The Savage Animal 07.22.09: Three Year Evaluation
Posted by Mikey MiGo on 07.22.2009
Celebrating the Three Year Anniversary, 411’s Mikey MiGo takes a look back at some topics and randomness of The Savage Animal. We relive first impressions, attempting to enjoy The Beatles, a history lesson on SNL musical guests, “songs about masturbation” and more. Does any of this hold up? Let’s find out.
Filming for my third independent low budget project is winding down. I'm writing this as I get prepared for the second to last official "Shooting Day". The very last day will be a marathon as we have to film at a public bar during business hours. That's pretty nerve wrecking, but should be a great experience. Plans for "Upping The Ante" be on DVD by early Fall seem to still be intact. Of course I'll keep you posted… whether you care or not.
On the leisure side of things, I'm finally getting around to watching "The Larry Sanders Show". I'm a huge fan of HBO series and comedy in general so I'm angry at myself for putting this one off. I'm only a season and about a half in, but from what I've been told I'm in for even more insanity. One thing about watching it is that it's taken away from more recent shows that I can obviously see an influence in. "30 Rock", "Curb Your Enthusiasm", and even "Sports Nite" all feels like they've taken pages from this early 90's show and ran with it. I still like all of those shows, but still. Again, I'm only about a season and a half in.
The biggest news of my past week was that I was lucky enough to score tickets to the 8/29 Chicago date of the FINAL Nine Inch Nails farewell tour. I wanted to get tickets for the Friday show as well, but that didn't work out. It still might happen though. It's at the Aragon, which holds well under five thousand people. It's going to be cramped that night, hot, and probably very abusive to the body. It's cool how my last Nine Inch Nails concert will be my ninth time seeing them. Okay, so at least I think so.
THREE YEAR EVALUATION This is not a flash back episode, I assure you.
I've officially gotten to my "Three Year" mark here at 411mania.com. During that time I've done a couple interviews, not nearly as many album reviews as I should of, a video interview, and ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY TWO columns.
I know what you're saying. "Quit crying. That's not THAT many."
First, that's not a complaint. I originally sent in my writing sample to Ashish because I love music. Despite the fact that my personal business experiences and my lifelong love for professional wrestling would have probably made just as much sense, I have always found a huge connection to music. I pride myself on being a good conversationalist, if not rambley at times. Music has always been a topic that I could talk to with friends and sometimes complete strangers about passionately. Experiences like that prove that in more than one way, music really is a universal language. I wanted to share that random conversation with others by bringing up random topics, sparking a conversation, and really just opening a forum for the mind to wander. With the "random topic" idea in place, thinking of a fresh topic every week is really the hardest part. Once a good topic comes to surface I can write and talk about it for days. On average, with minimal html included the average column is about six pages in Microsoft Word. Meaning, I'm getting pretty close to 1000 pages of original non-news content. Some topics haven't exactly been winners and the column will reflect that, but overall I'm happy with my work and the response I've gotten from my fellow music fans. Of course I appreciate any praise I've gotten like any human being would, but I enjoy the conversational response better. I'd rather read an opinion about a topic than a "good column" or a "you're stupid!" response. Basically, I like productive mind sharing.
Once the week has passed, I never go back to look at old columns. So this will be a pretty interesting retrospective. Here are some of my personal favorite topics that we've covered over the past three years:
TOP WHATEVER LISTS
I organization, I like to categorize things, and I like rank things. This means over the past three years I've made a good share of lists. Sometimes as much as a Top Twenty for some topics, but sometimes a Top Seven will do the job.
5.) The Savage Animal 10.11.06 : Drinks On the House The 411: When I look back at my first few months I cringe. This October 2006 topic wasn't that bad and featured my favorite songs about drinking. I really can't think of many I'd be able to add to that list today. Maybe that "I Like Beer" song, but without looking it up I can't think of any new prominent booze songs.
4.) The Savage Animal 05.28.08: Hollywood: Hip Hopped The 411: I like this column specifically because I got to praise Tupac Shakur. I write about music every week, but I barely ever mention that guy. Regarding the list, I'd probably have to put Andre 3000 on the actual Top Ten. After many viewings of "Semi Pro", I'm anxious to see him do more work. Method Man would be higher, but not much had changed here.
3.) The Savage Animal 08:30:06: Fake Bands that Rocked My World - Part One | Part Two The 411: This was a fun list to compile. It resulted in me finally getting a copy of the "Bill and Teds Excellent Adventure" comic book issue #7. I'm not a comic nerd, but I wrote in as a child and they actually posted my letter in the back pages. That's something cool to have possession of. I still agree with most of my list. There have been a good handful of fake bands that I could have added since then. Russell Brand's character from "Forgetting Sarah Marshall", "Dewey Cox", and a good amount of others.
2.) The Savage Animal 01.10.07: Songs about Masturbation. The 411: I will admit that I bring this column up fairly often to friends who ask about my columns. I don't where the idea came from and why I actually went through with it, but it ended up being very entertaining to put together. I've seen many topics covered from different points of view, but I've still not seen someone actually put a list about masturbation songs together. I take pride in that.
1.) The Savage Animal 08.01.07: Top Ten Simpsons Musical Guests The 411: The Simpsons are one of my top favorite shows of all time. Like top 2 or three even. I recall for about a week a friend and I went back and forth in person, on the phone, and I believe even online with trying to name more Simpsons musical guests than the other. All of the videos have been taken down by Fox, but if you're a fan you'll remember it with ease. I had Michael Jackson as my favorite musical guest of all time and I still mean it. I made Michael Jackson jokes just like everyone else, but it's relieving to see a positive stance on the man BEFORE he died.
INFOTAINMENT
One aspect about being able to do a weekly column is that on occasion I'll be confronted with researching certain topics. I don't do nearly as many of these types of columns as I'd like to do. In the past when having to write about a researched topic it felt like a term paper, but making it conversational is enjoyable. It's never a bad idea to educate yourself on something, well unless that "something" is Dane Cook, Nickelback, AXE body spray, or Hot Pockets. (Off topic: Thinking about it, a good majority of the products being advertised on WWE programming is a douche bag shopping list. Ha!)
5.) The Savage Animal 09.10.08: The Rise and Fall of the Headbangers Ball The 411: The show is still barely hanging in there. I catch it from time to time still at random late hours on the weekend. I say it's about time for another proper resurrection of this show. Who's with me?
4.) The Savage Animal 08.03.06: You're Never Too Old To Rock The 411: This is another very early column in the years of The Savage Animal. At the time the 2006 list came out of the most successful touring acts at the time. What amazed me was the fact that A LOT of the list featured performers close to and over the age of 40. So many in fact that I wrote a column about it. This might be the first time I used the "Rock, Paper, Scissors" rating system. I miss that. Expect it to return!
3.) The Savage Animal 03.26.08: The Music of Wrestlemania The 411: Still no K-Fed. That guy needs to be in professional wrestling. I'd love to see him interact with Cryme Tyme. Any who, another Wrestlemania has passed us since then. Kid Rock performed. That's pretty much the only needed update.
2.) The Savage Animal 06.18.08: Is There Still Music on Television? The 411: I remember feeling like a quasi-real journalist when doing this one. I literally went through 24 hours of programming of all the major music networks and compared actual airtime devoted to music. It's only been about a thirteen months. Nothing has really changed. Despite the fact that it replays the same programming WAY too much and has a sloppy crush on the Warped Tour, Fuse still seems to be the more music centric channel.
1.) The Savage Animal 03.21.07: Live From New York, It's Saturday Night Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 The 411: This was a fun three week project. I love SNL and got to spend a lot of time going over the shows musical history in detail. Over the past year and a half, SNL hasn't had that many decent performances and moments as a lifelong fan would hope for. Nothing like the past years. I don't think you'd of seen a Jonas Brothers type of band on the show when the "Not Ready For Primetime Players" were around.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Basically, I listen to a band for the first time. I may have heard a single or two, but never gave them a real thought. In these pieces, I listened to their entire studio LP and gave my honest first impression.
5.) The Savage Animal 05.27.09: First Impressions of The Pixies The 411: Sadly, most of what I heard of The Pixies went in one ear and out the other. It just didn't stick with me. I appreciate their talents and respect someone loving their music, but it just wasn't for me. I don't consider the time spent with their studio albums to be a waste as I can now give an honest opinion of them.
4.) The Savage Animal 06.24.09: First Impression of The Stooges The 411: "I Wanna Be Your Dog" was really my only impression of Iggy and the guys before this. I really enjoyed the blues rock aspect of punk these icons brought to the table. Anything that makes me appreciate punk on one level or another has to be good.
3.) The Savage Animal 04.29.09: First Impressions of The Smiths The 411: The Smiths surprised me. My impression of them before listening to all of their LPs in one sitting was that they were harder old school punk. Instead I was treated to some great musicianship and some very witty lyrics by Van Morrison. I still need to check out his solo work.
2.) The Savage Animal 02.13.08: The Beatles vs. Mikey MiGo The 411: This wasn't an official "First Impression" piece, but I suppose it starts here. A friend of mine, like millions, is a big fan of The Beatles. I've never gotten into them. I see their influence, respect their work, and generally like the men that formed the band. I just never connected. I can still with ease say my favorite Beatles track is "Tomorrow Never Knows". I couldn't even say that much before this piece.
1.) The Savage Animal 04.08.09: First Impressions with Simon and Garfunkel The 411: This was the first of the "First Impression" series so maybe that's why I have it as Number 1. On the other hand, the music of Simon and Garfunkel has actually stuck in my head more than any other new band out there lately. It's not really my cup of tea, but in doses these two folk rock icons have found their way into my regular rotation.
It's a pleasure to share my opinion with you and reading yours. Hopefully revisiting some of these topics gets you thinking.
Three Years. Done. I'll try my best to keep it interesting.
RANDOM VIDEO(s) OF THE WEEK Grey Would Be The Color, If I Had A Heart
"Something I Can Never Have (still)" by Nine Inch Nails
The 411:Over the years I've bounced around which Nine Inch Nails song was my favorite. Sometimes I want to say "Wish", "Down In It", "Fragile", and a good two dozen others. I always find myself going back to "Something I Can Never Have" from the first LP, "Pretty Hate Machine". As much as I love the original this one is by far my favorite version. This specific version of the song is from the "still" album and kicks my ass every time. The song itself is a beautiful display of emotion, but this specific performance is almost haunting. Give it a listen. The tone and lyrics are deep and passionate, but don't confuse this with the emo trite that kids are trying to pass off as music. You can easily feel that this is a genuine display. Still, I must warn you, if you're already depressed, make sure you stay away from sharp objects. Don't say I didn't warn you.
RANDOM MOVIE REVIEW IN 411 WORDS OR LESS
"BRUNO"
STARRING SACHA BARON COHEN
I was late to the game on this one. Just as recently as the past month, I've watched "The Ali G Show" for the very first time. Watching the show brought a whole new life to the Borat character outside of the horrible impressions of the one-liners that everyone insisted sounds "just like him". I will openly admit that I just didn't get it. I took it for Cohen playing the character as wacky and offensive as possible. I figured his whole shtick was to just press people's buttons, but that's not the case. What Cohen does is expose the closed-minded masses and simpletons for the racist, bigot, and insecure slobs they really are. In the film "Bruno", the flamboyantly gay character of the same name leaves Austria to find success in America. What happens when a flamboyantly gay and foreign person meets the Southern stereotypes? Exactly what you'd expect. Basically in the movie Cohen fucks with rednecks, hardcore Christians, Ron Paul, Harrison Ford, black people, white people, anti-gay people, foreign dignitaries, swingers, and Paula Abdul. All of them make asses of themselves and it's hilarious to see. It's almost like watching Sideshow Bob step on rakes over and over again. You know he deserves it, but that doesn't mean you can't laugh the justice of it all. To be fair, I like Sideshow Bob more than 90% of the people Bruno spoke with.
WRESTLING WITH PILLOWS Looking Out From the Inside.
I'm sad to say I was pretty much dead on about ZZ Top's appearance on RAW. It was cheesier than Chester Cheeta. I knew it was going to suck so my expectations were down. The Santino thing was cool for like one segment and then it got REALLY cheap. Really a "Sharped Dress Man" and a "She's Got Legs" Match? Is Shaq going to have a Slam Dunk Contest next week? Or maybe even a "Number One Contenders Free Throw Contest" for the US Title? My money is on MVP. He's obviously been practicing. Luckily, Shaq has more charisma than the tumble weed of excitement that is ZZ Top. And really, I DO appreciate ZZ Top's music on a certain level but I owned TWO copies of the hit album "Shaq Diesel" on cassette. A Main Event of Cena and Triple H taking on the Legacy? Where have I seen this before? Oh yeah, like EVERY WEEK for the past month or two. I tried to be optimistic and thought "maybe this week will be special and different to lead into the PPV". Yeah, I was wrong. There was nothing special, unique, or sadly to be honest worthwhile about that match. I won't throw a hissy fit if Triple H wins, but my money is on Orton. Outside of the Main Event, the undercard rocks. Mark Henry and Chris Jericho's feud is forming nicely. Jericho is perfect to help Henry reestablish himself as a top tier face. I could almost see Mark Henry main eventing for the RAW Title by the end of the year on one of those random PPV's that can't seem to decide on a name. The six man was all sorts of awesome. It wasn't a five star match. Probably considering it a three and half star match would be pushing it. I just enjoyed seeing everyone get a chance to display their talents. Carlito is a much more fun heel than face. Primo showed more fire and hype than I can remember him EVER having. Swagger and MVP had a few good spots when they got in. I like Big Show in this "I hate everyone" tweener role. Its fun and I REALLY hope it leads to a legitimate storyline. It's been awhile for him outside of the Cena program. But as always, Kofi Kingston stole the show. I can appreciate a face's work, but I've always been more of a heel fan. Kofi is one of the few acceptations in all of wrestling right now for me.
My picks for "Night of Champions": Orton, Punk, Jericho/???, Dreamer by something lame, Dolph Ziggler(upset!), Big Show, Mickie.
By the way, the Kurt Angle/Karen Angle/Jeff Jarrett thing is a work. I have a horrible feeling about this. The situation is a tad too similar to the Benoit/Sullivan shoot from back in the day. That didn't turn out very well. If that's the direction they go, which I don't think anyone is THAT horrible of a human, then Holy Shit. I'm still not going to watch, but it reeks of Russo puke.
CHECK THIS OUT! [CHEAP PLUGS] Things I do while not writing this column.
That's all for this week. During the past three years I've been proud to represent this site as well as I could. I've seen the progress of the site from pretty much the beginning. For years before actually joining the Music Zone, I was an avid reader of the old 411wrestling site. I'm not trying to kiss ass or anything, but if I were writing or not I'd still be recommending this site to friends. Yeah, this week's column was pretty self indulgent. I like reflecting and all, but the main portion of the column even made me, Mikey MiGo, a bit uncomfortable. Three years IS a long time when spread out in weeks. There are some great bands and television series that don't even last that long. Next week, we'll get back to our normal conversational randomness. I've had a few ideas for upcoming weeks for topics I want to cover as well as a small handful of bands I'm curious to give a "First Impression" to. Until then… Have a Great Week!
