My Life's Soundtrack

Slipknot, "Wait and Bleed": The music video makes use of the little clay models of the Slipknot band members running around and killing a man. They seem animated but an evil source and remind me of my nightmares and hellish creations of my imagination. They resemble the dolls from a movie called Tales from the Hood that has scared me ever since I saw it as a child. The dolls also came to life and killed a Senator. So from that day when I was four years old, I hated walking around in the dark or seeing dolls on the shelves because I thought they would come to get me. When I would see a doll on the ground or in a toy bin, I would got out of my way to stay far away from it so it wouldn’t get up and bite me.

I know I may still be a pansy, but I hate being around dolls just for the fact that I think they will move of their own accord and come to eat me. I still don’t like being in the dark either because of my imagination. I’m just better at dealing with my fear now. All these stupid, irrational fears because of stupid horror movies. Then Slipknot brings back the fears through their crazy little dolls swinging from the chandeliers or pouring gasoline everywhere. I honestly hate little dolls because of that movie.



Three Days Grace, "Pain": The movie starts out with a bunch of kids being alone and listening to the song. They end up singing along because the words ring true to them. I feel like I could be in this video. I can really relate to the lyrics of this song. I suffer from depression. I have been this way for most of life, and have even had to seen a psychiatrist because I wanted to commit suicide. It isn’t a fun way to live when you can go from being perfectly normal to slipping down the downward spiral to depression. So the words “PAIN! Without love. PAIN! I can’t get enough” ring true for me because I usually do not feel anything. I became apathetic and stoic towards everything to hide my depression from myself, but no feeling anything is not really being alive. Therefore, I would rather feel something, even if it is the pain of depression that is sometimes so strong that it physically hurts in my chest. I usually do not feel any love when I go into a depression and I convince myself that no one really cares about me, which makes it worse, but at least I am feeling something.

Also, I have grown to enjoy the feeling that I get from being depressed because it shows me I am still alive. The words “I’d rather feel pain, than nothing at all” is exactly how I feel. I think that I can explain how I feel sometimes through the words of this song.




Disturbed, "Land Of Confusion": In the video, Disturbed uses cartoons to fit the lyrics of politics. There are great explosions and exaggerated characters, such as the giant blob man who represents money and capitalism or the demon figured who is ripped beyond normal people and is seen as a hero fighting for the common people against the almost Nazi invasion. The classic anime characteristics are evident all throughout the video and bring me back to my childhood and even sometime in the present when I had time to sit and watch anime after anime show. My favorite has always been Gundam Wing, but other notables were Dragon Ball Z, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Gunslinger Girl, and Hellsing. Gundam Wing has the same idea of sticking it to the man and gives power to the people through warriors with giant robots, but I loved it because of Heero. He showed no emotion and was the classic stoic anime hero. I would watch it afterschool and then wake up at midnight to watch it again as Cartoon Network showed the unedited version. I would always imagine that I had my own giant robot that I could fly to in school or fight other giant robots with. I imagined my robot with giant booster rockets and a cool laser sword. Then it would have shoulder mounted canons and a Gatling gun. Just like all the other Gundams, it would be badass. I got to live my imagination through all the animes.



Muse, "Knights of Cydonia": In the video, some galactic fighters are having an old western show down. At one point, a woman dressed in silver bikini armor comes to save the hero. The video ends with a beat down of evil in an old town. Muse creates a video that parallels a lot of the fantasy movies of the early nineties. Movies, such as Kull the Conqueror and Dune, that have epic adventures of a single band of heroes against the seemly omnipotent evil lords. The bands always end up winning but must first find some artifact to help their cause and this leads them through many trials with magical creatures or trapped caves. I have always enjoyed these types of film that play on a person’s imagination to create a fantasy world out of nothing but a simple story. The best fantasy film of course being Conan the Barbarian with Arnold as a huge barbarian thief and taking on the forces of a wizard and a insane queen. I always enjoyed the imaginative and creative ways of any fantasy films because it led me to create my own worlds through things from the movies or books that I read. Plus my favorite quote of all time comes from Conan when he says,” Destroy your enemies. Watch them flee before you. Hear the lamentation of the Women.” Then Conan just beats down Wilt “The Stilt” Chamberlain with a morning star and kills a heathen monster god, so what’s not to like about this awesome movie?



Mudvayne, "Dig": Mudvayne goes into a craze and has some awesome costumes. The bassist with his sweet devil horns and crazy red face paint, the guitarist with his all red jumpsuit and the liberty spikes, the drummer with the sweet black and white swirls, a mean green goatee, and a braided top knot, and finally the vocalist with the sweetest shin length dredded goatee of all time and the white face paint with black tribal designs. The crazy costumes and extreme pace of the music make it perfect heavy metal. The point in the video where all band members are covered in sludge and going crazy in the wires reminds me of the Sounds of the Underground concert I went to this year. The headlining band was Gwar who are well-known across the metal community for their theatrical shows. As wells as being a great mosh concert, Gwar sprays fake blood into the crowd and semen from the vocalist’s giant penis at one point. The effect was much the same that Mudvayne shows their members being covered in as a dark combined substance of unknown origins. Then, so many people fought to get to the front of the crowd and get sprayed by the band. It is a wonder how people became so crazy to get covered in a disgusting liquid that dyes your skin blue and turns your once white shirt into something created during the sixties. But I will always proudly keep my tie dye shirt from the front row that night.



Linkin Park, "No More Sorrow": “No, no more sorrow. I've paid for your mistakes. Your time is borrowed. Your time has come to be replaced.” Linkin Park just hits home with the lyrics to this song and the Naruto background only emphasizes the words more. I once had a relationship that was as perfect as I had ever imagined. She was the first girl that I ever truly fell in love with. We spent a lot of time together and would always stay up late on the phone talking to all hours of the night. One time I think it was eight hours that we were on the phone together, which is kinda pathetic but I really enjoyed it. She made me feel good about myself and helped me realize the potential that I so obviously had, but wouldn’t admit. Everything was going good for us and we had a lot of fun together. Then our relationship became complicated because she thought I cheated on her, which never happened.

At this point in our relationship is where the song holds the truest. She never trusted me again after that whole ordeal and wanted to get back at me. So she decided to hide dead fish in my car and then lie about not knowing anything about it. So I learned that she deceived me and I was really pissed about her lying about it because I thought I could trust her. Also, after that my car smelt like fish for a full month and I hate fish. Then I was a little vindictive in our break up and made her cry, but oh well at least there’s no more sorrow for me.




Three Days Grace, "Animal I have Become": One scene in the Three Days Grace video, Adam looks at himself in the mirror and sees an evil side reflected. The person reflected is scary with devil eyes and an evil grin like something that knows it now has full control and there is nothing Adam can do to change that fact. This side is everything that he didn’t want to become, but it is who he is now. I feel that way because I used to be an innocent young kid that never did anything wrong. But ever since I got self-esteem through my athletic ability, I realize I have become an ass from my former self. I used to be a good kid and always respectful. Then I realized that I am very good at sports and am looked up to for it. I then became someone else. I enjoyed the attention and popularity, but was a smartass and very flirtatious with girls. I had never really been this way before my junior year in high school, but all of a sudden I had become this jerk overnight. So in that sense I can relate to being stuck in a hell where I know I should be a better person, but I enjoy it so much that I cannot escape. I don’t think that I will ever change back. Although change is the only constant in life, some changes are not always the best and that’s why I think I’ve digressed from being a man to an animal with only instinctual urges.



The Turtles, "Happy Together": The words “I think about you day and night, its only right to think about the girl you love, and hold her tight” is exactly how I feel about Anna. “No matter how they toss the dice, it had to be the only one for me is you” and I couldn’t believe that statement anymore because I don’t think that I was meant to be with anyone else at this time. Although our relationship got off to a rocky start, we were able to overcome that incident and make things work. The first night we hung out was with my friend Nico and we were walking through the local Blockbuster for a movie to relax and watch when she suddenly hits me right square in the balls out of nowhere! I was like shocked and in pain, dazed and confused as to why she hated me so much. She still to this day says it was an accident as her hand just swung backward at the perfect time while I was right behind her, but I know the truth because the abuse still continues. She has hit my broken wrist in a cast and caused me more pain through “accidents”. But I love her more than life itself and I would never give her up and like they say “Take the bad along with the good.” It seems that I am only happy with her and get really sad when she is not around, which is more often because she goes to Colorado State University. My world is very fine whenever I’m with her because I seem to forget all my worries. So the title happy together fits my relationship with Anna perfectly.

What I Remember

Randomly this is the first music video I actually remember seeing this video on MTV. I thought it was really crazy. I remember being creeped out by Marilyn Manson and his entire band while sitting on the couch of my Aunt’s house downstairs. The video is definitely very creepy as he is dressed goth for the entire video and is just kinda playing with the most random things that are found in medical centers. Marilyn Manson definitely has some issues, but I think he has great insight into the world we live in and is one of the most vocally talented artists to live.

The Beautiful People can be considered the people of America. He is showing that all of the people of America are restrained like those of either a prison or a insane asluym. In reality he is right. He is saying that although we are told that we are free, we still must abide by so many laws that we are in effect in a straight jacket that restrains us from true freedom. He definitely is talking about the extremes of life and capitalism, but the music is great especially with John 5 on guitar. He is simply amazing and I think the goth dress makes for irony in the whole Beautiful People thing because in the video there is no one that would be considered beautiful. I think he is very intelligent and makes good points about the life we live in even though some of his beliefs put him outside of the normal realm of society.

Marilyn Manson definitely has the widest range of vocals of all time. In his remake of the Nightmare Before Christmas, he sings in at least five different voices to imitate the different characters of the movie. The voices are not just any random voices but are harmonic and very soothing if you listen to his music. I respect the man and I really do like a lot of his music.

Worstest Music Video

Afroman is a great rap artist. Most of his songs ring true to man people and focus on the more humorous side of life. I have always loved “Crazy Rap” ever since the first night I heard it. I was with a few of my friends on the way to my girlfriend’s birthday party. Ever since then the song has been played multiple times in my car or room or sang during track practice. In reality, he is singing every man’s dreams while making fun of the fact that none of it would ever occur to any real man.

This video is the worst that I have ever seen because for a rap video it does not objectify women enough to be legitimate. Nor does it really follow the story that I had created when I listened to it over and over. I had imagined that he was traveling across the world and getting with all of these ladies. Rather than getting all of these women he just orders take-out from multiple different restaurants of different types. I just hoped to see all of these exotic areas and was severely disappointed in the video. He could have shown the volcanoes or Hawaii or the big cities of Japan or even Rodeo drive of California, but instead it’s all at his house. The other thing that I had a problem with is that there are just four random guys chilling in a backyard, which is not even his. By the way his house is portrayed it definitely was a lot larger than the one in those scenes.

Otherwise, the song is still a great song and the car was definitely an Afroman car. But then again, he seems poor in the song when he has to be selling his cds on a corner or will have to sell his Cadillac for weed money. This does not match up with his portrayal of himself in the video. All around the video just doesn’t follow the song very well and that’s why it’s the worst music video I’ve ever seen.

Callahan Loses His Castle

The night is cool and clear. A gentle breeze crosses the plains in front of the great doors. Many torches lit the night along the cobblestone path before the charging people. On both sides, the warriors new the score-- win or death. One side armed with well-crafted swords and lances opposing the peasants with their not so well-crafted pitch forks and normal tools not meant for war. Its training and weaponry against the massive numbers of the upset peasants. The St. George's Night Uprising in Estonia would have started out similarly to this as the peasants had become vexed by their foreign lords. Peasant revolts were common during the Middle Ages when the feudal system allowed lords to impose conditions that many put many people in dire straights. These reasons were usually because of taxation, religious enforcements, or an increasing gap between the wealthy and poor (Popular revolt). Drew Litton makes a good argument of Bill Callahan's situation with the Husker fans through analogy and visual narration, also using two of the rhetorical themes.

The fans are all ready to go. The season is looking to be a great one again. Another bid for the the national title because we are the best around. No one can defeat us. We will beat down all of the competition and make everyone look like fools against our sea of red. We will score touchdown after touchdown. The great defense will make stop after stop to hold all the teams to zero. We are the greatest and no one can stand is our way to victory. Not Nevada, or Iowa, or USC, or any team. We will be the best because we are the Nebraska Corn huskers! But that isn't how it happened this season. Unfortunately, Bill Callahan and his boys could not seem to win much of anything and that's what has got his always devoted Husker fans ready to revolt and tear down the castle.

The cartoon is a perfect example of what Bill Callahan is experiencing. The many Nebraska Corn husker fans are creating an old-fashioned revolt with torches and pitch forks. The kind of revolt seen in the Middle Ages. In the night, all of the Husker fans illustrated by the “N” are on the warpath towards Callahan's castle. On the outside of the castle, its printed “House of Callahan” to show that the greatness that Callahan has created is being revolted against for his inability to create a winning team this season although he has proven very worthy in past seasons. The dialogue bubble explains it all saying, “You know, they are a rather impatient group”. The Corn husker fans all want success and an immediate national title. Even though Callahan has created success as illustrated by the castle, Nebraska fans are not satisfied anymore and want him out. This is the path that the fans have chosen for Callahan a full revolt to get him and out and find some one new who can make a good team for them to cheer for again.

The main rhetorical device the Litton is using is the analogy between Husker fans as peasants in a Middle Age revolt. As stated before, the peasants would revolt because they were no longer satisfied with their lives under the lord of the land. The feudal system worked with the lord on top who then had vassals beneath him. They all lived in the castle together and then there was open area to allow merchants to sell their wares during the days and in time of war this served as protection. Otherwise, most people lived outside of the castle in the surrounding fields were they normally would farm or do their work. Here Litton is showing a scene where the peasants are heading toward the castle in revolt. Although the peasants are Husker fans who are upset about the losing season and the lord is Callahan, the idea is still the same that they are trying to remove him from power. Litton does a good job of showing what the fans want through an analogy to past times although this is not practiced in modern times.

The second rhetorical device Litton uses is visual narration. Litton draws the viewer's eye in a counter-clockwise rotation to get the whole story. It begins in the top left where the viewer can see that its night outside. Then the viewer follows the trails of smoke down to the Husker fans and takes in the looks of disappointment and anger. Also, the viewer can see the pitchforks and that many fans have gathered in a revolt. Next the viewer follows the path up to the castle, which is a sign of power and dominance. It is shown as Callahan's castle and that they are heading there to throw him out of power or attempt to. Often, the peasant revolts in the Middle Ages were suppressed by the powerful lords, but Callahan is quickly losing his power and may be unseated (Popular Revolt). Finally, the counter-clockwise rotation is completed by moving to the dialogue bubble, which shows Callahan's fears and inability to meet with the Husker fan's demands. Litton creates this story in which two possible endings may come to pass, but it shows that Callahan is in trouble with the Husker fans, which is his main argument.

The picture uses pathos to create feelings of anger, dissatisfaction, and fear. Again, the revolt clearly showing that these people are upset and heading on a rampage for Callahan. The faces of the fans are all shown as frowning and looking very angry or upset. These details create the feelings of wonder as to why the characters are upset and where they are heading. Then the viewer's eyes follow the path upward to the House of Callahan, which shows two little eyes peeking out of a window. The eyes show fear of the oncoming revolt in that the character is hidden in the shadows and not willing to come out. Through the faces and hidden persons, the artist creates the multiple moods of fans and Callahan.

The artist creates ethos through a few images and playing on the viewer's being knowledgeable of Middle Age revolts. First, the artist is showing how the fans are from Nebraska through the sweaters. People seeing this will make the connection and often understand that the Nebraska fans have reason to be upset with the poor season so far. Second, the artist establishes ethos through the mob scene. The scene is not credible in the fact that it is true because everyone knows Callahan does not live in a castle nor will the fans rally together in a revolt to come after him. The revolt is used in a connection to the old revolts to remove horrible lords from power and satisfy the peasants demands. The viewers will make this connection and see how it does relate to the Nebraska fans and their coach. It is used as a metaphor with the Nebraska fans as the revolters and Callahan as a king in his castle. In these two ways, the artist creates credibility in displaying the situation.

The artist uses the rhetorical appeals of pathos and ethos to make his point. Also, Litton uses analogy and visual narration to make his argument. Pathos was used to display the feelings of the Nebraska fans and Callahan creating the understanding feeling in the viewer. Finally, Ethos was used through the cliché mob scene in that everyone would understand what is happening and why it is fitting to the Nebraska fans and Callahan. Therefore, the artist makes his point well in that he effectively creates a work to show the situation Callahan is in with the Nebraska fans.

Works Cited

"Popular Revolt in late medieval Europe". Wikipedia. 10 Nov. 2007:

"St. George's Night Uprising". Wikipedia. 3 Nov. 2007:

Before I Forget

Slipknot is my favorite band of all time. One of my favorite song is Before I Forget from their newest album, which is their best video for its artistic approach. Most of their other videos are a little crazy and hard to follow, but I like this one because of its simplicity. Normally, Slipknot wears masks when they perform such as a mutilated clown face or a pig face or a sort of Hannibal Lector mask. They are well-known for these masks, but in the Before I Forget video they are not wearing them. I think its a great idea to show the masks hanging by themselves and never showing the artists face. Here all the band members are wearing all black in a white room, possibly symbolizing their outcast state in society to most people because they do not accept a band as crazy as Slipknot.

I also believe the weird masks are really a way to show what's on the inside. I mean everyone has faces but when do they ever show what or how we feel on the inside. Maybe some people can read emotions in faces, but you cannot tell the real character or thoughts going through a persons head. The masks that Slipknot wears are a way to express what is going on inside of them. For instance, Corey Taylors zombie mask shows he feels dead on the inside. Joey Jordison's ancestral Japanese mask shows his stolid and calm self inside. Mick Thompson's Hannibal Lector mask shows his need of restraint of the insane person inside. To show the artists without a mask brings them back to being human, but the fact that they are still in the video creates the feeling that no matter what's on the outside the person on the same stays the same.