Howdy Blog Otters (What? I'm sticking with it, I don't get to nickname things very often), I was driving to work today, rocking out to a little Kid Rock, Eminem, and Big and Rich, and it got me thinking about what makes me love a song, movie, or TV show. Whereas I can enjoy a show like say Pawn Stars, I *love* a show like Breaking Bad or Scrubs or Shark Tank. I think the devil is in the details.
Thus:
What are your favorite nuances?
Nuance is pretty important to me, especially in music. For example Kid Rock's Cowboy. That song, while in addition to actually telling a pretty fleshed out story about Kid Rock going to LA to become an honest-to-goodness pimp, also does a lot of cool technical things that make me appreciate it more.
"Cowboy" came out in the heyday of Parental Advisory. Walmart wouldn't sell uncensored CDs, Kazaa was years in the future, and most of us were downloading tunes via Napster over dialup connections, so odds are you'd end up with a censored version of the song at least occasionally. Which is fine, I actually like the censored version better.
Why? Bells and whistles. Literally. Whereas Limp Bizkit or Eminem simply bleeped out their words with silence, Kid Rock went the extra step to replace the swears with bazings and bells and whistles and cat calls that FIT IN TUNE WITH THE SONG, which is a level of craftsmanship that I really appreciate, even today. He still does it, too with the censored version of "Happy New Year" replacing the lyrics "Lets get shitfaced" with "lets get <beercan opening sound effect>-faced" .
Jay-Z does some cool stuff, too - For example if you listen to '99 problems' you'll notice Bitch actually never refers to a woman. Instead it refers to a K9 dog, The music / radio industry, and a weak drug dealer, in that order. It's really neat. Jay-Z also manages to throw the word "Faux" into "A Star is Born" using it in the context of "Some real, some Faux", and while you may think it means foe as in enemy, the next line in the song is actually about that, meaning "Faux" fits in the context of the lyric. Hell, most lyrics sites get this wrong, too.
Thirdly, while Eminem is pretty straight forward - though he changed up his whole style on "Recovery" to make about 6000 puns, I always liked all the "ha has" he throws in over the course of his career to particularly brutal burns or jokes or puns. There's a bunch, if you listen to him at all, you'll pick up what I'm putting down.
Toby Keith gets points for gradually progressing the amount of the beers ago it was, in "Beers ago" as the song moves forward in time. And as cheesy as it is, I really like the crowd coming in during "I love this Bar".
I dig nuance in wrestling that helps me suspend my disbelief a little more. Don't stand in the ring like an idiot when you're about to get top-rope drop kicked, make it look like you weren't expecting it, dummy. This is why I hate the GTS - why, exactly, do you need him on your shoulders before you knee him in the face? What exactly does that do again?
In movies I have a love hate relationship with nuance, because if you do it wrong, you come off like an idiot self important asshole. I'm not sure if anyone here has seen Paul Haggis's "In The Valley of Ellah" which is a really well told story about The War in Iraq and its toll on soldiers, and there's a really subtle undercurrent of American unrest, along with Tommy Lee Jones kind of losing his mind - forgetting to shave, tie his shoes, etc - as the film goes on. It's really heartbreaking. But the ending of the movie is so ham handed and stupid, and unpatriotic that it made me hate all the nuance prior to it. What's the point of being subtle if you're just going to hit me over the head with a hammer later.
There's also a great deal of nuance in "The Dark Knight", of all flicks, which is sort of like the opposite of "In The Valley of Ellah" in that it doesn't even bother letting you know what it's going for subtext wise. That whole movie is ultimately a metaphor for America's war on terrorism. Here's America (Gordon, the cops) who are fighting a war against an enemy that has no rules (The Joker), and losing because, well, Gordon *does* play by the rules, which is like playing football against a team with 3 extra defensive and offensive lineman. You simply can't win. Thus, Batman comes in, a guy who DOES break the rules, but has his own code. As a result Gordon must trust Batman to use his best judgement when it comes to what rules to break.
Thus Batman pulls an NSA and starts spying on everyone in order to get to his target via their cell-phones. Lucius Fox says this is wrong, that citizens should not be spied on. Naturally Batman gives this power to the man that doesn't want anything to do with it, Lucius himself. The ultimate metaphor being that if you're going to break the rules to catch the bad guys, be SURE you give that power to break the rules to the right people. That's my take (with some help from my buddy Ross on that Lucius part).
So Blog Otters, what are you favorite nuances, subtle moments, and neat details you love oh so very much?
-------------------------------------------
Blog Otter Award: for seeing more movies than I did last year. Yikes!
1. Poker Tournament E-mail is going out today around 10am. 4 sign-ups plus myself. MeekinOnMovies@gmail.com.
2. If anyone is playing Madden this year let me heartily recommend the most popular sliders you can get from the "Share" option on the main menu. If you follow the instructions and crank your game up to All-Madden, you'll end up with one of the most realistic games of Madden I've played in quite some time.
Thus:
What are your favorite nuances?
Nuance is pretty important to me, especially in music. For example Kid Rock's Cowboy. That song, while in addition to actually telling a pretty fleshed out story about Kid Rock going to LA to become an honest-to-goodness pimp, also does a lot of cool technical things that make me appreciate it more.
"Cowboy" came out in the heyday of Parental Advisory. Walmart wouldn't sell uncensored CDs, Kazaa was years in the future, and most of us were downloading tunes via Napster over dialup connections, so odds are you'd end up with a censored version of the song at least occasionally. Which is fine, I actually like the censored version better.
Why? Bells and whistles. Literally. Whereas Limp Bizkit or Eminem simply bleeped out their words with silence, Kid Rock went the extra step to replace the swears with bazings and bells and whistles and cat calls that FIT IN TUNE WITH THE SONG, which is a level of craftsmanship that I really appreciate, even today. He still does it, too with the censored version of "Happy New Year" replacing the lyrics "Lets get shitfaced" with "lets get <beercan opening sound effect>-faced" .
Jay-Z does some cool stuff, too - For example if you listen to '99 problems' you'll notice Bitch actually never refers to a woman. Instead it refers to a K9 dog, The music / radio industry, and a weak drug dealer, in that order. It's really neat. Jay-Z also manages to throw the word "Faux" into "A Star is Born" using it in the context of "Some real, some Faux", and while you may think it means foe as in enemy, the next line in the song is actually about that, meaning "Faux" fits in the context of the lyric. Hell, most lyrics sites get this wrong, too.
Thirdly, while Eminem is pretty straight forward - though he changed up his whole style on "Recovery" to make about 6000 puns, I always liked all the "ha has" he throws in over the course of his career to particularly brutal burns or jokes or puns. There's a bunch, if you listen to him at all, you'll pick up what I'm putting down.
Toby Keith gets points for gradually progressing the amount of the beers ago it was, in "Beers ago" as the song moves forward in time. And as cheesy as it is, I really like the crowd coming in during "I love this Bar".
I dig nuance in wrestling that helps me suspend my disbelief a little more. Don't stand in the ring like an idiot when you're about to get top-rope drop kicked, make it look like you weren't expecting it, dummy. This is why I hate the GTS - why, exactly, do you need him on your shoulders before you knee him in the face? What exactly does that do again?
In movies I have a love hate relationship with nuance, because if you do it wrong, you come off like an idiot self important asshole. I'm not sure if anyone here has seen Paul Haggis's "In The Valley of Ellah" which is a really well told story about The War in Iraq and its toll on soldiers, and there's a really subtle undercurrent of American unrest, along with Tommy Lee Jones kind of losing his mind - forgetting to shave, tie his shoes, etc - as the film goes on. It's really heartbreaking. But the ending of the movie is so ham handed and stupid, and unpatriotic that it made me hate all the nuance prior to it. What's the point of being subtle if you're just going to hit me over the head with a hammer later.
There's also a great deal of nuance in "The Dark Knight", of all flicks, which is sort of like the opposite of "In The Valley of Ellah" in that it doesn't even bother letting you know what it's going for subtext wise. That whole movie is ultimately a metaphor for America's war on terrorism. Here's America (Gordon, the cops) who are fighting a war against an enemy that has no rules (The Joker), and losing because, well, Gordon *does* play by the rules, which is like playing football against a team with 3 extra defensive and offensive lineman. You simply can't win. Thus, Batman comes in, a guy who DOES break the rules, but has his own code. As a result Gordon must trust Batman to use his best judgement when it comes to what rules to break.
Thus Batman pulls an NSA and starts spying on everyone in order to get to his target via their cell-phones. Lucius Fox says this is wrong, that citizens should not be spied on. Naturally Batman gives this power to the man that doesn't want anything to do with it, Lucius himself. The ultimate metaphor being that if you're going to break the rules to catch the bad guys, be SURE you give that power to break the rules to the right people. That's my take (with some help from my buddy Ross on that Lucius part).
So Blog Otters, what are you favorite nuances, subtle moments, and neat details you love oh so very much?
-------------------------------------------
Blog Otter Award: for seeing more movies than I did last year. Yikes!
1. Poker Tournament E-mail is going out today around 10am. 4 sign-ups plus myself. MeekinOnMovies@gmail.com.
2. If anyone is playing Madden this year let me heartily recommend the most popular sliders you can get from the "Share" option on the main menu. If you follow the instructions and crank your game up to All-Madden, you'll end up with one of the most realistic games of Madden I've played in quite some time.
I like when a wrestler sells his hand after throwing a punch. Morley and Rude did this a lot.
ReplyDeleteI really liked the Bionic Arm gimmick Holly and Luger(?) ran with back in the day.
ReplyDeleteAlso, you know what I hated from a kayfabe perspective but loved cause it was funny, the Cena v. Bryan mini-pin-war where Cena went for the arms, it didn't work, went for the legs, it didn't work, then tried to jump on top of him and Bryan carried his weight. Cute, but stupid.
ReplyDeletePawn stars is almost unwatchable now that they have all these awful story lines. Oh look, Rick is in London....zzzzzzzzzzzzzz
ReplyDeleteI'll still DVR it and ffwd to the stuff for sale but I don't know why they added in all this other shit.
Yeah, I mean it's fine passive watching, which is honestly what I think that show wants to be. Secretly teach you about history while you're surfing the web, playing a game, or something else.
ReplyDeleteYou know what used to be a really brutal show until it got popular? Hardcore Pawn. Poor folks really pawning stuff, all of that, it was really insightful in an unintentional sort of way, but that show went 'hollywood' too.
Pixar movies - I love the easter egg hidden details they throw into all their movies. Not only to they sneak in things from their past movies, they put in things from future movies. Boo was carrying a Nemo doll in Monsters Inc. two years before Finding Nemo came out. They throw things into the background like the Pizza Planet truck in a shot of a parking lot in Cars.
ReplyDeleteHidden Mickeys - Throughout the Disney Parks there are Mickey Mouse heads worked into the design of things or in artwork. Usually a silhouette of a circle head and two circle ears that can be found on wallpaper or a display of logs in a camp scene or something. The whole Disney's Hollywood Studios (formerly MGM) park is a hidden Mickey when viewed from the air. At least it was before they built a few structures.
I love in Back to the Future, when they run over a tree when the Delorean the sign changes when they go back to the future from "Twin Pines Mall" to "Lone Pine Mall"
I like when strippers tell me thank after I paid for a lapdance.
ReplyDelete/thread
I hate when strippers ask you if you want to buy another lapdance fifteen seconds into the current lapdance. ......or at least that's what I've heard.
ReplyDeleteIs it like this?
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IiB6gd3o_aM
I just hate strip clubs. It's like going to a Best Buy, getting to look at all the shiny computers, but not being able to touch them or install any software. It's like paying for blueballs.
ReplyDeleteLooking at the shiny stuff is fine, it's the aggressive salesmanship part that is such a turnoff in both places.
ReplyDeleteThey should switch it up. Make the dancers wear blue polos and the Best Buy people can get skanky spider web tattoos.
ReplyDeleteI used to like it when thrown together tag-teams would sell their inexperience as a team in the ring. When Flair and Sting feuded with Muta and Funk they began working tag matches together so they would be ready for Halloween Havoc.
ReplyDeleteThen Teddy Long began making TAG TEAM MATCHES PLAYA and guys worked together like they had known each other for 15 years.
have you ever watched Part 2 and 3 back to back? Holy Cow. You'll notice so many little details and nuances that make the 3rd part like 50 times better. Little things like, how in Part 2 Marty can't play guitar because he hurt his hand in a car accident, then in the third part because he learned to swallow his pride, he avoids that very same car accident.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnGnS_sblR8
ReplyDeleteThe punch is a lost art in general in wrestling. I watched the Flair - Dibiase match for the first time yesterday after it was discussed here. Holy shit could Dick Murdoch throw some worked punches.
ReplyDeleteHow about "OD'ers?" There's lots of those in wrestling.
ReplyDeleteThis reminds me of the Hidden Highlights column that 411 used to run. Can't remember who wrote it but the guy did a really good job.
ReplyDeleteAnd my favorite (non-wrestler) master of nuance would be Leonard Nimoy as Spock. The dude was such a great actor.
I loved Hidden Highlights. One of my favorite columns on 411 along with Two Tivos to Paradise and the Hush Hush movie news.
ReplyDeleteI 100% agree. It was very insulting to the audience with things like chumlee can't afford a motorcycle or calls out sick (with cameras catching the whole thing). It just wasn't worth it anymore.
ReplyDeleteAnother show that went downhill fast was auction hunters. Once they got the pawn shop, it got pathetic.
And if you say no, then they stop trying to even do a semigood dance.
ReplyDelete"I *love* a show like Breaking Bad or Scrubs or Shark Tank"
ReplyDeleteThis is like saying, "I LOVE a basketball player like Michael Jordan, Reggie Miller or Harold Minor."
"What are your favorite nuances?"
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, good job on answering an insanely dumb question....but sweet blue fuck, what a stupid question. What other gems did whoever asked that think about asking?
-"Can you power-rank the top five examples of metatextualism of all-time for me?"
-"What would win a plot device cage match between deus ex machina and a red herring?"
-"What's the best sub-context?"
-"Who am I?"
no offense, but if kid rock is pimped in the new qotd, no one can talk shit about whatever was pimped in the previous iteration of qotd
ReplyDeleteyeah, your moms always been cool like that
ReplyDeletehi-yo!
i keed, i keed... its your great aunt
Watch The Wire -- It is INCREDIBLY nuanced -- I can't stomach other cop shows now that I've experienced it (except Justified, Justified rules -- But it's more of a Western than a conventional police drama -- Oh, and early Barney Miller -- And Sledge Hammer)...
ReplyDeleteExcept Best Buy doesn't have $6 ATM fees and $9 beers.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite nuances are the brain effects that come after drinking Stoli or snorting booger sugar.
ReplyDeleteI also like when rappers "cackle" in rap songs. 50, Ja Rule, an Snoop have tremendous laughs.
ReplyDeleteThe Shield, in its own way, is as good as The Wire. Two very different shows with two very different goals. I think it sells The Wire short to call it a "cop show." It's a big-picture look about the systemic, multi-layered death of a classic American city on through the lens of a relatively small number of characters, The Shield is closer to a "cop show" in a traditional sense, but it, too, has a larger point, albeit more narrow than that of The Wire; it's about a vicious cycle of big-city corruption from the top down to law enforcement and back up, never stopping.
ReplyDeleteHa. Yea. Theyll usually discount you. Thats the tine to ask if theyll get your penis moist with something if you buy another.
ReplyDeleteYou're going to shitty strip clubs if you can't touch the strippers.
ReplyDelete...yet.
ReplyDeleteHow about when a girl looks up at you and gives you the eyes while shes, well you know. So hot
ReplyDeleteThis one went off the rails rather quickly didn't it?
ReplyDeleteIt IS a great nuance.
ReplyDeleteWhoa. A Harold motherfucking Miner reference!
ReplyDeleteAgreed. Just because youre a stripper doesnt mean you can have bad manners. Sometimes its almost like theyve had bad parents or father issues. Jeeze.
ReplyDeleteAs a Heat fan, let me kindly say this to Harold Miner: FUCK YOU.
ReplyDeleteHaven't watched the Shield but have heard good things about it -- And you're right about the Wire -- I was being too simplistic -- Not so sure it's about the death of a classic American city insomuch as it's a comprehensive look at the reality of living in a second-tier city that's seen it's heyday and is stuck in its own vicious cycle...
ReplyDeleteIf you have never watched the Shield, you need to correct that situation ASAP.
ReplyDeleteI have a response that I think is rather humorous but I'm thinking that I'll be the only one who thinks that so I'm going to keep it to myself as I see it backfiring on me pretty quickly...
ReplyDeleteDuly noted -- Have you checked out the Wire?
ReplyDeleteSure have. Great show, but a little to "clinical" for me, if that makes sense. I liked it, but didn't love it. I loved certain scenes, but wasn't in love with the entirety of the show. The Shield is more of an "in your face" type of show, so for me, it's more a more fun viewing experience.
ReplyDeleteUmmmm ok. Informative
ReplyDeleteThats like saying "I know a secret but cant tell you."
ReplyDeleteEh, not really -- Every once in a while I surprise myself by knowing when to shut the fuck up...
ReplyDeleteIll defer to your knowledge on this since I was a prepubescent Offier Farva during his short stint in the league, but it seemed like his flash led to some unrealistic expectations. He was a late lottery pick but how often are those guys difference makers?
ReplyDeleteWhatever you think I'm going to write will be less of a letdown than what I would have actually written...
ReplyDeleteI hear you on the clincial thing. It's like a Tom Clancy book - here's all the nuance and details and journalistic factuality of the system...and some plot to keep folks interested.
ReplyDeleteThe Shield is really great too.
I'd say you should probably listen to Cowboy, Lay it on Me, Happy New Year, Wasting Time, before you pass that judgement. Music is subjective, art is subjective, and what you enjoy is subjective, but the fact remains the nuanced bells and whistles of some of his songs are a good time if you're a fan.
ReplyDeleteEssentially you're saying that because you don't like buffalo wings, I shouldn't say what makes good buffalo wings for the rest of us.
I'd like to thank Mike for suggesting the next 5 QOTDs.
ReplyDeletemostly the install software part is my problem.
ReplyDeleteAlso based on real events in LA - the Rampart division if I recall correctly, who simultaneously ripped off all the money and drugs they could hold AND kept gang violence in check.
ReplyDeleteSee the whole Nuance of Shark Tank is that in theory we'll be seeing these products on store shelves at some point, which we can buy. It's nuanced in the sense that it manages to grab you in like four different ways without even trying:
ReplyDelete1. The Judges - Which Judge do I like? I bet Cuban will like this product. Man screw that Pom Wonderful guy! Does the guy with good hair look like Robin Williams, or is it me?
2. Products - Woah that's a cool idea, why didn't I think of that? I would TOTALLY buy that. Wow that's stupid, I have no use for that. They're trying to sell *what*?!
3. Personal stories - Aww good for those soldiers selling costume jewelry. Wow that guy in Tie-dye is kind of a jerk. Wow those chicks really want to open a restaurant instead of making tons of money in a food truck? That girl's only 16 and already has 200k from investors, she's going places!
4. Business-y things - HOW much money does he want? Wow Cuban wants 50 percent of that company, it must be good. Ha, he said it doesn't matter if products work or not, ain't that the truth?
There's so many ways that show can grab you and interest you, and even round-a-bout ways educate you, with very little of the Pawn Stars storyline crap to get in the way of the juicy bits - namely Business and cool stuff.
it feels like a natural progression from MJ's little "Hic and E-hee-hee" thing he used to do.
ReplyDeleteProbably best to avoid viruses.
ReplyDeleteYou have a pretty broad definition of the word nuance but who am I to judge? I'm finding myself on board with you...
ReplyDeleteKid Rock makes shit music.
ReplyDeleteHe's still a better artiste than whatever it is you do.
ReplyDeleteI make crocheted guitar picks.
ReplyDeleteyawn.
ReplyDeleteI think you're shortchanging it a bit but I'm obviously not objective -- My wife and I were going through security at McCarran in Vegas and she happened to get in line behind a Baltimore City Detective (she saws his badge on the conveyor) -- She told him that I'm a Wire fanatic and before she could even finish her sentence he smiled at her and said the Wire nails it -- He was on his way before we met back up and he's lucky because I was going to be like an obnoxious little kid meeting Santa Claus at the mall...
ReplyDeleteYep, that's correct.
ReplyDeleteI always liked it when Hillbilly Jim would square dance because it was kind of like a nod to his gimmick.
ReplyDeleteI make crocheted guitar dicks?
ReplyDeleteCan't help but feed them can you?
ReplyDeleteYeah but I don't like them as much since they have been HHH's bodyguards...
ReplyDeleteSomeone had to.
This is one hell of a broad question...
ReplyDeleteOh, I can help it, I just don't want to.
ReplyDeleteGuys, if you wanna make this betting a little more serious e-mail me, Scotsman is looking for folks of your ilk. :)
ReplyDeleteI gamble some good money, do ok, losing my shirt today...lol. I'm not moving my account to Scotman's. Isn't his site the one supporting that ridiculous thread? No f'n way.
ReplyDeleteWKRP is one of my favorite shows of all time -- Fantastic all the way around and very nuanced in its own right -- "As God as my witness, I thought turkeys could fly"...
ReplyDeleteAll of the characters on WKRP were wonderful -- There was a certain amount of depth and heart to all of them that made the show special -- And to your point, Johnny was sorta' liberal and Andy and Bailey were moderates -- Jennifer was perfect -- But all of them were very human and very likable -- The show didn't lend itself to easy labels...
ReplyDeleteLester Freeman, Cedric Daniels and Omar Little are three of the greatest characters of all time (in my opinion)...
ReplyDeleteWith you there, brother...
ReplyDeleteYea. I second what Flair said. Im pretty loyal to my site at this point since theyve always sent my checks out on time with no issue. Would take an act of god to get me to change my account.
ReplyDeletewouldnt know :(
ReplyDeleteThe Hidden Mickeys are great. I probably looked like a total doofus looking in the corners of random stores with my little booklet open and spotting the one in the sign of the Knightly Sign Shop (or whatever that was), but by God I was gonna find all of those if it killed me!
ReplyDeleteSome are damn impossible to find. They even sneak them into the hotels!
Ever?
ReplyDelete