i'm really bad at keeping up with this, which i blame on a combination of twitter and being lazy. twitter really works great for me, except for in those instances where i want to write more than 140 words. alright, that's pretty often. and this is where the laziness comes in - if i want to write more than 140 words, why not do it here? because i'm lazy!
i don't know what our upstairs neighbors do, but they make a shitload of noise. sometimes it sounds like they're chopping vegetables or something, but i have a hard time believing the sound insulation in our apartment is that bad. maybe it is though, since the people that lived above us before had a child, and whenever said child ran around, it sounded like a fucking elephant. right now they're doing some sort of pounding. not sure if they're hammering something, or (if my vegetable chopping theory is right) tenderizing meat, but damn it's loud. at least it's the middle of the day, and not 3 in the morning or something.
we're making some real progress on buying a house, something that we'll hopefully have accomplished within the next month or so. we found one that we really like, it's a bit further away from both of our jobs, but we couldn't afford to buy anything more than a condo around here, which defeats the purpose of not wanting to live in an apartment. we want space for Dharma to run around and play without having to worry about anyone below us getting pissed off. i'll miss being close to work, and close to wegman's and so on, but it's a great move for us. the house is a fucking steal (well, provided the inside isn't complete shit, we haven't toured it yet), and it's definitely a great time to buy.
so that's it for now. maybe i'll keep up on this more. i'll certainly try.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Saturday, December 13, 2008
my letter to fox news.
*this is in response to this video.*
I'm a bit behind the times on this, since I don't watch Fox News, though I'm sure, to some degree, there's still discussion going on about this since you love to dwell on the same topics for needless periods of time, so I may very well be on topic.
Now, let me preface everything by saying that I would classify myself as an atheist, if I had to classify myself as anything. I simply believe in doing what is right for yourself and others, in living as a good and kind human being. To me, that has absolutely nothing to do with any God, regardless of the religion. Quite frankly, I think religion is the cause of more harm than good, but I'll save that for another time (I'm sure you'll provide plenty of opportunities).
Back to the matter at hand (and this is all primarily directed at Gretchen Carlson), the question of whether or not this is an insult to Christianity, or atheism, for that matter. How is this insulting to anyone? Is this Festivus pole an attack on anyone directly? Do you think the people that celebrate Festivus pushed for this while thinking "We'll show them! Christianity is dumb, and so is atheism!"? I highly doubt that. And Gretchen, why is it just an attack on Christianity/Christmas in your mind? What about Hanukkah or Kwanzaa? Oh, that's right, that doesn't matter since it's not your religion. The fact that you view this as an insult to Christianity, yet think nothing of the fact that you are outright insulting people who may legitimately celebrate Festivus speaks volumes about your character. Oh, and leave it to Bill O'Reilly to applaud you on that, and stroke your ego by claiming you put your co-hosts "in their place", when they were basically just ignoring you and talking about Seinfeld. You really showed them!
What I'm about to say will likely never get through the skulls of anyone that is a voice of the Fox News channel, but I'll say it anyway - people have different beliefs than you, and it's OK. You can still have your beliefs, there's no Festivus schoolyard bully that's going to beat you up and take your Christmas away. That's the great thing about this country, we're all allowed to think different things, to have different ideals, and actually celebrate them. It's funny to me how there is no attack on the "Christmas tree", which has it's roots as a Pagan symbol, nor is there any worry about the fact that Christmas has been reduced to almost nothing more than a Hallmark holiday; a capitalist miracle, making people think that they must go out and shop and buy everyone presents to show them how important they are. It's right in line with Valentine's Day at this point - if you don't go out and buy gifts for the people you care about, you're a very bad person.
What of the Jewish parents whose children feel slighted and left out by the very celebration of Christmas? Do you think this cramming of Christmas down our collective throats from October onward is insulting to them? Oh sorry, I forgot, again, that doesn't matter because it doesn't affect you. They're excluded because they don't share the same beliefs, right?
So here's what I propose. You go ahead and celebrate Christmas as the birth of Christ, let other people celebrate Christmas as a reason to give gifts. Let people that want to celebrate Hanukkah celebrate it, let people who celebrate Kwanzaa celebrate it, let people that celebrate Festivus celebrate it, and let people that celebrate nothing do that, as well. Quit thinking that everyone is out to get you, and that everything is an attack on you or an insult to you. You've managed to be so defensive and closed-minded, that in your accusations of insult, you have in turn come across as insulting and condescending. That's nothing new for you though, so I guess you're comfortable with familiar territory. Oh, and your little "Jesus isn't" giggling comment? You realize you're talking about a guy that forgave Judas, right?
I'm a bit behind the times on this, since I don't watch Fox News, though I'm sure, to some degree, there's still discussion going on about this since you love to dwell on the same topics for needless periods of time, so I may very well be on topic.
Now, let me preface everything by saying that I would classify myself as an atheist, if I had to classify myself as anything. I simply believe in doing what is right for yourself and others, in living as a good and kind human being. To me, that has absolutely nothing to do with any God, regardless of the religion. Quite frankly, I think religion is the cause of more harm than good, but I'll save that for another time (I'm sure you'll provide plenty of opportunities).
Back to the matter at hand (and this is all primarily directed at Gretchen Carlson), the question of whether or not this is an insult to Christianity, or atheism, for that matter. How is this insulting to anyone? Is this Festivus pole an attack on anyone directly? Do you think the people that celebrate Festivus pushed for this while thinking "We'll show them! Christianity is dumb, and so is atheism!"? I highly doubt that. And Gretchen, why is it just an attack on Christianity/Christmas in your mind? What about Hanukkah or Kwanzaa? Oh, that's right, that doesn't matter since it's not your religion. The fact that you view this as an insult to Christianity, yet think nothing of the fact that you are outright insulting people who may legitimately celebrate Festivus speaks volumes about your character. Oh, and leave it to Bill O'Reilly to applaud you on that, and stroke your ego by claiming you put your co-hosts "in their place", when they were basically just ignoring you and talking about Seinfeld. You really showed them!
What I'm about to say will likely never get through the skulls of anyone that is a voice of the Fox News channel, but I'll say it anyway - people have different beliefs than you, and it's OK. You can still have your beliefs, there's no Festivus schoolyard bully that's going to beat you up and take your Christmas away. That's the great thing about this country, we're all allowed to think different things, to have different ideals, and actually celebrate them. It's funny to me how there is no attack on the "Christmas tree", which has it's roots as a Pagan symbol, nor is there any worry about the fact that Christmas has been reduced to almost nothing more than a Hallmark holiday; a capitalist miracle, making people think that they must go out and shop and buy everyone presents to show them how important they are. It's right in line with Valentine's Day at this point - if you don't go out and buy gifts for the people you care about, you're a very bad person.
What of the Jewish parents whose children feel slighted and left out by the very celebration of Christmas? Do you think this cramming of Christmas down our collective throats from October onward is insulting to them? Oh sorry, I forgot, again, that doesn't matter because it doesn't affect you. They're excluded because they don't share the same beliefs, right?
So here's what I propose. You go ahead and celebrate Christmas as the birth of Christ, let other people celebrate Christmas as a reason to give gifts. Let people that want to celebrate Hanukkah celebrate it, let people who celebrate Kwanzaa celebrate it, let people that celebrate Festivus celebrate it, and let people that celebrate nothing do that, as well. Quit thinking that everyone is out to get you, and that everything is an attack on you or an insult to you. You've managed to be so defensive and closed-minded, that in your accusations of insult, you have in turn come across as insulting and condescending. That's nothing new for you though, so I guess you're comfortable with familiar territory. Oh, and your little "Jesus isn't" giggling comment? You realize you're talking about a guy that forgave Judas, right?
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
the timing is perfect
You know how certain things/people just come into your life at a perfect time? How there's certain things that you had absolutely no influence in creating, but they fit your life perfectly?
In 2001, Dave and I opened Hi-Fidelity. Well, we started working on getting the space ready in December 2000, but we didn't really open until 2001. It was kind of a shot in the dark, something that was probably doomed from the get-go, but we went for it anyway. The suburbs aren't exactly the best place for a punk rock record store, but what the hell, right? We knew enough people, and had seen enough happen, to know that this was something that needed to happen. Smash! was slowly going down the drain, they weren't really even selling new releases anymore. So here we were, the go-to place to get new hardcore records, at least at a decent price. And maybe that was part of our downfall, sticking by our belief that we would never sell an independent label CD for more than $14. We obviously had a hard time doing that when certain labels had their wholesale costs set at $11, but we did it. Too bad we started to get undercut by Best Buy selling the same CDs for $9. Oh well.
A few months pass, and we start gaining some attention. We're seeing more and more people come in that we've never seen before, and more and more kids that I knew lived in DC and other various places north of Woodbridge. It felt really good to know that people were supporting what we were doing, and were appreciative of our goal in opening the store. There was still more that I wanted to do, though. I had been wanting to have shows at the store from the beginning, and things just started to line up. There were no more shows at the Falls Church VFW, nothing else was really going on, so the proverbial stars were aligned for us to step up. We built a stage, in the back of the store where the dentist rooms used to be, and got a few microphones. We never had a steady sound system that we bought, we just always had people that would help us out with that. So there we were, with a stage and some microphones, all we had to do was get some shows...
September 11th, 2001. We all know what happened, so I won't really delve into that too much here. AFI was in Japan, and they were supposed to be coming back to the US to do some shows with American Nightmare. With all the air travel grounded, they were basically stuck, and American Nightmare needed a show in the DC area. So we did it. In 3 days. We had 3 days notice to set it up, book the other bands (sadly, I can't really remember who else played... I think Dead Serious played, but I'm not sure who else), and promote it. Kids literally came from all over for this show. I had people I know show up from Virginia Beach. A 3 hour drive on 3 days notice. There were so many people there, that we literally had to consider it "sold out", even though we had no idea at all what our capacity was. See, we never bothered with any permits or anything like that, we just had "in-store performances".
It was a dream that I had from the minute we opened the store, and to see it actually happen was honestly one of the best moments of my life. We went on to have some amazing shows there in the following 5 or 6 months, until we closed. We had Good Clean Fun's "last" show, which in true GCF fashion, was definitely not their last show. But kids still came from as far as Kentucky for that show, maybe even further. We had Graves, featuring Dr. Chud and Michale Graves from the Misfits (complete with a huge drum riser for Dr. Chud), which sadly didn't draw very many kids at all. Shawn Brown from Swiz/Dag Nasty told me during a Jesuseater show that we had a great thing going, and that he loved the place. Aaron Bedard from Bane talked a good bit on stage about how great it was, and it was the kind of thing he dreamed of when he was younger. They also wrote a blog entry about it on their website the next day, which I never actually got to see, unfortunately.
I'm not trying to name drop, and I don't intend to sit here and say "Hey this big-time hardcore guy said I was cool". Did it mean a lot to me? Of course. Do I think it makes me "cool"? Not at all. It's just something I'm very proud of. But there were downsides, and that's what this whole thing is about. As anyone that has ever done anything in "the scene" knows, there's bandwagon jumpers. People that are friends with you because you're "important". I found myself surrounded by a lot of these people, and didn't really realize it at the time, I suppose I was too caught up in the moment to notice. But once the store started to go belly up, that's when I began to realize it. When we needed help and support the most, suddenly people weren't around. But oddly enough, I began to hear about how people that weren't the usual coat-tail riders, people that had never even set foot in the store, were wanting to help. Evidently Hot Water Music was down to come up and play a benefit show, and there was also the beginnings of a "secret" AFI show. Neither of these ever panned out, but whatever. It made me happy to know that people I had never met, who just through word of mouth knew what I was doing, wanted to help.
Anyway, I'm getting off track. In May of 2001, Bouncing Souls released "How I Spent My Summer Vacation". It's a great record, if you don't own it, buy it now. Seriously, I'll wait. There's a track on said record, called "True Believers". Now, I liked the song a lot from the first time I heard it, but somehow when I listened to it once these "friends" were disappearing, the song kind of took own a new life, it was like I had never really heard it before. And honestly, it changed my outlook on a lot of things. It made me take a look around and realize who my friends really were, and who was just along for the ride, it made me understand friendship more, and once that all hit, it made me cry (wah!).
There were people that supported us all along, no matter what. People that never asked for a handout, people that never expected anything for free. And those are the people that, to this day, I still call friends. And even some of those that I don't talk to as often anymore, that still did a LOT to help us out... they all mean the world to me to this day.
So here it is, the song that reintroduced itself to me at a perfect time.
I've met some people along the way,
Some of them split some of them stay,
Some of them walk some walk on by,
I've got a few friends I'll love till I die
From all of these people I try to learn,
Some of them shine some of them burn,
Some of them rise some of them fall,
For good or bad I've known them all
We live our life in our own way,
Never really listened to what they say,
The kind of faith that doesn't fade away
We are the true believers
We are the true believers
Well you can fight or you can run,
Hide under a rock till the war is won,
Play it safe and don't make a sound,
But not us we won't back down
True believers all the way,
You and I...
We live our life in our own way,
Never really listened to what they say,
The kind of faith that doesn't fade away
We are the true believers
We are the true believers
True believers
In 2001, Dave and I opened Hi-Fidelity. Well, we started working on getting the space ready in December 2000, but we didn't really open until 2001. It was kind of a shot in the dark, something that was probably doomed from the get-go, but we went for it anyway. The suburbs aren't exactly the best place for a punk rock record store, but what the hell, right? We knew enough people, and had seen enough happen, to know that this was something that needed to happen. Smash! was slowly going down the drain, they weren't really even selling new releases anymore. So here we were, the go-to place to get new hardcore records, at least at a decent price. And maybe that was part of our downfall, sticking by our belief that we would never sell an independent label CD for more than $14. We obviously had a hard time doing that when certain labels had their wholesale costs set at $11, but we did it. Too bad we started to get undercut by Best Buy selling the same CDs for $9. Oh well.
A few months pass, and we start gaining some attention. We're seeing more and more people come in that we've never seen before, and more and more kids that I knew lived in DC and other various places north of Woodbridge. It felt really good to know that people were supporting what we were doing, and were appreciative of our goal in opening the store. There was still more that I wanted to do, though. I had been wanting to have shows at the store from the beginning, and things just started to line up. There were no more shows at the Falls Church VFW, nothing else was really going on, so the proverbial stars were aligned for us to step up. We built a stage, in the back of the store where the dentist rooms used to be, and got a few microphones. We never had a steady sound system that we bought, we just always had people that would help us out with that. So there we were, with a stage and some microphones, all we had to do was get some shows...
September 11th, 2001. We all know what happened, so I won't really delve into that too much here. AFI was in Japan, and they were supposed to be coming back to the US to do some shows with American Nightmare. With all the air travel grounded, they were basically stuck, and American Nightmare needed a show in the DC area. So we did it. In 3 days. We had 3 days notice to set it up, book the other bands (sadly, I can't really remember who else played... I think Dead Serious played, but I'm not sure who else), and promote it. Kids literally came from all over for this show. I had people I know show up from Virginia Beach. A 3 hour drive on 3 days notice. There were so many people there, that we literally had to consider it "sold out", even though we had no idea at all what our capacity was. See, we never bothered with any permits or anything like that, we just had "in-store performances".
It was a dream that I had from the minute we opened the store, and to see it actually happen was honestly one of the best moments of my life. We went on to have some amazing shows there in the following 5 or 6 months, until we closed. We had Good Clean Fun's "last" show, which in true GCF fashion, was definitely not their last show. But kids still came from as far as Kentucky for that show, maybe even further. We had Graves, featuring Dr. Chud and Michale Graves from the Misfits (complete with a huge drum riser for Dr. Chud), which sadly didn't draw very many kids at all. Shawn Brown from Swiz/Dag Nasty told me during a Jesuseater show that we had a great thing going, and that he loved the place. Aaron Bedard from Bane talked a good bit on stage about how great it was, and it was the kind of thing he dreamed of when he was younger. They also wrote a blog entry about it on their website the next day, which I never actually got to see, unfortunately.
I'm not trying to name drop, and I don't intend to sit here and say "Hey this big-time hardcore guy said I was cool". Did it mean a lot to me? Of course. Do I think it makes me "cool"? Not at all. It's just something I'm very proud of. But there were downsides, and that's what this whole thing is about. As anyone that has ever done anything in "the scene" knows, there's bandwagon jumpers. People that are friends with you because you're "important". I found myself surrounded by a lot of these people, and didn't really realize it at the time, I suppose I was too caught up in the moment to notice. But once the store started to go belly up, that's when I began to realize it. When we needed help and support the most, suddenly people weren't around. But oddly enough, I began to hear about how people that weren't the usual coat-tail riders, people that had never even set foot in the store, were wanting to help. Evidently Hot Water Music was down to come up and play a benefit show, and there was also the beginnings of a "secret" AFI show. Neither of these ever panned out, but whatever. It made me happy to know that people I had never met, who just through word of mouth knew what I was doing, wanted to help.
Anyway, I'm getting off track. In May of 2001, Bouncing Souls released "How I Spent My Summer Vacation". It's a great record, if you don't own it, buy it now. Seriously, I'll wait. There's a track on said record, called "True Believers". Now, I liked the song a lot from the first time I heard it, but somehow when I listened to it once these "friends" were disappearing, the song kind of took own a new life, it was like I had never really heard it before. And honestly, it changed my outlook on a lot of things. It made me take a look around and realize who my friends really were, and who was just along for the ride, it made me understand friendship more, and once that all hit, it made me cry (wah!).
There were people that supported us all along, no matter what. People that never asked for a handout, people that never expected anything for free. And those are the people that, to this day, I still call friends. And even some of those that I don't talk to as often anymore, that still did a LOT to help us out... they all mean the world to me to this day.
So here it is, the song that reintroduced itself to me at a perfect time.
Some of them split some of them stay,
Some of them walk some walk on by,
I've got a few friends I'll love till I die
From all of these people I try to learn,
Some of them shine some of them burn,
Some of them rise some of them fall,
For good or bad I've known them all
We live our life in our own way,
Never really listened to what they say,
The kind of faith that doesn't fade away
We are the true believers
We are the true believers
Well you can fight or you can run,
Hide under a rock till the war is won,
Play it safe and don't make a sound,
But not us we won't back down
True believers all the way,
You and I...
We live our life in our own way,
Never really listened to what they say,
The kind of faith that doesn't fade away
We are the true believers
We are the true believers
True believers
Sunday, September 14, 2008
whoa black Bettie.
it's still really hard for me to cope with Bettie being gone. it's been just over 2 weeks since she died, and it's tough. there's still little things all around the apartment that remind me of her, and every now and then, i'll see a shadow out of the corner of my eye and think it's her. sometimes Dharma will run into the guest room, which was basically Bettie's room, and she'll jump up on the bed and sit and look up on the bookshelf where Bettie's bed was, like she's just waiting for her to come back.
it just makes no sense to me, i mean she was only 5 years old, had no prior history of any health problems at all, and then like that... she's gone. i still don't really know what happened, and i never will, so there's no use dwelling on it, because it'll just drive me nuts trying to figure it out. i'm just glad i was able to be with her when she passed, petting her and letting her know that i love her.
she was definitely a little devil, but at the same time, she was the sweetest cat. once she finally got over Dharma being in the house, any time she heard me sit on the couch, she'd be in my lap in seconds. i'm glad to know that she was happy here, unlike the house in Marshall where she was obviously very stressed out. it's weird, but there was a definite difference in her behavior between there and here. i guess it makes sense, since our apartment is brand new and there had never been any other animals in it before. and as long as we're still here, there won't be another cat. as silly as it might seem, this was her house, and it will stay that way.
she'll be missed, and she'll always be in my heart.
current song: sigur ros - hufupukar
time flies.
it's really weird to me going through the facebook list of people that i graduated with (fyi, i hate facebook), and recognizing maaayyyybe 10% of them. and i'm just talking about by name. but i mean really, it's been over 11 years since i graduated high school. jesus christ, that's a long fucking time.
when i think of it like that, maybe my memory isn't as shitty as i thought. maybe it's just because it's been 11 years since i've seen, talked to, or thought of any of these people. sure, i could have gone to my reunion last year, but honestly, i don't care. i stay in touch with a few people, and that's good enough for me.
i think.
what if it turns out some of the people i haven't talked to in forever are completely awesome people? what if the people i wanted nothing to do with could now be my best friends? and on the flip side, what if these same people think i'm the biggest jackass in the world? they're all "grown up", college educated, have kids, etc., and here i am. pretty much the same dude i was 11 years ago, just smarter and more mature. but you know what? fuck it.
i never made it through college because frankly, it bored the shit out of me. but i've still got an awesome job that pays me well. i'm doing something i really love, and i don't have to wear a suit and tie to work. not even close. you know what i wore to work friday? dickies shorts, grime x vans slip-ons, and a seven generations t-shirt. that's not a "casual friday" thing, that's every day attire. so i'm good on the job front.
i don't really want to be a "grown up". sure, i'd like to have a nicer car, and we're looking into buying a house, which are obviously more "grown up" things, but i just have a hard time picturing myself as a stereotypical "grown up". i don't give a shit about the rat race, i'm not going to have kids, and if the hosue i buy has a garage, i'll paint graffiti in it.
i guess the whole point of this was that i think some people just change more than others. and obviously, there's nothign wrong with that. i'm really proud of the people i know that have gone to school, started families, and are living that "grown up" american dream. it's not for me, but do what makes you happy. that's the important thing.
current song: god is an astronaut - rememberance
when i think of it like that, maybe my memory isn't as shitty as i thought. maybe it's just because it's been 11 years since i've seen, talked to, or thought of any of these people. sure, i could have gone to my reunion last year, but honestly, i don't care. i stay in touch with a few people, and that's good enough for me.
i think.
what if it turns out some of the people i haven't talked to in forever are completely awesome people? what if the people i wanted nothing to do with could now be my best friends? and on the flip side, what if these same people think i'm the biggest jackass in the world? they're all "grown up", college educated, have kids, etc., and here i am. pretty much the same dude i was 11 years ago, just smarter and more mature. but you know what? fuck it.
i never made it through college because frankly, it bored the shit out of me. but i've still got an awesome job that pays me well. i'm doing something i really love, and i don't have to wear a suit and tie to work. not even close. you know what i wore to work friday? dickies shorts, grime x vans slip-ons, and a seven generations t-shirt. that's not a "casual friday" thing, that's every day attire. so i'm good on the job front.
i don't really want to be a "grown up". sure, i'd like to have a nicer car, and we're looking into buying a house, which are obviously more "grown up" things, but i just have a hard time picturing myself as a stereotypical "grown up". i don't give a shit about the rat race, i'm not going to have kids, and if the hosue i buy has a garage, i'll paint graffiti in it.
i guess the whole point of this was that i think some people just change more than others. and obviously, there's nothign wrong with that. i'm really proud of the people i know that have gone to school, started families, and are living that "grown up" american dream. it's not for me, but do what makes you happy. that's the important thing.
current song: god is an astronaut - rememberance
Sunday, July 27, 2008
vh1's top 100 songs of the 90s, dissected.
100. Gerardo "Rico Suave" - disregard the fact that this guy looked like the sleaziest, scummiest, pop culture date rapist that history has ever seen. i know it's hard, but give it a shot. ok, now that you've (hopefully) done that... this song is catchy as fuck. you know the chorus, you know you do.
99. Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott "The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)" - i never really dug the inflated-suit Mega Man looking shit Missy wore in her videos, but whatever. this song is fucking awesome, and she's from virginia.
98. EMF"Unbelievable" - synonymous with one hit wonder, EMF nailed it with this song. this shit was EVERYWHERE when it came out. i'm pretty sure this is still in regular rotation at sporting events and roller rinks.
97. Prince & The New Power Generation "Gett Off" - seriously, this is one of the worst Prince songs ever. that's all.
96. Nelson "(Can't Live Without Your) Love and Affection" - look, i'm sorry, but i can't get past how fake these two guys looked. unfortunately for them, they kind of came in at the very end of the hair metal era, but somehow they still managed to sell a shitload of records, even though Steelheart (another end-of-the-era band) didn't and they're so much better.
95. Montell Jordan "This is How We Do It" - if you don't like this song, you're an idiot. this is a fucking PERFECT party song. i'm honestly surprised it wasn't higher on the list, as opposed to...
94. Fastball "The Way" - which is a textbook example of a boring, generic rock song.
93. Lisa Loeb & Nine Stories "Stay" - maybe i'm biased, but i love Lisa Loeb. this is an awesome song, and really should have been higher on the list in my opinion. there's just this amazing sense of heartbreak in the song, or at least that's how it's always felt to me.
92. Public Enemy "911 Is A Joke" - i've always kind of had mixed feelings about this song. don't get me wrong, it's a great song, but i've always had a hard time taking Public Enemy too seriously because of Flavor Flav. that said, i think there's far better Public Enemy songs.
91. Sarah McLachlan "Building a Mystery" - this is one of the few "take it or leave it" songs on the list, in my opinion. i understand why it's on the list, and i like it, but i wouldn't have noticed at all if it wasn't.
90. New Radicals "You Get What You Give" - i always felt like this song has been sort of overlooked, it's really a damn good pop song. there's a good message, and it's catchy as hell.
89. Liz Phair "Never Said" - ok, now i'm a Liz Phair fan (well, as much as i hate people who say this, i like the earlier stuff), and i'm really surprised that this was on the list, especially higher than Lisa Loeb. i don't ever remember hearing this song during the 90s at all, except on my home stereo. and i mean, if they're going to pick random Liz Phair songs to throw on the list, there's definitely better songs.
88. Duncan Sheik "Barely Breathing" - here's a fact for you: Duncan Sheik is FUCKING GREAT. seriously. this dude has never written a bad song, and it's a shame he's not more popular. this is such an awesome song, and would be waaayyy higher on my personal list. come to think of it, i might have to do a personal list as a follow up to this.
87. Billy Ray Cyrus "Achy Breaky Heart" - fuck this guy, fuck this song, and fuck his daughter. the end.
86. The Cranberries "Linger" - Dolores O'Riordan has one of the best voices in modern music, if you ask me. this song, this album, this band... fucking great. there were a few turds here and there, but all said, The Cranberries were a great band, and this song made people stop and go "holy shit, The Cranberries are a great band".
85. Cypress Hill "Insane In The Brain" - one of the most annoying songs of the 90s, hands down. Cypress Hill has some great songs, but fuck, this was NOT one of them.
84. Snow "Informer" - bit of trivia for you: at one point in time, i knew every word to this song. i wish i still did. what a weird burst onto the music scene this was, a white guy from Canada doing pseudo-dancehall reggae/rap. he definitely stood out and got his 15 minutes.
83. The Breeders "Cannonball" - indie darlings get a big radio/MTV hit. indie darlings are popular for about 6 months. indie darlings fade into obscurity.
82. Geto Boys "Mind Playing Tricks on Me" - "this year, halloween fell on a weekend"... this marks the beginning of one of my favorite verses in the history of hip hop. this song is a fucking classic, and should be a lot higher on the list. but then again, this is VH1 we're talking about.
81. Paula Cole "I Don't Want to Wait" - this song was definitely all over the place when it came out, like a swarm of fucking mosquitos sucking the life out of anything good in music.
80. Right Said Fred "I'm Too Sexy" - yeah, you hate this song. think about how many times you've referenced it, though. that's right, it's in your brain forever.
79. Meredith Brooks "Bitch" - see my analysis of the Paula Cole song at 81.
78. Lenny Kravitz "Are You Gonna Go My Way" - i hate Lenny Kravitz, as a human being. now that i've got that out of the way, the guy writes some really good, really catchy rock music. i was definitely into this song, at least until i saw what a douchebag he is.
77. Ice Cube "It Was a Good Day" - this is another one of those songs that i think, if this list wasn't on vh1, would (should )have been higher up. it's just such an awesome, mellowed out hip hop track. a huge departure from the NWA days, but every bit as good.
76. Blues Traveler "Run-Around" - i applaud blues traveler for trying to bring a more blues influenced rock sound to the mainstream, i really do. but man, was this song annoying.
75. Kris Kross "Jump" - EVERYONE remembers these guys, everyone remembers this song. you know you've made your mark on pop culture when you spawn an entire army of shitheads wearing their clothing backwards.
74. Cher "Believe" - remember when Cher was awesome? me neither.
73. Marcy Playground "Sex and Candy" - another horribly generic, rock radio anthem. man, the late 90s were a bad time for rock music.
72. Barenaked Ladies "One Week" - i'll admit this, Barenaked Ladies have some really great songs. i remember when a friend of mine who was from Canada turned me on to them when I was in 7th grade, he gave me a tape of "Gordon", and a VHS tape of some one hour special/documentary thing that was on tv in Canada about them called "On Gordon Pond". this song was not on "Gordon", and is not a great song. at all.
71. Arrested Development "Tennessee" - i won't say this was the first "conscious" hip hop song to make it big, but it was definitely one of the biggest. Arrested Development, as a whole, are horribly overlooked. this was such a positive song, it's hard to believe it came out right around the same time as Dr. Dre's first record.
70. Jamiroquai "Virtual Insanity" - seriously, what was this guy's deal? regardless of his tendency to wear strange furry hats, this was a damn good party song.
69. Korn "Freak on a Leash" - i'll give korn a lot of credit for helping bring heavy music back to popular culture. granted, i don't like them, but they played a big part in that. that said, i don't know why this song was chosen, since i think they've got better songs.
68. Will Smith "Gettin' Jiggy Wit It" - this is all you need to know: no Will Smith song will EVER be as good as "Summertime", which is suspiciously absent from this list. makes you wonder if Will is trying to forget about the Fresh Prince days, and focus more on making tv shows about Courage Crew.
67. Deee-Lite "Groove Is In The Heart" - another really, really fucking good party song. the beat for this song is awesome.
66. Edwin McCain "I'll Be" - man, seriously, this is one of the great love songs of all time. "i'll be the greatest fan of your life"?! what a fucking awesome line.
65. Digital Underground "The Humpty Dance" - i'm dead serious here: if you don't like this song, put your head in an oven.
64. The Presidents of the United States of America "Peaches" - something about these guys never really sat well with me, and i'm not sure what it is. this is a good song, definitely super catchy, and they did a good job of writing good rock songs. i just could never really get into them.
63. The Notorious B.I.G. featuring Mase & Puff Daddy "Mo Money Mo Problems" - you know what would have made this song a lot better? get rid of puff and mase. other than those two clowns in their shiny fucking suits, this shit is a classic.
62. Live "I Alone" - i've got the same problem with Live that i do with The Presidents of the United States of America - i just can't get into them. this song honestly annoys the fuck out of me.
61. Sheryl Crow "All I Wanna Do" - now this is a damn good song. perfectly crafted to hit it big on rock radio, Sheryl Crow set the bar pretty high for herself. it was either continue to write good rock/pop songs, or a one way ticket to one hit wonder.
60. Bell Biv DeVoe "Poison" - i really can't say enough how much i love this song. too bad that whole "east coast family" thing never really took off...
59. Weezer "Buddy Holly" - as much as i dislike weezer now, i can't deny how good this song (and this album in general) is. there are songs on the record that i like a lot more, but those songs weren't singles.
58. Sophie B. Hawkins "Damn, I Wish I Was Your Lover" - man, the amount of soul poured into this song is incredible. this is another one of those songs that just gets stuck in your head automatically after you hear it.
57. Jay-Z featuring Amil and Ja Rule "Can I Get A..." - ok, so i'm going to be a bit biased here again... anything with Ja Rule automatically fails in my book. end of story.
56. L.L. Cool J "Mama Said Knock You Out" - holy shit. LL killed it with this track. i remember when this came out, thinking it was the hardest shit i had ever heard. just that one line "i will destroooyyy"... man, so good. i had this cassette back when it came out, but i was at a hotel with my mom one time, and while we were out, the cleaning people stole it, along with my Another Bad Creation tape. jerks.
55. Fiona Apple "Criminal" - i definitely like "Shadowboxer" better, but holy fucking hell is this a sexy song. you know the scene in Who Framed Roger Rabbit where Jessica starts singing, and all the guys have to loosen their collars and shit? yeah, that's this song.
54. Joan Osborne "One of Us" - this is another one of those songs that annoys the hell out of me, but it's definitely a bit more thought provoking than most of the other ones. i mean really, what if god was one of us?
53. Naughty by Nature "O.P.P." - song hits radio/tv, song becomes instant party anthem for the rest of time. who would have thought that a song about cheating and homewrecking would be so fucking good?
52. Sugar Ray "Fly" - this is really hard for me to say, since i hate this band so much... this is a damn catchy song. they did a good job of writing a track that would drill into your brain and lay eggs there, making sure you never forget it.
51. Tupac (featuring Dr. Dre and Roger Troutman) "California Love" - remember what i said about the opening line of Bushwick Bill's verse in Geto Boy's "Mind Playing Tricks On Me" being one of my favorite beginnings of a verse? how about this one - "out on bail, fresh out of jail, california dreamin'"... Tupac kills it on this track, hands down.
50. Alice in Chains "Man in the Box" - so there we are, in the midst of the "grunge" movement, which is inherrently darker than what was popular just a few months earlier. but still, there was nothing really legitimatley "dark" about the music, it was just heavier and dirtier. then along came this song. Alice in Chains succeeded in writing one of the darkest songs in "popular" music, and it's reeeeeeally fucking good.
49. Jewel "Who Will Save Your Soul" - i really wish Jewel didn't start getting super poppy, because this song is really, really good. this whole album is really good. and somehow, it just kind of went downhill from there.
48. Matchbox Twenty "3 AM" - another gem in the crown of generic rock radio. *yawn*
47. Marky Mark and The Funky Bunch "Good Vibrations" - i remember at one point, shortly after the whole "Marky Mark" thing dropped off, hearing about Mark Wahlberg getting asked about this, and he evidently got pissed. whatever, this was an awesome track. at least he didn't go the Will Smith route and start recording watered down versions of what used to be good when he started acting....
46. Shania Twain "You're Still the One" - i really, really hate this song. seriously.
45. Hootie & the Blowfish "Only Wanna Be With You" - this is like a fucking anthem for every mid-90s college kid that wore hemp necklaces. you know, the ones that didn't drop out to follow Phish on tour, but the ones that went on to become real estate agents.
44. The Fugees "Killing Me Softly With His Song" - this track was fucking HUGE when it hit, not like you don't know that. it's damn catchy, and made you really forget how over-rated The Fugees really were.
43. En Vogue "My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It)" - ok, as far as modern, poppy-r&b songs go, this is seriously one of the best. the part where it just goes a capella... that shit is awesome. the voices on these girls were incredible, but boy did i get sick of hearing this song quoted from girls.
42. Collective Soul "Shine" - i really didn't know what to make of Collective Soul, and i still don't. they always just kind of struck me as like, a bar band (a pretty good one, but still) that just happened to be in the right place at the right time. i do love the riff in this song though.
41. Spin Doctors "Two Princes" - jesus christ, what an annoying fucking song. i recently saw something where they were talking about the story behind the song (which i forget), and that made it a bit more tolerable, but still...
40. Color Me Badd "I Wanna Sex You Up" - ok seriously, you've got a "greatest songs of the 90s" list, and you throw this piece of shit on here (what the fuck does "sex you up" even mean?!), but there isn't a single Boyz II Men song on the whole fucking list. ridiculous.
39. Goo Goo Dolls "Iris" - say what you will, this song could very easily be one of my favorites to come out of the (mainstream) 90s. just a seriously beautiful love song, and the movie tie-in (City of Angels) makes it hit a little harder.
38. Christina Aguilera "Genie In A Bottle" - dear world, here's the only one of those mid to late 90s pop princesses that could actually sing. i know, it's hard to believe that you might want to market someone based on talent and not just looks (whatever, she's got both), but you might want to try it. this song absolutely blows away any track that Britney Spears has ever recorded, and it's a fucking shame that it's not higher on the list.
37. Green Day "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)" - when i first heard Green Day, i would have laughed in your face had you told me they would end up writing what would basically become a high school prom slow dance staple. but hey, they did it. more power to 'em. luckily for anyone that's not in high school, it's still a pretty damn good song.
36. C+C Music Factory "Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)" - another super catchy, super irritating, 1990s party jam. i think i got this cassette for my birthday or Christmas or something, and ended up recording Minor Threat and the Misfits over it or something like that.
35. Oasis "Wonderwall" - every now and then, i stumble back upon songs and bands that i despised when they came out, and i realize that they're actually really good. case in point, Oasis, and this song in particular. now, i'm still not a huge fan, and i'm not too terribly familiar with any of their non-single tracks, but of the singles, this one definitely shines.
34. Third Eye Blind "Semi-Charmed Life" - what kind of warped minds come up with an idea to write a super catchy, bound-for-radio-glory track about crystal meth?! pretty brilliant, really. too bad the song sucks.
33. Spice Girls "Wannabe" - ok, let me be up front here. the whole Spice Girls "girl power" thing was utter horse shit. wait! hear me out before you berate me for being a misogynist! by the time this song came out, and silly little pre-teeny boppers were running around yelling "girl power!", i had long since been into bands like Bikini Kill, bands that talked about "girl power" without dressing like whores. so when this shit came out, all i could do was laugh. there's nothing empowering about being nothing more than eye candy, and shitty eye candy at that.
32. BLACKstreet "No Diggity" - there was this really brief period where smooth r&b-ish singers were laying down vocals over smooth west coast beats (courtesy of Dr. Dre), and damn if it wasn't great. this song was the shit when it came out. it was, like so many other tracks on this list, destined to be a party favorite for years. unlike a lot of those other tracks though (*cough*c&cmusicfactory*cough*), this one stood the test of time and is still a great track.
31. Radiohead "Creep" - i don't really know what i was expecting after buying this album. i bought it entirely because of "Creep", and imagine my surprise when the rest of the album didn't really have the same heavy parts that this song did. it's kind of funny to listen to this song now, and see just how much Radiohead has progressed as a band. that's not to say this song isn't good, because it really is, but man... what a difference time makes.
30. *NSYNC "Tearin' Up My Heart" - it's funny, i always thought groups like these (the "boy bands") were like a poor photocopy of New Kids on the Block, and they really were. they all basically had the same 5 stereotypical guys in the band (you know, the "pretty boy", the "tough guy", etc.), and they all put out the same god-awful shit. but hey, thanks to the continued success of the boy band mold, the road has been paved for that NKOTB reunion so all of those hipster girls can re-awaken how shallow they really are by swooning over middle-aged men singing songs they wrote as teenagers, about teenage girls. creeeeepy.
29. Vanilla Ice "Ice Ice Baby" - if you try to tell me you don't know at least a few of the words to this song, i will karate chop your throat. this song was completely unescapable, and seriously, like him or not, the dude could fucking dance. personally, i still love this song. maybe it's just nostalgia, but man, every now and then, i just need to blast this shit.
28. Ricky Martin "Livin' la Vida Loca" - i'll give this guy credit, as much as i don't like him, he basically brought an entirely new music scene out with him. well, at least it was "new" to most of the US. and somehow, it also inspired a lot of white kids to pretend they were hispanic and get "mi vida loca" tattoos.
27. Counting Crows "Mr. Jones" - i think mainly because this song was (and still is, really) beaten into the ground by radio stations everywhere, "Mr. Jones" stands as the only Counting Crows song that I don't like. it's still a pretty good song, but "pretty good" only goes so far when you've heard a song thousands of times.
26. Eminem "My Name Is" - i don't really like Eminem, and the stuff that i do like is his more serious stuff, but what a way to burst on to the music scene. he was definitely doing something way different that anything else that was out at the time, so i'll give him credit for that. it's just a shame that more recognition isn't given to someone like Eyedea, who absolutely killed Eminem in a freestyle battle, and is actually worth listening to.
25. Soundgarden "Black Hole Sun" - unlike "Mr. Jones" by Counting Crows, this is one of those songs that is still beaten into the ground by radio stations that i never liked. and i liked Soundgarden when this album came out. hell, i still think "Badmotorfinger" is a great record. things just... went downhill after that album.
24. House of Pain "Jump Around" - this track has always been kinda bittersweet for me. i'm glad it gets recognition, because it definitely deserves it, but it's sort of like "(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (to Party)" in that it was (unfortunately) latched on to by douchebags and frat boys (i know, that's redundant) all over the country. but it definitely laid the groundwork for these dudes to advance, and they've steadily shown how talented they really are.
23. Salt-N-Pepa with En Vogue "Whatta Man" - this, to me, is a piss-poor excuse for a Salt-N-Pepa song. not achieving any success releasing good hip hop records? take off most of your clothes and act like whores!
22. Beck "Loser" - again, Beck was someone that came out doing something really different,
but i really hated it. still do, actually. i can honestly say i've never heard a single Beck song that i like. does that mean he sucks? no, not at all. the guy is definitely really, really talented, and will obviously sell far more hit records than i ever will. i just can't get into him.
21. Celine Dion "My Heart Will Go On" - in all honesty, this song alone is the reason i put off seeing "Titanic" for so long. the words and emotion contained within the song are awesome, but damn i wish someone else was singing it. insert New Found Glory cover version here.
20. Hanson "MMMBop" - i don't really know what sort of phenomenon prompted the signing of these 3 brothers, but i reeeeeally wish it had never happened. this seriously seems to me like it's much more suited for a TV show "band", ala the Partridge Family. i also don't think any other one hit wonder has obtained such a rabid following.
19. Beastie Boys "Sabotage" - it's hard for me to see a lot of the songs on this list and not go "oh man, they had way better songs than this out in the 90s!", but i gotta work with what VH1 decided on. that said... Beastie Boys had way better songs than this out in the 90s. shit, they had better tracks from just this record. but whatever, i still like this song a lot, and it beat listening to a lot of the other shit that was out then. and as cliche as it seems to say this, i really do love the video.
18. Metallica "Enter Sandman" - man, if Metallica had just stopped with this album, they would have left a largelt unblemished legacy. but noooo... they had to keep getting worse and worse. at any rate, this song, to me, was a welcome addition to radio/video airplay. the riff in this song is so fucking heavy, and it's such an evil song.
17. Destiny's Child "Say My Name" - i think my problem with a lot of this list is that i was musically aware for the entire decade, so it seemed to me that Destiny's Child was a re-hashed En Vogue. i won't deny the talent though, and i won't deny how catchy this song is.
16. MC Hammer "U Can't Touch This" - oh come on, you love this song, you know you do. this shit makes me wish i still had a Starter jacket. the Rick James-sampled beat is so good, it's hard to not at least nod your head.
15. Red Hot Chili Peppers "Under the Bridge" - god damnit, i hate this song so much. it's not moving, it's not thoughtful, it's fucking crap. the end.
14. Mariah Carey "Vision of Love" - holy shit, did you hear the voice that came out of that girl?! this was long before Mariah went bat-shit crazy, and she basically dethroned Whitney Houston with this one song. it was a good time.
13. Dr. Dre (featuring Snoop Doggy Dogg) "Nuthin' but a "G" Thang" - despite not really being his first appearance on a track, this was basically the song that said "hey world, meet Snoop". and what a great song to come out on. this entire album, start to finish, is a fucking classic.
12. Alanis Morissette "You Oughta Know" - there are two ways to view this song, and two separate reactions. the first way, is that it's an angry song about a random ex, and it's just... i dunno... whiny, and bitchy, and stupid. the second way to view it is that it's an angry song about Dave Coulier, and it's AWESOME. fuck you, uncle Joey.
11. Pearl Jam "Jeremy" - while more intelligent and more musically talented than their "Seattle grunge" peers, Pearl Jam jsut never really wrote music that i could get into. i give them a lot of credit for sticking around, and a lot of credit for standing up for issues that they believe in. i just wish i could give them credit for writing songs that i enjoy.
10. Sinéad O'Connor "Nothing Compares 2 U" - i really can't begin to describe how good this song is. it's just soooo powerful, but not in a loud kind of way. just this small, quiet girl from Ireland with an amazing voice baring her soul completely, for the entire world. an amazing song.
09. R.E.M. "Losing My Religion" - this song falls into the same category as "Wonderwall"... it took me years to realize how good it really is, and to fully appreciate what a good band R.E.M. is.
08. TLC"Waterfalls" - this another song that's kind of like "Nothing Compares 2 U", just a incredibly powerful, emotional song. and it had a really good beat.
07. Britney Spears "...Baby One More Time" - words can't express how much i hate this song. i've never ever liked Britney Spears, and i honestly can't unerstand her popularity. i understand that this was a huge hit, so i guess if this were the "most popular songs of the 90s" list, i'd be ok with it, but really, this song is horrible. it doesn't belong on ANY "best" list. ever.
06. Sir Mix-A-Lot "Baby Got Back" - ah yes, an ode to one of my favorite parts of the female anatomy. how can it get any better? guys, you know you've said "baby got back" about AT LEAST one girl since this song came out. this went beyond a song to a cultural phenom.
05. Madonna "Vogue" - i never really got the whole "Vogue" thing, but whatever. it' a good song, catchy, and before Madonna got really weird.
04. Whitney Houston "I Will Always Love You" - this song, in my mind, was basically the end of Whitney's era, and it was a hell of a way to go out. man, she seriously belts out the last few lines of this song, it's super fucking impressive.
03. Backstreet Boys "I Want It That Way" - these dudes had talent, that much i'll give them. it still doesn't make up for the fact that they were a manufactured group, and that will never sit well with me. i won't lie though, i know a few lines from this song.
02. U2 "One" - i've grown fond of saying that i like U2 "pre-sunglasses", but this is a super good song. in my opinion, at least with the songs on this list, this should have topped it.
01. Nirvana "Smells Like Teen Spirit" - i had no doubt that this was going to be their number one song, and i totally understand why. this is amongst the very few songs, the very few moments in music history, that literally changed everything. the entire landscape of the musical world was flipped on it's head when this song came out. it really makes you wonder what could have become of Nirvana had things not gone down the way they did with Kurt Cobain. but hey, that's life.
so there it is. ridiculously long, ridiculously pointless, and just plain ridiculous. honestly, i'm still pissed over the fact that Color Me Badd is on the list but Boyz II Men isn't. can anyone tell me with a straight face that "I Wanna Sex You Up" is better than "I'll Make Love To You"? didn't think so.
99. Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott "The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)" - i never really dug the inflated-suit Mega Man looking shit Missy wore in her videos, but whatever. this song is fucking awesome, and she's from virginia.
98. EMF"Unbelievable" - synonymous with one hit wonder, EMF nailed it with this song. this shit was EVERYWHERE when it came out. i'm pretty sure this is still in regular rotation at sporting events and roller rinks.
97. Prince & The New Power Generation "Gett Off" - seriously, this is one of the worst Prince songs ever. that's all.
96. Nelson "(Can't Live Without Your) Love and Affection" - look, i'm sorry, but i can't get past how fake these two guys looked. unfortunately for them, they kind of came in at the very end of the hair metal era, but somehow they still managed to sell a shitload of records, even though Steelheart (another end-of-the-era band) didn't and they're so much better.
95. Montell Jordan "This is How We Do It" - if you don't like this song, you're an idiot. this is a fucking PERFECT party song. i'm honestly surprised it wasn't higher on the list, as opposed to...
94. Fastball "The Way" - which is a textbook example of a boring, generic rock song.
93. Lisa Loeb & Nine Stories "Stay" - maybe i'm biased, but i love Lisa Loeb. this is an awesome song, and really should have been higher on the list in my opinion. there's just this amazing sense of heartbreak in the song, or at least that's how it's always felt to me.
92. Public Enemy "911 Is A Joke" - i've always kind of had mixed feelings about this song. don't get me wrong, it's a great song, but i've always had a hard time taking Public Enemy too seriously because of Flavor Flav. that said, i think there's far better Public Enemy songs.
91. Sarah McLachlan "Building a Mystery" - this is one of the few "take it or leave it" songs on the list, in my opinion. i understand why it's on the list, and i like it, but i wouldn't have noticed at all if it wasn't.
90. New Radicals "You Get What You Give" - i always felt like this song has been sort of overlooked, it's really a damn good pop song. there's a good message, and it's catchy as hell.
89. Liz Phair "Never Said" - ok, now i'm a Liz Phair fan (well, as much as i hate people who say this, i like the earlier stuff), and i'm really surprised that this was on the list, especially higher than Lisa Loeb. i don't ever remember hearing this song during the 90s at all, except on my home stereo. and i mean, if they're going to pick random Liz Phair songs to throw on the list, there's definitely better songs.
88. Duncan Sheik "Barely Breathing" - here's a fact for you: Duncan Sheik is FUCKING GREAT. seriously. this dude has never written a bad song, and it's a shame he's not more popular. this is such an awesome song, and would be waaayyy higher on my personal list. come to think of it, i might have to do a personal list as a follow up to this.
87. Billy Ray Cyrus "Achy Breaky Heart" - fuck this guy, fuck this song, and fuck his daughter. the end.
86. The Cranberries "Linger" - Dolores O'Riordan has one of the best voices in modern music, if you ask me. this song, this album, this band... fucking great. there were a few turds here and there, but all said, The Cranberries were a great band, and this song made people stop and go "holy shit, The Cranberries are a great band".
85. Cypress Hill "Insane In The Brain" - one of the most annoying songs of the 90s, hands down. Cypress Hill has some great songs, but fuck, this was NOT one of them.
84. Snow "Informer" - bit of trivia for you: at one point in time, i knew every word to this song. i wish i still did. what a weird burst onto the music scene this was, a white guy from Canada doing pseudo-dancehall reggae/rap. he definitely stood out and got his 15 minutes.
83. The Breeders "Cannonball" - indie darlings get a big radio/MTV hit. indie darlings are popular for about 6 months. indie darlings fade into obscurity.
82. Geto Boys "Mind Playing Tricks on Me" - "this year, halloween fell on a weekend"... this marks the beginning of one of my favorite verses in the history of hip hop. this song is a fucking classic, and should be a lot higher on the list. but then again, this is VH1 we're talking about.
81. Paula Cole "I Don't Want to Wait" - this song was definitely all over the place when it came out, like a swarm of fucking mosquitos sucking the life out of anything good in music.
80. Right Said Fred "I'm Too Sexy" - yeah, you hate this song. think about how many times you've referenced it, though. that's right, it's in your brain forever.
79. Meredith Brooks "Bitch" - see my analysis of the Paula Cole song at 81.
78. Lenny Kravitz "Are You Gonna Go My Way" - i hate Lenny Kravitz, as a human being. now that i've got that out of the way, the guy writes some really good, really catchy rock music. i was definitely into this song, at least until i saw what a douchebag he is.
77. Ice Cube "It Was a Good Day" - this is another one of those songs that i think, if this list wasn't on vh1, would (should )have been higher up. it's just such an awesome, mellowed out hip hop track. a huge departure from the NWA days, but every bit as good.
76. Blues Traveler "Run-Around" - i applaud blues traveler for trying to bring a more blues influenced rock sound to the mainstream, i really do. but man, was this song annoying.
75. Kris Kross "Jump" - EVERYONE remembers these guys, everyone remembers this song. you know you've made your mark on pop culture when you spawn an entire army of shitheads wearing their clothing backwards.
74. Cher "Believe" - remember when Cher was awesome? me neither.
73. Marcy Playground "Sex and Candy" - another horribly generic, rock radio anthem. man, the late 90s were a bad time for rock music.
72. Barenaked Ladies "One Week" - i'll admit this, Barenaked Ladies have some really great songs. i remember when a friend of mine who was from Canada turned me on to them when I was in 7th grade, he gave me a tape of "Gordon", and a VHS tape of some one hour special/documentary thing that was on tv in Canada about them called "On Gordon Pond". this song was not on "Gordon", and is not a great song. at all.
71. Arrested Development "Tennessee" - i won't say this was the first "conscious" hip hop song to make it big, but it was definitely one of the biggest. Arrested Development, as a whole, are horribly overlooked. this was such a positive song, it's hard to believe it came out right around the same time as Dr. Dre's first record.
70. Jamiroquai "Virtual Insanity" - seriously, what was this guy's deal? regardless of his tendency to wear strange furry hats, this was a damn good party song.
69. Korn "Freak on a Leash" - i'll give korn a lot of credit for helping bring heavy music back to popular culture. granted, i don't like them, but they played a big part in that. that said, i don't know why this song was chosen, since i think they've got better songs.
68. Will Smith "Gettin' Jiggy Wit It" - this is all you need to know: no Will Smith song will EVER be as good as "Summertime", which is suspiciously absent from this list. makes you wonder if Will is trying to forget about the Fresh Prince days, and focus more on making tv shows about Courage Crew.
67. Deee-Lite "Groove Is In The Heart" - another really, really fucking good party song. the beat for this song is awesome.
66. Edwin McCain "I'll Be" - man, seriously, this is one of the great love songs of all time. "i'll be the greatest fan of your life"?! what a fucking awesome line.
65. Digital Underground "The Humpty Dance" - i'm dead serious here: if you don't like this song, put your head in an oven.
64. The Presidents of the United States of America "Peaches" - something about these guys never really sat well with me, and i'm not sure what it is. this is a good song, definitely super catchy, and they did a good job of writing good rock songs. i just could never really get into them.
63. The Notorious B.I.G. featuring Mase & Puff Daddy "Mo Money Mo Problems" - you know what would have made this song a lot better? get rid of puff and mase. other than those two clowns in their shiny fucking suits, this shit is a classic.
62. Live "I Alone" - i've got the same problem with Live that i do with The Presidents of the United States of America - i just can't get into them. this song honestly annoys the fuck out of me.
61. Sheryl Crow "All I Wanna Do" - now this is a damn good song. perfectly crafted to hit it big on rock radio, Sheryl Crow set the bar pretty high for herself. it was either continue to write good rock/pop songs, or a one way ticket to one hit wonder.
60. Bell Biv DeVoe "Poison" - i really can't say enough how much i love this song. too bad that whole "east coast family" thing never really took off...
59. Weezer "Buddy Holly" - as much as i dislike weezer now, i can't deny how good this song (and this album in general) is. there are songs on the record that i like a lot more, but those songs weren't singles.
58. Sophie B. Hawkins "Damn, I Wish I Was Your Lover" - man, the amount of soul poured into this song is incredible. this is another one of those songs that just gets stuck in your head automatically after you hear it.
57. Jay-Z featuring Amil and Ja Rule "Can I Get A..." - ok, so i'm going to be a bit biased here again... anything with Ja Rule automatically fails in my book. end of story.
56. L.L. Cool J "Mama Said Knock You Out" - holy shit. LL killed it with this track. i remember when this came out, thinking it was the hardest shit i had ever heard. just that one line "i will destroooyyy"... man, so good. i had this cassette back when it came out, but i was at a hotel with my mom one time, and while we were out, the cleaning people stole it, along with my Another Bad Creation tape. jerks.
55. Fiona Apple "Criminal" - i definitely like "Shadowboxer" better, but holy fucking hell is this a sexy song. you know the scene in Who Framed Roger Rabbit where Jessica starts singing, and all the guys have to loosen their collars and shit? yeah, that's this song.
54. Joan Osborne "One of Us" - this is another one of those songs that annoys the hell out of me, but it's definitely a bit more thought provoking than most of the other ones. i mean really, what if god was one of us?
53. Naughty by Nature "O.P.P." - song hits radio/tv, song becomes instant party anthem for the rest of time. who would have thought that a song about cheating and homewrecking would be so fucking good?
52. Sugar Ray "Fly" - this is really hard for me to say, since i hate this band so much... this is a damn catchy song. they did a good job of writing a track that would drill into your brain and lay eggs there, making sure you never forget it.
51. Tupac (featuring Dr. Dre and Roger Troutman) "California Love" - remember what i said about the opening line of Bushwick Bill's verse in Geto Boy's "Mind Playing Tricks On Me" being one of my favorite beginnings of a verse? how about this one - "out on bail, fresh out of jail, california dreamin'"... Tupac kills it on this track, hands down.
50. Alice in Chains "Man in the Box" - so there we are, in the midst of the "grunge" movement, which is inherrently darker than what was popular just a few months earlier. but still, there was nothing really legitimatley "dark" about the music, it was just heavier and dirtier. then along came this song. Alice in Chains succeeded in writing one of the darkest songs in "popular" music, and it's reeeeeeally fucking good.
49. Jewel "Who Will Save Your Soul" - i really wish Jewel didn't start getting super poppy, because this song is really, really good. this whole album is really good. and somehow, it just kind of went downhill from there.
48. Matchbox Twenty "3 AM" - another gem in the crown of generic rock radio. *yawn*
47. Marky Mark and The Funky Bunch "Good Vibrations" - i remember at one point, shortly after the whole "Marky Mark" thing dropped off, hearing about Mark Wahlberg getting asked about this, and he evidently got pissed. whatever, this was an awesome track. at least he didn't go the Will Smith route and start recording watered down versions of what used to be good when he started acting....
46. Shania Twain "You're Still the One" - i really, really hate this song. seriously.
45. Hootie & the Blowfish "Only Wanna Be With You" - this is like a fucking anthem for every mid-90s college kid that wore hemp necklaces. you know, the ones that didn't drop out to follow Phish on tour, but the ones that went on to become real estate agents.
44. The Fugees "Killing Me Softly With His Song" - this track was fucking HUGE when it hit, not like you don't know that. it's damn catchy, and made you really forget how over-rated The Fugees really were.
43. En Vogue "My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It)" - ok, as far as modern, poppy-r&b songs go, this is seriously one of the best. the part where it just goes a capella... that shit is awesome. the voices on these girls were incredible, but boy did i get sick of hearing this song quoted from girls.
42. Collective Soul "Shine" - i really didn't know what to make of Collective Soul, and i still don't. they always just kind of struck me as like, a bar band (a pretty good one, but still) that just happened to be in the right place at the right time. i do love the riff in this song though.
41. Spin Doctors "Two Princes" - jesus christ, what an annoying fucking song. i recently saw something where they were talking about the story behind the song (which i forget), and that made it a bit more tolerable, but still...
40. Color Me Badd "I Wanna Sex You Up" - ok seriously, you've got a "greatest songs of the 90s" list, and you throw this piece of shit on here (what the fuck does "sex you up" even mean?!), but there isn't a single Boyz II Men song on the whole fucking list. ridiculous.
39. Goo Goo Dolls "Iris" - say what you will, this song could very easily be one of my favorites to come out of the (mainstream) 90s. just a seriously beautiful love song, and the movie tie-in (City of Angels) makes it hit a little harder.
38. Christina Aguilera "Genie In A Bottle" - dear world, here's the only one of those mid to late 90s pop princesses that could actually sing. i know, it's hard to believe that you might want to market someone based on talent and not just looks (whatever, she's got both), but you might want to try it. this song absolutely blows away any track that Britney Spears has ever recorded, and it's a fucking shame that it's not higher on the list.
37. Green Day "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)" - when i first heard Green Day, i would have laughed in your face had you told me they would end up writing what would basically become a high school prom slow dance staple. but hey, they did it. more power to 'em. luckily for anyone that's not in high school, it's still a pretty damn good song.
36. C+C Music Factory "Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)" - another super catchy, super irritating, 1990s party jam. i think i got this cassette for my birthday or Christmas or something, and ended up recording Minor Threat and the Misfits over it or something like that.
35. Oasis "Wonderwall" - every now and then, i stumble back upon songs and bands that i despised when they came out, and i realize that they're actually really good. case in point, Oasis, and this song in particular. now, i'm still not a huge fan, and i'm not too terribly familiar with any of their non-single tracks, but of the singles, this one definitely shines.
34. Third Eye Blind "Semi-Charmed Life" - what kind of warped minds come up with an idea to write a super catchy, bound-for-radio-glory track about crystal meth?! pretty brilliant, really. too bad the song sucks.
33. Spice Girls "Wannabe" - ok, let me be up front here. the whole Spice Girls "girl power" thing was utter horse shit. wait! hear me out before you berate me for being a misogynist! by the time this song came out, and silly little pre-teeny boppers were running around yelling "girl power!", i had long since been into bands like Bikini Kill, bands that talked about "girl power" without dressing like whores. so when this shit came out, all i could do was laugh. there's nothing empowering about being nothing more than eye candy, and shitty eye candy at that.
32. BLACKstreet "No Diggity" - there was this really brief period where smooth r&b-ish singers were laying down vocals over smooth west coast beats (courtesy of Dr. Dre), and damn if it wasn't great. this song was the shit when it came out. it was, like so many other tracks on this list, destined to be a party favorite for years. unlike a lot of those other tracks though (*cough*c&cmusicfactory*cough*), this one stood the test of time and is still a great track.
31. Radiohead "Creep" - i don't really know what i was expecting after buying this album. i bought it entirely because of "Creep", and imagine my surprise when the rest of the album didn't really have the same heavy parts that this song did. it's kind of funny to listen to this song now, and see just how much Radiohead has progressed as a band. that's not to say this song isn't good, because it really is, but man... what a difference time makes.
30. *NSYNC "Tearin' Up My Heart" - it's funny, i always thought groups like these (the "boy bands") were like a poor photocopy of New Kids on the Block, and they really were. they all basically had the same 5 stereotypical guys in the band (you know, the "pretty boy", the "tough guy", etc.), and they all put out the same god-awful shit. but hey, thanks to the continued success of the boy band mold, the road has been paved for that NKOTB reunion so all of those hipster girls can re-awaken how shallow they really are by swooning over middle-aged men singing songs they wrote as teenagers, about teenage girls. creeeeepy.
29. Vanilla Ice "Ice Ice Baby" - if you try to tell me you don't know at least a few of the words to this song, i will karate chop your throat. this song was completely unescapable, and seriously, like him or not, the dude could fucking dance. personally, i still love this song. maybe it's just nostalgia, but man, every now and then, i just need to blast this shit.
28. Ricky Martin "Livin' la Vida Loca" - i'll give this guy credit, as much as i don't like him, he basically brought an entirely new music scene out with him. well, at least it was "new" to most of the US. and somehow, it also inspired a lot of white kids to pretend they were hispanic and get "mi vida loca" tattoos.
27. Counting Crows "Mr. Jones" - i think mainly because this song was (and still is, really) beaten into the ground by radio stations everywhere, "Mr. Jones" stands as the only Counting Crows song that I don't like. it's still a pretty good song, but "pretty good" only goes so far when you've heard a song thousands of times.
26. Eminem "My Name Is" - i don't really like Eminem, and the stuff that i do like is his more serious stuff, but what a way to burst on to the music scene. he was definitely doing something way different that anything else that was out at the time, so i'll give him credit for that. it's just a shame that more recognition isn't given to someone like Eyedea, who absolutely killed Eminem in a freestyle battle, and is actually worth listening to.
25. Soundgarden "Black Hole Sun" - unlike "Mr. Jones" by Counting Crows, this is one of those songs that is still beaten into the ground by radio stations that i never liked. and i liked Soundgarden when this album came out. hell, i still think "Badmotorfinger" is a great record. things just... went downhill after that album.
24. House of Pain "Jump Around" - this track has always been kinda bittersweet for me. i'm glad it gets recognition, because it definitely deserves it, but it's sort of like "(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (to Party)" in that it was (unfortunately) latched on to by douchebags and frat boys (i know, that's redundant) all over the country. but it definitely laid the groundwork for these dudes to advance, and they've steadily shown how talented they really are.
23. Salt-N-Pepa with En Vogue "Whatta Man" - this, to me, is a piss-poor excuse for a Salt-N-Pepa song. not achieving any success releasing good hip hop records? take off most of your clothes and act like whores!
22. Beck "Loser" - again, Beck was someone that came out doing something really different,
but i really hated it. still do, actually. i can honestly say i've never heard a single Beck song that i like. does that mean he sucks? no, not at all. the guy is definitely really, really talented, and will obviously sell far more hit records than i ever will. i just can't get into him.
21. Celine Dion "My Heart Will Go On" - in all honesty, this song alone is the reason i put off seeing "Titanic" for so long. the words and emotion contained within the song are awesome, but damn i wish someone else was singing it. insert New Found Glory cover version here.
20. Hanson "MMMBop" - i don't really know what sort of phenomenon prompted the signing of these 3 brothers, but i reeeeeally wish it had never happened. this seriously seems to me like it's much more suited for a TV show "band", ala the Partridge Family. i also don't think any other one hit wonder has obtained such a rabid following.
19. Beastie Boys "Sabotage" - it's hard for me to see a lot of the songs on this list and not go "oh man, they had way better songs than this out in the 90s!", but i gotta work with what VH1 decided on. that said... Beastie Boys had way better songs than this out in the 90s. shit, they had better tracks from just this record. but whatever, i still like this song a lot, and it beat listening to a lot of the other shit that was out then. and as cliche as it seems to say this, i really do love the video.
18. Metallica "Enter Sandman" - man, if Metallica had just stopped with this album, they would have left a largelt unblemished legacy. but noooo... they had to keep getting worse and worse. at any rate, this song, to me, was a welcome addition to radio/video airplay. the riff in this song is so fucking heavy, and it's such an evil song.
17. Destiny's Child "Say My Name" - i think my problem with a lot of this list is that i was musically aware for the entire decade, so it seemed to me that Destiny's Child was a re-hashed En Vogue. i won't deny the talent though, and i won't deny how catchy this song is.
16. MC Hammer "U Can't Touch This" - oh come on, you love this song, you know you do. this shit makes me wish i still had a Starter jacket. the Rick James-sampled beat is so good, it's hard to not at least nod your head.
15. Red Hot Chili Peppers "Under the Bridge" - god damnit, i hate this song so much. it's not moving, it's not thoughtful, it's fucking crap. the end.
14. Mariah Carey "Vision of Love" - holy shit, did you hear the voice that came out of that girl?! this was long before Mariah went bat-shit crazy, and she basically dethroned Whitney Houston with this one song. it was a good time.
13. Dr. Dre (featuring Snoop Doggy Dogg) "Nuthin' but a "G" Thang" - despite not really being his first appearance on a track, this was basically the song that said "hey world, meet Snoop". and what a great song to come out on. this entire album, start to finish, is a fucking classic.
12. Alanis Morissette "You Oughta Know" - there are two ways to view this song, and two separate reactions. the first way, is that it's an angry song about a random ex, and it's just... i dunno... whiny, and bitchy, and stupid. the second way to view it is that it's an angry song about Dave Coulier, and it's AWESOME. fuck you, uncle Joey.
11. Pearl Jam "Jeremy" - while more intelligent and more musically talented than their "Seattle grunge" peers, Pearl Jam jsut never really wrote music that i could get into. i give them a lot of credit for sticking around, and a lot of credit for standing up for issues that they believe in. i just wish i could give them credit for writing songs that i enjoy.
10. Sinéad O'Connor "Nothing Compares 2 U" - i really can't begin to describe how good this song is. it's just soooo powerful, but not in a loud kind of way. just this small, quiet girl from Ireland with an amazing voice baring her soul completely, for the entire world. an amazing song.
09. R.E.M. "Losing My Religion" - this song falls into the same category as "Wonderwall"... it took me years to realize how good it really is, and to fully appreciate what a good band R.E.M. is.
08. TLC"Waterfalls" - this another song that's kind of like "Nothing Compares 2 U", just a incredibly powerful, emotional song. and it had a really good beat.
07. Britney Spears "...Baby One More Time" - words can't express how much i hate this song. i've never ever liked Britney Spears, and i honestly can't unerstand her popularity. i understand that this was a huge hit, so i guess if this were the "most popular songs of the 90s" list, i'd be ok with it, but really, this song is horrible. it doesn't belong on ANY "best" list. ever.
06. Sir Mix-A-Lot "Baby Got Back" - ah yes, an ode to one of my favorite parts of the female anatomy. how can it get any better? guys, you know you've said "baby got back" about AT LEAST one girl since this song came out. this went beyond a song to a cultural phenom.
05. Madonna "Vogue" - i never really got the whole "Vogue" thing, but whatever. it' a good song, catchy, and before Madonna got really weird.
04. Whitney Houston "I Will Always Love You" - this song, in my mind, was basically the end of Whitney's era, and it was a hell of a way to go out. man, she seriously belts out the last few lines of this song, it's super fucking impressive.
03. Backstreet Boys "I Want It That Way" - these dudes had talent, that much i'll give them. it still doesn't make up for the fact that they were a manufactured group, and that will never sit well with me. i won't lie though, i know a few lines from this song.
02. U2 "One" - i've grown fond of saying that i like U2 "pre-sunglasses", but this is a super good song. in my opinion, at least with the songs on this list, this should have topped it.
01. Nirvana "Smells Like Teen Spirit" - i had no doubt that this was going to be their number one song, and i totally understand why. this is amongst the very few songs, the very few moments in music history, that literally changed everything. the entire landscape of the musical world was flipped on it's head when this song came out. it really makes you wonder what could have become of Nirvana had things not gone down the way they did with Kurt Cobain. but hey, that's life.
so there it is. ridiculously long, ridiculously pointless, and just plain ridiculous. honestly, i'm still pissed over the fact that Color Me Badd is on the list but Boyz II Men isn't. can anyone tell me with a straight face that "I Wanna Sex You Up" is better than "I'll Make Love To You"? didn't think so.
"an american revolution"
look at those words. catchy, right? makes you feel like if you buy a chevrolet (maybe one of those crazy new hybrid things that seem to be all the rage), you're participating in something huge. like you're making a statement, like you're accomplishing something... revolting against... i dunno... something.
right?
well, mr./mrs. revolutionary, what are you revolting against? what's your revolution? are you just signing up to be the next in a long line of assholes driving corvettes?
i'm getting away from my original train of thought here a bit. i don't mean for this to be an attack on chevrolet, in fact my favorite car was a chevy. what i'm getting at is this: is it even possible to have any sort of "american revolution"? what could we possibly all stand behind, what could compel the overwhelming majority of americans to stand up and say "i will fight against this!" and do something truly revolutionary?
now before you sit there and think i'm an idiot and say to yourself "well we're ALL against terrorism, shithead", that's almost more of a common sense thing than anything. there's nothing "revolutionary" about wanting to protect yourself, your loved ones, neighbors, and so on from an attack. that's just being a decent human being. you're not going to have your name in the history books alongside paul revere in the list of "american revolutionaries" because you have one of those "terrorist hunting permit" stickers on your suv.
"there's no revolution anymore"
the lyrics to that song always struck a chord with me, but lately i've just been thinking about it a lot more. don't get me wrong, there's plenty of revolutionary thinkers out there. plenty of people are taking a stand and speaking up for what they know is right, even when (especially when) it goes against popular beliefs. there are revolutionaries in america, there are people that are revolting against injustice, intolerance, cruelty, deception, lies... these are the american revolutionaries. proof that there are causes worth fighting for, worth going to jail for. proof that in some hearts, the fire of revolution will always burn. we are a country founded on revolution, the united states would not exist as we know it if not for dissent. a minority stood against an oppressive majority, and once the smoke cleared, here we were. the end result of an american revolution.
there is nothing that will motivate enough people to spark a true revolution. let me clarify that... there are in fact things that should motivate people, people and policies that should be spoken out against. but will the majority of america stand up and speak out against these things? will there be enough of an outcry, enough fighting to call any of it a revolution? no way. we, as a country, are far too complacent. somewhere along the way, we lost our ability to think for ourselves. we're so content with letting other people handle the problems, not even thinking that we will never get the results we want unless we do something.
we've reached this point where we've let others speak and act for us for so long, that even if there was something that finally outraged us enough to speak up and do something, our outcry would now be severely limited. sure, you've still got your freedom of speech... to an extent. when you have enough people standing up against something, you'll eventually find yourself being silenced. and it's this threat that keeps so many of us where we are; sitting in front of our tv, watching the news, and bitching about what we see. we'll never stand up as a whole again, even when we know things are going horribly wrong. and you know what? they'll get to a point where we have no choice. a point where, even if we wanted to stand up and speak out in opposition, we won't be able to. and we'll deserve that, our punishment for being apathetic for far too long. it's what we deserve for laughing at people with revolutionary ideas, ignoring facts that have been laid out bare for us to examine.
we're a blinded society. far too easily do we shut our eyes to what we should stand against. and through our inaction, we're condoning these activities that we should be condemning. ladies and gentlemen of the united states, your forefathers would be fucking ashamed of you.
to the dissidents of the world, to those who fight for their beliefs no matter the cost... my eternal gratitude. hopefully more will follow in your footsteps.
current song: these days - the lion's den
right?
well, mr./mrs. revolutionary, what are you revolting against? what's your revolution? are you just signing up to be the next in a long line of assholes driving corvettes?
i'm getting away from my original train of thought here a bit. i don't mean for this to be an attack on chevrolet, in fact my favorite car was a chevy. what i'm getting at is this: is it even possible to have any sort of "american revolution"? what could we possibly all stand behind, what could compel the overwhelming majority of americans to stand up and say "i will fight against this!" and do something truly revolutionary?
now before you sit there and think i'm an idiot and say to yourself "well we're ALL against terrorism, shithead", that's almost more of a common sense thing than anything. there's nothing "revolutionary" about wanting to protect yourself, your loved ones, neighbors, and so on from an attack. that's just being a decent human being. you're not going to have your name in the history books alongside paul revere in the list of "american revolutionaries" because you have one of those "terrorist hunting permit" stickers on your suv.
"there's no revolution anymore"
the lyrics to that song always struck a chord with me, but lately i've just been thinking about it a lot more. don't get me wrong, there's plenty of revolutionary thinkers out there. plenty of people are taking a stand and speaking up for what they know is right, even when (especially when) it goes against popular beliefs. there are revolutionaries in america, there are people that are revolting against injustice, intolerance, cruelty, deception, lies... these are the american revolutionaries. proof that there are causes worth fighting for, worth going to jail for. proof that in some hearts, the fire of revolution will always burn. we are a country founded on revolution, the united states would not exist as we know it if not for dissent. a minority stood against an oppressive majority, and once the smoke cleared, here we were. the end result of an american revolution.
there is nothing that will motivate enough people to spark a true revolution. let me clarify that... there are in fact things that should motivate people, people and policies that should be spoken out against. but will the majority of america stand up and speak out against these things? will there be enough of an outcry, enough fighting to call any of it a revolution? no way. we, as a country, are far too complacent. somewhere along the way, we lost our ability to think for ourselves. we're so content with letting other people handle the problems, not even thinking that we will never get the results we want unless we do something.
we've reached this point where we've let others speak and act for us for so long, that even if there was something that finally outraged us enough to speak up and do something, our outcry would now be severely limited. sure, you've still got your freedom of speech... to an extent. when you have enough people standing up against something, you'll eventually find yourself being silenced. and it's this threat that keeps so many of us where we are; sitting in front of our tv, watching the news, and bitching about what we see. we'll never stand up as a whole again, even when we know things are going horribly wrong. and you know what? they'll get to a point where we have no choice. a point where, even if we wanted to stand up and speak out in opposition, we won't be able to. and we'll deserve that, our punishment for being apathetic for far too long. it's what we deserve for laughing at people with revolutionary ideas, ignoring facts that have been laid out bare for us to examine.
we're a blinded society. far too easily do we shut our eyes to what we should stand against. and through our inaction, we're condoning these activities that we should be condemning. ladies and gentlemen of the united states, your forefathers would be fucking ashamed of you.
to the dissidents of the world, to those who fight for their beliefs no matter the cost... my eternal gratitude. hopefully more will follow in your footsteps.
current song: these days - the lion's den
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