Procrastination – J. A. Bove
This note goes out to all my fellow writers out there. Is it just me, or do you have a hard time getting started? I’ve
recently started writing the third book in my Atlantis trilogy entitled ‘Mayhem’s Triangle’ and although I’m making good progress, I do have to admit; sometimes it’s hard getting motivated. Some days I feel that I’ll look for almost any excuse not to get started. Don’t get me wrong; I haven’t come down with a case of writer’s block (not just yet). On the contrary, I’m completely enjoying writing the third and final book of this trilogy. I find that when I do finally put my mind to it, things tend to flow nicely. Whenever I complete writing another chapter, I’m always happy with the results.
It’s just getting the ball rolling that I find most difficult. I compare it to going to the gym. I never want to go to the gym; as a matter of fact I loathe working out. Just the thought of having to drive down to the gym makes me tired. I’m jealous of the people I watch exit the gym, because I know they’ve completed their workout (show offs, looking all sweaty and satisfied because they’re done). I dread going through the motions, but I know it must be done. Funny thing, but I always feel good about myself after I’ve completed a workout, especially when I glance at the gym in my rear view mirror as I pull away.
The biggest problem I face is making time. It’s not like I’m some signed author who gets paid to do this for a living. I have to find time to write, and I find with three younger children in the house, the best thing to do is to get away from home. There’s no greater distraction than three kids looking for you to entertain them. So where do I go? Well, I admit, I’m lucky enough to have an office that I can escape to for just such a situation.
So what’s the problem you say? Sitting inside on a beautiful day in Tampa Bay, when you know there’s so much more you could, or probably should be doing other than cramming yourself up in an office to write. At times, I admit I do ask myself, why am I putting myself through this journey once again? Deep down, I know the answer. I love it, I hate it, but I love it. Or should I say … I love when it’s done. It’s truly a great feeling to see the finished product, and no matter the torture it took you to get there, the reward is well worth the sacrifice you made to achieve your goal. Below is just a sample of a typical day of writing when my heart’s not in the mood.
Enter the office, grab a cup of coffee, and turn on my computer. I know I should just go right to the Word program, but no, I have to check up on my fantasy baseball team, just a quick peek. Still in first, awesome! What?!? A-Rod’s off the DL and he’s still not playing? Son of a beep is killing me. Oh well, better check my e-mails. Why is so much SPAM coming through to my e-mail? I better clear that up. Okay, all better, let’s do some writing.
Program loading – good, let’s get this done. Who am I writing about today? Better check my notes. Phone call, what? Who’s calling me at the office on a Saturday? Hmm, don’t recognize the number. Should I get it? Nah, better let it go to voice mail. I’ve got some serious writing to do here. Program open, okay, let’s download the document. What’s that beep? They left me a message. I should probably see who’s calling. Damn, stupid computer solicitation. Why do they leave voice mails? Ah well, delete this message. Back to work.
Where are my notes? I don’t see them in my bag, maybe I left them in my top drawer. What a mess. Oh man, I didn’t send this note out to my client yesterday, better do that now. Outlook opening … whoa, fifteen new messages, better reply to these. Okay, all done, now, where did I put those notes? Here they are just where I first looked, in my book bag. Alright, who’s the subject du jour … shuffle, shuffle, shuffle, Mayhem, Adonia, Eramus – ah here it is, Bully. Bully huh? Alright, Bully it is. Where’s my outline? Ah I know, I have that saved on Word. Better open it.
Did I just hear a knock? No, it’s Saturday, who’s going to bother me on Saturday – this plaza’s empty. There it is again. Better sneak a peek. Oh man, it’s Roper (my landlord). The guy’s a Chatty-Kathy, better see what he wants. Great, he wants to talk about the markets. I’d love to chat, but busy, busy, busy, got things to do. Whew, that was a close one. What time is it? 1:00 pm? Man, I’ve been here for two hours and I’ve got nothing accomplished.
Feeling hungry. Better make some lunch. Thinking something light, ah nothing like a bowl of cereal to hit the spot. Mmm, love those Frosted Rice Crispies, tasty, yet surprisingly low on calories. Oh shoot, the Yankee game is on better put it on the boob tube … did Jeter hit 3,000 yet? Are you kidding me? I just missed it? A home run you say? What luck … Roper! Oh man, it’s almost two, I better get going, the wife’s waiting on me. Dang, didn’t get any writing done today. No worries, I’ll come back next week. I’ll get some serious writing done then, you’ll see, eventually some one will see.
Ghost Hunting: J. A. Bove
Hello thrill seekers, I’m back with yet another ghost hunting adventure. Over the weekend a small group of
friends got together to do some actual ghost hunting in Ybor City’s very own Cuban Club. Now, for those of you not too familiar with the Cuban Club it was rated the top ten most haunted sights in America by the Travel Channel. In fact, TAPS very own Jason and Grant came down to my fair city and visited this very sight. After a full evening of investigation, they did declare the sight haunted. Below are my findings of the establishment.
All told, there were eight of us who went on this adventure. We made sure we had all the right equipment from EVP devices, to EMF meters, thermal cameras, and night vision goggles. We even downloaded some app that supposedly lets you know if a presence is in the room and if so, what they might be saying. Ok, so we’re equipped, it’s nighttime, and we’re in the club. All people have now vacated the premises and we’re the only ones in the building. It’s time to go hunting.
Now, I want to give you a little background on the club itself. It was first established back in 1917 and was created as a gathering place for members of the Cuban National Club. It remains open to this day and caters to concerts, dancing, and the cantina and theater are open to the general public. We were told going in that a number of violent murders had taken place in this club and that it still harbored many spirits. One is believed to be of an accountant who was murdered in cold blood, shot in the head while stealing money from the safe. Another is of a woman in white who floats around the stairways leading to the ‘brothel’ upstairs. The last is of a little boy who roams the area, apparently not a happy spirit, but unfortunately I don’t recall his back-story (boo, bad ghost hunting). I know, but my investigation will make up for this.
The EMF meters went off as soon as we entered the building, and when I mean went off, they were going crazy. There were no lights on in the establishment. The only light flowing through came from the outside. We ran an EVP session, but could not detect anything on our devices. The meters indicated that we were standing next to a presence and our thermal gauge did drop in temperature, but we had no personal experiences to share. Keep in mind that they told us the air conditioning was turned off, which I’m not so sure I believed them. We are in Tampa in August no less, so if your thermal is reading seventy-five degrees, something is on … regardless, onward.
We went toward the theater and before entering, we felt a cold draft coming in from the front of what appeared to be a ticket booth. Again, they claim they a/c was off, but frankly, I think it was a draft coming in from the theater. Let me explain. Outside had to have been roughly ninety degrees (and I’m being kind), and it was clearly much cooler inside the theater itself. We registered a common temperature of seventy-five … logic would tell you … never mind. We entered the theater and this is when it got interesting.
We were given another brief overview and were told of a man who hung himself in the theater. Why? I don’t recall, (boo, I know), but we were led to the spot of the hanging. EMF meters spiked once again, but this time we received a heat spike as well. My daring brother played the part of Zach on Ghost Adventures and felt compelled to call out the spirit, demanding that it tug on his shirt, or make itself know. Nothing. Oh well, he then asked that to prove its presence if it would make the thermometer gauge spike to eighty-five degrees. It did. Okay, somewhat impressed, and on command I might add.
Next we explored the stage. Some of us broke off, while others remained on stage. Some went upstairs toward the unofficial brothel and others (myself) explored the seating area. For the people who remained downstairs we heard coins drop on to the stage. Everyone in the group adamantly denied tossing any change, or removing anything from their pockets. Interestingly enough, when the money hit the floor, my voice detector did catch the phrase: money. Coincidence, possibly, but it happened nonetheless.
Finally, the reason I decided to explore the seating area in front of the stage is because while on stage I thought I saw an orb. I put on the night goggles and looked out into the seating area and there it was plain as day. When I took off the goggles, and looked into the same area, it was pitch black. I pointed the orb out to my friend and when he placed the goggles on, he too saw the orb just sitting in the middle of the seating area. Okay, this needs further investigation.
We walked down the stage and into the middle of the seating section. When I finally discovered the spot of the orb, my thermal detector dropped from seventy-five degrees down to sixty-eight. My friend held up his EMF meter and it lit up like a Christmas tree. Neither of us received any voice detection, nor felt any presence. What was interesting though, is that each time we lowered our device, the EMF meter would stop. When we raised it in the air above our heads, it spiked. Again, this was a big open theater and it did not spike anywhere else in the seating area. Spirit detected? I can’t confirm.
End result, we spent roughly half an hour investigating the area. Certainly not a sufficient amount of time needed to draw any conclusions. Did we all encounter our devices to activate in one fashion or another? Yes. Did any of us have any personal experiences? No. Bottom line, whether you choose to believe or night, it made for a fun evening out with friends. We all had a drink afterwards and shared our thoughts on the evening. Will Grant and Jason ask me to join the team, doubtful, but would I do something like this again, most definitely.
Bond Resurrected – J. A. Bove
The other day I did my daily inspection through my local bookstore (soon to be out of business) and I was more
than surprised to see one of my favorite characters brought back to life. That’s right, 007 himself, James Bond. Now I know the studios are having a hard time deciding what to do with this iconic character and I hope when they get their act together Daniel Craig maintains his role. That stated I’m pleased to see this character live on in the written word.
Now it’s been some time since I last read a James Bond novel and rightly so, Ian Fleming’s been dead for many years. You could imagine my delight though when I saw the big bold 007 plastered across the cover. The new book is entitled Carte Blanche written by Jeffrey Deaver and it’s the latest installment of Bond adventures. In fairness, the last book released on Bond wasn’t that long ago. If memory serves, it was Devil May Care, written by Sebastian Faulks and released on May 28th, 2008. Interestingly enough the release date was the 100th anniversary of Ian Fleming’s birth. Coincidence? You bet … but I digress, back to Carte Blanche.
Do you remember the good old days, when spy novels were really simple? It was us, or the British, against the Russians. We’d be stopping worldwide domination, or widespread communism, or most common of all, foiling a plot to set-off a nuclear missile. Well that was then, this is now. We’re green, we’re in Dubai, (or as they say Do Buy), and we’re foiling a plot to stop a bomb that would spike food prices for the starving in Africa. My has the world changed.
Have no fear, James Bond is here and he will come to save the day. M has your back James, but not much else. Your own government is putting the kibosh on your carte blanche status at home. You’re an international man, so get out of the country James, and do what you do best. Kill some people, sleep with beautiful women, and by God, have your Vodka martini – shaken not stirred.
What was that you said? You don’t care for your vodka martini this time? You want to create a new drink? A Carte Blanche you say, hmm, interesting twist. How do you make this Carte Blanche? I’m glad you asked, why you simply add a double measure of Crown Royal Canadian Whiskey, some ice, and a half measure of Triple Sec. Don’t forget the two dashes of Angostura Bitter and finish it off with a twist of orange peel. Delicious? I don’t know I didn’t try it (more of a beer connoisseur).
End result, Deaver did his best to stay true to the Bond formula. Yes there were blatant advertisements regarding what products Bond used, yes he slept with the bad girl (once again), and yes he drove only the nicest of automobiles. To Deaver’s credit there were many twists in the story line that kept you interested. The newest spin, that I don’t think I ever read before, was Bond’s back-story, specifically regarding the history of his parents. I won’t reveal the details; I don’t want to spoil the twist. You get a good feel of why James turned out to be 007 … clever Mr. Deaver, very clever. Bottom line, it was an enjoyable, easy read, and yet another mission complete for Mister Bond.
The Cap is Back! – J. A. Bove
Okay movie goers, this review is long over due, but with my recent trip to Germany and some other distractions
out of the way, I’m ready to give my two cents on my favorite marvel hero, Captain America. As many of you are aware, Captain America: The First Avenger, staring Chris Evans as the iconic Steve Rogers opened in theaters a few weeks back. Even though it’s been some time since I saw the movie (watched during opening week), I still have my thoughts fresh in my mind. If you didn’t see the movie, be aware that I will reveal some spoilers.
When Disney first acquired Marvel over a year ago, I had some reservations as to how they would handle the product. As expected, the market is now flooded with super hero paraphernalia of anything and everything imaginable in the stores. Is this a bad thing? Depends on how you look at it, I suppose. Point being, if there’s a consumer out there willing to by the product, then go make your money. What concerned me most however, was how they would handle the movies and the characters portrayed in these movies.
We’ve now had three opportunities to see what Marvel/Disney could do during this past summer alone. Thor, well done. The ending was a little confusing, but all in all a good film. The X-Men movie, excellent. A very revealing tale of how the X-Men got their start. Captain America, I rank as good, not the best in the group, but good. They clearly took some liberties in the history of the characters with both Cap, and his partner Bucky Barnes, but overall it was a good portrayal of the character and his creation back in the 1940’s.
I had to admit, seeing Chris Evans’ face on this ninety-eight pound weakling looked very strange. You knew they had to do it to show the transformation, but he looked really odd. I did like the fact that they took you to the very beginning and showed you how he became who he was now. It was interesting to see the struggles he endured before becoming a super soldier, and the brief history of his family played a nice background into why he was so determined to join the army. Evans did a great job in playing the role and stayed true to the Boy Scout attitude the Captain had all throughout the movie. Well played Mr. Evans, well played, a far cry from his devil may care attitude he had while playing Johnny Storm of the Fantastic Four series.
Hugo Weaving also did an impressive job of portraying the Red Skull, the captain’s evil arch nemesis, and Hitler’s version of a super soldier. I really liked the fact that they brought you into a war torn Europe during WWII. The attention to detail as always was amazing … maybe a little too gloomy. The only time they took you out of the forties story line was in the beginning and the very end. Unfortunately for most viewers unfamiliar with the story line the beginning was a bit confusing. I had to do a little explaining to clear up some big questions.
My only beef, it there’s any to be had, was that they did make some dramatic changes to the original story line. Specifically the way they killed off Cap’s best buddy Bucky and even Cap’s own descent into the icy abyss. A far cry from the original version of being kicked off a German missile. Even the way the finished off the Red Skull, was inventive, but different. Does he come back from the prison created by the cube, or does he perish? I guess we’ll have to wait until Cap 2 for the answer to that question. No worries though, both versions were entertaining. Bottom line, it was a good film and definitely worth seeing if you’re a fan of the character, but it was probably the weakest of the three super hero movies released this summer. I do look forward to next year though, when they do the first Avengers film. This has been a long time in the making. I only hope it lives up to expectations.
So that’s it. The summer blockbusters are done. I’ve done my part to see and review every big film released this summer with two notable exceptions: The Green Lantern (never really a fan, wait for DVD) and The Planet of the Apes – looks awesome, but I’m spent for summer movies. Frankly, I don’t think I could sit through another thirty minutes of commercials and previews to get to another film. All in all, it was a great summer – now give me a book.
Ja, da ist gut – J. A. Bove
Hello readers, I’m sorry for the lack of publishing last week, but yours truly finally took some needed time off and went
on vacation. Maybe I was inspired by the Captain America film I saw, or the need to visit my motherland, but I decided to take the family to Germany. Where in Germany you say? Well specifically we based our camp in Munich, or as the native Deutsche would say, Munchen (please forgive the missing umlauts at the top of the word, my computer can’t produce the symbol).
You went to Germany now you say? The global markets are collapsing, riots are hitting the streets of what are considered civilized nations, and I decided to take my family to Germany? Yes I did, and we couldn’t have been more pleased. There was so much to do and see that I couldn’t possibly give enough justice to what we did in one short blog. I will do my best to try and point out some highlights. We did however get an opportunity to visit the Schloss Neuschwanstein castle shown on the right – defintely a must see.
First off, let me just say that their city was remarkably clean. When I say clean, I don’t mean a quick coat of fresh paint on a filthy wall clean, I mean truly neat and organized. I can honestly say that I did not see one person on any corner asking for a handout. There was no debris floating around the streets and graffiti didn’t plaster the walls of the buildings. I don’t litter personally, but if I did, it certainly wouldn’t be in this city … it would be like a coffee stain on a clean sheet of paper.
The architecture was amazing. There were no buildings above nine stories high, well with the exception of the BWW building and the Olympic tower, but very few. The streets had an overabundance of beautiful trees lining the roads, and the buildings in the Odeonsplatz were amazing to view. They reminded me of the old Roman buildings, filled with marble and tall columns. There was also a church I visited in the same area that was built around the sixteenth or seventeenth century that was one of the most beautiful (next to St. Peters, of course) that I think I’ve ever seen.
Another thing that really impressed me was how organized and efficient the city appeared. Now I may have taken two years of German in high school, but to say I speak German is like saying Spanglish is a legitimate language. That stated I did not have any difficulty getting around town. When I did happen to lose myself, I simply stopped a person in the street and asked ‘Sprechen sie Englisch?‘ Most people had a basic grasp of the language, but between the two broken parts we could come to a whole. I have to admit; due to my blonde appearance more than one person came up to me and started speaking German. Imagine their disappointment when I opened my mouth to reply.
It only took us a day to get acclimated to the time change and before long, we felt very comfortable roaming the city and exploring everything Munich had to offer. My only regret is that I didn’t get an opportunity to view a Bundesliga game. Munich is home of the FC Bayern Munchen. They were in town while we were there, but from what I understand, it is next to impossible to obtain a ticket. I guess it was best I didn’t end up going, they lost the game, but it still would have been quite the experience.
All in all, I would say to anyone curious about visiting Germany, I highly recommend going to Munich. The people were friendly, the city was beautiful to see, and there is obviously a lot of history to view and family friendly things to do. If you do go, make sure to enter a beer garden. We happened to go to quite a few while we were in town. I know what you might be thinking, but you brought you’re children. Don’t worry, they’re kid friendly. One even had a play zone. The beer is strong but delicious and the servings are plentiful. My favorite was the Hofbrauhaus. They even had a live oompa band performing in their lederhosen outfits … classic. Bottom line, would I go again, short answer yes. Ich bin ein fan of Munchen.
So Long, Harry – J. A. Bove
I’ve been meaning to get to this review for some time, but as you know, life gets in the way … people to see,
places to go, things to do. I did happen to catch the last installment of the Harry Potter series entitled ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part2’ when it opened and below are some thoughts. Be aware if you didn’t see the movie, this review will reveal some spoilers, but then again, if you didn’t see the movie by now, odds are you’re not going to see the movie. Too bad, it was a good one.
First off, I must admit that I have read all the Potter books and have seen all the Potter movies. Personally, if you had to choose one option, I would choose reading the books versus going to the theater for two reasons: you’ll save a ton of money, and the books simply tell a much better story. Frankly I don’t think there’s any comparison, but since my children aren’t big readers (gasp) we go to see all the movies as well.
Over the years the movies have gotten more mature. You’ve seen Harry and friends grow in more ways than one and the stories itself have drifted away from telling a children’s tale to becoming much more adult friendly. Needless to say, I’ve lost a couple of fans (my two youngest daughters) during the course of the last three films. Don’t despair Potter fans, I haven’t given up on the series, frankly, I thought the last three films were the best in the group, but I digress.
Back to part two of the Deathly Hallows. Okay, by now I’m assuming that you saw Part 1, you know the feel good movie of last summer. We pick-up the story where the group had just buried their good buddy Dobby and they begin to question a goblin about breaking into Gringotts, the wizarding bank run by goblins and home to one hell of a dragon – and act.
What did we see? Well, from this person’s point of view, non-stop action throughout the movie. Frankly I think the group of three did some of their best acting to date in this last installment. The effects used to create the dragons, the fight scenes, Hogwarts, etc. as always were quite amazing. The sound was incredible. When I listened to the dementor’s screams reverberate throughout the castle it was enough to make the hairs on the back of my neck rise (so glad I didn’t bring my girls). Of course, Voldemort couldn’t have been more evil. The overtone throughout the movie was very ominous. Now, considering that I read the book, I knew a lot of the ‘good guy’ characters were killed off, but let’s face it, there’s got to be some casualties if you’re having an end all battle at Hogwarts with nothing less than Harry Potter as the prize.
The only part of the movie that I didn’t care for, which I know I’ll get grief for mentioning, is when Voldemort kills Potter. I remember not liking this in the book either, but here I thought it was even more confusing. Did he actually die or not? You clearly see Harry drop the resurrection stone right before Voldemort hits him with his Avada Kedavra spell. He awakens and is in a sparkling white King’s Cross Station with what appears to be a baby Voldemort writhing in pain on the ground. He has a conversation with Dumbledore (which by the way comes across as a callous ass in this film) and before long is back in the forbidden forest. You clearly see him gasp, yet he’s inspected and paraded around as a dead man. The more I think about it, the more I’m scratching my head.
Other then that I thought the movie was well done and definitely worth seeing. There was a great sense of closure for Potter fans worldwide. Nice touch at the end to show the gang all grown up and married with their young ones now going to Hogwarts. Was is me, or did the women age better than the men. Ron put on some weight.
All and all it’s been a wonderful run elapsing ten years and lucrative series, grossing over six billion dollars. What will Potter fans do now? Where will Warner Brothers turn to find its next cash cow? No worries fantasy fans. There’s plenty of other wonderful tales available out there to be told. If you are in the market for a new series, might I suggest a world full of mermaids in the city of Atlantis? Just saying is all, just saying.
Hello – Goodbye: J. A. Bove
Mr. McCartney, I salute you. Sixty-nine years old and still rocking! I wrote a blog about my group Koncrete Kite
last week in where I was proud of the fact that we, as a band, have been performing for over thirty years. Well, that’s a drop in the bucket when you compare it to all the performance this particular Beatle has done for over the past fifty-one years. Fifty-one years … that’s simply unheard of this day and age. If not already, I would imagine that it must be close to a Guinness World Record for performances by a musician over that timeframe. I do not know of any other musician, with the exception of possibly Ringo, who has performed on stage as long as Paul McCartney.
Last Friday night I had the privilege of watching Paul perform his On the Run tour live in New York City. And in typical Beatle fashion, he didn’t perform at just any venue. No, he performed in a venue fit for a Beatle – Yankee Stadium. I still recall a scalper outside of the stadium yelling at a woman who was trying to low ball him on the price of a ticket. I believe he said, “You can’t see no Pau McCartney at no Yankee Stadium for forty dollars?!?”. Suffice to say, he didn’t sell her a ticket. That was her mistake. She should have doubled her offer. Paul put on a show of a lifetime.
My wife and I flew up from Tampa earlier that afternoon and after a three-hour flight, one-hour cab ride, and forty minute subway ride (D train baby) , we arrived at the door step of Yankee Stadium just minutes before the show began. We had just enough time to grab a shirt, some beers, and find our seats. This was my first trip into the new Yankee Stadium, and I have to admit, I was impressed. What a beautiful ballpark. I’m going to have to go back some time to actually watch a game. We had a seat behind home plate (Paul performed in the outfield), kicked back in our cushioned chairs, and put our feet up on the bannister in front of us. We were ready to rock.
He opened with Hello- Goodbye a classic from the Magical Mystery Tour album and continued to play hit after hit after hit from The Beatles, to The Wings, to his current songs released over the past decade. One of my favorites was when he performed The Night Before off of the Help album as he said, “This is the first time we’ve ever performed this song live.” If you closed your eyes, you would have sworn John and George were harmonizing right along with him. He then continued to entertain the masses with hits like Paperback Writer, Eleanor Rigby, Something, A Day in the Life, and a slew of other classics. I truly felt like I was at a Beatle concert.
Not only was the music spot on, his voice held up just fine thank you, but his demeanor was wonderful. He truly appreciated his audience. He took the time to speak with us between songs, he acknowledged some cards being held up (one particular one said – Hey Paul, I’m Jude), and he told some great stories. My wife was particularly pleased when he shared the back-story to why he wrote Blackbird, which he also performed flawlessly. Finally he shared a little joke. Considering we were at Yankee Stadium, he came out and said, “Who is this Derek Jeter guy? I hear he has more hits than I do.” His response from the audience was in typical Yankee Stadium fashion with a hearty salute of Paul Mc-Cart-ney stomp –stomp-stomp-stomp-stomp.
Of course he played the classics like Let it Be, and Hey Jude. At one point asking the men and women to sing along separately to the na-na-na parts. Personally I think the men had better voices (the women sounded like children), but my wife disagrees. During the encore he busted out tunes like Lady Madonna, Day Tripper, and Get Back finally ending with The End during the second encore. My only regret is that I didn’t bring the kids, they would have loved this show. So again, I salute you Paul McCartney. I only hope I get one more opportunity to see him perform before he finally decides to hang it all up, but considering his condition, energy, and showmanship, I think I’ll get that chance.
Who Are Koncrete Kite? – J. A. Bove
Many of you have seen me write in the past about my participation in a group called Koncrete Kite and many
have asked … whom, or what is Koncrete Kite? This is my brief overview of my band and our history.
Who are Koncrete Kite? First and foremost, we are brothers. This is both a blessing and a curse. The blessing of course is that we’ve grown together as brothers and musicians over a thirty-year period of writing, recording, and performing together. I don’t think a band consisting of friends, or acquaintances could have lasted as long as we have unless they were placed under contract by a label, or paid professionally to do what we have done. We’ve released three CD’s, and are about to release the fourth. We have written hundreds of songs and every year, the material gets more elaborate and creative. This is all attributed to growing and staying together. That in itself is a blessing.
The curse of course is that we are brothers. The amount of fighting that comes up when we write, record, and perform tends to rip the band apart. This has happened over every CD we’ve ever recorded (with the exception of the first) and will continue to happen because, let’s face it, music is a very personal expression and there are many different interpretations of how a song should sound and be created. The beauty is that because we are brothers, we eventually make-up and start to play nice once again. This leads to more writing and recording and to the eventual break-up after another album.
We are aspiring musicians. Collectively as a band we can play the guitar, bass, drums, piano, trumpet, saxophone, and of course use a wide variety of vocals. The members are, in no particular order: Rich – drums and vocals. Chris – bass, guitars, and vocals, Greg – guitars, and of course myself, guitars, bass, and lead vocals. We are no stranger to the recording studio and have been recording music since our childhood. If memory serves, our first song was recorded in a small studio in Sayreville, NJ back in 1983. Our fourth CD is now being recorded at Red Room studios in Tampa.
We are performers. We have performed live music for over thirty years. Our first show was at a battle of the bands and our last performance was at a palooza party a few months back. We have performed across the country from small venues to well known establishments. We have performed in front of family, friends, and AR executives. We’ve done the club circuit. We’ve played through a monsoon. We’ve played everywhere from isolated islands to radio stations (both live and recorded). We will continue to perform and entertain family and friends until we can’t play any longer.
Finally, we are rock and roll. If you were looking for the ingredients that make-up the inspiration of our music, look at the classics. Take a cup of The Beatles, a dash of Nirvana, a pinch of Kiss, and a splash of Pearl Jam. Marinate that with a mixture of Queen and Van Halen, and blend it all together with some Led Zeppelin. Pour that in a pan and place it in the oven. This last step is important, make sure you let it bake for about thirty years. The result of this delicious combination is who we are and the meal is called Koncrete Kite.
So, there you have it. Koncrete Kite is a rock band consisting of brothers. I guess I could have said that from the beginning, but as you might have surmised by looking at my career track record, I tend to drag things out. If anyone reading this is interested in sampling some music, or obtaining a CD, please let me know. I’m always happy to oblige with a slice of banana bread.
The Creation of Worlds – J. A. Bove
In the beginning …
Where would we, true believers of fantasy and sci-fi, be without the worlds we live in? Whether you’re talking
about life on Middle Earth, Pandora, or Tatooine, each one of these wonderfully created planets help to take us away from the mundane and into the spectacular. Who among us didn’t imagine sharing a pint with the hobbits at The Prancing Pony, or joining Luke and Han in the Mos Eisley Cantina? I know I certainly have. The only difference was that when I was there, I was the dashing hero, getting drinks on the house, and turning down advances from all the ladies, err hobbits, and space aliens, but I digress. The point being, without the creation of these truly imaginative worlds, there would be no fantasy.
Imagine Harry Potter, not going to Hogswart, but to Harvard. Instead of taking a train departing from platform 9 ¾, he’d pull up to school in an old Volkswagen Beetle. Or imagine how you would feel if I told you that Batman didn’t drive the bat mobile and he didn’t have a secret bat cave. No, instead he drove a Hummer (he still is Batman after all) and his secret lair was a warehouse somewhere in Newark, New Jersey. Does this work for you? If so, you’re reading the wrong type of novels. It certainly doesn’t work for me. When I look to escape, I don’t want to see something that I can find right outside my window. I want to be taken to a world of mystery and explore the unknown.
One of the things that inspired me to write my novel, Mayhem’s Fountain, was being able to create a world of my own. Now granted, I kept my world on good old mother earth, but I placed my world undersea. Inspired by the master originator, Plato, I decided to tackle the mythical city of Atlantis itself. In creating my world, I wasn’t interested in trying to create some lost ancient civilization that perished ‘in a single day and night of misfortune’. No, I wanted to create a living, thriving civilization filled with mermaids and mermen that not only existed, but also dominated the seven seas. I devoted myself into taking you into the lives of the Atlanteans as they live and breathe, (yes, they breathe). I did my best to bring you into their world, to show you how it would feel to cross an Atlantean.
Who am I to take such liberties? Why, I’m just like you … a fan of the genre with a wild imagination. As a matter of fact, most of my stories originate from my dreams, and boy do I have some wild dreams. No, I’m not trying to imitate the great J. R.R. Tolkien, George R. R. Martin, or even J. K. Rowling, although I do admire them all greatly. I’ll be the first to admit that I was truly inspired by their work. That stated, I’m just another fan of the written word trying to do his best at capturing an audience that has an interest in the lost city. A tale, in my opinion that has been long overdue of a remake for quite some time.
Thrones is King – J. A. Bove
Now, I’m not one to say I told you so, am I? No, I don’t think I am, but when I first heard that HBO was going to
bring the Starks and Lannisters to television in their new series entitled ‘Game of Thrones’ based off the George R. R. Martin ‘A Song of Ice and Fire’ saga, I told everyone I knew to watch it. Now, most people who know me know that I’m sort of a fantasy geek. I received a few half hearted, yeah sure, or I guess there’s nothing else to watch right now, so – eh I’ll give it a try. To all of you who gave this show a chance I say, you’re welcome. This is by far one of the best new shows to hit television since LOST.
HBO, in my opinion, does an incredible job in creating their series from True Blood, to The Sopranos, from Rome, to Thrones; they certainly don’t skimp on the production of these programs. You know the acting will always be incredible, the scenery will be spot on, and the scores are always fantastic. What I liked most about this particular series though, was that unlike many other novels turned to television, they kept true to the story. Bravo HBO, bravo Mr. Martin.
I’m sure it was a difficult decision in casting and keeping Sean Bean as Ned Stark. He was the most recognized name in the program, but as many of Ned’s fans knew, he wouldn’t see the end of season one. True to form, he didn’t. I was both saddened and pleased by this. Saddened to lose such a talent on the show in only season one but pleased to know that they would keep the story line of the novels in tact. From the first moment I saw Mr. Bean cast as Ned Stark, I thought he was a perfect fit for the role. Who better to bring some legitimacy to this new fantasy series than a ringer from the Lord of the Rings? Alas, as in Rings to Thrones, he was an impactful character that unfortunately, due to the story line, had made too early an exit on both projects.
This was why I first fell in love with this series – it was completely unpredictable. Who else would kill off the main protagonist in the first novel, or in this case, season one. That’s unheard of, that’s Thrones. I continue to believe that after the master J. R. R. Tolkien himself, Mr. Martin is by far the best fantasy writer of this generation. The newest book in the series is to be released July 12th entitled ‘A Dance with Dragons’ and to anyone who enjoyed this series, I recommend getting the book. My only caveat, don’t read it until you’re all caught up. You have to read three others in this series before you should read Dragons. After Thrones came ‘A Clash of Kings’, then ‘A Storm of Swords’ (my personal favorite) and finally ‘A Feast for Crows’.
The bad news for those of you wanting to catch up quickly is that each book is roughly a thousand pages, but considering the next season isn’t for another ten months, you’ll have a lot of time to catch up. The good news is that with the support of all my fantasy brethren, there’s four more seasons to go. Awesome! So if you haven’t yet seen the series and are one of those people who like to wait for DVD, don’t wait, watch it now on demand. The program will amaze, stun, and possibly even arouse you, but most importantly, it will entertain you, and isn’t that the point?
Butter Beer, Yum – J.A. Bove
It’s almost embarrassing for me to admit that it’s taken this long, but I finally got around to visiting Harry Potter
and his friends at Universal’s Islands of Adventure in Orlando Florida last weekend. Why is it embarrassing? Beyond being a big fan of the story, I live in Tampa, which is only an hour’s drive away. Was it worth the trip? Let’s face it; anytime you get an opportunity to visit the Island of Adventure, it’s worth the trip.
We arrived Friday night and stayed at the Portofino Bay Hotel, one of the three hotels on the premises. In my opinion, it’s the best of the three. The room was beautiful with a view overlooking the bay. The staff couldn’t have been friendlier. Granted, it may take a little longer to get to the park from there than from The Hard Rock, but with the boat ride over, you really don’t mind.
One of the benefits at staying at one of the Universal hotels is that they offer you a fast pass to all the rides, for you and your entire family. The only exception for the fast pass is, you guessed it, Harry Potter. The consolation for no fast pass through Hogwarts is that they allow you to enter the park an hour before it opens to the public, so there shouldn’t be any wait when you arrive. Awesome, I’m all about no waiting. One flaw with that invitation, you’ve got to get up early, and I’ve got a bad case of insomnia. A seven a.m. wake-up call is a lot to ask for on the weekend. No worries, I’m with the wife and kids, so it shouldn’t be a problem.
Boy was I wrong, didn’t sleep a wink. Don’t know why, but I can never sleep in a strange bed. To my wife’s credit, she tried to get me going, but the thought of spending an entire day at the park without any sleep was more than I could bear. We arrived at ten. No problem, it’s still early I said, how bad could it be?
We entered the park, and the first thing that struck me was that the park wasn’t packed. Maybe it was the fact that it was close to 100 degrees in the shade, but it was still pretty early and the lines to enter were growing. We glanced at Superhero land, and walked through Dr. Seuss land, and still, the park looked light. I thought we were in luck. I got to sleep in late and the park was empty. Look out wizards, the muggles are coming. Hey look, there’s the entrance to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter straight ahead. I’m excited, can’t wait to go on these rides.
I turn the corner and my face dropped. If we were playing hide and seek, I just won. I found everyone in the park waiting for me to arrive, and they saved me a spot at the entrance. Phew, did I mention it was hot out? Okay, good sprits, two hours sleep, I could do this. Let’s go on the Dragon Challenge; no wait, it’s a two and a half hour wait. Ok, let’s go visit some of the shops. Hey look, it’s Ollivanders …what, standing room only you say, occupancy full you say, okay, let’s not. I know, let’s try one of those world famous butter beers that everyone appears to be enjoying. Where’s the stand … about a thirty-minute wait in front of you. Feel enthusiasm fading … must stay excited. Who was I kidding this was going to be a long day.
Due to the heat and dehydration we decided we would only wait on one line, but which one, they’re all so long. I was told the best ride was Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. Now I heard from many a friend that this ride would be worth the wait, so we waited, and waited, and an hour and some change later we waited some more. We went from the entrance inside, quickly back outside, through a tangled line of people (saw a poor little girl collapsed on the floor crying) and continued to soldier on in the heat, up stairs, and without much protection from the sun. Ahh … could it be? Yes, I think we’ve reached it. Success, we’re in the castle. From here on was only about another twenty-minute wait.
Now the only thing that truly concerned me was that I was with my seven year old daughter who made it very clear to me that she did not want to go on this ride. I know what you’re thinking; I’m not that mean, she didn’t want to go on any other ride either, with the exception of anything from Seuseville. That aside, I had other patient children and a wife who did want to go on the ride, so I made a deal. I told her that I would sit right beside her and if she got scared, to just lean against my side and close her eyes.
I’m nervous. I was under the impression that this ride might be like Spiderman, or the Simpson’s … it wasn’t. The chair pulled-up and we had a seat, but were immediately separated by a thin wall that came between us. She leaned over and I saw the concern in her eyes. I grabbed her hand and reassured her that I’m right here. I reminded her to close her eyes if she got scared. Boom! We’re off like a shot. The ride moved very much like a roller coaster, nothing compared to the simulators I expected.
First up, a dragon. No, not a friendly dragon, mind you, a dragon with flames and smoke. A couple of wild rolls, chasing Harry on his broom, and we’re off to the woods. Hooray, giant spiders! Can this ride get any scarier? Why yes, it can. Some more rolls and twists and hey look, it’s the dementors, (please tell me your eyes are shut). I don’t recall much after this point; I could only imagine the therapy my child would have to endure because daddy had to go on the Harry Potter ride.
Long story short, we exited the ride and I looked at my daughter with concern. I didn’t want to make the first move, because I thought it might cause a reaction, so I squeezed her hand and said it’s all over. To my surprise she didn’t cry. I asked if everything was all right and she immediate told me she would not go on another scary ride for the rest of the day. Luckily, she did as I asked and had her eyes closed the entire ride. Thank God.
Now in defense of this ride, if it were just the wife, and myself I would have loved it. Nothing makes you feel like you’re in the movie more than this ride and this entire themed area of the park. I would highly recommend it to anyone who’s a fan of the series. Universal did an incredible job. There’s a reason everyone in the park waited to enter this attraction. We eventually grabbed some butter beer (cream soda and vanilla ice cream?) and it was delicious. So to all curious, go and enjoy. Get some butter beer and put your Hogwarts cloak on (other’s did). Just make sure to get a good night sleep, come early, and maybe wait until it cools off a little. If not, enjoy the butter beer. My son loved it.
X-Men: First Class is X-cellent – J. A. Bove
I recently saw the latest installment of X-Men films entitled X-Men: First Class, starring James McAvoy, as
Charles Xavier and Michael Fassbender, as his frenemy, Erik Lensherr, a.k.a. Magneto and I must admit that I was pleasantly surprised. When I first heard that Marvel was doing another installment of the X-Men series I wasn’t too excited. I thought the last X-Men movie: The Last Stand was decent, but the series felt played out. The, us vs. the world, mentality had built over the past few movies and culminated in a battle of good mutants vs. evil in where Logan’s love of Jean Grey triumphed all and helped to save the day for mankind. End scene, end series. Good run, but how do you build on that?
Why you go back forty-nine years and show us how it all began. Ah, an interesting twist you say, tell me more, you say. All right I will. If any of you have been reluctant to watch the X-Men trilogy released between 2000-2006, because you felt you didn’t know the characters, or understand why they became the way they became, this movie is for you. This is finally your chance to get in on the ground level. No more unanswered questions, no more wondering whose side to take, no more asking: why is he like this, and how did he become like that, etc. This movie answers all those questions and more. Below is my top five list of best-unanswered questions revealed in the X-men: First Class.
*Spoiler alert, if you have not seen the movie and would rather not have these unanswered questions revealed, then stop reading and go see the movie.
How did Charles Xavier become paralyzed? He was shot in the back by a stray bullet deflected off of Magneto. Next.
What put a strain on the relationship between Magneto and Xavier? They seemed like such good friends, and throughout every movie, they always shared a mutual respect toward one another. Then why the love hate relationship? Oddly enough, it wasn’t the bullet. Short answer – Xavier loves mankind, Magneto (Erik), not so much. It’s complicated. Okay then, well that begs the next question.
Why does Magneto hate humans? You would originally think it was because the Nazi’s took his parents away from him and placed him in a concentration camp, but no, that was only the beginning. It wasn’t until his mother was shot in front of him that he finally snapped. I find it odd though, that it was actually a mutant who killed his mother, not a human. Regardless, it certainly didn’t help mankind’s cause when instead of thanking him for saving the world from World War III (Kennedy who?) they shot a hundred missiles in his direction with the intent of wiping him off the face of the world. Bad politics.
Where did Xavier get the school for the X-Men? You ever notice that huge mansion all the mutants get to hang out in … how could you not? That place is pretty awesome. Well apparently Xavier’s parents were loaded (and also rich). The school was actually his childhood home. They never did go into what happened to his parents, or how the made their money, but this kid had it all (even a blue girlfriend).
Why are they called the X-Men? This one seems rather obvious, but for some reason I didn’t place it together until it was mentioned in the movie. They’re called the X-Men, because they’re Xavier’s men (and women). Duh to me, but admit it, you didn’t know either until I just told you.
So there you have it, five unanswered questions answers in one short blog. Now I know many of you may still have a number of questions out there, but why spoil the entire movie. Go see it for yourself and be the judge. You’ll discover that Charles, (when he had hair and could walk), was quite the ladies man. You’ll also be impressed to know that Magneto is fluent in at least four languages. Finally, you can show-off to your friends when you explain to them that it wasn’t Kennedy who thwarted the Cuban missile crisis, it was the X-Men. You’ll even see a surprise cameo. Who? C’mon, I don’t want to give everything away. Let’s just say he had a great line that my son enjoyed repeating. My bottom line: X-Men First Class, best of the group.
Mayhem vs. Sparrow – J. A. Bove
Well, I guess I put it off long enough, but over the weekend, I finally decided to go and see the fourth edition of
Pirates of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides starring Johnny Depp, Ian McShane, and Penelope Cruz. Why was I so resistant to see this movie? Hmm … how should I put this? In almost one hundred years of making films, I have never seen, or heard of a movie that combined, pirates, mermaids, and the fountain of youth all in the same story line. Surprise, there is now.
Why should this bother me you ask? Well, it just so happens that my novel, Mayhem’s Fountain, (released in November 2010) also shares those exact same elements. You could imagine my despair when I first saw the trailer to this movie. At first I was intrigued. I thought another Pirates film, okay, big fan of Johnny Depp. I certainly enjoyed the first movie Then, I saw the mermaids, and thought, damn, someone else is finally tapping into this long forgotten market. Finally, I saw their pursuit of the Fountain of Youth and I thought, are you kidding me? I mean, what are the odds?
Okay, I admit it, this was quite a blow. My initial fear was that anyone who heard of my novel would assume that I took a page out of this movie and I felt devastated. Then I thought, you know, just because we share the same elements, it’s not necessarily a bad thing. Look at the vampire market. Anyone who’s seen Twilight and True Blood would have to agree with this assessment. Let’s face it, same elements, but a completely different feel. If this is the case, then my novel should be all right. I consider my story more like True Blood and consider Pirates 4 more like Twilight. Now, since I’m a fan of lists, I give you my top five reasons (10 is too mainstream) why my novel Mayhem’s Fountain is nothing like On Stranger Tides.
Mermaids: This was the element of biggest concern for me, because it is the essence of my novel. I’m very pleased to say that our image of a mermaid was significantly different. While I try and portray the Atlanteans as almost super-human beings who live under the ocean, they are exactly that – human beings. The fins they wear while in the ocean are no more than swimming aids. They live, eat, and breathe as any other human would, just with more capacity. The mermaids portrayed in the pirate’s movie views them more as vampires than sea creatures. There aren’t any mermen, just mermaids, and they thrive on eating humans. My mermaids don’t eat humans, they may detest anyone from the upper world, but they would never eat them. Not cannibals – check.
The Fountain of Youth: This was another area of great concern, because both of our stories are centered around the Fountain of Youth in some way. In Mayhem’s Fountain, the Fountain of Youth is represented as a well, centered in the middle of St. Augustine, being used daily for healing purposes by the locals in order to cure whatever ails them. In Pirate’s IV, the fountain is almost placed in another dimension, and the only way to get there is by way of some ancient ritual involving mermaid tears, and silver goblets. Once there, the only way to consume the water is to use this ritual and sacrifice humans. I don’t sacrifice humans. I share the water equally to anyone who cares to imbibe in its healing powers. No human sacrifice – check.
Pirates – This is where your characters define your story. Captain Jack Sparrow, played by Johnny Depp, is an icon that could never be duplicated. He’s aloof, whimsical, and certainly very entertaining, but is he a true captain? Sure, he’s entertained millions of followers over the past 8 years, but does he have the qualities you would expect to find in a captain? Me personally, I think Ian McShane’s portrayal of Blackbeard was far more on point. Regardless, this is Disney, and this is Hollywood, therefore Captain Jack is the hero of this trilogy plus one. My novel’s protagonist, Captain Cornelius Mayhem is nothing like Jack Sparrow. He cares for his crew like his family, has a moral compass, and tends to want to do what’s right. Is my version of a pirate captain what you would expect to find, probably not, but my captain doesn’t wear eyeliner. No woman’s make-up on captain –check.
The New World: As mentioned earlier, both stories take you to the Fountain of Youth, and if history tells us anything of this myth, the Fountain was discovered in St. Augustine. In the pirate’s movie, you go to the new world, with its lush vegetation, huge waterfalls (are we in Florida), and of course an abandoned ship on top of a cliff. How it got on top of the cliff I have no idea. In my novel, I give you a land filled with the natives of the land, fighting to take back what was theirs from the invaders. You meet the inhabitants, see into their lives, and feel their pain. I too bring you into the jungles of Florida, but I make you feel the heat. Granted, I don’t have any abandoned ships hanging from a cliff, but I do have Sasquatch. No ship hangers – check.
Story Line: Finally and most importantly, you get to the story line. Disney is Disney and they’re so successful because they have a formula that works and they stick to it. While I may not think the storyline to the latest pirate movie was that great, my son appeared to have enjoyed himself, so mission accomplished. My story on the other hand was not written to entertain children, it was written for the adult fantasy fan; therefore I can’t make an apple to apples comparison.
Bottom line, I think you have the elements for a great story in either case and the beauty of using these elements are that they are universally known. I’m pleased to see the Atlantean, or mermaid come back to glory, and frankly I think it’s a myth that’s been long overdue for an overhaul. If you’re looking to spend some time with your child and like be entertained by the big screen, go see On Stranger Tides, it’s an enjoyable movie. If, on the other hand, you’re looking to be entertained by the written word and have an interest in the subject matter stated above, give my book a try. I would love to hear your comments.
The Borgias (Season One) – J. A. Bove
Showtime recently wrapped up their first season of the The Borgias (created by Neil
New Showtime Series
Jordan) and I thought it was an intriguing show. I had to admit, either through lack of education, or ignorance that I was not all too familiar with the Borgia family history. I am though a person of faith, so I was quite interested in watching Showtime’s version of how they portrayed the history of the papal office back in 1492.
Considering that Showtime recently concluded a very successful series in The Tudors (starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers) back in April of 2010, I’m sure they were anxious to get involved in another historical piece involving a controversial family. I was a big fan of The Tudors therefore I was eager to watch this new series. As to my opinion, I’m still on the fence. I thought the series started off a little slow, but it certainly picked up some steam along the way.
The main character in the story is based off of Pope Alexander VI, or Rodrigo Borgia, played by Jeremy Irons (1990 Academy Award winner for Best Actor in Reversal of Fortune). If this story is factually correct, then this was a very corrupt person. To think that a person of this caliber could rise up and become a Pope is very disturbing. Then again, thinking about the number of scandals involving priests and politicians these days, it’s not that hard to imagine.
Long story short, Showtime portrays Pope Alexander VI as a man who (to name a few) was guilty of adultery, greed, lust, nepotism, simony … I could go on, but I think you get the picture, not very Pope like. This was a man who desired power and riches more than any other trait, and from what I recall in the good book, not good qualities to have. ‘It’s easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle‘, etc. His children appear to lust after one another, if not everyone else, and the family of cardinals despise him. If not for his effective diplomacy and political skills, his reign would have been short lived.
Showtime does a superb job in creating their series, whether it’s their detail to historical accuracy, or their musical scores, you immediately feel drawn into the program. The scenery is spectacular and captures the appropriate time period and of course, the costumes always appear authentic. I also applaud their effort in introducing new actors (to me at least) into production, from Holliday Grainger, as Lucrezia Borgia, to Francois Arnaud, as Cesare Borgia. Very capable actors who truly get into their roles and make their characters believable.
If you’re looking for a convincing historical portrayal of another contentious family, this series is for you. As they say in the promos, sex, murder, etc. If you’re hoping to capture The Tudors Part 2, you may be a bit disappointed. I know it’s hard to make an apples to apples comparisons (only one season vs. four), but for me, at least, it hasn’t measured up to my expectations just yet. Granted, I’m only basing this on eight programs (seems a bit short), but compared to season one of the Tudors, it lacks that punch. King Henry was quite the character and a tough act to follow. That said, I’m looking forward to seeing season two of this series to see if Pope Borgia can push me over the fence.
Awaken from the Odinsleep – J. A. Bove
Summer blockbuster-time is back! And what better way to open the season than with a classic superhero adventure. The latest installment comes from Marvel (my personal preference over DC, but let’s not go there, that’s another argument). Thor opened in theaters last Friday, and of course, I was there to welcome him to the Tampa Bay area. You can imagine my surprise when I found my father in the theater waiting as well. The love of adventure apparently runs deep in the Bove family.
The latest superhero to grace the silver screen is Thor, the Norse God of Thunder, played by Chris Hemsworth. The movie also starred some other well-known Oscar worthy actors such as Naboo native, Natalie Portman, and I’ll eat your face, Anthony Hannibal-Hopkins. Did I mention this was a superhero movie? How cool is that? When was the last time you saw a couple of Oscar nominated performers doing a superhero movie? Fantasy is finally getting legit!
I had to admit, when I first heard that Marvel was going to bring Thor to the big screen, I had to scratch my head. Granted, I’m a fan of the comic, but I wasn’t sure of the crossover appeal to the general public. Let’s face it, he’s not as kid friendly as Spidy and Iron Man, he’s a bit more mature. If the masses have anything to say about it though, he was a huge success. According to IMDB figures the movie has already grossed over $60 million (within a week of its release).
Without giving away any spoilers, I will admit that I was both pleasantly surprised, and slightly disappointed at the same time (if that’s possible). Of course, I had to see the film on IMAX (nothing screams hero more than IMAX-3D) and the graphics were amazing. It’s definitely worth your while to stick around to the end and watch the universe flow in 3D as the credits fly by. The scenery was incredible, and the costumes were not over the top.
As far as the acting was concerned, I thought everyone came to play. Natalie Portman has truly become a fantasy/sci-fi favorite. Even newcomer, Chris Hemsworth, did a solid job (showed a good sense of humor). He looked a little younger than I thought Thor should be, but he carried the role well. The only role I had a problem with was Loki. Not that the actor did a bad job, as a matter of fact I thought Tom Hiddleston did a great job with the part given to him. I just thought the Loki character could have been more evil and devious than they portrayed. Instead you received a bad guy with daddy issues.
Was the movie true to the comic form? For the most part yes, but let’s face it, when Hollywood gets involved, things tend to glamor up a bit. I thought Asgard was a bit more Star Wars than Norse Mythology, but creative none-the-less. Did the story make a whole lot of sense? Eh. Did I care? Not really. I went with one mission in mind and that was to be entertained, and entertained I was.
Up next I think is yet another X-Men film, or The Green lantern. I’m not sure. I may just wait on those films (so much to see, see little time to see it). The movie I’m truly looking forward to viewing this summer is Captain America. This character is long over due for a re-make. If Thor is any indication of what to expect from Marvel going forward, then I’m enthused.
In the end, I thought this was a good start to the season. Granted it may not have posted as well as Spider Man, or Batman, but Thor clearly had a tougher crowd to win over. If you’re looking for a solid story line, you can wait for the Blu-Ray disk, (wow, I said Blu-Ray, not DVD). If on the other hand, you’re looking to escape, then you won’t be disappointed. I look forward to Thor 2. For Asgard!
And I Love Her – J. A. Bove
Meeting with fans at festival
Well, I’m back from California. What a journey, what an experience. As many of you know I recently attended the L. A. Times Festival of Books, hosted by the University of Southern California (USC). The event was a tremendous success and I wanted to thank each and every one of you who came out to visit with me. I truly enjoyed speaking with you all. You only helped to confirm my belief that the Fantasy Fan is the greatest fan of all.
Where to begin? Without boring you with all the minute details, I will only highlight the specific experiences that came to mind. My trip was pleasant. The flight arrived on time (thanks Continental …err United), I got to watch 2 movies during the flight (The Tourist, and Gulliver’s Travels … eh and huh), and the weather was gorgeous. This was my first trip to Los Angels in more than thirty years, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. I had high expectations, but granted, I come from Tampa, so it’ll take more than palm tress and beaches to impress me.
Well, we didn’t start off on the right foot. Now maybe I caught the terminal on a bad day, but from where I arrived, the place was a disaster. LAX was kind enough to say ‘Sorry, please excuse our mess’, but man did they understate our mess. It looked as if the place was stripped bare – walls, floors, everything. Okay, no problem, trying to better themselves. Don’t judge a book by its cover and all.
We got our bags and hailed a cab. The man hailing the cab appeared nice enough until he opened his mouth, cursed like a sailor. Am I in the city of angles? Maybe he was just having a bad day. Beyond the cabbie that thought he was Jeff Gordon at the Daytona 500, this was the worst of what I experienced on my journey.
The morning of the event I couldn’t sleep. I woke around 5:00 and thought about everything wrong that could possibly happen. What if it rained? What if the people didn’t like the idea? Dread the thought … what if nobody showed up?
I eventually went to get some breakfast with my wife. No rain, not even a cloud in the sky. Check that fear off my list. I sat outside on the balcony and sipped coffee as I stared out at the boats docked in the marina. I wished I could sail away. No, stay focused. I have work to do. After a quick bite and some pleasant conversation, I had to admit, I started to feel a little better about the day.
We hailed a cab and drove to USC. The first song I heard as we pulled away from the hotel was the Beatles, ‘And I Love Her’. Awesome, my favorite band! This is a good sign. The weather kept true to form and there was no traffic on the way to the campus. Yes, this would be a good day. We were dropped off at the entrance of the festival and you could feel the excitement in the air.
We arrived an hour earlier than anticipated (concierge over exaggerated the time and distance), but that was okay. I didn’t want to chance being late, and I wanted to get the lay of the land. By then there were already hundreds of people at the festival with many more arriving. My confidence grew, but that was short lived.
The first thing you realize when you enter an event like this is that there are hundreds of booths in attendance, and everyone in those booths are trying to sell you something. To make matters worse, the gentleman who occupied the booth before me had no one visiting him. Panic started to set-in. What did I do? What was I thinking? Why did I come here? Thank God for my wife. She saw the doubt grow in my eyes and she took control. She simply told me to do what I had to do and she would take care of the rest.
It was now 11:30, show time. I went into my booth and felt despair for the author departing, as he carried away two bags full of books. I looked at the table in front of me and saw seventy-five books sitting there waiting for me to sign. My first thought was, seventy-five books? How was I going to carry home seventy-five books? My wife looked at me and told me to have fun. She grabbed a handful of books and started working the crowd.
It wasn’t long before the first person showed up. Thank you, God! One down, seventy-four to go. Another person then showed with a few friends … okay, this is getting a little easier. The next thing I knew, there was a line of people waiting for me to sign their book. I was blown away! They were very respectful, asked wonderful questions, and were true fans of the genre.
In the end, I signed all seventy-five books in less than an hour and I didn’t have to twiddle my thumbs. I actually had to apologize to people looking for a book. Now I wished the publisher had brought more – regardless, great relief. That in a nutshell was my experience.
What’s next? Well, for starters, it’s time to stop marketing and time to get back to writing the next novel. For all those who received a book, I hope you enjoy. To those others who spoke with me and didn’t receive one, please visit my sight, I will try and accommodate you the best I can. As for the experience, I will simply say to anyone considering doing this – do it. All you need is a willingness to take a chance in life, and some loving support. You may be pleasantly surprised.
Going to California
“Made up my mind to make a new start, Going To California with an aching in my heart.”
Ah, what a great song, by a great band. For those who don’t know what I’m referring to, ‘Going to California’ was one of the many classic songs recorded on the untitled, Led Zeppelin 4 album. Although not nearly as famous as the other many hits like Stairway to Heaven, Rock-n-roll, or Black Dog, Cali was one of my favorites. The song has such a pretty melody – beautiful guitars. Don’t pay too much attention to the words I posted in the intro, I just wanted to put the song in your head.
Yes, my friends, I’m going out to California this Saturday for my first official book signing. Excited – heck yeah! Nervous – heck yeah! Expectations … unclear. I’ve never been to a book signing before, let alone, sign books for others. I plan on attending the L.A. Times Festival of Books this Saturday from 11:30-12:30 and I hope to see you there. The weekend long festival takes place on the University of Southern California (USC) campus in always exciting Los Angeles. Attendance is free, and it promises to be a very busy weekend.
What do I hope to accomplish on this amazing journey? Not sure, but one thing I do know is that I want to meet the fans of the fantasy genre. Whether you like hobbits, or wookies, muggles, or vampires, I want to meet you. Who better to converse with on the topic of Atlantis, mermaids, and dare I say … Sasquatch. I wrote this book for you, fantasy fan. Granted, I know the event may not be as exciting as a Comic-con, but I’m hopeful to meet some colorful characters to re-hash an old subject in a new light. Maybe I should hire a mermaid to stand by my side … that’ll get your attention.
Regardless of the outcome of the event, I plan on having a good time. It should be quite the experience. Who knows if, or when I’ll ever do another book signing. The only thing I think could rain on my parade is, well actual rain during my signing, it is an outdoor event after all. I just don’t want to sit there and twiddle my thumbs together for an hour. Please don’t let me twiddle my thumbs together for an hour. Then again, water would fit into the theme of my book, so if the forecast does happen to call for rain, then maybe I will hire that mermaid.
For more details on where to find me, please visit my website. I’ll return next week with an update of the event, how the experience went, and if I ever hired that mermaid. I got to admit, the more I mention it, the more appealing it sounds.
“Standing on a hill in my mountain of dreams, Telling myself it’s not as hard, hard, hard as it seems.”
Who You Gonna Call … Not Me
Are you a fan of the paranormal? Do you enjoy ghost-chasing shows? If so, you’ve probably seen either Ghost Hunters or Ghost Adventures at some time or another. Both shows are extremely popular and offer numerous experiences in how they contact and deal with the paranormal. Being a fan of both programs, I wish they teamed up, even if it were for only one show. You could call it the Ghost Hunting Adventures Variety Hour starring J.Z., (Jay and Zak) and they could investigate a well known haunting on Halloween weekend. Now that’s entertainment.
I know both shows had the opportunity to investigate the Stanley Hotel in Colorado and yes, both had their own share of personal experiences. Well, yours truly also had a recent stay in Colorado, (albeit not at the Stanley Hotel), and came away with some personal experiences of my own. Let me premise this by saying that I don’t know the first thing about investigating hauntings, and I don’t own an e.m.f. detector, or any other scientific equipment. Frankly, if you tell me the room I’m staying in is haunted, I’d tell you I’d like another room please. That said, this is my experience.
Living in Florida, my kids have never seen snow, so we were on a quest to find some – snow that is, not ghosts. We flew out to Colorado in late December, thinking this may be our best opportunity, and landed in Denver. No snow. What? Don’t panic yet; we haven’t reached our final destination. I rented a car and we drove up into the mountains, right smack into a blizzard. Yeah? Be careful what you wish for. While my wife and children were ecstatic, I was holding on to the wheel with white knuckles trying to keep control of this car going up and down the slippery slopes. I don’t know if it was bravado, or ignorance that led me on as I saw many others pull off on to the shoulder, but I didn’t want to get stranded. I had to reach the hotel. We had snow angels to make!
After two very stressful, but beautiful hours, we arrived at our hotel and checked into a suite. The kids couldn’t wait to go outdoors, but we had to get into our gear. We arrived at the room and when you first opened the doors it immediately brought you into the kitchen, which also opened up to the living room. To the right of the living room was the master bedroom, and to the left was the guest room. Pretty basic, but the bedrooms were separated, the suite was spacious, and the view was magnificent. All in all, we were pleased, and within moments, we exited the room to go outside. Bring on the snow!
Night one. This was the only one that I personally didn’t experience, so you’ll have to take my wife’s word for it. It had been a long day and we were all pretty exhausted, so we went to bed at a decent hour. My wife awoke in the early morning hours due to a bright light that was apparently examining me. When she rolled over, the light flashed into her face, gave her a quick once over, and then went immediately back to me. Before long, it went out. She didn’t think much of it, because she thought the kids were playing a joke.
In the morning she asked which one had entered our room during the night and who had the flashlight. Their blank stares and answers told us that they were all sound asleep. No one had entered our room during the night and I know I certainly didn’t pack a flashlight.
Night two. Ok, we decided to write the previous night off to fatigued. After all, it was early in the morning, and maybe she was still half asleep. Well, after another long, exhausting day on the mountain we closed the night with some dinner and a movie in the living room. Movie done, lights out, kids to bed. This time, I was awoken around three am by the sound of the television in the living room blasting on full volume. I know what you’re thinking, a kid got up, turned on the TV, heard the noise, and in a panic, ran back into their room. I thought the same thing.
So I yelled for them to turn the volume down. After no response, I got up and went into the living room. All the lights were out, but the television was on. I turned the television off and checked in on the kids. They were all sound asleep. How they can sleep
through all that commotion was beyond me, but I assure you, they were asleep. In the morning I asked once again, who turned the TV on late last night? My reply was the same as the day before, not me looks staring me in the face. Hmm.
Night three. By now, my wife and I are kind of half joking about having an unwanted visitor in the room, but I shrugged it off thinking, no, you only see that stuff on TV, it’s not real … is it? This time I went to bed much later than usual, waiting for our unwanted friend to arrive. I wanted to solve this mystery once and for all. I would finally be able to tell if it were the kids playing tricks on us, or if it were something else.
I stayed up pretty late that night, waiting and waiting, until finally exhausted, I fell asleep. My wife and I were both awoken the next morning around five am with the sound of our shower turning on. What? C’mon. No, it’s true. We both looked at one another and then looked in the bathroom. We asked who was in there and the water suddenly turned off. I got up to look around and the room was empty. Ok, now I’m convinced, this room is haunted.
Now the normal person in this scenario would have probably checked out of the room by now, but not me, no. I was stubborn. I wasn’t going to be kicked out of my room by some stupid ghost. Plus I only had one more night to go before we left this hotel and moved on to another. Not to mention the fact that I didn’t want to freak out my children. I decided to tough it out. What a mistake that was.
Night four. This night was pure torture. For starters, it was a weird day of happenstances. The lights would turn on and off at will. The radio would turn on and when I went to shut it off, it would continue to play. There were also sporadic temperature drops that would happen throughout the day in a well-heated room. By the time I had to go to bed, I was on edge. This night I wanted to go to sleep. I didn’t want to see what my friend had in store for me. Try as I might though, I couldn’t sleep.
Now I admit, I’m an insomniac, but by now it’s around four in the morning and nothing had happened – nothing. I tossed and turned, waiting, just waiting for something to occur. The anticipation was killing me. Will it be the lights, the TV, the water, how was it going to mess with me tonight? Nothing? Are you kidding me? I stayed up all night and nothing happened? Relief, I guess. Disappointment, not really. Sleepless in Colorado, most definitely.
We checked out of the room the next morning and drove back to Denver. We were out of the mountains, away from the snow, and removed from my frenemy. The wife and I decided we wouldn’t mention anything to the kids until we were back in our home sweet home in sunny Florida, but they did share some pretty questionable experiences of their own to me. I simply shrugged it off and said they must have been dreaming. Do I think the room I stayed in was haunted? I don’t know. Did I encounter some unexplainable experiences? Absolutely. Would I ever stay there again? No way. Maybe someday I’ll share my experience with the Ghost Hunting Adventurers, but until then, I need to watch some different shows.
And Now a Few Words from our Sponsor
Is it me, or is the amount of commercials being aired before you actually get to view a movie increasing? The other day I took my son to see Battle: Los Angeles. He’s a huge Halo fan, and we were both really looking forward to seeing this film. We knew it was recently released, so we wanted to make sure we got there early enough to get a good seat. We allowed time for traffic, getting the tickets, and buying some food, and were successfully in our seats (middle tier center baby, yeah!) fifteen minutes before the movie was scheduled to start. Great timing, or at least I thought.
The commercials of course were already playing, not actual video mind you, but photo ads, very common practice. No biggie, great time to bond with son and catch up. People were still entering the theater and everyone appeared to be in a good mood. We hold off on eating our food to make sure we have something to pick on during the movie. Then, the lights dim and they cut from the picture ads to the video ads. Most people are now talking in a low whisper and begin to shut off their cell phones. Did I just say cell phones? I think I’m dating myself.
Is it time to dig into my popcorn yet? No, be patient, the movie is scheduled to start at 7:00, it’s only 6:55, hold out five more minutes; or at least until they get to the previews. I love the previews. So I sit back and the marathon of ads begin. Hey there’s one for Coke, of course, you wouldn’t be in a movie theater if you didn’t see an ad for Coke. Speaking of which, I’m thirsty, I think I’ll have a sip of my Diet Coke … got to watch those calories. Who am I kidding, as I sit there with my large tub of popcorn filled with bunch-a-crunch (don’t judge until you try it).
Hey there’s one with a hamster, or is that a guinea pig, (I could never tell the difference), doing rap, “you can give her this, or you can give her that.” Funny, but why a hamster needs to drive a car – a Kia, no less – I’m not sure I follow the connection. And why is he singing about being a black sheep … he’ a hamster wearing a jump suit. No matter, funny, catchy jingle, stuck in my head. Alright, I’ve seen about six ads in a row, we must be getting close to the previews. I look down at my popcorn and I see that the chocolate has melted. Crap, that’ll be messy. Good thing I have my Diet Coke. By the way … condensation on the side of the cup is useful for cleaning your hands.
Ba ba bap ba baaaa, I’m loving it. Yeah, and ad for McDonald’s, haven’t seen one of those since I left the house. What I’m not loving is the wait. I look down at my watch and it’s now 7:10. What? The movie was supposed to start at 7:00. We haven’t even gotten to the previews yet … love the previews. The smell of popcorn is becoming over powering … must maintain control, ah, what’s a few pieces. I still got the whole bucket. Uh oh, now I’m thirsty. I better have another sip of my delicious Diet Coke. Whoa, soda’s almost empty … better hold out. The ads have got to end soon. The previews must be right around the corner. You know how I feel about the previews. Three more ads crawl by and I think they’re finally done.
Hooray, I made it! Preview time. The curtain draws down a touch more – dramatic, and the lights get even dimmer, and … oh wait, another coke commercial. Man, now I have to use the bathroom. I’m going to miss the previews.
I run to the lobby, use the facilities, and make it back inside. I ask my son what I missed. He tells me I only missed a few, Pirates IV, and Captain America. Damn, best ones! No worries, there will be some others to get excited about. Well about five more previews and another ten minutes and they finally wrap up all the previews. I’m sick of previews.
I look at my watch and it’s now almost 7:30. What? 7:30? The movie was supposed to start at 7:00. No matter, the curtains have drawn in yet again, and the lights are as dim as they can be. Oh, this is it, I think we’re about to begin. Another Coke commercial?!? For the love of God … wait, I think it’s ended. Yes, the ads have stopped. The movie is about to begin! Now, give me that popcorn, oh wait it’s gone.
Hooray for Fantasy
Recently it was announced that one of my favorite fantasy authors, George R. R. Martin, was going to release the latest book in his Song of Fire and Ice Saga entitled, A Dance with Dragons. I personally couldn’t be more pleased to see that he finally got around to continuing this series. I know, it was a very successful series, and I’m sure he’s been very busy, but for his fans, it was long overdue. The Fantasy community needed this.
That said, I owe George a world of thanks. He was one of my inspirations to get into the world of writing. A good friend and author of mine (no, not George) once told me years ago that it’s not good to read anything while you’re writing. The reason being, you don’t want to be influenced by that author’s style of writing. You need to have your own voice. Heeding his advice, I would only write in-between novels. This is far more difficult than you would imagine. Not writing while reading seems impossible, and it nearly is … if it’s the genre you’re writing about.
So, while George took his long hiatus between releasing books (A Feast for Crows was released back in 2005), I had plenty of time to write. Granted, I was reading, but it was more of the old classics. I read many different styles and authors from the past, ranging from Jules Verne’s A Journey to the Center of the Earth to Ernest Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea. These were great authors whom I knew I had no intention, or desire of duplicating their writing style.
This is not because I thought they were bad writers, on the contrary, I think they’re some of the greatest authors I have ever read. The problem with their writing style though is that it’s from an older generation. It was a different time and they had a different way of writing. Long gone are the authors who spent paragraphs, if not pages describing or setting up scenes to their stories. That was the time of radio and it was critically important to describe what the listener should be imagining.
Now we have the Internet and 24 hour television. The generation of today is an impatient, give it to me now audience, and I’m guilty as charged. Due to the success of Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code, readers no longer want fifty page chapters, they want five page chapters. They don’t need to know how the garden looks, they want to know what’s being said and done in the garden. Is it wrong? Not necessarily. It’s the result of getting anything you want at the click of a button versus having to wait for the release of news. People don’t want to wait, they want answers now.
Where does that leave me? Well, I’ll be frank, I’m as impatient as the next person, but I suppose I’ll have no choice but to wait until July for Mr. Martin’s latest release. Until then, I’m asking you for your help. I’m looking for the next great fantasy author to read. If anyone can recommend a fantasy author of this generation, who writes a fast paced, action packed story with great dialogue, please let me know. To the person who’s author appeals to me the most, I will send an autographed copy my novel Mayhem Fountain to their attention. So I say to you, my friends, suggest away.
Where Have All the Heroes Gone? Certainly Not on Television
Are you like me, always looking for that new, great superhero show that will capture and entertain you for seasons to come? If The Cape (NBC) is the best that television has to offer, then I suggest we keep looking. Why can’t television executives find a decent superhero program to air? Do they not understand their real audience? Is making a realistic superhero program too costly? Are good writers simply not available, or interested in writing these types of programs? Whatever the answer, fans of the comic book genre have been deeply disappointed with all the potential hits and misses that they’ve had to endure over the years.
Below, I’ve listed my Top 10 Superhero Programs that have aired on television since Batman entered the game in the late sixties. Although there have been numerous shows aired over this time frame, I’m only going to rate the shows I have actually viewed. My criteria are simple: either they had to be about a comic book superhero, or they must have possessed superhuman abilities. All cartoons were eliminated in this current ranking.
10 – The Cape (NBC): Here today, gone later today. David Lyons stars as Vince Faraday a.k.a., The Cape. Have you ever watched a show so bad that you simply viewed it for the cheese factor alone? If so, this was that show. Another way of putting it … have you ever watched something so bad that you wished it to end simply because you felt sorry for it? Again, this was that show. The show was so bad that it couldn’t even last one full season. The season finale apparently will be aired on the Internet, not television … enough said.
9 – Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman (ABC): Starring Dean Cain and Teri Hatcher. The show did manage to last four seasons, running from 1993-1997, but if anyone viewed it in the hopes of finding some Superman action, they were in for a major disappointment. This show was based more on Clark Kent and his attraction toward Lois Lane than any kind of Superman adventure. Why they chose to go this route after all the hype surrounding the show was a bit of a mystery to me. When one reads a Superman comic, they certainly don’t read it for the adventures of Lois and Clark.
8 – Smallville (WB, CW): See above, only a younger version. Now in defense of this show, it is the longest running comic book based series, now in its 10th and final season. Tom Welling stars as a young Clark Kent. Unfortunately, for me at least, this show chose the motto: no tights, no flight. Good for them, bad for superman fans once again. One viewing of this show was more than enough for this die hard superhero fan to never watch it again. Enough Lois and Clark, we already had Lois and Clark. Now we have them with pimples. They’re lucky they even made this list.
7 – Wonder Woman (ABC): Starring Lynda Carter as the one and only Wonder Woman. The show only lasted 11 episodes back in 1976, but I guess when you’re competing against Charlie’s Angles, that’s a tall order. Don’t get me wrong, Lynda was easy on the eyes, but she was no Farrah. Who of us doesn’t remember those lightning fast, bulletproof wristbands, or her golden lasso of truth … good stuff. I wonder, if only she dated Clark Kent, she might have stood a better chance.
6 – The Six Million Dollar Man (ABC): Starring Lee Majors as Steve Austin. Ah, the bionic man. This one, although maybe not your typical superhero, was a lot like Iron Man to me. Who can forget that famous wah – wah -wah – wah – wah noise he made whenever he had to use his super human strength? I still hear it in my head right now. I’ll never forget how jealous I was of him when I heard he married Farrah (see above).
5 – The Tick (Fox): The non-animated show first aired back in 2001 and starred Puddy, er, Patrick Warburton, as the Tick. I personally loved the animated series and had a lot of high hopes for this one. Unfortunately, the program was never as funny as its animated partner and the show never really took off. I think most people thought Puddy, er, Patrick would have looked better dressed as Superman than a Tick. Hey, maybe he should have dated Lois … never mind.
4 – The Greatest American Hero (ABC): William Katt played Ralph Hinkley, a reluctant superhero that received his super powers from an alien suit he managed to lose the instructions to operate. The show aired back in 1981-1983, or 2 full season. I both loved and hated this show. As a kid I used to be teased for looking like this guy, which at first I didn’t understand. I thought it was pretty cool to look like a superhero. Then I found out how much of a buffoon he really was. I loved the theme song. Believe it or not … I bet your singing this song right now, aren’t you.
3 – The Incredible Hulk (CBS): Speaking of theme songs, who among us didn’t get depressed listening to the goodbye theme as you watched Bill Bixby hitching his way out of town after his counterpart, The Hulk, managed to destroy yet another happy home. Thanks Hulk, guess I gotta move on; yet again… and I was just getting comfortable. No one looked meaner in green than Lou Ferrigno. Never understood his anger issues though. Hulk, you’re the strongest man in the world, why so angry? “Ugh, Hulk have no game. Steroids damage man parts. Hulk only have purple pants, and ladies no like moldy green complexion. Hulk smash!”
2 – Heroes: (NBC): The program was created by Tim Kring and lasted a full four seasons running from 2006-2010. I tell you, this one had real promise. I thought they finally found a program that I could enjoy for some time. They had good guys worth rooting for, a bad guy you loved to hate, and a cheerleader. What went wrong? I’ll tell you what went wrong, season one eventually had to end and they ran out of good ideas. I think once they tried to introduce a multitude of new characters all at once the audience lost interest. You no longer got to root for the people you tuned in to watch in the first place. Season two had an interesting twist, but I was gone by season three. Frankly, if not for season three and four, this would have been number one on my list.
And now for my number one … drum roll please!
1 – Batman (ABC): Starring Adam West as Batman and Burt Ward as his sidekick Robin. This show, although it only aired from 1966-1968 released 120 action packed episodes. Bap, Bam, Wham, this show had it all, action, comedy, suspense, what a wild ride. By far the best villains on any program ever released, Cat Woman (rrrr), The Riddler, The Penguin, The Joker, the list goes on and on. What about that Bat Mobile, coolest car ever. You want gadgets, what didn’t this guy have in that utility belt of his? Although I was too young to watch the show when it was first released, I do recall racing home from school just to watch the reruns. Man I wished I was Batman, he was the coolest superhero ever. I only have one question, why can’t you get this series on DVD?
Aquaman vs. Namor the Sub-Mariner
Lego Aquaman
Growing up, I admit, my first recollection of Atlantis didn’t come to me by reading Plato, or even learning about it in school, it came to me via a comic book hero named Arthur Curry, a.k.a. Aquaman. It wasn’t so much that I read many Aquaman comics books, I was more into Spiderman back then, but I do remember watching The Justice League. Yes there was Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman, but who was that hero riding the giant seahorse and talking to fish? Why that was none other than Aquaman himself.
It wasn’t long after I received my first Aquaman action figure. No, it wasn’t a doll as my sister would say, it was an action figure. You didn’t dress him up and put on pretty little outfits. You would smash him, throw him, drop him from the second floor, it was pure action. I remember taking him with me whenever I had any underwater adventures, which for me back then was either in the bathtub, or the local swimming pool. This was where I first imagined Atlantis as an actual undersea world.
Now, when it came to the comic world, both DC Comics (Aquaman), and Marvel (Namor the Sub-Mariner) did a wonderful job in exploring the idea of Atlantis in very creative ways. The most important impression they left me with was that Atlantis was indeed a thriving underwater nation that currently existed in the world we live in today. Both Aquaman and Namor were the respective rulers of their great nation; Aquaman a king and Namor a prince. But who better represented Atlantis? This is where it gets a little complicated.
Let’s start with Aquaman … talk about your identity crisis. When he was first created, it was said that his father, a famous undersea explorer discovered Atlantis. He taught his son, Arthur, how to breathe underwater and speak with sea life. From there it gets a little fuzzy. Was he the son of a common man and woman, or was Arthur’s real mother Atlanna, an outcast from Atlantis, who gave him his underwater super powers? Regardless, he viewed as the king of Atlantis. He then joined up with the famous Justice League, and from there, so many twists and re-creations of his character entered his life that now I don’t think even he would recognize himself. The last I recall, he has a spear in place of his left hand and he turned in his super hero good looks to become the Grizzly Adams of the sea. That aside, his adventures took place all over the world, and his base was in Atlantis.
Now let’s take a look at Namor the Sub-Mariner. Namor was actually born in the Atlantean empire. His father was an American sea captain, and his mother, the daughter of the Atlantean Emperor, Thakorr. He was raised in Atlantis, and later became their prince, and a warrior for their nation. He’s still around today, alternating between living there and adventuring above land. The last I recall he was seen with some pretty questionable characters and had a distaste for people who lived above the sea.
That said, both did an excellent job of representing Atlantis as a prosperous and thriving nation still in existence today. The question of who did a better job of opening up your imagination to the lost city really depends upon the character you followed closest. To me, even with all his flaws and changes, my nod still goes to Aquaman, his name said it all. Namor, not really sure how his name came about, never did it for me. I don’t think I cared much for his European style swimming trunks. This is just one man’s opinion, what do you think?
First Radio Interview
It came and went just like a blur. When my novel was published, I knew there would be some marketing implications involved with the selling of the book, so mentally I was prepared for this, but I admit, when I was told to prepare for my first radio interview, well … I’d be lying if I didn’t say I was a bit anxious. It’s not as if I was new to this sort of thing. I’ve actually done quite a few interviews and performances on the radio with my band, Koncrete Kite, in the past. But that was with my band, my brothers. This time I was going solo.
I wasn’t exactly sure how I should approach this one. Should I prepare notes, or just wing it. Being that I’m a bit of a procrastinator, I chose the latter and didn’t think much more about it until the day before the interview. Suddenly it dawned on me that I didn’t know anything about either the interviewer, or the station. Would this person toss me some softball questions about my book, or would they grill me on the subject matter? After all, who was I to write about Atlantis? What do I know about the lost city? What qualifies me to write about this topic? The seeds of doubt started growing in my mind. What if I couldn’t answer their questions?
After allowing myself a few moments to run through a number of worst-case scenarios that could possibly arise from this brief experiment in public speaking, I stopped, took a deep breath, and just relaxed. Clearly I was over analyzing this. They’re just going to ask me a few questions about my book. What was I so nervous about? I mean, I did write it, I should know the answers. It’s not like they were going to ask me to discuss the history of Atlantis … or would they?
When the time finally arrived, I was well prepared. Even though I told myself I wouldn’t, I did my homework and read up everything I could about Atlantis. I couldn’t leave anything to chance. By the time of the interview I could tell you who else wrote about it, filmed it, where it first originated from, etc. I’m not sure if it was a relief, or a disappointment that I didn’t get to share any of this newfound knowledge.
Before I knew it, the interview was over and I had a blast. The interviewer couldn’t have been more professional. He prepared me for what we would discuss, made me feel very relaxed, and best of all, mentioned to me that the interview would be recorded; therefore it could be edited. Now being a musician, that’s all I needed to hear. I’ve had my share of overdubs in the past.
In the end, I thought I did okay; at least they said I did okay. I don’t know, I never heard it myself. You be the judge. It just so happens that I have another radio spot coming up this week and I would love some feedback. As far as preparing for the next one, this much I do know … I plan on having fun with it.
J.A. Bove's blog 