Battlestar Galatica or the week of death

So here in moving, things are finally settling down and I would greatly like to apologize to my partner and brother for taking so long to post something here in our refuge called Lack of Command.

In settling here in NY, I've learned to harness the word swear words with eloquence in my daily speech. And while I'm not as comfortable enough to stretch my legs anywhere on the east coast yet, I hold on to the hope that I'll get there some day. But in any case, that's how I would describe my travels halfway around the world: cramped. My time, my energy, my mind and body are cramped.

So, on to Europe. Europe was pleasant enough I suppose. I spent most of the trip drinking or stabbing my notebook wildly with my pen writing out whatever came to my head. But seeing ancient civilizations fascinate me. The more I learn about history, the more I can see around the corner. Also, the heat and the little coffee's get on my nerves.

Back in Pueblo. The less said about the good and the bad there, the more sacred I feel that it will remain.

And back again to New York. Back to work with Richard.

So what a crazy week it has been ladies and gentlemen. The stars are certainly falling. Iran was in upheaval. A governor with a lot of, shall we say, frequent flyer miles. But celebrity deaths seem to hit people the hardest. The biggest of course is Michael Jackson. I won't say much on the subject, but what I will say is that when one is born into fame, one can feel trapped for the rest of his life. That dude could dance though. My jaw still drops when I see him moonwalk.

But what I really want to talk to you folks about is a little show that I've been trying to plow through called Battlestar Galatica. I've just made it to the third season, but I feel I've garnered enough of it to get a real feel for the show. But, before I begin, I was recommended this show by people who I trust and immdiately compared to the Wire.

That is not the case.

Battlestar Galatica is good. But only Sci-fi good. And while it does delve into issues that are more real than we might want to admit (politics, war, religion, etc), one still feels to be stifiled by it's own limitations. It's concept is absolutely addicting. It's execution is commendable (handheld space battles, Russell like). Edward James Olmos excels in his performance.

I have three complaints: The Frak. The Fuck. The Feel.

The Frak needs no explination. I hate it. So many great scenes are completely ruined by this nonsense replacement swearing. I understand it's a throwback to the old show, but out of all the things to old to from the old show, why that? It's so daycare of them. Russell's philosophy on swearing: do it or don't.

The Fuck. There is a lot of sex in this show. Like a whole lot. Now I understand that those who watch Battlestar Galatica (particularly males) could use the jerking material, but I think we should leave that to Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

The Feel. Now what do I mean by that? I mean that I don't feel for any of the characters. I'm intrigued to what's going to happen, but none of the characters really grab you. They talk a lot about the struggle of humanity, but I don't get the sense that these characters get a chance to show theirs. I'm not saying it's missing entirely, but because of the complexity of the story, they rush the plot over the characters. Plot only enhances characters. Not the other way around, so when we find out that someone's a robot (in some cases with characters who we just met), I can really care less because I have to throw out anything I knew about them. All I'm saying is that they got it backwards. They flung us into this world and no one to really guide us through the process. It's a major problem. Even the most formulaic sitcoms force you to like the characters. But this show never gets there.

So bottom line. Good. Not great. But interesting enough. I might keep watching, but I might just wait for season 3 of Mad Men.

Okay. Finally got that out of my system.


Command Image: Mac Command (in celebration of Richards new computer)

An Open Letter to Chuck Norris

I’m not going to apologize for this; this is going to be political. Russell and I are pretty politically liberal, by pretty I mean very. While we tend to be more radical than most in our beliefs, we always welcome opposing viewpoints, as long as they’re intelligent and respectful. I’ve become very good friends with folks who vehemently disagree with me, albeit the disagreement is usually followed by a healthy intake of alcohol. The point is, while we here at Lack of Command don’t want this to become a purely political blog, we certainly welcome the element.

That being said, I hate Chuck Norris. This has nothing to do with politics; it has everything to do with taste. He’s awful and I detest his work, whether it’s hawking exercise machines, flying a jet pack wearing cowboy boots, or getting his ass kicked by Bruce Lee, I’ve never liked the guy. I also never understood the worship of the guy. Even books like “Why Chuck Norris is Better Than You and Your Mom,” which are written with a slight tongue in cheek tone, piss me off. Chuck Norris sucks guys, sorry.

The other thing I can’t stand is political hack punditry. If your job is being a pundit for either side of the political aisle, you are not to be taken seriously. People who peddle opinion as fact, telling half-truths and over exaggerations in order to sell books/radio shows/TV shows/image are WAY too powerful for their own good.

So how does my hatred of Chuck Norris and political hacks intertwine? Easily, Chuck Norris is a political hack. He and notorious motivational list maker Lou Pritchett have written an Open Letter (Read: Everybody Else Will Read This BUT You) to President Obama, saying that he scares them. For all the “bad ass” that Chuck Norris is associated with, to be scared by a guy like Obama is pretty sad. I mean I was never scared of Bush (Cheney on the other hand,) and I’m a guy who scared of his own belly button.

So I will provide commentary on Mr. Norris’s letter, which is written in the Pritchett-style of “Writing Lists is Easier.”

President Obama:
You scare me because so many amazing corporate and American leaders, such as Lou Pritchett, are saying you scare them.

You scare me because this guy is telling me I should be scared? Look I love the Wu Tang Clan, but I am not going to be scared of something because Ghostface Killah tells me I should be.

You scare me because after you initiate more government borrowing and bailouts than all presidents combined, you then require Congress to follow a system that is "pay-as-you-go."

And the Iraq War was paid for with what? Stickers? BOTH parties have done the borrowing and bailouts for decades, but when Obama does it, that’s when it becomes frightening? The “pay as you go” system was repealed right before Bush took office, as a result the deficit increased over 400 billion dollars, but you probably missed that part too.

You scare me because you really do believe that going into massive amounts of debt can remedy our economy in the long run.

Right, and cutting spending during in the 30s made the depression disappear right? Oh wait, it got worse. I agree that massive unchecked spending can be a problem, note the key word, unchecked.

You scare me because your actions don't reflect the federal governmental constraints and fiscally prudent principles of our Founding Fathers and Constitution.

Really? Which Founding Father? Jefferson or Adams? Or Washington? Sure Madison and Jefferson were all for constraining the federal government, almost to a psychotic degree, but what about Adams (either of them?)

A little side rant here, this is the exact kind of political hack job I can’t stand, these self important talk show hosts and out of work actors don’t or won’t actually READ history. The Founding Fathers weren’t the Brady Bunch; they got into some real heated debates about over things like the constraints of the federal government. So to say that Obama is not reflecting the “Holy Principles” of the Founding Fathers is a silly over simplification of the Founding Fathers, and it turns what should be a real useful history lesson into just another brainless slogan from people who read backs of books and call it a day. Anyway, back to it.

You scare me because you repeatedly still play the blame game with the Bush administration but never blame the Clinton administration, even though it was responsible for the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac sub prime fiasco via the proliferation of loans to unqualified borrowers.

This I do agree with. As I’ve said, this orgy of deregulation didn’t start with Bush, hell it didn’t even start with “The Great Deregulator” Reagan. But again, this scares you why? That a politician is playing the loyalty card with his party? Does it scare you all the time or only when Democrats do it? We can’t all be mavericks.

You scare me because you buy and run the banking, automobile and (soon) health industries with taxpayers' money but refuse to call it socialism.

Probably because it isn’t socialism, the banks aren’t nationalized and Obama doesn’t seem to be in any hurry to do so. Would it stop scaring you if he did call it socialism? Fine, then stop calling people who kill doctors “pro life” and torture “enhanced interrogation techniques.”

You scare me because you claim to be a fighter for minorities and the promises of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness yet do not defend the unborn. What greater minority is there than those in the womb, against whom you already have enacted more pro-abortion laws than anyone since the Roe v. Wade decision?

Did I fall asleep? Are abortions free now? Are they mandatory? Last I checked, abortion is legal, no more/no less. I know abortion is a touchy subject for a lot of people, but the fact of the matter is that Obama hasn’t been president for six months, hardly long enough to make schools teach abortion.

You scare me because you promise to defend the U.S. against all potential enemies yet pacify those harboring terrorists, fight for the rights of combative detainees, and enable the enemies of Israel.

Is Obama funneling money to the PLO? Please. Pacifying harboring terrorists, like hanging out with Musharraf right? Wait that was Bush. Like arming and training combatants to fight the Soviets? Oh wait, that was Reagan. Obama makes a speech in Cairo and you start running for the hills? How are transferring prisoners from some Podunk holding facility to one of the most heavily fortified prisons in the world fighting for their rights?

You scare me because you deny America's Judeo-Christian heritage before other countries of the world, espousing "the promise of a secular nation" during an age in which religious revisionism is on the rise. (Thank God for Rep. Randy Forbes, R-Va., and others like him, who even now are trying to preserve America's religious history by proposing the passage of a bill that would create "America's Spiritual Heritage Week." Call or write your representative today to support it.)

Whether or not “The Founding Fathers” were religious doesn’t matter, what does matter is that they were all indeed secularists. Just because the population of the country is primarily Judeo-Christian does not change the fact that we are a secular nation. That’s not a bad thing.

You scare me because your media team (including the mainstream media) seeks to label as radical, quarantine socially or in some way penalize any opposing conservative voices (such as conservative talk show hosts, news agencies, columnists and actors, such as Jon Voight).

The Dixie Chicks and Bill Maher send their best. Look I get it, for more than 8 years conservatives hacks have been able to get away with saying any stupid stuff they vomited up the night before without anybody calling you out, but that’s changed. America has changed, and after 8 years of Bush, the public is starting to not buy a lot of the crap that ya’ll have been feeding you, with out comes the mainstream media. There really is no such thing as a liberal media, or a conservative media in the mainstream it is only what makes money. Obama’s hot now, damn hot, so he’s what sells. That’s that..oh whatchamacallems…oh yeah free market thingys that you conservatives are so hot and bothered about.

Sincerely, Chuck Norris


Chuck, seriously, legitimate disagreement is one thing, but fear? Be serious, it’s this sort of idiotic pandering to people’s base emotions that prevents people from engaging in any sort of serious political discussion. You and your ilk are obviously not interested in any sort of serious political discussion, just rehashed talking points. You’d rather find the next slogan to put on a t-shirt than actually provide any sort of coherent argument. Is it really any wonder the whole world is laughing at you?

As I’ve said time and time again, I welcome debate and discussion, what pisses me off is that these idiots on the right (I’m not saying the left is as pure as the driven snow) take what could be a great opportunity to have an actual discussion, but instead would rather be the next “guy” in the party. It’s any wonder why so many people view politics as a no touch subject for conversation, because once people run out of slogans and bumper sticker quotes they are left with a shell that could have been a solid argument.

So be afraid of Obama because he flew to Cairo or is might just actually put some working regulations on things that have long run rampant. One of Lou Pritchett’s biggest gripes was that Obama wants more government control than private control. What the hell have they had for decades, and look what happened, the bottom fell out. The solution may not be rubber banding all the way to the left (like I’d like) but doing nothing is not a solution.

Free market doesn’t mean zero regulations; a small government doesn’t mean ZERO government. Look at that, middle grounds, grey areas, maybe if we stopped trying to think of the next clever way for the powers that be to ignore us and actually started talking to one another, we’d at least know where we’re both coming from, maybe find some common ground.

Right, I promise the politcal rants will be scarce and we can go back to what I KNOW is your favorite topic, Electric Wizard. Coming Soon


Command Image: Novel Command

Doom and Drone, Sludge and Stone Part 3: Wino (and a side tribute to a legend)

Howdy folks, Russell already apologized for the lapse in posts, but it's not like anyone was really aching for them other than he and I, so with that, back the to the lesson.

Wino

Scott "Wino" Weinrich. Very few names are synonymous with a style of music. Aretha Franklin to Soul, Kurt Cobain to Grunge. People who did not invent their style, but they embody it so much that they might as well have. This is no more evident than in the case of Wino. Not even the Ozzman is spoken with such reverence among fans of this style. He's probably one of the few individuals that deserve to be listed as their own chapter in this tome of metal.

What inspired me to write about him now was the fact that while I'm in France, dicking around on the internet while the wife does real work, I've found myself listening to a lot of Wino. I posted this fact on Facebook like any good interwebaphile, and everyone assumed that I was getting drunk on wine.

Granted, I am in France and I have been known to hit the wine in foreign countries, but Wino ought to mean more than a term for an alcoholic.

Why you ask? Well in the year 1987, Wino became the vocalist for the band Saint Vitus. Think about the year 1987 if you can. Fine, wikipedia it if you must. Metal was moving away from the Broadway productions known as hair metal into a much more real, much harder realm headed by thrash masters Metallica, meanwhile Death and Napalm Death dropped the atomic bomb known as death metal on the scene. However, creeping underneath the fast drums and ripping solos was a tune called "Born Too Late."



Think about the title, Born Too Late, these guys were Sabbath boys in an Anthrax world. I can only imagine how these guys would've been received if they came around when Black Sabbath landed on American shores. This is almost a battle cry from the 60s and 70s, it's slow, it's evil and it's heavy. Nothing like this was being played at the time, but listening to this, it's a wonder why people were surprised when grunge destroyed the glam bands.

So Wino has a pretty solid voice right? Far cry from the show tunes-esque wailing of the hair bands, or from the growls and shouts of the emerging thrash and death metal. His voice is without pretension. A blue collar, whiskey coated, almost bluesy metal voice. Another Ozzy? Hardly. Wino is actually a musician. (That's right I said it.)

After Vitus, came The Obsessed, which actually came before Vitus, but now they had a record deal, and Wino dusted off his guitar and showed the world his might on the strings, he did it again with The Hidden Hand and Spirit Caravan.

The Obsessed:


Hidden Hand:


Spirit Caravan:


Metal heads might say they prefer their metal faster with more ripping solos, as if in order to be a good guitarist you must be able to play a million notes a minute. A guitarist like Wino doesn't play a million notes, he plays the correct notes. If I ever hear that there's no good "guitaring" in this sub-genre I simply point to two examples, Wino and Matt Pike (Sleep, High on Fire).

I highly recommend you check out Stoner Rock's Guide to Wino if you're interested in a good introduction to a versatile and hard to pin down guy. To this day, the guy continues to work his ass off, he has his own band now, simply named Wino. He took more time than Ozzy and Dio combined to do that. On top of that, Shrinebuilder. Oh, you haven't heard? Shrine fucking Builder?!? A super group of monumental proportions, Scott Kelly from Neurosis, Wino, Al Cisneros from Om and Sleep, and Dale Crover from the Melvins. The earth will die screaming.

So before I wrap this unusually long post up, I did want to write a bit about someone who passed away.

Koko Taylor, one of the last Chicago blues legends passed away at the age of 80. She had a voice that kill armies, and one of my favorite vocalists of all time. A lot of people don't know, but the blues was more influenced by its' women than any other genre. Guys like Son House and Muddy Waters learned from hearing Ma Rainy and Bessie Smith on the radio and Koko carried their torch for a generation. While Muddy and Wolf battled over who was the King of Chicago Blues, there can be little doubt that Koko Taylor was the queen. Thank you Ms. Taylor, you won't have a movie starring Beyonce about you, but you broke my heart on countless occasions, and you will be sorely missed. I'll send you out with Koko singing her hit "Wang Dang Doodle," with the immortal mouth harpist Little Walter backing her up. Until I next get a free moment.


Command Image: French Command

Short Reflections and Reactions to the movie "Up".

To the regular follows (all four of you), sorry for the long Hiatus from Richard and I. It's been a crazy week of moving, working, and not writing in this blog.

More into what I would like to talk about:

Up.

Pixar rarely disappoints. Each film that they release is not only visually amazing, but also their films are remarkably character based. Characters that are outrageous and fantastical but whole-hearted human and universal. The characters relate to any viewer. Pixar is unique as a company because it isn't a coincidence that all of their movies are like this. They have built a company that's quality over quantity. They'd rather release one great movie a year, than 20 mediocre films in one year. It's a motto that should be applauded and rewarded. They contribute to the young and the old stories that make you laugh, grip with suspense, and look around to make sure no one saw you drop a tear or two.

Up is no exception.

There were several points while watching this movie I wrenched and fought back tears. A friend of my described the plot; About Schmidt meets Indiana Jones.

The theme of the film is adventure. We as kids longed to seek out unexplored territory. We find as we get older that the territory is not only already been explored, but thousands have already been through it. That craving to do new things gets lost on us as we have to go to school and eventually work.

The message of the film is that life is an adventure. Carl (the main character) has never learned to have an adventure. When he finally realizes what a life he has lived and how happy he was is the most touching scene to be animated. I get choked up just thinking about.

It's about a man who desperately needed an adventure on his own. A man who learns it's not the things you had, it's about the memories and the feelings that you share with people that matter. It's about a man who can't cope with a heartbreaking loss.

The story of a man who needs to get back Up.

We all have some element to relate to that. I think half of what makes the human heart, are people we've grown to love. The other half is still 6 years old.

So I'll make this short. Up is a masterful film on all fronts. But when it comes to Pixar, it's almost redundant to say that. It takes more than great graphics, it takes an understanding of an audience and map of the heart. Cheers.


Command Images: Back Up From under water.

Doom and Drone, Sludge and Stone Part 2: The Drone

I wanted to talk about one of the more difficult and least accessible aspects about this genre of music that I love so dear. Last time I alluded to the rockin that most of the bands provide, but now I'm going to bring in the crucial element to the DDSS, one of the cornerstones. Drone. Sounds like a barrel of monkeys huh?

What is Drone? Well take your favorite guitar riff and slow it down by like a lot. No seriously, more than your mind knows how to. There you go, now play that riff over and over again. There. That's it. Sounds easy? Well taste this my cynical friends.



Now just imagine that not screwed up with YouTube. It is it simple? Absolutely. Is it heavy? Baby it doesn't get much heavier than that. So much power from a single note, left to linger in your ears. That was from the Melvins, who were one of the main innovators of drone, but are hardly a drone band. Hell they're not an anything band. Except awesome. But there is no doubt that every note played, every drum beat, every chord change is just as carefully choreographed and timed as any melodic/thrash riff.

What got me talking about it was a recent camping trip with two buddies of mine who are very well versed in music, metal in particular. I began to realize why the DDSS sub genre of metal is for the most part passed over by most "metal heads." It's because of shit like Hung Bunny. Metal heads aren't interested in that. If you listen to Black Dahlia Murder or Faceless, it's a brutal assualt on your senses, and it fucking rocks.

Drone however, focuses your senses, instead of a million notes a minute on a sick solo, there is one riff, one sound, and it's being hammered into your skull. I think it has more in common with hip-hop than metal. When RZA samples "As Long As I've Got You" for "C.R.E.A.M" he simply utilizes the opening piano riff, one riff and makes it one awesome song. Drone accomplishes the same thing.

What I'm trying to get across is that a song doesn't have to be a twenty minute prog epic in order to be complex. No band gets this more than Dylan Carlson and Earth. I wanted to post the original version of Coda Maestroso in F, but couldn't find a video to do it justice and in all actuality, take my word for it Pentastar - In The Style Of Demons, just get it. The entire album is a case study of complexity through simplicity.

Dylan Carlson may not have "invented" drone, but he sure patented it. What's the most fascinating/tragic is that style of drone that he helped popularize with Pentastar, he sort of abandoned it. In fact his next album after Pentastar wasn't until almost a decade later. Probably because his best friend shot himself with a shotgun that Carlson gave him. Enough to fuck with anybody. But his best friend's name was Kurt Cobain.

Now Earth's music is drone, but it's drone if Ennio Morricone was doing it. Seriously, pick up a copy of any Cormac McCarthy book and listen to Hex by Earth and you'll see it's a wonderful marriage in your imagination. Carlson's music is now for the lonesome drifter.



Picture the worst thing you've ever done. Remember the most hurtful, embarrassing thing you've ever done to another living thing, and because of that, you wander the desert. Alone. This is not a Boulevard of Broken Dreams, this is an open field of fallen nightmares.

I'm not trying to get artsy, but drone, more than any other metal, forces introspection. That's right, this is metal my friends. The heaviness isn't in the guitars, it's in your head. So for the command image for this, you do need to hear some early Earth, and while it's not pure drone, it certainly is a thumbnail scratch at the DDSS that Dylan Carlson would master, teach, and eventually leave behind.

High Command

A quick thought since it's so late

A note about the internet.

I recently signed up for Twitter. You can see my little...*sigh*..."tweets" lower on this page. Other than updating photos for this site, I can really find no real purpose for it. But then I thought...Why is Twitter so bad? If it is, it's just as bad as Facebook, MySpace or even this site?

You've got me there. The internet is strange place for a human being. We've been reduced to quick answers and cliff notes. For now, I suppose it'll work for me. Plus...I'm following Larry David! How cool is that?

The whole internet thing got me thinking. Our access to information is no longer limited. The world really IS getting smaller. Which is both good and bad. Art isn't limited to just location. But without direction, lack of location could mean lack of art. "It's on the web and a million people have seen/heard/followed/commented on it." But you can't just go blindly picking up any scent of hilarity or good on your own. You need someone to TELL you where to go. To do that, you truly need a trusted source.

As for me, my source is usually people I know.....

ahem.

....After they've let me down, I look stuff up. Amazon, Myspace, Wiki's....Whatever. It's kind of a cool way of doing it. But there is another way. A better way. A way to listen to things that YOU might never ever hear before. Internet Radio Stations.

For example, there is Combat Music Radio (http://www.combatmusicradio.com/) . They have a radio show called Return to Zero hosted by Scott Kelly of Neurosis. I decided to download the shows unto my ipod while I deliver pizzas to people I hate (more on that later). Not only is the show eclectic (The Terminator Theme) but it's also full of rare demos and bands who I've never heard of.

While working at this job I hate, I heard this song and since I didn't have the playlist in front of me...I had to make a mental note to remember to look up the song that was playing and remember to get it as soon as I get near a computer.

Flash Forward to a few days later when I finally remembered to look it up.

Junior Bruce - Plague of Thieves. (Good southern stoned shit. Mucho potential.)

I couldn't find it. Not on iTunes, not on Amazon, last.fm, or even my torrent sites.

How could this be? You mean I actually have to GOOGLE this freakin' band? What is wrong with the world?

When I found them (Myspace), I realized that they some local band from Florida. I thought: "Wow, that's really cool. I can't buy a CD from them (not even illegally). But here they are. Playing a show in Florida with Mouth of the Architect. In order for me to get anything from this band...I'll have to see them live."

Which sucks. But also cool because I'll have to keep my eyes open.

Anyway, that was a long rant about the usefulness of the internet when we let people run it and not let it be run by machines. A radio show actually hosted and selecting songs to play on their show serves a purpose. I may never be able to hear Junior Bruce again, but at least I did. I'm glad for that.

The world may be getting smaller, but at least it can never replace the ol' fashioned need to buy a CD at a dive bar. It helps to have some guidance in order to keep it real.

But what I will say, as much as a dinosaur MySpace might be nowadays with everyone's need to get just the headlines and not read to full story. MySpace is still pretty cool place to find bands that are local and independent. Which is how I found Junior Brown.



Enough ranting. Time for Richard to find me this band on CD and give it to me!!









Command Image: Radio Commands Dog

Breaking Bad: Television Rarely Gets THIS Good.

So, I don't like to be referred to as a "television junkie." I think somebody who is a television junkie is somebody who likes ALOT of crap. It's like that commercial where the dude reached the end of the internet. What fucked up shit did that guy sift through?

So I am not "television junkie," rather I am television snob. Out of all my interests, TV is the one thing I truly feel I am a holier-than-thou-up-your-own-ass-stuck-up snob. With all of my other interests I have a generally open attitude. I can enjoy a can of Key Light as easily as I can enjoy a delicious double IPA. I like my art movies, but not above an awesome action movie or silly comedy. I'll see BB King (affordability pending, hint hint Mr. King) and have just as good of a time as I would moshing to In Flames.

Not with TV. Oh sure, I used to be hooked on junk, but when it comes to my television, I demand a little bit more. Don't get me wrong, I'll watch silly cartoons and Cops, but I barely enjoy them, they're just on for noise anymore, or yucks if the Cops episode is particularly entertaining. For me to enjoy a television show, to truly be sucked in, I demand a higher standard.

It's not easy to please me with television. If you're not the Wire, than you should be reaching for it. Sorry Entourage, Sorry Heroes, Sorry 24, but if you want me to savor your flavor, don't insult my intelligence, don't lead me down a road with plot holes and questionable shark jumping, and for christ sake, be funny! Looking at you Entourage, get to work.

Which brings me to the inspiration behind this rant, the most recent episode of Breaking Bad.



If you don't know about it, you're truly denying yourself the best that television has to offer right now. That's right, it's not Lost, it's not House, it's not Idol, my friend Breaking Bad is best thing on television right now.

Russell was very astute in describing this show, watching somebody's nightmare. He could not be more correct. The most recent episode left chills with me that I haven't felt since Rear Window, chills that I won't be able to shake for quite a while. I was able to be scared again, be afraid again. The storytelling in Breaking Bad is so patient, yet so fearless.

The premise is that Walter (Bryan Cranston, a name you will hear again come awards time, I promise you) is a very smart chemistry teacher who is diagnosed with cancer and is going to die soon. So he partners up with one of his old students, and begins making and selling meth.

It's a pretty gutsy premise for any network not having the letters "H," "B," or "O," but I suppose after FX treated us with some good old fashioned raunch with shows like Nip/Tuck, a cable network carrying it is not out of the question. Enter AMC. A network who hit out of the ball park with Mad Men, has a real ace in the hole with Breaking Bad, and since they've already renewed for it's third season, AMC has proven to be a network that not only values television quality, but seeks to redefine it. Look out HBO, you don't have The Wire or the Sopranos to cover your ass any more.

I can not stress this enough, all television can be this good. It doesn't have to be Tila Tequila or a 17th incarnation of Law and Order in order to relevant. It doesn't have to be able to show boobs in order to be edgy. Original, groundbreaking television can exist anywhere, whether it's on network*, cable, or premium. So get cracking you purveyors of televised entertainment.



* - Don't believe me? Do yourself a favor and pick up the first season of Friday Night Lights, than kick yourself for not watching it because you though it was going to be a silly, network OC. Yes, a show that good actually exists on a major network!



Today's Command Image: Uncle Sam Command!