SBT-The Real Story

This is a story about a girl I once knew. She didn't exactly look like a model taken from a magazine according to many people who made her acquaintance. Even I as a very good friend of hers was occasionally inclined to believe that she could definitely do nothing wrong with working out more frequently.

Then again, this girl never really paid much attention to the judging words of others. She more than compensated for her unconventional, almost intimidating looks with a literal heart of gold. Her love was unconditional, asking for nothing in return. Almost ten years we walked together. Side by side, through thick and thin, before she unsuspectedly passed away due to cardiac insufficiency.

Her name was Sheila, a Staffordshire Bull Terrier of origin, and I couldn't have asked for a better companion during my adolescent years

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That being said, it really intrigues me having encountered so many of these sweet-tempered dogs in the streets and avenues of Graz recently. Looks like I must have considerably missed out on that seeming "paradigm shift", since this particular breed has undeservedly earned itself a bad reputation ever since in public broadcasting, if you ask me.

Unfortunately, media is hardly ever concerned about making critical comments on both sides of the story when it comes down to attacks of so-called "combat dogs" Has the animal been mistreated in the past? Isn't it possible that the owners’ personality might affect the behavior of his/her "best friend"?

Be that as it may, I’ve attached a sweet little video here. Perhaps it will illuminate someone's way of thinking. (Would be nice, since I don't want Sheila’s legacy to simply fade away). Enjoy it :)

Dial Z for Zombies!

I'm not exactly sure why I attempt to restrain my productivity for the mundane sake of  trying not to come across as a weirdo to everyone. This is why I won't hesitate any longer to cordially invite you into a parallel universe of utter perversion a.k.a my peculiar obsession for horror, suspense and splatter :

From the day I turned 8 or so, my older brother would involuntarily (or willingly, depending on how serious he took his responsibilities as a role model at that time) expose my former innocent mind to Rated-R movies featuring zombies, knife wielding psychopaths and mutated animals going on a killing spree. However, this didn't have a side effect on my sanity (I suppose). In fact, it deterred me from ever entering the basement alone up to my teenage years at first. (Rightly so, since there are many horrors lurking in the countless dark corners down below. And one can't be constantly on guard, round about, 24/7.....)

As time went by, repulsion turned into fascination for dismembered corpses, decapitations, gallons of blood. And you bet that no matter how bad the visual effects or dialogues may be, there's still a chance I might dig it if at least the killing methods appeal to me. Because in terms of graphic violence, movie directors tend(ed) to be remarkably creative up to the point where they totally ridicule every aspect of human anatomy and physiology, ignore the laws of gravity and so on and so forth.

However, this run of events subsequently made it harder and harder to find true gems of limb-severing awesomeness with brains not only distributed on wall and floor, but also to be found in the film script. Exaggeration fine and dandy, but priorities change and occasionally there has to be something more "original" to it for me. And eventually I find that in horror classics, their remakes and well-crafted parodies of the genre nowadays.

Classic example: "Dawn of the Dead" and it's comedic British significant other "Shaun of the Dead" (also due to the hidden criticism of mindless consumerism in there). "The Descent" is also very good, as it unifies the best features of  horror, suspense and splatter. I even thought "Hostel", "Saw" and "Final Destination" were pretty decent before somebody turned the sequels into meaningless "cash cows".

Ah, enough already. Let me know what YOU think where societies attraction to gruesome slashing might stem from. After all, it's still a force to be reckoned with in the film industry despite the lack of ideas, isn't it? As for now, here's to everyones....well, at least he's mummy's darling :) Happy Mothers Day!

Take it away, Jason!

Dance like no one's watching!

Dance like no one's in the way for that matter, too! :P

When I was asked if I remembered the last time I did something for the first time, various things came to my mind. (Sexual intercourse being the most apparent ;)). But ultimately I would state when I first participated in a mosh pit! It is hard to describe the spontaneous and unpredictable character of it, especially for those who are not really interested in punk, hardcore and metal. Whereas if you're an unaware 16-year old debutant to the scene, most notably the "scars" will remind you of what has happened back at the venue the show took place in. In my case, this was a fractured (and subsequently extracted) tooth as well as a crushed digit due to the fact that I've lost one of my shoes when the mayhem ensued and some random guy proceeded to ambitiously jump around while wearing perfectly tied steel-capped boots. In the blink of an eye he changed direction towards me and...well, do the math.

I can see how most of you might perceive this procedure as rather violent and pointless and I can totally respect that. "How can a fully grown human being possibly act so immature and inconsiderate?"

Well, even so, it is advised to squint your eyes and look a little closer. 

Keep in mind that your average audience is miraculously used to certain "preconditions" (seasoned concertgoers would even call it a "code"). The vast majority didn't come here to hurt each other on purpose, you know. It's rather a question of getting yourself and your surroundings pumped during a song and therefore showing the band appreciation where simple "standing around in awe and occasionally singing along" is not enough. Because as far as I'm concerned, the quintessence of punk rock is neither to be found in extraordinary instrumental skill nor superior stage acting, but simply in the transmission of pure and raw emotions. 

More than in any other music genre, I here get the image of an invisible bond existing between artist and crowd. And as a matter of fact, a little bit of good-old fashioned craziness perfectly represents the idea of individuality we all so desperately seem to crave for, don't you think?

Should you still have any form of preconception concerning safety and inappropriate behaviour at a concert, feel free to watch this video I've attached. While it primarily intends to provide instruction to those unfamiliar with the matter, I can't help but to see a lot of parody in there as well. And that's what makes it truly entertaining :D

Have fun and see you in the pit!

Just some thoughts on humanity and love...

Hey there!

So it finally seems I'm back on track after one month of waking up over and over while not knowing why I was actually put upon this earth. But in the last few days I ultimately regained the need of being around despite my moronic perspective on life, which mostly revolves around punk rock, family values, girls, occasionally politics, inter- and intraspecific equality and revising my own trains of thought in general. But as fun as it is to question every single "answer" that is thrown at you, whether it be by mass media or even your relatives, sooner or later you can't help yourself but to accept particular things as predetermined with no chance (or motivation, because you've admittedly got time to lose) to change or see them through.

By now I think most of you should have figured out the direction this post is going to go. The attraction of certain people towards each other and how relationships from which the external viewer thought they would last a lifetime crumble down from one second to another.

Excuse me for being biased on this topic, since I've seen quite a few of my own hopes concerning this going down the drain recently. But as I implicitly mentioned two sentences before, I've experienced some tragic cases in my immediate social environment also. So the following list just might be more than a mere educated guess.

It appears to be a proven fact that modern society is heading towards a fast moving and therefore more and more insincere and impersonal existence. For as beneficial the usage of "social" networking is in terms of timesaving communication, it also tends to provide a fatal illusion to those less fortunate in love affairs and subconsciously wanting to be deceived. It is then when stalking one's friends profile (which I suppose has become mainstream anyways) may lead into a negative feedback loop of incomprehension and eventually envy and spite. According to my personal beliefs, Facebook for example has the dangerous potential to make people emotionally callous and blunted.

To encounter this problem effectively, I think developing self-esteem in a reasonable way is crucial. Always keep in mind  no one is responsible for your happiness but yourself. And you should think twice before bolting into somebody's arms without taking into consideration that you might simply intend to escape from solitude or any other void bothering you at the moment. Take your time to take off those initial blinders in order to do your own true feelings justice. Listen to your body and heart, and learn to love your counterpart.

And these "guidelines" shall by no means be regarded as a general appeal to condemn allegedly loveless things such as One-Night-Stands (not an encouragement to do it either, though. It's about your personal preference in the end). At least try to make sure that both parties agree upon the same thing. There's no shame in sorting expectations out beforehand. After all it's for the sake of not having hearts broken afterwards, isn't it?

But oh well, the ambivalence of human nature. You cannot know for sure what's going on in someone elses mind. A mystery that still remains to be resolved, haha!

Feel free to comment, I'd really also like to know your opinion especially on things like love at first sight, unrequited love etc.

And most importanly: Make up your mind!