bleedorange

I actually feel better about this year's team than I did the '03 team with T.J. Not that that means anything, obviously. I just think Justin Mason and Damion James are playing incredibly right now (along with D.J. and A.J.) and provide all the intangibles needed to win.

I just wish they would have cut about five songs off the album (including all of Shonna's).

Beck - Odelay Any traveling mix CD must have Son Volt's "Windfall" on it. At least, that's my rule.

How is that?

Unbelievable finish!

Thanks for the news! I was extremely disappointed with The Forgotten Arm, so I'm hoping her new one will put her back on track.

Thanks for the link. I kept looking for something on this subject, but my searches weren't coming up with anything. Perhaps if I had used the apostrophe in 80s, I would have had better luck. That should be a good place to start. I should also add that I am already a fan of the big names like U2, REM, The Cure, The Smiths, The Replacements, Violent Femmes, Talking Heads, etc. I just wanted to delve a little deeper.

Since the 1980s were comprised solely of my pre-teen years, my music knowledge of this decade is severely lacking. (Surprisingly, my knowledge of the years before I was even a thought is far superior.) Bands like Husker Du, Sonic Youth, Pavement, Sebadoh, New Order, The Pixies, XTC, and Jane's Addiction have floated across my radar occasionally, but I've had trouble knowing where to start even with these few bands. What am I missing and what is the best? I've always viewed the 80s as the worst artistic decade for both music and movies, but I worry that I'm shortchanging it.

I think someone mentioned this last week, but it bothers me when they change the lyrics to match the gender of whoever is singing the song. Is it more off-putting for people to hear a female change it and sing "I'm not half the girl I used to be" or to hear a female sing the actual lyrics of a familiar song that don't match up?

That was always my favorite one. I love those books.

That was absolutely horrendous. This guy is the alleged frontunner? I would guess Carly, the Irish girl. Or Brooke.

In the weeks leading up to the wedding, I was constantly suggesting to my wife that we dance to "Under My Thumb."

In my typical procrastinating manner, I put it all together with track listings the night before the wedding. I couldn't get to sleep that night, so everything worked out okay.

First song was God Only Knows...my wife and I both love that song. I picked out all the music for the DJ to play and we had everything from Wilco to Otis Redding to Bob Wills (plus stuff I can't even remember).

And nominated for an Oscar for her role in Junebug...great movie.

I actually find that the vast majority of bands and artists I like are indescribable. Maybe I just don't have the imagination or knowledge necessary to come up with proper labels. But I love Wilco because they sound like Wilco. I love The National because they sound like The National. And so on. I could say The New Pornographers are a great power pop band, but what does that even mean? Plus, I think it's shortsighted to pigeonhole them or most bands in that way and most people that are asking wouldn't know what to make of that term anyway.

Great, great show. They're all out on DVD now (or at least most of them, anyway).

Our dog wrapped in a Texas blanket. It was a cold night.

That's funny, because Spoon had always been a band I admired and respected from a distance without fully embracing...until I got Gimme Fiction. Now I've gone back and rediscovered those albums that I could never quite get into as much as I felt like I should have been able to. Anyway, I'm not sure how I would rank them all, but I will probably always hold Gimme Fictionin high esteem.

Thanks for posting that. My dad has been a longtime sufferer of cluster headaches, which pop up every 12-18 months for him, and I've always dreaded the possibility of inheriting those. They are devastating.

I heard it, too, which is amazing because I never turn the TV on in the morning, but my mother-in-law is staying with us and she had it on. Anyway, I couldn't tell if it was from the album (I assume it was) or if it was lifted from the SNL performance (it kind of sounded like it).

I've learned that's the best way to go about it. I've found myself stumbling too many times over trying to find the right mix of genres and subgenres to describe the music. I just say they're a great rock band and make them a CD. In fact, I might just make a bunch and keep them in my car for the future, so that I'll always have one at the ready when I'm asked that question.