StefanClaypool.com

Released on June 27, 1966 on the Verve label, “Freak Out!” is the debut album from Frank Zappa’s first band, the Mothers of Invention. The Mothers were a unique and colorful group of individuals who were either in tune with Zappa’s unique brand of artistic expression or at least willing to go along with it. “Freak Out!” introduced the unsuspecting world of popular music to this brand, and although it was neither critically nor commercially successful in its time, the album has since grown in acclaim to become one of the seminal musical works of the 1960s. Generally considered ahead of its time, it is still remarkably inaccessible. It is dense, complex, and challenging. In fact, “Freak Out!” is expressly structured to force listeners to reexamine preconceived notions of what is musically, morally, and socially acceptable – an ambitious goal for a debut album!

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Doctor Who holds the distinction of being one of the most enduring science fiction programs on either side of the Atlantic. Debuting in November 1963 on BBC One, the series was originally intended as a history lesson, but quickly blossomed into a nationwide television phenomenon, featuring a time-traveling hero and his companions righting wrongs and confronting moral and ethical dilemmas and universe-threatening catastrophes. With a rotating cast and a stable of talented writers making up for a notable lack of budget, the program underwent several reinventions; in its original run, it saw seven actors assume the iconic role of the the mysterious “Doctor,” whose origins and even name remain to this day shrouded in mystery. The first of these actors was William Hartnell, who was followed in the role by Patrick Troughton, Jon Pertwee, Tom Baker, Peter Davison, Colin Baker, and Sylvester McCoy. The program ran for twenty-six series in Britain before being cancelled during McCoy’s run in 1989. An unsuccessful television movie aired in 1996 introduced a new Doctor in the form of Paul McGann, whose singular appearance was the last many thought they would ever see of their beloved hero.

But in 2005, a new Doctor Who began airing on BBC One. Masterminded by writer-producer Russell T. Davies, the new program is a direct continuation of all that had come before, but was designed to be younger, fresher, and edgier – in short, Doctor Who for the 21^st Century, at least in the eyes of studio executives. The details of the production, and of the whole program’s complex history, are widely available elsewhere on the Internet, but given the context, it is easy to see why the premiere episode of the new series, entitled “Rose,” was so hotly anticipated before its release. In a new recurring feature here at StefanClaypool.com, I am going to be viewing and analyzing each episode of the revived series, exploring what works and what doesn’t, and attempting to draw some conclusions about why the Doctor’s story seems destined to go on forever. Rather than present an exhaustive scene-by-scene recap of the episode, I’ll be discussing the importance of key themes and events to the overarching story, while at the same time analyzing the development of characters, ideas, and the production as a whole.

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“I don’t give a fuck if they remember me at all.”
-Frank Zappa, July 1, 1983

Frank Zappa was the Mozart of the 20^th Century, and consistently pushed musical, intellectual, and philosophical boundaries over the span of his thirty-year professional career in a way that no other popular musician ever has. A genuine artist who approached his work with the same enthusiasm, dedication, and deep understanding of his field as the great masters, Zappa was in a constant state of reinvention and renewal, and redefined what was possible in modern music. His unique ability to break a style or genre down to its component parts and reassemble them in his own distinct fashion was the hallmark of a musical project that spanned more than sixty albums in his lifetime and many more since his death. More than any of his contemporaries, Zappa understood the nature of music, and used it to deliver messages larger and more complex that the simple mantras of love and happiness (and/or societal disenchantment) that dominated his era. He was also a staunch advocate of freedom and liberty, a shrewd businessman who by the time of his death owned every note that he had ever recorded, and a vocal defender of individual rights. In short, he was the leading intellectual force in popular music during his lifetime, and his legacy will only continue to grow with time.

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A lot of analysts seem to be giving Philadelphia’s Michael Leighton the edge over Chicago’s Antti Niemi. Many cite Leighton’s superior GAA (1.45 to Niemi’s 2.33) and save percentage (.948 to Niemi’s .921), and lone post-season loss as indications that he’ll emerge victorious in the series.

But those numbers aren’t nearly as strong as they appear at first blush. Keep in mind that Leighton has started only seven games this post-season. One playoff loss to Niemi’s four may look impressive, not when you remember that Niemi has played in more than twice as many games. Niemi has also faced a much higher level of competition than Leighton played against a Boston team that was torn apart by injuries. That made his job easier, especially when the Philadelphia defense was able to neutralize much of Boston’s remaining power and prevent quality chances.

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Some of you might be wondering why I changed the site’s look so radically this time around. It is a big departure from what I’ve been doing the last few years, when integrated Twitter feeds and ever-expanding sidebars ruled the roost. And I was pretty happy with the general feel of the site, down to the fancy typewriter graphic and stark black background. I liked it.

But I’ve been thinking a lot lately about minimalism, and the conclusion that I ultimately came to was that my site, though serviceable, was doing more than I wanted it to do. I want the focus of the site to be on the blog post, on the writing, and the best way to do that was to eliminate distractions and leave only that which matters. That’s what I’ve tried to do.

And with that comes the promise of more writing. Within the next couple of weeks I’ll start a new project here, in which I’ll be analyzing episode-by-episode the classic television series The Prisoner. So stay tuned!