Quizzes are out of hand on Facebook

And I’m fully aware that this is a song by the Lonely Island.

 We think we root for the underdog, but we don’t really. We are a superficial, catty and vapid culture. We aren’t interested in authenticity. We mainly watch TV shows featuring people we’d like to date, touch and have sex with.

To a large extent I believe he’s right.  And like Neil Postman says in Amusing Ourselves to Death this is the ultimate function of television.  It was never going to be that deep, we’ve only reached new heights of superficiality.

Despite a near collapse that required $45 billion in federal taxpayer bailout funds, Bank of America sponsored a five day carnival-like affair just outside the Super Bowl stadium this past week as President Obama decried wasteful spending on Wall St.

(…)

The bank refused to tell ABC News how much it is spending as an NFL corporate sponsor, but insiders have put the figure at close to $10 million.

Disgusting.

The reason I say all this is because I’ve also been known to turn off a catchy song with a great melody because the lyrics are retarded.  The first time this happened was about five years ago with a (surprise, surprise) Limp Bizkit song.  Since then it has happened more frequently.

I still can’t listen to songs, no matter how good the lyrics, with poor production value.  I need hooky music, but I’ve also come to appreciate the need for good lyrics.  I’ve discovered a few lyricists who I like and thought I would point them out.  In no particular order…

John Mayer,
The first song of his that popped into my head was “Stop this train,” a song that reflects the fears of getting older that even I sometimes feel.  The line “So scared of getting older, I’m only good at being young” resonates with me.

Aaron Marsh, from Copeland.
I’m not really a huge Copeland fan they are ok, just not my style.  However I’ve just discovered “I’m a sucker for a kind word” which is fantastic.  The money line for me is “On the softness of her laugh I could almost make my bed but the racket of her absence draw in the sirens blaring.”  A very poignant line.

Ben Gibbard, Death Cab for Cutie
This is another band I’ve been off and on with.  I’m sorry I missed them in Toronto recently.  Their lyrics are frequently, profoundly sad.  In Your New Twin Sized bed he talks about someone who has gotten rid of a queen sized mattress in exchange for a double, believing they’d be alone.
You look so defeated lying there
In your new twin sized bed
With a single pillow
Underneath your single head

Strong but depressing stuff.  Brothers on a hotel bed is another such song. 
You may tire of me as our December sun is setting because I’m not who I used to be
No longer easy on the eyes but these wrinkles masterfully disguise
The youthful boy below who turned your way and saw
Something he was not looking for: both a beginning and an end

Finally, for this post, I need to throw in Dave Matthews.  Possibly my favorite contemporary lyricist.  It’s hard to pick a single song.  I would have to post all Grave Digger here so instead I’ll point you to it on Youtube.  The first stanza of Dodo is also incredible.
Once upon a time
When the world was just a pancake
Fears would arise
That if you went too far, you’d fall

But with the
Passage of time
It all became more of a ball
We’re as sure of that
As we all once were when the world was flat

Any thoughts?  Any lyricists you think deserve mention?  By no means do I believe this list is comprehensive.  These are just a few people who came to mind.

Liam Kinnon
MSB PO Box 545
StFX University
Antigonish, Nova Scotia B2G 2W5
Canada

I finally confirmed that my key worked and that MSB PO Box 545 is really my box after deciding to order a couple of books off of Amazon.  Thanks to a gift certificate from some amazing people.  Anyway, if you want to send me stuff I’d love to have it.  Mostly.

“The whole modern world has divided itself into Conservatives and Progressives. The business of Progressives is to go on making mistakes. The business of the Conservatives is to prevent the mistakes from being corrected.”

From his Wikipedia entry.

What is most interesting about this development program is a rare show of cooperation between an Arts faculty and a Science faculty. At a campus already fractured by its college system this move goes a long way towards reconciliation. “It says to the arts colleges, if the liberal arts and sciences can get along, why can’t one Art college get along with another?” Says McMillan.

In other news, squirrels attack philosophy major student, thinking he’s nuts.

#5 Peter Gabriel. An artist who can trace most of his biggest hits to the 80s Peter Gabriel may be one of the more brilliant songwriters and arrangers out there. While songs like 99 red balloons dominated the air Peter Gabriel released subversively intelligent music like “Red Rain” and “In Your Eyes”. I say subversive because it also did quite well on the charts. He is someone I hope I get to see live.

#4 Footloose. A fun movie about dancing, rock n’ roll, and the small town mentality. Also has a great song by Kenny Loggins.

#3 The Police. As you can read here I love the Police. They came from the eighties. That is all.

#2 The Princess Bride. I really don’t think you can talk about this movie. All I can say is that it is hilarious, fun, and an all around good time. I heartily recommend it. I’ve linked to what may be the greatest scene in any movie ever. Which also features a line that I frequently use in Risk.

#1 U2. I throw them here because they too are amazing. It’s hard to call a band that has managed to stay relevant and continues to have chart topping albums an “eighties” band. But if you have such classic albums as “The Joshua Tree” released in the eighties there is no choice but to place these guys at the top of the list. The song I linked to has one of my favorite solos of all time in it. As well as my favorite Edge solo.

Notable Mentions… MTV, Michael Jackson, and I was born in ’87, so you can throw me on this list if you want.

It seems protestants are no less guilty than catholics of persecution, even killing people. I had realized that there had been violence in protestantism; but looking at people like Zwingli and Calvin made me realize that people are people. And power will corrupt anybody who seeks it.