Friday Full-Length: Strapping Young Lad, City
This is my effort to wipe the slate clean in my own brain. City, released in 1997 by Vancouver’s Devin Townsend-led Strapping Young Lad through Century Media, deserves to be in conversation as one of the best metal records of all time. Shit, Gene Hoglan’s drums alone. But that’s not really why I’m listening to it. I’m listening to it because I’ve spent this entire week pissed off at myself, totally unmotivated to write, and I just want something to shake me out of my own head while at the same time pummeling my bones into powder. Accept no substitutes.
Yesterday was a 10-post day. That happened both because relevant news announcements kept coming and because I fucked up on TWO premieres. One I forgot about while putting the day together on Wednesday — had to write the piece Wednesday night after the kid went to bed, which is generally me-and-Patient-Mrs. time — and the other I had to do Thursday morning. Both pieces kind of sucked as a result, but what does it even matter? No one gives a shit. Bands got links to share on social media and a pullquote and there you go. Everybody moves on. Oh hey, there’s Crowbar announcing a record. That’s content!
But really, fuck content.
Except “Room 429.” That’s content I can get behind. And “All Hail the New Flesh,” I suppose. “Detox.” “Oh My Fucking God.” Fucking “AAA.” The rest.
I haven’t been doing the writing I’ve been wanting to do and I’m furious about it. More, I’m furious because I feel like I’m not doing it because I don’t have time. There’s so much shit I feel ‘obligated’ to post about — obligated to whom? for what reason? — that I can’t even keep up with. Today I wanted to review the new Spaceslug. It’s out today. I was going to premiere it at one point and then the band decided to go with someone else. Their prerogative. I’ve done 
plenty with Spaceslug over their years and will likely continue to. Can’t have ego about that shit or you’ll lose your mind (though I admit sometimes I take it personally; I’ve never been cool enough blah blah blah). I’d love to interview them about the record, actually. But I was going to review the album anyway for today and with all the extra crap held over from Wednesday to yesterday there was just no way to get it done.
Next week, you say? That’s the Quarterly Review. So much for any time for anything else, really, Monday to Friday — actually I already have an interview scheduled I’ll need to post at some point with Jon from Conan, assuming it happens — and then next weekend, as I should be starting work on my own Best of 2021 list and all that, I’m slated to do an in-studio for two days. That’ll be good for getting me out of the house — something I ALMOST did this week to go see All Them Witches and pulled out in the end — but leaves me otherwise lacking time. I am tired and burnt out wondering what the fuck I even bother doing any of this for? Free CDs sometimes? I’m 40 years old. Is this really going to be my life’s work? A fucking blog that hasn’t been updated since 2009? Do I really hate myself this much?
And I just got hit up for something next Wednesday that I can’t really say no to, so in addition to 10 short reviews of discs, that. Ugh.
I pitched a book project to Sound of Liberation for next year covering the entirety of the Truckfighters, Greenleaf and Asteroid 15-date tour in Europe. I don’t know what next year will bring in terms of festivals — if Roadburn will happen, if I’ll be invited, etc.; it’s a whole new world and generally shittier, so I’m not counting on anything — and who knows too what next summer will be like by the time Freak Valley, which I’m dying to get to and should’ve been to years ago already, happens. SOL said yes to the book, which would be made from posts and pics I’d put on this site, edited together as a volume and probably fleshed out a bit by me after the tour, and I’ll be honest, I’m pretty much hanging my hat on that possibility. That’s the thing I’m looking forward to. It feels just a little too much like a daydream to be real, and thus I am skeptical of its reality. Mighty tenuous.
It’s the holidays so of course everything is awful. The kid hates my guts, which is legit because I’m a prick. The Patient Mrs. is stressed about work and money, also legit because we’re paycheck-to-almost-paycheck forever. I want to go to bed for a month and not see or talk to anybody. I hate being in my skin. Tired, old, sad and angry. Damaged and helping nothing.
“So here’s all my hopes and aspirations/Nothing but puke.” God damn this record is amazing.
That’s enough. New Gimme show today. 5PM. Free. http://gimmemetal.com
New merch at MIBK. Sweatpants and dugouts and shirts. Not free. http://mibk.bigcartel.com/products
Great and safe weekend. Quarterly Review starts Monday. Five days, plus another five in January.
FRM.
Tags: British Columbia, Canada, Century Media, City, Strapping Young Lad, Strapping Young Lad City, Vancouver
Hey JJ, for what it’s worth lots of us out here massively appreciate what you do.
Keep on keeping on.
Cheers
Mark
Woah, wasn’t expecting to see City featured! That album is a total cathartic gem, and one of the few metal albums I loved in high school that I still love today.
The holidays are fucking tough dude, hope things start looking up for you soon.
JJ you are human. It takes a strong man to share his feelings and to tell the world he is scared and hurting. I don’t see you as a failure i see you as someone that is strong and has hope for better times. I have been where you are and at times still visit that place deep within us. That place of darkness. I don’t stay for long anymore. I wish you and your family the best. We only have one shot at it in this life.
I would be mad about a band pulling their premier after agreeing to put it on your site. It’s unprofessional behavior. Even though you don’t get paid, you are running a business of sorts.
You should run a kickstarter or something to get a year’s worth of salary to do this. Run it every January. What you do has so much value, you need to monetize it somehow to make your life a little less stressful. There’s nothing wrong with that. You’re not running a “blog” but you are a journalist covering music.