Quote Of The Week 11/17/12

"Used to be there was a lot of damn fool things a dumb bastard could do to be great, but the machines fixed that."

-Kurt Vonnegut Jr., "Player Piano"

Random Rant #3: A More Perfect Union

This is my political rant, so if you're tired of politics, stop here.

For those who are still reading, I'm so glad that the election is over.  Obama this, Romney that, Democrats this, Republicans that, left-wing independent candidates this, right-wing independent candidates that, etc.  Facebook and twitter became warzones and I'm sure more than a few friendships, relationships and family functions were ruined over this election.  The media continues to feed this fire as they always have and I'm at a point now where I wonder how much any of it can be trusted (especially considering the stories that are getting the most coverage NOW).

I've had a discussions with colleagues, friends and family about all the issues and I can say with total certainty that I am close with at least one person on each side of the fence for each and every political issue. Regardless of how they view each issue, they all have one thing in common.

I love them.

That's right. It doesn't matter to me that I don't agree with their opinion on ____________ or that they voted for _____________.  They're great people with great intentions and great potential.  They just don't always see things from my perspective but more often than not, they hear me out.  They don't agree with me all the time, but they listen.

I love them for it.  I love them all.  I respect their right to agree or disagree with me, and I see the good in them regardless of how much I may love or hate their political ideals.

What's more, I see that all of these people with all these varying backgrounds, lifestyles and opinions have so much more in common with each other than against each other.  They also have INFINITELY more in common with each other than they have with any politician.  There's so much potential for good, for progress, for the bright future that everyone dreams about and that our leaders are constantly selling to us.  Almost everyone wants the exact same things.  They just have different plans for how we should get there.

We keep hearing about our "divided America" in the media.  The biggest issue of all is a lack of willingness to listen, understand, accept, compromise and move forward together.  Too many people (especially at the top), want it their way or no way and sadly, our system is one of extremes, not a give and take.  THIS is why we're so divided.  THIS is why our nation feels like we have less and less control over it.  THIS is why so many people are angry, disillusioned, and in some cases, even crazy.  We're a smart, savvy, determined generation of Americans with a lot to offer, so let's be an example to our leaders, our communities and especially our children.

Please give each other a chance.  We're fortunate to live in a country that allows us to disagree with each other AND openly criticize our leaders in public, online and everywhere we go.  For over 236 years, people have given their lives to give us this opportunity.  Let's not waste it with more bickering.  Let's move forward TOGETHER!

I'm Dan Hegarty and I approve this message.

Cobra Venom in OC next Friday Nov. 9th!

Cobra Venom will be joining some friends behind the Orange Curtain for a killer show at the Doll Hut next Friday, November 9th. More info on the facebook event page. We'll have all our records plus the new shirts at the gig so come say hi, drink, listen to music and buy our stuff. It's awesome, I promise! :)

Random Rant #2: Movie, I want my two hours back!

Everyone has been there. You're all excited about the movie you're about to watch. You have your food, beverage and companion of choice on hand.  The screen goes dark....

And two hours later you wish you could beat up that movie. 

What's the most maddening thing about a movie that just doesn't work for you? For me, it's one of three things.....or in a really bad scenario, ALL three of these things:

1.  NOTHING happens.  I like stories with a beginning, middle and end.  The characters and their setting get a quick introduction and they're on their way.  Some stuff happens, something goes wrong, they have to fix it (or at least try), a big confrontation goes down and the characters have arrived in a new place and/or mentality from where they started.  THE END.  Unfortunately too many movies don't get this right, they take way too much time to get there or they bite off more than they can chew (too many subplots, five or more main characters, etc) and suddenly the movie just stops dead in its tracks.  

2.  Bad writing.  This can take on many forms but the most frequent offenders are either lack of clear objectives or bad dialogue.  Characters (are supposed to) have motivations. A good story also has great themes surrounding the conflict, whether obvious or underlying.  Dialogue is also critical.  When it's cheesy or the scenario plays out in a scripted, unrealistic manner, it hurts our suspension of disbelief.  That's pretty much the worst thing you can do to an audience.  I would also argue that when most people say they hated the acting in a movie, it was actually the writing that they hated.  Actors can do a lot of things right and wrong, but with bad dialogue, their options become very limited and only the best actors that know the craft inside and out have a shot at salvaging the messy script they were handed.

3. Too long.  As a musician and a motivated individual, time is the most valuable resource I have and also the most scarce (hence the title of this rant).  I have passed up many movies, TV shows and sports events because I didn't have the time to watch them.  I'm certain you have done the same.  I almost never watch anything over two hours long during the week and on weekends, I still have to schedule it.  The movies that satisfy me the most are the ones where I'm completely engaged.  Sometimes those movies end up being three hours long but the important thing is that they don't FEEL like three-hour movies.  I've turned off movies that clocked in at just over an hour and a half just cuz they felt too long.  If I'm watching the clock and not the movie, that movie has failed the Dan test.

There are a lot of other things about movies that can drive me nuts (overpriced tickets, bad special effects, annoying/bad actors, disruptive scores/soundtracks, stupid plot devices, obnoxious product placements, movies with no fight scenes, etc).  However, I can let a lot of those things go if none of the three things I mentioned above are happening.  The good news is that more often that not, if the movie gets those three things right, they get everything else right as well.

Now I wanna watch more movies.  Anyone have two hours I can borrow?

Classic Metallica, Sabbath & STP at The Joint this Saturday 10/13!

Cliff 'Em All will be performing with our friends Stone Temple Co-Pilots and Electric Funeral at The Joint. All you need is $10 and an 18+ ID.  Come rock out to 3 decades of great music in Los Angeles this Saturday night!

Cobra Venom reviewed in Metal Maniacs!

Cobra Venom is happy to report that "Extinction Reality" received a glowing review from Mike Abominator at Metal Maniacs.  Many thanks to the most metal maniac of all!

The album is also available on iTunes and Amazon now.  Check it out if you haven't already and feel free to give us a review of your own there as well!


We also have some new videos on the Cobra Venom YouTube channel, including some tour footage:

Our next gig is on November 9th at The Doll Hut.  It's on a Friday and the lineup is awesome so if you're in or near OC, don't miss it!

Cliff 'Em All with Huntress and more this Thursday!

Cliff 'Em All will be joining our friends Huntress as well as Mawdryn and The Menstraurs this Thursday 10/4 at Los Globos in Silverlake! Come get your classic and current metal on HARD!