Five Points of Controversy in Star Wars: The Last Jedi That are Actually Beautiful - Part II (Spoilers)

PART 2 of 5 

Part 1 Here: http://hightowerdreamland.blogspot.com/2017/12/five-controversial-moments-in-star-wars.html

2. Rey is a Very Special Nobody

Acknowledgement:  The Force Awakens ended on an epic note, music swelling, Rey almost in tears as she extends “Excalibur” back to its rightful owner. And then he takes it and tosses it over his shoulder as if it is a meaningless piece of junk. It is symbolic of the message of the whole movie. Throw your expectations off the cliff. Luke’s first action of the film seems like it is only for a cheap laugh, and already he is rubbing some people the wrong way. I totally get it. But wait a minute. . . the lightsaber isn’t gone. It is saved by porgs. Sort of. I digress. 

 Rey recovers the saber and soon begins training with it when her trademark staff seems lackluster in comparison. After witnessing this self-training, Luke asks her, “Who are you?” She tries again to identify herself as a messenger for Leia and the Resistance, but Luke stops her and asks her again. “Who are you?” Again, Rey seems confused by the question, answering, “I am Rey. From Nowhere.” Luke presses her and she reveals that she came from Jakku. Luke agrees the dust ball of a planet is pretty much nowhere. And here is where the theme of Rey coming from nowhere really begins to set in. At this point some audience members are shifting uncomfortably in their seats about Rey’s parents, because we, like Rey, were hoping Luke Skywalker would have some answers for her. Instead, it is he who is asking the questions.

The question of Rey’s heritage started in Force Awakens and has been the subject of heated debate for two years. First, the question is twisted around by Master Skywalker. Next, it is given a WTF acid trip sequence from a hole in the ground filled with dark side power, and then it culminates in this film with Kylo Ren, who assures her he knows the truth about her parents. Like Vader in Empire, Kylo isn’t exactly trustworthy, but we sort of expect Kylo to be telling the truth since Vader was for Luke. Dark side dudes tend to be truthful when they tell you who your daddy is. 

The answer—her parents were nobody. Worse than nobody, they were drunks who sold her for money. Audience members who hate this revelation blame Disney for trying to make it seem like anyone can be a Jedi. The act of writing Rey as a nobody, Disney executives thought, would make Star Wars appeal to a wider audience. It must be about money. And so builds the image of the evil mouse sitting in his throne room cackling in glee like the emperor, except with a high-pitched cartoonish voice. Coorporate film making has infected a lot of big tent pole movies, so the fear of what Star Wars could become under Disney is understandable. Rey coming from nothing is now the prime symbol of that fear. And yet . . . is Rey really nobody?

Let us take a deeper look at her hero’s journey.

How Rey was Written:  Again I place myself in the shoes of Rian Johnson who has the honor of not only directing, but writing The Last Jedi. Rey is my central protagonist for my new trilogy. Everything that happens must in some way connect to her. It is interesting to note that her story arc in The Last Jedi is done by the second act. This almost defies expectation, but it follows a pattern for this trilogy. She is so sidelined in the third act she isn’t even flying the M. Falcon. She is only a gunner. The third act belongs to Luke Skywalker, and that should tell us something about Rey. This isn’t really Rey’s movie. It is Luke Skywalker’s film.

Don’t get me wrong, Rey has a fully realized arc, and it is done really well. However, her single largest motivating force is to find her place in the universe. Contrast this to Luke’s main motivation in his second movie, to become a Jedi like his father before him and later to protect his friends. At one point, Luke might even be thinking he is about to avenge his father. Luke was always chasing after his father. At first, he chased an ideal—where his father was the best star fighter pilot in the galaxy and a good friend. Later, his mission became to face his father and save him if he could. Rey, on the other hand, has nothing to chase after but a family she doesn’t remember. She is also seeking answers as to why this strange force is on the move inside her. However, Rey forms a bond with Kylo Ren, and her mission now parallels Luke’s in that she hopes to save Ben Solo.

Rey is an active protagonist for the first time in this movie. In The Force Awakens, she was a strong, but passive protagonist. Everything happens to Rey in the first film. Her only decision is to reject going to work for Han Solo, and to reject her “call to action”. I am using terms from A Hero of a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell. It is a must read for any Star Wars fan or fan of epic stories in general. Rey’s call came when the lightsaber shows her a vision and Maz Kanada tries to explain that she needs to let go of the past and move forward. Until this moment, she has no reason to do anything but go back to Jakku.

(Incidentally, Finn also rejects his call to action in the prior scene. Finn completes his arc by the second act and is literally taken out of the story in the third. Does the pattern look familiar yet? The Force Awakens was Han Solo’s movie with Finn coming of age. As awesome as Rey is in the third act, she hasn’t really grown as much as Finn, the active protagonist.)

After talking with Maz Kanada, Rey thinks moving forward means finding Luke Skywalker. She gets kidnapped by Kylo Ren while she is literally running away from her call. However, in this trilogy she makes a decision to leave Luke Skywalker behind and attempt to turn Kylo Ren back to the light. She becomes an active protagonist.  And yet, this revelation that she came from two drunks still hangs over her. I am driving toward the conclusion that we are not done learning about Rey’s origin. We still have not explained her visions, or why so many powerful characters seem to think she is so important. Luke recognizes her power and her potential for light or darkness, Yoda recognizes her importance and asks Luke to put his hopes in the girl, and Snoke fears that she is the light rising to meet the darkness so he wants Kylo to destroy her. Clearly, Rey is the most important nobody since Anakin Skywalker himself. So who is she?

Rey as a Point of View Character: Is Rey nobody? It seems to be her worst fear, and whether it is true or not, Kylo Ren tries to use it to manipulate her into joining him. This means that if it is true, then Rey must conquer her greatest fear. If it is false, then Rey might not get to find out who she is until she can be at peace with being a nobody and still finding her purpose.

Let us examine her vision in the dark side hole. Luke very much wants her to resist the call of this place, but from Rey’s point of view, Luke has shut himself off from the force. Therefore, he can hardly know what dangers she will find. She jumps in a dark pool, and a massive creature swims behind her. It is not a threat to her, but it is there . . . lurking.

Next she gets out into a fog, and walks forward to find mirror images of herself spread single file in both directions. She waves her hand, and her hands go up in succession. They do not move at the same time as if it were a reflection. She snaps, and her snaps echo down the line and back like dominoes. What are we being told visually?

Either time has slowed to show Ray she has infinite possibilities and limitless potential, or she is but one of an infinite version of herself. Next Rey asks to see her parents. She begs to see them. Two shadowy figures approach her through the glaze of what looks like an icy mirror. They merge into one figure. I feel this merge into a single figure is more significant than her fear of loneliness. I feel the entire vision sequence may be telling us Rey is a clone. We will save the crazy theories for another time. Rey wipes the mirror and finds her face.

Be honest. Does this seem like the kind of vision that sets up a person’s parents to be just nobody? Clearly there is some kind of meaning behind this vision and the sequence of visions in The Force Awakens. Where are the Knights of Ren? Why did Han Solo give Maz Kanada a troubled look when she asked, “Who’s the girl?”

People were really upset because part of Star Wars is that being a Jedi has always been something special. Becoming a magic space wizard was hard and rare. Now, of course the force would not play favorites with gender or race, but you still have to be special to be as powerful as Rey. Either you have the genetics like the Skywalkers, or you are a vergence in the force like Anakin himself.  The film suggests that the force itself manifests so powerfully in Rey so she can be the light to balance the rising darkness. Is the reveal of Rey’s parents being of no consequence the evil attempt by Disney to be overly progressive, or is it just the bold decision of Rian Johnson to surprise people? I feel the question can be answered by thinking about Rey’s point of view. This will not be the last time I will say how point of view is the central theme of The Last Jedi.

Let’s get the progressive concerns out of the way. In the case of Rey, her gender may be of some importance, but that goes hand in hand with building her relationship with Kylo Ren. So if the force CHOSE Rey, her gender may be one of the reasons. Still, her gender is not the overall driving factor of her existence. I think it all comes back to the dark side vision and how different characters interpret the moment. As I write this, I can hear Yoda admonishing Luke in Empire.

“The cave, the cave, remember your failure in the cave!”

Remember, dark side cave visions are not just visions. They are a test for the hero. A decent into facing their darkest fears. Rey has much more to fear than just being alone. Rian Johnson himself explained in a recent interview with Collider Media.

“I was thinking, what’s the most powerful answer to that question? Powerful meaning: what’s the hardest thing that Rey could hear? That’s what you’re after with challenging your characters.”

“The easiest thing for Rey and the audience to hear is, “Oh yeah, you’re so-and-so’s daughter. That would be wish fulfillment and instantly hand her a place in this story on a silver platter…The hardest thing for her is to hear she’s not going to get that easy answer. Not only that, but Kylo is going to use the fact that you don’t get that answer to try and weaken you so you have to lean on him.” (Collider, 2017)

The director himself is telling us that Rey can’t get the answer at this point in her journey. We are told something about her parents, but in actuality we are told nothing. So we are left with a choice. How much do we believe Kylo? How much does Rey believe Kylo? Rian Johnson commented on this as well.

“And there’s always, in these movies, a question of ‘a certain point of view,’ . . . but for me, in that moment, Kylo believes it’s the truth. I don’t think he’s purely playing chess. I think that’s what he saw when they touched fingers and that’s what he believes. And when he tells her that in that moment, she believes it to.”

 Since Rey believes it, she is free to discover herself. She is free to strive toward her destiny in a way Luke never had the chance. Luke’s family always defined him, and defined the choices he would make. Now we have a character in Rey, who even though is obviously special, can move forward without a destiny hanging over her. To me, that means she won’t find out who she really is until her journey is done, and it is going to be one hell of a journey that I can’t wait to see come to a conclusion in Episode Nine.


GO ON TO PART THREE: HERE

Five Points of Controversy in Star Wars: The Last Jedi That are Actually Beautiful (Spoilers)

PART 1 of 5

        A small boy recounts the legend of Luke Skywalker facing down an entire battalion of giant First Order walkers, and how he came away without a scratch. He does this with some homemade toys as his friends look on with a mixture of skepticism and amazement. A bulbous, angry, alien slave master barges in to ruin their fun. One of the boys runs outside to the peace of the stables on Canto Byte, where he absentmindedly calls a broom to his hand with the force. He stares up at the night sky as a shooting star flashes by overhead. The John Williams score swells, and the silhouette of the boy looks a bit like a Jedi holding a lightsaber. The credits roll, and the audience applauds. I sit through the scrolling names and try to process the film I just watched.

            I am in love. There is much to ponder—so many layers. I feel like I am seeing modern myth go to a place it has never dared. I was not prepared for anyone not to feel the same. Never in a million years would I consider that I would step outside of the theater, pull out my phone, and find an internet full of youtube videos titled, “Why the Last Jedi Sucks!”

            One Youtuber with a Star Wars-themed channel hates the film so much he decides to quit making videos. Quit. He stops doing something he loved, just like that. Poof . . . gone. In his farewell address, he blames Disney. Disney has de-monetized his videos for using John William’s score. Disney has catered too much to young kids in other Star Wars media. The Last Jedi is the final straw, proving to him that Disney is ruining Star Wars.

Maybe he will come back to youtube in time. My youngest brother had many misgivings about the film as well, and I have been able to shed new light on The Last Jedi for him. I hope I can do the same for anyone who reads this blog. I will acknowledge that I understand why some people have deep emotional problems with the film. I have found five different points of contention. I intend to examine each one from the standpoint of a writer, and from the context of the characters within the Star Wars universe. However, first I would like to share a section of a movie review from the Washington Post on May 23, 1980.

…when light entertainment is done well, someone is bound to make extravagant and unsupportable claims for its being great art. You will hear that this sequel to "Star Wars" is part of a vast new mythology, as if it were the Oresteia. Its originator, George Lucas, has revealed that the two pictures are actually parts four and five of a nine-part saga, as if audiences will some day receive the total the way devotees now go to Seattle for a week of immersion in Wagner's complete Ring Cycle.

Nonsense. This is no monumental artistic work, but a science-fiction movie done more snappily than most, including its own predecessor. A chocolate bar is a marvelous sweet that does not need to pretend to be a chocolate soufflé; musical comedies are wonderful entertainment without trying to compete with opera; blue jeans are a perfect garment that shouldn't be compared with haute couture. There are times when you would much rather have a really good hot dog than any steak, but you can still recognize that one is junk food and the other isn't.

"The Empire Strikes Back" has no plot structure, no character studies let alone character development, no emotional or philosophical point to make. It has no original vision of the future, which is depicted as a pastiche of other junk-culture formulae, such as the western, the costume epic and the Would War II movie. Its specialty is "special effects" or visual tricks, some of which are playful, imaginative and impressive, but others of which have become space-movie clichés. (Washington Post, Judith Martin)

             
        This review for perhaps the most beloved of all the Star Wars films is very telling, and there were many like it at the time. Who among Star Wars fans would say this about Empire today? People forget (or were not born) how families used to have heated arguments around the dinner table as to whether or not Vader was lying to Luke about being his father. I find it incredibly interesting that some of the same complaints are being made of The Last Jedi today. Now we argue in a much more self-indulgent and entitled way on the internet as to whether or not Kylo Ren was telling Rey the truth about her parents. We used to scoff at the idea of a nine part saga, and even Lucas gave up on this at one time. Yet here we are in film number eight. What will become of The Last Jedi? Will it stand the test of time like Empire, or has Disney truly gone too far? Let us now examine five different points of controversy in The Last Jedi. 

1. Snoke

Acknowledgement: The name says, “bad guy” even more than Voldemort, Scar, or even Dr. Evil. It’s some kind of weird conglomeration of “Snake” and “Smoke”. This is the most Disney name Disney has ever Disney-ed into Star Wars, and it ruins nothing. His name alone makes him sound like he is going to be the main villain of the series, especially considering how much both Episode 7 and 8 hype him. So I can understand the shock and annoyance some fans have that it seems like we are never going to learn why this guy was such a threat. Sure he plays force marionette with Rey, bops her on her head with the Skywalker lightsaber when she goes for it, and says some mean things to Kylo Ren. Sure he seems really stinking powerful. However, considering he is the reason for our beloved original trilogy characters not getting their happily ever after, we wanted to know more about how he infiltrated the Skywalker – Solo family. We never got to know the half of it. Snoke is gone and with him important information which might have made Kylo Ren a little more redeemable. Or is he?

How to Write Snoke: If I am writing this new trilogy, I have to decide who my main villains are going to be. I have a few options when it comes to Star Wars. I could—as many feared would be the trend after The Force Awakens—redo the same classic story, but with different characters. I could play it safe. Conversely, I could go completely off the rails and just do whatever the hell I wanted. Star Wars is my playground and maybe if I burn down everything that has come before, nothing can stop me from telling my story. This is what many fear is happening after watching The Last Jedi. These fears exist for all five of my points of controversy, not just Snoke.

When it comes to this trilogy, the writer in me gives the same advice Anakin gives Obi Wan when they find themselves trapped in a force field in Revenge of the Sith—"I say patience". Episode Nine will develop Snoke more through the point of view of Kylo Ren and his quest for power. I use this particular example because, like Anakin, I am often not a very patient person.

I advise patience because this was always going to be a nine part story. It is True Lucas called The Force Awakens his divorce from Star Wars. And yet, he showed back up at celebration. No matter how much he becomes old and crusty like Luke is in Episode 8, this story is still the brainchild of George Lucas, and it always will be. This is not blind faith. You can find Lucas’ fingerprints all over The Last Jedi if you know where to look, and it all begins with Snoke.  

Rian Johnson, Gareth Edwards, J.J. Abrams, and anyone else who gets to play in this sandbox recognize where this story comes from. They may deviate from the original vision, and Lucas himself might dislike those deviations, but the people telling this story are writers who recognize that the story won’t work without the key mythology. For example, in my opinion Lucas probably didn’t like the idea that the reason for the fall of Ben Solo was that Han and Leia were pretty much bad parents. He didn’t even want to name the kid Ben. He probably wanted him to be called Sam. Rey was supposed to be a fourteen year old girl named Kira. Much of Lucas’s original vision can be pulled from the visual dictionary of The Force Awakens, and the original villains were supposed to be a group of Dark side people called “Jedi Hunters.”(Force Awakens Visual Dictionary,  2015)

So what was the original idea for Snoke and his Jedi hunters, and how much did Kathleen Kennedy and her Star Wars crew stick to the original ideas? It is hard to say. We can infer the Jedi hunters became the Knights of Ren, but that tells us nothing about Snoke. In order to find clues on Snoke, we need to go all the way back to early drafts of Return of the Jedi. In those drafts, the emperor survives or escapes. In fact, he is not even revealed in person. He is not brought down until episode nine of the final trilogy. (Kurtz Interview, 1999)

This leads me to believe that the avatar of the dark side would go into hiding, rather than be destroyed. This would mirror the way Yoda was forced to go into exile. Snoke can be seen as a stand in for the Emperor who would have survived. However, to give my saga significance, he has to be more than a stand in. He has to be connected. Snoke is the embodiment of a dark side that went into hiding, and of a force that is still not balanced. In the throne room scene with Snoke, we even get the Emperor’s theme song when he is demonstrating the full range of his powers. They are telling us with music that Snoke is connected somehow to the Emperor we used to know. So as a writer, if I am to follow Lucas’ original ideas, I need not just a new villain, but someone who is taking up the mantle of Emperor Palpatine and the dark side.  He even twists Kylo Ren to have a desire to finish what Vader started, and he considers Luke Skywalker to be the greatest threat to him. These are thoughts that perhaps manifest from the Dark Side itself. In other words, the dark side is rather pissed at Luke for messing up its plans. 

If I am a writer and I want to deviate a little bit from Lucas, maybe I make Snoke not a Sith. Maybe he is even more ancient than Yoda, and has been lurking on the sidelines this whole time in the unknown regions. The books and comics are full of clues as to Snoke’s origin, but we shouldn’t need books and comics to flesh out a movie. They should be extra. Still, the books and comics seem to promise a large backstory for Snoke. I do this as an author. I build huge backstories for all my characters. Usually, I only end up using a small percentage of this backstory as the main story moves forward. It has been the same for Snoke. However, from the standpoint of the Force Awakens Era mythology, Snoke still has a role to play even if he never pulls himself together. I believe we stand to learn more of him through Kylo Ren.

  

Snoke as a point of view character. Perhaps the most important aspect we need to know about Snoke is how he managed to manipulate a troubled but extremely powerful child to the dark side. We are given glimpses of a marriage between Han and Leia that for one reason or another did not work out, and we get the impression it may have been over whether or not Ben Solo should be trained in the force (Sent Away to train with Luke). We get the impression that Ben felt shunned or out of touch with his parents. I will touch on this more later as I am working on a whole section on Kylo Ren’s turn and his point of view versus Luke.

The only thing The Last Jedi tells us about Snoke’s perspective is that Snoke “Found” Kylo Ren and that he was surprised by his power. He thought he had found someone “truly special” and he tells Kylo Ren that he may have been wrong in an effort to shame him. We are shown once again the abusive sort of relationship the dark side is known for, and it works. We don’t need any more from Snoke than this as a character. Why does it work?

Because Snoke is so well realized in his short amount of screen time we sympathize a lot with Kylo Ren in The Last Jedi. If we did not sympathize with Ben and his turn to the dark side, then it would be safe to say these films are not working. Nobody is angry about the way Ben Solo/Kylo Ren is portrayed. They were angry because Snoke made our beloved Luke Skywalker look like a fool by stealing his student out from under him. Not only that, but he had Luke so afraid that he considered, even if only for a fraction of a second, that maybe he should end the darkness in his nephew by striking him down. How Snoke managed to do THAT is never fully explained. I maintain that it will be in Episode Nine. The reasons have everything to do with what the dark side is to the saga as a whole.

An underlying theme throughout the entire saga is in the way light and dark achieve immortality. The crux of what the dark side is about is in the Opera Scene between Anakin and Palpatine in Revenge of the Sith. The ultimate goal of the dark side is to cheat death, and have ultimate control over life. However, the pursuit of this power, instead of transcending or letting go by becoming one with the force, warps an individual physically. Snoke looks like he does for a reason. He has cheated death time and again. To me, this says he will come back in some form. But even if he doesn’t we will see him again as an avatar of the dark side in some future film, probably that trilogy Rian Johnson has planned.  

The way we will learn more about Snoke if he does not return outright will be through Kylo Ren as he seeks more power. No matter what direction they take the story, Kylo Ren will seek more and more power until either Rey is able to find balance with him through a loving and equal relationship (more on that later), or until he is redeemed or destroyed. He might even literally give us some exposition on some of Snoke’s teachings. However this trilogy ends, the dark side will not be destroyed as it was before, but rather it will be finally left in balance with the light. It will be an interesting and thought-provoking conclusion. However, just as Rey had her Jedi texts, Kylo will have some studies of his own. We will see the meaning of Rey’s vision. We will see the Knights of Ren. We will see the influence of Snoke and the dark side through all of it. No matter what happens, Snoke is never truly gone until Ben can balance the darkness within him and accept Rey’s light. (Or literally, a Ray of Light). This leads me to the next point of conflict for some fans. Rey and her nobody parents. 

Go on to Part II HERE

Book Review: Persona Non Grata

Social media brought my attention to this gem of a book a few months ago well before its projected release date. I picked it up a few weeks after it came out through electronic means, but it inspired me to sit down and write this review. Author Stephen J. Stirling weaves a masterful tale of political intrigue that inspires the reader to think deeply about the power faith can have on the current state of the world. His strong narrative voice uses a fictional Russian nation called Crimea to warn the world and Americans of the need for vigilance in these times, but more importantly, gives us a believable example of the miracles we can accomplish when we trust in God.  

Protagonist Paladin Smith is a charming and likeable character, every bit as chivalrous as his name implies. He is called upon by a shady politician to retrieve his niece from the influence of a vile US Ambassador named Ian Keller. (Are there any politicians who are not shady?)

Keller intends to take advantage of the political turmoil of Crimea for his own gain. Stirling highlights his main villain as dastardly from the start, and for me this was the book’s only small weakness. There is no mystery as to who is scheming for the downfall of the tiny former Soviet Union nation. However, this does not slow the book down at all as the author keeps the reader guessing as to the nature of Keller’s plans.  In particular, the suspense builds as the reader wonders how exactly a meager California seminary teacher of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints can possibly stand a chance against someone so politically powerful. 

At first, Paladin is reluctant to take the assignment. The girl in question is Victoria Grant, a former seminary student of Paladin’s with a troubled history. After protecting her from a would-be rapist, circumstances led to Paladin having to cut ties and give up his calling as a teacher for a time. Paladin expects ill feelings from his former student as a result. Not only that, but Paladin would have to leave his wife and home for an unknown land to do the bidding of people he does not trust. However, the encouragement of his wife, the blessing of his father, and the power of the Holy Spirit convince him to take the quest.

Persona Non Grata follows a slow and steady pace, building layers of intensity and adding palpable conflict as the plot thickens. Smith’s simple mission to retrieve a girl struggling with her faith becomes complicated as he is shoehorned by events and the will of God into going toe to toe with ambassadors, tyrannical Monarchs, powerful military leaders and even an archbishop. As the book winds towards its climax, I found myself on a spiritual thrill ride I had not experienced since LaHaye and Jenkins “Left Behind” series. It is a quick and powerful read I highly recommend.

Persona Non Grata can be found on amazon and many other locations. Please see Stephen’s website for details. www.stephenjstirling.com

Pentatonix and the Music They Can Teach us to “Love Again”

We grow closer and closer to the all-important date, October 21 2015. We are supposed to have evolved to the point where our cars fly and run on garbage, “Jaws” has six more sequels, and hand held video games are a baby’s toy. I will be demanding my hover board on that day. We don’t dress much like the people in Back to The Future II, thank goodness, but at least one independent musical group is not afraid to push the edges of style. For all the ways science fiction attempts to predict our future, rarely does it predict the future of music. The independent acappella quintet sensation Pentatonix manages to do just that.

Pentatonix recently debuted their original song “Love Again” on Youtube  three weeks ago, and it already has over 5.5 million views. The costume style of the video goes beyond science fiction—a strange mix of the retro style of Max Hedrum and the futuristic stylings of the citizens of the Capital in the Hunger Games. The vocal group manages to show us a unique style and take us on a journey toward the future of music in a single stroke of artistic genius.

 The champions of season three of the acclaimed NBC show “The Sing Off” have made a name for themselves with incredible covers garnering millions of views and subscriptions. No style of music is beyond their reach. Be it a Sesame Street Classic remix of “Rubber Ducky” and “C is for Cookie”, A haunting rendition of “Say Something” by A Great Big World, or their magical acappella take on Carol of the Bells, Pentatonix has covered it all. They consistently prove they can create any sound and feeling with their voices alone, and never is that more clear than in their song “Love Again.”

They begin the song together, but the song quickly explodes into a blaring electronic track. Except there are no electronics. There are no music producers with fancy sound mixing equipment. There are only voices. Five voices harmonized so well and so in tune with each other’s energy you’ll forget that you’re listening to five different voices rather than just one. Kevin “K.O.” Olusola does more than keep the tempo, coming up with more electronic musical vibes than famed Police Academy actor Michael Winslow could ever hope to imitate. Kirstie Maldonado weaves in a feminine undertone which uplifts the main theme of the song and drives home the confident feeling of the beat. Scott Hoying turns over the lead position to the incredible high male voice range of Mitch Grassi, but the songwriter provides harmony and much needed strength to the chorus. Mitch himself gives the song a genderless quality seldom achieved by today’s music. Last but not least, Avi Kaplan drops a lyrical bass vibe in the song that will motivate men and enchant the ladies.

The members of Pentatonix are veterans of the new surge in Independent music sweeping the industry. They recently signed on with Patreon, a wonderful website where artists of all types can get the support they deserve directly from their fans. In this regard the young quintet has a bright future ahead, as they are adored by their fans and are prime examples of the freedom all artists should have to create without restriction or without what a label tells them will be popular. The original song “Love Again” is a glimpse into the future of music. It is a demonstration of what unbridled creativity can make, along with stellar cinematographers like FifGen films. We may be far away yet from our flying cars and hover boards, but thanks to artists like those in Pentatonix the future of music is now.  

Check out Pentatonix at their official website for details on tours and album information

http://ptxofficial.com/

Check out the new video on youtube here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F80FsZDTgn0#t=11

And support them on Patreon

http://www.patreon.com/pentatonix

Blog Tour - Sharing Our Writing Process

I've never been invited to a blog tour before, but this sounds like an excellent way for bloggers to collaborate. I'd like to extend a great deal of thanks to Callie Colbert for inviting me to participate. After you learn something about my writing process please go visit her blog and websites, listed below. She has some really cool advice from her genre and perspective on writing about Inspirational Business Practices. At the end of the article there will be three more authors to recommend who also will be participating in this tour shortly. Stay tuned for an update to this entry with their info!
 Website:
www.callieccolbert.com


Twitter:
twitter.com/callieccolbert 


Facebook:
www.facebook.com/pages/Callie-C-Colbert/592002060876415


Blog:
http://marsocialauthorbusinessenhancementinspirational.wordpress.com/


KSBT Radio:
www.ksbtradio.com

And now for my answers to this neat little tour:

What am I working on?

My third novel, String Theory has a manuscript completion date by the end of August, and an Amazon release goal by the end of September. I’m also an active blogger and freelance writer in the areas of independent music and veterans issues. 

2)     How does my work differ from others of its genre?

My science fiction always searches for the epic journey, and though I love gadgets and technology, you will always find a fantasy root to my science fiction. My espionage is fun and clever, and an amazing thrill ride, but mostly this latest novel will inspire the artist in all of us and teach us to move forward without holding on to the past too much.

3)     Why do I write what I write?

I write to reduce fear. Fictional stories, and the heroes we all look up to, have the power to guide reality when we realize that triumph over evil, understanding over bigotry, and freedom over tyranny are not mere fantasies. They are true and obtainable, by holding onto hope and acting through faith.

4)     How does your writing process work?

I turn real life into fantasy. And then I build a world around this fantasy. I make my characters my friends, and if they don’t feel like I have known them all my life by the time I finish a story then I have not succeeded in the story I wanted to tell.

I don’t write by outline, but rather piecemeal one idea at a time. I keep a notebook with me wherever I go (when practical) and jot down ideas whenever they strike me. In this way I find my stories begin to come together. Then I find as many beta readers as I can and put my writing to the test – readers who don’t hold back and don’t sugar coat their impressions. I build on some (but I must stress not all) of their advice, and build the best book I can.

5)     Add a little example of your work.

Please enjoy this musical battle with W.A. Mozart in my upcoming “String Theory”

Crystal grinned at the Mozarts in the awkward silence where the only sound was Mozart rummaging about in his room. Leopold scrutinized her. Mozart’s sister had a hopeful twinkle in her eye mixed with the doubt draining color from her cheeks, and the mother seemed to not care one way or the other. She was simply delighted to have company at all.

Mozart returned with his Violin out of breath and his wig slightly askew.

“I vill start us off and you join me in the second bar, yes? We will have a charming duel.”

She nodded and readied her bow. Mozart started perfectly, the upbeat cheerful stride of the opening sang to her so beautifully she almost forgot to answer with her accompaniment, but once she began she was in the moment. It was just her and the master himself. He would frolic through the flowers before her, and she gave chase. He danced and twirled like an Olympic floor dancer in her mind to the music. Birds flew before her. Doves and Ravens. Light and dark. Lovers gazed into each other’s eyes in a boat together on a placid lake, the man holding an umbrella. Sunsets and falling stars swirled in her mind as the music built in intensity between them. Happiness with deep undertones of longing for true romance filled the air.

The musical piece nicknamed the Turkish had her dancing around Mozart in a twirl. She hefted her leg high above her head like a ballerina as she played, and she heard Nannerl clap with glee as Mozart beamed at her and swayed to his own tune. 

  And then Mozart finished, made ready to bow to her, but she continued on her own into the final movement. The stillness, the swirling sorrow, the fade out to quiet—all leading to the feeling a lonely heart has when it beats in silence waiting for a lover to return. Then a burst like a firecracker, a spinning sparkler or the drop of a five second cliffhanger ride an amusement park —swirling, twirling, spinning into oblivion. She emphasized it all with a musical exclamation point and whipped her bow down to her side like a duelist with a sword. Breathing hard, she smiled at the Mozarts.

Nannerl and Anna Marie erupted into cheerful applause.

“Bravo! Oh, Bravo. You two were amazing. You must play something else.”

Leopold stared at Crystal, and gave a few soft claps, then looked at his son. Mozart was also staring, but his mouth hung open and he hunched forward gawking like a poor soul who had just fallen in love.

Uh oh.

“That was . . . magnificient,” Mozart sighed. He straightened and took a step towards her. Crystal fidgeted. “But how . . . how did you know that last part? You got it perfectly, but it was still in my head. I hadn’t finished the last movement yet.”

Smooth move, Crystal.

Crystal shrugged helplessly. “I. . . I don’t know. It just seemed right. I mean you think it’s right if you had it in your head. Maybe it’s only natural?”

Crystal felt like she was only digging herself into a deeper hole.

“I think I’m in love,” Mozart said, grabbing his chest. 

So now that you know something about me, please also visit the blog of DM Andrews. He. like me, is an avid fan of independent music. His excerpt alone is amazing and he really is an expert at creating fantasy worlds. You can find his blog here:

http://www.writers-and-publishers.com/?p=402