Alice in the Chains: the Untold Story

Eric gave me a bunch of Alice in Chains music that I didn't have. I've been listening to it a lot over the last few weeks. I picked up their bio and got through it pretty quickly.

It was 'meh.'

See, none of the guys from AIC were interviewed for the book. It's the first bio of the band, but it's also told from more of a research perspective and not a first hand account from the people involved. The book is flawed, or rather the book isn't as interesting and engrossing as similar bio's because you never get inside the main characters' heads. You don't hear their opinions. You just get dates, facts, other people's opinions, foggy memories, etc. It reads like a research paper for college as opposed to a personal memoir. So it's just missing that personal touch. As a result I can't rate it higher than, "meh, it was alright."

I was never a big AIC fan, but I love bio's and I love the early 90's so I was down for it. And I'm glad I read it. If you love AIC then by all means, crack it open. Check it out. You'll learn a lot.

How so many people can get into heroin is beyond me, man. Fucked up...

Beltracchi: The Art of Forgery

My coworker, Will, mentioned this flick to me. Said it was really good. Will was right. I really enjoyed this one.

Beltracchi was a master forger. He made millions and millions of dollars over 30 years forging 19th century artwork and having them sold at Sotheby's and Christie's. He fooled the most senior and authoritative specialists the world over. Time after time. The dude was absolutely incredible at his craft. His talent and attention to detail is undeniable.

Obviously one can't condone his actions, but the guy is pretty likable and he's immensely talented. It's a good doc. A great peak behind the curtain so you understand his process. Beautiful stuff.

You can stream it on Netflix.

APEX: The Story of the Hypercar

I just watched this doc on hypercars. I think it was made with help from Jalopnik and DRIVE (great YouTube series). It's by enthusiasts for enthusiasts.

APEX is pretty good. It focuses on Koenigsegg, but intersperses bits on Porsche, McLaren, Ferrari, Pagani and Bugatti. So all the main hypercars are covered. There are a bunch of automotive journalists (most of whom you're familiar with), as well as interviews with many key players in the creation of all of the above cars.

Chris Harris is in it...so you know it's gonna be pretty good right there.

I wasn't blown away with it, though. It's legit. But it kept me wanting more. It still felt a little bit like a made-for-TV documentary and not something as cinematic or artistic as it could have been. It felt very surface level, and honestly a whole doc on the Koenigsegg One:1 might have been better. If they'd done a series of 90 minute docs on each one of those cars...yeah...that would have freakin ruled.

It's worth watching. I just didn't think it was the greatest thing since sliced bread...or carbon fiber.

Satan's Sadists

Last time I watched this was 2011. I bought a DVD copy so we could revisit it for this week's Motorcycle Movie Night.

Satan's Sadists is probably the heaviest of all the biker flicks. It's a grim film. It has all the typical ingredients of a 1969 biker flick, but it goes over the edge. It's remorseless raping and killing from a truly psychopathic lead character. Your typical biker flick of this era is anti-establishment, it's wild and over the top, but it's also comical on many levels. Satan's Sadists has the comic relief due to its terrible production value, fake mustaches, and redface (like blackface, but for Native Americans), but it's overshadowed by how ruthless the Prez is. He's so nasty and nihilistic in fact that all his gang are sickened by his actions. It ends up watching like more of a slasher than a biker flick. It crosses that line.

It's still a classic biker flick. All the elements are there. I'm just saying that for once the dramatic hyperbolic claims on the poster are kinda true. It's probably the most visions and violent film of the 60's!

Papillon

After I watched the film adaptation again in 2014, I bought the book. I just got through the 560 pages today and went ahead and bought the second book by Henri Charriere, called Banco. It picks up the story where Papillon leaves off.

But anyway, I absolutely LOVED the movie. One of the greatest god damn things ever. The book is really good, too. But technically the film is better than the book, to be honest. The book is awesome source material. You could have made a 10 part series out of it. Easy.

I don't care if it's true, false, half-true, whatever. Reading it is fun and that's what counts. It's a page-turner, and there are a lot of pages to turn.

Prison break stories are awesome. All of them. And the French make the best prison break art. First Papillon, then Le Trou, and then Mesrines. Those are the best of the best.

I can't see why anyone wouldn't love this book.

Northville Cemetery Massacre

We revisited another old biker flick from one of our prior bike night seasons. This one is a local favorite. Filmed in Michigan and starring real 1%'ers from back in the day.

Already reviewed this in 2012. It ruled in 1976, it ruled in 2012, and it still rules now.

Icons of Men's Style

I already reviewed this book in 2012 when I first read it. It's just as awesome today as when I first read it. Mandatory.

Straight Outa Compton

Got around to watching the Straight Outta Compton Director's Cut on Amazon.

It was decent. A very palatable big budget Hollywood version of N.W.A.'s story. Definitely seemed pretty soft around the edges. Not nearly as dangerous or sketchy as N.W.A.'s early image. I was expecting something darker.

Too much sunshine.

I liked watching it cuz I learned a lot about the internal politics of the band. I always thought Cube was the focal point of N.W.A., but the movie really paints Eazy as the main guy. Eazy definitely had the charisma, and clearly some level of business/marketing sense.

If you're in your mid to late thirties then you probably grew up on N.W.A. and you should watch this for a historical perspective. Biased of course, but still. But if you don't give a crap about N.W.A. then I'd stay away. It's kinda vanilla Hollywood stuff. Whatever.

The Wild Angels

Instead of forcing us to watch a brand new biker flick each time, I've decided to start sprinting in some of the classics that we started watching 4 years ago. Not everyone has seen the likes of Satan's Sadists, Glory Stompers, Devil's Angels, etc. So the first one I brought back was the archetypical Wild Angels.

It stars Peter Fonda and Nancy Sinatra. It's THE textbook biker flick from the 60's. Swastikas, love-ins, rape, mammas, old ladies, AMAZING choppers, causing trouble in a small west coast town, disdain for "the man," racism, and plenty of beer soaked revelry. It checks every box. Oh yeah, including the "very thin excuse for a plot" check box. The Prez is too cool for school. He's even too cool for his gang. It's awesome.

We don't need to go into much detail on this movie. There's nothing of any real artistic merit to critique. It's simply one of the immortal 60's biker flicks, so that's why it was the first for us to revisit.

Good times.

I'm Feeling Lucky: The Confessions of Google Employee Number 59

I bought this a while back and finally got around to reading it. I got through it pretty quickly, as it was really well written. Douglas Edwards was the 59th employee hired at Google, and was pretty much the man behind Google's voice. He provided the words that supported the brand. So he bloody well better be a good writer!

Edwards has a very easy-going style. The story flows along at the perfect pace. He's very learned and has a great vocabulary, but most importantly he knows how to use it to great effect. Intelligent and conversational. Perfect.

I'm Feeling Lucky is very freakin interesting. It's a great peek behind the curtain of one of the most important and successful brands in the history of...history. It's not quite open kimono, but it's a great insight into their decision making process and product development, nonetheless.

Anyone who considers them a student of business should definitely give this a read. It's definitely thought provoking, if nothing else. It's great for learning about and discussing strategy. Highly recommended to anyone interested in business, innovation, or tech.

By the way, thanks to stock options I think Edwards is worth about 100 mil now. Yeah.