Darth Drabek

Haha... yeah, he's got some really grade-schoolish rants all across the album. "You better hope you XXXXing miss me if you catch me drinking whiskey." That just blows my mind. " But what I'm talking about is...... TED LEO! YEAH! (w00t) Seriously, the man is fantastic. I saw him in Cleveland a few months ago for 10 bucks. 10 freakin bucks. He's got three full-lengths that are better than most of the stuff I own and he's playing shows for 10 bucks. At least they were turning people away at the door, so people are catching on. One of my favorite Ted Leo songs: Biomusicology Had we never come across the vastness of pavement The barrenness of waves and the grayness of the sea Never lost, and never been misguided We'd have never reached seas so shining

This is really unbelievable. Maybe some of you have seen the footage from Gulfport, Miss. Well, I was down south two spring breaks ago working with Habitat for Humanity and we visited Gulfport for a few hours. Nice town, really. Lot of beautiful homes on the water. Too bad it's GONE now. The whole area is absolutely destroyed. Wiped off the map. I saw video on the news of the Hard Rock Cafe that we drove by when we were down there.... it was pretty impressive, as Hard Rock Cafes go .... it's just rubble now though. Rubble that could piece together a 50 foot guitar, that is.

There are some sections of the Illiad that are quite boring, but if you step back and look at them with historical perspective, they make sense. Like the awful chapter where Homer simply recites the names of every family that sailed to Troy to fight. It makes for some dull reading, but think about it this way: During the first few generations of telling this story, that chapter could be the most important part to some people. The Greeks listening to the story were waiting to hear their ancestors called out as legends... and if you weren't related to Ajax (big or little), Odysseus, Patroclus, Diomedes, Achilles or Teucer, that chapter was pretty much your only shot at "glory." Audience appeasement: always a big part of the oral tradition.

Note on translations: I read Fagles' Illiad and Lattimore's Odyssey. I prefer Lattimore's work, it's not quite as spartan (pun INtended!). But seriously, the difference wasn't as pronounced as when I read the Tale of Genji for a Japanese History class... I wanted to repeatedly puncture my professor with a sharp stick for assigning the Seidersticker translation after reading a little of someone else's version.

Haha, I was taking a course in college called "Greek Gods and Heroes" last winter I believe - anyway, I posted a really long comparison between the plot of TSL and that of the Odyssey. It went over like a lead balloon if I remember correctly. But yeah, mythology is FUN! (I will read your post and comment, Eldar. Just not right now.)

Hades just doesn't like Christianity because it has epic levels. You should end the game as a level 7 apostle, not a level 35 Prophet/Martyr. Seeeeeecretssssss: I can still perform many of the fatalities in Mortal Kombat II, even on a modded Xbox SNES emulator with different button mappings. It's amazing how those button combinations have engraved themselves in my mind.

Cool! (King of indie rock) Ted Leo has covered "Dirty Old Town" as well. He even titled his concert DVD "Dirty Old Town."

Well I don't think it was actually written by Shane MacGowan or any of the Pogues, so it could be the same song. That album had a few covers of traditional Irish pub songs, and "Dirty Old Town" might be one of them. I can't be sure without digging up the liner notes. I can give ya the last verse: Gonna get mysellllllf A good sharp axe Shining steeeeeeel Tempered in the fire Gonna cut you dowwwwwn Like an old, dead tree Dirty old towwwwwn Dirty old towwwwwn :D

@Eldar: Bosstones MIGHTY MIGHTY....Bosstones MIGHTY MIGHTY :D I used to listen to those guys all the time. Started with Impression That I Get and worked backwards through their catalog. Great stuff, especially the "Don't Know How to Party" album. Nice one, Baley! That's one of my favorite NOFX numbers. If I wanted to post another song as long (and as good ) as my deleted Nick Cave tune, I would search out the lyrics to their masterpiece, "The Decline." Eighteen minutes of concept punk done so damn well that I want to give a copy to everyone who bought Green Day's "American Idiot" and ask them to pick the more accurate commentary on society. And which one just rocks harder. Either way, NOFX wins. Don't think... Drink your wine... Watch the fire burn.... His problems, not mine.... Just be that model citizen.

I have never heard of Brazilian Girls. I assume they have them, because, well, the population would be steadily dwindling if they didn't, but.... Annnnyway, I'm listening to The Pogues, "Dirty Old Town."

Kannnnnn-yeeeeee West! The College Dropout album. "The New Workout Plan" has a chorus that is eerily reminscent of Nick Cave's "The Mercy Seat." I'm pretty sure this is one hip hop rip-off that was unintentional. Oh yeah, and that Fear Factory song is sweet. The whole "Demanufacture" album is actually. When the kick drums come in my heart just skips a beat.

Sweet Caroline is always a must for a late night big party mix. When everybody there is already pretty much slammed, the inhibition that keeps many from the stage suddenly dissolves when Neil's golden voice intones, "Where it began...." Right now: The Twilight Singers - Hyperballad Yes, it's a Bjork cover.

Well that sucks. I knew there was a reason I didn't want to get the game. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Exactly. Without Al Lowe, it's not a LSL game. "But Al Lowe always hides something in the trash can!"

This guy is getting his 15 minutes of fame for pulling a prank on singer. No, that's not the "coolest" thing in the world - however, I think the most amusing thing about this is the behavior of stars who are used to deferential treatment. I just can't stand the way celebrities get addicted to the spotlight and the adulation. This effect results in crap like the "Surreal Life" on VH1, where people who think they are still important or relevant make one final grasp for public recognition. Hey, I bought "My Own Prison," and I still think it's a good album. They went downhill from there, but Creed's music is irrelevant to the actions of their former singer.

It's not exactly breaking news that Scott Stapp, former lead singer for Creed, is pathetic. However, this interesting post helps us remember just how pathetic he really is. Link There is a link lower on this guy's blog with pictures.

Is it like the faked(although some say it was a clever PR job) puma ads that featured Fellatio? <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Those ads were scandalous!

Ben Folds - B*tches Ain't S*** Goddamn hilarious - a genius reworking of a G-Funk classic. If you love oddball covers, Ben Folds, gangsta rap or any of the above get this. Link! NOTE: I did not personally download from this guy's site, so I can't guarantee it works. A lot of people on the BenFolds.org forum say it does, though.

No problem, Eldar. I know I wouldn't want to have to moderate this thread, that's for sure. Eh, while I'm here, I might as well post another of my lyrical favorites. Bad Religion American Jesus I don't need to be a global citizen, 'Cuz I'm blessed by nationality. I'm member of a growing populace, We enforce our popularity. There are things that seem to pull us under and, There are things that drag us down. But there's a power and a vital presence, It's lurking all around. We've got the American Jesus, See him on the interstate. We've got the American Jesus, He helped build the President's estate. I feel sorry for the Earth's population, 'Cuz so few live in the U.S.A. At least the foreigners can copy our morality, They can visit but they cannot stay. Only precious few can garner our prosperity, It makes us walk with renewed confidence. We got a place to go when we die, And the architect resides right here. We've got the American Jesus, Bolstering national faith. We've got the American Jesus, Overwhelming millions every day. He's the farmer's barren fields, The force the army wields, The expressions on the faces of the starving millions, He's the power of the man, He's the fuel that drives the Klan, He's the motive and the conscience of the murderer, He's the preacher on T.V. , The false sincerity, The form letter that's written by the big computers, The nuclear bombs, The kids with no moms, And i'm fearful that he's inside me... We've got the American Jesus See him on the interstate We've got the American Jesus Exercising his authority We've got the American Jesus Bolstering national faith We've got the American Jesus Overwhelming millions every day One nation, under God...

Over: Dave Matthews Band Under: The Afghan Whigs Over: Audioslave Under: Soundgarden, RATM

Yes.

Okay, okay, I get the message. No more songs about killing sprees. Though how those lyrics are more harsh than half the death/black/thrash/grind metal that's still here beats me. Oh wait, there is a difference - Nick Cave's lyrics are good. Tom Waits Invitation To The Blues Well she's up against the register with an apron and a spatula, Yesterday's deliveries, tickets for the bachelors She's a moving violation from her conk down to her shoes, But it's just an invitation to the blues And you feel just like Cagney, she looks like Rita Hayworth At the counter of the Schwab's drugstore You wonder if she might be single, she's a loner and likes to mingle Got to be patient, try and pick up a clue She said "How you gonna like 'em, over medium or scrambled?", You say "Anyway's the only way", be careful not to gamble On a guy with a suitcase and a ticket getting out of here It's a tired bus station and an old pair of shoes This ain't nothing but an invitation to the blues But you can't take your eyes off her, get another cup of java, It's just the way she pours it for you, joking with the customers Mercy mercy, Mr. Percy, there ain't nothing back in Jersey But a broken-down jalopy of a man I left behind And the dream that I was chasin, and a battle with the booze And an open invitation to the blues But she used to have a sugar daddy and a candy-apple Caddy, And a bank account and everything, accustomed to the finer things He probably left her for a socialite, and he didn't love her 'cept at night, And then he's drunk and never even told her that her that he cared So they took the registration, and the car-keys and her shoes And left her with an invitation to the blues 'Cause there's a Continental Trailways leaving local bus tonight, good evening You can have my seat, I'm sticking round here for a while Get me a room at the Squire, the filling station's hiring, And I can eat here every night, what the hell have I got to lose? Got a crazy sensation, go or stay? now I gotta choose, And I'll accept your invitation to the blues

Nothin' wrong with a little love for the heritage of gaming! You RPG kings have your "gold box games," the rest of us have Commander Keen. :D

Ted Leo & the Pharmacists - Suspect Device

Good catch! I'm not crazy, really, I just would get a kick out of it of Obsidian decided to include one of gaming's more famous "running gags" into the game. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I still remember being totally dumbfounded when I found it from the secret areas on "Satan's Dark Delight" in Quake. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I don't get it. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> The Dopefish was a character in one of the Commander Keen games. References to this little guy have popped up in secret areas in a few Apogee, id and 3d Realms games. In Doom, there was a room in which commander Keen was hanged in effigy. The triumphant "Dopefish Lives" message in Duke Nukem 3d (where I first encountered this odd bit of trivia) was Apogee/3d Realms' way of replying to their rival firm. However, even id gave in to the power of the dopefish eventually, proclaiming, "The Dopefish Lives" in a secret room in Quake. That room even featured a hi-res dopefish on the wall. Dopefish also made cameos in Quake II, Max Payne, Hitman 2, Descent 3 and Hyperspace Delivery Boy. From "The History of the Dopefish," by Joe Siegler.

Good catch! I'm not crazy, really, I just would get a kick out of it of Obsidian decided to include one of gaming's more famous "running gags" into the game.