SOUNDTRACK: THAT METAL SHOW (VH1 Classics) (2008-2009).
TiVo taped 120 Minutes on VH1 Classics as a suggested title (thanks TiVo), and while we were watching it, there was an ad for That Metal Show. So, I made sure to record that as well.
The premise of the show is that three metalheads (Eddie Trunk, whose name sounded familiar–and it turns out he’s been a DJ for years in the New York area–and two comedians I’d never heard of: Jim Florentine and Don Jamieson) host a half hour talk show about heavy metal. There were 7 shows last season and the new season has just started.
They had a brief marathon so I was able to watch a few of the last season’s episodes and the new one. And my opinion is mixed.
I enjoyed the interview with Geddy and Alex from Rush, and I even enjoyed the Twisted Sister episode. And yet, like with everything on VH1 there’s more fluff than substance there. Eddie Trunk is a good host, and although he is also from New Jersey, he’s no Matt Pinfield when it comes to interviewing. And the comedians are kind of funny in a meathead sort of way. Because yes, even though there are ladies in the audience, the show is a guys show.
The set up is fairly straightforward–discussion of metal “news” which is often way out of date, the guests interview, “Stump the Trunk” in which 3-4 studio audience members (almost all decked in black leather) ask Eddie Trunk a question. If he gets it right, nothing. If he gets it wrong, they get a prize. The last episode I watched I got two of the three questions right and was surprised that he missed one of the ones I knew). Then there’s the Throwdown, in which a topic is discussed for two minutes: two that I remember were “Old vs New Metallica” and “Tawny Kitaen vs The chick from the Warrant’s Cherry Pie video” (See, it’s a guy show).
And so really what you get is a bunch of affable meatheads talking about music (just like high school–how serendipitous that Yngwie Malmsteen was a guest…bummed that I missed that one!)
I quickly tired of the comedians, and if the interviewees aren’t very interesting, the show is pretty much a wash. I do enjoy the prize section (although their segment on “picking the hot chick to hold the Trunk of Junk or whatever it’s called was just foolish). But TiVo will keep recording it and I’ll keeping skimming through.
It’s no Henry Rollins Show, let me tell you.
[READ: March 11, 2009] “Seven Stories”
This was indeed a collection of seven very short stories. Most are a couple of paragraphs long. I would consider this flash fiction except, well, I don’t think they really work as flash fiction. In my experience, flash fiction is a complete cohesive story in a few paragraphs. These were actually fairly convoluted and never really led anywhere.
In fact I would have not finished this work, except the whole thing was only two pages long. The stories seem to tie together (there are a couple of stories where the names are the same), but I’m unclear how. Characters are mentioned as if we know them, but they are never explained further. I’m actually surprised it was published at all.
SOUNDTRACK: SUPERGRASS-Diamond Hoo Ha (2008).
I’ve enjoyed Supergrass since they were young whipper-snappers on their first album I Should Coco. It was a mix of fast catchy pop about being young and foolish. I was even more impressed with the expanded sounds on their follow-up In It for the Money.
I Just Read About That... 