So remember when I talked about religious symbolism? the last section didn't have much. Then in a two page period we get over loaded with it. I'm not sure if we're supposed to think it's bullshit since it's all been spewed by the manager guy.
Quick Tally of Relgiously Symbolic Things From Pages 32 and 33
- Calls rock Religious Ecstasy
- someone responds to his speech with Amen
- mass
- communion
- Prophecy
- young saint
- stigmata
So I'm not sure if we're supposed to be like: That Lazarus he sure is full of shit, or if it's supposed to build Crowe up as a Messianic figure.
So we're now at another fairly infamous part of the comic, batman goes to an archive room to learn rock and roll.
See once again this is where simply having him be raised a blue blood would have worked, it wouldn't have been willful ignorance but instead just something he never made time for.
So, another awkward Highlander parallel: All of the followers have been called to THE GATHERING okay I'm grasping at straws here, but what's happening is that all the fans are quitting their day job and meeting up in the park to listen to Izaak Crowe jam a song on acoustic guitar.
Fun thing I noticed the girl friend is playing bass. electric. In the Park without an amp. Thinking the acoustic would be noticeable over a crowd of people singing along was dumb but forgivably so, an unplugged electric bass wouldn't be noticeable over someone humming.
So more Batman listening and learning Rock. I'd like ot make fun of it but honestly this is so bad it's below contempt. Seriously we have Batman listening to rock and roll while reading reviews and muttering some lyrics dramatically. "-From a — GUN! Pigs— FROM a gun. "TOO MUCH LOVE DRIVES A MAN INSANE"
I'm no music historian, but there's a bit here that makes no sense. "Rock was born of a return to blues and country fundamentals" no it was born from blues and country, though much of country is born of southern acoustic blues. Not a return to those fundamentals but a retooling of them. But yeah Batman now has an encyclopedic knowledge of rock and roll.
As the Batplane flies off Lazarus morosely intones: "he knows everything about our music, everything, except what it is." deep shit man.
So yeah more people referring to Elvis as the God of rock and roll, I've never actually heard that. The king I've heard, or one of the gods of rock and roll, but not THE god.
So yeah, here's one of my problems: a lot of this is centered around people joining this messianic cult to find the heart of rock and roll. This is supposedly Elvis, now I can accept that people will think that, and that's fine. My problem is that for a lot of young rock and roll fans they've probably never listened to Elvis much, and would think he sounds too country. The genre has changed, and it should, things evolve over time including musical genres. I'm not a fan of modern rock in general but I have no problem with the fact that most albums won't sound like "Who's Next" it's been 40 years, things move on. Elvis is influential but not what I suspect the modern disaffected music fan wants. If I think modern music is too commercial and corrupt and want a rebirth (another theme) I'd probably be looking more towards the Punk scene to clean house, or to a return to that simpler music.
well that's section 3, I'll be back with PART FOUR soon.
