-(16)- - Blaze Of Incompetence

-(16)-
Blaze Of Incompetence
Pessimiser

If you're a long-time reader of No Funeral, then you know that I'm not into repeating myself. This desire is the primary reason that the coverage and format of the writing have varied so wildly over the years. Well, I realized that "something was up" when, after two months of conventional record reviews, it was getting harder and harder for me to get pumped up about dissecting yet another album. In the spirit of maintaining spontaneity and preventing burnout, here's another harsh left turn that grinds the gears of the transmission down to nothing.

For the past month or so, I've been watching reruns of The Office in the evenings when I'm trying to write. I wonder if one has an affect on the other? Anyway, while watching the episode where Michael proposes to Holly, I pondered the evolution of Dwight Schrute's character throughout the series.

In the early years of the show, I couldn't stand Dwight. Yes, I'm aware that this was Dwight's denouement and that his role on the show is as a foil but, in my eyes, that is one of the hallmark's of good fiction. Much like Phil Leotardo of The Sopranos, Dwight is a fictional character that elicited a real-world emotional response from me, and I know I'm not alone. I hated Dwight so much that I wrote an outline for a spec script (that never got finished) for The Office where Michael and Dwight go to the Ozzfest (or Mayhem Fest, whatever). In the episode, Dwight, oblivious to moshpit etiquette, gets mercilessly stomped by some Pennsylvania skinheads.

Then time went by.

Then, Michael Scott moved to Colorado and we had two seasons left. Don't get me wrong, I love all the seasons of The Office and I refuse to go down the road of the Seinfeld fans who write off the final seasons without Larry David at the helm. That said, in light of the additions of Nellie, Gabe, Clark, and Robert California; well, Dwight looked almost normal.

Throughout the course of the series, I, as a viewer, had gone from hating Dwight to realizing that, if I hypothetically worked in that office, Dwight would be the only person I could chill with. He's played MOTLEY CRUE, LIFE OF AGONY, and METALLICA on the show, so he's got halfway decent taste in music. Plus, he's into guns, DIY booze, crossbows, and all types of other wacky nonsense. What's not to love? Ultimately, the credit goes to Rainn Wilson for dedicating himself to the character of Dwight Schrute and turning in the performance of a lifetime.

I suppose I should say something about the tunes. -(16)- is awesome. Blaze Of Incompetence sounds EYEHATEGOD and HELMET had a prom night dumpster baby. You'll dig it.







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