Electrified! is a documentary film about the evolution of a practicing family dentist into musical artist & filmmaker.
This practice no longer exists; as it was shuttered in early 2014.
The staff & patients featured in this film are a fair representation of what went on during its 18 years of existence.
The film was shot & edited from June 2012 through December 2013. Electrified! still needs money, in order to be truly finished.
It is being released as is on YouTube, because its creators desire the widest viewing audience.
Written & Directed by Ric Size
Edited by Susan Cameron
Produced by Susan Cameron & Ric Size
Directors of Photography: Susan Cameron & Bruce Marcho
Uploaded to YouTube by TomP
Film Cast:
Eric Meeker………….DDS & Ric Size
Tom Pearce………….Drummer & Watch Repairman
Cynthia Lancaster….RDH
Jennifer Jusino………Receptionist
Lidia Barrera………….Dental Assistant
Allan Marsh……………Featured Patient
Elijah Salhani………….Cafe Owner
Art Rich…………………Auto Repair Shop Manager
Bill Warden…………….Tai Chi Sifu
Jay Stanley……………Recording Engineer & Studio Owner
Carol Gray…………….Denture Lab Technician
Mitchell Jim…………..Crown & Bridge Lab Technician
Becca Pearce……….Monopoly Game Contestant
Adrian Pearce……….Monopoly Game Contestant
Brighton Pearce…….Monopoly Game Contestant
Maya Pearce………..Monopoly Game Contestant
“Talented” Crew:
Camera/Editor: Bruce Marcho
Production: WildZebra Media
Lighting: Matt Sowers
Sound Op: Allan Marsh
Basketball scene shot on location at Pat Burke Hoops, in Mount Dora, FL – June 24, 2012.
Challenge Player: Corey Sutherland
Janitor: Pat Burke
Office party and outdoor scenes shot at Belton Bail Bonds in Tavares, FL – July 27, 2012.
Beautiful Woman #1: Angelica-Naia Gabor
Beautiful Woman #2: Jenay Nadine
Beautiful Woman #3: Amber Sym
Beautiful Woman #4: Amber English
Cop: Mitch Bromwell
Gay Guy: Sherwood Heineman
Straight Guy: Allan Marsh
Lady Justice: Ali Camp
Rich Businessman: Robby Camp
Secretary: Stephanie Sherman
Waiter: Tom Pearce
Young Kid #1: Ross Hackney
Young Kid #2: Jamison Moore
Young Kid #3: Katie Hohman
Young Kid #4: Victoria Strawbridge
Young Kid #5: Hunter
Young Kid #6: Jeffy
* In the historical discussion section; German imperialism is shown in green, not purple
Electrified! film Copyrighted by Infinitelink Records/ WildZebra Media
Find a drummer, one who can keep time & swing.
Songwriters are generally guitar players, who sometimes mistakenly believe music should speed up & slow down.
All competent drummers understand this to be wrong, as music needs to stay in time for it to be listenable.
It is the ability to swing around the beat, which makes the music feel faster or slower.
Drums are the heartbeat that drives rock & popular music.
A great drummer can take a good song to new heights, a sloppy one will kill it.
The best rap & electronica artists have this similar understanding, in their use of sampled & programmed beats.
A singer/songwriter/rhythm guitarist needs accompaniment, otherwise the songs quickly suffer from a sameness of sound.
Bass players are often their own breed of rock musician, maybe because they are relatively uncommon compared to guitar players.
The best bassists are the ones who play bass only.
Like anything else, one needs exclusive devotion to an instrument to become truly proficient.
Guitar players who double on bass have trouble with correct fingering technique (without a pick), and never get the true bass sound & feel.
The bassist is the critical link between guitar and drums.
They must know how to play in time while swinging in the pocket— otherwise known as groove.
With an on-time drummer and groovy bass player, the nucleus for a tight rock sound is established.
Extra support comes in the form of a lead guitar player, and any other gifted musicians that can be found.
Most songwriters are not ace guitar players– and rock records often need one.
Any other support to fatten up & round out the sound, with brass or other stringed instruments, should have classical and/or jazz training.
It is well-understood among musicians, that the best players are all in the classical & jazz domains.
It is much more difficult to be a good jazz guitarist, than a good rock guitarist.
Classical music is even more demanding.
All serious musicians have egos, so make such you have the goods when approaching them. Treat them with respect, but set reasonable boundaries so you aren’t tolerating head-case nonsense.
Not really a bass player
Assembling the right players to go with strong songs, is only half the task in recording a great album.
Studio recording & production is the other half.
Understanding sound and how to record it is a blend of science, experience & artistry; so find a real producer.
The best producers understand the importance of establishing a neutral listening baseline, by “pinking” the recording studio; amateurs aren’t even aware of this concept.
“Pinking a room” means setting up a reference microphone, so a pink noise signal can be measured throughout the studio; and then equalized flat, using a real time analyzer (RTA).
Any room that isn’t acoustically balanced through architectural design will have places where certain frequencies are favored or filtered out, due to the way sound bounces off the walls and other objects.
A knowledgeable producer will equalize (pink) the studio– anywhere microphone recording, monitoring, and playback listening occurs. [1]
Failure to do this will cause errors in distortion and loss of select frequencies.
Example: An unpinked studio has a hotspot in the low-midrange frequency (250 Hz to 500 Hz– a common problem area) where the producer sits, causing distortion errors in monitoring & mixing playback.
If uncorrected, the tendency will be to lower those frequencies because they sound too loud. An inexperienced producer mistakenly thinks the recording is too hot in the low-mids, when really it’s distortion in that range, created by the room itself. Therefore the low-mids get mistakenly lowered in the recording & mix-down, disappearing in the final song when played externally, on a different set of speakers or headphones.
Mix-down is where all the separate tracks (drums, guitars, bass, vocals, etc.) are put together, with effects & stereo placement.
While mixing, the producer’s job is to create fullness in all dynamic ranges (low-mid-high), with tightness, punch & clarity.
The most useful effects for all instruments (including vocals) are compression & reverb.
Auto-tune & equalization are helpful as a vocal sweeteners, and are required by today’s listening standards if singing isn’t pitch perfect.
After the songs have been properly mixed, the album is then mastered.
Mastering is defined as final compression & equalization of audio material, so it plays loud and evenly on all audio systems.
This can now be easily accomplished with freeware. [2]
Pro Tools is considered today’s industry standard for sound recording.
Unfortunately it comes with a lot a baggage, which doesn’t seem to get enough frank discussion.
Firstly, any honest audio producer will tell you that Pro Tools has serious stability issues, and is infamous for crashing at any time.
Another major problem is incompatibility with non-Apple plug-ins, as many freeware effects (compression, reverb, auto-tune, etc…) won’t operate on Pro Tools.
Also, updates for purchased plug-ins often require more money, and it all starts to feel like a money pit after awhile.
The overall audio quality has also be described as “boxy”, meaning the snare & kick drums sound like they’re being played on cardboard.
The above photo is Pro Tools for PC, which has even more stability issues. Even this Express package (a bare-bones 8-track console) is a memory hog, using every ounce of a computer’s resources. If other program’s are running, crashes will be even more frequent. Updated mixes should be backed-up constantly, to avoid a sudden loss of productive work.
This synopsis of band theory & audio recording may seem a long way from songwriting and creativity, but learning these lessons is essential. At some point, a songwriter has to give up control of the project, and place it in the hands of other professionals. This writer is not a drummer, bass player, or producer; but familiarization with these basics allows new songs to flower with artistic creativity, and ultimately achieve a professional level of audio fidelity.
The more a songwriter knows of this, the more he/she can helpfully guide the process. This knowledge is required for making music that other people will want to hear, as writing a great song just isn’t good enough; it has to be captured into an acceptable recording & polished into an exciting final production, otherwise it falls flat onto deaf ears.
“Whatever I do, I’ve done the wrong thing for about four years and then suddenly it was the right thing and what I’m doing now is the wrong thing, you know?” Brian Eno 1988
In 1967, Jann S. Wenner and jazz critic Ralph J. Gleason founded Rolling Stone magazine in San Francisco.
Volume 1, #1 of Rolling Stone was published on November 9, 1967.
It has since published, every two weeks, with a circulated readership of nearly 1.5 million as of 2013.
Rock music criticism in the U.S. began when Paul Williams created Crawdaddy! in January 1966.
The stated goal of Crawdaddy! and Rolling Stone was to demonstrate that rock music was serious art, meriting criticism.
When asked in 1969, why he decided to start Rolling Stone, Jann Wenner replied “so I could meet John Lennon.”
Lester Bangs, Richard Meltzer and Nick Tosches, were serious music critics, who were run out of Rolling Stone by Wenner and Jon Landau. [1]
Lester Bangs’ February 1972 Creem review of Chicago at Carnegie Hall:
“I like this album because it’s on Columbia. I trust them, I believe in their product, because Columbia is the General Motors of the record industry. They consistently come up with the best of everything: best logo, best lettering in artists’ names and album titles, best photography, best cardboard.”
Clive Davis, president of Columbia records “had Jann Wenner’s ear whenever he wanted it, which turned out to be often,” [2]
Davis had advanced Wenner $20,000 against future advertising in 1968, which saved Rolling Stone from bankruptcy.
Clive Davis would bail Wenner out again in 1970.
Clive Davis in his 1975 book, Inside the Record Business, “I always took it personally when the paper [Rolling Stone] made a snide comment about Columbia or took one of its artists to task, I occasionally wondered how they could accept consulting and advertising assistance from Columbia – and then poke fun at us, or say downright nasty things.” [3]
Conflict over Rolling Stone’s direction developed between Wenner and managing editor John Burks, who disdained Wenner’s infatuation with celebrity.
Burks was a journalist, encouraging more political pieces on Vietnam, Kent State, etc.
He eventually resigned in 1971, under pressure from Wenner & his corporate paymasters.
Jon Landau, one of the most powerful rock critics of the 1960’s, took over as reviews editor, just as its best writers were being jettisoned.
Landau debuted his new column Rock and Roll Music in the 3/4/71 issue.
The excerpt below is from Part 2 of his ‘history of rock writing’, published in the 4/1/71 issue:
“Three or four years ago, rock reviewing was less problematic than it is today. For one thing, you knew what to write about. The Byrds, the Animals, the Dead, the Airplane, and the Beach Boys were fit subjects for comment; Gerry and the Pacemakers, Dave Clark and Freddie and the Dreamers were not. The Beatles, the Stones, and Dylan were the first inductees to rock’s (as opposed to rock and roll’s) pantheon; after that, everyone bowed in the direction of San Francisco and underground British groups until the appearance of Led Zeppelin.
“Led Zeppelin forced a revival of the distinction between popularity and quality. As long as the bands most admired aesthetically were also the bands most successful commercially (Cream, for instance) the distinction was irrelevant. But Zeppelin’s enormous commercial success, in spite of critical opposition, revealed the deep division in what was once thought to be a homogeneous audience.
“That division has now evolved into a clearly defined mass taste and a clearly defined elitist taste.”
Then, only a few years later, as he’s declaring Bruce Springsteen the future of rock & roll:
“I listen to music with a certain measure of detachment. I’m a professional and I make my living commenting on it. There are months when I hate it, going through the routine just as a shoe salesman goes through his.”
Landau would eventually become Bruce Springsteen’s producer/manager in 1975 for Born to Run, and remains with “the Boss” up to the present.
Jann Wenner fired respected writer Greil Marcus in 1970 over a negative review of Bob Dylan’s disappointing Self Portrait, as Columbia execs pressured Wenner for a retraction, and more positive new review.
Wenner would often fire writers, then rewrite the more-positive review himself.
Greil Marcus returned to Rolling Stone in 1975, on the heels of his book discussing the origins of rock & roll titled Mystery Train, which was well-received and critically acclaimed by Wenner. Rolling Stone is known for launching the writing careers of Hunter Thompson, Cameron Crowe and P.J. O’Rourke; all of whom (like Wenner) never revealed much insight beyond their own self-interest.
Aside: the recent forced retraction of a 9000-word expose’ published in the 11/19/14 issue, on the “rape culture” across America’s college campuses, is an example of the debasement of basic journalistic standards at Rolling Stone magazine, which trace back to its self-aggrandizing origins.
The author of the fictional gang rape was Sabrina Erdely, yet another Gen X feminist screaming her version of neo-liberal nonsense, which Rolling Stone has peddled to the college crowd since the late-1980’s. [4]
In 1977, Rolling Stone moved from San Francisco to New York.
Circulation dropped as Rolling Stone became increasingly perceived by kids as curmudgeonly & out-of-touch; responding slowly to (and even actively resisting) the emergence of punk, funk, reggae and disco.
Paul Nelson convinced Jann Wenner to hire Lester Bangs back in 1978, who contributed until he died from a drug overdose in 1982.
Nelson was the record reviews editor of Rolling Stone from 1978-83, often clashing with Jann Wenner over disco, punk & post-punk (all of which Wenner still despises); while championing the next generation of critics including Kurt Loder.
The first edition of the Rolling Stone Record Guide was published in 1979. Rolling Stone was still a respected name brand, largely due to the efforts of dedicated luminaries such as: Lester Bangs, Nick Tosches, Richard Meltzer, Lenny Kaye. etc…
However, none of these writers contributed to the Rolling Stone Record Guide.
In charge was Dave Marsh, Rolling Stone record reviews editor since 1976.
Dave Marsh and co-editor John Swenson, seemingly had final say on the ratings & written contents of both the first & second editions of the guide.
Journey lead singer Steve Perry on Dave Marsh, “he’s an unusual little man who all too often thinks that his subjective opinions translate to inarguable fact.”
Below is the capsule for Black Sabbath, one of the worst (and most unfair) reviews in the 1983 edition– Ken Tucker disdains, while Dave Marsh rates every record one-star.
Here’s Greil Marcus on Paul Nelson’s forced departure in 1983:
“Paul saw people making or avoiding choices, striking out in one direction or holding back and fading into the crowd. He was sensitive to the risks and the degree of courage or nerve it takes to make a public choice, and to thus stand alone and stand exposed. I think this crucial verge is what he looked for, consciously or not, and what he was drawn to. In his writing, it provided a sense of how high the stakes in pop music could be. Paul was a maddeningly slow writer. He suffered writer’s block. I think this is because he respected his subjects so much he was terrified of getting anything wrong.”
Anthony DeCurtis filled Dave Marsh’s role after his departure in 1983, as the magazine consolidated its transition from counter-culture icon, into mainstream cash cow.
Rolling Stone first began assigning star ratings to records in 1981, a practice the magazine discontinued midway through 1985, then brought back in 1988– with half-star intervals.
By the 1980’s, Wenner demanded upbeat reviews (which could more accurately be called press releases) for major-label ‘star’ acts, even if their record was an obvious stiff.
No new album review could be less than 3-stars for artists like Tom Petty, John Mellencamp, Bruce Springsteen, Rolling Stones, Prince, Neil Young, Don Henley, Steve Winwood, Robert Plant, etc…
Wenner’s stable of hacks– David Fricke, Chuck Eddy, Anthony DeCurtis, etc… could seemingly manufacture a 4-star review for any artist, without even listening to the record.
Published in the wake of the ongoing musical eruptions in alternative/college/ hip-hop; the 1992 third edition (now the Rolling Stone Album Guide) was overseen by Anthony DeCurtis.
James Henke with Holly George-Warren are the co-editors.
A mere four [!] reviewers wrote every entry to the 1992 album guide–J.D. Considine, Mark Coleman, Paul Evans, and David McGee.
On the back flap, it claims to be, “the bible of popular music criticism…rock, pop, soul, rap, country, jazz, blues, folk, gospel–for every taste in popular music…”
In this edition, their misunderstanding of hip-hop becomes their new glaring weakness.
Old biases still remained for this tiny sample size of critics regarding funk, disco, punk and post-punk. Led Zeppelin with the Rolling Stones, finally achieved immortality, along with the rest of classic rock.
In 1996, staff writer Jim DeRogatis was assigned to review the new Hootie & the Blowfish album Fairweather Johnson.
Legend has it, that he penned a one-star review, and Wenner killed it.
DeRogatis revealed this publicly, and Wenner countered by fired him, claiming the review was poorly written.
DeRogatis mused that while Wenner was not much of Hootie and the Blowfish fan, he definitely was “a fan of bands that sell eight and a half million copies,” which Cracked Rear View (1994) had done.
Wenner demanded a minimum three-star review, which DeRogatis was unwilling to provide. [5]
Leonard Cohen addressed his critics in an interview with Paul Williams published in the March 1975 issue of Crawdaddy!:
I’m very, very interested also in the mind of the reviewers, how they change over the decades, and how a man approaches new work. Whether he approaches it in a spirit of curiosity, charity, interest, or as a vehicle for his own self-aggrandizement, his own career. Whether he uses it as an opportunity to display humanism, or cruelty. I mean to me, the critic is on trial at this point.”
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is a sham, the creation of a group of industry people and critics who decide who they deem as qualified to be in their little admiration society– Paul Stanley of KISS
The R&R HoF was created by the record moguls & Jann Wenner.
Wenner brought in foundation director Suzan Evans, editor Dave Marsh, along with attorney Allen Grubman, & record executives Seymour Stein, Bob Krasnow & Noreen Woods.
These are the people who have controlled the R&R HoF, from its outset.
The foundation was established in 1983, and its inaugural class was 1986.
There was no museum until construction was completed in Cleveland, OH in 1995.
The nominating committee has expanded to about 30 music critics, entertainment lawyers and recording executives– who determine the field each year.
Then a voting committee of around 500 people (including elected musical artists), ‘elect’ five new inductees.
Artists qualify for a spot, 25 years after their first recording.
Jon Landau, the chairman of the nominating committee, “We’ve done a good job of keeping the proceedings nontransparent. It all dies in the room.” [6]
This conveniently prevents any discussion of why influential genres such as punk, reggae, funk, disco, post-punk, rap, electronic, etc… have so few artists in the R&R HoF. [7]
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Critics need to be criticized & scrutinized– now more than ever.
Online handle schmidtt has produced the most comprehensive & sensible history of popular music that I have ever read, covering its classic era from the mid-1960’s to 2012 (when this list was compiled).
It fairly balances (IMO) the major genres, while illuminating the darker business side, which control what you hear.
Well written, edited and linked– 5-stars!!
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Rolling Stone’s mythic grip on rock culture needs to be pried loose.
Its monopoly on critical opinion has robbed several generations of listeners of amazing music.
Music genres that Rolling Stone systematically ignores, due to its elitist attitude and brand-name clout, have stunted the playlists of every commercial-music radio station (in the US and beyond), for nearly 50 years.
Today, Rolling Stone is seen by insiders as an appendage of the music industry machinery, which runs on payola and corporate sponsorship.
Popular music won’t become relevant again, until enough people understand what’s making it sick.
The will to heal & grow is only useful if the disease is first properly diagnosed.
Popular music is always defined by the kids. Institutions such as Rolling Stone have co-opted 40+ years of musical heritage (of which they know very little about), and kept it for themselves. These charlatans have hijacked popular music, distorted it, and held it hostage– all in order to enrich itself; all-the-while marginalizing & strangling any musical forms that operate outside the industry box.
The Internet is the distribution channel of today and the future, and it is how new music is distributed & discovered. Rolling Stone is the behemoth that has outlived its usefulness, but is not allowed to die. It serves a valuable function as curator, opinion-maker and gatekeeper for past popular music. When too many of their opinions become completely untenable, they simply revise their old ratings with a new Record Guide. Their last revision (fourth edition) was published in 2004; now they revise their past ratings & reviews online.
Music is many things, entertainment and art among them. Elitist critics who compare works of art in any field, in order to determine which one is “better,” are being silly & pedantic. They become dangerous when they are given credibility.
Music as entertainment should be fairly judged: good, mediocre or bad, for aesthetic reasons.
Music as art doesn’t need to be rated, as much as it needs to be heard.
Philip K. Dick (1928-82) remains one of the most baffling & intimidating authors of the 20th century.
His genre was science fiction, but his large body of writings & ideas extend far beyond; reaching into the worlds of film, music, art, and philosophy. Like many great artists, PKD had his share of failures; was largely unknown when he wrote; financially insecure most of his life; and died relatively young. Today he has a rabid cult following [2], and is deserving of a wider reading audience.
Sci-fi Classics by PKD
Reading is the keyword, as you’ve likely already seen many of his adapted films [3]. Disney is still attempting to animate one of his early short stories: The King of the Elves (1953) [1], which would presumably amuse Dick, if he were still alive.
Philip Dick’s masterpiece is A Scanner Darkly (1977), which also happens to be the best film adaptation of any of his works; faithfully screen-played, & intelligently directed by Richard Linklater in 2006. The decision to animate was a must, due to the ‘scramble suit’ concept; and it’s arguably Keanu Reeves’ best film performance, in an all-star cast.
A Scanner Darkly the book, is terrifying– best described in a Village Voice review on the back flap as, “an industrial-grade stress test of identity… maybe the most unnerving drug novel ever written.”
PKD at his best warped a readers mind, blurring the lines between reality & paranoia; while describing real emotions & illustrating profound insight into human interactions. He imagined and wrote about our modern world of NSA & Intelligence Agencies spying on everybody, fifty years ago. Philip Dick had vision.
Phil Dick also lived much of his life, as and among the world of drug addicts, which is surely the reason for his inconsistency in writing. His fractured genius is largely ignored and/or misunderstood. Below is a clip from The Gospel According to Philip K. Dick (2001), the best film attempt at a posthumous documentary from those who (mostly) knew the subject personally:
PKD’s other best-known novel is Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (1968); which was adapted into Blade Runner (1982), just before his death from a series of strokes.
Unfortunately, film director Ridley Scott’s vision, betrays any serious understanding of PKD’s writings and worldview. Dick imagined a totalitarian future– along the lines of George Orwell, Aldous Huxley and Ray Bradbury. What Scott creates in this sci-fi “film classic,” is sanitized & caricatured Hollywood, with neither edge nor subtlety. In other words, it’s no longer PKD; which explains why the film dates so poorly (compared to the novel), and has been re-cut so many times.
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Instead of settling for film mediocrity; dial 481 on your mood organ (awareness of the manifold possibilities in the future open to you), and read the book instead–only 216 pages. [4]
I’ve seen most of them on Netflix (as linked), and the overall quality varies from excellent to pointless [see No Mas (2013) for an example of the latter]. Top films include:
Of Miracles and Men (2015) Puts Miracle (2004) to shame; the Sofia Loren analogy by the Soviet/Russian journalist is perfect in precision.
The Two Escobars (2010) Searing documentary of the Columbian national futbol team, and it’s elegant defenseman Andres Escobar; trying to compete at the 1994 World Cup during the US-sponsored Plan Columbia operation– a military & CIA war for control of the Medellin drug cartel led by Pablo Escobar.
Pony Excess (2010) Before the U, there was SMU; Eric Dickerson is the prototype too-cool-for-school athlete in this wild west football saga.
The U (2010) Most productive football factory ever; Billy Corben = excellent filmmaker.
Small Potatoes: Who Killed the USFL? (2009) Answer: Donald Trump. Updated 7/11/15: Trump is now seeking the Republican nomination for president of the United States.
Slaying the Badger (2014) The story of Europeans v. lone American Greg LeMond (& his wife), at le tour de France, before widespread doping in professional cycling.
Jordan Rides the Bus (2010) Mighta been a big-leaguer…the MLB strike of 1994 was crucial…as Annie Savoy said in Bull Durham (1988)– “timing is everything.”
9.79* (2012) As it turns out, Carl Lewis wasn’t any cleaner.
Catching Hell (2011) No fan deserves to be put in Steve Bartman’s situation.
Broke (2012) Roughly 80% of professional athletes, five years after retiring: Billy Corben directs.
Big Shot (2014) Venture capitalist bluffs everybody, and almost pulls it off; happens everyday on Wall Street (and around the world), in every industry. Updated 7/11/15: this guy just went to prison again, for embezzlement.
Rand University (2014) The greatest NFL wide receiver of all-time was Jerry Rice; Randy Moss is second on that list.
Free Spirits (2014) The ABA was a crazy league, and the NBA is still paying for it. Updated 7/11/15: the NBA finally settled with the former owners of the St. Louis Spirits.
The Real Rocky (2011) Sly Stallone was eventually sued, and settled out-of-court for an undisclosed amount with Chuck Wepner; whose story is more fascinating than any Rocky movie.
Playing for the Mob (2014) Goodfellas (1990) is more fascinating in real-life too, Ray Liotta narrates.
Brian & the Boz (2014) He finally grew up, throwing off his BS persona; similar to The Marinovich Project (ESPN 2011), which was also well done– maybe even better.
The Dotted Line (2011) Morgan Spurlock examines professional sports agency; been a fan since Super Size Me (2004).
Brothers in Exile (2014) Livan & Orlando “El Duque” Hernandez, from Cuba to MLB; once again, more gripping & compelling than any Hollywood dramatized production of these stories.
Action movies, like sports, have propaganda value.
The image of the alpha-male conquering evil through strength & cunning is a powerful one, and a basic instinct.
This instinct is tied into winning the female prize, and thus sexual ecstasy.
The Hollywood action genre traditionally lacked athleticism in it’s tough-guy stars, including James Cagney, Humphrey Bogart, Marlon Brando, etc.
That’s because they were actors, not athletes.
The original action film star (and director) was Buster Keaton in films like: Sherlock, Jr. (1924), The Navigator (1924), Battling Butler (1926), The General (1926), and Steamboat Bill Jr. (1928); all from the silent era.
Keaton choreographed and performed all his own stunts in these films.
His movies aren’t usually labelled “action,” even though there is plenty– by any standard.
Early Hollywood action often meant westerns, which quickly became a uniquely American film genre.
Westerns began as racist cowboys vs. Indians pictures, often featuring it’s biggest star–John Wayne.
The Duke’s career was carefully built by major studio executives, and Wayne was catapulted to the top, as the star of John Ford’s Stagecoach (1939).
John Wayne starred in 142 pictures– most of them westerns & war movies; among his most celebrated are The Quiet Man (1952), The Searchers (1956), Rio Bravo (1959), and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962).
Wayne was a top box-office draw for three decades.
Notably, he was a conservative Republican, supporting any anti-socialist sentiment.
The Duke said, “Pick it up.”
The reduction of characters to good guy/bad guy caricatures, simply as a vehicle to motivate fighting, is a dangerous tendency.
As action films turned into blockbusters, the quality of popular cinema degraded.
Today, the near-universal promotion of the police/military/special forces/secret service/etc…in action movies/television as the “good guys”; along with the de-humanization of “bad guys,” dovetails with existing ruling-class values.
Now, unbelievable action sequences enhanced with CGI, further distort the action; leading to unreal plot lines and gaps in continuity.
The long-running success of the James Bond series in the 1960s, with the suave & resourceful Sean Connery always ready with a quip, whetted audience demand for vicarious heroes.
Bond films combined elaborate chase/fight scenes, gadget weaponry, glamourous locations, and of course–beautiful women; to create an amazingly pleasurable viewing experience, where actual story content no longer mattered.
Bond films dominated the action genre at the box office for a decade, as Connery starred in six of the early films: Dr. No (1962), From Russia with Love (1963), Goldfinger (1964), Thunderball (1965), You Only Live Twice (1967), and Diamonds Are Forever (1971); most of which remain among the most watchable of the twenty-five (and counting) productions.
Today the biggest spy-thriller series also include: Matt Damon in the Bourne Identity (2002-07); and Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible (1996-2011).
As over-the-top Bond and John Wayne pictures began to run thin, urban crime action began to move the cinema turnstiles.
Clint Eastwood had become America’s biggest western action star, for his cold-blooded & minimalist performances in: A Fistful of Dollars (1964), The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (1966), and For a Few Dollars More (1967)– all ‘spaghetti westerns’, brilliantly directed by Sergio Leone.
In Dirty Harry (1971), Eastwood traded in his Colt 45 & horse, for a .44 Magnum & a gas-guzzler; as “Dirty” Harry Callahan, the San Francisco tough-guy cop.
Hollywood had its urban, steel-jawed action star of the 1970’s.
Restrictions on language, adult content, and violence had been lifted; and the rise of cable television now provided an untapped home-viewing market for R-rated films.
HBO launched on November 8, 1972, and its programming was filled with violent action, comedy & horror fare.
Aside: For some unexplained reason, Akira Kurosawa film’s including the Seven Samurai (1954), Hidden Fortress (1958), Yojimbo (1961), etc… are usually not considered action films. The best explanation for this reasoning is that Akira Kurosawa’s films (like Buster Keaton’s) are too artistic to be labelled “action.”
True action cinema begins with Chinese kung fu movies in the early 1970’s.
If this genre is to be discussed seriously, then its obvious limitations must be acknowledged, including; bad acting & poorly choreographed (and filmed) fight scenes, which limit much of these films’ value.
Also, clumsy editing and the insistence on the use of dubbing instead of subtitles, often kills any artistic intent.
Plot lines tend to be repetitive; or they suffer from being overly complex, silly, and/or vague.
Bruce Lee was the talent that rose to the top, and exploded kung fu onto western cinema screens & popular consciousness.
His unparalleled & inimitable fighting style, forever changed action film; by setting a higher standard with his martial arts skills & expert choreography.
Lee’s Jeet Kune Do (Way of the Intercepting Fist), was a revolutionary new martial arts style; a formless form, a style with no style that befuddled & astounded.
He rocketed to stardom in China with The Big Boss (1971), and Fist of Fury (1972), AKA The Chinese Connection.
Both films feature Bruce Lee’s jaw-dropping speed, power and control; as he dispatched attackers with ease and surety.
Jeet Kune Do by Bruce Lee
Return of the Dragon (1972) was also a Hong Kong production, written, starring & directed by Bruce Lee.
Made for HK$130,000, it grossed US$85 million at the box office.
It’s final fight scene of Bruce Lee vs. Chuck Norris, spring-boarded a 1970’s US martial-arts craze.
Enter the Dragon (1973) was the first Hollywood production of a Chinese martial arts film.
It starred Bruce Lee, who also choreographed the fight sequences.
His “co-star” at MGM’s insistence is John Saxon, whose hairpiece flips up every time he front kicks– requiring jump-cut editing.
Here is Bruce Lee’s disgust on film, in not being allowed a free-sparring sequence with Bolo Yeung (credited as Yang Tse), which surely would have improved the quality of the movie.
John Saxon: “I can take Bolo Yeung.” Bruce Lee: “Only in Hollywood.”
Bruce Lee died on July 20, 1973– at age 32.
A coroner’s examination revealed the cause of his death to be a cerebral edema, caused by an allergic reaction to Equagesic.
Bruce Lee had complained of a headache earlier in the day, and a colleague actress gave him the analgesic.
Lee then took a nap from which he never awoke.
Equagesic contains meprobamate; a powerful tranquilizer which has since been removed from the market, due to its toxic side-effects.
Bruce Lee kills Jackie Chan: Enter the Dragon (1973)
Jackie Chan is an uncredited stunt man in Enter the Dragon [pictured above].
Chan was always a better candidate to be the breakthrough US action star, as his affable and good-humored nature make him endearing to audiences; Bruce Lee was perceived as more serious & stand-offish. Drunken Master (1978) was Chan’s initial Hong Kong breakout, featuring fast-action fighting & a quick sense-of-humor.
By 1994’s Legend of Drunken Master (a Golden Harvest/Miramax collaboration), Jackie Chan was a US movie star.
He later teamed up with Chris Tucker in Rush Hour 1-3 (1998, 2001, 2007), and Owen Wilson in Shanghai Noon (2000), to cement his status as possibly the greatest global action film star; having conquered both Hong Kong & Hollywood.
Only Arnold Schwarzenegger can dispute his title as the King of Action Film.
The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (1978), is a Shaw Brothers kung fu film directed by Liu Chia-liang and starring Gordon Liu as San Te, a legendary Shaolin martial arts disciple.
This film is always listed among kung fu favorites, for its realistic depiction of traditional martial arts training and breathtaking fighting sequences.
In the 1980’s, John Woo led Hong Kong action filmmakers, with his stylized photography and gangsta themes. A Better Tomorrow (1986), Hard Boiled (1988), and The Killer (1989) topped Hong Kong box offices.
Woo then moved to American action films; making six Hollywood movies starting with Hard Target (1993) and finishing with Paycheck (2003), before returning to Asian cinema.
Dolemite is my name, and…
African Americans had traditionally been under-represented in Hollywood films. Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song (1971) written, directed by and starring Melvin Van Peebles is often credited as being the first ‘blaxploitation’ film.
Shot in less than 3 weeks, this low-budget action flick features a black man (Peebles) “sticking it to the white man’s system”; to the funk of Earth, Wind & Fire. Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song is near-pornographic at certain points, and Van Peebles reportedly contracted gonorrhea while filming it.
After filing a workers’ compensation claim for a venereal disease, Peebles notoriously used the insurance money to further fund the film.
Melvin’s son Mario, (who would later direct & star in New Jack City [1991]) has a bit part in the opening flashback as the young orphan who is taken into a LA brothel.
As a towel boy, he loses his virginity to one of the prostitutes; earning him the nickname “Sweetback.”
Shaft (1971) directed by Gordon Parks and released by MGM, is the story of a private detective, John Shaft (Richard Roundtree); who travels through Harlem and mob neighborhoods in order to find the missing daughter of a mobster.
Isaac Hayes’ iconic soundtrack gave the story the groove it needed, and helped put blaxploitation on the map.
SuperFly (1972) directed by Gordon Parks, Jr. came a year later.
It is infamous for being one of the few films to ever be out-grossed by its soundtrack, written and produced by Curtis Mayfield.
Dolemite (1975) is a blaxploitation film written by & starring, comedian Rudy Ray Moore.
Dolemite is a pimp who was set up by the cops & rival Willie Greene (D’Urville Martin, who also directs); sentencing him to 20 years in prison.
Dolemite takes a deal with the FBI to get out, and his army of female prostitutes/karate-warriors help our hero kill Greene & bust the dirty cops.
Moore is endlessly rhyming, toasting & boasting his bad-ass self– to hilarious effect. Dolemite is easily one of the best films of this limited genre.
Director Quentin Tarantino has paid endless homage to the blaxploitation genre in Pulp Fiction (1994) & Jackie Brown (1997).
In Kill Bill Vol. 1 & 2 (2003 & 2004), Tarantino edits & directs waif model/actress Uma Thurman using CGI/kung fu; as Hollywood began digitally transforming anorexic women into action heroes.
By the 1980’s, the major studios finally cashed in on black action, with 48 Hrs (1982) and Beverly Hills Cop (1984); both starring SNL comedian/actor Eddie Murphy.
By the early 1990’s, Denzel Washington: For Queen and Country (1988), The Mighty Quinn (1989); and Wesley Snipes: Major League (1989), King of New York (1990) New Jack City (1991), were also box-office action heroes.
I’m Gonna Git You Sucka (1988), directed by Keenan Ivory Wayans, spoofed 1970’s blaxploitation.
Keenan Ivory & younger brother Damon Wayans launched In Living Color (1990-94), a half-hour television comedy sketch show; featuring previously unknown actors/comedians Jim Carrey, Jamie Foxx, Tommy Davidson, David Alan Grier, and many others.
Damon Wayans soon became a box-office action star when he teamed with Bruce Willis in The Last Boy Scout (1991). Blankman (1994) & Major Payne (1995) are action-comedy parodies of superheroes & the military.
More adult-themed, are the black-comedy messages in The Great White Hype (1996) [on boxing], and the vicarious nature of sports fans in Celtic Pride (1996).
Each of these films is an interesting look at American popular culture, as Damon Wayans presents himself as a rarity: a thoughtful actor, who can do action.
Today’s top black action hero is Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who played college football; winning a NCAA championship as part of the 1991 Miami Hurricanes.
After football, Johnson turned to wrestling and became one of the top WWF box-office draws of all time.
“The Rock” parlayed that success into his first leading film role in The Scorpion King (2002), for which he was paid $5.5 million– an unprecedented sum for a debut actor.
Since then, the “Rock” has become a blockbuster action star; in one unmemorable movie after another.
Harrison Ford as Han Solo: Star Wars (1977)
Star Wars (1977), written & directed by George Lucas, instantly became the biggest pop-culture phenomenon since the Beatles.
Much of the success of this film was due to its revolutionary visual & audio special-effects.
John Williams’ score was also a major component in the film’s success.
Williams is widely considered the greatest film-score composer ever, as his big-movie themes go all the way back to the first blockbuster film: Jaws (1975).
The original Star Wars trilogy has the distinction of overcoming one of the weakest lead’s in film history; as Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker) simply can’t act.
The real star was Harrison Ford as Han Solo.
Ford followed The Empire Strikes Back (1980) by starring in Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)– a Steven Spielberg/Lucasfilm collaboration which set all kinds of box-office records at the time, and launched the Indiana Jones series.
Harrison Ford later starred in Blade Runner (1982), directed by sci-fi specialist Ridley Scott; and later as CIA-analyst Jack Ryan in Patriot Games (1992) & Clear and Present Danger (1994), both based on best-selling Tom Clancy spy novels.
The blockbuster nature of Jaws & Star Wars‘, forever changed Hollywood film-making.
From that point on, big-budget action films became the priority, as they consistently ranked among the top money grossers.
Tim Burton’s Batman (1989) was one of the first Hollywood films to make extensive use of computer graphic interface (CGI) special-effects.
The second Star Wars trilogy (1999-2005) upped the CGI ante to the point of no return; in which virtually an entire film series was shot into a chroma key bluescreen.
Burton’s Batman was a revival for the comic-book action film. Superman (1978) starring Christopher Reeve was the original superhero blockbuster, and it was followed up by several sequels that earned well enough.
However, Superman IV (1987), produced by Golan-Globus’s Cannon Films, was a complete bomb.
Christopher Reeve was paralyzed from the neck down in 1995, as the result of a fall while horse riding; thus ending the original Superman film series.
The tragedies of Bruce Lee & Christopher Reeve is a healthy reminder, that none of us are invincible.
With the modern saturation of CGI in film, comic-book heroes are now thrust into multiplex theaters across the country every summer; each in search of greater profits.
Smokey & the Bandit (1977)
Smokey & the Bandit (1977) starring Sally Field & Burt Reynolds was the Good-ol’-Boy answer for action fun.
Reynolds, a halfback at FSU, starred in a series of box-office redneck action successes such as: Deliverance (1972), The Longest Yard (1974) and Hooper (1978).
Their success along with other cult films including White Lightning (1973), spawned a string of country-TV series including: BJ & the Bear (1979-81), The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo (sit-com 1979-81), and ratings-winner TheDukes of Hazzard (1979-85).
In 1979, Cannon Films was acquired by Israeli cousins Menahem Golan & Yoram Globus, for $500,000.
These Yiddish business masterminds would carve out their niche, by producing low-budget action movies in the 1980’s.
Known for their chauvinist exploitation films including the Delta Force (1986-91) & Missing in Action (1984-88) series, each featuring Chuck Norris; along with Cobra (1986) & Over the Top (1987) starring Sly Stallone—even their attempts at art failed; due to the fact there wasn’t a shred of artistic integrity in either Menahem Golan or Yoram Globus.
Their films would often go directly to video and/or international markets which were starving for US “action culture.”
A regular on the Golan-Globus roster was Chuck Norris; possibly the most expressionless “actor” to ever star in multiple features.
Norris shows very little acting ability or style– in any sense, in any of his movies.
In sum, these pictures have more unintended comic value and insight into reactionary ‘thought,’ than any serious action or drama.
By the mid-1980’s, there were whispers of Cannon Films becoming the ‘7th major‘ film studio; threatening to join Fox, Columbia (Sony), Paramount/Viacom, Time-Warner, Universal (Comcast) & Disney.
Fortunately, a studio needs to make good films to become a major; and this never occurred with any Golan-Globus production, as their business model was predicated on buying bottom-barrel scripts and strictly maintaining low budgets.
Cannon Films went bankrupt in 1993.
Hollywood music supervisor Richard Kraft likened the Cannon product pipeline to bowel movements dumped onto the international market with scant concern for quality or plot coherence: You flush it; you make another one.
Bawhoosh!! Chuck Norris MIA, big-time
Action cinema is synonymous with televised sports.
The evolution of both is determined by economic & ideological forces [Marx].
The rise of the NFL as America’s game, coincided with action film becoming a dominant genre.
Former NFL running back Jim Brown became the first black action star, appearing in The Dirty Dozen (1967), the blaxploitation Three the Hard Way (1974), and I’m Gonna Git You Sucka (1988); just to name just a few.
The relationship between weightlifting, bodybuilding, and professional football is an open one; and since the 1960’s many of its steroid secrets have been passed between camps.
In Pumping Iron (1977), its results finally make it to the silver screen. Pumping Iron is an important film for all cinema-goers to see & understand, because out of this documentary came the biggest action star of them all– Arnold Schwarzenegger.
The film centers around the 1975 Mr. Olympia bodybuilding event, held in South Africa [during the Apartheid regime– conveniently not discussed].
Also not discussed in the film are performance enhancing drugs (PEDs), although today’s audience would have to be blind to not see the steroids drenched into the film’s celluloid.
Every competitive lifter must be willing to take the pain [and presumptively use PEDs], otherwise he is “not serious,” says Arnold on becoming a champion.
Schwarzenegger didn’t have trouble convincing his audience he was serious, as a cyborg sent from the future in James Cameron’s TheTerminator (1984).
Arnold Schwarzenegger’s title role, remains one of the most terrifying movie-villain performances ever; and it shot him to stardom.
What followed were good-guy roles that consistently earned money for the studios; Commando (1985), Predator (1987), TheRunning Man (1987), Red Heat (1988), Twins (1988), Total Recall (1990), Kindergarten Cop (1990), and The Last Action Hero (1993).
In the wake of Arnold’s biceps in the 1980’s, every action-hero contender was now required to have a buffed bod.
Sylvester Stallone from Rocky (1976), miraculously morphed into Rambo: First Blood II (1985).
Stallone reprised his role as Vietnam veteran John Rambo, in this racist & homicidal death trip.
It grossed over $300 million, and Sly briefly challenged his buddy Arnold, for the King of Action Film crown.
It wasn’t to be for Stallone, as he would unwisely partner with Golan-Globus for some of the most wretched action bombs of the decade [mentioned above].
Other action stars created in the the 1980’s include:
Mel Gibson in Mad Max (1979), and Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981); both Australian post-apocalyptic action films directed by George Miller. Lethal Weapon 1-4 (1987-98), in which Gibson teamed with Danny Glover, solidified him as an action icon.
Bruce Willis, who first became a television star as private investigator David Addison on Moonlighting opposite Cybil Sheppard (1985–89).
Willis became a global action star in Die Hard (1988), as John McClane, an off-duty cop attempting to free hostages held in a skyscraper.
McClane kills the terrorists, coolly delivers the one-liners to the bad guys, handles the bureaucracy, and simultaneously saves Christmas for the rest of the cast.
Steven Seagal became an instant action star, with his smooth Aikido style in Above the Law (1988). Under Siege (1992), is Die Hard on a battleship.
Jean-Claude Van Damme (the “Muscles from Brussels”) struck action gold with Bloodsport (1988), a Cannon Films production of the ‘true story‘ of Frank Dux.
Woody Harrelson starred on the successful sit-com Cheers, as junior bartender Woody Boyd, from 1985–1993.
He became an action film star when he teamed with Wesley Snipes in White Men Can’t Jump (1992).
Like Damon Wayans, Harrelson is an serious actor, with athleticism. Natural Born Killers (1994) and Thin Red Line (1999) are a few of his searing action performances. Zombieland (2009), directed by Ruben Fleischer, is one of the best zombie/horror-genre films ever.
To their credit, Woody Harrelson & Daniel Sunjata (Rescue Me [2004-11] , 9/11: Loose Change [2009]) both support the 9/11 Truth movement, and a reopening of the investigation into the September 11 attacks.
In a 1993 Nike commercial, Charles Barkley proclaimed: “I am not a role model… Parents are role models… Just because I dunk a basketball, doesn’t mean I should raise your kids.”
People didn’t want to believe Charles Barkley, and most of them pretended to be like Mike [Jordan].
It’s the same with action movies; people pretend their favorite action heroes are real, and their own lives are insignificant by comparison.
In reality, the opposite is true– because movies (like sports) are entertainment, not real life.
Schooldaze RS: guitar, harmonica & vocals; TomP: production
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The 7 Faces of Dr. Lao (1964 MGM) is based on the Circus of Dr. Lao, a 1935 fantasy novel by Charles G. Finney.
Dr. Lao (Tony Randall) is a Chinese philosophical acrobat, who will be 7322 years old this October–his speciality is wisdom.
He can walk a tightrope if necessary, and does so repeatedly.
This film is a tour-du-force performance by Randall, playing Dr. Lao as well as the various circus performers.
The 1964 best actor Oscar winner was Rex Harrison as Professor Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady. Randall wasn’t even nominated.
Come to Circus, maybe big supplies
The 7 Faces of Dr. Lao won one Oscar for Makeup; it was an Honorary Award – the first film to receive this award. The makeup artist was William Tuttle.
The mysterious Dr. Lao travels on a jackass carrying only himself & a fish bowl with a baby catfish.
Dr. Lao visits the town newspaper to advertise his 2-day circus to be held at the edge of town.
The conflict of the story starts with local tycoon Clinton Stark (Arthur O’Connell) pitching the townspeople the idea of their land being worthless.
The cynically pragmatic Stark has inside information, and is ready to buy every home & building in Abalone, Arizona.
Ed Cunningham (John Ericson), editor-in-chief of the Abalone Daily Star, counters Stark’s capitalist scheming by pointing out that, “Any place people work & live together is something–something very important.”
Town librarian Angela Benedict (Barbara Eden) questions Stark on his specific reasons for buying “worthless” property.
After mumbling a reply, her follow-up enquiry to Stark is shouted down by the befuddled, hateful, and intoxicated masses. A final vote is set for a few days.
The entire town comes out to Dr. Lao’s Circus, which is acts a mirror for its attendees. Those seeking a fortune teller, receive the absolute truth from the sight-blind Apollonius of Tyana.
Five cents please
The Greek gorgon Medusa is viewed in her mirrored reflection, as a direct gaze causes any mortal to turn to stone. Merlin, the greatest magician the world has ever known, is forgetful in his old age. He is mostly unappreciated & unnoticed, even when he restores life to a woman who is transformed into a statue through her obstinate defiance in looking at the Medusa.
Jim Danforth’s model animation of the Loch Ness Monster, the Giant Serpent, and Medusa’s snake hair were also nominated for an Academy Award. These effects are 1960’s Godzilla/Gamera Japanimation equivalent.
The special effects (though dated) work well enough, and their use is kept to a minimum by director George Pal, whose footage from earlier sci-fi films appears in Dr. Lao’s climactic “Woldercan” apocalypse sequence.
This film has many beautiful lessons including; the power of love, music, sharing, and simply the marvel of our existence.
Tony Randall moves in & out of characters brilliantly, showing off his Broadway acting talents in ways that simultaneously delight & amaze.
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Randall’s summary monologue, which is incomprehensible to the 8-year-old boy, is quoted by Joel Robinson (Joel Hodgeson) as he’s exiting the Satellite of Love in MST3K— leaving the series he created.
Joel Exits the Satellite of Love
Mystery Science Theater 3000 is famous for punning bad movies, but it is really much more. MST3K is about a deeper understanding of life, and part of that is saying “No!” to the garbage that Hollywood keeps trying to feed us. It is possibly the most brilliant & hilarious television show ever produced; running for ten seasons from 1989-99– mostly on the Comedy Channel.
It is no longer syndicated due to copyright issues, but many of its episodes can be viewed here.
The Circus of Dr. Lao as well as Mystery Science Theater 3000 are both classics which deserve to be experienced, as their universal themes remain relevant to all film-loving audiences.
RS: How’s the practice of dentistry going in Zombieland?
DDS: Not pretty. It’s always been difficult enough just doing the dentistry, but on top of everything else now, we’re dealing with the plague of the 21st century: a fast-acting virus that swells your brain; and makes you feverish, hateful & violent.
RS: It’s amazing how quickly things can go from bad– to total shit-storm. Tell us what happened?
DDS: Check out the photo…
Eustis, Zombieland
RS: Whoa, looks like zombie wasteland.
DDS: Actually, that’s just Eustis. I remember just minding my own business, practicing out of a 3-chair dental office, late in the summer of 2013. It had been the severest economic drought my local-area colleagues & I could ever recall, when an 18-year old black female emergency patient walked-in; needing an extraction of an abscessed upper molar. She was given an emergency treatment plan with complete fees, which were agreed upon by her & her partner; a 30-year old black male. Both had clusters of red-flag indicators for crack-cocaine use, which was spotted by my receptionist & myself. After the tooth was successfully & painlessly extracted, her partner (whom had left) returned to the office even more agitated– refusing to pay the bill my receptionist presented. I was forced to nut-up-or-shut-up, to an out-of-control individual who possibly/likely had a weapon in his vehicle. He finally relented and paid for services, but his anger continued & escalated as he left the parking lot. It shook everyone up, quite a bit. After that, I realized I couldn’t expose my staff and/or my patients to that, anymore.
RS: When friendly & affluent people are driven away by an economic apocalypse; and what’s left are mostly fucked-up monsters, then maybe it’s time to close the practice?
DDS: Exactly. Cutting emotional ties with my staff & the patients I cared for was a difficult decision. I LOVE my staff & auxiliary team. We had treated and gotten to know MANY real patients over the years, who made our lives infinitely richer for the experience; but I can’t expose them to the threats of ravenous zombies, just to make a living. Many of my long-time patients were shocked & saddened when I made the announcement, but my staff & I knew it was the right decision. It just didn’t make good fiscal sense for me to re-invest in a office in Zombieland. I’m a practicing locum tenens dentist now, and my headaches are much fewer. I still maintain the website for my practice at EustisFamilyDentist.com— totally zombie-free.
RS: That means you travel light, right?
DDS: Nothing but my duffel bag, and the new backpack I bought for carrying my dental tools; I’m pretty good about wearing seatbelts.
RS: It’s been 6+ years since those fuckin’ zombies who run Wall Street, flushed all the decent-paying jobs down the crapper– and there ain’t no gettin’ them back; how is dentistry different today?
DDS: At ground zero [September 15, 2008], most dentists still had steady-to-thriving practices, with plenty of patients who had good-enough paying jobs to afford regular treatment; including occasional restorative upgrades like crowns, bridges, and dental implants. After the financial crash, zombies began to outnumber people; and corporate dental chains undercut traditional solo family practices with their low-end retail approach. Many real people couldn’t afford actual dental care anymore, and the zombies couldn’t tell the difference. Many practitioners had already turned to meat, so a mass extinction of solo practices ensued. As you can see by the illustration above, I was caught up in the wash.
RS: Bummer. In my experience, any practice with more than two locations is a clinic, whose business model is low-cost/ high-volume production; are these the only jobs new dentists can expect to find in the market?
DDS: Yes. Debt for recent graduates is absurdly high; $250,000-$500,000 in many instances now. This puts young dentists on the corporate treadmill, just to make their monthly student loan payments; which can be $5-10+K/ month. Very few high-calibre private practices will hire recent graduates, as they don’t have the necessary skills or experience. Corporate dental chains offer around $150,000-$200,000 per year–depending on production. Getting paid that, isn’t even really guaranteed. Do the math: after repayment of student loan debt, there’s not much left for a fledgling dentist to live on. Today, corporate dentistry is wracked with over-capacity, poor morale, and an upside-down office model that will cause these corporate chains [Aspen, Christie, Coast, Heartland, etc…], to collapse like a house of cards when their day comes. Still, it’s amazing to see how far you can get with costume dentistry & a cut-throat attitude.
RS: Better fasten your seatbelts folks, it’s gonna be a bumpy ride. How can young dentists be expected to learn their profession under such scorched-earth conditions?
DDS: They can’t, for the most part; even though evidence-based dentistry & the Internet have made these graduates smarter & more-prepared than ever for real-world practice. By today’s professional standards, dentists are physicians of the oral cavity & its surrounding structures; diagnosing and appropriately treating: tooth decay, gum disease, TMJ & occlusal diseases, oral cancer, etc. The erosion of the standard-of-care through the economic warfare policies of lenders, insurance giants, pharmaceutical/supply companies, etc.; has lowered the quality-of-care for most people, despite all the gains in science & technology. The only practices that are thriving now are the elite, boutique-style offices in the 90210-type districts. That represents about 1% of all the practices.
RS: So, how are you surviving in Zombieland?
DDS: I play it smart and follow the rules– My Rules. Rule # 1: Look yourself in the mirror, every day. Rule #2: Don’t be afraid to make mistakes, everybody makes them– that’s why it’s called a practice– it’s how you manage them that counts. Rule #3: Flexibility & Core Strength. Rule #4: Enjoy the little things 🙂
RS: What are your thoughts on organized dentistry?
DDS: The American Dental Association (ADA) is an ossified bureaucracy, just like every other union. The ADA blocks information flow & open discussion on water fluoridation & amalgam safety— just to name two high-profile examples. Capitation insurance (HMO/DMO) has been allowed to eat away at working dentist’s bottom lines while lowering the quality-of-care to patients; as ADA careerists are wined-and-dined & perked by the insurance industry. Today most wet-gloved dentists are toiling longer & harder, for less. Most of these practitioners (80% ADA members) have no idea who the ADA president is? The ADA HQ is in Chicago, Zombieland. Its presidents are installed, and not constituency elected.
RS: I’ve heard there’s a place untouched by all of this…
DDS: Out west?
RS: Yeah. You heard that too?
DDS: Out mid-west (where I’m from), that say it’s better back east; back east they say it’s better out west–it’s all nonsense. You’re like the ‘patient’ who needs a root canal/crown vs. an extraction; arguing with me over Tylenol #3 vs. Oxycontin. I tell real patients after extractions that Tylenol #3 is what you use if Ibuprofen 800mg alone isn’t cutting the pain; most just take Ibuprofen. Those who take a few Tylenol # 3 as needed; often tell me they had to cut it in half, because it’s so strong it made them vomit. Narcotic-addicted zombies react with disappointment in their corpse-language when I hand them a script for twelve (12) Tylenol #3, which is the maximum number I prescribe. Their protests to my staff & myself always include: not strong enough, not enough, allergy to Ibuprofen & Tylenol #3 — but NKDA to every other strong synthetic opiate known to man, etc…
RS: Wow. People lying & getting in my face like that, would provoke me to make them feel how hard I could punch– even if it was just using words.
DDS: That’s a line that doctors are pulled towards by manipulators & other socio-paths– but can never be crossed. It’s one of the things that really sucks about being a professional in Zombieland.
RS: You seem to have a sick sense of humor when it comes to zombies; do you really hate them?
DDS: I’m beyond hate. This has become a war for survival– real people vs. zombies. We can’t co-exist, because zombies are completely selfish & irrational. If allowed, they will continue to munch on & defecate all over this Earth, until everything decays into a sea of pus. Once those of us who still think & feel understand that we are ALL orphans in Zombieland, and we come to realize it never really was OUR country to begin with; then we can achieve a permanent socialist revolution, because we truly have nothing to lose.
RS: Time to nut up or shut up; how do you get around & keep in shape?
DDS: I try to blend in– suits my style. I’m active and like to get out and do stuff. Zombies generally don’t mess with their own, so a goofy hat & sunglasses keeps me mostly under their radar. Occasionally, I can bike out to the courts to hit up against the wall; just enjoying the serenity of being the ball…
RS: You expressed that last thought very poetically.
DDS: That’s because I am you, pleased to meet me — LOVE our Music!!
RS: That’s why we do it. Thank you 🙂
DDS: So, have you considered a collaboration with Eddie Van Halen; any upcoming live shows?
RS: I would have loved to with Eddie, but he’s a zombie; as far as playing live goes– the promoters & venue owners are ALL hardcore zombies, who have it locked up to themselves pretty tight.
DDS: That totally blows…
RS: …my mind is wondering if you have any final, good-for-the-whole-family Pearls of Wisdom?
DDS: Just this: In those moments of doubt after you’ve eaten, when you can still feel the food in-between your teeth; don’t get all stingy with your floss. Just think, if those edentulous zombies had simply flossed, brushed, improvised with a toothpick, or even rinsed after meals; they could have avoided becoming dental cripples with plastic teeth that don’t work.
RS: Woulda/Coulda/Shoulda
This is Central Florida, signing off from Zombieland
Anna Rex mp3 RS: gtr & vocal TomP: percussion & production Craig Roy: bass Jessica Lynn Martens: violin
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What is art? A conscious creation of beauty.
What is modelling? A display of human beauty.
Modelling is never about perfection; it is about how flaws & imperfections are tastefully concealed and/or overcome.
The qualities of character & beauty are inseparable.
Men & women are beautiful when their appearances, words, and actions consciously point towards: intelligence, health, character, poise, strength, flexibility, youthfulness, happiness & love.
This requires the application of intellect & hard work.
Shortcuts that Don’t Work
Diets & pills: rebound & side effects
Performance Enhancing Drugs (PEDs): seriousside effects
Cosmetic Surgery: morbidity
Throwing money at it: symptom of laziness & mental disorders
Beauty is Not
Airbrushed
Anorexic/bulimic
PED enhanced
Weaved hair
Heavy makeup
Loud fashion
Fashion
Create your own style and be 100% confident in it, otherwise people will know.
It should compliment your age, sex, body-type, skin color, and any other orientation…
A model represents their own personal version of human beauty– approaching, but never reaching perfection.
The human face & body have inspired the artist in all of us, throughout the millenia. Its interpretation is always subjective.
Golden Proportion Symmetry is a modern mathematical science of beauty, which has fundamental proportions in nature.
For instance in the human smile, the upper front teeth are ideally displayed in a width ratio of 1:1.618–called ‘phi’ in the language of math.
Leaves & petals exhibit these same mathematical ratios.
Leaves in Nature are in Golden Proportion
Human attractiveness is measured in overall proportion & symmetry, mostly importantly in the eyes & smile.
The teeth are the more controllable variable through preventive care, orthodontic/orthognathic correction, and cosmetic restorations.
A natural, healthy smile is always the most attractive– natural teeth (size, shape & color) compliment body type.
Gingival (gum) & osseous (bone) surgery can also improve health & appearance.
Home bleaching is safe & effective, when done correctly.
Patient compliance is always critical in any health–seek a competent & caring professional, and heal thyself!
Physical beauty is sustained by core strength & inner health.
We all have it in us to be beautiful.
If we don’t take care of ourselves, our health erodes quickly.
Beautiful people age well when they understand it as a process, working from the inside out.
Sleep is essential.
Not getting enough REM sleep, is a common problem in this modern industrialized world.
Diet is crucial– an epidemic U.S. health crisis. Rate your Plate, means filling half your plate with fresh vegetables, with one quarter each, for lean proteins and carbohydrates.
Adjust your need for fats according to your body, any variance for indulgence (okay in moderation) is recognized as poor diet, requiring compensation.
Your choice of protein is a thoughtful personal decision, with its privacy respected by all.
Whole Food Diet
Avoid “dead food”, which is anything packaged in a can or box.
You can’t “stock up” on fresh fruits & vegetables for more than a few days.
Switch to organic dairy & local free-range from a real butcher, if meat is your preference.
Buy local: truck farming yields unripe GMO fruits & vegetables, lacking the natural sugars needed for energy boost & nutrients for health.
If you aren’t eating 5-7 servings of vegetables/day, then you must juice the difference to make it up.
Nutrient-dense food costs more, but its nutritional value is priceless; Americans on a budget, bombarded by mass-media hype are still struggling with that concept.
Knowing how to prepare & cook food, is always an essential skill for health & good living.
The unnaturalness of GMO corn subsidies for agri-business, along with the owning of copyrights to nature’s seeds, is fundamentally anti-democratic & nefarious.
The agri-business policy of ‘GMO-improved’ food, floods our grocery stores with a surplus of cheap, unhealthy food.
Seek alternatives for your benefit.
Health & Fitness Summary
1.) Diet: local, organic, fresh, whole foods
2.) Exercise: enough to meet your body-type needs, without over-training
3.) Sleep: get the REMs you need
4.) Recreational drugs & alcohol: okay in moderation–for adults only
5.) Sex: be active & safe
