A Dark Night Has Risen

I'm just now waking up from a marathon showing of all three Nolan Batman films.  My friends and regular visitor's to this site know how much I love Christopher Nolan.  I knew my love for this third and last of his Batman trilogy would not be an exception.  I wanted to start by saying that I didn't know how to start, how conflicted I was.  I wanted to say how amazing and satisfying it all ended up being, but that it wasn't The Dark Knight, and somehow that didn't matter.  On this morning, I find myself still conflicted, but it's for a darker reason entirely.  I have woken to a string of news reports of a mass shooting at a theater in Colorado for a midnight showing of The Dark Knight Rises that have left about 15 dead and up to 50 wounded.

I'm conflicted about what this might mean for future midnight showings, I'm conflicted about how this might affect how we feel about this film.  Will this make it infamous?  Despised?  I am so sad for the victims, sad for their families.  These people didn't have to die.  Among the victims were teenagers and children, people that did no crime.  I try to imagine these people and I end up imagining myself.  These people had their life cut short against their will, they will never enjoy another movie again.

I find myself asking the usual questions.  Why did this have to happen?  What made the perpetrator so troubled?  Tragadies of this magnitude are so acute because these questions have no answer and therefore they can never be understood.  It's so natural to feel the need for vengeance but our frustration seems aimless.  We can't fathom the tragedy because the perpetrator is so far less than the crime that surrounds him.

I'm going to be honest.  My sadness and anger come from the fact that The Dark Knight Rises was truly a great movie.  It was just about everything I wanted this last Batman film to be.  Myself and a friend of mine had a fantastic time watching the entire trilogy in succession.  It was great to be part of all of that, brought together with fellow fans who shared a love for this film franchise.  All of this seems ruined.  All my pleasure that I have felt from these movies, the sense of community felt, gone.  It can never compare to the sense of loss that comes from learning that your son, daughter or friend has been killed, and I wouldn't want it to.  I am just expressing myself, expressing my sadness.

What has happened can't be undone.  My hope is that the victims and family's of victims can find the strength to move on.  If not now, then soon.  If not soon, then eventually.  I pray that justice will bring closure, and that this can make us all stronger.  And it this is what makes it so interesting because the most prominent themes of the films were of justice, revenge, closure and the humanity and faith in humanity we can lose when dealing with injustice.  Few are the times that we are confronted so earnestly with events of life by themes that we have just witnessed from art.

May our thoughts and prayers be with the victims.

mewithoutYou - Ten Stories

This last May saw the release of the fifth full length album Ten Stories from Philly's loudest poet-story tellers, mewithoutYou. It's quite a shame I just got around to picking up the album knowing that mewithoutYou has been a favorite band of mine for several years.  Back when I only had a couple of songs on a mixtape and first heard that yell hollered by Arron Weiss, I knew that they were unlike any band I had ever heard then, and really, since.

This angry sound has come to be known as the band's trademark.  Starting from their debut LP, [A to B] Life (2002), the music is very raw, tremendously loud and is the closest the band ever sounded to their hardcore cousins from the early aughts.  The guitars were thick with distortion, octave chords were plentiful, many songs had drastic volume dynamics and they even played around with simple time signature changes.  Wiess' vocals were the hallmark, setting mewithoutYou apart from other bands.  It was a mix of yell, scream spoken-word that was neither singing nor talking.  Combined with vivid lyrics that dealt with religion and heartbreak proved to be a very potent mix that could evoke strong emotions in any listener.

They further refined their sound with 2004's Catch for Us the Foxes, ratcheting down the noise but keeping their intensity. But it wasn't until two years later that the band struck gold with Brother, Sister.   This album showed mewithoutYou at their most mature.  Wiess' lyrics were more poignant and he exhibited more versatility in his voice with convincing singing.   The instrumentation was also more stout with the band reaching out into different styles.   The rock was still there but it was emphasized with a more talented band.   Even more, it was interlaced with folk interludes about a slowly aging spider that worked suprisingly well to create a rounded sound.

In 2009 mewithoutYou surprised its fan base with It's All Crazy! It's All False! It's All a Dream! It's Alright! which planted the band firmly in the Indie-Folk camp.   With the electric guitars being overcome by a chorus of acoustic guitars, accordions, harps and many other instruments, their rock seemed to be gone.   Aaron Weiss was not yelling anymore, so gone was their fire as well.   It seemed as if Weiss had turned a major corner in his life because the antagonism of the past had all but vanished. If I didn't know any better I might say that he was actually happy because that is what the music reflected.   The record seemed to surround itself with morality tales and fables staring animals inspired from writings by Sufi teacher Bawa Muhaiyaddeen. I found the beauty of the album but it wasn't easily won. I still find it the most difficult one to grasp from the band's catalog even though I consider it one of their best from a creative stand point.

It's from here that I thought mewithoutYou would draw their material for their fifth LP, Ten Stories.   I was partially correct, but still a surprise came with the opening of the first track, "February, 1878."  Gritty distorted chords move upward building tension until the band breaks in with Weiss reclaiming his trademark yell.   I was giddy, this was mewithoutYou returning to the sound that made them famous.  The song later mellowed out retaining some ominous overtones but there was no denying that this was mewithoutYou.

The energy held out on "Grist for the Malady Mill" with one of the catchiest pop beats that I have heard in a while.  It evokes past songs such as "A Glass Can Only Spill What it Can Contain" and even "The Dryness and the Rain" to an extent.

"East Enders Wives" is a short and melancholy song that focuses on a clean electric and acoustic guitar.  It doesn't have the impact of similar songs by them, though it is still very good.  My favorite line is the question, "Let's give up sacrifice next lent?"

"Cardiff Giant" provides the most fun you will ever have listening to a mewithoutYou song.  Echoing guitar chords propel the music forward during the verses while arpeggiated notes are played with perfect delay over a chorus of vocals that beg to be sung along with.  This song shows how much the band has learned since the last album.  Keeping the folky optimism but incorporating an amount of pop to keep the sound accessible.

"Elephant in the Dock" has the most engaging story on the record.  It's about an elephant being charged with a crime and being tried by a jury for it.  The elephant is brought before a crowd to be sworn in.  The elephant is rather obstinent because she declares, "I don't know anything about truth," and continues with the pointed statement, "but I know falsehood when I see it, and it looks like this whole world you've made."  The chaplian then interviens with a prayer until the crowd rouses together, "We must hang the elephant, must hang the elephant, must hang!"  The elephant has time to defent herself and choses to declare, "This mock trial can do no more to determine my lot, than can driftwood determine the ocean's waves."  The fate of this creature does not seem sure because after another chorus from the crowd to hang the elephant, the elephant's last words we hear are, "I feel it stealing now, all adrift fathoms down."

This song brings the overall arc of the record in focus.  It's about a circus train running through Montana.  While going through a snowy mountain pass, the elephant uses her strength to break the cage and derail the train, setting the rest of the animals free.  The album's songs tell the stories of the animal's fates and interactions.  Some had luck while others did not.

Ten Stories plays close to the sound of the last LP.  Sonically, it can be found between It's All Crazy... and Brother, Sister.  There are songs that ride the folk road and others that crank the gain knob, it has a fantastic mix.  Lyrically this isn't their strongest record with some songs being better than others but the standard set by mewhithoutYou has always been high.  I applaud the band for striving to keep consistent themes late in their career, this one completely being a concept album.  In the age of quick singles and the scavenger mentality (pick the best, leave the rest), it's great to know that there are bands that are keeping the spirit of the album alive.

From the opening moments to the grandiose closer, "All Circles", Ten Stories is a superb addition to mewithouYou's catalog.  I found it instantly accessible while the story arc will make for deeper study.  My recommendation is to go as soon as possible to your nearest record store and pick this release up.  While you're there, pick up some of their older albums as well.  Educate yourself.  Find out about one of the most creative and unique bands of the last decade.

"Night, the Different Painting" by Jonah Michea Judy

The acoustic guitar is quite an instrument.  An instrument in the most literal sense.  A means by which something is achieved, value determined.  The level of expression is matched only by the artist wielding it.  It draws a rather fine line however.  Not faint nor delicate, but fine.  One cannot hide insecurities behinds its naked sound.  They must be prepared to lay themselves bare if using it by itself.  Solo guitarists are easily written off these days, for good reason.  Few musicians can captivate an audience with their instrument alone.  This takes talent, true admirable talent.  One of the few musicians who I know have this talent is friend and musician, Jonah Micah Judy.


Recently I had a new, soon-to-be-released album sent to me by him.  I've been a fan of his music for as long as I've know him and I was eager to dig into his new offerings.  He has flown well under the radar, but that's not for lack of trying.  Spearheading several regional tours and releasing a small yet impressive body of work, Judy has done what it takes to be noticed.  This will be his third studio release (after 2007's Milk Sink and 2009's follow up EP Taste Escape) titled Night, the Different Painting.


The first song, "Lights Won't Quit" immediately hits me with a haunting nostalgia. the plucked notes below his strained voice together sound as if it came from a movie that I should have seen but never did.  It's slow and languid and yet possesses a pleading energy that urges the song forward, into the song as well as deeper into the album. 


"Under the Well" poses a shift with a startling introduction from Judy's deep baritone.  This is a song that get's darker with each listen.  I feel like I am the man under the well as I watch a shadowy figure far above singing this ballad whilst shoveling me with dirt.  The darkness doesn't end there.  On one of the latter tracks,  "Swine", Judy sings, "The pigs I've known are good enough to eat there own."  With his tongue firmly in his cheek, Judy then continues by singing the chord structure of the song, "C, E, A.  C, E, G."  It's between the suspicion that there is more to this and the unease you feel from Judy's whistling in the middle of the song, you find something that you can't put your finger on, something that raises the hair on the back of your neck.


His skill for mood approaches his prowess on the guitar.  "Selu" begins with a serpentine chord structure, relying on  droning harmonics.  Then there is a shift.  Simple arpeggios aggregate together with light flourishes and those same drones until there is another shift.  Judy then sings against the hurried plucking highlighted by simple notes that move up.  The bars evoke the great piece "Suite Española" by composer Isaac Albéniz, made popular for guitar by Andrés Segovia.  Judy doesn't match the speed or urgency of this suite, but the simultaneous plucking of fast and slow notes is not something you hear very often on solo singer/songwriter records.

The thing that I've loved most about Judy's music is his guttural, primal growl.  His voice can dig out a deep aggression that makes us feel at our most animalistic.  One can find this style in much of modern Hard Rock music but an unlikely paring can be found in the diminutive accoustic guitar and a murderous howl.  When your words are paved with gravel on top of a base already at its limits, no one can deny you.


Judy reaches this best on the song "The Uncany Indifference."  Dissonant chords resonate harshly until the vocals kick in.  Instead of letting his voice become a shriek, he keeps it carefully controlled in its chaos.  By doing so, he retains the lower registers of his voice, keeping it's power.  Even at the climax of the song, when he allows those notes to turn upward into an actual shriek, that force is still there.

I must remark that that Judy has never sounded better than what he does here.  The true intention of his sound can be realized.  Milk Sink possessed brilliant songs but the production edged on the buzzier side with hallow overtones.  Night, the Different Painting is clear and  warm.  Michea strikes an almost perfect balance between his voice and his instrument.  I was able to ask him what his goal is when crafting a sound in the studio.  He said that he always wants to represent as true as possible the live experience.  Over the years I've been privileged to listen to him play in intimate settings.  When listening to this record I feel like I'm next to him as he plays.  I would say this, then, is the achievement of his vision.

The only qualm I have is with the song "Gunpowderlegs."  It's the only song on the record played on the electric guitar.  The distortion is dirty, his voice is growling and the formula is such to make for a solid rock song.  Ironically, by itself , the tone of the guitar doesn't provide enough power to feed the aggression that the song deserves.  I believe the effect would have been best achieved had Michea stuck with his acoustic but played the life out of it.  And yet, I keep coming back to the song.  A testament to the fact that there is something here, something worth listening to.


What Jonah Michea Judy has given us in Night, the Different Painting (Disk 1 of 2) is his most fully realized and well-rounded album yet.  What his has accomplished is proof that he is ready for a larger audience.  His solid songwriting and deft handling of varying acoustic and vocal dynamics makes him very interesting to listen to and should earn a permanent place on your iPod.  He is an artist you should put on your radar and track carefully.

Jonah Michea Judy is on Kickstarter.  Donate today to help his projects.

This American Life Re-Affirms itself as the Greatest Thing Ever

This last Thursday saw the third wide release of a live showing of This American Life to movie theaters across America and Canada.  Normally a radio show hosted by the legend Ira Glass, This American Life has been perfecting its trademark style for almost two decades now.  Mixing news, current events, humor and touching human interest pieces, This American Life has always set its sights wide.  When given the opportunity, however, Glass and company will pull out the stops and do something extraordinary and unique.  I was able to see the live show that premiered in 2009 where the curtain was pulled back a little, shoing how the show actually worked...sort of.  Three years later, we get another one, and it is bigger and better then ever before.

I love This American Life more than almost any other form of entertainment in my life.  I once fell in love with a girl I think because she told me that she too loved This American Life.  It didn't work out and I learned that even This American Life isn't big enough to base a relationship on.  Needless to say, it's at the top of my "list of favorite things".  Many people have a private affection for specific things.  We enjoy them by ourselves, at our own terms.  It's on rare occasions that you get to share this enjoyment with others who feel the same way.  Walking into the theater, I got that feeling.  These people are the faces of public radio, I said to myself.  They are true fans of This American Life, the ones willing to shell out a hefty amount for a ticket to this thing.  These are my people.

I'll get it out of the way right now, the show was incredible.  More than incredible, stupendous.  More than stupendous, monumental.  Yes, it was quite good.  It was different than last time.  For one, gone was Ira Glass's classic desk, covered in radio equipment; Glass monitoring switches, queuing samples and all the rest that a radio host must do.  Glass this time around played the part of a sleek MC, doing all that he did last time from an iPad.  Some of the samples didn't respond in time and he make the remark, "As you all know, I don't have the best relationship to Apple Products," to great laughs (recently, proving there is a first time for everything, TAL had to completely remove an episode from its archive and air basically a 60 minute apology after discovering that the primary contributor for that episode falsified many of his claims).

The theme was "Making the Invisible Visible" and dealt with stories involving loss of sight, being forgotten, ignored and other things that you just can't do on the radio.  It started out on the bright side of things, feeling more like a stand up comedy special rather than a public ratio production.  The first two stores were from author Ryan Knighton and comedian Tig Nataro. Knighton told stories about his blindness and the challenges of being a blind father.  Nataro had quite possibly the funniest routine of the evening.  She told a story of meeting her music idol, Taylor Dayne on repeated occasions and the different outcomes that occurred.  By the end of it I was in tears from laughing so hard.  We were then surprised by an actual performance by Taylor Dayne herself.  I believe that even Tig Nataro, herself, was surprised because it was written all over her face during the song.  She looked touchingly awkward on stage as Dayne sung.  She looked like she just didn't know what to do and even, in a last ditch effort, pulled out a Michael Jackson dance move a couple of times.

This wasn't the only music of the evening.  There were some dace numbers from the Monica Bill Barnes Company and a performance by the band OK Go.  The later was very impressive and innovative.  The band, in conjunction with This American Life, developed a phone app just for this event.  The app has three large buttons with different shapes on them that plays bell-sounding tones when pressed.  When opened, the app appears in a random color, corresponding to different notes.  The goal was to get the audience to play with the band as they played a song of theirs on hand bells.  There was a Guitar Hero-esque staff off to the side that scrolled down.  The audience was to pay attention to their color and play the notes that appeared.  Even the non smart phone toting members (or smart phone toting members that didn't download the app) were included.  They provided the percussion with stomps and finger snaps.  It was a great idea, unfortunately I don't think the audience that I was apart of was very enthusiastic about the whole thing.

We were treated to a short film written and directed by comedian, author and This American Life alum, Mike Birbiglia.  It stared himself and Fresh Air host, Terri Gross.  While Birbiglia starred himself, Gross played a spoofed version of herself, one that is always seems to be "on the air," asking those classic questions of hers whether she's behind the mike or not.  It was very entertaining and worth the watch.  You too can watch it here.

The evening soon started to feel more like This American Life with the inclusion of some more introspective stories.  Glynn Washington, host of the NPR show Snap Judgement told an experience of when he was young and spent the night with his family praying against the unseen power of the Devil after "witching a well."  Another was a story about an all but forgotten photographer, Vivian Maier and John Maloof, the man who discovered the thousands of brilliant negatives that had never been seen by anyone other than Maier.  Her photographs were arresting, showing an unparalleled intimacy and deep, innate understanding of the medium. She was reclusive and impersonal but took her camera everywhere she went, snapping quick photos of life around her.  Because she was so private, her photos were never shown, the quality never known.  When she died they might have been lost forever had they not made their way to an auction where Maloof bought them for about $400.

The story asked the question, should an artist's wish of having their work be kept from public knowledge be honored even after death?  The comparison was made to Emily Dickinson, who made the request to her sister to burn her poems when she died.  I understand the sentiment of ownership, but where would we be without "I Heard a Fly Buzz When I Died."?

The last of these thoughtful stories came from a This American Life favorite, David Rakoff.  Viewers could notice how Rakoff came onstage, using only his right hand while his left was stuffed in his pocket.  He told about a recent surgery where the doctors had to sever a nerve in his arm.  The surgery freed him from tremendous pain but left him without the use of the arm for the remainder of his life.  His story was classic Rakoff, bitingly sardonic and yet it had enough heart to make you grin in commiseration.  He recalled his younger days as a dancer.  He wasn't good enough to make a career from it, but it was a part of his life for a long time.  When he go older, it was one of those things that had to be let go.  You could tell that he longed for his younger days as he described how a piece of music could induce a kind of trance where your body could be lost to the rhythms.  He pretended to become overcome with emotion as he excused himself to quickly leave the stage.  Suddenly music started and he stopped and then proceeded to preform a dance number.  Was it clumsy?  Yes, but was it touching and heartfelt? Absolutely.

To close the evening was another fan favorite, David Sedaris. To fulfill the requirement of "things you can't do on the radio," Sedaris came onstage completely covered in clown makeup and wearing a cartoonish top hat.  If you were already a fan of Sedaris, or at least familiar with his work then you knew what you were in store for.  A sarcastic and hilariously dry tale of being ignored in line at a coffee cart while the couple ahead of you are shamelessly oblivious to how annoying they are at taking their time.  It was short, but truly, truly sweet.

And that was it.  In 2009 I didn't think that I would have ever seen one of these again but here I am, raving just as much as I did last time.  I think I may be expecting these ever few years now, though I honestly don't know how Glass & Company can top this performance.  It really had everything that you could ever ask for.
For those of you that are reading this before May 15th, 2012, you're in luck 'cause there will be an encore showing at many of the same theaters that showed it Thursday.  Click here to get tickets.

Doctor, I think I got the Shakes

Have you lost your faith in music?  You think there's nothing new that can make you feel anymore?  I recommend getting a prescription for the Shakes, the Alabama Shakes that is; the newest band to pound the pavement with their brand of sultry, Southern Soul.

I first heard about the Alabama Shakes when they were guests on the Sound Opinions podcast.  The past few weeks I've been indulging in my newest obsession, podcasts.  Now, I've been a devoted fan of the medium for several years, This American Life has been a weekly (or more) ritual for close to seven years now.  Recently, I've discovered several pop culture and film themed podcasts that I've been listening to as fast as I can download them.  This has cut into my music listening considerably.  This includes listing to the Sound Opinions show, because they focus on music news and review new music.  Preferring the discussion between a few people to the sway of a rhythm is something new for me, but that's just where my tastes lie right now.

This last week I decided to give the film talk a rest and see what was new with my good friends Greg Kott and Jim Derogatis as they interviewed this band who I was totally unfamiliar with.  Their first song, "Hold On", didn't take me by surprise but it did grow on me.  The band had a thick and mellow instrumentation but it was the singer, Brittany Howard, who made me perk up my ears.  Her huskey croon was very mature and so unique to hear.  It was equally satisfying when it was reeled in or pushed to the max.  By the end of the song I was hooked.  By the end of their set I was a fan.  Jim Derogatis's reaction after the last tone sounded was, "Yikes!"  The song was "You Ain't Alone."  Howard's voice was like a freight train, unstoppable and equally as moving.

I knew I had to get a hold of their record, Boys & Girls, and as soon as I did I knew it was going to be one of the best of the year.  It opens up with "Hold On", and this time I appreciated it for the modern classic that it's destined to be.  Howard pleads during the chorus to "hold on."  Is she begging for herself or is this for our benefit?  The guitar licks on this song, provided by Heath Fog, are so simple but work so well.  They move the listener through the song like boat on a river, the high notes like peaks on mild, choppy waves.

It's followed by a track that is so seeped in the feel of old Soul Blues you'd think that it was pulled directly from a scratchy 45.  "I Found You" is one of those rare songs works well for both slow and fast dancing, lending itself to any moment that arises.  Howard sings of how long we've traveled and waited just to find that certain person and what that person does to change our life.  Such a familiar subject to us all.

The third song, "Hang Loose" rolls in with a groan like it was started from a dead stop on a turntable.  The groove is undeniable and this is by far the catchiest song on the record.  It's pure pop, but there ain't nothing wrong with that.  A sprinkle of sweet goes a long way to make this a great listen.  The main riff will get stuck in your head for days and Howard's cries on the chorus make it more meaningful than your standard pop hit.

I could go on or I could wrap this up so that you can go pick this up.  The entire album plays out like the first three tracks; simple, soulful and straight to the matter.  It's rare for me to find music that instantly hits me at my core.  Usually it takes me a few spins to really get into an album.  Brittany Howard's voice and the instrumentation by Fogg, bassist Zac Cockrell and drummer Steve Johnson swirl together for the perfect combination of music so accessible yet so affecting.  Whatever your format you prefer, whether it's CD, vinyl, MP3, legal or illegal, you have to get this ASAP.

Community is back, at long last.

I feel fantastic. The past couple of weeks have been some of the best in a long time. God has recently blessed me with just one thing that I have asked for, the return of Community. The last time that you caught up with me I was in the throes of sadness as Community was literally ripped from NBC’s Thursday night schedule and put on “hiatus.” With almost no warning, myself and thousands of others lost what brings them so much joy from week to week. If that wasn’t bad enough, we weren’t even given a firm date as to when we could expect it’s return. There were even rumors that it would even be canceled outright. With two (and a half) seasons and a movie to go until its goal, Community was definitely in a dire situation.

And yet, we survived. More importantly we prevailed. We lived our Community-less lives enduring painful and sometimes humorless blocks of Must See TV. We cursed Whitney and its proprietors. Why couldn’t she have gotten the ax? But most of all, those cherished box sets of the first two seasons found new life as our only connection to what we love.

After the pain lessened and a scab had formed, the time had come to let our voices be heard. Just cause our show was gone didn’t mean we had to shut up about it. We filled forums with our rants, speculations and pleading. Todd VanDerWerff, of the A.V. Club even posted the address of the most useful NBC associate to send a letter of protest to, if so inclined. But mostly this down time gave us time to regroup, as fans, and encourage others to check out the show, to proselytize, if you will. I did more than my part, to a few of my friend’s detriment. Hopefully we convinced a few people how enriching Community can be. What I know now is that our community (pun very much intended) is stronger than ever.

Perhaps they’re bringing it back just to keep us quiet (their error, this is just going to make us louder than before) or perhaps we convinced someone, or someones to give in and give us what we want. Whatever the reason, we are getting it back and how happy this makes me. At the time of this writing, there are only 21 hours, 26 Minutes and a handful of seconds to wait until we can laugh again. I don’t know about you, but I’m ready.

Bad News for Community

You may be happy to see that I have returned from the war but it’s only bad news that I bring. Last night I found out from these two sources that Community, the NBC comedy beloved by way too few, has been taken out of rotation for the mid-season comedy block on Thursday nights. In fact it has been removed completely and won’t be airing in January. Those reporting that are closer to the source of this news are saying that this is by no means a cancelation of the show, it’s just being put on hiatus; an academic leave of absence, if you will.

When I read this I immediately cursed the gods responsible and rent my garments in dramatic biblical fashion. I wanted to ask the question how could NBC be so dastardly as to allow this injustice but that would be unfair, I understand the demands of the bottom line. The question that I asked instead was how we, as a television consuming public, could ignore such a fantastic show as to allow this to happen.

Let me tell you a story about a quaint little show on a not so little network that I will refer to as “Apprehended Advancement.” This little show premiered to gushing reviews from critics. It continued to garner praise throughout its life even winning several awards for its unique comedy. The problem was that no one saw the unique comedy because it was hardly watched. Ratings for it were criminally low and in its third and last season experienced the “schedule shuffle,” a horrible event for any show. A strange thing began to happen after it was canceled, it became a cult favorite. DVD sales began to rise and a lot of people started to watch the show and nowadays everyone likes this show. I’m not talking about many of my friends and a bunch of people I talk TV with, I’m talking about everyone. Everyone absolutely loves this show.

Now, you can probably guess that I’m talking about Arrested Development, one of the most beloved shows of TV lovers. They way Arrested Development became a forgotten oddity to a pop culture legend has always been a mystery to me. I’ll be honest and say that I found the show like I’m sure 75% of other people found the show, on DVD after the fact. I too love that show like I love few others, and I know that might annoy those that were on board at day one. It makes us appear as trendsters, jumping on the trend train when we see everyone else doing it.

This is why I’m reaching out to all of you. I’m guessing, based solely on statistics, that many of you do not watch Community on a regular basis, if you’ve seen an episode at all. I want to convince you to start watching this gem, this diamond in the rough before it’s too late. You think that it will never be too late, “I’ll watch it later,” you say. But do you know what will happen? Community will be canceled and then two, maybe three years will pass before it will become a sensation that everyone starts talking about. You will check it out and will find how amazing it is. In between bouts of laughter you’ll squeal, “Why did they ever cancel this show? It’s so funny!” They canceled it because you didn’t watch it. Do you really want to be that guy? That guy who is once again late to the party?

I am curious as the reasons that people don’t watch Community, very curious. I’m reaching out because I want to help you. Please, help me help you. Tell me what you need; what you don’t understand and I will assist you. Let me promise that you will adore this show if you give it a chance, and right now it needs a big chance. Critics love it, fans who love it love it, and you can too. What more would you like, an invitation? Well here it is,

Dear Sir or Madam,

You are cordially invited to attend a viewing of Community
When: Thursday’s at 8:00 pm
Where: Your place

RSVP’s are not needed

Sincerely,

Life in con.txt