Life's An Illusion, Aging's A Dream

Oh, man.

I have the TV on right now. I was in the other room waiting for a phone call. Suddenly, I hear the Buzzcocks song "Everybody's Happy Nowadays," and I thought, "Who is possibly licensing this song for a commercial? Tide? Twix?" I mean, I'm pretty much past caring after Devo redid "Whip It" for Swiffer, but I was still curious.

I walk into the other room and see images of people frollicking in gorilla suits, people throwing cake, people jumping in balloons. Fun! Everybody IS happy nowadays! And then the announcer comes on. It's for the AARP.

I guess Pete Shelley's got to eat, but Christ, I'm old.

Genuinely Good or Nostalgia Trip?

I am currently nerding out on Thomas Dolby. Not "She Blinded Me With Science," but the album The Flat Earth, which I listened to mostly in high school, and have sporadically dug it out ever since.

At this point in my life, I seem to be doing that a lot (see my previous post on The Birthday Party). I go back and listen to old albums I had and go "WOW! What an overlooked classic!" But is it really that great, or am I just fixated on it because it harkens back to a certain point in my life, in this case, 8th through 10th grade? Mind you, those weren't particularly great times for me, but at least I had some refuge in this album.

I tend to think I like The Flat Earth still it's because it was genuinely good. The songs are pretty, the lyrics are smart, and the song "Hyperactive" makes me jump around. Conversely, I've revisited other songs and bands and thought "what the hell was I thinking?"

Bauhaus springs to mind. So do The Beatles (most of the material post-Revolver is just too self-indulgent. I mean, Sgt. Pepper? Come on. Who wants to sit down and listen to "For The Benefit of Mister Kite?"). Well, I still enjoy both bands to an extent, but I'm more discriminating with their music than I used to be.

So, is The Flat Earth good? Or just a stupd nostalgia trip? I know I should just enjoy what I enjoy, but I can't help but to second guess my taste.

Reasons I Didn't Want To DJ On New Years Eve Even Though I Did

Scenario 1:

Patron 1: I think someone is dead in the bathroom.
Me: Well, go tell a bartender.

Sceanrio 2:

Patron 2: Do you have any Sean Paul or reggae?
Me: Nnnnnnno.
Patron 2: How about Led Zeppelin?
Me: Uh...
Anita: Yes! I threw Led Zeppelin 1 in my bag at the last minute. What do you want to hear? "Good Times Bad Times?" "Communication Breakdown?"
Patron 2: (looking at Anita blankly) "Stairway To Heaven?"
Anita: (Hands patron CD) Here's what's on the CD.
Patron 2: (Stares blankly at CD for a few seconds before handing it back, then, in as cool a voice as he can muster) You know what to play. You know what to play.