My favorite artist

To begin, I am musician. If I don't make music, my fingers start to itch. So my favorite artistic is, of course, a musician. His name is Paul Waggoner, and he is a part of a technical metal band called Between the Buried and Me. (To anyone reading this, I would appreciate it if you would not judge this man or this band by the name or the genre of music they play. They also incorporate everything from smooth to jazz to blues to latin music into their music. If you're musically open-minded at all, I suggest that you take a listen. If you're anything like me, you might just have your life changed by it).

The man, who happens to be the lead guitarist for the band, is a musical genius. Even those who do not appreciate metal for what it's trying to do (which, contrary to popular belief, is not to be angry with the world, complain, or use violent imagery purposelessly) will likely appreciate his guitar work. He can run 16th notes at and above 250 beats per minute. This is a CRAZY speed. He is fluent in jazz, rock, blues, neoclassical and thrash theory, and his work alone (apart from the other members' contributions) has literally changed my life (musically and overall) since I was introduced to them in 2005. I have since seen them in concert four times and am going to Atlanta on thursday night for the fifth. I have talked with Paul as well as the other band members several times about their music and what it has done to many of us as musicians.

A few good examples of his work (you can find videos on youtube) are in Between the Buried and Me's songs entitled "Alaska", "Selkies (The Endless Obsession)", "All Bodies", and "Roboturner." As stated earlier, this music is much heavier, louder, faster and more complicated (view by many as "noise") than most popular music (which is what I consider noise). I beg of all of you to try to see the art in it. I have a feeling most will not, but it has changed my life as a musician and as a person. The other members are Tommy Rogers (vocals and keyboard), Black Richardson (Drums), Dan Briggs (Bass guitar), and Dusty Waring (rhythm guitar), and are certainly not to be ignored either. Check it out.

This film is a work of art

Darron Aronofsky's The Fountain can be considered (and is widely considered) a true work of art. The movie features stunning cinematography, a beautiful soundtrack, a wonderful cast, and a very creative, science-fiction-esque plot. It features a man (Hugh Jackman), following a triple storyline in three stages of his life. The end will surprise and shock many viewers. To me, this movie is the epitame of a well-handled artistic movie. I recommend it to everyone, although one must be fairly open-minded when choosing to watch it.