I just finished recording with a new hardcore music project and the first question anyone has is something like, "Why are you screaming so much?"
Well, to be honest, I could croon about love, whisper about dreams or even talk about my dancing skills. But George W. Bush was seven points ahead in yesterday's Gallup Poll; my democratic candidate is losing an election that shouldn't be a contest; my beloved Buffalo Sabres may not be playing this year because an average $2 million salary isn't enough; American society continues to ignore hungry people in its own nation and nations abroad in favor of really, really big airplanes with guns; my best friend graduated with a 3.7 in psychology and can't find a job; Snapcase hasn't played a show in God knows how long; "Terrorism Terminator" Bush went through his entire GOP convention speech without a mention of the Chechens wreaking havoc in Russia; the median salary for an elementary school teacher in Buffalo is $46,080 while Buffalo Bills punter Brian Moorman almost makes that on a single Sunday ($37,500); after a steady decline throughout the Clinton administration, the unemployment rate has been above 5 percent since September 2001 and many of these unemployed are still voting Bush because our nation's great history has taught us to trust democratically elected (democrat and elected?) officials; the current administration continues to use my peace-loving, "turn the other cheek," "love your enemies" Savior Jesus Christ into someone interested in revenge; and Eminem has more Grammys than A Tribe Called Quest.
That, in a capsule, is why I'm screaming so much.
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I may be the only person in America not named Bernie Mac looking forward to "Mr. 3000." There's something about baseball movies that is universally appealing. I've seen them all, from "Mr. Baseball" to "For Love of the Game." Yes, I've seen them all, except "Ed," starring Matt LeBlanc and a monkey.
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My mom likes to say I'm "something else" on account of what I consider topics worth pondering. For example, yesterday I stopped outside the Union to have a listen to what the Students Against Sweatshops had to say and found myself wondering, "what if there was a Students For Sweatshops?" Calling to mind events like last year's brilliant "Conservative Coming Out Day," I guess there is: the College Republicans.
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I've been to Wyoming.
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If there is any record worth anticipating this year, its mewithoutYou's "Catch For Us the Foxes." There simply aren't many bands left doing their own thing (read: not sounding like Everytime I Die) and their new single, "January 1979" - available on their Web site - is something special. In other unreleased music news, the Jimmy Eat World record has slipped to the Internet and is pretty wonderful.
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I need to find better vegetarian gravy.
