Darth Drabek

Do those things take two AAs like a CD player, one AAA like the little guys I favor, or something in between? Oh yeah, and I've got your letters, you've got my song! Oasis - Half the World Away

Mmmmm..... Baileys. I don't drink to get drunk that much anymore. I drink socially or just in appreciation of a fine wine or beer. That said, a little buzz can be a good thing. You know you're fighting a losing battle when my college's marketing team used the slogan "Stop at the Buzz" in an attempt to curb binge drinking. In my experience, drugs like marijuana are bad because they are the gateway to listening to Phish and the Grateful Dead and playing hackysack. Ecstasy-type of drugs are bad because they lead to people dancing to repetitive techno music in clubs for days on end.

Teenage Fanclub - Some People Try to **** with You An anthem to which we can all relate. Anybody see Dennis Leary on the Craig Ferguson show last night? Along with DVDs of his show "Rescue Me," he plugged the new Twilight Singers CD, calling it "the best rock and roll I've heard in 10 years." It's a little shady, because he shouldn't even be able to buy the thing for another week. Hmmmm.

wilco - nothing'severgonnastandinmyway (again)

My old roommate said he was a better driver when he was high. Of course, he was also usually drunk, so they pretty much canceled each other out.

Faces (or is it The Faces?) - Glad and Sorry Thank you kindly...

I have a pretty funny game called "Snowball Fight" on my phone, in which your character has to hit two other kids with snowballs, shooting gallery-style. I assume the "battles" get more difficult as you go, but that's just an assumption because I haven't beat the first level.

Is punk an ethos or a style of music? Sounds like a thesis paper to me. I can call Eddie Vedder's actions "punk rock" but I wouldn't call Pearl Jam's music punk rock. But musically, it depends how closely you want to dissect the genre. The Descendents are considered one of the progenitors of the "pop punk" genre, but many people would consider them to be "punk" because they never sold out, never compromised their sound. It was always poppy. In contrast, Bad Religion started out with none of the trappings of pop punk but as they progressed they cleaned up their sound, refined the vocals, and added harmonies. Still, no one would consider Bad Religion "pop punk." Why? Maybe it's the weighty subject material - they're not going to title an album "Take off your Pants and Jacket." edit: Oasis - Some Might Say Man I listened to so much Oasis this weekend.

I had heard the (very clever) term "screamo" used to describe MCR and their ilk. I really do like their album though, which I can't say for many of their contemporaries. Avril is pop rock - she has the punk attitude going though, with her boots, fatigues and drinking habits. An interesting idea is that bands like Bon Jovi and Def Leppard were considered hard rock in their heyday, their music would be considered pop rock in the same vein as Avril today. Blink 182 is pop punk. Sum 41 is pop punk with metal influences. At least the last time I listened to them they still did some ripping solos (approx. four years ago). They had this instrumental with dueling guitars that was definitely Maiden homage. They called it "Grab the Devil by the Horns and ..." .... well I'll just leave it at that. As far as pop punk goes, my favorite is Goldfinger - although their best stuff throws some ska into the mix. Their self titled album, and Hangups had plenty of catchy tunes with driving rhythms. And they're great live. Lately I've been listening to Wilco's Summerteeth album (which is definitely NOT alt-country, more like indie-pop). Okay, I'm done with the genres now, I swear. Wilco - A Shot in the Arm

The production values went up, but that only helped their "oohs" and "ahhhs" sound better. And they refuse to lose these guitarists, so they have three guitarists now in a punk rock band.... you're gonna need the refined production to differentiate 'em. Still, I hear your point. Their later stuff is so polished it makes Boston sound like A.C. (obvious exaggeration) It's a matter of taste, and I'll agree to disagree on this instance.

[rant] And another thing! I do not buy the popular sentiment that Bad Religion's later albums are not as good as the early stuff. It is a pretty sell-out move to leave your own label (widely regarded as the apex of punk rock) to get distributed by a major, but that doesn't mean the quality went down. I think Stranger than Fiction is *the best* Bad Religion album, better than Suffer - the groundbreaking one. I would think Greg Graffin's five-syllable-words-in-a-punk-rock-song strategy would appeal to you, Baley. It's inspired many punks to pick up a dictionary to just know what the hell he's talking about. And why the hell can't I find a Nomeansno CD anywhere? Isn't Jello paying the bills at Alternative Tentacles anymore? [/rant]

Murder Ballads is my favorite Nick Cave record. O'Malley's Bar is one of the best examples of rock and roll lyricism I've heard. It's an 18-minute story of a man who walks into the neighborhood pub he has frequented his whole life and kills everyone there.

Bad Religion FTW! Yes, I said FTW. Get over it. (was that off stranger than fiction or process of belief?)

I had heard the song before the game, but I did not have the CD. The music in those games just really set the mood. I mean, driving a T-Top down the strip with that song on made me feel like I was in the 80s. And I didn't even get my license until grunge was dead and buried. I never finished San Andreas... got sick of getting killed repeatedly near the end. Matthew Sweet - Sick of Myself edit: speaking of the 80s, I listened to Van Halen's 1984 in its entirety while doing stuff around the apartment last night. Classic.

GTA Vice City chose very well for its 80s Top 40 station. Cat Stevens - The Wind

Change my avatar? Change....my avatar? NEVER!

I had a laugh when I saw some band on one of the recent Warped Tour comps had a song called "Me Vs. Morrissey in the Pretentious Contest." The Streets - Turn the Page you can't do 'alf, my crew laughs at your rhubarb and custard verses

It comes in pretty well here on Ohio's North Coast. I use it to get some culture and to see what you crazy Canucks are up to. Morrissey - We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful

I was listening to CBC's classical program and heard a flute concerto in G major by Vivaldi that was very pleasing to the ear. But now, Lodi by the CCR. if i had a dollar, for every song i've sung every time i had to play while people sat there drunk you know i'd take the next train back to where i live oh lord, stuck in lodi again

Ted Leo & the Pharmacists - Biomusicology had we never come across the vastness of pavement the barrenness of waves and the grayness of the sea never lost and n'er been misguided we'd have never reached seas so shining

Bob Dylan - I Don't Believe You (She Acts Like We've Never Met)

It's probably a camera, but it looks like she's holding an iPod. Which would be playing "Age Ain't Nuthin' But a Number" by Aaliyah.

On the whole Automatic for the People was pretty weak, but I still like that song. Eponymous might be my favorite R.E.M. CD, although Document is great too. Also I think New Adventures in Hi-Fi is very underrated, and much more solid than Monster or Automatic. btw pixies, Away is a great song. My old band covered Possum Kingdom, only once, because Toadies were one of our drummer's favorite bands. It absolutely killed, brought the house down. Frank Zappa - Peaches en Regalia

R.E.M. - Find the River

I saw her open up for U2, what, five years ago? On the tour where they didn't come out of giant lemons or have 5,000 TVs in the arena. Anyway, I didn't know any of her songs, but one refrain stood out. You know how when you see a band about whom you know nothing, and then listen to one of their albums years later and have a weird sense of deja vu. lick my legs, i'm on fire lick my legs, my desire But what can you say about Polly? Nick Cave has excellent taste in women. The Misfits - Ghouls Night Out