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Scientology Revisited

Wednesday, January 16th, 2008

Back in 2004, Chuck and I paid a visit to the new Church of Scientology building in Buffalo. It was their grand-opening Gala, and for some reason they invited us. We were at the time, freelance writers working mostly for the Buffalo Beast, and independent newspaper circulating in the city. A lot of talk of Scientology has happened recently, what with Tom Cruise showing his true colors to the world and Katie Holmes turning into a robot, as seen in a recent guest appearance on ‘Regis and Kelly.’ There’s also a new unauthorized biography of Cruise that states that his and Holmes’ daughter, Suri, is the spawn of bad Sci-Fi writer L. Ron Hubbard himself. The author of the book goes so far to compare her birth to ”Rosemary’s Baby.”

A few years back, the boys from South Park did an episode about Scientology that starred Tom Cruise, John Travolta, and Galactic Overlord Xenu. Non-surprisingly it was blocked by Mr. Jerry Maguire himself, and now can only be found in various places around the internet.

With this newfound fascination with Scientology, I’ve decided to re-open my interest in this goofy religion. Following is the article Chuck and I wrote, which appeared originally in The Buffalo Beast. This time, though - the punctuation is there and a spell check has been run so it’ll be a much better read:

The Beast Goes Scientological
By Rob Gerke and Chuck Notaro

It’s been said that there are two sides to every story. I’ve found this to be true in almost everything I’ve experienced or thought about. The case of Scientology is no different. It has its supporters and its detractors. I, myself, have never given much credibility to a religion that was founded by a science fiction writer. I’m not even much of a Sci-Fi reader any longer. But I’ve never been one to openly express an opinion about something unless its an informed one, which is the reason I paid a visit to Buffalo’s new Church of Scientology this past Sunday when it celebrated its grand opening.

I’ll admit, I knew next to nothing about Scientology before I attended the opening ceremony, and honestly, I’m not sure it’s any clearer to me now.
Let’s start with the basic question: What is Scientology? In founder Lafayette Ron Hubbard’s words, Scientology is an “applied religious philosophy.” Does that clear things up for you? If not, Hubbard goes on to say that it is the “study and handling of the spirit in relationship to itself, universes and other life.”
Scientologists believe it to be a path to enlightenment gained through auditing. This is where an upper-level Scientologist evaluates you, and through certain scientific method, helps you gain control of your true self. Your inner spirit. Your “Thetan,” as the Scientologists call it.


Shooter, Elvis and the Jack of Hearts

Wednesday, October 31st, 2007

Yeah, I got this blog title from a track off of Bob Dylan’s “Blood on the Tracks” album.  It’s appropriate, though, because I’ll be talking about Dylan later on.

 So, this past weekend I took a road trip to Milwaukee to see Shooter Jennings play a club called The Rave.  It looked a hell of a lot like the place Wayne & Garth went to see Alice Cooper in the first movie, so now I have to watch it again to verify that.  Anyway, it was a decent venue with a small crowd, but a hell of a show!

The opening act was a gentleman by the name of Eddi Spaghetti, frontman for Texas punk band The Supersuckers.  He came out with his guitar player who was dressed like a 70’s porn star, but played like a rock star.  Spaghetti did some acoustic versions of Supersuckers songs, and even covered an old Merle Haggard song called “Misery and Gin” which was the highlight of his set.

 Then Shooter came out.  Shooter may be best known as the spawn of country music legend Waylon Jennings, but is a great musician in his own right.  I had listened to his albums “Electric Rodeo” and “The Wolf” before the show, and I can honestly say they’re both damn good country-rock records.

 What I wasn’t prepared for was his live performance.  I’d expected a toned down guitar rock show, but what I got was pure brilliance.  He was good.  Damn good.  He put on a better show in this club than most bands play in an arena. 

 And the band - let’s just say that the lead guitar was better than Jimmy Page on a good day.  I could have sat there all night listening to him solo.  I’d pay to see this performance again.

Monday.

 I paid a visit to the Chicago Theater to take in a performance by rock legends Elvis Costello and Bob Dylan.  Amos Lee opened, which was ok, but I wasn’t paying much attention to him.  Other people at the show informed me that he was fantastic.

Costello took the stage and played an acoustic set for about an hour.  I don’t really know a lot of his music, but what I heard has inspired me to check him out further.  He played one tune which may have been called “I Want You” which had me riveted.

Then Bob and his Band played.  I wasn’t expecting much because Bob is, well, Bob.  His voice isn’t what it used to be.  He growled though his first two songs, “Cat’s In The Well” and “Lay Lady Lay” - but as he went along, he seemed to come to life and sounded a whole lot better.  I was thrilled to hear “You’re A Big Girl Now”and “Highway 61 Revisited” and even more surprised when he closed with “Like A Rolling Stone.”

He, Amos Lee, and Costello came out for the encore and did an excellent rendition of “I Shall Be Released”,  then went into “Thunder on the Mountain” and closed the night with “All Along The Watchtower.”

I’m not going to give the performance a good or a bad review.  Bob can’t do a bad show, because he’s Bob Dylan.  He’s a music legend.


“K-Fed Scratches Ass, Lindsay Lohan Falls Out”

Tuesday, September 11th, 2007

….and celebrity news just like that can be found on TMZ.com, a website created just for all of you who can’t get enough reporting on what your favorite Hollywood icons are up to.

I just checked the site, and there’s a picture on its front page showing flowers on the grave of Anna Nicole Smith, with a caption that proudly boasts that said flowers were placed there by the oh-so-intriguing Howard K. Stern.

Do you want to know what my reaction to this news was?

Wait for it.

Ok, here it is:

“Who the hell cares?”

Which was my reaction when I discovered that TMZ.com is going to have its very own show on my television! Just what I need, another show devoted to the happenings in the lives of people I don’t give a rat’s ass about.

But, you, the American people, care. You do. Otherwise there would be no websites and shows like this. The adulation of pop stars has reached an all-time high these past few years. Or, should I say all-time low? I’m not sure what to say because I honestly don’t understand any of it.

I don’t understand this infatuation with people we don’t even know. I don’t understand why everyone cares so much about Paris Hilton or Britney Spears. Are our lives so dull that we have to live vicariously through these dimwits who have not done a single thing to improve our own lives? If anything, they’ve made our lives more shallow and meaningless.

Mind you, I’m speaking for you - not myself. I have a very full and interesting life without paying attention to the tabloids. There are things I do - work, read, write, socialize, etc. that all play such a large part in my life that I don’t have the time to wonder what club Ashlee Simpson was seen at last night.

But, you all seem to have that time. Or do you make time to worship these people? Does it give your life a special meaning to hang on every word they say, to adopt their views and opinions as your own, to develop your personal style based on what they’re wearing?

Let me ask you this: When your children have an essay for school to write, describing their personal hero, how many of them have written about Paris or Britney? How many of them have written about Eleanor Roosevelt or Martin Luther King, Jr.? Sadly, I’d bet my last dollar that more students would write about the former, or other celebrities like them, than the latter.

What I’m trying to get across here is that America needs a wake-up call. We need to divert the focus away from goings on in Hollywood and use that time and energy to focus on more important things. We have a lot wrong with our country, and we need to start fixing it. We have to stop bowing down to these idiot celebrities like they’re divinity and try to better our own lives.

Instead of taking your child to see the newest Lindsay Lohan film, take them to a museum. Teach your children to think for themselves. Right now, most Americans are being told what to think by the media, and most of you buy into it. In order to progress as a society - as a civilization - we need to take that power away from those who have no right to wield it. Right now, Hollywood has that power - and it’s the job of the “huddled masses” to take it back.


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