Spock's Pickled Brain

  Gondor is Middle Earth's tragic kingdom. Clinging to the strength and purity of their distant Numenorean heritage, Gondor survives the brunt of Mordor's renewed onslaught largely through bravado and a nihilistic resignation to fight until the bitter end. An end they are sure is coming, and one they are certain to make as bitter as possible. Gondor is fragility itself. Edge Of Night (Pippin's Song) - Howard Shore feat. Billy Boyd Home is behind, the world ahead And there are many paths to tread Through shadow to the edge of night Until the stars are all alight Mist and shadow Cloud and shade All shall fade All shall fade  For Whom The Bell Tolls - Metallica  (Gondor faces the threat of a renewed Sauron in Mordor.) Take a look to the sky just before you die It's the last time you will Blackened roar, massive roar fills the crumbling sky Shattered goal fills his soul  All My Life - Foo Fighters  (Denethor's ambition drives him and Gondor forward. He's never ab...

All right, here's my attempt at assembling a raypunk-type playlist. Again not 100% convinced on the order but they all have flavors of some of the zany outer space drama. 1. Flash's Theme (Queen) Ming: Klytus I'm bored. What plaything can you offer me today? Klytus: An obscure body in the S-K system, Your Majesty. The inhabitants refer to it as the planet...Earth. 2. Sweet Dreams (Eurythmics) Sweet dreams are made of this Who am I to disagree? I travel the world and the seven seas Everybody's looking for something 3. Cosmic Castaway (Electrasy) Lose my head to the chemical freeway Comin' up on overload In a mystic new dimension Purify and sanctify me 4. Lone Digger (Caravan Palace) Hey brother what you thinking? Leave that old record spinning You feel the rhythm going 5. Jupiter's Child (Steppenwolf) The one who reads the stars has told me Why you're not like everyone Your father is a fiery wizard He travels all around the ...

While I wait for the last piece of my reworked Jedi costume to come together, let's grab a drink with our favorite scoundrels in the local cantina. Order a Corellian whiskey, sit in on a game a sabacc, and wait for the next blaster fight to break out. I put together a playlist that reminded me of the seedy underbelly of the Star Wars universe, fit for smugglers, bounty hunters, Hutts, and all manner of shady characters. (Disney concept art for Galaxy's Edge) 1. Welcome to the Party (Diplo, French Montana & Lil Pump feat. Zhavia Ward) Step up in the party, step up in the party 2. Six Shooter (Coyote Kisses) Loaded bullets with my blood in the rounds Yeah she's a sweet six shooter, she knows how to get down Until the kick-back when my heart hits the ground She said "You think you're so tough, baby put your hands up" 3. Right Place Wrong Time (Dr. John) I been in the right place but it must have been the wrong time I'd have...

Let's go ahead and dive right in and admit that my favorite piece of Star Wars media in Star Wars: The Clones Wars. Don't worry, I'm not going to rant here (that will probably be later this month). That's not to say that I think it's objectively the best piece of Star Wars media, or even that I like every part of the series. But I maintain that it is a beautiful and amazing piece of Star Wars, and it makes me cry every time I watch it. Perhaps my favorite part of The Clone Wars is its spotlight on the clone soldiers as they walk the line between faceless, subhuman cannon-fodder and fully-fledged individuals fighting for a future (even if it isn't theirs). This playlist reflects their struggle. Why did I make them look like a boy band? Good question. It just sort of...happened 1. Ka Mate (Traditional Maori Haka) This is a common haka used by the New Zealand All Blacks rugby team, among others. It was composed by Te Rauparaha in celebration of a narrow...

Going down the sarlacc pit of Star Wars extended universe lore, you can find a fair number of curious storylines that live along the edges of the canon films, sustained by books, comics, and video games. I've probably mentioned this before, but one of the storylines I would love to see turned into film would be those portrayed in the Knights of the Old Republic video games (also known as KOTOR). I am one of those weirdos who likes video games more for their plots than for their gameplay. For some context as to why the heck I'd make a playlist for this, see below. Spoilers, obviously. KOTOR follows a Republic soldier with amnesia, who crash lands on an Empire-controlled world and begins discovering that he has Force abilities. With the help of the Jedi Bastila Shan and their comrades, he begins to unravel a dark plot set into motion by the Sith Lords Revan and Malak. Revan and Malak are particularly dangerous in that they were formerly Jedi. They had led many young Jedi to...

Well I neglected to write why the last post jumped from post-apocalypse to Universal monster movies, but Halloween is on the horizon and we though it would be interesting to make a detour down a wolf-ridden track that heads off to a gothic castle or two. We'll be getting back to the apocalypse soon enough, but in the mean time here are some movies, songs, and whatnot fitting for All Hallow's Eve. All right, so I'm still working out the order on these, but the songs make a pretty good playlist for monsters in general, but here are some electrifying tunes to make even the most shambling of corpse creatures manage a can-can or a waltz. (I don't know who painted these horror portraits but they're fantastic!) 1. The Sermon II (The Creepshow) Listen closely as your radio plays A program of a slightly different strain 2. Lovecraft in Brooklyn (The Mountain Goats) When the sun goes down, the armies of the voiceless, several hundred thousand strong Come out with...

1. Bad Moon Rising (Creedence Clearwater Revival) I see a bad moon a-rising I see trouble on the way I see earthquakes and lightnin' I see bad times today 2. John the Revelator (Depeche Mode) John the Revelator Put him in an elevator Take him up to the highest high Take him up to the top where the mountains stop Let him tell his book of lies 3. Armagideon Time (The Clash) A lot of people runnin' and a-hidin' tonight A lot of people won't get no justice tonight 4. Radioactive (Imagine Dragons) I'm waking up to ash and dust I wipe my brow and sweat my rust I'm breathing in the chemicals 5. Hammer to Fall (Queen) Here we stand or here we fall History won't care at all Make the bed, light the light Lady Mercy won't be home tonight 6. Losing My Religion (R.E.M.) That's me in the corner That's me in the spotlight Losing my religion 7. Long, Long Way From Home (Foreigner) I was inside looking outside The millions of fac...

Alright folks, I know I already did a playlist for urban fantasy, but consider this a more targeted list, combining music used in the show, as well as music that I feel thematically fits with the series. I'm also on a Supernatural bender and I just started Season 4, so be thankful I'm not just crying into my computer. Instead, buckle up for some classic rock, folk, and the side of country that is not deeply embarrassing twanginess. 1. Foreplay (Boston) Played to great effect towards the end of season 2 (Sam gets abducted by the Yellow-Eyed Demon!), Foreplay is better known as the badass instrumental opening to Boston's Foreplay/Long Time combined track. 2. I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-to-Die Rag (Country Joe McDonald and the Fish) Sometimes know as the Vietnam Rag, I prefer the Woodstock live recording of this song where the traditional "FISH Cheer" is changed to the "FUCK Cheer." Which sounds insane if you don't know the song, but it...

So to the surprise of absolutely no one, I confess that I occasionally make playlists for specific characters from fiction, or general themes in media. This playlist is titled The Hanged Man, as a reference to the minor character from the Astro City comics. In the comics the Hanged Man is a mysterious supernatural guardian for the area of the city known as Shadow Hill. The neighborhood is populated mainly by Eastern European immigrants and their descendants, and it continues to be an interesting blend of modern city and supernatural traditions (vampires, ghosts, the whole nine yards). More generally speaking, the playlist is an ode to all those characters who walk the line between modern life and the dark recesses where magic lurks and modern science fails. The Trenchcoat Brigade, the hunters, the exorcists. The sorcerers who breathe in diesel fumes and breathe out fire and magic. This is for all the friends and lovers scattered through the streets and cemeteries. Enjoy my terrib...