__, _ _ __, , _|_ _ _ _ __ _ _ , _|_ _ ,_ / | / |/ | / | / \_| / |/ |/ | / \_/ |/ | / \_| |/ / | \_/|_/ | |_/\_/|/ \/ |_/ | | |_/\__/ | |_/ \/ |_/|__/ |_/ /| \| ANGSTMONSTER SPECIAL RELEASE NUMBER 7 ___________________________ | | | Zines Make Me Cry | | or | | Real Expression Isn't | | Premeditated | | | | A rant by Mr. Jay | +---------------------------+ Ok, here's the drill. I want you to come in here every day at 4:30pm and cry about your childhood. Yes, every day. No calling in sick. I don't CARE if you happen to be happy on a given day, you'll be here at 4:30 every day and cry, damnit! Does that make sense? No. Neither does saying "I will be insightful for my readers every other Wednesday at noon." Neither does, "I will write something witty and fun and worth reading every day." Folks, it just doesn't work that way. Sorry. If I, as a photographer, decided that I'd take shots every day at noon and four, I'd never take any good pictures. Why? Good subjects come and go at random, beautifully unpredictable intervals. Some days we're gripped with passion and we write something truly great. Some days we'd be better off watching TV. Forced expression is the cause of most of the bullshit in every medium and genre of art today. Sure, some people are just shitty artists. That's a given. Most garage bands will never write a good song. I should know, I had lots of friends in them in high school. I suffered through many a practice session. Beyond that, there have been plenty of talented artists who felt the need to express themselves without waiting for something worth expressing. Quick example: Elton John. He started his career brilliantly. Elton John was a musical force in the 70s, but his work ethic slowly whittled away at his considerable talent. He thought he had to release an album every year, and it's ruined him. The man who wrote "Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters" and "Levon" has become a trite old man whining about love, like a back street boy who ate too many cheeseburgers. Let's compare songs, shall we? *Elton John - Mona Lisas And Mad Hatters, 1972* And now I know Spanish Harlem are not just pretty words to say I thought I knew But now I know that rose trees never grow in New York City Until you've seen this trash can dream come true You stand at the edge while people run you through And I thank the Lord there's people out there like you I thank the Lord there's people out there like you While Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters Sons of bankers, sons of lawyers Turn around and say good morning to the night For unless they see the sky But they can't and that is why They know not if it's dark outside or light *Elton John - The Way You Look Tonight, 2000* And I can't explain But it's something about the way you look tonight Takes my breath away It's that feeling I get about you, deep inside And I can't describe But it's something about the way you look tonight Takes my breath away The way you look tonight With a smile You pull the deepest secrets from my heart In all honesty I'm speechless and I don't know where to start See what I mean? The first song is powerful, poignant... the second one sounds like a poem ripped from someone's live journal. He might as well be rhyming "fire" and "desire." How does this relate to Zines, livejournals, Tfiles and whatnot? Simple. Stop talking just to talk. Stop babbling just because you think you need to express something. Or write it, but for fuck's sake, don't put it up just because you wrote it. Learn to shut up, listen, read, and speak only when you have something meaningful to say. We all have a hundred thousand experiences haunting us through habits and fears and memories that make our fists clench in the middle of the night. When those parts of you want to speak, they will. Your fingers will fly over the keyboard and you'll hardly breathe until it's all out of your system. Never write just to write. If you' re staring at your computer screen, at a loss for words, do the world a favor. Turn off the monitor and go watch cable. *++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++* + Are you down with fame and all sorts of riches? + + Then Angstmonster Special Release is not where to + + submit your tfile goodness to. But if you have + + something you'd like to see published all on it's + + own? Email us and it'll be + + released under the Angstmonster name. Maybe if we + + attract talented people, the fame and riches will + + follow. But don't count on it. We're just out to + + entertain ourselves and others with all sorts of + + ASCII madness the likes of which no one has seen! + *++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++* ANGSTMONSTER SPECIAL RELEASE NUMBER SEVEN 10.07.02 Brought to you by angstmonster.org / Angstmonster Publishing. "We have a lot more xp to earn before we start healing the sick." http://www.angstmonster.org/txt/