I Just Read About That…

SOUNDTRACK: FOO FIGHTERS-Skin and Bones (2006).

I totally missed this album when it came out.  Although since I prefer the heavier Foo Fighters songs, it’s not like I was queuing up to buy an acoustic show from them anyhow.

Nevertheless, someone had uploaded the first half of the DVD (part 2 never made it online) so that was my first exposure to this collection.  Comparing the DVD to the CD, I imagine I prefer the DVD because I really enjoy the silliness and banter (I do love banter) that Grohl brings in the live show (which seems like it may have been edited out of the CD).

The songs do sound good in the acoustic format.  Unlike many shows, these song are not stripped down.  In fact they are build up with eight people in the band, including Petra Haden on violin and Drew Hester on percussion.

I really enjoyed Grohl’s banter with the audience.  And I really enjoyed the end of “See You” (about where the first part cuts off) where everyone plays solos.  Grohl laughs at his inability to solo and then encourages Hester to do a percussion solo.  I really laughed how silly Grohl is (reminding me a lot of Jack Black) yelling at Hester for the various things he tries–no, I don’t like that do something else.  And even asking if he paid money for one of his little blocks.

Maybe one of these days I’ll see if the edited CD version is as enjoyable.

[READ: January 15, 2015] Battling Boy

Paul Pope is a famous graphic novel artist.  I’d heard of him and seen some of his work although I never knew exactly which stuff was his.

And as it turns out I really don’t care for his artistic style all that much.  It is quite distinctive, but it is very dark and kind of “sloppy/ugly” and I find it very unsettling to look at.  This book also has a very “superhero” look, which I have recently discovered I don’t like in general.

Which is quite a shame because this story is really interesting.

Set in the city of Acropolis, there are monsters everywhere (these monsters wander around with purple hoods on).  They seem to be after young children especially, so the kids are naturally afraid to even go get their soccer ball when it rolls into dark alley.  But when the monsters strike, Harggard West is there to save them.

Haggard is the town’s superhero and he’s a good one.  He has help from his daughter Aurora who is a tech-savy young lady.  But on this one mission, the bad guys find his weak spot and are able to put Haggard West down for good (I didn’t get that the first time I read it–I find Pope’s style so confusing I missed that crucial plot point).

We shift locations to an outer space planet, where a hero has just returned.  He comes bearing gifts for all and is happy to see his wife.  Then he calls for his son.  Tomorrow is his son’s turning day–the day where he is given his challenge to become a new hero.  And they have just chosen the location where he will be a hero–a city called Acropolis.

But Aurora, who is still mourning her father has other ideas.  She goes into her father’s back cabinet where all of his weapons are, and she begins to practice.

Which is good because Acropolis is under attack again.  This time it’s from a huge monster which they are calling the Humbaba.  It is currently eating every car in Acropolis.  The city has sent out the military who have been less than effective.  While that is going on, Battling Boy (that’s his unfortunate name) is send down out of the sky to the hilltop of Acropolis.  His father says that this is his test and not to call him unless it is absolutely necessary. He gives the Boy a suitcase with all kinds of cool weapons and a dozen t-shirts with animals on them (each animal imbues him with the powers of said animal).

Battling Boy finally gets to the Humbaba and prepares to fight. But he is no match for this giant creature.  And just as it is about to end, he calls on his father (who is busy doing battle himself).  His father helps to fight the monster which makes the boy an unlikely hero (which really pisses off Aurora).

And so now the town plans to celebrate Battling Boy (but he needs a new name) even if he knows he didn’t defeat the monster himself.  Oh and just because the big monster is gone, doesn’t mean all the bad guys are gone.  In fact the purple hooded guys are just biding their time. And lets not forget that Aurora is still kind of mad at him.  And, you know, T-shirts aren’t made of the strongest material.

There is so much potential in this story for future action, that I am actually quite interested in seeing what happens next, even if I don’t enjoy the visuals all that much.