The Top 100 (+20) of the 2000s Part One: 100-81

What better way to celebrate the new decade's start than to revisit the crap-tastic decade that was the last one?!?!?! Woo-hoo!!!!

Actually, it's positive. About the universal language: music.

The 2000s (oughts, zeros, whatever) were filled with some great music, most of it pretty underground. So, I've decided to compile the best 100 albums of this decade, and since there was so much good stuff, I'm adding 20 onto that as kind of an extra bonus. I must note that I am not a music critic, and I'm not omniscient when it comes to music. This list may not even be all that definitive, for I haven't heard all of the great music of this past decade, and keeping up with all of the "cool" bands (or good ones, really) is pretty exhausting.

I'm sure I'm missing albums, but.... coming up with this list was enough, thank you very much.

100. Tom Waits - Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers, and Bastards (2006):



Even this guy's leftovers are incredible! Waits described this sprawling 3-disc set as songs that "fell behind the stove while making dinner." Glad he brushed the dust off of them and served them.
Key Tracks: You really want me to pick 3 or 4 songs out of 60?

99. Jeffrey Lewis - It's The Ones Who Cracked That the Light Shines Through (2003):



Anti-folk wordsmith Jeffrey Lewis is honest as all hell, and is also a really good storyteller. Quirky as he is poetic, he's definitely one of the most resonant voices to emerge from NYC's anti-folk scene.
Key Tracks: "Back When I was 4," "Texas," "Don't Let the Record Label Take You Out to Lunch"

98. Fugazi - The Argument (2001):



The legendary band's last album before going on indefinite hiatus (8 years later, and we're still waiting!), the band still delivers tracks that pull as much pun ches as something off of 13 Songs ("Epic Problem," "Cashout"), yet also delve further in more experimental territory ("The Kill," "Strangelight," "The Argument").
Key tracks: "Epic Problem," "The Kill," "Life and Limb"

97. St. Vincent - Actor (2009):



Bizarre and accessible (Yes, not a very original description; shoot me!). With Actor, St. Vincents proves herself to be one of the most original female artists of the 21st century, thus far, and rises above the competition.
Key Tracks: "Laughing With a Mouth of Blood," "Save Me From What I Want"

96. Roosevelt Franklin - Something's Gotta Give (2003):



Really underground hip-hop, like so underground I don't think Pitchfork Media has recognized them (update: they have). However, any rap group that samples Chappelle's Show and Nirvana's "Scentless Apprentice" automatically deserves my respect.
Key Tracks: "Lately," "A Meditation on Why Love Sucks," "Kurt Loder"

95. The National - Boxer (2007):



I wrote these guys off when I first heard them because I thought they sounded like Interpol. But I was wrong. Dead wrong.
Key Tracks: "Mistaken for Strangers," "Gospel," "Start a War"

94. Okkervil River - Don't Fall in Love With Everyone You See (2002):



A guest spot by Daniel Johnston ("Happy Hearts"), some country-influenced goodness (good country, not that Garth Brooks/Shania Twain nonsense) and some of the most heartfelt songs ever = one great debut album. Plus, they're from Austin!
Key Tracks: "Red," "Kansas City," "Listening to Otis Redding At home During Christmas"

93. The White Stripes - Elephant (2003):



Jack & Meg White take their brand of minimal two-person blues rock and tweak it with a speck of sophistication that would be more evident on their later albums. Deserved the Grammy of the Year award that year (no offense, OutKast).
Key Tracks: "Black Math," "Girl, You have No Faith In Medicine," "I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself"

92. PJ Harvey & John Parrish - A Man A Woman Walked By (2009):

PJ Harvey's second collaboration with John Parrish was incredible. PJ Harvey was able to express her weirder side without sounding forced or out of place, and the two seem to have a chemistry with each other. I especially enjoyed Polly Jean exploring her inner Beefheart on "Pig Will Not."
Key Tracks: "Sixteen, Fifteen, Fourteen," "Pig Will Not," "Black Hearted Love"

91. Isis - Wavering Radiant (2009):



After In The Absence of Truth, I wondered if a new Isis record could top that. Wavering Radiant may not be as good as their previous albums, but it's certainly not lackluster. And judging by my most recent listen to this album, I can see myself perhaps reconsidering my position.
Key Tracks: "Hand of the Host," "Threshold of Transformation."

90. Queens of the Stone Age - Songs for the Deaf (2002):


I have to admit that if it weren't for Dave Grohl drumming on this album, I never would have given Queens of the Stone Age a chance, basically due to their stupid name. However, never judge a book by its cover because this was one of the best mainstream hard rock records this decade. And you can't go wrong with Dave Grohl's drumming.
Key tracks: "The Sky is Falling," "No One Knows," "Do it Again," "First It Giveth."

89. Mount Eerie - Wind's Poem (2009):


Phil Elverum's output had been dodgy since he ceased using the name the Microphones and changed it to Mount Eerie, although some of it was very good. I'm guessing in between albums, he discovered Xasthur, as this album boasts a huge influence from black metal. Keep looking to Telepathic with the Deceased for inspiration there, Phil, because it's working!
Highlights: "Lost Wisdom pt 2," Wind's Dark Poem," "Between Two Mysteries."

88. M83- Dead Cities, red Seas and Lost Ghosts (2003):



Definitely more lo-fi than their later releases, and more resonant, M83 (when they were still a duo) created some of the best soundscapes of their career on this record.
Highlights: "Unrecorded," "America," "Cyborg."

87. Isis - Oceanic (2002):




Isis albums are hard to review... All I'm going to say about Isis is that after Tool released Lateralus, if there's any band that can top them in metal, it's Isis. In fact, when Tool released their bloated 10,000 Days, the supposed "leaks" online before the album's release that I downloaded were tracks from Oceanic. And they were awesome!!!! Starting with Oceanic, they released some of the best metal this decade. Intellectual and arty as it is intense and heavier than Black Label Society ever released.
Highlights: "Hym," "Weight," "The Other"

86. Explosions in the Sky - The Earth is Not a Cold Dead Place (2003):



My introduction to this band. Some beautiful shit. Like an American Sigur Ros, but heavier in terms of volume and less precious than some Sigur Ros stuff.
Highlights: I'm really not a big fan of picking two or three songs that have only five or six songs on them. It doesn't seem quite fair.

85. Sleater-Kinney - The Woods (2005):



Their swan song, and perhaps their rawest. Sad to see them go, but they left us wanting more and the fire they had on records such as Dig Me Out got gasoline poured on it with this album.
Highlights: "Jumpers," "Entertain," "Wilderness"

84. Rosetta - The Galilean Satellites (2005):



A "multimedia" project (sounds pretentious but hear me out), in which one disc was songs (more like slow post-metal epics) and the other was ambience. And someone online (not sure if it was the band or some fan with a lot of time to kill) combined the two discs together so the tracks from both discs were combined with each other. You can listen to them separately, sure, because either way you can't go wrong, but when the tracks are mixed with each other, it's awesome. Whenever I'm mad, I crank "Departe/Deneb" and feel 100 times better.
Highlights: All of it... again, this album, when condensed into one, has 5 songs on it, so I can't choose.

83. Sufjan Stevens - Illinois (2005):



Two states down, 48 to go! Actually, earlier last year, Mr. Stevens said that the idea of making an album for ALL 50 states was kind of silly. And it is. Why would we want an album about Wyoming? Anyway, his second and last installment of the 50 States Project about the Land of Lincoln, I must say, deserved the critical firestorm of excellent reviews it received.
Key Tracks: "The Man of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts," "The Seer's Tower," "Chicago."

82. Unwound - Leaves Turn Inside You (2001):



Unwound's last album before breaking up... and it sure was challenging. One part experimental, one part heavy, always melodic, and always schizophrenic. It's hard to pin down their sound, especially on this album, but it's some of the best post-hardcore ever. I miss these guys, and I didn't even hear of them until this year.
Highlights: "Scarlette," "Terminus," "Look a Ghost."

81. Tom Waits - Blood Money (2002):



This album and Alice were released on the same day (sometime in May 2002; look the date up yerselves!!!!!!!!!!!). However, whereas Alice was more beautiful and romantic (in ways that can only be described as Waits-esque), Blood Money was dark and cynical, weighing in on corruption ("Who were the ones that we kept in charge/Killers, thieves and lawyers"), heartbreak ("A red rose blooming on another man's vine") and the dismal state of the human condition ("If there's one thing you can say about mankind/There's nothing kind about man").
Key Tracks: "God's Away on Business," "Another Man's Vine," "Everything Goes to Hell," "A Good Man is Hard to Find"

And here's 5 more that didn't make the final 100, but deserve recognition anyway.... or to satisfy my self-indulgence.

120. Opeth - Deliverance/Damnation (2002/3):







Yes, they are two different albums, but recorded at the same time, and kind of impossible to conceive as different works. Deliverance adds more to their canon of progressive metal, while Damnation takes a 180, and delves into their "softer" side.
Key Tracks: Deliverance: "Deliverance," "A Fair Judgment." Damnation: "Windowpane," "Hope Leaves"

119. Okkervil River - The Stage Names/The Stand Ins (2007/8):




Again, two different records, but very much alike. Okkervil River again proves to be one of the decade's best bands with these two records.
Key Tracks: The Stage Names: "A Girl In Port," "Our Life Is Not a Movie or Maybe," "Savannah Smiles." The Stand-Ins: "Blue Tulip," "Starry Stairs."

118. The Hold Steady - Boys and Girls in America (2006):



It was hard to pick one Hold Steady album, but this one I think was the most enjoyable out of all of them.... if only I had more room. It's their most accessible, and I think their most enjoyable.
Key Tracks: :Citrus," "Massive Nights," "Stuck Between Stations"

117. People Under the Stairs - Stepfather (2006):



Their sound is definitely a throwback to old school rap, especially since they tend to sample more old school R&B and funk jams than most rappers I can think of. However, People Under the Stairs add their own modern twist to the genre, and Stepfather in particular is one of the freshest rap/hip-hop records this decade.
Key Tracks: "Step In," "You," "Reflections."

116. ...And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead - Source Tags & Codes (2002):




Once upon a time, MTV2 played videos. Underground videos. In 2002 or so, MTV2 found its way onto basic cable. It was here I discovered bands like the White Stripes, and ...And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead, amongst many others (plus they always played classic Nirvana videos, and other great bands MTV1 threw under the bus long ago in favor of Britney Spears and reality TV abortions, such as Newlyweds and Jersey Shore). Now, they are showing 2-hour clips of Wildboyz. Back to where I was... By far, one of the most energetic records of the decade. Ferocious, like early Sonic Youth and Mission of Burma, yet complex like Television. Too bad they couldn't keep their momentum.
Key Tracks: "Another Morning Stoner," "How Near, How Far," "It Was There That I Saw You."

The End of the 2000s

Today is the last day of 2009, and the first decade of the 21st century. Ten years ago, I was 14 years old and for some reason I was very apprehensive about the new millennium, and not because of that Y2K bullshit either. I didn't build a lair underground equipped with shotguns and canned beef and bottled water or anything. I just remember I was at the store and on my way home just looking at the sunset and thinking "things are not gonna be the same after this..." It was a very real feeling that was deeper beyond the rather empty words of what I was thinking. It was sad to say goodbye to the 1990s.

The clock struck midnight ushering the year 2000, and alas the world did not blow up!!! (Though I knew that wasn't going to happen) The first day of the new millennium was just like any other. Yet I couldn't shake this feeling of nervousness towards the year 2000 and what was to come. It could have been the aspect that my teenage years were in full swing by this point, where the crap my older sister spoke of, such as problems with the opposite sex, friends, alienation, REALLY fucked with you on a more severe level than when they first crept up on you when you're a little younger. It could have been the looming events that would unfold over the next couple of years; in the year 2000, we would have a new president, a terrorist plot was being planned against our country, and while the economy was pretty good during that time, it was all a lie that would blow up in everyone's face in a matter of years (except no one really knew it at that time). Of course, I didn't think in those terms, me being 14 and relatively ignorant of current world events, but I still had intuition I guess.

Without this being an overwrought entry reviewing all the shit that happened year by year, we had to deal with a lot this decade.... not all of it bad. The major elephants in the room being 9/11, the Bush presidency, and the economic collapse around 2008. I'm not going to write what pretty much everyone else has written about those events already. I will say that my sister had overslept the morning of 9/11 and was supposed to be at the Twin Towers when they were attacked by hijacked airplanes. And every day that passes, I'm really really thankful that she wasn't killed or injured or even THERE at Ground Zero. I only wish that countless other families who did lose someone in that attack were blessed the same way I was. Or that BOTH the Clinton and the Bush administrations had paid more attention to Bin Laden's threats and had taken action to perhaps thwart the plot against the US. The lives that could have been saved that day... (and the wars that came after it, most certainly)

As a society, we have been given some very valuable lessons on how to live this past decade. Whether people choose to take them to heart is up to every individual, but nonetheless there were lessons to be learned. After 9/11, the lesson (and this is all my personal take on everything, btw) should have been caring for your fellow man, and not taking every second for granted and we could lose something very dear to us at any time. Who knew that on a beautiful sunny day such as that fateful Tuesday that the world would be changed forever? Sadly, however, a lot of people didn't share that sentiment. A new era of jingoism and xenophobia was ushered in, as well as an era of war in the same vein as that of Vietnam. Our enemy was a word (terrorism), and war on a word is never good.

Yet we lost sight of our #1 enemy, which was Osama Bin Laden, and the genius in the White House decided that Saddam Hussein was behind the attacks, even if it's a fact that he didn't, and Iraq was holding nuclear weapon, even if both Iraq and the weapons inspectors said that there were none. Our country, already divided as it was, became even more divided, and George W. Bush certainly didn't help that when he said that "you were either with us or against us." Those who opposed the war were basically told that their opposition to the war, either for reasons regarding pacifism or seeing through the bullshit they were being fed, meant that they might as well be siding with Saddam Hussein and Communism, even if the 2 didn't have anything to do with each other. Those who supported the war were seen as ignorant redneck warmongers, and I know that that wasn't 100% true either, even if having stickers that said "GOD BLESS AMERICA" or "THESE COLORS DON'T RUN" on the back of a Tahoe didn't help their case any, not that I'm taking sides.

Fast forward to the present day. We now have a new president, who ran on a campaign that was nothing short of electrifying. However, his first year of his administration was overall pretty dismal, though that's not entirely his fault either. He inherited two wars and an economy that's in the crapper, never mind a scared and paranoid public and many right-wingers vowing to stop at nothing to bring him down (even if right-wingers had been driving this nation to the ground for decades now, and left-wingers had their part in it too). For me, the jury is still out with President Obama (I have a rule of thumb; one year before I start criticizing a president... however since things are so bad and so beyond his control, I'm giving him a bit longer), but I ultimately believe that after all of this, we'll emerge as a better nation.

On a personal level, this decade was one big lesson. I learned a lot, regardless of many false starts and fuck-ups on my part, and I will take the wisdom and lessons of this decade to make the upcoming one way better than this one. Trite, yes I know, but ultimately true (see above for the feelings deeper than empty words). I've come to realize that I'm not a bad person, I'm not stupid, how much money you have is not everything (even if it helps make life easier and more enjoyable), and I have many things to conquer and many roads to travel. And if no one else likes it, then fuck them.

I'm not one for New Years' resolutions. I also don't think that bringing in a new decade will smooth everything over (the unrealistic clean slate bullshit); there's still work to be done. Yet, what better opportunity than to start off a new decade the right way?

Other Than Treatment for a Gunshot Wound, What Do Guns and Health Care Have to Do With Each Other?!?!?!?!?!

Even Alan Gottlieb says that during a political rally when the president is attending, or any politician for that matter, staging a Second Amendment protest is not the right venue. That's right, dingbats! A gun nut is saying not to do this. Him and Ronnie Reagan Jr. actually agree on something.



This is a very scary thing. I don't know about you, but this is freaky! Guns + presidents do not mix!!! Just ask Lincoln, Garfield, McKinley, and Kennedy. And FDR, Reagan, Ford, and any other presidents who may have survived an assassination attempt. Especially now that our current president is even more of a lightning rod because of his skin color for some people (never mind the fact that I think a good number of the attacks on him come from deep-rooted and deeply disguised racism; he has been playing with an uneven deck of cards ever since he declared his candidacy for office I think, to a degree, primarily because of race).

Even so, why would someone bring a gun to a rally about health care, which is an issue that is, in my opinion, completely separated from gun rights? Obama may not support gun rights to the degree that many other Americans do, but still do people really feel the need to come to a political protest, an already volatile environment, strapped with a loaded gun? Political statement? Really?

And to answer these people's questions about Obama's belief in the Second Amendment, watch this:



But no one ever brings this up...

These are my twisted words...

Radiohead - (In Memory of) Harry Patch/These Are My Twisted Words (track review)

Radiohead seems to have taken a liking to releasing songs individually (and usually free of charge) and over the internet. The always inventive Radiohead certainly have used the internet to their advantage in the ongoing war between the recording industry and the digital world (pirated or otherwise). Their 2007 release, In Rainbows, let fans decide how much they wanted to pay for it, even if it was nothing (I myself paid $5 for it; a reasonable price in my opinion). Supposedly, they made more money off of that as far as sales go than all their previous albums, which all sold pretty well for an 'alternative' band.

Over the summer, Radiohead has put out a couple of songs for more or less nothing. The first entitled "(In Memory Of) Harry Patch" (a tribute to the last surviving World War I veteran of the same name who recently died) was sold for a mere 1 pound, with all proceeds donated to the British Legion. The other, a song entitled "These Are My Twisted Words" was leaked on August 12, but officially released by the band on the 17th free of charge. According to stereokill.net, Radiohead have been hard at work on a new album since around May, although further speculation has stated that the band may be releasing more EPs as opposed to full albums.

Regardless of what direction Radiohead takes as far as releases go, they certainly have no shortage of good material, as these two new songs indicate. I'm always waiting to hear a Radiohead song that will leave me cold or disappoint me to the point where I lose interest, but save for a couple of average tracks on Amnesiac and the more electronic songs on Hail to the Thief, their output from OK Computer on has always floored me. These two new tracks certainly are not disappointing. "Harry Patch" is layered in rich, beautiful orchestration which is funereal without being somber, and also contains a sublime vocal delivery by Thom Yorke. It's reminiscent of "Motion Picture Soundtrack," but in the case of Harry Patch, this song could be played during his biopic's ending credits (if one is ever made on him, that is). "These Are My Twisted Words" is composed primarily of a hypnotic guitar riff and Neu!-influenced drumming that creates a very trance-esque mood through its 5-and-a-half minutes.

Radiohead has done it again! Whenever they are working new material, it finds a way to leak out one way or another, whether it be by an eager fan recording a live show where they premiere a slew of new songs or the band previewing some new material. And I, being the curious and eager fan, always spend hours listening to whatever new sounds Radiohead is dabbling in. Very few bands this day in age have that affect on me, and very few bands can have the same momentum as Radiohead. Aside from a few songs that were simply OK (no pun intended) on some of their albums starting with The Bends, the band has been pretty much on a creative kick that has not soured or gone stale for almost 15 years. And they always have me craving more...

Fear and Impermeability

In my hometown of Stratford, CT, there was a small protest of universal health care; nothing like those mobs you see on the news, there were maybe 5 or 6 six protesters. Me and a couple of friends went there and basically asked questions and gave them our views on it. The protesters ranged from people who were really well informed on political issues, to older people who already hate Medicare, to a lady who looked like Ann Coulter if she took really bad care of herself (and even shared her rheotic regarding opposing viewpoints). Either way, the best thing to do when examning political issues, in my opinion, is to talk to people who share different views, respectfully debate with them if your opinions differ, and get in their heads. And I'm glad I did because most protests are marred by people screaming at each other, and leads to name calling and misunderstanding on a very grandiose level.

There were a few protesters I honestly pitied. They honestly believed in the so-called "death panels" that Sarah Palin has circulated across the media (nice way of following your own advice about making things up, half-term governor extraordinare!). They were getting up there in age (one of them was 71), and they actually had signs speaking of genocide towards sick old people due to the cost of taking care of them. They misinterpreted the "end of life" counseling. They think that doctors will be forced to talk you into death, but that's not true. Seniors will have the option to refuse end-of-life counseling, and there are a lot of things regarding end-of-life counseling, such as living wills, what course you want to take as far as treatment goes, and the inevitability that people fear (understandably) that one day a person will reach the end of the road. Obama does not want to kill your grandma! There was a man who was spearheading a campaign to get rid of Senator Chris Dodd in 2010, which to me seems kind of inappropriate since he's currently battling prostate cancer (they caught it early and he's OK, but still). Him and I talked for a while, and he was pretty nonpartisan and said that he wanted BOTH Republicans and Democrats out of office. I didn't agree with a lot of what he said, but he seemed like a good guy.

Yet there were a couple who were just jingoistic, and I avoided dialogue with. Case in point, a young man came and debated with them, and explained on how he lived in a country where socialized medicine was in effect (Russia) and how easy it was. And this lady (the Ann Coulter-esque woman I told of earlier) was like "Then why don't you go back there? I'll pay for your ticket back!" and asked if he was a Communist. By then he was ready to leave to meet up with a fiend, and as he was walking away he said "What if I am?!?!" Pretty bold move. Of course she and this other fat guy in suspenders carrying a DON"T TREAD ON ME flag were like "He's a Communist!" By then the 'protest' had died down, and I wasn't in the mood to go in the whole debate on whether or not what they knew what Communism and socialism were other than what FOX News and conservative politicians tell them. Last night at the bookstore I started to brush up again on Communism, and I'm gonna do some research on this issue because supposedly next week they'll be protesting again, and it's always good to be more informed on political issues. I can't say I've fully delved into the health care plan.

I wish I had brought my camera with me, but I just drove by it and my friends and I extemporaneously went to see what they were selling. Most of them agreed with one thing though; the current health care system needs to be reformed, and to my pleasant surprise, most of them didn't like Bush or McCain either. I only wished that they didn't buy into the right-wing fueled misconceptions that are plaguing this bill.

Another classic example of right-wing hypocrisy; I was watching Rachel Maddow last night before I went to bed, and Palin, Limbaugh and Gingrich, the unholy trifecta, are opposed to living wills as proposed in the health care bill. However, they supported them in the past and even pitched it in various advertisements and political spiels. Sarah Palin even pointed out their importance and declared 4/16/08 to be Health Care Decision Day in the Frontier State, in which she emphasized the importance of living wills, the thing she is now calling evil. Limbaugh pitched a commercial for a company that specialized in living wills (which he is now blasting like a stick of dynamite on his radio show), and Gingrich backed Palin on her 'death panel' claims, yet stated he has a living will and a power of attorney. I don't see living wills as a way to try to kill off the elderly. My dad and stepmother have one, my mom has one (and the 3 aforementioned people's average age is 56.67 years), and it's important to have dialogue about end-of-life care in case you reach a state in which you can't speak for yourself and there's no squabble over what you may have wanted as you reach the end of your life.

Fond Memories of John Hughes

John Hughes, the quintessential 80s film director and writer departed from this world courtesy of a heart attack. He wasn't too old (59), but he left behind a legacy of great films that were just good. They didn't need to be artsy, or have some deep existential meaning or full of ridiculous special effects. He could just conjure up plots of average Americans, families, teenagers, going through everyday dysfunctional bullshit, but he created his own vision on suburban America, and it worked repeatedly.

My earliest memories of John Hughes started when I was 4 or 5. My family loved Uncle Buck, starring the late John Candy (another actor who died way too soon of a heart attack) and a pre-Home Alone Maculay Culkin. Me being a young lad, I didn't get much of the subplot and the conflicts (family tragedy, teenage rebel vs parent, slacker uncle, relationships, etc.) but the movie was hilarious, and I still get a hoot out of it.



The year after that, Home Alone came out and the American moviegoing public lost its collective shit. You think the premiere of those recent Star Wars/Lord of the Rings/Harry Potter movies were mobscenes? My grandma attempted to take my sister and I to see Home Alone a week or so after it came out and tickets were sold out. I think this happened to us twice, if I remember correctly. It's the first movie I remember seeing more than once in theaters. My friend saw it 5 times in theaters.

When I was a teenager, I got more into John Hughes' angsty teenager-in-distress movies (what teeanger didn't?). I thought Sixteen Candles and Pretty in Pink were a bit too girly for my tastes. Weird Science was pretty cool (I still wish Kelly LeBrock would show up in my shower!). I didn't like Ferris Bueller's Day Off, but that's because I have a deep-rooted hatred for Matthew Broderick, and I thought th plot was kind of silly. The Breakfast Club, on the other hand, is one of those movies I still watch when it comes on network TV regardless of how many times I see it and regardless of how silly the swears sound when they're dubbed over (i.e.: Judd Nelson's impersonation of life at home with his father). The plot is far-fetched, at least from my experiences. Saturday detentions at my school didn't allow talking, and whoever supervised them were on your ass like a tight pair of briefs (so I've heard; I never got one myself). That and I never saw a gothic misfit get transformed and made over by a cheerleader and walk off in the arms of the star of the wrestling team. Nonetheless, Hughes' vision of the film was certainly idealistic, and if teenagers of different backgrounds and social cliques were locked in a room and forced to interact with each other, who knows? Maybe high school wouldn't be such a hellish nightmare.

As a writer and director, John Hughes was not exactly Scorcese. But he didn't need to be. Many of his movies have aged well, even if some of them are dated as hell as far as imagery goes. Along with the demise of Michael Jackson, I feel like my youth has died yet again in some ways.

A Recap of a Pretty Bizarre Summer (thus far)

According to the news, only two people exist in the world; Michael Jackson and Sarah Palin. Michael Jackson died almost a month ago, and I must say I definitely felt like a part of my childhood went with him (and I'm sure the same can be said for anyone who grew up in the 1980s). Sarah Palin resigned as governor of Alaska a couple of weeks ago and all people can talk about is what she will do next (hopefully she'll disappear in a cave in Wasilla and never be heard from again).

I haven't blogged in well over a month (bad boy), and a lot has happened that I should at least comment on, if not write an entire spiel on.

First: Iran. The revolution will not be televised according to the Iranian government, but it will be YouTubed and Twittered by daring dissenters. Tragically, Neda will be a symbol of rebellion the same way the guy who stood up to the tanks in Tiananmen Square was a symbol back in 1989.

Then... every celebrity under the ace of the earth (seemingly, anyway) dying.

First to go was Ed McMahon, but he was pretty old. Then Farrah Fawcett sadly lost her battle with cancer.

Then when I was at the DMV one sweltering Thursday afternoon getting my driver's license renewed, my finace's mom calls me and tells me that Michael Jackson, the King of Pop, had a heart attack and died. I was in shock, and admittedly, I revisited the old Michael Jackson albums I listened to and loved as a little kid. Bad and Thriller were fuckin' great... never had a copy of Off the Wall as a kid and never bothered checking it out, but I guess now's a good time as any to check it out. Dangerous had a few good songs. But his music pretty much was overshadowed by the fact that he was a freak (the Reverend Al Sharpton said that he wasn't a freak, but a genius, but what he doesn't get is that the two are like peanut butter and jelly).

With that said, I feel bad for Farrah Fawcett. Not only because her death, I'm sure, was pretty agonizing, but the fact that she didn't even get a full news cycle to herself because some other celebrtiy had to die. And, of course, it had to be perhaps THE biggest celebrity ever. Not that I don't feel bad for Jacko: his life was pretty unstable. But it's getting to the level where if I hear another news story about him, or his will, or his kids, or his financial status, Imma dig him and kill him again.

Then Billy Mays dies... ON MY BIRTHDAY!!!! Truth be told, his voice irritated me to no end and I oftentimes said that I would kill him (jokingly of course). I find it weird on my birthday. Not that I'm glad he's dead... but him dying on my birthday would be like if Bill O'Reilly died on Kieth Olbermann's birthday; he probably wouldn't be glad of it, but there is a speck of sick joy buried down there somewhere. And tonight, I actually saw a Billy Mays commercial... not even as a tribute, just a regular commercial. Pretty weird.

And Sarah Palin resigns as governor of Alaska. Retarded move if she wants to run for higher office cuz any opponent of hers would throw "RESIGNATION" in her face faster than a question over Sarah Palin's head. But she won't shut up! And no one in the news will shut up about her!

And, of course, politics are a mess, but I won't get into that now.

So far this has been one of the weirdest months I've experienced in my life....