Thursday, January 01, 2009

My Music

This is the collection of all the songs I've written and showcased on this site (as well as on my YouTube channel). They are composed and recorded entirely by me, both words and music, using either Sibelius 5 or Guitar Pro 5 (fantastic programs).

I happily encourage anyone with any comments, questions or general feedback to send it in. I love critiques and criticism, so bring 'em on! =)

Entries are posted in chronological order (recent songs at top). See each song's post for more info (description, lyrics (if any), etc.).

The Path to War is a trilogy of novels I've currently got in the works, and below are the songs for its "soundtrack" (which really is just a project I'm undertaking for the fun of it).

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About Us & Respectful Defiance

Just some general information about us, this site, and site rules/policies.
About Joé McKen
My name is Joé McKen, though I'm usually known around the Web as Bumdark. I was born on December 29, 1991, in the heart of frigid Québec, Canada (meaning I'm currently 17 years old). I've moved a considerable amount of times already (over 14 at last count), ranging from Québec to Texas ('96–'01). I don't suppose my heart ever really left the Lone Star State, considering what a shithole this place is here ... but I digress. I'm currently out of High School and am slowly but surely pursuing my nascent music composition career. (And you may stress "slowly".) I basically live alone by myself in my room most of my days, but that's out of choice, not necessity – general people irk me. I don't trust strangers for crap. But I suppose my double-jackpot of mild Asperger's and mild Tourette's may count for that in some way or another. =( (Seriously, two rare neurological disorders at once ... someone up there doesn't like me, do they?) And so, deprived of any creative outlets, I originally created this blog to post my random thoughts and opinions on anything and anything that interests me, from current events to debates and social issues, to whatever. If anything, this blog is more of a personal journal than an actual web log in itself, so that one day perhaps I can look back and see how far I've come (if I've evolved). And so dear readers, I hope you'll forgive me if you find me to be particularly abrasive or trenchant in my posts, and especially my replies to people who just reek of stupidity or intolerable close-mindedness. My "defiance" is only as "respectful" as my patience and/or current mood allows me to be. ;) (Emotions are overrated.) You can check out my profile at IMDb.com for some "Top-10"-style favorites lists concerning various media and topics, and to check out my history there. Or whatever you feel like doing.
About Melissa
Melissa is a Bio Major up to her neck in studies that both exhaust and empassionate her, with a strong strain of misanthropy and a keen eye for critical thought and creative thinking, and whose passions include Jazz, arthouse films, animals, and a fair ground between open-mindedness and Conservative values. Oh, and bugs. Lots of bugs. You can check out Melissa's IMDb profile page for a lengthy list of movies she's seen and/or loved, as well as to follow her posting and commenting history.
Respectful Defiance blog
Joé originally created Respectful Defiance to be his personal shoutbox, his figurative mountaintop to the world, from where he could spew, vent and express anything he felt like writing about, from good to bad and every shade of grey in between. This blog still has the same function, only now it can serve as Melissa's venting post as well. :P We also both write up film reviews (and maybe reviews for other media as well) every now and then, which you can view in the corresponding section. This blog is not generally meant to be informative about current events or trends, and should not be considered or taken as such. Everything on here are our (Joé and Mel's) personal opinions and judgments on our insane world and the people and events that comprise it. If you take issue with something we say, then by all means, do leave a comment and we'll probably even reply. (Though probably not if you're just an ass about it. We do care for a modicum of manners.) We expect people to be at least minimally aware of news and events that happen, so forgive us if we don't elaborate on details that everyone should know by the time we write about it in an entry. We're here to spread our views and opinions, not to educate the masses. ;)

Site Rules & Policies

Check the appropriate section to learn about the can's and can't's and the do's and don't's of Respectful Defiance. Failure to comply with them could very well land you in the Idiots' Corner, so beware. ;)
If anyone has any questions, comments, criticism or anything else they wanna convey to either Joé or Mel, feel free to send it in (but only if we haven't already responded to your question or comment in the FAQ section) and we'll try and read and reply to said eMails as soon as we can. No promises, other than we'll try.

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Our Film Reviews

This is a collection of film reviews we've conjured up over time. Our coverage of movies is fairly sporadic, so don't expect new reviews to pop up at regular intervals, but from time to time.

Please note that the opinion of one does not reflect the views of the other; Mel and I very often disagree on the quality or enjoyability of a movie – or even what makes a movie "good" in the first place. (I rate movies based on how much I enjoyed them, and why, quite simply. Mel tends to take a more technical, in-depth approach, evaluating the film's themes and what it tried to accomplish.)

* * * * * *
From newest to oldest:

J-20: 'Click' – 8.0/10
Written 15/05/09 by Joé McKen

J-19: 'Gran Torino' – 9.0/10
Written 02/05/09 by Joé McKen

J-18: 'Fast & Furious' – 7.5/10
Written 28/04/09 by Joé McKen

J-17: 'Ben X' – 8.5/10
Written 14/04/09 by Joé McKen

J-16: 'The Planet of the Apes' – 7.5/10
Written 10/04/09 by Joé McKen

J-15: 'Deep Impact' – 8.0/10
Written 10/04/09 by Joé McKen

M-01: 'Monsters vs. Aliens'
Written 30/03/09 by Melissa

J-14: 'The Astronaut Farmer' – 8.0/10
Written 29/03/09 by Joé McKen

J-13: 'Armageddon' – 7.0/10
Written 27/03/09 by Joé McKen

J-12: 'Knowing' – 7.0/10
Written 24/03/09 by Joé McKen

J-11: 'The Time Machine' – 7.0/10
Written 19/03/09 by Joé McKen

J-10: 'Dances with Wolves' – 9.0/10
Written 14/03/09 by Joé McKen

J-09: 'Secondhand Lions' – 9.0/10
Written 10/03/09 by Joé McKen

J-08: 'Lakeview Terrace' – 8.0/10
Written 09/03/09 by Joé McKen

J-07: 'The Core' – 7.0/10
Written 07/03/09 by Joé McKen
Part I/II: Film Review of The Core
Part II/II: Scientific Review of The Core

J-06: 'Grave of the Fireflies' – 8.0/10
Written 28/02/09 by Joé McKen

J-05: 'Rain Man' – 8.0/80
Written 14/02/09 by Joé McKen

J-04: 'The Dark Knight' – 8.5/10
Written 10/02/09 by Joé McKen

J-03: 'WALL·E' – 9.5/10Joé's Favorite Movie
Written 09/02/09 by Joé McKen

J-02: 'Marley & Me' – 7.0/10
Written 09/02/09 by Joé McKen

J-01: 'Bolt' – 8.5/10
Written 08/02/09 by Joé McKen

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Contact Us

We welcome any and all comments, questions or general feedback you have to share with us (either Joé, Melissa, or both). First, please check and make sure your question hasn't already been answered in the appropriate Frequently Asked Questions section. (It gets tiring to answer the same questions over and over again, you see.)

If your question has indeed not already been answered (or it's not a question), then please use the contact form below.

If for whatever reason the form above isn't working, then simply send a regular eMail to respectfuldefiance@hotmail.com. Our Inbox is checked every day and we read every single eMail we receive, and if appropriate, we answer as well. A reply might not be instantaneous, but we promise any query will be answered within a day or two.

Be warned, though, that we will ignore any eMails that are just plain obnoxious or annoying. We can take honest criticism (and even welcome it), but "you're idiots" and such will be happily overlooked. Furthermore, any eMails we receive that are overly vile, or contain any threats of physical violence towards us or anyone else, will be posted on the blog in full (perhaps edited for coherence), re-posted in the Idiots' Corner, along with full identifying information about the source. Any immediate threats, should they ever occur, will be immediately forwarded to law enforcement. Be cool with us and everything will be fine.

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Frequently Asked Questions

This is the FAQ section of Respectful Defiance, where I'll post, and give the appropriate answer(s) to, the questions and queries (or random comments) we receive most often. This list will slowly grow with time.



[... None yet C'mon, send those questions in! =)]


If you have a question of your own that isn't covered here already (or anything else to say you wish to share with us), feel free to Contact Us and we'll be right on it. :)

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Site Rules & Policies

Respectful Defiance is exceedingly lax in many ways: just about anything goes, but there are a few rules and limits that are not to be broken or breached, less the offending party be banned for good (or just yelled at for a while).

First of all, be warned that any eMails sent to us that contain a threat of violence will be posted on the blog for all to see, and we'll be sure to include all personally identifying information. Basically: you be an ass, and we'll expose you, who and where you are, for all to see. Your eMail will also be posted in the Idiots' Corner section for all to laugh at.

In addition, any eMails or comments containing threats of violence or anything else will immediately be forwarded to law enforcement. Be warned. This is not something we joke around with.

Comment Moderation

Anyone can post anything they want: you're free to be as snarky, insulting or downright annoying as you want, and we won't stop you (though we will probably yell at you a little if you act like an idiot). This site is strongly anti-censorship, but there are a few notable exceptions, described below.

  1. No Trolling.
    Trolling is when someone only writes comments intended to inflame others and create arguments and anger, without actually discussing anything. Trolls are pathetic losers and we simply do not have any time or patience for them. Trolling comments will be deleted on-sight, and trolls will be banned at the very first offense.
  2. No Thread Derailing.
    Thread derailment is when someone writes comments intended, if not to spawn anger and flame-wars, to derail a thread and lead it entirely elsewhere from the matter at hand. Off-topic comments are accepted of course, but don't go overboard. Thread derailment comments will be deleted, and repeat offenders will be banned.
  3. No Excessive Personal Attacks.
    You certainly have the right to call people out as idiots, liars, hypocrites, jerks, assholes, generally depraved fuckwits and the likes, but try not to go too far. This is a general-audiences website after all; not as in "people could get offended", but as in "we have standards".
  4. Just don't be an ass.
    Can't phrase it better than that. Foul language, risky subjects and the likes are of course accepted, but don't be overly obnoxious. Really, just behave civilly and everything will be fine.

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Idiots' Corner

The IDIOTS' CORNER
Where the slime comes to ooze

This page is a collection of all the stupidest, vilest and most depressing eMails and comments we've seen or received. It serves three noble purposes: to remind us that humans have a remarkable capacity for thuggishness; to expose idiots and general cretins; and best of all – to laugh at them. Because when what you write lands here, you don't deserve any better.



[... None yet.]



By now you will be either saddened, shocked, or just depressed ... so imagine how I must feel if I'm the one who's compiled this wall of shit for y'all to read and be astonished by the ever-lasting necropolis of stupidity that is the human capacity.

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