Pop Tarts

A pretty funny take on the world of pop lyrics: http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/article6457684.ece. I don't know, I'm not sure that anyone listens that intently to rock lyrics. First, there's the comprehension issue--there are great songs I've listened to my whole life that I still have no idea what the guy is screaming/singing about--he's grunting in practically another language. Second, my eyes gloss over at the awfulness of what passes for the artist's message. Mostly, it's his frail outlook on life (see Mandrake, Group Captain) and idiotic interpretation of the world around him. This is captured most intently by the wildly popular group, Green Day, which apparently thinks that Bush and Cheney are still somehow in control and will nuke France before it's all over. I have a lot of their songs on some of my iPod playlists and they're fantastic for working out with. You just have to suspend disbelief and ignore the worst of their lyrics and focus on the beat. Not that hard. Sort of the same when you read something from a source such as the New York Times. Filter the best you can and oftentimes something useful is to be had.

As discussed before, I prefer the rare band like ZZ Top or AC/DC. They understand the human condition and they get what rock and roll is about: women, fast cars, drinking, and sometimes shooting guns. And, they don't give a shit if the Russians love their children, too.