Aaron Explodes Onto the World’s Stage – BOOM!

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On Tuesday, I had my very first speaking engagement as a published, well, pre-published author. Yeah, I spoke at Pikes Peak last year, but I didn’t really have a product. I was a writer. But this past Tuesday, I went as an author. Big whoop. The more I live, the more I see, most of life is very very, very undramatic, and very, very plain. Even if you are Paris frakkin’ Hilton, you still wake up, pee, eat, feel the wind on your face, simple, plain, unromantic. The trick is to enjoy the unromantic and relish the plain. The irony is, God made it all very fair. We all have the same challenge, to enjoy the plain.

So, my debut was plain, unromantic, and I am victorious. I loved every second of it. Even the awkward and uncomfortable seconds. But I think next time, I’m going Michael Scott it up. Bring in a boombox, pick an old song (I got the power!), and do some sort of stupid intro and babble a lot more. Make it shiny and sparkly and dramatic as hell.

But first, thanks to Terry Kroenung for giving me the chance. And I didn’t curse. I didn’t talk too much about God, and it went well in his classroom. Yeah, I had about three people listening to me, and I had to fight for stage time with the local toughs. Niwot toughs, yo. Ghetto. But the bad kid said I didn’t suck. So I have that going for me. I tried to get a big, huge, philosophical conversation going, but it didn’t quite work. I think I’m rusty, being back in the classroom. Back in the day, well, they’d still be blowin’ the debris off their quaking minds.

What really saved the day were the five girls who were in the Creative Writing club. They were so full of zip and wit and fire. One had self-published a book already, Infected. Another jammed out 51,000 words for NaNoWriMo. And they loved my opening sentence, but then, yeah, duh, because my opening page rocks.

In the end, what really struck me, is that I’m not so completely old and out of touch. I somtimes feel that the kids are of another generation, and I am an alien visitor writing stories for a people I don’t know. But people are people and kids are kids and teens are teens and it’s all about the same. Completely different, but inside, at the soul level, the same. Hard. Dramatic. Full of longing and wonder and despair and love and lust and hate. And that’s why I write Young Adult novels. Because in my novels, things are never simple, plain or unromantic. And next time, I’m gonna bring watermelon and props and drugs, lots of drugs. Kidding. No drugs. Just pop, pop music.

Okay maybe a few drugs. A little V. For Valkyr. Max Payne reference. Nevermind. Out of touch. That’s me.

The Ayn Rand School of Parenting and Love-Making

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“There are two novels that can change a bookish fourteen-year old’s life: The Lord of the Rings and Atlas Shrugged. One is a childish fantasy that often engenders a lifelong obsession with its unbelievable heroes, leading to an emotionally stunted, socially crippled adulthood, unable to deal with the real world. The other, of course, involves orcs.”
— Paul Krugman, Nobel Prize winning economist

Only two more blogs on Ayn Rand, I promise, that will be it. I love how Ayn Rand polarizes people. Folks either want to bed me for reading it, or they want to crucify me. I have on friend who reads it every year. Another would burn every copy. And to be honest, no one yet has asked me for coitus because I read Atlas Shrugged. It’s called hyperbole, son. Look into it.

So I had breakfast today with an Ayn Rand hater. He provided me with the quote that started this blog out. Yeah, love that. In some ways, Lord of the Rings and Atlas Shrugged are similar. The men of Numenor were actually free market capitalists, but Sauron, read as Stalin, wanted to kill them. True story. But I think Atlas Shrugged has more in common with comic books than fantasy novels, though Atlas Shrugged has been described as science-fiction in some circles. I can see it. Reardon metal and John Galt’s perpetual motion machine and Martians, lots of Martians.

The universe, according to Ayn Rand, is a lonely, cold place and if you can’t compete, well, sorry. I will trod over your corpses on my way to fame, fortune and love. Do we really want to live in a world of jungle capitalism? The reality is that even if Ayn Rand was embraced by everyone, very few could it. We call them psychopaths. As tribal animals, we care about what happens to people we know. I’ve housed friends and I’ve offered money to friends because we live together in a society.

And you couldn’t raise kids using Ayn Rand’s philosophy. Well, I tried. With my two year old, I would say, “How come you don’t have a job yet? You’re a moocher and a looter. You’re worthless. You can’t compete. I disown you, looter.” Tears would follow. But if you can’t compete, well, you’re a moocher.

I find it’s funny that people are so enamored with Ayn Rand because really, it reads like an anti-communism tract and as we have seen, communism didn’t work out so well. So yeah, capitalism is the way to go, however, capitalism on its own is an ugly thing. The world would look like L.A. for one thing. And another, we saw how unregulated capitalism worked with companies like Enron and others. My friend says John Galt owes the American people 750,000,000,000 dollars. No, we need regulations.

So, yes, Ayn Rand has some interesting things in her work, but in the end, it’s a comic book. And I would hope we wouldn’t govern using a comic book.

On a personal note, as a writer and small businessman, I can’t write alone. I can’t sell and market alone. I need help. Does that make a moocher and a looter? Or does that make me a human being?

Saturday Music Club Reviews Part 3 – BBQ’d Foi Gras and Texas Deep Dubstep

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Le Vent Du Nord – Les Amants Du Saint-Laurent – You know, I’m thinking the world of art has been hit with a post-post modern sensibility in the fact that yes, everything has been done, even in popular art, and so, you can do whatever the hell you want because if it works, you’ll get an audience, and if it doesn’t, well, you’ll be alone in your MySpace account. However, even though you’re alone, you have art that is near to your heart and screw the rest of the world. This song is celtic Canadian homespun and I love it. This is music to listen to while you eat your BBQ’d foi gras and watch hockey. It’s a beauty, eh.

Daniel Lanois – Under a Stormy Sky – Okay, it’s French downhome music. You don’t get an apple pie. You get a tarte tatin. What is that? Google it, bastard, and you’ll see a picture but you won’t get the same culinary wonderment that is French cooking. But I like the mix of French, English, and 50’s guitar and that little bluegrass beat. Is that a steel guitar? Why yes, it is. Sign me up. Love that happy little lilting rift.

Clawfinger – Wonderful World – These guys. This is bliss. That stupid break in the music works for me and it shouldn’t. This song shouldn’t work. But again, they are so ardent. They commit fully. And you know, that’s hard to do because in the world of art, NO ONE BELIVES YOU HAVE ANY TALENT UNTIL YOU ARE POPULAR. And yeah, Clawfinger never hit it big, but I like their passion and their originality. And any song that ironically praises this sad old planet I gotta like.

DJ Fresh – Gold Dust (Flux Pavillion Remix) – Oh, this dubstep makes me believe in God again. And I love the lady singing it out across the top of that deep thud. Oh, it is so delicious. Ryan said he was like a teenager just discovering energy drinks, all amped up and nowhere to go, but he has a place to go, SMC, to spread the deep magic. It’s not dubstep, it’s deepstep. And it’s hard. Like oak, baby. Hard.

Emmylou Harris – Shenendoah – You know, I’m pretty sure Emmylou Harris could cover a Clawfinger song and it would still be amazing and touching and haunting. She is something else. And this song, it’s a classic, though I think the first time I heard it was on the Bruce Springsteen Seger Sessions. Wasn’t this on that record? I reckon so. This could go on the soundtrack of my epic steampunk sci-fi western novel. Yeah, I believe I shall put it on that. Thanks Jeff!

Freestylers – Cracks Flux Pavillion Remix – Love that break, “And the cracks begin to show”. You know the deep dubpstep sound is really electric guitary in a strange, electric guitar type of way. You know what I mean? No, really. They underscore the drama of the music, and I love dramatic music. God bless you, Jim steinman, where ever you are. Would love to hear a Jim Steinman dubstep song. Oh, Meatloaf meets the Freesylters. Oh, yeah, I have to ajust my pants now. Naughty, naughty.

The John Butler Trio – Revolution – You know, I once called the John Butler trio the future of the alt country movement. I said they were popular 16 Horsepower. Yeah, I was wrong. I can be wrong. I will strive to be wrong as often as possible. But I got all excited because their sound was so raw and alty-country-y. But you know, there is something passionless in their music. well, not in every song. Some songs have some fire, but in some of their songs, it’s like Data from Star Trek:The Next Generation when he paints. The music all works. It’s good, but it’s not going to fire me up and make me overthrow my country. Rush flirted with being so cerebral as not to have a soul, but in the end, the music did have passion. I’m not saying the John Butler Trio is bad. I like them. I like them a lot. They are infinitely listenable. Can you say that? Just did. But I will say that in order for them to really hit me, I need more heart and soul. I’ll keep the song, but fellas, I gotta fever, and the only cure? More cowbell. More heart. More Clawfinger!

The New Pornographers – Moves – Bottomline, I’m getting older, and I’m not hip no more. All the young people are using words like FAIL and PAWNED or POWNED or some such nonsense. Or even P*WNED. Goddamn kids not usin’ letter no more. This brings us to the New Pornographers and I gotta say, I like ’em. Very Cold Play-y but not a complete rip-off of U2. Ouch. I’m catty today. Meow, meow. I like the heavy guitar and the pianer and the general feel of the song. It’s new and old. But it exemplifies how I am slowly losing touch. Never even heard of this band and Rolling Stone magazine thinks they are best band ever. Rats.

David Lynch – Pinky’s Dream – I am a big fan of David Lynch. No, really, huge fan. I like his darkness, surrealness, cherry pie and coffeeness. And I liked this song. It’s very David Lynch and very all the things I just said. Even to the singer, some chick with a voice as sweet as splenda in my coffee. Surreal. And I like the feaux drama of the bridge. I don’t buy it. Am I laughing or am I crying? Maybe both. Maybe neither.

David Lynch – The Night Bell with Lightning – David Lynch did an album. This song is just Angelo Badalamante and I’m not even going to look it up. I mean, I like David Lynch and Angelo Badalamante whose name I have mispelled, but it all sounds the same. I already have the LOST HIGHWAY soundtrack. Don’t need another song which didn’t make the cut. Um, I’m liking the trippy guitar thrown in and tip-toeing tentatively through the song. Or gnashing. Or goin’ all Texas. I’m reading the PREACHER comic books, which are brilliant, dark, bleak, violent, heretical, blasphemous, and Texan. Don’t mess with Texas. Nope, the guitar couldn’t save the song for me. It has been deleted. One last thought, and I like this from Becky, “‘The Night Bell With Lightning’ is the sound my shadow makes at high noon.” I think that is so pretty.

Breathe Carolina – Blackout – Dang, some alt rock dubstep from Kize. I think I heard this song on the radio, that good 93.3 radio station that works my soul and heart into a frenzy, frenzy. I like that dub step little tricky riff, or can I use all those words together? It sounds like this: buzzybuzzybuzzbuzz. He’s only gettin’ started. Like the disco-ness of this song. Yeah, man, I’m tellin’ ya. This works for me. Probably my favorite submitted in November. Yeah. I won’t blackout. I promise.