More Lists Mostly About Music

When its time to phone a column in that can only mean one thing: Its time for More Lists Mostly About Music

Top 3 & 1/2 Misleading Rap Names:
1.) Dr. Dre - Not really a Doctor
2.) Lil’ John - Not really that little
3.) Usher - Not really an usher
3 & 1/2.) Dirt McGirt – Not actually dirt

Top 3 & 1/2 90’s Songs by One Hit Wonders Whose Names Start With “The”:
1.) “Bohemian Like You” – The Dandy Warhols
2.) “You Get What You Give” – The New Radicals
3.) “There She Goes” – The La’s
3 & 1/2.) “The Freshmen” – The Verve

Top 3 & 1/2 Good Occasions To Yell Out “Freebird!”:
1.) During a performance by the New York Philharmonic
2.) During a lull in a comedian’s set
3.) During sex
3 & 1/2.) At the pet store

Top 3 & 1/2 Signs You Have Too Much Music:
1.) You’ve begun looking into buying a third Ipod
2.) It takes greater than 3 minutes for your iTunes to finish loading
3.) You’ve seriously contemplated deleting Microsoft Office including Word from your computer in order to make room for more music
3 & 1/2.) People who have a lot of music see how much music you have and they say “damn, you’ve got a lot of music”

Top 3 & 1/2 Songs That Explain an Entire Artistic Output:
1.) “Silly Love Songs” – Paul McCartney
2.) “All About the Benjamins” – Puff Daddy
3.) “Sexuality” – Prince
3 & 1/2.) “I Suck Ass” – Gwen Stefani

Top 3 & 1/2 Alternate Titles for A History of Violence:
1.) A History of Violence Which I Will Inflict Upon Screenwriter Josh Olson
2.) A History of Improbability
3.) A History of Bad Acting
3 & 1/2.) A History of Giving Me Back My $10.75

Top 3 & 1/2 Suggestions for Your Mix Tape:
1.) Dynamite Hack – "Boyz in the Hood" (maybe the greatest cover ever)
2.) British Sea Power – "Please Stand Up"
3.) The Arcade Fire – "Rebellion (Lies)"
3 & 1/2.) Loretta Lynn feat. Jack White – "Portland Oregon"

Top 3 & 1/2 Bono Lyrics I Can think of Off the Top of My Head:
1.) “I have run/I have crawled/ I have scaled these city walls/Only to be with you/And I still haven’t found what I’m looking for” (one of the greatest lyrics of all time)
2.) “A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle”
3.) “The more you know the less you feel”
3 & 1/2.) “You gave me nothing now it’s all I got”

Top 3 & 1/2 Thought Recently Had While at the Movies:
1.) It should be a rule that any movie that features William Hurt (A History of Violence for example) and doesn’t mention this fact in its trailer should include a warning before you buy your ticket. To be blindsided by it in the opening credits after you already spent your $10.50 is unfair. Also, has there ever been a more aptly last-named person?
2.) The fact that I have yet to see the trailer for Brokeback Mountain without it eliciting lots of uncomfortable laughter from the audience doesn’t bode well for its chances in the rest of the country. But I think we already knew that.
3.) After having seen the trailer for Match Point one my favorite moments in theaters now is when at the end of the trailer it flashes the words “directed by Woody Allen” and people in the theater audibly gasp. Especially now that I know it’s coming, it’s almost worth the price of admission.
3 & 1/2.) Speaking of trailers, has a movie ever previously won Best Picture before its trailer was even released or will Munich be the first one? And does this mean that it’s the anti-Million Dollar Baby? And where exactly can I find a life?

Top 3 & 1/2 Things To Say To The People In Times Square Passing Out Fliers For Comedy Clubs When They Ask “Do You Like Stand Up Comedy?” That Might (MIGHT) Actually Get Them to Leave You Alone
1.) Do you like stand up anal fisting?
2.) My mom’s dead. Thanks a lot asshole.
3.) I don’t speak English.
3 & 1/2.) Stand up comedy?!? I LOVE stand up comedy!!! Thank you SOOO much for this flier. I will treasure it for the rest of my life. (hug them)

Top 3 & 1/2 Random Moments in Music That I Really Enjoy
1.) The moment when the vocals start on “Ice Ice Baby” and you know for sure that its not “Under Pressure”
2.) When John Lennon sings “I don’t believe in Beatles” in “God”
3.) When Frank Black yells “Then God is SEVEN!” in “Monkey Gone to Heaven”
3 & 1/2.) When Michael Jackson tells Paul McCartney, “Paul, I’m a lover not a fighter” in “The Girl is Mine” because really, did anyone think Michael Jackson WAS a fighter?



Top 3 & 1/2 of the Week:
1.) The NL Champion Houston Astros
2.) “My Father’s Gun” – Elton John (the best thing about Elizabethtown)
3.) Capote
3 & 1/2.) Gwyneth Paltrow in Proof

Thought of the Week: I need a haircut like a bitch needs a slap. Which is to say I REALLY need a haircut. And you don’t care.

MTV Killed the Video Star

Sometimes you know things will disappoint you but you do them anyway. Watching Saturday Night Live, paying to see a new Star Wars movie, having sex with your mom, and of course watching the VMAs. It wasn’t always like this though. As recently as three years ago the VMAs had Eminem feuding with puppets, Chris Rock insulting celebrities to their face, a guy from Rage Against the Machine climbing on the set, Blink 182 dancing with midgets, and girls kissin’ other girls while dressed in wedding attire. Now though, we got R. Kelly lip-synching, MC Hammer attempting to be cool, and Diddy not doing anything even remotely funny. This of course answers the question everyone has been asking me which is: “Diddy?” Well no, he didn’t.
Moving on…
All in all, it was even more unmemorable than last year and that’s saying something. In fact it took me a week after the fact to even post this, because I figured that’s how long it would take most people to bother to check out the show on one of MTV’s five reruns a day. More troubling than the lack of excitement this year though, was seeing what was nominated for the top awards. Usually no matter how bad the show itself was, the awards part of the evening was pretty good. Quality videos were always nominated and you usually cared what won. Sure there was some crap thrown in, but when it came to the biggies like “Video of the Year” and the “MTV2 Award” usually all the nominees were really high quality groundbreaking videos, sometimes for relative obscure acts. Don’t forget, videos like “Freak on a Leash” “Hurt” “99 Problems” “Virtual Insanity” “Buddy Holly” and “Weapon of Choice” were all nominated for the top award. And in perhaps the best case ever of “sticking it to the man” when said “man” is yourself, Neil Young’s “This Note’s for You” video won Video of the Year even though MTV refused to ever air it. Now you may ask yourself how I remember that. Well it’s because I remember that video. I remember all those aforementioned videos. They made an impact on me and impressed me with their artistry. In our lifetime we’ve seen videos go from being a mere promotional tool for a song to an art form in and of itself. So that’s why it’s depressing to look at the nominees from this year. Sure “Speed of Sound” and “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” are great songs, but great videos? That’s questionable at best. And you can honestly tell me that the videos for “Locked Up” and “Still Tippin’” have a shred of artistic merit? Of course you can’t. But then again you can’t say much about them, because you’ve probably never even seen them. No one has. Because MTV has given up on videos. Now I know that it’s been en vogue to hate on the station that brought us En Vogue for not playing videos since almost the day the station started, but it’s truer now that it ever has been. It’s gotten so bad that now MTV has actually lunched an ad campaign to defend itself against the criticism that they no longer play videos. Funny thing is if they would just spend all the time they use defending themselves against the charges that they don’t play video to, oh I dunno, actually play videos, then we wouldn’t be in this situation in the first place. But we are instead now at a point where no one can even debate whether the VMAs nominees are good or bad because no one has seen any of the videos. The sad part is that the quality of videos being produced is constantly getting better and better, yet the average person doesn’t ever get to see them. There’s stuff out there now that’s better shot and more creative and artistically relevant than 90% of feature films. But you would never know that from watching MTV. Because they refuse to acknowledge that videos even exist. Its like a father leaving his family, but instead of leaving the kids when they are little, waiting instead until they have grown up into genius world-renowned superstars and then ditching them to go marry some stripper he met at a bar and raise her dirty drug addict kids in their place. Any way you want to look at it the relationship between MTV and the art form they helped spawn couldn’t be any more sad and ironic. And not ironic in an Alanis Moresitte not-actually-ironic-but-really-more-just-coincidental way, but in an actually ironic way. Also, did I mention it’s really sad? I mean they birthed the art form of videos and then left it for dead. But just like Moses, videos will one day rise up and have all of your first-born male children killed. And they will part the Red Sea too. I know they will. Because they are just that cool. As for things that aren’t cool, well here are my other thoughts on the VMAs:

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-Believe me no one likes "Mr. Brightside" more than me, but perhaps it’s time for a new song. The fireworks were pretty fuckin cool though. On a related note can we get Brandon Flowers some charisma? I think Kayne can loan you some dude.

-Does Lil’ Kim appreciate the irony of her name?

-Remember when Diddy invented the remix?

-Has anyone ever seen Ciarra and Beyonce in the same place at the same time? Just wondering…

-Whoever is in charge of the Taco Bell ads must be stopped. Seriously someone is gonna get hurt and its probably gonna be me.

-Did you know Rachael McAdams is 29?!? How is this possible?

Who the hell is…
…The Bishop Magic Don Juan?
…BS?
…T.I.?

-Sometimes the pressure to make a good joke is just too intense. For example see the reageton performance.

-If I killed Eva Longoria would anyone be opposed?

-On a related note: Ricky Martin is still alive?

-Some things you can live down, some things you cant, and some things are Mariah Carey’s episode of “Cribs”

-What exactly is a hollaback girl?
(How has no one looked into this yet?)

-Run away winner for Quote of the Night:
Kurt Loder on the post show: “Word to the reaggeton thing”

-The Gorillaz aren’t there to accept their award? How can this be?!?

-With Shakira is the actual music she’s dancing to even relevant at this point?

-Can someone please explain “Trapped in the Closet” to me? I mean who would imagine that the song would actually be gayer than the title? And how did it get so much radio play? Really I don’t understand the whole thing. It’s one of the more bizarre musical phenomenons in our lifetime, and the strangeness of it all hasn’t gotten nearly the analysis it needs. I would do the job myself if I even remotely comprehended it. And what the deal with R. Kelly? Isn’t he supposed to be in jail or something? Can we please get that trial under way VERY soon?

-Someone did tell 50 Cent that when you cuss on live TV they just mute the sound right?

-Is it wrong of me that I actually care about the fate of Hilary Duff and Joel Madden as a couple?…Okay let’s just pretend I never mentioned this…

-Do you ever wonder what real non-reality show created artists think about the success of Kelly Clarkson? Do you ever wonder if Kelly Clarkson’s shoes wonder where he feet are? Do you ever wonder if I might or might not write a lengthy essay devoted entirely to “Since U Been Gone”? Well you should.

-I think more really needs to be being made about what Green Day is doing right now. If Ray Charles hadn’t died I think there is universal agreement that they would have won the Grammy for Album of the Year and would have deserved it. They now have also swept a youth oriented awards show on a station that doesn’t even acknowledge the existence of rock anymore. They have an album that is not only the best of its year, but also the most popular of its year. How many bands have been able to make that claim? Very, very few. There have already been four top 20 singles off “American Idiot” and there will likely be two or three more before all is said and done. And there are only 13 tracks on the album. That’s an almost “Thriller” like ratio of hits to non-hits. And it’s not just that they are hits. There are also freakishly good songs. And it’s not just the most popular and one of the best selling albums of the year, it’s also the most important "punk" album since “London Calling” in terms of scope, influence, quality, and relevance. All this being said I think its clear that Green Day isn’t getting nearly enough credit for what they are in the midst of accomplishing. I mean if you can get an 8-minute 5-part intro to a punk rock opera not only played on the radio, but played with extreme frequency, then that opens the door for pretty much anything in not only the world of punk, but in the world of popular music as a whole. In an era when it feels like everything has already been done, especially in rock/punk, when new things are done I don’t think there’s any way to overstate their importance. I could say more but my fingers might start to bleed if I really let loose. Just know that with Green Day right now, we are experiencing something we may never experience again, and appreciate it and soak it up now for all its worth, cause who knows when the next time is that something like this will come along.

Best commercials aired during the show:
1.) Any and all Red Stripe commercials
2.) The salmon eaten by bear Geico commercial
3.) The monster/robot Hummer H3 commercial

Things Diddy should have asked My Chemical Romance to do other than perform:
1.) Rehearse
2.) Get him a sandwich
3.) Not perform

Best rap names I had never heard before the VMAs
1.) Fat Man Scoop
2.) Styles P
3.) Olu Dara

Me Responding to Rap Songs:
T.I.- “U Don’t Know Me”: “You’re right. I don’t.”
Mike Jones- “Who is Mike Jones?”: “I don’t know”
Snoop- “Drop It Like It’s Hot”: “Okay”
Destiny’s Child- “Lose My Breath”: “I'd be glad to help with that.”
Ciarra- “Oh”: “Oh?”

-Okay so this is only tangentially related to the VMAs but another day cannot go by without me discussing a topic that is very important to me: Formula 50 Vitamin Water. That’s right, 50 Cent’s very own flavor of Vitamin Water. I seriously don’t even know where to begin when discussion this other than with a simple question: how? For a little review before we begin- Jay-Z promotes a Grey Goose cognac, Nelly has something called “Pimp Juice”, and Lil’ Jon of course has “Crunk Juice”. What does 50 Cent, the gangsterist gangster of them all have? A flavor of water. How did this happen?!? Were the people at Vitamin Water sitting around in their boardroom one day thinking, “Who would be a person who you would associate with vitamin infused water?” and they came up with 50 Cent? And its not like there’s a line of celebrity endorsed flavors. No, its JUST 50 Cent! That’s it. Seriously is there anything LESS hardcore than vitamin water? I mean who pays $2.50 for a bottle of water? Rich people, trendy people, and idiots. And 50 Cent only appeals to one of those groups. I really don’t get it. And how is this not a bigger topic of national discussion? I mean has there been anything more baffling than this since the release of Donnie Darko? I think not. Okay, I have to stop talking about this now under doctor’s orders.
I’m off now to go get my prescription refilled.



Top 3 & 1/2 of the Week:
1.) Kayne West- "Late Registartion" (Album) (More on this one at a later date...)
2.) OK Go- "A Million Ways" video
3.) Watching Fox News for the entertainment value
3 & 1/2.) Labor


Thought of the Week:
I dont want to really get into in this space, but I would just like to say that I think Katrina is worse than 9/11. Not that theres any way to compare disaters and not that even doing such a thing isnt inherently wrong, disrepectful, and insenstive, but I just hadnt heard that really mentioned and thats really how I feel. As bad as 9/11 was, ultimately the permannt long-lasting damage to those not directly involved, was the loss of two buildings. Katrina has wiped one of the great American cities off the map, and unlike with 9/11 when people said nothing would ever be the same, in this case, things really never will be the same. New Orleans as we know it is gone, never to return. Its really too unfathomable to even comprehend. If your heart doesnt ache then you dont have one. Thats all I really have to say in this space. Thanks for listening.

Lists Mostly About Music

As you’ve probably noticed, me and VH1 have a lot in common. We both like music. We both love the 90’s. We’re both the bastard stepchildren of MTV. And we both like to make lists of things and rank them. And so I thought it would be fun to share this love of lists by making you read a bunch of pointless ones I came up with off the top of my head. Alcohol might or might not have also been involved. Plus I thought since me making lists was pretentious, self-involved, uninformative, not funny and required very little writing ability it would go in well with the rest of my entries. On the mr. brightside, this will be an entry you'll able to read in under an hour. So fire up your illegal downloading software, or if you are a massive loser, your iTunes music store, and prepare yourself for a bunch of lists (mostly) about music.

Top 3 & 1/2 Unanswered Questions About Music from the 90’s
1.) What exactly is it that the Backstreet Boys wanted and what way did they want it exactly?
2.) When Kurt Cobain said "I don’t have a gun, no I don't have a gun", was he lying? Because it sure seems like he was. Maybe his band mates shouldn’t have taken him at his word. Perhaps they also should have checked his attic
3.) But really, where WERE you while we were getting high?
3 & 1/2.) What the fuck was Michael Stipe talking about?

Top 3 & 1/2 Early Frontrunners for “Song of the Summer”
1.) “Talk” by Coldplay
2.) “I Predict A Riot” by The Kaiser Chiefs
3.) “Best of You” by Foo Fighters
3 & 1/2.) “Don’t Phunk With My Heart” by The Black Eyed Peas

Top 3 & 1/2 Responses to “Who’s There?”
1.) Banana
2.) Banana
3.) Banana
3 & 1/2.) Orange you glad I didn’t say banana again?

Top 3 & 1/2 Suggestions for Your Mix CD
1.) “Hot Black Silk” by Songs:Ohia
2.) “Lovers Spit” by Broken Social Scene
3.) “Too Young” by Phoenix
3 & 1/2.) “Biomusicology” by Ted Leo and the Pharmacists

Top 3 & 1/2 Sigur Ros Lyrics
1.) Sé sjálfan mig syngja fagnaðarerindið
2.) Ityoowoohoo
3.) Stari a ryðið sem vex á mér
3 & 1/2.) (silence)

Top 3 & 1/2 Albums From 2004 You Should Have But Probably Don’t
1.) Rilo Kiley- More Adventurous
2.) TV on the Radio- Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes
3.) The Arcade Fire- Funeral
3 & 1/2.) The Go Team!- Thunder, Lightning, Strike

Top 3 & 1/2 Kurt Cobain Lyrics
1.) “I wish I could eat your cancer when you turn black”
2.) “Who needs actions when you got words?”
3.) “Rape me, my friend”
3 & 1/2.) “What else could I say? / Everyone is gay / What else could I write? / I don't have the right / What else should I be? / All apologies”

Top 3 & 1/2 Uses of a Pre-existing Song in a Movie
Note: trying to narrow this down was as hard as trying to come up with a decent analogy
1.) “Tiny Dancer” in Almost Famous
2.) “Ooh La La” in Rushmore
3.) “The Weight” in The Big Chill
3 & 1/2.) “In Your Eyes” in Say Anything… (I know, I know, how obvious, but I couldn’t leave it off)

Top 3 & 1/2 Thoughts Had While Watching the “Preshow Entertainment” at Loews
1.) I enjoy motion pictures.
2.) That Coke commercial about the guys making the documentary is the best thing I’ve seen in theaters all year. That is sad on so many levels.
3.) I can’t believe I’m even thinking this, but I kinda miss the Fanta girls.
3 & 1/2.) If you want to know why Jodie Foster has had a great career and Kate Hudson hasn’t, then you should compare Skeleton Key and Flightplan.

Top 3 & 1/2 Great Songs That Thru Their Association with a Tragedy Became Transcendent
1.) “Where The Streets Have No Name” (from the 2002 Superbowl Halftime)- 9/11
2.) “All Apologies”- Kurt Cobain’s suicide
3.) “Let It Be”- the breakup of the Beatles
3 & 1/2.) “Lets Get It On”- my prom night

Top 3 & 1/2 Songs on My Ipod That in Some Way Involve Male Royalty
1.) “Kings” by Steely Dan
2.) “Charlemagne in Sweatpants” by The Hold Steady
3.) “Richard III” by Supergrass
3 & 1/2.) “Paper Doll” by Louis XIV

Top 3 & 1/2 Ways Kanye West's Lyric "The Way School Need Teachers / The Way Kathie Lee Needed Regis / That's the Way I Need Jesus," Could Be Adapted for Other Religions. (Stolen from Mcsweeneys.net)
1.) Islam
The way Madonna need the Kabbalah / The way Skee-Lo needed more royalties from "I wish I was a li'l bit talla" / That the way I need Allah
2.) Shintoism
The way the Bush camp needed to find some WMDs / The way Scottish tourism needs the Hebrides / That how I need various "kami," nature deities
3.) Zoroastrianism
The way the troops need to come home from Basra / The way my friend Terry's dad needs his '96 Mazda / So, too, do I need a Mazda, except I am of course referring to Ahura Mazda, the single supreme god of Zoroastrianism
3 & 1/2.) Atheism
The way the Red Sox need the curse of Babe Ruth / The way Abraham Lincoln needed Booth / That's how much I need a deity of any sort / That is to say, not very much at all



Top 3 & 1/2 of the Week
1.) http://dutchwest.tv/
2.) The music from "In Good Company"
3.) Micheal Moore's The Awful Truth: Season Two, Episode 5 - "Ficus for Congress"
3 & 1/2.) RENT: the Movie anticipation
See the trailer: http://movies.channel.aol.com/franchise/exclusives/rent_movie


Thought of the Week:
Since we're now 4 episodes in, its safe to say that not only is Family Guy back but its better than ever. The Van Gough flashback a few weeks ago and the Hiroshima flashback this week were two of the finest moments in the show's history. Just astounding that show is. Sometimes its brillance makes my head hurt.

Marymount Musings: Graduation Edition

It’s hard to believe that I am finally, at long last, a college graduate. It seems like college took almost as long to complete as it took me to update the journal. Yet at the same time it also seems like just yesterday I plagiarized my first college paper. Yet now its four years later and I have my cheap paper folder that is supposed to contain my degree but that I know likely never will as there’s at least a 60% chance the school will fuck it up somehow and I’ll never receive it. And although the past four years were fun, I cant help but feel that I somewhat missed out on the full Marymount experience. I mean I made it through four years at Marymount without not getting cast, developing a nicotine addiction, or having sex with a guy. Which I guess actually means I have a lot in common with most of the girls at Marymount.
I’m sorry, that’s not entirely fair. I take that back.
Most girls at Marymount are addicted to nicotine… Regardless, it’s quite an accomplishment. But nevertheless it’s over, and all I have now is the memories. Well that, and the emotional scars. And the soul crushing debt. And the deep-seated hatred for all humanity. And of course…the musings.

*Top 3 &1/2 Observations About Graduation:
1.) I feel like the valedictorian got that speech out of Valedictorian Speeches for Dummies. Either that or out of Mad Libs but instead of putting “penis” and “fart” in the blanks she put in “momentous” and “exacerbate” instead.
2.) I think I speak for most of us when I say: who knew Shawn McLaughlin was such a nerd?
3.) Which name was most surprising to hear being called out: Nick Billotti or Joe Muto? Its hard to say.
3 & 1/2.) Some people have said Hilary’s speech was boring and uninspiring because she’s got the personality of a piece of lumber. Others have said it was because she didn’t take Crit. III. Others have said it was because after she heard the first guy’s speech she knew she couldn’t top him so she decided to not even bother. And while all valid, none of those are completely right. I think deep down we all know the real reason…
It’s because she’s a woman.
(First piece of hate mail coming in 3…2…1…Hey there it is!)

*Barbara Adrian makes me go “OOOOO”.

*I thought I should share this email I got the other day…

To: Andy Stokan
From: Peter Baker
Subject: Kudos on your shit

Dear all involved with your shit last night,
What a grand and stimulating excrement of feces you partook in last night! The lugubrious deliverance of the soupcon of excrements into the tranquil pool of liquid below evoked Renior’s masterpiece Loir-et-Chait de Blois and the voluptuous enormity of each fecal matter caused a hardening to transpire in mine own pants. While watching, I was reminded of Bernard Pevou’s fine work Les Triumph du Poopoo in which he states so majestically, “Quicon du la pori cara wei”. And I think we can all agree on that! The lighting and set too were of such splendor and magnificence that I myself did shit mine own trousers several times over. Kudos!
-Peter Baker

*Specially Requested Shout Out of the Week: Theater Bakeshop - baking quality plays since Spring ‘05

*Top 3 & 1/2 Ways Java City is Different Than the Real World:
1.) At Java City, Carmine gives you free smoothies; in the real world, Carmine makes you eat cake.
2.) At Java City, I can’t have my iced coffee because they are out of two key ingredients: ice and coffee; in the real world, I shoot them in the face.
3.) At Java City, you get coffee and hip-hop at the same time; in the real world, not so much.
3 & 1/2.) At Java City, if they are closed you can always go use the vending machines; oh wait no you can’t because they are fucking broken!

*Who is “Kelly” and how can I thank her?

*I have a math problem for you:
1 building + 8 floors + 3 elevators + (1 elevator that services all 8 floors) – (2 elevators that only service 3 floors) + 10,000 decrepit old people = sheer chaos. Seriously did the people that run this school not pass basic math? Wait, don’t answer that…But seriously the express elevator idea is like the worst idea the school has made since whatever the last decision they made prior to that one was.
The only good thing the express elevators have done is given worth to the 7th floor. Before it was the armpit of the school, now it’s the place to want your class to be. As Martha Cary said, only with much funnier wording, the 7th Floor is now like the 86th Street stop of Marymount. Now if only the cross-town bus stopped there too we’d be all set.

*My first three years at Marymount saw a lot of change, but through it all there was one thing that always remained the same. If you were at school and you had time to kill the only place to do it was the Nuge. Regardless of if you had to kill five minutes or five hours, the Nuge could meet your time wasting needs. It was the place to see and be seen. Whether you were Nairoby Otero or just one of Nairoby’s friends, the Nuge was the place be. It didn’t matter if you wanted to bitch about every aspect of human existence with the musical theater kids in the corner or just practice your scene at a really loud volume; there was a place for you in the Nuge. But this past year the Nuge just wasn’t the same. I would often have to search for several seconds before even finding a familiar face. Some of the computers actually functioned. And on occasion, Katie Gorum was nowhere to be found! It got so bad I almost considered doing my jewelry shopping somewhere else. Most days I could barely even kill half a Fox 5 News Segment in there. So while I have moved on, there are those who are just begining their days at Marymount who will sadly never know about the thriving civilization that once existed in the very room where they eat their daily Graces’ salad. And it is for them that I feel bad. May they find their social life somewhere new.
“The Nuge is dead, long live the Nuge!”

*Top 3 & 1/2 Potential New Slogans for Marymount:
1.) “High School: The College Years”
2.) “Our students are just like the kids from “Fame”, only minus the talent and ambition!”
3.) “Putting the liberal back in liberal arts!”
3 & 1/2.) “Got coke?”

*Rumor has it that one time a guy ate an entire Java City chocolate chip cookie in one sitting. He’s dead now.

*In closing I wanted to say something slightly heartfelt. But then Lauren Morelli stole my thunder. So to elaborate on what she said, I will say that the fact we like to bitch about things, and the fact that we’re a tight community who deep down loves our school aren’t facts that are in opposition. In reality, they go hand in hand. It’s not just 9/11 that bonded us, but moreso it was the little things. The waiting outside at 4am in the cold to register for classes. The first days of 55th Street. Knowing what things were like pre-Jim Hundriser. The Black Sheep being our college bar. Having to rehearse your scene with eight other groups in the Rat. Having to sit through The Seagull. The entire Ben Prior Administration. And the list goes on and on. All these little things joined us together as much as “the big thing”. And bitching about them all is what made the bond so strong. It gave us a common goal and shared pain, and as a psychology major would tell you (if they existed), that’s one of the strongest ways to create an emotional bond with another person. The crazy thing is that sometime during all that bitching we actually changed things. It’s hard to believe, but the school is now actually a functional institution. And sadly as the school gets better, each incoming class gets worse. (If you don’t believe me, ask David Mold.) And it breaks my heart. Because the new kids will never know the Marymount we knew. The Marymount that made us who we are. They know the post-surgery Marymount, but we knew her back when she was fat and acne ridden. We knew her when she was real. But they will never know her, because we killed her. They say love hurts; well I guess our love did. Because the Gucci purse carrying, low rise jean wearing, fabulously manicured English majors who now populate the Nuge are not Marymount. And I’m sure there are also females who match the same description, and they aren’t Marymount either.
We are.
Scrappy, disgruntled, and never taking anything for granted. “The Golden Class.”
We may not have been able to buy a plasma TV as a Senior gift but we did something else.
We built a school.
And for that we are very sorry.

I love you all.


Top 3 & 1/2 of the Week:
1.) THE WEST WING! (A full length article on why The West Wing is the greatest thing in the history of man might be forthcoming. But dont hold me to that.)
2.) 1845 1st Avenue, Apt. 2S
3.) neverending summer
3 & 1/2.) Black Rebel Motorcycle Club- "Whatever Happened to My Rock N Roll"


Thought of the Week:
Would the opposite of the video game "Street Fighter" be "Street Lover"? Would it be the game for pacifists? I mean I feel like thats really a large untapped market for fighting games. And if they did make it, would its theme song be "Why Dont We Do It In The Road"? Someone should look into this...

Fred the Online Journal Recommends

*Making crappy self-indulgent lists and putting them in your online journal rather than actually writing a real entry about something people will care about even though it’s already been like forever since you last wrote anything:
The only thing worse than someone with an online journal is someone who doesn’t update their online journal for three weeks and then when they finally do update it its with some lame half-assed stop-gap measure written only so that people will stop asking them “when are you going to update your online journal”. Well, actually there is one thing worse than that: people who read other people’s online journals. Those people are losers. And they have no lives. Or friends. Despite what facebook might say.

*Your Mom:
She keeps getting better and better all the time. In fact, it’s getting to the point now that when she requests that I “give it to her” I’m starting to think she might not always be referring to my money.

*Jordan Schildcrout:
Per Katie Woodruff’s request I feel I should say a few words here about Marymount’s best-kept secret. If you haven’t had the privilege yet of taking a Modern Drama course from Jordan your life is incomplete. Sure he seems constantly nervous and uncomfortable, his age could be anywhere between 15 and 40, his speech patterns and mannerisms are almost unbearably awkward, and he might be the least fashionable gay man in history. But like a fine wine he just gets better with time until eventually you fully drink from his bottle of knowledge and become drunk on the rich taste of sweet education.
Or some shit like that.
Plus part of me thinks he could totally kick Mark Ringer’s ass in a bar fight. And even if he couldn’t, Id pay a large sum of money to see him try.

(Speaking of Katie Woodruff, is it too early to recommend her Christopher Durang monologue she’ll be doing in Senior Showcase? It is? Okay, well when it comes time to get your tickets for Showcase make sure you’re the first in line because you don’t want to miss it. It’ll be the best $0 you’ll ever spend.)

*Not being so negative and critical:
Seriously, I am so sick of people being critical and negative about things. People who are like that really suck. They are losers and I hate them. But yet they are everywhere. Seriously, what is this hellish God-forsaken world coming to?

*Having a picture of your real self on facebook:
Yes your drawing of Jesus is both humorous and ironic. Yes I like Mr. T as much as the next person. And yes your choice of picture is exceedingly clever and reflects well on your character and your worth as human being. But it makes it impossible to figure out if I know you or not. And if I don’t know if I know you or not how can I know whether or not to request to be your friend? Now I know that doesn’t stop most people from requesting to be someone’s friend, but I guess I’m just old fashioned like that. But really though, facebook is like the yearbook for the 21st century and you wouldn’t put a picture of a monkey having sex with George Bush as your yearbook picture would you? So why would you put it as your facebook picture? Seriously get with the program people…

*The ending to Being There
Granted you’ve probably never heard of Being There but then again you probably didn’t even know they made movies before 1980. Well they did. Being There for example came out in 1979. I hear there are movies even older than that too! Like Star Wars, Annie Hall and The Godfather(s). Other than that though, Being There might be the oldest movie ever made. Which makes the fact it has the best ending in movie history even more impressive. And if you don’t believe me (and frankly that’s probably wise on your part) then you can take USA Today’s word for it as they said the same thing a few weeks after I had come to a similar conclusion myself. Now of course part of what made the ending so good was that I had no idea the movie had anything unique about its ending, and by telling you that it does I am ruining it partially for you. But no matter, you’ll enjoy it nevertheless. With apologies to Say Anything..., The Sixth Sense, Fight Club, Before Sunset and of course the former champ, The Graduate, Being There has what is without a doubt the best ending in movie history. And on top of that, it's an amazing, unique, one of a kind film that best exemplifies the phrase “they don’t make ‘em like the used to” (although lord knows Wes Anderson tries) and also contains a BRILLANT performance by Peter Sellers. So, long story short, go rent this movie.

*Mcsweeneys.net:
Other than porn and some killer tuna casserole recipes Mcsweeneys.net is the greatest thing to ever happen to the internet and if you are not reading it daily and basking in its brilliance then your life is decidedly not complete my friend. I hesitate to recommend it to you if you are not already aware of its existence as everything I write I pretty much a blatant rip off of the stuff they do (well that is the stuff I write that isn’t a blatant rip off of Chuck Klosterman or Bill Simmons) and as soon as you read their stuff mine will seem painfully bad by comparison. For example this whole entry is based on a feature they do called “McSweeneys Recommends” where every few weeks they recommend random things like “blowing gently on a baby’s face” “The University of Illinois basketball team” or “binder clips” and then write commentary about them. But I am willing to give up whatever shred of respect you might have for me by recommending that you check out mcsweeneys.net and thus enhancing your life greatly. I can’t explain to you their brilliance in words. The best I can do I give you a random sample of the type of writing you might find on their site. For example here is a letter written to them by one of their readers (mind you, at the time this letter was written, nowhere on the site had anyone ever mentioned The Clash):

From: Patrick Cassels
Subject: Go. Clearly

Dear McS,
Why did The Clash feel the need to write such a perplexed and long-winded song for such a simple question?
“If I go there will be trouble
An' if I stay it will be double”
Clearly, to go is the better option, as it will cause half the trouble as staying. It's pure logic.
I'm as embarrassed for them as you are,
Patrick Cassels
Marlboro, NY

Now that is FAR from the best example of something you might read on their site; it was just the first thing I saw short enough to paste here. But it is a fairly good example of the random, exceedingly clever and very humorous stuff on their site (even though it was contributed by a reader and not by one of their writers). But you can pretty clearly see how it influences Fred. Sure it can be a little too clever at times and not everything works like it should, but when its good, there’s no writing anywhere that’s better. And I can’t stress that strongly enough. Plus its run by Dave Eggers and employs many of the same people and principles that the old Might Magazine did and Might Magazine is the greatest magazine in the history of human kind so that counts for something. So anyway if you at all even remotely enjoy my shitty ramblings then you should check mcsweeneys.net out. Because I think in my next life it would be my goal to write for them.
That is if we’re not both cats.

*Pringles:
Unlike you, I’ve never tried crack. But if it’s anything like Pringles I’d be doomed.

*Winona Rider in Reality Bites
I never got the whole Winona Rider thing from back in the day when people liked her and she was some kind of indie/underground sex symbol or something. Granted it was a little before my time, but I still remember it and it never really made sense to me. I mean she looks like a boyish elf and clearly is a little mentally unbalanced. But then I recently saw Reality Bites for the first time and I got it. So if you happen to be Winona Rider circa Reality Bites give me a call so we can get married and stuff. Now believe me, this development is as shocking to me as to anyone. I mean it violates two of my major rules about girls I won’t date:
1.) girls with really short boyish haircuts
2.) Winona Rider
But I guess there are exceptions to every rule. Even #2 apparently…

*The Pope:
Oh. Nevermind...

(Too soon for Pope jokes? Well as I pretend to cater to all audiences maybe so, but I will say its better than the Jesus joke I was planning to use here. Just trust me on that one.)

*Rice:
Since I go to Marymount I feel I should come out of the closet about something at some point. So here goes: I love rice. Yes I know, it’s shocking but I just can’t keep it a secret anymore. I like rice, and I like it dirty. In fact I like it almost as much as I like plain Cheerios. Now, I know what you’re thinking “Rice and Cheerios? What is cardboard too flavorful for you?” And yes, as a matter of fact it is. Plus it has sort of a grainy aftertaste. Just like your mom.

*Making up your own advertising campaigns for things:
For example:
-The board game “Life” should really adopt as their slogan, “There are no winners in the game of Life”. Of course it would hurt their sales, but oh the irony would be delicious. Almost as delicious as rice.
-Indiana University, home of the Hoosiers, should make bumper stickers for parents of students that read “Hoosier Daddy”. In fact if those bumper stickers don’t already exist then there is something seriously wrong with the fine folks on the Indiana University bumper sticker making committee.
-Emerald Nuts should make brilliant commercials involving random things that start with the letters E and N. Oh wait, those already exist…
-You know the hand sign you make for “West Side”? Well the actors on The West Wing should totally make one of those with each hand, hold them both up and yell out “West WING!” randomly.
-And so on…
Now you see why when my Mom always tried to tell me growing up that I should go into advertising that I decided to into a low paying, highly unstable, soul crushing career of playing dress up and doing funny voices instead.

*Guess Who:
I was watching Katherine Hepburn, Spencer Tracy and Sidney Poitier in Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner a few months ago and I thought to myself “if they remade this movie you know who would be good to star in it? Bernie Mac, Ashton Kutcher and some random girl.” And wouldn’t you know it, Hollywood stole my idea right out from under me. I feel liked I was punked.

*“Hey Ma” by Cam’ron:
Now surely you know the song and enjoy the fact that it is quite tuneful and pleasing to the ear. But if you study the narrative closely you will realize something that will greatly enhance your enjoyment of the song as well as your enjoyment of life. About halfway through his sordid tale he is “speedin’ up the West Side, hand creepin’ up her left side, ready to bone” when he, our narrator Cam’ron, suddenly realizes “55th exit, damn already we’re home”. At first glance that bit of information might seem inconsequential, but when you think it about it further it means that Cam’ron lives, or lived at one point, on 55th Street. Now granted it might have been on the West Side but you never know. He might have taken the 55th Street exit all the way over from the West Side to the East Side. Possibly even to between 2nd and 3rd Avenues. Possibly even over to The Capri. Regardless though, the point is that I have at one point in my life lived on the same street as Cam’ron. We have been neighbors. And I’ve also now found a rap song that I can literally relate to in a very personal way. Well, except the part about picking up a hot girl in bar and taking her home for sex. But the stuff about living on 55th Street and being in a car at one point in my life, I’m all about that shit homie.

*The New York Times:
I’ve always hated the Times. In fact I used to pass judgment on people who read it. And not judgment in a good way. It was always so stuffy and old school and pretentious and full of itself that I couldn’t stand it. I mean it’s a paper that’s too good to give stars or numerical ratings in their reviews of things. And speaking of reviews, they found fault with both Citizen Kane and The Godfather in their original reviews of them. And don’t even get me started on Frank Rich. But now that I have to read it every week for class I find myself actually enjoying it. Sure it’s still not my favorite paper but now in my old age I “get it” and I am glad that it exists. In fact a lot of the articles are really great. Nevertheless, I’ll always be a Post guy. Even though the Post is not a valid paper, and even though its pretty clearly got a conservative bias, and even though its still published in that ridiculous tabloid format rather than like a regular newspaper, I still get more enjoyment out of reading it than I do from any of the other New York papers. Plus with the Post I can still hold out hope that one day a house that Usher lives in will collapse and that therefore a paper will exist with the headline that reads “The Fall of the House of Usher!” And when/if that day comes all the Post’s faults will be forgiven. But until that time comes the Times is worth a look as well. And I can’t believe I just said that…

Do you have anything you’d like to recommend? If so, you should comment below…


Top 3 & 1/2 of the Week:
1.) Jane’s Addiction- “Ritual de lo Habitual” (album)
2.) Monty Python’s Flying Circus on DVD
3.) The Smiths
3 & 1/2.) NCAA Basketball

Editors Note:
Fred the Online Journal will be on hiatus for the next few weeks due to Marymount’s production of “There are Crimes and Crimes”. But don’t forget about ol’ Fred here while he’s away. He’ll be back in a few short weeks with all new material like “Facebook.com and The Nature of the Universe” “Who You Know Do It Better: The Wit and Wisdom of P.Diddy and the Fam” as well as, if you’re lucky, a graduation edition of “Marymount Musings”. So ya’ll come on back now ya’ hear!