s so cool, I wanna know more about Zeppelin!” Of course you do, Jeeezz. Let’s play a game! I’m gonna give a list of instruments and you have to guess what they all have in common.

• Harmonica- the most amazing portable instrument you will ever see. It is critical to the blues and when played right, it has the most amazing sound you will ever listen to.
• Keyboard- I’m not talking about boring piano stuff, I’m talking about Hammond organ attached to a rotating speaker cabinet. Nothing says Soul and Blues more than a Hammond hooked up to a rotating speaker cabinet.
• Mandolin- Like a guitar, but with eight strings and a third the size!
• Banjo- nothing is more fun to noodle on than a banjo.
• Spoons- A couple spoons in your hands moved around in a way that makes them rapidly click. The ULTIMATE percusion instrument.

So what do these instruments have in common? For one, they are every other instrument I care to learn in that exact order. But more importantly, they can be found in Zeppelin songs! That’s right, aside from the typical bass/guitar/drums/vocals setup, Led Zeppelin incorporated all these instruments into their recordings and performances. Which members did what? John Paul Jones (JPJ for short) played the Keyboard, Page and JPJ  both played the banjo and mandolin, Bonham played the spoons, and Plant played the harmonica.

“BUT ANDREW LED ZEPPELINS OVERRATED WHY DO YOU LIKE THEM LOL??!1!?11!?1!” Well, there is some truth to this, especially once you have already liked Zeppelin and have grown tired of them. Don’t get me wrong, Led Zeppelin was THE BEST rock band, and they made some of the most memorable rock songs ever. But if you are just listening to Zeppelin for the sole purpose of getting your daily glass of Rock and Roll riffs, you are missing the point. What was Led Zeppelin’s true significance? First of all, its something that is referred to as “The Groove”. The Groove is when an amazingly heavy blues riff  is back up by a drummer performing insanely syncopated beats that then pulsates to the sound of a heavy baseline. Second, Led Zeppelin represents the most evolved and perfected form of the blues ever, or at least to me it does. Led Zeppelin’s blues were the heaviest ever, and contained the perfect balance of raw sound and technical proficiency. Forget the blues scene today; it’s just a bunch of over polished watered down songs when you compare it to the Zep. Early Zeppelin contained copious amounts of Groove and Blues, but as time progressed, things changed. Drum beats became simpler, the bass got lower and lower in volume, and Blues took a backseat while rock conquered the minds of the Mighty 4. So take Led Zeppelin for what it is; the most amazing band ever. Period.

For the groove-  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3tvHBawoDA&feature=player_profilepage

For the blues- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z30HykJ8FAw&feature=channel_page

For both- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byos2Tr5KrM&feature=channel_page

http://www.rockhall.com/inductee/led-zeppelin

http://www.mvrhs.org/comp-sci-jb/apps1/appsg-smith-music/images/led-zeppelin-1280×1024.jpg

http://www.snapgalleries.com/cms/imgscale.aspx?height=390&img=/UserFiles/Shop/images_products/240.jpg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boleskine_House

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_page

http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/interviews/rock_chronicles/rock_chronicles_1970s_john_paul_jones.html

Note regarding John Paul Jone’s quote- The quote is from an interview in the 70s conducted with three members of the band. JPJ’s quote is copied from the above link, but, having listened to the actual interview many times, I found blatant errors in the text. The errors were corrected to the best of my ability by listening to and transcribing the interview in order to preserve the exact words uttered by the rock god John Paul Jones.

Out of all the music that I enjoy listening to, there is nothing like the bands that play rock music, and out of all of the bands that play rock it is my humble opinion that there has never been, or ever shall be, a band greater than Led Zeppelin. Led Zeppelin incorporated elements of Blues, Folk, and Psychedelic into the then popular Rhythm and Blues music of the sixties to create something so heavy it was christened as the first ever metal music (However, nowadays they would be categorized as “Hard” or “Classic” rock). So being the natural Zeppelin enthusiast that I am, it is no surprise that I have chosen to look into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum website to write about, which Led Zeppelin was inducted into. The Rock and Roll hall of Fame foundation was founded in 1986 and the museum was opened in 1995. The sole purpose of the foundation is to acknowledge the work of performers and non-performers that were important and influential in the music industry. Some of the inductees include Run- D.M.C, Madonna, John Mellencamp, Prince, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, and Michael Jackson (How cool!). So What does this all mean?Ok, I will.

Absolutely nothing! Right about now you might be confused, and might have not realized that some of the things I wrote contained fake enthusiasm. For example, out of the Six inductees I mentioned, what do all of them have in common? They do not play Rock and Roll music, and were not critical to the shaping of Rock and Roll music in any way. Quick quiz! What is more Rock and Roll than John Mellencamp? Everything. In fact, the foundation was not even founded until 1986. Rock, Punk, Blues,Folk, and R&B had already gone through their glory days by this time. It was even founded 16 years after the Beatles, probably the band that best represents every phase of Rock and Roll as it was happening in the 60s. So it seems as if the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation doesn’t have to do so much with Rock and Roll as you may think. So instead of giving more facts about it, I’d like to instead look into a band called The Who. They were a sixties R&B band which turned out to be one of the most well known and powerful acts in Rock. Now it’s time for…

Four cool facts about The Who that many people might not fully appreciate

1. During a performance on the television show “The Smother Brothers”, drummer Keith moon detonated his bass drum which he filled with explosives during the destructive finale of the song “My Generation”, causing hearing damage to Pete Townshend, guitarist of the Who.

2. The amp company “Marshall” designed 100 watt full stack amplifiers for Pete Townshend because he wanted more volume. The 100 watt “Superlead” later became the standard amplifier used in rock and metal performances up until present day.

3. According to legend, a groups of scientists conducted a series of experiments that “proved” that no human being can possibly have enough energy to move their arms as fast as Keith Moon. Although this is very questionable, the fact that a myth like this is circulated is amazing!

4. The Who was the first band to ever destroy their instruments on stage. The Who’s performances included kicking over drums, smashing in speakers, tossing instruments, smashing guitars against the floor, and the occasional rocket flying through the stage (I kid you not).

“Wow, I bet the Who was the first Band to ever be inducted into the Hall of Fame!” If this is what you are thinking, then I am sorry to say that the Who wasn’t even inducted until 1990, 14 years after the organization was founded. So why exactly is it necessary to have a Rock and Roll hall of fame? All rock and Roll needs to live is great music and the sweet over the top BS stories, like those of the Who.

I will admit that up to now I wasn’t being completely fair because I haven’t even began reading any sort of article from this website. So seeing as how I am writing a Blog, I find that the most appropriate thing to do is to visit the RnR Hallo’Fame Blog. I quickly find an article on the process of selection for the inductees.

“The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s Nominating Committee – a diverse group made up of about 30 rock and roll experts, including music executives, music journalists, historians and even a couple of musicians… Each member of the group can suggest up to three potential nominees. In addition, there are three subcommittees – one on progressive rock and heavy metal, one on hip-hop and one on early rock and rollers and rhythm & blues…”

Hip-Hop? Heavy Metal? I though this was Rock and Roll! You know, Chuck Berry playing the same three chords over and over again in different keys talking about cars and his girl problems! How can anyone possibly screw up Rock and Roll, one of the simplest kinds of music, so bad? I have come to the conclusion that the Museum should either a) be torn down, or b) should be  renamed The Hall of Fame of Popular Music, a title that is much more befitting of it.

Oh no, I’m being pigeonholed into the “Angry Teenager badmouthing any form of organization” category! Well, people, the sad truth is that yes, regarding matters of music I am against any sort of Organization, for example the Grammy awards. Organizations like these should be shown for what they truly are; a dirty extension of a dirty business otherwise known as the music industry. I suppose I’m just young and full of piss and vinegar, a regular revolutionary. And like many other young revolutionaries  nation wide I express my feelings by listening to and wearing t-shirts of the band the Jonas Brothers because they are the true spirit of Rock and Roll. Now that we are on the topic of the Jonas Brothers and the music industry, I would like to finish up with a quote that horrified me when I first read it (I am not kidding).

“We live in an age of music for people who don’t like music. The record industry discovered some time ago that there aren’t that many people who actually like music. For a lot of people, music’s annoying, or at the very least they don’t need it. They discovered if they could sell music to a lot of those people, they could sell a lot more records.” T Bone Burnett.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation; Pointless, Contradictory, or Both?

http://www.rockhall.com/rockhallblog

http://www.earth-photography.com/photos/Miscellaneous/Animals/Animal_CatStaring.jpg

http://www.spiritus-temporis.com/keith-moon/

http://www.justinguitar.com/en/SO-111-MusicBizQuotes.php

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Rock_and_Roll_Hall_of_Fame_inductees#Performers