Guns N' Roses Archives - Miné Salkin

EDITOR’S PICK: THE BEST FILMS OF 2010

by Miné Salkin | Nov 7, 2010 | film stripped

November is the month where my introspection tends to get the most unshakable. It literally burns holes in my brain thinking about what feats of artistic greatness and gestures of failure were made that year. It doesn’t help that I tend to listen to Guns ‘N Roses‘ classic tune “November Rain” on repeat to comfortably usher me into the thought of another winter.

When it comes to selecting the top five films of 2010, it is never an easy task for someone who essentially lives off this stuff. Last year, after I read the script of Synechdoche, New York (a moderately disappointing film), I began to think of life unfolding much like a screenplay. There’s nothing like an omnipotent narrator reading out stage directions while you do them. Salkin sits down on a park bench, pulls out a brown paper bag and drinks from it. Sighs. Watches the children play.

Enough of that. Here’s my list of the best films of 2010.

5. Get Him to the Greek

Have I mentioned that I generally hate mainstream comedies? Especially those spawned from the filmic loins of Judd Apatow (40 Year Old Virgin, Knocked Up)? Starring chubby and charming Jonah Hill, British comedian Russell Brand and superstar musician P. Diddy, this film was absolutely hilarious in a Jeffrey-kind of way. For those who don’t know what a Jeffrey is, you’re going to have to watch this one. Hill plays a music record employee who’s been assigned to accompany Brand, a former rock god turned washed up junkie, to the Greek to play an epic comeback show. Things get zany.

See the art of mindfucking here:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpMmU7AkDvM&feature=related]

4. The Runaways

Joan Jett is fucking dope. Nobody can deny that fact. Starring Twilight tweenie Kristen Stewart, Dakota Fanning and Michael Shannon, this film chronicles the challenges and drug abuse that riddled the all-girl rock band from the 1970’s. Tight pants, lesbian overtones and the everlasting promise of good old rock ‘n’ roll, this film is a must-see for anybody interested in the history of this vicious musical genre.

Ever wondered what it’s like to be a teenaged guitar player trying to make it in a man’s world?

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The EU tells us what to do: turn down your iPod!

by Miné Salkin | Sep 29, 2009 | news

Decibels: may cause permanent damage

The European Union is trying to reverse one of the biggest health trends today: breaking the rise of hearing loss by restricting volume controls on portable music devices.

The Globe and Mail wrote today that prolonged exposure to loud music causes permanent hearing loss, which has been known for some time. This phenomenon is no surprise considering how loud iPods and other mp3 players can get. On every bus in the city, there is a distorted buzzing noise coming from nearly every earbud. Here’s what the article said:

The European Union announced yesterday that it is capping the volume of such devices after an EU scientific committee warned that prolonged exposure to loud noise from the music players could cause permanent hearing damage. The new rules will require manufacturers to set the maximum volume of personal music players at a safe default level, defined by the scientific committee as either 80 decibels adjusted for exposure limited to 40 hours a week or 89 decibels adjusted for exposure limited to five hours a week.

I myself blast my iPod on the bus, on the street and when I’m walking to work. Despite my insulating, high quality Bose headphones, I just can’t seem to get my music loud enough. At parties and other social gatherings I find myself asking people to repeat themselves. This isn’t just me. Quite a few of my friends have noticed hearing loss in their early twenties — a sure sign of the effect of a Walkman to iPod generation.

The 99 B-Line is no quiet haven. Just to block out the traffic sounds — which are probably loud enough to cause damage too — my volume dial is always nine-tenths full blast. If I take my headphones off, I can surely hear the person next to me listening to Guns ‘N Roses‘ Sweet Child O’Mine, and I can even sing the words and bob my head to the tune.

Whether or not it’s a right to play your music at certain volumes in a public space, changing the design of iPods seems a bit ridiculous. I like my Deftones loud, and that’s how it’s got to be.