The Radical Child

Today's the president's birthday, but I don't want to do another entry on that and pretty much covered that in my last entry with grimmrow--and I did post a lot of memes and art to my DeviantArt account on that subject--but I'd rather focus on Flag Day.

Flag worship is an American tradition I absolutely do not fucking like, and sort of goes against my Christian values since idolatry is a big no-no if you read the Ten Commandments, which the American Right seems to forget, and since America and its allies did evil shit throughout its history, like backstabbing its allies, exterminating the Native Americans, laying waste to the Confederacy, and warmongering post-WWII, I sort of consider the American flag a graven icon, a symbol of imperialism--the whole "the more states it gets, the more stars it gets" thing--even "racist," since racism was prevalent before, during, and after the Southern Independence War, especially more so today on part of blacks. A symbol of hypocrisy as well since America was conceived on bullshit principles like "all men are created equal" (which is fucking wrong, and as an autistic that doesn't sit well with me), accusations against the king of Britain his ministers did, and the indigenous population being "merciless Indian Savages"--which would foreshadow their genocide, and I know the American Left mostly represents that toxic American "value" of double standards.

And I think the pledge of allegiance is really dumb as well, pledging allegiance to such a flag and its respective country, and nowadays I wouldn't do so for religious reasons. The Texas pledge of allegiance, though, is a million times better:



I know Kamala got shit for flubbing the US pledge of allegiance but I can forgive her for that and would personally rewrite it as:

I pledge allegiance to the United States of America,
A republic whose people and governments keep one another in check,
One nation under God, with liberty and justice for all.

I like Bart Simpson's pledge of allegiance as well, which pretty much feels how I feel about America good and bad:



This episode was made back in 1997 but has aged really fucking well. Definitely my all-time favorite scene from The Simpsons. Said war was Vietnam so Nelson's "Haw, haw!" was definitely warranted. Apparently they predicted Trump making fun of John McCain as well ("I like guys who didn't get caught!"), alongside him becoming president. McCain was still an asshole, though--he backed the coup that brought the current government of Ukraine into power--but was right about campaign finance reform (though his laws were full of holes), and we need to go even fucking stricter since both parties are corrupted as fuck by money today, but the Supreme Court would naturally bitch.

That aside, I find most American patriotic music really fucking cringe. I know "My Country, 'Tis of Thee" was the first (albeit de facto) national anthem, but the lyrics sort of seem nonsensical, and I know Renaissance English. "My country, it is of thee." "It is of thee my country." That makes no fucking sense. It was also written at a time when the average white had to work 80-hour works weeks--and slaves had it no better--which doesn't seem very fucking "free" to me.



I like doing these "reaction" memes that plague DeviantArt--and Judy Hopps' face is really fucking priceless.

And I think "The Star-Spangled Banner" is actually a really fucking horrible national anthem, one of the worst in the world next to Japan and Britain's given the whole flag-worship thing and militarism.

The only patriotic song I really like is "America the Beautiful," and I think it should be the national anthem instead, and I love lyrics like "God mend thine every flaw," and if I ever gave political speeches, I would end them with, "May God mend America's every flaw!"



"The Star-Spangled Banner" to me is sort of the national anthem equivalent of "Simple and Clean" from the Kingdom Hearts games, okay music but really moronic lyrics. But the "black national anthem" people are also fucking morons, and I had posted before about black people wanting everything black but then screaming about segregation, akin to minority and fringe groups trying to push their standards and values upon the general population like the gay and trans communities really try to today.

I had mentioned on someone's DeviantArt submission ages ago about how "America the Beautiful" should be the national anthem but they bitched that God shouldn't be in the national anthem.

Were it not for my l'esprit d'escalier I would have pointed out how Canada is way less religious than America but mentions God in their national anthem--and "O Canada" is definitely a fuck of a lot better than "The Star-Spangled Banner" and how The Netherlands is even less so, yet this is theirs:



Really, really fucking beautiful, sort of sounds like the story of my life, my all-time favorite national anthem, and one I would definitely stand and salute for. The Netherlands is actually the only other country I would consider living in since it's the most accessible to Anglophones (English-speakers) as 90% of the population speaks English, alongside other shit like being more culturally and religiously tolerant, crime not being a problem to the point where they closed prisons, good jobs in most fields across the country, and high pay with medium cost of living.

Germany's is probably second, and East Germany's is probably the best dead country's national anthem ever--and I can actually sing pretty decently in German as I can pronounce shit right, with Germany's national anthem sharing its tune with "Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken," one of my favorite Christian hymns.

Yeah, I think I'm done.

From thefridayfive:

1. If you were to star in a movie, who would you want to be cast as your love interest?
Someone who actually gives a shit about me and listens without judging me.

2. What genre of movie would you most like to star in?
Fantasy or science-fiction.

3. What song would you insist be on the soundtrack?
No specific song given the mentioned genres, it would be an original song.

4. What would you wear to the premiere of your movie?
Anything that doesn't make me feel uncomfortable.

5. Who would you thank in your Oscar acceptance speech?
People who inspired me and didn't traumatize me like my asshole family and countless cyberbullies.

Something I did since today's the anniversary of Francis Scott Key's death, in which I basically rant about "The Star-Spangled Banner" being a really fucking dumb national anthem (like Britain and Japan's, but at least the music's decent), and that this should be the national anthem instead:



Because America is a beautiful country (depending upon where you look, but LA's definitely an exception at the time, unfortunately), and I like lyrics like "God mend thine every flaw." I know atheists would bitch about "God" being in the national anthem, but Canada is way less religious than the US and mentions God in theirs, ditto The Netherlands, and this is their national anthem:



Really fucking awesome, sort of sounds like the story of my life.

Also, "America the Beautiful" was written by a lesbian feminist, so that should count for something, no?

The Ballad of Señor Don Gato by Josiah C. Shockency
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

"Estaba el señor Don Gato" is a traditional Spanish song with vague origins, with some saying it dates back to the fifteenth century. Margaret Marks would loosely translate it into English, with this version popularized in a third-grade music textbook published in 1964, although the melody would be that from a completely different Spanish song. I discovered on DeviantArt that one of my friends there named Josiah C. Shockency composed art for and wrote new lyrics for the original Spanish tune, publishing it in August 2021 as The Ballad of Señor Don Gato.

The story opens with the eponymous Don Gato sitting upon a rooftop, receiving a letter from his love interest asking if he wants to marry. Blinded by affection, Don Gato falls to the street, breaking his bones and being pronounced dead. During his funeral procession, the odor of sardines revives him, with the concluding indicator that cats have seven lives. This at first threw me off since I'm very well familiar with the mythos that felines have nine lives, although a cute illustration notes that some cultures like most Hispanophone nations (i.e. Spain, Mexico), Portugal, Brazil, Greece, and even Germany have that number at seven, so I definitely learned something new as a result of reading the book.

I also looked up the original popular English translation online and listened to it with its accompanying music, discovering its pacing was far slower, and the lyrics somewhat more verbose, perhaps a little too advanced for younger audiences. In contrast, the original Spanish tune is far faster, catchier, and more upbeat despite some of its lyrics' morbidness, with Shockency's localization, using mostly simpler words, following the notes well, interlacing his text with some Spanish. Although he defines the Spanish words after the main text, I think that truly integrating the lyrics into their respective illustrations, with side (or above/below) notes in the pictures for the untranslated words, would have been better.

I further believe that special punctuation marks to reflect the rhythm of the music, such as ellipses after words with longer notes and dashes after those that the "MA-RA-MEOW! MEOW! MEOW!" refrains follow, would help those reading with any musical accompaniment unversed in following song lyrics not get caught off-guard. Regardless, I enjoyed the story and especially its illustrations, which were adorable and depicted the narrative well, with the concept art following the Spanish word translation glossary being a nice addition, and I was more than happy to support the author/artist with my purchase.

View all my reviews

1. What are three things you refuse to live without?
My Apple computer and devices, the internet, and my video game systems.

2. What are your three favorite items of clothing?
My campaign hat, my maternal aunt's duster coat, and my variety of shoes.

3. What are your three favorite books?
1984 by George Orwell
Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton
A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn

4. What are three things you'd grab if you had to evacuate your house quickly?
My portable Apple devices, my portable gaming systems, and my aunt's duster coat.

5. What are your three favorite songs or musical works?
"Anything Goes" from the Broadway musical of the same name
"You Go Your Way, I'll Go Mine" by Carole King
"It's My Life" by Bon Jovi

(a big shoutout to loganberrybunny for inspiring me to watch this movie)

Based on the 1951 Lerner and Loewe American Western musical of the same name, the 1969 adaptation of Paint Your Wagon stars Lee Marvin as a prospector, Clint Eastwood as an amnesiac whom he recruits as his business partner, and Jean Seberg as one of a Mormon’s wives that he decides to sell to the highest bidder. I first saw this film as a rental in my town’s Blockbuster Video when that chain was still a thing, the title alone piquing my curiosity, the fact Clint Eastwood was in it being one of the sole things I knew about it. The following knowledge I would get about the film came from a brief spoof in The Simpsons episode “All Singing, All Dancing.”



Despite the title, the musical has nothing at all to do with literally painting wagons, with “paint your wagon” being a (very) dated expression meaning “to get things done.” Marvin’s character, Ben Rumson, dubs Eastwood’s “Pardner” as he recuperates, with a new tent town, “No Name City,” emerging when they discover gold. The male inhabitants become lonely from no female companionship until the mentioned Mormon husband comes and sells his wife Elizabeth to a drunken Rumson. A love triangle quickly emerges when Ben leaves his fiancé under Pardner’s care.

The latter portion of the movie involves Rumson and his men scheming to tunnel beneath No Name City to collect gold dust precipitating through the floorboards of saloons from paying customers, the only notable plot detail of which I had heard, courtesy my high school economics class, before I streamed this film. A zealous parson also comes to town in futile attempts to get its residents to abandon their sinful ways. Of course, many musical numbers abound, and while Marvin and Eastwood have never been known for their singing abilities, they did decently, with the former's “Wand’rin’ Star” probably being the high point of the film’s songs.



While I know this film gets its share of criticism, much justified, I found it an entertaining watch, with some initial themes like Rumson putting his business partners first and his apathy towards humanity resounding well with me. Mature content like references to venereal disease and prostitution also get some spotlight. Religious themes are front and center as well, given Rumson’s indifference towards God, the references to Mormonism and polygamy, and the ultrareligious preacher. Much of the film likely didn’t fly well with 1969 moviegoers (though modern audiences would probably find it less offensive than, say, Blazing Saddles). However, I think that time has vindicated it somewhat, and don’t regret seeing it.

I remember watching the original Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory starring the late Gene Wilder back near the end of fourth grade, and it remained an endearing classic in my mind to the point where I rewatched it a few times when it appeared on television the following decades. I never read the Roald Dahl book and maybe saw Tim Burton’s adaptation once a few years after it was released. It’s been a bit of a curse for film adaptations of Dahl’s work to falter financially at the box office as the 1971 movie did (though Burton’s version and this were exceptions).

This prequel serves as a companion piece to both the 1971 film and Dahl’s original novel, starring Timothée Chalamet (whom I know best as Paul Atreides in the latest adaptations of Frank Herbert’s Dune) as the eponymous fledgling chocolatier, twenty-five years before the events of the first Willy Wonka film. When he returns home, he struggles financially yet finds ways to make ends meet as he grows his chocolate business. An Oompa Loompa named Lofty, portrayed by Hugh Grant like the non-dwarf actors portraying the halflings in the Lord of the Rings films, eventually aids Wonka in his endeavors. Oh, and the film’s a musical.

While I have fond memories of the original Gene Wilder film, I didn’t have any expectations before watching this prequel film but ended up enjoying it. The musical numbers are pleasant, with many original tunes alongside staples of the 1971 movie like “Pure Imagination” and “Oompa Loompa” (with Grant singing a quirky ending credits epilogue for the various characters to its tune). The cast performances are superb, the settings well executed, and the effects brilliant, accounting for an entertaining movie that does the novel and first film adaptation justice.

This 2004 entry to Disney’s animated film canon occurs in the Old West, with wanted cattle rustler Alameda Slim, who can lure along bovines with his hypnotic yodeling, purloining those of Dixon Ranch. The remaining cow, Maggie, is sold to a farm called Patch of Heaven. A local sheriff, Sam, informs its owner, Pearl, that she must pay back a bank in three days, or her farm will go to auction. The cows ultimately decide to pursue Slim for the reward money to save their farm, aided by their fellow farm animals and others.

I’ll admit that given the horrid titular opening theme song, Home on the Range didn’t leave a positive first impression on me. Furthermore, I don't care for most music that features yodeling of any kind; however, a few like that during the ending credits are pleasant. The voice performances are decent, like Roseanne Barr as bovine protagonist Maggie, Cuba Gooding Jr. as Buck the horse, and Randy Quaid (aside from his singing) as Alameda Slim. Unfortunately, the writing frequently sounds awkward, and some plot beats, like Slim's yodeling, didn't sit well with me. Overall, this film ranks below average in my view of Disney’s animated films.

Today was the King of Norway's birthday, so I AI-generated some bunny Vikings:



As for Harald V himself, here's my interpretation of him in animal form:



I chose the Glechon dog breed since it's the closest mammal name to House Glücksburg, and in my own stories, I try to have my characters' names somewhat indicate their species.

I listened to an a-ha album and Das Rheingold (or The Rhinegold, the first of Richard Wagner's The Ring of the Nibelung opera tetralogy) while doing the art, most of the time. I would absolutely love to see the operas themselves since they were based on the same Nordic stories that inspired The Lord of the Rings, though only if they had translated English versions, similar to what a local community college theater had done with Mozart's The Magic Flute back at the end of 2022.

Disney’s original animated interpretation of the classic myth of Hercules opens with the songstress Muses narrating the film’s backstory in a musical style combining elements from the soul and gospel genres (and the studio back then was still mindful of DEI, even if in a different fashion), leading to the present where the gods Zeus and Hera have their titular son in Ancient Greece. Mythologically, the film fuses elements from Greek and Roman mythos, with Herc’s equivalent in the former being Heracles, but admittedly, that moniker doesn’t roll off the tongue, and deviations from the original myths abound.

While most of the gods of Mount Olympus celebrate Hercules’ birth, Zeus’ brother Hades, brilliantly portrayed by James Woods and the high point of the film, plots to overthrow the heavenly deities to rule himself. Thus, he sends his minions to kidnap the infant Herc and off him after having him ingest a potion that strips his immortality, although humans interrupt them and make them flee, leaving him with a drop of his godliness. Raised by mortals, Hercules faces estrangement for his excessive strength and discovers his destiny to rejoin the gods through heroism, with the satyr Philoctetes (or just Phil), just as memorable as Hades due to Danny DeVito’s performance, taking him on as his apprentice.

After proving his heroism in Thebes and boosting his popularity to being merchandized, Herc eventually confronts Hades and the Titans he seeks to revive while fighting for his eventual love interest, Megara (or Meg). In conclusion, this is probably one of my higher-regarded films in the Disney animated canon since I can easily relate to its themes of alienation and ostracization due to character and talent. Likewise, “Go the Distance" is an enjoyable central theme; despite what critics have said, I prefer Roger Bart’s in-movie rendition to Michael Bolton’s during the ending credits. As I mentioned, the film does take liberties with Greco-Roman mythology, but I nonetheless enjoyed it.