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This is the Eye of Grace. This is where the world is set straight before your simple minds. This is where the shit hits the fan.
You are nothing without me.
2004 in Review
(In case you didn’t watch the news last year)
Politics
“Operation Freedom”
The “war” in Iraq rages on even though we supposedly won and the Iraqi people are now free to form a new dictatorship that hates America. Only problem is that somebody obviously forgot to tell the Iraqis because they keep fighting on, not understanding the rules of the game and that the tanks rolling through their streets only mean well. Dumbasses.
Of course George W has no idea on how to close the deal now after the invasion is finished and thus just keeps our kids over there to provide target practice for the Iraqi militia (armed by American forces of course – nothing says “keep the peace” like putting an automatic rifle in the hands of the people who were throwing rocks at you last week).
I’m just pissed off I’m paying more for gas now that we sit on the richest oil sources in the world. I guess I miss the old days when a country that invaded another country also got to steal all their shit. Instead we bomb these people and hand them money to rebuild with a note of apology? Enough already.
The Election
The presidential election managed to be about everything that is not important rather than focusing on issues that matter to the common man. The candidates did a good job convincing the American public that the war on terror takes priority over cheaper medical insurances, lower crime rates and better education.
Why not? It makes sense right? After all… We stopped the 9/11 attack even after we had information on what was going on right? Oh, that’s right… We didn’t. So what’s going to change really? There will always be the lone mad man with a sniper rifle or the extreme terrorist organization with a suicide bomber. We are dealing with either crazy people or fanatics here. Not something you can reason with…
Instead of chasing shadows maybe we could have the leader of our country take care of his people. We need better medical insurances, better education, more jobs and lower crime rates. When you have fixed that maybe we can talk about your little game of cats and mice on the international playground. As long as there is one gang running one of the corners outside of my house and another running the one across the street America is NOT safe. Put that in your pipe and smoke it. The 82 billion dollars allocated for the rebuilding of Iraq would put enough cops on the streets of the USA to eliminate open crime altogether. But what do I know?
Priorities…
The Iraqi’s people right to vote matters more I guess.
“Mommy, why did Daddy die?”
“Because he had to free the Iraqi people honey bun.”
“But wasn’t it the Iraqi people who killed him?”
“Yes, but they don’t know any better sweetie pie. Besides… your daddy was fighting for America’s freedom.”
“Over there? In Iraq?”
“Well… Yeah… Shut up kid. Go watch TV!”
Who won? Bush on paper. The Old Boy’s Club in reality, headed by Cheney and old man Bush.
Oh… And the fact that our new secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, is the same woman who dismissed the Classified Intelligence report titled “Bin Laden Determined To Strike in U.S” (dated August 6th) doesn’t exactly inspire great confidence.
Music
It was a year of famine from my perspective as far as music went. Not too many great albums were released and hardly any that stood out with some originality.
I think the album that grew on me the most was Velvet Revolver’s “Contraband”. I really didn’t like it the first time I heard it. I thought it was boring and too “plain”. I guess I was expecting another “Appetite for Destruction” with a better singer. After I had laid all those preconceived notions to rest I could enjoy the album for what it was; really well crafted kick ass rock’n’roll with great lyrics and Slash’s magic touch on the guitar.
Other great releases in the world of rock’n’roll were Silvertide, Hellacopters and Backyard Babies.
See? Rock’n’roll is not dead but today’s generation of kids are too gay to appreciate it. If it’s too kick ass they get scared and go back to hugging their pillows, dreaming of making out with Chris Carrabba of Dashboard Confessional (both boys and girls). It’s the pacified playstation candy ass emo generation ladies and gentlemen. The damn hippies could kick these kids’ asses.
In metal we saw two great releases: Motorhead’s “Inferno” and The Haunted’s “rEVOLVEr”. Motorhead has never sounded better and they deliver with a punch that steam rolls all the make-believe “tough” nu-metal bands out there.
The Haunted made the best album of their career and if you haven’t checked it out and you like your metal heavy, do yourself a favor and buy it. It’s like old Slayer meets Arch Enemy meets old Metallica wrapped up in adrenaline-pumping aggressive tunes flawlessly produced. My favorite album of the year.
The year was otherwise a perfect example on how the labels rule supreme nowadays. Even metal has now succumbed to the top 40 formula and band after band is launched as the new big thing to the mosh pitting kids. Extreme is in and it’s hip. Lamb Of God is on Sony for God’s sake! Killswitch Engage and Ashlee Simpson have more in common than you can tell from a first look.
The edited version of Slipknot’s “Vol 3: The Subliminal Verses” sums up the year in metal for me:
Pointless, no balls, no integrity and run like a horse into the ground to appeal to the masses by a label who could give two shits whether that horse is around for the next race. There’s always another damn ride and kids are stupid right? They won’t know the difference.
Other stuff…
The hurricanes ran rampage in most of the south east and laid whole communities awaste. Trailer park communities for the most part. What do I do? Like the dumbass I am I take my family and move to Florida.
Tsunami in South East Asia kills over a hundred thousand. I don’t know if Mother Nature is on the rag this year but she sure took it out on us (or she just doesn’t like poor people).
Michael Jackson was charged with child molestation… again… He celebrated New Year’s on the Neverland ranch by throwing a big party sleepover for specially invited kids. These parents deserve to have their kids raped…. I only hope the kids take it out on them instead of climbing a tower near me clutching a sniper rifle.
To me this year will be remembered as the year Martha Stewart went to prison. That’s just too funny. Scars build character… Strap-ons build character… Fighting your way to the showers with a sharpened toothbrush builds character. Martha Stewart will hopefully emerge from prison a stronger character.
Deaths
Ronald Reagan, the 40th president of the US, died in June. Whether you loved him or hated him, he was a man who got things done. If you’re going to be a hard ass world police, be hard ass. If Ronald Reagan was Dirty Harry, George W Bush is the little guy with the glasses from the first Police Academy.
Ray Charles died and is immortalized by first his music and second the great movie about his life starring Jamie Foxx. Go see it.
Yassir Arafat dies in Paris and gives the Palestinians a chance to elect someone else to fight with Israel. We all know this fight will never end right? Thought so… Just checking.
Marlon Brando, The Don, died last summer and will forever be remembered for being Superman’s father back on Krypton in the first movie. (Coincidentally Christopher Reeve died shortly after Brando.)
Rodney Dangerfield made his last silly joke, dropped his last played line and pinched his last butt. Maybe he can get a day job in the afterlife.
Reggie White died from a massive heart attack in December and whether it was due to past steroid abuse or not doesn’t really matter to the millions of fans who loved him.
Dimebag (Pantera, Damage Plan) was shot and killed on stage in Ohio.
End note…
2004 was the year of bad weather, bad music and bad politics. The weather we couldn’t do anything about, but the politics and the music we can change. Let’s stay on top of the president this time and make sure he doesn’t fuck up and let’s try to buy at least 5 albums this year that is not a major label chart topper. OK?
Happy New Year.
~ The Eye of Grace ~
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