Working Stiff by Grant Stoddard

Remember that guy in high school? The wallflower? The one who didn’t get any play… No action, whatsoever? Yeah you know the one, or maybe you were him. All schools have at least one of them. Hell I was one of them and so was writer Grant Stoddard which is probably why his book, Working Stiff resonated with me so well. I’d recommend it to wallflowers every where as it would have given me hope had I had it to read when I was a shy wallflower in high school. If you were a wallflower, or perhaps even if you weren’t, you remember those days when you were less than lucky in love. When everything seemed to be going wrong with that special someone, or with the objects of your affection in general? This book would have come in really handy on those occasions.

That being said, Stoddard’s shift from wallflower to sexpert is more the exception, not the rule. But if he can pull off such an incredible 180 with regards to his relationships with the fairer sex, that should be enough to give wallflowers everywhere at least that glimmer of hope that even if they have a fraction of his success, everything will be okay.

In Working Stiff, Stoddard shares the tale of the strange twist of fate that turned him from a shy wallflower in his native England to a sex columnist for Nerve, a sexually themed online magazine. From taking clothing optional bridge lessons from a guy who thought nothing of leaving his equine-esque cock out for all to see to attending LeatherCamp, to getting a massage with a “happy ending,” or even sploshing with a kinky gay couple, the breadth of Stoddard’s sexual experiences, experiences “he did for science,” are beyond the realm of the sexual imaginations of many of his readers.

That Stoddard experienced these things is amazing in and of itself, that he got paid to not only do these things but to recount his tales for Nerve is even more incredible. He had no aspirations or illusions of ever being a writer. Yet he was given this opportunity that many of the interns at Nerve would have gone to hell and back just to get a byline in the magazine.

What makes Working Stiff such an enjoyable read is its accessibility, Grant takes you with him on his journey of sexual awakening and shares his perceptions and feelings before during and after some of his more outrageous sexploits.

Give Stoddard a chance, you won't be disappointed, Working Stiff is a thoroughly enjoyable read from start to finish and is not to be missed.

Genesis - Nursery Cryme (1971)

After finding their footing on their first two albums, and some key personnel changes—the departure of drummer John Mayhew and guitarist Anthony Phillips and the arrival of their replacements drummer Phil Collins and guitarist Steve Hackett—Genesis released the first of several albums which would mark their creative zenith, Nursery Cryme.

While not as strong as Genesis later releases, Nursery Cryme, marked a significant step forward from the band as the material was markedly superior to that which appeared on their first two albums. Collins who would later come into his own as the band’s vocalist, truly shines on the drums and while Phillips had been an exceptional guitarist in his own right, Hackett’s style better fit the more lush melodic style the band had started to take with this album.

Opening with The Musical Box, which was a staple of the live shows in the Peter Gabriel era of the band. Nursery Cryme makes a strong statement that Genesis was a band that people should take notice of and really showcased Genesis shift from more folk-oriented and influenced material to the more classically influenced material this incarnation of the band would become known for. The musicianship of Messrs. Gabriel, Rutherford, Banks, Collins, and Hackett is undeniable and clocking at nearly ten and a half minutes The Music Box allows the band to really stretch out and show what they’re capable of.

For Absent Friends marks Phil Collins first lead vocal performance with Genesis. It’s a rather light-segue between The Music Box and The Return of the Giant Hogweed. Collins falsetto on this song, while unremarkable when compared to his better-known vocal performances, does give a glimpse of things to come in the wake of Gabriel’s departure a few years later.

Where For Absent Friends served as an excellent introduction to the band for Phil Collins, The Return of the Giant Hogweed served as Steve Hackett’s introduction to the band. Where many early Genesis songs were largely keyboard driven, this track was instead driven by Hackett’s raw and fiery electric guitar work.

The album closes as strongly as it began. The Fountain of Salmacis and The Music Box are the two strongest songs on this album and make great bookends for an album that truly laid the foundation for the subsequent albums. Lyrically speaking, it’s one of the most interesting rock songs ever written, telling the story of Hermaphroditus who was seduced by Salmacis, becoming one with her and thus becoming just as much female as he had been male and giving birth to the term “hermaphrodite.” The Fountain of Salmacis features the trademark vocal role-playing that Peter Gabriel would become known for on subsequent albums and features some excellent Mellotron playing by Banks and guitar playing by Hackett.

If you were tracking the band’s evolution, Nursery Cryme, marks the beginning of the great things yet to come and the promising start of the careers for two exceptional musicians, Phil Collins and Steve Hackett, giving a mere glimpse into their talent and potential.

My Chemical Romance - The Black Parade (2006)

They say imitation is the highest form of flattery… if that’s the case The Black Parade is quite the glowing homage to the likes of Pink Floyd, Queen, and at times even the Beatles and the Rolling Stones.

When it comes to copping other bands styles there are right and wrong ways to do it. Done wrong and a band can come across as a bunch of no-talent hacks who have to rip off other artists with far more talent than they. Done correctly and they’re seen as torch-bearers, taking the styles of the bands who influenced them and putting their own stamp on that music to create a sound all their own and generally contributing to the evolution of rock.

With The Black Parade, My Chemical Romance has done the latter. While their opening track The End there’s an obvious Pink Floyd influence as the track is reminiscent of In the Flesh which opened their classic album, The Wall. From there the album shifts to Dead! If The End catches the listener’s attention, Dead! grabs the listener by the collar and forces them to pay attention. The album doesn’t really let up until after its signature anthem, Welcome to the Black Parade which is every bit an anthem for MCR that Bohemian Rhapsody was for Queen or that Another Brick In the Wall Pt. 2 was for Pink Floyd.

While this is a great album from start to finish, there is a slight lull with I Don’t Love You, probably the most emo track on the album in a Coldplay meets Green Day kind of way… With the music bearing an uncanny resemblance to Coldplay and Gerard Way’s vocals conjuring Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong it makes for a rather unusual combination. It’s a musical combination that really shouldn’t work, yet somehow MCR manages to pull it off with flair. Even so, I Don’t Love You, while still a strong song, is probably the weakest material this album has to offer.

With Mama the band once again gives a tip of the hat to Pink Floyd, this time paying their respects to Floyd’s Mother. Lyrically the songs bear some similarities and share some of the sentiment lyrically is where the comparisons end. Where Floyd’s Mother is generally somber and melancholic, MCR’s Mama spits fire and vitriol.

Teenagers is another great track that in just over 2 minutes captures the frustration the rest of us have with teenagers and teenage angst. Add to that it has the most quotable lyric on the whole album:

Teenagers scare the livin’ shit out of me
They could care less as long as
Someone’ll Bleed

In the January/February 07 issue of Blender magazine The Black Parade was rated the number 1 album of 2006. These magazine polls while interesting rarely reflect my personal tastes, but after having my expectations so vastly exceeded I must concede that this time around Blender got it right.

Grady Nichols - In the Fullness of Time (2001)

On his 2001 live release Christian saxaphonist, Grady Nichols, called in some favors and brought in some of his friends. The result is an exceptional live album that shows off his talents on sax both on his original material and on the songs he chooses to cover.

Possibly most notable of his covers are Stevie Wonder's Heaven Help Us All and the traditional hymn Amazing Grace both of which feature Chicago vocalist, Bill Champlin at his soulful best. He also covers Michael W. Smith (I Will Be Your Friend), Level 42 (Something About You), Avalon (In Not Of), Rachael Lampa (Live For You), as well as performing several of his own songs.

Nichols is an exceptional sax player, he plays with passion and feeling. Even when covering other musicians material, he puts his own stamp on it and truly owns it as if he'd written it himself. It's the conviction with which he plays which makes this CD such an absolute joy to listen to. Whether it's his covers of Live For You or Something About You his own or Awakenings or First Corinthians Thirteen you can't help but get into his upbeat performances.

If Bill Champlin's voice were a car-- his contributions to Chicago could best be described as Grandpa out for a Sunday afternoon drive in his Caddy... conversely his contributions to this album on the other hand more closely resemble a Ferrari being taken out on the auto bahn and being allowed to fully open up and fire on all cylinders. Grady Nichols was truly blessed to get Champlin at his best, as opposed to his more pedestrian.

Nichols band truly complements him with musicianship that is on equal par to his. This album is a "must have" for any fan of jazz regardless of what one's religious affiliation might be. Its a gem that truly transcends its genre.

Related Media
Grady Nichols & Bill Champlin performing Amazing Grace


Grady Nichols & Bill Champlin performing Heaven Help Us All

John Barry - Somewhere In Time OST (1980)

A truly great score can transcend the film it was written for. There are some exemplary film score composers whose music became so tied to the movie that the mere mention of the movie conjured the score in the mind's ear-- John Williams, Alan Silvestri, Ennio Morricone, and John Barry are all masters of the craft.

After Barry's stirring score to the Australian film, Walkabout, he was asked to provide a score for this film adaptation of the Richard Mathieson novel, Bid Time Return. In interviews Barry has said that his father had just died when he'd been asked to score this film and he drew largely on his emotion from the loss of his father when he composed this score. And in his feelings of loss for his father, Barry truly did capture the loss and loneliness of the characters.

This wrinkle in time romance was a box-office flop that has developed a large cult popularity in its subsequent cable, video, and DVD release. Perhaps the largest part of the film's latter day success has been Barry's stirring score which is at times both haunting and poignant. In his score, John Barry ever so perfectly captured the tragic yearning of Richard Collier (Christopher Reeve) and Elise McKenna (Jane Seymour). He gave what would otherwise have been a mediocre film the level of emotional depth it needed to make it convincing.

In his music, Barry made you feel Richard's longing for Elise McKenna as he tried to figure out how to get from his time-- 1980, to hers-- 1912. It wasn't just Jane Seymour's radiant beauty it was Barry's haunting score which captured that instant when Richard first lays eyes on the portrait of Elise in a museum at the Grand Hotel. Barry made the viewer feel Richard's longing with every aching note.

From start to finish this score is as much a character in the film as Richard Collier, Elise McKenna, and William Fawcett Robinson (played expertly by Christopher Plummer). And if ever there was a performer in the film deserving of accolades and awards it is John Barry's stirring score.