Final Thoughts, part 2
Lesson: Everything Changes (including my rock journal).
"Sci-Fi Rock-n-Roll" – Nagging Themes
The "Sci-Fi Rock-n-Roll" section of my rock journal (Ch. 6) was one of the most dense. It wasn't the longest chapter, but I got deeper into the meaning of the songs and albums. In the credits to my rock journal, I mentioned that, in Ch. 6, I had originally intended to include sci-fi stories that drew from Tool and King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard (KGLW). I also mentioned that I had planned to include a write-up on Wonder Woman as a DC Comics feature to balance out the Jean Gray (X-Men/Marvel Comics) feature. While this write-up here won’t be as extensive as my treatment of the Dark Phoenix Saga, I will share some comparable and compelling storylines from another powerful heroine.
Lateralus – A Sci-Fi Adventure
In the credits to my rock journal, I mentioned having an interest in laying out the sci-fi storyline for Lateralus, the main character in the Tool album by the same name. This playlist (while not solely from that album) lays out critical experiences that lead Lateralus to make the decisions that he did at different points in his life. I am not going to do a blow-by-blow of the entire album, Lateralus, like I did in my rock journal for the album, The Warning, by Queensryche. I will just layout some key points about the character, Lateralus, and not detail the events that unfold in the story that is conveyed in the album. (Plus, that storyline would make for a great movie or graphic novel. Happy to consult on that project!)
The story of Lateralus (that developed in my imagination) doesn’t start and end with the album, Lateralus. There are elements of the storyline that could be considered sequels in the albums 10,000 Days and Fear Inoculum. Elements of the storyline that I would consider prequels can also be found in Fear Inoculum. To understand the character, I draw from the first two albums since there appear to be some parallels if not direct linkages to the story.
Tool Exploration – A Spotify Playlist
"Intolerance" (Tool) (infamous scientology show)
"Swamp Song" (Tool)
"Push It" (Tool)
"Forty Six & 2" (Tool)
"Third Eye" (Tool)
"Fear Inoculum" (Tool)
"The Patient" (Tool)
"Lateralus" (Tool)
"The Pot" (Tool)
"Jambi" (Tool)
"Right in Two" (Tool)
"7empest" (Tool)
Its important to note that, in this story, Lateralus is a super-soldier, and there are a complex set of situations that lead to his decision to become one and then, ultimately, to abandon that path. The first five songs in the playlist convey something about how Lateralus was feeling about life that led him to choose to enter the super-solider academy. He was fed up with the muck in which he had to toil day-to-day (“Swamp Song”), recurring addictions (“Push-it”) as well as the intolerance for the many who “lie, cheat and still,” including himself. When that behavior abounds, you can’t let your guard down.
These frustrations are not the only ones that pushed him in the direction of becoming a participant in an experimental, covert military program. The cryptically named song, “Forty-Six and Two,” gets at the family influences that may have contributed to his desire to escape. The song takes on the nature and nurture concept not as an either-or proposition but as compounding effects that tag-team to make Lateralus feel like he is not being allowed to become the person he wants to be or is meant to be. “Forty-six” refers to the chromosomes contributed to him by his parents (23 each) with “Two” referring to his parents themselves. He tries to escape from these shackles by turning to drugs and by joining the military. He even tried to pry open his “Third Eye,” but he didn’t succeed. You can’t really force open your third eye. You have to create the conditions in your life that make it possible for that kind of perception and knowledge to become available to you. For a parallel, think about the mantra used by George Costanza’s father in the series, Seinfeld: “Serenity Now… SERENITY NOW!” But yet, serenity would not come. You can’t force serenity and you can’t force your third eye to open!
What I call the middle portion of the playlist (songs 6, 7 & 8) is about Lateralus being a super soldier. It also includes the time following his defection from the program. We see the main reference to the fact that Lateralus is a super-solider in the song, “The Patient.” A soldier whose training makes him a patient. Huh? In this one song, we see him being the good soldier and at the same time, and almost unwittingly, plotting his own escape (informed by the failures that other escapees suffer). By the time we reach the song, “Lateralus,” he has already decided that there is as much “lying, cheating and stealing” going on with people involved in the super soldier program, so he sees no reason to continue. In the song, we learn about some of the skills he possesses. More importantly, we learn that he seems happier using his super-skills as a vigilante. Thus, Lateralus is not a super-hero. He is more of an anti-hero. He is very flawed character, but a character who is free and stays clear of allegiances.
Before getting too far into the post-military part of the Lateralus story, I want to highlight one of the skills that he possesses that came from his military training, a lack of fear. “Fear Inoculum” is a song that comes two albums after “Lateralus” that tells us that you become a super-soldier by eliminating any semblance of fear that may reside in you. You must become immune to fear.
The song, “Fear Inoculum,” begins with the message, ”immunity, long overdue, contagion, I expel you.” This refrain and similar refrains are repeated over and over in the song. However, just saying it, wanting it or thinking it will not make fear go away. To rid yourself of fear takes a mental mastery that most of us will never achieve. As a soldier, you have to completely detach from anything that has meaning in your life so that you will not have the fear of losing those things, even the fear of losing your own life. What matters here, is the level of discipline that Lateralus possesses. Now that he is free, Lateralus still has this superb level discipline and all other skills that he developed through his military training.
The idea of going against Lateralus (presuming him to be a comic book hero), whether you are a super-hero or super-villain, is that he will never be afraid and he will never back down. If you have defeated fear, then you hold a power that is difficult to match. I consider the ending of “Fear Inoculum” which appears to be a prayer of sorts, one that is answered.
Exorcise the spectacle, exorcise the malady, exorcise the disparate poison for eternity
Purge me and evacuate the venom and the fear that binds me
Unveil now … lift away … I see you running, deceiver
Chased away … long time coming
The last four songs in the playlist outline the persistent challenges of life of which Laterauls can’t seem to rid himself. Dealing with people who are hypocrites (“The Pot”), the self-destructive things that human beings do (“Right in Two"), and the death of a dear friend (“Jambi”) are very heavy things to bear. Things were heavy for Lateralus before the military, in the military and after the military. When will it get easier? Does it ever get easier?
In “The Tempest,” we find solace and maybe even a reprieve. When you understand your own nature as well as human nature and the nature of the universe, you know a lot more than when you first entered this world. You’ve come to understand that there are tempests (i.e., elements/forces) in our lives whose job it is to tempt and challenge us. What we realize with time is that we give the tempests their power. And just like power can be given, it can be taken away. Thus, “the tempest must be true to its nature” and exert its power, but elsewhere. Not over me! Not over us!
Murder of the Universe - KGLW
As you can tell from the 2017 title of the album by King Gizzard and Lizard Wizard (KGLW), Murder of the Universe, this is not a children’s fairytale, and it won’t have a happy ending. Like a good children’s story, there is a moral to this story: “be grateful for what the Creator has given to you (or more accurately, don’t be ungrateful for what the Creator has given to you) because the Universe may not look kindly upon you.” We are on familiar turf here since the theme of always “wanting more” or “never being satisfied” are discussed in no small part in Chapter 10 of my rock journal.
In Murder of the Universe, we are introduced to several dissatisfied beings, ranging from human beings to beings with super-powers that I would label as beings from other parts of our universe and/or the multi-verse. Through a series of strange twists of fate, the dreams (or deranged hopes) that these beings have for getting back at the people or circumstance that are the source of their dissatisfaction are realized, thus leading to a catastrophic end in multiple worlds, realities and dimensions.
Since I’ve given a high level summary of the premise and outcomes of the story, I’ll only lay out the characters and the situations that allowed their paths to cross. Seven of the first eight songs on the album are called some version of ”Altered Beast” and “Altered Me.” The main character in this drama is nameless (but whom I will call Cat, as in “catalyst”). He chances upon a mutant (an altered beast) whom I will call Mute. Cat admires what the mutant can do and imagines the possibilities if he too were to become a mutant. From the very beginning, Cat implores Mute to make him a mutant, too. Mute is not having it because he feels humans are below his species. Since Cat is unrelenting, Mute injects his DNA into Cat, and Cat’s transformation begins.
This is where the wheels begin to come off the rails. Mutant Cat is truly a beast and goes on a killing rampage. After years of killing, he tires of it and wishes to have a greater experience or to die. Here is where other dissatisfied characters pick-up the baton:
- The Lord of Lightning enters the scene. Of course, he commands lightning and is using his power to attack the city which is Cat’s domain. He chances upon Cat and sees the mutant version of Cat as a greater challenge than humans. He zaps Mutant Cat with lightning.
- By zapping Mutant Cat, the Lord of Lightning has set into motion a further mutation of Cat which not only gives Cat the power over lightning, but also over fire. This mutation creates a new creature, the Balrog, who is even more ravenous and destructive. The Lord of Lightning must slay the beast before he becomes too powerful and impossible to subdue. An intense battle ensues. The Lord of Lightning wounds the Balrog. In the Balrog’s weakened state, he is able to launch him off the earth and onto the surface of the moon where he incessantly pummels the beast until its apparent death.
- The story then shifts to a time far into the future with a character called Digital Black who can consume everything in a “digital wave of blackness” (think … big, black, blob that consumes everything in its path). There is a cyborg (Han-Tyumi) who has to oversee part of the black domain (operating from one of many dark planets) while Digital Black continues to expand the domain.
- Han-Tyumi was formerly a human and has lived a very long time as a cyborg without the ability to feel. The knowledge that he used to be able to feel but now cannot do so, makes him miserable. As an expression of his dissatisfaction, he wishes to destroy everything that Digital Black has created. He creates a machine that is part steel and part protein who might show him love. And here is where I make the biggest leap to link the storylines. As is done in comic books from time to time, a simple explanation to a complex story is given in a small box in the corner of comic book frame. In this case, the protein Han-Tyumi uses for his creation is from the dead carcass of the Balrog that rested on the moon’s surface.
- His creation is spiteful and not grateful at all. So, Han-Tyumi destroys his creation and injects the DNA of his creation into himself to try to transform himself into a being that can die.
- The reaction that is catalyzed with the injection of this DNA results in a total and complete transformation of Han-Tyumi’s body. The DNA of the Balrog and Han-Tyumi’s many times mutated DNA created something completely and utterly unpredictable. His body explodes and creates a cosmic cloud of lightning and fire that is 100 times more potent in terms of power and speed than the one that can be summoned by Digital Black. The cosmic blob in a few minutes has consumed the entire solar system and accelerated in speed exponentially at a pace where the galaxy and subsequently neighboring galaxies would be consumed in just a few hours. As the cosmic blob consumes the consciousnesses of this universe, he has acquired the knowledge that will allow him to cross to other parallel universes which would lead to their devastation as well.
- There is a character early in the story called the Reticent Raconteur who appears to be the narrator of this story. He acts as a “Watcher” within Creation. A Watcher is a being within Creations that is dispatched when sentient beings appear to be applying their sentience in all the wrong ways. Unfortunately, the Watcher is not able to intervene to prevent any of the ill-advised actions of the aforementioned disgruntled beings. He can only report irresponsible and self-serving conduct to higher powers. The Watcher has been watching this entire episode unfold and is finally given permission to intervene. With the intervention of an army of Watchers, the Cosmic Blob itself is annihilated, but only after an entire universe is destroyed and an infinite number of others put at risk. A cosmic lesson has been learned at a great expense.
Although there are many implicit lessons that can be gleaned from my interpretation of what’s happening in the album, I’ll reiterate the point about the dangers of being dissatisfied (lacking gratitude), but I’ll add to it the regret that beings who are dissatisfied experience when they actually get what they want. This regret is not a redeeming quality due to the havoc they have wreaked on the cosmos. Chapter 10 of my rock journal is all about the importance of gratitude so I won’t delve into that subject any further.
I will end my telling of the story in Murder of the Universe by noting a link to an earlier album by KGLW, Nonagon Infinity (can’t limit KLGW to one album since I mentioned four Tool albums in the last story about Lateralus). You might miss the link between Murder of the Universe and Nonagon Infinity because it is made in brief and subtle track called “Some Context.” This 16 second interlude uses a melody from the song “People Vultures” on Nonagon Infinity. This suggests that the story in Nonagon Infinity is a precursor of sorts to Murder of the Universe and directly calls out cosmic beings who prey on less-developed species like human beings to play their cosmic games of manipulation and control.
Wonder Woman - Parallels to Dark Phoenix
As I had committed to do in Chapter 5 of my rock journal, I have endeavored to identify a storyline of Wonder Woman that rivals the Dark Phoenix Saga in terms of self-sacrifice and breadth of impact. While I have not identified one storyline that singularly accomplishes that goal, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. However, I will share two storylines that I discovered that show how Wonder Woman’s intellect, integrity, and raw power lead her to make similar choices as Jean Grey (a.k.a. Phoenix).
At the end of the Dark Phoenix Saga, Jean Grey sacrifices herself to save the X-Men, the Earth and Humanity. In the Justice League of America (JLA) comic (a story by Christopher Moeller, 2000) entitled “A League of One”, Diana Prince (a.k.a Wonder Woman) is told that the Oracle at Delphi has revealed a prophesy that involves the death of not only Wonder Woman but all seven members of the JLA (i.e., Aquaman, Batman, Flash, Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter, Superman and Wonder Woman). A long dormant Dragon (Drakul Karfang) has been awakened by dark magic and, in fighting this beast, all JLA members will fall.
The prophecy notes that the JLA fights as a team and loses. Wonder Woman can’t help but think that a different outcome may be possible. Wonder Woman takes actions that disarms, detains or distracts all of the other superheroes of the JLA so that she can face the dragon alone. Taking down six superheroes is no easy feat, but she succeeds. Now, she must face the dragon alone. She is killed during the battle with Drakul Karfang, but, in true comic book (and/or Hollywood) fashion, Superman arrives shortly after she passes and is able to revive Wonder Woman.
On to the more difficult parallel to Jean Grey’s saving the Universe (noting that this term is singular) from being engulfed by the Dark Phoenix. I landed at a series of comics involving Wonder Woman that begin with a story entitled “Judgment in Infinity” from 1982 (which coincidentally is published a year or two after Dark Phoenix). With our Universe being infinite, I think that the title itself suggests something that it at the very least has the potential to rival the Dark Phoenix storyline.
In Book One of the trilogy, we are introduced to the character named “The Adjudicator” who has taken it upon himself to travel the multiverse to visit different civilizations and pass judgment on their worthiness to exist as species (he is sort of a Thanos-like figure, but Thanos doesn’t come on the scene in the Marvel Universe until the early 1990’s). The Adjudicator appears in the skies over Washington DC, and, as you can imagine, the U.S. military does not take kindly to this being’s presence. The military, though unprovoked, proceeds to attack the being. This leads, inevitably, to the being adjudicating humanity as being unworthy of existing as a species. Thus, The Adjudicator dispatches his henchmen to dispose of this inferior race.
His henchmen are none other than the “four horsemen” of the apocalypse: Famine, Plague, War and Death. What concerns The Adjudicator is that there are an infinite number of Universes, all with a version of our Planet Earth. The Adjudicator dispatches each rider individually to different Earths (Earth 1, Earth 2, Earth X, Earth i) to elicit a response from humanity in that particular Universe to determine if, indeed, they/we are the base species that his initial instincts tell him that we are. If at the end of these tests, he deems humanity unworthy of redemption, then humanity in all parallel Earths will be exterminated. Again, I’ll note that the severity of the conflict here does, indeed, rival what is outlined in Dark Phoenix.
In this three part series, Book One –“Justice in Infinity” outlines the battle against Famine. Book Two, entitled “Seven Against Oblivion,” outlines the battle against both Plague and War. Book Three – “Countdown to Chaos” chronicles the battle with Death and The Adjudicator himself. I won’t summarize each individual comic book in detail, but I will outline which Earth and which superheroes are involved as well as what comes of the interaction with each individual Horseman.
Rider 1 - Famine: This comic features Wonder Woman and Zatanna the Sorceress as the heroines who thwart efforts by Famine to devastate Earth 1 via a famine unleashed in Calcutta. The Adjudicator recalls Famine from the battlefield since he becomes annoyed at how much Wonder Woman and Zatanna the Sorceress are able to resist.
Rider 2 - Plague: The featured heroines in this comic are Black Canary, Lois Lane, The Huntress, Supergirl, Madame Xanadu and Power Girl. The setting is Atlanta where Plague has released a deadly disease which, if not contained, could consume the planet. The team of heroines are part of the Justice Society which is Earth 2’s version of the Justice League of America. The team is able to slow the advance of Plague which further annoys The Adjudicator. However, it is the self-sacrifice of the medical personnel working hard to try to save lives that actually prompts The Adjudicator to recall Rider 2.
Rider 3 - War: The version of our planet that is under assault in this comic is Earth X, and it is an Earth where Germany won World War II. There is a strange dynamic of the Nazi’s needing protection which complicates the actions by the superheroes. As with the other two Riders, the heroines prevail with the heroines in this story being Supergirl, Madame Xanadu & Phantom Lady. This story is the shortest. The Adjudicator very quickly became frustrated with War because he was debilitated by a single tarot card wielded by Madame Xanadu. The card was “The Fool” and the label certainly was apropos to Rider 3.
Rider 4 - Death: In this comic, the battle is fought on Earth i, an Earth where, through scientific and spiritual enlightenment, Death has nearly been conquered. The world is taken off guard with the unexpected arrival of Death and suffers dearly from the sudden death of so many humans. Two Teen Titans, Wonder Girl and Starfire, are transported from our Earth to Earth i to assist. The inhabitants for Earth i are inspired to see the two heroines fight and rise up to help them. This is unusual because on this earth war and conflict are non-existent. This persistence and unrelenting fighting spirit of the humans leads The Adjudicator to recall this fourth Horseman.
You might think that the judgment of The Adjudicator would be to let all of the Earths continue living in our version of peace, but you would be wrong. The Adjudicator is determined to condemn all versions of our planet and only preserve the beings (the aforementioned heroines) without whom the Earths would have fallen. He transports all of the heroines onto his ship as trophies. Let’s just say that this was not a wise move and that things don’t end well for The Adjudicator.
Both the “JLA - A League of One” and “Justice in Infinity” storylines are quite unique and provocative. They do a great job of highlighting and celebrating the vast powers and smarts of the Amazon Warrior. In sharing these stories, I feel that I’ve been able to establish some semblance of balance between the Marvel & DC comic worlds (at least within the limited confines of my rock journal)!
Artists Who Fully Subscribe to “The Code of Rock-n-Roll”
The two playlists labeled as “The Code or Rock-n-Roll” were inspired by “The Code of Rock-n-Roll” that was the outcome of our search for the essence of rock-n-roll in Chapter 2 of my rock journal. Ten guiding principles for living life were gleaned from two playlists: “AC/DC Rocks;” and “Songs that Rock.” I wanted to identify groups for whom we could find examples of each of the ten guiding principles. If a band/artist could convey the principles that drew from many bands and songs, then you know that these may be true exponents of the genre. The easiest artist for which I could have developed such a list was none other than Jimi Hendrix. Since I had already developed a playlist of “my favs” for Jimi, I had to look elsewhere. I landed on Willie Nelson and The Rolling Stones. You may think that these playlists came easy to develop, but you would be wrong. As with most artists, finding a song with an anti-war theme was the most difficult. Most artists didn’t want to delve into those waters, but we were able to do that with The Red Headed Stranger and The Stones.
Playlists that Include Solely "First Songs" or "Last Songs"
The "First Songs" playlist features "Rush" and the "Last Songs" playlist features Metallica. As I mentioned in Chapter 9 of my rock journal, both groups start and end albums well. For a person like me who assesses how good an album is by listening to the albums in a loop, having a good first song and a good last song increases my attention. When you get to the last song (which is good) and the CD/cassette immediately returns to the first song (which is also good), then it compels you to repeat the sequence. How did I pick which one got a "first songs" list and which one got a "last songs" list? I guess that the only thing I can say is that the last songs for Metallica hit me harder than the last songs for Rush. However, I think the playlists would be equally as good if I had done the reverse. I won’t interpret the meaning of the songs since I think Rush and Metallica got sufficient air time in my rock journal already.