Awhile ago, a friend of mind sent me, via a Facebook message, the "assignment" of comparing and contrasting Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start the Fire" and R.E.M.'s "It's the End of World as We Know It (and I Feel Fine)." This friend is someone I've known since about sixth grade, and we often go back and forth about music and pop culture. Anyway, this is my extemely off-the-cuff reply to his challenge. Thought you might find it fun: Billy Joel's “We Didn’t Start the Fire” is a litany of baby boomer-era cultural touchstones, and in the chorus Billy basically, in typical curmudgeonly Billy Joel style, says, "look, if you're pissed off about how f***ed up things are now, don't look at us (i.e. the boomers), it was already f***ed up when we got here, but we've been trying to make it better, so there!--and you know what, it'll probably continue to be f***ed up after we're dead." Billy Joel is the official apo...
The funniest speech I’ve heard in quite awhile. Ron Swanson’s "Visions of Nature" art show grand opening speech from Parks and Recreation. Worth quoting in its entirety: "Ok, everyone, shut up and look at me. Welcome to Visions of Nature. This room has several paintings in it. Some are big and some are small. People did them and they are here now. I believe that after this is over they will be hung in government buildings. Why the government is involved in an art show is beyond me. I also think it's pointless for a human to paint scenes of nature when they could just go outside and stand in it. Anyway, please do not misinterpret the fact that I am talking right now as genuine interest in art and attempt to discuss it with me further. End of speech."
Older son is home and we just spend about an hour this morning watching a YouTube video about comically bad AI depictions of Jesus. This is the type of content I'd never see if he wasn't home. This post will just be a potpourri of different subjects. On a whim, I checked out of the library Alex Van Halen's new memoir Brothers , which is primarily about his relationship with his kid brother Eddie Van Halen. Perhaps you've heard of him. I am only about 1/4 of the way through the book, but am enjoying it so far. Alex, along with bassist Michael Anthony, always seemed like the quiet guys in Van Halen (the band), so I didn't know what to expect from this book (though I had heard Alex Van Halen interviewed on NPR's Fresh Air and I found him pretty engaging. He comes across as thoughtful and conversational in the book, and clearly loved his little brother. Expect a "1984 albums in review" about Van Halen's appropriately titled 1984. I will try to get that...
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