Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys

I decided to go back to my dark, depressing emo ways of all those years ago once more and look into what my favourite band of the time, My Chemical Romance, are now up to. Turns out they’ve had a new album for 2 years now so I thought I’d check it out. I appreciate I’m behind the times here but bear with.

And my god … I love it. It’s not for everyone I must admit but then again, that’s MCR’s nature as a band. I was pleased to see they followed on the theatricality of The Black Parade with a new theme and storyline that went throughout the album (Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys). Instead of the ominous memory of a parade from when they were young, this time they take the comic book theme on and are all ‘superheroes’ which even went to the point of them all having new names and personas. These are seen in the music videos for ‘Na na na’ and ‘Sing’ which was even directed by front man Gerard Way – I also have to say these two are probably some of my favourite songs from the album though I’m sure this will change when I get to the stage of knowing every song word for word.

I must admit though, at the moment I am still a die hard Black Parade fan but it’s good to see that they have moved on to a slightly altered style of music which is fresh and interesting. Give it a week of having the album on my iPod and I will have changed my mind on which MCR album I like best. And for those of you who thought they would not even listen to MCR if your life depended on it because they’re so depressing, no fear! The new album is still about rebellion and individuality, but with the solution of standing up for what you believe in with a fun twist … rather than just slitting your wrists about it. 

Picture from: http://www.mychemicalromance.com/media/photos

Dangerous Liaisons

One of my course texts for next semester is the scandalous ‘Les Liaisons Dangereuses’ by Choderlos De Laclos. Though I must admit the collection of letters that this novel is made up of is slightly lengthy and at times monotonously repetitive and ‘wordy’, this was a necessary ploy by Laclos to gain the desired effect. However, these negatives become insignificant because of the larger effect they are part of, which is the ironic misunderstanding and misinterpretations of situations that take place within this overtly prudish, 18th-century French society.

Laclos’ relentlessly crude and unashamed use of irony throughout further reinforces how ridiculous he found the society he is depicting. This is especially shocking for the reader as I’m sure most of use have little historical knowledge of this period, and most of this will be of a refined and innocent society of chaperoned love and reputation through family name. However, Laclos does not completely ignore this idea as characters such as Madame de Volanges and her young daughter (before she is misled by the predatory Madame de Merteuil and the Vicomte de Valmont) are completely oblivious and innocent to the idea of a ‘vulgar’ underbelly to their polished and refined society. 

I don’t know if I’d recommend this as a worthwhile read for everyone as the letter effect leaves a lack of description and concentration of dialogue that some readers might find irritating. However, the letters do describe scenes etc so that the reader isn’t left wondering as to what is actually going on. 

Now that I’ve read the book, I think it is time to watch the film version and see how well it portrays these juicy and sensual affairs and how it interprets the delicious ambiguity of Laclos’ writing. 

Why life sucks.

So I’m home alone and annoyed so here is the perfect place to vent.

Change is never a comfortable experience. Though it seems that the people who deal with change the best are the people it is happening to. Inevitably change in your own life will affect many people around you. Unfortunately the way some people deal with change is by retreating. It’s a natural human response and to be expected but, when said people don’t emerge from this social hibernation, it gets kind of old. 

So what do we do? Do we merely distance ourselves further in the hope that they will come back to you? Or do we confront them with the added risk of it escalating into an unnecessary argument? Or option number 3, do we write a ranting blog post in the hope that it will get noticed? 

When you’re constantly around people, it is hard to hide the truth or avoid hurting people’s feelings. However, when distance is put between you (either literal or metaphorical) these two things become a lot easier. You are given the time to decide what the best way of approaching certain circumstances are, this can even involve lying. This is all well and go, until the person you’re supposedly trying to protect finds out. Then it gets messy. 

So here is my advice to all you people out there stuck in this sort of situation. It may come as a surprise to you all but the golden nugget I have for you is … 

*drum roll*

Talk to the person about the problem! Even if they react badly to it at first, they will come round to it a lot easier than if they find out through other means. 

Hope this helps y’all. 

New year and all that …

So I have unforgivably neglected my blog for a whole year. I’ll fill you in on what I’ve been up to. I’ve completed my A-levels and have now moved onto a new and exciting life at university. Now I am settled again, I am going to try to dedicate myself to this once more as it seems a healthy way to spend my time. However, I am going to take a new direction with it. I will be rambling more about myself as I admit university has made me more egotistical (if that was even possible) and about my general views and ramblings on life. So that you are not completely bored out of your minds by my incoherent thoughts, I will try to become abreast of important news and think of actually interesting debates to discuss.
Hopefully you will hear from me again soon!

I also realise my page needs a bit of a presentation overhaul. It’s a bit crap.