Rome vacations turn into inspiring ideas, while I revisit the DRIV3R soundtrack

All roads lead to Rome, or so the story goes. Not even two weeks since my trip to Milan, I was already back on Italian soil, this time with the novelty that Rome offers. It’s a place full of history and magnificent sights — I’m still in awe from being by the Colosseum. It’s also a city that has seemingly worked hard to preserve its own identity while maintaining the things that allow it to print money. Between all the major sights and the Basilica in Vatican City, where nearly every surface includes some amount of gold, I’m in strong belief that all of Italy’s economy is concentrated right here.

Reorganizing photography ideas with a playlist

As I mentioned in the last column, music inspires me, perhaps a little too much if I think about it for long enough. My notebook tells me I have 333 ideas in different stages of development. Mind you, this notebook has existed for a little less than two years, and during the last 18 months, I’ve had highs and lows of inspiration while just leaving an all-songs-ever playlist on shuffle from time to time.

Considering the number — over 6,000 songs on that playlist — 333 seems fairly reasonable. But it’s slightly overwhelming nevertheless, as I realize there’s no way I can efficiently do something with them without compromising my artistic vision in some form. Every year I seem to add another layer of organization. Some friends say I’m scaling towards my needs, which makes sense; others look at me funny wondering why I didn’t use this approach in the first place.

I’ve moved from paper notebooks to OneNote — which worked sometimes but not consistently — to Joplin, which is OneNote but much better, at least on computers (the mobile app versions do their best with how I use it, considering I include superficial moodboarding on each page). With 333 ideas, I’ve decided to perfect my trifecta of Model / Location / Concept and jot down what’s missing to have a photoshoot ready to go. Suddenly, my insight into how many I thought I had ready to go was much less, versus the amount of ideas I still needed to associate with a model or find a location to move forward.

Never mind the sheer amount of those noted as “Expand concept,” where I should really focus some creative energy. One thing I am certain of is that it’ll all fall into place at the right time. Between the highs and the lows, an idea still in early development can quickly “go Green,” as I suddenly might have the right concept, location, and model. I love not knowing when it’ll happen, making it those tiny special moments of pure epiphany.

Clocks are bound to change closer to the end of the month, and with that, longer days and new sunsets are coming to keep creativity at the maximum. Until then, I seem to be traveling for a bit to keep myself inspired.

Why the DRIV3R is still an undiscovered gem of a soundtrack

When DRIV3R was first announced, I was ecstatic. I was a big fan of the first and second games for the PlayStation One and loved how they homaged the movies and the cars they were inspired by. In an era where the internet wasn’t yet quite mainstream where I lived, most first contacts with new games were via magazines, and at the time, PSM2 included a DVD filled with trailers and other fun surprises that we now take for granted via YouTube. Oh, how the world has changed!

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Slo-Mo’s “Boy From The City” was the song in the first trailer I saw. It felt chill and cool, and shortly after, The Bellrays’ “Zero PM” was featured during a car chase. I think my favorite of the bunch was Syntax’s “Destiny.” It’s such a good song and has what I believe is “main protagonist music.” At that moment, very rarely had music impressed me as much in videogames.

I have a vague memory of “Regular John” during a Destruction Derby Arenas trailer making the rounds — and I only found out more about that song many years later, now when the internet was more accessible. With DRIV3R, I wanted it more, and it seemed like the game’s marketing was willing to reciprocate via the existence of a live-action short film titled Run the Gauntlet, by the late Sean Mullen. I somehow found out it was also getting its inspired soundtrack on CD, which I had to ask a record store to import. At the time, the price was outrageous, at 25.00€ in 2003, for a niche release of the sort. But once I got that CD in my hands, it was over.

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The geniuses behind the release decided to have Iggy Pop do a radio-style voiceover between songs. Iggy Pop also had his voice featured in the game as one of the characters, so it made sense they’d ask him to do something of this sort. These kinds of details get me. They didn’t have to do it like this, but I’m glad this soundtrack works beyond a simple mixtape and more towards an experience that extends the videogame beyond its own medium.

“The Devil is beautiful, that’s why he’s the Devil… Music will stupify you, make you ripe for the Devil.”

With a game featuring three different cities — Miami, Nice, and Istanbul — you can feel the soundtrack mood shift through the different settings, especially the Istanbul parts. From the moody intro of Mellowdrone’s “C’mon and Try,” setting a precedent, it was Iggy & The Stooges’ own “Gimme Danger” that really impressed 12-year-old me. It quickly became a personal favorite, and I’m such a fan of how they’ve played different versions of the song live, including a slower take from a recorded performance in 1977.

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There were also definitely some oddities. The Raveonettes’ “Bowels of the Beast” was an interesting introduction to the duo, and Okuniev’s “Ripe For The Devil” still gives me chills. Los Halos’ “Black Thread” is an acoustic banger that holds a certain darkness. I genuinely believe Hope of the States’ “Static In The Cities” is still one of the best outro songs, with a heartbreaking melody that keeps us yearning for what we went through the almost hour-long soundtrack.

Very few soundtracks create something as special as DRIV3R did, at least in the way that it did. Queens of the Stone Age did something similar with Songs for the Deaf, but this feels very different and more cinematic, and I absolutely love it. Maybe one day I’ll tell you more about the exclusive songs and B-sides that were released during the nu-metal era on movie albums. It’s quite the discovery.

Music Moodboard: Revisiting Breaking Benjamin, and I can’t stop playing KNIVES

Every year I do this. I keep going in circles with the history of heavy music, revisiting songs, eras, and collected playlists of songs that, well, sound amazing. Sometimes I seek inspiration; other times, I’m looking for songs to spin at the listening parties!

With the hopes I’ll see Breaking Benjamin and Chevelle this summer — still need to pay for that — I’ve been listening to some of their older material. Though only some of it will probably make the setlist, I think Breaking Benjamin’s first few albums found a way to be a highlight among others during those years, especially in the hard rock space, which was adjacent to the whole nu-metal thing. “Phase” off Saturate is a deep cut worthy of revisit and replay, with a post-grunge feel to it; We Are Not Alone changed things up and made them more polished, perhaps more anthemic. But then this also allows “So Cold” to hold the status it has in modern music, and “Break My Fall,” “Away,” and “Believe” to become three cuts with a specific vibe that hasn’t quite been recaptured since.

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Of course, it was Phobia that changed the game. 2006 metal was in a weird place, finding its footing for something less nu-metal centric. Some would rightfully call it a perfect record. While I might not entirely share that opinion, I will defend that it has some of the greatest singles of the era and still manages to maintain its own personality with songs like “Evil Angel” and “Dance With The Devil.” On the other side of the coin, “Topless” and “Had Enough” are again deep cuts that don’t get talked about enough and should. Even “You Fight Me,” a song chosen for the finale, had a certain charm that only fans would enjoy.

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I’m curious to see how different the setlist for the EU tour will be. The inclusion of “Blow Me Away” is definitely a nostalgic choice from Halo 2 days and alone is worth seeing performed live. The summer cannot come fast enough!

A quick note for KNIVES. Ever since the Milan gig, I can’t stop listening to them! I still can’t believe I missed out on the release of this, but it’s always better late to celebrate than never. “Doppleganger” is always fun to listen to, but I just love “Rhinestone Cowboy.” It’s the jazzier vibes to it that I can really appreciate how different they sound in the landscape. Gosh, I wish I could see them play live again! Watch this!

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What’s Next

Next time in this column: I will go to Lyon on a small jetliner airplane, like the one we used to play on Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, to hang out with my Aussie friends from Ocean Grove. I’ll also hang out with some friends who went to the sold-out Motionless In White concert and will maybe make an appearance at the Crystal Lake x Miss May I gig shortly after. At least there’ll be a new ERRA for everyone to enjoy — I’ll tell you about it soon!