Event Memory Prompt

10/28/2014

Write about a recurring public gathering you attended in a place you visited. It should be a very pleasant memory, and could be a baseball game or street fair, an outdoor concert or historical reenactment. Put yourself there by freewriting or clustering, allowing your mind to wander back. Write about the people you saw, the smells in the air. You’ll be amazed by how much you remember once you begin writing about it.

I remember going to a Dave Matthews Band concert when I was about 12 or so years old. It was at the outdoor arena located next to Hershey Park, I had previously been at this venue for an N'sync concert, which was also the first concert I had ever been to. That concert was full of over 30,000 screaming girls and was at the height of the group's popularity and while Justin Timberlake still had curly hair.

The DMB concert I attended was an entirely different affair. Firstly the genre was different, being more of a jam band than a boy band that sings pop music. There were also a lot less screaming screaming tweens in the crowd, being replaced by hippies and 20-40 somethings drinking beers and consuming elicit substances. I remember remarking about smelling something similar to a skunk's scent in the air and seeing a lot of smoke plumes wafting about in various locations of the crowd. I soon realized that this wasn't cigarette or cigar smoke and that there weren't any skunks around in the audience watching the enjoyable performance. It was marijuana... I was opposed to drugs because I had drank the kool-aid and believed what I was told about drugs being terrible and leading to people performing homosexual acts of prostitution under bridges and then dying young. Now I know that people can also perform sex acts in a variety of places, so I don't trust what I was told as a child anymore.

A Review of Muse’s The 2nd Law

By:Dylan Barton 10/30/2014

Muse have been increasingly growing in popularity worldwide since their formation in 1994. The band consists of lead singer/guitarist Matt Bellamy, Bassist Chris Wolstenholme and drummer Dominic Howard. These core members have also been aided by Morgan Nicholls, a multi-instrumentalist that joined them for live performances during their tours in support of their fourth album, Black Holes and Revelations.

The musical style of Muse has shifted and adopted new characteristics such as symphonics, choirs and the integration of electronic elements like keyboards, Korg Kaoss pads, and a custom made Key-tar(a keyboard integrated into the body of a guitar, with additional buttons built into the neck). These new additions to their sound reach their pinnacle on the band’s most recent and sixth studio album, The 2nd Law.

The theme, artwork and video content of the album are related to the 2nd law of thermodynamics, which in summary explains that in a closed system energy goes from being concentrated to being dispersed. This scientific law is used as a metaphor for our current ecological and economic crises and sets the tone for the album’s sound and lyrics.

1. Supremacy - 4:56 - The opening track for the album draws influence from guitar work of Jimmy Paige of Led Zeppelin. It also has symphonics resembling those heard on that band’s song Kashmir. The lyrics are a rallying cry for a mob of revolutionaries and a warning to tyrants that their time in power and their “Supremacy” has reached its end. While not  the heaviest rock song on the album, it is a close second place with high shrieking vocals, pounding drums, and a guitar/bass section that could melt all of the faces off of Madame Tussaud’s collection of wax celebrities.

2. Madness - 4:40 - A far departure from the raw energy of the first track, Madness begins as a soft love ballad. It was actually written by Matt Bellamy to win back his girlfriend Kate Hudson after an argument and it worked. Bellamy has said that the lyrics are those which he has the most pride in out of any previous Muse songs. The instrumental side of the song starts as a simple drum and bass melody, then adds soft guitar plucking and finally reaches a climax as all parts escalate toward the resounding final verse and chorus.

3. Panic Station - 3:05 - Another vast shift sound comes with the third track of the album. This song is also only the third studio track by Muse to include a curse word, with the line “Do what the f**k you want to, there’s no-one to repeat!” The lyrics create what is basically a riotous party during the end of days. An inclusion instrumentally are trumpet players that also featured on Stevie Wonder’s “Superstitious”, and they play a part that is very similar to their contribution on that song. The song is in my opinion, the funkiest on the album, reflected in the rather outlandish costumes worn in the video for the track.

4/5. Prelude/Survival - 5:16 - The fourth and fifth songs of the album flow together into one bombastic track, that was the official theme for the 2012 London Olympic games. The prelude section features a symphonic and choral piece hand written by Bellamy(who has also written a three part symphony on their fifth album and instrumental music for movies such as The International), which proceeds sweepingly as it builds for nearly a minute before the backing music gives way. Once Survival begins the track builds from snapping, the chorus huffing, and some light piano into an inferno of rock insanity. The lyrics of the song support it’s use as the Olympic theme with lines like “I choose to survive, whatever it takes, you won’t pull ahead, cuz’ I’ll keep up the pace, and I’ll reveal my strength to the whole human race!”

6. Follow Me - 3:50 - This song has a very personal touch from Bellamy and Kate Hudson, as the tempo of the song is based on the heartbeat of their son Bingham during a sonogram, which can also be heard at the opening of the song and throughout(if you have high quality headphones). The lyrics are a promise from father to son that he will always be there to protect and guide him through life’s struggles. The instrumental portion of the track is largely electronic and builds from light synths to a full on dance floor pounding jam midway through.

7. Animals - 4:22 - A full on indictment of the stock market and financial industry, this song sounds peaceful enough with it’s harpsichord opening, but becomes more menacing as it advances. This song is notable because the guitar featured in it has the cleanest tone, devoid of Bellamy’s usual “fuzz-factory” pedal driven tone. The lyrics detail stock brokers’ and bankers’ thirst for personal gain and lack of care for humanity. The track closes after rampaging guitar work with the sound of the riotous stock exchange floor, the closing bell, and then applause and cheering.

8. Explorers - 5:46 - Written as a lullaby of sorts, as noted from the soft tone of voice and the ending “shhhh go to sleep.”, this song is about the lack of un-owned land, industrial farming, and ruination of the ecosystem. the instrumentation is largely piano driven and peaceful, adding to the lullaby theme.

9. Big Freeze - 4:39 - This track is presumably about the impending ice-age after global warming runs its course. It is also about the eventual dead-end in a relationship where partners don’t share the same views. While these subjects would seem depressing, the song somehow manages to feel uplifting and upbeat.

10. Save Me - 5:08 - A first for Muse, this is one of two songs on the album both written by and sung by bassist Chris Wolstenholme. The song is a plea written from the viewpoint of a struggling alcoholic for someone to stand by him and help him to overcome his addiction. The reason Wolstenholme wrote a song of this type was because he sought treatment for his own alcoholism between the previous album and the making of this one. He was given an ultimatum by his band mates to sober up or they’d have to replace him, not wanting to see Chris continue to hurt his wife and children by not being himself, as well as not being the quality of performer he once was. While this is the first song not sung by Bellamy, it isn't a bad thing as Wolstenholme shows he is a talented singer and the song also evokes an emotional response. Musically, the song progresses from nearly a cappella to an atmospheric ballad.

11. Liquid State - 3:03 - The heaviest song on the album and another sung by Wolstenholme, the track is a roller-coaster ride from start to finish. The lyrics are a personification of alcohol as an abusive person harming the singer, who hopes to overcome the power of it. The musical portion of the song is not ordinary of Muse as the bass is the instrument at the forefront.

12/13. The 2nd Law: Unsustainable/ Isolated System - 8:49 - Largely devoid of vocals from any member of Muse, instead these tracks use sound clips from newsreaders speaking about the impending economic and environmental doom that will potentially end humanity. The instrumental content is an admirable attempt by the band to craft a dub-step song using real instruments instead of computers. The second portion is a piano and bass song that was used in pieces during the movie World War Z.

Memory Revision Prompt

10/30/2014

Write about an event from your childhood through your adult eyes (Perhaps Halloween?).  Add perceptions that you could not have known at the time.

A memory I can remember from when I was younger was being in a very ghetto neighborhood of Harrisburg, PA. I remember bring in my mom.s car and pointing out rather loudly that two guys I saw were doing a drug deal, or at least what I thought was a drug deal about 30 yards in front of us. I remember thinking it was wrong and rather crazy to be doing out in the open during the daytime.

I now look back and first think it was dumb to point it out loudly, because drug dealers and purchasers, especially in the ghetto have a reputation for being armed, paranoid, and dangerous. I also think that the fact they were doing the deal out in public when it was light out isn't actually that strange for a few reasons. First drug dealers aren't known for being smart people overall, so doing something questionable isn't too odd. Second, if it is light out you can more easily see that the money you're being handed is correct, for the dealer, and for the purchaser you can check the quality of the drugs you are buying with more ease as well. Third, this is a ghetto community, even cops were afraid to do foot patrols there, so the day time or anytime really, is perfectly safe for deals to be done because cops usually aren't around those areas to see or care about your actions. Finally, in the neighborhood where I witnessed this, the practice of dealing drugs probably isn't that unusual, to the point that acting like it is not odd is more acceptable and less alarming than if it had been in an alley at night where onlookers would be certain what they are seeing is a nefarious act.

Description of a Person Prompt

10/23/2014

Take a look at the people on this link:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/18RXRZ7DjJVWqlvLe3Z8Zk3bcqJDqCnxKsVV3vocY0QE/edit

Choose one and freewrite about that person. Give that person a name and describe what he/she looks like. Where did he/she come from, describe college, job, family, likes and dislikes. What are some of his/her goals and what problem are they facing right now?

The African American man in the wheelchair:

His name is Albert Robinson. He is a slightly overweight man in his 30's and uses a wheelchair. He was born in Atlanta and had a single mother who raised him and his three brothers. He played football in high school, during which he broke his left femur, which led to him using a wheelchair to get around for a few months. He discovered that rolling around was more fun and less strenuous than walking. He now uses the wheelchair to this day because he is lazy and also doesn't want to alienate all of his adult friends that he's told that he is crippled. The reason he feels that he can't stand from the chair now is because he has had them do such things as carry him, push him through malls, and drive him around town. The lies began when he started college and took advantage of nobody knowing his life's story and his ability to define himself again. From there he got his degree in accounting, but hasn't been able to stop perpetuating the lie that his legs are inoperable. It was appealing at times, especially at bars and parties when he would get sympathy from girls and reap the benefits of that pity. The biggest problem besides losing his friends when they find out the truth is the growing mass of sores covering his ever enlarging buttocks. They are starting to smell and leak, which he dislikes and has led to a lull in his love life. His family has abandoned him because they know about his use of the wheelchair and think it is morally wrong. His goal would be to either heal his butt wounds and continue to be in the chair or get transferred to another office for his job, where he can have a fresh start.

Alley No.1:Willow Street
By:Dylan Barton

Willow street is an alley that runs between 3rd and 4th streets in the heart of Williamsport, PA. 

Safety Risk Rating: No knives or guns needed (at least during the daytime)

Report of the alley experience: 10/14/14
I walked from Lycoming College down the hill to the nearby alley on a overcast and slightly rainy day. I entered the alley at Academy street and proceeded down Willow toward Market street.

The first thing I noticed when I entered the alley was two homeless men standing outside St. Anthony's a "soup kitchen". I was asked by one of these guys what exactly I was doing, so I told him the idea I had for this blog and the aim of showing the decay of this city. He then started to rant about what ex-mayor Jessie Bloom did to this city. "She brought all of these criminals from Philadelphia here and they brought their drugs and crime with them, it was all about money." While I'm also not a fan of what is called the "Philly-Influx", but I cannot pretend to know exactly why it happened or try to say that drugs and crime weren't already prevalent in Williamsport. I refrained from asking for or taking a photo of this bum, because his surly answer made me question his sobriety and fear a stabbing.

Anyway, I continued walking down the alley and took a few pictures of different signs of decay like broken sidewalk, pot-holes, and graffiti. This isn't a particularly scary alley because it has a mix of residential and commercial properties. I think it is usually creepier in the back alleys of a residential neighborhood, but since this is the first one I decided to travel down for this blog I chose a rather tame one.

Also worth noting is that this alley's close proximity to the center of town likely keeps it visible to those who run the town, so they likely wouldn't want it to look too unappealing to visitors or residents of the city.

This post was done for an assignment in my media writing class, so future posts are likely to still be sporadic with all of the other things I have to do this semester. I will wrap this report up by adding the rest of my photos below.

Combination Prompt

10/21/2014

Take the list of six people you created in the previous exercise and turn them into three fictional characters. Take two people and combine them into one and give that new character the personality you described previously. Give these new characters names and describe what they look like.

Dave is a combination of Larry and Bob, so He is a fat, tall, redneck, and possible kid toucher with a really creepy mustache.

The second character combo is Zachary and is made of parts of "Bruce" and George's characters. This means Zachary is a half Hispanic, half Asian man who is good at martial arts and he uses those skills to help him be the best and most aggressive landscaper of all time.

The third combo of characters is a mix of Chastity and John, named Chaz. Chaz is a sexually confused hermaphrodite stripper who doesn't make much money at the clubs.Having John's love of prostitutes, Chaz rather than paying for their services, actually works as one at night to make up for the lack of stripping revenue. This has led to some arrests and a long list of std's.

Six People Prompt

10/16/201

List six people you know (first names only) who interest you enough to write about them. Write what you find interesting about them. List some characteristics of their personalities and describe what they look like.

The first is Larry, who is a short redneck that hunts out of season and fishes with dynamite.

The second is Bob who is a slightly taller guy than Larry, but fatter and is always being accused of abusing children because he has a mustache and drives a windowless van.

The third is known as "Bruce" because he's a small Asian man that is into martial arts. The truth is nobody knows him name for sure and we suspect he might have killed a few people in the past.

The fourth is named George and he's a somewhat Hispanic fella, who is actually named Jorge. He works for a landscaping company, oddly enough.

The fifth is a lady named chastity who works at the local strip club on the day shift. She used to work nights, the prime spot, but meth use has thinned her hair a bit.

Finally the sixth is name John and appropriate to his name, he enjoys the company of ladies of the night. John is balding and has been divorced three times, probably due to his cheating and heavy drinking.