"Bad Things" by Jace Everett

I meant to feature this song during September, during the "Where have I heard that before?" theme but I ran out of month. This song is played during the title sequence of "True Blood." Before Netflix got really popular and added the "Skip Intro" option, the most recent Golden Age of TV also went hand-in-hand with the Golden Age of Opening Sequences. The best shows of the early 2000s - "True Blood," "Mad Men," and "Grey's Anatomy" - had iconic title sequences to start off the show and set the tone. Netflix has been trying to bring that back - all of the Marvel shows had pretty brilliant title sequences, as do many of its other shows, but - let's face it - people don't feel like that's worth their time anymore. Which is a shame, in a way, because I know someone works really hard on those intros who I'm sure is super proud of what they created. As I was saying, the "True Blood" title sequence was wonderful, partially because of this song and partially because of the imagery used in the sequence. First off, this song is indelibly sexy, which is perfect for a show where the sexual undertones were a key factor for both its popular appeal and subject matter. All paranormal romance - no matter how "wholesome" the author tries to make it seem (lookin' at you, Stephanie Meyer and "Twilight") - is about society's uncomfortable relationship with sex. Particularly the "wrong" kind of sex, which is usually outside the confines of marriage and with people it shouldn't be with. Vampires and werewolves have an especially torrid subtext, which is why they are featured most often in these types of stories. Vampires often have powers of mind control and hypnosis - in a psychological context, seduction (even the non-paranormal kind) is about using sexuality to influence the behavior of another for your own benefit. Vampires do this prolifically, often with horrifying consequences for the victim. Werewolves, on the other hand, get at the animalistic side of human lust and the fear of not being able to control our urges for another. Again, the underlying context is that carnal lust leads to extreme pain, shame, and heartbreak for both the object of lust and the person trying to control it within themselves. The lyrics to "Bad Things" combines both of these concepts perfectly into one badass country song.

The second reason the "True Blood" intro is awesome is the imagery. As I've mentioned, I love the Southern Gothic aesthetic and the title sequence plays the song against a series of images that sum up the underlying contradictions of this style. The wholesome, hospitable image of the American South contrasted starkly against the unsavory underbelly of its history and culture, along with the heavy occult themes that give the region its distinctive flavor. "True Blood" takes place in a small town in Louisiana, deep in the bayou, where the locals seem normal enough until you get to know them. For every church, there's a seedy strip club or bar. For every welcoming face, there's a hidden viper pit of contempt and suspicion. The cinematographer very cleverly inserts an image of a Baptist church with a sign that says "God Hates Fangs," a play on the vampire underworld the story brings to the surface and the very real bigotry towards the LGBT community that exists in the South. Bigotry and standing up against it is a central theme in the Sookie Stackhouse series that Charlaine Harris used her writing to draw attention to. The diversity of characters in the world that Harris has built is definitely something to emulate as a writer. This dedication to showcasing the range of personalities within Bon Temps carries over into the show. The show does not really follow the books and, weirdly enough, it's one of the few instances where that doesn't bother me. The screenwriters took the idea - what if the invention of synthetic blood allowed vampires (and other supernatural creatures) to live out in the open? - and ran with it. Although the plot points changed a lot, they were true to the material and to the message of the story.

When you came in, the air went out

And every shadow filled up with doubt

I don't know who you think you are

But before the night is through

I wanna do bad things with you

I'm the kind to sit up in his room

Heart sick and eyes filled up with blue

I don't know what you've done to me

But I know this much is true

I wanna do bad things with you, okay

The lyrics are fairly straightforward. A man is hanging out in a bar or wherever....I don't think the lyrics mention a bar specifically, but I like to picture a dive bar with wooden accents, pool tables, and dirty glasses. And possibly a pay phone. Yes, there is definitely an old-school pay phone for some reason, even in 2019. Anyway, there's a man - probably wearing jeans, a leather jacket, and cowboy boots - sitting in a bar, minding his own business. Then, a woman walks in. He doesn't know who she is, all he knows is she's beautiful. And she has dark hair, because all femme fatales have dark hair. It's a weird theatre trope that everyone follows - ingenues (good girls) have blonde hair, femme fatales (sexy troublemakers) have dark hair, and redheads are wild cards - and when you know about it, you see it everywhere. Look at any movie with Megan Fox, Angelina Jolie, or Eva Green - all excellent "femme fatale" type actresses. Moving on, she walks in and he's just consumed by her presence. He can't think of anything but bending her over one of the tables, lifting up her skirt, and just going for it. But he writes a song about it instead of talking to her. Because he's lame, in spite of his sexy voice. Obviously, I've pictured this scene a lot. It's a good scene.

And, thus, I reveal the guiltiest of my guilty pleasures. I read a surprising amount of paranormal/fantasy romance novels. I call them "junk food" books but the truth is, after reading a classic by Jane Austen or Victor Hugo, your brain needs a break. I can read these novels quickly (usually within a weekend, if I have enough free time) and they're always fun to read. Also - and I'm just now realizing it - but this is basically my genre. It's what I feel most comfortable and skilled at when writing. As much as I'd like to be super literary and write the Great American Novel™, I enjoy writing about horror, magic, fictional monsters, and sex. And the best advice I've ever heard on writing is you should write what you know and what you would enjoy reading. Write for yourself. And so I do.

"Bad Things" Video

"True Blood" Title Sequence

"Carry On Wayward Son" by Kansas

Yesterday felt like the longest day of my life. I'm pretty sure it was measurable - relativity was not on my side. Ten minutes seemed to last an hour and by the end of the day, I'm certain I aged at least eight months. Which is weird, because thinking back now, the last year seems like it moved with lightening speed. Can I hit rewind, please? Nope, can't, gotta keep moving forward, even if I feel a little lost. Honestly, I haven't felt this crazy since I was 19-years-old and - boy! - those were some crazy years. Fun years, true, but extremely turbulent. I don't have the luxury of going down that rabbit hole this time. I have people who are actually counting on me now.

Anyway, yesterday morning started off with "Carry On Wayward Son," which felt....appropriate. Because it is about moving forward, even as chaos closes in. For those who aren't familiar, "Wayward Son" is the theme for "Supernatural." They always play it during the season finale episode during a montage of all the madness the Winchester brothers encountered that season. I watched up to season 5, which is where the story arc the original writers imagined ended. After that, it seemed like the plot fell apart and they kept making episodes because it was successful, which is what most shows do. TV executives don't care that all stories need to end sometime, they just want to milk them as long as they can keep making money. I think "Supernatural" is still on TV, too. From my understanding, most of the people still watching it are doing so because the Winchester boys are hot. It's true. Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki might possibly be the two most handsome men on TV right now. In fact, I'm almost certain they are, because I have high standards. And, from what I've heard, they're also super nice - I have a friend who regularly goes to "Supernatural" fan conventions and has met the cast several times.

Once I rose above the noise and confusion

Just to get a glimpse beyond the illusion

I was soaring ever higher, but I flew too high

Though my eyes could see I still was a blind man

Though my mind could think I still was a mad man

I hear the voices when I'm dreamin', I can hear them say

Let's delve into these lyrics, shall we? Now, all progressive rock song lyrics are a little out there. It was released in 1976 - I expect nothing less than trippy weirdness. But, rough allusions to Greek mythology and too long guitar breaks aside, the message is poignant. I was talking to my friend/coworker about The Hero's Journey, which is simultaneously a master plot archetype and the name of a book on said plot archetype. It begins with the hero being presented with a quest - a quest the hero initially rejects, because they're comfortable where they are in life. Still, they are curious. Then, something happens which makes setting off on the quest unavoidable for our hero. On the journey, the hero encounters conflict after conflict, experiences the full breadth of life they were missing - happiness, sadness, betrayal, victory, etc. - and, all the while, they are growing. By they end, they aren't the same character.  They realize that, though they have learned much, they know nothing ("You know nothing, Jon Snow." One of my favorite catch phrases in GoT). They have grown to love people they wouldn't have thought they would ever meet. They've developed their intuition, gained trust and confidence in their own abilities, in their own strength. They have gone from protagonist to fully-developed hero. And their reward is the resolution at the end - the turmoil dissolves into inner peace, they feel fulfilled, and they can finally rest. If you're looking for it, most great stories follow the Hero's Journey. Harry Potter. The Lord of the Rings. Jesus. "Supernatural" is no exception.

The Infamous Winchester Smolder

Sam Winchester was just like you or me at the beginning of the series. Sure, his childhood was weird and dysfunctional but he was trying to be normal. And then his god damned brother, Dean, shows up, claiming his father was kidnapped and demons/supernatural beings are real. Sam tells him to basically GTFO. Then, his girlfriend - the girl he was going to marry - is murdered by a demon right in front of him. It would've been pretty traumatic, now that I think of it. Anyway, he has to go with his brother and confront everything he's been afraid of - the mistakes he's made, his fucked up childhood, and his inner demon (literally). He also has to face the fact that maybe he doesn't know what Reality and Truth are because every day, a new monster pops up. Every day, he has to believe in something he didn't believe in before. Holy shit! That's terrifying! And exhausting! It's understandable why some people would not want to do that. But, they should take comfort that there is peace at the end - assuming you're not on a highly profitable TV show. Poor Sam Winchester - that kid ain't ever gonna get a break.

"Carry On Wayward Son" Audio

"Going Through the Motions" as sung by Sarah Michelle Gellar

In one of the later seasons of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," they did an episode where a demon curses the cast so they are compelled to break into song to reveal unpleasant truths. It's a musical episode and I, personally, have a soft spot in my heart for musical episodes. It was one of the better Buffy episodes, in my opinion. Buffy was one of those shows that you'd think I was into just based on my interests, but I never really had time to watch. My best friend in high school was a big Buffy fan, though, so I did manage to see a few episodes. This one included.

At the end of Season 5, Buffy died sacrificing herself for her sister, Dawn. At the beginning of Season 6, Willow resurrects Buffy using magic. Unfortunately, Buffy was kind of happy being dead - she thought she was in heaven and she was at peace. Considering her life was killing vampires and having undead love triangles in between Slayer shenanigans, I can see why she wouldn't be thrilled to be brought back to life. "Once More, With Feeling" - the musical episode - opens with Buffy singing about how she doesn't have the same passion for her mission that she had before she died. And she's hoping nobody will notice and that eventually she'll get over it, but for right now, she's just going through the motions.

I was thinking about this episode the other day and this song, in particular. I don't want to say I've been going through the motions, lately, but in some things I have. I say things I'm not sure I mean just because they're expected. Or the reverse, I don't say things I want to say because I don't think they should be said. I smile because it's disarming....and I'm prettier when I smile. I do things that I don't particularly want to do because people aren't used to me saying "no." Because I'm supposed to. I don't know why. I know it's temporary - I've been through this before. This disappointment with real life. Heck, that was basically my whole childhood and I made it through that shit show. If I smile hard enough and play pretend really good, eventually things will be okay. In the meantime, I'm going to keep meditating and writing. And when that's not enough, I'll light a candle, maybe even cast a circle, and pray to whatever gods are listening. Video is below - the song is pretty short, the beginning minute or so is just the overture.

"Going Through the Motions" Video

"I'm Only Joking" by KONGOS

Y'all remember "Hemlock Grove," right? No? That's because "Hemlock Grove" was a shitty TV series and there's a reason why Netflix only let it film three seasons. Which was two seasons too long, by the way. I watched the first season, because it was an intriguing concept. A vampire and a werewolf are best friends? I'm there! But only because I have no self control when it comes to paranormal dramas. I even kept watching "Supernatural" after season 5, even though that was where the original writers intended to end the series....you know, before the producers realized that they could really rake it in by keeping it going forever. I'm serious...For. Fucking. Ever. "Supernatural" is on like season 14, which is way longer than most TV shows normally last. Anyway, even though most paranormal TV shows can be pretty lame, they usually have one thing in common....a killer soundtrack. I was constantly grabbing Shazam when I was watching "Hemlock Grove." KONGOS was one of the bands I was instantly drawn to when I found them.

Story from today - I got caught up in a conversation with some coworkers and we ended up talking about some bizarre things. Like ghosts and the world ending and other stuff, because that's where the discussion ended up going for whatever reason. It was natural, I swear. Then, someone from the peanut gallery shouted "Really fucking cheerful conversation going on over there!" (I added the f-word for color....) And the conversation died and we all wandered off, because we were all embarrassed for some reason. That's basically what "I'm Only Joking" is about. Wanting to talk about weird and creepy shit with people but then feeling like you have to cover it up as not being very serious (when it is sometimes). My filter is really careful about who I bring up certain topics with, because you never know who will show up with pitchforks at your front door. That reminds me of "The Cut-Wife" episode of "Penny Dreadful," which was super sad and I do not care to go into it right now. I don't think I've ever felt so despondent after watching an episode of something like I did when I watched the ending of "The Cut-Wife." Man, that's such an unbelievably good show, which surprised me because Josh Hartnett is a main character. But it works. You just have to trust me.

Anyway, I love "I'm Only Joking" because it sounds spooky and the lyrics are all mystical and dark....until the chorus, where it gets all chipper and the singer is trying to convince you that he just read all that crazy stuff somewhere. Perhaps in a book? Stranger things have happened...He's just fucking with you! Why so serious?! But is he really just messing with you? Probably not, but you'll accept that explanation because you want to. My favorite lyrics are in the second verse: "The Earth is alive/And Man is a parasite/And heavenly bodies make us fight." I love KONGOS' use of percussion and the incorporation of the accordion, which makes the song sound vaguely Cajun. In fact, you might even think the band hails from Louisiana just listening to their musical profile (I would consider it kind of like a darker Cowboy Mouth) but they're from South Africa. They have quite a few good songs and I highly recommend checking out their "Lunatic" album, if you have a chance. The video for "I'm Only Joking" depicts a boring guy walking into the kind of party I could see myself at.....you'll see what I mean.