Metal Reviews

Pasting this around tonight (more details below).


Along with a few friends, I am launching a dark fantasy/horror publication. I've been working on it since early last year, but the idea was there in 2007.

For those that don't know, I've given up pursuing a career in music. It took me a few years to really take the leap and make that decision. I kept feeling like I was a failure if I gave up, but the reality was that I wasn't giving up much at all because I'd never really had the drive and desire in the first place; I was just being a stubborn asshole about it, and in the end it was stressing me out (hence my shift to becoming a total dickhead here).

So I am now pursuing what I should have been pursuing all along: a career in writing. I've busted my ass over the past year and half with my writing, focusing on all the rules and such that I'd forgotten since my school days. My writing is now stronger than ever, and I've begun submitting stories for publication. Part of that is process is Shock Totem. It should kick ass.

Check us out, if you're into that sort of thing.

Visit us: http://www.shocktotem.com
Chat with us: http://www.shocktotem.com/forum.htm

Good job, man! Tough decision, I'm glad you made one that's best for you. I'll definitely check it out.

Thanks.

It was such a hard choice to make. My love of music began when I was about 11 or 12. I didn't start writing until after that. In fact, music was largely the catalyst for my (serious teenage) writing and whatnot. But it was clear very early that I loved to write far more. Still, music was a fucking blast, you know. The high of being on stage and all that. So I kept that so-called dream at the forefront...and just sort of let it flounder out there while I half-assed it the whole time.

It's easily a deeper story than that. I was trying to fulfill a silly childhood promise, you know, but not to myself. I was trying to prove other people wrong. So I struggled in the past few years. I'd say, "I'm gonna fucking do this!" And then I'd do nothing, and that would piss me right the fuck off, you know. Made me feel like a loser or something. Then I read Stephen King's On Writing, and this passage was a kick in the ass:

Talent renders the whole idea of rehearsal meaningless; when you find something at which you are talented, you do it (whatever it is) until your fingers bleed or your eyes are ready to fall out of your head. Even when no one is listening (or reading, or watching), every outing is a bravura performance, because you as the creator are happy. Perhaps even ecstatic.

Clearly music did not apply here. Writing did, however. So I sold all my music equipment save my old Epiphone, which now hangs on my wall. And when all was said and done, I felt fucking awesome! That whole weight of the shoulders thing. I've been writing since I was a very small child, you know. I'd always wanted to write someday, but I was convinced music was my number one. I had it backwards. Music should have been my hobby; writing was my passion.

Oh well. I'm not dead yet, so it's all good. Haha.

Stephen King is spot-on. I admire you for giving up the adrenaline of performing for the greater satisfaction of what you can truly do well. I still don't know what I can and can't do, although writing and music are top of the list. You could probably combine both areas by writing lyrics, no? I write lyrics on a paid commission basis for local bands.

Good for you, Mr. Anus.

(Reading back that sentence seems terribly sarcastic and rude but it really isn't meant to be)

I gave up pushing for a career in music 3 years ago or something like that... best thing I ever did. The funny thing was, after I stopped practicing as hard, I found myself playing way better. I was putting less pressure on myself and cutting loose and therefore being way more expressive.

The only thing that sucks is that as a result of concentrating on other things I have lost contact with a lot of the guys I used to play with- either that or they have moved on. Some are even releasing CDs on record labels now and all that proper shit. So even though I probably enjoy jamming with people more than I used to, I don't really do it much at all.

EDIT: Btw, your publication looks neato.

Anus, who's the cover art from?

Hrm.

I've been considering attempting to get a couple of short stories I've written published. If I ever copyright em, I think they'll be sent over to your publication.

I don't expect any special treatment.

That looks great, Ken. I will definitely look into it. Love both horror and Fantasy

Yeah I like it a lot too.

Glad to see this up and running Mr. Wood.

Nice! Keep us posted on how this goes.

Cool.

cool and good luck

ps. shock totem sounds like some kind of vibrator, maybe one marketed towards gay dudes

oh, Noobles, you and your drugs

I think I picked a bad username. The cover art was done by Robert Hoyem (http://www.attheends.com). He's very good, very prompt. And, most importantly, reasonably priced, which is awesome. Too many graphic designers charge way too fucking much.

haha omg. cheers Ken.

I wish I'd made the choice at your age. I was in the Air Force, though, so it clouded things. You can't really work a serious band into that sort of career, at least not in the networking field. I worked on average 12 hours a day for those eight years, and often up to 18 hours. So I just couldn't see that it was my lack of desire to pursue music and thought it was my lack of time due to work.

I hope someday to get back into it at some capacity. I think, like you, without that pressure being there it might be more enjoyable and fruitful. I still think I wrote some pretty kick-ass songs, no matter if it was rock, punk, rap, whatever. I had the talent, but lacked the true passion.

And you'd get no special treatment. We rejected Paul S. Kemp...twice! He's a New York Times bestseller. His stories were good but not great, and in the end we chose story over name recognition. We thought that was the honest thing to do.

So no special treatment. It all comes down to whether or not we dig your story. Simple.

And what's this copyright thing? If we accept your story, it is protected under copyright.


That's all you need. I don't know of any author that goes out and secures their own copyrights.

Anyway, thanks guys! And noodles, don't feel bad, when this name was first tossed out there, my immediate reaction was, "No way. Too much like Cock Scrotum. People will call us Cock Scrotum." Haha.

Surprisingly, there is an old book called Shock Totem, and you can get a shock totem in World of Warcraft. Nothing is fucking original anymore! It's all been done.

Hey "Anus" is this up on Amazon?

So did you log into MR instead of your Myspace or what brah?