The “Megadeth” Influence
Posted on March 5, 2011 Leave a Comment
And now we come to the heavy metal part of The Destiny Saga’s influences. And I guess this is the part where some of you will go, “Really, Rochard? Heavy metal, Brother? Umm….o…kay.” I guess all I have to say for myself is that I never met a musical genre I didn’t like (even country music…although I fronted on it for years).
Getting to the point why I admire this band Megadeth is because of the sheer ferocity and speed of their riffs and the so-imperfect-it’s-perfect snarly vocals of Dave Mustaine. I consider their hardest songs to be the soundtrack to my main antagonist, Chaos (not in meaning but in energy).
Like some of my other influences, M.I.A. and Public Enemy, Megadeth has a sense of forward momentum that drives their songs. In my initial trilogy of The Destiny Saga, that is what I am hoping maintains throughout the storytelling: a sense of laser precise purpose.
The “M.I.A.” Influence
Posted on March 5, 2011 Leave a Comment
There is a sense of punk injected into my artistry and into The Destiny Saga as well. It’s not punk in the Sex Pistols-I wear ripped jeans-I get myself effed up-kinda way. It’s more like a “I know who I am and will stay true to me” type of punk.
For those of you who have no clue who M.I.A. is (or do know and could care less about her music), she gets off on provocation in the name of bringing third world issues to light. There is this debate going on whether she is “authentic” or not when it comes to her background. This argument is irrelevant to me (like I stated in an earlier post, I worship the art and NOT the artist). The point that I am trying to make with this “influence” that she has over my artsy side is that concept of making straight up noise.
Most of her music is atonal and loud, this meshes well with her brash personality. In The Destiny Saga there is a sense of different storytelling genres (sci-fi, fantasy, romance, drama, action, adventure, horror,etc) smashing and crashing into each other until they make a loud sound when all the themes and characters collide in the final novel.
The same way she uses the different sounds of the world to make a sonic collage to represent her thoughts, I’m using the various types of stories to represent to my readers that everything in this world interests me…
The “The Go! Team” Influence
Posted on March 3, 2011 Leave a Comment
When I wrote the first screenplay for The Destiny Saga at the tender age of 19, I wanted to be a “serious” artist. I still do,but I realized throughout the years that a great dramatic story has to have a heart guiding the storytelling. With that in mind,I disciplined myself to do was to keep a healthy sense of pure positive energy.
What I didn’t know was that I would discover a band that is the definitive representation of that energy…
I always believed that there was an art to making loud, boisterous music and The Go! Team to me is like bliss on tap. With all the death, destruction, and disappointment that is spread throughout The Destiny Saga, there has to be a degree of hope that is lurking beneath the tragedy. Whether or not that hope is realized, at least the reader can see it as a possible outcome.
It’s a hope of mine that The Destiny Saga can be seen not just as a story for entertainment (the number one priority), but it would be great if the characters and scenarios would give the reader the same level of excitement that The Go! Team gives me…
The “Public Enemy” Influence
Posted on March 3, 2011 Leave a Comment
A disclaimer: I don’t really care what Flavor Flav does with his life. What I do care about is the meaning of the music. I don’t worship artists; I worship art.
Humanity is one of the major themes of The Destiny Saga and it is a personal belief of mine that there is only one race: the human race. Not the most original thought, but I never said I was original. 🙂
Unfortunately, our sad human history shows us that we’re not sophisticated enough as species to realize a person is a person. I would rather be seen as a Man, but most of the world will only see a Black Man. And I have to walk through life aware of that distorted truth. It’s a perspective on life that HAD to be inserted into The Destiny Saga.
Public Enemy is my favorite rap group of all time and Chuck D is my favorite rapper of ALL time. I understand art to be a force for emotional awareness and, very rarely, causes permanent change in society. But Chuck taught me that saying something of substance is better than saying nothing at all. I believe it is not our job as fellow human beings to preach to each other, but to teach love to each other.
The situation between the Primary Beings and Secondary Beings in my novels should be pretty apparent in what they metaphorically represent to our reality. I don’t intend to brow beat (you should be entertained, people) but I do intend to express the truth of harmony.
That’s my goal and I’m sticking to it.
Karen Weathers' Linian Legacy 