Teach Them Well And Let Them Lead The Way

My little brother Aaron is going to be one weird adult. Or so I think. I am totally confused about what the hell the kids of today do for fun, what they listen to, what they think. When I was 11, my high point was going to Shinders and getting a pack of baseball cards and possibly taping songs off KDWB. I played video games probably about an hour a week, more so if I had a friend come over on a Friday or Saturday. I had very little knowledge of what was "cool" in music and films (although I did get into Clerks pretty early). But I just don't understand how kids now work.

Back to Aaron. Pretty much all he does is play shitty simulation video games like The Sims and Theme Park. That, and play baseball and other little league sports. Unlike me, he never just goes off into the woods or goes off on a bike and explores stuff. The weird thing is, no little kids in my area do. What the hell are they doing? I can remember spending the entire summer outside as a kid, riding my bike up to Brookdale and things like that. My brother would be scared shitless to go up to the gas station two blocks away.

It also is really strange how Aaron really doesn't listen to any current popular music. I am not sure that all little kids have a fondness for crappy 80s pop and Johnny Cash like him. I am pretty sure, however, that most kids between 11-15 really don't have favorite bands anymore. When I was 11, I really liked the Spin Doctors and the song "I'm Gonna Be" by the Proclaimers. And that was lame as hell, but it was pretty tame. Now, you don't really see anything marketed to kids under 16, except for those "Kidz Bop" CDs and maybe "Now That's What I Call Music". The good majority of music played on top 40 radio now is way too raunchy to be convienently marketed to youth. The most raunchy top 10 songs from when I was 11 years old were probably "Whoomp! There it Is!" and "Baby Got Back". And those songs were no raunchier than Rod Stewart telling a woman to "spread her wings and let him come inside" in 1976.

Today, you have things like "My Humps" by the Black Eyed Peas and "Candy Shop". Hell, sometimes I get a little uncomfortable with the shit they say in those songs.

My point is, how can there be any sort of youth culture if they are all too overprotected to do anything outside of their homes and have nothing to hold them to the current popular culture? I was primed on making my own decisions by going out and experiencing things without my immediate family. This allowed me to discover certain kinds of entertainment and think for myself. Where is this going to come from now?

Rebel Pride And Victory, Unity As One/You Can All Just Kiss Off

I hate the city of Champlin. I hate pretty much every thing about it, from its "trying to be a small town really fucking hard" attitude to its hard assed cops to its love for its Ruby Tuesday and its movie theatre. I always used to joke about how hick-ass Champlin was about 99% white, and now I know I was wrong. It's only 95% white, according to the 2000 U.S. Census. Oh, and to all those who called it "Brooklyn Dark" when I was in high school, we actually are 78% white, which doesn't mean anything. I just wanted to call out the bastards who called it "Brooklyn Dark."

In a happy note, I bought the new Alien Ant Farm. I listened to it twice in a row, which is one time more in a row than last weeks purchase of the Thom Yorke solo album. Thom Yorke does rule, although anything that Radiohead does is usually a difficult listen (except for the first two albums). Alien Ant Farm is incredibly poppy and also does rock substantially, which should make them as big as Journey (or at least Cheap Trick). But, unfortunately, they are not. The Alien Ant Farm cult seems to consist of only my immediate group of friends, their roommates, and a few kids who were on the North Hennepin North Star staff with me in 2003. I just do not get it. There are so many fantastic songs.

There is another band that didn't get the love that they deserve in their time that I am a huge fan of. That band is the Marvelous 3. The Marvelous 3 actually sounded like Cheap Trick, but their lyrics were much more witty and the bassist looked like Keanu Reeves. Radio played the hell out of "Freak Of The Week" off of their first album, and then...nothing. A few local stations, 93X and maybe Zone 105, played "Every Monday (off the first album) and "Sugarbuzz" (off of ReadySexGo). I assume that the lyrics were just too damn glam for the "Mommy I hate daddy/My anger faded and fell away from me" era of Korn and Staind. But then Butch Walker (the M3 lead singer) went solo and still can't get airplay on his solo stuff. Sure, he produces everything under the sun, but dammit, someone should be playing his solo stuff too, cause its good. And don't even get me started on Talib Kweli, Lyrics Born and J5 getting no love...

I Wanna See My Smilin Face On The Cover Of The Rolling Stone

So, as I was saying before I left...

I haven't been up to much lately. I have been golfing a few times a week. I really enjoy golf. I always used to shit on golf, but I really like it now. But I still suck at it. Kind of poetic.

I went to see Pearl Jam and Tom Petty a few weeks ago at the Xcel and it was pretty fucking rocking. The two downsides were the stupid silicone sister next to us who got pissed every time I sat down during a Tom Petty song, and the fact that Pearl Jam only played for 90 minutes. The drunk chick was making out with her biker douche boyfriend during the ENTIRE Petty concert, and that made me hate "Don't Come Around Here No More" even more. But Petty really killed on the older stuff ("The Waiting, "American Girl(with Eddie Vedder)" and "Refugee"). And his new song was pretty good also. Oh, and they played "Handle With Care" by the Travelling Wilburys and "Mystic Eyes" by Them. Pearl Jam rocked ass, but they didn't close with "Yellow Leadbetter." That pissed me off.

Guess who's not going to his high school reunion? THIS GUY. I laughed my ass off when I saw that about five people had responded as "yes" to the invite. I hate pretentious places, and Drink is pretty much the definition of pretentious. Every one is dressed in the same fucking button up, and the dudes all look vaugely Russian. Scary.

I fucking hate Young Jeezy, Young Dro, and Yung Joc. What the fuck is up with this shit?

To Nathan Andrew: You know damn well I ain't fucking no one. Except for you.

I am obsessed with Wikipedia. I know its lame, but I have never learned so much about Canadian fast food chains in my life. That and the useless facts about Mitch Hedberg and Dane Cook that somehow make it into every single entry, even if that entry is about the British Judicial System.