Podcast Review: AOW w/ Scott Hall

In episode 169 of the Art of Wrestling Podcast, Colt Cabana interviews legendary 90's wrestler Scott Hall. Hall was known as Razor Ramon in the WWF where he gained some notoriety and built quite the following. After some contract disputes with Vince McMahon, he jumped to WCW as Scott Hall and started one of the most important factions of all wrestling history the NWO. Wrestling was as popular as ever when Scott Hall and the NWO were on top.

In this podcast, Hall discusses his beginning as a wrestler, and why is was so important for him to make it to the top of his game. He also discusses the decision to jump to WCW and some background information about what it was like to work for Vince McMahon at that time. Its been documented that Hall has had trouble with substance abuse later in his career. He has all but conquered those demons and is currently managing his son Cody Hall in the wrestling business. He goes into depth about his family growing up and how it lead to some of his problems as an adult. It was good to hear Scott Hall sober and coherent. I'm glad he's on a road to recovery and I am happy to hear his passion of the wrestling business. I wish this could have gone longer than an hour, because there are so many other stories I wanted to hear. I know that Stone Cold Steve Austin interviewed him on his podcast so I can check that one out.

There is some bonus material on this podcast that made the entire listening experience superior. Colt talks with Cody Hall for a few minutes before the interview with Scott and shares about his current relationship with his father. Another bonus is a skit where "Shawn Michaels" leaves a voicemail for Colt Cabana talking about the show which is absolutely hilarious. Not sure if non-wrestling fans will get it, but I truly loved it.

I give AOW 169 w Scott Hall 4 out of 5 Burning Lariats.

Movie Review: World War Z

So I finally was able to experience World War Z. I have been a bit reluctant to watch this movie since I'm a big fan of old school low budget zombie flicks. I have read the Max Brooks book of the same name and heard that it had nothing to do with the book. Which is right and wrong at the same time. The book is an oral history of all the events that have taken place throughout "World War Z" and its pretty similar how the story flows. Brad Pitt is finding out information through many different sources and piecing it together. They took the concept from Brooks and put an A-list actor, some gun play and crazy CGI scenes and made it into an action/ horror blockbuster.

To my surprise, I enjoyed the hell out of this movie. Albeit it wasn't a traditional zombie movie, the zombies were fast moving and smart. It felt more like an epidemic type movie more in the style of 28 Days Later. There are many definitions and mythologies connected with the term "zombie" so I can let some of the details fly.

World War Z was gripping from the very first scene. They open it up in Philadelphia, PA on a regular morning at the Lane family household (Brad Pitt's family). On a morning drive, they find themselves in some traffic downtown. All of a sudden chaos breaks loose and people are being attacked by other people. Pitt's character witnesses a man being attacked and bitten, and resurrecting after 12 seconds becoming one of the walking dead. The Lane family escapes to New Jersey. Throughout the madness that ensues, Lane is contacted by some important men and they attempt to extract him and his family to safety. You're not sure why he has such connections until a little bit later in the movie. Eventually they are hauled off to an airship carrier where they discuss the origin of this outbreak.

The army has assembled a team of "experts" and the word zombie is thrown around and no one believes that this is a real possibility. Lane is eventually called into duty to research the origin of this outbreak and find patient zero. This is where the concept of the book comes into play. All these experts have are stories they have heard from other experts in foreign nations and the dailogue of the book is strictly conversations about first hand experiences with the outbreak. South Korea is rumored to be the location of patient zero so Lane and his team sets out. They fly to several other nations in search for answers and hope. The action is well paced and the visuals are pretty stunning. I'm glad they released the un-rated version, because a movie of this type needs a little violence to really accentuate the seriousness of these zombies.

I was very satisfied with World War Z and would recommend it to people who aren't zombie fans. It's not too violent, and has a great story.

Rated: Un-rated
Run time: 123 Minutes

I give World War Z 4 out of 5 Burning Lariats.

Book Review: The Ocean at the End of the Lane

The Ocean at the End of the Lane was a nice, short tale about the disconnect between childhood and adulthood. Neil Gaiman is a novelist responsible many popular works including Stardust, The Sandman, Coraline and many more. Gaiman usually write for comics and young adult fiction, but dabbles in adult fiction on an irregular basis. I actually feel that this book could have been categorized as a young adult book because of the age of the characters and aspects of a fantasy story. There are a few "adult themed" portions of the book, but they are minimal and very tame. I guess Mr. Gaiman just wanted to sell some books to adults. Can't blame the guy.

So let's get to the book. The story starts off with an unnamed male character returning to his old neighborhood for a funeral. While visiting, he remembers an old friend, Lettie Hempstock and decides to stop at her old house down the lane. At the end of the lane, stands a pond that Lettie used to refer as her ocean. Our protagonist is flooded with memories of forgotten tales. Those tales are extraordinary and extremely devastating.

I really appreciate Gaiman's narrative and the driving force behind this story. It's not really a coming of age story. It's not a story of the reluctant hero, even though you may argue that fact about the main character. He is just too young and get's scared easily. Can't really blame him here. Not many kids are willing to fight the supernatural, many are afraid of the dark or spiders or great white sharks or whatever. It's a very realistic approach to life, most of the time you will need a hand when life gets difficult. Lettie Hempstock is the main character's protector, problem solver and savior throughout the book. The main character is forced to forget what happens in his childhood to protect his innocence. I'm not a parent myself, but I know that parents are always looking to protect their children, and ensure a healthy adulthood, even if they have to manipulate a story or tell little white lies. I guess that's where the difference between young adult and adult fiction lies. If this were a YA book, the main character would have risen to the occasion and tried to find a way to beat the odds. Its a subtle change, but it speaks volumes about the transition from childhood to adulthood.

I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a modern day fairy tale, that's well written and tells a great story. The aspects of fantasy are highly apparent in this book even though I don't elude to them very often in this review. It's super short too, and you can get through it pretty quickly.

I give The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman 4 out of 5 Burning Lariats.

Building a Solid Heavy Metal Collection: Part 7 of 25

Killswitch Engage's (KSE) Alive or Just Breathing is the most important heavy metal album to come out in the last 10-11 years. Metal was in sad shape at the turn of the century. Of course there were the few crusaders of metal that kept on releasing killer albums, but the main stream metal view was very tainted. Luckily these Bostonians were ready to make heart felt, brutal music that combined New York hardcore and elements of thrash, essentially bringing the metalcore genre to the masses. Alive or Just Breathing wasn't their big break and didn't set any sales records, like later albums, but it was a perfect base. When somebody asks me for a CD to start listening to heavy metal, I recommend this album.

Alive or Just Breathing features the band's original singer Jesse Leach. He was replaced by Howard Jones during the height of their popularity and now Leach has regained his throne as lead singer. Adam Dutkiewicz or Adam D. can be solely responsible for this record's success and the entire band's success. He played every instrument and was integral in the writing process. The label also allowed Adam D. to produce the record as well. Alive or Just Breathing's title reflected the condition of the metal scene in 2002. KSE was a breath of fresh air and really skyrocketed in popularity and made a mark on pop culture. I've seen KSE a number of times and their live show is something to behold. Their energy is off the charts and you can tell they love what they are doing.

Key tracks: No. 2 - Self Revolution, No. 8 - Temple from the Within and No. 10 - Vide Infra.

Book Review: Horns

Horns is a tale of young love, revenge, jealousy and the supernatural. It may sound pretty much like any teen/ tween/ young adult novel that is popular right now with that description, but I promise there aren't shirtless werewolves or sparkling vampires. I hope I get my point across as this book was so damn good I had a really hard time putting it down. I will try my best, but my advice is to just read it and experience it for yourself.

Joe Hill (Joseph Hilstrom King) is the oldest of Stephen King's children. It's not the first Hill book I've read. I listened to NOS4A2 which was pretty good in its own right, but nowhere on the level of Horns. I received an email from amazon.com last week, asking me to try this new service Audible, which is their e-audiobook service. They gave me a free trial and I searched Stephen King. I couldn't find one that I wanted to listen to so I searched Joe Hill since I am a HUGE fan of his comic book Locke and Key. Seriously, read this comic, you won't regret it. Horns has also been on my to-read list for a long time so I gave it the old college try and downloaded it. One of the best decisions I've ever made.

Horns starts off with our protagonist Ig Perrish. Ig is short for Ignatius which seems fitting because Ig's character is almost saint like. He is very loyal, caring and is the worst liar in the entire world. Uncharacteristically he wakes up in a drunken stupor, not remembering what happened the night before. Next to him lies his old childhood friend Glenna Nicholson, who starts telling Ig every single bad thing she's done in her life. Most recently hooking up with Ig's best friend Lee. He stumbles awake and notices that he has sprouted little horns on his head. Ig goes to the doctor  to get his "horns" checked out. The doctor's office is a surreal experience for Ig considering the secretary, a mother and her child in the waiting start spewing awful facts about their life and don't seem to be bothered by it. All these confessions are poured out because Ig has developed some sort of power that is tied to the horns that he's grown. He tries to find comfort with his family, but the horns have the same effect on them and he finds out a terrible secret.

A year before the book starts, Ig's long time girlfriend Mirren Williams was found dead in the forest near an old foundry. Everyone suspected that Ig was the one who murdered her and left her body. Ig and Mirren were the perfect couple. Both extremely smart, both extremely involved in the church and their community. So the death of Mirren Williams, was a huge tragedy in the small town of Gideon, NH. Knowing Ig and his back story, you know he wouldn't be capable of such horrific acts. Ig was scheduled to start a job in Britain, and Mirren breaks up with him ending a ten year relationship. This scene was the most intense, heart wrenching chapter I have ever read in my entire life. Joe Hill was brilliant displaying how deep their love was for each other and how hard it is to let go to someone you love. I was enraged, depressed, on edge and completely exhausted after their break up and set up the rest of the story perfectly.

The main antagonist is Lee Tourneau, as I mentioned earlier, is Ig's best friend. Hill tells a tale of when they were younger and Ig rolled down a hill in a shopping cart into a pond. Ig grows up thinking that Lee saved his life and is forever indebted to him. Their relationship has its ups and downs. Lee turns out to be a real scum bag but finds "Christ" after an accident with a cherry bomb in which he loses vision in one of his eyes. Lee is the epitome of modern day evil. The definition of a wolf in sheep's clothing. He can talk his way out of anything and uses intimidation and cunning to force people to take the fall for him. He eventually gets into politics and uses his "gift" to further his career.  Hill makes you want to punch Lee repeatedly in the face for hours. He oozes vileness and really gets you riled up. Thinking about his character gets my blood hot.

The book slowly reveals what happened that night at the foundry, and covers Ig's transformation into something outer-worldly or should I say under-worldly?? What makes this book so great is how real these characters felt. You can truly believe the love between Ig and Merrin, the jealousy and hate of Lee and the reality of the secrets that people hold deep inside of them. I know this is a bold claim, but I enjoy this book way more than a lot of Stephen King books. It is early in Joe Hill's career but he is really hitting them out of the park. I hope he has a long and illustrious career that mirrors his fathers'. I will say that Horns is one of my favorite books that I have ever read. Thus giving it.......

5 out of 5 Burning Lariats.

Building a Solid Heavy Metal Collection: Part 6 of 25

Immortal is a three piece black metal band from Norway. They dress up in spiked armor, wielding weaponry, covered in corpse paint. Corpse paint is a tradition in black metal that is used to make the band look inhuman, undead or demonic. Originally sounding like a traditional black metal band, they transformed into a thrash/ black hybrid. In 2002 they released Sons of Northern Darkness and quickly gained critical acclaim throughout the metal community. Some say that this is the best black metal album of all time. I tend to agree with that statement. Sons of Northern Darkness (SOND) starts off with a blistering track about ancient Nordic tribal battles in the cold, dark environment that is Norway. SOND is mostly about conquest of the great North, battles that have been waged and won, and the demons that help them in those battles.

Many people can be easily put off by Immortal and their style, even looking at the cover, they may think they are a joke. Their talent is boundless and are definitely the best black metal band in history. They are consistent and don't fall into the under-produced sound that most black metal bands purposely use to sound old school. Immortal released All Shall Fall in 2009 which was a long awaited follow up that didn't disappoint.

Next time snow is falling, pop in Sons of Northern Darkness, and fall into the world of Norwegian black metal.

Key tracks - No. 1 - One by One, No. 3 - Tyrants and No. 7 - Antarctica

Album cover provided by amazon.com.

Here's a little extra for you. The animated history of corpse paint from metalinjection.com
http://www.metalinjection.net/video/an-animated-history-of-corpse-paint

Book Review: Zombie, Illinois by Scott Kenemore

Zombie, Illinois isn't your typical zombie novel. It's more of a crossover that involves a mystery that just so happens to occur during the zombie apocalypse. There are three main characters: Maria Ramirez, Ben Bennington and Pastor Leopold Mack. The chapters are written in first person perspectives switching between the three. Maria Ramirez is the drummer for Chicago's premiere punk rock band Strawberry Brite Vagina Dentata. Ben is a reporter for Brain's Chicago Business newspaper. Finally, Leopold Mack is the pastor of the Church Heaven's God in Christ Lord Jesus. The character's start off pretty strong and their identities are pretty well known, but somewhere in the middle they stray from I believe their morals are and make really stupid, pointless decisions. They don't progress throughout the story, if anything they regress at some points. Ben is the cowardly lion of the bunch, eventually becoming a hero, kind of. Maria is the tough chick who swoons when she sees a hot guy. Pastor Mack is a powerful leader in the black community and has a deep, dark secret. I could tell you that secret, but I want you to read this book and be as disappointed as I was, when it was revealed. I wish Ben sacrificed himself for the group, Maria would soften up and take kindly to Ben's nerdiness and I wish pastor Mack would become the leader he was born to be. Kenemore gave us a tiny glance at that, but fell short. But you can't always get what you want.

The horror aspect of this book started off pretty well. First hand encounters of the dead rising from Lake Michigan. People digging up graves to prevent them from attacking. The coolest part of this book is when the Mayor's face was bitten off by Al Capone's corpse. Far fetched but still pretty cool. It never felt like the characters actually feared for their lives. There wasn't a moment that really affected their psyche. In most horror books there is a moment where you're not really sure if good could overcome evil. There was no such peak, no sense of impending doom. Close calls yes, but not much more than that.

I like that fact that Scott Kenemore, the author, did his research on Chicago geography and its neighborhood history. I don't know if it's all true, but he sure convinced me that it was all right. Apparently he did some research in Chicago politics as well, because Zombie, Illinois turned from a zombie book into a political satire about Chicago's corrupt government. I know that Chicago has a storied past with politics, and it was a nice back story at first, but then the entire book was about Chicago politics.

Zombie, Illinois was well written and the story is decently developed. However the horror aspect was extremely lacking. The zombies became an after thought. It's a good book for anyone who doesn't like gruesome books but is looking for a different type of mystery book. Not really my cup of tea though.

I give Zombie, Illinois by Scott Kenemore 3 out of 5 Burning Lariats.

Book cover provided by goodreads.com.