Jason Becker,
Collection
We don't call people "heroes" & such.
We whine a little too much when things don't go our way.
Here's a guy who might make you think, put it all into perspective.
Jason Becker was an up-&-coming guitar god back in the late '80s (& we all thought he'd be the man in the early '90s)--check out his work w/ Cacophony, which also included Marty Friedman.
He got the coveted post-Steve Vai gig w/ David Lee Roth.
While recording the album
A Little Ain't Enough, he started feeling strange, stumbling around a little, getting weak feelings in his hands . . . & eventually was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as ALS or mayhaps more commonly as "Lou Gehrig's Disease."
He was 20.
He was given 3 years to live.
He lost the ability to speak in the mid-90s, & he was soon completely paralyzed, before age 30 lacking pretty much all movement except for his eyes.
About the disease he says, "It has crippled my body & speech, but not my mind."
Go here for more info on this amazing human being:
http://jasonbeckerguitar.com/
[Also, check out youtube for some pure shred guitar.]
"Hero"? Maybe, maybe not.
"Dude who has done more than I ever will"? Probably.
"Inspiration"? Yeah, that's it.
& as for the music, some key cuts on
Collection are "River of Longing," "Opus Pocus," & "Electric Prayer for Peace."
Also, he has another album w/ a great title I wish we all would consider.
'
It's called
Perspective.
Juniors:
"Psychological Approach to 'Young Goodman Brown'" quiz today.
Also . . .
Dexter
House
Nina (
Black Swan)
Forrest Gump
Sheldon (
The Big Bang Theory)
Tyler Durden
Tara (
True Blood)
Lisbeth Salander
Amir (
The Kite Runner)
Rorschach
Humbert
Boo Radley
Yossarian
Holden Caulfield
Ichiro (
No-No Boy)
"one I have yet to come across"
Some of our most interesting characters.
Round, not flat.
Dynamic, not static.
Sophomores:
Unit 7 vocabulary quiz today.
Grammar--parts of speech & parts of sentence--quiz tomorrow.
Unit 8 definitions due Wednesday.
OR 2.2 due Friday.
be cool
