Metal Philosophy

Apr. 19, 2013

Camouflage clad swat teams patrolling neighborhoods, monitoring every existing opening, assisted by tanks and helicopters in pursuit. Military personnel with guns drawn and more cop cars than one knew existed, all captured by live television.

An uprising in Syria? The wave of violence in Burma? Resumed riots in Indonesia?

No. A Friday morning in Boston.

And it is while watching this massive urban manhunt unfold that I'm listening to the new single by the original Black Sabbath, their first recording in 35 years: God Is Dead?



As dissonant guitar riffs meld with the weapon-wielding warriors on cable news channels, the song wipes away certain thoughts about Sabbath that most fans would prefer to forget - the band's recent falling out with original drummer Bill Ward, a slew of mediocre albums with forgettable line-ups in the late 80s and, in the early 00s, the agony of watching lead vocalist Ozzy Osbourne morph into mainstream America's media darling; a fidgety, Prozac-induced, reality TV star for the sole purpose of prime-time amusement.

The new track serves as a reminder that several decades ago, it was this first incarnation of Black Sabbath that launched heavy metal (and conversely, all its future sub-genres) with a purpose beyond that of entertainment: to shine a light on the grittier aspects of our modern world, exposing an underbelly of truths that are often kept hidden.

The dark spirit that Sabbath conjured from the late 60s to the 70s has been channeled into 2013, brought forth as if from Aladdin's lamp. And who better to join forces with than Friedrich Nietzsche, the German philosopher of the 19th century?

Nietzsche is someone I've often wished I'd known about while growing up. With an emphasis on individualism, a lambasting of group mentality and his warnings about following any movement blindly - religious, societal and otherwise - Nietzsche's ideas are essential to anyone who has ever felt like an independent thinker surrounded by automatic, sheep-like human behavior. Even if you don't know Nietzsche's work, you've probably heard variations of some of his words, such as "What doesn't kill me makes me stronger."

The title of the new Sabbath single comes from another famous phrase by Nietzsche: "God is Dead." This phrase may be disconcerting to many today (imagine the impact it must have had in the 1880s), but it is not necessarily an assault on those seeking spiritual comfort. Rather it is open to various interpretations, such as the over-reliance on organized religion and the need to questioning authority, especially when faith-based. Which brings us back to recent events in Boston.

How can one not at least partially question faith in this day and age? If God exists in a traditional sense, how could He allow something like the Boston Marathon bombing to happen, not to mention similar events that take place beyond our own borders with far more frequency? And weren't the youths who caused this motivated by some bastardized version of faith?

Keep in mind that these are just philosophical questions, not declarations. If one never questions, one merely follows.

Last year, during the end of the writing process for the current Testament album, Dark Roots of Earth, I asked a couple of the other guys if they knew who Nietzsche was; they'd never heard his name. I went on to describe how he was ahead of his time, highly controversial and more relevant than ever today, making the case that a metal tribute to Nietzsche was long overdue. I then presented the lyrics to a new song I'd written about Nietzsche, entitled A Day in the Death.

Although the song made the cut and ended up being recorded, all my verse lyrics were eventually replaced, resulting in a song about war and revolution (a typical theme for the band). "Oh well" I thought, resigned to the fact that philosophy was off the these guys' radar screen and probably outside their comfort zone. Part of being in a band is compromise.

Although I do like how the song turned out - it sounds very good - it was hard to not to feel disappointment that what I'd felt was a unique, poignant and original lyric idea hadn't made sense to the other guys. Was the idea to bring Nietzsche into metal not a good one?

This new single by the original Black Sabbath - perhaps their most widely anticipated ever - from the Nietzschean title to the lyrical content to the cover art, proves otherwise.

Though I can't be 100% sure whose idea it was to bring Nietzsche into the Sabbath camp, my suspicions point to uber-producer Rick Rubin, once a philosophy major at NYU. Rubin's diversity has been a major influence on my own musical outlook - no one else can bounce effortlessly from Niel Diamond to LL Cool J to Slayer, with equal admiration and respect for each. He also happens to look like a philosopher.



In the film Lost in Translation, Bill Murray's character, the jaded actor Bob Harris - is told by his attractive new friend, the much younger Charlotte (played by Scarlett Johansson), that she majored in philosophy. He wittily responds "There's a good buck in that racket." The joke is funny - it is common knowledge that having a philosophy degree won't open many doors for gainful employment.

The case of Rick Rubin, however, is an exception. It feels safe to argue that Rubin's study of philosophy, along with his love of music, has turned him into one of the most successful music producers of all time. He is the sage-like figure legendary musicians turn to when they need results beyond instrument tone, arrangements and mixes.
Just as Nietzsche emphasized individuality in thought and behavior, Rubin helps bring forth the qualities that separate musical groups and solo artists from their peers. And just as Nietzsche spoke of that which is "Human All Too Human," Rubin is the master at capturing what is known in music as the "human element."

Like Johnny Cash and Metallica before them, Black Sabbath has recruited Rick Rubin at a crucial moment in their career, when they are in need an album that captures the key elements of their original sound without sounding dated. If the rest of the new Sabbath album, which comes out in June, is anywhere near as good as God Is Dead? then Rick Rubin will once again have succeeded.

I'm thankful to Rick Rubin and the great band that is Black Sabbath for unwittingly bringing forth the vision I'd had last year: that of bringing together metal and Nietzsche. It's the ultimate validation.

Here then, are my lyrics for A Day in the Death, as originally written, in tribute to Friedrich Nietzsche...

VERSE 1

Trapped in a world of hypocrisy
Back in the nineteenth century
He was a man of philosophy
They told him it was blasphemy

'Who will wash the blood from our hands?' he said
To rectify the ways of man
One by one we stand and fall
Man is lost his back is against the wall
His back is against the wall

VERSE II

He said you won't live to see the day
Of which you sacrifice and pray
The path of logic fades away
A pathological price you'll pay

Who will stand the test of time?
To follow reason is a crime
Will To Power answers it all
Man is lost his back is against the wall
His back is against the wall
My back is against the wall


CHORUS

A day in the death
A broken creed
So called life of which we lead
Forgotten dreams
Left behind
It's all I find
Just a day in the death
A day in the death
A day in the death of mankind

BRIDGE:

Thought has been replaced
Void of time or place
Lost without a trace
Scorn the human race

(SOLO)

BRIDGE II

Mindless accusations
And artificial reality
Hopeless indignation
A sacrificial morality

Now your brain is plundered
Plagiarized inside your head
It's a spell you're under
So you might as well be dead

My back is against the wall

EXTENDED CHORUS

A day in the death
A broken creed
So called life of which we lead
Forgotten dreams left behind
It's all that weighs upon my mind

A day in the death
A broken creed
So called life of which we lead
Forgotten dreams left behind
It's all I find
Just a day in the death
A day in the death
A day in the death of mankind

Literary Postpartum

Welcome back to where it all began...

It was some five years ago that SkolNotes debuted, right here on this page. In 2010, we moved to the main website, alexskolnick.com. As the main site is about to go through some major renovations and improvements, SkolNotes will be moving back here for the time being.

I have to admit, it feels good to be back - like visiting an old friend. There are many on-line debates on whether its better to host a blog using Wordpress, as on the main website, or Blogger, as it is hosted here. Wordpress usually emerges victorious. But whatever the disadvantages, I am reminded how much I like the feel of this Blogger version of SkolNotes.

One of the problems we used to have here was the inability to reply and launch individual comment threads. However, I've just managed to fix that by adding the Disqus commenting system. As this was researched and implemented on my own while on tour, with no outside help, it feels like a moment of personal triumph (although to the tech-savvy, a task akin to the tying of ones shoelaces). So as long as we're back here, let's see how it goes; maybe we'll stay for a while, maybe we can bring some of these elements into the main site. Either way, it somehow feels fitting to be back here, like starting anew.

Now, I feel the need to relay a personal admission that - compared with some of the ones I've made in print - is very tame by comparison. But if you, dear reader, would be so kind as to assume to role of "shrink" for one moment, here it is:

I'm a bit surprised by my lack of blog output ever since my first book, Geek to Guitar Hero, was published earlier this year. I've been wondering if there is a literary equivalent of "postpartum depression." Don't worry, it's not as though I'm having thoughts of choking my book, going on psychiatric medication and being publicly lambasted by Tom Cruise.

I don't mean actual depression, of course. If anything, I've felt quite happy about the book's coming into being. It's just that, well...one would think that finally finishing my book would mean more time to blog, not less, but that hasn't been the case.

Before G2GH came out, I felt like a linguistic version of Old Faithful, that geyser in Northern California; written words would pour out of me, followed by a period of short rest, then more words, with regularity. Yet here it is, the book - of which this blog was a springboard - is done. Yet it's been about five months since I've written a new post.

Alas, there is justification (or if you prefer, excuses).

First, self-publishing is a time consuming process. Writing a book is one thing, but the process of publishing, with it's many other P's (Proof-reading, Preparing, Printing, Promoting etc) has been another entirely. Despite the invaluable help of my most amazing designer/partner, it's been fraught with stress that sometimes competes with that of actually writing of the book. In fact, a couple of situations came about during the post-writing phase that are so absurd, they'll make great stories in themselves. But based on the wonderful response the book’s getting (see Amazon Reviews for a quick sample), plus the fact that I was able to release it my way, it's been been well worth the effort.

Another factor is that I've been on the road almost non-stop since publication. Although "writer" is a new hat I hope to wear more and more in the future, my first occupation is still "musician," and that requires a lot of time spent cradling a large slab of wood not to mention constant travel. As I type this, I'm in Germany. Last week, when I began this post, I was in Japan. Its not always easy to be creative when you're constantly worried about missing a flight (and I have missed a couple of them - long story).

Then there is a feeling of being obsessively compelled to do more reading. I think this may be happening for a few reasons, including:

1. A need to catch up on books purchased but neglected while my own was being written.
2. An increased respect for great books and those who write them, having gone through the book writing process myself.
3. A desire to feel more connected with the world of literature (and less with the gazillion or so musicians who now have books out).

This has involved tackling the ever growing pile of books on my nightstand, on my bookshelf, on my piano and elsewhere. There have been a couple leviathans (Midnight's Children, Infite Jest) as well as some new habits: literary journals, New Yorker Magazine and The New York Times. These last two almost cause me to feel, in a small way, like I’m becoming my parents. If you've read my book - you know that feeling is one of life's strange, cruel ironies.

I do plan to do a blog post on some of my reading highlights. And there have been other blogs percolating in the brain as well. The intention is to keep them coming with a bit more frequency. Notice I said "intention" and not "promise."

Therein my friends, lies the true purpose of this post: a statement of purpose itself, as embodied by intention. The intention to resume doing more blog posts, more often.

"Promise" is a bit too strong a word - it places undue pressure on the deliverer to come through. But "intention?"

"Intention" I can handle.

New Website, New Blog

Hey everyone. There is big news in the land of SkolNotes. It's time to make the announcement:

The new website is up, www.alexskolnick.com It's also the new location of the blog.

Here's the latest post, my tribute to the late great Ronnie James Dio "Goodbye Ronnie James Dio"

Its going to be a much better system having the blog contained within our own website. You'll be able to comment on the new blog and have individual threads as well. We don't have all your old comments synced to the new blog yet, but that's being worked on. There are also some new features being tweaked for the new site, its not complete yet, but it was time to get it up and running.

We will keep this blog up for reference, but all comments will eventually be disabled.

I really appreciate you all helping get Skolnotes up and running and into the formidable force that its become. I look forward to many more entertaining and informative dialogues in our new location. Thanks again and see you over there at the new SkolNotes.

Flexitarianism

Recently, I became familiar with the term 'Flexitarianism.' A flexitarian, according to Wikipedia, is someone who decreases meat consumption without eliminating it entirely from his or her diet. Here is an MSNBC article "Meet The Flexitarians." This basically describes how I already eat.

I have some friends who consider themselves vegetarian, 'vegan' and a few who are 'raw vegan.' I respect their beliefs and place a similar value on meals that are fresh, natural and health conscious. I try to shop at environmentally aware stores such as Whole Foods and enjoy a lot of healthy meals, especially here in New York where there are a good number of high quality organic and macrobiotic restaurants. I understand the need to move away from a typical processed, saturated, meat heavy diet and be more aware of where your food is coming from. However, I refuse to label and limit myself in such a way.

When I visit great high quality, upscale restaurants, such as Lola in Cleveland, Les Halles in New York or Chez Panise in Berkeley, I don't want to only order the token vegetarian selection. That would feel disrespectful to the chef and the art of cooking itself. And the same applies to my frequent travels to Asia, Europe, South America and Australia. I'll make sure to eat a lot of natural food such as vegetables, but also seafood, poultry and less often, red meat. Part of experiencing the culture is enjoying the dishes indigenous to these regions.

It is the raw vegans who I am simultaneously in awe of and occasionally annoyed by. I see their point and admit to feeling especially energized when I eat good organic raw food. But I refuse to limit my diet to it and am turned off by some who seem to be on a religious like crusade to convert others to their way of life.

There is however, one special restaurant I recently tried in New York, called Pure Food & Wine which alters my perspective slightly on raw cuisine and its practitioners. While it may not have convert me to a 'raw vegan' lifestyle, it inspires me to want to eat more healthy, more often.Sarma, the charismatic young co-founder/owner/mascot of Pure Food & Wine, has a blog post that makes a lot of sense. She's also a fan of classic Metallica. It is refreshing to hear from a raw food specialist who is not 'cult-like' about her beliefs and more or less 'flexitarian' in nature.

And the more I think about it, the more I realize that "flexitarianism" describes how I feel about a lot of movements, musical, religious,philosophical as well as dietary. It represents getting what you can out of a practice without being controlled by its limitations and unrealistic expectations.

For example, I'm a metal guitarist who is seriously into jazz but can't stand the stubbornness and prejudices that exist among certain fans of both genres. If I play metal, does that mean I should cover myself in tattoos, be culturally illiterate, drink beer all day and date strippers? If I play jazz, does that mean I have to avoid all other genres of music and say 'dig' every other word?

Similarly, I like to take a yoga class now and then. But I don't want to practice it every day, wear yoga-like clothes and hang out with yoga disciples who live in communes and ashrams.

When it comes to faith, I feel there is much to be learned from the old fables of
Judaism, the Christian principles of forgiveness and love, the honor emphasized by Catholicism and the wisdom of Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam and other Eastern religions.

But why does it all have to be so exclusive? Why should one religion forbid me from checking out the teachings of another? Don't tell me I'm going to hell just because I don't follow your specific beliefs to a 'T.'

Group based movements of all types try to enforce labels on people, place psychological pressure and incorporate decisions that should be up to the individual. It is the strict rules, restrictions and disqualifications that put me off from these movements, as well as those who follow the rules like blind sheep.

To me, what works best is exploring any activity, seeing what works
best for you, doing so in moderation, never abusing it and never
trying to push it on others. I'm starting to think my entire belief
system could be described as 'flexitarian.'

Volcano Blues

Question: What happens when you combine the Icelandic volcano with a European jazz tour and a heavy metal festival in the Philippines?

Answer: A guitarist who has circumnavigated the globe.

In a matter of days, I have flown from New York to Europe, Europe to Asia, Asia to New York. Around the planet Earth, all because of a volcano. Welcome to my world.

I write this, I am resting comfortably at home in Brooklyn, NY while the two guys in my band, Alex Skolnick Trio, remain stuck in Europe. We were all supposed to fly back together, but the aftermath of the eruption, specifically the grounding of flights in Europe, changed all that.

It was just over two weeks ago we all flew from New York to Amsterdam to support the hugely popular acoustic guitar duo Rodrigo Y Gabriela. Since the trio had yet to have made it to Europe, supporting Rod And Gab presented the perfect opportunity for us to debut overseas, before continuing with them in the US. But I never could have predicted how this run of the tour would end.

After the final French show, in Toulouse, I flew to the Philippines for a metal festival with my longtime band Testament and the popular metal group Lamb Of God. This show had been booked for a long time and marked the first time the group had ever been in the Philippines. I couldn’t let the bands or the Filipino fans down. I had to be there. Besides, it coincided with some festival dates that Rod and Gab were playing on their own, so the trio had the time off anyway.



It should have been a perfect scenario. The trio stays with friends of ours in Paris for a few days, then meets me in Luxembourg. I fly to Manila from Toulouse, play the gig, then fly back to Europe and play the last two shows with the trio and RodYGab in Luxembourg and Brussels, Belgium.

Ok, it was a little crazy, but I’ve done stuff like this before. And it would have worked out perfectly. Who could have predicted that a volcano would erupt in Iceland, creating a massive ash cloud that would engulf the continent and cause a complete shutdown of every major airport in Western Europe?

I flew to Manila with no issues, had a bleary eyed dinner and wine with my buddies in Lamb Of God and a great nights sleep. The next day, I met up with my band who had landed in the middle of the night. We played a successful show for 30,000 Filipino fans. The following morning, rides to the airport were organized.

When I checked on my flight, I realized that it and every other flight to Europe had been canceled. My heart sank as realized I would miss the last two shows of the trio/RyG tour. including a sold out concert at for 5,000 people in Brussels, Belgium.

There was nothing I could do except try and get home or risk getting stuck in Manila. I called my airline, Etihad Airways, but the best they could do was reissue the ticket at another date. That was no help at all. When else will I need a ticket from Manilla to Luxembourg?

I asked about transferring the flight towards purchase of a flight to the United States. I was told that would be an ‘additional’ $5,500. No thanks. Meanwhile flights to the US were being snatched up left and right by people in my situation: scheduled to fly from Asia to Europe but forced to fly home instead.

Fortunately I was helped by a couple sources. First, American Express came to the rescue. While I’ve sometimes questioned the high annual fee I pay for the my Platinum card, their premium travel service came in very handy that day. They found me flight for under a thousand dollars. This service, which I pay the high fee for, actually saved me a lot of money and trouble. (Forgive me if I sound like a commercial for AmEx). Also, the Filippino promoter, Vernon from Pulp Productions, was also extremely helpful and extended my hotel stay for an extra night. And his assistant Karen and her friend Ivan took me out for an impromptu evening of food and drink in Manilla. The next day I caught my flight and after nearly twenty hours of travel, made it home.

I am still sad about missing those last two shows, and worried about my guys. But I take some consolation that we had some great European gigs, the Netherlands, Zurich, Switzerland and three cities in France, Paris, Marseille and Tousouse. The highlight was the two sold out shows at the legendary theatre, L’Olympia, considered the “Radio City Music Hall” of Paris.

Next week we are scheduled to play the real Radio City here in New York City. That is, if my band can make it over here by then.

As I write this, the band is scheduled to fly home tomorrow from Amsterdam, but everything is up in the air, pun not intended. Flight restrictions continue to be lifted, then put back into effect. Their connection is through London Heathrow, the airport which has suffered the most from the aftermath and continued eruption of the Icelandic Volcano. Many fingers are crossed that they make it.

This is one of those situations that will only make our band stronger. When this is all over, we will have one heck of a story.

Quick Update From The Road

Hey folks- thanks for all the positive comments here and over on the GP page. I figured that ought to hold everyone for now.

As we tour with Rodrigo Y Gabriela across Europe, we are playing for the biggest crowds we've ever seen as the AS Trio. The pic at right, taken from the stage after our set, represents a typical night. As you can see, the crowds are really getting it.

In other words, things are great but it's very tough to blog right now! So please hang in there while this very important business is taken care of. The regular blogs will start up again once we get back to the US and things settle down.

Cheers!

Guitar Player II

Here's my second blog for Guitar Player Magazine. It's about guitar players who are their own worst enemy, (kind of like the guy at the right), entitled
"How To Lose Your Envy And Become Your Own Best Guitar Player"

Click and enjoy : )

Alex

PS Feel free to comment here and/or on the GP Blog.