World Spine Day
On January 22nd, 2024, I fell in my backyard, resulting in paralysis, permanent injury to my spinal cord, and a condition called Central Spinal Cord Syndrome. You can read more about this harrowing tale here and here.
On World Spine Day, I’m reflecting on the accident and focusing on the positive strides I’ve made since then.
“World Spine Day aims to raise awareness about spinal health and spine disorders among all involved stakeholders, provide a forum for ongoing discussion about the burden of spinal disorders, and promote an interdisciplinary, collaborative approach to easing the burden of spinal disorders. This is especially important because millions of people around the world often have little awareness of or access to conventional healthcare resources to help them take care of spinal pain and disability.”
It’s appropriate that today, I could do one of the most essential keyboard shortcuts for any Mac user, Command-Tab. I’ve not been able to easily use this oft-used shortcut regularly until today.
It’s wild to consider that less than a year ago, I was paralyzed from the neck down. For a moment, I thought, this is it. Then, when I was paralyzed a second time due to a hematoma, I really thought, this is it…Rebecca constantly reminds me how far I’ve come. It makes me think how far I can go.
But thanks to doctors, physical and occupational therapists, science, medicine, perseverance, and support, I’m walking and so much more. I’ve not mentioned this much, but at my last visit with my surgeon, he said, “You’ll never be back to normal.” Normal. What a word. While that usually would get me down, and it did a bit, it also motivated me to establish my normal and get to the best place I could be. My arms are still incredibly weak. My left hand doesn’t work great. It’s limiting, this disability, but it's not going to stop me.
Anyway, on World Spine Day, take care of yourself, don’t fall, and be excellent to each other.
A Rose by Any Other Name
As a kid growing up on the west side of Cincinnati, Ohio, in the 1970s, you didn’t have much choice other than to worship Peter Edward Rose. Charlie Hustle, as he was known was a legend around these parts. To be honest, I was never much of a sports fan, even as a kid , but my father was, which means I saw plenty of Reds games as a kid, including watching Pete Rose play. It was such a part of our culture that even someone that wasn’t in the sports could get excited. I was much more interested in movies, including a science fiction movie that came out in 1977, and that’s where my true passions lie.
In any case, Pete Rose was a legend, he overcame any limitations he had simply by hustling. It was kind of his whole thing: he won the World Series and went on to have more hits than any other player in the history of baseball. I met the man a few times, including at a book signing where I got his famous autograph that he would shill to anyone for any price.
Of course, his reputation, including gambling on baseball and allegations of sexual abuse, became part of his legacy, so much so that the person with the most hits in the history of the game will never be in the Hall of Fame. My worship of Rose eroded with my interest in sports ball. But you cannot ignore the impact Rose had on the city.
Pete Rose passed away yesterday, leaving behind a tarnished legacy, but one that most fans are willing to ignore because of his legend. Facebook is full of tributes, and rightly so, but let’s not forget who Pete Rose really was: a flawed man who was pretty good at baseball.
A Short N Sweet Sabrina Show
Last night my daughter and I attended the opening night of Sabrina Carpenter’s 2024 Short N Sweet tour at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. I am a recent convert to Carpenter’s music as I love attending shows with my kids and who knows how many times they’ll want to see shows with their old man.
The excitement in Columbus was palpable. Carpenter has been rising up the charts with her latest album, Short N Sweet, and recently built her army of fans by opening for one Taylor Allison Swift on the Eras Tour. Being open night added to the excitement as we didn't know what to expect, and there was no early access to the setlist, no pictures of merch, and nothing.
We arrived in Columbus in plenty of time to check out the merch, soak up the good vibes, meet some fellow fans, and get in line to enter the venue. The merch booth was set up outside, and it was total pandemonium, so we waited to get a merchant inside. We did take advantage of the photo opp.
The show was sold out so the house was packed. We settled into our seats for the show, and made friends with the fans around us.
The stage appears to be a simple one, stage, middle walkway and a mini heart shaped stage at the end.
The show is set up as an old timey TV variety show. Pre-recorded segments take you through the day of a TV channel, complete with end credits at the end. It's a clever set up. The stage turned out to be more complex, with steps, a living room, bed room, bathroom, all the standard stuff lol. The heart-shaped mini stage served as a sunken living room couch for mid-show antics and a riser, bringing Sabrina closer to the fans in the cheap seats (us).
Production value is high, the band was tight, and Sabrina sounded good and looked great during several costume changes. The show was unexpectedly “short and sweet”, only an hour and half. Any veterans of the Eras tour will be surprised at how quickly they get home. But the shorter show made for a tight performance. 21 songs from her two most recent records. Plenty of crowd interatctions and plenty of screaming.
Overall this was a fun, high energy show. I adore spending time with my daughter doing something we both love so dearly. You can find videos from the show on my insta, TikTok, and YouTube.
The highlight of the night, other than the hype encore of Espresso, was meeting my new best friend, Jesus F. Christ!
The Wonderful, Wild, Weird World of Weezer
It's hard to believe it's been 30 years since Weezer dropped their self-titled debut album. But 30 years it has been. To celebrate, the band is touring arenas, putting on one of their biggest spectacles ever. Voyage to the Blue Planet is indeed a spectacle—a wonderful, wild, weird celebration of one of rock's weirdest bands. The show's centerpiece is, of course, a performance of what is affectionately known as the blue album in full from front to back.
The band is certainly going all out for this tour. It's a Broadway-style spectacle complete with aand supported by high-quality visuals, scripted scripted story segments, and costume changes.
The show is a journey in every sense. It begins with the band literally blasting off as they embark on a voyage. Along the way, they encounter a series of enemies, complications, and other adventures, all of which are presented as a backdrop to a three-act performance. This narrative structure adds a unique and exciting dimension to the show Voyage to the Blue Planet.
Act one begins with a handful of rarities and deep cuts and follows the band through a wild set full of bangers. Weezer fans, young and old, have plenty to delight them in act one. From big performances of big hits like Hash Pipe and Dope Nose to deep cuts like Every Friend of Diane’s.
Act two found the band in the Pinkerton sector of an asteroid belt. This gave the band an opportunity to play nearly half of the Pinkerton record, including my second favorite Weezer song, "You Gave Your Love to Me Softly." Well, it is not from Pinkerton. It is from the same era and was included on the soundtrack to the movie Angus. Pinkerton fans were thrilled with this set.
Act three, of course, found the band landing on the blue planet, home to the Weezerites and Rivers himself. The planet had fallen on hard times and needed to be saved. The only way they knew how was by playing the blue album in its entirety.
If all of this sounds silly to you well it was very silly, but it was also completely on brand and so much fun. The band sounded great, particularly rivers, voice and guitar. The mix was excellent. You could even hear Scott's base very clearly in the mix.
Overall, this was an excellent show. I've seen Weezer countless times over the years, and this was one of my favorites, possibly one of the best shows I've ever seen.
A Twisted Take on Twisters
Twister, oh, does anyone see through you?
You're a twister, oh, an animal
Twister, the unexpected and timely sequel to the 1996 Jan de Bont storm cloud thriller, Twister stormed into theaters earlier this year, delighting fans young and old, who’d been clamoring for this sequel since Twister...Ride it Out closed at Universal Studios Florida.
Twisters is more remake than sequel. The film is structured very similarly to the original. The film opens with a twister traumatizing storm chasers Kate and Javi leading to Kate to take an office job in New York while Javi continues chasing storms. Eventually, Javi needs Kate to chase storms again and they find themselves up against rival chasers led by YouTube star Tyler Owens. There’s no reference that I saw to the original. Kate is not Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton’s kid or Palpatine’s granddaughter or anything.
Chasing ensues.
A tornado destroys a small town. It destroys a rodeo. Kate and Tyler team up and are obviously very attracted to one another. It all leads up to the big showdown between Kate and an F5 twister.
Like the original, Twisters is brisk and fun. Both movies seem ridiculous and dumb but there’s something catchy about both. I found myself kind of enjoying this movie.
The soundtrack is another story. The original soundtrack, a WB vehicle headlined by Van Halen, was a tour de force featuring other 90’s luminaries like Lisa Loeb, Shania Twain, Goo Goo Dolls, and Belly. The new soundtrack is all country all the time and it’s all terrible. It’s mostly background tracks so you can overlook it, but it is a serious downgrade.
Overall, this isn’t a terrible way to waste two hours.
Twister, oh, I shouldn't have trusted in you
Twister, oh, a-na-na-na
Alien: Too A Hyperbole Free Review
Alien: Romulus is a chronological sequel to Ridley Scott's original sci-fi horror movie, Alien. It takes place in the Alien timeline between Alien and Aliens. The film could as easily been called Alien 2 or Alien: Red as it was called Romulus. Romulus, we learn is, in addition to being a cool-sounding word, is also one of two sections of a derelict spacecraft where most of the film's action occurs. For the remainder of this review, I will refer to the movie as Alien: Too.
Alien: Too continues the tradition of Ripley by featuring a female lead named Rain. Rain is an orphan living on a mining colony with her "brother" Andy, a synthetic human programmed by her father to care for Rain. Rain discovers her contract has been extended when she was supposed to be able to leave. Obviously distraught, Rain seeks comfort from her friends and ex-boyfriend, who conveniently have a plan to steal a ship and head to the aforementioned derelict spacecraft to retrieve cryotubes so they can go to a new planet nine years away.
I bet you can guess where this is going.
The beginning of Alien: Too looks remarkably like a mix of the look of Alien and Alien 3, set against a Fede Alvarez (director) backdrop. Once they hit the ship and the action quickly ramps up, the red aesthetic kicks in. It all looks great. A little dark, but i think that may have been my theater's projection.
There's not a whole lot of need to go into the rest of the plot. There are facehuggers aboard and soon one of the group i face hugged. A Xenomorph chest bursts and chaos ensues. Plotwise its more like the original movie. A small group of prey in a confined area is menaced by Xenomorphs. Yes, there are lots of them. I was a little unclear how since there was just one person infected. There was scene where i guess one was in a mouse maybe? I dunno. It's fine, because eventually, we see Rain shooting the fuck out of Xenomorphs in low gravity and it's cool. As is the aftermath which includes floating acid blood.
Alvarez modernizes and Alvarez's the heck out of Alien: Too. The gore is amped up, and there are plenty of the director's signature scenes and screams. There is also plenty hat tips and head nods of fan service. There are plenty of recreated scenes from Alien and Aliens, including a tad cringe-worthy recycling of a line from Aliens. The movie even tries to legitimize the Prometheus movies with a plot point from those movies prominently featured.
All in all, Alien: Too is a fine entry in the series, much better than the Prometheus movies and not as good as the first two. I had fun visiting this world and seeing Alvarez's work without having to have nightmares from watching Evil Dead. Ultimately, the movie is remarkably unnecessary but it is fun, tense, and competently made.
Six Months Ago I Had Surgery
Six months ago, I had surgery to clear a massive hematoma in my neck, which paralyzed me, the result of a freak complication from surgery two weeks prior.
Let’s back up a bit.
On January 22nd, 2024, I fell in my backyard, resulting in paralysis, permanent injury to my spinal cord, and a condition called Central Spinal Cord Syndrome.
TL;DR I fell in January and was paralyzed. I had surgery and two weeks later developed a hematoma and was paralyzed AGAIN. Six months ago I had surgery. I am still recovering. If you’d like support, we have a GoFundMe, or you can use PayPal Venmo or Cash App. Thank you!
It had snowed a few days before, resulting in about two inches of wet snow blanketing the grassy surfaces of suburban southwest Ohio. The roads and driveways of the neighborhood had long since cleared. In fact, just the day prior, Rebecca and I had shoveled our driveway and walked around the corner to shovel the driveway of her parent’s house, where she grew up—typical Cincinnati Winter stuff. Our younger puppy has a predilection for (sorry, this is disgusting but an important detail) eating her own poop. She had also recently developed a taste for her brother’s. So, on this cold, wintery day, I ventured out to pick up poop. I slipped and fell. I slid down a hill in our backyard. Embarrassing, shaken up, but no pain or injury. Later in the morning, I ventured out again. This time, Buster had made near the top of the hill in our backyard, in a spot he rarely, if ever, goes. I tried to stabilize myself, but inevitably, I fell again. This time, it was different.
When I slipped, my legs went straight out and slightly up; the momentum from slipping accelerated my body into a position where I crashed down on my back. I hit the ground. Hard. I did not black out, but there was a brief moment where everything kind of lost color for a moment. A pause. I didn’t see stars, and I didn’t hit my head, but there was a moment of weirdness. Suddenly, things snapped back into focus and color. I was looking up at the tree and the sky. It was blue and crisp and cold.
I couldn’t move.
There was a weird moment of overwhelming panic where I actually felt clear and focused. I could not move. But I could think. I could see. And I could talk. I knew in that moment I needed help. And fast. I lay there in the cold snow and calmly tried to invoke SIRI. Nothing. Was my phone in my pocket, or did it fall out? I reached for it, but reality set in. I couldn’t move. I tried again. Nothing. I realized my predicament. It was winter, so not many people were outside. I was in my backyard pretty far back and on the ground. I began to call for help. I could talk. I could scream. I began shouting, “I’ve fallen, I’m paralyzed, I need help.” Over and over again. As loud as I could muster. Nothing. Minutes clicked by. Occasionally my dogs checked on me. But no help. I called for SIRI again. “Hey, SIRI, call 911!” Hey SIRI, call Rebecca!” Nothing. “I’ve fallen, I’m paralyzed, I need help.” Again. Finally, a response. Patty. A neighbor on the next street over a few doors down. She was letting her own dog out. “Patty, it’s Rich Richmond! I’ve fallen, I’m paralyzed, I need help!” She called 911. Help was on its way.
“I’m coming!” another voice I don’t recognize. I look up and see Michelle, another neighbor, climbing fences and crossing yards to get to me. Help was coming, but I still could not move. Now, real panic gripped me. Now, the crying and hyperventilating begin. Now, I can be scared.
Eventually, my legs started to move. By the time the EMTs arrived and loaded me up, my arms had begun to move. At the hospital, they cut off my favorite Boba Fett/Ohio shirt. And began the long process to where we are now.
I had my first surgery on January 26th. Dr. Michael Kachmann performed the surgery. Essentially, this was a surgery that was going to have to happen anyway, as I’d been having problems with my neck, but the injury expedited and complicated things. I came out of surgery and began rehab. I could now move everything except my arms and hands, which could move but not well. Prognosis was good and rehab began in earnest. Eventually, I was discharged and moved to a rehab hospital to continue my recovery and rehabilitation.
Things were going well until the morning of February 5, 2024. I woke up with some pain in my neck that had not previously been there. I couldn’t sit and eat breakfast without pain. As the day progressed, the pain increased. I would try and do PT or OT sessions but the pain became overwhelming. An X-ray was ordered, but it never happened. By the evening, the pain had become pretty unbearable. My wife and my nurse, Sarah, were concerned. “This isn’t like him” Rebecca expressed. Sarah called the doctor and explained the X-Ray never occurred and my pain had increased. They sent me back to the hospital. On the way there in the ambulance, my pain became so intense. I could not lay on my neck without extreme, searing pain. I arrived at the hospital and waited. An X-Ray and MRI were performed and I was admitted to the hospital to await the results.
During admission, my pain intensified to where I was thrashing in my bed. Suddenly, unexpectedly a familiar sensation. Paralysis. I was on my side and couldn’t move. I told my nurse. She didn’t believe me. “Try and move your leg,” she said. “I can’t move,” I replied. She realized this was bad.
Have you ever seen any television medical drama? ER, Gray’s Anatomy, Chicago Hope? Yea, that’s what happened next. Except instead of watching the action from the outside, I had a full patient POV of total medical chaos. Within moments my room was full of people.
I started to fade. I could feel myself slipping. “Call my wife. Tell her what’s happening. Tell her I love her.” I won’t say I ever “saw the light” or anything. I did not have an “out of body” experience. But I could feel myself getting weaker and literally slipping away. Like very slowly falling asleep. I was scared. I heard them shouting things that I knew from the aforementioned TV dramas to be bad. “He’s crashing!” “BP 80 over 40!”
Dr. Randall J. Hlubek stepped in for a vacationing Dr. Kachmann. He explained we were going into surgery. A hematoma had developed in my neck. It was unexpected and rare, especially for this long after my initial surgery, but it happened. It was pushing on my spine, causing the paralysis.
I woke up again at Bethesda North. This time I could not move my arms and hands very well. The secondary trauma on my spine complicating an already complicated situation.
Thus began the next part of my journey. I spent the next eight weeks in the hospital, at two different rehab facilities, and fighting my insurance company. I’ll spare the details, but those were the toughest 8 weeks of my life. I could not have made it without the support of Rebecca, Wes, Emi, family and friends, and the most amazing nurses, PTs, and OTs.
So, here we are. Six months from my last surgery. I am home. I am back to work full-time. I am doing outpatient PT 2x per week. I am in a much better spot than I was of course, but far from 100%. We are seeing improvements and that is encouraging.
So that’s my story. Do with it what you will. If you’d like support, we have a GoFundMe, or you can use PayPal Venmo or Cash App. Thank you!
Deadpool v. Wolverine Maximum Effort Maximum Fun
Deadpool & Wolverine is fun. Is it good? Sure. Why not?
This movie is absolutely ridiculous. That what makes it fun. Being bogged down by trying to be fun makes it ridiculous. It’s like a loop of ridiculousness. There were times where I and the rest of the theater were squealing with delight and other times where I had new clue what was going on.
The movie requires a lot of familiarity with both the MCU and the former Fox Marvel universe. There’s also a ton of required exposition in this movie itself to follow. It’s all fine.
It’s hard to talk about the movie without spoilers tbh. I’ll try to avoid most but here’s the obligatory spoiler warning. 🚨
A baddie, Dr. Paradox, in the TVA (if you don’t know what that is watch Loki season 1 and 2) is building a machine to shred universes rather than prune them. He’s off the rails. He decides he wants to use Wade Wilson to do his dirty work. But once WW realizes his friends are going to die he decides to find Wolverine to set things straight. Of course in this universe Wolverine is dead. Like dead dead. And Deadpool can’t desicrate this timeline but he can desicrate Logan’s adimantium skeleton.
Wade montage skips through the multiverse to find a Wolverine to help him. In typical Deadpool fashion he chooses the “worst Wolverine”.
The duo fight. A lot.
They are then exiled to the cameo void where shit goes down. They meet Cassandra Nova, Charles Xavier’s twin who turns out to be the big big bad.
There’s lots of what he’s doing is imitating Wolverine’s berserker attack with his adimantium claws and lots of blood. The fourth wall is shattered.
Yes, there’s Wolverine in comic accurate yellow suit. No, there’s no Taylor Swift. Yes, that Wolverine variant is in it.
The cameos are great. The gore is gratuitous. The story is out there. But I had fun. Maximum effort!
Lucy Blue Pizza
Cincinnati is an interesting pizza town. Our claim to fame, as it were, is regional chain LaRosa’s. Its success cannot be denied, but surf any Reddit thread or Facebook thread discussing Cincinnati pizza, and you’ll find a particular disdain for our hometown pizzeria, with most negative comments saying it’s overrated, the sauce is too sweet, or it smells of feet/vomit. Yes really.
Our other regional chain with some notoriety is Dewey’s, a more “upscale” style pizza joint that appeals to hipsters and families. The seasonal Tito Santana taco pizza is a revelation. Dewey’s also has its detractors citing price as the main complaint.
The rest of the scene is local chains like Angilos and Grammas serving serviceable “homestyle” pizzas and steak hoagies, a handful of wood-fired pizza places, and an even smaller handful of New York-style pie places. And of course national chains like Domino’s and Pizza Hut.
Among the crowded scene is Lucy Blue. A local micro chain with two locations serving something between Angilo’s and Dewey’s. Lucy Blue built it reputation with pizza windows in downtown and Mt. Lookout. More recently, their two locations are in the suburbs of Anderson Township and in the always-happening Over the Rhine area in the urban basin.
Lucy Blue’s menu skews more toward Dewey’s than Gramma’s. Just two pages featuring standard pizzas and expected toppings, fresh salads, a few sandwiches including the requisite steak hoagie and a few appetizers. Missing is the litany of fried items that crowd Angilo’s and Grammas menus. The focus here is on freshness and simplicity.
And fresh is what you get. In spades. Every item we’ve tried has been fresh and high quality. The crust is bready and structurally sound. The sauce is fresh and tomatoey. The cheese has a bite and pull that you’d expect from higher quality pizza kitchens. Toppings like pepperoni, sausage, and veggies all seem high quality and tasty.
The steak hoagie is much better than the sloppy, buttery messes you get at most places. The meat was tasty and the toppings were crisp and plentiful.
The breadsticks were very good. They were short but heavy and flavorful, and the sauce accompanying them was chunky and flavorful. The salad was bright, green and fresh!
There is a tiny spicy bite to everything, including the delicious ranch dressing.
Overall, Lucy Blue is an excellent option among Cincinnati’s many pizza spots. The food is fresh and tasty.
Fighting the Foo In Cincinnati
My tenth Foo Fighters show in 30 years took place almost in the exact same spot as I saw them the first time - just in a wildly different, and much larger, venue. Caddy’s garage is long gone as are the opportunities to see Foo Fighters with 500 people for $12.
Dave Grohl and his motley assortment of long time musical cohorts smashed into Great American Ballpark last week like an out of control meteor bringing with it the last remaining vestiges of arena/stadium rock and roll. All of the expected Foo Fighters tropes were present and accounted for. Loud, crunchy guitars. Screaming vocals. Crowd wide sing alongs. Laughter and some tears.
The set list pulled from the Foos entire catalogue featuring moments as Dave put it for “OGs, newbies, and everyone”. It’s a hit parade of rock tunes reaching back through time to the debut album “This is a Call” to the latest “Rescued” “Under You” “The Teacher”. In between the hits, solos and scream alongs the band played tributes to classic rock with hat tips to Metallica, Van Halen, the Ramones and AC⚡️DC. And of course one of my favorites, “Monkey Wrench”
The band were tight, the songs were excellent, and the vibes were good. I should mention the elephant in the room the absence of the late Taylor Hawkins. This was my first time seeing the band without Taylor and his absence was obvious. Josh Freese is an incredible drummer but he plays like he's still in Nine Inch Nails. It gave the songs a heavier sound and vibe and culminated with an excellent cover of March of the Pigs the aforementioned NIN. But what was missing was the groove and spontaneity Taylor brought to the proceedings. Gone were those mini moments between songs where Dave and Taylor would share a joke, smile, laugh or beer. Gone also were Taylors vocals and his solo moment were Dave would play drums and Taylor would sing Queen. It added a heaviness to the proceedings that maybe only long time fans noticed but it made the event bittersweet.
Overall though it was a rock show for the ages. Mammoth opened and Wolf Van Halen demonstrated why he is the best guitar player in the business. The Pretenders stole the show with a punk heavy set that even entirely dispensed with Brass in Pocket.
Rock and Roll is very much alive. I wish Taylor Hawkins still was.
Appetite For Destruction
Appetite for Destruction turns 37 years olde today. My very first memory of hearing about Guns N Roses came when my cousin asked my if I’d ever head of the band. When I said no, he said “oh man, skip em. They suck!” I’m glad I ignored that advice.
From the moment I saw the video for Welcome to the Jungle, I was hooked. Axl’s swagger. Slash’s coolness. Duff’s punky attitude. Steven’s swagger. Izzy’s hip indifference. It was an incendiary recipe for chaos, and I was all in.
I purchased a cassette copy of Appetite for Destruction as soon as I could, and man, did I wear it out—three of them, at least. I was into heavy music at the time, but so-called “hair music” was becoming boring to me. And while Guns N Roses did present as a “hair band” initially, they were far from the cookie-cutter bands hitting the scene.
Appetite for Destruction was something different—raw, heavy, dark, sinister. Sure, it was rooted in blues rock that came before it—think Aerosmith, AC/DC—but it was layered with glam rock tendencies and more than a dash of Finnish rockers Hanoi Rocks to round out its sound. Musically, it was much more complex and sophisticated than most of its peers but as raw and dirty as it came. This WAS sex, drugs, and rock and roll personified.
Appetite is explicit. Disgusting. And yes, unfortunately misogynistic. This was 1988 and rock and roll in Los Angeles was raw and dirty. That’s what drew Axl Rose to the city from Indiana famously inspiring the song and video for the opening track Welcome to the Jungle. Now a sports arena staple, Jungle tells the story of a newcomer to LA being wrapped up and swallowed by the seediest of lifestyles. The song is brutal and sets the entire tone for the record. Full of Axl’s highest screams, Slash’s signature riffs, and solos all built on top of a funky foundation from the rest of the band.
It’s so Easy, finds Axl singing in a lower register for part of the song. Duff’s bass kicks off the proceedings with a familiar punk-fueled rumble. Nightrain gives drummer Steven Adler the spotlight with a cowbell-filled opening and enough swagger fast enough to make you think you are along for the alcohol-filled ride.
Out ta Get Me and Mr. Brownstone build upon the drug-induced paranoia that fueled the band. While Out ta Get Me is a straightforward rocker with a filthy riff, gang vocals, and killer solo, Mr. Brownstone gives us some complexity and variety with interesting guitar work and a funky beat. Both songs are expletive-filled rants about drug culture.
Side one ends with the epic Paradise City. An anthem that demanded to be heard in stadiums. The nearly 7-minute song has become the band’s perpetual closing number for their shows. It showcased everyone’s signature style and is catchy af. Try not to sing along to the chorus or band your head at the frantic outro.
Side 2 is the umm, more “tender” side of the album—as tender as an album can be that features a song where the lead singer is having sex with the drummer’s girlfriend. Yes, really, but we’ll get to that side, which begins with love songs by Michelle: Think About You and Sweet Child O’ Mine. These are far from ballads and I use the term love songs liberally here, but each song does in fact recall a love story from Axl's life. My Michelle is a dark rocker with a dark subject matter think about you as a heavy tune, but fairly benign, and even Romantic lyrics were sweet Child of mine the biggest hit is about Axel's first love, Erin Everly, and their relationship. All three songs are incredible. I Think About You has always been among my favorite GnR songs.
If there is any filler on this album, it could be your crazy leftover from earlier sessions sped up, and anything goes, a sex-crazed romp built around a wild-sounding guitar and squeezebox. I like both of these songs a lot, but if you're going to skip a song, it might be one of these two, although I would not recommend it.
The album closes with Rocket Queen, another six-minute epic that could technically be considered two songs based on the style and signature change at the end of the tune. This song does feature the aforementioned sex scene, which features Axl Rose having sex with Stephen Adler’s girlfriend in the studio; it was 1988 again. Despite subject matter and crazy lore, Rocket Queen is an absolute banger with amazing work by everyone in the band.
Appetite for Destruction is widely considered one of the greatest rock albums ever recorded. It is the best-selling debut album of all time by an artist right now. Some of the lyrics and subject matter have certainly not aged well. The music itself has and the impact that it had on the industry is undeniable. I’m not a resident of LA, but every time I visit, I'm shocked at how many Guns N' Roses shirts I still see on people in downtown LA.
Appetite For Destruction is in my top 10 favorite albums of all time and is very likely my most listened to album of all time. I'm not kidding when I say I wore out three cassettes. I moved to Compact Disk and now have several copies on vinyl. Admittedly, I don’t listen to it as much as I did in my youth as my musical taste has changed, but I still recall the album fondly and am listening to it again today on its 37th anniversary. I'm having a blast with these songs. It may certainly not be for audience destruction as a critical album and one of the most important rock albums of all time.
29 Years of Fighting Foo
What now?
It was a legitimate question on the minds of many rock fans after the death of Kurt Cobain. Nirvana’s light burned bright and was extinguished far too soon. Drummer Dave Grohl and bassist Krist Novoselic were without a band, without a leader and without a friend.
Rather than just sit behind the kit for another band, Pearl Jam and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers were among the rumored bands considering Grohl, Dave decided to form a project under which he could release solo material. He named the project “Foo Fighters” after a WWII term for UFOs and related phenomenon.
In 1994, Dave began messing around with demos that would quickly materialize as the band’s debut album. Dave played every note of every instrument on every song save, a guitar part on the song X-Static attributed to Grohl’s friend, Hamilton! Ohio native and Afghan Whigs frontman Greg Dulli who happened to be in a nearby studio during the sessions.
The. resulting record is surprisingly polished while still being rough, raw, and unhinged. Unlike Nirvana, Foo Fighters injected more fun and melody into their songs while still being built primarily around crunchy guitars and fits of aggression. Dave proved to be a talented and proficient musician on all instruments. The drums were lightning fast, heart pounding, and disco beat infused. The guitars were loud, crunchy, and distorted. And Dave’s vocals and screams were cool, clean, and encouraged you to sing or scream right along.
Songs like This is a Call, Big Me, and For All The Cows established the melodic, slightly poppy, fun rock sound that would become the signature sound of the band. Songs like I’ll Stick Around, Wattershed, and X-Static were more similar to Nirvana. Together, they created a balanced album that sounded like 1995.
Along with the signature sound of the band that was emerging from these sessions came another hallmark of the Foo Fighters, compelling, engaging funny videos. Where Nirvana was “serious” music accompanied by “serious” videos, FF was creating a more fun vibe while not being afraid to shy away from a darker more serious sound from time to time.
I jumped on the FF bandwagon pretty early. Catching them on their first tour and immersing myself in the music and videos. I’ve been a fan since.
Since my favorite band is The Afghan Whigs, I’ve always been fascinated by Greg Dulli’s involvement here. Last year I had the opportunity to ask Greg directly about this at a VIP meet n greet before an AW show. Greg fondly recalled working with Dave whom he proudly called his friend. He said it was a fairly simple and straightforward moment. Dave was talking to him about the demos and asked Greg if he’d like to hear some. Greg was noodling around on a guitar while listening and Dave asked if he wanted to jam. Tape was rolling and there you have it.
The Foo Fighters went on to become one of rock’s biggest band. Dave’s touring band would evolve eventually settling on a pretty consistent lineup including Pat Smear, Chris Shifflet and the late Taylor Hawkins. A steady stream of consistent releases and regular touring led to worldwide fame and the band became the standard torch bearer for rock while Dave Grohl became the nicest guy in rock. While I love the band, everytime i see them live for a moment I get lost in my thoughts and think wow…thats’s the drummer from Nirvana…
I Don’t Need Your Civil War
Alex Garland’s 2024 movie Civil War could easily be a documentary in a few years. That’s the way it feels sometimes, anyway.
Garland drops us into a United States clearly sometime after a Civil War has broken out. We’re introduced to Lee (Kirsten Dunst) a hardened and seasoned photojournalist covering the war in New York City. When tensions escalate between police and citizens picking up water Lee unexpectedly and reluctantly saves aspiring photojournalist, Jesse (Cailee Spaeny) who ultimately ends up tagging along with Lee, Joel (Wagner Moura), and Sammy (Stephen McKinley Henderson) who are en route to the front line and Washington DC respectively to continue their coverage of the war.
At this point, we don't know much about the war. We know some states are secessionists. We know the president (Nick Offerman) is somehow in his third term and has disbanded the FBI. As they travel, we get more indicators of the state of the nation as they stop for gas, encounter a firefight, and witness a battle, raging from afar.
A respite stop in West Virginia at a high school football stadium relief center gives us a peek inside civilian life and offers Lee and Jesse an opportunity for levity and to connect.
Being an A2 for production, the music and cinematography have that feeling of something always being a little off. The movie itself builds tension and unease just as much as the story itself. When our weary journalists come upon a seemingly normal town, Jesse, even comments that it seems like the Twilight Zone an an apt comment for the feeling of unease that is being built. The movie does feel like a modern Twilight Zone episode.
Things take a dark and twisted turn, when our intrepid journalists come upon a small militia force led by an unnamed soldier (Jessie Plemons, uncredited). It quickly becomes clear that this militia is acting as judge, jury and executioner, for those who are "not American enough" and our unfortunate to come across their compound. After this harrowing encounter, our heroes escape, but not without suffering heavy losses. I very nearly got sick to my stomach during this scene, realizing how close we may actually be to actual “well-armed militias” taking out their twisted agenda on those they don’t consider American. It's unsettling to say the least.
We learned that the western front forces are moving toward DC, and apparently, what's left of the Republic has surrendered. We see a firefight at the Lincoln Memorial, bombs flying over the Washington Monument, and fighting in the streets of suburban DC. Our journalists continue to cover the fighting, the younger Jesse, with a seemingly growing excitement and appetite for adventure, while the older Lee seems to be losing her desire as she loses her sense of hope. It's total chaos. Scenes that we've seen in our lifetime on the news, but in countries far from here. It's unsettling to see this happening in DC. Our journalists are in the middle of the fight as it goes right towards the White House.
Things become increasingly unsettling and unhinged as forces breach the White House, and our reporters go in for the story.
I won't spoil the ending, but would you expect to happen happens. dramatic flourish to a dramatic film. Let's just hope that this movie is a modern masterpiece treatise on journalism and gun culture and not a cautionary tale.
The Blue Album at 30
There are probably very few, if any, albums that have impacted and influenced my life more than the debut album from California rockers Weezer. Released on May 10, 1994, the self-titled debut album from this quintet of nerds from Southern California was not expected to do much of anything. In their anniversary post about the album, the band admitted as much in the oft-told reflection of the record’s release. “…the crux of it was that no one thought it would do very well, even though all the band and the band’s small inner circle felt they’d made a really good album. The assumption was that people would say “who?” and laugh at the audacity of a new band putting out a debut album on a major label, with no fan base, no single out, nothing.”
The DGC Records release produced by The Cars’ Ric Ocasic was released at a very interesting time in the history of popular music, particularly rock music. The 80’s “hair metal”/hard rock era that long held a stranglehold on MTV, radio, and pop culture was pretty much out of gas as we were well past two years since the release of Nirvana’s Nevermind. “Alternative”music, such as it was, had taken over as the dominant rock genre, and bands like Weezer were getting signed left and right.
The release of Weezer’s debut album coincided with the heyday of the compact disc format. College students, high school students, and music collectors were flocking to this versatile digital format. Used CD shops were as common as new record stores, and albums released during this time had a high chance of selling hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of copies. This favorable market condition undoubtedly contributed to the eventual commercial success of Weezer’s debut album.
But in that first week, the record sold 90 copies.
Eventually, of course, college and alt radio stations started playing undone the sweater song, and of course, the famous video for Buddy Holly directed by a Spike Jonze went into heavy rotation on MTV changing the trajectory of the album and the course of history.
I vaguely remember a time between first hearing Undone, purchasing the album on CD, and listening to it constantly. I seemingly became a mega fan overnight with the blue album becoming some thing of my go to record. I saw the band on that tour, which only solidified my love for them.
It’s no secret that 1994 is my favorite year for music maybe my favorite year ever. So many important records came out during that year records that I still listen to today and then informed my musical taste since then. Previously, I had been into hard rock with Guns N’ Roses being my favorite band that all changed with never mind, and I still liked some hard rock and pop and even some 90s country alternative music became my default. 80s hard rock was defined by its hedonism and it’s over the top sexuality. It was escapism music while I enjoyed some of it I never identified with it. I didn’t do hard drugs. I didn’t have sex with supermodels I didn’t ride around in limos on the Sunset strip. I like that Tommy Lee and Axl Rose did that, but it wasn’t me. And even though I was angsty and angry, I wasn’t Kurt Cobain either. What I was was a geek who liked music who had posters on my wall who played video games finally I found music that I did closely identify with rivers Brian, Matt and Pat looked like me. They look like people. I knew they talked like people I hung around with, they sang about things that made sense to me.
The blue album is full of big riffs, fun lyrics, catchy melodies everything that I really love about music. Undone was literally a night out, hanging out at parties talking to people having mundane conversations. Buddy Holly was a while trip with crazy lyrics and insane video, crushing guitars, soaring harmonies, and the crazy guitar interlude in the middle.
Gen Xers like myself raised on albums. We were trained to listen to albums as a singular piece of art from front to back CD or convenient. That was the way you typically listen to them. Singles were important, but not as much as they would be later after the digital revolution with Napster and eventually iTunes , and then TikTok. And that’s how I consumed this record and its entirety from front to back many many times. My name is Jonas with it. Open guitar and building chorus was the perfect opener. It drew you in and made you want to listen to the rest. No one else follows the opener with a blistering guitar sound. it was my favorite song in the album for a long time. It’s a song of longing and pining for love some thing that every nerdy high school kid could relate to. The world has turned and left me with that signature drum opening, crunchy guitar was slower and moodier than much of the album reflecting some of that angst that would come to defying our generation. And signature Weezer style this is followed up with Buddy Holly. The ultimate have fun party song.
Say it Ain’t So, in the back half of the album became a signature song for the band. Its slow meandering intro leading to a Creep like chorus was reminiscence of the soft, loud, soft loud structure that defined nirvana’s music.
Surf wax America and Holliday are fun melodic songs more in line with Buddy Holly and while not hits are just as good and memorable as the bigger songs from the record. in the garage and only in dreams are slower, heavier, more plotting songs like undone or the world has turned that help strike an interesting balance to a perfect record.
Even 30 years later, this record sounds exciting and vibrant. Well, in many ways it’s a record of its time. It does have one of those indefinable qualities that makes it timeless to me. This is a 10 out of 10 I can listen to it anytime in any mood and it will put a smile on my face , this has been with me and this band have been with me for the better part of my life my son my friends are fans and I found a community in Weezer fan club. Hapy 30th anniversary Blue album!
Health Update
Been a while since I wrote on here. I thought I would jump in and give an update on my health first I want to genuinely and sincerely thank everyone for all of their support since my accident and January. It's been overwhelming thank you.
This week I was discharged from in-home care and began outpatient physical therapy. When I begin in-home care, I can move my left arm 15° and that is increased to 30° my right arm improved from 50° to 75°. That's basically lifting my arms up and out to the side, my hands still hurt and are not very useful particularly my left hand. Fortunately, I don't have a lot of pain it's just limited use of my arms. I've switched to sketchers shoes which I can slide on and go and walk by myself and I'm trying to get about a mile in each day, I'm working out at home in addition to physical therapy and hope to have improvement. My goals are to be able to drive again to be able to type to get back to something that looks more like normal. Heck I'd even love to be able to put a shirt and socks on by myself. baby steps
We're still accepting help via our GoFundMe, you can also Venmo me or cash app me at Rich Richmond on both.
I'll try to keep more updates up on here and hope to be blogging more so stay tuned make sure to follow me on threads by Meta as that's where I am most active.
Oh, well whatever never mind. Reflecting on the deaths of Raymond Wesley Richmond and Kurt Cobain
Oh, well whatever never mind. Reflecting on the deaths of Raymond Wesley Richmond and Kurt Cobain
Early in the morning on April 5, 1990, my stepbrother walked into my room. He had grim news to deliver, but somehow I already knew. Before he said a word, I started sobbing. Then he informed me that my father had passed away the previous evening. I’m not sure how I knew, but that feeling, that specific emotion, that intense grief is seared into my memory. I remember it has clearly as I remember anything.
I was just 16 years old when I lost my dad. Raymond Wesley Richmond was a good man. While not my biological father, he was my dad, and I loved him fiercely. The evening before he died, I went out to hang out with some friends. We went to the mall, hung out at the record stores, grabbed some McDonald’s, and smoked some weed. Typical light suburban teenage debauchery. I returned home and headed to bed. As I went to my room, my dad was also headed upstairs to go to bed. He said to me, “Getting a little big for your britches?” I wasn’t entirely sure what he meant. “you left tonight without asking me or even saying goodbye.” “Oh,” I replied. “I told mom I was going”. He paused for a moment, holding his ever-present crossword puzzle in one hand over his bifocals, considering what I had said. I can see him standing there, clear as day. “Well, Good night,” he said. “Night, dad” I replied. Then we both paused for a moment. I stood there, suddenly, feeling incredibly guilty. We looked at each other again. “I love you, Richie.” my dad said. “ I love you too, Pop.” I replied. It was a surreal moment. We said these things to each other, thousands of times, but this was the last time and I swear to God it felt like we knew.
My father‘s death impacted me greatly and changed the trajectory of my life. He adopted me when I was 4 years old. My adopted mother Joanne died. When I was five for the next several years it was just me and my dad kind of against the world.
My dad worked in a factory as a journeyman pressman at US Playing Card. I was the definition of an 80s latchkey kid. My dad worked second shift much of my childhood which I was on my own but when he was present, he was intentionally present. We went to the movies. We had dinner out. We got donuts on Saturday morning. He did the best he could. He rarely showed his emotion, but I knew that he loved me. I only recall seeing him ever cry once, and that was after my grandmother died. He called to tell one of his brothers and broke down crying just for a few moments. I recall this moment vividly as well, because it was the only time I’d ever seen him cry.
I was rudderless after my father passed away. I didn’t have a particularly close relationship with my stepmother, and I was a dumb teenager. My friends became my family and I soaked my grief in chaos. I partied too much and studied too little. I was loud, brash and stupid. I moved out of my house on my 18th birthday and continued my chaotic, directionless lifestyle.
The way I grew up and the impact of my father‘s death primed me to be the typical angsty Gen X stereotype. A little over a year after my father died, I found a new father figure in a musician from Washington State.
In 1991 I was mostly into metal music. I had heard a song by Nirvana on 120 Minutes and decided to pick up their sophomore record. Nevermind. Legend has it that I picked the CD up at Camelot music in Eastgate before a Queensrÿche concert at the old Cincinnati Gardens. It drips with irony, doesn’t it? my friend Anthony and I listen to Nevermind in the parking lot before the concert. It changed everything for me. This music was unlike anything I had heard before or was into at the time. Nirvana changed my attitude. My fashion sensibility, my direction in life. Music became incredibly important to me. Importantly, it became an outlet for me to navigate my emotions, particularly the grief around my father’s death. Having an outlet to deal with my emotions allowed me to improve my mental stability and mental health. Sure , There were still plenty of issues for me to deal with but I have something that made me feel good.
It was never implicitly stated I knew that my father wanted a “better” life for me than what he had. For many parents of that era that just meant they didn’t want their kids to grow up and work in a factory. Not that working in a factory isn’t an important or valuable career. I just think my dad realized he didn’t want a life for me where I was working late nights and not spending time with a family if I decided to have one.
I worked my way through college, spending what little disposable income I had on the soundtrack for my 20s, a steady diet of alternatives, music, and compact discs I obtained, building an impressive CD library. Music was always on whether it was in the car, the apartment or in a host of concerts. I immersed myself in music. Nirvana was the gateway band to alternative music for me and we’re an omnipresent part of the soundtrack of my life. Nevermind is probably one of the records I’ve listened to more than any other second to Appetite for Destruction. Back and discovered bleach. I bought it in utero on the day of release and watched Unplugged in New York countless times.
I specifically remember coming home from college 30 years ago, turning on the television and hearing Kurt Louder deliver the news about Kurt Cobain’s death. I obviously didn’t know Kurt, but his music and words had had a significant impact on my life. I collapsed on the spot and started sobbing uncontrollably. Seems silly to have such an extreme reaction to the death of a celebrity I didn’t know it had only been in my of knowledge for a few years. Of course, looking back on it now. I know this reaction was a culmination of the grief I felt from my father‘s death four years earlier, My unresolved feelings about being abandoned by my biological parents, my reaction to the physical and mental abuse I had received by them before I was adopted, and probably every other sadness and anxiety I felt in my short life. Yes, I was sad that the voice of our generation was gone and seemingly by his own hand, but I know my intense reaction was my way of finally dealing with and releasing emotions that I had had for years. That emotional release made me look at life differently. I knew I wanted to finish school. I knew I wanted to have direction. I knew I wanted to stability. it would still take me several years to find that, but I finally had some resolution to the grief and anxiety that filled my life.
I still deal with a lot of emotion. I still have a lot of grief, but I have an awesome family now and I’ve had some tragedy this past year. I have ways of dealing with my emotions and coping mechanisms that work. One of those, of course, is still music. And the music of Kurt Cobain still resonates with me as strongly as it did 30 years ago it’s a shame that we lost Kurt, but it seems like the perfect end to his story. We still have his music and we still have his words and of course, I still have the memories the positive memories of my dad, the positive memories of finding Kurt music, and of course significant memories of the moments I found out we’ve lost them both. It’s hard to believe that it’s been 30 years since we lost Kurt and 34 since I lost my dad. I’ve lived many more years without them. I had them, but their impact on my life resonates still.
“Oh well. Whatever. Never mind.”
The Fall
On Monday January 22nd at around 1:30 in the afternoon I had an accident in my backyard. It had snowed the previous weekend leaving about four inches of snow on the frozen ground in Cincinnati Ohio. I was taking my dogs out to go potty when I slipped on the ground on the apex of a hill in our backyard. My body went vertical and I slammed on the ground on my back hard.
Initially everything went fuzzy for a second the sky above me and a branch o could see lost color and went out of focus. Then everything was fuzzy and I felt woozy. Then the scene above me flashed back into focus. I was conscious, could see but was lying flat on my back.
Suddenly I was aware that I could not feel anything below my neck and could not move. It was probably the most terrifying moment of my life. I did not have fall detection on my watch turned on. Technology fail. I immediately began screaming for help. “Please help me. I’ve fallen in my backyard and I am paralyzed. Please someone hear me and call 911.” I then would try and activate SIRI to call 911. It did not comply. So for four minutes I alternated between screaming for help and begging SIRI to activate.
Finally one of my neighbors happened to let her dog out and heard my screams. “Where are you? What happened?” I recognized the neighbor as Patty and began talking to her. “Patty it’s Rich. I’ve fallen and I’m paralyzed please call 911.” I still had my faculties and was able to communicate. Patty asked for my address and was calling EMT. Soon another neighbor, Michelle, was hopping fences and telling me she was coming to help. I warned her of the slippery conditions as she jumped out fence and made her way to me. She’s a nurse. How can she help. I told her I fell and couldn’t move. I think I’m paralyzed. She said she would help me and call 911. I said 911 has been called. She went in my house and got a blanket. Michelle retrieves my phone and calls Rebecca. I tell her I've fallen and cannot move. She's on her way.
After a few minutes I could feel my legs. I moved one. Then the other. “I can move my legs” I sobbed. Michelle said “thats great! Take it easy though.” I continued to use my legs but was aware I could not feel my torso area still. Soon I'm able to lift my shoulders but arms are useless. My fingers are jello. More terror. I keep moving my legs and lifti g my shoulders. I'm so cold. So scared.
Patty, Michelle and my mother in law Linda are now all at my side as we await EMT.
EMT arrived in about 9 minutes. They assess the situation. Where I'm at on the snowy hill is precarious. They make a plan to dig their heels into the snow and through the dirt to secure themselves to get me on a backboard and up the hill. Soon the plan. Is in motion. I'm on the board and up the hill. On the stretcher. In the ambulance.
On the way to the hospital i begin to feel my fingers and can start to move them. A moment of relief.
We arrive at the hospital and the trauma qteam is assembled. They begin assessing me. Rebecca arrives and sees i am moving. I hear the surprise and relief in her voice.
X-ray. CT Scan. MRI. STRESSFUL
Tests revealed an existing condition on my neck and spinal cord that would have required surgery anyway. The fall caused my spincal collumn to squeeze my spinal cord causing a bruise. So surgery. On Friday. Wish me luck.
I Ate The Kroger Cheeseburger Pizza So You Don’t Have To
The other day, I wandered past the Home Chef Cheeseburger Pizza at Kroger. I was intrigued but in a hurry. I thought about the pizza a few times after I first saw it. It wasn’t that I couldn’t get it out of my mind, but I did think about it from time to time.
I found myself at Kroger again and remembered the pie, so I stumbled over to the deli to see if they still had it. And had it, they did—one left. Now, we’ve had these styles of pies before. They’re not super great, but they were certainly acceptable facsimiles of pizza pie.
I had high hopes for this pie. Memories of the excellent BBQ Cheeseburger Pizza from Pizza Hut from the 90s came rushing back. The Home Chef Cheeseburger Pizza from Kroger has “beef patty crumbles, pickles, onion, and tomatoes with a cheesy ketchup and mustard sauce on a wood-fired style crust.” Now, there are some red flags I was willing to ignore here. “cheesy ketchup and mustard sauce” should have been the deal breaker, though. But at $5.99, I was willing to take the chance.
I prepared this pizza in accordance with the stated directions. I preheated the oven to 400 degrees and then baked it for 16 minutes in the pre-heated oven. I waited the recommended two minutes before slicing into six slices.
I noticed as my alarm went off to indicate the pizza had cooked the requisite 16 minutes that I didn’t really smell anything. No fresh baked pizza, no burger goodness. Nothing. Weird. As I opened the oven, I smelled the deliciousness of some oatmeal cookies my wife made yesterday and a faint pickle smell. The pizza looked fine for a $5.99 grocery store pie, I supposed.
I was disappointed at first bite. In fact, for a brief moment, I was terrified I might have COVID as I could not really taste anything. I tried a chip, carrot, and Coke Zero, and they all exploded with flavors that I would expect. Phew. Another bite, nothing. I had a few pickles on the next bite, and they had the briny, tangy flavor I’d expected. As I continued eating this pie, my disappointment grew. Occasionally, I’d get a burst of something that tasted like a cheeseburger. The thin “wood-fired” crust was actually fairly crispy and had a bit of that wood-fired flavor.
I added a little BBQ sauce to the slice to try to liven it up, but the disappointing flavors of the pizza were not greatly improved by this addition. I tried each component on its own. The burger crumbles were not bad. It's a little spicy, actually. Greasy and beefy. The onions were bland. The pickles were bright and tangy. The cheese was mild, with just a bit of a cheddar bite to it. The sauce was a mess. My brain kept trying to insert Big Mac sauce into my thoughts. But ultimately, it was more of a slightly spicy ketchup, if anything.
I don’t know exactly what I was expecting from a $6 Cheeseburger pizza from a grocery store. I guess I was hoping it would be a taste explosion. Something I could try a few times a year to get the best of both worlds in a super cheap lunch or dinner. The bottom line is this pizza was bland, uninspired, and not that great.
🍕out of five.
Mean Girls 2024 Review
Mean Girls (2024) is presented as “A New Twist From Tina Fey,” and that it is. Part remake of the 2004 classic, part movie version of the 2017 Broadway musical Mean Girls is a fun update on the classic teen comedy.
The original Mean Girls, written by Tina Fey and directed by Mark Waters, was an adaptation of the 2002 Rosalind Wiseman novel Queen Bees and Wannabes, making the entire franchise very meta.
I consider the original Mean Girls to be a teen classic—a masterclass of the genre. We made sure our daughter watched it before she began high school. I’ve not seen the musical yet, but I listened to the soundtrack before seeing the new movie. I have to say I’m pretty impressed.
Mean Girls does an interesting job of remaking the original movie, incorporating the music from the musical, and updating the story for modern times without losing much of the magic that made the original movie so good. It’s actually a lot to accomplish, but directors Samantha Jayne and Arturo Perez Jr. do a great job of striking a good balance.
The new cast had big, pink high heels to fill here, and everyone does a great job of establishing themselves I the roles while paying homage to the original cast. Renee Rapp and Angourie Rice are particularly good in the lead roles of Regina and Cady, respectively. Unlike their predecessors, they are called upon to act, sing, and do a great job with both.
This movie is more of a remake of the original movie with the songs from the musical baked in instead of a direct movie version of the musical. I think the choice works very well, but fans of the musical may be disappointed by some of the choices to shorten or cut songs entirely from the movie. If you’re unfamiliar, the plot is that Cady Herron has grown up in Africa and is homeschooled by her mom. As Cady turns high school age, her mom accepts a job at a University in the United States, where Cady will attend school for the first time. She’s excited at the prospect but soon finds that high school is just as dangerous and unpredictable as the wilds of Africa.
She is quickly accepted by Janis and Damien, but is just as quickly ensnared in the clique known as The Plastics, ruled over by Regina George (Rapp). From here, Cady lives a double life, befriending and infiltrating the Plastics to enact revenge for the horrors they have enacted on the women of the junior class. Along the way Cady finds herself becoming more and more “plastic” while falling for Regina’s ex Arron Samuels (Christopher Briney) and suddenly failing math a subject she’s actually quite good at.
The structure of the movie follows the original very closely, with the big musical numbers expertly incorporated right into the story. The plot moves along at a brisk pace, with the story being propelled by both the narrative and musical numbers. Affordances are made here for the modern setting of the movie. Cell phones, social media, and updated slang are incorporated here while returning almost everything from the original. Fetch, October 3rd, and the Spring Fling are all here and accounted for. There are a few updated jokes, a couple of clever references to the original movie and one BIG cameo that sent our theater crowd into an uproar.
One important note is the spectacular performance of Auliʻi Cravalho as Janis 'Imi'ike. She definitely steals the show! Her voice is phenomenal, and while all of the songs are good and all of the performances are top-notch, hers is outstanding!
Mean Girls fans, I think your cherished classic is in good hands. As Gretchen would say, “It’s so fetch!”
